A Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Model for Municipal Waste Treatment Systems Evaluation including Energy Recovery

One of the recent problems on waste sorting systems is their performance evaluation for proper decision making and management. For this purpose, multi-criteria methods can be used to evaluate the sorting system from both operational and financial perspectives. According to a recent literature review, there are no solutions for evaluating waste sorting systems that take into account: sorting point utilisation, sorting efficiency, waste stream irregularity, and technical system availability. In addition, the problem of data uncertainty and the need to use expert judgements indicate the need for the implementation of methods adjusted to the qualitative and quantitative assessment, such as the fuzzy approach. Following this, in order to overcome the presented limitations, the authors introduced the new assessment method for waste sorting systems based on multi-criteria model implementation and fuzzy theory use. Therefore, the developed model was based on a hierarchical fuzzy logic model for which appropriate membership function parameters and inference rules were defined. The specificity of the chosen assessment criteria and their justification was provided. The model has been implemented to evaluate one of the waste sorting plants in Wroclaw, Poland. Tests have been conducted for seven different configurations of waste sorting lines (with variable input parameters). The study focuses on analysing the amount of selected waste at each station in relation to the total stream size of each fraction. Efficiency was measured by the mass of the collected waste and the number of pieces of waste in each fraction. Based on the obtained results, estimations of particular parameters of the model were made, and the results were presented and commented on. It was shown that there is a significant relationship between the level of system evaluation and sorting efficiency and an inverse relationship with the level of RDF obtained. The analysis was based on Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient estimation and linear regression implementation.

The Building Information Modeling (BIM)-Based System Framework to Implement Circular Economy in Construction Waste Management

The tremendous quantity of waste produced from construction and demolition is a major cause of environmental degradation. This quantity tends to increase due to the rapid growth of building development and renovation. Meanwhile, construction waste management is a complex and costly process due to the fact that it requires different kinds of resources such as money, land, and technology. It is often ignored by all project participants even though it is an essential element of construction project management. However, it has been discovered that modern construction waste management is structured based on the concept of circular economy which focuses on eliminating construction waste and maximizing the value of materials. Therefore, this research proposes an innovative framework to implement the circular economy using building information modeling (BIM) in order to improve the construction waste management process. This involved a thorough review of past literature to identify the implementation of the concept of circular economy, waste management, and the application of BIM, also the research gaps observed were used to develop the functionality of the proposed framework. The five functionalities include (1) visualization and data integration, (2) direct construction waste quantity take-off, (3) BIM-based sorting system and selection of appropriate disposal parties, (4) estimating cost and schedule of waste disposal, and (5) simulation and monitoring report. This BIM system was designed to analyze material waste, quantity, disposal time, and waste treatment based on project conditions, material quantities, and schedule. It can also be used to plan and monitor the construction waste process, thereby making it possible to avoid the disruption of productivity and project time usually caused by unplanned waste management activities. Moreover, the proposed on-site sorting system also has the ability to facilitate the adoption of the circular economy concept during the construction phase.

Digital Image Processing Technology in Design and Development of Automatic Sorting System for Energy Meter Recovery

In order to solve the problems of low sorting efficiency and poor quality caused by manual sorting in traditional electricity meter recovery, this study adopts digital image processing technology to construct an automatic sorting system for electricity meter recovery based on artificial neural network. Firstly, the basic requirements of system construction are analyzed in detail, and then the principle and method of image recognition of artificial neural network are introduced in detail. On this basis, an overall framework of automatic sorting of electricity meter recovery is constructed. Finally, the functional modules are designed and applied, and Azure database is built through SQL Server platform, so as to realize the system application of this research. The final application shows that the automatic sorting system constructed by this study has simple interface and easy operation, which can greatly improve the efficiency and quality of the electricity meter recycling and sorting, and has certain practical significance for the development of the state grid industry.

A new method for obtaining bankable and expandable adult-like microglia in mice

Background The emerging role of microglia in neurological disorders requires a novel method for obtaining massive amounts of adult microglia. We aim to develop a new method for obtaining bankable and expandable adult-like microglia in mice. Methods The head neuroepithelial layer (NEL) that composed of microglial progenitor and neuroepithelial cells at mouse E13.5 was dissected and then cultured or banked. Microglia (MG) isolated from the cultured NEL by magnetic-activated cell sorting system were obtained and named NEL-MG. Results The NEL included microglia progenitors that proliferate and ramify over time with neuroepithelial cells as feeder. In functional analysis, NEL-MG exhibited microglial functions, such as phagocytosis (microbeads, amyloid β, synaptosome), migration, and inflammatory response following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. NEL was passage cultured and the NEL-MG exhibited a higher expression of microglia signature genes than the neonatal microglia, a widely used in vitro surrogate. Banking or long-term passage culture of NEL did not affect NEL-MG characteristics. Transcriptome analysis revealed that NEL-MG exhibited better conservation of microglia signature genes with a closer fidelity to freshly isolated adult microglia than neonatal microglia. NEL-MG could be re-expandable when they were plated again on neuroepithelial cells. Conclusions This new method effectively contributes to obtaining sufficient matured form of microglia (adult-like microglia), even when only a small number of experimental animals are available, leading to a broad application in the field of neuroscience.

Caractérisation des déchets solides ménagers de Faladié

Cet article est une étude expérimentale pour de connaitre la caractérisation et la quantification des déchets solides ménagers du quartier de Faladié dans la commune VI du District de Bamako. A Faladié, comme dans la plupart des communes de Bamako avec comme problématiques environnementales majeures, une insalubrité alarmante, qui accentue en partie les maladies comme : le paludisme, la fièvre typhoïde, le choléra, les infections respiratoires, les anémies, .... C’est dans ce contexte que la présente étude, voulant résorber l’épineuse problématique qu’est la gestion des ordures ménagères, a été coordonnée pour connaitre « la caractérisation des déchets ménagers au niveau des dépôts intermédiaires et finaux d’une part ; et de contribuer à la mise en place d’un système de tri adapté à Faladié d’autre part ». L’approche méthodologique d’échantillonnage utilisée pour déterminer la taille d’échantillon de déchets à trier est définie par la production journalière d’ordures ménagères d’un échantillon de la population totale par catégorie en satisfaisant à un niveau de confiance de 95 %. Ainsi, le tri manuel a porté sur le contenu de deux (2) bennes de 7m³, un total de 14m³ d’ordures ménagères, soit 7382,7 kg. Dans ces conditions, l’étude a permis de dégager la caractérisation des ordures ménagères et de différencier les types de déchets valorisables de Faladié. En outre, nous avons déterminé qu’il est généré chaque jour 0,27 kg par habitant (soit 0,27 kg/habitant/jour). A la suite de l’étude, des propositions stratégiques ont été formulées à la Mairie de la Commune VI dans le sens de mettre en place un comité de gestion intégrée des déchets. This article is an experimental study for the characterization and quantification of solid household waste in the Faladie neighborhood in the commune VI of the District of Bamako. In Faladie, as in most of the communes of Bamako with major environmental problems, an alarming insalubrity, which accentuates in part diseases such as: malaria, typhoid fever, cholera, respiratory infections, anaemia, It is in this context that the present study, aiming to solve the thorny problem of household waste management, was coordinated to find out « the characterization of household waste at the level of intermediate and final depots on the one hand; and to contribute to the setting up of an adapted sorting system in Faladie on the other hand». The methodological sampling approach used to determine the sample size of waste to be sorted is defined by the daily production of household waste of a sample of the total population by category at a 95% confidence level. Thus, the manual sorting involved the contents of two (2) 7m³ skips, a total of 14m³ of household waste, or 7382.7 kilograms. Under these conditions, the study allowed us to characterize the household waste and to differentiate between the types of recoverable waste in Faladie. In addition, we also determined that 0.27 kilogram per inhabitant is generated every day (i.e. 0.27 kilogram/inhabitant/day). Following the study, strategic proposals were formulated to the Commune VI Town Hall to set up an integrated waste management committee.