The Experts below are selected from a list of 11454 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Emma L Johnston - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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pore size and polymer affect the ability of filters for Washing Machines to reduce domestic emissions of fibres to sewage
PLOS ONE, 2020Co-Authors: Mark Anthony Browne, Macarena Ros, Emma L JohnstonAbstract:When clothes are worn and washed, they emit fibres into the ecosystem via discharges of sewage that have been linked to the global dispersion of clothing fibres. Facilities that treat sewage divert some fibres from sewage effluent to sludge, but no current methods of filtration eliminate their environmental release. While filters for Washing-Machines are sold to consumers with the argument they will reduce the emissions of fibres from clothes to the environment, there is insufficient scientific peer-reviewed evidence assessing their ability to retain fibres from washed clothes and reduce environmental contamination. To improve our understanding and develop more realistic methods to assess the efficiency of filters, we washed replicate cotton and polyester garments in replicate domestic front-loaded Washing-Machines with and without replicate filters (micro- and milli-meter-sized pores), and then quantified the masses of the fibres retained by the filters and those released in the effluent. Here we show micrometer-sized filters significantly reduced the mass of cotton by 67% (F2,6 = 11.69, P<0.01) compared to effluent from appliances with no filters, whilst filters in general reduced polyester fibres in their effluent by more than 65% (micrometer-sized pores) and 74% (millimeter-sized pores) compared to effluent from appliances with no filters (F2,12 = 5.20, P<0.05). While filters with micrometer-sized pores caught larger masses and total proportions of fibres than filters with millimeter-sized pores, the differences were only significant for the total proportions of cotton (t = 4.799 df = 4, P<0.01). For tests with garments of either types of polymer, the filtered effluent still contained up to a third of the original masses of fibres released from the garments. Given the diversity of clothes, polymers, appliances and filters currently sold to consumers, our work shows the value of increasing the rigour (e.g. more levels of replication) when testing filters and the need for further studies that test an even greater diversity of materials and methods in order to meet the growing demand for knowledge from governments, industry and the public.
Mark Anthony Browne - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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pore size and polymer affect the ability of filters for Washing Machines to reduce domestic emissions of fibres to sewage
PLOS ONE, 2020Co-Authors: Mark Anthony Browne, Macarena Ros, Emma L JohnstonAbstract:When clothes are worn and washed, they emit fibres into the ecosystem via discharges of sewage that have been linked to the global dispersion of clothing fibres. Facilities that treat sewage divert some fibres from sewage effluent to sludge, but no current methods of filtration eliminate their environmental release. While filters for Washing-Machines are sold to consumers with the argument they will reduce the emissions of fibres from clothes to the environment, there is insufficient scientific peer-reviewed evidence assessing their ability to retain fibres from washed clothes and reduce environmental contamination. To improve our understanding and develop more realistic methods to assess the efficiency of filters, we washed replicate cotton and polyester garments in replicate domestic front-loaded Washing-Machines with and without replicate filters (micro- and milli-meter-sized pores), and then quantified the masses of the fibres retained by the filters and those released in the effluent. Here we show micrometer-sized filters significantly reduced the mass of cotton by 67% (F2,6 = 11.69, P<0.01) compared to effluent from appliances with no filters, whilst filters in general reduced polyester fibres in their effluent by more than 65% (micrometer-sized pores) and 74% (millimeter-sized pores) compared to effluent from appliances with no filters (F2,12 = 5.20, P<0.05). While filters with micrometer-sized pores caught larger masses and total proportions of fibres than filters with millimeter-sized pores, the differences were only significant for the total proportions of cotton (t = 4.799 df = 4, P<0.01). For tests with garments of either types of polymer, the filtered effluent still contained up to a third of the original masses of fibres released from the garments. Given the diversity of clothes, polymers, appliances and filters currently sold to consumers, our work shows the value of increasing the rigour (e.g. more levels of replication) when testing filters and the need for further studies that test an even greater diversity of materials and methods in order to meet the growing demand for knowledge from governments, industry and the public.
Archie J Johnston - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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feasibility assessment of recycled water use for Washing Machines in australia through swot analysis
Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2011Co-Authors: Bandita Mainali, Huu Hao Ngo, Wenshan Guo, Thi Thu Nga Pham, Archie J JohnstonAbstract:Sustainable urban water consumption has become a critical issue in Australia due to increasing urbanization, the country's dry climate and its increasingly variable rainfall. Water recycling is considered vital to alleviate the demand on limited water supplies. The demands on water utilities to develop water recycling capacity and supplies are therefore expected to intensify in Australia. Dual reticulation systems have already been introduced in many cities in Australia and this is likely to expand to many other cities in the future. Developed and proposed dual reticulation schemes in Australia demand the substantial replacement of tap water with recycled water to ensure system optimisation and the sustainability of water supplies. This study successfully applies Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis as a research tool to assess the feasibility of use of recycled water in Washing machine applications. Through the identification of the reuse schemes’ strengths (elements to leverage and build on) and weaknesses (areas to seek assistance and support) in addition to community opportunities (areas to leverage for program advantages) and threats (elements that could hinder the scheme), the positive aspects for the use of recycled water in Washing Machines is observed. Further study to address the specific concerns of the general public and the development of guidelines for this new end use is however essential to guide the implementation of recycled water schemes.
Mauro Cordella - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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analysis of evaluation systems for product repairability a case study for Washing Machines
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021Co-Authors: Ellen Bracquene, Jef Peeters, Felice Alfieri, Javier Sanfelix, Joost Duflou, Wim Dewulf, Mauro CordellaAbstract:Abstract Increasing the durability of electrical and electronics products is key to reduce our worldwide material consumption and the related environmental footprint. A valuable strategy to achieve this goal is extending the useful lifetime of products by means of repair. Methods to assess and rate the repairability of products have been developed recently. In this study, two different assessment methods, the Assessment Matrix for ease of Repair (AsMeR) developed by KU Leuven and the Repair Scoring System (RSS) developed by JRC, are applied to seven Washing machine models. The data required for this assessment are collected through a combination of literature study and fieldwork at a refurbishment centre of large household appliances. The aim of this paper is to investigate (1) the ability of the two assessment methods to capture the diversity of products on the market, (2) coherence of results obtained with the methods, and (3) how methodological choices can affect results. The results suggest that there is no perfect correlation between repairability score and product characteristic such as consumer price: cheaper Machines in general scored lower in terms of repairability, but the best score was not obtained by the most expensive model. This can possibly be explained by the fact that high-range models are designed for reliability rather than for (self-) repairability. Overall, results show a good coherence between the applied repairability assessment methods. Both methods rely on the selection of priority parts, which is a challenging task. However, the sensitivity analysis revealed that overall scores are not significantly affected by the number and the weighting factor of priority parts, as long as a sufficient number of priority parts are considered (at least five for Washing Machines). In addition, the number and weighting factor of some criteria and parameters could be reduced without significantly altering the relative ranking of the investigated WMs. This suggests that the methods could be simplified when tailored to assess specific product groups.
Erdinc Altug - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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estimation of unbalanced loads in Washing Machines using fuzzy neural networks
IEEE-ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2013Co-Authors: Ahmet Yorukoglu, Erdinc AltugAbstract:The performance of the Washing Machines is limited by the grouping of the clothes in spinning cycle, generally called as the unbalanced load (UL). The UL may cause vibrations, noise, and possible damage to the machine; therefore, accurate estimation of ULs, including their magnitudes and locations in Washing drum, is required. In this paper, we propose an approach to evaluate the position and mass of the UL in a horizontal loading Washing machine. The approach uses fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks to obtain fast and accurate estimate of the UL. An experimental system has been developed and the algorithms are implemented on a real-time system to show the effectiveness of the approach. Successful experiments involving a distribution algorithm suggests that UL estimation and elimination in real time is possible.
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determining the mass and angular position of the unbalanced load in horizontal Washing Machines
International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, 2009Co-Authors: Ahmet Yorukoglu, Erdinc AltugAbstract:Horizontal Washing Machines use significantly less water and energy as opposed to conventional Machines. Unbalanced load in Washing Machines limit the performance, and therefore accurate estimation of unbalanced loads, including their magnitudes and locations in Washing drum, is required. In this paper, we propose an approach to evaluate the angular position and mass of the unbalanced load. A simulation model of the system was developed and various experiments were performed. The proposed algorithms and the developed experimental system can estimate the angular position of the unbalance load with maximum %3 error. The research on unbalanced load increase the performance of the Washing machine and in addition to this, this research can be used to eliminate unbalanced load in future studies.
