scholarly journals Pelleting Vineyard Pruning at Low Cost with a Mobile Technology

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Toscano ◽  
Vincenzo Alfano ◽  
Antonio Scarfone ◽  
Luigi Pari

The goal of this work was to test a patented pruning harvester and a mobile pelleting system specifically designed for the vineyard agripellet chain. Biomass was characterized before and after storage and after the pelleting stage. The performance, the fuel consumption, and the work quality of the harvester were assessed together with the productivity and the power consumption of the mobile pelleting system. Production costs of pellet were estimated for the whole logistic chain, considering two scenarios: Storage and pelleting directly at the farm site or at a dedicated location at variable distance from the fields. For comparison, the direct production of chips without pelleting was considered. Results indicate that harvester performance was quite good and comparable with commercial solutions; the chips produced exhibited excellent storage performance, allowing direct pelleting without forced drying; the pellet quality was good comparable with that produced from forestry biomass. From an economic point of view, in-field pelleting was the most cost-effective solution, with a good margin of profit up to 57€ t−1; on the other hand, when transport to an intermediate storage center is necessary, profit margin reduces gradually and fades off at an average 50 km distance from the fields.

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romário Martins Costa ◽  
Marcos Renan Lima Leite ◽  
Sâmia dos Santos Matos ◽  
Rayssa Carolinne Mouzinho de Sousa ◽  
Raissa Rachel Salustriano da Silva-Matos ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The use of pre-sprouted seedlings in the implantation of sugarcane crops not only reduces the establishment period and production costs, but also has other advantages, such as a lesser requirement of propagules (stems) and greater phytosanitary control of the seedlings, when compared to conventional planting. Commercial substrates are also expensive and their use increases the cost of seedlings. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of sugarcane pre-sprouted seedlings grown on substrates with different proportions of decomposed babassu palm stem (DBPS), as well as to recommend the substrate formulation that provides the most favorable environment for the growth and development of sugarcane pre-sprouted seedlings. For preparation of the substrate (S), DBPS and soil were used in the following proportions: S1: 0 % of DBPS + 100 % of soil; S2: 20 % of DBPS + 80 % of soil; S3: 40 % of DBPS + 60 % of soil; S4: 60 % of DBPS + 40 % of soil; S5: 80 % of DBPS + 20 % of soil; S6: 100 % of DBPS + 0 % of soil. The use of S2 and S3 considerably improved the seedling quality parameters, such as sprout diameter and length, number of leaves and total, shoot and root dry mass. However, from an economic point of view, S2 is recommended for use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Dobrzynski ◽  
Kazimierz A. Orlowski ◽  
Michal Biskup

The quality of the surface of wooden elements, that have been planed, has a crucial importance in the whole production process, since the obtained effects affect the quality of wooden surface after finishing (painting). The occurrence of defects is usually the reason for qualifying a workpiece as scrap or for requiring additional work. This paper presents the selected results of research of the effect of the cutting tool wear on the surface quality of elements after planing. Research experiments were conducted on the SCM Superset Class machine tool. Glulam elements of pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.) were researched. The raw material samples (semi-finished products), 6 m long before planing, had been machined by suppliers also by planing. These workpieces were selected according to the plant requirements, e.g. their moisture content, straightness, and other defects. This paper presents the measuring results of surface roughness and some examples of surface profiles, as well as the dependence of total length of the planed elements on the type of blade material. From an economic point of view, the results showed that the use of solid carbide blades were more cost effective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-77
Author(s):  
José Ítalo Melo ◽  
◽  
Ana Carolina Matos ◽  
Rodrigo Pinto ◽  
Gabriel Freitas ◽  
...  

Objective: To gather and synthesize current evidence that evaluates Pharmaceutical Services in hypertension, from an economic point of view. Methods: A systematic review of articles published from 2009 to September 2020 in PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs and Cochrane was carried out, following PRISMA guideline. Two reviewers screened and selected independently of the studies, extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. Results: 2,223 articles excluding duplicates were found in the databases. After analyzing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 studies were included, 8 were experimental and 4 were observational. The PS was performed in community pharmacies, outpatient clinics and hospitals, with interventions performed only by pharmacists or in collaboration with other professionals. Most of the interventions were cost-effective, improving clinical parameters and improving the quality of life. Only one intervention did not show significant results in relation to usual care. Conclusion: PS have been associated with positive economic impacts and interventions have significantly reduced direct medical costs. However, there is a need to develop more robust research, such as randomized and controlled studies, in order to allow a more assertive assessment regarding the cost-effectiveness of pharmaceutical services


Author(s):  
Ramesh Raghavan

This chapter presents an overview of how D&I research can be evaluated from an economic point of view. Dissemination and implementation imposes costs upon knowledge purveyors, provider organizations, public health organizations, and payers (including governments). However, whether these added costs will result in improved service delivery and, perhaps more importantly, client outcomes and improvements in population health remain as open questions. If emerging studies reveal that defined implementation strategies are more cost effective than “usual” implementation, then policymakers and service providers will need to resource these added costs of implementation in order to assure the success and sustainability of high-quality health services over the long term.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1063
Author(s):  
Catalina Hernández Moris ◽  
Maria Teresa Cerda Guevara ◽  
Alois Salmon ◽  
Alvaro Lorca

The energy sector in Chile demands a significant increase in renewable energy sources in the near future, and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies are becoming increasingly competitive as compared to natural gas plants. Motivated by this, this paper presents a comparison between solar technologies such as hybrid plants and natural gas-based thermal technologies, as both technologies share several characteristics that are comparable and beneficial for the power grid. This comparison is made from an economic point of view using the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) metric and in terms of the systemic benefits related to flexibility, which is very much required due to the current decarbonization scenario of Chile’s energy matrix. The results show that the LCOE of the four hybrid plant models studied is lower than the LCOE of the gas plant. A solar hybrid plant configuration composed of a photovoltaic and solar tower plant (STP) with 13 h of storage and without generation restrictions has an LCOE 53 USD/MWh, while the natural gas technology evaluated with an 85% plant factor and a variable fuel cost of 2.0 USD/MMBtu has an LCOE of 86 USD/MWh. Thus, solar hybrid plants under a particular set of conditions are shown to be more cost-effective than their closest competitor for the Chilean grid while still providing significant dispatchability and flexibility.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (87) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliia Dovha ◽  
◽  
Hryhorii Tsehelyk ◽  

The processes of optimization of the production plan according to certain criteria by modeling were investigated. Achieving effective results directly depends on the optimal production plan. The most important thing in determining the optimal production plan is the choice of modeling criteria. For the most part, the quality of decisions is characterized not by one but by many incomparable criteria. Therefore, it is necessary to make decisions based not on one but on many criteria. This so-called multi-objective optimization problem. For solving such problems is widely used mathematical methods. Mathematical approach can be used to solve problems in any particular activity as mathematics abstracted from specific features characteristic of a particular solution. Therefore, from the point of view of mathematics, the optimal result can be obtained with various established criteria, but from the economic point of view it is important to choose the ones that are of decisive importance. That is, their weight is important for the consumer when making a purchase decision, and for the manufacturer – in terms of production capabilities of certain types and results (production efficiency). The basis of the operation of any enterprise is a production program (production and sales plan). The main task of the production plan is to meet the needs of consumers in high-quality products, which are produced with the best use of resources, on the one hand, and the enterprise to get the maximum profit, on the other. With this in mind, a two-criteria optimization model that allows to make a production plan was proposed. The plan ensures that products are produced with the best use of available resources and at the same time ensures maximum quality of manufactured products and maximum profit from sales of these products. The solution of the problem with two objective functions and linear constraints is achieved by step-by-step solution of the proposed mathematical model of optimization of the production plan using the method of sequential restrictions. The simplex method was also used. An example shows an algorithm for solving the optimization problem.


2021 ◽  
Vol 152 (6) ◽  
pp. 134-142
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Yu. Mishin ◽  

One of the key ones and most cost-effective technology from an economic point of view for the real sector is the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, which is usually provided in the form of Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, still does not have its own framework for assessing its economic efficiency. The author proposes a methodological approach based on a combination of classical methods of investment analysis and an architectural approach. From the information point of view the scientific work is based on cost-effectiveness studies of IoT projects, domestic and foreign scientific publications, IT cases and research on taxonomy of IoT platforms. The proposed approach may serve as the basis both for preparation of financial business cases and for facilitating the development of tools for objective assessment of the project initiatives attractiveness as part of implementation of the state digital development programs in Russia.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Cheng Vincent Wang ◽  
Shih-Chun Candice Lung ◽  
Chun Hu Liu ◽  
Chen-Kai Shui

To tackle the challenge of the data accuracy issues of low-cost sensors (LCSs), the objective of this work was to obtain robust correction equations to convert LCS signals into data comparable to that of research-grade instruments using side-by-side comparisons. Limited sets of seed LCS devices, after laboratory evaluations, can be installed strategically in areas of interest without official monitoring stations to enable reading adjustments of other uncalibrated LCS devices to enhance the data quality of sensor networks. The robustness of these equations for LCS devices (AS-LUNG with PMS3003 sensor) under a hood and a chamber with two different burnt materials and before and after 1.5 years of field campaigns were evaluated. Correction equations with incense or mosquito coils burning inside a chamber with segmented regressions had a high R2 of 0.999, less than 6.0% variability in the slopes, and a mean RMSE of 1.18 µg/m3 for 0.1–200 µg/m3 of PM2.5, with a slightly higher RMSE for 0.1–400 µg/m3 compared to EDM-180. Similar results were obtained for PM1, with an upper limit of 200 µg/m3. Sensor signals drifted 19–24% after 1.5 years in the field. Practical recommendations are given to obtain equations for Federal-Equivalent-Method-comparable measurements considering variability and cost.


Author(s):  
Elena ȘURCĂ

From an economic point of view, efficiency implies the use of resources, of any kind, at maximum efficiency, or else the relation between effect and effort is over unit. In any kind of activity economic efficiency is the basis for its start. In the present paper, the level of economic efficiency for rape crops will be determined, according to two technological systems: conventional and organic. The revenue structure, and especially the expenditure, will be found in the income and expenditure budget of the culture. We will compare the value of production, production costs, but also yield or rate of return. In the continuation of the study, a set of indicators of economic efficiency will be calculated for each crop system, which will be subjected to a mirror analysis, to determine the feasibility of rapeseed crops as accurately as possible. Finally, the results will be presented, the profitability of the crop according to the system, the level of the profit and the recommendations regarding the future way of growing the rapeseed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-432
Author(s):  
MS Alam ◽  
N Islam ◽  
S Ahmad ◽  
MI Hossen ◽  
MR Islam

The study was carried out during summer of 2012 with BARI hybrid tomato 4, planted in the Olericulture farm of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh to find out the response of plants to some staking and pruning treatments on yield, fruit quality and cost of production. A two factor experiment consisting of three staking methods and four level of pruning, laid out in complete block design with three repetitions. Plants were staked on inverted „V? shaped staking, high platform and string. The plants were pruned to two stem, three stem, four stem and no pruning as control. Results showed that significantly the highest total number of fruits per plant (37.1), marketable fruits per plant (33.7), yield per plant (1.68 kg) and total yield (44.6 t/ha) were produced by the plants having the treatment string staking with four stem. The highest fruit set (43.50%) was found in the plants staking with string having three stems. Plants grown on string staking allowing two stem gave the maximum length (4.71 cm), diameter (4.83 cm) and weight (53.4g) of single fruit as well as maximum fruit firmness (3.43 kg-f cm-2). From the economic point of view, it was apparent that summer tomato produced by string staking with four stem pruning exhibited better performance compared to other treatment combinations in relation to net return and BCR (2.10).Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 41(3): 419-432, September 2016


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