Allocation procedure in multi-output process: an illustration of ISO 14041

Allocation results for a multi-output process in a life cycle assessment study depend on the definition of the unit process which can vary with the depth of a study. The unit process may be a manufacturing site, a sub-process, or an operational unit (e.g. distillation column or reactor). There are three different approaches to define a unit process: macroscopic approach, quasi-microscopic approach, and microscopic approach. In the macroscopic approach, a unit process is the manufacturing site, while a unit process in the quasi-microscopic approach is a sub-process of the manufacturing site. An operational unit becomes the unit process in the microscopic approach. In the quasi-microscopic and the microscopic approaches, a process can be subdivided into a joint process, a physically separated process which is physically apart from other processes, and a fully separated process. Each type can be a unit process. Therefore, the multi-output process in the quasi-microscopic and the microscopic approaches can be subdivided among two or more unit processes depending on the actual operations. The allocation in the fully separated process can be avoided because this process fulfills one function. In the joint process and the physically separated process, which deliver two or more functions, allocation is still required. Ammonia manufacturing, where carbon dioxide is formed as a byproduct is given to show a specific detailed example of the allocation procedure by subdivision in ISO 14041. It is shown that the quasi-microscopic and the microscopic approaches can reduce the multi-output allocation of a given chemical product. Furthermore, the quasi-microscopic and the microscopic approaches are very useful in identifying key pollution prevention issues related with one product or function.     

Process validation: achieving the Operational Qualification phase

The OQ phase of process validation is very important and is where the complete understanding of the process is determined by experimentation. This understanding is useful to: * establish optimal process parameters * understand variation that affect the process * aid in investigating process deviations. OQ is an important part of the entire process validation activity and essential to understanding a manufacturing process. The benefits of completing the OQ and overall process validation are the reasons that it makes business sense and receive the long-term benefits of producing high quality product and achieving customer satisfaction.     

Process development and evaluation for algal glycerol production

This article and develops a process for large-scale production of glycerol by means of a hemophilic algae. The process is shown to be economically and technically feasible. Although the proposed process is extremely capital intensive, the total production cost is competitive with existing glycerol process. In addition, the overall energy requirement is much lower than that of the petrochemical process. This proposed process provides an alternative route for glycerol production that is minimally dependent on fossil fuels and is therefore, less sensitive to crude oil availability and price. The primary raw material carbon dioxide from stack gas, is an inexpensive and renewable resource. Maximal Utilization of solar energy is made not only in the glycerol synthesis steps but also in the product recovery system. Significant improvement in the process economics can be realized through further development of large-scale cultivation technology, and biomass distribution and collection machinery. Due to the labor intensive nature of the proposed algal process, it is particularly suitable for less developed nations with limited fossil fuel resources and lower labor costs.     

Industrial glucoamylase fed-batch benefits from oxygen limitation and high osmolarity

The market for glucoamylase is large and very competitive and the production process has been optimized through several decades. So far a thorough characterization of the process has not been published, but previous academic reports suggest that the process suffers from severe byproduct formation. In this study we have carried out a thorough characterization of a process as close as possible to the industrial reality. The results show that the oxygen-limited phases of the process have the highest glucoamylase yields on carbon and that the byproducts are efficiently reused in late phases of the process. An alternative process with low glucose concentration show that high osmolarity is beneficial for the process, and we conclude that oxygen limitation, high osmolarity, and the associated byproduct metabolism are important for the efficiency of the process.     

An accumulative model for the comparative life cycle assessment case study: iron and steel process

Life cycle assessment is a powerful tool in the evaluation of the environmental performance. However, there is no generally accepted methodology. To develop a practical method, an accumulative model for the comparative life cycle assessment is established and applied in the two typical iron and steel processes, the DRI/EF process and the BF/BOF process. The results indicate that the method could quantitatively compare the alternatives. When the DRI/EF process is compared with the BF/BOF process, it is shown that the IREI (integrated relative environmental index) is 60.22% for the production of iron and 52.4% for the production of steel, respectively. The environmental performance of the DRI/EF process is superior to that of the BF/BOF process.     

A system control framework for the self-fertilization and selection process of breeding

The self-fertilization and selection process is the main method for speeding up the purifying course of a hybrid population in breeding. This is a complex combinatorial random process with large time delay. To raise the control effectiveness and efficiency of the process, we try, in this paper, to construct a mathematical model of the process by means of effective factors. Then, a control framework for the process is presented which can be used as a guide by breeders for helping them in selecting appropriate control actions.     

Thermodynamic analysis of lignocellulosic biofuel production via a biochemical process: guiding technology selection and research focus

The aim of this paper is to present an exergy analysis of bioethanol production process from lignocellulosic feedstock via a biochemical process to asses the overall thermodynamic efficiency and identify the main loss processes. The thermodynamic efficiency of the biochemical process was found to be 35% and the major inefficiencies of this process were identified as: the combustion of lignin for process heat and power production and the simultaneous scarification and co-fermentation process accounting for 67% and 27% of the lost exergy, respectively. These results were also compared with a previous analysis of a thermochemical process for producing biofuel. Despite fundamental differences, the biochemical and thermochemical processes considered here had similar levels of thermodynamic efficiency. Process heat and power production was the major contributor to exergy loss in both of the processes. Unlike the thermochemical process, the overall efficiency of the biochemical process largely depends on how the lignin is utilized.     

A fault identification and classification scheme for an automobile door assembly process

A process fault identification and classification scheme for an automobile door assembly process is presented based on multivariate in-line dimensional measurements and principal component factor analysis. First, the door assembly process and the dimensional measurement system are briefly introduced. Second, the technique of principal component factor analysis is presented for process fault identification. Process faults are summarized based on off-line identified case studies. Finally a machine classification scheme based on principal components and principal factors is presented and evaluated, using the pattern knowledge obtained off-line. This scheme is shown to be effective in classifying process faults using production data.     

流加菌种对厌氧氨氧化工艺的影响

厌氧氨氧化工艺具有很高的容积氮去除速率,现已成功应用于污泥压滤液等含氨废水的脱氮处理,容积氮去除速率高达9.5 kg/(m3·d)。但由于厌氧氨氧化菌为自养型细菌,生长缓慢,对环境条件敏感,致使厌氧氨氧化工艺启动时间过长,运行容易失稳,并且不适合处理有机含氨废水和毒性含氨废水,极大地限制了该工艺的进一步推广应用。为了克服厌氧氨氧化工艺实际应用中存在的问题,结合发酵工业中常用的菌种流加技术,提出了一种新型的菌种流加式厌氧氨氧化工艺,研究了该新型工艺在厌氧氨氧化工艺的启动过程、稳定运行以及处理有机含氨废水和毒性含氨废水等方面的应用情况。结果表明,通过向反应器内补加优质厌氧氨氧化菌种,可提高厌氧氨氧化菌数量及其在菌群中的比例,强化厌氧氨氧化功能。据此研发的菌种流加式厌氧氨氧化工艺不仅可以实现快速启动,而且可以稳定运行,并突破了有机物和毒物所致的运行障碍,拓展了厌氧氨氧化工艺的应用范围。     

氮形态转化途径研究的新进展—厌气铵氧化及其应用前景

20世纪90年代初在污泥处理系统中发现了氮素形态转化的新途径－厌气铵氧化过程,厌气铵氧化过程是铵以亚硝酸根为电子受体在自养细菌参数下氧化成氮气的过程,但目前尚无土壤,河,湖,海底泥等自然系统中是否存在厌氧铵氧化过程的报道,由于该过程无需外加有机碳,耗氧和处理产生污泥少,用于污泥脱氮成本较低,具有很大潜力。     

Are evolutionary rates really variable?

Summary Langley and Fitch (1974, 1976) have shown that the pattern of nucleotide substitutions in proteins is inconsistent with a Poisson process with constant rate. From this they conclude that the rate is temporally heterogeneous. It is pointed out in this note that a process which is temporally homogeneous but not a Poisson process is compatible with the data if the coefficient of variation of the time between substitutions is around 1.63. Furthermore, theoretical analysis of samples from neutral phylogenies shows that these samples should not appear to be samples from a Poisson process, but should deviate from a Poisson process in the same direction, though perhaps not to the same extent, as do the data.     

城市污泥好氧堆肥过程中积温规律的探讨

对城市污泥好氧堆肥稳定化过程的温热条件进行了探讨 ,将物候学中的积温概念应用于堆肥稳定化 (腐熟 )过程。它同时兼顾到堆肥过程中的温度强度和持续时间两个参数。对于采用的强制通风静态垛堆肥工艺 ( CTB自动控制堆肥工艺 ) ,建议以 1 5℃作为生物学零度 ,积温指标为 1 0 0 0 0℃· h左右。堆肥原料的性质、堆肥工艺、微生物种群、生物学零度、外界环境等因素可能会对积温产生一定影响     

Process Monitoring Strategies for Surface Mount Manufacturing Processes

Establishing reliable surface mount assemblies requires robust design and assembly practices, including stringent process control schemes for achieving high yield processes and high quality solder interconnects. Conventional Shewhart-based process control charts prevalent in today's complex surface mount manufacturing processes are found to be inadequate as a result of autocorrelation, high false alarm probability, and inability to detect process deterioration. Hence, new strategies are needed to circumvent the shortcomings of traditional process control techniques. In this article, the adequacy of Shewhart models in a surface mount manufacturing environment is examined and some alternative solutions and strategies for process monitoring are discussed. For modeling solder paste deposition process data, a time series analysis based on neural network models is highly desirable for both controllability and predictability. In particular, neural networks can be trained to model the autocorrelated time series, learn historical process behavior, and forecast future process performance with low prediction errors. This forecasting ability is especially useful for early detection of solder paste deterioration, so that timely remedial actions can be taken, minimizing the impact on subsequent yields of downstream processes. As for the automated component placement process where very low fraction nonconforming frequently occurs, control-charting schemes based on cumulative counts of conforming items produced prior to detection of nonconforming items is more sensitive in flagging process deterioration. For the reflow soldering and wave-soldering processes, the use of demerit control charts is appealing as it provides not only better control when various defects with a different degree of severity are encountered, but also leads to an improved ARL performance. Illustrative examples of actual process data are presented to demonstrate these approaches.     

氮形态转化途径研究的新进展──厌气铵氧化及其应用前景

20世纪90年代初在污泥处理系统中发现了氮素形态转化的新途径--厌气铵氧化过程.厌气铵氧化过程是铵以亚硝酸根为电子受体在自养细菌参数下氧化成氮气的过程.但目前尚无土壤、河、湖、海底泥等自然系统中是否存在厌气铵氧化过程的报道.由于该过程无需外加有机碳,耗氧和处理产生污泥少,用于污泥脱氮成本较低,具有很大潜力.     

Design of experiments applications in bioprocessing: Chromatography process development using split design of experiments

Development of a chromatographic step in a time and resource efficient manner remains a serious bottleneck in protein purification. Chromatographic performance typically depends on raw material attributes, feed material attributes, process factors, and their interactions. Design of experiments (DOE) based process development is often chosen for this purpose. A challenge is, however, in performing a DOE with such a large number of process factors. A split DOE approach based on process knowledge in order to reduce the number of experiments is proposed. The first DOE targets optimizing factors that are likely to significantly impact the process and their effect on process performance is unknown. The second DOE aims to fine-tune another set of interacting process factors, impact of whom on process performance is known from process understanding. Furthermore, modeling of a large set of output response variables has been achieved by fitting the output responses to an empirical equation and then using the parametric constants of the equation as output response variables for regression modeling. Two case studies involving hydrophobic interaction chromatography for removal of aggregates and cation exchange chromatography for separation of charge variants and aggregates have been utilized to illustrate the proposed approach. Proposed methodology reduced total number of experiments by 25% and 72% compared to a single DOE based on central composite design and full factorial design, respectively. The proposed approach is likely to result in a significant reduction in resources required as well as time taken during process development. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2730, 2019     

Optimal process/solvent design for ethanol extractive fermentation with cell recycling

In this study, the computer-aided process/solvent design is introduced to find an optimal biocompatible solvent and to maximize the ethanol production rate simultaneously for the single- or double-stage extractive fermentation process with cell recycling. Such a process/solvent design problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem that is solved by mixed-integer hybrid differential evolution in order to obtain a global design. The double-stage process can use a smaller amount of fresh solvent to increase ethanol productivity compared with that of the single-stage process, but it will also decrease overall conversion. Comparing the case studies, the simultaneous process/solvent design could yield higher overall ethanol productivity than that of the process design. The maximum ethanol production rate for the double-stage extractive fermentation with cell recycling was about 10-fold higher than that of continuous fermentation and about twofold higher than that of continuous fermentation with cell recycling.