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Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:31:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-10-01 Organization and planning of reverse logistics networks make sustainable processes more efficient. Thus, an important sector for connecting the collection and waste paper recycling echelons is the intermediate center. In this study, a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model, which is multi-objective, multi-product, multi-level and multi-period, was developed to optimize the waste paper logistics processes of intermediate centers. The formulation includes the following echelons: collection, considering vehicle routing with different capacities; inventory of non-baling materials; baling sorted waste and inventory of bales; selling bales; disposal of non-recyclable waste. The aims of the model include: maximizing the collected waste; minimizing distances; maximizing both the production and sale of bales, and minimizing costs. According to research carried out in the literature, the developed model is a new proposal and to implement it, the Weighted Goal Programming and Revised Multi-Choice Goal Programming approaches were used to deal with multiple objectives and incorporate uncertainty into the quantity of waste available for collection. To analyze the proposed model, computational tests were executed with instances based on real data from a Brazilian company in the sector. For all performed tests, General Algebraic Modeling System 23.6.5 modeling language and CPLEX 12.2.0.2 solver were used for modeling and optimization. The results show that this study presents formulation and technological approaches that represent real situations and provide competitive solutions to the problem. Sáo Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” [Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho] School of Engineering of Guaratinguetá [Faculdade de Engenharia de Guaratinguetá] Production Department, Av. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha, 333, Portal das Colinas Agulhas Negras Military Academy [Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras] Rodovia Presidente Dutra, km 306, s/n Escola Preparatória de Cadetes do Exército Avenida Papa Pio XII 350 Jardim Chapadão Campinas - SP Brazil, Avenida Papa Pio XII, 350, Jardim Chapadão, Campinas - SP Sáo Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” [Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho] School of Engineering of Guaratinguetá [Faculdade de Engenharia de Guaratinguetá] Production Department, Av. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha, 333, Portal das Colinas

Demand for green environments has stimulated research on the migration from conventional to renewable energy sources. In the case of combustible energy for domestic applications, briquettes produced from biomass have proven to be a good replacement for wood fuel. In this study, investigation on the performance analysis and optimization of mix ratio of briquettes produced from sugarcane bagasse using composite binders (waste paper and clay) was carried out. Box-Behnken Design feature of the Design Expert software was employed for the optimization of the briquettes mix ratio. Briquettes were produced from sugarcane bagasse based on the optimum conditions of 9.12% clay, 12.57% waste paper, 78.31% proportion of sugarcane bagasse and 5 KN compaction pressure. The produced briquette was found to have a compressive strength of 6.4715 MPa and 0.857 g/min burning rate. The results of the study shows that the experimental values were close to the predicted values with a percentage error of 3.11% for compressive strength and1.79% for burning rate which confirms the validity and adequacy of the predicted models.

By way of broadening the use of diverse sustainable bioethanol feedstocks, the potentials of Paper mulberry fruit juice (PMFJ), as a non-food, sugar-based substrate, were evaluated for fuel ethanol production. The suitability of PMFJ was proven, as maximum ethanol concentration (56.4 g/L) and yield (0.39 g/g) were achieved within half a day of the start of fermentation, corresponding to very high ethanol productivity of 4.7 g/L/hr. The established potentials were further optimally maximized through the response surface methodology (RSM). At the optimal temperature of 30 °C, yeast concentration of 0.55 g/L, and pH of 5, ethanol concentration, productivity, and yield obtained were 73.69 g/L, 4.61 g/L/hr, and 0.48 g/g, respectively. Under these ideal conditions, diverse metal salts were afterward screened for their effects on PMFJ fermentation. Based on a two-level fractional factorial design, nutrient addition had no positive impact on ethanol production. Thus, under the optimal process conditions, and without any external nutrient supplementation, bioethanol from PMFJ compared favorably with typical sugar-based energy crops, highlighting its resourcefulness as a high-value biomass resource for fuel ethanol production. Graphical Abstract

In paper production, a jumbo reel is cut into multiple intermediate rolls, and each intermediate roll is then sheeted as finished goods. This problem is called a cutting stock problem and is proven to be NP-hard. The objective is to minimize material waste or trim loss from all the cuttings. In the case that any intermediate roll is not entirely used for its associated order, the intermediate roll itself could turn to be a dead stock. We use the concept of universal sizes of intermediate rolls to eliminate the dead stock. A pre-defined number of universal sizes of intermediate rolls is to be used to serve all the orders. The problem is solved using Reinforcement Artificial Bee Colony algorithm with Integer Linear Programming subroutine. This proposed approach is then tested with a set of 1,055 orders and 127 different sizes of sheet papers from a paper manufacturer. The results reveal that our method outperforms other algorithms. Our method offers the total trim loss of 3.51%, compared to the trim loss reported by the industry of at least 5%. This approach not only reduces the number of partially cut rolls, but also decreases the number of the jumbo reels needed to serve all the orders. Therefore, both the inventory cost and material cost can be saved.

Executive SummaryThe EC Directive 2013/59/Euratom states in article 56 that exposures of target volumes in nuclear medicine treatments shall be individually planned and their delivery appropriately verified. The Directive also mentions that medical physics experts should always be appropriately involved in those treatments. Although it is obvious that, in nuclear medicine practice, every nuclear medicine physician and physicist should follow national rules and legislation, the EANM considered it necessary to provide guidance on how to interpret the Directive statements for nuclear medicine treatments.For this purpose, the EANM proposes to distinguish three levels in compliance to the optimization principle in the directive, inspired by the indication of levels in prescribing, recording and reporting of absorbed doses after radiotherapy defined by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU): Most nuclear medicine treatments currently applied in Europe are standardized. The minimum requirement for those treatments is ICRU level 1 (“activity-based prescription and patient-averaged dosimetry”), which is defined by administering the activity within 10% of the intended activity, typically according to the package insert or to the respective EANM guidelines, followed by verification of the therapy delivery, if applicable. Non-standardized treatments are essentially those in developmental phase or approved radiopharmaceuticals being used off-label with significantly (> 25% more than in the label) higher activities. These treatments should comply with ICRU level 2 (“activity-based prescription and patient-specific dosimetry”), which implies recording and reporting of the absorbed dose to organs at risk and optionally the absorbed dose to treatment regions. The EANM strongly encourages to foster research that eventually leads to treatment planning according to ICRU level 3 (“dosimetry-guided patient-specific prescription and verification”), whenever possible and relevant. Evidence for superiority of therapy prescription on basis of patient-specific dosimetry has not been obtained. However, the authors believe that a better understanding of therapy dosimetry, i.e. how much and where the energy is delivered, and radiobiology, i.e. radiation-related processes in tissues, are keys to the long-term improvement of our treatments.

This paper illustrates and complements the article “On modeling network slicing communication resources with SARSA optimization.” The illustrated technical paper is intended to complement and subsidize content information extracting and reading and highlights explanatory text and additional or focused bibliographic references., {"references":["Shalitha Wijethilaka and Madhusanka Liyanage. Survey on Network Slicing for Internet of Things Realization in 5G Networks. IEEE Communications Surveys Tutorials, 23(2):957–994, 2021.","A. A. Barakabitze, A Ahmad, R Mijumbi, and A Hines. 5G Network Slicing Using SDN and NFV: A Survey of Taxonomy, Architectures and Future Challenges. Computer Networks, 167:106984, February 2020.","F. Yousaf, M. Gramaglia, V. Friderikos, B. Gajic, D. von Hugo, B. Sayadi, V. Sciancalepore, and M. Crippa. Network Slicing with Flexible Mobility and Qos/Qoe Support for 5g Networks. In IEEE International Conference on Communications, pages 1195–1201, May 2017.","P K Thiruvasagam, A Chakraborty, and C. Murthy. Resilient and Latency-Aware Orchestration of Network Slices Using Multi-Connectivity in MEC-Enabled 5G Networks. IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, 18(3):2502–2514, September 2021.","I Kovacevic, A Shafigh, S Glisic, B Lorenzo, and E Hossain. Multi-Domain Network Slicing With Latency Equalization. IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, 17(4):2182–2196, December 2020.","Jonathan Prados-Garzon and Tarik Taleb. Asynchronous Time-Sensitive Networking for 5G Backhauling. IEEE Network, 35(2):144–151, March 2021.","Y. Xiao and M. Krunz. Dynamic Network Slicing for Scalable Fog Computing Systems With Energy Harvesting. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, 36(12):2640–2654, December 2018.","K. Samdanis, X. Costa-Perez, and V. Sciancalepore. From Network Sharing to Multi-Tenancy: The 5G Network Slice Broker. 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A Survey and an Analysis of Network Slicing in 5G Networks. IEEE Communications Standards Magazine, 2(1):60–65, March 2018.","Eduardo S. Xavier, Nazim Agoulmine, and Joberto Martins. On Modeling Network Slicing Communication Resources with SARSA Optimization. In Proceedings of the International Workshop on ADVANCEs in ICT Infrastructures and Services (ADVANCE), pages 1–12, Fortaleza, Brazil, February 2023.","I Afolabi, T Taleb, K Samdanis, A Ksentini, and H Flinck. Network Slicing and Softwarization: A Survey on Principles, Enabling Technologies, and Solutions. IEEE Communications Surveys Tutorials, 20(3):2429–2453, 2018.","3GPP. 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Management and Orchestration; Concepts, Use Cases and Requirements. Technical Specification 3GPP TS 28.530 V15.0, 3GPP, 2019.","Eliseu Torres, Rafael Reale, Leobino Sampaio, and Joberto S. B. Martins. A SDN/OpenFlow Framework for Dynamic Resource Allocation based on Bandwidth Allocation Model. IEEE Latin America Transactions, 18(5):853–860, April 2020."]}

Paper mills are among the most polluting industries, responsible for many organic and inorganic compounds emissions. The fibres electro-kinetic features strongly affect the ability to retain fillers since the fillers–fibres interactions are charge induced. The control and the prediction of these parameters would represent a precious aid for process management, allowing the fillers retention enhancement, a lower environmental impact and the paper sheet properties streamlining. The work presented deals with the implementation and training of four artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the prediction of the main electrochemical and physical features of cellulose pulp and paper. First, two ANNs predict the electrochemical parameters. Following, they were applied to predict the paper sheet properties and fillers retention. The neural models implemented showed outstanding prediction performance, with R2 in the order of 0.999 and a low mean error. The results demonstrate how Artificial Neural Networks may be a valuable instrument for paper mill pollutant reduction. However, they suggest a more inclusive investigation for a better fibres behaviour representation.

[ES] En la presente Tesis Doctoral se investigó la aplicación del proceso de ultrafiltración (UF) y el fenómeno de ensuciamiento de las membranas en la eliminación de sustancias disueltas y coloidales (DCS) de efluentes tratados de la industria papelera (PMTE) para su reutilización en los diferentes procesos de fabricación de papel y cartón reciclado. El objetivo general de esta investigación se dividió en tres partes principales: i) describe cómo encontrar las condiciones óptimas de operación de cuatro parámetros de proceso: presión transmembrana (TMP), velocidad de flujo cruzado (CFV), temperatura y corte de peso molecular (MWCO) para maximizar el flujo promedio de permeado (Jp) y rechazo de la demanda química de oxígeno (COD) y minimizar el descenso del flujo de permeado acumulado (SFD) utilizando el método de Taguchi (Design Robusto) y utility concept aplicado a un proceso de UF a flujo cruzado, para remover DCS de efluentes tratados de la industria papelera, ii) el descenso del flujo de permeado y los mecanismos de ensuciamiento de las membranas de UF ensuciadas con PMTE se examinaron mediante modelos matemáticos semi-empíricos. Los resultados para los diferentes ensayos de UF se expresaron en términos de variación del Jp en función del tiempo para verificar la precisión del ajuste (mayor valor de R2 y menor valor de desviación estándar) de los distintos modelos de Hermia adaptados a flujo tangencial y del modelo de formación de torta en filtración a presión constante ajustados a los datos experimentales, y iii) describe métodos de identificación, caracterización y posibles orígenes de las sustancias contaminantes (foulants) en las membranas de UF. Técnicas como el análisis físico-química, FESEM, SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR y 3DEEM se llevaron a cabo para comprender qué fracción de los contaminantes son responsables por la formación de incrustaciones en las membranas. Los resultados obtenidos durante la etapa de optimización de parámetros del procesos demostraron que TMP y MWCO tienen la mayor contribución en el Jp y SFD. En el caso de la tasa de rechazo de COD, los resultados mostraron que MWCO tiene la mayor contribución seguida de CFV. Por consiguiente, las condiciones óptimas se encontraron para el segundo nivel de TMP (2.0 bar), el tercer nivel del CFV (1.041 m/s), el segundo nivel de la temperatura (15°C) y el tercer nivel de MWCO (100 kDa). Bajo estas condiciones óptimas de operación Jp, rechazo de COD y SFD alcanzaron respuestas de 81.15 L/m2.h, 43.90% y 6.01 (alrededor de 28.96 % para (FD), respectivamente, valores dentro del rango previsto del intervalo de confianza del 95%. Además, los modelos de Hermia adaptados a UF en flujo tangencial fueron capaces de predecir con gran precisión el descenso del Jp y los mecanismos de ensuciamiento en función del tiempo para todas las membranas seleccionadas (10, 30 y 100 kDa) y bajo diferentes condiciones ensayadas de UF. Por lo tanto, los modelos que presentan un mayor grado de ajuste son el bloqueo completo de poros (coeficiente de determinación R2 >0.97) y bloqueo intermedio (R2 >0.96), seguido por el modelo de formación de torta (R2 >0.94), lo que indica que estés son los principales mecanismos de ensuciamiento de las membranas. Análisis de 3DEEM revelaron que la mayoría de la materia orgánica fluorescentes en las membranas sucias eran proteínas coloidales (componentes similares a proteínas I + II) y proteínas macromoleculares (componentes similares a SMP). Además, polisacáridos (especie celulósica) y sustancias como ácidos grasos y resinosos fueron identificadas en las membranas contaminadas mediante análisis ATR-FTIR. Por fin, análisis SEM-EDS para las membranas ensuciadas con PMTE se detectó concentración de contaminantes inorgánicos (iones metálicos multivalentes) especialmente el Ca2+ que podría acelerar la formación torta en la superficie de la membrana., [CA] En la present Tesi Doctoral es va investigar l'aplicació del procés d'ultrafiltració (UF) i el fenomen d'embrutiment de les membranes en l'eliminació de substàncies dissoltes i col·loïdals (DCS) d'efluents tractats de la indústria paperera (PMTE) per al seu reutilització en els diferents processos de fabricació de paper i cartó reciclatge. L'objectiu general d'aquesta investigació es va dividir en tres parts principals: i) descriu com trobar les condicions òptimes d'operació de quatre paràmetres de procés: pressió transmembrana (TMP), velocitat de flux creuat (CFV), temperatura i tall de pes molecular (MWCO) per a maximitzar el flux mitjà de permeat (Jp) i rebuig de la demanda química d'oxigen (COD) i minimitzar el descens del flux de permeado acumulat (SFD) utilitzant el mètode de Taguchi (Design Robust) i utility concept aplicat a un procés de UF a flux creuat en escala pilot, per a remoure DCS d'efluents tractats de la indústria paperera (PMTE), ii) el descens del flux de permeat i els mecanismes de embrutiment (fouling) de les membranes de UF embrutades amb PMTE es van examinar mitjançant models matemàtics semi-empírics. Els resultats per als diferents assajos de UF es van expressar en termes de variació del flux de permeat (Jp) en funció del temps per a verificar la precisió de l'ajust (major valor de R2 i menor valor de desviació estàndard) dels diferents models de Hermia adaptats a flux tangencial i del model de formació de coca en filtració a pressió constant ajustats a les dades experimentals, i iii) descriu mètodes d'identificació, caracterització i possibles orígens de les substàncies contaminants (foulants) en les membranes de UF. Tècniques com l'anàlisi física-química, FESEM, SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR i 3DEEM es van dur a terme per a comprendre quina fracció dels contaminants són responsables per la formació d'incrustacions sobre la superfície i adsorció dins dels porus de les membranes. Els resultats obtinguts durant l'etapa d'optimització de paràmetres del processos van demostrar que TMP i MWCO tenen la major contribució en el Jp i SFD. En el cas de la taxa de rebuig de COD, els resultats van mostrar que MWCO té la major contribució seguida de CFV. Per consegüent, les condicions òptimes es van trobar per al segon nivell de TMP (2.0 bar), el tercer nivell del CFV (1.041 m/s), el segon nivell de la temperatura (15°C) i el tercer nivell de MWCO (100 kDa). Sota aquestes condicions òptimes d'operació Jp, rebuig de COD i SFD van aconseguir respostes de 81.15 L/m².h, 43.90% i 6.01 (al voltant de 28.96% per a (FD)), respectivament, valors dins del rang previst de l'interval de confiança del 95%. A més, els models de Hermia adaptats a UF en flux tangencial van ser capaços de predir amb gran precisió el descens del Jp i els mecanismes de embrutiment en funció del temps per a totes les membranes seleccionades (10, 30 i 100 kDa) i baix diferents condicions assajades de UF. Per tant, els models que presenten un major grau d'ajust són el bloqueig complet de porus (coeficient de determinació R2 >0.97) i bloqueig intermedi (R2 >0.96), seguit pel model de formació de coca (R2 >0.94), la qual cosa indica que estigues són els principals mecanismes de embrutiment de les membranes. Anàlisi de 3DEEM van revelar que la majoria de la matèria orgànica fluorescents en les membranes brutes eren proteïnes col·loidals (components similars a proteïnes I + II) i proteïnes macromoleculars (components similars a SMP). A més, polisacàrids (espècie cel·lulòsica) i substàncies com a àcids grassos i resinosos van ser identificades en les membranes contaminades mitjançant anàlisis ATR-FTIR, tals substàncies exerceixen un paper important en el embrutiment de les membranes. Per fi, anàlisi SEM-EDS per a les membranes embrutades amb PMTE es va detectar concentració de contaminants inorgànics (ions metàl·lics multivalents) especialment el Ca2+ que podria accelerar la formació coca en la àrea de la membrana., [EN] In this PhD Thesis, the application of ultrafiltration process (UF) and membrane fouling phenomenon used to remove dissolved and colloidal substances (DCS) from paper mill treated effluent (PMTE) for reuse in different recycled paper and cardboard manufacturing processes was investigated. The overall goal of this research has been divided into three main parts: i) describes how to find optimal operating conditions of four controlling parameters, such as transmembrane pressure (TMP), cross-flow velocity (CFV), temperature and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) for maximizing the average permeate flux (Jp) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) rejection, and minimizing the cumulative flux decline (SFD) using Taguchi method and utility concept for a cross-flow UF in pilot scale, used to remove DCS from a paper mill treated effluent (PMTE), ii) flux decline and fouling mechanisms of UF membranes fouled with PMTE were examined by theoretical modelling. The results from UF tests were expressed in terms of permeate flux (Jp) as a function of time to check modified Hermia's models adapted to crossflow filtration and cake formation in constant-pressure filtration, and iii) describes the Identification, characterization and possible origins of UF membrane foulants. Techniques such as chemical analysis, FESEM, SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR and 3DEEM analysis were applied to understand which fraction of the foulants caused the fouling. This research found that the TMP and MWCO have the greatest contribution to the average permeate flux and SFD. In the case of the COD rejection rate, the results showed that MWCO has the highest contribution followed by CFV. The optimum conditions were found to be the second level of TMP (2.0 bar), the third level of the CFV (1.041 m/s), the second level of the temperature (15°C), and the third level of MWCO (100 kDa). Under these optimum conditions Jp, COD rejection and SFD resistance of 81.15 L/m2/h, 43.90% and 6.01 (around 28.96 % of (FD), respectively, were obtained and they were within of the predicted range at the 95% confidence interval. Furthermore, the results showed that the predictions of the modified Hermia's models adapted to cross-flow UF had good agreements with experimental data, under different conditions tested for PMTE. Therefore, it can be concluded that for all cases the best fit (higher accuracy) to the experimental data corresponds to the complete (coefficient of determination R2 >0.97) and intermediate (R2 >0.96) blocking, followed by the cake layer formation (R2 >0.94). Moreover, measurements of particle size distribution and zeta potential near the isoelectric point, showed a substantial reduction in colloidal compounds. The 3DEEM analysis revealed that the majority of the organic foulants with fluorescence characteristics on the fouled membranes were colloidal proteins (protein-like substances I+II) and macromolecular proteins (SMP-like substances). Further, polysaccharide (cellulosic specie), fatty and resin acid substances were identified on the fouled membrane by the ATR-FTIR analysis and they play an important role in membrane fouling. In addition, the membrane SEM-EDS analysis showed accumulate and adsorbed onto the membrane surfaces of inorganic foulants, such as multivalent metal ions and especially Ca2+ (acts as a binding agent) that could accelerate cake layer formation on the membrane.

In a society where advances and innovations occur on a daily basis, outreach and meaningful engagement with the general public become more challenging. The amount of information produced and repackaged surpasses existing systems in place to ensure truthful and factual engagement with the public, especially with complex matters regarding health science. This perspective paper discusses the value of contextualization and optimization for creating transparent and engaging content. We reflect on the innovative Transformative Storytelling Technique as a new category for creating hybrid content to guide the experience of audiences, starting with the case of informal caregivers helping individuals living with neurological conditions. Moreover, we share our perspective on the important considerations for the current and future development of highly targeted content using this technique. We include reflections on the risks and ethical principles needed in the utilization and dissemination of “guided” content for the general public.

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia O objetivo deste trabalho surge da necessidade de otimizar o dimensionamento e sequenciamento de lotes em linhas de produção paralelas, com tempos de mudança entre famílias diferentes dependentes da sequência de produção, e tempos de mudança independentes da sequência de produção para produtos dentro da mesma família, numa fábrica da indústria de papel, onde são produzidos diversos de papel do tipo tissue. Para tal, e após uma extensa revisão do estado da arte, foi utilizado um modelo eficiente de programação linear inteira mista. O modelo proposto integra três abordagens de modelação diferentes. Uma abordagem discreta é utilizada para o cálculo dos custos de inventário e de backlog. Para o sequenciamento da produção das famílias, é utilizada uma abordagem de tempo contínuo com variáveis de precedência, e o escalonamento dos produtos é feito através de restrições de capacidade e de dimensionamento de lotes.O modelo desenvolvido foi implementado num solver comercial de modo a testar a sua eficiência num problema de dimensão real, e através de dados fornecidos pela empresa foi possível avaliar diversos cenários de operação. Os resultados principais sugerem que quando o sistema não está em sobrecarga, o modelo tende a atingir a solução ótima em tempo computacional muito competitivo, quer no planeamento a curto prazo, quer a médio prazo. Contudo, quando ocorre sobrecarga e havendo possibilidade de não cumprir com as datas de entrega, a qualidade das soluções a médio prazo pode ficar comprometida. É ainda possível concluir que o modelo tende a fornecer melhores soluções do que as atualmente obtidas pela empresa. Desta forma, conclui-se que o modelo formulado tem potencial para ser aplicado em ambientes industriais, no entanto, é importante realçar que compromisso entre o detalhe do modelo e a eficiência computacional terá sempre de ser considerado, por forma a assegurar a automatização eficiente do processo de tomada de decisão. The goal of this dissertation is to optimize the lot sizing and scheduling decisions in parallel production lines, with changeover times between different families depending on the production sequence, and setup times independent of the production sequence for products belonging to the same family, in a factory from the paper industry, where sub products from tissue paper are made.To accomplish this objective, and after an extensive review of the state of the art, an efficient mixed integer linear programming model was used. The proposed model integrates three different modeling approaches. A discrete approach is used for the inventory and backlog cost calculation. For scheduling the families, a continuous-time approach with immediate precedence variables is used, and for scheduling of products, lot sizing capacity constraints are applied.The developed model was implemented in a commercial solver in order to test its efficiency in a real dimension problem. Through data provided by the company, different operation scenarios were evaluated. The main results suggest that when the system is not overloaded, the model tends to reach the optimal solution in very competitive computational time, whether it is short or medium-term planning. However, when an overload occurs, and there is a possibility of not meeting due dates, the quality of the solution in the medium term may be compromised. It is also possible to conclude that the model tends to provide better solutions than the ones currently generated by the company. Thus, it is concluded that the formulated model has the potential to be applied in industrial environments. However, it is important to highlight that the compromise between the detail of the model and computational efficiency must be always considered, in order to guarantee an efficient automatization of the decision-making process.

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Raipur, Raipur-492 010, Chhattisgarh, India E-mail: cthakur.che@nitrr.ac.in Manuscript received online 20 April 2020, accepted 12 June 2020 In the present study, hybrid central composite design (HCCD) was chosen to optimize four variables based remediation of paper mill wastewater by using electrocoagulation (EC). Response surface methodology incorporates with HCCD designs are rarely used by researchers for optimization of paper mill wastewater remediation. pH, electrode distance, conductivity and current density are operating variables which were selected for optimization over response parameters like COD, color and TDS. EC experiments were performed in 1.5 L capacity reactor with four aluminum electrodes connected to DC power supply. 35 min of electrolysis time for remediation of paper mill wastewater was determined by performing EC experiments with respect to time. Quadratic model was suggested by HCCD design for 20 sets of experimental runs. The signification of this design was measured in terms of regression analysis and t-test. For all response variables regression coefficient and p-value are > 0.80 and < 0.05 respectively. Desirable solution for optimization is obtained at pH = 7.11, electrode distance = 1.98 cm, conductivity = 7.07 mS/cm and current density = 13.76 mA/cm2. Reduction in COD, color and TDS were 80.89%, 93.37%, and 87.54% respectively.

Optimization of the ultrafiltration (UF) process to remove colloidal substances from a paper mill&rsquo, s treated effluent was investigated in this study. The effects of four operating parameters in a UF system (transmembrane pressure (TMP), cross-flow velocity (CFV), temperature and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO)) on the average permeate flux (Jv), organic matter chemical oxygen demand (COD) rejection rate and the cumulative flux decline (SFD), was investigated by robust experimental design using the Taguchi method. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for an L9 orthogonal array were used to determine the significance of the individual factors, that is to say, to determine which factor has more and which less influence over the UF response variables. Analysis of the percentage contribution (P%) indicated that the TMP and MWCO have the greatest contribution to the average permeate flux and SFD. In the case of the COD rejection rate, the results showed that MWCO has the highest contribution followed by CFV. The Taguchi method and the utility concept were employed to optimize the multiple response variables. The optimal conditions were found to be 2.0 bar of transmembrane pressure, 1.041 m/s of the cross-flow velocity, 15 &deg, C of the temperature, and 100 kDa MWCO. The validation experiments under the optimal conditions achieved Jv, COD rejection rate and SFD results of 81.15 L&middot, m&minus, 2&middot, h&minus, 1, 43.90% and 6.01, respectively. Additionally, SST and turbidity decreased by about 99% and 99.5%, respectively, and reduction in particle size from around 458&ndash, 1281 nm to 12.71&ndash, 24.36 nm was achieved. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy images under optimal conditions showed that membrane fouling takes place at the highest rate in the first 30 min of UF. The results demonstrate the validity of the approach of using the Taguchi method and utility concept to obtain the optimal membrane conditions for the wastewater treatment using a reduced number of experiments.

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) models are useful tools for both design and management. The system complexity is high due to the involved number of processes which can be clustered in biological and physical ones. Literature studies are present and need to be harmonized in order to gain insights from the different studies and allow system optimization by applying a control. This position paper aims at defining the current state of the art of the main integrated MBR models reported in the literature. On the basis of a modelling review, a standardized terminology is proposed to facilitate the further development and comparison of integrated membrane fouling models for aerobic MBRs. ispartof: WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY vol:81 issue:1 pages:1-9 ispartof: location:England status: published