Chromium recovery by membranes for process reuse in the tannery industry

Leather tanning is a wide common industry all over the world. In leather processing, water is one of the most important medium, almost 40-45 L water kg-1 raw-hide or skin is used by tanneries for processing finished leathers. The composition of tannery wastewater presents considerable dissimilarities in the concentration range of pollutants both of inorganic (chlorides, with concentration ranging from several hundred to over 10,000 mg L-1 Cl–; sulphate (VI), ammonium ions and sulphide ions, exhibiting concentration that ranges from tens to several hundred mg L-1) and organic (the COD value is usually several thousand mg L-1 O2). Throughout the years, many conventional processes have been carried out to treat wastewater from tannery industry: unfortunately, in this case, biological treatment methods give rise to an excessive production of sludge, whereas physical and chemical methods are too expensive in terms of energy and reagent costs. In this work, a membrane process based on NF membrane modules was adopted to treat the tannery feedstock after primary conventional treatment. In a first step, the determination of all boundary flux parameters, in order to inhibit severe fouling formation during operation, were performed. After this, experimental work was carried out to validate the approach. The target of water purification was reached, that is the legal discharge to municipal sewer system in Italy of 90% of the initial wastewater stream volume. This allows having an immediate cost saving of 21%. Moreover, the developed process leads to a second benefit, that is the production of 5% of the initial volume as a highly chromium-rich concentrate at no cost suitable to tannery process recycle and reuse. In this case, cost saving rates exceeds 40%. At the end, scale-up of the investigated process will be discussed from technical and economic point of view

Entanglement between two superconducting qubits via interaction with non-classical radiation

We propose a scheme to physically interface superconducting nano-circuits and quantum optics. We address the transfer of quantum information between systems having different physical natures and defined in Hilbert spaces of different dimensions. In particular, we investigate the transfer of the entanglement initially in a non-classical state of a continuous-variable system to a pair of superconducting charge qubits. This set-up is able to drive an initially separable state of the qubits into an almost pure, highly entangled state suitable for quantum information processing.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX; revised versio

Distribution and abundance of hard clam shells Meretrix meretrix along the coastal areas of Panguil bay, Lanao del Norte, Philippines

Abstract only.Meretrix meretrix is believed to be abundant in Panguil Bay and in the absence of relevant fishery statistics, it is useful to quantify their biomass with a view to determining their fishery potential. This study aims to monitor the gonadal development, identify the associated macrofauna and determine the distribution and abundance of hard clam shells M. meretrix along the coastline of four municipalities of Lanao del Norte at Panguil Bay. Four sampling sites were selected and established to achieve and relate some generalities using the transect-quadrat method. Clams were counted, measured and identified. Physicochemical parameters were also noted every sampling. M. meretrix was found to be most abundant in Raw-an Pt. Baroy (28-542 pcs./m2) followed by Mayao, Lala (0.3-26 pcs/m2). M. meretrix at Aloha Tubod occurred in low densities (0.1-4 pcs/m2). No hard clam shell was found in Taguitic, Kapatagan. Mean length differed significantly at the three locations. The coastal area of Mayao, Lala, had the highest diversity (H' = 4.236737) in terms of shell species identified and recorded during the twelve months sampling period. Most of the shells dissected were sexually immature with male shellfishes being more predominant than females. Differences in distribution, density and length size of hard clam shells were compared in this study at four locations. Anthropogenic causes e.g. exploitation as well as environmental parameters such as salinity levels and sediment quality are suggested to be the main cause of the variation. These results will be used as baseline information to properly manage hard clam shell resources in Panguil Bay

Does frequency of protein supplementation affect performance of cattle under grazing in tropical pastures?

Our objective was to evaluate the effects of protein supplementation frequency on performance and voluntary intake of cattle under grazing in tropical pastures by using a meta-analytical approach. The dataset used to evaluate the voluntary intake was compiled from 18 experiments carried out in Brazil between 2009 and 2021, totaling 75 treatment means. In order to evaluate the animal performance, treatment means were collected from 19 experiments carried out in Brazil between 2003 and 2018, totaling 69 treatment means. The data were analyzed using meta-analysis techniques, considering the random effect of the experiments on the model parameters. There was no effect of supplementation (P > 0.11) or supplementation frequency (P > 0.18) on forage intake and dietary digested organic matter content (DOM). On the other hand, supplementation increased (P 0.84). The ADG increased linearly (P 0.05) among supplementation frequencies. The additional weight gain (AWG) caused by supplementation decreased as forage CP increased and became null at 150 g CP/kg dry matter. There was a quadratic pattern (P 0.05). Maximal responses occur when 5.0 g of supplement and 1.14 g of supplemental CP per kg BW were provided. Reducing protein supplementation frequency down to thrice a week does not affect voluntary intake and performance of cattle under grazing in tropical pastures. There is a positive response to protein supplementation on animal performance even with medium to high-quality forages. However, that response decreases as forage CP increases and becomes null at 150 CP/kg dry matter

Presolar Grains from Novae: Evidence from Neon and Helium Isotopes in Comet Dust Collections

Presolar grains in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) carry non-solar isotopic signatures pointing to origins in supernovae, giant stars, and possibly other stellar sources. There have been suggestions that some of these grains condensed in the ejecta of classical nova outbursts, but the evidence is ambiguous. We report neon and helium compositions in particles captured on stratospheric collectors flown to sample materials from comets 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup and 55P/Tempel-Tuttle that point to condensation of their gas carriers in the ejecta of a neon (ONe) nova. The absence of detectable 3He in these particles indicates space exposure to solar wind (SW) irradiation of a few decades at most, consistent with origins in cometary dust streams. Measured 4He/20Ne, 20Ne/22Ne, 21Ne/22Ne and 20Ne/21Ne isotope ratios, and a low upper limit on 3He/4He, are in accord with calculations of nucleosynthesis in neon nova outbursts. Of these, the uniquely low 4He/20Ne and high 20Ne/22Ne ratios are the most diagnostic, reflecting the large predicted 20Ne abundances in the ejecta of such novae. The correspondence of measured Ne and He compositions in cometary matter with theoretical predictions is evidence for the presence of presolar grains from novae in the early solar system.Comment: As appeared in the Astrophysical Journa

Análise comparativa da postura ortostática entre mulheres fisicamente activas e sedentárias

Foi objectivo deste trabalho comparar a postura ortostática entre mulheres fisicamente activas e sedentárias. Foram estudados 60 sujeitos do sexo feminino, saudáveis e não grávidas. Trinta mulheres incluíram o grupo das fisicamente activas (GFA) e outras trinta no grupo das sedentárias (GS). Os sujeitos foram fotografados nos planos sagital direito e esquerdo, frontal anterior e posterior na posição ortostática, com uma câmara digital com uma resolução fotográfica de 10.1 Megapixéis (Exilim, EX-Z29, Casio, Tóquio, Japão). A avaliação postural foi efectuada com recurso a uma técnica fotogramétrica e utilizando um software específico (SAPo, v. 0.86, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil). Os ângulos Q dos membros inferiores direito e esquerdo foram superiores no GFA do que no GS. A assimetria das omoplatas relativamente à T3 apresentou valores médios superiores no GFA do que no GS. Os alinhamento horizontal da cabeça foi superiores no GFA do que no GS. O alinhamento vertical do corpo foi inferior no GFA do que no GS. Em síntese, o GFA tende apresentar uma postura ortostática que procura promover uma quantidade inferior de esforço e/ou de sobrecarga mecânica sobre o aparelho locomotor do que o GS

Integrating cogeneration and intermittent waste-heat recovery in food processing: Microturbines vs. ORC systems in the coffee roasting industry

Coffee roasting is a highly energy intensive process wherein a large quantity of heat is discharged from the stack at medium-to-high temperatures. Much of the heat is released from the afterburner, which is required to remove volatile organic compounds and other pollutants from the flue gases. In this work, intermittent waste-heat recovery via thermal energy storage (TES) and organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) is compared to combined heat and power (CHP) based on micro gas-turbines (MGTs) for a coffee roasting plant. With regard to the former, a promising solution is proposed that involves recovering waste heat from the flue gas stream by partial hot-gas recycling at the rotating drum coffee roaster, and coupling this to a thermal store and an ORC engine for power generation. The two solutions (CHP + MGT prime mover vs. waste-heat recovery + ORC engine) are investigated based on mass and energy balances, and a cost assessment methodology is adopted to compare the profitability of three system configurations integrated into the selected roasting process. The case study involves a major Italian roasting plant with a 3,000 kg per hour coffee production capacity. Three options are investigated: (i) intermittent waste-heat recovery from the hot flue-gases with an ORC engine coupled to a TES system; (ii) regenerative topping MGT coupled to the existing modulating gas burner to generate hot air for the roasting process; and (iii) non-regenerative topping MGT with direct recovery of the turbine outlet air for the roasting process. The results show that the profitability of these investments is highly influenced by the natural gas and electricity prices and by the coffee roasting production capacity. The CHP solution via an MGT appears as a more profitable option than waste-heat recovery via an ORC engine primarily due to the intermittency of the heat-source availability and the high electricity cost relative to the cost of natural gas

Low Energy Branes, Effective Theory and Cosmology

The low energy regime of cosmological BPS-brane configurations with a bulk scalar field is studied. We construct a systematic method to obtain five-dimensional solutions to the full system of equations governing the geometry and dynamics of the bulk. This is done for an arbitrary bulk scalar field potential and taking into account the presence of matter on the branes. The method, valid in the low energy regime, is a linear expansion of the system about the static vacuum solution. Additionally, we develop a four-dimensional effective theory describing the evolution of the system. At the lowest order in the expansion, the effective theory is a bi-scalar tensor theory of gravity. One of the main features of this theory is that the scalar fields can be stabilized naturally without the introduction of additional mechanisms, allowing satisfactory agreement between the model and current observational constraints. The special case of the Randall-Sundrum model is discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

Variations in Methods for Quantification of Crude Ash in Animal Feeds

Background Crude ash is categorized as an empirical method playing an important role in the nutritional interpretation of animal feeds, allowing indirect estimation of total organic matter (OM). Objective Our objective was to evaluate variations in laboratory procedures for crude ash quantification regarding physical parameters (i.e., time, temperature) and ashing aids and their influences on crude ash, repeatability, and discrimination power among feeds. Methods The "control" method was based on a simple ignition time of 3 h at 550 degrees C. The variations are briefly described: increasing ashing time to 6 h; increasing temperature to 600 degrees C; and using two 3 h ignition cycles at 550 degrees C with ashing aids inclusion between them: fresh air supply, fresh air supply plus distilled water, and fresh air supply plus hydrogen peroxide. A color evaluation was also performed using a colorimetric technique. Twenty-four study materials from eight different feed types were evaluated. Results The crude ash results differed among the method variations, but a consistent decrease in the estimates was observed when liquid aids were applied, which also improved repeatability. Ash residues did not present a consistent color pattern among methods, but the residues were darker when the control method was applied. Conclusion The method of obtaining ash residues in animal feeds based on 550 degrees C x 3 h does not have enough robustness and may overestimate crude ash in some feeds. Adjustments in either ignition time or temperature might improve crude ash test results, but the best test results are obtained using liquid ashing aids between two ignition cycles