scholarly journals Investigation of Pellet Properties Produced from a Mix of Straw and Paper Sludge

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 5450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radovan Nosek ◽  
Sebastian Werle ◽  
Aleksandra Borsukiewicz ◽  
Agnieszka Żelazna ◽  
Grzegorz Łagód

Global energy consumption is increasing every year, and, despite their many negative impacts, fossil fuels are a major source of energy, but their reserves are gradually depleting. One of the promising but underutilized resources is plant biomass (phytomass). The main problem of plant biomass combustion is the low melting temperature of ash, but there are also problems with corrosion of heat exchangers and clogging of heat-exchanging surfaces. This work is concerned with the production of straw pellets in order to increase the melting temperature of ash by adding an additive. The paper sludge contains substances that can increase the melting point of ash and was therefore added to the pellet samples. This additive was mixed with straw in ratios from 90:10, 80:20 and 70:30 (straw/paper sludge). The use of paper sludge showed positive effects on increasing the melting temperature of the ash samples. The deformation temperature of the ash has already risen from 1020 to 1260 °C after the addition of 10% sludge, which is comparable to wood pellets.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Radovan Nosek ◽  
Alexander Backa ◽  
Peter Ďurčanský ◽  
Michal Holubčík ◽  
Jozef Jandačka

Woody and agricultural wastes are important fuels in many countries, and have the potential of being even more important in the future. The main problems of plant biomass combustion are low ash melting temperatures and increased emissions. The most widely used treatment to solve the problem of low ash melting point is blending a fuel with an additive. In this work, pellets were produced from wheat straw containing wood sawdust and paper sludge in the following proportions 40:40:20 and 45:45:10 (straw/sawdust/paper sludge). The purpose of this work was to study the influence of sludge and dendromass on the straw pellet parameters and combustion process. The highest calorific value of 15.71 MJ kg−1 was registered for a sample with a 10% paper sludge concentration. The effectiveness of paper sludge was proved, and the ash melting temperature was increased from 1025 to 1328 °C for the same sample.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
João Cotas ◽  
Diana Pacheco ◽  
Glacio Souza Araujo ◽  
Ana Valado ◽  
Alan T. Critchley ◽  
...  

To exploit the nutraceutical and biomedical potential of selected seaweed-derived polymers in an economically viable way, it is necessary to analyze and understand their quality and yield fluctuations throughout the seasons. In this study, the seasonal polysaccharide yield and respective quality were evaluated in three selected seaweeds, namely the agarophyte Gracilaria gracilis, the carrageenophyte Calliblepharis jubata (both red seaweeds) and the alginophyte Sargassum muticum (brown seaweed). It was found that the agar synthesis of G. gracilis did not significantly differ with the seasons (27.04% seaweed dry weight (DW)). In contrast, the carrageenan content in C. jubata varied seasonally, being synthesized in higher concentrations during the summer (18.73% DW). Meanwhile, the alginate synthesis of S. muticum exhibited a higher concentration (36.88% DW) during the winter. Therefore, there is a need to assess the threshold at which seaweed-derived polymers may have positive effects or negative impacts on human nutrition. Furthermore, this study highlights the three polymers, along with their known thresholds, at which they can have positive and/or negative health impacts. Such knowledge is key to recognizing the paradigm governing their successful deployment and related beneficial applications in humans.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Bednárik

Manapság egyre többet emlegetjük a közoktatásban, hogy milyen nagymértékben befolyásolja egy iskola sikerességét a vezető személye, a vezetés rátermettsége, kompetenciája, amely természetesen igaz is, azonban azt tapasztalom, hogy ezzel párhuzamosan egyre gyakrabban feledkezünk meg arról, hogy az iskola legfontosabb és legértékesebb szegmense valójában a diákság. Szakgimnáziumi illetve szakközépiskolai tanárként, valamint osztályfőnökként mindig az ő érdekeiket tartottam szem előtt; az ő viselkedésüknek megfigyelését és megértését, lelki és intellektuális fejlődésük nyomon követését kiemelt feladatomnak érzem. Vizsgálatomban egy ún. panelvizsgálatnak a segítségével 30 szakgimnáziumi és 30 szakközépiskolai tanulót kérdeztem meg a következő témákról: a vizsgált tanuló önértékelése, a vizsgált tanuló tapasztalata saját szüleinek nevelői attitűdjéről, valamint a vizsgált tanuló élménye az általa leggyakrabban tapasztalt pedagógusi attitűdökről. Ezután a felmérés kiértékelését követően igyekeztem összefüggést keresni a szülői valamint pedagógusi attitűdök és a tanuló önértékelése között, azt remélve, hogy mérhető bizonyítékot kapok arra vonatkozóan, mely szülői illetve mely pedagógusi attitűdök befolyásolják kedvezően, és melyek befolyásolják negatívan a tanulók önértékelését. Ha ez valóban mérhető, akkor célzottabb nevelési módszereket alkalmazhatunk a tanulók motiválása, egészséges énképének kialakítása érdekében, valamint információkat gyűjthetünk arról, mely életkorban mely pedagógusi attitűdök hatnak leginkább pozitívan a tanulói önértékelésre, ami segítségül szolgálhat a lehető leghatékonyabb tanári kar megszervezésében, illetve a pedagógusok munkájának orientálásában.These days, it is more and more often mentioned how strongly the person of the leader and the aptness and competence of the leadership influence the successfulness of the school in public education, and meanwhile we more and more often forget that the most important and most valuable segment of the school is in fact students. As a vocational school teacher, as well as a class-teacher, I have always focused on their interests, and have considered as a prime task to monitor and understand their behaviour and to follow their mental and intellectual development. In my examination, with the help of a so-called panel research, I asked 30 vocational secondary school students and 30 vocational technical school students about the following issues: self-evaluation of the examined student, the student’s experience on the educational attitudes of his/her own parents and the student’s experience on the teachers’ attitudes he/she meets the most often. After having the survey evaluated, I tried to find interconnections between the parents’ and the teachers’ attitudes and the student’s self-estimation, hoping that I would get a measurable proof of what attitudes have a positive influence on the students’ self-estimation and what have negative impacts. In case this is really measurable, we can apply more targeted educational methods to motivate the students and to develop a healthy self-image, and we can also gather information on the teachers’ attitudes exerting the most positive effects on the students’ self-estimation at the certain ages, which can help to organize the most effective teaching staff possible and the orientation of the teachers’ work.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianxue Yang ◽  
Junda Chen ◽  
Xiaoyue Zhong ◽  
Xuechen Yang ◽  
Gui Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Climate models predict shifts in precipitation patterns characterized by increased precipitation amount and decreased frequency for semi-arid grasslands in northeast China. However, under these novel climatic conditions, potential differences in plant biomass and its allocation among different degraded grasslands remain unclear.Methods We conducted a mesocosm experiment to test the effects of higher precipitation amount (increased by 50% from the long-term mean) and lower frequency (decreased by 50%) on plant biomass and allocation in the lightly degraded (LDG), moderately degraded (MDG), and severely degraded grasslands (SDG).Results Lower precipitation frequency promoted belowground biomass (BGB), while reducing aboveground biomass (AGB) allocation through enhancing soil water variability. Higher precipitation amount enhanced AGB in LDG and MDG, but not in SDG due to less soil inorganic nitrogen. Lower precipitation frequency weakened the positive effects of higher precipitation amount on biomass. Under altered precipitation, adjustment of AGB vs. BGB allocation was the primary biomass allocation strategy in LDG and SDG. However, to maintain water acquirement, plants in MDG preferred to adjust root vertical distribution, and allocated more roots to the deep soil layer where had a relatively stable water source. This strategy was driven by the changes in plant community composition of the dominant species in MDG.Conclusions The findings of this research emphasized the importance of considering the degradation level of grasslands when predicting the responses of the ecosystem functions to the projected changes in precipitation regime. These findings are critical for making feasible decisions for the sustainable management of degraded grasslands.


2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (4II) ◽  
pp. 383-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Tariq Mahmood ◽  
Sadaf Shahab

It is now an established fact that the most important environmental problem of our era is global warming.1 The rising quantity of worldwide carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions seems to be escalating this problem. As the emissions generally result from consumption of fossil fuels, decreasing energy spending seems to be the direct way of handling the emissions problem. However, because of the possible negative impacts on economic growth, cutting the energy utilisation is likely to be the “less preferred road”. Moreover, if the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis applies to the emissions and income link, economic growth by itself may become a solution to the problem of environmental degradation [Rothman and de Bruyn (1998)]. Coondoo and Dinda (2002), however, argue that both developing and developed economies must sacrifice economic growth. Still, countries may opt for different policies to fight global environmental problems, mainly depending on the type of relationship between CO2 emissions, income, and energy consumption over the long run [Soytas and Sari (2006)]. Hence, the emissions-energy-income nexus needs to be studied carefully and in detail for every economy, but more so for the developing countries. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between energy consumption, CO2 emissions and the economy in Pakistan from a long run perspective, in a multivariate framework controlling for gross fixed capital, labour and exports by employing ARDL bounds testing approach.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 567-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Wheatley

This article considers the impact of flexible working arrangements (FWAs), using the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society, 2001–10/11. Results of panel logit, ANCOVA and change-score analysis are indicative of positive impacts from use of a number of FWAs, including homeworking having positive effects for men and women on job and leisure satisfaction. However, findings reveal gaps in availability and use of FWAs, and highlight the gendered nature of flexible employment. Flexi-time, the most common FWA among men, has positive effects as it facilitates management of household responsibilities while maintaining full-time employment. Part-time and homeworking are also positive, consistent with men using FWAs with a greater degree of choice. Women more often are constrained in their use of FWAs, often into working reduced hours. Consequently, FWAs have negative impacts for some women, on job (part-time when used for extended periods, flexi-time), leisure (job-share, flexi-time) and life satisfaction (job-share).


2022 ◽  
pp. 65-80
Author(s):  
Oloiva Maria Tavira ◽  
José Tadeu Marques Aranha ◽  
Maria Raquel Lucas

The production of bioenergy and biofertilizers based on animal and plant biomass is a crucial pillar in circular economy (CE). CE conceptual model and main aims are closely related to the 3 “R” (reduce, reuse, and recycle) rule, which is to improve the use of resources, minimize waste, and assure sustainability. Although bioenergy offers many opportunities and could be an alternative to fossil fuels use, the path for a broader implementation of this type of activity is still long. This study marks the starting point or direction of research to be taken, ensuring the existence of benefits from plant and animal biomass for the production of bioenergy and biofertilizer, as well as the contributions of this type of production to the circular economy and the mitigation of the climate change impacts.


Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins

Some of the most controversial aspects of China’s economic presence in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) relate to the social, political, and environmental impacts. Many of the claims that are made are based on anecdotal evidence, and there is a need for more systematic research on these aspects. In terms of social impacts, the chapter discusses employment, wages, working conditions, and labour rights. Political issues addressed include claims that China’s involvement supports authoritarian regimes, encourages corruption, and leads to conflict and political instability. These claims are not generally supported, and SSA countries have benefitted from the increased policy space that Chinese involvement gives them. The environmental effects of both increased exports to China and the activities of Chinese firms in SSA are analyzed. Contrasting case studies illustrate the negative impacts of China on forestry, and the positive effects of Chinese support for wind and solar power.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 69-90
Author(s):  
Kanhaiya Sapkota

Though, the migration process and its impact in the household economy has been extensively studied in the academic sectors, but much less attention has been given to the impact of female labor migration on the family members who are left behind at home. This paper attempts to determine socio-economic structure of female labor migrants from Tanahun District of Gandaki Province, Nepal. Similarly, it also attempts to analyze the causes of female migration, process and dynamics of foreign labor migration and its impact on the left behind family specially children and elder citizens at home. For this purpose, 180 households have been purposefully selected from three municipalities and conducted household survey through snowball methods. According to the survey findings, married women are preferred to go for abroad, whereas the age of migration is after 30 years. Literate are very less migrated for foreign labor. Majority of the female migrants preferred to go to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)countries and then other countries, i.e. Malaysia, Lebanon, etc. There are both positive and negative impacts clearly observed. The positive impacts of remittance to support for the poverty alleviation at household level, enhance educational and health facilities as well as improve housing conditions. But, the negative impacts, especially on children are appeared, i.e. care deficit, aggressive behavior, physical abuse, deteriorating health condition and school dropout. To, eliminate or reduce negative impact, government should take initiation and formulate effective policies that can maximize positive effects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 4992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corsini ◽  
Marinovich ◽  
Vecchi

Biomass burning is considered an important source of indoor and outdoor air pollutants worldwide. Due to competitive costs and climate change sustainability compared to fossil fuels, biomass combustion for residential heating is increasing and expected to become the major source of primary particulate matter emission over the next 5–15 years. The understanding of health effects and measures necessary to reduce biomass emissions of harmful compounds is mandatory to protect public health. The intent of this review is to report available data on ultrafine particles (UFPs, i.e., particles with diameter smaller than 100 nm) emitted by residential biomass combustion and their effects on human health (in vitro and in vivo studies). Indeed, as far as we know, papers focusing specifically on UFPs originating from residential biomass combustion and their impact on human health are still lacking.


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