Energetic materials production has the risk of uncontrolled explosion at high temperature which is hazardous for personnel and equipment.  Flexible Aerogel blanket is fireproofing and has the lowest heat transfer among the thermal insulations. In this study, Aerogel blanket with 3mm thickness have been used as insulating layer within multilayer composite textiles contain clothes which are fireproof and compatible with the body. Then, its performance as heat transfer barrier have been evaluated against explosion of the energetic materials. Direct fire testing at controlled conditions and field testing under uncontrolled explosion of the energetic materials have been performed.  Results showed that Aerogel composites have high capability in preventing from the temperature rising and burning of persons exposed in explosion of energetic materials. When Aerogel composite exposed to explosion of energetic materials, the temperature of the other side of the composite did not exceed from the pain threshold temperature (44oC). Also, the experimental testing showed the Aerogel composites provide sufficient time for escape and avoid from burn injury. Flexibility and thickness of the Aerogel composites are such that it is possible to prepare insulating and fireproofing clothes using them.

One of the ways to prevent global warming is to use various types of insulation in industries and buildings. Modern insulations based on nano technology, such as silica Aerogel blanket, are a suitable, responsive and advanced solution to control energy consumption. Vacuum insulation panels also have special properties such as low thermal conductivity, longer life and much less thickness than traditional insulation. In this article, a comprehensive review of the characteristics, structure, and innovations of vacuum panel insulation is done, and vacuum panels with nanoporous Aerogel blanket are carefully studied. The integration of nanoporous Aerogel blanket insulation as the core of the vacuum insulation panel and adding reflective layers inside it can cause synergy in thermal and sound insulation properties and become a superinsulation with applications in industries and buildings.

Recently, flexible and environmental-friendly Aerogel blankets have attracted considerable attention. In this work, the novel silica Aerogel/basalt blanket was prepared using basalt fibers via a two-step sol-gel process followed by an ambient drying method and immersing the basalt fiber layer into silica sol. The silica Aerogel particles were characterized by FTIR, FE-SEM and nitrogen adsorption analysis. The morphology, hydrophobic properties and surface roughness of neat basalt fiber and its Aerogel blanket were also investigated. The density if 0. 34 g/cm3, the porosity of 85%, mean pore size of 7± 1. 5 nm and the surface area of 750 m2/g for the nanostructured silica Aerogel particles are obtained. The formation of nanostructured silica Aerogel particles on the surface of basalt fibers in the sol-gel process were efficiently occurred leading to a strong hydrophobicity the blanket samples (contact angle of 114° ) compared to the hydrophilic neat basalt fibers. The surface roughness of basalt fiber in the blanket samples was increased due to the fiber surface coating with silica Aerogel particles. Increasing the sol volume in the synthesis process increased the basalt surface roughness from 3. 6μ to 11μ .

The highly lightweight and thermal insulator polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped fiber-embedded silica Aerogel blankets was prepared with different types of fibers. The performances of PVA-doped silica Aerogel blankets were compared. The silica Aerogel blankets were prepared by integrating different fibers with encapsulated the PVA during the aging process. The synergic effect of PVA doping-derived silica Aerogel blankets on the thermal conductivity, surface physical characteristics and young modulus were investigated. Consequences revealed that PVA-encapsulated blankets could diminish the thermal conductivity, porosity, and density of the Aerogel blanket. The prepared blankets have shown further properties intensely without significant reduction. Experimental outcomes exhibited the properties of improvement in thermal conductivity (in the range of 0.023-0.035 W/m.K), density (in the range of 0.051 - 0.118 g/cm3), and Young Modulus regarding the pure silica Aerogel. The prepared PVA-based Aerogel blanket has prospective in various sectors such as the production of spacecraft apparel, military jackets, clothes for fire-fighting and hilly areas people from low-temperature protection.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of rescue blankets with conventional blankets in terms of preventing hypothermia in the pre-hospital setting. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, patients older than 18 years old with Cold Discomfort Scale (CDS) > 2, and those who were transferred to the emergency department (ED) by emergency medical service entered the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups based on the type of transfer. In this regard, one group was transferred with rescue blankets and the other group was transferred with conventional blankets. The tympanic temperature in patients and CDS were recorded before the use of blanket (primary) and at the time of arrival in the ED (secondary). Results: Finally, 161 patients with the mean age of 45. 31± 19. 8 years were included (63. 4% were male). Totally, 88 cases (54. 7%) were transferred with rescue blankets and 73 cases (45. 3%) with conventional blankets. The mean of the primary tympanic temperatures in the rescue and conventional blanket groups were 36. 20± 0. 84° C and 36. 34± 0. 65° C, respectively (P = 0. 23). The mean of the primary CDS in rescue and conventional blanket groups were 6. 55± 1. 95 and 5. 89± 2. 29, respectively (P = 0. 05). Also, the mean of the secondary tympanic temperatures in the rescue and conventional blanket groups were 36. 59± 0. 47° C and 36. 76± 0. 48 ° C, respectively (P = 0. 03). Besides, the mean of the secondary CDS in the rescue and conventional blanket groups were 2. 64± 2. 80 and 2. 41± 1. 29, respectively (P = 0. 48). Conclusion: According to the results, there is no significant difference in the tympanic temperature and CDS of the patients transferred with the rescue blanket compared with the conventional blanket.

This paper presents the findings of the study on treatment of domestic wastewater using a laboratory scale Hybrid Upflow Anaerobic Sludge blanket (HUASB) reactor. The reactor with a working volume of 5.9 L and plastic cut rings as packing media was operated at varying Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) for a period of 110 days. While the COD removal varied from 75-86%, the BOD removal was in the range of 70-91%. Methane content in the biogas was 62±3%. VFA levels fluctuating between 100 and 186 mg/L (as acetate) did not pose operational problems such as souring of the reactor. During the treatment, nutrient levels exhibited an increasing trend. HUASB system could be designed with very short HRT of 3.3 hours, which will reduce the treatment cost significantly. It appears to be a promising alternative for the treatment of domestic wastewater in developing countries like India.

Water leakage from dam reservoir and body is one of the most concerning issues in establishment of such large projects, which in addition to wasting costs brings lots of negative social and environmental consequences. One of the dams of Urmia lake catchment area, which suffers leakage phenomenon being unusable, consequently, due to not doing exact geotechnical studies is Arbatan reservoir of Heris town. Investigation of the dam establishment site shows that the dam reservoir has been placed on evaporative sediments and water penetration has resulted in formation of some sinkholes and water escape channels in the lower substrates and the dam discharge. So the aim of the present research study is to evaluate use of clay blanket for covering the reservoir floor and its restoration. To do so, after identifying subterranean features of the reservoir using SEEP/W numerical model and bent method, leakage amount of water was determined under clay blanket application state. Results of the two numerical and bent methods indicated that leakage amount of the dam reservoir covered with clay blanket are 23569 and 584000 cubic meter, respectively, within 180 days. So, with huge amount of leakage, efficiency of the method will not be effective and a good solution for the dam restoration. In general, such amount of leakage might result in repeated rapture in the dam body and clay blanket. So under such conditions, success of every investment related to this dam will confront high level of uncertainty.