Dissertations/Theses - Institute of Appropriate Technology
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Item Development and characterization of a composite as an alternative of plastic foam by using waste paper and natural Jute Fiber(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2024-09-03) Kamruzzaman Rasel, Md.; Bhuiyan, Dr. Iftekhar UddinIt is well known to all that the population of the Earth is growing daily. To fulfill the needs, different types of plastic products are being used throughout the world, made from polymeric materials such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), expanded polypropylene (EPP), and Styrofoam (plastic foam) because of their easy processing, high durability, and many other properties. Packaging is one of the major sectors of polymeric material use. Packaging is the process by which goods or products are enclosed to protect products during distribution, storage, sale, and use. Of those polymeric materials, some are recyclable, but recycling is very costly; some are non-recyclable (melamine-thermosetting polymer). After use, most of the plastics are thrown into the environment, and those are getting mixed with land, wildlife, forests, and aquatic ecosystems, creating a threat to the everyday lives of people, wildlife, marine animals, and so on. Since polymeric materials have a long lifetime and a long time required to decompose naturally, researchers are continuously trying to develop alternative products that can be used as a substitute for plastic products. Researchers have used natural fiber-based products, but most of them are based on polymers, where those polymers act as a matrix form of a composite, such as epoxy resin, polyester, polypropylene, HDPE, LDPE, Vinyl ester resin, epoxy, and polyester resin and natural fiber used as a reinforcing agent. Most of them are non-biodegradable and take a long time to decompose naturally. There is an opportunity to use natural-based materials in matrix form. Hence, this research aims to develop a composite by using waste papers as a matrix material of the composite and jute fiber as the reinforcing agent that can reduce the use of certain portions of plastic-type products, especially Styrofoam in the packaging sector. The hand lay-up method was used to fabricate the composite after collecting the raw materials, and starch (arrowroot powder) was used as a binder. After the final curing of the developed composite, shore hardness test, stress test, strain test, compressive test, density test, water absorption test, and degradation test were done and compared with the available Styrofoam sample. The experimental results indicate that developed composite samples are superior in terms of hardness and compressive strength compared to available Styrofoam samples, developed composite samples are inferior in terms of density and water absorption compared to the available Styrofoam samples. The level of strain found in both samples (Developed and available samples) is comparable. Also, the degradation test indicates that developed composite samples are degradable in soil and water, whereas available Styrofoam samples are known to be non-biodegradable. Typically, a portion of the waste paper produced is recycled to decrease reliance on virgin raw materials and to lessen the use of natural resources like trees, water, and other components. However, there is a lack of effective management aimed at minimizing waste paper generation at its source. This research can contribute to addressing this issue by illustrating methods to reduce waste paper generation and ultimately utilizing existing technology to recycle the paper waste created.Item Development and evaluation of construction and demolition waste management framework in the context of Dhaka city(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2024-05-11) Sabbir Ahammed Rayhan, Dewan; Bhuiyan, Dr. Iftekhar UddinThis thesis looks over the current Construction and Demolition Waste Management (C&DWM) situations by scrutinizing the definition, classification, components, compositions, the generated sources and causes, the global scenario, impacts of generated Construction and Demolition Wastes (C&DWs), waste management hierarchy (WMH), 3R Principles, Circular Economy (CE), tools and frameworks of C&DWM. Dhaka city is witnessing rapid infrastructural development. Now, C&DW generation is becoming a burning issue due to its adverse impacts. This study reviews the present scenario of Dhaka city regarding the status of C&DW generation, approaches for minimizing C&DW generation, existing systems for managing C&DWs, existing relevant strategies, acts, and policies for C&DWM, and previous research on C&DWM. The review finds that landfilling, on-site and off-site disposal, and disposal in unauthorized places are the common strategies of C&DWM in Dhaka city that result in environmental pollution in the city as well as lessening the potential land spaces in the city. Moreover, the old landfill sites in Dhaka city are reaching their fullest capacity. The main objective of this study is to introduce a sustainable C&DWM framework for evaluating the C&DWM alternatives in Dhaka city by incorporating the application of expanded Waste Management Hierarchy (E-WMH) and Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) models because these tools don’t get considerable attention in the C&DWM field of Bangladesh. This study considers the E-WMH principles as the alternatives for managing C&DWs in Dhaka city and selects and groups the criteria into social, economic, environmental, and technical criteria to achieve sustainability based on the comprehensive literature review and the Delphi survey with the subject-matter experts in Bangladesh. The ELECTRE I and ELECTRE II MCDA methods are employed in this study because these methods are suitable for solving environmental-related problems. Based on the results of ELECTRE I and ELECTRE II methods, reuse, recovery, and prevent are the suitable strategies, and incineration (burn), and treat and disposal are the poorest strategies for managing C&DWs in Dhaka city. Finally, this thesis provides some recommendations for C&DWM in Dhaka City to achieve greater efficiency in C&DWM and pinpoint some directions of the scope of future research in the field of C&DWM.Item Behavioral pattern analysis of solar energy users of Bangladesh and proposal of an incentive regulation model to achieve energy sufficiency(Institute of Appropriate Technology(IAT), BUET, 2021-09-25) Abul Ulayee, Hasan al Bashar; Ahmad, FaridIn the era of 4th Industrial revolution, energy is a pre-condition for the development of an energy-deficit country like Bangladesh. Bangladesh ranks low with regard to global competitiveness in the context of reliable electricity supply and transparent tariffs. Bangladesh government has already taken a policy decision to arrange 10 percent of total energy from renewable sources whereasonly 3.02% of the target is achieved.Around 5 million Solar Home System (SHS) havealready been installed in Bangladesh to reach the target.A behavioral pattern analysis of these users can find substantial and influential factors which are determinate rationales behind using solar energy. The objective of the research was to find out the solar energy users’usage pattern and factors influencing the pattern. Another core objective of this research was to develop an Incentive Regulation Model based on ‘Solar Energy Data Bank with Virtual Grid Concept’ by analyzing the usage pattern and to test the Incentive Regulation Model. The method used in this research was a qualitative approach with quantitative analysis of the survey data. The methodology included survey in the Solar Home System users with appropriate questionnaire and data analysis and pattern recognition on the received data. The Incentive Regulation Model was developed based on the data and considering the rational expectation of the users. The outcome of this research was the usage pattern of Bangladeshi Solar Energy users and what were the influencing factors that enable them to use solar energy. Based on the survey, an Incentive Regulation Model was also proposed with a new concept of offline virtual grid. As the Model was a proposed one, to justify it WEKA open source data mining software was used whether the incentive helps to grow the number of solar energy users or not. Finally, some policy decisions were derived from the incentive model taking incentive levels, location factors, program design, and monitoring and evaluation strategies for sustainable energy management into accountItem A machine learning based integrated framework for e-commerce management through customized customer retention strategy(Institute of Appropriate Technology(IAT), BUET, 2024-01-29) Ishrat Jahan; Sanam, Dr.Tahsina FarahIne-commerce,itismorecost-effectivetoretainexistingcustomersthantoattractnewones. Therefore, churn control is crucial in managing attrition. This study aims to ad-dressagapintheliteraturebycombiningchurnprediction,customersegmentation,andrecommendationstoprovideacomprehensiveplatformforcustomizedcustomerretentionstrategy.Theframeworkconsistsofthesethreecomponents.ExperimentalanalysisforcustomerchurnpredictionshowsthatCatBoostperformsthebestinthedatasetwith100%accuracyand100%F1-score.Afterselectingthebestclassifier,recursivefeatureelimination (RFE) is applied to find the rank of features for the next step. This paperfills a research gap and contributes to the existing literature in developing a customerretentionmethod. After implementing churn prediction, the cluster tendency test is performed, and theHopkins score is 0.09322634776929459. This score indicates that the dataset is appropriateforclustering.TheCalinski-HarabaszindexofK-meansishigherthanHierarchical Clustering.Comparing k-means, hierarchical clustering, and DBSCAN, k-meansgives the best performance.The resulting cluster profiles are used for personalizedrecommendations. Collaborative filtering coverage is larger than popularity-based recommendations.The root mean square errors (RMSE), mean absolute errors (MAE),and mean square errors (RMSE) are used for comparing criteria. The SVD model hasRMSE 1.26, MAE 0.99, and MSE 1.69. The test time of SVD is 0.00143, which is thelowest.Precisionis89%andrecallis99.80%whichmeansthat89%oftherecommendations apply to users. Our proposed study shows that with this integrated framework,wehaveachievedsignificantimprovement.Ourstudyhasgiventhebestresultineveryphase of the framework. So, integrating product recommendation with customer churnpredictionsandcustomersegmentationwillenablepersonalizedexperiences,proactivecustomer engagement, maximization of customer lifetime value, data-driven decision-making, and a competitive edge in the market in the context of our country.It willalsoprovideastrongandefficientcustomerretentionstrategytomakee-commercefeelsuccessfulinourcountry.Finally,thisresearchinvestigatesthekeysustainabilityindicatorsforintegratingMLine-commercecustomizedcustomerretentionandconductsasystematicassessmenttoprioritizetheindicatorsbasedontheperspectivesofpertinentexperts in the context of Bangladeshi e-business to assess the long-term sustainabilityoftheproposedsystem.Item Selection and evaluation of alternative fuel vehicles by multi-criteria decision making and cost- benefit analysis(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2023-10-31) Amin, Md. Ruhul; Bhuiyan, Dr.Iftekhar uddinThe internal combustion engines of vehicles emit lots of pollutants like hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide which can lead to cancer, acid rain, heart disease and global warming. To avoid dangerous climate change, a variety of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation actions must be taken in all sectors of the global energy system. Although diesel and gasoline are still the main energy sources used in urban transportation, alternative and transitional energy sources such as natural gas in alternative forms (CNG/LPG/LNG), compressed hydrogen, Biofuels, hybrid, electric, hydrogen fuel cell have been introduced. Alternative energy vehicles are cost-inefficient, less pollutant when compared to fossil-fuel based ones but involve some risk and health hazards if they are not handled properly. In this study,all hazards and potential risks associated with the alternative fuel vehicles such as CNG, LPG, Hybrid and the electric vehicles have been identified and assessed by physical investigation of the vehicles, CNG/LPG conversion workshops and the re-fueling stations for storing and dispensing the pressurized fuels. Selection of alternative fueled vehicles specially in highly polluted city like Dhaka in the developing country is a complex decision task, it is a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. Various technical, economic, environmental, safety issues and policy factors must be considered for the successful application of MCDM. In order to find out the best fueled vehicle in the context of Bangladesh, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) which is one the most used MCDM method has been applied by interviewing the experts of academic institutions, research institutions, vehicle manufacturing or importing organizations, decision makers of government organizations etc. Findings of the study reveals that the electric vehicles (EV) are the least hazardous vehicle and the experts’ panel has expressed their opinion for the adoption of electric vehicles (EV) in the AHP analysis. But the outcome of cost-benefit analysis shows that the hybrid vehicle is the most suitable vehicle at the moment in the context of Bangladesh as the infrastructure for recharging the batteries of EV is not ready yet.Item Bio-toxicity analysis and technological management of textile (dyeing) effluent treatment plant sludge(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2022-04-09) Chakraborty, Rathin; Ahmad, FaridBangladesh textile sector is the highest contributor to the national economy. Textile (dyeing) industries consumes substantial amount of chemicals in their processes which ultimately discharge a large volume of textile (dyeing) effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge in open places, thereby leaving a huge environmental footprint and posing negative impacts. Currently, there are no published national sludge discharge standard for Bangladesh textile dyeing industries. Therefore, this thesis focusses on the management of solid wastes i.e., textile (dyeing) effluent treatment plant sludge which is a complex mixture of particles originating from organic and inorganic chemicals. Several characterization techniques were applied to define the sludge generated from textile (dyeing) for different effluent treatment techniques (physio-biological, physio-chemicalbiological, and electro-coagulation). These testing protocols reveal that the textile dyeing sludge contains heavy metals like Cu, Ti, Ru, Cl, Zn, Mn, Ni, Cr, Sr, etc. and their quantities aided the authors for carrying out the elementary risk assessment. Bio-toxic effect of dyeing sludge was realized from the life cycle analysis of Escherichia coli (E. Coli), that characterizes sludge as ecologically harmful. Extraction of the sludge solution was used with broth media at different ratios (1:10, 1:2, and 1:1) and the results of the toxicity analysis reveal that the increasing amount of sludge ratio in nutrient media causes a more toxic effect on the bacterial life cycle and inhibits bacterial growth. The study concludes that predictive approaches, along with preventive measures for the reduction of chemical consumption in dyeing processes using sustainable initiatives and practices, will make a paradigm shift from the reactive approach for sludge management to the preservation of resources. Less water and chemical consumptions will reduce the effluent load, and health risks associated with the heavy metals of textile sludge.Item Clustering of barriers and prioritizing of operational parameters for sustainable management of weft-knitting operation(Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET, 2023-08-29) Biswas, Prodip Kumar; Khan, Dr. Iftheker AhmedThe knitwear garment factories earned nearly fifty five percent of total textile industry earning in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Total apparel export earnings were $42.6 billion in the 2021-22 fiscal year and knitwear sector export earning was $23.2 billion in 2021-22 fiscal year according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data. A typical knitwear operation involves knitting of fabric and the making of knitwear using the fabric thus knitted and provides the greater backward linkage to meet up export requirements. While circular knitting machine is the primary machinery used in weft knitting (i.e., intermeshing the loops of yarns in horizontal way) there are technological challenges like low longevity of machine, variation of RPM, low production rate, and distorted stitches. Combining these with faults like patta, yarn contamination, yarn missing in fabric, oil and dirt spots, sinker mark, horizontal stripe and piling on fabric put the knitting section operation a challenging one and machine parameters like stitch length, machine RPM, machine production rate, man per machine, gauge, yarn count, cam arrangement, coarse length, stitch density, GSM, bursting strength, and diameter are so important for fabric production.This research reviews the barriers and parameters in adopting sustainable management practices in the context of the Bangladeshi weft knitting industry. A questionnaire survey was conducted having a sample size of fifteen. It was undertaken to identify the barriers and parameters. Then Fuzzy Delphi method was used to prioritize barriers and parameters for sustainable management of weft knitting operation. Thirty one barriers and twenty two parameters was identified through literature review and survey. The research indicates that lack of skilled manpower is the most influential barriers and research and development is most prioritized parameter. A hierarchical cluster analysis technique was used in the detailed analysis of this data. Four clusters were found for both barriers and parameters through hierarchical cluster analysis. A holistic positive and negative impact was derived among all barriers and parameters by fuzzy cognitive maps. This study will provide valuables insights to practitioners and relevant policy makersabout the barriers and parameters prevailing in the emerging weft knitting industry for sustainable management of weft knitting operation. This will guide to undertake appropriate steps for alleviating those barriers and influencing parameter. The outcome of this research will guide all the involved personnel in weft knitting section to create a better sustainable management in knitting operation.Item Analysis of 3d printing process parameters for mechanical properties and fatigue behavior of specimens produced by bound metal deposition of 17-4 PH stainless steel(Institute of Appropriate Technology, BUET, 2023-11-14) Sadi Mohammad Akash; Iftheker Ahmed K, Dr.3D printing—a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing technology—has revolutionized the production of intricate andnovel structures. The qualityof these structureslargely depends on the various printingparameters and the properties of material of interest. Manufacturers often conduct several trial-error processes for choosing the optimizedprinting parameters, thus makes 3D printing processes expensive, time consuming and challenging. The objective of the current study was to optimize the ultimate tensile strength, fatigue behavior and amount of material required considering a set of key process parameters for a standard specimen made of 17-4 PH stainless steel. This study has considered four key printing parameters, such aslayer height, build orientation, infill pattern and infill percentage, for the chosen specimen.Finite element analysis was conducted to ascertain the tensile strength and fatigue cycle whereas slicing software was employed to assess filament length in the printed specimen.The response surface methods were used to develop design of experiments and this resulted in 117 experimental runs. The investigation has consideredmaximizing tensile strength, minimizing material consumption, and maximizing fatigue cycles as objectives of optimization. The significance of printing parameters was evaluated through analysis of variance, main effect, and interaction plots.Three separate predictive models were developed for optimized value of ultimate tensile strength, filament length, and fatigue behavior. The optimum levels of the process parameters were calculated as 87% infill percentage, 0.6 mm layer height, honeycomb infill pattern, and on-edge build orientation. The study concludes thatthe infill percentageshows the greatest effect on the tensile strength, filament length, and fatigue cycle, howeverthe infill pattern shows the trivial impact.It is expected that the understanding of the parameter optimization of 3D printing structureswill contribute to the development of metal 3D printing technology.Item Hierarchical cluster analysis of barriers and selection parameters for technological management of healthcare waste in Bangladesh(Institute of Appropriate Technology, BUET, 2023-08-28) Yusuf Ali, Md.; Iftheker Ahmed Khan, Dr.The inadequate managementof healthcare waste (HCW) presents a serious environmental and public health risks in Bangladesh. The primary objective of this research work was to identify, and prioritizethe (a)barriers associated with the management of HCW, and (b) selection parameters that impact the choice of appropriate HCW treatment technology in the context of Bangladesh. The questionnaire survey of experts from HCW management and relevant organizations, and utilization of Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) has aided in identification, prioritization and ranking of twenty-three barriersfor HCW management and thirteen selection parametersfor HCW technology. The research indicates that the absence of large-scale investment in HCW management is the most important barrier in establishing proper HCW management in Bangladesh. A hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to understand the intricate relationships among the identified barriers and this results in three major clusters for barriers; Cluster 1 includes barriers from social sustainability, for example, ignorance about the hazards of HCW, current practice of HCW handling, and lack of interest, policy and enforcement; Cluster 2includes barriers which are related to operational sustainability, for example, inadequate legal framework, and lack of eco-friendly framework, and less interest from private HCF to adopt HCW management; and Cluster 3includes barriers representing financial sustainability, for example, absence of large scale investment, shortage of land and lack of tax benefit for treating HCW properly. Similarly, the research indicates that type of HCW treatment technology is the most important selection parameter for choosingHCW technology in local perspective. The HCA results in three major clusters for parameters; Cluster 1 includes those parameters which are related to amount of treated waste; Cluster 2 includes operational parameters of technology; and Cluster 3 includes those parameters which are related to the nature of the technology and institutional capacity building.Finally, the study proposes a conceptual policy framework for HCW management in Bangladesh encompassing the national development plan, rules and regulations to handle HCW, the national coordination body and key policy framework components such as infrastructure development, information dissemination, capacity building, monitoring enforcement, and legal matters. It is expected that this frameworkmay find its application to cope with barriers of HCW management in Bangladesh.Item Green approach in cutting fluid management for sustainable operation of CNC machine tools in Bangladesh(Institute of Appropriate Technology, BUET, 2023-08-22) Muhammad Ali Zinnah; Iftheker Ahmed Khan, Dr.The computerized numerical control (CNC) machining industry is facing challenging situations as it moves forward from using traditional cutting fluid management practices to green counterparts. This thesis aims to scrutinize associated factors of cutting fluid management (CFM) through an overview of cutting fluid usage scenarios and building causal relationships among the CFM factors to ensure green manufacturing practices in CNC machining industries in the Bangladesh. In this study, a field survey using a questionnaire was done to find out how cutting fluid is used and disposed of. A fuzzy Delphi technique was utilized to evaluate CFM factors identified from literature and expert opinions on physical, technical, economical, ecological, social, and legal aspects. Out of the 26 factors, 13 were found to be the most significant, with reuse and recycling facilities ranked number one. Using the grey-DEMATEL method, interdependence between the elements was assessed, and it was discovered that seven factors have an impact on the others. The study implies that priority-based consideration of cutting fluid management factors can be worth it to assure green manufacturing practices in CNC machining businesses.