Advances in Repurposing and Recycling of Post-Vehicle-Application Lithium-Ion Batteries

Increased electrification of vehicles has increased the use of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage, and raised the issue of what to do with post-vehicle-application batteries. Three possibilities have been identified: 1) remanufacturing for intended reuse in vehicles; 2) repurposing for non-vehicle, stationary storage applications; and 3) recycling, extracting the precious metals, chemicals and other byproducts. Advances in repurposing and recycling are presented, along with a mathematical model that forecasts the manufacturing capacity needed for remanufacturing, repurposing, and recycling. Results obtained by simulating the model show that up to a 25% reduction in the need for new batteries can be achieved through remanufacturing, that the sum of repurposing and remanufacturing capacity is approximately constant across various scenarios encouraging the sharing of resources, and that the need for recycling capacity will be significant by 2030. A repurposing demonstration shows the use of post-vehicle-application batteries to support a semi-portable recycling platform. Energy is collected from solar panels, and dispensed to electrical devices as required. Recycling may be complicated: lithium-ion batteries produced by different manufacturers contain different active materials, particularly for the cathodes. In all cases, however, the collecting foils used in the anodes are copper, and in the cathodes are aluminum. A common recycling process using relatively low acid concentrations, low temperatures, and short time periods was developed and demonstrated

Experimental design and regression analysis in simulation: An FMS case study

Computer Science;Operational Research

Intelligent transportation system real time traffic speed prediction with minimal data

Purpose: An Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) must be able to predict traffic speed for short time intervals into the future along the branches between the many nodes in a traffic network in near real time using as few observed and stored speed values as possible. Such predictions support timely ITS reactions to changing traffic conditions such as accidents or volume-induced slowdowns and include re-routing advice and time-to-destination estimations. Design/methodology/approach: Traffic sensors are embedded in the interstate highway system in Detroit, Michigan, USA, and metropolitan area. The set of sensors used in this project is along interstate highway 75 (I-75) southbound from the intersection with interstate highway 696 (I-696). Data from the sensors including speed, volume, and percent of sensor occupancy, were supplied in one minute intervals by the Michigan Intelligent Transportation Systems Center (MITSC). Hierarchical linear regression was used to develop a speed prediction model that requires only the current and one previous speed value to predict speed up to 30 minutes in the future. The model was validated by comparison to collected data with the mean relative error and the median error as the primary metrics. Findings and Originality/value: The model was a better predicator of speed than the minute by minute averages alone. The relative error between the observed and predicted values was found to range from 5.9% for 1 minute into the future predictions to 10.9% for 30 minutes into the future predictions for the 2006 data set. The corresponding median errors were 4.0% to 5.4%. Thus, the predictive capability of the model was deemed sufficient for application. Research limitations/implications: The model has not yet been embedded in an ITS, so a final test of its effectiveness has not been accomplished. Social implications: Travel delays due to traffic incidents, volume induced congestion or other reasons are annoying to vehicle occupants as well as costly in term of fuel waste and unneeded emissions among other items. One goal of an ITS is to improve the social impact of transportation by reducing such negative consequences. Traffic speed prediction is one factor in enabling an ITS to accomplish such goals. Originality/value: Numerous data intensive and very sophisticated approaches have been used to develop traffic flow models. As such, these models aren’t designed or well suited for embedding in an ITS for near real-time computations. Such an application requires a model capable of quickly forecasting traffic speed for numerous branches of a traffic network using only a few data points captured and stored in real time per branch. The model developed and validated in this study meets these requirements.Peer Reviewe

Embedded metal nanopatterns for near-field scattering-enhanced optical absorption

Simulations of metal nanopatterns embedded in a thin photovoltaic absorber show significantly enhanced absorbance within the semiconductor, with a more than 300% increase for {\lambda} = 800 nm. Integrating with AM1.5 solar irradiation, this yields a 70% increase in simulated short circuit current density in a 60 nm amorphous silicon film. Embedding such metal patterns inside an absorber maximally utilizes enhanced electric fields that result from intense, spatially organized, near-field scattering in the vicinity of the pattern. Appropriately configured (i.e. with a thin insulating coating), this optical metamedium architecture may be useful for increasing photovoltaic efficiency in thin film solar cells, including offering prospects for realistic ultrathin hot electron cells.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Status Solidi A (2012). 17 pp, 3 fig

RETIREMENT AND FLOW: CAN THE CASUAL LEISURE PURSUITS OF OLDER ADULTS IN RETIREMENT CREATE THE EXPERIENCE OF FLOW?

The purpose of this study was to examine the casual leisure activities of older adults and the potential they have to create flow experiences. The research question was as individuals who may be more likely to engage in casual leisure, can older adults still achieve the state of flow and experience its associated benefits? A qualitative approach including one-on-one interviews and participant’s activity journals were used. The study found that participants often choose leisure activities based on the perceived enjoyment and potential benefits; maintaining physical and mental health, altruism, or maintaining relationships with friends and family. Being purposeful in their choices and focusing their full attention on the task at hand can create flow experiences. Even if participants do not achieve flow, choosing their leisure activities for the benefits they can provide ensures that they are contributing positively to their own well-being and sometimes the larger community.M.S

Corporate Social Responsibility Programs in Supply Chain Strategies

This study focused on United States-based small and medium-sized (SME) manufacturing companies and their decision-making strategies regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs within their supply chain strategies. As CSR gains global acceptance, those stakeholder interests seek validation and compete for outcomes that affect the triple bottom line of people, the planet, and profits. Strategic managers must skillfully balance the implementation of CSR programs with available resources, all without a guaranteed increase in competitiveness or organizational excellence. CSR is often perceived as more suitable for larger organizations with ample resources. At the same time, SMEs grapple with the fiduciary challenges of adopting CSR programs into their organizations. This study used a qualitative, flexible multiple-case research design to gather data through interviews with six purposefully chosen C-suite-level manufacturing business leaders. The research followed an inductive, theory-driven approach to data collection and analysis. The findings suggest that SME manufacturers often rely on supply chain partners to meet their production needs. However, apart from fulfilling contractual obligations, they are not involved in how these partners conduct business. They typically see CSR as burdensome and, when mandated by government, another cost of doing business. Outside mandates or driven by customer demands, they show little interest in CSR and question its purpose when conducting business based on an ethical stewardship model

The impact of formal education, specialized training, and offense type on perceptions of employability: Can bias toward hiring a person with a criminal history be mitigated?

Gaining employment for returning citizens has been shown to reduce recidivism and contribute to a successful community reintegration. Yet, many employers remain skeptical when it comes to hiring formerly incarcerated job candidates for a variety of reasons. Though hesitations are often related to assumptions about a person’s dangerousness, there remain legitimate reasons, such as limited formal education and basic skills, that prevent returning citizens from finding work. Further, previous research suggests that hiring decisions are confounded by offense type, even if an employer would otherwise consider a person with a criminal history. Thus, it is unclear whether returning citizens’ level of education or training can mitigate barriers related to their offense history. Therefore, using hypothetical case vignettes of a formerly incarcerated job applicant, this study aimed to address this gap in the literature by examining whether hiring decisions are influenced by the presence (or absence) of basic education, specialized training, and offense type. A between-subjects design with a sample of 223 individuals were recruited via MTurk. Main effects and interactions were examined using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results yielded non-significant findings for the examining offense type by education. Results examining offense type, having a GED, and having a vocational certificate, yielded significant findings for vocational certificate status, however there were non-significant results for offense type, GED status, or interactions of GED and vocational certificate. These findings demonstrated the continued stigmatization that persons with a criminal history face when trying to obtain a job, as this study shows that having no formal education, a GED, or a GED and vocational certificate does not matter for hiring decisions. Yet, findings suggest that individuals with a vocational certificate are viewed to exhibit more positive work expectations. Implication and future directions are provided in the discussion

Angiotensin II regulation of adipocyte metabolism

Recent studies showed that adipocytes secrete angiotensin II (All) and express AII receptors, suggesting a role of adipose tissue in obesity-associated hypertension. However, the physiological actions of All in adipocytes remain unclear. This thesis study was designed to investigate the role of angiotensin II, a hypertensive hormone, in adipose tissue metabolism. We hypothesized that All may exert these effects by directly stimulating lipogenesis. To address this issue, we used murine 3T3-L1 as a cell model and the fatty acid synthase (FAS) gene as a lipogenic marker. We demonstrated that All up-regulates the FAS gene at the transcriptional level. In order to identify All regulatory sequences in the FAS promoter, we transfected fusion constructs linking various deletions of the FAS promoter to the luciferase reporter gene into 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We mapped the All responsive sequences to the previously identified insulin responsive sequences (-62 to -46) in the proximal region of the FAS promoter. Furthermore, we demonstrated that a mutation in the insulin response element abolishes not only insulin but also All responsiveness of the FAS gene. Since Adipocyte Determination and Differentiation factor 1, ADD1, has been postulated as a transcription factor in the regulation of adipocyte genes, we investigated the role of ADD1 in All regulation of the FAS gene. We demonstrated that overexpression of a dominant negative form of ADD1 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes markedly attenuates FAS induction by All. In conclusion, our data indicate that All exerts insulin like effects on the FAS gene by targeting similar regulatory sequences and transcription factors as insulin and suggest that paracrine effects of All in adipocytes contribute to adipocyte hypertrophy