Search results for "OMAS"

Partial stability for specific growth rate control biotechnological fed-batch processes

2004

In this paper, the problem of the specific growth rate control in biological reactions in fed-batch mode is dealt with. It is assumed that only part of the state is measurable on-line, namely biomass and volume. Moreover, no estimation of the specific growth rate is used. An unbounded manifold is tracked using a partial state feedback. Then, techniques for partial stability, i.e., only with respect to part of the variables, are used in order to analyze the problem.

Assessing the gasification potential of five woodchips species by employing a lab-scale fixed-bed downdraft reactor

2015

Abstract This paper is aimed to assess the performance of air blown fixed-bed downdraft gasification of local lignocellulosic biomasses which in perspective of Southern Norway are both available and sustainable. Long rotation forest crops birch, oak and spruce, coupled with energy crops poplar and willow were used as feedstocks. The gasification conditions undertaken were widely varied in-terms of air (∼3.20–4.20 N m3/h) and fuel flow (∼1.70–2.10 kg/h) so that the corresponding equivalence ratio (ER) differed (0.19–0.80) and ultimately reflected to other operational parameters such as bed temperature (∼550–760 °C maximum), producer gas yield (∼1.50–2.30 N m3/kg, wet base), cold gas efficien…

Development of Biomass and Gas Cofiring Technology to Reduce Greenhouse Gaseous Emissions

2007

Patterned wafer segmentation

2003

This paper is an extension of our previous work on the image segmentation of electronic structures on patterned wafers to improve the defect detection process on optical inspection tools. Die-to-die wafer inspection is based upon the comparison of the same area on two neighborhood dies. The dissimilarities between the images are a result of defects in this area of one of the die. The noise level can vary from one structure to the other, within the same image. Therefore, segmentation is needed to create a mask and apply an optimal threshold in each region. Contrast variation on the texture can affect the response of the parameters used for the segmentation. This paper shows a method to antic…

Plankton participation in the performance of three constructed wetlands within a Mediterranean natural park.

2019

Abstract The contribution of plankton in the performance of three constructed wetlands (CWs) within the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park has been analyzed, taxonomic group by group, over a two-year operation period in the different sectors of each CW: horizontal subsurface-flow –A–, free-water surface flow –B– and lagoons –C–. Tancat de la Pipa CW (TPCW) only contains B–C sectors, while the others have all three types. Treatment efficiency of each sector type on the taxonomic groups was evaluated by calculating frequency of phytoplankton reduction (or zooplankton production), mass removal (or production) efficiencies and rates, and accumulated removed phytoplankton mass (or produced zoopla…

Modelling the metabolic shift of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms

2014

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is one of the most important methods of phosphorus removal in municipal wastewater treatment plants, having been described by different modelling approaches. In this process, the PAOs (polyphosphate accumulating organisms) and GAOs (glycogen accumulating organisms) compete for volatile fatty acids uptake under anaerobic conditions. Recent studies have revealed that the metabolic pathways used by PAOs in order to obtain the energy and the reducing power needed for polyhydroxyalkanoates synthesis could change depending on the amount of polyphosphate stored in the cells. The model presented in this paper extends beyond previously developed metaboli…

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wastewater Treatment Plants on a Plantwide Scale: Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis

2016

This paper presents the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of a mathematical model for greenhouse gas emission (GHG) and energy consumption assessment in wastewater treatment plants. A sensitivity analysis was carried out (using two different methods) to determine which model factors have the greatest effect on the predicted values of the GHG production. Further, an uncertainty analysis was carried out to quantify the uncertainty of the key model outputs, such as carbon dioxide production from activated sludge treatment. The results show that influent fractionation factors, which characterize influent composition, have an important role on direct and indirect GHGs production and emission.…

Aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor treating thermomechanical pulping whitewater under thermophilic conditions.

2002

The continuously operated laboratory scale Kaldnes moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was used for thermophilic (55 degrees C) aerobic treatment of TMP whitewater. In the MBBR, the biomass is grown on carrier elements that move along with the water in the reactor. Inoculation with mesophilic activated sludge gave 60-65% SCOD removal from the first day onwards. During the 107 days of experiment, the 60-65% SCOD removals were achieved at organic loading rates of 2.5-3.5 kg SCODm(-3) d(-1), the highest loading rates applied during the run and HRT of 13-22h. Carbohydrates, which contributed to 50-60% of the influent SCOD. were removed by 90-95%, while less than 15% of the lignin-like material (3…

Effective saccharification of lignocellulosic barley straw by mechanocatalytical pretreatment using potassium pyrosulfate as a catalyst

2017

The catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass is attractive due to the feasible generation of valuable products such as reducing sugars which constitute the basic substrates for chemical and transportation fuel production, as well as the production of renewable hydrogen. This study shows the efficient conversion of lignocellulose, especially hemicellulose, into reducing sugars such as xylose and galactose, by mechanocatalysis using potassium pyrosulfate, K2S2O7, as an effective salt catalyst. Ball milling was performed, introducing a mechanical force which, combined with chemical pretreatment, leads to reducing sugar yields (40%) almost as high as when commonly used sulfuric acid was …

Sorption of heavy metals in the biomass of alga Palmaria palmata

2013

Sorption of heavy metals by the sea alga Palmaria palmata was investigated in laboratory conditions. The sorption process of the analytes was carried out with constant flow of the solutions through the algae samples. The Langmuir isotherm model was used to describe equilibria. The experiments confirmed that 50 min of exposure of algae with little heavy metal contamination in contaminated waters results in the increase of concentration of these analytes, proportional to their concentration in the tested waters. On the basis of the Langmuir isotherm direction factor, a = (c(a,max) × K)−1, affinity of heavy metals and algae increases in the following sequence: Mn2+ < Zn2+ ≈ Cd2+ &lt…