Implementation and optimization of a sequential injection analysis ( SIA ) system by UV - Visible spectroscopy

Due to the increasing environmental awareness of society and administration, a great number of regulations became effective over the last years in order to preserve natural resources restricting and limiting industrial waste, especially when spills affect aqueous systems. This fact has contributed to the development of a large amount of research programs to come across new methods and processes to monitor and reduce contaminants present in wastewater. Among the variety of contaminants present in industrial effluents, heavy metals are the most hazardous as this compounds are biomagnified and can reach human organism. One of the methods developed for reducing heavy metal concentration in wastewater is biosorption. Biosorption process monitoring has led to the development of sensor arrays or electronic tongues. These kinds of sensors require exhaustive training through the analysis of huge sets of standards, which is time, effort and reagent consumptive. This project is addressed on the optimization of a Sequential Injection Analysis (SIA) prototype built to prepare automatically random generated known training standards and monitor bioprocess absorption to model sensor’s response. In this phase of optimization a miniature spectrometer is assembled to the SIA tubing to monitor flow response in real time of a colorant solution. Spectroscopic analysis also allows monitoring traces of reagent remaining on the system. Calibration and cleaning routines will be designed to ensure reproducibility. Moreover, automatic preparation of standards will be discussed

Separation and recovery of metals from acidic mine waters by ion exchange resins

Mining industry is the major producer of acidic sulphur-rich effluents which often contain elevated concentrations of metals (many of these as sulphide ores of iron, aluminium and manganese primarily among possibly other heavy metals), and metalloids (arsenic, selenium) that pose an additional risk to the environment. The most widespread method used to mitigate acidic effluents is an active treatment involving a chemical-neutralising agent to raise water’s pH, causing the precipitation as hydroxides and carbonates of many of the metals present in solution. This results in the production of an iron and other metals rich sludge. Although chemical treatment can provide effective remediation of acid mine drainage, it has the disadvantages of high operating costs and sludge disposal problems. As prices for several valuable metals (zinc, copper) are increasing over the last years, the main objective of thi project is to separate streams rich in zinc and copper by means of ionic exchange columns from mining effluents and its recovery from solution utilizing electrochemical procedures to balance operating costs from mine water treatment

Políticas no convencionales de expansión en periodos de recesión: sus efectos en el consumo y mercados financieros

La crisis de 2008 sigue afectando doce años más tarde de forma directa al sistema financiero, la necesidad de estímulos desde entonces ha sido constante por lo que los bancos centrales han optado por políticas monetarias más allá del control de los tipos de interés, conocidas como “Políticas no convencionales”. Es por ello que se tratará de explicar las diversas políticas monetarias que se han aplicado a lo largo de estos años así como exponer los posibles riesgos que estas tienen. Durante el desarrollo del trabajo se tratarán por tanto los tipos de interés negativos, la trampa de liquidez y la consecuente expansión cuantitativa, tomando un especial enfoque en la cantidad de dinero impreso por los bancos centrales y concluyendo en la teoría del Dinero de Helicóptero planteada por el economista Milton Friedman (1969), que será relacionada con los recientes cheques de estímulos de Estados Unidos a raíz de la crisis del COVID-19. Se analizará cómo esta teoría podría estar influyendo en el consumo, la inflación, la recuperación económica y los mercados financieros

Multi P2P Energy Trading Market, Integrating Energy Storage Systems and Used for Optimal Scheduling

The increasing use of renewable energy and storage systems by end users has changed the paradigm of electricity markets, with consumers changing their role from passive to active players, the so-called prosumers. Different countries have encouraged the aggregation of these prosumers in energy communities. In these communities, it is essential to create a market to manage energy exchanges between neighbors, who can sell surpluses or buy energy to reduce their bills. This paper presents the framework definition of a multi-peer-to-peer market. As contributions, it defines how storage systems can participate in the market and multiple exchanges between prosumers are possible. This market can be integrated in an optimization process to perform optimal scheduling in the community by setting an objective. All this has been tested in a community with 5 prosumers with generation and storage, where the effect of multiple exchanges and valuation of assets is observed, achieving as a result higher bill reductions

Sizing and Management of Energy Storage Systems in Large-Scale Power Plants Using Price Control and Artificial Intelligence

Energy storage systems are expected to play a fundamental part in the integration of increasing renewable energy sources into the electric system. They are already used in power plants for different purposes, such as absorbing the effect of intermittent energy sources or providing ancillary services. For this reason, it is imperative to research managing and sizing methods that make power plants with storage viable and profitable projects. In this paper, a managing method is presented, where particle swarm optimisation is used to reach maximum profits. This method is compared to expert systems, proving that the former achieves better results, while respecting similar rules. The paper further presents a sizing method which uses the previous one to make the power plant as profitable as possible. Finally, both methods are tested through simulations to show their potential.Unión Europea Subvención 771066

A novel space-vector algorithm for multilevel converters based on geometrical considerations using a new sequence control technique

his paper presents a fast and simple space vector modulation algorithm for voltage source multilevel converters for calculating the switching times and the space vectors using simple geometrical considerations. This method provides the nearest switching vectors sequence to the reference vector and calculates the on-state durations of the respective switching state vectors without involving trigonometric functions, look-up tables or coordinate system transformations which increase the computational load corresponding to the modulation of a multilevel converter. The low computational cost of the proposed method is always the same and it is independent of the number of levels of the converter. In addition, a new switching sequence control technique is presented for reducing the ripple of the DC-link voltage approximately in 66%

Conventional Space-Vector Modulation Techniques versus the Single-Phase Modulator for Multilevel Converters

Space-vector modulation is a well-suited technique to be applied to multilevel converters and is an important research focus in the last 25 years. Recently, a single-phase multilevel modulator has been introduced showing its conceptual simplicity and its very low computational cost. In this paper, some of the most conventional multilevel space-vector modulation techniques have been chosen to compare their results with those obtained with single-phase multilevel modulators. The obtained results demonstrate that the single-phase multilevel modulators applied to each phase are equivalent with the chosen wellknown multilevel space-vector modulation techniques. In this way, single-phase multilevel modulators can be applied to a converter with any number of levels and phases avoiding the use of conceptually and mathematically complex space-vector modulation strategies. Analytical calculations and experimental results are shown validating the proposed concepts

Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental de la Subestación el Aeropuerto

Sistema de Evaluación Ambiental (Decreto 76-2006) en su artículo 17, inciso No. 28, los proyectos energéticos que contemplen la construcción de líneas de transmisión arriba de 69 kV y subestaciones están catalogados, como actividad con potencialidad de ejercer impactos ambientales altos, por lo que están clasificadas en Categoría Ambiental II, sujeta a la realización de un Estudio de Impacto Ambiental (EIA) como requisito para la obtención del Permiso Ambiental. El proyecto ha sido formulado cumpliendo con todas las normativas legales y técnicas internacionales para este tipo de proyecto, tanto para la subestación eléctrica como para el tramo de la línea de transmisión

Experimental passive control of the Ahmed body without ground effect using deflectors at a low Reynolds number.

Hemos realizado una investigación experimental sobre el efecto de diferentes ángulos de deflectores en los coeficientes de arrastre y sustentación de un cuerpo Ahmed sin efecto suelo. Nuestros hallazgos muestran que el arrastre mínimo corresponde a un ángulo de deflector entre -4º y 0ºUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Expression of miRNA in obesity and insulin resistance: a review

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are part of the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression at a post-transcriptional level. This review describes some miRNAs whose expression is modified in obesity and that may be involved in the development of insulin resistance. The metabolic alterations associated with obesity are due to an adipose tissue dysfunction. miRNAs are a mechanism that regulates gene expression, one miRNA can regulate the expression up to a thousand genes, and at the same time one gene can be regulated by several miRNAs; moreover, miRNA expression is tissue specific. Obesity leads to a dysregulation of miRNA expression in adipose tissue, and changes in miRNA expression relate to changes in gene expression related to the development of insulin resistance. However, because miRNA can be exported to the extracellular medium through exosomes, proteins, and lipoproteins, miRNA can be found in extracellular fluids like blood, urine, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluid. Considering the above, miRNA have been proposed as biological markers of differentdiseases, and also as potential therapeutic targets.