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In general, composite materials are difficult to recycle. Tires belong to this class of materials. On top, one of their main constitutents, vulcanized rubber, is as elastomer, which cannot be remolten and hence is particularly challenging to put to a new use. Today, the main end-of-life routes of tires and other rubber products are landfilling, incineration in e.g., cement plants, and grinding to a fine powder, generating huge quantities and indicating a lack of sustainable recycling of this valuable material. True feedstock recycling is not feasible for complex mixtures such as tires, but devulcanization can be done to reactivate the cross-linked polymer for material recycling in novel rubber products. Devulcanization, i.e., the breaking up of sulfur bonds by chemical, thermophysical, or biological means, is a promising route that has been investigated for more than 50 years. This review article presents an update on the state-of-the art in rubber devulcanization. The article addresses established devulcanization technologies and novel processes described in the scientific and patent literatures. On the one hand, tires have become high-tech products, where the simultaneous improvement of wet traction, rolling resistance, and abrasion resistance (the so-called “magic triangle”) is hard to achieve. On the other hand, recycling and sustainable end-of-life uses are becoming more and more important. It is expected that the public discussion of environmental impacts of thermoplastics will soon spill over to thermosets and elastomers. Therefore, the industry needs to develop and market solutions proactively. Every year, approximately 40 million tons of tires are discarded. Through the devulcanization of end-of-life tires (ELT), it is possible to produce new raw materials with good mechanical properties and a superior environmental footprint over virgin products. The devulcanization process has become an interesting technology that is able to support the circular economy concept.
Methane is the main greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted by ruminants. Mitigation strategies are required to alleviate this negative environmental impact while maintaining productivity and ruminants’ health. To date, numerous methane mitigation strategies have been investigated, reported and suggested by scientists to the livestock industry. In this review, the authors will focus on the commonly practiced and available techniques expanding the knowledge of the reader on the advances of methane mitigation strategies with a focus on the recent literature. Furthermore, the authors will attempt to discuss the drawbacks of the strategies in terms of animal health and performance reduction as well as the concept of feed and energy loss, adding an economic perspective to methane emission mitigation which is in the farmers’ direct interest. As a whole, many factors are effective in reducing undesired methane production, but this is definitely a complex challenge. Conclusively, further research is required to offer effective and efficient methane production mitigation solutions in ruminants worldwide, thus positively contributing to climate change.
This study aimed to assess the impact of essential oils (EOs) on in vitro gas formation and the degradability of dairy and beef cattle diets. This study also aimed to investigate the effects of different types of EOs on nutrient utilization and rumen microbial activity. The current study was conducted using a fully randomized design consisting of eight experimental treatments, including two control treatments without any additives, and treatments with cinnamon essential oil (CEO), flaxseed essential oil (FEO), and lemon seed essential oil (LEO) at a concentration of 60 mg/kg fresh mass. Two control treatments were used, one with alfalfa silage and dairy concentrate (DC, CON-DC) and the other with alfalfa silage and fattening concentrate (FC, CON-FC). Gas formation, dry matter (DM) digestibility, crude protein (CP) digestibility, effective degradability (ED), and soluble fractions of DM and organic matter (OM) were evaluated. CEO had a substantial effect on gas formation (p < 0.05). When EOs were added to the diets, they increased dry matter digestibility after 24 h of incubation as compared to control treatments. After 24 h of incubation, FCCEO and FCFEO had the highest CP digestibility among the diets. FCLEO considerably enhanced ED, as well as the soluble fraction of DM (a) at a passage rate of 2% per hour. Treatment with FCCEO resulted in a significant increase in soluble fractions compared to the control diets. At a passage rate of 2% h, DCCEO had the maximum ED value. When EOs were introduced to the diet, they dramatically decreased the insoluble portion of CP (b). Compared to the control treatments, gas production was significantly lower in the presence of LEO (FCLEO; p < 0.05). The addition of EOs to cattle diets may increase nutrient utilization and enhance rumen microbial activity. EOs extracted from lemon seeds (at a dose of 60 mg/kg of diet) lowered gas production in both dairy cattle and fattening diets.
Perspectives on Virtual Reality in Higher Education for Robotics and Related Engineering Disciplines
(2022)
Industrial engineering education has a strong focus on and affinity towards technology. While Virtual Reality hardware and applications advance and learning behaviour changes, it is particularly interesting to determine the possible use of Virtual Reality for teaching engineering subjects, for example fundamentals of robotics.
This paper presents a study which examines the possible use of Virtual Reality learning environments at higher learning institutions. The study shows perspectives of students and lecturers and identifies opportunities and challenges for the use of Virtual Reality in industrial engineering education. The results of the indicated study show that the participants have a positive attitude towards Virtual Reality and strong motivation for in class use. The study results also suggest, that Virtual Reality content creation should be included in engineering curricula.
In order to enhance the strength of 3D-printed parts made of polymer materials and reduce the anisotropy caused by the fused filament fabrication process, this paper proposes an inter-layer interleaved composite path planning method based on the directional partition of the principal stress field. This method not only ensures intra-layer reinforcement under specific working conditions but also increases the strength of the printed part by enhancing the adhesion of adjacent layers through staggered filling between layers. The mechanical performance is improved by 10 to 30% compared to other conventional filling patterns such as the zigzag filling algorithm. Inter-layer interleaved composite enhancement path planning method is suitable for path planning of structures with complex shapes and is easily integrated into existing general computer-aided engineering processes.
Engineering education courses look into processes, equipment and people in order to prepare students to tackle problems in their careers. In manufacturing industry, it is important to use virtual manufacturing tools to analyse processes. This includes both equipment and people. Assembly operations can involve human operators. Modular arrangements of predetermined time standards MODAPTS is a predetermined motion time system method used to analyse assembly processes. Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly being used for industrial processes as well as in education. AR application have been used for maintenance training as a useful way to overly digital instructions to a trainee whilst being able to look at a real object. This is potential beneficial for education. This paper presents the evaluation of a prototype to test a predetermined time standards model using an AR application. An evaluation was carried out comparing AR-based instructions in tablet and PC monitor and paper-written instructions. The results of evaluating the prototype encourage their use as an educational tool in engineering courses.
Talipot starch, a non-conventional starch source with a high yield (76%) from the stem pith of talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera L.) was subjected to three different thermal treatments (dry-heat, heat-moisture and autoclave treatments) prior to phosphorylation. Upon dual modification of starch with thermal treatments and phosphorylation, the phosphorous content and degree of crosslinking significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05) and was confirmed by the increased peak intensity of P=O and P–O–C stretching vibrations compared to phosphorylated talipot starch in the FT-IR spectrum. The highest degree of crosslinking (0.00418) was observed in the autoclave pretreated phosphorylated talipot starch sample. Thermal pretreatment remarkably changed the granule morphology by creating fissures and grooves. The amylose content and relative crystallinity of all phosphorylated talipot starches significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.05) due to crosslinking by the formation of phosphodiester bonds, reducing the swelling power of dual-modified starches. Among all modified starches, dry-heat pretreated phosphorylated starch gel showed an improved light transmittance value of 28.4%, indicating reduced retrogradation tendency. Pasting and rheological properties represented that the thermal pretreated phosphorylated starch formed stronger gels that improved thermal and shear resistance. Autoclave treatment before phosphorylation of talipot starch showed the highest resistant starch content of 48.08%.
This paper will present the concepts of the EURYDICE project funded by the Erasmus + program. Within this project the focus on renewable energies with the overall goal to enhance employability. The energy generation landscape in South Africa is undergoing a fundamental transition, as the vision of the energy strategy is
to contribute to an affordable energy for all. This vision will be supported by innovative labs and portals which will be developed within this project.
One of the goals is closing the gap between TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges) studies and diploma study by the definition of industrial experience requirements for University of Technology (UoT) diploma students. This leads to an increased preparedness and “studyability” of UoT diploma students. Industrial stakeholders will be integrated into the process. The project will develop an “Industrial Portal” as a working tool.
To increase industry cooperation in post graduate education “OpenLabs” and “MobileLabs” will be developed within the project. It is intended that industry brings industrial problems into the “Labs”, which will then be solved by the students.
This paper aims to identify challenges and opportunities that are associated with installing PV (Photovoltaic) systems in existing residential building complexes in Vienna. For this purpose, a project-oriented approach was chosen and hence a representative residential building complex in Vienna was chosen and analyzed to demonstrate the challenges that are associated with such projects. Furthermore, a particular focus lies on exploring different operating models that are available when it comes to the execution of such a project. As this paper builds on the rather novel topic of exploring new operating models for installing PV systems on existing residential building complexes in Vienna, many further suggestions for research can be identified that exceed the scope of this paper.
In tropical fruits such as durian (Durio zibethinus) and jackfruit (Artocarpus
heterophyllus), only one quarter to one third of the fruit is edible. Finding more
ways to industrially use the other components of the fruit can reduce the waste
burned or dumped in landfills. Another fruit tree of interest that can also grow
in Austria is the fig tree (Ficus carica). Currently, the fruits are the main product
of that plant; however, components in the latex of the tree are of interest too.
The latex is known to contain natural rubber, which could potentially be used for
industrial applications. Jackfruit trees also produce latex, which contains natural
rubber. In both cases, the natural rubber has different properties compared to
the conventionally used rubber from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). This
could provide new opportunities in various applications. Therefore, the purpose
of this research is to analyze the properties of the natural rubber obtained from
the jackfruit and fig trees. Additionally, durian fruit also produces a sticky liquid,
so the same experiments were also carried out with durian samples.
The experimental procedure included extraction with acetone and
cyclohexane as well as polymer length determination with gel permeation
chromatography and polymer analysis with differential scanning calorimetry.
The results show that in both jackfruit and fig tree latex, there is natural
rubber of similar polymer length. Durian pulp also contains a polymer; however,
with these experiments, it could not be identified. Further research is required to
identify the durian polymer and to confirm the results of this experiment.
On the surface, the process landscape for fixed income securities trading within most banks has changed only slightly in the past four decades. The value chain remains divided amongst front-, middle-, and back office, with IT in support. Front office negotiates deals with customers and other banks, middle office manages risks and reporting, and back office ensures that payments are made in exchange for a transfer of the bonds that have been traded. Though these processes have gradually migrated to electronic mediums, much of the work in all functional areas remains manual. But the advent of digital technologies, primarily process automation software and data integration in an open software architecture, allows banks to dramatically change how the processes along the value chain are carried out. Repetitive and predictable tasks can be performed by automated software, allowing humans to concentrate on complex activities that require flexibility and discretion. Those tasks that remain in the hands of humans can also be made more efficient by extracting data from software applications along the entire process chain and providing them to the human user at the right point in time in the right system.
Carbon footprint reduction in households using professional services – example of laundry cleaning
(2020)
This work represents the design and performance optimization of pumping aggregate for hydraulic active car
suspension systems. For solving of this task is required wide scope of interdisciplinary knowledge. The software used in
this project was SolidWorks from Dassault Systemes. Using this tool is possible to analyse and optimize the flow of
hydraulic fluid throw the electromotor of pumping aggregate. This papers shows among other, how to set the input
parameters and constraints such as pressure and velocity, how to simulate a rotating flow of cooling fluid inside
intermediate regions between stator and rotor. For approving a required lifetime of pumping aggregate a fatigue analysis
was done and represented above. The verification of simulation model and mandatory validation of simulation results
are made. The conclusions at the end of this work have confirmed the usage of computational fluid dynamic – software
for future researches of pumping aggregates.