Enormous quantities of sludge are produced in water purification plants during process of purifying surface water. These sludges are either disposed of directly in water bodies or require further treatment methods in order to be reused. Riverbank filtration (RBF) is a water extraction method utilizing production wells that draw water from a distance from a surface water source, allowing the water to travel through riverbed soil, which serves as a natural medium for purification. Implementation of Riverbank Filtration as a natural water purification process eliminates Water Treatment Sludge (WTS) quantities and enhances its quality to be reused and safely disposed of into water bodies. This study aims to analysis impacts of mixing Riverbank filtration water and Nile water as a supplemental water source in the Nedda surface water treatment on sludge amounts produced and its characterizations. The Plant involves four Riverbank wells which pumped raw water as inlet water integrated with raw Nile’s water. Results show that water treatment sludge quantity has been eliminated from 10% to 15%, and the enhancement of the removal ratio in some parameters such as COD, was enhanced from 4.7 mg/l to 3.1 mg/l and Manganese eliminated from 0.15 mg/l to 0.094 mg/l. The potential benefits of this innovative approach include improving removal of pollutants, increasing efficiency of water filtration, and reducing costs associated with water treatment and sludge disposal. Moreover, it presents an environmentally sustainable solution to the challenge of sludge management by repurposing it as a resource in water purification.
تناول البحث بالدراسة والتحليل البنية المورفولوجية والأبعاد الوظيفية للمجتمع الشبكي، مستهدفاً تفكيك جذوره الفلسفية والبنيوية، والتحولات السياسية والاجتماعية والاتصالية الناشئة عنه. وتمثلت مشكلته في رصد الاختلالات المعرفية والسلطوية، وتآكل الفضاء الخاص والروابط التقليدية، وبروز الاستقطابات الناتجة عن السيولة الرقمية ورأسمالية المراقبة. واعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج السوسيولوجي التحليلي والنقدي عبر ثلاثة محاور: الجذور البنيوية القائمة على العُقد والتدفقات، واقتصاد الشبكة الرقمي وتحولات العمل، ونمط الاتصال الذاتي الجماهيري وعلاقته بالمجال العام وشبكات الغضب الرقمي.وتوصل البحث إلى أن الشبكات غدت مورفولوجيا اجتماعية جديدة تُعيد صياغة مفاهيم السلطة والتجربة الإنسانية، مفرزةً "رأسمالية المراقبة" التي تحوّل السلوك البشري إلى بيانات تجارية، مع وجود استقطاب حاد بين نخب "فضاء التدفقات" وفئات "فضاء الأماكن". وأخيراً، أثبتت الدراسة أن أدوات الاتصال الذاتي الجماعي مكنت الفاعلين من بناء "سلطة مضادة" وتأسيس "فضاء الاستقلال الذاتي"، وهو ما تجسد في نماذج احتجاجية كُونية وعربية مزجت بين الفضاءين الرقمي والحضري، رُغم التحديات الرقابية والاختزالية للمنصات الاحتكارية.الكلمات المفتاحية: المجتمع الشبكي، الاتصال الذاتي الجماهيري، رأسمالية المراقبة، شبكات الغضب الرقمي، السلطة المضادة.
This study investigates the influence of titanium (Ti) additions (0.5–3 wt.%) on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of ZA27 alloys. Microstructural analysis of the ZA27 alloy via optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that Ti significantly refines the primary α-Al phase, inducing a transition from coarse dendritic morphology to a fine rosette-like structure. At higher Ti concentrations, the precipitation of Ti-rich intermetallic phases, including (TiAl, CuTi₂, TiZn₃), was confirmed. Mechanical characterization showed a substantial improvement in both hardness and tensile strength; Vickers microhardness increased from 122.7 HV to 159.8 HV for the ZA27alloy and the 3% Ti-modified ZA27 alloy, respectively. Additionally, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) rose from 146.3 MPa for the ZA27 alloy to 265 MPa for the 3% Ti-modified.ZA27 alloy. These enhancements were achieved alongside a favourable reduction in overall density and porosity, thereby leading to a remarkably high specific strength, which directly optimizes the performance of ZA27 alloys in lightweight engineering applications.
Solar energy is the most abundant, clean, and renewable natural resource available. Solar photothermal energy conversion technology, used to generate clean water steam from seawater desalination or wastewater purification, represents a promising solution to the global scarcity of fresh water. Herein, for the first time, graphene acid (GA), a novel member of the graphene family with a defined number of carboxyl groups, is employed as a light-to-heat conversion material. To enhance efficiency, graphene acid is reacted with branched polyethylenimine (PEI), which has a high amine density, at room temperature. This process splits the graphene acid sheets and produces modified porous GA (GA-10/PEI/3D) materials. The porous materials are stabilized through both electrostatic interactions between the carboxyl groups in GA and the NH₃+ groups in the terminal chains of PEI, as well as the formation of amide bonds between the carboxyl groups and primary amine groups of PEI. The structure of the porous materials is characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while their chemical and optical properties are analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The porous materials are deposited onto a thermally insulating three-dimensional (3D) aerogel foam with low thermal conductivity (0.026 W m−1 K−1), a hydrophilic surface, and a microporous structure. The hydrophilicity, high porosity, and strong solar absorption of the prepared GA-10/PEI/3D porous materials, combined with the low thermal conductivity of the 3D aerogel, contribute to efficient conversion of absorbed solar energy into heat at the water–air interface. This enables a solar evaporation rate of 2.2 kg m−2 h−1, with a photothermal efficiency of 94% under one-sun illumination (1 kW m−2). For comparison, graphene oxide was prepared and treated with PEI. The resulting GO/PEI/3D aerogel exhibits a lower solar evaporation rate of 1.6 kg m−2 h−1 and a photothermal efficiency of 86% under the same conditions. Notably, the evaporation rate of the GA-10/PEI/3D aerogel photothermal converter is approximately nine times higher than that of seawater under natural conditions after 30 min. Cycling tests confirm that the prepared mesoporous materials maintain stable evaporation rates over 25 repeated cycles without any decrease in performance. Furthermore, the excellent stability, high solar thermal evaporation efficiency, low cost (due to the absence of noble metals), long-term durability, and simple preparation make the GA-10/PEI/3D aerogel a strong candidate for a wide range of applications in solar steam generation for seawater desalination and wastewater purification.
Rice straw (RS) residues pose a significant waste management challenge due to the predominance of open-field burning. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a valorization pathway, yet RS's recalcitrant lignocellulosic structure severely limits methane yield and process economics. This study evaluated an integrated strategy combining cellulase enzymatic pretreatment with dairy manure co-digestion and ultra-low-dose iron oxide (Fe2O3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) (6-30 mg L- 1) to overcome these constraints. Enzymatic pretreatment alone increased soluble COD by 41.07% and methane yield by 20.66% over the control. Fe2O3 at 6 mg L- 1 further enhanced methane yield by 34.48% over the control and achieved the most pronounced hydrogen sulfide mitigation (-60.3%), reducing desulfurization costs to USD 3.35 t-1 RS. TiO2 at 6 mg L- 1 delivered the greatest overall performance: methane yield increased by 87.28% (0.247 L CH4 g- 1 VS) over the control, recoverable electricity and heat nearly doubled to 697.07 and 995.82 kWh t-1 RS, respectively, and the energy return ratio reached 2.61. A comprehensive techno-economic assessment of a 500-kW plant (3650 t substrate yr- 1) confirmed commercial viability for the TiO2 treatment: net present value USD 0.75 million, internal rate of return 14.48% (exceeding the 10% cost of capital), payback period 6.44 years, and levelized cost of energy USD 0.147 kWh- 1, below the grid reference price. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated economic resilience across all market scenarios, with net benefit remaining positive even under simultaneous worst-case conditions. These results establish an enzymatic-nanoparticle co-treatment platform as a technically sound and economically viable approach for lignocellulosic waste valorization within circular bioeconomy systems.
