In the present study synthesis of BaTi1-xCrxO3 nanocatalysts (x = 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) by conventional oxalate and microwave assisted hydrothermal synthesis methods was carried out to investigate the effect of synthesis methods on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of nanocatalysts. These catalysts were thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 physisortion, and total acidity by pyridine adsorption method. Their catalytic performance was evaluated for the reduction of nitrobenzene using hydrazine hydrate as the hydrogen source. Structural parameters refined by Rietveld analysis using XRD powder data indicate that BaTi1-xCrxO3 conventional catalysts were crystallized in the tetragonal BaTiO3 structure with space group P4mm, and microwave catalysts crystallized in pure cubic BaTiO3 structure with space group Pm3̅m. TEM analysis of the catalysts reveal spherical morphology of the particles, and these are uniformly dispersed in microwave catalysts whereas agglomeration of the particles was observed in conventional catalysts. Particle size of the microwave catalysts is found to be 20-35 nm compared to conventional catalysts (30-48 nm). XPS studies reveal that Cr is present in the 3+ and 6+ mixed valence state in all the catalysts. Microwave synthesized catalysts showed a 4-10-fold increase in surface area and pore volume compared to conventional catalysts. Acidity of the BaTiO3 catalysts improved with Cr dopant in the catalysts, and this could be due to an increase in the number of Lewis acid sites with an increase in Cr content of all the catalysts. Catalytic reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline studies reveals that BaTiO3 synthesized by microwave is very active and showed 99.3% nitrobenzene conversion with 98.2% aniline yield. The presence of Cr in the catalysts facilitates a faster reduction reaction in all the catalysts, and its effect is particularly notable in conventional synthesized catalysts.

Soil-geosynthetic interaction parameters and their determination play a vital role in the design of reinforced soil structures. Direct shear test and/or pullout test are commonly used to determine the interaction parameters. Often, it is economically viable to obtain these parameters through existing test setups that are conventionally used in geotechnical engineering. However, the existing test setups need certain modifications, to facilitate the requirement for the specialized tests. This paper introduces modifications to the large size (300 mm 9 300 mm) direct shear test setup for evaluating the soil-geosynthetic interaction parameters under pullout. The shear box in the existing test setup is replaced by a rectangular box having internal dimensions of 400 mm 9 400 mm wide and 230 mm height, with a slot in the front face. Additional amendments for achieving smooth stress transfer, over entire displacement range, are explained. Typical pullout test results using the modified direct shear test set up are presented. Pullout friction coefficient values are observed to be within the range 0.55-1.69. In general, it is observed that the pullout behavior is sensitive to the normal stress and the type of geosynthetics in terms of its surface roughness.