全國中小學科展

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2024年

Development of a nano-filtration membrane using different linear aliphatic amines and linear cross-linkers for purification of expensive and precious organic solvents

Theseparation, purification, and recovery of precious organic solvents is a huge challenge for many industriesincludingpetroleumandpharmaceuticalcompanies,sincethesecompaniesusehugequantities of organic solvents [1-2]. Natural dissolvable nanofiltration(ON)has atremendous potential for supplantingafewenergy-concentratedcrudepurgingtechniques,similartorefiningandextraction[3-4- 5]. The importance of OSN is obvious from the fact that one cubic meter of methanol requires 1750 MJ of energy for distillation since the process of distillation is comprised of heating, evaporation, and condensation while OSN can purify the same volume of methanol by consuming 3 MJ of energy [6-7]. Additionally, OSN is a useful technology since it is simpler to use than conventional purification and separationmethods.Themembrane'sporestructure,whichinfluencesbothitsselectivityandpermeance, hasasignificantimpactonhowwellthemembranesperform[8-9].Ingeneral,thetrade-offbetweenflux andselectivityaffectsthemembrane'sperformance.Asaresult,themembranes'fluxandpermeabilityare affectedbythetailoringandtuningoftheirporestructure.Therefore,designinganefficientnanofiltration membranes with ideal porosity is highly desirable. Interfacial polymerization (IP) is highly versatile as it provides a freedom of selection of various monomersfortargetingaspecificapplicationsuchasnanofiltrationandreverseosmosisThepotentialfor organicsolventnanofiltration(ON)toreplacevariousenergy-intensivetraditionalpurificationtechniques, suchasdistillationandextraction,isenormous.[8-9].Despitethefactthatmanydifferentmonomershave been successfully used by utilizing IP to create thin film composite nanofiltration TFC-NF membranes, one of the main limitations of such membranes continues to be the poor selection of closely related comparable nanometer sized solutes. Many efforts are still being made to develop potential monomers with the perfect properties for creating membranes that operate excellently [10-11]. Another strategy is also getting more popular in which different porous additives are added to the TFC membrane either at thesupportleveloractivelayerlevel.Theseadditivesincludecarbonorganicframeworks(COFs),metal organic frameworks (MOFs), hyper-cross-linked porous polymers (HCPs), and natural polymers such as chitosan[12-13-14-15]. However,maintainingthecrystallinity ofsuch additives,particularlyMOFsthat lead to crystalline membranes, is extremely difficult while other additions suffer from aggregation and agglomeration that results in membrane flaws that impair the performance of the membranes [16]. Therefore,changingthechemistryofthereacting monomerduringIPcansignificantlyalterthestructure of the resultant active layers of the membranes. The current study was carried out by using linear aliphatic amines 4A-3P and 4A on a crosslinked PAN support. The study was carried out through interfacial polymerization between either 4A-3P and TPC or 4A and TPC on crosslinked PAN. In comparison to the previous studies where cyclic amines such as piperazine or aromatic amines such as meta-phenylenediamine (MPD) are used, we have used linear aliphatic amines 4A and 4A-3P crosslinked with organic phase containing terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) asacross-linker.TheIPreactionwascarriedoutbetweenamineandTPConacrosslinkedPANsupport. The fabricated membrane was extensively characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), ATR-FTIR, water contact angle (WCA), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and elemental mapping . The fabricated membrane was used for OSN applications by using dead-end filtration setup.

ReCiPla - Cyclic Soil Microplastic Remover

GROSSMANN, João Miguel Sastre. ReCiPla - Cyclic Soil Microplastic Remover: A way to remove microplastics from soil using electrostatics. 2023. 28 p. Research report – Scientific Apprentice Program, Colégio Dante Alighieri, São Paulo, 2023. Microplastics are the largest form of physical pollution on the planet. Affecting everything from terrestrial and aquatic environments to the air, compounds up to 1 micrometer in size are present inside the human body and can intoxicate the main organs in which they are found, such as the lungs, spleen, liver, and heart. Therefore, methods of removing these compounds from nature are essential, which is why this research is based on electrostatically removing MP from the soil. To this end, a vibrating conveyor belt was designed that would act in conjunction with a plate electrified by a Van de Graaff generator to separate the plastic compound using electric field induction. After characterization tests to quantify the voltage produced by the generator, which produced an average of 95 kV, the vibrating belt was made and will be used later in conjunction with the electrostatic method. This methodology suggests that it’s a success even after the electrified plate was applied to its structure. It carried out the proposed processes, such as moving the test masses, vibrating them, and fully supporting the electrified plate. In addition, the electrostatic removal method was tested to verify its efficiency and applicability. It was found that the removal of microplastics ranged it from 10 to 20% efficiency, suggesting it to be an effective method for separating microplastics. It should be noted that these statistics will be improved as the research progresses. In this way, the research proved capable of establishing an electrostatic removal method, as well as a process for transporting the material to be removed, thus achieving the objectives it set out to achieve. Finally, it should be noted that this research is still under development, with a view to applying the process in conjunction with the conveyor belt to carry out sample tests, as well as improving the removal process in the future to make it more efficient.

Climate Change Brings New Novel Virus

1. Research Motivation Have you ever seen news stating that spring is gradually disappearing from the Korean Peninsula? The characteristics of the four seasons are disappearing due to the impact of global warming. As supporting evidence, droughts and heatwaves continue during the rainy season, and unexpected heavy rainfall occurs during autumn. These abnormal temperature phenomena are greatly affecting agriculture. Crops wither due to untimely cold spells or summer droughts, and the proliferation of bacteria and pests worsens. We need to conduct a thorough investigation and response to such weather phenomena. Carbon is known to be the main culprit behind these abnormal temperature phenomena. We want to explore how carbon affects climate change and understand the implications it has. 2. Research Objectives The consequences of climate change, such as deforestation and rising sea levels, will cause significant damage to society as a whole. This will also have a profound impact on the survival of all living organisms on Earth. Unless industrialization is halted, global warming will continue, making it crucial to gain a proper understanding and find accurate alternatives. The damages caused by global warming are expanding the habitats of mosquitoes, which is expected to have an impact on the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. This can also influence the emergence of novel viruses similar to COVID-19. By examining past outbreaks of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, we aim to predict and understand such occurrences, as well as explore ways to minimize global warming. 3. Expected Benefits Based on this research, a focused exploration of the ecological impacts of global warming can provide essential data to understand the effects of climate anomalies on us and prepare for them. As these phenomena are expected to worsen over time, it will be possible to develop measures to minimize the damage caused by bacterial infections and agricultural losses.

Riyadh Smart Parking

Our vision aims to raise the quality of life and we had planned smart cities from scratch but what about the current cities the residents of Riyadh suffer from extreme traffic and spend hours circling the block searching for a open park which wastes time money and is bad for the environment. 30-50% of traffic is causing by not being able to park and due to Riyadh lack of proper city planning and radid increase in inhabitants especially after allowing women to drive and as the car being the main way of transportation finding a open park could be a nightmare for some. We have approached this problem from the technological perspective by developing a free application for Riyadhs inhabitants that's main goal is to navigate each driver from their current location to the best open park possible in the shortest time possible but what dirstinguishes us from similar apps in the literature is that we provide the time of departure for each park as well as the ability to book suck parks even if it is ahead of time via a interactive live map. The technology's that we used are the cellar censor that will track the users location and the ultrasonic sensor to track the occupancy of the parking in case the driver doesn't have the app but in which case will case will not be able to provide booking features. We have struggled in the lack of expertise and experience and in motivating the drivers to input correct data about there time of departure we also didn't have enough time to validate our project For future work we will validate our project and we plan on making the detection of the time of departure automatic as well as vobering all kinds of parks. We plan on expanding the scope of target users to include institutes as well because with time the app will have collected enough data to help institutions provide better parking such as ruch hours parking scope percentage of booked parking etc we also plan on benefiting more from the cellular secsor to link data with the persons phone like certain access to private parks like disabled parking or home parking or private hotel offices parking etc

Desert to Fertile Land: Developing TEPA‐modified montmorillonite clay as an efficient CO2 adsorbent to enhance soil fertility

Global warming is a phenomenon in which the Earth's overall temperature rises as a result of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Among the major greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming [1,2]. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rising due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), as well as changes in land use and vegetation [3]. Carbon dioxide and other gases, such as methane and nitrogen monoxide absorb infrared radiation and redirect it back to Earth, warming the planet [4]. This rise in temperature can impact ecosystems, climate, water resources, agriculture, public health, and societies in general [5]. To combat global warming and reduce carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, many countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, are working to achieve a vision to reduce carbon emissions by reducing their carbon emissions by 278 million tons per year by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement, for climate. The Kingdom is committed to generating 50% of its electrical energy from renewable sources by 2030. In addition to the shift in the local energy mix, the Saudi Green Initiative is implementing a number of ambitious programs and projects to reduce emissions. These programs include investing in new energy sources, promoting energy efficiency, and expanding carbon capture and storage programs [6]. Through these initiatives, the Kingdom will be able to achieve its climate goals and establish a sustainable future (Figure 1). In addition, the Paris Climate Change Agreement includes 196 countries and the European Union, covering most of the world. This agreement aims to achieve carbon neutrality by taking measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions [7].

Design of a new Hydrogen Fueled Hybrid Car Prototype

The proposed project involves a new water-fueled hybrid car prototype that integrates various technologies, including photovoltaic (PV) panels, electrolysis, a fuel cell, a metal hydride tank, and a battery. The car is equipped with PV panels on its surface, such as the roof or hood, which convert solar energy into electricity. This electricity powers a DC motor that propels the vehicle. Excess electricity can be stored in a battery or used in an electrolysis system to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is stored in a metal hydride tank for later use. Metal hydrides are materials capable of absorbing and releasing hydrogen gas, providing a safe and compact storage solution. The fuel cell converts hydrogen into electricity to power the DC motor when sunlight is not available. This hybrid system allows for direct solar-powered operation while also storing excess energy as hydrogen. Experimental tests were conducted on a prototype of this water-fueled car, with the fuel cell serving as a backup power source to ensure continuous operation even without solar energy. This concept offers several advantages, including the use of renewable solar energy, zero emissions during fuel cell operation, and the ability to store and utilize excess energy.

Breaking a Caesar Cipher / Vigenère Cipher Encryption for Secure Data Communication

This project had one purpose: creating almost unbreakable encryption by breaking a Caesar – and Vigenère Cipher and getting familiar with how they work. Created a program to encrypt and decrypt messages with a Caesar Cipher and Vigenère Cipher encryption. Breaking these encryptions in these programs will help to identify the factors that contribute to strong and weak encryption systems. A program was created to encrypt messages using Caesar Cipher with a key from 1 to 25 and decrypt messages without knowing the original key by doing different types of “attacks” on the system: a brute force and frequency analysis attack. Created another program to encrypt messages using Vigenère Cipher with a keyword or keyphrase and decrypted messages whilst knowing that original keyword. Tested and compared the two different cyphers when being attacked. This helped identify factors that influenced the strength of encryption and identified the advantages and disadvantages of each Cipher as well as the weaknesses in each attack. Through testing and breaking a Caesar and Vigenère Cipher successfully, multiple factors were identified that influenced the strength of the encryption system. These were used to ensure the new encryption created will be as strong as can be. Comparing the success rate of the different attacks on each Cipher, the similarities, weaknesses and strengths in the Brute Force and Frequency Analysis attacks were found.

金屬豐度對類太陽恆星氦閃的影響

氦閃是類太陽恆星演化過程的關鍵事件之一,過去已有人建立了不同初始質量、不同金屬豐度的恆星演化模型,但礙於當時的科技水平,無法直接計算氦閃的過程,只能在水平分支時透過導入模型繼續運算。如今因為模擬程式的進步,已能補足以往之缺漏,以新的視角來檢視恆星演化的過程。 本研究使用功能強大的 MESA進行恆星演化的模擬,再以 Python將模擬結果繪製成可視化圖表,來探討金屬豐度對類太陽恆星氦閃過程及恆星演化的影響。經分析得知恆星的金屬豐度與能夠發生氦閃的初始質量上下限呈正相關。而在會發生氦閃的恆星中,金屬豐度與其氦閃前的表面光度為正相關。隨後因為金屬豐度氦閃釋放的功率峰值呈負相關,導致其與氦核溫度與密度的變化也呈負相關,所以金屬豐度與恆星氦閃後的光度呈負相關;並因為金屬豐度與氫包層質量呈負相關,所以其與恆星在氦閃前及氦閃後的溫度也呈負相關。

Silver nanoparticles-loaded titanium dioxide coating towards immobilized photocatalytic reactor for water decontamination and bacterial deactivation under natural sunlight irradiation

The environmental implications of rapid industrialization, including rising pollution, depleted resources, the effects of climate change brought on by global warming, and unrestrained groundwater extraction, are contributing to a growing water scarcity crisis [1-3]. The improvements in quality of life are largely attributable to the innovations in manufacturing technology made possible by the Industrial Revolution, but these innovations also pose risks to the natural world and human health [1-3]. The textile business uses a wide variety of raw materials, including natural fibers like cotton as well as synthetic and woolen fibers, and the chemical components of dyes are just one example. The annual output of synthetic dyes is around 700,000 tons, and there are over 10,000 different varieties available. As much as 200,000 tons of synthetic dyes are released into the environment every year due to the inefficient dyeing technique commonly employed in the textile industry. According to the World Bank, the processing of textiles for dyeing and finishing accounts for between 17 and 20 percent of industrial wastewater [1-3]. Textile wastewaters contain a high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen, color, acidity, high suspended particles, high dissolved solids, surfactants, dyestuffs, heavy metals, and other soluble chemicals [3] due to the variety of dyes used to color textile items. In particular, water-soluble reactive and azo dyes are employed to obtain the required color. Ten to twenty percent of the dyes used end up in the effluents, where they might harm wildlife and the ecosystem (carcinogenic or mutagenic). Headaches, nausea, skin irritation, respiratory difficulties, and congenital deformities are only some of the health problems linked to exposure to textile wastewater. There are repercussions for aquatic ecology, environmental biodiversity, and the quality of receiving water bodies. New, low-cost, and highly effective water treatment methods are needed to deal with polluted wastewater. Adsorption and coagulation, two common water purification methods, just concentrate pollutants by shifting them to other phases; they do not "eliminate" or "destroy" them. Sedimentation, filtration, chemical oxidation, and biotechnology are all examples of conventional water treatment methods, but they all have their drawbacks. These include insufficient removal, high chemical reagent consumption, high treatment costs, long treatment times, and the creation of toxic secondary pollutants. New water treatment procedures are needed to improve the quality of treated effluent [1-3]. The use of semiconductor particles in photocatalysis is gaining appeal as a solution to global pollution problems due to its shown efficiency in degrading a wide variety of contaminants. Photocatalyst-coated surfaces-based reactors have proven to be practical for long-term operation over photocatalytic powder-based reactors (i.e., slurry-based reactors) [4-5]. As a promising photo-electrode and photocatalyst, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has enjoyed wider applicability in photocatalytic hydrogen generation, solar cells, and remediation of organic contaminants among other photo-catalytic applications [4-6]. TiO2 has been recognized as one of the low-cost, most effective, and fascinating photo-catalyst as a result of its interesting thermal and chemical stability, desirable electronic features, others, and environmental benignity [6-8]. Pristine TiO2 semiconductor is characterized by a wide band gap that can only utilize the UV part of the light spectrum with a wavelength of less than 385 nm, which is just 5% of the sunlight energy capacity. Spectrum usability extension to visible regions warrants further and extensive research study [8-10]. Additionally, the quickness of the recombination of photo-generated holes and electrons further restricts the practical applicability of the semiconductor [10-12]. It is highly desirable to develop a cost-effective scalable strategy to over these drawbacks toward sustainable development and a clean environment using only natural sunlight irradiation [5-11]. In addition, it is preferred to fabricate them as films rather than powders as photocatalytic immobilized reactors are more practical than powder-based reactors [4-8]. Dye sensitization, supports, magnetic separation, and surface modification by doping with non-metals, metals, and transition metals and coupling with other semiconductors have all been used to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 photocatalyst. Higher photonic efficiency can be attained through the synergistic fine-tuning of features such as physical, chemical, and electronic, and these composites and hybrid materials based on TiO2 are creating a big trend. Doping has been widely studied as a means of altering the surface of TiO2. Rare earth metals, noble metals, and transition metals are all discussed in the existing literature on the surface modification of TiO2 doped with cations [4-12]. In this study, for the first time, Ag nanoparticles loaded mesoporous TiO2 coating was prepared and applied as an immobilized photocatalytic reactor for water decontamination and bacterial deactivation under natural sunlight irradiation.

使用蓋亞資料庫探討球狀星團中天琴座RR型變星的組成

球狀星團是星體分布緊密、金屬豐度低的星團。天琴座 RR 型變星經常出現在球狀星團中, 且在恆星演化上有重要意義。僅管目前對此類型變星的其週期、亮度等研究十分完備,分析其組成比例的研究仍略為缺乏。使用 GAIADR3資料庫,首先根據目標星團周圍星體數量繪製熱點圖,求出星團視半徑後,分析二十個球狀星團的天琴座 RR 型變星組成百萬分率,發現影響的主要參數依序為星團年齡、星團半徑與金屬豐度,並分別提出假說解釋 其原理。透過調整三個參數的係數,定義出能代表三者或其中二者共同影響的參數,使變星組成比例成為輔助判斷星團相關參數的依據。另外討論偏離主要趨勢星團的原因,且亦探討以熱點圖概念求出的視半徑和文獻之出入之處。