Iranian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Volume:41 Issue: 2, Feb 2022

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR) as appropriate targets for cancer therapy have recently made a noteworthy field since the introduction of vandetanib as a dual inhibitor of VEGFR and EGFR tyrosine kinases (TKIs). In this study, twelve quinazoline derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their cytotoxicity on A431 (human carcinoma cell) as well as HU02 (Foreskin fibroblast) cell lines by MTT assay. The binding mode of the most potent compound (8a) with EGFR and VEGFR2 was studied using molecular docking. Most of the compounds showed significant inhibition on the growth of A431 cells at the concentration lower than 100 µM. The compound 8a bearing diethylamine along with 4-bromo-2-fluoroaniline exhibited the best cytotoxic activity (IC50=2.62 μM) compared to erlotinib and vandetanib as positive controls. Synthesized compounds did not indicate significant cytotoxicity against HU02 cell line. The compound 8a indicated binding energies of -6.39 and -8.24 kcal/mol as well as inhibition constants of 20.67µM and 0.9µM with EGFR and VEGFR-2, respectively, which showed the effective binding with VEGFR-2.  The higher potency of 8a may be put down to the flexibility of diethylamine and its higher lipophilicity as well as lower steric hindrance of this substituent.

New Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) coating was made by electrodeposition of Zeolite Imidazolate Framework (ZIF-67) nanocrystals with the aid of polyaniline (PANI) on steel fiber. The SPME fiber was used to extract four Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the Head Space (HS) of tea infusions and determined by Gas Chromatography coupled with a Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The coating of the SPME fiber was characterized by Fourier Transformed InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Vital parameters affecting extraction performance, including desorption conditions, salt concentration, extraction time, and temperature, have been evaluated and optimized. The validated method was specific for the PAHs analysis, with the Limit of Detection (LOD) as low as 20.0 to 50.0 ng/L. The linear range was relevant to 70.0-180.0 ng/L with a relative standard deviation (RSD) % of less than 12.8. The factor of enrichment was found to be 446.7-808.8. The synthesized coating was shown to be thermally and chemically stable. The recommended approach was successfully applied to quantify PAHs in some frequent tea infusions in the market. The fiber coating of ZIF-67 can be easily made and applied efficiently to detect PAHs pollution in the environment and food products.

Thermophysical properties of base ionic liquid (C10H19F6N2P) (IL) and Io Nanofluids (INF) containing different contents of (0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 wt%) MultiWalled Carbon NanoTubes (MWCNTs) and Graphene (Gr) were measured experimentally. INF exhibited augmentation in thermal conductivity, viscosity, and heat capacity with respect to the base fluid. Maximum thermal conductivity breakthrough was detected at 39%, 48% of MWCNT-IL, and 0.5wt% of Gr-IL, respectively. Eventually, the experimental viscosity and thermal conductivity data were fitted with the existing theoretical models. The findings highlighted that the viscosity of MWCNTs-IL and Gr-IL was in unison with the particle aggregation effect (Krieger-Dougherty model) and both INF effective thermal conductivity are prognosticated by the interfacial layer approach with sufficient accuracy.

Several categories are usual ways for natural gas storage: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG), and liquefied gas methods. The ANG technologies allow the natural gases to be absorbed via porous materials at high temperatures and low pressures, around 500 psig (3.5 MPa).  Via an accurate comparison, it has been exhibited those gases can be stored in a CNG tank at approximately 3,500 psig. Therefore, the ANG system appears to be prospective for any future activities. In this study, Glucose–Graphene hybrid based materials with hierarchical structures, tunable surfaces, chemical doping, and functionalization were simulated for gases with .... such as (H2, N2, O2) and ... for (CH4, CO2, NH3, NO2, H2S, SO2) and  for (He, Ne) sorption, storage, and separation. The scope of this work is to produce a new Nano-adsorbent, i.e., Hybrid -Glucose-Graphene, which can be introduced as a new candidate for that gas storage.

With the intention to tune the charge transport nature of preliminary 4,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)pyrimidine (DTP) structure, six novel V-shaped organic semiconductor compounds were designed by nitrogen doping and acene moieties elongation. Initially, the nitrogen atoms were doped in DTP to design 4,6-bis-thiazol-2-yl-pyrimidine (1) . Moreover, by ℼ-bridge elongation strategy, 4,6-bis-benzo [b]thiazol-2-yl-pyrimidine (2), 4,6-bis(naphthothiazol-2-yl)pyrimidine (3), 4,6-bis(anthracenothiazol-2-yl)pyrimidine (4), 4,6-bis (tetracenothiazol-2-yl) pyrimidine (5), and 4,6-bis (pentacenothiazol-2-yl) pyrimidine (6) were designed by substituting various oligocenes at both ends. The ground, as well as excited state structures, were optimized using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT at B3LYP/6-31G** and TD-B3LYP/6-31G** levels, correspondingly. We explored their frontier molecular orbitals, electron injection aptitude, photo-stability, Ionization Energies (IE), electron affinity (EA), and reorganization energies. The bridge elongation significantly elevates the EA while reducing the IE which would result in to decrease in the injection barrier for electron and hole transport. Furthermore, acene cores elongation expressively decreases the hole and electron reorganization energies as compared to frequently used materials pentacene and tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum (mer-Alq3) which revealed that newly designed materials would be proficient to be used in p- and/or n-type semiconductor devices.

The reactivity of the bicyclic sesquiterpene β-himachalene which is considered one of the main constituents of the essential oil of the Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) and its derivatives have been studied extensively, in order to prepare new biological products. The title compound, C17H26Br2 was synthesized from the β-himachalene with :CBr2, in dichloromethane (DCM) and with :CH2 cycloaddition reaction, in diethyl ether. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) computational level account for the total chemo- and regioselectivity, in complete agreement with the experimental outcomes.

2, 5-hexanedione,3,4-diacetyl, and ethylenediamine were condensed to obtain a novel Schiff base ligand. Ni(II) and Co(II) complexes have been synthesized by reacting ligand with metal salts in a 1:10 ratio.  Elemental analysis, IR, 1HNMR, and mass spectrometry revealed a unique structure, a cyclic decamer, of ligand and metal complexes. Synthesized compounds were screened for anti-microbial character against fungi viz. Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton rubrum and bacteria viz. Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia, using well plate diffusion method. Investigation of antiangiogenic activity was done using CAM assay. Biological activities of ligand were found enhanced after coordination with metal ions.

The present study focuses on the synthesis of pillared bentonite materials prepared by intercalating solutions of aluminum, chromium, iron, and. cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB) into natural bentonite. Six solids were obtained and applied as adsorbents to remove acid-yellow E-4G dye from aqueous solutions. Different characterization methods, such as chemical composition, X-ray diffraction, and specific surface area, were used for that purpose. The efficiency of dye removal was studied as a function of pH, initial dye concentrations, contact time, and temperature. The efficiency of dye removal by CTMA-Al intercalated bentonite was found higher than that of inorgano-bent, under similar conditions. The results obtained showed that the maximum adsorption capacity for dye by modified bentonite was reached within the pH range from 1 to 2. Indeed,  the maximum adsorption capacity was estimated to be 385 mg/g at room temperature. The results of the kinetic study regarding the removal of E-4G dye by modified bentonites was found to fit the pseudo-second-order model. Moreover, it turned out that the adsorption isotherm data obtained fit well the Freundlich model, which is not the case for the Langmuir and D-R models tested. Calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic with bentonite intercalated by aluminum and iron (B-AlFe) and is exothermic in the case of inserted bentonite by cetyltrimethylammonium and chromium (B-C-AlCr).

Films were prepared using the casting method from enset starch, as a filler material, glycerol & sorbitol as plasticizers at different concentrations (15, 25, and 35%). And glucose, fructose, and sucrose were added to enhance flexibility. The films were characterized and compared with the effect of plasticizer type (glycerol and sorbitol) and the concentration of some physicochemical properties of ES-based films. The films were analyzed for moisture content, film density, and thickness, swelling capacity, tensile strength, and percentage elongation. The study indicated that moisture content, film thickness, film density, swelling capacity, tensile strength, and percentage elongation are dependent on the type of plasticizer and its concentration. Increasing the plasticizer concentration from 15 to 35 % increases moisture content, and film thickness; decreases the film density, water swelling capacity, and tensile strength of films, regardless of the plasticizer type used.

A few 2-aryl-1H-phenanthro [9,10-d] imidazoles were synthesized and assessed for their cytotoxicity against MCF-7, HepG2, and AGS cell lines using MTT assay. Cellular assessments showed that phenanthroimidazoles were extremely potent cytotoxic agents (sub-nanomolar IC50s). Maximum effect was recorded for para-N-phenyl acetamide containing derivative against AGS cells (IC50 0.07 nM). It was also revealed that phenanthroimidazole derivatives showed better cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and AGS cells when compared to HepG2 cells. Minimum cytotoxicity was reported for para-methylphenyl derivatives within HepG2 cancer cells (IC50 7608.07 nM). Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that incorporation of nitrogen/oxygen-containing polar groups such as N-acetyl or nitro into para/meta positions of phenyl ring significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity against AGS cells. A similar trend was observed in meta-nitro derivatives vs MCF-7 cells. It was revealed that even the least potent compound exhibited cytotoxic activity in the range of low micromolar IC50. Results of this study proposed 2-aryl-1H-phenanthro [9,10-d] imidazoles as privileged structures for further in vivo studies.

Concentrations of PAHs and trace metals in five selected brands of sausage commonly available in the Nigerian market were determined in this study. The health risk assessment of both PAHs and trace metals was also evaluated. Five different brands of commercially available sausage rolls were purchased from various retail shops in Ibadan, Ijebu Ode, and Iwo markets in Nigeria. PAHs extraction of the sausage roll samples was carried out with a Soxhlet extractor and clean-up of the extract was done using activated silica gel. The analysis of target analytes including the 16 priority PAHs was performed with Gas Chromatography equipped with Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID), while the concentrations of trace metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) after acid digestion of the sausage samples. The concentrations of Ʃ16 PAHs in sausage samples were in the range of 12.5-36.2 µg/g. Benzo (a) pyrene was predominant in all the samples investigated and their concentrations were above 0.001 µg/g limit in processed cereal-based food products as stipulated by the European Commission Regulation. The brands of sausages were mainly polluted with 4- and 5-ring PAHs. The order of increase of PAHs in brands of sausage roll was: SB > YM > GA > BG > RT. The trace metals concentrations (mg/kg) ranged as follows: Zn (1.01-71.0), Cu (ND-8.12), and Cr (ND-16.4). Cd was not detected in all the samples analyzed. Pb ranged from 2.34-13.0 mg/kg infringing the safe limit for cereals and cereal-based food products of 0.3 mg/kg and 0.05 mg/kg as stipulated by the FAO/WHO and European Commission, respectively. This study revealed the occurrence of PAHs and trace metals at varying concentrations in the sausage samples analyzed. Hence, it is imperative to constantly monitor and control the concentrations of these pollutants in sausages since they are usually consumed by school children and youths.

This research aimed at studying the optimization of cocoa pod-Ficus exasperate (CP-FE) extract preparation as mild steel anticorrosive agent in hydrochloric acid solution using a central composite design as an optimization tool. The maximum inhibition efficiency of 95.42% was obtained at ethanol volume, extraction time, CP-FE mixing ratio, and CP-FE mass of 500 mL, 48 hr, 5, and 100 g respectively. The coefficient of determination value of 0.9674 between experimental and predicted values suggested that the model developed was exact. The optimum predicted point for CP-FE extract preparation by CCD was 62.02 mL, 9.51 hr, 3.42, and 75.68 g for the ethanol volume, extraction time, CP-FE mixing ratio, and CP-FE mass respectively. SEM images revealed an acid attack on the mild steel surface. Adsorption of CP-FE extracts on the mild steel surface prevents acid attack. FT-IR revealed the presence of carboxyl (-COOH) and hydroxyl (-OH) functional groups. EDS revealed high iron composition on mild steel surface in the presence of CP-FE extracts. Loss of Fe2+ into free HCl solution was observed from the AAS result. Conclusively, mixed cocoa pod-Ficus exasperate extracts exhibited effective corrosion inhibitory attributes for mild steel in HCl solution.

The famous definition of RTD is based on the volumetric flow rate but is experimentally defined using the tracer concentration. These different views have erroneously limited the application of the velocity profile for RTD evaluation to the laminar flows.  In this work, a more general sense of RTD is introduced and it has been emphasized that regardless of the dispersion behavior, the velocity profile is sufficient in order to obtain the corresponding RTD. A general algorithm for RTD evaluation using axial velocity profile is developed and the relations were derived for different systems. In addition, the corresponding velocity profiles to the famous RTD models were numerically evaluated. It has been shown that the final forms are consistent compared to the previous relations for laminar flows.

A highly sensitive, simple, and speed technique was employed for the determination of brilliant green in fish (Sphyraena jello) and seawater samples by visible spectrophotometry after its extraction and enrichment with chitosan- zinc oxide nanoparticle coupled with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. Ultra-trace concentrations of brilliant green were dispersed to the organic phase in DLLME method after adding dispersive solvent and chitosan- zinc oxide nanoparticles. The experimental factors such as the amount of chitosan- zinc oxide nanoparticles, the concentration of Triton X- 114, type of volume of extraction and dispersive solvents, extraction time, rate and time of centrifugation, the volume of sample, and pH were investigated to order to enhance of the extraction efficiency. Under optimum extraction conditions, the volume of chloroform (as extraction solvent) and methanol (as dispersive solvent) were 100.0 µL and 550.0 µL, respectively; the amount of chitosan- zinc oxide nanoparticles was 15.0 mg; the time of extraction was 4.0 min; rate and time of centrifugation were 3000.0 rpm and 8.0 min, respectively, the volume of sample was 8.0 mL, and pH of the sample solution was 4.0. After optimizing the microextraction conditions and instrumental factors, an enrichment factor of 169.0 was achieved. The analytical curve )absorbance vs. concentration( was linear over the range 1.0-200.0 µg/L of brilliant green. The limit of detection and relative standard deviation were 0.3 µg/L and < 6.1 %, respectively. The protocol was successfully employed for the determination of brilliant green in seawater of Chabahar Bay and fish (Sphyraena jello) samples.

In order to understand the mechanism of the extraction process of polysaccharides from foxtail millet by hot water, the extraction was carried out for studying the kinetics and thermodynamics of the extraction process. After the appropriate stirring rate and liquid material ratio were selected through the preliminary experiment, the changes in polysaccharides mass concentration in the extract liquor extraction temperature and extraction time were measured. The experimental data were fitted by the first-order model. The kinetics and thermodynamics parameters were calculated. The results showed that the appropriate stirring rate and the liquid material ratio were 150 r/min, 20.0 mL/g respectively. A greater extraction rate and higher equilibrium mass concentration could be obtained under higher extraction temperatures. The extraction process accorded with the first-order dynamics model. The apparent activation energy of the process was 12.03 kJ/mol under study conditions. The internal diffusion coefficient was increased with increasing temperature in the range of 7.84×10-10 - 1.29×10-9 m2/min. The half-life was decreased from 25.2 min to 3.9 min as the temperature increased. The Gibbs free energies were all less than zero, the enthalpy change was 31.96 kJ/mol and the entropy change was 120.3 J/(mol·K) in process. The polysaccharides extraction process was a spontaneous, endothermic, and entropy increases process.

The authors discuss the technology for dual pumping technology of oil-producing wells and show its advantages and shortages. It is concluded that the simultaneous-separate oil production project proposed is economically attractive due to increment in oil production, high-income terms, and short pay-off period even in small and depleted reservoirs. Furthermore, the potential of the proposed project is evaluated in terms of the required facilities and incremental oil production. Dual pumping technology becomes of ever-more use today since the unified well-spacing pattern envisioned for multilayer fields development and operation ensures the feasibility of multiple-zone production, and, as a consequence, ramp-up of reserves recovery and oil drainage amount as well. At the same time, the practicability of multiple-zone production depends on a number of fraught factors and requires thereof appropriate inventory and current status analyses to be fulfilled with regard to reserves recovery operations. As influx performance study and fluid-bearing characteristics of reservoirs are often incomplete due to field situation, the authors, therefore, follow the task to carry out an efficient analysis of multi-zone productions based on dual completion technologies.

In this study, we investigated the power consumption and volumetric mass transfer characteristics in an un-baffled stirred-tank bioreactor using a non-Newtonian fluid and different impellers. The impellers studied were a Rushton turbine impeller, a paddle impeller, a marine impeller, a segmented impeller, and, an elephant ear impeller. Studies were performed over a wide range of agitation speeds (0–2000 rpm) and aeration (0.1–0.3 vvm). The effects of superficial gas velocity, impeller speed, power input, and liquid viscosity were studied as significant factors for KLa and power input estimation. The Rushton turbine impeller was found to be the most efficient in achieving higher KLa (0.015 min-1) even at lower agitation and aeration rates compared to other impellers. The trend of KLa was found to be similar for axial flow generating impellers. Correlations were derived for all the impellers at different superficial gas velocities (Vg) and gassed power per volume (Pg/V), and a correlation coefficient R2>0.99 was achieved in all the cases. The power drawn by the impellers was tested, and maximum power consumption was observed using the Ruston impeller (198.04W), followed by the paddle impeller (152.3W). However, under aerated conditions, the power consumption was lowered by 25–35% in all the cases. The power input ratio (Pg/Po) was found to be in the range of 0.35–0.61 for all the impellers studied. The power number (Np) was estimated and the results were found to be comparable with earlier studies. Thus, the present study gives more insight into the performance of different impellers and will be helpful in process development.

In the present work, multistage extraction column performance for reactive separation of molybdenum from the leach aqueous phase by using D2EHPA and TBP in kerosene was investigated by using the axial diffusion model. Initially, the values of initial pH and extractant concentration were optimized in the batch experiments. The variation of volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients based on continuous phases at various operating conditions was obtained. By considering the chemical reaction conditions, the experimental data indicate that the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients increase with an enhancement in rotor speed and continuous and dispersed phase flow rates. According to the sensitivity analysis, the rotor speed and flow rate of the dispersed phase have more influence on column performance. Also, the continuous flow rate has little effect on volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients. After the steady-state condition was established, the concentration profile for the extraction of molybdenum along the column was obtained. The experimental data were studied and compared with the previous models. A new model based on dimensionless numbers was derived from the evaluation of overall mass transfer coefficients with consideration of the reactive extraction system.

In the present investigation, firstly, the surface tension measurements were conducted for aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, acetonitrile, and tetrahydrofuran by using a pendant drop apparatus at the temperature of 298.15 K and ambient pressure. Then a thermodynamic model was used and successfully reproduced the surface tension values. The percent of the average absolute deviation for surface tension was 0.667. The surface tensions of mixed aqueous solutions of (cetyltrimethylammonium+additives) were measured at various concentrations. Then, the values of critical micelle concentrations were measured based on surface tension and conductivity. The percent of the average absolute deviation of the thermodynamic model was 5.05, proving that the model successfully predicts the surface tension for aqueous mixed solutions of (cetyltrimethylammonium+additives). The presence of additives decreases the surface coverage of cetyltrimethylammonium and increases the critical micelle concentration values.

Among various CO2-mitigation technologies, membrane-based technology has offered a more energy-efficient and eco-friendly process for CO2 separation from large emission sources Despite the predominance of polymeric membranes in the CO2/CH4 separation, the tradeoff limitation between membrane selectivity and permeability hinders a good separation performance of these membranes Mixed matrix membranes can offer a dramatic improvement to overcome this shortcoming In this study, polyethersulfone (PES) mixed matrix membranes incorporated with small pore zeolite were proposed for CO2/CH4 separation SAPO-34 zeolite was used as inorganic fillers to enhance gas selectivity 3 3- aminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane (APMDES) was proposed to modify SAPO-34 zeolite before adding into asymmetric PES MMMs. The mixed matrix membranes were then characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM, and gas permeation analysis. The separation results revealed that the increment of temperature from 30 °C to 50 °C reduced the CO2/CH4 separation factor while increasing feed pressure from 3 bar to 15 and the increment of CO2 feed composition from 15 to 42.5 vol% increased the separation factor of PES/SAPO-34/APMDES. The DoE results showed that the feed pressure was the most significant process parameter that intensely affected the CH4 permeance, CO2 permeance, and CO2/CH4 separation factor. The synthesized MMMs in this study showed competitive CO2/CH4 separation performance compared with reported state-of-the-art PES-based membranes in pure gas permeation tests.

In this study, a laminar pulsatile fluid flow was used for the separation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX) from aqueous solutions. Polyether sulfone hollow fiber membrane has been applied to this process. The effects of BTEX concentration, and feed and extraction flow rates were examined. It was found that the application of the pulsatile fluid flow with the frequency of 0.5 Hz improved the separation process significantly, and the removal efficiency increased more than twice. Moreover, the results showed that BTEX separation under pulsatile fluid flow was affected by the feed flow rate, extraction flow rate, and the BTEX concentration, as well.

Microfiltration can be used to clarify Pomegranate Juice (PJ); however, it is fouled by charged particles. The magnetic field was coupled with microfiltration to reduce the membrane fouling. Results showed that the magnetic field halved the total resistance; since it increased the permeate flux. The most efficient application of the magnetic field in the membrane clarification was achieved at the high intensity of the magnetic field, low level of the feed flow rate, and the directionof the magnetic field from the feed to the permeate side. Evaluation of the fouling mechanisms showed that with the increase in the intensity of the magnetic field, at the beginning of the process, the intermediate and standard blockings were dominant mechanisms, but over time, the formation of the cake became more important. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) showed that the layer of the cake deposited on the membrane surface in the absence of the magnetic field, inverse mode with the magnetic field was very dense.  On the other hand, the total monomeric anthocyanin content and the antioxidant activity of PJ increased; pH and total phenolic components were constant, and the total soluble solid content, turbidity, and acidity were reduced.

The increase in the consumption of textile products as well as the use of dye compounds has increased the pollution of the effluent in these industries. Discharge of this wastewater without proper treatment can cause groundwater pollution, poisoning, and serious health effects. Dyed pollutants contain benzene rings and are more resistant to conventional biological treatment such as activated sludge. In this study, two combined processes in series were applied for the treatment of towel dyeing wastewater. An experimental design was used to optimize the process. In a batch reactor, the Anodic Oxidation (AO) process and the Electro-Fenton (EF) were compared using four anodes and cathodes. The performance of AO method in dye removal and COD reduction was better than EF method. A good agreement is attained between the predicted value using experimental design and actual results. The correlation coefficient of dye removal, energy consumption, and COD was achieved 0.966, 0.997, and 0.900, respectively. The results showed that under optimum operating conditions of AO process (voltage=6.5 V, t= 6 min, and pH =9.5) decreased 97% of dye index and 61% of COD amount. This condition was obtained by consuming 6.7 kWh of energy per cubic meter of wastewater (0.07 $/m3). The output of the optimal AO entered the Reverse Osmosis (RO) system, in the last step. TDS of effluent was reduced 98% in the membrane and also the COD decreased from 980 to 13 ppm under 6 bar pressure

Numerous researchers use numerical simulations to precisely recognize the processes before mass production to provide a basic model for optimizing the fuel cell. In this study, we presented brand-new designs for cylindrical PEMFCs in the Three-Dimensional form. We used the Finite Volume Method to simulate the fuel cell processes and established a genuine correspondence between our simulation results and valid outcomes. We introduced innovative designs to increase the performance of cylindrical polymer fuel cells. Then, we examined the effects of progressive developments in cross-section design, the fuel cell structure, the output current densities, and, eventually, the flooding phenomenon. The results revealed the optimum capacity of the cylindrical fuel cell compared with an elliptical cross-section. Due to more extensive transport zones and pressure drop effects, we need to find the optimum cell capacity to pass the reactive regions.

The flow patterns and pressure gradient of a two-phase mixture of water/super high viscous oil in a horizontal pipe were experimentally investigated. The mixture containing oil with a viscosity of 67 cP and density of 0.872 g/cm3, and pure water flows through an acrylic pipe with a length of 6m and a diameter of 20 mm. Superficial velocities of water and oil were in the range between 0.18–1.2 m/s and 0.18–0.95 m/s, respectively. Six flow patterns were identified. The stratified flow became visible at low velocities of oil (<0.42 m/s) and water (<0.26 m/s) and bubbly flow patterns happened at low superficial oil velocities (Uso = 0.18–0.22 m/s). The dispersion of oil in water (DO/W) occurred at high superficial water velocity (Usw =0.79 – 1.2 m/s) at low or moderate superficial oil velocities (Uso = 0.18 –0.53 m/s). Dispersion of water in oil (DW/O) appeared from superficial oil velocity of higher than 0.69 m/s. The effect of oil viscosity on flow structure was assessed by comparing the present work with the available data and this revealed that the extent of dual continuous patterns reported by other systems containing low viscosity oil is 5% higher than the results of the present study. The effect of oil viscosity on the pressure gradient was also investigated. The pressure gradient values obtained in this study were 80% greater than other studies at similar superficial oil and water velocities. The experimental pressure gradient was also compared with the values predicted by the Al-Wahaibi correlation and two-fluid model. The Al-Wahaibi correlation agreed reasonably with the experimental results, with an average absolute error of less than 9%, while the error of the two-fluid model was 30%.  Based on the results, a clear overview of the flow patterns and pressure drop with detailed information was presented.

This study is aimed to investigate the effect of a Hybrid Hot air-Microwave- Rotary Drum (HMRD)  dryer on the thermal properties, quality, and nutritional characteristics of green pea under different operational conditions. The experiments were conducted under different air temperatures (40, 55, and 70 °C), microwave power (90, 270, 450, and 630 W), and drum rotation speeds (5, 10, and 15 rpm). The thermal properties (e.g. drying time, effective moisture diffusion coefficient, activation energy, and specific energy consumption), quality features (color, shrinkage, and rehydration ratio), and nutritional properties (antioxidant activity and total phenol content) were determined. The results indicated that by increasing the microwave power, air temperature, and drum rotation speed, the drying time will decline. The highest diffusion coefficient and energy consumption were determined as 5.0410-11 m2/s and 109.91 MJ/kg, respectively. The lowest changes in color, shrinkage, and rehydration were calculated as 41.34, 24.08%, and 1.57. The highest total phenol (14.02 mg GAE/g d.w) and antioxidant (85.86%) were obtained. Thus the newly designed dryer can be employed for drying granular products and lead to satisfactory results.

The present study is mainly focused on proposing an effective way to improve the efficiency of a square cyclone separator. For this purpose, a dipleg is attached under the square cyclone to investigate its effect on the performance of the square cyclone. A three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation is done by solving the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) turbulence model and applying the Eulerian-Lagrangian two-phase method. The turbulent dispersion of particles is predicted by the application of the Discrete Random Walk (DRW) model. The numerical results demonstrate that using dipleg produced an increase in pressure drop but it positively enhances the separation efficiency of the square cyclone. Using dipleg significantly increases the separation efficiency of the square cyclone, especially at higher inlet velocities. This can be more obvious when using dipleg which is minimized the 50% cut size of square cyclone by about 26.3%.

The present study evaluates the effect of wheat flour particle sizes on the chemical and rheological properties of flatbread dough. Three wheat flour samples with particle sizes smaller than 125μm, 125-150μm, and 150-180μm were examined for their chemical and rheological attributes. Flour with a particle size of <125μm demonstrated the highest levels of wet gluten, Zeleny number, and Falling number values. In addition, the dough development time and stability of this flour were higher than samples of larger particle sizes. The maximum dough energy and extensibility values of Extensograph tests were obtained at the resting time of 45, 90, and 135 minutes for flour with particle sizes of <125μm. The results have indicated that the flour with particle sizes of 150-180μm has the highest values of ash content, water absorption, and softening degree based on Farinograph parameters. In addition, at all resting times, the maximum values of resistance to extension and ratio of resistance to extension to extensibility were shown in particle sizes of 150-180μm. The results have demonstrated that the flour with particle sizes of <125μm has the best quality in terms of chemical and rheological properties for cooking flatbread, which is inherently influenced by milling.

Aflatoxins are a group of toxic and carcinogenic metabolites produced by fungal species that are found in a variety of foods. Due to the high consumption of liver in Iran and especially in Kermanshah province, in this study consumption patterns of liver types (Sheep, Cow, and Chicken), the aflatoxin levels of liver types (B1 and G1), and hazard indexes including Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) and Margin of Exposure (MOE) were investigated. Results showed that males had the highest liver consumption (52.3%) than females with a marked tendency toward consuming sheep liver (80.7%). The results of HPLC analysis indicated that aflatoxin G1 was detected in all types of the liver. Also, the mean concentration of aflatoxin in samples taken from autumn to winter in cows, sheep, and poultry liver was 1.823, 0.7605, and 0.446 μg/kg. The results of EDI show that the cow liver was 2.33 ng/kg bw/day and above the threshold and the MOE level for all three liver types showed a high risk of cancer with the chicken liver incurring the highest risk with MOE = 78.2. Therefore, it is required to adopt an effective strategy regarding community education, attention to food safety, and liver consumption in Kermanshah city.

Production systems have experienced rapid growth over the past few years. Based on geothermal energy, the present study explores a unique cogeneration system that includes a proton membrane electrolyzer, the Rankine cycle, and a water-ammonia absorption chiller. The model under study is designed to generate power and hydrogen, as well as cooling, and it is analyzed from an energy and exergy standpoint. For the desuperheater and the absorber, the maximum rate of exergy destruction of the Rankin cycle is 34% and 36%, respectively. Furthermore, a parametric analysis of the system was conducted, and the cogeneration system was optimized from three perspectives: turbine production power, energy efficiency, and exergy. Based on turbine inlet and outlet pressure, turbine power, energy efficiency, and system efficiency are optimized. Moreover, the optimization calculations made from the perspective of turbine production power show that production power values are 101 kW, hydrogen production is 4.24 liters per second, system energy efficiency is 82.3%, and the amount of heat absorbed in the evaporator is 57.6 kW.