Thermal pre-processing before extraction of polyhydroxyalkanoates for molecular weight quality control

Past studies have repeatedly demonstrated the technical feasibility to produce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) using bacterial biomass of mixed microbial cultures (MMCs). Commercial quality grades of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), PHBV, can be produced with control of average monomer composition. However, demonstration of PHBV...

Reuse of filtering facepiece respirators in the COVID-19 era

The current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an immense and unforeseen increase in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers worldwide. Amongst other products, respirator masks are crucial to protect the users against transmission of the virus. Decontamination and reuse of the existing stock could be a solution to...

Framework for monitoring and control of the production of calcined kaolin

In response to the growing demand for sustainable products and services, the kaolin calcination industry is developing practices that optimise the use of resources. The main challenges include more efficient use of raw materials and a reduction in the energy consumed by the calcination furnace. An opportunity to achieve this lies in the...

Minimal Detectable and Identifiable Biases for quality control

The Minimal Detectable Bias (MDB) is an important diagnostic tool in data quality control. The MDB is traditionally computed for the case of testing the null hypothesis against a single alternative hypothesis. In the actual practice of statistical testing and data quality control, however, multiple alternative hypotheses are considered. We...

Accuracy, precision and reliability in anthropometric surveys for ergonomics purposes in adult working populations: A literature review

Anthropometric surveys are the most common method of gathering human morphometric data, used to design clothing, products and workspaces. The aim of this paper was to assess how current peer reviewed literature addresses the accuracy, reliability and precision regarding manual anthropometric surveys applied to adult working populations in the...

Distributed temperature sensing applied during diaphragm wall construction

Distributed temperature sensing (DTS) can be used to monitor the production process of diaphragm walls. DTS is able to differentiate between already present or fresh bentonite suspensions during refreshing of the bentonite slurry in the trench. During concrete casting, DTS is able to differentiate between the bentonite suspension and concrete...

Quality control of constructions: European trends and developments

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the quality control systems for constructions in seven countries in Europe with the purpose to trace innovative approaches and best practices that can serve as examples for other countries. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a series of research projects carried out over a number of years....

A case study of apparently spontaneous fracture

Spontaneous failures in thermally toughened glass are frequently reported, although the actual percentage is quite small, suppliers in the Netherlands reporting one or two cases a year while thousands of tempered panels are supplied. These cases are rarely investigated in the Netherlands because the broken thermally toughened glass is usually...