• Energy Research

Some fruits have a reduced harvesting period or a high degree of perishability, which results in a very short shelf life. Therefore, in order to extend the shelf life of foodstuffs, maintaining low the level at which microbial spoilage and deterioration reactions can occur, fresh fruits have to be treated, obtaining semi-finished products. Those products are commonly used as starting materials by some food industries, like jams', gelatines' and marmalades’ ones, due to the extension of their productions throughout the whole year. Among the possible techniques, the Southern Italy industry under study uses three different techniques to produce, package and preserve semi-finished fruits: one based on individually quick freezing, one on low-pressure superheated steam drying with far-infrared radiation, and one on an ohmic aseptic treatment. In the last years, food industries have focused their attention not only towards high quality products but also towards environmental friendly productions. Therefore, the aim of this work is to use a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to compare the environmental emissions of the three different production and preservation techniques used by the industry under study. The environmental impacts were evaluated using a detailed LCA analysis, normalizing all the consumptions and emissions to the functional unit (one apricots’ kg on dry basis). Data were analysed using SimaPro 8.0.5 software, whereas the Ecoinvent database and information collected from the chosen industrial site were used for the life cycle inventory, according to the reference standard for LCA (i.e., ISO 14040–14044).

Managing End-of-Life (EoL) products and reintroducing materials and components within the production loop become crucial for guaranteeing the Circular Economy business model. In such a way, the proper management of disassembly process for recovering components and materials from returned EoL products is essential as well as strategic: disassembly is the main gateway of information and can ensure economic returns. This paper aims to provide a model for the economic assessment of the introduction of a manual disassembly line in a traditional and already operating assembly line of manufacturing industries. Therefore, recovered components and materials could directly feed the assembly lines and the recycling processes. The model takes in input probabilistic factors, as products’ characteristics, and provides the operating times and component recovery indicators, as well as allows the sizing of the right number of operators needed in the new disassembly line through the optimisation of the industrial cost. An interesting natural evolution of this study is the development of a model-based simulator, with the aim of providing a user-friendly tool to industrial practitioners to estimate the economic feasibility and convenience of introducing a disassembly line.

Abstract In the last few years , the distributed energy production from small wind turbines (i.e.

Abstract The need for new solutions for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity has become apparent with advancements of technology worldwide. This disposition has been revealed by the deregulation of the electricity market, the technological processes in constant evolution, the focus on environmental problems, and the need to manage and protect energy loads that are more sensitive to disturbances in the grid. Numerous significant research and development efforts, involving a large number of technology areas and requiring a highly interdisciplinary design vision, have led to the emergence of a new concept called “Smart Grids.” In this context, attention is emphasized toward the Demand Response (DR), a particular tactic for the intelligent management of users' electrical loads. This paper aims to present an algorithm that helps the aggregator of energy loads in carrying out its daily decisions, using an economic objective function. A mathematical model for this goal was developed, and a heuristic solution was used to calculate the configuration of load distributions. Conclusively, the model was tested to understand its effectiveness and to determine the capability of an aggregator to have revenues from the application of a DR tactic.

Maintenance management is assuming an increasingly important role and garnering increased attention in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, the difficulty of collecting data and processing information is evident in such contexts. In the current literature, few maintenance maturity models focus on the maintenance information management practices field. Moreover, though the existing models allow for assessing the maturity level, they do not indicate or assist in identifying and defining actions to reach the highest level. Furthermore, these models are not suitable for any type of organisation, as the assessment areas defined are quite generic (high level). For this reason, this paper proposes an innovative model for assessing the maturity level of maintenance management information practices in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The model provides the organisation with the strengths and weaknesses of their maintenance information management practices. The proposed model allows a clear measure of the maturity of the maintenance information management practices in smaller industrial contexts and provides a customised improvement programme. The model proposed supports small and medium companies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their maintenance management information infrastructure. The maturity model developed, in addition to being an assessment tool, provides and supports knowledge on the behaviours and practices for achieving world-class results.