Study of a composting process in the green waste processing plant

Composting of sewage sludge together with green waste such as grass, leaves, branches, etc. is carried out in Poland in a number of facilities. A common problem of all compost plant operators is the selection of the type of composting technology and its modification to the conditions prevailing in a particular region. This is because the waste, the facilities are exposed to, differs and the technology must be adapted to the conditions prevailing in the given facility. In the field of technological research of the composting process, the research aims to characterize the conditions for composting organic waste in relation to the efficiency achieved, indication of the optimal technological parameters and assistance in the selection of the target composting technology. Waste composting technology is based on the appropriate selection of the composition of prisms and the periodic transfer of the prisms by means of a special turning machine. For the purpose of this research, hypotheses were formulated on the intensity of the composting process depending on the technological parameters of the prism (the size of the prism. the types of waste), the properties of the waste, and the intensity of aeration by turning. The results may be useful for compost plant operators and waste processing companies

An Ecological Assessment of Wetland Mitigation Projects in East Tennessee

Federal wetland protection regulations stipulate that developers who destroy natural wetlands are required to construct mitigation or replacement wetlands. Despite the frequency of wetland mitigation, few studies have evaluated the ability of mitigated wetlands to mimic the ecological function and community composition of natural wetlands. Fewer still compare mitigation sites with existing natural wetlands in the same ecological region. Studies from other freshwater habitats suggest that comparisons of the ratios of functional feeding groups (FFGs) of benthic macroinvertebrates (i.e., shredders, scrapers, collectors, predators) may provide useful information about the ability of mitigated wetlands to mimic the ecological functions of natural wetlands. In this study I examined the ratios of FFGs of benthic macroinvertebrates in three mitigated wetlands and in a natural reference wetland in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the southeastern United States. Using a multihabitat sampling protocol, I sampled open water areas, Typha latifolia zones, and areas of mixed emergent vegetation \u3c 1 m in height. Chi-square tests indicate that the ratios of FFGs in the mitigated wetlands are significantly different than those of the natural wetlands. Based on these results, I conclude that the mitigated wetlands have a much different trophic structure than the natural wetland, and thus do not replace the ecological function of natural wetlands lost to development. The results from this study raise questions about the long-term viability of these systems and the use of wetland mitigation as a natural resource management strategy

Object detection and localization: an application inspired by RobotAtFactory using machine learning

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a UTFPR - Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáThe evolution of artificial intelligence and digital cameras has made the transformation of the real world into its digital image version more accessible and widely used. In this way, the analysis of information can be carried out with the use of algorithms. The detection and localization of objects is a crucial task in several applications, such as surveillance, autonomous robotics, intelligent transportation systems, and others. Based on this, this work aims to implement a system that can find objects and estimate their location (distance and angle), through the acquisition and analysis of images. Having as motivation the possible problems that can be introduced in the robotics competition, RobotAtFactory Lite, in future versions. As an example, the obstruction of the path developed through the printed lines, requiring the robot to deviate, and/or the positioning of the boxes in different places of the initial warehouses, being positioned so that the robot does not know its previous location, having to find it somehow. For this, different methods were analyzed, based on machine leraning, for object detection using feature extraction and neural networks, as well as object localization, based on the Pinhole model and triangulation. By compiling these techniques through python programming in the module, based on a Raspberry Pi Model B and a Raspi Cam Rev 1.3, the goal of the work is achieved. Thus, it was possible to find the objects and obtain an estimate of their relative position. In the future, in a possible implementation together with a robot, this data can be used to find objects and perform tasks.A evolução da inteligência artificial e das câmeras digitais, tornou mais acessível e amplamente utilizada a transformação do mundo real, para sua versão em imagem digital. Dessa maneira, a análise das informações pode ser efetuada com a utilização de algoritmos. A deteção e localização de objetos é uma tarefa crucial em diversas aplicações, tais como vigilância, robótica autônoma, sistemas de transporte inteligente, entre outras. Baseado nisso, este trabalho tem como objetivo implementar um sistema que consiga encontrar objetos e estimar sua localização (distância e ângulo), através da aquisição e análise de imagens. Tendo como motivação os possíveis problemas que possam ser introduzidos na competição de robótica, Robot@Factory Lite, em versões futuras. Podendo ser citados como exemplo a obstrução do caminho desenvolvido através das linhas impressas, requerendo que o robô desvie, e/ou o posicionamento das caixas em locais diferentes dos armazéns iniciais, sendo posicionadas de modo que o robô não saiba sua localização prévia, devendo encontra-las de alguma maneira. Para isso, foram analisados diferentes métodos, baseadas em machine leraning, para deteção de objetos utilizando extração de características e redes neurais, bem como a localização de objetos, baseada no modelo de Pinhole e triangulação. Compilando essas técnicas através da programação em python, no módulo, baseado em um Raspberry Pi Model B e um Raspi Cam Rev 1.3, o objetivo do trabalho é alcançado. Assim, foi possível encontrar os objetos e obter uma estimativa da sua posição relativa. Futuramente, em uma possível implementação junta a um robô, esses dados podem ser utilizados para encontrar objetos e executar tarefas

Spread of Emerging Contaminants in Water Distribution Systems

Emerging contaminants are a growing concern to humans and the environment. Studies have shown these contaminants are present in the environment through continuous release into surface waters from wastewater treatment effluent, manufacturing processes, and agricultural use. The effects of these contaminants have been observed in ecological studies, but they have not yet been well studied for long term exposure in humans. These emerging contaminants have also not been well studied to determine the rates at which they decay or how they move through distribution systems. This study aims to determine the importance of decay rate on concentration throughout a distribution system, as well as determine how the layout of a system effects concentration. Systems were modeled using EPANET 2 to determine the time to peak contamination for a clean system becoming contaminated, as well as a contaminated system being cleaned of contamination. It was found that only emerging contaminants with second order decay at the highest rate observed did not build up to high concentrations in the systems. The position of storage tanks in the distribution system effected the rate at which contaminants cleared the system, and systems with a branched layout could be cleared of contamination faster than systems containing loops. Further study is needed to determine the decay rates of these emerging contaminants, how to remove them during wastewater treatment processes, as well as their long-term effects on humans so that these contaminants can be effectively monitored and remediated