Decision support system for the production of miscanthus and willow briquettes

The biomass is regarded as a part of renewable energy sources (RES), which can satisfy energy demands. Biomass obtained from plantations is characterized by low bulk density, which increases transport and storage costs. Briquetting is a technology that relies on pressing biomass with the aim of obtaining a denser product (briquettes). In the production of solid biofuels, the technological as well as material variables significantly influence the densification process, and as a result influence the end quality of briquette. This process progresses differently for different materials. Therefore, the optimal selection of process’ parameters is very difficult. It is necessary to use a decision support tool—decision support system (DSS). The purpose of the work was to develop a decision support system that would indicate the optimal parameters for conducting the process of producing Miscanthus and willow briquettes (pre-comminution, milling and briquetting), briquette parameters (durability and specific density) and total energy consumption based on process simulation. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used to describe the relationship between individual parameters of the briquette production process. DSS has the form of a web application and is opened from a web browser (it is possible to open it on various types of devices). The modular design allows the modification and expansion the application in the future

ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH TRENDS IN THE FIELD OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

The work includes a bibliometric analysis of the main topics and research trends within the discipline of Mechanical Engineering. On the basis of analysis of data from the Scopus database, the Applied Mechanics Reviews magazine was chosen, which is the only one conducting scientific activity exclusively in the field of Mechanical Engineering. In the years of analysis (2002-2017), it was pointed out that the main research topics are optimization issues, material engineering and mechanics

ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH TRENDS IN AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Nowadays it is necessary to define actual global research trends in disciplines in order to determine the major research topics, discoveries and global scientific networks. The goal of the work was to determine the main topics and research trends in agricultural engineering. For this caser he method of modified bibliometric analysis was applied. Such analysis of the keywords frequency occurrence and the links between the keywords in Biosystems Engineering Journal shows that in the three analysed periods, certain keywords invariably remain dominant. These are “model”, “system” or “systems”, “temperature” and “water”. The highest number of publications was qualified for the CIGR section: Information Technology. It can be, therefore, stated that in the recent period the most intensively developing researches were dedicated to the application of IT tools in creation various types of models, allowing to simulate and optimize agricultural processes. A majority of publications covered decision-making support (Decision Support Systems), image analysis application, and automation of agricultural processes

Thermal treatment of biomass : a bibliometric analysis : the torrefaction case

The aim of the paper was to summarize and discuss current research trends in biomass thermal treatment (torrefaction process). Quantitative analyses were carried out, in which the main countries, research units and scientists were indicated. The analysis showed a clear upward trend in number of publications after 2010. Most scientists on selected topics come from China, USA, Canada, South Korea, Republic of China, Poland (Web od Science—Core Collection (WoS-CC) and Scopus databases). Quantitative analysis also showed that the most relevant WoS-CC categories in the summary are: Energy Fuels, Engineering Chemical, Agricultural Engineering, Biotechnology Applied Microbiology and Thermodynamics and Scopus Subject area: Energy, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Engineering and Chemistry. Thematic analysis included research topics, process parameters and raw materials used. Thematic groups were separated: torrefaction process (temp.: 150–400 °C), hydrothermal carbonization process (HTC) (temp: 120–500 °C), pyrolysis process (temp.: 200–650 °C) and gasification and co-combustion process (temp.: 350–1600 °C). In the years 2015–2019, current research topics were: new torrefaction technologies (e.g., HTC), improvement of the physico-mechanical, chemical and energetic properties of produced fuel as well as the use of torrefied biomass in the process of pyrolysis, gasification and co-combustion. The raw materials used in all types of biomass thermal treatment were: energy crops, wood from fast-growing and exotic trees, waste from the agri-food industry, sewage sludge and microalgae

Identification of phenolic compounds and determination of antioxidant activity in extracts and infusions of salvia leaves

Francik, Slawomir/0000-0002-4535-9450; NZEYIMANA, Abdoul/0000-0002-1887-510X; Knapczyk, Adrian/0000-0002-1134-6299; Francik, Renata/0000-0002-7071-8072; Bystrowska, Beata/0000-0001-6501-8656WOS:000602822400001PubMed: 33352787The influence of harvest period and drying method of Salvia officinalis L. leaves on the content of essential oils, polyphenols and antioxidant properties was investigated. Sage leaves were collected twice during plant blossoming (in June and July) and dried traditionally in natural conditions and at 35 degrees C. Antioxidant activity was assayed in methanol-acetone extracts and infusions of dried leaves with the use of free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) technique. Total phenolic content in extracts as well as in infusions was determined by the means of Folin-Ciocalteu method. Based on the LC/MS analysis, the polyphenol compounds present in both extracts and in infusions were identified. The extracts contained more polyphenols and were characterized by higher antioxidant activity than infusions. in the extracts significant amount of ferulic acid was found, which was influenced both by the harvest period and drying method. The amount of ferulic acid found in extracts obtained from the June leaves dried traditionally was three times lower (6.185 mu g/g DW) than in extracts from July leaves dried in the same conditions. Harvest period had a significant effect on the essential oils' content, leaves collected in July contained 15% more oils than those collected in June.Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of PolandMinistry of Science and Higher Education, PolandThe study was financed by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland

The concept of algorithm supporting the process of scheduling production tasks

The purpose of the work was to develop a concept of an algorithm which supports the process of scheduling production tasks. The designed algorithm performs a task queue creation process in six steps: selecting a schedule type, declaring a queue length, selecting orders for queue development, loading data, automatic job analysis, and queue and Gantt chart generation, taking a decision on the acceptance of the designed production program. The designed system will use single-attribute priority rules (defined by experts) and multi-attribute rules that can be created by combining single-attribute rules. The concept of an algorithm that supports the process of scheduling production tasks, developed and tested by conducting simulations, can be the basis for developing a computer application supporting decision-making process in a manufacturing or service company

The concept of algorithm supporting the process of scheduling production tasks

The purpose of the work was to develop a concept of an algorithm which supports the process of scheduling production tasks. The designed algorithm performs a task queue creation process in six steps: selecting a schedule type, declaring a queue length, selecting orders for queue development, loading data, automatic job analysis, and queue and Gantt chart generation, taking a decision on the acceptance of the designed production program. The designed system will use single-attribute priority rules (defined by experts) and multi-attribute rules that can be created by combining single-attribute rules. The concept of an algorithm that supports the process of scheduling production tasks, developed and tested by conducting simulations, can be the basis for developing a computer application supporting decision-making process in a manufacturing or service company

Effect of Compaction Pressure and Moisture Content on Post-Agglomeration Elastic Springback of Pellets

Renewable energy sources (RES) represent an increasing share of global energy production. Biomass has the highest potential of all RES. Biomass is used to produce solid biofuels, liquid biofuels, and gaseous biofuels. One of the main directions of research on solid biofuels is to optimize the agglomeration process. The main factors determining the characteristics of the final product in the production of pellets are process and material parameters. Process parameters include compaction pressure, temperature, and geometry of the matrix channel. The parameters of the material are the type of biomass, moisture content, degree of fragmentation, and method of preparation of the material (e.g., drying). The process of pressure compaction is always associated with the negative phenomenon of elastic springback. The aim of this work was to check the influence of compaction pressure and material moisture content on the springback value. The research was conducted on three materials (giant miscanthus, cup plant and Virginia mallow), using four different pressures (131, 196, 262, and 327 MPa) and three different moisture levels (8, 11, and 14%). For all material springback values, the range was 9–16%. Statistical analysis showed that for all plants tested, the effects of compaction pressure and moisture content significantly affected the elastic springback value. Areas of high value springback in the pattern of process parameters were determined

Impact of drying conditions on antioxidant activity of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) and Elderberry Flowers (Sambucus nigra)

Flowers of red clover (Trifolium pratense), sweet violet (Viola odorata) and elderflowers (Sambucus nigra) were dried by means of air drying at 30 °C and 50 °C and by freeze drying. The content of polyphenols was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent, while anthocyanins were quantified by the pH differential method. Antioxidant activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the dried flowers were measured by the DPPH and ABTS assays, as well as FRAP and reducing power methods. The highest amount of polyphenols was determined in the ethanolic extracts of fresh red clover flowers (854.76 mg/100 g), while the highest concentration of anthocyanins was determined in the aqueous extracts of fresh sweet violet flowers (99.41 mg/100 g). The results showed that, in general, the extracts of red clover flower were characterized by the highest antioxidant activity, while the sweet violet extracts had the poorest antioxidant properties, although these values fluctuated depending on the method used. There was strong correlation between antioxidant activity and TPC (r = 0.9196, FRAP method). In most cases, freeze drying was found to be the best conservation method, retaining well the antioxidant properties of the tested flowers and the compounds determining these properties

Influence of Raw Material Drying Temperature on the Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Biomass Agglomeration Process—A Preliminary Study

For biomass compaction, it is important to determine all aspects of the process that will affect the quality of pellets and briquettes. The low bulk density of biomass leads to many problems in transportation and storage, necessitating the use of a compaction process to ensure a solid density of at least 1000 kg·m−3 and bulk density of at least 600 kg·m−3. These parameters should be achieved at a relatively low compaction pressure that can be achieved through the proper preparation of the raw material. As the compaction process includes a drying stage, the aim of this work is to determine the influence of the drying temperature of pine biomass in the range of 60–140 °C on the compaction process. To determine whether this effect is compensated by the moisture, compaction was carried out on the material in a dry state and on the materials with moisture contents of 5% and 10% and for compacting pressures in the 130.8–457.8 MPa range. It was shown that drying temperature affects the specific density and mechanical durability of the pellets obtained from the raw material in the dry state, while an increase in the moisture content of the raw material neutralizes this effect