Investigation into the air treatment efficiency of biofilters of different structures

Biological air treatment devices, biofilters, of four different structures with different origin charges, composed of natural zeolite granules, foam cubes and wood chips, were used for the experimental investigation. Biological and ad‐sorptive air treatment methods are employed to clean the air from volatile organic compounds by mixing foam and zeolite with wood chips. The use of complex cleaning technologies improves the efficiency of the device and extends the useful life of a charge. The investigation showed that microorganisms predominant in the process of biocleaning could also propagate in the charges of inorganic origin composed of natural zeolite. The dependences of biofilter treatment efficiency on the nature, concentration and filtration time of the fed pollutant were determined when cultivating associations of spontaneous microorganisms in a charge. The best filtration efficiency of the charge was achieved when acetone‐polluted air was fed into the device at a speed of 0.3 m/s. The treatment efficiency of a biofilter with a humidifying chamber reached 98% when cleaning the air from acetone with an initial concentration of the pollutant of 305 mg/m3. The cleaning efficiency of the device increases when reducing the concentrations of pollutants fed into the device and increasing the time of their filtration. Reikšminiai žodžiai: biofiltras, lakieji organiniai junginiai, biodegradacija, ceolitas, adsorbcija, mikroorganizmai. Santrauka. Eksperimentiniams tyrimams atlikti naudota keturi skirtingų konstrukcijų biologiniai oro valymo įrenginiai – biofiltrai su skirtingos kilmės įkrovomis, sudarytomis iš gamtines kilmes ceolito granulių, porolono kubelių bei medienos skiedrų. Poroloną ir ceolitą maišant su medienos skiedromis, lakiesiems organiniams junginiams iš oro valyti taikomi biologinis ir adsorbcinis oro valymo metodai. Įrenginio valymo efektyvumas pagerinamas bei įkrovos naudojimo trukmė ilgėja naudojant kompleksines valymo technologijas. Ištyrus nustatyta, kad biologinio valymo procese vyraujantys mikroorganizmai gali daugintis ir neorganinės kilmės įkrovose, sudarytose iš gamtinio ceolito. įkrovoje kultivuojant savaiminių mikroorganizmų asociacijas nustatytos biofiltru valymo efektyvumo priklausomybės nuo į įrenginį tiekiamo teršalo prigimties, koncentracijos, filtracijos laiko. Geriausiai įkrova filtravo 0,3 m/s greičiu į biofiltrą tiekiamą acetono garais užterštą orą. Šalinant iš oro acetoną, kai pradinė teršalo koncentracija 305 mg/m3, biofiltro su drekinimo kamera valymo efektyvumas siekė 98 %. Mažinant į biofiltrus tiekiamų teršalų koncentracijas bei didinant jų filtracijos laiką irenginių valymo efektyvumas didėja. Резюме. Для экспериментальных исследований использовались четыре устройства для биологической очистки воздуха – биофильтры разных конструкций. Загрузку биофильтров составляли гранулы естественного цеолита, поролон и древесина, которые использовались для очистки воздуха от летучих органических веществ. В случае применения для очистки воздуха поролона и цеолита в смеси с древесиной применялся биологический и адсорбционный методы. Применение комплексных технологий способствует улучшению эффективности очистки воздуха и продлению срока применения загрузки. Исследования показали, что в процессе биоочистки микроорганизмы могут размножаться и в неорганической загрузке, состоящей из природного цеолита. Культивируя в загрузке ассоциации микроорганизмов, найдены зависимости эффективности биофильтра от характера загрязнителя, его концентрации, времени фильтрации. Лучше всего загрузка фильтровала воздух, загрязненный парами ацетона и подаваемый в установку со скоростью 0,3 м/с. Эффективность очистки воздуха от ацетона при начальной концентрации загрязняющих веществ в 305 мг/м3 для биофильтра с камерой увлажнения составляла 98%. При снижении концентрации загрязняющих веществ, подаваемых в биофильтр, и повышении времени фильтрации загрязненного воздуха эффективность установки увеличивается. Ключевые слова: биофильтр, летучие органические вещества, биологический распад, цеолит, адсорбция, микроорганизмы. First Published Online: 14 Oct 201

Experimental biogas research by anaerobic digestion of waste of animal origin and biodegradable garden waste

Currently, one of the most efficient and prospective methods of biodegradable waste management is  anaerobic digestion in a bio-reactor. The use of this method for managing biodegradable waste generating in agriculture and elsewhere would result in the recovery of biogas that could be used as an alternative to natural gas. The article presents the results of the experimental tests of biogas production through  biological degradation of waste in a bio-reactor by using a mixture of pig manure (PM) and garden waste (GW) in a ratio of 90:10%, a mixture of hen manure (HM) and GW in a ratio of 90:10%. A higher  concentration of methane was recorded during the treatment of a pig manure and garden waste mixture in a ratio of 90:10%. The maximum concentration of methane reached 68.0%. Since the methane  concentration in this mixture was from 1.5 times higher than in the other mixture. The mixture of pig  manure and garden waste was better suitable for biogas and methane production. The biggest amount of bio-gas was registered in 22 days which amounted to 0.650 m3/m3d. The methane concentration in  biogas was largest (65%) and this mixture of organic wastes was the best for energy production. Anaerobic digestion of other mixtures showed the following biogas amounts and methane concentrations: 0.311 m3/m3d and 52% (in the case of a PM and GW mixture), respectively; and 0.39 m3/m3d and 26.7%  (a mixture of HM and GW), respectively. Key words: Bio-reactor, biogas, methane, anaerobic digestion, garden waste

Investigation into determining the humidity of charge used for biological air treatment

Microorganisms can reproduce only in such substrata which contain a certain amount of water and dissolved nutritious substances. Therefore, it is necessary to search for such charges that are distinguished by a large filtering surface and good humidity‐retaining properties. In experiments three types of materials ‐ wood, zeolite and foam ‐ were used as a charge for the biological air‐cleaning process. The charges were mixed up to maintain humidity necessary for the microorganisms in the biofilter as long as possible. The charges were placed into three different cassettes in the biofilter. The wood charge consisted of wood chips of 10–15 mm and that of zeolite contained 10–12 mm of zeolite granules. The foam rubber was cut into separate cubes each having the dimensions of 30×30×20 mm. Dependence of the charge humidity on the airflow rate, temperature, time and charge thickness was determined in the work. During the experiments the airflow rate reached 0.1–0.6 m/sec., and the temperature ranged from 15 to 35 °C. Foam showed the best sorption properties, but a better distribution of humidity was found in the wood‐chip charge. Biologiniam oro valymui naudojamos įkrovos drėgnumo nustatymo tyrimai Santrauka Mikroorganizmai gali daugintis tik tokiuose substratuose, kuriuose yra tam tikras kiekis vandens ir ištirpusių maisto medžiagų. Todėl būtina ieškoti tokių įkrovų, kurios pasižymėtų dideliu filtravimo paviršiaus plotu bei geromis drėgmės sulaikymo savybėmis. Eksperimentiniams tyrimams panaudota trijų rūšių įkrova, sudaryta iš medienos drožlių, ceolito ir porolono gabaliukų. Siekiant kuo ilgiau biofiltre išlaikyti mikroorganizmams reikiamą drėgmę, įkrovos buvo maišomos. Jos įdedamos į skirtingas kasetes, įrengtas biofiltre. Medienos įkrovą sudarė 10–15 mm frakcijos medienos drožlės, ceolitą – 10–12 mm frakcijos iš ceolito sudaryti grūdeliai. Porolonas supjaustytas į kubelius, kurių kiekvieno matmenys: 30×30×20 mm. Buvo nustatyta įkrovų drėgnumo priklausomybė nuo oro srauto greičio, temperatūros ir įkrovos sluoksnio storio. Oro srauto greitis siekė 0,1–0,5 m/s, o temperatūros intervalas – 15–35 °C. Geriausiomis sorbcinėmis savybėmis pasižymėjo porolonas, tačiau geresnis drėgmės pasiskirstymas nustatytas medienos skiedrų įkrovoje. Reikšminiai žodžiai: biofiltras, lakieji organiniai junginiai, biodegradacija, ceolitas, adsorbcija, mikroorganizmai. Исследование влажности загрузки в биологическом процессе очистки воздуха Резюме Микроорганизмы могут размножаться лишь в субстратах, в которых имеется вода и минеральные вещества. Поэтому необходимы сорбенты, отличающиеся большой фильтрующей поверхностью и хорошей сорбцией влажности. В экспериментах исследовались три типа материалов, включая древесину, цеолит и поролон, которые использовались в качестве загрузки для биологического процесса очистки воздуха. Загрузка помещалась в кассеты биофильтра. Фракция древесины составляла 10 мм, цеолита – 15 мм. Поролон разрезался на куски размером 30×30×20 мм. В результате были найдены зависимости влажности загрузки от скорости потока подаваемого воздуха, его температуры и толщины слоя загрузки. Во время экспериментов скорость потока подаваемого воздуха составляла 0,1–0,5 м/с, а температура – 15–35 °C. Воду лучше сорбировал поролон, однако лучшее распределение влажности зафиксировано в древесной загрузке. Ключевые слова: биофильтр, летучие органические соединения, биологический распад, цеолит, адсорбция, микроорганизмы. First Published Online: 14 Oct 201

Determination of organic matter by UV absorption in the ground water

Organic matter in drinking water is determined by applying indirect determination methods used for quantitative measurements such as total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). These analyses require expensive devices, harmful chemical reagents, and are time consuming. Standard water quality tests are inconvenient during start-up or reconstruction of drinking water treatment plants as samples need to be transported to a laboratory and no on-line measurements on plant performing efficiency are available. For practical purposes, less sophisticated and faster methods to determine organic matter are required. One of the methods could be ultraviolet absorption of water at 254 nm wavelength (UV254). It is a technically simple and fast method for determining natural organic matter, requiring neither expensive measurement equipment nor chemical reagents. The present article aims at investigating the possibilities of practical applications of UV254 method to determine the concentration of natural organic matter in ground water. The research proved good correlation between TOC and UV254, as well as between CODMn and UV254. The outcomes of the research indicate that UV254method can be successfully applied to determine natural organic matter concentrations in ground water. Article in English. Organinių medžiagų požeminiame vandenyje nustatymas taikant UV bangų absorbciją Santrauka. Organinės medžiagos požeminiame vandenyje nustatomos netiesioginiais kiekybiniais bendrosios organinės anglies (BOA), cheminio deguonies suvartojimo (ChDSMn) ir biocheminio deguonies suvartojimo (BDS) metodais. Šioms analitėms nustatyti būtini brangūs prietaisai, kenksmingi cheminiai reagentai, tyrimai ilgai trunka. Diegiant naujus geriamojo vandens gerinimo įrenginius ir atliekant įrenginių paleidimo, derinimo bei eksploatavimo proceso efektyvumo vertinimą, minėtuosius geriamojo vandens tyrimus nepatogu ir brangu atlikti, todėl šiais atvejais reikia paprastesnio ir greitesnio organinių medžiagų nustatymo metodo. 254 nm bangos ilgio (UV254) ultravioletinių spindulių absorbcija yra techniškai paprastas, spartus organinių junginių koncentracijų nustatymo metodas, jį taikant nebūtina brangi tyrimų įranga bei cheminiai reagentai. Šio darbo tikslas buvo ištirti UV254 metodo tinkamumą organinių junginių koncentracijoms nustatyti požeminiame vandenyje. Atlikus tyrimus apibrėžtos priklausomybės tarp BOA ir UV254 bei tarp ChDSMn ir UV254. Remiantis tyrimų rezultatais galima teigti, kad ultravioletinių spindulių absorbcijos metodas gali būti sėkmingai taikomas organinių junginių koncentracijoms požeminiame vandenyje nustatyti. Reikšminiai žodžiai: požeminis vanduo, organinės medžiagos, ultravioletinių spindulių absorbcija, UV, koaguliacij

Emotions identification utilizing periodic handwriting on mobile surfaces

The purpose of this study is to between the learners’ emotional characteristics and styles in touch screen environments. We propose a method to identify the variety of learners' boredom in the learning process utilising handwriting data. The novelty of the method is to avoid explicit polling of learners how do they feel. We use the recurring acquiring of personal handwriting data utilising the computational power of both a mobile device and cloud-based resources. Also, we use machine learning-based sentiment detection in the research. We smoothly inject periodic handwriting tests convolving them with learning objects to study the correlation between learners’ emotions dynamic, they demonstrate, and the ability to focus and think critically. With the help of machine-learning methods and new communication protocols, we can step up the student-centric mobile-based education process by taking advantage of the latest achievements in a big data analysis and cloud computing. Also, we clarify the conceptual model for the testbed used in the experiment. The findings may likely impact the future personalized e-learning systems

Marine Monitoring Program: Annual report of AIMS activities 2013-2014. Inshore water quality and coral reef monitoring

This report summarises the results of water quality and coral reef monitoring activities, carried out by the Australian Institute of Marine Science as part of the Marine Monitoring Program (MMP) from 2005 to 2014

Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program: Inshore water quality and coral reef monitoring. Annual report of AIMS activities 2012-2013

This report summarises the results of water quality and coral reef monitoring activities, carried out by the Australian Institute of Marine Science as part of the Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program (MMP) from 2005 to 2013

Marine Monitoring Program: Annual report for inshore water quality monitoring 2014-2015

[Extract] The management of water quality remains an essential requirement to ensure the long-term protection of the coastal and inshore ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015). The land management initiatives under the Australian and Queensland Government's Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (Reef Plan) and the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan) are key actions to improve the water quality entering the GBR. The goal of Reef Plan is “To ensure that by 2020 the quality of water entering the reef from broadscale land use has no detrimental impact on the health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef.” This report summarises the results of water quality monitoring activities, carried out by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and James Cook University (JCU) as part of the Marine Monitoring Program (MMP) in 2014-15, with reference to previous data from 2005 to 2014