The Role of Isopropyl Alcohol in the Properties of Sudanese Reformat Gasoline
The role of isopropyl alcohol in the properties of Sudanese reformat gasoline (produced by the refinery located at Algily, Khartoum North city, in Sudan) was studied. The properties of the reformat gasoline which were investigated include , distillation, sulfur content, density, vapor pressure, oxidation stability, copper strip corrosion, gum existence, lead content, and the octane number . The addition of isopropyl alcohol (5 and 10% (v/v)) improved the properties of the Sudanese reformat gasoline to the limits assigned by American Society For Testing And Materials (ASTM) and Khartoum refinery. The motor octane number (MON) of the reformat gasoline was determined initially by the Cooperative Fuels Research engine (CFR engine), MON was found to be 88.5. Results revealed that the addition of isopropyl alcohol 5 and 10 % (v/v) to the Sudanese reformat gasoline shift the value of the (MON) to 94.1 and 96 respectively. keywords: Isopropyl alcohol, Sudanese gasoline properties, Motor octane number, Cooperative fuels research engine.
Synthesis and improvement of Jatropha curcas L. biodiesel based on eco-friendly materials
ABSTRACT The main purpose of this present work is to produce and improve Jatropha curcas L biodiesel using mixed natural zeolite and furfural to meet the demand of green and clean production. Trans-esterification of Jatropha oil using natural microporous zeolite (96.6% Thomsonite and 3.4% Analacime) has been carried out. The optimum molar ratio (oil: methanol: zeolite) to yield 85.65 wt.% of Jatropha biodiesel was found to be (1:3:0.2) respectively. XRD technique was used to identify the natural zeolite. Physicochemical characteristics of biodiesel were determined according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard methods and were found to be within ASTM permissible limits required for the operation of diesel engines except ash content. The element composition of synthesized biodiesel was investigated by Inductively Coupled Plasma. The synthesized biodiesel has been treated by different ratio of furfural. The best wt. % of furfural was found to be 66.6% (1:3, biodiesel: furfural). Treatment of Jatropha curcas L. biodiesel with furfural increased FAME and decreased alcohols, carbonyl, cyclic, and other compounds. Besides, furfural improved the physico-chemical characteristic of Jatropha curcas L. biodiesel within ASTM permissible limits. Cetane number has increased from 59.8 to 63.5 after treatment by 66.6% of furfural.
The Invention of the Jewish People
'All modern nation states have a story of their origins, passed down through both official and popular culture, and yet few of these accounts have proved as divisive and influential as the Israeli national myth. The well-known tale of Jewish exile at the hands of the Romans during the first century AD, and the assertion of both cultural and racial continuity through to the Jewish people of the present day, resonates far beyond Israel's borders. Despite its use as a justification for Jewish settlement in Palestine and the project of a Greater Israel, there have been few scholarly investigations into the historical accuracy of the story as a whole. In this bold and ambitious new book, Shlomo Sand shows that the Israeli national myth has its origins in the nineteenth century, rather than in biblical times - when Jewish historians, like scholars in many other cultures, reconstituted an imagined people in order to model a future nation. Sand forensically dissects the official story - and demonstrates the construction of a nationalist myth and the collective mystification that this requires. A bestseller in Israel and France, Shlomo Sand's book has sparked a widespread and lively debate. Should the Jewish people regard themselves as genetically distinct and identifiable across the millennia - or should that doctrine now be left behind and if the myth of the Jewish state is dismantled, could this open a path toward a more inclusive Israeli state, content within its borders?'