Coffee Grounds as a Soil Conditioner: Effects on Physical and Mechanical Properties - I. Effects on Physical Properties

Coffee grounds (CG) improved some soil physical properties (dry density, gd; porosity, n; aggregation; hydraulic conductivity, Ks; and infiltration rate, IR). Effects on other properties were inconsistent (e.g., sorptivity, S), or unfavorable (e.g., available water, AW). gd decreased and n increased with CG. CG decreased Ks in sand. In calcareous soil, maximum increase was associated with 10% and 15% CG before and after wetting-and-drying cycles (WDC), respectively. Ks increased with CG in clay, with greatest increase attained at 10% CG. IR decreased with CG in sand. In calcareous and clayey soils, IR decreased with CG before WDC but increased after WDC where maximum increase in clay was linked to 10% CG. No solid trends of soil sorptivity, S, were identified. Before WDC, S had the order: sand > calcareous > clay. For most cases, adding CG increased total water holding capacity (WHC). However, after WDC, the increase in water content at field capacity (FC) with CG was accompanied by a greater increase in wilting point (WP) and therefore a decrease in AW. CG improved soil structure and aggregation and increased non-water-stable aggregates in calcareous and clayey soils. Mean weight diameter (MWD) indicated increase in water-stable aggregates in sand at 5% and 10% CG. In clay, MWD increased only at 5% CG. Although results did not show coherent responses with some tested properties, they, mostly, indicate some beneficial effects of CG, particularly in relation to improving aggregation and water flow

APPRAISEMENT OF THE GEOLOGIC FEATURES AS A GEO-HERITAGE IN ABU-ROASH AREA, CAIRO- EGYPT

Egypt contains Geologic Heritage that create much opportunity to develop educational and recreational programs as well as tourism projects. Enhancement of Geologic Heritage and awareness of the importance of Geologic Heritage is a great challenge. This paper focuses on a neglected area inside Cairo that is facing a great destruction from the people living there. The Abu-Roash archaeological site is located at 31ᵒ 02′ 42″ E longitude and 30ᵒ 02′ 42″ N latitude. It is one of the most important areas for education and scientific study inside Cairo. Although the area is not suited as a geo-heritage or even a protected area, it contains Cretaceous to upper Eocene sedimentary beds and fossils, and a great variety of structural features. Not only an important geologic aspect found in the area but also an archeological site is present which provide the area of a great scientific, cultural/historical, aesthetic and/or social/economic value. These different criteria qualifies the study are to have a regional/provincial rank for its Geo-heritage. Abu Roash area are possess good geo-diversity, geo abundance and geo richness which lead us to start point for establishing potential geo-heritage that should be conserved the area also need to be recognized as a geological conservation sites, the area should be Stated as a protected area of a heritage legislation to protect geo-heritage

Coffee grounds as a soil conditioner: Effects on physical and mechanical properties – II. Effects on mechanical properties

Applying coffee grounds (CG) to sandy, calcareous, and clayey soils resulted in notable effects on soil expansion, cracking, cohesion, internal friction, initial stress and resistance to penetration. In sand, expansion upon saturation was greater after wetting-and-drying cycles. Highest increases were 15.71%, 16.14% and 31.86% for sandy, calcareous and clayey soils, respectively. Effect of CG on cracking was negligible in sand and very slight (<1.0%) in the calcareous soil but marked in clay (14.18% at 10% CG). In sand, cohesion (c) increased significantly with CG up to the 10% content. Cohesion increased by 2.5-folds and 4.5-folds at 5% and 10% CG, respectively. The presence of fine CG grains among larger sand particles, boosted microbial activities, and the resulting cementing and binding effects resulted in increased cohesion. For calcareous soil, cohesion rose from 0.04 kg∙cm-2 to 0.13 kg∙cm-2 as CG increased from 0% to 15%. In clay, maximum cohesion (0.20 kg∙cm-2) was associated with the 10% CG and was highest of all soils. In sand, the angle of internal friction (φ) decreased notably as CG increased from 5% to 10% but there was no consistent pattern in any of the soils. An increase in initial stress (pi) was observed between 0% and 10% CG in sand and between 0% and 15% in calcareous soil while clay showed no particular trend. Patterns of pi were, thus, consistent with those of cohesion for all soils. Resistance to penetration increased substantially with CG in sand. The effect in calcareous and clayey soils took an opposite trend to that of sand and resistance was generally higher in calcareous soil. Overall effects of CG on resistance were desirable in all soils as far as agriculture (seedling emergence, crop growth, irrigation, etc.) is concerned

Fault pinpointing in underground cables of low-voltage distribution networks with inductive wireless power transfer

This paper aims to propose inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) technology for pinpointing fault locations in LV distribution underground cables following the use of other pre-location methods. The proposed device is portable, hence battery-powered, and operates by scanning for faults above ground via inductive coupling with the de-energized cable. This primarily relies on impedance changes in the cable due to permanent faults as the device scans the length of the cable. A detailed frequency domain mathematical model for the system is deduced and circuit design/parameters affecting the inductive coupling are investigated. An optimal design strategy for the portabledevice is demonstrated to achieve high fault-locating sensitivity with a minimum device VA rating. The device is tested under multiple fault scenarios (including shunt and open-circuit (cable break) faults) using a MATLAB/Simulink circuit model, and the results are validated against the mathematical model. The device’s performance with single-core and multi-core cables is examined. Finally, a critical comparative evaluation of the IWPT method with existing fault pinpointing techniques is conducted that highlights both the advantages and limitations of the proposed technique. The research shows that the proposed technology provides a promising new solution for LV network operators to minimize excavations for underground cable faults by pinpointing locationswhere a considerable deflection in induced cable current occurs when passing a fault point