Next Generation Mixed Matrix Membranes for CO2 Separations aimed at Energy & Environmental Issues The gas separation process is mainly governed by membrane technology in different industries. Currently, gas separations acquire a membrane market of over four hundred million dollars per year which comprise 24% of the overall membrane market. The components of feed mixture can be efficiently separated via membranes, which exhibit promising potential, based on size, shape and physiochemical properties of the components. Generally, inorganic membranes (e.g. alumina, zeolite, carbon etc.) exhibit high separation efficiency and can withstand under high thermal and chemical exposure than polymeric membranes. However, their commercial application is limited due to some disadvantages such as their brittleness, difficult processing and high cost. In past decades, polymeric membranes have attracted the attention of researchers due to their promising intrinsic advantages of efficient removal of unwanted gases from feed stream economically. Gas separation membranes are efficiently used for natural gas treatment, hydrogen recovery, and oxygen and nitrogen recovery from air. The aim of this research work was to fabricate promising mixed matrix membranes with superior CO2 selectivities and high permeabilities at high temperatures and pressures. In chapter 2 of this thesis, MMMs were synthesized comprising of F-SPEEK polymer and zeolite 4A as filler. Gas separation studies for both pure and mixed gases were examined and results revealed the considerable increase in permeability and selectivity at higher filler loadings. Moreover, the combined effect of sulfonic and fluorine groups in the polymer matrix significantly improved molecular sieving effect, fixed pores and high free volume which resulted in enhanced gas separation performance. The increasing permselectivity of F-SPEEK/4A MMMs proved to be an effective material for CO2 sequestration. Chapter 3 deals with Bio-MOF-11 based PSf MMMs for CO2 separation. BioMOFs are the sub-class of MOFs which have Lewis basic sites in their structures. BioMOF-11 consists of nitrogenous base adenine with five nitrogen in the ring which has a strong affinity towards CO2 gas molecules. The gas separation results showed outstanding. CO2 permeabilities (upto 210%) and selectivities (upto 100%) at higher MOF loadings as compared to pure polymer. These performances were attributed to the cobalt-adeninateacetate paddle wheel clusters. Chapter 4 focusses on the investigation of highly stable zirconium based MOF UiO66. MOF particles first functionalized with the sulfonic group which was grafted by the silane coupling agent MPTMS. Sulfonic group imparted high separation properties to the UiO-66 MOF. PSf was used as a polymer matrix and MMMs were synthesized of nonfunctionalized and functionalized UiO-66 and their results were compared. The ideal and mixed gas performance of the synthesized MMMs was investigated by DSC, SEM and results from density and FFV measurements that proved good MOF‐polymer adhesion. Moreover, the MMMs exhibited high CO2 permeabilities and selectivities and proved this material promising for the CO2 separation. PIM-1 and Cu-MOF based MMMs were studied in chapter 5 of this thesis. PIM-1 is well-known for its high rigid backbone structure, interconnected voids and high free volume, high permeabilities ranging from several hundred to thousands (3000-8000 barrer) and comparable selectivities. Cu-MOF consists of a paddle wheel structure which on incorporation with PIM-1 results in high stability and superior gas separation performance.
جدید انسان کی سرمایہ دارانہ اور مادیت پسند فکر نے قدرتی ماحول اور قدرتی وسائل کا بری طرح استحصال کیا ہے اور حیاتِ انسانی وحیوانی کی بقا کو تباہی کے دہانے پر پہنچا دیا ہے۔ حضرت انسان کی غفلت اور لا پرواہی سے قدرتی وسائل و ذرائع کی بقا کا مسئلہ اس وقت پوری دنیا کے لئے سنگین شکل اختیار کرگیا ہے۔یہ بات روز ِروشن کی طرح عیاں ہے کہ جدید انسان نے ماحول اور اس میں پائے جانے والے قدرتی وسائل کے تحفظ کو یکسر نظرانداز کردیا ہے ۔ جس کی بنا پر قدرتی وسائل ہوا، پانی ،معدنیات، حیوانات ،نباتات اور زمین کی طبعی ، کیمیائی اور حیاتیاتی خصوصیات میں ناپسندیدہ اور نامناسب تبدیلیاں پیدا ہو تی جار ہی ہیں، اس طرح ماحولیاتی تبدیلی( Climate Change ( ، گلوبل وارمنگ (Global Warming) اور ماحولیاتی آلودگی (Environmental Pollution ) کا مسئلہ پیداہوگیا ہے۔ ٹریٹمنٹ پلانٹس کی تنصیب کے بغیر نئے نئے کارخانےقائم ہورہے ہیں۔ ان صنعتی اداروں میں ماحولیاتی سہولیات کی عدم موجودگی کی وجہ سے ماحول میں گرین ہاؤسز گیسزکی مقدار بڑھتی جارہی ہے اور یوں قدرتی ماحول بری طرح متاثر ہورہاہے۔ یہ بات طے شدہ ہے کہ اللہ تعالیٰ کی تخلیق کردہ ضروریات حیات یعنی قدرتی وسائل میں سے ہوا،پانی ،نباتات ،حیوانات، صاف ماحول پر انسانی زندگی کا انحصار اتنا زیادہ ہے کہ ان کے بغیر کوئی انسان زندگی گزارنے کا تصور بھی نہیں کر سکتا ۔ جبکہ عالمی سطح پر موسمیاتی تبدیلیوں کے اثرات ہر گزرتے دن کے ساتھ ساتھ شدید سے شدید تر ہوتے جارہے ہیں ۔ ایک تازہ ترین عالمی تحقیقی رپورٹ بتاتی ہےکہ عالمی موسمیاتی تبدیلی سے 2 دہائیوں میں عالمی معیشت کو 16 ہزار ارب ڈالر کا نقصان پہنچ چکا ہے۔ستم ظریفی کی بات یہ ہے سب سے زیادہ جانی و معاشی نقصان ترقی پذیر اور غریب ممالک کو اٹھانا پڑ...
ABSTRACT: Extremism remains the main concern for global security after 9/11 event. Western countries consider the religious intolerance in Muslim countries as a source of prevailing extremism. Pakistani Madaris (seminaries) are considered as a place for indoctrination of extremism and intolerance. The questions need to be addressed that why and how religious students tended towards extremism. The evidence shows that in Pukhtoon Society; the traditional social institutions of Hujra (Community center) and Jumaat (Mosque) relationship is also affected in post Afghan Soviet war. Hujra (Pukhtoon Community centre) which is traditionally the main supporter and financer of Jumaat (Mosquereligious institution) ; now seems to be overpowered by the religious institutions after getting trained and motivated organized Taliban (students of Indigenous Islamic Education System) and financial freedom after Afghan Soviet war. In this paper the question of legal status given to Taliban and their education status by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is discussed. For exploring to answer this question both primary and secondary sources of data are used. The study concluded that no properly defined legal status exists for the millions of Taliban graduates in the state; and the aspired streamlining efforts of Madaris with formal education are non productive and ineffective. Even the supreme court of Pakistan is unanswered about the legal status of these graduates. Legislators elected in 2002 National Election faced cases in Supreme Court of Pakistan of their ineligibility based on the in¬ equivalency of their Madaris Sanad (Degree) to the formal University Degree of Pakistan. Government of Pakistan tried to mainstream Madaris education with formal education system of Pakistan, through changing their curricula which is all time resisted by Madaris. It is concluded at the end of the study of integrating Madaris education with formal education system in vertical arrangement rather than in horizontal or lateral arrangement (change of curriculum and amalgamation of courses etc.) . The approach of Vertical arrangement acknowledge the importance and value of both systems and provide benefits to the stakeholders in large. Different modalities are discussed in this paper.
The desire of Muslim economists to have a distinct discipline by establishing this all-encompassing term ‘Islamic economics’ and a system based on the injunctions of Islam to be rightly called Islamic Economic System started off almost five decades ago. This generic qualitative study is an effort to investigate into topical development and the current state of Islamic economic system as an alternate paradigm. The contention of this thesis is to seek answers as to why this viable third alternative of Islamic economics had been ineffective to leave a long-lasting mark in the scholastic circles and most importantly why the paradigmatic shift has not happened for this nascent discipline? For this reason, semi-structured face-to-face and email interviews from a panel of experts both in Islamic and mainstream economics, Islamic theologians, Islamic scholars and banking practitioners, as well as direct references from the two major sources that are Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were taken. Based on the findings of Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) of this study, this alternate paradigm is a frontrunner in the attempts toward establishing a moral and social economy. Although a lot of efforts are being made towards its application, yet it still fails to attract a large audience and claimed gaps between theoretical construct and real activities seem to suggest otherwise and support this claim made by its opponents that it is no more than a utopian state that tends to challenge the viability of the Islamic economy idea. The study reveals that the stagnation in Islamic economics as a distinct discipline is caused by the scholarly world focusing on peripheral issues rather than shifting their focus on making some serious attempts to address the core aspects of modern economics. This alternative paradigm needs to re-adjust its focus and the Islamic scholars, Islamic and mainstream economists and academicians need to reintroduce Ijtihad, the study reveals the call for attention and strong emphasis on usul-al-ilm (to seek knowledge) primarily usul-al-iqtisad (to seek economics) that could provide solutions to our economic problems.