The Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems for Roads and Infrastructure Construction Companies in Developing Countries

Construction Enterprise Resource Planning (CERP) systems started to infiltrate the construction world after ERPs became crucial in modern enterprises. In simple terms, CERP integrate and keep track of the various processes within construction companies. As a minimum, these possess include management of general contractors, subcontractors, financial work, accounting, payroll, logistics, workflow processes ... data related to different processes are stored within one unique database. Despite this intuitive objective, developing and standardizing CERP systems to fit the needs of all construction companies is not a straightforward course. This research focuses on the development of a framework that integrates the minimum required modules to be included within a CERP, specifically for road and infrastructure construction companies. This objective is achieved based on literature review on CERP despite its shortage, in-depth interviews with construction professionals requiring CERP, and the results of a structured questionnaire filled by CERP users and developers. The developed framework identifies the procurement module linked to the on-site deliveries as the first stone that should be developed and implemented. Then, budgeting and work progress modules must be added. After that, timesheet and equipment follow-up modules need to be implemented. Limitations encountered highlighted the main considerations to be considered in future work such as the cost, the company's size, development and implementation period, and type of work

A Review of the Recent Advancement of Bioconversion of Carbon Dioxide to Added Value Products: A State of the Art

Excessive dependence on fossil fuels increases GHG emissions and carbon levels in the atmosphere, leading to climatic changes. This phenomenon can be reversed by capturing the carbon via “carbon capture and storage” (CCS) or “carbon capture and utilize” (CCU) technologies. In CCS methods, the captured carbon is stored in natural sinks (e.g., oceans), whereas, in CCU methods, the carbon is converted into useful products. Among CCU methods, the biological conversion of CO2 ((Formula presented.)) into value-added chemicals has gained great attention. This review focuses on providing an overview of the recent advances in CO2 utilization technology with a focus on the (Formula presented.). The theoretical background and technical drivers, challenges, and setbacks of upscaling and commercialization of (Formula presented.) are critically discussed with implications for future improvements. The (Formula presented.) is increasingly attracting the attention of researchers and industrialists for its capacity to operate under low CO2 concentrations and in the presence of impurities (common conditions in industrial flue gases)—among other numerous advantages. While upscaling algae-based (Formula presented.) has operational and financial challenges, bioconversion via bacteria and genetically engineered cyanobacterial seems promising due to their efficiency and flexibility

Modeling Impact of Climate Change on Surface Water Availability Using SWAT Model in a Semi-Arid Basin: Case of El Kalb River, Lebanon

Assessing the impact of climate change on streamflow is crucial for depicting the vulnerability of water resources and for identifying proper adaptation measures. This study used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate the impact of climate change on the streamflow of El Kalb river, a major perennial river in Lebanon. The model performance was tested for monthly flow at two stations under a nine-year calibration period (2003–2011) and a four-year validation period (2012–2015). The model results indicated satisfactory precision in fitting observed and simulated flow using various acceptable statistical indices. Future projections of climate change were obtained for three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) (2.6, 4.5, and 8.5). The model indicated that the average annual discharge of El Kalb River in the near future (2021–2040) will decrease by around 28–29% under the three RCP scenarios. End-of-century projections (2081–2100) indicated that the flow will decrease by 23%, 28%, and 45% under RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5, respectively

Flow sculpting enabled anaerobic digester for energy recovery from low-solid content waste

Traditionally, energy recovery from low-solid-content wastes occurs in Continuously Stirred Tank Reactors, whereas Plug Flow Reactors (PFR) are used to treat high-solid-content wastes. In comparison, this study uses a special configuration of anaerobic PFR (AnPFR), consisting of a coiled tubular structure, for energy recovery from a mixture of Food Waste and Wastewater, fed at a loading rate of 3 gVS.L−1.d−1 and a solids content of 2.5%. The AnPFR was upgraded into a Flow Sculpting enabled Anaerobic Digester (FSAD), an innovative plug flow design relying on flow sculpting via a sequence of pillars to provide passive mixing. The purpose of the FSAD design is to optimize operational performance while maintaining minimum mixing energy requirements. Computational fluid dynamics simulations revealed that pillars induce local vorticity in the fluid and contribute to the inertial deformation of the flow to enhance mixing. Coherently, experimental results proved that upgrading the AnPFR to FSAD resulted in a better stability (VFA dropped from 4433 to 2034 mg L−1) and a higher efficiency (removal efficiencies of COD and volatile solids increased from 75% to 77%–88% and 91%, respectively). Equally important, the methane yield, indicative of energy generation potential, increased from 181 L kg VSfed−1 to 291 L kg VSfed−1.This is a manuscript of an article published as Ghanimeh, Sophia, Charbel Abou Khalil, Daniel Stoecklein, Aditya Kommasojula, and Baskar Ganapathysubramanian. "Flow sculpting enabled anaerobic digester for energy recovery from low-solid content waste." Renewable Energy (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.02.071. Posted with permission.</p