Search results for "Scientific method"
showing 10 items of 138 documents
Experimental Evaluation of a New Thermal Process for Microorganisms Inactivation
2015
A new thermal process for the inactivation of microorganisms in beverages has been studied and is presented in this paper. The treatment, not yet studied in the scientific literature, mainly consists of a thermal shock characterized by temperature increases up to 30°C/s, with final temperatures up to 65°C. This study presents the first experimental results obtained by the application of the new thermal treatment, with different combinations of the process parameters (rate of temperature rise, final temperature and holding time), on separate suspensions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria innocua and Candida albicans. The required rapid temperature in…
Truth and Historicism in Kuhn’s Thesis of Methodological Incommensurability
2013
Methodological incommensurability is a Thomas Kuhn’s thesis affirming that there are not shared, objective methodological rules or neutral scientific standards for theory comparison and choice. This thesis has often been interpreted as a relativistic and irrationalist claim on the incomparability of scientific theories. Since every paradigm refers to its standards, problem-field and aims, theory choice is subjective and arbitrary. Moreover it seems that, in his latest works, Kuhn abandons this aspect of incommensurability to focus on semantic incommensurability. On the contrary I will argue against the interpretation of methodological incommensurability as a source of epistemological relati…
Preservation of vitamins content in Cuccìa using an innovative method of processing
2019
Cuccìa is a traditional Sicilian food prepared by boiling whole durum wheat kernels, in water, for many hours. This process destroys the vitamins E and B contents of crude kernels. It was rated a method to prepare the Cuccìa, preserving the vitamin content. Four varieties of durum wheat were processed comparing the traditional cooking method (TR-boiling for 5/6 hours), and an innovative one (IN-grains scarification, germination, and cooking at 50 °C for 2 hours). On soups obtained the content of biotin, niacin and α-amylase activity were determined. ANOVA showed the cooking method influences biotin and niacin content having values from 0.56 and 0.72 ng ml−1 (raw grain) and values close to 0…
Separation of di-n-propyl ether and n-propyl alcohol by extractive distillation and pressure-swing distillation: Computer simulation and economic opt…
2011
Abstract Azeotropic mixtures are impossible to separate by ordinary distillation. Two of the most common methods for separating a binary homogeneous azeotrope are pressure-swing distillation (PSD) and extractive distillation (ED). The PSD process is effective if the azeotropic composition changes significantly with pressure. The ED process is effective if a suitable solvent can be found. This paper compares these two alternatives to separate a mixture made up of 50 mol% of di-n-propyl ether and 50 mol% of n-propyl alcohol by means of a practical case of a plant to treat 12,000 Tm/year of this mixture. The simulation has been carried out satisfactorily by mean of a package of commercial soft…
Time-resolving Analysis of Cryotropic Gelation of Water/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Solutions via Small Angle Neutron Scattering
2007
The structural transformations occurring in initially homogeneous aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) through application of freezing (-13 degrees C) and thawing (20 degrees C) cycles is investigated by time resolving small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). These measurements indicate that formation of gels of complex hierarchical structure arises from occurrence of different elementary processes, involving different length and time scales. The fastest process that could be detected by our measurements during the first cryotropic treatment consists of the crystallization of the solvent. However, solvent crystallization is incomplete, and an unfrozen liquid microphase more concentr…
Optimizing and Modeling the drying process of the Natural Gas through the Taguchi method
2018
The aim of this study is to highlight the optimization method of the drying process of natural gas, using the Taguchi method. The natural gas undergoes several stages from its extraction until reaching its end consumer. As the natural gas contains several impurities and a certain quantity of water and vapors, the drying process is very important to obtain a product of high quality. Gas dehydration can be obtained through several methods, the method presented here being the absorption method - by use of a drying station with triglycol. This method is considered to be the most convenient one taking into account the obtained results. Nevertheless, cost reducing is the main objective for compan…
Regeneration units for thermolytic salts applications in water & power production: State of the art, experimental and modelling assessment
2021
Abstract Thermolytic solutions are often proposed as high salinity or “draw” stream to generate a chemical potential driving force in Salinity Gradient Power (SGP) and Forward Osmosis (FO) technologies. Depleted “draw” solutions exiting the process can be regenerated by a thermal process powered at very-low grade heat, which is able to decompose the salt into gaseous ammonia and carbon dioxide, which can be stripped and then reabsorbed in the draw solution, restoring its initial concentration. In this work, two different experimental prototypes for the regeneration of ammonium bicarbonate aqueous solution were designed, built and tested. The effect of several operating parameters on the reg…
A simulation tool for ion exchange membrane crystallization of magnesium hydroxide from waste brine
2021
Abstract Increasing attention is nowadays paid to the management and valorisation of industrial waste brines aiming also at the recovery of raw materials. Magnesium has been listed as a Critical Raw Material by EU, prompting researchers to investigate novel routes for its recovery. Within this framework, a novel Crystallizer with Ion Exchange Membrane (CrIEM), is proposed as an innovative way to recover magnesium from industrial waste brines exploiting low-cost alkaline reactants. In the present work, a novel mathematical model of the CrIEM process is proposed to provide a useful tool for its design in different working conditions. Batch and feed & bleed continuous configurations have been …
Extended Validation of Dynamic Irreversible Thermoporation: A Novel Thermal Process for Microbial Inactivation
2015
A novel thermal treatment for microorganism inactivation, characterized by a very rapid temperature increase (up to 30°C/s) and a low final temperature (up to 65°C) maintained for a relatively short holding time, has been recently presented and tested by the authors, showing microbial load reduction greater than 5 log units against several common bacteria and yeasts. With the aim of extending the possible use of the new thermal treatment to a wider microorganisms class, in this work the dynamic irreversible thermoporation (DIT) treatment was further tested on a well-known thermoresistant strain, the Enterococcus hirae: The results of these new experimental tests confirmed the reliability of…
Recent insights for the green recovery of inulin from plant food materials using non-conventional extraction technologies: A review
2016
Abstract Inulin constitutes an important food ingredient, widely used for its fiber content, and its ability to substitute fat and sugar ingredients. Traditionally, industrial inulin production from chicory roots requires high extraction temperature (70–80 °C) and long extraction time (1–2 h). This conventional extraction is generally accompanied with the presence of a large amount of impurities in the extracted juice, mainly due to the application of high temperature, requiring thus further purification steps. To overcome these issues, developing novel extraction technologies, consuming less energy, faster, and providing high yield and purity, is of paramount importance to meet the require…