Valorization of compost in the production of carbon-based materials for the treatment of contaminated wastewater

Dupla diplomação com a UTFPR - Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáThe municipal organic waste is typically treated by mechanical separation and then by anaerobic digestion and composting, in order to valorise the residues in a biogas stream for energy purpose and in compost that can be used in agriculture. However, the current waste management legislation in Europe and the expected developments on the coming directives regarding the application of the “end-of-waste” criteria, are leading to barriers on the use of fertilizers resulting from waste. The current work proposes an alternative strategy to the valorisation of compost through the production of low-cost materials to be used as catalysts in the treatment of wastewaters. The compost was supplied by a waste management company located in the North Est region of Portugal, and then subjected to thermal and hydrothermal treatments. Compost was mixed with water, filtered and washed in order to remove the soluble compounds and suspended solids. Then, materials were prepared with H2SO4 (18 M) and different mass ratios of glycerol, the resulting products of reaction being calcined at 800 ºC. The material that presented the highest conversion was washed with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), at room temperature and at 60 ºC, and HCl (1 M). The prepared materials were sieved, and the samples obtained were tested in H2O2 decomposition and in the remediation of waters containing one model pollutant with lipophilic character (4-nitrophenol) by catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO). The effluents of the CWPO and H2O2 decomposition runs were analysed in order to quantify the pollutant, oxidant, TOC and the leached iron. In this sense, it was concluded that the materials produced shows activity through the analyses, and the conversions reached had a strong contribution of leached iron. Then, the amount of leached iron could be minimized while maintaining the conversions.Atualmente, os resíduos orgânicos urbanos são tipicamente separados e tratados por digestão anaeróbia e compostagem, permitindo a sua valorização em biogás, para fins energéticos, e a produção de composto, usado na agricultura como fertilizante. No entanto, a legislação europeia em matéria de gestão de resíduos, e os desenvolvimentos esperados nas próximas diretivas sobre a aplicação dos critérios relativos a “fim do resíduo”, estão a limitar o uso de fertilizantes procedentes de resíduos. O presente trabalho propõe uma estratégia para a valorização de composto, convertendo-o em materiais de baixo custo capazes de serem utilizados como catalisadores em reações de oxidação no tratamento de águas resíduais. O composto utilizado neste trabalho foi fornecido por uma empresa de gestão de resíduos localizada em Trás-os-Montes, sendo de seguida sujeito a tratamentos térmicos e hidrotérmicos. O material de partida foi misturado com água, filtrado e lavado para remover parte do conteúdo solúvel e os sólidos suspensos. Em seguida foram produzidos materiais por tratamento com H2SO4 (18 M) e diferentes razões mássicas de glicerol. O material resultante da reação foi submetido a calcinação a uma temperatura de 800 ºC. Destes materiais preparados, o que apresentou maior conversão, foi lavado com peróxido de hidrogénio, a temperatura ambiente e a 60 ºC, e HCl (1 M). Os materiais preparados foram testados na decomposição catalítica de H2O2 e na remediação de águas contaminadas com um poluente modelo de caráter lipofílico (4-nitrofenol), por oxidação catalítica com peróxido de hidrogénio (CWPO). Ao final da decomposição catalítica e CWPO foi feita análise para determinação de ferro lixiviado e análise de carbono orgânico total (TOC). Conclui-se que os materiais produzidos apresentam atividade através das análises feitas, sendo que as conversões alcançadas tiveram forte contribuição do ferro lixiviado. Foi possível de seguida minimizar-se a quantidade de ferro lixiviado mantendo as conversões.To VALORCOMP and LSRE-CM for the opportunity to be and the knowledge acquired during this work, for sure is very important to my professional life

Utilização de espectrofotometria de infravermelho próximo (NIR) para classificação de parâmetros de qualidade da soja

Orientador(a): Prof. Dr. Alexandre Ferreira SantosDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Química. Defesa : Curitiba, 04/08/2023Inclui referências: p. 74-78Resumo: A semente de soja tem uma grande representatividade na agricultura do Brasil, sendo o país um dos maiores produtores deste grão no mundo. Para garantir seu valor comercial e o atendimento dos requisitos normativos dos órgãos de controle, os grãos de soja devem atender aos critérios e parâmetros de qualidade estabelecidos na legislação. Estes são de extrema importância na classificação dos grãos na entrada de sua unidade de armazenamento, e para controle de qualidade na exportação dos mesmos. Existem diversos danos que podem ser causados ao grão tanto durante seu transporte quanto durante a armazenagem, e isso pode afetar diretamente o seu valor comercial. Além disso, fatores biológicos, químicos e físicos também podem causar danos ao grão de soja. Uma tecnologia que vem sendo aplicada com relativo sucesso na análise de propriedades de grãos é espectrofotometria de infravermelho próximo (NIR). Dentre as propriedades analisadas, destacam-se umidade, teores de proteínas, gorduras e outros fatores químicos de sementes e grãos. A utilização do NIR se destaca por sua facilidade de manuseio, rapidez na obtenção do resultado e assertividade. Quando se observa o processo de análise dos grãos para obtenção de parâmetros de qualidade nas unidades armazenadoras, conclui-se que o processo de classificação é bastante manual. Para uma maior agilidade para o processo, estudase a aplicação de um espectrofotômetro NIR portátil (MicroNIR) nas análises de tais parâmetros de qualidade. Diferentes técnicas de análise multivariável e de processamento de espectros NIR foram investigadas para fins de classificação dos grãos de soja entre esverdeados, ardidos, queimados e bons. Neste trabalho, demonstra-se a excelente capacidade do MicroNIR na classificação dos grãos de soja quando se efetua o uso combinado de espectros brutos e Análise de Componente Principal com Análise Discriminatória (PCA-DA), permitindo predições com elevada exatidão e erros médios de 0,8%.Abstract: Soybean seed has a great representativeness in Brazilian agriculture, being the country one of the largest producers of this grain in the world. To ensure its commercial value and to meet the regulatory requirements of the control bodies, soybeans must meet the quality criteria and parameters established in the legislation. These are of extreme importance in the classification of grains at the entrance of their storage unit, and for quality control in their export. There are several damages that can be caused to the grain both during its transportation and storage, and this can directly affect its commercial value. In addition, biological, chemical and physical factors can also cause damage to soybeans. A technology that has been applied with relative success in the analysis of grain properties is near infrared spectrophotometry (NIR). Among the properties analyzed are moisture, protein, fat and other chemical factors of seeds and grains. The use of NIR stands out for its ease of handling, speed in obtaining the result and assertiveness. When observing the process of grain analysis to obtain quality parameters in storage units, it is concluded that the classification process is quite manual. For a greater agility for the process, the application of a portable NIR spectrophotometer (MicroNIR) in the analysis of such quality parameters is studied. Different techniques of multivariable analysis and NIR spectra processing were investigated for the purpose of classification of soybeans between greenish, burnt, burnt and good. In this work, the excellent ability of MicroNIR in the classification of soybeans is demonstrated when the combined use of raw spectra and Principal Component Analysis with Discriminant Analysis (PCA-DA) is performed, allowing predictions with high accuracy and average errors of 0.8%

Activated carbons prepared from a compost obtained in mechanical biological treatment plants for municipal solid waste processing

Activated carbons (ACs) obtained from different organic wastes have been reported in several works, aiming the valorisation of low-cost useful materials [1]. However, organic wastes typically contain inorganic substances, which can be leached away from the prepared ACs when employed in oxidative aqueous conditions. The current study proposes different strategies to produce ACs from a compost obtained (in excess) during the treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste by anaerobic digestion and maturation in waste management sites.This work is a result of projects: VALORCOMP, funded by FEDER through Programme INTERREG V A Spain - Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020; “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006 and supported by NORTE 2020 under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through FEDER; and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 – Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM funded by FEDER through COMPETE2020 - POCI – and by national funds through FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tutorial:Speech assessment for multilingual children who do not speak the same language(s) as the speech-language pathologist

Purpose: The aim of this tutorial is to support speech language pathologists (SLPs) undertaking assessments of multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders, particularly children who speak languages that are not shared with their SLP. Method: The tutorial was written by the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children’s Speech, which comprises 46 researchers (SLPs, linguists, phoneticians, and speech scientists) who have worked in 43 countries and used 27 languages in professional practice. Seventeen panel members met for a 1-day workshop to identify key points for inclusion in the tutorial, 26 panel members contributed to writing this tutorial, and 34 members contributed to revising this tutorial online (some members contributed tomore than 1 task). Results: This tutorial draws on international research evidence and professional expertise to provide a comprehensive overview of working with multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders. This overview addresses referral, case history, assessment, analysis, diagnosis, and goal setting and the SLP’s cultural competence and preparation for working with interpreters and multicultural support workers and dealing with organizational and government barriers to and facilitators of culturally competent practice. Conclusion: The issues raised in this tutorial are applied in a hypothetical case study of an English-speaking SLP’s assessment of a multilingual Cantonese-and English-speaking 4-year-old boy. Resources are listed throughout the tutorial.Australian Research Council: FT0990588United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD

Oxidação catalítica com peróxido de hidrogénio (CWPO) de poluentes lipofílicos usando materiais preparados por ativação de composto derivado de resíduos sólidos urbanos

Atualmente, os resíduos orgânicos urbanos são tipicamente tratados por digestão anaeróbia e compostagem para produzir composto que é usado na agricultura como fertilizante. No entanto, a legislação europeia em matéria de gestão de resíduos, e os desenvolvimentos esperados nas próximas diretivas sobre a aplicação dos critérios relativos ao fim do estatuto de resíduo, estão a limitar o uso de fertilizantes procedentes de resíduos. O presente trabalho propõe uma estratégia para a valorização de composto, convertendo-o em materiais de baixo custo capazes de serem utilizados em catalisadores. O composto utilizado neste trabalho foi fornecido por uma empresa de gestão de resíduos, sendo de seguida sujeito a tratamentos térmicos e hidrotérmicos. O material de partida foi lavado para remover os sólidos suspensos, sendo depois calcinado a 400 e a 800 ºC. Adicionalmente, foram produzidos outros materiais por tratamento com H2SO4 (18 M) antes e depois da calcinação a 800 ºC. Todos os materiais preparados foram testados na decomposição catalítica de H2O2 e na remediação de águas contaminadas com três poluentes modelo de caráter lipofílico distinto (Sudão-IV, 4-nitrofenol e 2-nitrofenol), por oxidação catalítica com peróxido de hidrogénio (CWPO). Verificou-se que a atividade catalítica das amostras era fortemente afetada pelo caráter lipofílico dos contaminantes.The urban organic waste is typically treated by anaerobic digestion and composting, in order to produce compost that can be used in agriculture. However, the current waste management legislation in Europe and the expected developments on the coming directives regarding the application of the “end-of-waste” criteria, are leading to barriers on the use of fertilizers resulting from waste. The current work proposes an alternative strategy to the valorisation of compost through the production of low-cost materials to be used as catalysts. The compost was supplied by a waste management company, and then subjected to thermal and hydrothermal treatments. Compost was washed in order to remove the soluble compounds and suspended solids, then calcined at 400 and 800 ºC. Additionally, more materials were prepared by attack with H2SO4 (18 M) before and after the calcination at 800 ºC. All prepared materials were sieved and the samples obtained were tested in H2O2 decomposition and in the remediation of waters containing three model pollutants with different lipophilic character (Sudan-IV, 4-nitrophenol and 2-nitrophenol) by catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO). The catalytic activity of the samples was found to be strongly affected by the lipophilic character of the contaminants.Este trabalho é resultado dos projetos VALORCOMP financiado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do programa INTERREG V A entre Espanha e Portugal, Programa Operacional de Cooperação Transfronteiriça Espanha - Portugal (POCTEP); e pelo projeto AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020, com referência NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, financiado pelo Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE 2020), através do FEDER e do Projeto POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 - Laboratório Associado LSRE-LCM – financiado pelo FEDER, através do COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) e por fundos nacionais através da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Catalytic activity of carbon based materials developed from compost derived from municipal solid waste

In waste processing facilities equipped with mechanical biological treatment (MTB) systems, the municipal solid waste (MSW) is typically separated in organic residues, recyclable waste and rejects. The organic fraction is then treated by anaerobic digestion, obtaining biogas and a compost that can be used in agriculture. However, the current waste management legislation in Europe and the expected developments regarding the coming directives on the application of the “End-of-waste” criteria, are leading to barriers on the use of fertilizers resulting from waste [1]. Within this context, the current work proposes an alternative strategy to the valorisation of compost, through the production of high-added value materials to be used in catalytic processes. To this aim, a compost obtained from a MTB plant for MSW was considered in the formulation of carbonaceous materials prepared from glycerol, a low-cost byproduct obtained in biodiesel production [2]. The composition of the compost used is summarized in Table 1. As can be observed, the content in organic matter is roughly 50%.This work is a result of projects: VALORCOMP, funded by FEDER through Programme INTERREG V A Spain - Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020; “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with the reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, supported by NORTE 2020, under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through FEDER; and POCI-01-0145-FEDER- 006984 – Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM funded by FEDER through COMPETE2020 - POCI – and by national funds through FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Harnessing automatic speech recognition to realise sustainable development goals 3, 9, and 17 through interdisciplinary partnerships for children with communication disability

Purpose: To showcase how applications of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology could help solve challenges in speech-language pathology practice with children with communication disability, and contribute to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Result: ASR technologies have been developed to address the need for equitable, efficient, and accurate assessment and diagnosis of communication disability in children by automating the transcription and analysis of speech and language samples and supporting dual-language assessment of bilingual children. ASR tools can automate the measurement of and help optimise intervention fidelity. ASR tools can also be used by children to engage in independent speech production practice without relying on feedback from speech-language pathologists (SLPs), thus bridging the long-standing gap between recommended and received intervention intensity. These innovative technologies and tools have been generated from interdisciplinary partnerships between SLPs, engineers, data scientists, and linguists. Conclusion: To advance equitable, efficient, and effective speech-language pathology services for children with communication disability, SLPs would benefit from integrating ASR solutions into their clinical practice. Ongoing interdisciplinary research is needed to further advance ASR technologies to optimise children’s outcomes. This commentary paper focusses on industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9) and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). It also addresses SDG 1, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 11, and SDG 16

Tutorial: Speech Assessment for Multilingual Children Who Do Not Speak the Same Language(s) as the Speech-Language Pathologist

Purpose: The aim of this tutorial is to support speech language pathologists (SLPs) undertaking assessments of multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders, particularly children who speak languages that are not shared with their SLP. Method: The tutorial was written by the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children’s Speech, which comprises 46 researchers (SLPs, linguists, phoneticians, and speech scientists) who have worked in 43 countries and used 27 languages in professional practice. Seventeen panel members met for a 1-day workshop to identify key points for inclusion in the tutorial, 26 panel members contributed to writing this tutorial, and 34 members contributed to revising this tutorial online (some members contributed tomore than 1 task). Results: This tutorial draws on international research evidence and professional expertise to provide a comprehensive overview of working with multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders. This overview addresses referral, case history, assessment, analysis, diagnosis, and goal setting and the SLP’s cultural competence and preparation for working with interpreters and multicultural support workers and dealing with organizational and government barriers to and facilitators of culturally competent practice. Conclusion: The issues raised in this tutorial are applied in a hypothetical case study of an English-speaking SLP’s assessment of a multilingual Cantonese-and English-speaking 4-year-old boy. Resources are listed throughout the tutorial.</p