END OF LIFE MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC WASTE

Electronic products are becoming obsolete at a very high rate due to rapid changes in consumer demand and technological advancements. However, on other hand End-of-Life (EOL) management of electronic products is not effectively approached while these products offer huge opportunities for effective recycling. In this context, this thesis has highlighted the current practices and issues related to EOL management of electronic products focusing on their different material compositions, the uses of their raw materials in the circular economy perspective. The thesis proposes the introduction of digital technologies into the recycling process to improve efficiency. More specifically, this thesis has focused on the corona electrostatic separation process and the improvement of efficiency based on the simulation of the particle trajectories to identify the most effective parameters. Thus, in this frame, a numerical model to predict the particle trajectories in a corona electrostatic separator is developed using COMSOL Multiphysics and MATLAB software and validated with experimental trials. The recycling of electronic waste is becoming challenging due to its diverse and constantly changing material composition. In this regard, this thesis illustrates the use of non-destructive visible near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (VNIR-HSI) technique to identify material accurately; the effectiveness of VNIR-HSI is demonstrated through an experimental campaign combined with machine learning models, such as Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors and Neural Network.Nonostante i prodotti elettronici diventino obsoleti ad un ritmo molto elevato, a causa dei rapidi cambiamenti nella domanda dei consumatori e dei progressi tecnologici, la gestione del loro fine vita (End-of-Life (EOL)) non viene affrontata in modo efficace benché offra, invece, grandi opportunità di riciclo. In questo contesto, questa tesi ha evidenziato le attuali pratiche e problematiche relative alla gestione del fine vita dei prodotti elettronici concentrandosi sulla loro diversa composizione, l’utilizzo delle materie prime seconde ricavabili in una prospettiva di economia circolare. La tesi propone l’introduzione di tecnologie digitali nel processo di riciclo per migliorarne l'efficienza. In particolare, questa tesi si è concentrata sul processo di separazione elettrostatica a corona e sul miglioramento dell'efficienza grazie alla simulazione delle traiettorie delle particelle per identificare i parametri più efficaci. Pertanto, in questo studio, utilizzando i software COMSOL Multiphysics e MATLAB, è stato sviluppato un modello numerico per prevedere le traiettorie delle particelle in un separatore elettrostatico a corona; il modello è stato poi validato con prove sperimentali. Il riciclo dei rifiuti elettronici sta diventando sempre più complesso a causa della presenza di mix di materiali diversificati e in continua evoluzione. A questo proposito, la tecnologia di visione iperspettrale non distruttiva basata su lunghezze d’onda nel visibile e nel vicino infrarosso (VNIR-HSI) è stata utilizzata in questo lavoro di tesi per identificare il materiale in modo preciso; l'efficacia di VNIR-HSI, combinato con modelli di apprendimento automatico, come la Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors e Neural Network, viene dimostrata attraverso una campagna sperimentale

Proceedings of the Scientific-Practical Conference "Research and Development - 2016"

talent management; sensor arrays; automatic speech recognition; dry separation technology; oil production; oil waste; laser technolog

Proceedings of the Scientific-Practical Conference "Research and Development - 2016"

talent management; sensor arrays; automatic speech recognition; dry separation technology; oil production; oil waste; laser technolog

XVIII International Coal Preparation Congress

Changes in economic and market conditions of mineral raw materials in recent years have greatly increased demands on the ef fi ciency of mining production. This is certainly true of the coal industry. World coal consumption is growing faster than other types of fuel and in the past year it exceeded 7.6 billion tons. Coal extraction and processing technology are continuously evolving, becoming more economical and environmentally friendly. “ Clean coal ” technology is becoming increasingly popular. Coal chemistry, production of new materials and pharmacology are now added to the traditional use areas — power industry and metallurgy. The leading role in the development of new areas of coal use belongs to preparation technology and advanced coal processing. Hi-tech modern technology and the increasing interna- tional demand for its effectiveness and ef fi ciency put completely new goals for the University. Our main task is to develop a new generation of workforce capacity and research in line with global trends in the development of science and technology to address critical industry issues. Today Russia, like the rest of the world faces rapid and profound changes affecting all spheres of life. The de fi ning feature of modern era has been a rapid development of high technology, intellectual capital being its main asset and resource. The dynamics of scienti fi c and technological development requires acti- vation of University research activities. The University must be a generator of ideas to meet the needs of the economy and national development. Due to the high intellectual potential, University expert mission becomes more and more called for and is capable of providing professional assessment and building science-based predictions in various fi elds. Coal industry, as well as the whole fuel and energy sector of the global economy is growing fast. Global multinational energy companies are less likely to be under state in fl uence and will soon become the main mechanism for the rapid spread of technologies based on new knowledge. Mineral resources will have an even greater impact on the stability of the economies of many countries. Current progress in the technology of coal-based gas synthesis is not just a change in the traditional energy markets, but the emergence of new products of direct consumption, obtained from coal, such as synthetic fuels, chemicals and agrochemical products. All this requires a revision of the value of coal in the modern world economy

Advances in Computational Intelligence Applications in the Mining Industry

This book captures advancements in the applications of computational intelligence (artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc.) to problems in the mineral and mining industries. The papers present the state of the art in four broad categories: mine operations, mine planning, mine safety, and advances in the sciences, primarily in image processing applications. Authors in the book include both researchers and industry practitioners

Physiochemical and drug release properties of liquisolid formulations in comparison to their physical mixture counterparts

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).Various techniques have been used for modifying the release properties of drugs over the past years. Techniques such as liquisolid technology have raised a lot of interest in many researchers which can be employed to enhance or sustain dissolution. Various liquisolid (LS) tablets of diltiazem containing Polysorbate 80 as a non-volatile solvent for sustained release were prepared. PolyoxTM is an attractive pharmaceutical polymer used in controlled release dosage forms mainly because of its insensitivity to the pH of the biological medium and ease of production. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of several formulation factors i.e., the PolyoxTM grade at different molecular weight (MW), PolyoxTM particle size and ratio, the AEROSIL® grade, the use of diluent, polymer type and the drug type as well as their interactions on drug release from LS formulation in comparison to their physical mixture (PM). The result showed that PolyoxTM MW was a key determining step in achieving sustained release, with the higher MW of PolyoxTM resulting in a more delayed release profile. The delayed DTZ release could be related to the rate and extend of hydrogel formation on the tablet surface. The P–CMRs and net–CMRs of both LS and PM formulation powders also showed increasing trends with increasing the MW of PolyoxTM. The release of DTZ from both LS and conventional tablets showed mostly decreasing trends with increasing PolyoxTM concentration and decreasing PolyoxTM particle size distribution. This could be attributed to the formation of stronger and thicker gel layers on the tablet surfaces in the case of higher concentrations of PolyoxTM. The results also showed LS tablets to produce slower release of drug than their PM counterparts, regardless of PolyoxTM particle size. The release profile of the DTZ from both LS tablets and their counterpart PM tablets showed decreasing trends with increasing the surface area of hydrophilic AEROSIL® (from 65 m2/g to 225 m2/g). This could be due to the higher tensile strength (TS) of the tablets containing AEROSIL® particles with higher surface area compared to those prepared using AEROSIL® particles having lower surface areas. Also, the result showed that comparing the different diluents showed that hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) provided the slowest release pattern of DTZ across diluents used in both the LS compacts and PM tablets. This could be attributed to hydrophobicity imparted by HVO to matrix system when in contact with aqueous medium it takes a longer time to penetrate into the tablet. Drug release from LS tablets was affected by the polymer type. The release was in the order: Eudragit® RL < Eudragit® RS < Hypromellose < PolyoxTM < Psyllium. Hydrophilic Psyllium provided a slowest DTZ release across the different polymers used in the preparation of both the LS and PM compacts. The incorporation of Psyllium into PolyoxTM further elicited a decrease in drug release rate from individual polymer matrices. This was ascribed to the reduced entrance of aqueous media into the matrix due to the presence of the stronger viscose gel within the two hydrophilic matrices compared to individual Psyllium and PolyoxTM. The ratio between PolyoxTM and Psyllium has critically influenced diltiazem release profile. The results showed that matrices containing (Psyllium:PolyoxTM) at 1:1 ratio can slow down the drug release more than the matrices compacts containing 1:3 and 3:1 (Psyllium:PolyoxTM) ratio. The results also suggest that the ii combination of PolyoxTM and Psyllium at 1:1 ratio showed robust dissolution against pH and rotational speed and therefore indicates an appropriate sustained-release profile. The dissolution rate of PolyoxTM:Psyllium from different pure drugs showed a decreasing trend with an increase in their solubility. The solid state analysis studied in this work confirms the presence of a fraction of the drug mass in a solubilised state within polysorbate 80 in LS powders. Regardless of all variables used in this study, LS formulations showed slower drug release than their PM counterparts. In conclusion, the mechanical properties of LS formulation are poor in comparison to their counterpart PM. Therefore, further work is required to improve the hardness of LS tablet comprehensively.Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND