“Good night, dear Lake of Shining Waters”. Luonto L. M. Montgomeryn Anne of Green Gables –teoksessa

Kanadalaisen kirjailijan L. M. Montgomeryn tunnetun ja rakastetun Anna-sarjan ensimmäinen osa Anne of Green Gables -teos (1908) kertoo orvosta tytöstä, joka pääsee Prinssi Edwardin saaren Avonlean kylään asumaan naimattoman sisarusparin Marilla ja Matthew`n kasvattilapseksi. Luonto on keskeisellä sijalla teoksessa: Anna on luontoa rakastava ja luonnon keskellä viihtyvä tyttö ja myös teoksen kertoja kuvaa paljon luontoa. Tutkimukseni käsittelee luontoa Anne of Green Gables -teoksessa. Tutkin luontoteemaa teoksessa seuraavista näkökulmista: Analysoin, kuinka luonto kuvataan teoksessa ja millainen on teoksen luontokuva. Luontokuvaa käsittelen pastoraalin käsitteen kautta, ja kysyn teokselta, voidaanko se tulkita pastoraaliksi ja kuinka teos asettuu pastoraalin traditioon. Lisäksi erittelen, millainen on päähenkilön Annan luontosuhde. Millaisen arvon hän antaa luonnolle ja mitä merkityksiä hän liittää luontoon? Tutkimus asettuu ekokriittiseen viitekehykseen, ja pohdin myös sitä, minkälainen on teoksen representaatio luonnosta ekokriittisesti tarkastellen. Amerikkalaisen transsendentalistin Ralph Waldo Emersonin luontofilosofia kulkee myös taustajuonteena tutkielmassa ja erittelen, mitä yhtymäkohtia hänen luontofilosofiassaan on Anne of Green Gables -teokseen. Anne of Green Gables -teoksen luontokuvaa voidaan luonnehtia romantisoiduksi ja idealisoivaksi. Luonto kuvataan kauniiksi, ja sen kauneutta ylistää niin Anna kuin teoksen kaikkitietävä kertojakin. Teoksen luontokuva on pastoraalinen, sillä siinä esiintyy vahvasti pastoraaliin liittyvä diskurssi maaseudun ja kaupungin vastakkainasettelusta siten, että maaseutu assosioituu positiivisesti, kun taas kaupunki nähdään negatiivisessa valossa. Luonnonläheinen Avonlean kylä näyttäytyy teoksessa niin idealisoidussa valossa, että se muistuttaa jo jonkinlaista myyttistä paratiisia. Näin ollen teoksen pastoraalisuus saa pejoratiivisiakin piirteitä. Annan luontosuhdetta värittää voimakas kunnioitus ja arvostus luontoa kohtaan. Hänen luontoon liittämistä arvoista keskeiselle sijalle nousee luonnon kauneus. Luonnon kauneuden arvostaminen toimii kuitenkin porttina luonnon toiseuttamiseen, mistä syntyy pieni arvoristiriita. Toisaalta kuitenkin Anna samaistuu luontoon tavalla, joka hämärtää perinteistä subjekti–objekti-dikotomiaa. Anna näyttäytyy vihreän maailman arkkityyppinä, lapsena, joka sulautuu luontoon ja kokee sen kodikseen. Luonto edustaa Annalle vapautta ja herättää myös hänen mielikuvituksena ja taiteellisen inspiraation. Lisäksi luonto on Annalle paikka, jossa voi saavuttaa autenttisen yhteyden Jumalaan.

Optimal processing chain for waste power plant

This study is done to examine waste power plant’s optimal processing chain and it is important to consider from several points of view on why one option is better than the other. This is to insure that the right decision is made. Incineration of waste has devel-oped to be one decent option for waste disposal. There are several legislation matters and technical options to consider when starting up a waste power plant. From the tech-niques pretreatment, burner and flue gas cleaning are the biggest ones to consider. The treatment of incineration residues is important since it can be very harmful for the envi-ronment. The actual energy production from waste is not highly efficient and there are several harmful compounds emitted. Recycling of waste before incineration is not very typical and there are not many recycling options for materials that cannot be easily re-cycled to same product. Life cycle assessment is a good option for studying the envi-ronmental effect of the system. It has four phases that are part of the iterative study process. In this study the case environment is a waste power plant. The modeling of the plant is done with GaBi 6 software and the scope is from gate-to-grave. There are three different scenarios, from which the first and second are compared to each other to reach conclusions. Zero scenario is part of the study to demonstrate situation without the power plant. The power plant in this study is recycling some materials in scenario one and in scenario two even more materials and utilize the bottom ash more ways than one. The model has the substitutive processes for the materials when they are not recycled in the plant. The global warming potential results show that scenario one is the best option. The variable costs that have been considered tell the same result. The conclusion is that the waste power plant should not recycle more and utilize bottom ash in a number of ways. The area is not ready for that kind of utilization and production from recycled materials.

Effects of Fin Parameters on Gas-Side Heat Transfer Performance of H-Type Finned Tube Bundle in a Waste Heat Recovery Boiler

Alfa Laval Aalborg Oy designs and manufactures waste heat recovery systems utilizing extended surfaces. The waste heat recovery boiler considered in this thesis is a water-tube boiler where exhaust gas is used as the convective heat transfer medium and water or steam flowing inside the tubes is subject to cross-flow. This thesis aims to contribute to the design of waste heat recovery boiler unit by developing a numerical model of the H-type finned tube bundle currently used by Alfa Laval Aalborg Oy to evaluate the gas-side heat transfer performance. The main objective is to identify weaknesses and potential areas of development in the current H-type finned tube design. In addition, numerical simulations for a total of 15 cases with varying geometric parameters are conducted to investigate the heat transfer and pressure drop performance dependent on H-type fin geometry. The investigated geometric parameters include fin width and height, fin spacing, and fin thickness. Comparison between single and double tube type configuration is also conducted. Based on the simulation results, the local heat transfer and flow behaviour of the H-type finned tube is presented including boundary layer development between the fins, the formation of recirculation zone behind the tubes, and the local variations of flow velocity and temperature within the tube bundle and on the fin surface. Moreover, an evaluation of the effects of various fin parameters on heat transfer and pressure drop performance of H-type finned tube bundle has been provided. It was concluded that from the studied parameters fin spacing and fin width had the most significant effect on tube bundle performance and the effect of fin thickness was the least important. Furthermore, the results suggested that the heat transfer performance would increase due to enhanced turbulence if the current double tube configuration is replaced with single tube configuration, but further investigation and experimental measurements are required in order to validate the results.

The role of metal ions in selective and sustainable processes

Sustainability and recycling are core values in today’s industrial operations. New materials, products and processes need to be designed in such a way as to consume fewer of the diminishing resources we have available and to put as little strain on the environment as possible. An integral part of this is cleaning and recycling. New processes are to be designed to improve the efficiency in this aspect. Wastewater, including municipal wastewaters, is treated in several steps including chemical and mechanical cleaning of waters. Well-cleaned water can be recycled and reused. Clean water for everyone is one of the greatest challenges we are facing today. Ferric sulphate, made by oxidation from ferrous sulphate, is used in water purification. The oxidation of ferrous sulphate, FeSO4, to ferric sulphate in acidic aqueous solutions of H2SO4 over finely dispersed active carbon particles was studied in a vigorously stirred batch reactor. Molecular oxygen was used as the oxidation agent and several catalysts were screened: active carbon, active carbon impregnated with Pt, Rh, Pd and Ru. Both active carbon and noble metal-active carbon catalysts enhanced the oxidation rate considerably. The order of the noble metals according to the effect was: Pt >> Rh > Pd, Ru. By the use of catalysts, the production capacities of existing oxidation units can be considerably increased. Good coagulants have a high charge on a long polymer chain effectively capturing dirty particles of the opposite charge. Analysis of the reaction product indicated that it is possible to obtain polymeric iron-based products with good coagulation properties. Systematic kinetic experiments were carried out at the temperature and pressure ranges of 60B100°C and 4B10 bar, respectively. The results revealed that both non-catalytic and catalytic oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ take place simultaneously. The experimental data were fitted to rate equations, which were based on a plausible reaction mechanism: adsorption of dissolved oxygen on active carbon, electron transfer from Fe2+ ions to adsorbed oxygen and formation of surface hydroxyls. A comparison of the Fe2+ concentrations predicted by the kinetic model with the experimentally observed concentrations indicated that the mechanistic rate equations were able to describe the intrinsic oxidation kinetics of Fe2+ over active carbon and active carbon-noble metal catalysts. Engineering aspects were closely considered and effort was directed to utilizing existing equipment in the production of the new coagulant. Ferrous sulphate can be catalytically oxidized to produce a novel long-chained polymeric iron-based flocculent in an easy and affordable way in existing facilities. The results can be used for modelling the reactors and for scale-up. Ferric iron (Fe3+) was successfully applied for the dissolution of sphalerite. Sphalerite contains indium, gallium and germanium, among others, and the application can promote their recovery. The understanding of the reduction process of ferric to ferrous iron can be used to develop further the understanding of the dissolution mechanisms and oxidation of ferrous sulphate. Indium, gallium and germanium face an ever-increasing demand in the electronics industry, among others. The supply is, however, very limited. The fact that most part of the material is obtained through secondary production means that real production quota depends on the primary material production. This also sets the pricing. The primary production material is in most cases zinc and aluminium. Recycling of scrap material and the utilization of industrial waste, containing indium, gallium and geranium, is a necessity without real options. As a part of this study plausible methods for the recovery of indium, gallium and germanium have been studied. The results were encouraging and provided information about the precipitation of these valuables from highly acidic solutions. Indium and gallium were separated from acidic sulphuric acid solutions by precipitation with basic sulphates such as alunite or they were precipitated as basic sulphates of their own as galliunite and indiunite. Germanium may precipitate as a basic sulphate of a mixed composition. The precipitation is rapid and the selectivity is good. When the solutions contain both indium and gallium then the results show that gallium should be separated before indium to achieve a better selectivity. Germanium was separated from highly acidic sulphuric acid solutions containing other metals as well by precipitating with tannic acid. This is a highly selective method. According to the study other commonly found metals in the solution do not affect germanium precipitation. The reduction of ferric iron to ferrous, the precipitation of indium, gallium and germanium, and the dissolution of the raw materials are strongly depending on temperature and pH. The temperature and pH effect were studied and which contributed to the understanding and design of the different process steps. Increased temperature and reduced pH improve the reduction rate. Finally, the gained understanding in the studied areas can be employed to develop better industrial processes not only on a large scale but also increasingly on a smaller scale. The small amounts of indium, gallium and germanium may favour smaller and more locally bound recovery.

Kohti vesiensuojelun aikaa; veden laadun muutokset eteläisimmällä Saimaalla

Työn tarkoituksena on ollut tutkia vesianalytiikan kehitystä Suomessa, arvioida rutiini-analytiikan luotettavuutta, selvittää eteläisimmän Saimaan jätevesikuormituksen kehitys ja siihen vaikuttaneet tekijät, laatia aikasarjat eräiden tutkimusalueen keskeisten veden laadun seurantapaikkojen veden laadun kehityksestä ja esittää keinoja veden laadun kehityksen kuvaa¬miseksi tiivistämällä suuri havaintomateriaali yksinkertaisiksi tunnusluvuiksi. Työssä käsiteltä¬vä aikajakso alkaa 1900-luvun alusta ja päättyy vuoteen 1998. Tutkimus on osa laajempaa ko¬konaisuutta. Tutkimusalue käsittää Vuoksen vesistön keskusjärven, Saimaan, eteläisimmät osat eli Pien-Saimaan, Suur-Saimaan, Vuoksen niskan ja Haapaveden altaat sekä vesistön purku¬-uoman, Vuoksen virran (ks. kuvat 5.1. ja 5.2.). Veden laatu alueen luonnontilaisilla alueilla on luokiteltavissa osin oligotrofiseksi, osin lievästi dysoligotrofiseksi. Sadan viimeisen vuoden aikana teollinen toiminta on muuttanut sitä voimakkaasti. Vesiensuojeluun on eteläisimmän Saimaan alueella investoitu yli 1,5 miljardia markka viimeisten noin 30 vuoden aikana. Investointien tuloksena kuormitus on laskenut oleellisesti 1960-luvun maksimikuormituksesta. Jätevesien purkuvesistön veden laatu on tänä aikana myös merkittävästi parantunut. Tämä on osoitettu veden laadun seurantatuloksista tehtyjen erilaisten tarkastelujen avulla (aikasarjadiagrammit, tilasto tarkastelut, indeksilukuluokitukset, PCA- ja PLS- ja DPLS- monimuuttujamallinnukset). Nykyisin veden laatu on lähes koko tutkimusalu¬eella vähintään tyydyttävä. Fysikaalis-kemiallisen veden laadun seurannan historia on Suomessa kansainvälisesti ja kansallisesti pitkä, ja Saimaalta voidaan veden laadun kehitystä arvioida luotettavasti 40 vuoden ajalta. Tutkimusmetodiikat vesitutkimusten pioneerimaissa ovat olleet samankaltaisia ja niiden perusteella on laadittu myös eurooppalaisen vedenlaadunseurannan suositukset. Vaikka tulevai¬suudessa vesistöä ja sen tilan kehitystä on tarkasteltava ekologisena kokonaisuutena, ei tätä voida tehdä ilman nykyisen kaltaista monitorointia. Teollisuuden jätevesikuormitus on laskenut neljännesvuosisadan aikana hyvin merkittä¬västi tavalla, joka vielä kymmenkunta vuotta sitten tuntui saavuttamattomalta. Saimaan. kuten muunkin Suomen metsäteollisuuden taso onkin kansainvälisesti korkea ja täyttää jo nyt kuormi¬tuksen suhteen lähes 2000-luvun alun BAT-tekniikan vaatimukset. Veden laatu ei kuitenkaan ole kuormitetuilla alueilla kaikkialla vielä hyvä, joten vesiensuojeluun on edelleen panostettava, kun tavoitteena on vesien hyvä ekologinen tila. Vesistöstä käsin tarkasteltuna hitaasti hajoavan orgaanisen aineen määrän vähentäminen vedestä on oltava seuraavana tavoitteena. Tätä tukee myös BAT-tekniikan tarkastelu.

Potential of energy and nutrient recovery from biodegradable waste by co-treatment in Lithuania

Biodegradable waste quantities in Lithuania and their potential for the co-treatment in renewable energy and organic fertilizer production are investigated. Two scenarios are formulated to study the differences of the amounts of obtainable energy and fertilizers between different ways of utilization. In the first scenario, only digestion is used, and in the second scenario, other materials than straw are digested, and straw and the solid fraction of sewage sludge digestate are combusted. As a result, the amounts of heat and electricity, as well as the fertilizer amounts in the counties are obtained for both scenarios. Based on this study, the share of renewable energy in Lithuania could be doubled by the co-treatment of different biodegradable materials.

Scouring uncharted waters – managing outbound open innovation in maritime industry

This thesis discusses the unexplored opportunities of open innovation, with a special focus on outbound open innovation. The extant literature indicates that the field of outbound open innovation still lacks of research, and especially the managerial issues lack of practicality. Also, the applicability to SME’s and traditional fields has been argued. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the outbound open innovation activities can be managed in maritime industry. By combining existing literature from the field of open innovation and innovation management, this study suggests first a theoretical management model, and contributes how it can be applied to industry- and company specifics; and then develops a practical model by constructing from the case company’s current management processes. As a result, the study synthesises a theoretical model of how the outbound open innovation activities can be managed. This model positions the outbound open innovation activities, the theoretical concepts found from the literature review, R&D processes, and the outbound open innovation implementation stages identified by previous research; and thus responses the need for practical steps for any company planning outbound open innovation activities. Practical tool for managers is also provided by identifying issues that are applied to industry- and company specifics. Then, open-ended case study questions are formulated accordingly and expert interviews selected by chain referral sampling, are conducted. Interviews provide information for the current management processes. By identifying the best practices and main challenges it is possible to outline and evaluate current outbound open innovation management processes and strategic choices in it. The researcher considers also the networks and their spheres of influences for the actors, activities and resources in the processes. Thus, the study provides a novel approach, and practical tools for the researchers and practioners in the field of open innovation. All in all, the study has come up that outbound open innovation is applicable to maritime industry; and the case company indeed has perfected its processes as cost-effective as possible, and so found its balance between the costs and benefits. However, several issues for future development are pointed out, and the study offers proposals for theory building. Findings are piloting in kind, but provide several theoretical and managerial implications, and reveal new research needs for the field.