Saleable Product Research Articles

What a waste! Assessing public perceptions of Carbon Dioxide Utilisation technology

Carbon Dioxide Utilisation (CDU) technologies hold promise by helping to limit atmospheric releases of CO2 while simultaneously generating saleable products; however, to date there has been very little systematic research into public perceptions of the technology.This short communication reports briefly upon the results of a small pilot study designed to (a) test a methodology for investigating public perceptions of CDU; and (b) elucidate new understanding of people's attitudes towards the technology.The results indicate that while people believe that CDU will have economic benefits (e.g., creating employment opportunities and saleable products) there is scepticism over the perceived long-term environmental benefits of the technology (e.g., in mitigating climate change).The findings of this research have important implications for the framing of communications about CDU technology within the public sphere.

Hacia una descripción de fuste para el Laurel Cordia alliodora en sistemas agroforestales en el Bosque Protector Sumaco, Ecuador

El Bosque Protector Sumaco esta caracterizado por extensas áreas de bosque secundario en la zona de amortiguamiento del Parque Nacional Sumaco-Napo-Galeras a una altitud de 1160 m y con una precipitación promedio de 4000 mm año-1. Un adecuado manejo de estas áreas requiere información básica sobre el crecimiento y producción dependiendo de la regeneración del Laurel Cordia alliodora en sistemas agroforestales. El presente estudio muestra los resultados sobre diferentes modelos para determinar el coeficiente de forma, volumen, perfil de fuste y desarrolla un sistema de ecuaciones matemáticamente y numéricamente consistente para Cordia alliodora bajo un sistema agroforestal en la comunidad indígena de Wamaní. Para la búsqueda de los parámetros de las funciones de volumen total, el cociente de forma, la descripción del perfil de fuste y la función de conicidad, un total de 308 árboles fueron medidos el diámetro a 1, 3, 2, 4, 6, 8, metros, a la mitad del árbol y la altura total en metros. Se presenta un modelo para determinar el volumen del Laurel en base al cociente de forma, diámetro y altura total. El modelo de perfil de fuste a través de la función Pain demuestra ser un modelo muy apropiado para describir este parámetro, así como también para calcular el volumen con mayor exactitud. En este estudio la consistencia algebraica y numérica para determinar el volumen y el diámetro a una establecida altura del fuste a través de la función de conicidad fue verificada. Todos estos modelos pueden ser utilizados en la práctica, constituyéndose estos en la esencia del negocio de la madera.

The M1 energy‐plus masonry house / Das M1 Energieeffizienzhaus Plus

AbstractMasonry construction – the dominant construction style for new residential buildings in Germany – can and must demonstrate its sustainability in terms of energy‐efficiency. The M1 energy‐plus masonry house is a pilot project that provides the first practical demonstration of how the benefits of masonry construction – such as its loadbearing capacity, fire safety and sound insulation – can be combined with current and anticipated energy‐efficiency standards. A compound blockwork system with different bulk densities and strength classes has been used here for the first time, combining all the advantages of high thermal insulation and heat storage in a monolithic construction (YTONG Energy ). With simple, well‐thought‐out design details and carefully matched technical construction equipment, masonry energy‐plus houses are no longer just a vision. The main focus of the M1 project is to develop a cost‐efficient and saleable product which opens up new opportunities for consumers, designers and developers alike.

Titelbild: Mauerwerk 3/4/2014

AbstractMasonry construction – the dominant construction style for new residential buildings in Germany – can and must demonstrate its sustainability in terms of energy‐efficiency. The M1 energy‐plus masonry house is a pilot project that provides the first practical demonstration of how the benefits of masonry construction – such as its loadbearing capacity, fire safety and sound insulation – can be combined with current and anticipated energy‐efficiency standards. With simple, well‐thought‐out design details and carefully matched technical construction equipment, masonry energy‐plus houses are no longer just a vision. The main focus of the M1 project is to develop a cost‐efficient and saleable product which opens up new opportunities for consumers, designers and developers alike (see pp. 118–138). (Photo: Xella)

Training on uncertain ground: Farma bez jeskyně/Farm without a cave

The recipient of numerous honours including Edinburgh Fringe First, Total Theatre and Herald Angel Awards and the European Prize for New Theatrical Realities (2011), Farma v jeskyni is among the most successful theatre companies to emerge from the Czech new theatre (nové divadlo) scene. Despite, or perhaps because of, its success, Farma's reception domestically is fraught with ambiguity and a suspicion of the company's laboratory-based methodology, which emphasises the daily physical training of company members. This article considers Farma's work and its domestic critical reception and interrogates the disparity between the company's international renown and compromised working conditions in Prague. It demonstrates the extent to which Farma's reception and treatment is shaped by the artistic values and priorities established throughout the historical evolution of Czech theatre as a highly politicised and national art form. Farma's emphasis on training and ensemble practice will be explored as inflecting the company's critical perception and working conditions, with reference to communist-era scepticism concerning Grotowski's actor-training practices, as well as post-communist neo-liberal agendas that emphasise saleable cultural products over artistically rigorous processes.

Feed intake, average daily gain, feed efficiency, and real-time ultrasound traits in Duroc pigs: I. Genetic parameter estimation and accuracy of genomic prediction

The efficiency of producing salable products in the pork industry is largely determined by costs associated with feed and by the amount and quality of lean meat produced. The objectives of this paper were 1) to explore heritability and genetic correlations for growth, feed efficiency, and real-time ultrasound traits using both pedigree and marker information and 2) to assess accuracy of genomic prediction for those traits using Bayes A prediction models in a Duroc terminal sire population. Body weight at birth (BW at birth) and weaning (BW at weaning) and real-time ultrasound traits, including back fat thickness (BF), muscle depth (MD), and intramuscular fat content (IMF), were collected on the basis of farm protocol. Individual feed intake and serial BW records of 1,563 boars obtained from feed intake recording equipment (FIRE; Osborne Industries Inc., Osborne, KS) were edited to obtain growth, feed intake, and feed efficiency traits, including ADG, ADFI, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and residual feed intake (RFI). Correspondingly, 1,047 boars were genotyped using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip. The remaining 516 boars, as an independent sample, were genotyped with a low-density GGP-Porcine BeadChip and imputed to 60K. Magnitudes of heritability from pedigree analysis were moderate for growth, feed intake, and ultrasound traits (ranging from 0.44 ± 0.11 for ADG to 0.58 ± 0.09 for BF); heritability estimates were 0.32 ± 0.09 for FCR but only 0.10 ± 0.05 for RFI. Comparatively, heritability estimates using marker information by Bayes A models were about half of those from pedigree analysis, suggesting "missing heritability." Moderate positive genetic correlations between growth and feed intake (0.32 ± 0.05) and back fat (0.22 ± 0.04), as well as negative genetic correlations between growth and feed efficiency traits (-0.21 ± 0.08, -0.05 ± 0.07), indicate selection solely on growth traits may lead to an undesirable increase in feed intake, back fat, and reduced feed efficiency. Genetic correlations among growth, feed intake, and FCR assessed by a multiple-trait Bayes A model resulted in increased genetic correlation between ADG and ADFI, a negative correlation between ADFI and FCR, and a positive correlation between ADG and FCR. Accuracies of genomic prediction for the traits investigated, ranging from 9.4% for RFI to 36.5% for BF, were reported that might provide new insight into pig breeding and future selection programs using genomic information.

Robustness of Industrial Crops in High Production Cost Agricultural Systems – Dealing with Market Flux

Industrial or extractive crops are agricultural crops grown primarily for an extractive commodity and are important economic components of many agricultural production systems [1]. They provide novel plant based products for a wide range of uses. These crops are generally regarded as high value per production land area crops and can provide a significant income stream to producers. Furthermore the requirement for additional processing creates additional economic activity, industrial development and associated employment and adds significant value to the saleable products.

Stochastic production phase design for an open pit mining complex with multiple processing streams

In a mining complex, the mine is a source of supply of valuable material (ore) to a number of processes that convert the raw ore to a saleable product or a metal concentrate for production of the refined metal. In this context, expected variation in metal content throughout the extent of the orebody defines the inherent uncertainty in the supply of ore, which impacts the subsequent ore and metal production targets. Traditional optimization methods for designing production phases and ultimate pit limit of an open pit mine not only ignore the uncertainty in metal content, but, in addition, commonly assume that the mine delivers ore to a single processing facility. A stochastic network flow approach is proposed that jointly integrates uncertainty in supply of ore and multiple ore destinations into the development of production phase design and ultimate pit limit. An application at a copper mine demonstrates the intricacies of the new approach. The case study shows a 14% higher discounted cash flow when compared to the traditional approach.

Effect of the Addition of Zero Valent Iron (Fe0) on the Batch Biological Sulphate Reduction Using Grass Cellulose as Carbon Source

Mineral mining generates acidic, saline, metal-rich mine waters, often referred to as acid mine drainage (AMD). Treatment of AMD and recovering saleable products during the treatment process are a necessity since water is, especially in South Africa, a scarce commodity. The aim of the study presented here was to investigate the effect of zero valent iron (Fe(0)) on the biological removal of sulphate from AMD in batch reactors. The performance of the reactors was assessed by means of sulphate reduction, chemical oxygen demand (COD), volatile fatty acid (VFA) utilisation and volatile suspended solids (VSS) concentration. To this end, three batch reactors, A, B and C (volume 2.5 L), were operated similarly with the exception of the addition of grass cuttings and iron filings. Reactors A and B received twice as much grass (100 g) as C (50 g). Reactor A received no iron filings to act as a control, while reactors B and C received 50-g iron filings for the experimental duration. The results showed that Fe(0) appears to provide sustained sulphate removal when sufficient grass substrate is available. In reactors A and C, sulphate removal efficiency was higher when the COD concentration was lower due to utilisation. In reactor B, sulphate removal efficiency was accompanied by an accumulation of COD as hydrogen (H2) provided by the Fe(0) was utilised for sulphate reduction. Furthermore, these results showed the potential of Fe(0) to enhance the participation of microorganisms in sulphate reduction.

Marine Collagen as a Source of Bioactive Molecules: A Review

Skins, scales and bones are the major by-products of the fish-processing industry. These by-products are not regarded as ordinary saleable products and are usually discarded causing a heavy environmental impact. However, marine by-products are a good source of collagen that could be extracted and further enzymatically hydrolyzed to liberate interesting bioactive peptides. Collagen-derived peptides may exhibit interesting antioxidant activity, potent antihypertensive activity, antimicrobial activity against different strains of bacteria, protective effect on cartilage, capacity to stimulate bone formation, and also other interesting activities (e.g., satiety, calciotropic, or opioid). The bioactive properties of collagen-derived peptides, and also their resistance to protein digestion, make them potential ingredients of health promoting foods. Keywords: Bioactive peptides, by-products, collagen, fish, gelatin, hydrolysates, nutraceuticals.

Therapeutically Important Proteins From In Vitro Plant Tissue Culture Systems

Plant cells cultured in liquid medium in bioreactors are now being used commercially to produce biopharmaceutical proteins. The emergence of in vitro plant cell culture as a production vehicle reflects the importance of key biosafety and biocontainment concerns affecting the competitiveness of alternative systems such as mammalian cell culture and agriculture. Food plant species are particularly attractive as hosts for in vitro protein production: the risk of transgene escape and food chain contamination is eliminated using containment facilities, while regulatory approval for oral delivery of drugs may be easier than if non-edible species were used. As in whole plants, proteolysis in cultured plant cells can lead to significant degradation of foreign proteins after synthesis; however, substantial progress has been made to counter the destructive effects of proteases in plant systems. Although protein secretion into the culture medium is advantageous for product recovery and purification, measures are often required to minimise extracellular protease activity and product losses due to irreversible surface adsorption. Disposable plastic bioreactors, which are being used increasingly in mammalian cell bioprocessing, are also being adopted for plant cell culture to allow rapid scale-up and generation of saleable product. This review examines a range of technical and regulatory issues affecting the choice of industrial production platform for foreign proteins, and assesses progress in the development of in vitro plant systems for biopharmaceutical production.

Therapeutically Important Proteins From In Vitro Plant Tissue Culture Systems

Plant cells cultured in liquid medium in bioreactors are now being used commercially to produce biopharmaceutical proteins. The emergence of in vitro plant cell culture as a production vehicle reflects the importance of key biosafety and biocontainment concerns affecting the competitiveness of alternative systems such as mammalian cell culture and agriculture. Food plant species are particularly attractive as hosts for in vitro protein production: the risk of transgene escape and food chain contamination is eliminated using containment facilities, while regulatory approval for oral delivery of drugs may be easier than if non-edible species were used. As in whole plants, proteolysis in cultured plant cells can lead to significant degradation of foreign proteins after synthesis; however, substantial progress has been made to counter the destructive effects of proteases in plant systems. Although protein secretion into the culture medium is advantageous for product recovery and purification, measures are often required to minimise extracellular protease activity and product losses due to irreversible surface adsorption. Disposable plastic bioreactors, which are being used increasingly in mammalian cell bioprocessing, are also being adopted for plant cell culture to allow rapid scale-up and generation of saleable product. This review examines a range of technical and regulatory issues affecting the choice of industrial production platform for foreign proteins, and assesses progress in the development of in vitro plant systems for biopharmaceutical production. Keywords: Disposable bioreactor, host plant species, oral delivery, plant cell culture, protein adsorption, protein stability, proteolysis, Plant cells, Plant Tissue, biopharmaceutical

Information infrastructures for on-line measurement of non-productive greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing: case of the brewing industry

A novel information infrastructure designed to measure key components of the greenhouse gas emission ‘opportunity cost’ in a production environment is proposed. The data-driven metrics facilitate drill-down to provide visibility of constituent parts. Contemporary metrics typically focus on direct energy consumption and are often normalised against units of product produced. Such metrics have proven to be useful for monitoring trends in relative performance and for benchmarking against other plants. However, they typically do not provide visibility of energy consumption (carbon emissions) that did not directly contribute to the production of saleable product. With the community's ever increasing focus on sustainability and climate change, the environmental impact of industry has come under greater scrutiny. The proposed information infrastructure provides a new level of transparency enabling stakeholders to see the portion of utilities consumption (or greenhouse gas impact) that did not directly contribute to saleable product; the non-productive greenhouse gas emission impact in a manufacturing environment. A case study is included depicting results from a pilot implementation in a packaging line in a brewery.

Step change in the context of comminution

Much has been written about innovation and the need for “game-changing” step change. There is no doubt that there are many challenges facing the mining and minerals industry and hence it is appropriate that the industry examines the level of response required. “Step Change” should not be regarded as a tightly defined, prescriptive descriptor, rather the industry needs to consider what it should mean in the context of the current and future challenges.In terms of comminution, the area bears much of the burden for the use of energy in the mining–processing system. Given this specific issue it is reasonable to consider that step change should be targeted at the reduction of the energy input per unit of final product. It is important to consider energy in terms of the final output, as without this, effort could be misdirected.To ensure the maximum effectiveness of innovation in this field, comminution must be regarded as a component of the wider system that encompasses the size reduction from the in situ rock mass to a saleable product. In regard to the total system, some of the key considerations are philosophical, not technological. Such points include the need to simplify circuits, increase flexibility, examine the impact of variability and consider the end-game.In essence the total system is not about breaking rocks to a size, it is about breaking only what requires size reduction, to the point at which a saleable product can be generated. With this in mind the context for step change is set and this forms the basis for the discussion.

Nitrogen fertilization increases diversity and productivity of prairie communities used for bioenergy

AbstractUsing prairie biomass as a renewable source of energy may constitute an important opportunity to improve the environmental sustainability of managed land. To date, assessments of the feasibility of using prairies for bioenergy production have focused on marginal areas with low yield potential. Growing prairies on more fertile soil or with moderate levels of fertilization may be an effective means of increasing yields, but increased fertility often reduces plant community diversity. At a fertile site in central Iowa with high production potential, we tested the hypothesis that nitrogen fertilization would increase aboveground biomass production but would decrease diversity of prairies sown and managed for bioenergy production. Over a 3 year period (years 2–4 after seeding), we measured aboveground biomass after plant senescence and species and functional‐group diversity in June and August for multispecies mixtures of prairie plants that received no fertilizer or 84 kg N ha−1 year−1. We found that nitrogen fertilization increased aboveground biomass production, but with or without fertilization, the prairies produced a substantial amount of biomass: averaging (±SE) 12.2 ± 1.3 and 9.1 ± 1.0 Mg ha−1 in fertilized and unfertilized prairies, respectively. Unfertilized prairies had higher species diversity in June, whereas fertilized prairies had higher species diversity in August at the end of the study period. Functional‐group diversity was almost always higher in fertilized prairies. Composition of unfertilized prairies was characterized by native C4 grasses and legumes, whereas fertilized prairies were characterized by native C3 grasses and forbs. Although most research has found that nitrogen fertilization reduces prairie diversity, our results indicate that early‐spring nitrogen fertilization, when used with a postsenescence annual harvest, may increase prairie diversity. Managing prairies for bioenergy production, including the judicious use of fertilization, may be an effective means of increasing the amount of saleable products from managed lands while potentially increasing plant diversity.

The Use of Tri-Block Copolymer Surfactants as Promoters to Improve Flotation Recovery of Poorly Floating Coal Components

The use of tri-block copolymer surfactants as flotation promoters to enhance the recovery of poorly floating components of coal is examined. Previous study of the flotation response of different coal components using the coal grain analysis tool showed that coarse particles of inertinite, inertinite-rich, and vitrinite-rich composites were poorly recovered compared with liberated vitrinite. Improved recovery of these poorly floating components by using targeted reagents could boost the saleable product coal and, hence, economic outcomes. This approach requires only minor modifications to existing fines circuits. The reagents used were surfactants from the group of tri-block copolymers of polyethylene oxide/polypropylene oxide. The tests were complemented by the coal grain analysis tool that allowed the impact of the reagents on the recovery of the problem components to be properly assessed. Laboratory and full-scale flotation experiments were conducted by adding small amounts of the promoters before adding conventional collector (diesel). Flotation recovery was significantly increased with only a small product ash penalty in each case. Coal grain analysis showed that recovery was improved for most components, especially the coarse composite grains.

The Utilization of Unsaleable Lignite Fines at Eskisehir Koyunagili Region Lignite Deposits

Samples taken from stock piles of Koyunagili Lignites Company preparation plant were cleaned by means of gravity methods to obtain a saleable product. The optimum conditions of separation were determined under the laboratory conditions by using a shaking table and multi-gravity separator. Samples were wet sieved into four size fractions: +0.5 and −0.5 + 0.3 mm size fractions were cleaned by shaking table, and −0.3 + 0.053 mm fraction was cleaned by multi gravity separator; −0.053 mm fraction was not used in the experimental work. After the experimental work, clean coal products containing 4,849 kcal/kg calorific value, 20.53% ash with 28.98% combustible recovery; 5,115 kcal/kg calorific value, 20.03% ash with 35.42% combustible recovery; and 5,165 kcal/kg calorific value, 18.71% ash with 83.62% combustible recovery were obtained at +0.5, −0.5 + 0.3, −0.3 + 0.053 mm fractions, respectively.

Has the eco-efficiency of sheep and beef farms changed in the last 20 years?

It is timely, with farming within biophysical limits as an emerging feature of the future operating environment for the sector, to explore whether the substantial productivity gains seen in the sheep and beef sector over the last 20 years translate into improved ecoefficiency and a reduction in the sector's environmental footprint. In this paper the changes in the relationship between inputs (e.g., livestock numbers, nutrients) and outputs (e.g., meat and fibre, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, nitrate) of the MAF Sheep and Beef Farm Monitoring models that cover hard hill country (Gisborne and Central North Island) and easy hill finishing (Manawatu) over the last 20 years were explored using the Overseer nutrient budget model. For the hard hill country extensive sheep and beef farm operation, the productivity gains made since 1989/90 translate into significant eco-efficiency gains, including a 47% increase in saleable product/ha (107 to 167 kg per ha), 21% reduction in nitrate leaching per kg of saleable product (0.065 to 0.054 kg N per kg animal product) and 40% reduction in the GHG emissions per kg of saleable product (27 to 19.2 kg CO2-e per kg animal product). The improvements have come through increased meat production. In contrast, the contribution from wool has been unchanged since 1989/90. These eco-efficiency gains, however, did not extend to include an overall reduction in N leaching or GHG emissions per hectare. In the easy hill finishing operation, where the MAF model farm size more than doubled over the last 20 years, there was little change in the eco-efficiency, but again also little change in total emissions. As we move to an operating environment where there are limits on emissions to the environment, understanding how to quantify eco-efficiency and monitor changes in this performance indicator becomes more than just an academic exercise. Keywords: Sheep and beef, eco-efficiency, meat and fibre production, N leaching, hill country

Innovative technology for recycling the negative segments of alkaline batteries using recoverable solvent

Technology is presented for recycling the negative segments of nickel-cadmium batteries based on the use of sodium ethyelenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) as a leaching (complex-forming) reagent. Methods are proposed for recovering the solvent and cadmium oxide preparation, suitable for manufacturing alkaline storage batteries. The technology developed is distinguished by a high degree of cadmium extraction into saleable product, selectivity, ecological safety, the possibility of complete recovery of solvent, and absence of harmful effluents and secondary waste.

Farming and marketing system affects carbon and water footprint – a case study using Hokaido pumpkin

The objective of the study was to determine the carbon footprint for four farming and marketing systems, using primary data obtained on the farms for autumn pumpkin as an example and model crop. Area for the crop cultivation and weight, i.e. kilogram of saleable product, for the marketing phase were employed as the two functional units with system boundaries from seed acquisition to pumpkin disposal; offset was not used.In the farm carbon footprint (FCF), pumpkins from the organic farm with 240kg CO2eq/ha scored best due to the lowest (50kg N/ha) (organic) nitrogen application compared with twice that value (448kg CO2eq/ha) for the IP farm. This was due to nitrous oxide emissions, as a consequence of N fertiliser, with 75–99% of FCF in the cultivation phase; it contributed ca. 10% and plant protection (methiocarb in the ‘integrated production’; IP) <1% to the product carbon footprint (PCF). Neither the form (organic or inorganic) nor the amount of applied nitrogen (a 2.5 fold difference) largely influenced the final product carbon footprint.The large specialised farm showed the best product carbon footprint with 139g CO2eq/kg pumpkin due to use of potassium fertiliser and 3-fold larger yields (18t/ha versus 5.8t/ha in the organic [716g CO2eq/kg]) and, to a lesser extent, the scale of the farm business. On the other two farms, cultivation is more extensive with the main income not from pumpkin; any increase in farm size or their pumpkin acreage would not improve their efficacy and product carbon footprint. The imported organic Argentinean pumpkin scored second best with 243g CO2eq/kg despite the long-distance transport due the lower energy consumption of bulk sea freight. The private consumer shopping distance in both cases (retail versus farm shop) amounted to as much as ca. 89% of the product carbon footprint.For a cleaner production, carbon reduction potential appears in improving the potassium fertilisation in all farming systems, except for the large farm, and consumer behaviour regarding the means of transport for shopping.A simple water footprint assessment, based on irrigation and produce washing, resulted in 0.4 (IP), 0.9L (organic) to 9L (large scale) blue water/kg pumpkin.