The use of co-digested solid fraction as feedstock for biogas plants

A comparative study was set up in order to assess the technical feasibility of the long-term reuse of the mechanically separated co-digested solid fraction as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion plants (ADP). The biogas yields of two feedstock mixtures (A and B) were assessed in mesophilic conditions (40°C±2°C) using 6 lab-scale continuous stirredtank reactors. Feedstock mixture A (control) consisted of pig slurry (70%), farmyard manure (4%), sorghum silage (12%) and maize silage (14%). Feedstock mixture B was the same as the control plus the solid fraction derived from the mechanical separation of the output raw codigestate collected from the reactors. All reactors were fed simultaneously, three times a week, over a period of nine month. According to the study results, the reuse of the co-digested solid fraction as feedstock for ADP could increase the methane yield by approximately 4%. However, ADP efficiency evaluation (e.g., daily yield of methane per m3 of digester) suggests limiting this practice to a maximum time period of 120 days.

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The use of co-digested solid fraction as feedstock for biogas plants

Journal of Agricultural Engineering ◽

10.4081/jae.2013.355 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (2s) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

E. Dinuccio ◽

F. Gioelli ◽

D. Cuk ◽

L. Rollè ◽

P. Balsari

Keyword(s):

Solid Fraction ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Pig Slurry ◽

Stirred Tank Reactors ◽

Time Period ◽

Study Results ◽

Biogas Plants ◽

Set Up ◽

Sorghum Silage

A comparative study was set up in order to assess the technical feasibility of the long-term reuse of the mechanically separated co-digested solid fraction as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion plants (ADP). The biogas yields of two feedstock mixtures (A and B) were assessed in mesophilic conditions (40 °C ± 2 °C) using 8 lab-scale continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSRT). Feedstock mixture A (control) consisted of pig slurry (70%), farmyard manure (4%), sorghum silage (12%) and maize silage (14%). Feedstock mixture B was the same as the control plus the solid fraction derived from the mechanical separation of the output raw co-digestate collected on daily basis from the reactors. All reactors were fed simultaneously, three times a week, over a period of nine month. According to the study results, the reuse of the co-digested solid fraction as feedstock for ADP could increase the methane yield by approximately 4%. However, ADP efficiency evaluation (e.g., daily yield of methane per m3 of digester) suggest to limit this practice to a maximum time period of 120 days.

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Existence and Exploitability of Financial Analysts' Informational Leadership

Applied Finance Letters ◽

10.24135/afl.v5i2.49 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Rainer Baule ◽

Hannes Wilke

Keyword(s):

Abnormal Returns ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Trading Strategies ◽

Information Share ◽

Time Period ◽

The Us ◽

Information Shares ◽

Set Up ◽

The One

This paper bridges two recent studies on the role of analysts to provide new and relevant information to investors. On the one hand, the contribution of analysts to long-term price discovery on the US market is rather low. Considering earnings per share forecasts as the main output of analysts’ reports, their information share amounts to only 4.6% on average. On the other hand, trading strategies set up on these EPS forecasts are quite profitable. Self-financing portfolios yield excess returns of more than 5% over the S&P 100 index for a time period of 36 years, which is persistent after controlling for the well-known risk factors. In this paper, we discuss the link between the low information shares and the high abnormal returns. We argue that information shares of analysts cannot be higher, because otherwise their forecasts would lead to excessively profitable trading strategies which are very unlikely to persist over such a long period of time.

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BCI-Based Rehabilitation on the Stroke in Sequela Stage

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2020/8882764 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Yangyang Miao ◽

Shugeng Chen ◽

Xinru Zhang ◽

Jing Jin ◽

Ren Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Function ◽

The Body ◽

Control Group ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Time Period ◽

Average Improvement ◽

Study Results ◽

Electroencephalogram Eeg ◽

Positive Effect

Background. Stroke is the leading cause of serious and long-term disability worldwide. Survivors may recover some motor functions after rehabilitation therapy. However, many stroke patients missed the best time period for recovery and entered into the sequela stage of chronic stroke. Method. Studies have shown that motor imagery- (MI-) based brain-computer interface (BCI) has a positive effect on poststroke rehabilitation. This study used both virtual limbs and functional electrical stimulation (FES) as feedback to provide patients with a closed-loop sensorimotor integration for motor rehabilitation. An MI-based BCI system acquired, analyzed, and classified motor attempts from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The FES system would be activated if the BCI detected that the user was imagining wrist dorsiflexion on the instructed side of the body. Sixteen stroke patients in the sequela stage were randomly assigned to a BCI group and a control group. All of them participated in rehabilitation training for four weeks and were assessed by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of motor function. Results. The average improvement score of the BCI group was 3.5, which was higher than that of the control group (0.9). The active EEG patterns of the four patients in the BCI group whose FMA scores increased gradually became centralized and shifted to sensorimotor areas and premotor areas throughout the study. Conclusions. Study results showed evidence that patients in the BCI group achieved larger functional improvements than those in the control group and that the BCI-FES system is effective in restoring motor function to upper extremities in stroke patients. This study provides a more autonomous approach than traditional treatments used in stroke rehabilitation.

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GHG emissions during the storage of rough pig slurry and the fractions obtained by mechanical separation

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea07239 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 93 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

E. Dinuccio ◽

P. Balsari ◽

W. Berg

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Solid Fraction ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Pig Slurry ◽

Gaseous Emissions ◽

Ghg Emission ◽

Photoacoustic Detection ◽

Dynamic Chamber ◽

Mechanical Separation ◽

Carbon Dioxide Co2

Emissions of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ammonia (NH3) during the storage of rough pig slurry and the fractions (solid and liquid) obtained by mechanical separation were investigated in a laboratory-scale study. Manures were stored for a period of 30 days in open vessels (1500 cm3 capacity) within a climate-controlled room which was kept at 25 ± 0.2°C. Gaseous emissions were determined with the dynamic chamber method by infrared photoacoustic detection. The main GHG emission from the liquid manures was CH4. CH4 losses from both liquid and solid fractions together were 3% higher than from the rough slurry. CO2 losses from both liquid and solid fractions together increased by 10% compared with rough pig slurry. Appreciable N2O fluxes were only measured from the solid fraction. Combining the losses during the storage of both liquid and solid fraction, they resulted in reduced NH3 emissions compared with the storage of the rough pig slurry. Evidence from the present study suggests that mechanical separation of pig slurry has the potential to increase up to 25% the emission of CO2-equivalents to the atmosphere during the storage of the separated fractions if compared with the rough slurry.

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Characterisation of soil organic matter in long-term fallow experiment with respect to the soil hydrophobicity and wettability

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/2105-swr ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2 (No. 3) ◽

pp. 96-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

T. Šimon

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Functional Groups ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Degradation Process ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Organic Carbon Content ◽

Hydrophobicity Index ◽

Time Period

Soil organic matter under different tillage and fertilisation systems of long-term fallow experiment established in 1958 in Prague was characterised in period of 1972–2004. This experiment consists of seven variants (control (no tillage, no manuring); farmyard manure compost (FYM); 2FYM; mineral fertilisation (NPK); 2NPK; reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT)). In 1989, regular manuring and tillage were terminated and since then the plots have been maintained bare. Organic carbon content (Cox) was analysed and the hydrophobic (A) and hydrophilic (B) functional groups were determined using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Hydrophobicity index (HI) and soil wettability (A/B ratio) were assessed in the experimental variants. A high significant positive correlation (r = 0.976; P < 0.05) was found, between hydrophobic functional groups (Band A) and Cox, hydrophilic functional groups (Band B) did not correlate with Cox. Soil wettability tended to decrease after the organic manuring was finished with the result that the values of A/B ratio were significantly different according to the farmyard manure doses applied. On the contrary, HI responded to organic manuring termination later on and no significant differences were found between different farmyard manure doses. In the variants without any fertilisation, a continual decrease in both soil wettability and hydrophobicity during the selected time period was found; the degradation process is going on in these variants.

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Fertilizer value and greenhouse gas emissions from solid fraction pig slurry compost pellets

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s002185961700079x ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 155 (10) ◽

pp. 1646-1658 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

N. PAMPURO ◽

C. BERTORA ◽

D. SACCO ◽

E. DINUCCIO ◽

C. GRIGNANI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Solid Fraction ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Small Diameter ◽

Wood Chip ◽

Bulking Agent ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Pig Slurry ◽

Fertilizer Value ◽

Study Results

SUMMARYConversion of pig slurry to pellets is a desirable fertilizer option for farmers who want to mitigate environmental pollution from slurry accumulation. The goals of the current investigation were to determine the fertilizer properties of pig slurry solid fraction (SF) pellets and to assess its potential to enhance soil properties in order to reduce ammonia (NH3) volatilization and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Various parameters influence SF-based pellet fertilizer effectiveness: bulking agent use during composting, pellet diameter sizing and soil application type (superficially or incorporated into the soil). Two composts from the same pig slurry SF obtained from a screw press separator were prepared: pig SF compost without a bulking agent (SSFC) and pig SF compost with wood chips as the bulking agent (wood chip compost (WCC)). For each compost type, pellets of two different diameters (6 and 8 mm) were produced. A mesocosm experiment, conducted with maize plants, was used to test the fertilizer value of the considered pellets. In total, three compost fertilizers – SSFC, WCC and nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium mineral fertilizer 15 : 15 : 15, plus one unfertilized control treatment – were applied at the same N rate (equivalent to 200 kg/ha) using two different methods (surface and soil incorporation). After 65 days, above-ground biomass, roots and soil samples were collected and analysed. Subsequently, a second mesocosm study was undertaken to measure NH3and GHG emissions released from pellet fertilization. Ammonia volatilization was determined immediately after pellet application, while carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions were monitored for 57 days. Study results indicated that both pellet types were effective slow-release fertilizers for maize. Additionally, three actions seemed to make the nutrients contained in pig SF compost pellets more available to plants: addition of a bulking agent before composting, use of small diameter pellets and soil incorporation of the fertilizer.

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Effect of farmyard manure and mineral fertiliser on the yield and yield components of maize in a long-term monoculture experiment in Martonvásár

Acta Agronomica Hungarica ◽

10.1556/aagr.58.2010.suppl.1.9 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 58 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 63-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

G. Micskei ◽

I. Jócsák ◽

T. Árendás ◽

P. Bónis ◽

Z. Berzsenyi

Keyword(s):

Cropping Systems ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Grain Protein Content ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Mineral Fertiliser ◽

Year Effect ◽

Long Term Experiment ◽

Effect On Yield ◽

Set Up

In a long-term experiment on continuous maize set up by Béla Győrffy in 1959, changes in biotic and abiotic environmental factors were studied over time. The long-term effects and stability of the cropping systems, the year effects and the genotype × environment interactions were analysed. The original aim of the experiment was to determine whether the NPK nutrients in farmyard manure could be replaced partially or entirely by inorganic NPK fertiliser. In the present experiment the effect of farmyard manure, mineral fertiliser and the year effect on yield and yield stability were studied for four years (2005–2008). Various levels of farmyard manure and mineral fertiliser induced significant changes in the yield, harvest index, thousand-kernel mass, grain number per ear and grain protein content.

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Effect of liming on the change of some agrochemical soil properties in a long-term fertilization experiment

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/850/2013-pse ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 60 (No. 4) ◽

pp. 146-150 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

I. Jaskulska ◽

D. Jaskulski ◽

M. Kobierski

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Ph Value ◽

Manganese Content ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Long Term Experiment ◽

Set Up

For 10 years (1999–2008) there was investigated the effect of liming on soil pHKCl and on organic carbon, available forms of macroelements and DTPA-extracted forms of some metals in 6 different fertilization objects in a long-term experiment set up in 1948: without fertilization (0), straw + NPK (STR NPK), NPK, farmyard manure (FYM), FYM NPK, FYM NPKMgCa. As a result of the application of 12.0 t/ha of lime (4.3 t Ca/ha), an increase was found not only in soil pH value but also in organic carbon, plant available phosphorus, zinc and copper contents and a decrease in manganese content. Despite significant changes in the soil properties, they still varied across the long-term fertilization objects.

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Characteristics of the Baseline Climate of the Cotnari (Romania) Wine Growing Region

Cercetari Agronomice in Moldova ◽

10.1515/cerce-2015-0008 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 99-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

L.M. Irimi ◽

Cr.V. Patriche ◽

H. Quénol ◽

O. Planchon ◽

L. Sfâcă

Keyword(s):

Global Radiation ◽

Growing Season ◽

Wine Grape ◽

Climate Data ◽

Time Period ◽

Study Results ◽

Climate Suitability ◽

Set Up ◽

Baseline Climate ◽

Growing Region

Abstract The paper presents the baseline climate of the Cotnari wine growing region, the climate under whose influence were set up the wine grape varieties, wine types and grapevine training systems of this vineyard. It is also presented the baseline climate suitability for wine grape growing and its spatial variation in the vineyard area. The study is based on the climate data for the 1961 to 1980 time period, previous to the beginning of the climate warming and, therefore, considered to be representative for the baseline climate time period. According to study results, the baseline climate of the Cotnari wine growing region was cool, with annual average temperatures by 8.5...,10.0°C, with a sum of the effective temperatures by 1081...,1382°C, with freezing phenomena at the beginning and towards the end of the growing season, and with very cool nights during the month of September (CI+2). Elements that generate the baseline climate suitability for wine grape growing were: high average temperatures for the month of July (19...21.1°C), long growing season up to 190 days, and high values for the global radiation, up to 93 kcal/cm2/April 1st - September 30th on the sunny slopes within the vineyard area. According to the multicriteria evaluation of the suitability for wine grape growing, 87.9% (1792 ha) of the vineyard surface was characterized by a baseline climate suitable for white quality wines and 11.9% (241.0 ha) by a baseline climate suitable for white table wines, sparkling wines and wines for distillates.

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Long-term effect of farmyard manure and mineral fertiliser on the yield and yield stability of maize (Zea mays L.) in dry and wet years

Acta Agronomica Hungarica ◽

10.1556/aagr.59.2011.4.2 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 59 (4) ◽

pp. 303-315

Author(s):

Z. Berzsenyi ◽

T. Árendás ◽

P. Bónis ◽

G. Micskei ◽

E. Sugár

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Latin Square ◽

Maize Yield ◽

Yield Stability ◽

Important Indicator ◽

Mineral Fertiliser ◽

Year Effect ◽

Set Up

The effect of mineral fertilisation, farmyard manure and their combinations on the yield and yield stability of maize was studied in a long-term maize monoculture experiment set up in Martonvásár, Hungary in 1959. The experiment, laid out as a Latin square, included two fertilisation levels [35 t ha−1 or 70 t ha−1 farmyard manure (FYM) every four years] and seven treatments. The yield results were evaluated using analysis of variance, cumulative yield analysis and stability analysis. The year effect was analysed by dividing the 51 years (1959–2009) into wet (32) and dry (19) years. The rainfall sum for the months Apr.–Sep. averaged 361 mm in the wet years and 232 mm in the dry years.Among the fertiliser treatments the FYM + mineral fertiliser combination and NPK mineral fertilisation alone gave the highest yields. In more than 50% of the years the higher fertiliser level had no significant yield-increasing effect. The yield differences between the two fertiliser levels were twice as high in wet years as in dry years (0.543 vs. 0.274). Averaged over all seven treatments, the maize yield was 3.959 t ha−1 in dry years and 6.250 t ha−1 in wet years, giving a yield increment of 2.291 t ha−1 in favourable years. Yield stability was greatest when the NPK content of 35 t ha−1 FYM was replaced in part (17.5 t ha−1 FYM + N1/2P1/2K1/2) or in full (N1P1K1) by mineral fertiliser, or when 70 t ha−1 FYM was applied. Yield stability is an important indicator of the sustainability of crop production.

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