Sähköauto osana älykästä sähköverkkoa – Ohjaus ja toiminnallisuudet

Tulevaisuudessa sähköverkko kohtaa monia haasteita, kun sähköautot yleistyvät, vaatien suuren tehotarpeen. Uusiutuvan energiantuotannon epävarma huipputehon tuotanto ei välttämättä pysty kattamaan sähköautoista johtuvaa suurta tehopiikkiä, jos suuret määrät ajoneuvoista kytketään yhtä aikaa lataukseen. Jos sähköajoneuvot voidaan ladata ohjatusti, ei välttämättä tarvita lisäenergian tuotantoa kattamaan kasvanutta huipputehon tarvetta. Lisäksi sähköajoneuvojen akut toimivat koko sähköverkolle energiavarastoina, jollaista ei ole ennen ollut. Älykkäällä sähköverkolla voidaan ohjata sähköajoneuvon latausta, mikäli ajoneuvossa on ohjausjärjestelmä ja akkujen varaustilan mittaus. Tässä kandidaatin työssä ohjelmoidaan mittaus- ja ohjauskortti plug-in hybridiautoa varten, jossa on V2G-ominaisuus. Ohjainkortista toteutetaan toimintakuvaus, jonka mukaan se myös ohjelmoidaan. Ohjainkortti mittaa akkujen jännitettä ja virtaa, joista voidaan määrittää akkujen varaustilat. Ohjainkortti lähettää tiedot eteenpäin PC:lle, jolta ohjainkortti saa käskyn toimintatilasta. Mittaustietojen perusteella voidaan seurata mahdollisia vikatilanteita. Kandidaatintyön aikana ohjainkorttia ei ehditty asentamaan ajoneuvoon, mutta laboratoriotestien mukaan voidaan todeta, että ohjainkortti on ohjelmallisesti toimiva. Mittauksissa selvisi, että ohjainkortin mittaustulot eivät olleet tarpeeksi tarkkoja käyttökohteeseen. Todettiin, että ohjainkortti vaatii rakenteellisia muutoksia mittaustuloksien parantamista varten, ennen ohjainkortin käyttöönottoa, mutta kandidaatintyön tavoitteet saavutettiin.

Rukoile ja työtä tee. Onni Puhakan kehitys innovaattorista oman tien kulkijaksi

Pray and work. The development of Onni Puhakka: from innovator to nonconformist This ethnological biographical study examines the modernization which began in the mid-1800s, continued into the mid-1900s, and has changed Finnish society in many ways. This era has been studied on a general level quite extensively, but this work explores the life and everyday experiences of Onni Puhakka (1870−1955), a farmer who spent most of his life in the town of Liperi. The goal is to find new perspectives on the development of the modernization process in society through the experiences of an individual. In this study, a central theme is the rural co-operative movement represented in Finland by Pellervo as well as its development in this country and as a significant undertaking in Onni Puhakka’s life. The co-operative movement was one of the most significant sectors affecting modernization in rural communities. The main character in the study is the grandfather of the present author, and thus this research belongs to the newly accepted ethnological research tradition of studying one’s own community. Written documents, mainly collected and preserved by Onni Puhakka himself during his lifetime, form the research material. The material consists mainly of Puhakka’s extensive correspondence, personal notes and diaries, documents related to his farm, and photographs taken by him. Earlier research and other written material examining the general development of the period were used to provide a background for the study. The co-operative movement formed a comprehensive ideology for Onni Puhakka, in which the possibilities for the development of both individuals and the community were combined. His life was based on a religious conviction, and he felt that the co-operative movement was the application of Christian love for one’s neighbour in practice. At the beginning of his active working career, Puhakka was an innovator, a reformer at the forefront of progress, but quite soon he became a sworn critic of the development of the co-operative movement in particular. One of Puhakka’s criticisms of the co-operative movement was the shifting of decision-making power to professional managers and central organizations, far from the reach of local actors. A fundamental reason for his dissatisfaction was the development within the co-operative movement in which the ideological background was forgotten, and economic goals and making a profit took an excessive significance. This assessment of the co-operative movement made by Onni Puhakka and his predictions about its development were not unfounded. This has been shown by several studies examining the development of both the Pellervo and working class cooperative movements. The professionalization of management, managerialism, as well as the direct links between professional managers of local co-operatives and central organizations have lead to the situation in which fewer and fewer people make the decisions, and management has as its goal economic success and growth. Co-operative enterprises that have grown in size have become estranged from the everyday life of their members. Instead of taking care of relations with the membership of the co-op, competitive ability and the market share have become the most important concerns of the management. As the membership has become alienated, their interest in large-scale co-ops has also become largely economic. A significant change among the membership of the Pellervo movement occurred at the stage when the co-operative movement shifted from rural areas to urban centres. This meant that the commitment of the membership became much looser than it had been in the farmers’ production and consumer co-ops. From the point of view of its members, the nature of the co-operative movement has become diametrically opposed to its point of departure: the active members who previously formed the subject of the co-operative movement have become the object of the economic activities of that same movement. The co-operative movement has been transformed from the progressive agent of change of its early years into a business activity which no longer has any significant task as a social reformer. This study confirms the observations of the latest research on modernization which states that modernization has not been a straightforward and inevitable development that has lead to the present situation. For example, the criticism directed by Puhakka toward the co-operative movement includes information that shows that a few others who were initially actively involved also criticized the development of the movement. Despite his occasional frustration, Onni Puhakka continued his criticism and attempts to get the co-operative movement to change its course and return to its ‘roots’. In the early years of the cooperative movement he probably did not differ much from the other pioneers in the sense that many of them had adopted and internalized the same values and motive for being involved that he had. However, Puhakka differed from his colleagues in the sense that he was able to believe in what he called the “fundamental values” of the co-operative movement longer than many of them.

Determination of slurry’s viscosity using case based reasoning approach

Case-based reasoning (CBR) is a recent approach to problem solving and learning that has got a lot of attention over the last years. In this work, the CBR methodology is used to reduce the time and amount of resources spent on carry out experiments to determine the viscosity of the new slurry. The aim of this work is: to develop a CBR system to support the decision making process about the type of slurries behavior, to collect a sufficient volume of qualitative data for case base, and to calculate the viscosity of the Newtonian slurries. Firstly in this paper, the literature review about the types of fluid flow, Newtonian and non-Newtonian slurries is presented. Some physical properties of the suspensions are also considered. The second part of the literature review provides an overview of the case-based reasoning field. Different models and stages of CBR cycles, benefits and disadvantages of this methodology are considered subsequently. Brief review of the CBS tools is also given in this work. Finally, some results of work and opportunities for system modernization are presented. To develop a decision support system for slurry viscosity determination, software application MS Office Excel was used. Designed system consists of three parts: workspace, the case base, and section for calculating the viscosity of Newtonian slurries. First and second sections are supposed to work with Newtonian and Bingham fluids. In the last section, apparent viscosity can be calculated for Newtonian slurries.

Measuring Cost of Poor Quality in Industrial Electronics

Quality is not only free but it can be a profit maker. Every dollar that is not spent on doing things wrong becomes a dollar right on the bottom line. The main objective of this thesis is to give an answer on how cost of poor quality can be measured theoretically correctly. Different calculation methods for cost of poor quality are presented and discussed in order to give comprehensive picture about measurement process. The second objective is to utilize the knowledge from the literature review and to apply it when creating a method for measuring cost of poor quality in supplier performance rating. Literature review indicates that P-A-F model together with ABC methodology provides a mean for quality cost calculations. These models give an answer what should be measured and how this measurement should be carried out. However, when product or service quality costs are incurred when quality character derivates from target value, then QLF seems to be most appropriate methodology for quality cost calculation. These methodologies were applied when creating a quality cost calculation method for supplier performance ratings.

"Dov'è la sinistra?" Hemispatial neglect in stroke

As long as the incidence of stroke continues to grow, patients with large right hemisphere lesions suffering from hemispatial neglect will require neuropsychological evaluation and rehabilitation. The inability to process information especially that coming from the left side accompanied by the magnetic orientation to the ipsilesional side represents a real challenge for rehabilitation. This dissertation is concerned with crucial aspects in the clinical neuropsychological practice of hemispatial neglect. In studying the convergence of the visual and behavioural test batteries in the assessment of neglect, nine of the seventeen patients, who completed both the conventional subtests of the Behavioural Inattention Test and the Catherine Bergego Scale assessments, showed a similar severity of neglect and thus good convergence in both tests. However, patients with neglect and hemianopia had poorer scores in the line bisection test and they displayed stronger neglect in behaviour than patients with pure neglect. The second study examined, whether arm activation, modified from the Constraint Induced Movement Therapy, could be applied as neglect rehabilitation alone without any visual training. Twelve acute- or subacute patients were randomized into two rehabilitation groups: arm activation training or traditional voluntary visual scanning training. Neglect was ameliorated significantly or almost significantly in both training groups due to rehabilitation with the effect being maintained for at least six months. In studying the reflections of hemispatial neglect on visual memory, the associations of severity of neglect and visual memory performances were explored. The performances of acute and subacute patients with hemispatial neglect were compared with the performances of matched healthy control subjects. As hypothesized, encoding from the left side and immediate recall of visual material were significantly compromised in patients with neglect. Another mechanism of neglect affecting visual memory processes is observed in delayed visual reproduction. Delayed recall demands that the individual must make a match helped by a cue or it requires a search for relevant material from long-term memory storage. In the case of representational neglect, the search may succeed but the left side of the recollected memory still fails to open. Visual and auditory evoked potentials were measured in 21 patients with hemispatial neglect. Stimuli coming from the left or right were processed differently in both sensory modalities in acute and subacute patients as compared with the chronic patients. The differences equalized during the course of recovery. Recovery from hemispatial neglect was strongly associated with early rehabilitation and with the severity of neglect. Extinction was common in patients with neglect and it did not ameliorate with the recovery of neglect. The presence of pusher symptom hampered amelioration of visual neglect in acute and subacute stroke patients, whereas depression did not have any significant effect in the early phases after the stroke. However, depression had an unfavourable effect on recovery in the chronic phase. In conclusion, the combination of neglect and hemianopia may explain part of the residual behavioural neglect that is no longer evident in visual testing. Further research is needed in order to determine which specific rehabilitation procedures would be most beneficial in patients suffering the combination of neglect and hemianopia. Arm activation should be included in the rehabilitation programs of neglect; this is a useful technique for patients who need bedside treatment in the acute phase. With respect to the deficit in visual memory in association with neglect, the possible mechanisms of lateralized deficit in delayed recall need to be further examined and clarified. Intensive treatment induced recovery in both severe and moderate visual neglect long after the first two to first three months after the stroke.

Battery Cell Modeling for Battery Management System

Usage of batteries as energy storage is emerging in automotive and mobile working machine applications in future. When battery systems become larger, battery management becomes an essential part of the application concerning fault situations of the battery and safety of the user. A properly designed battery management system extends one charge cycle of battery pack and the whole life time of the battery pack. In this thesis main objectives and principles of BMS are studied and first order Thevenin’s model of the lithium-titanate battery cell is built based on laboratory measurements. The battery cell model is then verified by comparing the battery cell model and the actual battery cell and its suitability for use in BMS is studied.

Flexible multibody approach in bone strain estimation during physical activity:

Bone strain plays a major role as the activation signal for the bone (re)modeling process, which is vital for keeping bones healthy. Maintaining high bone mineral density reduces the chances of fracture in the event of an accident. Numerous studies have shown that bones can be strengthened with physical exercise. Several hypotheses have asserted that a stronger osteogenic (bone producing) effect results from dynamic exercise than from static exercise. These previous studies are based on short-term empirical research, which provide the motivation for justifying the experimental results with a solid mathematical background. The computer simulation techniques utilized in this work allow for non-invasive bone strain estimation during physical activity at any bone site within the human skeleton. All models presented in the study are threedimensional and actuated by muscle models to replicate the real conditions accurately. The objective of this work is to determine and present loading-induced bone strain values resulting from physical activity. It includes a comparison of strain resulting from four different gym exercises (knee flexion, knee extension, leg press, and squat) and walking, with the results reported for walking and jogging obtained from in-vivo measurements described in the literature. The objective is realized primarily by carrying out flexible multibody dynamics computer simulations. The dissertation combines the knowledge of finite element analysis and multibody simulations with experimental data and information available from medical field literature. Measured subject-specific motion data was coupled with forward dynamics simulation to provide natural skeletal movement. Bone geometries were defined using a reverse engineering approach based on medical imaging techniques. Both computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were utilized to explore modeling differences. The predicted tibia bone strains during walking show good agreement with invivo studies found in the literature. Strain measurements were not available for gym exercises; therefore, the strain results could not be validated. However, the values seem reasonable when compared to available walking and running invivo strain measurements. The results can be used for exercise equipment design aimed at strengthening the bones as well as the muscles during workout. Clinical applications in post fracture recovery exercising programs could also be the target. In addition, the methodology introduced in this study, can be applied to investigate the effect of weightlessness on astronauts, who often suffer bone loss after long time spent in the outer space.

Practical Framework for Monitoring the Performance of Agile IT Projects in an Output-Based Outsourcing Context

Over the past decade, organizations worldwide have begun to widely adopt agile software development practices, which offer greater flexibility to frequently changing business requirements, better cost effectiveness due to minimization of waste, faster time-to-market, and closer collaboration between business and IT. At the same time, IT services are continuing to be increasingly outsourced to third parties providing the organizations with the ability to focus on their core capabilities as well as to take advantage of better demand scalability, access to specialized skills, and cost benefits. An output-based pricing model, where the customers pay directly for the functionality that was delivered rather than the effort spent, is quickly becoming a new trend in IT outsourcing allowing to transfer the risk away from the customer while at the same time offering much better incentives for the supplier to optimize processes and improve efficiency, and consequently producing a true win-win outcome. Despite the widespread adoption of both agile practices and output-based outsourcing, there is little formal research available on how the two can be effectively combined in practice. Moreover, little practical guidance exists on how companies can measure the performance of their agile projects, which are being delivered in an output-based outsourced environment. This research attempted to shed light on this issue by developing a practical project monitoring framework which may be readily applied by organizations to monitor the performance of agile projects in an output-based outsourcing context, thus taking advantage of the combined benefits of such an arrangement Modified from action research approach, this research was divided into two cycles, each consisting of the Identification, Analysis, Verification, and Conclusion phases. During Cycle 1, a list of six Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) was proposed and accepted by the professionals in the studied multinational organization, which formed the core of the proposed framework and answered the first research sub-question of what needs to be measured. In Cycle 2, a more in-depth analysis was provided for each of the suggested Key Performance Indicators including the techniques for capturing, calculating, and evaluating the information provided by each KPI. In the course of Cycle 2, the second research sub-question was answered, clarifying how the data for each KPI needed to be measured, interpreted, and acted upon. Consequently, after two incremental research cycles, the primary research question was answered describing the practical framework that may be used for monitoring the performance of agile IT projects delivered in an output-based outsourcing context. This framework was evaluated by the professionals within the context of the studied organization and received positive feedback across all four evaluation criteria set forth in this research, including the low overhead of data collection, high value of provided information, ease of understandability of the metric dashboard, and high generalizability of the proposed framework.

Kommunikaatio ja tiedonsiirto etätyössä

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää etätyönteon vaikutuksia kommunikaatioon ja tiedonsiirtoon. Teoriaosuudessa tutkitaan akateemista keskustelua aiemmin mainittujen aiheiden parissa. Tutkimus on laadultaan kvalitatiivinen ja se toteutettiin puolistrukturoiduilla teemahaastatteluilla. Tutkimuksen havainnot noudattivat pitkälti teoriaosuudessa esiin nousseita linjoja, mutta muun muassa inhimillisten tekijöiden merkitys kommunikaatiohalukkuuteen nousi vahvasti esiin. Tämän lisäksi etätyön ajallisella määrällä, etätyönteon sijainnilla sekä yleisellä organisaatiotasoisella suhtautumisella etätyöhön todettiin olevan merkitystä kommunikaation ja siten myös tiedonsiirron laatuun, tiheyteen ja määrään.

Sähköavusteisen polkupyörän vääntömomenttisäädön toteuttaminen amplitudimodulaatiolla

Sähköavusteinen polkupyörä on hieman tavallista polkupyörää vahvarakenteisempi ja painavampi. Lisäpainoa tuovat muun muassa akut ja sähkömoottori, joka avustaa polke-mista. Moottori asennetaan yleensä eturenkaan keskiöön. Suurimmassa osassa, jollei kaikissa, kaupallisista sähköavusteisissa polkupyörissä moottori on hiiliharjaton tasavirta-moottori. Hiiliharjattoman tasavirtamoottorin pyörimisnopeutta ja vääntömomenttia voidaan säätää usealla eri tavalla. Markkinoilla olevat säätimet perustuvat poikkeuksetta pulssinleveys-modulaatioon. Tämän työn tarkoituksena on tutkia, onko säätöjärjestelmä mahdollista to-teuttaa muulla tavalla kuin pulssinleveysmodulaattorilla. Tutkimuksessa päädytään käyt-tämään amplitudimodulointia, jolloin taajuus voidaan pitää vakiona. Tämän tutkimuksen rinnalla samaan polkupyörään rakennetaan polkemisenergian avulla akkuja lataava la-tausjärjestelmä. Tämän kandityön puitteissa tutkimus jää kesken, mutta toiminta osoitetaan teoreettisesti ja simuloimalla. Suurin syy kokeellisen testauksen epäonnistumiseen on käytettyjen kom-ponenttien sopimattomuus sovellukseen.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Finnish children and adolescents : diagnosis, cognition, behavior, adaptation and brain metabolic alterations

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can potentially affect the developing fetus in devastating ways, leading to a range of physical, neurological, and behavioral alterations most accurately termed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Despite the fact that it is a preventable disorder, prenatal alcohol exposure today constitutes a leading cause of intellectual disability in the Western world. In Western countries where prevalence studies have been performed the rates of FASD exceed, for example, autism spectrum disorders, Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy. In addition to the direct effects of alcohol, children and adolescents with FASD are often exposed to a double burden in life, as their neurological sequelae are accompanied by adverse living surroundings exposing them to further environmental risk. However, children with FASD today remain remarkably underdiagnosed by the health care system. This thesis forms part of a larger multinational research project, The Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (the CIFASD), initiated by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in the U.S.A. The general aim of the present thesis was to examine a cohort of children and adolescents growing up with fetal alcohol-related damage in Finland. The thesis consists of five studies with a broad focus on diagnosis, cognition, behavior, adaptation and brain metabolic alterations in children and adolescents with FASD. The participants consisted of four different groups: one group with histories of prenatal exposure to alcohol, the FASD group; one IQ matched contrast group mostly consisting of children with specific learning disorder (SLD); and two typically-developing control groups (CON1 and CON2). Participants were identified through medical records, random sampling from the Finnish national population registry and email alerts to students. Importantly, the participants in the present studies comprise a group of very carefully clinically characterized children with FASD as the studies were performed in close collaboration with leading experts in the field (Prof. Edward Riley and Prof. Sarah Mattson, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, U.S.A; Prof. Eugene Hoyme, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, U.S.A.). In the present thesis, the revised Institute of Medicine diagnostic criteria for FASD were tested on a Finnish population and found to be a reliable tool for differentiating among the subgroups of FASD. A weighted dysmorphology scoring system proved to be a valuable additional adjunct in quantification of growth deficits and dysmorphic features in children with FASD (Study 1). The purpose of Study 2 was to clarify the relationship between alcohol-related dysmorphic features and general cognitive capacity. Results showed a significant correlation between dysmorphic features and cognitive capacity, suggesting that children with more severe growth deficiency and dysmorphic features have more cognitive limitations. This association was, however, only moderate, indicating that physical markers and cognitive capacity not always go hand in hand in individuals with FASD. Behavioral problems in the FASD group proved substantial compared to the typically developing control group. In Study 3 risk and protective factors associated with behavioral problems in the FASD group were explored further focusing on diagnostic and environmental factors. Two groups with elevated risks for behavioral problems emerged: length of time spent in residential care and a low dysmorphology score proved to be the most pervasive risk factor for behavioral problems. The results underscore the clinical importance of appropriate services and care for less visibly alcohol affected children and highlight the need to attend to children with FASD being raised in institutions. With their background of early biological and psychological impairment compounded with less opportunity for a close and continuous caregiver relationship, such children seem to run an especially great risk of adverse life outcomes. Study 4 focused on adaptive abilities such as communication, daily living skills and social skills, in other words skills that are important for gradually enabling an independent life, maintain social relationships and allow the individual to become integrated into society. The results showed that adaptive abilities of children and adolescents growing up with FASD were significantly compromised compared to both typically-developing peers and IQ-matched children with SLD. Clearly different adaptive profiles were revealed where the FASD group performed worse than the SLD group, who in turn performed worse than the CON1 group. Importantly, the SLD group outperformed the FASD group on adaptive behavior in spite of comparable cognitive levels. This is the first study to compare adaptive abilities in a group of children and adolescents with FASD relative to both a contrast group of IQ-matched children with SLD and to a group of typically-developing peers. Finally, in Study 5, through magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRS) evidence of longstanding neurochemical alterations were observed in adolescents and young adults with FASD related to alcohol exposure in utero 14-20 years earlier. Neurochemical alterations were seen in several brain areas: in frontal and parietal cortices, corpus callosum, thalamus and frontal white matter areas as well as in the cerebellar dentate nucleus. The findings are compatible with neuropsychological findings in FASD. Glial cells seemed to be more affected than neurons. In conclusion, more societal efforts and resources should be focused on recognizing and diagnosing FASD, and supporting subgroups with elevated risk of poor outcome. Without adequate intervention children and adolescents with FASD run a great risk of marginalization and social maladjustment, costly not only to society but also to the lives of the many young people with FASD.

Carbon Nanotubes as Material for Supercapacitor Electrodes

Electrochemical double-layer supercapacitors have an intermediate position between rechargeable batteries, which can store high amounts of energy, and dielectric capacitors, which have high output power. Supercapacitors are widely suggested to be used in automobiles (recuperation during braking, facilitate engine starting, electric stabilization of the system), industry (forklifts, elevators), hybrid off-road machinery and also in consumer electronics. Supercapacitor electrodes require highly porous material. Typically, activated carbon is used. Specific surface area of activated carbon is approximately 1000 m2 per gram. Carbon nanotubes represent one of prospective materials. According to numerous studies this material allows to improve the properties of supercapacitors. The task of this Master‘s Thesis was to test multiwalled carbon nanotubes and become confident with the testing methods.

Konversiosähköauton mitoitussuunnitelma

Sähköautojen tulemista on odotettu jo pitkään ja ne ovat potentiaalisia fossiilisilla polttoaineilla toimivien polttomoottoreiden korvaajia. Hybridiautoja on tullut markkinoille entistä enemmän ja ne osaltaan auttavat vähentämään fossiilisten polttoaineiden käyttöä. Sähköautot ovat toistaiseksi jääneet taka-alalle. Tässä työssä on tehty konversiosähköauton mitoitussuunnitelma museoikäiseen autoon. Työssä on mitoitettu kolme sähköisen voimansiirron pääkomponenttia sähkömoottori, taajuudenmuuttaja ja akusto. Mitoitussuunnitelma toimii hyvänä pohjana, jonka avulla konversiota voidaan alkaa rakentamaan.

Syntyykö Suomeen puulaaksoja - Suomen puutuoteteollisuuden pk-yritysten tila ja tulevaisuus

Metsäteollisuus on tullut Suomeen ulkomaisen pääoman ja tietotaidon avulla vajaat kaksisataa vuotta sitten. Se on toiminut melkein koko jatkosodan jälkeisen ajan suojatussa ympäristössä ja ulkomaisesta kilpailusta riippumattomassa toimintaympäristössä. Kuten Porter ja muut ovat todistaneet, tällainen toimintaympäristö ei kehitä kansainvälisesti kilpailukykyistä teollisuutta globaaleilla markkinoilla. Liittyminen Euroopan unioniin ja sittemmin Euroopan rahaliittoon saattoi puunjalostusteollisuuden täysin uudenlaiseen kilpailutilanteeseen. Sama tapahtui myös alan pk-yrityksille, jotka olivat joutuneet toimimaan heikosti kilpailluilla raaka-ainemarkkinoilla. Tutkimus on tulevaisuudentutkimus, jossa tutkimusongelmia lähestytään kolmen teorian avulla. Porterin klusteriteoria tarjoaa mahdollisuuden arvioida metsäteollisuutta sekä kokonaisuutena että toimivana monimuotoisena organisaationa, jossa kustannukset ja hinta muodostuvat arvoketjun toimijoiden osakustannuksista. Bionomiateoria eli darvinistinen talousteoria testaa suomalaisen puunjalostusteollisuuden pk-yritysten kilpailukykyä ja paineita hakeutua edullisemmille toiminta- alueille. Evoluutioteoria tarkastelee sukupolvenvaihdoksen problematiikkaa. Sukupolvenvaihdoksen onnistuminen muodostuu puutoimialan elämän ja kuoleman kysymykseksi. Tämä on etenkin pk-yrityksiä kohtaava ongelma. Asiaa selvitettiin Mauno Rintalan suorittamalla kyselytutkimuksella Puuteollisuusyrittäjien jäsenistön keskuudessa. Ongelma johtuu suurista sodan jälkeen syntyneistä ikäluokista. Nämä vuosina 1945– 50 syntyneet ovat siirtymässä eläkkeelle vuosien 2005 ja 2015 välillä. Kyseisissä ikäluokissa yritystiheys on noin kaksi kertaa suurempi kuin sen jälkeisissä ikäluokissa. Suoritetun kyselyn sekä muiden suomalaisten ja kansainvälisten tutkimusten perusteella näyttää siltä, että eläkkeelle siirryttäessä vain noin 30 %:lla yrityksistä on jatkaja tiedossa suvusta tai lähipiiristä. Tämä merkitsee sitä, että 70 % eläköityvän ikäluokan omistamista yrityksistä poistuu pysyvästi markkinoilta. Suomessa poistuma merkitsee noin 40 % koko yritysvarannosta eli noin 80 000 yritystä. Tilastot toimivien yritysten määrästä ovat kuitenkin hyvin ristiriitaisia, joten todellista määrää on mahdoton arvioida. Noin suuren määrän poistuminen markkinoilta uhkaa jo hyvinvointivaltion perusrakenteita. Tutkimustulos edellyttää nopeita toimenpiteitä teollisten pkyritysten pelastamiseksi ja säilyttämiseksi Suomessa. Sukupolvenvaihdoksen onnistuminen on tässä prosessissa ensiarvoisessa asemassa. Kaikkien edellä mainittujen yritysten poistuminen markkinoilta edellyttäisi noin 400 000 uuden yrityksen perustamista, koska ainoastaan noin 20 % yrityksistä selviää ensimmäiset kolme vuotta. Tutkimukseen perustuen esitetään prosessimalli sukupolvenvaihdoksen suorittamiseksi. Suomen tärkeimmissä kilpailijamaissa valtioiden metsäomistus on määräävässä asemassa. Meillä metsät ovat yksityisessä omistuksessa ja vain pieni osa valtion omistuksessa. Puumarkkinat toimivat markkinatalouden ehdoilla ilman valtion ohjausta. Ongelmaksi on kehittymässä puun saanti. Metsänomistus on sukupolvien myötä hajaantunut hyvin pieniksi metsälöiksi. Nykyiset metsänomistajat asuvat kaupungeissa ja ovat pääosin palkkatyössä. He eivät ole samalla tavoin riippuvaisia puutuloista kuin heidän esi-isänsä. Metsäverotuksen uudistuminen lisää puun saannin epävarmuutta. Se on muuttumassa pinta-alaverotuksesta puun myynnin verotukseen. Puun myynti on vilkasta ennen järjestelmien vaihtumista ja vähäisempää sen jälkeen. Myös näitä ongelmia on pyritty ratkomaan uudenlaisen metsänomistusmallin avulla. Puuteollisuus on hyvin vanha teollisuudenala. Raaka-aine muodostaa määräävän osan kustannuksista. Muutokset ovat hitaita ja todelliset innovaatiot pitkäkestoisia. Uusia innovaatioita tapahtuu harvoin. Kannattavuutta parannetaan tuoteprosessien ja arvoketjujen kehittämisen kautta. Yhteiskunnan osuus alan kehittämisessä ja säilyttämisessä on ratkaiseva. Asioiden moninaisuus tekee tutkimuksen vaikeaksi, mutta sitäkin tärkeämmäksi kansantalouden kannalta. Tällaisissa suurissa murroksissa korostuu kaikkien päättävien tahojen henkinen valmius ja tahto tehdä oikeita ratkaisuja oikeaan aikaan.

Recovery of biomass-derived valuable compounds using chromatographic and membrane separations

Utilization of biomass-based raw materials for the production of chemicals and materials is gaining an increasing interest. Due to the complex nature of biomass, a major challenge in its refining is the development of efficient fractionation and purification processes. Preparative chromatography and membrane filtration are selective, energy-efficient separation techniques which offer a great potential for biorefinery applications. Both of these techniques have been widely studied. On the other hand, only few process concepts that combine the two methods have been presented in the literature. The aim of this thesis was to find the possible synergetic effects provided by combining chromatographic and membrane separations, with a particular interest in biorefinery separation processes. Such knowledge could be used in the development of new, more efficient separation processes for isolating valuable compounds from complex feed solutions that are typical for the biorefinery environment. Separation techniques can be combined in various ways, from simple sequential coupling arrangements to fully-integrated hybrid processes. In this work, different types of combined separation processes as well as conventional chromatographic separation processes were studied for separating small molecules such as sugars and acids from biomass hydrolysates and spent pulping liquors. The combination of chromatographic and membrane separation was found capable of recovering high-purity products from complex solutions. For example, hydroxy acids of black liquor were successfully recovered using a novel multistep process based on ultrafiltration and size-exclusion chromatography. Unlike any other separation process earlier suggested for this challenging separation task, the new process concept does not require acidification pretreatment, and thus it could be more readily integrated into a pulp-mill biorefinery. In addition to the combined separation processes, steady-state recycling chromatography, which has earlier been studied for small-scale separations of high-value compounds only, was found a promising process alternative for biorefinery applications. In comparison to conventional batch chromatography, recycling chromatography provided higher product purity, increased the production rate and reduced the chemical consumption in the separation of monosaccharides from biomass hydrolysates. In addition, a significant further improvement in the process performance was obtained when a membrane filtration unit was integrated with recycling chromatography. In the light of the results of this work, separation processes based on combining membrane and chromatographic separations could be effectively applied for different biorefinery applications. The main challenge remains in the development of inexpensive separation materials which are resistant towards harsh process conditions and fouling.