An operational-level multi-stage mine production timetabling model for optimally synchronising drilling, blasting and excavating operations

This paper proposes a new multi-stage mine production timetabling (MMPT) model to optimise open-pit mine production operations including drilling, blasting and excavating under real-time mining constraints. The MMPT problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming model and can be optimally solved for small-size MMPT instances by IBM ILOG-CPLEX. Due to NP-hardness, an improved shifting-bottleneck-procedure algorithm based on the extended disjunctive graph is developed to solve large-size MMPT instances in an effective and efficient way. Extensive computational experiments are presented to validate the proposed algorithm that is able to efficiently obtain the near-optimal operational timetable of mining equipment units. The advantages are indicated by sensitivity analysis under various real-life scenarios. The proposed MMPT methodology is promising to be implemented as a tool for mining industry because it is straightforwardly modelled as a standard scheduling model, efficiently solved by the heuristic algorithm, and flexibly expanded by adopting additional industrial constraints.

Harvest: A biotextile future

- Description of the work Harvest: A biotextile future consists of four bags constructed from kombucha, each utilizing a different approach to this material. The kombucha material is a byproduct of the fermented green tea, kombucha, and is comprised of a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) that forms a fast growing curd or pellicle on the surface of the tea. This pellicle is harvested, washed, and dried to make a material with characteristics that can range between leather and paper in handle. The pellicle is one hundred per cent cellulose, with the individual fibres growing together to produce a durable and strong non-woven textile. Techniques explored with the dry kombucha material include folding, stitching, and laser etching. The final bags were designed with reference to classic tropes of fashion accessories: the briefcase, the clutch, the valise and the handbag. The valise included three jars in which the kombucha was displayed as ‘growing’ within the bag. - Research Background This work sits within an emerging field of practice in which fashion design intersects with biotechnology. Designers such as Suzanne Lee have explored constructing garments from bacteria byproducts, and bio-artists Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr have created ‘victimless leather’ grown from cultured cells. Although still speculative, these collaborations between science and design point to new material applications for fashion. Our work contributes to this area through testing both the growing of the textile and its application to construct durable fashion artefacts. - Research Contribution Harvest: A biotextile future makes two contributions to new knowledge in the area of design for sustainability within fashion. The first contribution lies in extending the technical experimentation required to grow and manipulate the textile. For the briefcase, the pattern shape was ‘grown’ into the required shape, using a shaped container. Other techniques used in the bags included weaving, folding and laser etching the material to extend its functional and decorative properties. Experimentation with the growing and drying of the material led to the production of a wide range of physical properties, in which the material was more brittle or flexible as required. The second research contribution lies in the proposal of this material for use in durable fashion accessories. The material is still speculative and small-scale in production, however the four bags illustrate the potential for kombucha as a biodegradable alternative to leather or synthetic materials. - Research Significance This interplay of science and design research opens up an exploration for a speculative future of sustainable, biodegradable textiles using live bacteria to enable ‘homegrown’ vegan apparel. The collaborators on this project include scientist Peter Musk and fashion designers Alice Payne and Dean Brough. Harvest: A biotextile future was exhibited at the State Library of Queensland’s Asia Pacific Design Library, 1-5 November 2015, as part of The International Association of Societies of Design Research’s (IASDR) biannual design conference. The work was chosen for display by a panel of experts, based on the criteria of design innovation and contribution to new knowledge in design.

Effects of glycerol on enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol production using sugarcane bagasse pretreated by acidified glycerol solution

In this study, for the first time the effects of glycerol on enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol fermentation were investigated. Enzymatic hydrolysis was inhibited slightly with 2.0 wt% glycerol, leading to reduction in glucan digestibility from 84.9% without glycerol to 82.9% (72 h). With 5.0 wt% and 10.0 wt% glycerol, glucan digestibility reduced by 4.5% and11.0%, respectively. However, glycerol appeared not detrimental to cellulase enzymes. Ethanol fermentation was not affected with glycerol up to 5.0 wt%, and was inhibited slightly with 10.0 wt% glycerol, which resulted in reduction in ethanol yield from 86.0% without glycerol to 83.7% (20 h). Based on laboratory and pilot scale enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol production results, it was estimated that 0.142 kg ethanol could be produced from 1.0 kg dry bagasse (a glucan content of 38.0%) after pretreatment with acidified glycerol solution.

Evaluation of oil production from oil palm empty fruit bunch by oleaginous micro-organisms

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is a readily available, lignocellulosic biomass that has potential to be utilized as a carbon substrate for microbial oil production. In order to evaluate the production of microbial oil from EFB, a technical study was performed through the cultivation of oleaginous micro-organisms (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Aspergillus oryzae, and Mucor plumbeus) on EFB hydrolyzates. EFB hydrolyzates were prepared through dilute acid pre-treatment of the biomass, where the liquid fraction of pre-treatment was detoxified and used as an EFB liquid hydrolyzate (EFBLH). The solid residue was enzymatically hydrolyzed prior to be used as an EFB enzymatic hydrolyzate (EFBEH). The highest oil concentrations were obtained from M. plumbeus (1.9 g/L of oil on EFBLH and 4.7 g/L of oil on EFBEH). In order to evaluate the feasibility of large-scale microbial oil production, a techno-economic study was performed based on the oil yields of M. plumbeus per hectare of plantation, followed by the estimation of the feedstock cost for oil production. Other oil palm biomasses (frond and trunk) were also included in this study, as it could potentially improve the economics of large-scale microbial oil production. Microbial oil from oil palm biomasses was estimated to potentially increase oil production in the palm oil industry up to 25%, at a cheaper feedstock cost. The outcome of this study demonstrates the potential integration of microbial oil production from oil palm biomasses with existing palm oil industry (biodiesel, food and oleochemicals production), that could potentially enhance sustainability and profitability of microbial oil production.

Microbial oil production from sugarcane bagasse hydrolysates by oleaginous yeast and filamentous fungi

This study investigated the potential use of sugarcane bagasse as a feedstock for oil production through microbial cultivation. Bagasse was subjected to dilute acid pretreatment with 0.4 wt% H2SO4 (in liquid) at a solid/liquid ratio of 1:6 (wt/wt) at 170 °C for 15 min, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of solid residue. The liquid fractions of the pretreatment process and the enzymatic hydrolysis process were detoxified and used as liquid hydrolysate (SCBLH) and enzymatic hydrolysate (SCBEH) for the microbial oil production by oleaginous yeast (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) and filamentous fungi (Aspergillus oryzae and Mucor plumbeus). The results showed that all strains were able to grow and produce oil from bagasse hydrolysates. The highest oil concentrations produced from bagasse hydrolysates were by M. plumbeus at 1.59 g/L (SCBLH) and 4.74 g/L (SCBEH). The microbial oils obtained have similar fatty acid compositions to vegetable oils, indicating that the oil can be used for the production of second generation biodiesel. On the basis of oil yields obtained by M. plumbeus, from 10 million t (wet weight) of bagasse generated annually from sugar mills in Australia, it is estimated that the total biodiesel that could be produced would be equivalent to about 9% of Queensland’s diesel consumption.

Food aid and food production: A theoretical analysis

It has been claimed that food aid leads to permanent dependency as it depresses domestic food prices and thus farmers find it profitable to take land out of food production and into more lucrative activities. This paper develops two alternative scenarios under which the hypothesis about the damaging effect of food aid may not be true. Under the first scenario, it is argued that food production in developing countries is often low due to unfavourable trade policies and if food aid is tied to the removal of bias against the agricultural sector, food aid will not have any disincentive effect on food production. The second exercise argues that the revenue raised by the recipient government by selling aid could be used for R and D in agricultural production.

Shrinking Violets

Description of the work Shrinking Violets is comprised of two half scale garments in laser cut silk organza, developed with a knotting device to allow for disassembly and reassembly. The first is a jacket in layered red organza including black storm flap details. The second is a vest in jade organza with circles of pink organza attached through a pattern of knots. Research Background This practice-led fashion design research sits within the field of Design for Sustainability (DfS) in fashion that seeks to mitigate the environmental and ethical impacts of fashion consumption and production. The research explores new systems of garment construction for DfS, and examines how these systems may involve ‘designing’ new user interactions with the garments. The garments’ construction system allows them to be disassembled and recycled or reassembled by users to form a new garment. Conventional garment design follows a set process of cutting and construction, with pattern pieces permanently machine-stitched together. Garments typically contain multiple fibre types; for example a jacket may be constructed from a shell of wool/polyester, an acetate lining, fusible interlinings, and plastic buttons. These complex inputs mean that textile recycling is highly labour intensive, first to separate the garment pieces and second to sort the multiple fibre types. This difficulty results in poor quality ‘shoddy’ comprised of many fibre types and unsuitable for new apparel, or in large quantities of recyclable textile waste sent to landfill (Hawley 2011). Design-led approaches that consider the garment’s end of life in the design process are a way of addressing this problem. In Gulich’s (2006) analysis, use of single materials is the most effective way to ensure ease of recycling, with multiple materials that can be detached next in effectiveness. Given the low rate of technological innovation in most apparel manufacturing (Ruiz 2011), a challenge for effective recycling is how to develop new manufacturing methods that allow for garments to be more easily disassembled at end-of-life. Research Contribution This project addresses the research question: How can design for disassembly be considered within the fashion design process? I have employed a practice-led methodology in which my design process leads the research, making use of methods of fashion design practice including garment and construction research, fabric and colour research, textile experimentation, drape, patternmaking, and illustration as well as more recent methods such as laser cutting. Interrogating the traditional approaches to garment construction is necessarily a technical process; however fashion design is as much about the aesthetic and desirability of a garment as it is about the garment’s pragmatics or utility. This requires a balance between the technical demands of designing for disassembly with the aesthetic demands of fashion. This led to the selection of luxurious, semi-transparent fabrics in bold floral colours that could be layered to create multiple visual effects, as well as the experimentation with laser cutting for new forms of finishing and fastening the fabrics together. Shrinking Violets makes two contributions to new knowledge in the area of design for sustainability within fashion. The first is in the technical development of apparel modularity through the system of laser cut holes and knots that also become a patterning device. The second contribution lies in the design of a system for users to engage with the garment through its ability to be easily reconstructed into a new form. Research Significance Shrinking Violets was exhibited at the State Library of Queensland’s Asia Pacific Design Library, 1-5 November 2015, as part of The International Association of Societies of Design Research’s (IASDR) biannual design conference. The work was chosen for display by a panel of experts, based on the criteria of design innovation and contribution to new knowledge in design. References Gulich, B. (2006). Designing textile products that are easy to recycle. In Y. Wang (Ed.), Recycling in Textiles (pp. 25-37). London: Woodhead. Hawley, J. M. (2011). Textile recycling options: exploring what could be. In A. Gwilt & T. Rissanen (Eds.), Shaping Sustainable Fashion: Changing the way we make and use clothes (pp. 143 - 155). London: Earthscan. Ruiz, B. (2014). Global Apparel Manufacturing. Retrieved 10 August 2014, from http://clients1.ibisworld.com/reports/gl/industry/default.aspx?entid=470

Pulp and paper production from sugarcane bagasse

The pulp and paper industry is very large and is now well in excess of $200 billion (FAO 2009). Estimates for the amount of bagasse used in the production of pulp and paper products vary but the general consensus is that it accounts for 2–5% of global production, making it one of the highest revenue earners for the global sugarcane industry.

The InstaBooth: Making common ground for media architectural design

Media architecture has emerged from and relies upon a range of different disciplinary traditions and areas of expertise. As this field develops, it is timely to reflect upon the ways in which designers of different disciplinary stripes can be brought together to collaborate in a design process. What are the means by which design teams can establish a ‘common ground’ where design work can take place while recognizing the diversity of ways of working those different disciplines bring to the process? A co-design approach has been the fundamental backbone of the InstaBooth project, which has brought together a multidisciplinary design team of academics and practitioners. The intention of this project has been to explore the combination of digital and physical interactions within a small media architecture installation to intervene with urban environments and public places for the purposes of community engagement. It is by exploring the design process of the InstaBooth project that we highlight the value of multi-disciplinary collaborations, the lessons that can be learned, and the struggles and hurdles along the way. This paper highlights the iterative process of design, the materials and physical prototypes that were employed to ultimately create a working version of the InstaBooth, a media architecture that evolves as users push its boundaries and take ownership of the installation. The concept of the InstaBooth continues to develop not only as more data are collected on its mechanics and potentials through observations, interviews and workshops, but also as more and more users engage with the installation in their individual ways.

Optimal production resource reallocation for CO2 emissions reduction in manufacturing sectors

To mitigate the effects of climate change, countries worldwide are advancing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper proposes and measures optimal production resource reallocation using data envelopment analysis. This research attempts to clarify the effect of optimal production resource reallocation on CO2 emissions reduction, focusing on regional and industrial characteristics. We use finance, energy, and CO2 emissions data from 13 industrial sectors in 39 countries from 1995 to 2009. The resulting emissions reduction potential is 2.54 Gt-CO2 in the year 2009, with former communist countries having the largest potential to reduce CO2 emissions in the manufacturing sectors. In particular, basic material industry including chemical and steel sectors has a lot of potential to reduce CO2 emissions.

The Perception of Light: Understanding Architectural Lighting Design

Light is essential to life and vision; without light, nothing exists. It plays a pivotal role in the world of architectural design and is used to generate all manner of perceptions that enhance the designed environment experience. But what are the fundamental elements that designers rely upon to generate light enhanced experiences? How are people’s perceptions influenced by designed light schemas? In this book Dr. Marisha McAuliffe highlights the relationship that exists between light source and surface and how both create quality of effect in the built environment. Concepts relating to architectural lighting design history, theories, research, and generation of lighting design schemes to create optimal experiences in architecture, interior architecture and design are all explored in detail. This book is essential reading for both the student and the professional working in architectural lighting, particularly in terms of qualitative perception oriented lighting design

Unusual RNA plant virus integration in the soybean genome leads to the production of small RNAs

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is known to be a major force in genome evolution. The acquisition of genes from viruses by eukaryotic genomes is a well-studied example of HGT, including rare cases of non-retroviral RNA virus integration. The present study describes the integration of cucumber mosaic virus RNA-1 into soybean genome. After an initial metatranscriptomic analysis of small RNAs derived from soybean, the de novo assembly resulted a 3029-nt contig homologous to RNA-1. The integration of this sequence in the soybean genome was confirmed by DNA deep sequencing. The locus where the integration occurred harbors the full RNA-1 sequence followed by the partial sequence of an endogenous mRNA and another sequence of RNA-1 as an inverted repeat and allowing the formation of a hairpin structure. This region recombined into a retrotransposon located inside an exon of a soybean gene. The nucleotide similarity of the integrated sequence compared to other Cucumber mosaic virus sequences indicates that the integration event occurred recently. We described a rare event of non-retroviral RNA virus integration in soybean that leads to the production of a double-stranded RNA in a similar fashion to virus resistance RNAi plants.

Pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol production using eucalyptus biomass pre-treated by dilute acid and steam explosion

The widespread deployment of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol currently hinges on developing and evaluating scalable processes whilst broadening feedstock options. This study investigates whole Eucalyptus grandis trees as a potential feedstock and demonstrates dilute acid pre-treatment (with steam explosion) followed by pre-saccharification simultaneous saccharification fermentation process (PSSF) as a suitable, scalable strategy for the production of bioethanol. Biomass was pre-treated in dilute H2SO4 at laboratory scale (0.1 kg) and pilot scale (10 kg) to evaluate the effect of combined severity factor (CSF) on pre-treatment effectiveness. Subsequently, pilot-scale pre-treated residues (15 wt.%) were converted to ethanol in a PSSF process at 2 L and 300 L scales. Good polynomial correlations (n = 2) of CSF with hemicellulose removal and glucan digestibility with a minimum R2 of 0.91 were recorded. The laboratory-scale 72 h glucan digestibility and glucose yield was 68.0% and 51.3%, respectively, from biomass pre-treated at 190 °C /15 min/ 4.8 wt.% H2SO4. Pilot-scale pre-treatment (180 °C/ 15 min/2.4 wt.% H2SO4 followed by steam explosion) delivered higher glucan digestibility (71.8%) and glucose yield (63.6%). However, the ethanol yields using PSSF were calculated at 82.5 and 113 kg/ton of dry biomass for the pilot and the laboratory scales, respectively. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd