Via mixed-culture fermentation, the MixAlcoTM produces carboxylic acids, which are chemically converted into industrial chemicals and hydrocarbon fuels. Using pilot fermentation data, The Continuum Particle Distribution Model (CPDM) overestimated acid concentration (30–90% error) but more closely estimated conversion (<15% error). Incorporating the effect of air into the model reduced the absolute error of all predictions by >50%. To analyze fermentation data with semi-continuous streams, the Slope method calculates the average flowrate of material from the slope of the moving cumulative sum with respect to time. Although the Slope method does not significantly improve accuracy, it dramatically reduces error compared to traditional techniques (>40% vs. <2%). Nutrients are essential for microbial growth and metabolism. For a four-bottle fermentation train, five nutrient contacting patterns (single-point nutrient addition to Fermentors F1, F2, F3, F4, and multi-point parallel addition) were investigated. Compared to the traditional nutrient contacting method (all nutrients fed to F1), the near-optimal feeding strategies improved exit yield, culture yield, process yield, exit acetate-equivalent yield, conversion, and total acid productivity by approximately 31%, 39%, 46%, 31%, 100%, and 19%, respectively. To estimate nitrogen concentration profiles, a segregated-nitrogen model uses separate mass balances for solid- and liquid-phase nitrogen; the nitrogen reaction flux between phases is assumed to be zero. Using five fermentation trains, each with a different nutrient contacting pattern, the model predictions capture basic behavior; therefore, it is a reasonable tool for estimating and controlling nitrogen profiles. To determine the optimal scenario for mixed-acid fermentations, an array of batch fermentations was performed that independently varied the C/N ratio and the blend of carbohydrate (office paper) and nutrient (wet chicken manure (CM)). Reactant was defined as non-acid volatile solids (NAVS). C/N ratios were based on non-acid carbon (CNA). A blend of 93% paper and 7% wet CM (dry basis) with a C/N ratio of 37 g CNA/g N had the highest culture yield (0.21 g acidproduced/g NAVSinitial), total acid productivity (0.84 g acidproduced/(Lliq·d)), and conversion (0.43 g NAVSconsumed/g NAVSinitial).

America's reliance on foreign oil has raised economic and national security issues, and in turn the U.S. has been active in reducing its dependence on foreign oil to mitigate these issues. Also, the U.S. Navy has been instrumental in driving bio-fuel research and production by setting an ambitious goal to purchase 336M gallons of bio-fuel by 2020. The production of microalgae biomass is a promising field which may be able to meet these demands. The utilization of microalgae for the production of bio-fuel requires the implementation of efficient culturing processes to maximize production and reduce costs. Therefore, three discrete rate event simulation models were developed to analyze different scaling scenarios and determine total costs associated with each scenario. Three scaling scenarios were identified by this analysis and included a stepwise, volume batching and intense culturing process. A base case and potential best case were considered in which the culturing duration, lipid content and lipid induction period were adjusted. A what-if analysis was conducted which identified and reduced capital and operational costs contributing greatly to total costs. An NPV analysis was performed for each scenario to identify the risk associated with future cash flows. The research findings indicate that the intense culturing scaling scenario yielded the greatest model throughput and least total cost for both the base case and potential best case. However, this increased productivity and cost reduction were not significantly greater than the productivity generated by the stepwise scaling scenario, suggesting that the implementation of flat plate bio-reactors in the intense culturing process may be non-advantageous given the increased operational costs of these devices. The volume batching scenario yielded the greatest total cost L^-1 of microalgae bio-oil for both, indicating an inefficient process. The scaling scenarios of the base case and potential best case yielded negative NPV's while the stepwise and intense culturing scenarios of the what-if analysis generated positive NPV's. The base case is based on current technological advances, biological limitations and costs of microalgae production therefore, a negative NPV suggests that utilizing microalgae for bio-fuel production is not an economically feasible project at this time.

There has been full of inefficiency and waste in current operation method of steel structure industries. This study hopes to utilize Toyota Just-in-time Production System for fabrication of steel structure to eliminate current each waste during the production process. The main purpose of this study is take case company as an example to discuss the following respects: 1.The current production process of steel structure industries. 2.The application of Toyota Just-in-time Production System in the steel structure fabrication. This study first introduces the framework of Toyota Just-in-time Production System to apprehend its spirit and then explains the concept and advantage of Toyota Just-in-time Production System explicitly. Also, this study compares Toyota Just-in-time Production System with current production method of steel structure industries. Second, according to the glancing of related document reference, this study discusses the application method and its profit for Toyota Just-in-time Production System in the manufacturing industries. As there are significant differences in structure or operation method between steel structure industries and manufacturing industries, thus this study utilizes gradual erection plan to match Toyota Just-in-time Production System during the period of fabrication process plan to eliminate the distinction between these two industries besides explaining the necessary rationalized operation when leading Toyota Just-in-time Production System in. Having visited the production line and made mutual communication with operation chief, this study has found the current problems existing in production management in case company. According to this discovery, this study uses bridge production line and built-up H section production line as pilot implementation to discuss the possible question and solution policy for Toyota Just-in-time Production System concept applied in steel structure fabrication so as to frame the procedures and criterion of Toyota Just-in-time Production System in fabrication of steel structure and also to evaluate its profit.

In recent years, interest in wastewater treatment through constructed wetlands has been significantly increased because of their low cost and energy requirement. In this study, pilot-scale constructed wetland systems were developed to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness on the treatment of oil-refining and steel-milling wastewater. The constructed wetland used to treat the oil-refining wastewater included one free water surface system (FWS) filled with sandy media and one subsurface flow system filled with gravel media. The plants grown on the wetland were Phragmites communis. The hydraulic retention time for the two systems was approximately 7 and 5 days, respectively. A two-stage subsurface flow constructed wetland system was used to treat steel-milling wastewater. This system, which filled with gravel media were planted with Phragmites communis (the first stage) and Typha orientalis (the second stage). The hydraulic retention time for this system was approximately 7 days. Experimental results showed that the two constructed wetland systems for the oil-refining wastewater treatment could remove most of the wastewater pollutants. Moreover, the first system (FWS) played a more important role on the wastewater treatment. The efficiency of the first stage of the wetland system, which was used for steel-milling wastewater treatment was not significant due to the inhibition of the plant growth by the wastewater. However, the treatment efficiency was increased at the second stage after planting new plants. Results from the two-stage treatment system indicate that higher treatment efficiencies were observed except for ammonium. Results from this study would be very useful in the design of constructed wetlands for practical application to treat oil-refining and steel-milling wastewaters.

<p> Under 12 arbetsveckor har vi i projektgruppen producerat en dokumentärfilm för en extern kund, Svenska Kyrkan. En film med 70 procent samtal och de övriga procenten har fördelat emellan, reportage, miljö och klippbilder. Samarbetet oss mellan oss tre har fungerat bra, med samarbetet med uppdragsgivaren inte fungerat lika önskvärt. Där problem med löften, förseningar i tidsplanen och snabba omstruktureringar tillstötte. Jag har applicerat Bill Nichols modus på mitt verk samt jämfört verk som håller kriterierna för de modus som Nichols beskriver. Jag har kommit fram till att  min dokumentärfilm bestod av tre modus, det observerande, det deltagande och det förklarande, där det sistnämnda dominerar. Det slutgiltiga resultatet blev en 28 minuters lång film som handlar om en stridspilots vardag, tro och han syn på hur livet ska vara.</p> / Mellan Himmel och Jord

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980. / Typescript.

Over the course of the last several decades, an increase in the level of concern surrounding the various health and environmental consequences of current, popular waste disposal methods, including landfilling and incineration, have resulted in an increase in municipal recycling efforts. These efforts take place primarily at the residential and commercial levels, while the availability of recycling in public spaces like sidewalks, transit stops, parks and other areas is not something that is often encountered in cities around the United States. This thesis studies the implications and opportunities for public space recycling through the action research process during which I conducted case study research of existing public space recycling programs in Portland, Oregon, and New York, New York, alongside the planning and implementation of a pilot program for transit stop recycling in Austin, Texas. The aim of this thesis is to examine and establish various goals and common strategies for the implementation of public space recycling programs and ultimately make a case for this arguably invaluable, yet often overlooked, recycling initiative. Working under the theoretical framework of the urban metabolism and Karl Marx’s theory of the metabolic rift, the reimagining of waste disposal practices to include widespread materials recycling is one avenue for the restructuring of the relationship between the city and the natural environment. The expansion of recycling practices into public spaces forwards the overall mission to make recycling an integral part of daily life. If implemented properly, the widespread implementation of recycling programs like public space recycling could begin to heal the fragmented urban metabolism and ensure the longevity of the ever-evolving urban and natural environments. The conclusions of this research revolve around the importance of context for public space (and other) recycling practices. This research shows that for public space recycling to succeed as a strategy for the mainstreaming of recycling practices and the reparation of the metabolic rift, the unique characteristics of each individual public space must be taken into consideration upon the implementation of a public space recycling program. / text

Žemės konsolidacijos metu vyksta kompleksinis visos teritorijos pertvarkymas, atsižvelgiant į vietovės ypatumus, kaimo bendruomenės, žemės savininkų ekonominius interesus ir aplinkosaugos rekomendacijas. Šiuo metu teritorija, kurioje galėtų būti rengiami konsolidacijos projektai, yra daugiau nei 2500 tūkst. ha privačios žemės ūkio paskirties žemės, kuri priklauso apie 300 tūkst. žemės savininkų. 2000 – 2003 metais Lietuvoje vyko keturi bandomieji žemės konsolidacijos projektai, kurie leido įvertinti esamą padėtį Lietuvoje – išryškino šalies specifiką bei teisės aktų trūkumus. Šie bandomieji žemės konsolidacijos projektai buvo atlikti remiantis užsienio ekspertų patirtimi, kurie stengėsi savo šalių patirtį pritaikyti Lietuvos sąlygomis. Darbe išanalizuoti bandomųjų ir šiuo metu atliktų žemės konsolidacijos projektų rezultatai ir išryškinti jų privalumus bei trūkumus. Bandomuosiuose projektuose dalyvavo tik 28% žemės savininkų, iš galėjusių dalyvauti. Kaimo plėtros priemonės įgyvendintos tik dalinai Pabaisko ir Puskelnių projektų teritorijose, nors savininkai visuose projektuose pageidavo tokių plano sprendinių. Viena iš pagrindinių priežasčių, kodėl nebuvo įgyvendintos subalansuotos kaimo plėtros priemonės – atskiras finansavimas tik žemės konsolidacijos projektams. 2007 – 2008 metais Lietuvoje buvo įgyvendinta 14 žemės konsolidacijos projektų Telšių, Tauragės, Marijampolės ir Panevėžio apskrityse. Šie projektai skyrėsi ir savo dydžiu (nuo 133 iki 670 ha), ir pasiektais... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Land consolidation is a complex territory rearrangement taken into account local peculiarities, rural community and land owners economical and environmental recommendations. Today the area for available land consolidation projects is more than 2500 thousands ha of private agricultural land, which includes more than 300 thousands owners. Four pilot land consolidation projects were accomplished during 2000 – 2003. These projects estimated situation in Lithuania, showed specific features of country and required legal base for land consolidation. The article analyses the results of pilot projects. Only 28% of land owners took participation in pilot land consolidation projects. Means of rural development were implemented partly only in Pabaiskas and Puskelniai projects, although owners asked for these means in all projects. One of the main reasons for this is separate financing for land consolidation projects and rural development measures. 14 land consolidation projects were implemented during 2007 – 2008 in Telšių, Tauragės, Marijampolės and Panevėžio counties. These projects varied by size (from 133 to 670 ha) and results. First land consolidation projects were implemented in counties, where farm size is greater than average in Lithuania and dominate 10 – 50 ha farms. Accomplished regression analysis shows, that there is a strong relations between project area and implementation costs. Larger projects are more efficient and less costly. The costs of project implementation... [to full text]

The CellPilot library provides a uniform communication programming model, based on Pilot's process/channel approach, for clusters of Cell Broadband Engine processors. Pilot, a thin layer on top of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) library, allows processes to read/write messages on channels defined between pairs of processes on the cluster, but Pilot alone does not help a Cell programmer cope with the considerable complexities of intra-Cell communication. With CellPilot, programmers still design software in terms of processes, but they can now be located on a Cell node's Power Processor Elements (PPEs), Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs), or non-Cell node within a heterogeneous Cell cluster, and communication is accomplished via channels between process pairs. Programs are coded in terms of reading and writing on those channels, whereupon CellPilot transparently applies whichever communication mechanisms are required to transport the message, regardless of its endpoints. This gives the programmer a way to handle inter-process communication while avoiding low-level I/O operations and the use of multiple libraries.

Emission of hazardous gases such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S) by a variety of industrial processes and as a result of agricultural activities has become an issue of great concern over the years. The control of these gases is needed to ensure public safety, to protect the environment, and lastly to comply with occupational and environmental regulations. Several techniques including biological and physicochemical methods have been applied to remove these gases from contaminated air streams. In this work, Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were used to adsorb H2S gas at ambient temperatures. The effects of H2S concentration (80-1700 mg L-1), nanoparticle size (18, 80-200 nm), gas flow rate (200 and 450 mL min-1), temperature (1-41C) and adsorbent quantity (0.2-1.5 g) were investigated in the laboratory scale. A semi-pilot system was also developed and used to treat H2S emission from stored swine manure. The results show that when H2S concentration was increased the adsorption capacities (both breakthrough and equilibrium) increased and the nanoparticles reached the saturation state faster. When nanoparticles of different sizes were tested, it was observed that 80-200 nm particles got saturated with H2S faster than 18 nm particles. The adsorption capacities were higher with 18 nm particles than those with 80-200 nm. Temperatures did not have an effect on how fast the nanoparticles got saturated and on breakthrough adsorption capacity, but equilibrium adsorption capacity increased due to increase in temperature. The breakthrough and equilibrium adsorption capacities increased with increased quantity of nanoparticles. BET isotherm described the equilibrium data with higher accuracy as compared to other adsorption isotherms which were tested. Semi-pilot scale tests proved the effectiveness of 18 nm ZnO nanoparticles in capture of H2S emitted from stored swine manure. For an experimental period of approximately 100 minutes the level of H2S was reduced from an average initial value of 235.785.2 mg L-1 to a negligible level (an average value of 0.26 mg L-1) corresponding to an H2S removal of at least 99%. Semi pilot tests also showed that 18 nm ZnO nanoparticles were able to capture about 74% of NH3 that passed through the adsorption column.