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  • Ítem
    Tuning of Adaptive Weight Depth Map Generation Algorithms Exploratory Data Analysis and Design of Computer Experiments DOCE
    (SPRINGER, 2012-07-01) Acosta, Diego Andrés; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
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    Analysis of CO2 Adsorption in Amine-Functionalized Porous Silicas by Molecular Simulations
    (American Chemical Society, 2015-06-01) BUILES, SANTIAGO; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
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    Approximation of the mechanical response of large lattice domains using homogenization and design of experiments
    (Universitatea Politehnica Bucuresti, 2020-01-01) Montoya-Zapata D.; Acosta D.A.; Cortés C.; Pareja-Corcho J.; Moreno A.; Posada J.; Ruiz-Salguero O.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Lattice-based workpieces contain patterned repetition of individuals of a basic topology (Schwarz, ortho-walls, gyroid, etc.) with each individual having distinct geometric grading. In the context of the design, analysis and manufacturing of lattice workpieces, the problem of rapidly assessing the mechanical behavior of large domains is relevant for pre-evaluation of designs. In this realm, two approaches can be identified: (1) numerical simulations which usually bring accuracy but limit the size of the domains that can be studied due to intractable data sizes, and (2) material homogenization strategies that sacrifice precision to favor efficiency and allow for simulations of large domains. Material homogenization synthesizes diluted material properties in a lattice, according to the volume occupancy factor of such a lattice. Preliminary publications show that material homogenization is reasonable in predicting displacements, but is not in predicting stresses (highly sensitive to local geometry). As a response to such shortcomings, this paper presents a methodology that systematically uses design of experiments (DOE) to produce simple mathematical expressions (meta-models) that relate the stress-strain behavior of the lattice domain and the displacements of the homogeneous domain. The implementation in this paper estimates the von Mises stress in large Schwarz primitive lattice domains under compressive loads. The results of our experiments show that (1) material homogenization can efficiently and accurately approximate the displacements field, even in complex lattice domains, and (2) material homogenization and DOE can produce rough estimations of the von Mises stress in large domains (more than 100 cells). The errors in the von Mises stress estimations reach 42% for domains of up to 24 cells. This result means that coarse stress-strain estimations may be possible in lattice domains by combining DOE and homogenized material properties. This option is not suitable for precise stress prediction in sensitive contexts wherein high accuracy is needed. Future work is required to refine the meta-models to improve the accuracies of the estimations. © 2020 by the authors.
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    Understanding the performance of new amine-functionalized mesoporous silica materials for CO2 adsorption
    (American Chemical Society, 2014-09-01) BUILES, SANTIAGO; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
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    Adsorption of Cadmium Using Biochars Produced from Agro-Residues
    (American Chemical Society, 2020-01-01) López J.E.; Builes S.; Heredia Salgado M.A.; Tarelho L.A.C.; Arroyave C.; Aristizábal A.; Chavez E.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Biochars have been shown as promising materials for cadmium remediation. However, the different precursors and the pyrolysis process operating conditions can yield very different surface functional groups, and as a result, different cadmium sorption mechanisms can be observed in biochars. Herein we present the results of cadmium sorption on biochars produced from the pyrolysis of different agro-residues, namely, coffee husk, quinoa straw, and oil palm kernel shell. The adsorption isotherms were used to determine the influence of the biochar's physicochemical characteristics to their sorption behavior. The biochars prepared from quinoa residues showed much higher cadmium uptakes than the other biochars. The concentration of base cations was found to be a critical factor for cadmium sorption. Although the quinoa biochars presented large uptakes, it was found that base cations were supported on the biochars and could be removed by leaching. Results from this study suggest that concentration of base cations on biochars could be used as predictors of the biochar capabilities for the removal of cadmium in aqueous solution. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.
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    Electrochemical degradation of acid yellow 23 by anodic oxidation: optimization of operating parameters
    (American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2016-11-01) Gil, Edison Hernán; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
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    La experimentación educativa, social y técnica en los medialabs universitarios
    (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 2020-01-01) Villa, M.I.; Marulanda, A.; Molina, T.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    This study explores the activities, projects and lines of action of twenty-four media labs of Higher Education Institutions, chosen from a non-probabilistic system. A qualitative content analysis is applied on it to map the characteristics of the laboratories. Following an inductive process of categorization, the study identifies as outstanding work axes initiatives that materialize the principles of collective intelligence, encourage the transformation of teaching and learning systems, and promote the use of multimedia and audiovisual languages ?inside and outside the classroom. The results underline the teaching patterns that strengthen the links of Institutions with their social environments. The projects and initiatives found show how media labs facilitate new ways of reaching knowledge in areas as varied as art, design, journalism or engineering through the use of technologies. © 2020, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. All rights reserved.
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    Development of simulation metamodels to predict the performance and exhaust emission parameters of a spark ignition engine
    (Springer-Verlag France, 2019-01-01) Zutta E.; Acosta D.; Duque A.; Diaz A.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Developing more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly transportation technologies, that can enable to use significantly less petroleum and to reduce regulated emissions while meeting or exceeding drivers’ performance expectations, has always been one of the main challenges in automotive technology. Therefore, based on an experimental dataset, metamodels were generated using design of computer experiments and central composite design technique in order to accurately predict carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NO x), hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions, mean effective pressure and exergy destruction due to heat transfer and combustion process. Combustion metamodels was evaluated varying air–fuel ratio, ignition timing [(°CAD) Crank Angle Degrees], compression ratio, and combustion duration (°) on the performance of a Spark Ignition (SI) engine at constant speed of 750 rpm. Because SI gasoline engines always encounter the decreased thermal efficiency and increased toxic emissions at idle (Jurgen in Automotive electronics handbook, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1995). The Akaike information criterion was applied to automatically select the best metamodel for each case. © 2019, Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.
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    Assessment of the optimized treatment of indigo-polluted industrial textile wastewater by a sequential electrocoagulation-activated carbon adsorption process
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2020-01-01) GilPavas E.; Correa-Sanchez S.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Wastewater collected from a local jean manufacturing plant was treated using an electrocoagulation process (EC) coupled with activated carbon (AC) adsorption. The process variables were optimized using multivariate regression coupled with nonlinear programming with nonlinear restrictions to achieve the lowest possible cost while keeping a high enough degradation rate for chemical oxygen demand (COD), color, and turbidity to fulfill the Colombian environmental regulation requirements. Under optimal conditions (pH = 5.4, s =2 mS/cm, j =14 mA/cm2, and t = 11 min) color, COD, and TOC removals of 95%, 63%, and 51%, respectively, were achieved. The biodegradability index also increased from 0.13 to 0.29, whereas toxicity tests showed a remaining toxicity of 45%. A kinetic study was conducted for the EC process. The activated carbon (AC) adsorption process was successfully used to completely remove toxicity, while further increasing color, COD, and TOC removals to 96%, 72%, and 61%, respectively. The conditions for the AC adsorption process (20 g/L of AC and 1 h) were determined by experimental adsorption isotherms and kinetic studies. The optimized EC/AC process led to an effluent satisfying the Colombian regulations and seems technologically viable with lower costs than other similar process that were reported in previous works. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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    A Comparative Assessment of Emerging Solvents and Adsorbents for Mitigating CO2 Emissions From the Industrial Sector by Using Molecular Modeling Tools
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2020-01-01) Bahamon D.; Alkhatib I.I.I.; Alkhatib N.; Builes S.; Sinnokrot M.; Vega L.F.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    The possibilities offered by molecular modeling tools to obtain relevant data at process conditions, while also gaining molecular insights on the techniques used for CO2 capture and separation, are presented here using selected case studies. Two different technologies, absorption with amine-based systems and adsorption on porous materials, were explored, using the molecular-based equation of state, soft-Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (SAFT), and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations, respectively. The aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) system was set as the benchmark for absorption and compared to the performance of 8 alternative amine-based systems, while 16 adsorbents belonging to different families (zeolites, metal–organic frameworks, amorphous silicas, and activated carbons), bare or functionalized with alkylamines, were investigated for the separation of CO2 by adsorption. In addition to obtaining molecular information on the CO2 capture process, the models were further used to examine the CO2 capture performance in terms of cyclic working capacity and energy index as key performance indicators, allowing the identification of promising systems that can improve the current ones to be further evaluated for separation in non-power industries. Results show that for the same total amine mass concentration, non-aqueous amine solvents have a 5–10% reduction in cyclic working capacity, and a 10–30% decrease in the energy index compared to their aqueous counterparts due to their lower heat of vaporization and specific heat capacity. In addition, M-MOF-74, NaX, and NaY structures present the best results for adsorption in temperature swing adsorption (TSA) processes. Similar values of energy requirements to those of amine-based systems (2–2.5 MJ kg CO2–1) were obtained for some of the adsorbent; however, the disadvantage of the TSA process versus absorption should be considered. These results confirm the reliability of molecular modeling as an attractive and valuable screening tool for CO2 capture and separation processes. © Copyright © 2020 Bahamon, Alkhatib, Alkhatib, Builes, Sinnokrot and Vega.
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    Mineralization of cyanide originating from gold leaching effluent using electro-oxidation: multi-objective optimization and kinetic study
    (SPRINGER, 2020-01-01) Dobrosz-Gómez I.; Gómez García M.Á.; Gaviria G.H.; GilPavas E.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Abstract: This study examines the electro-oxidation (EO) of cyanide originating from an industrial plant´s gold leaching effluent. Experiments were carried out in a laboratory-scale batch cell reactor. Monopolar configuration of electrodes consisting of graphite (anode) and aluminum (cathode) was employed, operating in galvanostatic mode. Response Surface Methodology (RSM), based on a Box–Behnken experimental Design (BBD), was used to optimize the EO operational conditions. Three independent process variables were considered: initial cyanide concentration ([CN-]0 = 1000–2000 mg L-1), current density (J =7–107 mA cm-2), and stirring velocity (? = 250–750 rpm). The cyanide conversion (XCN-), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal percentage (%RCOD), and specific Energy Consumption per unit mass of removed cyanide (EC) were analyzed as response variables. Multi-objective optimization let to establish the most effective EO conditions ([CN-]0 = 1000 mg L-1, J = 100 mA cm-2 and ? = 750 rpm). The experimental data (XCN-, %RCOD, and EC) were fitted to second-order polynomial models with adjusted correlation coefficients (Radj2) of ca. 98, 99 and 87%, respectively. The kinetic analysis, performed at optimal EO operational conditions, allowed determination of time required to meet Colombian permissible discharge limits. The predictive capacity of kinetic expressions was verified against experimental data obtained for gold leaching effluent. Total cyanide removal and 96% of COD reduction were obtained, requiring EC of 71.33 kWh kg-1 and 180 min. The BOD5 (biological oxygen demand)/COD ratio increased from 4.52 × 10-4 to 0.5573, confirming effluent biodegradability after EO treatment. Graphic Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]The variation of cyanide (CN-), cyanate (CNO-) and ammonium (NH4 +) ions concentrations vs. time at alkaline conditions. EO operational conditions: [CN-]0 = 1000 mg/L, J = 100 mA/cm2 , ? = 750 rpm, [NaCl] = 0.15 M and pH 11.1. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V.
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    A Semiempirical Method to Detect and Correct DFT-Based Gas-Phase Errors and Its Application in Electrocatalysis
    (AMER CHEMICAL SOC, 2020-06-19) Granda-Marulanda, Laura P.; Rendon-Calle, Alejandra; Builes, Santiago; Illas, Francesc; Koper, Marc T. M.; Calle-Vallejo, Federico; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Computational models of adsorption at metal surfaces are often based on DFT and make use of the generalized gradient approximation. This likely implies the presence of sizable errors in the gas-phase energetics. Here, we take a step closer toward chemical accuracy with a semiempirical method to correct the gas-phase energetics of PBE, PW91, RPBE, and BEEF-vdW exchange-correlation functionals. The proposed two-step method is tested on a data set of 27 gas-phase molecules belonging to the carbon cycle: first, the errors are pinpointed based on formation energies, and second, the respective corrections are sequentially applied to ensure the progressive lowering of the data set's mean and maximum errors. We illustrate the benefits of the method in electrocatalysis by a substantial improvement of the calculated equilibrium and onset potentials for CO2 reduction to CO on Au, Ag, and Cu electrodes. This suggests that fast and systematic gas-phase corrections can be devised to augment the predictive power of computational catalysis models.
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    Substantial improvement of electrocatalytic predictions by systematic assessment of solvent effects on adsorption energies
    (Elsevier B.V., 2020-01-01) Rendón-Calle A.; Builes S.; Calle-Vallejo F.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Electrocatalytic activities are largely determined by the interplay of adsorbates with substrates and solvents. Although capturing the interactions of those three components is usually arduous, here we provide a simple micro-solvation method to evaluate them in aqueous media. The method helps determine: (a) the number of water molecules making hydrogen bonds with the adsorbates, and (b) the energetic stabilization of the adsorbates by those hydrogen bonds. To evaluate the usefulness of the method, we consider CO2 reduction to CO, CH4, and CH3OH on Cu, Ag, Au, and Zn. Applying the calculated solvation corrections, we find good agreement with experiments in the predicted pathways and onset potentials, with an average error of only 0.07 V. Conversely, models with ad hoc or implicit solvation corrections predict unlikely pathways and onset potentials with considerably larger errors. These results indicate that accurate methods to assess solvent-adsorbate interactions contribute to improve computational electrocatalysis models. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
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    Using scrap zero valent iron to replace dissolved iron in the Fenton process for textile wastewater treatment: Optimization and assessment of toxicity and biodegradability
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2019-09-01) GilPavas, Edison; Correa-Sanchez, Santiago; Acosta, Diego A.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    A Fenton like advanced oxidation process (AOP) employing scrap zerovalent iron (SZVI) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was studied for industrial textile wastewater treatment from a textile manufacturing plant located at Medellin, Colombia (South America). The wastewater effluent studied contains a mixture of organic compounds resistant to conventional treatments. The effect of initial pH and SZVI concentration and H2O2 concentration were studied by a response surface methodology (RSM) Box-Behnken design of experiment (BBD). The combined SZVI/H2O2 process led to reductions of 95% color, 76% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 71% of total organic carbon (TOC) at optimal operating conditions of pH = 3, SZVI = 2000 mg/L and [H2O2] = 24.5 mM. Molecular weight distribution measurement (MWD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, HPLC, biodegradability and toxicity were used to characterize the pollutants after the treatment process finding that the resulting effluent was polluted mostly by low molecular weight carboxylic acids. A remarkable biodegradability enhancement of the effluent was evidenced by a BOD5/COD ratio increase from 0.22 to 0.4; also, the SZVI/H2O2 process successfully reduced the toxicity from 60% to 20% of dead A. Salina crustaceans. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Influence of Van der Waals Interactions on the Solvation Energies of Adsorbates at Pt-Based Electrocatalysts.
    (John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2019-11-19) Granda-Marulanda LP; Builes S; Koper MTM; Calle-Vallejo F; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Solvation can significantly modify the adsorption energy of species at surfaces, thereby influencing the performance of electrocatalysts and liquid-phase catalysts. Thus, it is important to understand adsorbate solvation at the nanoscale. Here we evaluate the effect of van der Waals (vdW) interactions described by different approaches on the solvation energy of *OH adsorbed on near-surface alloys (NSAs) of Pt. Our results show that the studied functionals can be divided into two groups, each with rather similar average *OH solvation energies: (1) PBE and PW91; and (2) vdW functionals, RPBE, PBE-D3 and RPBE-D3. On average, *OH solvation energies are less negative by ~0.14 eV in group (2) compared to (1), and the values for a given alloy can be extrapolated from one functional to another within the same group. Depending on the desired level of accuracy, these concrete observations and our tabulated values can be used to rapidly incorporate solvation into models for electrocatalysis and liquid-phase catalysis.
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    Optimization of the heterogeneous electro-Fenton process assisted by scrap zero-valent iron for treating textile wastewater: Assessment of toxicity and biodegradability
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2019-12-01) GilPavas, Edison; Correa-Sanchez, Santiago; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    In this work, the heterogeneous electro-Fenton process assisted by scrap zero-valent iron (SZVI) and with graphite electrodes (as anode and cathode) is studied as an alternative way to treat wastewater from a textile plant located in Medellin, Colombia. The effects of the initial pH, SZVI load, and current density in the SZVI-assisted electro-oxidation process (EO/SZVI) are analyzed and optimized using multivariable regression models generated using the Box-Behnken experimental design and convex nonlinear optimization. The EO/SZVI process leads to maximum reductions of approximately 100%, 67%, and 59% in color, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), respectively, under the optimal operating conditions of pH of 3.5. Further, it leads to an SZVI concentration of 0.6 g/L, and a current density of 20 mA/cm(2) during 30 min of electrolysis. The post-process pollutants are characterized further using molecular weight distribution measurements, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, biodegradability, and toxicity. The results show that the treated effluent is polluted mostly by carboxylic acids of low molecular weight. A remarkable enhancement of the biodegradability of the effluent is evidenced by an increase in the BOD (5)/COD ratio (biodegradability index) from 0.15 to 0.54. Although the EO/SZVI process does not improve the toxicity (as measured by the mortality of Artemia salina), the latter is reduced subsequently from 100% to 20% through adsorption using activated carbon (AC). The findings of this study indicate that the EO/SZVI process is an effective and promising alternative for treating textile wastewater.
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    Efficient treatment for textile wastewater through sequential electrocoagulation, electrochemical oxidation and adsorption processes: Optimization and toxicity assessment
    (Elsevier BV, 2020-01-01) GilPavas E.; Dobrosz-Gómez I.; Gómez-García M.-Á.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    In this work, the sequential Electrocoagulation + Electro-oxidation + Activated carbon adsorption (EC + EO + AC) process was studied as an alternative for the treatment of an industrial textile wastewater (TWW) issuing from a manufacturing company located in Medellín (Colombia). The EC's and EO's operational conditions were optimized using a Box-Behnken experimental design, the Response Surface Methodology and a constrained nonlinear optimization algorithm in terms of organic matter degradation efficiency. The best performance for EC (i. e., dye removal = 94%, COD and TOC degradation of 45 and 40%, respectively) was obtained using Fe anode and Boron Doped Diamond (BDD) cathode, with current density, jEC, equals to 5 mA/cm2, pH = 9.3, 60 RPM and 10 min of electrolysis. After EC treatment, the effluent biodegradability (evaluated as the BOD5/COD ratio) increases from 0.14 to 0.23. Regrettably, EC was not effective for the removal of acute toxicity to Artemia salina since the treated effluent remained very toxic (100%). The treatment of EC's effluent by EO enhanced organic pollutant removal. For EC + EO sequential process, EO optimal operational conditions (jEO = 10 mA/cm2, pH = 3, 240 RPM, BDD as anode and Fe as cathode) allowed reduction of 100% of color, 88% of COD and 79% of TOC after 30 min of electrolysis. Moreover, the BOD5/COD ratio increased from 0.23 to 0.58; however, the treated effluent remained very toxic to the Artemia salina. Consequently, an activated carbon adsorption step was included to complete the treatment process. Thus, by coupling the EC + EO + AC process, effluent's acute toxicity decreased completely. From molecular weight distribution analysis, it was concluded that EC + EO was efficient in eliminating low molecular weight (< 5 kDa) compounds. Finally, the operation cost, which includes chemical reagents, electrodes, energy consumption, and sludge disposal, for the EC + EO + AC sequential process was estimated in 3.83 USD /m3. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
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    TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES DE LA INDUSTRIA TEXTIL MEDIANTE COAGULACION QUIMICA ACOPLADA A PROCESOS FENTON INTENSIFICADOS CON ULTRASONIDO DE BAJA FRECUENCIA
    (Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, UNAM, 2018-02-01) GIL PAVAS EDISON; Arbelaez, Paula Eliana; Medina, J.; GOMEZ, CARLOS MARIO; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    The present study evaluates the sequential treatment of chemical coagulation (CC) followed by the advanced oxidation process (AOP) of Fenton (H2O2/Fe2+) or photoFenton (UV/H2O2/Fe2+) intensified by low frequency ultrasound. Optimization of the pretreatment step through CC by jar test showed that an optimal coagulant (Al-2[SO4](3)) dose of 800 mg/L removed 99 % of turbidity and 53 % of the chemical oxygen demand (COD). The resulting supernatant is used for the AOP evaluation. The statistical analysis of a Box-Behnken response surface design showed that optimal conditions to carry out the US/H2O2/Fe2+ process are: 1 mM de Fe2+, 14 mM de H2O2 and pH 3. Under these conditions the CC coupled to the US/H2O2/Fe2+ process removes 82 % of the COD of the supernatant while the US/UV/H2O2/Fe2+ process eliminates 95 % after 90 min of reaction. The use of ultrasound waves inducing an increase of 10 % in the process efficiency. The mineralization of pollutants during treatment as well as the H2O2 consumption were monitored.
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    Exploring Undergraduate Students' Computational Modeling Abilities and Conceptual Understanding of Electric Circuits
    (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2018-08-01) Ortega-Alvarez J.D.; Sanchez W.; Magana A.J.; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    Contribution: This paper adds to existing literature on teaching basic concepts of electricity using computer-based instruction; findings suggest that students can develop an accurate understanding of electric circuits when they generate multiple and complementary representations that build toward computational models. Background: Several studies have explored the efficacy of computer-based, multi-representational teaching of electric circuits for novice learners. Existing research has found that instructional use of computational models that move from abstract to concrete representations can foster students' comprehension of electric circuit concepts, but other features of effective instruction using computational models need further investigation. Research Questions: 1) Is there a correlation between students' representational fluency and their ability to reason qualitatively on electric circuits? and 2) Is the quality of student-generated computational representations correlated to their conceptual understanding of electric circuits? Methodology: The study comprised two cases in which 51 sophomore-engineering students completed a voluntary assignment designed to assess their representational fluency and conceptual understanding of electric circuits. Qualitative insights from the first case informed the design of a scoring rubric that served as both the assessment and the data collection instrument. Findings: The results suggest that a multi-representational approach aimed at the construction of computational models can foster conceptual understanding of electric circuits. The number and quality of students' representations showed a positive correlation with their conceptual understanding. In particular, the quality of the computational representations was found to be highly, and significantly, correlated with the correctness of students' answers to qualitative reasoning questions. © 1963-2012 IEEE.
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    Optimization of sequential chemical coagulation - electro-oxidation process for the treatment of an industrial textile wastewater
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2018-04-01) GIL PAVAS EDISON; Dobrosz-Gómez, I.; Angel Gomez-Garcia, Miguel; Universidad EAFIT. Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos; Desarrollo y Diseño de Procesos
    In this study, the sequential Chemical Coagulation-Electro-Oxidation (CC-EO) process was proposed as an alternative for the treatment of an industrial textile wastewater. Complete characterization of the effluent was made in the terms of its organic load (Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5)), biodegradability (BOD5/COD ratio) and solids content (total solids and turbidity). For CC, the jar test was used to determine both the most favorable dosage of coagulant and pH of the process (i.e., 600 mg/L of Al2(SO4)3 at pH of 9.3). CC let to remove ca. 93% of turbidity, 53% of COD and 24% of TOC. It also increased BOD5/COD ratio of raw textile wastewater from 0.16 to 0.27. Next, CC effluent was treated by EO. Its performance was optimized using Box-Behnken experimental Design and Response Surface Methodology. The following EO optimal conditions were found: current density = 15 mA/cm2, conductivity = 4.7 mS/cm and pH = 5.6. At these conditions, the sequential CC-EO process removed 100% of color, 93.5% of COD, and 75% of TOC after 45 min of electrolysis with an estimated operating cost of 6.91 USD/m3. Moreover, the CC-EO process yield a highly oxidized (Average Oxidation State, AOS = 2.3) and biocompatible (BOD5/COD >0.4) effluent. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd