Differences In Moisture Levels Research Articles

Summative and Ultimate Analysis of Live Leaves from Southern U.S. Forest Plants for Use in Fire Modeling

Abstract Laboratory derived composition and pyrolysis data are essential inputs for the modeling of fire behavior. Recently, fire research has focused on live fuels including living wood and leaves which exhibit sharp differences in moisture levels and chemical composition as compared to dead fuels. These leaf components have fuel properties which function in the spread of wildfire and must be considered in order to produce nuanced predictive models that reflect real life conditions. The goal of this study was to assemble a suite of methods that would achieve summative mass closure for analysis of live leaves from 12 tree and plant species from the southeastern United States (consisting of broadleaves, conifers, grasses and palmettos). Most of the procedures used were adapted from standard methods commonly used for biomass analysis at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and others. A mass closure (aka mass balance) of 95 to 100 % was achieved for 10 of the 12 species...

Effect of post-slaughter frozen storage on protein, lipid, moisture, calorie content and microbial development of male and female <i>Heterobranchus longifilis</i> and <i>Clarias gariepinus</i> flesh

The effect of post-slaughter frozen storage and exposure on proximate composition and microbial development respectively, were studied in two commonly cultured catfish species, Heterobranchus longifilis and Clarias gariepinus . Samples of minced fillets of males and females of both species were analyzed for protein, lipid, moisture, and calorie content, at slaughter and at 3 and 6 days of deep freezing at -18oC. Bacterial development in samples of minced unpreserved fillets was quantified at slaughter, and at 3, 6, and 9 hours interval using fluorescence microscopy. Protein, lipid, moisture, calorie levels, and bacterial counts were statistically analyzed to detect differences using the ANOVA. Fischer’s LSD (0.05) was used to separate means. Means of variables were compared between species using t-test. There were significant differences in moisture levels (P 0.05). There were significant differences in protein, lipid, moisture and calorie levels between sexes of both species with post-slaughter freezing (P 0.05) over the intervals. Moisture loss ranged from -5.24±0.32% of initial levels in H. longifilis males, to -13.92±0.22% in H. longifilis females. At 9 hours post-slaughter exposure, bacterial load in both species recorded higher levels in females (4.88x10 7 cells g -1 , and 3.5x10 7 cells g -1 in H. longifilis and C gariepinu s respectively), than males (0.50x10 6 cells g -1 , and 0.45x10 6 cells g -1 in H. longifilis and C. gariepinus respectively). Key words: Heterobranchus longifilis, Clarias gariepinus, frozen storage, protein, fat, moisture, bacterial development.

Removal of Particulate Matter (PM10) by Air Scrubbers at Livestock Facilities: Results of an On-Farm Monitoring Program

Air scrubbers are commonly used for removal of ammonia and odor from exhaust air of animal houses in the Netherlands. In addition, air scrubbers remove a part of the particulate matter. In this article, the results of an on-farm monitoring are presented in which PM10 removal was monitored at 24 scrubbers. It was found that scrubbers with long air contact times (empty bed residence time (EBRT) > 3 s) achieved relatively high PM10 removal efficiencies (on average 79%). However, at short air contact times (EBRT < 3 s), efficiencies were lower (on average 49%). As dust particles travel through the humid scrubber environment, they grow in size and mass, which increases their chance of being intercepted and removed from the air. The results suggest that the maximum particle size is reached within this period of 3 s, but a controlled experimental setup is required to prove this assumption. Possible formation of salt aerosols inside the scrubbers may have affected measured removal efficiencies, especially for acid scrubbers, that are operated at EBRT < 3 s. As multi-stage scrubbers have a higher average air residence time, they show a higher PM10 removal efficiency than acid scrubbers and bioscrubbers. In addition, it is suggested that the gravimetric PM10 determination method might need to be improved to eliminate the effect of differences in moisture levels between scrubber inlet and outlet air on particle cutoff.

Comparison of Neutron Moisture Gauges and a Neutron Tool for Use in Monitoring Wells

AbstractResearch at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory investigated the movement of water through a thick fractured basalt vadose zone. Measurements taken in 20‐cm diameter boreholes completed with 10.2‐cm diameter PVC casing and in specially constructed test containers filled with basalt showed that 50‐m Ci neutron moisture gauges could distinguish differences in moisture levels in the basalt formation beyond the well's annular space. Measurements made at depths up to 55 m in similarly constructed monitoring wells in the field showed that moisture gauge readings lead to the same interpretation of moisture movement as readings made with a 3‐Ci neutron tool.