Scaling up Battery‐Electrode Drying from Lab to Pilot Scale: Match the Drivers, Not the Set Points

Application of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) from viscosity reducing of raw sweet potato for bioethanol production at laboratory, pilot and industrial scales

The purpose of this research was to study processing variables at the laboratory and pilot scales that can affect hydration rates of xanthan gum matrices containing diclofenac sodium and the rate of drug release. Tablets from the laboratory scale and pilot scale proceedings were made by wet granulation. Swelling indices of xanthan gum formulations prepared with different amounts of water were measured in water under a magnifying lens. Granules were thermally treated in an oven at 60 degrees C, 70 degrees C, and 80 degrees C to study the effects of elevated temperatures on drug release from xanthan gum matrices. Granules from the pilot scale formulations were bulkier compared to their laboratory scale counterparts, resulting in more porous, softer tablets. Drug release was linear from xanthan gum matrices prepared at the laboratory scale and pilot scales; however, release was faster from the pilot scales. Thermal treatment of the granules did not affect the swelling index and rate of drug release from tablets in both the pilot and laboratory scale proceedings. On the other hand, the release from both proceedings was affected by the amount of water used for granulation and the speed of the impeller during granulation. The data suggest that processing variables that affect the degree of wetness during granulation, such as increase in impeller speed and increase in amount of water used for granulation, also may affect the swelling index of xanthan gum matrices and therefore the rate of drug release.

The performance of a grinding mill can be greatly influenced by the slurry hold-upninside. As more and more autogenous (AG) and semi-autogenous (SAG) grindingnmills are operated in closed circuit with cyclones, the limitations that can be imposednby this are becoming increasingly apparent. A literature review was performed at thenJulius Kruttschnitt Minerals Research Centre (JKMRC) during the early 90's. Thisnrevealed that relevant literature on the subject was almost non-existent. Hence anresearch program was initiated at the JKMRC to study the variables which affect thentransport and hold-up of slurry inside a mill.nnnnnnnnn A literature review conducted at the beginning of this project revealed that previousninvestigators neglected to study the effects of mill aspect ratio on the relationshipnbetween flowrate and hold-up. Another aspect that has been neglected in the past isnthe effect of slurry rheology on the previously mentioned relationship.nnnnnnnn This research project was conducted with the aim of exploring the effect of millnaspect ratio and slurry rheology on the relationship between flowrate and hold-up.nThe investigations were conducted at the laboratory and pilot scales and experimentsnwere performed using water and slurries. As well as conducting dynamicnexperiments, tests were performed using a static bath. This was designed to measurenthe axial water profiles and how these are affected by design and operating conditions.nnnnnnnnnn Experiments were conducted at the laboratory scale using a variable length mill, thusnallowing experiments to be conducted at three aspect ratio (D/L) configurations: high,nsquare and low. The experimental conditions for each aspect ratio configurationsnincluded five levels of flowrate, three charge levels and three mill speeds. These werenrandomised to avoid the effects of unwanted but significant variables, such as, timendependency. Also two repeat tests were performed for each experimental condition.nnnnnnnnnnnn Experiments at the pilot scale were also conducted using three aspect rationconfigurations, with the same number of levels for each variable. Due to timenconstraints the experimental program was designed using a Central CompositenRotational Design (CCRD). The use of this technique reduced the numbers ofnexperimental conditions significantly, whilst still producing a statistically valid setnresults.nnnnnnnnnnn The analysis of the experimental results revealed that aspect ratio did have an effectnon the flowrate - hold-up relationship under both dynamic and static conditions. Itnwas found that mean hold-up tended to decrease with mill aspect ratio. Static bathnexperiments later revealed that the decrease in hold-up was caused by a decrease innthe mean level of water inside the mill as the mill length was increased. However thenmaximum level of water increased with increasing mill length.nnnnnnnnnnnnn Experiments were also conducted using slurries. The solids in the slurry comprised anmixture of minerals containing roughly 60% by weight of a nickel concentrate andn40% by weight of cyclone underflow from the Mt. Isa Copper Concentrator. Thisnslurry showed pseudoplastic with yield behaviour. The results showed that thenfractional hold-up appeared to increase linearly with the apparent viscosity of thenslurry. It was also shown that hold-up increased with charge level in a non-linearnfashion.nnnnnnnnnnnn The flowrate - hold-up relationship developed by Latchireddi (2002) was used tondetermine if this model was capable of predicting the results obtained from thenexperiments. This exercise showed the Latchireddi model was only able to predict thenresults for a high aspect ratio configuration. It over-predicted the hold-up for thensquare and low aspect ratio configurations.nnnnnnnnnnn The Latchireddi model was modified to take into consideration the effects of millnaspect ratio. Non-linear least square techniques were used to incorporate an aspectnratio term (AR). The new model parameters g1 to g7, were fitted using a total of 633ndata points collected during the experimental stages of this project.nnnnnnnnn Two further models were constructed, the Maximum Height model and the MaximumnFractional Hold-Up model. Their aim was to correlate the maximum height of thenwater level and the fractional maximum hold-up corresponding to the maximum height of the profile, to the mean hold-up. These models were constructed from datancollected at the laboratory scale only and therefore, experiments should be conductednat pilot and industrial scales in order to validate them.n

Insects have the potential to form the basis of a sustainable value chain that plays a key role in the transition to a biobased economy. Numerous companies recognize the potential of insects, but immediate application on an industrial scale is hampered by several obstacles such as regulatory uncertainties and the need for support to upscale their processes. Another challenge is that only limited information is available on industrial insect rearing, and the information that is freely available often comes from small-scale research. Translating the research findings of that small-scale research to industrial scale is often cumbersome. In Belgium, KU Leuven and Thomas More in collaboration with VITO started doing research on insect rearing and processing about a decade ago. They recognized the need to add expertise on pilot scale, aside from their research on laboratory scale, as an intermediate step towards industrial production. The realisation of the Insect Pilot Plant in Belgium has enabled their ambition to offer such solutions at pilot scale. Additional benefit of having this pilot facility is that increased reliability and flexibility that comes with it enables the standardisation of all experiments, lab-scale as well as pilot scale, further increasing the expertise of the research centres involved and their ability to transfer that expertise to the sector.

Influence of thermo-mechanical treatment and skim milk components on the swelling behavior and rheological properties of starch suspensions

Fine particle capture in biomass boilers with recirculating gas cyclones: Theory and practice

Electrokinetic (EK) remediation has been widely studied at laboratory scales. However, field-scale research is far less. In this study, a 14-day EK remediation was carried out, in a field pilot (4 m2) test and a full-scale (200 m2) application for the first time, in a cadmium (Cd) contaminated paddy agricultural field near a mining area. A low voltage of 20 V was applied at both scales; voltage gradient was 20 V m−1 and 4 V m−1 at the pilot and full scales, respectively. Samples were taken from near the anode and cathode, and in the middle of the electric field, in the soil layers 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 40–50 cm. After the EK remediation, a significant portion of the total Cd was removed in all the layers at the pilot scale, by 87%, 72%, and 54% from the top down, but only in the 0–10 cm layer at the full scale by 74%. As for the plant available (exchangeable and soluble) Cd, significant removal (64%) was only observed in the 0–10 cm layer at the pilot scale. The percentage reduction of the electrical conductivity and removal efficiency of the total Cd was higher near the anode than the cathode. The soil pH was elevated near the cathode but stayed below pH 6 due to the sufficient supply of lactic acid. After the EK remediation, the concentration of the total Cd dropped below the hazard threshold, i.e. 0.4 mg (kg dry wt soil)−1 for agricultural paddy fields in China. A total energy of 2 kW·h and 0.6 kW·h was consumed at the pilot and full scales, respectively. This study showed a successful in situ EK remediation of Cd contaminated paddy agricultural soil, especially in the surface layer, with low voltage and energy demand.

Performance evaluation and optimisation of post combustion CO2 capture processes for natural gas applications at pilot scale via a verified rate-based model

Palm kernel shells, an abundant agro-industrial residue in countries like Ecuador, can be valorized through their conversion into activated carbon for industrial applications. This study investigates the physical activation of carbonized palm kernel shells using both a Nichols furnace at the pilot scale and a rotary kiln at the industrial scale. The progressive conversion model was used to explain how the activation process works and to calculate the reaction rate constants for CO2 (krCO2) and H2O (krH2O). The experimental results demonstrated that activation in an H2O-rich atmosphere significantly enhanced porosity development and iodine index compared to CO2 alone. Additionally, the study confirmed that activation kinetics are primarily controlled by the chemical reaction rather than mass transport limitations, as indicated by the negligible effect of particle size on gasification rates. At 850 °C, the reaction rate constants were calculated to be krCO2 = 0.75 (mol·cm-3·s)-1 and krH2O = 8.91 (mol·cm-3·s)-1. The model's predictions closely matched the experimental data, validating its applicability for process optimization at both the pilot and industrial scales. These findings provide valuable insights for improving the efficiency of activated carbon production from palm kernel shells in large-scale operations.

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aim</strong>: This work is aimed to study the effectiveness of the use of bentonite at different stages of the vinification process (pilot and industrial scales) in relation to wine protein stability. The effect of wine storage and ageing on protein content and stability is also studied.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: The experimental trials were made with a Macabeu wine (vintage 2011) and included the following treatments : bentonite addition to must only, bentonite addition during fermentation (beginning, middle and end), and no treatment (control). The results show no effect of scale in fermentation kinetics. At both scales, the wines treated with bentonite during fermentation had lower total protein concentrations as compared to the control wines (10-17 %) and the wines obtained from must treated with bentonite (7-14 %), which were the most unstable.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion</strong>: This study shows that the fermenter size (industrial and pilot scale) has no significant effects on alcoholic fermentation, indicating that, from a practical point of view, pilot-scale fermentations satisfactorily reproduce those performed at industrial scale. Moreover, all the wines treated with bentonite during fermentation present a lower protein concentration and a higher stability.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of the study</strong>: The results obtained in pilot-scale fermentations are representative of industrial-scale fermentations and therefore can be used reliably to study protein stability and stabilization in white wines.</p>

The ultimate goal of this research is to characterize data from the laboratory, pilot, and industrial scale rice mills. Pilot and laboratory scale data are presented in this research. Two long grain rice cultivars were milled with two different scale mills. Cheniere and Cypress were milled with a McGill No. 2 mill and a pilot scale mill (Satake). Both material streams, rice kernels and bran, were collected and weighed. Measurements of Degree of milling, transparency, and whiteness were made with a milling meter (Satake). Yield and bran fraction were calculated. Samples of the bran were heat stabilized and prepared for high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC analysis determined the concentration of vitamin E and oryzanol. Parameter values were reported as laboratory, pilot, or category assignment of low, medium, and high. Yield values for both rice varieties and both mill scales were highest at the low category. Degree of milling measurements increased with increasing process time setting for the laboratory scale mill and with increasing operational mill setting for the pilot scale mill. DOM data divided by category showed an increase for both varieties and both mill scales from the low to high categories. Transparency and whiteness values increased from low to high category. At the laboratory scale mill, for Cheniere, the highest levels of vitamin E and oryzanol occurred at the 10 second mill setting. For Cypress, the highest level of vitamin E occurred at the 10 second mill setting, and the highest level of oryzanol resulted at the 5 second time setting. Category and pilot scale values for both vitamin E and oryzanol were highest at the low category or the lowest mill setting.

The objective of this study is to manufacture ceramic membranes with lower cost than the commercial ceramic ones, more sustainable and competitive. Tewari et al. (2010) evaluated the efficiency of low cost ceramic membranes at laboratory scale. The membranes developed are made from agricultural and industrial wastes, such as olive stones (from olive oil production) used as a pore former, marble powder and chamotte (from fired tile scrap). Different formulations have been compared to achieve the adequate plasticity of the mixture and permeability of the membrane. The properties of the ceramic membrane are mainly determined by their composition, particle size of the pore former and sintering temperature. The membranes are being validated at pilot scale in the university and at industrial scale in an MBR located in Aledo WWTP (Murcia, Spain).

Electrocoagulation (EC) and coagulation – flocculation (CF), have been employed for the treatment of different organic contaminants present in aqueous solutions owing to their efficiency. This review article reports the results obtained by different authors in the last 5 years, where EC, CF, and their coupling with other processes, are employed at the laboratory, pilot plant, and industrial scales. The evaluation of operating conditions, efficiencies, applications, limitations, and opportunities that arise in scaling both processes are presented. In this way, the present paper is novel because it presents evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of EC and CF technologies implemented at pilot/full scale to treat real wastewater, which has not been collected and synthesised in previous studies. The average elimination percentages (%COD) were evaluated at a pilot/industrial plant scale, where EC (%COD = 70%) presents higher efficiencies compared to CF (%COD = 60%). In CF, the %COD increases when using longer times, contrary to EC (%COD = 75% at t = 10 h in CF and %COD = 80% at t = 0.33 h in EC). Achieving neutral conditions in treated wastewater promotes high efficiencies and low energy consumption, causing costs to be reduced. The origin and composition of the wastewater also influence the pH and efficiencies. EC is the most studied method at laboratory scale, however, its development at an industrial level is minimal, unlike CF, where more studies are reported on a pilot and industrial scale. In both processes, the use of oxidising agents and ultraviolet energy favours the formation of metal radicals and the transformation of contaminants, increasing removal efficiencies.

The anaerobic digestion of the liquid residue (gelatinous water) coming from the production of fat from animal residue, was studied at laboratory and pilot scale. Biodegradability (>98%) and biogas potential (675 mL of biogas/g of COD(applied)) of this wastewater are very high. However, due to the high content on nitrogen, an inhibition of the anaerobic activity was observed for quite low concentrations of N-NH(3). Dilution of the wastewater and pH regulation in the reactor around 7.3 are the 2 solutions which were investigated to overcome the nitrogen inhibition at industrial scale. These two solutions were validated at laboratory scale in an anaerobic SBR and then onsite at pilot scale in a continuous reactor. A stable anaerobic digestion was observed in both reactors showing that no nitrogen inhibition was obtained when N-NH(3) concentration in the reactor was kept low.

Production of bio-ethanol from soybean molasses by Saccharomyces cerevisiae at laboratory, pilot and industrial scales