Abstract

Recently, environmentally friendly waterborne polyurethane (WPU) coatings are given more focus in the industry because of their lesser to no emission of VOCs, leading to synthesis of various WPU nanocomposites with distinctive properties. This paper gives a summary on the recent developments of WPU carbon nanocomposite mostly by graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanotubes (CNT), its enhancements on various properties and their applications in the coating industry.

Index Terms - Carbon nanotube, graphene, nanocomposite, waterborne polyurethane

Abstract

With growing concerns about global climate change, a finite supply of fossil fuels, rising fuel costs, and a growing global need for electricity, renewable energy sources such as solar power are becoming increasingly important. The goal of this research was to build and analyze a grid-connected solar PV system. For essential loads, technical parameters from grid-connected photovoltaic (GCPV) systems and battery energy storage were investigated.

After successful simulations of loads with hybrid configurations of the battery and grid-connected PV system were fully used with the presence of an automatic transfer switch in a strategic layout, the maximum potential of the entire GCPV system was revealed.

Index Terms - Grid-connected PV system, Hybrid Inverter, Automatic Transfer Switch, Battery Energy Storage, System Advisor Model

Abstract

Furfural is produced commercially by the acid hydrolysis of pentosan polysaccharides from nonfood residues of food crops and wood wastes. It is an essential chemical substance utilized in the derivation of other valuable chemicals such as furfuryl alcohol which is the basic component for the production of a furan resin thermoset. The main source of pentosan is lignocellulose that can be found in biomass. Pentosans from coconut shell, which is an available agricultural waste in the country, was used in this study. Given that the Philippines is an agricultural country and a major producer of coconuts, the country has a sustainable source of agricultural raw material and could potentially become a producer of furfural. The laboratory synthesis of furfural was done by acid catalyzed hydrolysis. The acid hydrolyses were carried out using dilute sulfuric acid solutions for different hydrolysis times. Results show that the synthesis of such furfural is heavily dependent on the Temperature, Acid Concentration and to the square of the Digestion Time based on the ANOVA results. Moreover, optimum parametric conditions to synthesize maximum amounts of mass percent yield of furfural is 199.14°C, 0.297 M and 20.27 minutes. These conditions resulted to a 37.90% yield of furfural from the coconut shells used.

Index Terms - furfural, pentosan, acid hydrolysis, coconut shells, optimization

Abstract

Over the past years, copper-bearing materials have received increasing attention for possible thermal energy applications, especially in thermo-electrical conversion systems. However, no research utilizing copper-bearing materials beneficiated via the rougher flotation technique has been conducted. In order to determine the capability of a Cu-bearing mineral for possible thermal energy applications, it is necessary to characterize the material’s composition and thermal properties. In this study, the rougher concentration of a locally mined copper ore from Misamis Oriental Province, Northern Mindanao, Philippines, was mineralogically characterized. The Cu ore mainly consists of chalcopyrite, quartz, magnetite, hematite, bornite, and orthoclase and after beneficiation by rougher flotation, chalcopyrite was concentrated as revealed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results and verified by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). The presence of bornite, hematite, magnetite, quartz, and orthoclase was still detected in the rougher concentrate but in significantly reduced amounts. Results of the thermal analysis by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) showed that the concentrate underwent four (4) endothermic reaction stages which signify the gradual decomposition of sulfur molecules. Based on the characterization results conducted, it is recommended that further beneficiation be performed to remove residual gangue minerals and qualify the concentrate for thermo-electrical application.

Index Terms - Copper-Sulfide mineral, Rougher concentrates.

Abstract

With several clinical trials of β-amyloid therapies failing recently, the microtubule-binding protein tau as the center of research concerning Alzheimer’s disease (AD) might show promise on treating the disease progression. One key solution is to inhibit tau fibril formation followed by aggregation. In this study, a computational modeling study of the tau paired helical filaments (tau-PHF) (PDB ID: 5O3L) is used as a protein receptor with the tau aggregation inhibitors from PubChem AID 1460 used as ligands. Docking site on the solvated protein reveals interaction with most tau filament aggregation site (PHF6). Molecular dynamics simulations show differences in potential and kinetic energies of the ligands which influenced the obtained root mean squares deviation (RMSD). L9 (CID 16021331, the most potent among the chosen ligands) gave the highest docking score when docked to the solvated tau-PHF and is stable during MD simulation. L3 (CID 1591868) gave the most stable RMSD values upon MD simulation. The two compounds are proposed for further study as candidate drugs for AD.

Index Terms - Molecular docking Molecular dynamics AMBER force field Tau aggregation inhibitors PubChem AID 1460

Abstract

A non-fired high-strength ceramic material was hydrothermally synthesized in an autoclave. The experiment involved strength, density, and porosity measurement as well as mineral identification with variable formulation and curing time at constant curing temperature. It also involved coral reef production based on the optimum formulation and curing condition, with sheltering test for benthic organisms’ colonization. All test specimens were made of ceramic bars formed from a silica-limestone-cement mixture with varying Ca/Si molar ratios of 0.3 to 1.0 and were autoclaved at varying curing times from 3 to 9 hours under 191.7℃ curing temperature and 1.2 MPa autoclave pressure. Results show a trend with regard to the strength, density, and porosity of specimens. The optimum strength of 5.28 MPa was obtained at the starting mixture Ca/Si ratio of 0.8. The resultant phases were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), and thermogravimetric – differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). A hexagonal column-type coral reef was made with the optimum formulation and autoclave curing condition. Algal growth and sheltering test of the hexagonal column-type coral reef show that it is capable of colonizing marine organisms and is hence a great material for coral reef rehabilitation.

Index Terms - autoclave, calcium silicate hydrate, coral reef, hydrothermal synthesis

Abstract

The Philippines is one of the biggest polluters of plastic litter into the marine environment. Several local governments in the country have banned the use of plastics as one of the strategies to address the problem. This study examined the urban household’s awareness and perceptions of the Single-Use Plastics (SUP), the City Ordinance on the SUP Ban policy, and the implementation of said policy in some selected barangays in Iligan City. The sampling technique of this study employed the 2-layered stratified random sampling. The sample size for this study was computed using the G-Power Software resulting in 61 households. These households were interviewed using a pre-tested survey interview questionnaire. The findings of the study reveal that residents share the same awareness and perception of single-use plastic and single-use plastic ban policy but vary in the policy implementation. A larger number of households view the implementation of the SUP ban policy as successful.

Index Terms - Awareness, Perception, Single-use plastics, Single-use plastic ban policy, Urban Households.