Techno-economic feasibility assessment of sorption enhanced gasification of municipal solid waste for hydrogen production

Waste-to-fuel coupled with carbon capture and storage is forecasted to be an effective way to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the waste sent to landfill and, simultaneously, reduce the dependence of fossil fuels. This study evaluated the techno-economic feasibility of sorption enhanced gasification, which involves in-situ CO₂ capture, and benchmarked it with the conventional steam gasification of municipal solid waste for H₂ production. The impact of a gate fee and tax levied on the fossil CO₂ emissions in economic feasibility was assessed. The results showed that the hydrogen production was enhanced in sorption enhanced gasification, that achieved an optimum H₂ production efficiency of 48.7% (T = 650 °C and SBR = 1.8). This was 1.0% points higher than that of the conventional steam gasification (T = 900 °C and SBR = 1.2). However, the total efficiency, which accounts for H₂ production and net power output, for sorption enhanced gasification was estimated to be 49.3% (T = 650 °C and SBR = 1.8). This was 4.4% points lower than the figure estimated for the conventional gasification (T = 900 °C and SBR = 1.2). The economic performance assessment showed that the sorption enhanced gasification will result in a significantly higher levelised cost of hydrogen (5.0 €/kg) compared to that estimated for conventional steam gasification (2.7 €/kg). The levelised cost of hydrogen can be reduced to 4.5 €/kg on an introduction of the gate fee of 40.0 €/t_MSW. The cost of CO₂ avoided was estimated to be 114.9 €/tCO₂ (no gate fee and tax levied). However, this value can be reduced to 90.1 €/tCO₂ with the introduction of an emission allowance price of 39.6 €/tCO₂. Despite better environmental performance, the capital cost of sorption enhanced gasification needs to be reduced for this technology to become competitive with mature gasification technologies.     

互联网时代下的学校图书管理信息化建设

如何在互联网时代打造一个信息化的管理模式,已经成为广大学校图书管理发展过程中亟待处理的问题。文章就互联网时代下的高职图书管理信息化建设进行了详细探讨,以期能够给广大同仁提供一些借鉴参考,共同为图书管理工作的现代化改革和发展贡献力量。     

Investigation of liquid water heterogeneities in large area proton exchange membrane fuel cells using a Darcy two-phase flow model in a multiphysics code

Proper management of the liquid water and heat produced in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells remains crucial to increase both its performance and durability. In this study, a two-phase flow and multicomponent model, called two-fluid model, is developed in the commercial COMSOL Multiphysics® software to investigate the liquid water heterogeneities in large area PEM fuel cells, considering the real flow fields in the bipolar plate. A macroscopic pseudo-3D multi-layers approach has been chosen and generalized Darcy's relation is used both in the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and in the channel. The model considers two-phase flow and gas convection and diffusion coupled with electrochemistry and water transport through the membrane. The numerical results are compared to one-fluid model results and liquid water measurements obtained by neutron imaging for several operating conditions. Finally, according to the good agreement between the two-fluid and experimentation results, the numerical water distribution is examined in each component of the cell, exhibiting very heterogeneous water thickness over the cell surface.     

Ion migration behavior and its interaction with sintering environment in cation conductor during flash sintering

Flash sintering has been reported in various ceramics. Nevertheless, anion and cation conductors exhibit different flash-sintering behaviors, and the interaction mechanism between the conductive species and the sintering environment has remained unclear. Herein, we report the flash-sintering phenomena of a typical cation conductor, Na₃Zr₂(SiO₄)₂(PO₄) with anode region surrounded by air and NaNO₃ environments. The results prove that the ionic behavior and joule heating distribution can be controlled by changing the electrode environment. Four possible scenarios describing the ion migration behavior and interaction with the environment are proposed for providing a guidance for controlling the ion interaction behavior during flash sintering.     

Motion trajectory prediction model of hydrogen leak and diffusion in a stable thermally-stratified environment

The motion trajectory of hydrogen leakage is an essential safe issue for the application of hydrogen energy. A dimensionless fast-running motion trajectory prediction model is proposed to predict the dispersion characteristics of the buoyant jet of hydrogen leakage for the accident. The impact of different leakage angles, leakage velocity and thermal stratification of ambient air on hydrogen leakage behavior was analyzed. The new developed model was verified by experimental results in literatures. Leakage hydrogen can flow upwards freely in a uniform environment. However, it shows an oscillating trajectory at a certain height in a thermally stratified environment, which is so called “locking phenomenon”. The trajectory of hydrogen leakage is upward and hydrogen gathers at the top of the space to form stratification in a uniform environment, while the hydrogen leakage shows an oscillating trajectory at a certain height in a thermal stratification environment. With the increase of Froude number Fr, it shows that the stable height and maximum height of the leakage airflow have a trend of rising first and then falling in a thermally stratified environment. The findings are expected to give guidance in real-world situations, for example, a larger Fr value and a larger temperature gradient can lead to a decrease in the stable height in the thermally stratified environment. It is found that the fitting of the stable height with different temperature gradients satisfies the power function relationship. This work is expected to be helpful for reducing hydrogen leakage accumulation and explosion risk.     

Feature selection methods for root-cause analysis among top-level product attributes

Manufacturing companies not only strive to deliver flawless products but also monitor product failures in the field to identify potential quality issues. When product failures occur, quality engineers must identify the root cause to improve any affected product and process. This root-cause analysis can be supported by feature selection methods that identify relevant product attributes, such as manufacturing dates with an increased number of product failures. In this paper, we present different methods for feature selection and evaluate their ability to identify relevant product attributes in a root-cause analysis. First, we compile a list of feature selection methods. Then, we summarize the properties of product attributes in warranty case data and discuss these properties regarding the challenges they pose for machine learning algorithms. Next, we simulate datasets of warranty cases, which emulate these product properties. Finally, we compare the feature selection methods based on these simulated datasets. In the end, the univariate filter information gain is determined to be a suitable method for a wide range of applications. The comparison based on simulated data provides a more general result than other publications, which only focus on a single use case. Due to the generic nature of the simulated datasets, the results can be applied to various root-cause analysis processes in different quality management applications and provide a guideline for readers who wish to explore machine learning methods for their analysis of quality data.     

浅议生态环境监测机构的风险控制

现阶段,为了探索创新性的发展途径,生态环境监测机构应始终增强风险控制意识。应加强风险管理,立足于风险控制,以求不断健康发展。     

Public perceptions on artificial intelligence driven disaster management: Evidence from Sydney,Melbourne and Brisbane

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly utilised in disaster management activities. The public is engaged with AI in various ways in these activities. For instance, crowdsourcing applications developed for disaster management to handle the tasks of collecting data through social media platforms, and increasing disaster awareness through serious gaming applications. Nonetheless, there are limited empirical investigations and understanding on public perceptions concerning AI for disaster management. Bridging this knowledge gap is the justification for this paper. The methodological approach adopted involved: Initially, collecting data through an online survey from residents (n = 605) of three major Australian cities; Then, analysis of the data using statistical modelling. The analysis results revealed that: (a) Younger generations have a greater appreciation of opportunities created by AI-driven applications for disaster management; (b) People with tertiary education have a greater understanding of the benefits of AI in managing the pre- and post-disaster phases, and; (c) Public sector administrative and safety workers, who play a vital role in managing disasters, place a greater value on the contributions by AI in disaster management. The study advocates relevant authorities to consider public perceptions in their efforts in integrating AI in disaster management.     

陕北沙漠区浅埋厚煤层开采潜水位及生态响应

煤炭开采造成上覆岩层破裂、移动，破坏了矿区含（隔）水层结构，改变了地表水及地下水循环演化状态，对浅表层生态环境造成严重影响，引发一系列环境地质问题。为深入研究沙漠地区厚煤层开采给潜水位及生态环境造成的影响，以毛乌素沙漠金鸡滩矿为例，对水文地质条件进行了研究，采用数值模拟的方法，模拟了沙漠区厚煤层开采潜水位的变化，并通过采动潜水位监测数据验证了预测结果。调查分析了研究区及周边地表生态环境现状，预测采后潜水位基本满足植物生长需求，对生态环境影响不大。     

Reduction of chlorophenols and sludge management from paper industry wastewater using electrocoagulation process

ABSTRACT

In this study, electrocoagulation (EC) was used to determine the optimum conditions on the basis of maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color removal. At the optimum conditions chlorophenols (CPs), biological oxygen demand and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined. The biodegradability of wastewater was increased significantly with 63% COD, 98% color, 61% TOC and overall 65.51% reductions in CPs. Further, the electro-coagulated sludge was characterized by using different analytical techniques to assist the physicochemical and elemental phases, to find-out better management option, reusability for plant growth and safe disposal. Additionally, aluminum content (70.62%) was successfully recovered from sludge.