scholarly journals A Neural Network Model for Decision-Making with Application in Sewage Sludge Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5434
Author(s):  
Francesco Facchini ◽  
Luigi Ranieri ◽  
Micaela Vitti
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ann Model ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Waste Products

Wastewater treatment (WWT) is a foremost challenge for maintaining the health of ecosystems and human beings; the waste products of the water-treatment process can be a problem or an opportunity. The sewage sludge (SS) produced during sewage treatment can be considered a waste to be disposed of in a landfill or as a source for obtaining raw material to be used as a fertilizer, building material, or alternative fuel source suitable for co-incineration in a high-temperature furnace. To this concern, this study’s purpose consisted of developing a decision model, supported by an Artificial Neural Network (ANN model), allowing us to identify the most effective sludge management strategy in economic terms. Consistent with the aim of the work, the suitable SS treatment was identified, selecting for each phase of the SS treatment, an alternative available on the market ensuring energy and/or matter recovery, in line with the circular water value chain. Results show that the ANN model identifies the suitable SS treatments on multiple factors, thus supporting the decision-making and identifying the solution as per user requirements.

scholarly journals Regulatory and technological prerequisites of the use of sewage sludge for the production of organic fertilizers

2020 ◽  
pp. 162-170
Author(s):  
R. Edgecock ◽  
V. V. Bratishko ◽  
I. V. Zinchenko ◽  
S. H. Karpus ◽  
D. O. Milko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers

Annotation Purpose. Summarize the regulatory and technological requirements for the production of organic (organo-mineral) fertilizers on the base of sewage sludge. Methods. Analysis and generalization of the requirements of regulatory documents on the management of organic waste and their use as raw materials for the production of organic fertilizers and soil improvers. Results. The current legislative, departmental and regulatory documentary base in Ukraine concerning the treatment of sediment resulting from biological sewage treatment at municipal wastewater treatment plants for its further use in agriculture as fertilizers is analysed. Indicators are identified and analysed to determine the possibility, feasibility, efficiency and scope of organic fertilizers produced using sewage sludge. The analysis of changes in the content of organic matter and total nitrogen in the sewage sludge during its storage at the sewage treatment plant sites is presented. The technological feasibility of using sludge of different shelf life in composting production has been determined. Conclusions 1. The regulatory framework of Ukraine contains a sufficiently complete list of indicators that should be met by organic raw materials (sewage sludge) for further use as organic fertilizers. Some of these indicators – bio security and heavy metals content – can be improved in the composting process of fertilizers. 2. Fresh sediment, as well as sediment accumulated in the last late autumn and winter periods, is of main value for use as a raw material in the production of organic fertilizers. 3. The use in the production of compost sludge stored on sludge sites for a period of half a year or more requires special control of the process of decontamination. In this case, it is advisable to use additional means of wastewater decontamination. Keywords: heavy metals, manure, humus, decontamination, composting, organic fertilizers, sewage sludge.

Future proof decentralised sludge recycling Elodry-pro®

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 840-848
Author(s):  
B. Geraats ◽  
M. Parnowska ◽  
L. Kox
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Modular Design ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Nox Formation

Abstract At Linz-Unkel (Germany) sewage treatment plant the first full scale state-of-art EloDry-Pro® plant for sewage sludge has been constructed, consisting of the PYREG® reactor and the EloDry® belt dryer. The system is characterised by small footprint, flexibility, modular design and efficient energy management. The sludge dried using an EloDry® belt dryer undergoes staged combustion using the PYREG® module at around 6,500°C. This reduces the sludge to a fraction of its original volume while disinfecting it and removing micro-pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues. The residual ash, which has a high percentage of plant-available phosphorus, is then supplied to the fertiliser industry as a recycled raw material. The working principle of EloDry-Pro® installation, including heat flows of the system, is presented. The paper describes Pyreg®'s advanced emission control systems, preventing NOx formation and removing harmful substances such as mercury and sulphur. The EloDry-Pro® technology is an innovative and cost-effective approach to decentralised thermal recycling of sewage sludge. Both sewage sludge volumes and transportation costs are reduced by up to 90%, therefore making it a low carbon cost-effective alternative to the transportation of sludge and allowing local sludge processing at plants under 100 k population.

scholarly journals Is ceramsite the last straw for sewage sludge disposal: a review of sewage sludge disposal by producing ceramsite in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Bifan He ◽  
Guangjin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Glass Powder ◽  
River Sediment ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Urban Sewage ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Sludge Disposal

Abstract With the rapid development of urbanization, the amount of urban sewage treatment is increasing. Waste activated sludge (WAS) is a by-product of sewage treatment, and its output is increasing year by year. How to properly handle WAS is related to the sustainable development of the sewage treatment industry. The production of ceramsite from WAS is an effective way to realize the utilization of sludge. This paper comprehensively describes the use of WAS as raw material, adding clay, cement, glass powder, shale, coal gangue, river sediment, pulverized fly ash and other auxiliary materials (AM) to produce sintered sewage sludge ceramsite and non-sintered sludge ceramsite. This paper analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the process of making ceramsite from WAS. The research points out the development prospect of ceramsite from WAS.

Overview of legislation on sewage sludge management in developed countries worldwide

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Christodoulou ◽  
K. Stamatelatou
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Renewable Resource ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Sewage Sludge Management

The need to apply innovative technologies for maximizing the efficiency and minimizing the carbon footprint of sewage treatment plants has upgraded sewage sludge management to a highly sophisticated research and development sector. Sewage sludge cannot be regarded solely as ‘waste’; it is a renewable resource for energy and material recovery. From this perspective, legislation on sewage sludge management tends to incorporate issues related to environmental protection, public health, climate change impacts and socio-economic benefits. This paper reviews the existing legislative frameworks and policies on sewage sludge management in various countries, highlighting the common ground as well as the different priorities in all cases studied. More specifically, the key features of legislation regarding sludge management in developed countries such as the USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union (EU27) are discussed.

Neural Network Based Online Anthropomorphic Performance Decision-Making Approach for Dual-Arm Dulcimer Playing Robot

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 838-846
Author(s):  
Ting Fei ◽  
Xin Chen ◽  
Li Zhou ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Artificial Neural Network Ann ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
Dual Arm

A neural network based online anthropomorphic performance decision-making approach is described for a dual-arm dulcimer playing robot. Because it is difficult to extract experiential rules manually to describe the decision behavior of a human playing a dulcimer, the proposed method relies on the self-learning function of a artificial neural network (ANN). The training data of the network consists of three types of information: the note pitch of adjacent notes, time interval in a piece of music, and decision results in actual performance processes of human beings. A decision-making approach, devised through combining the well-trained ANN with music for which performance decisions were required, is then applied. The numerical results show that, for several pieces of music with different characteristics, the accuracy and precision of the decision results are always relatively high, which verifies the practicability and good generalizability of the method.

The effect of lime-dried sewage sludge on the heat-resistance of eco-cement

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 212-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-quan Li ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Hai-hua Cao ◽  
Jing-cheng Xu ◽  
Jia Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Heat Resistance ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Partial Replacement ◽  
Cement Manufacture ◽  
Fire Endurance ◽  
Treatment And Disposal ◽  
Dried Sludge ◽  
Microstructural Studies

The treatment and disposal of sewage sludge is a growing problem for sewage treatment plants. One method of disposal is to use sewage sludge as partial replacement for raw material in cement manufacture. Although this process has been well researched, little attention has been given to the thermal properties of cement that has had sewage sludge incorporated in the manufacturing process. This study investigated the fire endurance of eco-cement to which lime-dried sludge (LDS) had been added. LDS was added in proportions of 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% (by weight) to the raw material. The eco-cement was exposed to 200, 400, or 600 °C for 3 h. The residual strength and the microstructural properties of eco-cement were then studied. Results showed that the eco-cement samples suffered less damage than conventional cement at 600 °C. The microstructural studies showed that LDS incorporation could reduce Ca(OH)2 content. It was concluded that LDS has the potential to improve the heat resistance of eco-cement products.

scholarly journals Study on the Strategy of Playing Doudizhu Game Based on Multirole Modeling

Complexity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Shuqin Li ◽  
Saisai Li ◽  
Hengyang Cao ◽  
Kun Meng ◽  
Meng Ding
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Incomplete Information ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Game Problem ◽  
Role Modeling ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
National Competition ◽  
Evaluation Algorithm

Doudizhu poker is a very popular and interesting national poker game in China, and now it has become a national competition in China. As this game is a typical example of incomplete information game problem, it has received more and more attention from artificial intelligence experts. This paper proposes a multirole modeling-based card-playing framework. This framework includes three parts: role modeling, cards carrying, and decision-making strategies. Role modeling learns different roles and behaviors by using a convolutional neural network. Cards carrying can calculate reasonable rules especially for “triplet” by using an evaluation algorithm. Decision making is for implementing different card strategies for different player roles. Experimental results showed that this card-playing framework makes playing decisions like human beings, and it can to some extent learn, collaborate, and reason when facing an incomplete information game problem. This framework won the runner-up in the 2018 China Computer Game Competition.

scholarly journals Sewage Sludge Management in a Sewage Treatment Plant

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-217
Author(s):  
Dariusz Królik ◽  
Przemysław Wypych ◽  
Jakub Kostecki
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Methane Fermentation ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plants ◽  
Sewage Sludge Management

Abstract Sewage sludge produced in municipal sewage treatment plants, because of its physicochemical and sanitary properties, is a serious threat to the environment. In order to neutralize it, various methods of processing are used, which directly affect the quantity and quality of produced sewage sludge, which in the final stage can be used naturally. Properly managed sludge management is presented on the example of a sewage treatment plant, conducting the methane fermentation process with the production of biogas.

scholarly journals Potentialities in the performance of coating mortars through the addition of sewage sludge ash

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e25910615736
Author(s):  
João Victor da Cunha Oliveira ◽  
Leila Soares Viegas Barreto Chagas ◽  
Frankslale Fabian Diniz de Andrade Meira ◽  
Arnaldo Manoel Pereira Carneiro
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Degradation Process ◽  
Cementitious Materials ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Thermal Degradation Process ◽  
Sludge Ash

Through environmental policies that provide a gradual discussion about the destination of the tailings produced in the most diverse industrial sectors, the sewage sludge is emphasized by the problematic destination arising from the amount of toxic compounds that compose it, compromising its disposal. Aiming to fulfill the sustainable role through the creation of mechanisms that favor the ecological coexistence between environment and human beings, it is possible through the use of construction materials, considered as conventional, the use of calcined sewage sludge as an enhancer of the properties of matrix materials cement, significantly improving its performance against mechanical stresses and degradation mechanisms. Based on the need to implement measures to mitigate environmental impacts through the production of eco-efficient materials, the ashes of sanitary sewage sludge as a partial substitute for Portland cement have now been used as an input in coating mortars. This substitution focuses on reducing the large volume of sludge generated by the Sewage Treatment Plants, as well as on the reduction in the consumption of cement, a large CO2 generator during its manufacturing process. It was observed that through the use of this calcined by-product applied in mortars, a relevant physical-mechanical performance in cementitious materials is ratified, that in comparison to the material without the use of it, better results are observed, resulting from the reactivity conferred to the sludge after the thermal degradation process, making it a pozzolana.

Basic investigation on the chemical forms of heavy metals in a sewage treatment plant

2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 159-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Morita ◽  
H. Tsuboi
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Chemical Forms ◽  
Basic Study

Sewage sludge mainly consists of organic matter, and it is rich in nutrients. Therefore, sewage sludge is beneficial as an energy resource and as a raw material for fertilizer. However, heavy metals in it are the obstacle to utilization of sludge. This study was conducted in order to know the chemical forms of heavy metals and their behavior in a sewage treatment plant as a basic study for development of technology to reduce heavy metals in sludge. Chemical methods and biological methods, such as extraction using acid, bacteria leaching, are applied to reduce heavy metals. In using these methods, the efficiency depends on the chemical forms of heavy metals. From this point of view, factors, which affect the chemical forms of heavy metals, were investigated through the survey at some plants of different conditions. Besides, experiments on the anaerobic digestion process, in which the chemical forms of heavy metals were expected to change, were conducted. As the results of these studies, it was found that the chemical forms of heavy metals and their behavior vary according to the species of heavy metals. In comparison of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni), Cu was found to be changed most easily into a stable chemical form such as carbonate and sulfide. Zn was the second to Cu in its tendency to be stabilized. As for Ni, the tendency was further less than Zn.

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