An Assessment of the Total Phosphorous Mass Balance Using a Modified Persulfate Digestion Method

California ranks first in the nation in municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, dairy manure, and food processing waste generation. This waste has undeveloped potential biogas generation capacity estimated at 600 Megawatts. Utilizing these wastes to produce biogas for energy production could help California meet state renewable energy goals and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) is working with Fiscalini Farms, a California dairy, to develop best available control technology for biogas combined heat and power systems and collect system performance data for future use to advance the science, technology, and market penetration in California. A mass balance of nitrogen, sulfur, carbon, salts, and solids is being developed. Samples collected as part of this mass balance include a mixture of slurry and solids. Slurry samples have been measured for total phosphorous (TP) since the beginning of the project using a modified persulfate digestion followed by an ascorbic acid reaction, which allows for colorimetric determination of TP. For my part of this project, I am developing a new method for TP determination on solid samples based on standard methods because the previous method was determined to be insufficient for many sample types. Once this method is developed all archived solid samples will be measured and TP will be included as part of the mass balance. The mass balance is critical to the long term sustainability of the system because nearly all wastes entering the system remain on site and are ultimately applied to the fields as fertilizers

An Assessment of the Total Phosphorous Mass Balance Using a Modified Persulfate Digestion Method

California ranks first in the nation in municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, dairy manure, and food processing waste generation. This waste has undeveloped potential biogas generation capacity estimated at 600 Megawatts. Utilizing these wastes to produce biogas for energy production could help California meet state renewable energy goals and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) is working with Fiscalini Farms, a California dairy, to develop best available control technology for biogas combined heat and power systems and collect system performance data for future use to advance the science, technology, and market penetration in California. A mass balance of nitrogen, sulfur, carbon, salts, and solids is being developed. Samples collected as part of this mass balance include a mixture of slurry and solids. Slurry samples have been measured for total phosphorous (TP) since the beginning of the project using a modified persulfate digestion followed by an ascorbic acid reaction, which allows for colorimetric determination of TP. For my part of this project, I am developing a new method for TP determination on solid samples based on standard methods because the previous method was determined to be insufficient for many sample types. Once this method is developed all archived solid samples will be measured and TP will be included as part of the mass balance. The mass balance is critical to the long term sustainability of the system because nearly all wastes entering the system remain on site and are ultimately applied to the fields as fertilizers

The Puzzle of Getting up From a Seat

Millions of people in the United States have difficulty rising from a chair. To address this issue various companies have developed seat assists and lifting cushions to help people transition from a seated position to a standing position and vice versa. Current assist devices are only capable of moving the user in one plane of motion - up and down. Attaching a swiveling base will provide an axis of rotation so the user can move to the right or left while seated. No seat assist or lifting cushion on the market has this feature. We have re-engineered the current design of the UpEasy Seat Assist, a portable lifting cushion. By adding a swiveling base, our assist device will have an additional axis of rotation for a larger range of motion. The overall design of the seat was reshaped to be smaller and circular so that it can be used in a larger variety of chairs. A biomechanical analysis of the joints during the interval from sitting to standing was also carried out. It was determined that the reaction forces experienced by the hip, knee, and ankle joints were lessened when the seat assist was used. The rise times from a seated position to a standing position will be measured with and without the seat on a test group to determine the advantage of using the seat assist device and a questionnaire will be distributed to all participants to assess the device’s ease of use

The Puzzle of Getting up From a Seat

Millions of people in the United States have difficulty rising from a chair. To address this issue various companies have developed seat assists and lifting cushions to help people transition from a seated position to a standing position and vice versa. Current assist devices are only capable of moving the user in one plane of motion - up and down. Attaching a swiveling base will provide an axis of rotation so the user can move to the right or left while seated. No seat assist or lifting cushion on the market has this feature. We have re-engineered the current design of the UpEasy Seat Assist, a portable lifting cushion. By adding a swiveling base, our assist device will have an additional axis of rotation for a larger range of motion. The overall design of the seat was reshaped to be smaller and circular so that it can be used in a larger variety of chairs. A biomechanical analysis of the joints during the interval from sitting to standing was also carried out. It was determined that the reaction forces experienced by the hip, knee, and ankle joints were lessened when the seat assist was used. The rise times from a seated position to a standing position will be measured with and without the seat on a test group to determine the advantage of using the seat assist device and a questionnaire will be distributed to all participants to assess the device’s ease of use

ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE THROUGH BIOMASS ENERGY

Operation of biomass energy projects in agricultural settings can result in stabilization of wastes, reduction of odors, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and generation of renewable energy sources. In biomass energy, agricultural wastes are anaerobically treated in digesters where microorganisms metabolize wastes and produce biogas. The biogas contains high concentrations of methane that can be used to fuel engine-generators, resulting in the production of electricity and heat. Although there are many advantages of biomass energy, the technical issues require clarification prior to implementation of such projects on a large scale

ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE THROUGH BIOMASS ENERGY

Operation of biomass energy projects in agricultural settings can result in stabilization of wastes, reduction of odors, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and generation of renewable energy sources. In biomass energy, agricultural wastes are anaerobically treated in digesters where microorganisms metabolize wastes and produce biogas. The biogas contains high concentrations of methane that can be used to fuel engine-generators, resulting in the production of electricity and heat. Although there are many advantages of biomass energy, the technical issues require clarification prior to implementation of such projects on a large scale