Valorization of an Industrial Organosolv-Sugarcane Bagasse Lignin: Characterization and Use as a Matrix in Biobased Composites Reinforced With Sisal Fibers

In the present study, the main focus was the characterization and application of the by-product lignin isolated through an industrial organosolv acid hydrolysis process from sugarcane bagasse, aiming at the production of bioethanol. The sugarcane lignin was characterized and used to prepare phenolic-type resins. The analysis confirmed that the industrial sugarcane lignin is of HGS type, with a high proportion of the less substituted aromatic ring p-hydroxyphenyl units, which favors further reaction with formaldehyde. The lignin-formaldehyde resins were used to produce biobased composites reinforced with different proportions of randomly distributed sisal fibers. The presence of lignin moieties in both the fiber and matrix increases their mutual affinity, as confirmed by SEM images, which showed good adhesion at the biocomposite fiber/matrix interface. This in turn allowed good load transference from the matrix to the fiber, leading to biobased composites with good impact strength (near 500 J m(-1) for a 40 wt% sisal fiber-reinforced composite). The study demonstrates that sugarcane bagasse lignin obtained from a bioethanol plant can be used without excessive purification in the preparation of lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced biobased composites displaying high mechanical properties. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 612-621. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Agro-Based Biocomposites for Industrial Applications

Leaf fibers are fibers that run lengthwise through the leaves of most monocotyledonous plants such as pineapple, banana, etc. Pineapple (Ananas comosus) and Banana (Musa indica) are emerging fiber having a very large potential to be used for composite materials. Over 150,000 ha of pineapple and over 100,000 ha of banana plantations are available in Brazil for the fruit production and enormous amount of agricultural waste is produced. This residual waste represents one of the single largest sources of cellulose fibers available at almost no cost. The potential consumers for this fiber are pulp and paper, chemical feedstock, textiles and composites for the automotive, furniture and civil construction industry.

Industrial IT - Att certifiera produktinformation på ABB

Detta examensarbete genomfördes på ABB Power Technologies AB i Ludvika. ABB vill överbrygga gapet mellan industri och informationsteknologi för att få de båda delarna att arbeta integrerat. ABB kallar detta koncept för Industrial IT (IIT). Ett krav från koncernledningen är att alla produkter ska vara certifierade enligt nivå 0, som är det första steget i IIT: s certifieringsprocess. Målet var att utföra en kravspecifikation på ett system som ska kunna leverera certifierad produktinformation enligt IIT-standard. Målet var även att, med kravspecifikationen som underlag, ge förslag på en lösning för att ABB ska kunna skapa och bifoga denna produktinformation till sina kunder.Det akademiska syftet var att beskriva hur man kan gå till väga för att certifiera produktinformationen enligt IIT nivå 0 på en produkt i ABB: s verksamhet. Syftet var även att öka förståelsen för IIT-konceptet.Genom hela arbetet har Gatemodellen använts. Denna projektstyrningsmodell är framtagen speciellt för informationssystem-projekt inom ABB och alla projekt som utförs inom ABB ska följa den. För att uppfylla målet med en utförd kravspecifikation har relevanta delar ur Directmodellen använts. För att få information om hur verksamheten fungerar och få insikt i problematiken har intervjuer genomförts som grundar sig på litteraturstudier.Vi föreslår att ett tidigare utgivet system vid namn Aspect Object Builder (AOB) används som grund i det här projektet. AOB: n har använts i liknande projekt inom ABB och fungerat bra. Det finns ingen standardkoppling mellan AOB: n och de system där produktinformationen finns eftersom det finns så många olika typer av filservrar, PDM- och ERP-system, där informationen lagras. Därför måste ett unikt gränssnitt göras för just detta projekt, som hjälper AOB: n att samla in data. Ett förslag till ett gränssnitt presenteras i uppsatsen.

Energy Analysis within Industrial Hydraulics and Correspondent Solar PV System Design

Energy efficiency and renewable energy use are two main priorities leading to industrial sustainability nowadays according to European Steel Technology Platform (ESTP). Modernization efforts can be done by industries to improve energy consumptions of the production lines. These days, steel making industrial applications are energy and emission intensive. It was estimated that over the past years, energy consumption and corresponding CO2 generation has increased steadily reaching approximately 338.15 parts per million in august 2010 [1]. These kinds of facts and statistics have introduced a lot of room for improvement in energy efficiency for industrial applications through modernization and use of renewable energy sources such as solar Photovoltaic Systems (PV).The purpose of this thesis work is to make a preliminary design and simulation of the solar photovoltaic system which would attempt to cover the energy demand of the initial part of the pickling line hydraulic system at the SSAB steel plant. For this purpose, the energy consumptions of this hydraulic system would be studied and evaluated and a general analysis of the hydraulic and control components performance would be done which would yield a proper set of guidelines contributing towards future energy savings. The results of the energy efficiency analysis showed that the initial part of the pickling line hydraulic system worked with a low efficiency of 3.3%. Results of general analysis showed that hydraulic accumulators of 650 liter size should be used by the initial part pickling line system in combination with a one pump delivery of 100 l/min. Based on this, one PV system can deliver energy to an AC motor-pump set covering 17.6% of total energy and another PV system can supply a DC hydraulic pump substituting 26.7% of the demand. The first system used 290 m2 area of the roof and was sized as 40 kWp, the second used 109 m2 and was sized as 15.2 kWp. It was concluded that the reason for the low efficiency was the oversized design of the system. Incremental modernization efforts could help to improve the hydraulic system energy efficiency and make the design of the solar photovoltaic system realistically possible. Two types of PV systems where analyzed in the thesis work. A method was found calculating the load simulation sequence based on the energy efficiency studies to help in the PV system simulations. Hydraulic accumulators integrated into the pickling line worked as energy storage when being charged by the PV system as well.

The care crunch: changing work, families and welfare in Australia

Structural shifts in labour markets and in households are impacting on the capacity of households and families to deal with risk. In Australia the post-Federation and post-war social settlement, based on the gendered assumptions underpinning the male breadwinner/female carer model, is no longer viable in an era of increasingly precarious employment, diverse family forms and deepening inequalities. Labour market and industrial relations changes, when combined with major demographic shifts such as divorce and population ageing, and increasing expectations for community care are contributing to a 'care crunch'. The article canvasses the challenge of developing a social risk protection framework that balances caring, work and quality of life.

Prosecuting corporations and officers for industrial manslaughter-recent Australian developments

There have been concerns for some time about whether breaches of duty that cause a worker's death are appropriately dealt with under occupational health and safety legislation, or whether criminal prosecution is warranted in those cases involving recklessness or gross negligence. Defaulting employers are rarely prosecuted under existing criminal laws and there are serious doctrinal barriers to finding a corporation guilty of mens rea offences.
The Australian Capital Territory leads the way in Australia with the recent introduction of new criminal offences of industrial manslaughter for corporations and their senior officers. These laws rely on concepts of corporate liability based on organisational responsibility and corporate culture in the model Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) , thus avoiding the limitations of the identification doctrine. Other active Australian jurisdictions, whilst initially open to the notion of industrial manslaughter laws, have preferred to make changes to existing OHS laws to deal with the problem of workplace fatalities.
Whilst it has its limitations, and applies only in Australia's smallest jurisdiction, the Australian Capital Territory legislation reflects a commitment to treating workplace deaths with the seriousness they deserve, and making it easier to prosecute corporations whose operations are conducted recklessly or with gross negligence.

Conceptualising industrial relations in the "risk society"

This paper contrasts the characteristics of different types of modernities, noting the present transition occurring between its simple and reflexive manifestations. It then demonstrates how mainstream industrial relations theories have long been framed by a collectivist 'risk insurance principle '. In combining these two observations the argument is made that theories built around institutional dependencies that rely on the evidence or assumption ofoperable risk insurance principles and collective guardianships of workplace well being make less sense in a world of emerging personal narratives ofchoice and dependency that centre around individuals taking personal responsibility for avoiding or diminishing the risks of their engagement with uncertain labour markets. The discussion concludes by setting out the social and epistemological conditions under which future industrial relations theorising might beframed so as to accommodate these emerging conditions in a manner that is both realistic and relevant.

Intangible assets and the underpricing of industrial company initial public offerings

This study analyses 262 industrial company initial public offerings (IPOs) in Australia from 1994 to 1999. It finds that the identification and valuation of brand name, trademark, patent and capitalized research and development cost intangible assets in the prospectus significantly reduces underpricing. The identification of goodwill and license cost intangibles does not appear to be significant to underpricing. This paper supports the Beatty and Ritter (1986) argument that IPOs may display financial and nonfinancial characteristics that lower the uncertainty about the value of the lPO and hence lower the underpricing of that IPO. Our findings suggest implications for the issuer who wants to maximize the value of the firm at the time of the lPO, the underwriter who is required to guarantee the success of the capital raising and for the initial investors who are looking to reduce their uncertainty about the valuation of the lPO.

Publication bias in industrial relations research

Publication bias arises when statistically non-significant results are suppressed or when only results satisfying prior expectations are published. Like most fields, research in industrial relations is vulnerable to publication bias. In this paper qualitative and quantitative techniques are used in order to detect publication bias in the union-productivity effects literature. We find no evidence of publication bias in this literature, although there does appear to be autoregression in the published results.

Industrial relations and catholic social doctrine

This paper reviews the key principles of Catholic Social thought as they pertain to relations between labour and capital. It is argued that such principles are foundational for the conduct of ethical relations and the exercise of moral values in the workplace, and are recognisable in the right of workers to employment and just compensation for their labours, in the duty of employers to provide safe and engaging work for those in their charge, and in the obligation of the state to dispense wise governance in a manner that guarantees the welfare and security of all its citizens. It is argued that these principles have had de facto airing in Australian political and economic history, and that they might be usefully drawn upon again to protect the rights of workers under the current ascendency of neo-liberal policy solutions.

Behind WorkChoices : how one company changed Australia's industrial relations

Never has a form of legislation created such contentious and wide-reaching emotional debate in Australia. It has divided the community and has resulted in extensive media activity. To the forefront are Australian academics who have often been the resource of expert comment and their reports have been prolific. In this book, academics have taken to opportunity to write their own perception of the impact of Work Choices in the workplace.

Employment relations : integrating industrial relations and human resource management

Incorporating Human Resource Management policies within the regulatory and institutional framework that governs contemporary industrial relations has always been problematic. This paper details the nature and causes of this problem, noting the different conceptual and practical understandings that underpin each form of labour management when being applied in organisational settings. It then looks at a range of industrial relations realities confronting managers when trying to apply HRM practices, and how these practices might be accommodated within the context of such realities as a means of improving organisational effectiveness. In so doing it delineates four approaches an organisation might take in its relations with trade unions when bargaining and concluding labour contracts, and which of these are consistent and inconsistent with the coexistence of HRM and industrial relations practices. It then looks at the issue of workplace change involving trade unions and collective bargaining in terms of three categorical models—the management-driven model, the trade union gatekeeper model, and the management-union alliance model, the intention again being to show which are consistent and inconsistent with the coexistence of these different forms of labour management. The paper concludes by drawing on these conceptual models to outline the issues and policies that need to be considered when applying HRM practices within an industrial relations setting.