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Item Open Access Achieving equilibrium status and sustainable landfill - the holy grail?(The Waste Conference Ltd, 2004-09) Hall, D. H.; Gronow, Jan R.; Smith, Richard; Blakey, N.This paper presents the results of a research contract jointly funded by the Environment Agency and ESART examining the residues of likely post-Landfill Directive waste streams that will need to go to landfill and the time taken to achieve sufficient stabilisation such that management controls can be removed. The first part of the project has identified a number of processes that are likely to be adopted by the waste management industry in order to meet the biodegradable waste diversion targets. Both leachate quality and landfill gas generation data has been assessed for each residue stream. Forward modelling has been undertaken on these data using LandSim2.5 within GoldSim to assess the likely period of management needed in order to achieve equilibrium status.Item Open Access Air quality and worker health effects in materials recovery facilities (MRFs) in England and Wales.(Eurowaste, 2003-10) Gladding, T.; Thorn, Jörgen; Smith, RichardThere are varying types of Materials Recycling Facilities (MRFs, also known as Materials Recovery Facilities, or Materials Recycling Factories) in operation in the UK and throughout Europe. A full outline of the various types of MRF operations is given by the Institute of Wastes Management (IWM 2000). This review concentrates on MRFs used to sort and process sourcesegregated household and commercial waste, the most common type. A MRF that deals with household and commercial waste is defined as a central operation where source-segregated, dry, recyclable materials are sorted, mechanically or manually, to market specifications for processing into secondary materials.Item Open Access Application of DR4 and BM100 Biodegradability tests to treated and untreated organic wastes(2007-10) Godley, Andrew R.; Lewin, Kathy; Frederickson, Jim; Smith, Richard; Blakey, N.The aerobic DR4 and anaerobic BM100 biodegradability tests are currently applied in England and Wales for monitoring the reduction in biological municipal waste (BMW) achieved by mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plants (Environment Agency 2005). The protocol is applied only when outputs are landfilled and is based on estimating the reduction in potential biogas production between the MBT input, municipal solid waste (MSW), and all of the landfilled outputs, using the BM100 test. As this is a long term 100 day test the more rapid 4 day DR4 test may also be applied as this has been shown to correlate with the BM100 test. We have now applied the DR4 and BM100 tests to 132 organic waste samples including untreated and treated BMW and specific organic wastes. The results indicate that the correlation between the DR4 and BM100 tests has proved valid for mixed MSW derived BMW wastes. However when both tests are applied to specific organic wastes such as turkey feathers, cardboard packaging waste and pizza food wastes the correlation between the tests is less strong. It is concluded that the use of the DR4 and BM100 test correlation is valid for its designed application (monitoring MBT processes treating MSW derived mixed BMW), but that caution should be exercised when applying both tests to specific single component organic wastes.Item Open Access Appraisal for options of solid recovered fuel (SRF) utilisation within the UK(2006-11-29T00:00:00Z) Hill, D.; Garg, A.; Smith, Richard; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Longhurst, Philip J.In view of the rising prices of non-renewable fossil fuels and regulatory obligations affecting waste management, interest is growing for the use of waste derived fuels in energy intensive facilities in Europe. However, major concerns with the use of such fuels include the quality of fuels, its source of generation, gaseous emissions and public acceptability. This paper presents the various production methods for solid recovered fuels (SRF) from municipal solid waste (MSW) and the potential options for its use in the UK. SRF can be produced by mechanical biological treatment (MBT) methods using bio-drying process or by extensive mechanical treatment. MBT involves a series of mechanical and biological steps, depending upon the input waste properties, aimed at producing an SRF. SRF compositions vary according to the application and can comprise of paper, plastic, wood, textile and organics. The European Technical Committee CEN/TC 343 “Solid Recovered Fuels” classifies SRF on the basis of net calorific value (NCV), chlorine content and mercury content. This classification system was prepared after extensive consultation with end-users. In the UK, the main potential outlets for MSW derived SRF include cement kilns, power plants, industrial boilers (such as pulp and paper mill), dedicated SRF incineration facilities and advanced thermal treatment plants (such as gasification and Venice 2006: Biomass and Waste to Energy Symposium. Cini Foundation, Venice, Italy. 29 November – 1 December 2006. pyrolysis). Cement kiln operators prefer high NCV fuel, however, in spite of its lower CV in comparison to other waste derived fuels (like liquid solvents, tyres and MBM), it remains attractive due to its biomass fraction and cheap availability. Power plants are much more concerned with the biomass fraction, as it may bring revenues for them in the form of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs). Similarly, gasification and pyrolysis techniques are also eligible for ROCs, but these are still not fully proven in the UK. The use of SRF is also of interest because of its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as the biomass rich fraction is considered ‘carbon neutral’. Thus, this assists energy facilities to meet the EU Emissions Trading Scheme targets. However, the application of SRF is not straightforward as legislation exists at EU and National level, which users need to comply with. In addition, technical, environmental and economic issues need to be addressed. On the other hand if more SRF can be used then this will greatly help the UK meet its obligations under the Landfill Directive and the mitigation of greenhouse gases.Item Open Access Are the 1D and 2D constitutive equations of piezoelectric materials right?(2007-06-14T00:00:00Z) Zhu, Meiling; Kirby, Paul B.Item Open Access Assessment of nanoparticle release and associated health effect of polymer-silicon composites(2014-04-15) Zhu, Huijun; Irfan, Adeel; Sachse, Sophia; Njuguna, JamesThe fast advancement in the nanotechnology and manufacturing of engineering nanomaterials has inevitably caused concerns over their impact on environment and human health. Little information is currently available on possible release of nanomaterials or/and nanoparticles (NP) from conventional and novel products and associated health effect. The NEPHH project funded under the EU FP7 programme is aimed to assess the environment and health impact of polymer-silicon nanocomposites in comparison to conventional polymer composites from life cycle perspective. As part of the NEPHH project, this study focused on assessing the possible release of NP during the application stage of conventional and nanoproducts. NP release was monitored during physical processing of polymer-silicon composites, and the toxicity of both the released NP and the raw silica nanomaterials that were used as fillers in nanocomposites was assessed in vitro using human lung epithelial A549 cells.Item Open Access Attachment and spreading of human embryonal carcinoma stem cells on nanosurfaces monitored by optical waveguides(2008-06-05T00:00:00Z) Aref, Amirreza; Horvath, R.; Ansari, Farahnaz; Ramsden, Jeremy J.Cell adhesion is an active process, carried out in vivo via receptor ligand-like interactions between cell surface adhesion molecules and the extracellular matrix. Initial cell surface reactions following contact may trigger multiple responses, which in tum result in either spreading or detachment of the cell. The set of adhesion and attachment molecules mediating the adhesive behaviour of stem cells and the kinetics of their interactions are as yet largely unknown. In this paper we have investigated the attachment and spreading kinetics of human embryonal carcinoma stem cells (TERA2.sp12) onto the planar Si(Ti)O2 waveguides, and covered with poly-L-lysine (PLL) or mucin, acting as substrata for the cells.Item Open Access Automated inspection using database technology within the aerospace industry(Sage, 2008-02-01) Tiwari, Ashutosh; Vergidis, Kostas; Lloyd, R.; Cushen, J.Many manufacturing processes have become fully automated resulting in high production volumes. However, this is not the case for inspection. Shortening the inspection times in manufacturing industry using the available information resources can result in the reduction of production lead-time and overall costs. Rapid advances in machine tool technology have resulted in fast processing computer numerical control (CNC) machines that are capable of manufacturing parts at high speeds, turning their manual inspection process into a bottleneck. However, most CNC machines record the operations that they perform as realization logs. This paper proposes an approach that utilizes these realization logs for automating the inspection process. The automation occurs with the implementation of a software tool that imports and compares the realization logs with the manufacturing instructions for a manufactured part. The output of the tool is an inspection report that lists all the identified skipped or mishandled operations for that part. The proposed inspection approach is compared with the manual practice within an aerospace manufacturer. The results demonstrate drastic reduction in production lead-time while producing accurate and reliable inspection reports in an automated manner.Item Open Access Biodegradability determination of municipal waste: an evaluation of methods(The Waste Conference Limited, 2004-09) Godley, Andrew R.; Lewin, Kathy; Graham, Adele; Barker, H.; Smith, RichardThe Environment Agency is required to monitor the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) from landfill. Reliable methods are needed to measure the biodegradability of municipal waste, both as mixed municipal waste and as individually separated fractions. An evaluation of several methods was carried out using a variety of organic materials typically found in municipal solid waste. The assessment considered biological and non-biological methods to determine which provides the bestfit surrogate measurement for relative waste biodegradability. The biological methods tested were: the aerobic specific oxygen uptake rate, dynamic respiration index tests, and the anaerobic biochemical methane potential test. The non-biological methods evaluated were: dry matter, loss on ignition, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, water extractable dissolved organic carbon, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, lignin and cellulose content and cellulase hydrolysis. This paper also reviews how such tests can be used to measure the relative biodegradation of municipal waste and benchmark the relative diversion from landfill achieved by the pre-treatment of municipal waste in a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) process.Item Open Access Business process mining for industry: successes and caveats(2010-06-23T00:00:00Z) Mehnen, Jorn; Turner, Christopher J.; Tiwari, Ashutosh; R. TetiBusiness Process Mining (BPM) is a powerful technique which aims at mapping the complex structure of industrial processes into human interpretable graph structures by analysing business process traces automatically. The transfer of an innovative idea into an industrially viable product is a challenging task in its own rights. First, this paper introduces the concept of business process mining and an innovative Genetic Programming (GP) approach. Second, this paper addresses the principal caveats and solutions that come with transferring new academic solutions into real-world applications. A real BPM transfer project serves a background for this discussion.Item Open Access Capturing the Industrial Requirements of Set-Based Design for the CONGA Framework(2013-09-19T00:00:00Z) Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Golob, Matic; Noriega, Paula; Torriani, Filippo; Alvarez, Pedro; Beltran, Ana; Busachi, Alessandro; Ex-Ignotis, Lambert; Rigatti, Carlotta; Sharma, Sanjiv; Shehab, Essam; Ball, Peter; Tjahjono, BennyThe Configuration Optimisation of Next-Generation Aircraft (CONGA) is a proposed framework in a response to industrial need to enhance the aerospace capability in the UK. In order to successfully address this challenge, a need to develop a true multi-disciplinary Set-Based Design (SBD) capability that could deploy new technologies on novel configurations more quickly and with greater confidence was identified. This paper presents the first step towards the development of the SBD capabilities which is to elicit the industrial requirement of the SBD process for the key aerospace industrial partners involved in this CONGA approach.Item Open Access Characterisation of untreated and treated biodegradable wastes(2007-10) Godley, Andrew R.; Frederickson, Jim; Lewin, Kathy; Smith, Richard; Blakey, N.As part of a Defra sponsored project (WRT220), approximately 40 biodegradable wastes were characterised according to biodegradability (DR4 and BM100), total PTE content, C:N ratio and biochemical composition. Two leaching tests were employed; upflow percolation test and a one step LS10 test; eluates were analysed for TOC, pH, electrical conductivity, PTEs and a range of cations and anions. This paper contains a limited set of data for a selection of untreated and treated waste types representing four waste treatment processes (composting, MBT, MHT, anaerobic digestion). The DR4 and BM100 tests were found to be appropriate for a wide range of waste types but where possible they should be used in conjunction with other related tests. Longer-term MBT composting processes appeared to produce compost material with reduced ammonium concentrations and extractability of some PTEs. Carbon content (carbon analyzer - LECO) could be estimated as C = LOI/1.9 which is a routine operation. N LECO values were approximately 12% greater than the equivalent N Kjeldahl values.Item Open Access Characteristics of environmental harm in the context of air pollution.(WIT Press, 2002) Irwin, J. G.; Duarte-Davidson, Raquel; Pollard, Simon J. T.A framework that allows a qualitative assessment of technical and socio-economic aspects of environmental harm has been developed; capturing not only the physical aspects of damage but also how society may feel about it. Technical characteristics of harm include spatial and temporal extent, severity, irreversibility and uniqueness. Social aspects include dread, distrust, equity and imposition. By representing these on separate axes of a graph it is possible to assess those attributes of greatest concern, draw conclusions as to the nature of the harm and the public perception of that harm and gain some insight into appropriate courses of action. The results of applying the methodology to a radioactive release are presented and placed in the context of a range of other air pollution hazards.Item Open Access Charaterisation of treated wastes to support an evidence base for sustainable waste management.(The Waste Conference Limited, 2006-09) Lewin, Kathy; Godley, Andrew R.; Turrell, J.; Smith, Richard; Frederickson, Jim; Graham, Adele; Gronow, Jan R.; Blakey, N.Defra must consider policies and strategies to manage environmental challenges such as climate change and sustainability. At a basic level the strategies need good quality data on waste characteristics. The dataset for UK wastes, in particular the new generation of treated wastes, is not fit for this purpose. This paper outlines the gaps in knowledge needed to underpin policy development and initial findings from a new project funded under Defra’s Waste and Resource Management Research Programme. The project team from WRc, Open University and Cranfield University aims to improve understanding of the characteristics of treated organic and inorganic wastes, methods of testing and knowledge of treatment process performance. Potential opportunities from the research are also described. New data will be collated into the presentation.Item Open Access Comparative evaluation of SRF and RDF co-combustion with coal in a fluidised bed combustor(2007-10-01T00:00:00Z) Garg, A.; Smith, Richard; Longhurst, Philip J.; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Simms, Nigel J.; Hill, D.The experimental study reported here was carried out to assess the feasibility of municipal solid waste (MSW) derived solid recovered fuel (SRF) in energy recovery applications. SRF was prepared by grinding and blending the major MSW constituents such as paper, plastics, wood and textile. The percentage of various constituents was the same as from the Ecodeco process employing bio- drying followed by mechanical treatment. The heating value of synthetic SRF was ca. 21 MJ/kg (as received basis). The metal emission results from the SRF co- combustion with coal were compared with that obtained from coal mono-combustion and refuse derived fuel (RDF) co-combustion with coal. RDF was also derived from MSW and was obtained from a local mechanical treatment waste facility. Use of SRF as co-fuel does not increase the emissions of metals to the environment in the flue gas stream when compared to coal mono-combustion. In addition, use of MSW derived fuel reduces the arsenic release to the atmosphere. The results showed that most of the metals are retained in the ash components (except mercury). The mobility of metals depends on the volatility and type of feedstock.Item Open Access Comparison of the environmental impact of the CRIMSON process with normal sand casting process(2013-09-02T00:00:00Z) Zeng, Binxu; Salonitis, Konstantinos; Jolly, Mark R.; Shehab, Essam; Ball, Peter D.; Tjahjono, BennyThe CRIMSON process is an alternative process to conventional casting that can be used for small to medium batch sizes. The aim of this process are to improve the casting quality and reduce the energy consumption within light-metal casting industry. Nowadays, the energy efficiency becomes more and more important. This is not only about the cost of the production, but also about the environmental effect. In this paper, the CRIMSON process will be compared with the conventional sand casting process. The Life cycle assessment (LCA) method will be used to assess the environmental impact of both casting processes.Item Open Access The Conceptual LeanPPD Model(2012-06-30) Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Shehab, Essam; Alam, Rahman; Sopelanad, Amaia; Sorli, Mikel; Flores, Myrna; Taisch, Marco; Stokic, Dragan; James-Moore, Mike; Jerzy, Pokojski; Shuichi, Fukada; Jozef, SalwinskiThis paper is presenting the conceptual Lean Product and Process Development (LeanPPD) model which is a project funded by the EU-PF7. The project is addressing the needs of European manufacturing companies of a new model that goes beyond lean manufacturing, to ensure the transformation of the enterprise into lean environment. This is a respond to the market demand of value creation, incorporating sustainability and customisation as well as ensuring business growth through the development of high quality products in a cost effective manner at the shortest time. The authors believe that significant change in enterprise performance can be achieved through the adoption of lean thinking throughout the product life cycle. The paper presents the LeanPPD enablers which represent the building block of the model.Item Open Access Conduction mode: broadening the range of applications for laser welding(2012-11-14) Assuncao, D. E.; Ganguly, Supriyo; Yapp, David; Williams, Stewart W.; Mustafa, KocakConduction laser welding opens up a range of innovative applications for laser welding. This relatively novel mode of laser processing expands the application potential significantly beyond what is normally achieved today. The main reason for this could be attributed to the different characteristics of conduction process when compared to keyhole laser welding. An example is the higher stability of conduction which results in welds of higher quality and better control of the welding process. Despite the advantages of conduction laser welding, it is yet to be exploited significantly for industrial applications and there are very few applications for which this mode of operation is used. This paper is aimed at presenting different varieties of applications for conduction laser welding using a fibre laser. This ranges from high quality aluminium welds to laser brazing of stainless steel to metal foams. The objective of this paper is to highlight the main features of conduction laser welding process and exemplify some conduction laser welding applications.Item Open Access Correlation of sintered microstructure with green density in thick film PZT(Trans Tech Publications, 2003-06-28T00:00:00Z) Mortara, L.; Navarro, A.; Whatmore, Roger W.; Alcock, Jeffrey R.High density and low grain size are essential for the production of thick-film ceramics, in order that they possess adequate strength for any subsequent processing steps. In this paper sintered density and grain size were studied as function of green density and firing temperature. Wafers possessing a higher green density showed a more homogeneous microstructure and a higher sintered density.Item Open Access Cost of Physical Vehicle Crash Testing(2008-12-31T00:00:00Z) Baguley, Paul; Roy, Rajkumar; Watson, James W.; Curran, Richard; Chou, Shuo-Yan; Trappey, Amy J. CThe automotive safety-testing environment currently deploys virtual methods and physical crash testing for new product development and validation in safety testing legislation. Cost benefit analysis of crash testing is considered here by estimating the cost of physical crash testing. This has been achieved via the compilation of detailed process maps and AS-IS analyses of the current physical testing procedures. This leads on to detailed work and cost breakdown structures used in the comparative analysis of cost drivers. The consideration of cost drivers at several stages of the New Product Development process aids Concurrent Engineering. This research considers front and side impact only.