A Method for Estimating the Potential Trading of Worked Water among Multiple Mines

In many parts of the world, mine production and expansion are increasingly limited by access to water. One solution is to consider a water market that would allow trading of mine site water (worked water) from wetter mines to drier mines. However, there is currently no policy support for such a market and it is likely that without government support via incentives, mines will continue to favour freshwater use because it is relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, mines have a high capacity to pay for the water they use, and freshwater creates few risks for production. The opportunity provided by water savings within a trading scheme could be viewed as a source of money to provide incentives for the transfer of worked water between mines. In this paper, we present a new method to trade water among mines based on a site water balance assessment utilising historical climate data, and apply this method to a demonstration region containing multiple coal mines. On average, 340 ML could be transferred per year to drier mines but there remains 11,440 ML per year of water demand unable to be met by trading. The direct monetary value of the worked water that could be transferred, derived from additional coal mining, would be significant. Irrigation may be an attractive option if available infrastructure can be used to trade the saved fresh water in existing markets, thereby providing indirect monetary value (i.e. external to coal production). Alternative uses of water savings may have considerable additional non-monetary value that directly affects the mining industry’s social license-to-operate and its security of long term water supply.     

Control Valve with a Constant Inner Authority Value

The aim of the article is to propose the method of designing double regulation control valves used in heating installations, allowing to obtain a constant value of the so-called inner authority and thus the constancy of the valve control characteristic, regardless of the pre-setting value set on the valve. The shape of the valve's regulation characteristics is one of the main factors determining the quality of the quantitative regulation, and thus the stability of the system's operation and overall operating costs. For this reason, the issue discussed in the article is important and can be applied in practical implementations of the valve sizing and the valve selection.The analysis was based on the relations binding the hydraulic resistances occurring inside the control valve, and the corresponding flow factors, using original author’s proposal.The experimental verification was performed on a special measuring stand prepared for this purpose, measuring the values of the medium volume flow at a constant differential pressure, and then the results were converted into values of the flow factor, used in the proposed mathematical model.The results confirm the thesis put forward and the proposed mathematical model. High convergence of the results of experimental verification with the proposed mathematical model was obtained.     

Sustainability of biofuels in Latin America: Risks and opportunities

Several Latin American countries are setting up biofuel programmes to establish alternative markets for agricultural commodities. This is mainly triggered by the current success of Brazilian bioethanol production for the domestic market and for export. Furthermore, the global biofuel market is expected to increase due to ambitious biofuel programmes in the EU and in the USA. Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Guatemala are focusing on bioethanol production from sugarcane whereas biofuel production in Argentina is based on soy biodiesel. Recent developments of the biofuel sector take place extremely rapid especially in Argentina, which became one of the five largest biodiesel producers in the world in 2008. Till date no specific biofuel sustainability certification systems have been implemented in Latin American, as well as on global level. This fact and the predominant use of food crops for biofuel production raise concerns about the sustainability of biofuel production related to environmental and social aspects. This paper provides an overview of the hotspots of conflicts in biofuel production in Latin America. It investigates presently available sustainability tools and initiatives to ensure sustainable biofuel production in Latin America. Finally, it provides an outlook on how to integrate sustainability in the Latin American biofuel sector.     

Improvement of hydrogen production by over-expression of a hydrogen-promoting protein gene in Enterobacter cloacae

The gene of a hydrogen-promoting protein (which we term HPP) from Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08 was cloned and over-expressed in E. cloacae CICC10017 for the first time in this study, and the overall hydrogen yield was greatly improved using the recombinant strain. A recombinant plasmid containing the gene in-frame with Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) gene was transformed into a hydrogen producing strain of E. cloacae CICC10017 to produce a GST-fusion protein. SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis confirm the successful expression of the GST-tagged protein. An in vitro assay of cell lysates indicates hydrogenase activity of the recombinant strain is 534.78 ± 18.51 ml/(g-DW·h), nearly 2-fold higher than the wild strain. The hydrogen yield of the recombinant strain is 2.55 ± 0.1 mol/mol-glucose, also 2-fold higher than the wild strain. The recombinant strain produces more acetate and butyrate during hydrogen fermentation, but less ethanol, due to the higher hydrogenase activity with the over-expression of the hydrogen-promoting protein. Together, the results demonstrate that successful expression of a single structural gene improves the overall yield of hydrogen by directing metabolic fluxes away from formation of products that compete for NADH.     

Plasma welding repair procedure for turbine jet apparatus rings in aircraft engines

The course of investigations on the development of technological conditions of manual and automatic repair plasma welding of cracks in the nozzle set of the TW2-117 engine turbine of the MI-8 helicopter made of EI 835(24-16-6) creep-resisting austenitic steel is described. Liquid-penetrant inspection and metallographic examination have shown a high quality of repair joints.     

Influence of annealing on the structure and stoichiometry of europium-doped titanium dioxide thin films

This work presents the influence of annealing on the structure and stoichiometry of europium (Eu)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂). Thin films were fabricated by magnetron sputtering from a metallic Ti-Eu target in oxygen atmosphere and deposited on silicon and SiO₂ substrates. After deposition the selected samples were additionally annealed in air up to 1070 K.Film properties were examined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the results were analyzed together with the undoped TiO₂ thin films prepared under similar technological conditions.XRD results showed that depending on the Eu content, as-deposited thin films consisted of the TiO₂-anatase or TiO₂-rutile.An additional annealing will result in the growth of anatase crystals up to 35 nm, but anatase to rutile phase transformation has not been recorded. AFM images display high quality and a dense nanocrystalline structure. From the XPS Ti2p spectra the 4+oxidation state of Ti was confirmed. The O1s XPS spectra displayed the presence of an O²⁻ photoelectron peak accompanied by an additional broader peak that originates from hydroxyl species chemisorbed at the sample surface. It has been found that Eu dopant increases the OH⁻ content on the surface of prepared TiO₂:Eu thin films. The calculated O/Ti ratio was in the range of 1.85-2.04 depending on the sample.     

Perceiving and remembering speech depend on multifractal nonlinearity in movements producing and exploring speech

Speech perception and memory for speech require active engagement. Gestural theories have emphasized mainly the effect of speaker''s movements on speech perception. They fail to address the effects of listener movement, focusing on communication as a boundary condition constraining movement among interlocutors. The present work attempts to break new ground by using multifractal geometry of physical movement as a common currency for supporting both sides of the speaker–listener dyads. Participants self-paced their listening to a narrative, after which they completed a test of memory querying their narrative comprehension and their ability to recognize words from the story. The multifractal evidence of nonlinear interactions across timescales predicted the fluency of speech perception. Self-pacing movements that enabled listeners to control the presentation of speech sounds constituted a rich exploratory process. The multifractal nonlinearity of this exploration supported several aspects of memory for the perceived spoken language. These findings extend the role of multifractal geometry in the speaker''s movements to the narrative case of speech perception. In addition to posing novel basic research questions, these findings make a compelling case for calibrating multifractal structure in text-to-speech synthesizers for better perception and memory of speech.     

Profile of fatty acids, muscle structure and shear force of musculus longissimus dorsi (MLD) in growing pigs as affected by energy and protein or protein restriction followed by realimentation

Forty-eight gilts were submitted to a 30% restriction of feed (groups F and F1) or protein intake (group P) from 90 to 118 days of age, followed by realimentation from 119 to 168 days of age. Control pigs (C) were fed during the whole experiment according to a semi ad libitum scale. During realimentation all animals were fed according to semi ad libitum scale except pigs F1 which were fed ad libitum. Six pigs from each group were slaughtered at the end of restriction and realimentation. Restriction decreased the weight of musculus longissimus dorsi (MLD) and increased shear force. Restriction of feed intake depressed MUFA concentration and increased n-6/n-3 ratio while protein restriction decreased n-6/n-3 and PUFA:SFA ratios. Structure of fibers was not affected. After realimentation MLD mass was still lower in all previously restricted pigs, shear force was the lowest in F1 pigs. Only percentage of fast twich oxidative fibers was significantly greater in F1 pigs than in others. Significant correlations between parameters investigated during the study were found.     

Impact of vegetation on sedimentary organic matter composition and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon attenuation

Results from natural and engineered phytoremediation systems provide strong evidencethatvegetated soils mitigate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination. However, the mechanisms by which PAH mitigation occurs and the impact of plant organic matter on PAH attenuation remain unclear. This study assessed the impact of plant organic matter on PAH attenuation in labile and refractory sediments fractions from a petroleum distillate waste pit that has naturally revegetated. Samples were collected in distinct zones of barren and vegetated areas to assess changes to organic matter composition and PAH content as vegetation colonized and became established in the waste pit. Sediments were fractionated into bulk sediment and humin fractions and analyzed for organic matter composition by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (delta (13)C), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), delta 14C AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry), and percent organic carbon (%TOC). Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/ MS) of lipid extracts of SOM fractions provided data for PAH distribution histograms, compound weathering ratios, and alkylated and nonalkylated PAH concentrations. Inputs of biogenic plant carbon, PAH weathering, and declines in PAH concentrations are most evidentfor vegetated SOM fractions, particularly humin fractions. Sequestered PAH metabolites were also observed in vegetated humin. These results show that plant organic matter does impact PAH attenuation in both labile and refractory fractions of petroleum distillate waste.     

Mercury emissions to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources in Europe in 2000 and their scenarios until 2020

The paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding European emissions of mercury and presents estimates of European emissions of mercury to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources for the year 2000. This information was then used as a basis for Hg emission scenario development until the year 2020. Combustion of coal in power plants and residential heat furnaces generates about half of the European emissions being 239 tonnes. The coal combustion is followed by the production of caustic soda with the use of the Hg cell process (17%). Major points of mercury emission generation in the mercury cell process include: by-product hydrogen stream, end box ventilation air, and cell room ventilation air. This technology is now being changed to other caustic soda production technologies and further reduction of Hg emissions is expected in this connection. The third category on the list of the largest Hg emitters in Europe is cement production (about 13%). The largest emissions were estimated for Russia (the European part of the country), contributing with about 27% to the European emissions, followed by Poland, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Most of these countries use coal as a major source of energy in order to meet the electricity and heat demands. In general, countries in the Central and Eastern Europe generated the main part of the European emissions in 2000. Emission reductions between 20% and 80% of the 2000 emission amounts can be obtained by the year 2020, as estimated by various scenarios.