Agglomeration Method Research Articles

Novel Trip Agglomeration Methods for Efficient Extraction of Urban Mobility Patterns

Novel Trip Agglomeration Methods for Efficient Extraction of Urban Mobility Patterns

Internationalisation of science and technology parks and the stage of their life: The Central European perspective

Research background: A science and technology park (STP) is an important tool of innovation policy. In order to carry out new tasks in the field of internationalisation of innovative processes, parks have to incorporate completely new ones into their classic roles and activities. There is still a low level of knowledge about the factors that limit this process. The identified research gap provided the rationale for addressing the issue of the internationalisation of parks in Poland, which is an original treatment of the issue and probably one of the first such studies in Central Europe. Purpose of the article: The purpose of the article is to diagnose the stages through which the internationalisation of science and technology parks takes place in the context of the phases of the life cycle of these organisations, as well as to identify and assess the importance of obstacles limiting the internationalisation process. Methods: A critical analysis of the literature and direct research was carried out using the survey method, according to the author's questionnaire. The research was carried out in 2022 among 18 STPs in Poland (55% of all Polish parks). The diagnosis of internationalisation was made on an institutional level. Three phases of the park life cycle were defined and operationalised based on the criteria identified by J. Allen (2007): creation, consolidation and maturity phase. Ward’s agglomeration method (Ward, 1963) was utilised to group the parks based on the level of actions realised in their life cycle and their degree of internationalisation. In the identification of the number of groups, the Duda-Hart (Duda et al., 2000) Je(2)/Je(1) index-stopping rule was used. Thirteen of the most important obstacles to the internationalisation process were identified. In order to examine the internal consistency of variables describing the internationalisation of parks, Cronbach’s Alpha reliability index was calculated. In order to find out the strength and direction of the existing relationship between obstacles and the internationalisation index of the studied parks, Kendall’s τ test was used. Findings & value added: The sequential development of parks at the national level is in line with the assumptions indicated in the literature. The problem, however, is the internationalisation of parks. Not only is it characterised by a low level, but its course also does not indicate that it is the result of the successive implementation of previously assumed activities. The processes of development and internationalisation are interrelated, but this is not a significant interdependence. The problem is also indicated by the results of studies relating to obstacles to the internationalisation process. This is because the most significant ones are diagnosed only at an advanced level of internationalisation. Such an important activity of parks is undertaken without a prior in-depth diagnosis of the international situation. This can result in limited effectiveness of the activities undertaken in the direction of internationalisation and generate related problems. The results of the study provide a basis for indicating the type of activities aimed at activating parks in the international arena. Such activities should be undertaken at a higher level than the parks themselves since they do not have sufficient procedures and resources to guarantee increased internationalisation. One desirable course of action could also be the creation of cooperation networks at different territorial and entity levels.

Experimental investigation on effective aerosol scavenging using different spray configurations with pre-injection of water mist for Fukushima Daiichi decommissioning

During the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, it is important to consider the retrieval of resolidified debris both in air and underwater configurations. For the subsequent retrieval of debris from the reactor building, the resolidified debris must be cut into smaller pieces using various cutting methods. During the cutting process, aerosol particles are expected to be generated at the submicron scale. It has been noted that such aerosols sizing within the Greenfield gap (0.1–1 μm) are difficult to remove effectively using traditional spraying methods. Therefore, to improve the aerosol removal efficiency of the spray system, a new aerosol agglomeration method was recently proposed, which involves injecting water mist to enlarge the sizes of the aerosol particles before removing them using water sprays. In this study, a series of experiments were performed to clarify the proper spray configurations for effective aerosol scavenging and to improve the performance of the water mist. The experimental results showed that the spray flow rate and droplet characteristics are important factors for the aerosol-scavenging efficiency and performance of the water mist. The results obtained from this study will be helpful for the optimization of the spray system design for effective aerosol scavenging during the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The cultural sector in Polish economy in the regional approach

Motivation: In recent years, the impact of cultural factors on the economic development has been analysed. This research concerns the impact of culture on the labour market, the growth of innovation and creativity, participation in creating added value of GDP, stimulating exports, although the cultural sector also affects the development of tourism, entertainment and improvement in the quality of life of residents. Currently, the cultural sector is treated as a long-term economic investment affecting the development of the country.Aim: The goal of the article is to evaluate the functioning of the cultural sector in Poland. This assessment has been made on a regional basis.Results: To achieve the purpose, data of the GUS (Central Statistical Office in Poland) were analysed. The data concerned expenses allocated to culture and national heritage — they included individual types of cultural institutions and number of cultural sector entities in 2018–2021. The results of the analysis of the cultural sector have been presented in tables and diagrams. Using an agglomeration method, the Polish provinces were grouped according to values of the analysed categories of expenses allocated to culture and national heritage in the provinces in year 2021. It was noticed that the development of the cultural sector in Poland is uneven, concentrated in the country’s capital, which is typical for less developed countries. Therefore, main barriers to the development of the cultural sector in Poland were identified. The most important obstacles were: underfunding, lack of systemic solutions to support the demand for cultural goods, unfavourable legal and financial conditions for creators of culture, lack of support for cooperation between public and private cultural sector, dependence of the development of the cultural sector on politics, as well as lack of social acceptance of the cultural policy. Culture is also negatively affected by the processes of globalization, commercialization and recently the Covid 19 pandemic.

Oil Agglomeration in Zonguldak Bituminous Coal Dust: The Role of Inorganic Materials

In the present study, the effect of various The oil agglomeration method is of great importance for high recovery and low cost in capitalizing our energy resources that create environmental problems due to fineness of particle size or our low quality, oxidized coal resources with large reserves. Inorganic pretreatment materials, the ratio of bridging liquid, agglomeration time and mixing speed on the agglomeration recovery in the beneficiation of Zonguldak coal with low ash content (2.23%) through oil agglomeration. In the experiments, kerosene was used as the bridging liquid and NaCl, FeCl2, Fe2(SO4)3, Al2(SO4)3 were used as inorganic pretreatment materials. In the agglomeration experiments in which inorganic pretreatment materials and kerosene were used together, the maximum recovery was determined in the condition where the kerosene concentration was 15%, the mixing speed was 800 rpm and the agglomeration time was 10 min. It was found that, the recovery under suitable conditions was 71.5% in the agglomeration experiments conducted with only kerosene, whereas it was in varying rates between 76.5% and 81.6% in experiments where pretreatment materials and kerosene were used together. Among the inorganic pretreatment materials, when used together with kerosene, the best recovery was obtained with the use of 50 mg/L Fe2(SO4)3. The agglomeration recovery obtained in the experiments conducted with only kerosene under optimum conditions was reached when the agglomeration time was 5 min in the experiments in which the inorganic pretreatment materials and kerosene were used together.

Reduction characteristics of cold-agglomerated pellets in blast furnace conditions

There is a significant and necessary drive towards reducing CO2 emissions produced by iron and steelmaking industries. Binding Solutions Ltd has developed a technology to contribute to the reduction of CO2 in the short and long term, by introducing a cold-bonded iron ore pellet to the furnace burden. Binding Solutions’ cold-agglomerated pellets, manufactured from magnetite and hematite iron ore, were tested in accordance with ISO standard tests alongside a standard market pellet. ISO standards were developed to assess the quality of lump ore, sinter and hot-bonded or alternatively known as indurated pellets, and there can be anomalies when testing cold-agglomerated pellets by the same methods. Additional test methodology, outside the scope of international standards may be utilised to give a fuller picture of pellet characteristics. The HOSIM test method was used to assess the properties of cold-bonded pellets of different minerologies. Results found that the time needed to reach a set point of reduction for a cold-agglomerated pellet is shorter than for an indurated control pellet. The data also showed that for the same iron ore source, alternate cold agglomeration methods can have a significant impact on the balance of pellet properties.

Agglomeration behavior and mechanism of polybutadiene latex by nanocomposite emulsion particles

Polymer agglomeration method is an efficient way to enlarge the particle size of polybutadiene latex (PBL). However, thus far, the particle size of polymer agglomerating agent and agglomerated PBL could not been accurately regulated, and there is a lack of investigation of agglomeration mechanism. Herein, an efficient way for regulating the particle size of the agglomerating agent and PBL was proposed. It was found that the particle size of agglomerating agents can be obtained in the range of 69 nm to 143 nm by adjusting the monomer content and the amount of α-methacrylic acid in the emulsion polymerization process. Then, the effects of different agglomeration parameters on the particle size of agglomerated PBL were investigated, including the amount, the α-MAA content and the particle size of agglomerating agent, agglomeration temperature and agglomeration time. The results indicated that the particle size of agglomerated PBL first increased and then decreased to a stable state with the increase of the amount of agglomerating agent. This phenomenon was quite different from the results of existing studies, which show that the particle size of agglomerated PBL gradually increases with the increase of the amount of agglomerating agent. According to the investigation of agglomeration process of PBL, the PBL agglomeration mechanism of dispersion-adsorption-coalescence-shrinkage was proposed. This study not only provides theoretical support for the PBL polymer agglomeration process, but also provides a practical way to increase acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) production efficiency.

Particle agglomeration and inhibition method in the fluidized pyrolysis reaction of waste resin

Particle agglomeration and inhibition method in the fluidized pyrolysis reaction of waste resin

Utilization of polymeric binders to agglomerate oxidized copper ore

Permeability reduction is a major challenge in heap leaching, primarily caused by the accumulation of fines that move with the leaching agent, leading to the formation of dead zones and channeling within the heap. In the Aria copper beneficiation plant, the 0–2 mm fraction with a copper grade of 1.4% undergoes pre-separation prior to heap loading without further processing. This study investigated the potential of using the agglomeration method to improve permeability in the case of using the 0–2 mm fraction of ore. Mineral compounds, such as sodium silicate and calcium sulfate, and non-ionic, cationic, and anionic polymer compounds, were used in the agglomeration process. The strength of interparticle bonding was evaluated by measuring the fine migration percentage (FMP) in the soak test. The results revealed that agglomerates produced using non-ionic compounds had the highest bonding strength, with an FMP of 3.89%, the lowest of all the compounds tested. This enhanced bonding strength was attributed to the combined influence of hydrogen bonding forces and van der Waals forces.

Study of the degree of restoration of two-component self-healing briquettes based on iron- and carbon-containing waste

The recycling of iron and carbon-containing wastes in the metallurgical cycle is an urgent task in the Russian Federation and the world as a whole. Various wastes during storage occupy large areas (in the Russian Federation ‒ up to 4 million hectares) and are a source of adverse effects on the environment and the health of the population of nearby territories. In the Russian Federation, only waste from metallurgical enterprises has accumulated about 1 billion tons and its amount continues to grow. In addition, due to storage at waste disposal sites, this technogenic raw material falls out of production chains. Prolonged waste disposal leads to a decrease in the content of valuable components. The utilization of iron- and carbon-containing wastes requires its preliminary preparation, in particular, the agglomeration of finely dispersed materials. One of the methods of agglomeration is briquetting. Briquetting allows the creation of self-healing metallurgical briquettes, consisting only of waste as iron-containing material, reducing agent and binder. The important characteristics of self-healing briquettes are the degrees of its reduction to Femet and Fe+2. In this paper, two-component briquettes were studied, consisting of a waste from metallurgical production ‒ dust from an electric steel-smelting shop (dust from an electric furnace shop) as an iron-containing material and a waste from sugar production ‒ molasses acting simultaneously as a reducing agent and a binder. The content of molasses in two-component briquettes was 5, 10, 15, 20 % wt. The briquettes were calcined in an oxidizing atmosphere at temperatures of 700 and 1100°C until gassing was completed (about 15–20 min.). The degrees of iron reduction for all briquette variants were higher at 1100 °C. The highest reduction degree was obtained when the content of molasses in a two-component briquette was 20 % wt. and amounted to 10.75 % wt. for Femet, and the reduction degree to Fe+2 was 76.82 % wt. The obtained results do not allow us to recommend such briquettes for use in steelmaking, however, its can be considered as an additive to the blast-furnace charge in the presence of an available raw material base. Changing the temperature and time regime and the gas atmosphere during the reduction of briquettes can expand the possibilities of its application in metallurgical production

Sustainable preparation of spherical particles of novel carbamazepine-hesperetin cocrystal via different crystallization strategies: From mechanism to application

Spherical crystallization is widely employed in pharmaceutical industry to produce spherical particles that exhibit improved micrometric performances of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including particle size, morphology, flowability, and compressibility. Especially for APIs with poor powder performance and low solubility, spherical co-crystallization offers the potential to enhance both dissolution properties and tablet manufacturability by combining the API and cocrystal coformer (CCF) into a spherical particle. In this study, we aimed to enhance the physicochemical properties of carbamazepine (CBZ) and hesperetin (HPE) by synthesizing a novel cocrystal with the stoichiometric ratio of 1:1. Crystal structure of the CBZ-HPE cocrystal was determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). To further improve the poor powder performances such as low flowability and compressibility resulting from the needle morphology of the cocrystals, we designed three spherical crystallization strategies: common spherical agglomeration, oil-out-induced spherical agglomeration and spherulitic growth method. The spherical particles of CBZ-HPE cocrystals were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), polarized light microscopy (PLM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), particle size instrumentation, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to provide information about crystal structure, particle morphology, particle size and circularity distribution. The results revealed significant differences in particle morphology, flowability, particle size and dissolution rate among the various spherical crystallization strategies. Theoretical calculations elucidated three spherical crystallization mechanisms: spherical agglomeration (SA), oil-out-induced spherical agglomeration (OOSA) and spherulite growth (SG). This study offers both experimental and theoretical foundations for the application of different spherical crystallization techniques in the pharmaceutical industry.

DEM analysis of crushing evolution in cemented granular materials during pile penetration

The present study demonstrates that the 3D discrete-element method provides a practical model approach to visualize the cemented grain crushing evolution under pile penetration. A combined method using a rigorous breakage criterion based on octahedral shear stress (OSS) was implemented in the particle flow code PFC3D. First, the pile penetration is simulated by considering the grains as uncrushable with a screening of highly stressed grains exceeding the threshold defined by the OSS failure condition. Then, the simulation is repeated where crushable agglomerates replace the highly stressed grains. This method is more accurate than the replacement method and more efficient than the agglomerate method. A quarter of the numerical model was considered after validation to achieve an acceptable computational time for parametric studies. Parametric investigations were performed on the effects of particle crushing, boundary conditions, pile tip shape, and pile penetration velocity on the penetration resistance behavior. In agreement with the observations of the physical calibration chamber, the present results indicate that the proposed modeling approach is reliable in reproducing the concentration of crushed granular material particles in the vicinity of the pile tip and shaft. In addition, grain crushing has been found to reduce both penetration and shaft resistance.

Investigation of the acoustic agglomeration on ultrafine particles chamber built into the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine from renewable fuel mixture and diesel

Reducing the pollution of internal combustion engines is a very important problem that can be solved in various ways. However, the acoustic agglomeration method is not used in diesel engines. The study used a 1.9 TDI diesel internal combustion engine supplied with a mixture of diesel (D100) and a 90% of rapeseed methyl ester - 10% propanol fuel mixture (ROMEP). The study also changed the position of the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve by adjusting the 20% EGR throughput limits and maintaining a constant engine load of 90 Nm. It should be noted that the use of biofuels produces less particulate matter, which reinforces the relevance of this study. Measurements were performed using Measurement System: The Testo 380 fine particle analyzer system was used to determine the mass concentration, and a six-channel Fluke 985 particle counter with an isokinetic sampling probe was used to determine the fractional numerical concentration of the particulates. Six particle size distribution regimes in the size range of 0.3 to 10 μm were observed, controlling the transmittance of the EGR system by 20%. The direction of the sound pressure throughout the flow and the excitation frequency 21400 Hz and 33800 Hz were also investigated and compared with the results without agglomeration. The article examines the possibility of using the developed acoustic chamber in the exhaust systems of various objects that uses diesel or various alternative fuel mixtures as fuel. The acoustic field reduces the number of particles by up to 92.5% for 10 μm and up to 44.5% for 0.3 μm at an excitation frequency of 21400 Hz.

Computationally efficient model to predict the evolution in the thermal field in the EB-PBF and LP-DED processes

Understanding the development of a number of defects found in components fabricated by the metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes requires an understanding of the evolution in the thermal field within the component at both the macro- and meso-scales. As a first step, in this work, the agglomeration method was used in combination with a time-averaged input of energy to simulate the macro-scale evolution in temperature. Two example processes: 1) laser-based powder-fed directed energy deposition; and 2) electron beam powder bed fusion, are used to demonstrate the modelling methodology. The approach employed focuses on ensuring the conservation of heat and is applied using ABAQUS. The two applications have been validated by comparing the predicted thermal behaviour with process-derived data. The results indicate that this method is an efficient strategy to predict the thermal field at the scale of the component being fabricated.

Spherical particles design of vanillin via crystallization method: Preparation, characterization and mechanism

Vanillin is a natural flavor and is widely used in the fields of medicine, food and optoelectronics. However, the stable form I of vanillin usually shows needle or fiber-like morphology during crystallization, and it has poor powder performance (flowability, bulk density, dissolution rate, etc.), which further limits its applications. In this work, to improve the powder performances of vanillin, the spherical crystals were designed and prepared via spherical agglomeration method, and the spherical particles were systematically characterized using polarized light microscopy (PLM), particle size instrumentation, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier infrared transform spectroscopy (FTIR). Meanwhile, the effects of BSR (Vbridging liquid:Vsolute), agitation rate and surfactant on the morphology and particle size distribution of spherical particles were analyzed to determine the optimal operating conditions for the spherical crystallization of vanillin as well as its formation mechanism and to improve the powder performance of the products. In addition, the multicomponent spherical particles of vanillin-salicylic acid obtained by crystal co-agglomeration (CCA) meet the formulation requirements in terms of morphology and particle size, which also enhance the dissolution rate of vanillin.

Unsupervised hyperspectral image segmentation of films: a hierarchical clustering-based approach

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has been drastically applied in recent years to cultural heritage (CH) analysis, conservation, and also digital restoration. However, the efficient processing of the large datasets registered remains challenging and still in development. In this paper, we propose to use the hierarchical clustering algorithm (HCA) as an alternative machine learning approach to the most common practices, such as principal component analysis(PCA). HCA has shown its potential in the past decades for spectral data classification and segmentation in many other fields, maximizing the information to be extracted from the high-dimensional spectral dataset via the formation of the agglomerative hierarchical tree. However, to date, there has been very limited implementation of HCA in the field of cultural heritage. Data used in this experiment were acquired on real historic film samples with various degradation degrees, using a custom-made push-broom VNIR hyperspectral camera (380–780nm). With the proposed HCA workflow, multiple samples in the entire dataset were processed simultaneously and the degradation areas with distinctive characteristics were successfully segmented into clusters with various hierarchies. A range of algorithmic parameters was tested, including the grid sizes, metrics, and agglomeration methods, and the best combinations were proposed at the end. This novel application of the semi-automating and unsupervised HCA could provide a basis for future digital unfading, and show the potential to solve other CH problems such as pigment mapping.

Influence of construction method of submicron polybutadiene particles on transparent methacrylate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin properties

Submicron polybutadiene particles were prepared using four different methods: one-step batch emulsion polymerization, pressure agglomeration, acid agglomeration, and polymer latex agglomeration. Core-shell elastomers were synthesized by grafting styrene and methyl methacrylate on polybutadiene particles. Transparent methacrylate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin was prepared by blending the elastomers with methacrylate-styrene-acrylonitrile matrix resin synthesized by bulk polymerization. The effects of the construction method of submicron rubber particles on core-shell elastomer structure and composite properties were investigated. Additionally, the relationship between the rubber phase structure and composite properties was studied. The obtained results showed that the construction method significantly affected the size distribution and morphology of the submicron rubber particles. The rubber particles prepared by one-step batch emulsion polymerization were grafted easily, with 90.2% grafting efficiency of the corresponding core-shell elastomer. The grafting efficiency of the rubber particles prepared by acid agglomeration was only 69.4%. The former was most suitable as the toughening core of transparent Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin, and the transmittance and haze values of the composite were 90% and 2.4, respectively. Impact and tensile strengths were 185.6 J/m and 39 MPa, respectively. The acid agglomeration method generated submicron rubber particles more quickly, and the transmittance and haze of composite were 90% and 2.9, respectively. However, the impact and tensile strengths were reduced to 170.4 J/m and 31 MPa, respectively.

Influential Node Identification of Network Based on Agglomeration Operation

Networks with distinct topological structures varies in the ability to resist different kinds of attacks. Node protection in terms of node importance is an effective way to ensure the reliable communication of networks. Thus, the protection of influential node detected by node importance evaluation is beneficial to strengthen the invulnerability and robustness of networks. In this work, the network agglomeration method based on node contraction is utilized to evaluate the influence of nodes and identify important nodes in five kinds of interconnection networks. We show that the agglomeration method, which takes both the degree and position into account, is valid and feasible for these five interconnection networks.

Catalytic co-pyrolysis of lignin and spent bleaching clay via binder-modified HZSM-5: Evolution of coke composition

In this present study, the composite catalysts were synthesized by agglomeration method using HZSM-5 and calcined spent bleaching clay (CSBC) for lignin with spent bleaching clay (SBC) co-pyrolysis vapors upgrading. The coke characteristics were investigated by NH3-TPD, FTIR, N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, TGA, Raman, and UV–vis. The results showed that the addition of CSBC could convert the graphite-like coke of HZSM-5 into oxygenated coke, which was beneficial to the regeneration of the catalysts. The skeletal structure of the catalysts was not severely broken by the coke, but there were different degrees of deterioration of the pore structure and acidity (mainly strong acids). The composition of soluble coke (coke precursors) was analyzed by FTIR, GC-MS and HPLC. The soluble coke adsorbed on the catalyst was dominated by long-chain alkanes and oxygenated aromatic compounds. These compounds would continuously polymerize on the acidic sites of HZSM-5 to produce graphite-like coke. The modulation of HZSM-5 by CSBC could inhibit this process. This result explained the binder modification to improve the MAHs selectivity and catalyst stability from the side. This study provides a feasible direction for the modification of zeolite catalysts in the future.

MP-VHPPI: Meta predictor for viral host protein-protein interaction prediction in multiple hosts and viruses.

Viral-host protein-protein interaction (VHPPI) prediction is essential to decoding molecular mechanisms of viral pathogens and host immunity processes that eventually help to control the propagation of viral diseases and to design optimized therapeutics. Multiple AI-based predictors have been developed to predict diverse VHPPIs across a wide range of viruses and hosts, however, these predictors produce better performance only for specific types of hosts and viruses. The prime objective of this research is to develop a robust meta predictor (MP-VHPPI) capable of more accurately predicting VHPPI across multiple hosts and viruses. The proposed meta predictor makes use of two well-known encoding methods Amphiphilic Pseudo-Amino Acid Composition (APAAC) and Quasi-sequence (QS) Order that capture amino acids sequence order and distributional information to most effectively generate the numerical representation of complete viral-host raw protein sequences. Feature agglomeration method is utilized to transform the original feature space into a more informative feature space. Random forest (RF) and Extra tree (ET) classifiers are trained on optimized feature space of both APAAC and QS order separate encoders and by combining both encodings. Further predictions of both classifiers are utilized to feed the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier that makes final predictions. The proposed meta predictor is evaluated over 7 different benchmark datasets, where it outperforms existing VHPPI predictors with an average performance of 3.07, 6.07, 2.95, and 2.85% in terms of accuracy, Mathews correlation coefficient, precision, and sensitivity, respectively. To facilitate the scientific community, the MP-VHPPI web server is available at https://sds_genetic_analysis.opendfki.de/MP-VHPPI/.