Optimization of Industrial Structure Considering the Uncertainty of Water Resources

This paper developed a stochastic linear fractional programming model for industry optimization allocation base on the uncertainty of water resources incorporating chance constrained programming and fractional programming. In this paper, the stochastic linear fractional programming is used in the real word. The development SLFP has the following advantages: (1) The model can compare the two aspects of the targets; (2) The model can reflect the system efficiency intuitively; (3) The model can deal with uncertain issues with probability distribution; (4) The model can give different optimal plans under different risk conditions. The model has a significant value for the industry optimization allocation under uncertainty in local and areas to achieve the maximum economic benefits and the full use of the water resources.     

The usability of digestate in organic farming

As organic farming prohibits the use of synthetic fertilisers, animal slurries and manures must be used. Digestate offers an alternative to these and this study reports on three experiments conducted to determine its usability in terms of: (1) the effect on earthworm populations, (2) its fertilising effects on Italian Ryegrass and wild Creeping Thistle, and (3) the suppression effects digestate has on weed emergence. The results for digestate application to field plots were intermediate between slurry and no treatment for earthworm attraction and wild thistle suppression. In glasshouse trials it led to increased ryegrass growth compared with undigested slurry. Analysis showed that the digestate had improved nitrogen availability, leading to increased plant growth, but a reduced organic matter content compared with the slurry, leading to a positive though less beneficial impact on the earthworms. Digestate therefore provides a suitable fertiliser for organic farming. This suitability could be improved by drying or separation to increase the OM content making its properties closer to those of slurry whilst still retaining the higher content of plant available nitrogen.     

Disruption of Synechocystis PCC 6803 for lipid extraction

In order to extract intracellular lipids from cyanobacterial Synechocystis PCC 6803 for biofuel production, seven cell-disruption methods - autoclaving, bead beating, freeze drying, French press, microwave, pulsed electric fields (PEF), and ultrasound - were tested prior to lipid extraction to make intracellular lipids more accessible by organic solvents. The different methods brought about distinct disruption effects to the cell envelope, plasma membrane, and thylakoid membranes that were related to extraction efficiency. Microwave, PEF, and ultrasound with temperature control had significant enhancement of lipid extraction (9-13% increases). Bead beating, freeze drying, and French press did not provide significant enhancement of lipid extraction. Furthermore, autoclaving, French press, and ultrasound treatments caused significant release of lipid into the medium, which may increase solvent usage and make medium recycling difficult. In order to minimize the cost of cell-disruption and lipid-extraction steps, microwave and PEF (with temperature control) might be best suited for large-scale cell disruption among all techniques investigated.     

Net environmental benefit: introducing a new LCA approach on wastewater treatment systems

Life cycle assessment (LCA) allows evaluating the potential environmental impacts of a product or a service in relation to its function and over its life cycle. In past LCAs applied to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the system function definition has received little attention despite its great importance. This has led to some limitations in LCA results interpretation. A new methodology to perform LCA on WWTPs is proposed to avoid those limitations. It is based on net environmental benefit (NEB) evaluation and requires assessing the potential impact of releasing wastewater without and with treatment besides assessing the impact of the WWTP's life cycle. The NEB allows showing the environmental trade-offs between avoided impact due to wastewater treatment and induced impact by the WWTP's life cycle. NEB is compared with a standard LCA through the case study of a small municipal WWTP consisting of facultative aerated lagoons. The NEB and standard LCA show similar results for impact categories solely related to the WWTP's life cycle but differ in categories where wastewater treatment environmental benefit is accounted for as NEB considers influent wastewater quality whereas standard LCA does not.     

Question concerning causes of the failure and evaluation of the condition of the arch-gravity dam at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP

Two versions of possible causes of the failure at the Sayano-Shushenskoe HPP are examined: one concerning the possibility of the transfer of force from the dam onto the structure of the machine room, and the other concerning limiting vibrations of the No. 2 generating set, which were supposedly recorded prior to the failure.     

Alternate plans and characteristics of design solutions for water-development works under construction at the No. 2 Zagorskaya pumped-storage power plant

Alternate plans and characteristics of design solutions for water-development works under construction at the No. 2 Zagorskaya pumped-storage power plant (PSPP) are described.     

Technical developments to prevent fouling of generator parts with oil

Thus, taking the following measures can be recommended for effective solution of the problem of preventing fouling of generator parts with oil:

The Electronic Encapsulation of Knowledge for Groundwater Quality Management

Computers have become the main tool used in Ground Water Quality Management (GWQM). Computer software has been developed to encapsulate, process and present information on groundwater pollution problems. Continuing demands for more efficient handling of information have resulted in increasing integration of the software into Decision Support Systems (DSSs). Encapsulation and integration of both quantitative (numerical) and qualitative (knowledge) information are required to support decision-making processes. A review of current achievements in the software integration and especially in knowledge encapsulation reveals no clear developing directions (research lines) in these fields. Attention must be therefore directed to: (1) the main GWQM tasks, seen in the light of knowledge encapsulation, and (2) postulates and techniques of Artificial Intelligence (AI) related to knowledge encapsulation and DSS development. The case-specific nature of groundwater pollution problems and a lack of formalised expertise in GWQM are the main difficulties in development of knowledge-containing systems. Work on the taxonomy of GWQM tasks and related knowledge is recommended to enable broader application of AI in knowledge encapsulation, as well as in development of DSSs for GWQM as a whole.