Research Publications

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Embargo
Eco-friendly porous carbon materials for wastewater treatment
(Springer, Singapore, 2019-08-07) Thambiliyagodage, C. J; Cooray, V. Y; Perera, I. N; Wijesekera, R. D
Different porous carbon materials were applied to remove organic compounds and heavy metals from wastewater. Hierarchically, porous nitrogen rich monolithic carbon (HPC) was synthesized through the sol-gel synthesis method and carbonization process. Rice husk (RH), an agricultural waste material followed by carbonization at two different temperatures (RH400 and RH600) was used as the naturally generated porous carbon composite. Activated carbon (AC) was used as the control. According to the FT-IR spectra, different functional groups are present in all adsorbents. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images show an irregular shaped, random disordered macropore structure in RH and a robust sponge-like disordered macropore structure with ligaments in HPC. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images of these materials show a disordered mesopore network. Adsorption capacities of these porous carbon materials were determined for organic dyes and metal ions. Methylene blue and Methyl orange were used as the model organic compounds and Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, and Cd2+ ions were selected as the metal ions. The experimental data demonstrate that the adsorption capacity of AC for Methyl orange (5.88 mg/g) is much higher than that of the alternatives (RH400–1.97 mg/g, RH600–0.69 mg/g, and HPC – 1.14 mg/g). Adsorption capacity of all the adsorbents for Methylene blue is quite similar. Adsorption capacity of RH400 for Pb2+ is much higher than that of RH600, AC and HPC. RH400 has a greater adsorption for Cu2+ and Ni2+ than the other adsorbents. All adsorbents show a low adsorption capacity for Cd2+. RH400 is a promising adsorbent for wastewater purification.
Embargo
An Exploratory Analysis of Activities of Grade 11 English Language Textbook
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences,SLIIT, 2021-09-25) Jeganathan, T. B; Palihakkara, H; Manchanayaka, M. A. S. P; Chamalika, H. K. L; Gunaratna, M. D. M. K; Michael, M. A.T
This paper presents the findings of a survey that investigated the students' preference of the themes, lessons, and activities of the grade 11 English language textbook. The objectives of the study were to explore the appropriacy of the units, themes and activities and examine the role of the activities in improving speaking skills. A structured survey questionnaire was used to collect data in a non-experimental research design. We obtained our sample (n=207) from grade 11 students from 3 schools in the Colombo Division. Data were subjected to several statistical measures. It was reported that 83% of the students preferred the activities, but 17% reported that they disliked the activities in the workbook. 67.1% of the students reported the need for interesting activities. 62.3% of the students reported that they needed to learn English language grammar, while 60% of the students expressed the need for using technology for effective learning. One recommendation is adapting materials and activities to suit the current proficiency levels and preferences of the students. Using additional teacher-made communicative activities and adding supplemental speaking activities to support a balanced skills approach (BSA) are also suggested. A small sample contributed to low statistical power and limited generalizability of the findings. Limitations in statistical analysis and the non-representative sample reduced the generalizability of the results. Future studies involving a representative sample of students and a combination of quantitative and qualitative statistical measures are suggested.

Research Publications

Browse

Filters

Advanced Search

Filter by

Settings

Sort By

Results per page

Search Results