G. Madhu

Cochin University of Science and Technology | CUSAT · Faculty of Engineering

Civil engineering is an important branch and always making human life safe and cheerfull. Researchers in the field of civil engineering are always enthusiastic and trying to overcome various challenges by providing advance solutions. The scope of civil engineering has widen considerably and it is demand of society to get better solutions through sc...

The objective of this case study is to conduct dynamic analysis of domino effects in the storage area of a petrochemical industry, south Asia, India to determine temporal variation in domino effect frequencies at different domino levels. This case study utilises the benefits of Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs) to graphically represent the propagati...

There have been many advancements and developments in hazard and risk analysis techniques over the past several decades. Since then, many researchers integrated various dynamic aspects into the conventional static analysis of hazard and risk associated with various failure cases and accidents. Dynamic Risk Analysis is an advanced continuous real-ti...

In the present study, the three main process parameters in the Fenton process for the removal of pharmaceutical compound Mefenamic acid from an aqueous solution were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Central composite design (CCD) was used for process optimization. The primary and secondary interaction effects of the selected para...

Selective hydrogenation of acetylene was studied using palladium catalysts supported on different transition alumina spheres. The alumina supports were prepared by calcining pseudo boehmite alumina sphere at different calcination temperatures; the ρ-Al2O3 used was flash calcined alumina. The alumina supports were characterized using different techn...

This paper reports the findings from a safety research survey conducted among the employees of a large public sector electrical utility in the state of Kerala, India. Response of 3017 employees was collected by one-to-one interaction using the developed instrument. Personal factors like self-esteem, job stress, personal stress, social supports, and...

The Occupational Accidents Measure (Baby, Madhu, & Renjith, 2021) was developed to assess personal and safety climate factors related to occupational electrical accidents. This instrument was based on a consultation with domain experts and the literature (Frade et al., 2004; Paul & Maiti, 2005), as well as previous scales (e.g., Finn, 1981; Murray,...

The efficacy of different advanced oxidation methods such as UV, UV/ H2O2, Fenton and Photo Fenton in removing an emerging contaminant, Mefenamic acid from aqueous solution has been compared in this work. The effect of three major operating parameters such as pH, concentration of oxidant and catalyst on the degradation of the compound was analysed....

A research survey is conducted in the large public sector electrical utility in the Kerala state of India. The measurement scale for personal factors like self-esteem, job stress, personal stress, social supports, and fatigue are developed as per the targeted population. Personal safety climate factors of the utility are accessed using existing saf...

The performance of Alumina-Iron Oxide nanocomposite as an adsorbent in the removal of Copper has been investigated. The experimental studies reveal that the removal of heavy metal from waste water can be increased within shorter duration when the nanocomposite is coated with a suitable polymer. The adsorptive properties of prepared nanocomposite wi...

Catalyst shape and size selection is an important aspect of the industrial catalyst design. Catalyst shapes of different sizes were made using different forming techniques and characterized using standard characterization method available in the industry. The significance of each catalyst forming technique were compared with the physical properties...

Mefenamic acid is a commonly used non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drug whose concentration has been found to be above the no effect concentration in many water sources. The removal of mefenamic acid from water using Fenton process was investigated to find the optimum level of oxidant H2O2 and the catalyst (Fe 2+) at an optimum pH o...

The highly effective chitosan-bentonite nanoclay film composite is prepared for the first time and its ability for NH3 -N removal from aqueous solution was studied. The synthesis of films requires only acetic acid as the dissolving agent makes the preparation process economic and environment friendly. Also, the film structure provides ease of conti...

Land use is a complex and dynamic phenomenon and the changes in its pattern are attributable to human activities. The current rate of land degradation, especially in forest ecosystems, can be easily detected, mapped and sustainably managed by using GIS and remote sensing tools. Land use-land cover mapping also helps assess the regenerative status o...

Mefenamic acid is a commonly used non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drug whose concentration has been found to be above the no effect concentration in many water sources. The removal of mefenamic acid from water using Fenton process was investigated to find the optimum level of oxidant H2O2 and the catalyst (Fe2+) at an optimum pH of...

Since the last few decades, there has been increasing global concern over the public health impacts due to environmental pollution. Among the various water pollutants, chromium (VI) is the most toxic one as it is carcinogenic in nature. Adsorption is an important surface operation with cost as an important parameter for comparing any adsorbent mate...

Fire is a natural element present in all ecosystems and influencing many of its functions. The negative impacts include air and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, land degradation,desertification, soil erosion, impairment of human health and safety as well as loss of human life, forest flora and fauna throughout the world every year. Occurrence...

The performance of Alumina- Iron Oxide nanocomposite as an adsorbent in the removal of Cr (VI) has been investigated. The experimental studies reveal that the removal of heavy metal from waste water can be increased within shorter duration when the nanocomposite is coated with a suitable polymer. The adsorptive properties of prepared nanocomposite...

: Catalyst shape and size selection is an important aspect of the industrial catalyst design. Shapes of different sizes were made using alumina and characterized using standard methods used in the industry. Tableting machine, extruder and granulating equipment were used for forming different catalytic shapes. The samples were characterized by BET s...

Variations in meteorological parameters, different transportation mechanisms, complex reaction mechanisms and insufficient control measures have made control of ambient air pollution, a challenge. Prediction mechanisms for pollutant concentrations in advance have become necessary to regulate parameters within the acceptable limits. Artificial neura...

The prepared Polypyrrole/Alumina-Iron oxide nanocomposite has showed 100% adsorption capacity in removing Copper ions from synthetic waste water. The nanocomposite was analyzed using SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD and EDX. Batch mode adsorption studies were done to check the feasibility of prepared nanomaterial. Adsorption efficiency of the nanocomposite was...

Background Sodium Perchlorate is one of the major starting intermediate product for the manufacture of various Perchlorates viz, Ammonium perchlorate as solid oxidizer and Strontium Perchlorate as Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control (SITVC) in launch vehicles. This critical product is manufactured industrially by electrochemical oxidation of...

This paper focuses on understanding the electrolyte flow characteristics in a typical packed-bed electrochemical reactor using Residence Time Distribution (RTD) studies. RTD behavior was critically analyzed using tracer studies at various flow rates, initially under nonelectrolyzing conditions. Validation of these results using available theoretica...

The skim serum wastewater generated during the centrifuging of natural rubber latex is highly polluting in nature. The raw wastewater and its anaerobically treated form were subjected to the gamma irradiation treatment. Different combinations of Fenton’s reagent and different doses of gamma radiations were also applied. The effectiveness of treatme...

Nano composite films have been prepared in the laboratory by impregnating halloysite nanoclay on chitosan matrix. The functional groups present in the composite films have been investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and morphological structure of the synthesized films are analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)....

Electronic systems used in communication devices and mission critical systems such as directed-energy weapons and spacecraft call for requirements to dissipate high heat flux in limited spaces. This study attempts to model the heat transfer in an electronic module, dissipating heat to a coolant in a microchannel as well as to ambient by natural con...

Adsorption is a cheap and efficient method for the removal of Cr (VI) from wastewater. Adsorption experiments for Cr (VI) removal are performed batch wise using the synthesised magnetite nanoparticles according to the conditions given in the design of experiments of Box-Behnken design under response surface methodology and it is observed that adsor...

Magnetite nanoparticles synthesized in the laboratory were used for the removal of Hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) from synthetically prepared wastewater. The synthesized particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy, X ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analyzer. Batch adsorptio...

In this work, a novel composite adsorbent based on chitosan and bentonite nanoclay was prepared in the form of thin films and its efficacy for removing ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N) from aqueous solution was investigated using batch adsorption experiments. The characterization of both chitosan and chitosan nanocomposite have been done with Thermogravi...

Aerobic granulation is a promising technology for wastewater treatment. Four operational parameters were selected as influencing factors for this study. Aerobic granulation was experimented with three different values of organic loading rate (3, 6 and 9 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)), superficial upflow air velocity (SUAV) (2, 3 and 4 cm s(-1)), settling time...

Advanced oxidation processes are widely used for the removal of organics which are difficult to remove by biological treatment processes. Advanced oxidation processes use the oxidizing power of hydroxyl radicals for the removal of pollutants. In the present study, the ability of Fenton and photo-Fenton processes in removing acetamiprid, a neonicoti...

The effect of shear force on aerobic granulation in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was studied in three trials -1,2 and 3 with superficial upflow velocities of 2,3 and 4 cm/s respectively. Denser and more compact granules could be developed in trial 2 and 3, while the granules formed in trial 1 were loose structured. The settling ability of the slu...

In any supply chain (SC) system, information sharing is very important as it supports other SC drivers to enhance coordination and it thereby improves the performance of the entire SC. The objective of this study is to analyse the performance of a four level serial SC under eight different kinds of information sharing cases, with backorder and lost...

Background: Job stress is one of the active research domains in industrial safety research. The job stress can result in accidents and health related issues in workers in chemical process industries. Hence it is important to measure the level of job stress in workers so as to mitigate the same to avoid the worker's safety related problems in the i...

Aerobic granulation is a promising biotechnology for wastewater treatment. The formation and development of granules and the pollutant removal are closely associated with hydrodynamic shear force, settling time and volume exchange ratio (VER), which are proved to be the selection pressures. Three different values of shear force (2, 3 and 4 cm/s), s...

Coordination improves the performance of a supply chain system. Two popular coordination mechanisms are 'price discount' and 'delay in payment'. The effect of these two mechanisms individually on supply chain performance has already been reported in literature. In this work, the two mechanisms 'price discount' and 'delay in payment' are used simult...

Coordination among supply chain (SC) members is essential to enhance its overall performance. The effect of various coordination mechanisms on SC performance is an area of research interest. In this study, two mechanisms 'price discount' and 'delay in payment' are used separately and simultaneously to coordinate a network SC under a simulated busin...

The present work focuses on the effective utilization of discarded Lead dioxide particles as particulate electrodes in a carefully designed packed bed electrolyser. It is known that particulate electrodes provide a large electrode area in proportion to conventional flat electrode configuration. Consequently, this packed bed electrolyser, will be ex...

Modeling of heat transfer in a rectangular microchannel and its coolant temperature control simulations are presented. Microchannel heat exchanging systems are widely used for thermal management of electronic devices. Therefore the control of temperature of coolant fluid with respect to the operating temperature limit of electronic device has great...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is promoted as an energy source and waste disposal. In this study semi dry anaerobic digestion of organic solid wastes was conducted for 45days in a lab-scale batch experiment for total solid concentration of 100g/L for investigating the start-up performances under th...

Advancement of the industrial sector of a country has a close linkage with its economic growth. But in spite of technological developments that have taken place, industrial growth still has its impact on environment. The clean development mechanism (CDM) is one of the three flexible mechanism developed under the Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC to control...

Numerous studies has been done on the water quality of river Periyar, South India. Most of the studies are done when a pollution event occurs. Such random analysis does not suffice the need for a management plan. Inorder to prepare a management plan, understanding past and present trend of the river is very much important. Moreover, prediction of f...

Vegetation is a vital component of the natural environment. Terrestrial vegetation includes natural ecosystems, such as native forests and woodlands, shrub lands, grasslands and wetlands. Information on land cover is fundamental to many national/global application including watershed management and agricultural productivity. Thus, the need to moni...

The study aims to prepare a landslide susceptibility zonation (LSZ) map and quantitative validation of the result at a scale of 1:50,000 for the upland catchment of river Meenachil, Kottayam district, Kerala, India by recognizing and mapping the palaeoslide locations and the associated terrain attributes. A bivariate statistical method, known as th...

Heavy metals are major toxic pollutants with severe health effects on humans. They are released into the environment from a variety of industrial activities. Alisma plantago aquatica (APA) was used as adsorbent to remove Cd(II), Pb (II), Zn(II) Cr(III) and Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The batch kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption was infl...

Aerobic granulation technology is an improvement over conventional activated sludge process, where cell-to-cell interactions lead to the formation of stable granules with excellent settleability. Selection pressures are the factors that can strongly influence the formation and growth of aerobic granules. Settling time and the volume exchange ratio...

Adsorption is an effective method to remove heavy metals from wastewater. Alisma Plantago Aquatica was used as an adsorbent to remove Zn(II) from aqueous solution. The equilibrium adsorption were analysed using three isotherm models.The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model. Isotherm studies have been used to determine the ther...

Advancement of the industrial sector of a country has a close linkage with its economic growth. But in spite of technological developments that have taken place, industrial growth still has its impact on environment. The clean development mechanism (CDM) is one of the three flexible mechanism developed under the Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC to control...

Aerobic granulation technology is an improvement over conventional activated sludge process, where cell-to-cell interactions lead to the formation of stable granules with excellent settleability. Selection pressures are the factors that can strongly influence the formation and growth of aerobic granules. Settling time and the volume exchange ratio...

River periyar of Eloor-Edayar industrial stretch has been a subject of pollution study for many years but so far, indexing of water quality has never been attempted. Indexing of water quality variables was carried out using water quality index method developed by Canadian Council of Ministry of Environment (CCME). Statistical techniques like correl...

Heavy metals are major toxic pollutants with severe health effects on humans. They are released into the environment from a variety of industrial activities. Alisma plantago aquatica (APA) was used as adsorbent to remove Cd(II), Pb (II), Zn(II) Cr(III) and Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The batch kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption was infl...

Present work focused on investigation of surface and electrochemical features of Lead dioxide anodes modified by addition of certain surfactants like t-octyl phenoxy polyethoxyethanol (Triton X-100), Sodium sec- alkyl Sulphates (Teepol), Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) and few additives like Sodium fluoride, Cerium Nitrate in the Lead dioxi...

In this study batch anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste was carried out for 100 days at room temperature for varying substrate concentration of 115, 99 and 83g/l. The performance of reactors was evaluated by measuring the daily biogas production and calculating the degradation of total solids and the total volatile soli...

Chitosan coated on a polypropylene fabric enhances the mechanical stability and reduces gel forming behavior of chitosan. Chitosan coated on H2SO4 treated polypropylene fabric and cross linked with glutaraldehyde was used for the preparation of filter. The quantity of the chitosan coated PP fabric was studied using thermo gravimetric analyzer. The...

The study has aimed to evaluate the changes in air temperature, surface water temperature, rainfall, discharge (flow) and dissolved oxygen during the last 30 years in Periyar River, the longest river in Kerala, from a climate change perspective. Trend analysis is carried out on the 30 year annual average data of hydro-climatic variables (air temper...

Treatment of synthetic wastewater was studied with aerobic granulation technology in sequencing batch reactor under various organic loading rates (OLRs). Three trials (trial 1, 2, and 3) were conducted with OLRs of 3, 6, and 9 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/(m3.d) respectively. Aerobic granules could be developed in all cases, but the best perform...

The study aims to prepare a landslide susceptibility zonation (LSZ) map and quantitative validation of the result at a scale of 1:50,000 for the upland catchment of river Meenachil, Kottayam district, Kerala, India by recognizing and mapping the palaeoslide locations and the associated terrain attributes. A bivariate statistical method, known as th...

Lean and concurrent engineering (CE) are widely acknowledged business process improvement strategies. These strategies can improve processes, reduce costs, and cut waste enabling organisations to remain competitive. Lean manufacturing offers an enterprise-wide methodology that improves reliability and flexibility while reducing lead-times and inven...

This paper presents the design and analysis of a novel machine family—the enclosed-rotor Halbach-array permanent-magnet brushless dc motors for spacecraft applications. The initial design, selection of major parameters, and air-gap magnetic flux density are estimated using the analytical model of the machine. The proportion of the Halbach array in...

This study examines the influence of factors responsible for work stress among the employees in the chemical industries in Kerala, India. The sample size of the subjects selected for the study consists of 75 Engineers, 110 Supervisors and 675 Workers in the selected chemical industries in kerala ,India. Seven factors were identified with the existi...

Object-oriented technology has been widely acclaimed as offering a revolution in computing that is resolving a myriad of problems inherent in developing and managing organisational information processing capabilities. Although its foundations arose in computer programming languages, object-oriented technology has implications for a wide range of bu...

This Paper Aims to understand the planning and control practices used in manufacturing firms. Research helps to relate PPC usage with firm performance and to identify the role of factors such as culture, learning, demand, operating environment etc. in the choice of forecasting, planning and corrective action methods. A framework is proposed to expl...

Surgical gloves are intended as a barrier between the patient and the healthcare worker. This paper deals with the study conducted on natural rubber based surgical gloves incorporated with Nanosilica. Nanosilica was incorporated into NR latex and then compounded with regular cure ingredients typical of a glove formulation. The compounded latex was...

This article explore the interaction between firm performance and identified variables such as forecasting, planning and control methods adopted, demographics of the owner/manager/entrepreneur, standardization practices followed, effect of training, learning and IT usage. A model and framework is formed on the basis of previous research works. Empi...

We explored the link between firm performance and forecasting, demographics of the key person, standardization practices, effect of training, learning and IT usage. Empirical testing of a model formed is done by a questionnaire survey conducted among the selected Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India. Univariate tests indicate the significan...