Specific Quality Requirements Research Articles

Pathways and enhancement strategies for magnesium hardness removal in modified induced crystallization softening

Elevated levels of total hardness in drinking water can readily result in scaling, which poses a threat to both the safety of water quality and the convenience of its use. While there is a wealth of research on the removal of calcium hardness, there is a dearth of studies focusing on the removal of magnesium hardness. In light of this, the present study employs modified induced crystallization softening (MICS) to delineate the removal pathways and mechanisms of magnesium hardness, and to investigate viable methods for its enhancement and application. Our research has determined that magnesium hardness can be effectively removed from water through the MICS, with the dosage of softening agents (NaOH) being a significant factor that influences this removal, whereas the fixed bed height within the fluidized bed exerts minimal impact on the process. In the low-dose stage (less than 250 mg/L), when the pH is below 10.0, up to 20% of magnesium hardness can be removed, predominantly through the crystallization of (Ca0.936Mg0.064)CO3. As the dosage increases to the moderate stage (250–400 mg/L), the conversion of excess bicarbonate (HCO3−) to carbonate (CO32−) in the water hinders further removal of magnesium hardness. In the high-dose stage (exceeding 400 mg/L), when the pH rises above 10.5, the removal rate of magnesium hardness can be enhanced to over 75%, with the crystallization of Mg(OH)2 being the primary removal mechanism. Density functional theory calculations, along with molecular dynamics simulations of cohesive energy and bond energy, substantiate the feasibility of the identified magnesium removal pathways. The addition of coagulants (FeCl3) and an decrease in the up-flow velocity can further augment the removal efficiency of magnesium hardness by promoting the crystallinity of Mg(OH)2 during the high-dose stage (exceeding 400 mg/L). In practical engineering applications, the strategic control of softening agent dosages enables the achievement of varying levels of magnesium hardness removal, tailored to specific water quality requirements.

Evaluating The Physical Quality of Trembesi Seedlings (Samanea saman) in The Permanent Nursery of BPDAS Indragiri Rokan, Pekanbaru City, Riau Province

The availability of high-quality seedlings is crucial for reforestation and forest rehabilitation initiatives aimed at mitigating deforestation. This study assesses the physical quality of rain tree (Samanea saman) seedlings produced by the Permanent Nursery of BPDAS Indragiri Rokan, located in Pekanbaru, Riau Province. A systematic sampling method with a random start was employed, involving 15,155 raintree seedlings that were six months old, from which a sample size of 200 seedlings was selected following SNI 8420 of 2018. The parameters observed included seedling height, stem diameter, leaf count (LCR), compactness of the planting medium, and root crown ratio. Data analysis was conducted based on the general and specific quality requirements outlined in SNI and Perdirjen RLPS No. P.05/V-Set/2009. The findings revealed that 66.5% of the seedlings satisfied the general requirements, while 72.38% met the specific requirements. The rain tree seedlings were classified within quality class D, with a percentage of normal seedlings falling below 95% and several samples exhibiting damage from pests and diseases. These results underscore the necessity for enhancements in nursery management, particularly concerning pest and disease control, to elevate the quality of raintree seedlings in future production.

Hydrogen sulphide removal from raw biogas using novel coconut husk and sugarcane bagasse composite biochar adsorbent

Abstract The presence of water, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia, oxygen, nitrogen, and siloxanes in biogas is not desirable for thermal and electrical applications through the engine route. H2S adversely affects engines and fuel cells by causing corrosion on metal components, poisoning catalytic converters, and accelerating wear and tear, compromising performance and longevity. To meet specific quality requirements for diverse applications such as heating, combined heat and power generation, vehicle fuel, and fuel cells, biogas must undergo cleaning and upgrading processes. Using biochar to remove H2S in biogas is a comparatively new technique and can be a promising option for small-scale, decentralized units. Current research primarily investigates the potential of biochar derived from coconut husk (CH) and sugarcane bagasse (SB) for effectively removing H2S from raw biogas within an experimental framework. The selection of a composite material consisting of equal parts CH and SB was based on available literature and material accessibility. The integrated methodology provided comprehensive insights into the performance of biochars in biogas purification. Morphological analysis elucidated the role of pore structure in facilitating H2S removal, while CHNS analysis highlighted the influence of elemental composition on biochar reactivity. Additionally, pH studies underscored the potential for biochar application to mitigate biogas acidity. According to the findings, the biochar from the combination of CH and SB exhibited a removal efficiency of 77.60% for H2S in raw biogas.

Comprehensive quality evaluation of Indian chili powder using physiochemical indicators coupled with multivariate analysis

Chili is an important spice prone to economically motivated adulteration. This study aimed at verifying regulatory compliance of chili powder available in the Indian market. A total of 123 samples from different regions of India were analyzed for specific quality and safety requirements laid down in Indian regulations like moisture, total ash, non-volatile ether extract (NVEE), crude fiber content, and added color. Non-compliance was seen in 43 % of branded samples, with 17 % exhibiting deviation in NVEE and 16 % testing positive for non-permitted Sudan dye. Amongst non-branded samples, 65 % were non-conforming and 51 % of samples were adulterated with Sudan dye. Principle component analysis was carried to understand the percentage variability of the target variable with respect to its principal components derived using feature variables. The total variance explained by the first two components was 88.13 % for selected brands and 88.36 % for source of origin. The results demonstrated that most of the violations were due to the presence of intentionally added coloring matter, therefore there should be an increased frequency of monitoring of Sudan dye in chili powder. The data generated in the present study can be used for estimating national prevalence of adulteration, risk assessments, and providing guidance to industry.

A high-quality global elevation control point dataset from ICESat-2 altimeter data

ABSTRACT The ICESat-2 satellite equipped with a new photon-counting laser altimeter has received much attention as a source of accurate elevation observations. However, in this research field, there is a lack of an open-source high-accuracy elevation control point dataset with the specific quality requirements at a global scale. To this end, using ICESat-2 altimeter data as the main data source, we constructed and organized a dataset as a useful supplement for this research field. The dataset was generated by a methodology based on detection environment evaluation, photon spatial analysis, and the redundant observation statistics. The dataset includes more than 600 million elevation control points and covers the global land areas, except for Greenland and Antarctica. The dataset has been validated by multiple digital elevation models (DEMs) from around the world (sourced from airborne LiDAR data). The results show that the dataset has high-accuracy elevation control points. The overall root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the original elevations of ICESat-2 is about 1.384–4.820 m, but the overall RMSE of the elevation control points in the new dataset is about 0.279–0.642 m. Moreover, the results obtained in this study show that the dataset is suitable for application within high vegetation cover areas.

Traceability of Architectural Design Decisions and Software Artifacts: A Systematic Mapping Study

Abstract The definition of architecture is a crucial task in software development, where the architect is responsible for making the right decisions to meet specific functional and quality requirements. These architectural design decisions form the foundation that shapes the arrangement of elements within a system. Unfortunately, these decisions are often poorly documented, implicit in various artifacts, or inadequately updated, leading to negative consequences on the maintainability of a system and resulting in rework and cost overruns. The objective of this systematic mapping study is to comprehend the current state regarding approaches for traceability of architectural design decisions and how these decisions are linked with the different artifacts used in software development. To achieve this, an information extraction protocol is followed, utilizing databases with search strings, inclusion, and exclusion criteria. The findings demonstrate that this knowledge is highly relevant; however, it is rarely explicitly documented. As a result, most works propose diverse approaches to extract this knowledge from existing technical documentation, commonly used tools, and other sources of product and process information. In contrast, it is evident that there is no standard for documenting design decisions, leading each author to present a subjective version of what is important and where to trace these decisions. This suggests that there is still a significant amount of research to be conducted regarding the traceability of these architectural design decisions and their connection with software artifacts. Such research could lead to intriguing new proposals for investigation.

Chemical, physical properties, microstructure and granulometric composition of ultra-finely ground chicken bone paste

The article describes a method for processing chicken bones from the neck, leg, breast, and wing in order to obtain finely dispersed chicken meat-bone paste (MBP). Bones were crushed two times: (a) with a bone chopper (particle size ≤ 5 mm), (b) ultrafine grinding machine (particle size ≤ 0.1 mm). Thereafter, ice water was added in different ratios (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) into crushed bones. The effect of added water on the temperature, water binding capacity and chemical composition of MBP was studied. An increase in the proportion of water in MBP during ultrafine grinding leads to a decrease in the water binding capacity. The addition of water to crushed chicken bones followed by ultrafine grinding causes an increase in moisture content and a decrease in fat, protein and ash contents of meat-bone paste. After ultrafine grinding the size of >80% of bone particles is < 0.1 mm, and the remaining portion is < 0.25 mm. The optimal way of processing MBP is a two-stage grinding with preliminary freezing, crushing on the bone chopper, adding 50% of water to the mass of chopped bone, and finally ultrafine grinding. This processing method makes it possible to obtain MBP with good water binding capacity, homogeneous consistency, and balanced chemical composition. Practical implicationsWaste-free processing of poultry bones can help processing plants reduce labor and energy costs, make more efficient use of production capacity, and improve the profitability of poultry production as a whole. This information can guide manufacturers in achieving desired moisture levels and consistency in the final product. It also highlights the importance of controlling the water-to-MBP ratio during the grinding process to meet specific quality and moisture requirements.

Internet of things application in automated resource management systems

The article summarizes scientific knowledge about the state and potential of the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry in Ukraine and analyzes already implemented initiatives to promote its spread in the areas of health care and urban management. The study aims to systematize and analyze the available scientific information about the opportunities and potential revealed by integrating the ERP system and the Internet of Things as a convergent management technology. Based on the research results, a model of combining Internet of Things technologies and resource management of companies in ERP systems is presented; the advantages provided by the integration of IoT and ERP systems are systematized; the problems associated with determining the economic efficiency of the integration of IoT and ERP systems are summarized based on the analysis of applied cases in the areas of health care and urban management. The research used methods of systematization, meta-analysis, and synthesis of research from the fields of information technologies, economics, management, and law. In addition, a case analysis was used to understand the practical aspects of the implementation of convergent technologies based on the combination of management and information technologies. Attention is focused on the fact that future directions of research are related to the expansion of technical capabilities for processing large volumes of IoT data from connected devices and applications to create integration between devices and control systems at enterprises; development of networks and protocols to eliminate performance gaps, provide valuable information on improving customer interaction, speed up customer problemsolving processes, and expand the capabilities of the IoT as a service management technology. Most cloud-based ERP applications with IoT elements have specific requirements for functionality and quality of service, including communication, computing, and data storage. Meeting these requirements can be challenging, especially regarding network performance, resulting in bottlenecks in real-time application performance.

Bessel beam generated LIPSS on NiTi wires

Ultrashort laser pulses are used to generate Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS). To apply LIPSS on small confined areas, the laser source must be focused to a small spot diameter. Contrary to commonly used high numerical aperture objectives, we present a Bessel beam-based approach to produce LIPSS covered lines with a width of 4 to 10 µm. Therefore, an 800 nm Ti:Sa-laser with a pulse duration of 110 fs and a repetition rate of 5000 Hz was used. The setup convinces with an extended depth of focus. Thus, high reproducibility of the process was proven, while no focus control and no specific requirements for the surface quality are needed. The applicability of this method is demonstrated by structuring the shell surface of nickel–titanium wires.

Technology of electron beam welding of 10CrMo9-10 steel with the specific quality requirements

The article presents the results of research on the development of the electron beam butt welding technology of 10CrMo9-10 steel sheets with parameters that allow the achievement of a specific fusion depth. The developed technology also allows favorable conditions for obtaining the appropriate hardness in the weld area, as well as edge visibility for further automated processing systems. Thus, the developed welding technology enables the fulfillment of a number of specific requirements beyond the possibilities of manual welding as well as other methods. When the correctness of the welding process was assessed, hardness measurements were performed, as well as microscopic examinations, which revealed the presence of a favorable structure, as well as the hardness distribution, in the joint area.

Modelling of surface morphology and roughness in fluid jet polishing

Fluid jet polishing (FJP) has been extensively used in various kinds of fields such as precision molding, optical components, etc. However, previous works mainly focused on the material removal process on the macro-scale (e.g., tool influence function, surface generation) to improve the form accuracy, the understanding of surface morphology evolution of FJP on the micro-scale is still far from complete, which makes it difficult to predict the surface quality under certain polishing conditions. Time-consuming and high-cost trial and error are usually needed to obtain suitable polishing conditions for specific surface quality requirements. In this paper, a physical model was developed to predict the surface morphology and roughness after FJP, by combining the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and kinetic analysis of the abrasives. The single abrasive erosion process including indentation action, ploughing action, and cutting action was analyzed by kinetic analysis. Besides, the overlap of single abrasive erosion pits was modeled to simulate the surface morphology evolution in FJP and determine the surface roughness after polishing. Different parameters were considered in the model including jet pressure, jet angle, and abrasive size. A series of polishing experiments were conducted to validate this model and the effect of different polishing parameters on surface quality was elucidated by the impact velocity distribution and erosion morphologies. It is found that the simulation results agree well with the experimental results. This paper not only provides a deeper understanding of the microscale material removal in FJP, but also provides an effective method for the prediction of surface roughness in FJP.

Efficiency of municipal packaging waste recovery chain and suitability of separated residual waste fractions for use in alternative fuels production

Due to the sheer quantity and quality of material, packaging waste is separately collected by municipal waste management systems, with a primary goal of its use in material recovery. The residual waste, i.e. rejected waste in the separation process can be energy recovered. Both recovery options have specific input material quality requirements. Therefore, it is important to know the characteristics of individual waste streams. This research analysed the composition and morphological characteristics of separately collected packaging waste from municipal waste management system, residual (rejected) waste fractions after separation steps and produced refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The efficiency of primary and secondary (manual) waste separation, as well as of the RDF production step, are tracked. Results show that primary waste separation produces material with under 7% of contaminants and secondary manual waste separation efficiency ranges between 45% and 55%. Physico-chemical comparison of simulated RDF strongly coincides with analysed properties of RDF as a final product which indicates very high separation efficiency in the RDF production. From the energy recovery/conversion standpoint, this can be quantified through deviations in the lower heating value (LHV) and the effective H/C molar ratio between simulated and real RDF samples, which are on the level of 1.8% and 1.1% respectively. The following conclusion can be made from the estimated relation between changes in separation efficiency and RDF energy-related characteristics; the separation efficiency of individual components plays important role in alternative fuel production as chemical compositions directly influence suitability for high-quality liquid fuel production. Results of this analysis shed a light on the connection between aspirations to increase material recovery share and the suitability of produced residual waste for further recovery and valorisation. The material and energetic valorisation are competitors, and further evaluation should be done to understand the investments needed to increase valuable fractions of wastes separation that, in turn, could diminish the energetic value of residual fractions and, therefore, the economic viability of energy recovery facilities.

Recycling of Plastic Waste, with Particular Emphasis on Thermal Methods—Review

The civilization development requires improvement of technologies and satisfaction of people’s needs on the one side, but on the other one it is directly connected with the increasing production of waste. In this paper, the authors dealt with the second of these aspects, reviewing the recycling of plastic waste, which can be processed without changing its chemical structure (mechanical recycling), and with changing its chemical structure (chemical recycling, of which thermal recycling). Mechanical recycling involves shredding the waste in order to obtain recyclate or regranulate that meets specific quality requirements. Chemical recycling consists of the degradation of the material into low-molecular compounds, and it can take place in the processes of hydrolysis, glycolysis, methanolysis by means of chemical solvents, and during thermal processes of hydrocracking, gasification, pyrolysis, combustion, enabling the recovery of gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons foundings in application as a fuel in the energy and cement-lime industry and enabling the recovery of thermal energy contained in plastics. The paper focuses on thermal methods of plastics recycling that become more important due to legal regulations limiting the landfilling of waste. The authors also took up the properties of plastics and their production in European conditions.

Development of rice analogues using by-products of rice and dhal mills.

Development process of rice analogues by utilising the broken rice (BRF) and broken pigeonpea dhal (BPDF) flours together with water and sodium alginate as binding agent through extrusion was carried out. Two variable viz., BPDF (20, 30 and 40%) and moisture content (25, 30 and 35%) were controlled in the study to produce rice analogue resembling the raw rice. The optimum combination of flour mixture established for 30% BPDF and 30% water content with highest desirability of 0.855. The optimum combination had highest crude protein, carbohydrate and ash contents of 12.70, 71.72 and 0.99%, respectively. The colour values L*, a* and b* were found to be 68.30, 4.62 and 25.91, respectively. The pasting temperature and peak viscosity were 78.68°C and 23,173.3 cP. The physico-chemical and pasting properties can be modified by altering the different constituents for specific quality requirements.

Optimal scheduling in a Collaborative robot environment and evaluating workforce dynamic performance

After the emergence of industry 4.0 and the continuous technological development, it became vital for industries to transfer mass production expertise into personalized products in small batches. Clients became more aware of their needs and start basing their decision on specific quality requirements, lower cost, and the shortest delivery date. This is where collaborative robots intervene, these structures can work hand in hand with operators and take charge of hard, long, or repetitive tasks in a fast, precise, and robust manner. Although these structures have great potential, they lack flexibility and adaptability, these aspects can only be found in humans. The workforce competencies and performance are the ultimate precursors to any proper industrial evolution. Performances and competencies workforce must go further than the standard definitions attributed to them. This paper addresses the scheduling problem, our proposition relies on the assumption that the final programs attributed to collaborative robots can be divided into standard sub- programs. Based on the similarities between sub-programs can help propose a schedule that reduces significantly wasted time developing new programs or going from one program to another. This paper will also address the dissociation between human and robots’ performances in a context where humans and robots work in very dependent proximity. Finally, we will also propose a new definition of workload performance while highlighting its dynamic aspect in terms of fatigue, motivation, and the correlation between repetition and the learning process.

ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ УПРАВЛЕНЧЕСКОГО УЧЕТА ПО ЦЕНТРАМ ФИНАНСОВОЙ ОТВЕТСТВЕННОСТИ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО СУБЪЕКТА В УСЛОВИЯХ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ СИСТЕМЫ ПРОЕКТНОГО МЕНЕДЖМЕНТА

The unstable economic situation in both the Russian and global markets, combined with limited material, labor and other resources, leads to the need to create new management technologies. Standard methods and forms of organizing financial and economic activities are becoming less relevant due to low adaptability to changing conditions. The most flexible and strategic-oriented management system is project management, which is a management concept based on the labor, material and financial resources of an economic entity entrusted to an independent unit (project) to achieve specific objectives with specific requirements for time, quality, money and material resources. Project management is widely used in the public sector as it enables the achievement of the set goals within the set timeframe and cost limits. The prevalence of project management in business sector has been growing in recent years, but it cannot fully function without prompt and objective information support. The traditional accounting system is not always able to fully meet the information needs of users due to significant differences in the implementation of process and project activities. The introduction of an autonomous management accounting system that accumulates relevant information on economic, business and other processes for effective decision-making by management personnel can help to solve this

On multi-sensor monitoring of fiber laser fusion cutting

Laser cutting is a well-established industrial process for sheet metal applications. However, cutting thick plates is still accompanied by problems because of the characteristic limited process parameter window. Since cutting by means of fiber lasers has become dominant, tailored solutions are required in such systems for industrial applications. The development of a robust real-time monitoring system, which adapts the process parameters according to a specific quality requirement, implies a significant step forward towards automated laser cutting and increases the process robustness and performance. In this work, a coaxial multi-sensor monitoring system is tested for fiber laser cutting of stainless steel thick plates. A high-speed camera and a photodiode sensor have been selected for this investigation. Experiments at different cutting speeds, representing primary cut quality cases, have been conducted and various features of the obtained process zone signals have been examined. Finally, the feasibility of industrial application of the developed setup for high-power fiber laser cutting is discussed, followed by several implementation recommendations.

The Influence of Habitat Conditions on the Properties of Pinewood

This article starts a series of articles on dependences between the conditions of the growth of trees in forests and the technical aspects and directions of using the raw material obtained from these trees. This is a key feature for wood purchasers because it determines the efficiency of production and directly affects the final financial result of their activity. Wood represents an environmentally sustainable and renewable material, which is a widely available raw material on the market and must meet specific quality and strength requirements. These parameters indicate the utility values of wood and the possibilities of its use. One of the factors influencing the properties of wood is the type of the forest habitat it comes from. In order to determine this influence, tests were carried out to show how tree growth conditions affected changes in the density and strength of raw wood. The assumption (hypothesis) about the correlation between the static bending strength of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood and the forest habitat was verified on four forest types, i.e., fresh coniferous forest (FCF), fresh mixed coniferous forest (FMCF), fresh mixed forest (FMF) and fresh forest (FF). The properties depend largely on the wood structure, its origin on the cross section and the length of the stems. The raw material selected for the study came from Scots pine trees growing in forests in central Poland. The study confirmed the influence of the habitat on changes in the density and strength of pinewood. There was a correlation between the habitat FMCF and the quality parameters of the raw material, which reflected the wood structure r = 0.775; p &lt; 0.05.

Survey of mycotoxins in milling oats dedicated for food purposes between 2013 and 2019 by LC–MS/MS

ABSTRACT Although the common oat (Avena sativa L.) is well known for its nutritional benefits, it carries the risk of contamination with mycotoxins due to its susceptibility to the growth of various fungi. The procurement of milling oats for food could become more difficult in the coming harvest years due to limited availability, specific quality requirements and the avoidance of mycotoxin contamination. In light of ongoing discussions in the European Commission on regulatory limits for certain mycotoxins including their modified forms, the purpose of this study was to improve the database on their occurrence in milling oats. In particular, we provide data on the predominantly occurring trichothecenes such as deoxynivalenol and its acetylated and modified derivatives (e.g. 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside) as well as on T-2 and HT-2 toxins. Additionally, the following mycotoxins were analysed: zearalenone, nivalenol, diacetoxyscirpenol, fusarenon-X, ochratoxin A, sterigmatocystin and aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2. Oat samples, (n = 281) pre-selected for their physical properties and DON-content to be less than 1750 µg/kg from 11 European provenances, were analysed for 16 different mycotoxins by LC-MS/MS. Samples were collected from the years of harvest 2013 to 2019. High incidence rates above the limit of quantification of either 5 µg/kg for T-2 and HT-2 toxins or 10 µg/kg for deoxynivalenol were found (98.1, 94.7 and 91.4%, respectively). The mean concentration of the sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxins was 149 µg/kg. The highest level was found in an Irish sample containing 1290 µg/kg for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxins. The mean deoxynivalenol concentration was 289 µg/kg, while the highest level was 1414 µg/kg in a Swedish sample. Besides nivalenol other mycotoxins were only present in trace concentrations or not detected.

Investigation of the Content of Heavy Metals in Water Sources of Kharkiv City, Ukraine

The negative impact of the anthropogenic factor on water bodies, including those ones located within urban ecosystems is analyzed in this paper. The legislative support of the specific requirements for water quality in different countries is considered. The purpose of the work is to investigate the qualitative and quantitative state of water from individual sources located in an urban ecosystem and determine its suitability for the consumption. The Shatylovskу spring, the Karpovsky spring, the spring near the Nemyshlya river, located within the Kharkіv city (Ukraine), were researched. Heavy metal identification was carried out using X-ray fluorescence analysis. It was found that all samples contained basically the same set of basic elements - strontium, copper, iron and chromium. Individual differences were associated with the presence of different amounts of tungsten, zinc, gallium, selenium, bromine, etc. in all samples. It was found that in the samples, the lead content reached 0.015 mg/dm3 (Karpovsky spring), nickel 0.007 mg/dm3 (Shatylovskу spring), and manganese 0.205 mg/dm3 (the spring near the Nemyshlya river). The copper content ranged from 0.029 to 0.154 mg/dm3, iron from 0.041 to 0.456 mg/dm3, and chromium from 0.015 to 0.065 mg/dm3. The obtained results make it possible to more efficiently manage water resources within the urban systems studied and indicate the need for additional water purification of all natural sources studied before using the water from those sources for drinking purposes.