Search

Leather material is used in different industrial sectors that generate high quantities of wastes, especially during the cutting phase. This study aims to propose a reuse path for leather scraps focused on the production of an insulation panel. The technical feasibility evaluation demonstrated that the innovative material has acceptable performance to be applied as thermal insulation for building. The preliminary life cycle assessment study compared the environmental performance of the innovative panel against a polyurethane panel. Results demonstrated benefits in some impact and damage categories (−36% in terms of climate change and −15% in terms of ReCiPe single score).

The energy crisis in Pakistan has crippled the country’s economy with an energy shortfall reaching up to 6000 MW. Fortunately, Pakistan lies close to the Sun Belt and therefore receives very high irradiation. To this end, in the beginning of 2014 the Pakistani government sanctioned a solar photovoltaic project namely Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park which was rated at 1000 MW. In this study, a cost benefit analysis for the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park has been developed. The model uses RETScreen software. In fact, a literature review pointed out that most of the previous research work with reference to cost benefit analysis for solar projects has been mainly carried out on smaller power plants. The outcome of the study shows promising results with the simple payback period coming out at 5.6 years. Furthermore, this analysis can serve as guideline for future solar photovoltaic projects in Pakistan and can help in the development and utilization of the huge solar potential of the country, thus aiding in the reduction of energy shortage. In its proposal, our research is unique and innovative in the Pakistani context. The results aim to serve as a guideline for decision makers and researchers interested in this topic.

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) project aims to develop a constellation of two CubeSats orbiting the Earth to measure the linear polarisation of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter on board of each satellite. CUSP will allow to study the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures. CUSP is a project approved for a Phase A study by the Italian Space Agency in the framework of the Alcor program aimed to develop CubeSat technologies and missions., Comment: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 17 - 22 July 2022, Montr\'eal, Qu\'ebec, Canada

Today one of the most interesting ways to produce biodiesel is based on the use of oleaginous microorganisms, which can accumulate microbial oil with a composition similar to vegetable oils. In this paper, we present a thermo-chemical numerical model of the yeast biodiesel production process, considering cardoon stalks as raw material. The simulation is performed subdividing the process into the following sections: steam explosion pre-treatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, lipid production, lipid extraction, and alkali-catalyzed transesterification. Numerical results show that 406.4 t of biodiesel can be produced starting from 10,000 t of lignocellulosic biomass. An economic analysis indicates a biodiesel production cost of 12.8 USD/kg, thus suggesting the need to increase the capacity plant and the lipid yield to make the project economically attractive. In this regard, a sensitivity analysis is also performed considering an ideal lipid yield of 22% and 100,000 t of lignocellulosic biomass. The biodiesel production costs related to these new scenarios are 7.88 and 5.91 USD/kg, respectively. The large capacity plant combined with a great lipid yield in the fermentation stage shows a biodiesel production cost of 3.63 USD/kg making the product competitive on the current market of biofuels by microbial oil.

The study aims to develop a full-scale plant to produce biobased PU foam from microwave liquefaction of riparian shrubs and to evaluate its environmental burden using a cradle-to-gate, scaled-up LCA approach. Life Cycle Inventory was built on experimental data for polyol synthesis by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to maximize the liquefaction yield. Bio-based PU foam was also compared with the petrochemical counterpart. Life Cycle Assessment was carried out using SimaPro 9.0 software and impacts were evaluated with EPD 2007 method. The results indicate that the methylene diphenyl diisocyanate production and the energy consumption for the liquefaction step are the major sources of impacts. Overall, the environmental superiority of biobased polyurethane cannot always be claimed with respect to their fossil counterpart. Finally, a simplified economic assessment showed that for the bio-based PU foam an interesting profitability could be obtained for a market price of 4.5 €/kg.

In this paper, we deal with the design of a sustainable network of charging stations for electric vehicles circulating in an urban area. The major obstacles to E-Mobility (EM) development are still to be found into heated debates both in the scientific and industrial field and into a lacking of a widespread, accessible and homogeneous recharge infrastructure for the electric vehicles. In this work, we face the problem known as location optimization of charging stations and offer a heuristic method to design a sustainable infrastructure for the electric vehicles charging into urban contexts. In particular, the research can help mayors and governors of cities to take decisions concerning the number, the type and the placement of charging stations, taking into account the estimated hourly demand of charging services. Obviously, the design of an appropriate network includes the definition of all the needed costs to build the infrastructure and then the analysis of economic sustainability of the network basing on the revenues coming from estimated demand. The profitability of single charging stations is one of the main criteria to choose for the installation of a station. In this study we assume homogeneous pricing policy like in a monopoly scenario among charging stations. Future research can investigate on the effect of different prices applied by stations in the network design.

One of the most important functions of air conditioning systems in operating rooms is to protect occupants against pathogenic agents transported by air. This protection is done by simultaneously controlling the air distribution, temperature, humidity, filtration and infiltration from other areas etc. Due to their low price, simple installation, operation and maintenance, window/wall air conditioning system have largely been used in operating rooms in Brazil, even if these types of equipment only recirculate the air inside the room without appropriate filtration and renovation with outdoor air. In this context, this work aims to analyse the performance of the window/wall air conditioning systems on indoor air ventilation in operating rooms by measuring particle number concentrations and carbon dioxide concentrations during different surgical procedures, in a single surgical room and in the nearby areas (corridor) for two cases: single surgery and two subsequent surgeries. In addition, the efficiency of the analysed air conditioning system was evaluated by comparing the ventilation level calculated in the surgical room with the ventilation required in order to maintain the carbon dioxide concentration within acceptable levels. The results showed that this type of air conditioning system is not appropriate for use in operating rooms since it cannot provide an adequate level of ventilation. The CO2 concentrations during surgeries, in fact, significantly exceeded acceptable values and a simultaneous increase in particle number concentration was observed. The results also showed that there is a high risk of contamination between subsequent surgeries in the same surgical room, due to residues of contaminants transported by the particles emitted during the surgeries that were not removed from the operating room by the air conditioning system. The particle number concentration measured in the second surgery, in fact, was approximately six times higher than in the first surgery.

Industrialized societies depend on the proper functioning of a whole range of technological infrastructures, such as electricity, road and railway networks and telecommunications which, due to their importance, are generically referred to as critical infrastructures (CIs). Technical failures, natural disasters and malicious events, if not terrorist, could have devastating effects on these infrastructures. The events of the last few years have accelerated efforts to identify and designate CIs at national and European levels and have reinforced concerns about increasing their protection in sensitive sectors for the safety of the individual and the community. The aim of this research is to provide the basic elements to understand the issue along with the reasons for its importance both at national, European and international level. In particular, after analyzing the origin of the problem, a systematic literature review is carried out to study the current research around future perspectives relating to the management of Cis, with particular focus on three research questions: RQ1 “What types of risk assessment methods are used to manage CIs?”, RQ2 “What are the environmental risk mitigation strategies for CIs?” and RQ3 “What is the role of the human factor in the prevention of risks for CIs?”. The results aim to be guidelines for decision makers and researchers interested in this topic.

The emergencies management in industrial plants is an issue widely discussed in the literature and in the European legislative framework. Despite the large interest shown by the different actors involved in emergencies management, neither scientific nor in industrial field, have developed intelligent tools to support the decisions in these particular contexts. This work, realized inside an Italian financed project (DIEM-SSP), faces the problem to evacuate the greater number of persons from a risky area and transfer them in a unique destination outside from this area using the available and limited resources. Supposing that these persons have problem of mobility, the problem to solve becomes this: collect the highest number of persons from several origins and bring them into a unique destination, using a limited number of capacitated vehicles respecting a time limit. This problem has been modelled as a Multi origins Capacitated Team Orienteering Problem (Mo-CTOP) and solved implementing Ants Colony Optimization algorithm (ACOa). Results and tests are given in order to validate the proposed model and to offer a solution for a real case treaty into the abovementioned project.

Fuel cell based trigeneration plants, that utilize absorption chillers to convert waste heat into cooling energy, are a promising technology to satisfy heat, power, and cooling demand in warm climates. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, that operate at low temperature ( 100 ° C), are the most technologically mature among the several types of fuel cells. Thermally activated cooling technologies are widely utilized in trigeneration plants to improve their efficiency. However, absorption chillers require relatively high grade thermal energy and their coupling with low temperature fuel cells is relatively untapped. Herein, we perform a techno-economic analysis of a trigeneration plant based on low temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and half-effect absorption chillers. A thermo-chemical model is developed to estimate the performance of a cogeneration plant based on low temperature fuel cells and of the half-effect absorption chiller. The behavior of such combined heat, cooling, and power plant is also analyzed within real energy management scenarios, considering different energy demands, climatic conditions, energy costs, and plant layouts. The control strategy of the power plant is optimized through a graph-based methodology previously developed and validated by the authors. Total energy cost and CO2 emissions are then compared to those of a reference scenario where electricity is acquired from the distribution grid, thermal energy is produced through a natural gas boiler, and a mechanical chiller is used for cooling. The results show that the utilization of half-effect absorption chillers boosts the environmental and economic benefits for all the considered scenarios. We also demonstrate that the utilization of the absorption chiller reduces the imbalance between the results obtained for the different scenarios (i.e. climates), although economic and environmental benefits associated to distributed generation are strongly influenced by the energy context.

Several researches in the scientific, industrial and commercial fields are supporting the reduction of traditional combustion cars’ use. The main purpose is to increase the quality of life into the metropolitan cities through the reduction of CO2 emissions and global warming. Accordingly, one of the most successful models is the carpooling system. Currently, people are investigating the sustainability and durability of carpooling business model from both economic and organizational point of view. The present research aims to develop a Multicriteria Decision Support System (MDSS) in order to offer a carpooling system’s platform based on different criteria. The MDSS is developed from driver’s point of view and settled on two levels of optimization. Firstly, a genetic algorithm is proposed to solve an orienteering problem that optimizes the total revenue of driver based on the car’s capability and the time schedule. Secondly, the best optimization solutions are compared with multicriteria analysis respect to other criteria not included in the first optimization. The outcome of MDSS is a schedule for drivers, which gives maximum satisfaction in terms of profitability, punctuality and comfort of the travel.

We consider the problem of designing a distribution network for a logistics provider that acquires products from multiple facilities and then delivers those products to many retail outlets. Potential locations for consolidation facilities that combine shipments for cost reduction and service improvements are considered. The problem is formulated with direct shipment and consolidation opportunities. A novel mathematical model is derived to solve a complex facility location problem determining: (i) the location and capacity level of warehouses to open; (ii) the distribution route from each production facility to each retailer outlet; and (iii) the quantity of products stocked at each warehouse and retailer. A genetic algorithm and a specific problem heuristic are designed, tested and compared on several realistic scenarios.

The recent advances in technology sectors often clash with traditional organizational paradigms which can limit or make difficult an efficient implementation in the real world. In this paper we show how it is possible to exploit the advantages of innovative technologies in manufacturing when these are supported by new and efficient methods for production management. More in details, we face a flow shop scheduling problem in a shoe manufacturing system in which overtaking of jobs is allowed thanks to an innovative transportation system. Overtaking means that a job can be put in waiting state and another job can surpass it, allowing the change of the scheduling sequence. Preemption is not allowed. The objective function of the problem is the minimization of the maximum lateness. We propose a decentralized model, based on multi-agent system theory, to represent the production cells of the plant and to include the potentiality offered by overtaking of jobs at decisional level. The adoption of a decentralized approach increases the system flexibility since each machine is able to solve its local scheduling problem. Adding or removing machines to the plant will not imply a change in the scheduling algorithms. The outcomes of this work are reached firstly through a formulation of the problem with three flow shop scheduling models, secondly through a comparison of the models with respect to different performance indicators. The results highlight as the decentralized approach is able to reach comparable performances with the centralized one for a relevant number of instances. Moreover sensitivity analysis shows as in the decentralized model the computational time required to solve bigger instances increases less quickly than in the case of centralized ones. Finally, simulations of the decentralized approach clarify as the correlation of the local solution procedure is effected by the number of machines of the flow shop and the coordination mechanism is effected by the number of the jobs to be scheduled.

This article provides a model based on the Multi Agent System (MAS) paradigm that acts as a methodological basis for evaluating the dynamics in a collaborative environment. The model dynamics is strictly driven by the competence concept. In the provided MAS, the agents represent the actors operating on a given area. In particular, the proposed agents are composed of three distinct typologies: (i) the territorial agent, (ii) the enterprise agent, and (iii) the public agent. Each agent has its local information and goals, and interacts with others by using an interaction protocol. The decision-making processes and the competencies characterize in a specific way each one of the different agent typologies working in the system.

The main challenges in sensor network based monitoring systems are the control and management of complex modules and elements interacting among them and with the environment. This work presents and validates a design model for monitoring and diagnosis systems based on sensor networks exploiting potentialities of the holonic approach. The holonic structure is designed with the final goal to guarantee the performances and the functionalities required by the application scenario of road and work vehicles rental companies. Actually they are interacting and geographically distributed systems. The capabilities of cooperation among modules, hierarchical organization, modularity and reliability of holonic design are exploited. Diagnosis of monitored events is coded and validated through an ad hoc ontology. The design does not give assumption on the physical architecture of holons but only on their capacities/properties, therefore it can be reused in different physical and hardware resources. The case studies confirm the capability of our design to be quickly transferred to programmers and coded in firmware and software.

This paper provides a model based on the Multi Agent System (MAS) paradigm that acts as a methodological basis for evaluating the dynamics in a collaborative environment. The model dynamics is strictly driven by the competence concept. In the provided MAS, the agents represent the actors operating on a given area. In particular, the proposed agents are composed of three distinct typologies: (i) the territorial agent, (ii) the enterprise agent, and (iii) the public agent. Each agent has its local information and goals, and interacts with others by using an interaction protocol. The decision-making processes and the competencies characterize in a specific way each one of the different agent typologies working in the system.

The healthcare services cost are constantly increasing during the last 20 years. This trend has two origins: on one hand the people resort to drugs and healthcare services more often than in the past because more medical treatment are known; on the other hand, this evolution was not supported by an intelligent growth and design of healthcare structure and services. Indeed, a lot of hospital processes, such as drugs and equipments purchasing and managing, are not under control of hospital managers. This work faces the cost and management criticalities presenting a healthcare system as a multi-agent cooperative network. The proposed model faces the challenge of (i) gaining the benefits deriving from successful collaborative models already used in industrial systems and (ii) transferring the most appropriate industrial management practices. The model exploits an operations research technique based on combinatorial auctions in order to effective assign drugs to wards.

The cost of services provided by public and private healthcare systems is nowadays becoming critical. This work tackles the criticalities of hospital equipments and drugs management by emphasizing its implications on the whole healthcare system efficiency. The work presents a multi-agent based model for decisional cooperation in order to address the problem of integration of departments, wards and personnel for improving equipments, and drugs management. The proposed model faces the challenge of (i) gaining the benefits deriving from successful collaborative models already used in industrial systems and (ii) transferring the most appropriate industrial management practices to healthcare systems.

The reduction of a Manufacturing System Complexity is possible adopting a decentralized approach focused on optimization at operation level, and on coordination at higher level of production plant. This point of view, inherited by multi agent models, can increase the flexibility and reduce the complexity of the system management. We apply this principle to a shoe manufacturing system, characterized by an automated transportation who, governed by scheduling rules, can exploit the overtake capability. The operational objectives of the plant are to augment the capacity of the system, to rapidly react to market changes and to obtain a better balance machine work load.

In this work we proposed an integrated support system combining a meta-heuristic algorithm and a multicriteria decision analysis method to solve an orienteering problem applied to car-pooling system. For this purpose a Genetic Algorithm (GA), an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) are implemented. The research is based on the awareness that decision makers (DMs) often face situations in which different conflicting viewpoints (goals or criteria) are to be considered. Current car-pooling web platforms are focused on the exchange of information among potential users and drivers. The aim of this work is to include in web platform a decision procedure to support driver to organize the tour considering more criteria. The driver has to decide which tour does and which users to take into the trip Preliminary test are given to validate the functionality and usefulness of created integrated decision support system.

During the last years the decision making processes is evolving becoming more and more distributed and asynchronous. In order to support decision-makers who are not at the same place at the same time are defined cooperation processes and a set of models able to support designers of Cooperative decision support framework. One of this, proposed in this thesis, is a Reference Model to build Multi Agent System able to represent complex and distributed system composed by several intelligent collaborative entities. Following this definition, it is possible define like collaborative network a lot of complex system such as: 1. Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMSs) that are defined by Ciliers (Ciliers P., 1998) as complex systems in which the knowledge of the system elements composition and the interaction between the environment and the system, is not enough to understand the system functioning; 2. Industrial Clusters (ICs) that can be defined as socioeconomic entities characterized by a social community of people and a population of economic agents localized in close proximity in a specific geographic region that interact to reach similar outcomes (Marshall, 1925); 3. Supply Chains (SCs), network of suppliers, factories, warehouses, distribution centres and retailers that operate in integrated manner (Fox, 1992) with the same aim of reducing inventory and costs, adding value, extending resource and accelerating the time to market. 4. Healthcare Systems, composed by several entities interacting in a great number of critical processes. The internal dynamics of an hospital represents a complex non-linear structure hard to manage in centralized way (Harper 2002). The above mentioned list represents only a part of the numerousness examples of system that can be represented as collaborative networks and that need to be managed in distributed manner due to complexity and to great amount of information necessary to take any kind of decision. There are not many models able to represent and manage this kind of distributed systems, Petri nets represent one of this but present some limits due to: (i) the model become too large and complex even for a modest size problem (Wang J., Deng Y., 1999); (ii) the difficulty to make even a little change to a previously built model. The Multi Agent System (MAS) approach aim to overcome these limits of rigidity and computing complexity trough: (i) the possibility to solve complex problem solving a set of easier local problems; (ii) the opportunity to change some problem parameters or to substitute any system element without discard entirely the original model. The MAS are widely studied in literature like method able to represent dynamic and distributed system with several decision makers having different information domains. It is possible to observe a lack in investigate the problem solving ability of intelligent agents in a multi-agent setting and a variety of representation methods. The difficulty of apply this model approach reside into the activity of architecture design used by the system elements to speak and act. The number and the kind of relations among the system entities became the most important indicator of the model's complexity. For this reason the outcome of my researches can be presented as a reference model integrating two types of approach for the models creation in the MAS field. The main scope is to provide the guidelines able to support the designer in the system modelling like MAS, indicating also in which scenario is more convenient to adopt an approach oriented to Operation Research (OR) technique or another one. The Reference Model is evaluated and validated thanks to several application in different contests, some of whom are mentioned at the beginning of this abstract.