Raw Material Consumption Research Articles

The problem of rational use of mineral resources and mining waste in the context of sustainable development of regions

Efficient use and protection of the subsoil is a part of rational nature management in the mineral base of Ukrainian regions and Ukraine as a whole. The components for the rational use of the subsoil include a comprehensive development of mineral deposits, a comprehensive use of mineral raw materials and mining waste, optimization of the structure of mining production and mineral raw materials consumption. The rational use of mineral resources in the modern interpretation of this issue extends to all stages of their development, including the issue of waste disposal. A huge amount of mining waste has been accumulated in administrative regions of Ukraine, and the issue of their disposal has gone beyond just an economic and ecological problem and has acquired a significant socio-demographic significance. Environmental problems have become particularly acute due to the accumulation of toxic waste, among which the most dangerous are heavy metals, petroleum products and acid tars. For the sustainable development of Ukraine, it is necessary not only to develop new reserves of natural raw materials, but also technogenic minerals accumulated in more than 1,600 man-made deposits and objects. The further development of the mineral base requires, at the state level, an urgent solution to problems that hinder the development and ecological rehabilitation on the ground of rational use.

Experimental Study of Mechanical Behaviour of an RC Concrete Prepared Using M-Sand along with Chemical Admixtures

Abstract: Concrete plays a predominant role in the construction industry and a large quantum of sand is being utilized for various construction of structure. River sand has become expensive due to excessive cost of transportation from natural sources. Also, large- scale depletion of these sources creates environmental problems. So as to overcome, M- Sand can be an economic alternative to the river sand with respect to its availability, cost and environmental impact M-sand a by-product from the stone crushing unit which is released directly into environment can cause environmental pollution. And can be defined as residue, tailing or other non-voluble waste material after the extraction and processing of rocks to form fine particles. Recycling is the key component of modern waste management system and it reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reducing the need for conventional waste disposal and to lower greenhouse gas emission. To investigate the mechanical properties as compressive strength “Cubes” of size 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm are prepared, the Split tensile strength “cylinder” of size 750mm x 150 mm x 150 mm and also load deflection of beam and column are prepared and investigation should be carried out at a regular interval of 7,14 and 28 days. And also, the dynamic behavior is also studied. This present work is an attempt to use M-sand as a replacement (25%, 50%, 75% & 100%) for River Sand in M-30 Grade concrete mix.

CREATING LIVABLE CITIES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Elena Simina Lakatos 
 E-mail: simina.lakatos@ircem.ro
 Doctor, Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment "Ernest Lupan" 
 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0096-4494
 
 Sorin Dan Clinci 
 E-mail: dan.clinci@ircem.ro
 Architect, Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment "Ernest Lupan" 
 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5310-6376
 
 Viktor Koval 
 E-mail: victor-koval@ukr.net
 Professor, Southern Scientific Center of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Ministry of Education a nd Science of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 
 Kyiv, Ukraine
 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2562-4373
 
 Gheorghe Daniel Lakatos 
 E-mail: daniel.lakatos@ircem.ro
 Doctor, Institute for Research in Circular E conomy and Environment "Ernest Lupan" 
 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3280-9061
 
 Abstract: Urban landscapes are undergoing a transformative phase as they navigate the transition to resilient, circular cities. Cities, inherently complex systems, necessitate sustainable and resilient strategies to address multifaceted challenges. A prominent solution emerges in the form of the Circular Economy (CE), which emphasizes prolonging the life cycle of products through sharing, recycling, reusing, and repairing. Historically rooted in industrial ecology, CE's diverse implementations span across countries, from Germany's innovative waste management initiatives to China's developmental paradigms. The potential of CE is profound: it promises GDP growth, significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, and a decrease in raw material consumption. As the global population increasingly gravitates towards urban hubs, cities become the epicenters of sustainable change, with places like Amsterdam and Barcelona leading the charge. These "circular cities" epitomize sustainability, resilience, innovation, and growth, offering holistic benefits from minimal raw material consumption to cross-disciplinary innovation. However, the path to achieving circular urban systems isn't devoid of challenges. Striking a delicate balance between rigorous environmental mandates and urban comfort remains a primary concern. For the seamless integration of CE, a collective approach is crucial, involving policymakers, researchers, and the general public. This paper delves into the intricacies of the CE, its implications, challenges, and the potential roadmap towards resilient urban futures.

Artificial intelligence and new business models in agriculture: the “ZERO” case study

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to vertical farms to evaluate whether disrupting technology supports sustainability and increases strategic business model choices in the agricultural sector. The study responds through empirical analysis to the gap on the subject of AI-driven business models present in the growing sector literature.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes the case of “ZERO”, a company linked to the strategy innovation ecosystem of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy. The empirical data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, interviews and the analysis of public news on the business model available in the analyzed case study. The research is empirical and uses exploratory, descriptive analysis to interpret the findings. The article focuses on the evaluation of AI impact on the agricultural sector and its potential to create new business models.FindingsThe study identified how AI can support the decision-making process leading to an increase in productivity, efficiency, product quality and cost reduction. AI helps increase these parameters through a continuous learning process and local production, and the possible decrease in prices directed toward the goal of zero km food with fresh products. AI is a winning technology to support the key elements of the vertical farm business model. However, it must be coupled with other devices, such as robots, sensors and drones, to collect enough data to enable continuous learning and improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe research supports new research trends in AI applied to agriculture. The major implication is the construction of ecosystems between farms, technology providers, policymakers, universities, research centers and local consumer communities.Practical implicationsThe ZERO case study underlines the potential of AI as a destructive technology that, especially in vertical farms, eliminates external conditions by increasing productivity, reducing costs and responding to production needs with adequate consumption of raw materials, boosting both environmental and social sustainability.Originality/valueThe study is original, as the current literature presents few empirical case studies on AI-supporting business models in agriculture. The study also favors valuable strategic implications for the policies to be adopted in favor of new business models in agriculture.

A facial expression and expert recommendation fuzzy decision-making approach for sustainable business investments within the metaverse world

Commercial transactions in the metaverse have become more popular in recent years. Sustainable investments are a prerequisite to metaverse survival and growth. There are various factors that have an impact on the performance of sustainable business investments, such as financial analysis and organizational effectiveness. However, each of these improvements leads to increased investment and costs. These new investments may create a heavy financial burden on businesses. In this context, there is a great need to conduct a priority analysis of the criteria affecting these investments in the metaverse. This study uses a balanced scorecard to analyze the alternatives of sustainable business investments in the metaverse. For this purpose, a hybrid quantum spherical fuzzy decision-making approach is proposed by using the facial action coding system and collaborative filtering to measure the weights of the balanced scorecard perspectives with the extended decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and to rank the alternatives of sustainable business investments within the metaverse with the extended technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The analysis perspectives are finance, customers, internal process, learning, and growth. The alternatives are determined as real estate, commerce, tourism, education, and community development for sustainable virtual investment decisions in the metaverse. The novelty of this study is to construct a new decision-making approach based on facial expressions, expert recommendation systems, and the quantum spherical fuzzy sets, as well as a new concept of sustainable business investments within the metaverse. It has been determined that the organizational effectiveness of the enterprises is very important in realizing sustainability goals and increasing sustainability performance. Similarly, tourism is the most suitable sustainable virtual investment area in the Metaverse universe. Using resources to ensure organizational effectiveness helps businesses reduce energy, water, and raw material consumption. This situation contributes to achieving sustainability targets as it allows the consumption of fewer natural resources.

Feasibility of utilization of recycled HDPE in manhole covers for urban traffic areas and industrial zones

The consumption of plastic raw materials has been exponentially growing throughout the world in the last decade and so has, in the same proportion, their associated waste. Recycling through the mechanical treatment of the heavy fraction of these plastics is the most economic and the safest alternative to use this waste and to recirculate it for reuse within the same industry or for other related industries located near the place where the waste is generated. In this paper, a study of characterization and post-processing of recycled high density polyethylene received by a hazardous waste manager in southern Spain is presented, an area in which containers, Intermediate Bulk Containers, and drums, originally used for oil products from refineries and petrochemical industries nearby, are employed. These high density polyethylene materials are validated to meet the requirements of the harmonized standards to be used as self-supply in the production of manhole covers. EN 124–6:2015 standard allows the use of plastic materials such as PE or PP, even using material externally reprocessed, such as material derived from thermoplastic products that have not been previously used as lids or manhole covers. Class A-15 and B-125 of the standard are oriented for the construction of these types of elements to cover or close in certain urban spaces such as pedestrian areas, parking areas or multi-story car parks for vehicles. The study shows that the recycled material fully complies with the density; it keeps unalterable during fire test after application of the coating, there are no adverse effects on artificial ageing; the decrease of the average value of the tensile impact strength by 21.84%; and achieves 6 mm of maximum deflection against the test load Fp (45.3 MPa). Therefore, it can be considered a valid scenario for the effective use of solid plastic waste in products that make up part of the urban or industrial areas, as an example of complete circularity material and offers a valid alternative to the end-of-waste condition.

Mechanical and internal structural damage evolution in cold recycled mixture under fatigue loading

Cold recycling technology has the virtue of lower cost, fewer pollutant emissions, and less consumption of raw materials and fossil fuels in pavement maintenance and construction. This study aimed to investigate the evolution of fatigue damage in cold recycled mixtures and provide a theoretical basis for improving the service life of cold recycled pavements with high reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) utilization rates, ultimately contributing to energy and resource conservation. To achieve this objective, we conducted a study on the mechanical and internal structural damage evolution of cold recycled mixtures produced using different agents (cement and asphalt emulsion). This was accomplished by combining indirect tensile fatigue testing with X-ray CT scanning techniques. The results indicate that the mechanical response of cold recycled mixtures under fatigue loading is closely related to the evolution of their internal structure during various stages of fatigue. Furthermore, it is found that the type of stabilization agent used in these mixtures has a significant impact on their initial air void content and volume distribution, which ultimately affects both the rate and extent of their mechanical and structural damage evolution. Based on these results, recommendations have been proposed for enhancing the fatigue performance of cold recycled pavement through appropriate mixture design strategies that account for these factors mentioned above.

Energy and environmental performance assessment of reused PET bottles panels for building thermal insulation solutions

The construction industry is responsible for several environmental impacts, such as high consumption of raw materials and energy, significant contributions to global CO2 emissions, and waste production. Furthermore, concerns regarding waste and by-products valorization have been growing recently, particularly for plastic waste, whose integration into building materials components is under investigation. Different applications of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have emerged, particularly for nonstructural purposes, with potential benefits as thermal insulation solutions, showing that further studies should be conducted for a more detailed analysis and characterization of this type of building solutions. In this context, the current study contributes to the thermal and environmental performance characterization of alternative materials composed of PET bottle panels filled with soil, water, and air. An experimental evaluation of the thermal performance and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were conducted considering the horizontal and vertical positions of the bottle panels. The lowest values of the thermal transmission coefficient were observed for the PET bottles filled with soil, achieving 0.46 W/m2°C for the vertical position. Regarding LCA, the panel with empty bottles showed the best environmental performance, which was justified by the fact that no filling process was considered. Considering that filling bottles with air or soil results in similar environmental impacts, it can be concluded that PET bottles filled with soil provide the best thermal and environmental alternative.

Sorption-enhanced reforming of raw COG and its adaptability to hydrogen metallurgy: Thermodynamic analysis

In order to solve the problem of hydrogen shortage in the popularization of hydrogen metallurgy, the steam reforming of raw coke oven gas (raw COG) and its adaptability in reducing sinter ore were studied thermodynamically in this paper. Compared to the self-reforming and steam reforming, the maximum of hydrogen yield in the sorption-enhanced reforming process can go up to 1.54 mol/mol raw COG and move the reforming temperature from above 900 °C to the zone between 500 °C and 600 °C. According to the concentrations of reducing gas components to be used in the hydrogen metallurgy, the reformed gases from raw COG was merged and rearranged, and then six kinds of reformed gases were selected as typical gases for the subsequent reduction of sinter ore. The reformed gas can effectively reduce the formation of the intermediate product and improve the yield of iron, and the temperature requirement of the reduction process was reduced. Finally, based on a comprehensive analysis of the raw material consumption for the reforming and reduction processes, the optimal reforming condition that reforming temperature is 500 °C, S/C (the molar ratio of steam to carbon) is 3.6 and CaO/C (the molar ratio of CaO to carbon) is 2.0 and the optimal reduction condition that reduction temperature is 900 °C–1100 °C, R/O ratio is 2.0 are obtained. The matched optimization leads to a reduction in both RCOG and sinter consumptions, significantly reducing the consumption of raw materials and improving the economy of the hydrogen metallurgical process.

Influence of tuck stitches on the physical and mechanical properties of knitted fabrics

This article discusses ways to develop combined knitwear based on elastic weave. The purpose of the dissertation work is to improve the technology for the production of knitted fabrics with reduced material consumption, which will provide and satisfy the demand of the population with high-quality knitted products that have high performance, hygienic and consumer properties. As a result of the experimental work, the technological capabilities of the modern LIBRA 3.130 flat knitting machine were studied and new types of combined knitwear based on elastic interlock weave were obtained. Regularities of the influence of elements of the structure of knitwear on the parameters and physical and mechanical properties of the fabric of knitwear are established. Comparing the volumetric density of the combined knitwear of different structures, one can be convinced that the presence of rows of satin stitch and a derivative surface in the structure of elastic knitwear not only reduces extensibility and increases dimensional stability, but in some cases reduces the bulk density of knitwear. It has been established that the air permeability coefficients can be reduced to 40% (168.6 - 236.6 cm3/cm2∙sec) for combined knitwear by reducing the length of the thread in the loop. It has been established that a decrease in the surface density of combined knitwear based on elastic and interlock weave can also be achieved by skipping stitches, since this reduces the length of the thread spent on the formation of one loop row. On the basis of a comprehensive comparison, optimal options for new models of knitwear structures with improved physical, mechanical and consumer properties are proposed. Regression equations are derived to determine the dependence of the bulk density of the knitted fabric and the air permeability index on technological factors. The results of the study make it possible to expand the range of knitted products, re-duce the consumption of raw materials per unit of production, as well as improve the quality and consumer proper-ties of the range produced, choose high-quality samples and technologies for their production.

Sulphur poisoning and regeneration of Li-Ru/Al2O3 dual function material for the integrated CO2 capture and methanation

Effective integration of the CO2 capture from flue gases and its subsequent methanation with renewable H2 to achieve a net-zero chemical looping process poses strong challenges in the development of highly performing Dual Function Materials (DFMs). Li-Ru/Al2O3 DFM has been shown to optimally operate the cyclic process at low temperature (260 – 280 °C) with stable performance upon ageing and outstanding tolerance to SOx impurities in the flue gas, which, however, slowly deteriorate its CO2 capture capacity. This work investigates the mechanisms behind the sulfur-poisoning and self-regeneration capability of the catalytic features of the Li-Ru DFM as well as the irreversible inhibition of CO2 adsorption. Eventually, we demonstrate the remarkable effectiveness of a simple ex-situ regeneration procedure for a heavily sulfur-aged DFM aiming to minimize the consumption of critical raw materials within a circular economy approach.

Critical and Strategic Minerals in the Russian Federation

Global development and scientific and technological progress are intensifying the use of mineralraw materials (MRMs)—the necessary basis for the production of high-tech products. The advanced producing countries of these products are in dire need of various raw materials, which are critical and, as a rule, are supplied from third countries. Strategic is a mineral raw material, which is of particular importance for ensuring the economic development of the country, its defense and security. Due to the complex structure of extraction, processing and consumption of raw materials, many of its types are in short supply. In the world literature, the concept of “deficient MRMs” in its content most closely corresponds to “critical MRMs,” that is, raw materials that are critically needed for industry and are characterized by a significant risk of their supplies. Most critical raw materials are needed for production promising high-tech industrial products and new materials and, in particular, for “green technologies” in connection with the course of decarbonization of the economy actively pursued by world powers. In the production of such products, the consumption of MRMs is growing rapidly, especially rare-earth elements (REEs), V, Li and platinum-group elements (PGEs). From the list of 61 kinds of MRMs that are strategic for Russia, the extraction of oil, gas, Cu, Au, PGEs, Ni, apatite ores, K salts, and diamonds (as well as nonlisted coals, Fe ores, Na salts, V, B ores, magnesite, and chrysotile asbestos) fully covers their current domestic consumption in the Russian Federation and the achieved level of export. U, Mn, and Cr ores; Zr; high-purity quartz raw materials (SiO2); bauxite (Al); graphite; fluorite and nonstrategic barite; kaolin; and bentonite are deficient; their exploitation only partially provides domestic consumption, which is largely dependent on imports; it is carried out in insufficient volumes in the presence of significant reserves of relatively low quality. The most deficient in this list are Ti, Li, Ta, Nb, and REEs (usually, there are groups of heavy and light rare earths (HREEs and LREEs, respectively)): their domestic consumption is provided mainly by imports with very limited production (despite large reserves, including low quality ores). Re, Be, Nb, Ta, HREEs, Y, Sc, LREEs, Ge, Ga, Li, Hf, and Co, and, of nonstrategic MRMs, Bi and Sr, should be considered critical MRMs in the Russian Federation. The most important source of dispersed/ associated elements is represented by raw materials of mining enterprises of nonferrous metallurgy: Cu and Zn subsectors, In, Ge, Ga, Cd, Tl, Se, Te, Sb, Bi, etc.; Al subsectors, Ga; for Au and Au–Ag deposits, Sb, As, Te, Se, Bi, Tl. An associated source of lithium is represented by brines of gas-condensate fields. The issues of assessing complex raw materials for high-tech industry are considered using the example of pyrite, porphyry, and gold-ore deposits of the Ural folded region, which play an important role in its overall metallogenic potential.

Calculation of EPD for individual AAC product classes

AbstractIn fact, climate change is increasing the relevance of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Currently, product‐specific EPDs are coming into vogue instead of average‐based EPDs. Individual EPDs for distinct products can be beneficial, but the data preparation upfront is crucial to avoid greenwashing through the use of false data. Adjustments to the standards for calculating EPDs are currently under development.The starting point for the calculation of EPD according to EN 15804+A2 is always the annual production and associated consumption of raw materials and energy. The raw material input per product is calculated from recipe data and the respective production quantities as a first step. This shall be done for all products of a plant. Now, the summarized consumptions have to be related with the purchased raw material quantities, correction factors have to be calculated and applied to specify the actual input per product. The use of correction factors is mandatory to avoid inaccuracy and underestimation of actual consumption. Hence, the calculation of one product‐specific EPD requires product‐specific source data preparation for all products.In AAC production, the correction of the consumed raw materials is particularly important concerning internal recycling. For example, the actual consumption of aluminum is of specific interest. While ground sand within the recycled sludge is unchanged and binders still react in the autoclave, the aluminum is no longer reactive. This can lead to additional aluminum consumption that deviates by one‐third and more from the recipe values.In the presentation, a comprehensive approach to the calculation of correction factors for different AAC product classes will be introduced. The final calculations for the EPD are not based on recipe data alone but are corrected using procurement data. Thus, the total consumption of a plant can be adequately allocated to all products in the production program.

Additive Manufacturing of a Steel Splice Joint for Tubular Elements in a Modular Wind Tower

AbstractWind turbines of large size pose a challenge to structural engineers in providing suitable supporting structures. Nevertheless, these structures frequently result in complex logistical requirements, raising the expenses of new projects. Hence, the design philosophy is shifting towards lighter and modular towers, which often use tubular components. However, due to the intricate shape of the joints, connecting these tubular components is costly and laborious. Therefore, considering the advantages of new fabrication techniques, such as additive manufacturing, a ‘plug and play’ (PnP) device is in development to satisfy the requirements of a splice joint part of an onshore modular tower supporting a wind energy converter. An optimisation methodology was developed to determine the geometry of the device by structural topology optimisation and validate using finite element method software. As result from this methodology, three optimised geometries able to meet the desired requirements were found. Finally, the PnP device delivered a bespoke solution that allows for the simple joining of modular tubular components and reduces the raw material consumption without compromising the performance of the joint.

The relationship between the selected sectoral dimensions and sustainable consumption and production within the Sustainable Development Goal 12.

The study's main goal was to quantify the relationships between the selected sectoral dimensions and responsible consumption and production within the Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12). The SDG 12 goal was examined through the six indicators: (i) raw material consumption tonnes per capita (RMC), (ii) average CO2 emissions per km from new passenger cars (CO2), (iii) circular material use rate, (iv) generation of waste excluding major mineral wastes by hazardousness in kilogram per capita, (v) gross value added in environmental goods and services sector percentage per GDP (VAE), and (vi) energy productivity PPS per kilogram of oil (EPO). The results of the analyses confirmed the existence of the important synergies, but also the significant compromises between the goals of sustainable development. The highest level of association with the raw material consumption was confirmed for the enterprises located in the low-tech manufacturing sector. The results are beneficial for the policymakers and development strategies, for experts dealing with the sector analyses in a relation to sustainable development, creators of the evaluation, and regulatory mechanisms supporting the sustainability of the economies and their environmental goals and strategies.

CASE STUDY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MAINTENANCE MECHANISM OF INJECTION MACHINE

Maintaining the normal operation of machinery and equipment in order to reduce the failure rate and increase the utilization rate is one of the most important tasks of on-site management. This research is mainly based on the establishment of relevant equipment inspection and maintenance specifications, the establishment of tables, and the promotion to on-site practical explanation, operation drills, and introduction and implementation. And use the DMAIC process of Six-Sigma to verify the improvement process. Before the equipment maintenance mechanism is introduced, the utilization rate, downtime, and number of failures were about 64.9%, 1603 min/month, and 16.7 times/month, respectively. After about half year implementation of the maintenance mechanism, its utilization rate, downtime, and number of failures were 76.13%, 250 min/month, and 3.5 times/month, respectively. Which has a significant improvement. Furthermore, in terms of tangible aspects, there are obvious improvements in increasing the utilization rate, reducing the number of failures, shortening the downtime, reduce manpower need, and raw material consumption. In the intangible aspect, the operator thus feels the cleanliness of the equipment is improved, the normal operation to reduce workload, and the work in a happy mood.

A Novel Hybrid CSP-PV Power Plant Based on Brayton Supercritical CO2 Thermal Machines

A novel hybrid CSP-PV power plant is presented. Instead of the integration used in current hybrid power plants, where part of the PV production is charged into the thermal energy storage system through electrical resistors, the proposed system integrates both PV and thermal solar fields using a high-temperature heat pump. Both the heat pump and the heat engine are based on Brayton supercritical CO2 thermodynamic cycles. Such integration allows for charging the molten salt storage as if a central tower receiver field supplied the thermal energy, whereas parabolic trough collectors are employed. Unlike conventional hybrid plants, where the storage of PV production leads to a decrease in power injected into the grid throughout the day, the power injected by the proposed system remains constant. The heat engine efficiency is 44.4%, and the COP is 2.32. The LCOE for a 50 MWe plant with up to 12 h of storage capacity is USD 171/MWh, which is lower than that of existing CSP power plants with comparable performance. Although the cost is higher compared with a PV plant with batteries, this hybrid system offers two significant advantages: it eliminates the consumption of critical raw materials in batteries, and all the electricity produced comes from a synchronous machine.

Reuse of Lake Sediments in Sustainable Mortar

The study analyses the possible valorisation of lake sediments for sustainable mortar, in accordance with the principles of the circular economy, to obtain a sustainable material, since reuse occurs without any kind of preliminary treatment and preserves the consumption of virgin raw materials in the mix design. Moreover, it reduces the amount of water to be used in the mix since part of it is already contained in the sediments. The research was performed on sediments dredged from two artificial reservoirs, Camastra and San Giuliano, located in Basilicata, a region in southern Italy. Cement mortar was prepared by completely replacing, at different quantities, the fine aggregate and, for some of it, partially replacing, at a constant quantity, part of the binder. Workability, mechanical strength, and density were measured, as well as the possible release of contaminants. The investigations made it possible to assess the influence of replacing aggregate with sediment on mortar performance, showing that San Giuliano sediment produces mortar with great workability (~140%), comparable to that of normalised mortar. Similarly, the mechanical strengths of some specimens (SG_s1 and SG_s2) were approximately 60 MPa and 52 MPa, respectively (about 15% higher than that of normalised mortar). On the contrary, for the mortar prepared with the Camastra sediments, both workability and mechanical strength were ~50% lower than normalised mortar. Furthermore, the leaching test did not reveal contaminant release.

Asphaltene Inhibitor Screening of Next Generation: Automated High-Throughput Experimentation Method

Asphaltene deposition has been a critical flow assurance challenge, and chemical treatment with continuous asphaltene inhibitor injection has been the go-to approach for operators to preemptively tackle this challenge. Development of the right inhibitor chemistry and dosage is challenging and critical. A smart, automated process for screening numerous asphaltene inhibitor formulations based on the design of experiment (DoE) and high-throughput experimentation (HTE) method has been developed and is discussed in this work. Asphaltene inhibitor formulations with distinct base chemistries, boosters, and solvent packages were blended in various ratios to encompass a large chemical and formulation space with the automated blending station of the HTE setup. These formulations were then dosed into a multitude of crude oil samples produced from different regions of the world at constant dosages to represent a uniform and comparable test fluid matrix. The dispersion state of asphaltene clusters within dosed oil samples, in their native state, was then evaluated using the HTE-asphaltene differential aggregation probe test (ADAPT) techniques to generate thousands of performance data points. Furthermore, the efficiency of top-performing formulations was then cross-validated using standard optical transmittance and deposition-based techniques to gauge performance. The four main pillars of the HTE technique are automation, miniaturization, parallelization, and computational design. Each of these pillars contributes to enhancing the current test method into a more accurate, agile, and quicker technique. Through automation, the overall accuracy of formulation blending as well as performance efficiency measurement is increased. With miniaturization, the resource consumption of raw materials and more importantly crude oil is considerably reduced. For this work, each formulation required less than 300 µL of oil per measurement. Parallelization resulted in completing the test evaluation at a rate of 600 evaluations every 4 hours. These results can then be analyzed through the computational design and analytics software to identify the top-performing formulations along with predicting the optimal chemical formulation space that can lead to maximum performance efficiency. The selected formulations were subsequently blended on a bigger laboratory scale, and their efficacy was cross-checked with both dispersion- (optical transmittance and thermoelectric methods) and deposition-based (flow loop setup) techniques against a benchmark asphaltene inhibitor product, known to work successfully in many fields having asphaltene instability related issues. Through this process, several new asphaltene inhibitor formulations were discovered that outperformed the benchmark blend. Automated HTE technology provides a new dimension to asphaltene inhibitor development work that can carry out performance evaluation of numerous formulations at tremendous speed and minimum crude oil volume. With this technique, one can quickly adapt to the changing requirements of asphaltene inhibitor and its dosage with varying crude oil composition, gas/oil ratio, water cut, or any operational change affecting overall asphaltene stability.

Advanced nanocellulose hybrid fillers for sustainable polypropylene biomaterials with enhanced oxygen barrier properties

Research was undertaken on the design and preparation of advanced polymer biomaterials containing innovative nanocellulose hybrid fillers with functional physicochemical properties, characterized by high mechanical strength, enhanced thermal resistance, and improved gas barrier properties, which are important in the packaging industry. Such innovative polymer composite nanomaterials with renewable fillers, which will reduce the consumption of petroleum raw materials, which is also directly related to the reduction of energy consumption. Novel TiO2-ZnO/nanocellulose hybrid systems were prepared by a solvothermal method, and their structural, textural, morphological, chemical composition, and thermal properties were evaluated. Polymer composites with nanocellulose synthesized using enzymatic hydrolysis and with hybrid fillers, were obtained by two-step extrusion. Various techniques were used to determine the supermolecular structure and nucleation activity of the biomaterials, barrier tests and mechanical properties were also carried out. It was found that the composites containing hybrid fillers exhibited increased nucleation activity, which favored the formation of a pseudohexagonal polymorphic variety of the polymer matrix, providing high tensile strength while maintaining high flexibility. In addition, the use of novel hybrid fillers made it possible to achieve higher barrier properties against oxygen and water vapor in composite films. A significant achievement is the finding of a previously unrecorded relationship between the shaping of supermolecular structure (polymorphism, nucleation) and physicochemical properties (mechanical, barrier), which is of great significance for the design of modern packaging.