1,720,991 research outputs found
Residual Biomass Resources: An Invaluable Reservoir of Energy and Matter
No full textBiomass feedstock represents one of the most valuable resource with which the energy problem worldwide can be tackled. Residual biomass feedstock are widely available in the world and could be effectively used to recover energy and biomaterials. After a short introduction to the different types of biomass feedstock and their most important properties, some of the possible pathways to energy are investigated. Illustrative examples about methane and hydrogen production from buffalo manure are presented. Eventually, recovery of matter is introduced showing the extraction of lactic acid from tomato pomace agro-food residues
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Hydrothermal Carbonization: A Pilot-Scale Reactor Design for Bio-waste and Sludge Pre-treatment
No full textThe purpose of the paper is to illustrate the basis of the design of a pilot-scale reactor built to convert putrescent and high-water content biowaste into a stabilized product by using the Hydrothermal Carbonization process (HTC). The hydrothermal carbonization of selected biowaste has been previously studied in a bench-scale reactor to optimize the process parameters such as the temperature, reaction time, water-to-dry matter ratio and then scaled up at a scale 30 times larger. The new pilot-scale reactor has a volume of 0.1 m3 and has been designed and certified to be operated at 300 °C and 86 bar, allowing a wide range of operating conditions. The design has been structured in two steps: process design (a) and mechanical design (b). The main results of the process design step have been: the installed heat power, the method to provide and control the heating, the minimum reaction time necessary to reach a given yield. The mechanical design focused on the scalability of the reactor, the extraction of reaction products from the reactor at the end of process and increasing of reliability and safety. The designed reactor has been then built, commissioned, and operated in such a way to validate the design criteria and hypotheses. The comparison between the experimental results and the design input dataset confirmed the correctness of the design data input but highlighted that the thermal efficiency of the pilot scale plant was low so indicating the need to enhance it for the demonstrative plant. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
High-speed capillary gas chromatography for determination of inhalation anesthetics
No full textTo increase sample throughput for GC analysis of inhalation anaesthetics without affecting the separation of nitrous oxide (N2O) and halogenated anaesthetics (sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane), we explored the effectiveness of a tailor-shortened (12 m) PlotQ capillary column and developed a high-speed version of a previously reported GC technique (involving chromatographic separation of analytes using a GC-MS system, coupled with a selected ion monitoring (SIM) method to increase sensitivity). Efficient separation and repeatable results were achieved at a reduced runtime of approximately 7 min (versus 18 min with the original method) at a carrier gas flow of 1.5 ml/min. This approach should more than double the previous throughpu
Experimental Analysis of Chimney Effect for Vertical Isoflux Symmetrically Heated Parallel Plates
No full textVariations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Experimental Analysis of Chimney Effect for Vertical Isoflux Symmetrically Heated Parallel Plates
No full textHydrothermal carbonization of digestate and leachate in a lab-scale batch reactor
No full textThe use of biomass as a feedstock for renewable energy and biomaterials production is gaining increasing attention due to economic and environmental issues. Among all substrates, the organic fraction of municipal solid waste represents a valuable resource for anaerobic digestion facility. This process generates biogas, digestate and leachate. The last two streams are by-products, with potential harmful environmental impact and significant disposal costs. Thus, a proper handling of these biowastes is needed. In the present study, a bench-scale hydrothermal carbonization reactor was operated with two mixtures of digestate and water or leachate varying the residence time and the reaction temperature. The results indicated that aforementioned operating parameters affect the composition and the yield of the obtained hydrochar and that the substitution of water with leachate is technically feasible
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