Search results for " Sustainability and the Environment"
showing 10 items of 1854 documents
Dynamic mean absolute error as new measure for assessing forecasting errors
2018
Abstract Accurate wind power forecast is essential for grid integration, system planning, and electricity trading in certain electricity markets. Therefore, analyzing prediction errors is a critical task that allows a comparison of prediction models and the selection of the most suitable model. In this work, the temporal error and absolute magnitude error are simultaneously considered to assess the forecast error. The trade-off between both types of errors is computed, analyzed, and interpreted. Moreover, a new index, the dynamic mean absolute error, DMAE, is defined to measure the prediction accuracy. This index accounts for both error components: temporal and absolute. Real cases of wind …
External pressure and composition effects on the atomic and electronic structure of SnWO4
2015
The atomic and electronic structure of tin tungstates, α-SnWO4, α-Sn1.03W0.99O4 and β-SnWO4 ,w as studied by the W L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and first-principles linear combination of atomic orbital (LCAO) calculations based on the hybrid exchange-correlation density functional (DFT)/ Hartree–Fock (HF) scheme. It was found that the crystal structure of both α-phases is built up of strongly distorted WO6 octahedra, whereas that of β-SnWO4 is composed of nearly regular WO4 tetrahedra. In addition, there are distorted SnO6 octahedra in both α- and β-phases. The metal–oxygen octahedra distortion is explained by the second-order Jahn–Teller effect. The influence of pressure on the st…
Nano-magnetic potassium impregnated ceria as catalyst for the biodiesel production
2019
Abstract The main objective of this work comprises the investigation of biodiesel production from rapeseed oil using potassium impregnated Fe3O4-CeO2 nanocatalyst. The various concentration of potassium impregnated Fe3O4-CeO2 was screened for catalytic conversion of rapeseed oil to triglyceride methyl ester. The 25 wt % potassium impregnated Fe3O4-CeO2 nanocatalyst showed best biodiesel production. Nanocatalyst was characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, BET and Hammett indicator for basicity test. The characterization of biodiesel was performed with GC-MS, 1H and 13C NMR. Moreover, the optimum reaction parameters such as catalyst amount (wt %), oil to methanol ratio, reaction time and reacti…
Modeling solid waste decomposition.
2004
The hydrolysis rate coefficients of sorted municipal waste were evaluated from the biochemical methane potential tests using non-linear regression. A distributed mathematical model of anaerobic digestion of rich (food) and lean (non-food) solid wastes with greatly different rates of polymer hydrolysis/acidogenesis was developed to describe the balance between the rates of hydrolysis/acidogenesis and methanogenesis. The model was calibrated using previously published experimental data [Biores. Technol. 52 (1995) 245] obtained upon various initial food waste loadings. Simulations of one- and two-stage digestion systems were carried out. The results showed that initial spatial separation of fo…
Effect of biomass features on oxygen transfer in conventional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor systems
2019
Abstract The aim of the present study was to compare the oxygen transfer efficiency in a conventional activated sludge and a membrane bioreactor system. The oxygen transfer was evaluated by means of the oxygen transfer coefficient and α-factor calculation, under different total suspended solids concentration, extracellular polymeric substances, sludge apparent viscosity and size of the flocs. The oxygen transfer coefficient and α-factor showed an exponential decreasing trend with total suspended solid, with a stronger oxygen transfer coefficient dependence in the conventional activated sludge compared to the membrane bioreactor. It was noted that the oxygen transfer coefficient in the conve…
Values of broad band turbidity coefficients in a mediterranean coastal site
1999
Abstract The Angstrom turbidity coefficient, the Linke turbidity factor, and the Unsworth–Monteith coefficient have been determined and analysed based on measurements of normal direct irradiance and global horizontal irradiance taken in Valencia, Spain, between January 1990 and December 1996. The data, which were acquired automatically and continuously, have been filtered to select only those values corresponding to clear sky conditions. To determine the Angstrom turbidity coefficient the method proposed by Louche et al. has been used whilst the expression for δCDA proposed by Kasten was used to obtain the Linke turbidity coefficient. The Angstrom turbidity coefficient showed a minimum in w…
Dissolution and hydrolysis of fibre sludge using hydroxyalkylimidazolium hydrogensulphate ionic liquids
2014
Abstract The dissolution and hydrolysis of wet fibre sludge in ionic liquids (ILs) with different reaction conditions are performed in this study. Novel types of hydroxyalkylimidazolium hydrogensulphate ILs, [glymim]HSO 4 , [hemim]HSO 4 and [hpmim]HSO 4 , are especially designed and aimed to combine the dissolution and hydrolysis of wet fibre sludge in a one-step pretreatment. The results were obtained based on the analysis of total reducing sugars (TRS) with the DNS method. The dissolution and hydrolysis of fresh wild horse chestnut fruit ( Aesculus hippocastanum ) with the same ILs were also carried out as a comparison reference. Since fibre sludge is cellulose based and horse chestnut fr…
New Challenges for Sustainable Organizations in Light of Agenda 2030 for Sustainability
2021
Sustainability is one of humanity’s most daunting issues at present. Increasing popula- tion, escalation of anthropogenic activities, industrialization, modern agricultural practices that pollute water, air, and soil around the world, and ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions mean that sustainability is now in doubt [1]. In response to these critical concerns, the world has come up with several initiatives including Agenda 2030. Agenda 2030 is a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development worldwide, ensuring that no one is left behind by 2030. Its adoption was a landmark achievement, providing a shared vision towards sustainable development for all. Its 17 Sustain…
Beyond Biodegradability of Poly(lactic acid): Physical and Chemical Stability in Humid Environments
2017
International audience; Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is the most traded biodegradable and biobased material. It is largely used as ecofriendly substitute of conventional plastics. Nevertheless, one of the main limiting factors is its water sensitivity. PLA reacts with water and is hydrolyzed during time, which determines its performance. Limited information related to the hydrolysis mechanism driven by water in vapor state is available in scientific literature. Literature is mainly focused on the effects of water in liquid state. This lack of information is of significant importance, since PLA interacts with water in both phases. This work was aimed to give a full depiction of the chemical and p…
Energy-saving potential of ground source multiple chillers in simple and hybrid configurations for Mediterranean climates
2022
Air conditioning accounts for a large share of energy usage in residential and tertiary sectors. Renewable energy technologies offer promising solutions to reduce the environmental impacts of meeting buildings’ energy loads. The possibility of using the soil as a thermal reservoir for heating and cooling systems has gained growing attention in the last decade due to its high potential for energy saving. In this paper, the benefits achievable using ground source chillers for air conditioning in an office building located in Southern Italy are discussed. A multiple chillers system coupled with a borehole heat exchanger is investigated and compared to conventional air-cooled and water-cooled s…