In the 21st century, groundwater depletion is posing a serious threat to humanity throughout the world, particularly in developing nations. India being the largest consumer of groundwater in the ...world, dwindling groundwater storage has emerged as a serious concern in recent years. Consequently, the judicious and efficient management of vital groundwater resources is one of the grand challenges in India. Groundwater modeling is a promising tool to develop sustainable management strategies for the efficient utilization of this treasured resource. This study demonstrates a pragmatic framework for predicting seasonal groundwater levels at a large scale using real-world data. Three relatively powerful Machine Learning (ML) techniques viz., ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System), Deep Neural Network (DNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were employed for predicting seasonal groundwater levels at the country scale using in situ groundwater-level and pertinent meteorological data of 1996–2016. ANFIS, DNN and SVM models were developed for 18 Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs) of India and their efficacy was evaluated using suitable statistical and graphical indicators. The findings of this study revealed that the DNN model is the most proficient in predicting seasonal groundwater levels in most AEZs, followed by the ANFIS model. However, the prediction ability of the three models is ‘moderate’ to ‘very poor’ in 3 AEZs ‘Western Plain and Kutch Peninsula’ in Western India, and ‘Deccan Plateau (Arid)’ and ‘Eastern Ghats and Deccan Plateau’ in Southern India. It is recommended that groundwater-monitoring network and data acquisition systems be strengthened in India in order to ensure efficient use of modeling techniques for the sustainable management of groundwater resources.
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•Scientific framework is developed to predict groundwater levels at large scales.•Efficacy of the ANFIS, DNN and SVM models is assessed in predicting groundwater levels.•The models predict groundwater levels in each Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) of India.•The DNN model's prediction ability is superior for most AEZs followed by the ANFIS model.•The study calls for improved groundwater-monitoring and data acquisition across India.
► Mechanism of Cr(VI) detoxification using conducting polymers has been ascertained ► Effect of various parameters on Cr(VI) detoxification has been determined ► Results demonstrated formation of ...Cr(III) and its subsequent adsorption on polymers ► This work has potential in selection of suitable polymer for chromium remediation ► Polyaniline and Pd-decorated PANI are recommended for future sensor applications.
We report detoxification of Cr(VI) into Cr(III) using electrochemically synthesized polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPY), PANI nanowires (PANI-NW) and palladium-decorated PANI (PANI-Pd) thin films. Percent Cr(VI) reduction was found to be decreased with an increase in pH from 1.8 to 6.8 and with initial Cr(VI) concentration ranging from 2.5 to 10mg/L. Efficacy of PANI increased at higher temp of 37°C as compared to 30°C. PANI-Pd was found to be most effective for all three initial Cr(VI) concentrations at pH 1.8. However, efficacy of PANI-Pd was significantly reduced at higher pHs of 5 and 6.8. Efficacy of PANI and PANI-NW was found to nearly the same. However, there was a significant reduction in effectiveness of PANI-NW at 10mg/L of Cr(VI) at all the three pHs studied, which could be attributed to degradation of PANI-NW by higher initial Cr(VI) concentration. PPY and PANI-NW were found to be highly sensitive with respect to pH and Cr(VI) initial concentration. Chromium speciation on PANI film was carried out by total chromium analysis and XPS, which revealed Cr(III) formation and its subsequent adsorption on the polymer. PANI-Pd and PANI are recommended for future sensor applications for chromium detection at low pH.
The sigmoid activation function plays an essential role in implementing neural networks in hardware. However, due to a high degree of non-linearity, the hardware implementation of the activation ...function itself is a daunting job. In this Letter, the authors proposed an accuracy controlled iterative algorithm for the piecewise linear approximation of the sigmoid function. The proposed algorithm approximates sigmoid activation with an optimised number of linear functions for a given error. The accuracy and hardware complexity of the resulting approximation function are compared with the state-of-the-art literature.
The present investigation evaluates the sorption effectiveness of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions on iron ore slime (IOS) obtained from Jindal Steel Ltd., Vijayanagaram, India. The sorption followed ...pseudo-second-order kinetics for both the cations. Pb(II) and Cd(II) sorption increased with the increase in pH from 2 to 4.5. The sorption data fitted well to Freundlich model as compared to Langmuir model. Synergistic effect of Pb(II) and Cd(II) on their sorption on IOS sample showed that Pb(II) sorption increases in presence of Cd(II) whereas Cd(II) sorption decreases. Presence of chloride or sulphate resulted in increased Pb(II) sorption but adversely affected Cd(II) sorption. The XRD patterns of Pb(II) adsorbed on IOS sample showed disappearance of some silica peaks and shifting of hematite peaks corresponding to 1
0
4 and 1
1
0 plane. For Cd(II) sorbed IOS sample, only peak shift for hematite of 1
0
4 and 1
1
0 plane was observed. Shifting of IR bands indicated that the Pb(II) sorption occurred through an inner sphere mechanism where as Cd(II) sorption occurred through outer sphere mechanism. EPMA studies showed that Pb(II) form a uniform thin layer and Cd(II) concentrate only on iron oxide phase. Regeneration and stability data on metal ion loaded IOS sample has been included.
Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from municipal solid waste (MSW) is an alternative fuel (AF) partially replacing coal/petcoke in a calciner/kiln of cement plant. The maximum thermal substitution rate (TSR) ...achieved through RDF is 80–100% in the calciner, while it is limited to 50–60% in the kiln burner. Different AF pre-combustion technologies, advancements in multi-channel burners, and new satellite burners have supported high TSR. Extensive efforts in modelling kiln burner and calciner lead to enhance TSR. However, the cement industry faces operational issues such as incomplete combustion, increased specific heat consumption, reduced flame temperature, and kiln coating buildup. There is an interest in RDF gasification, a promising alternative to eliminate the operational issues of the cement industry, which needs to be integrated with the existing cement plant. The article reviews the integration of gasification in cement production and various experimental and modelling studies of the direct firing of AF/RDF in the kiln/calciner. The features and technology status of both approaches are compared. The different gasification integration technologies with varied configurations for cement plant calciner are highlighted. The article emphasizes the need to develop suitable calciner/kiln-gasifier models for predicting calciner output based on different RDFs.
Graphical Abstract
► Two-step bioleaching method for chalcopyrite yielded higher copper recoveries. ► Carbonate based washed solution effectively removed the surface passivation layer. ► Analytical studies indicated ...further bioleaching of jarosite layer devoid residues.
Meso-acidophilic bacterial leaching of ball mill spillage (containing chalcopyrite >80%) was carried out in an innovative two-step bioleaching method. The major drawback of meso-acidophilic bioleaching limiting industrial application is the passivation phenomenon over the ore surfaces in iron–sulfur rich environments. In the present study, we present a novel wash solution that efficiently removed the passivation layer. FTIR characterization of the bioleached sample indicated that the residues could be further leached to recover extra copper after wash solution application. XRD study indicated accumulation of sulfates (SO4-) of Na, K, Fe and oxy hydroxides of iron FeO(OH) in the form of jarosite outlining the passivation layer. SEM, FESEM-EDS studies indicated severe corrosion effects of the wash solution on the passivation layer. Two step bioleaching of the ore sample yielded 32.6% copper in 68days in the first interlude and post wash solution application yielded 10.8% additional copper.
•A multi zone model for Refuse derived fuel gasification using MATLAB software.•Prediction of syngas yield, LHV, CGE, CCE at varying ER for three RDFs.•Parametric studies at varying ER, reduction ...zone length and inlet temperature etc.•90% of the conversion achieved within 60% of the reduction zone length.
Substitution of fossil fuels by sustainable energy sources has raised attention worldwide. Refuse derived fuel (RDF), which is the combustible fraction of Municipal solid waste (MSW), is used as an alternative fuel through combustion route. The gasification of RDF is gaining importance due to the operational issues of RDF combustion. The multizone RDF gasification model is developed to predict syngas composition in the present study. A stoichiometric approach is followed for modelling the pyrolysis and combustion zone. The reduction zone is modelled as a cylindrical fixed bed reactor with a uniform cross-sectional area. The developed set of differential equations is solved using MATLAB to predict the syngas properties. The novelty lies in the fact that the model can predict the output of each zone satisfactorily since the model assumptions are more realistic and cater to the heterogeneous nature of RDF. The impact of Equivalence ratio (ER), moisture content and reduction zone length on the performance of the gasifier are evaluated. The optimum values of lower heating value (LHV), gas yield, cold gas efficiency (CGE) and carbon conversion efficiency (CCE) for three different RDF at optimum ER is determined. Notably, 90% of the conversion is achieved within 60% length of reduction zone for all three types of RDF at all ERs. Predicting syngas properties can pave the way for the process integration of RDF gasification-based syngas in various industrial applications.
We report here the data of Y chromosome haplotypes of 259 unrelated males from the population of Himachal Pradesh, India, using the Yfiler® multiplex kit. A total of 188 haplotypes were detected, out ...of which 148 were unique. Three samples showed bi-allelic pattern on locus DYS448. The observed genetic diversity and discrimination capacity were 0.996 and 0.73, respectively. In order to compare the genetic distance of the studied population with the published populations, multidimensional scaling (MDS) plot was constructed. The reported data is expected to be valuable for both forensic and population genetics.
Ilmenite from IREL, Chatrapur, Orissa and its thermally activated products such as metallized ilmenite and titania rich slag were characterized to find out its suitability for the production of ...synthetic rutile (SR). Several complementary methods like XRD, EPMA and XRF were implemented to find out the gradual phase and compositional changes from feed to the product. Iron titanium oxide (Fe
3Ti
3O
10), anatase (TiO
2), metallic iron (Fe) and iron oxide (Fe
2O
3) were observed in metallized ilmenite and titania rich slag. On increasing the degree of metallization from 62% to 85% both iron and titanium exhibit distinct separation and appear as individual laminae. On plasma treatment metallized ilmenite converts to titania rich phase (slag) enclosing small iron globules. The titania rich slag if further heated in a furnace at 750
°C, small pores/cracks develop on its surface which facilitates easy leaching. Such thermal activation also favours removal of iron and other impurities of synthetic rutile.
•This study reports 259 unrelated individuals from the population of Himachal Pradesh.•The locus D2S1338 was most polymorphic, and TPOX was the least polymorphic.•This genetic data will enrich the ...DNA databank for forensic applications.
In order to create an autosomal STR loci population database for Himachal Pradesh, 259 blood samples were taken from people residing in various regions of the state and AmpFlSTR® Identifiler® Plus PCR amplification kit was used for evaluation of 15 autosomal STR markers. A total of 149 alleles were investigated in this study with a mean allele number of 9.933 per locus. The locus D2S1338 was most informative in our data, as it had the highest discrimination power (PD-0.967) and the highest polymorphic information content (PIC-0.86). The matching probability and typical paternity index for all the studied loci were observed as 2.9x10-18 and 4.7x105, respectively. Discrimination power (CPD) and exclusion power (CPE) for all the studied loci were observed as 1 and 0.999998.
