Influence of changes in crop cultivation areas on pollen contents of honey

Selostus: Viljelyalojen muutosten vaikutus hunajan siitepölysisältöön

Changes in the contents of kaempherol, quercetin and L-ascorbic acid in sea buckthorn berries during maturation

Selostus: Tyrnin marjojen kamferoli-, kversetiini- ja L-askorbiinihappopitoisuuksien muutokset kypsymisen aikana

Response of P, K, Mg and NO‚́ƒ-N contents of carrots to irrigation, soil compaction, and nitrogen fertilisation

Selostus: Maan tiiviyden, sadetuksen ja typpilannoituksen vaikutus porkkanan kivennäisainepitoisuuteen ja ravinteiden ottoon sekä nitraatin kertymiseen

Contents of trichothecenes in oats during official variety, organic cultivation and nitrogen fertilization trials in Finland

Selostus: Kauran trikotekeenipitoisuus virallisissa lajikekokeissa sekä typpilannoitus- ja luomulajikekokeissa

β-Glucan contents of groats of different oat cultivars in official variety, in organic cultivation, and in nitrogen fertilization trials in Finland

Selostus: Kauran ytimen β-glukaanipitoisuus

pH:n stabiilisuus ditioniittivalkaistulla neutraalilla LWC-prosessilla

Tässä työssä Oy Keskuslaboratoriossa sijaitsevalla kiertovesisimulaattorilla on tutkittiu ditioniittivalkaisun ja hylyn määrän vaikutusta pH:n stabiilisuuteen ja häiriöaineiden määrään neutraalissa LWC-prosessissa. Lisäksi on tutkittu ditioniitin määrän seisokkien ja valkaisuviiveiden vaikutusta. Kirjallisuusosassa tutustutaan ditioniittivalkaisuun ja valkaisun kemiaan sekä kalsiumkarbonaatin liukenemiseen. Lyhyesti selvitetään myös paperikoneen vesikiertoja sekä prosessissa olevia häiriöaineita. Karbonaatin liukenemisen osalta tarkastellaan myös mahdollisuutta mallintaa prosessia. Diplomityön aikana ajettiin yhdeksän simulaattoriajoa, jotka ajettiin kahden tai kolmen ajon sarjoissa. Ajoja ajettiin kolmella eri hylkymäärällä. Ditioniittivalkaisun lisäksi suoritettiin referenssiajoja ilman valkaisua. Lyhyen kierron pH pyrittiin pääosin säätämään seitsemään. Valkaisuviiveiden ja yli-yön kestävien seisokkien vaikutusta tutkittiin myös. Kokeissa todettiin ditioniitin alentavan pH tasoa. Tämä pH:n aleneminen johtaa kalsiumkarbonaatin liukenemiseen kalsiumkarbonaatin pyrkiessä puskuroimaan pH:n laskua. Valkaisureaktiossa syntyy negatiivisesti varauruneita yhdisteitä, jotka lisäävät prosessin anionisuutta. Ditioniitin valkaisuvaikutus näkyi lopputuotteen vaaleuden kasvuna sekä kieroveden värillisten yhdisteiden vähenemisenä. Ditioniittivalkaisu näytti poistavan myös noin 30% ligniinistä. Lipofiilisiin uuteaineisiin ditioniitilla ei ollut vaikutusta. Riittävä ditioniittiannos kokeiden perusteella on korkeintaan 1% ditioniittiä käytetyn mekaanisen massan määrästä. Korkeammalla annostuksella ei ollut vaikutusta vaaleuteen. Valkaisuaikana 30 minuuttia on riittävä. Pidempien valkaisuviiveiden ja seisokkien aikana valkaisussa syntyvän sulfiitin todettiin muuttuvan sulfaatiksi. Hylyn määrän lisääminen nosti pH:ta, varausta, johtokykyä ja liuenneen kalsiumin määrään. Hylyn määrän lisäminen paransi myös optisia ominaisuuksia, mikä johtui osin hylyn sisältämästä kalsiumkarbonaatista ja osin hylyn sisältämästä mekaanisesta massasta, joka oli valkaistua.

Wet oxidation of recalcitrant lignin waters: Experimental and kinetic studies

The dissertation is based on four articles dealing with recalcitrant lignin water purification. Lignin, a complicated substance and recalcitrant to most treatment technologies, inhibits seriously pulp and paper industry waste management. Therefore, lignin is studied, using WO as a process method for its degradation. A special attention is paid to the improvement in biodegradability and the reduction of lignin content, since they have special importance for any following biological treatment. In most cases wet oxidation is not used as a complete ' mineralization method but as a pre treatment in order to eliminate toxic components and to reduce the high level of organics produced. The combination of wet oxidation with a biological treatment can be a good option due to its effectiveness and its relatively low technology cost. The literature part gives an overview of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). A hot oxidation process, wet oxidation (WO), is investigated in detail and is the AOP process used in the research. The background and main principles of wet oxidation, its industrial applications, the combination of wet oxidation with other water treatment technologies, principal reactions in WO, and key aspects of modelling and reaction kinetics are presented. There is also given a wood composition and lignin characterization (chemical composition, structure and origin), lignin containing waters, lignin degradation and reuse possibilities, and purification practices for lignin containing waters. The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of the operating conditions of WO, such as temperature, partial pressure of oxygen, pH and initial concentration of wastewater, on the efficiency, and to enhance the process and estimate optimal conditions for WO of recalcitrant lignin waters. Two different waters are studied (a lignin water model solution and debarking water from paper industry) to give as appropriate conditions as possible. Due to the great importance of re using and minimizing the residues of industries, further research is carried out using residual ash of an Estonian power plant as a catalyst in wet oxidation of lignin-containing water. Developing a kinetic model that includes in the prediction such parameters as TOC gives the opportunity to estimate the amount of emerging inorganic substances (degradation rate of waste) and not only the decrease of COD and BOD. The degradation target compound, lignin is included into the model through its COD value (CODligning). Such a kinetic model can be valuable in developing WO treatment processes for lignin containing waters, or other wastewaters containing one or more target compounds. In the first article, wet oxidation of "pure" lignin water was investigated as a model case with the aim of degrading lignin and enhancing water biodegradability. The experiments were performed at various temperatures (110 -190°C), partial oxygen pressures (0.5 -1.5 MPa) and pH (5, 9 and 12). The experiments showed that increasing the temperature notably improved the processes efficiency. 75% lignin reduction was detected at the lowest temperature tested and lignin removal improved to 100% at 190°C. The effect of temperature on the COD removal rate was lower, but clearly detectable. 53% of organics were oxidized at 190°C. The effect of pH occurred mostly on lignin removal. Increasing the pH enhanced the lignin removal efficiency from 60% to nearly 100%. A good biodegradability ratio (over 0.5) was generally achieved. The aim of the second article was to develop a mathematical model for "pure" lignin wet oxidation using lumped characteristics of water (COD, BOD, TOC) and lignin concentration. The model agreed well with the experimental data (R2 = 0.93 at pH 5 and 12) and concentration changes during wet oxidation followed adequately the experimental results. The model also showed correctly the trend of biodegradability (BOD/COD) changes. In the third article, the purpose of the research was to estimate optimal conditions for wet oxidation (WO) of debarking water from the paper industry. The WO experiments were' performed at various temperatures, partial oxygen pressures and pH. The experiments showed that lignin degradation and organics removal are affected remarkably by temperature and pH. 78-97% lignin reduction was detected at different WO conditions. Initial pH 12 caused faster removal of tannins/lignin content; but initial pH 5 was more effective for removal of total organics, represented by COD and TOC. Most of the decrease in organic substances concentrations occurred in the first 60 minutes. The aim of the fourth article was to compare the behaviour of two reaction kinetic models, based on experiments of wet oxidation of industrial debarking water under different conditions. The simpler model took into account only the changes in COD, BOD and TOC; the advanced model was similar to the model used in the second article. Comparing the results of the models, the second model was found to be more suitable for describing the kinetics of wet oxidation of debarking water. The significance of the reactions involved was compared on the basis of the model: for instance, lignin degraded first to other chemically oxidizable compounds rather than directly to biodegradable products. Catalytic wet oxidation of lignin containing waters is briefly presented at the end of the dissertation. Two completely different catalysts were used: a commercial Pt catalyst and waste power plant ash. CWO showed good performance using 1 g/L of residual ash gave lignin removal of 86% and COD removal of 39% at 150°C (a lower temperature and pressure than with WO). It was noted that the ash catalyst caused a remarkable removal rate for lignin degradation already during the pre heating for `zero' time, 58% of lignin was degraded. In general, wet oxidation is not recommended for use as a complete mineralization method, but as a pre treatment phase to eliminate toxic or difficultly biodegradable components and to reduce the high level of organics. Biological treatment is an appropriate post treatment method since easily biodegradable organic matter remains after the WO process. The combination of wet oxidation with subsequent biological treatment can be an effective option for the treatment of lignin containing waters.

Convergence and divergence in global economy and social development : global perspectives on the contents of economic and soical development policy and its effects on rich and poor countries

The study of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development utilises comparative indicators to investigate the contents of economic and social development policy and their effects on the global samples that represent the rich industrial, semi-industrial and the poor developing nations. The study searchesfor answers to questions such as "what are the objectives of economic growth policies in globalisation under the imperatives of convergence and divergence, and how do these affect human well-being in consideration to the objectives of social policy in various nations?" The empirical verification of data utilises the concepts of the `logic of industrialism´ for comparative analysis that focuses mainly on identifying the levels of well-being in world nations after the Second World War. The perspectives of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development critically examine the stages of early development processes in global economy, distinguish the differences between economy and social development, illustrate the contents of economic and social development policies, their effects on rich and poor countries, and the nature of convergence and divergence in propelling economic growth and unequal social development in world nations. The measurement of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development utilised both economic and social data that were combined into an index that measures the precise levels of the effects of economic and social development policies on human well-being in the rich and poor nations. The task of finding policy solutions to resolve the controversies are reviewed through empirical investigations and the analyses of trends indicated within economic and social indicators and data. These revealed how the adoption of social policy measures in translating the gains from economic growth, towards promoting education, public health, and equity, generate social progress and longer life expectancy, higher economic growth, and sustain more stable macro economy for the nations. Social policy is concerned with the translation of benefits from objectives of global economic growth policies, to objectives of social development policy in nation states. Social policy, therefore, represents an open door whereby benefits of economic growth policies are linked with the broader objectives of social development policy, thereby enhancing the possibility of extending benefits from economic growth to all human being in every nation.

Purified lignin for demanding applications

Diplomityön tarkoituksena oli puhdistaa kraft ligniiniä. Raaka-aineena käytettiin pääasiassa Lignoboost -menetelmän kaltaisella menetelmällä havupuu- mustalipeästä saostettua ligniiniä. Diplomityön ensimmäisenä tavoitteena oli löytää menetelmä, jolla voidaan poistaa kraft ligniinistä tuhkaa. Työssä raaka-aineena käytetyn saostetun ligniinin tuhkapitoisuus oli noin 3 %. Tarkoituksena oli saada laskettua tuhkapitoisuutta uudelleenlieton, suodatuksen ja pesun avulla. Työn toisena tavoitteena oli hiilihydraattien poisto kraft ligniinistä. Hiilihydraatit, pääosin hemiselluloosaa, ovat kiinnittyneet ligniiniin vahvoin kovalenttisin sidoksin. Aiempien kokemusten perusteella hemiselluloosat eivät irtoa ligniinistä vesipesun yhteydessä, vaan niiden irrottaminen vaatii onnistuakseen happo-, entsyymi- tai mikrobikäsittelyn, mikäli halutaan säilyttää ligniinin rakenne muuttumattomana. Tässä työssä käytetyt kraft ligniinin puhdistusmenetelmät olivat lietto, happohydrolyysi ja entsymaattinen hydrolyysi, joista kumpikin sisälsi ligniinin uudelleenlieton, suodatuksen ja muodostuneen kakun pesun vedellä.