Since the European Union wants to reduce the oil dependence of the transportation system, the uptake of alternative vehicle technologies are stimulated in the member states. In the Netherlands, stimulation is already largely implemented in the form of a comprehensive charging infrastructure. This infrastructure is widely used by the electric vehicle drivers and thus there may occur a form of competition for the charging points. In this paper we address this problem by predicting the short-term availability of charging points at a given location and time by using the historical charging data in a space-time series model. The model shows better accuracy with respect to a naive method for short term predictions up to one day. This will allow charging point operators to provide customers with the service of looking up estimated charging point availability in the nearby future.
The relevance of citizen participation in regeneration projects, particularly in shrinking cities, is widely acknowledged, and this topic has received a great deal of policy and academic attention. Although the many advantages of citizen participation in regeneration projects have been identified, its current forms have also received considerable criticism. In short, this criticism boils down to the conclusion that the ideal of citizen participation is not put into practice. This paper considers why this is the case, asking whether current participatory practices enable citizens to exercise influence as political actors in urban regeneration projects. In this paper, we examine this question based on Mouffe’s conception of the political, coupled with findings from our empirical research conducted in Heerlen North, The Netherlands. We conducted qualitative research on urban regeneration in the shrinking old industrial city of Heerlen. The findings reveal two distinct perspectives on citizen participation. Professionals see the existing context of citizen participation as a reasonable and practical but, in some respects, insufficient practice. Citizens’ views on participation are organized around feelings of anger, shame, and fear and are grounded in experiences of a lack of recognition. These experiences limit citizens’ abilities to exert true influence on regeneration projects. We conclude that efforts to regenerate shrinking cities should strive to recognize these experiences so as to create conditions that generate respect and esteem and, as such, enable urban social justice.
Dit project richt zich op de ontwikkeling van de biotechnologische en chemische procesvoering om op basis van mycelium een alternatief voor leer te produceren. In vergelijking met leer is het voordeel van mycelium dat geen runderen nodig zijn, de productie kan plaatsvinden onder industriële condities en met gebruik van reststromen, de CO2 uitstoot alsook hoeveelheid afval verlaagd wordt, en het gebruik van toxische stoffen zoals chroom wordt vervangen door biobased alternatieven. In het project zullen de procescondities worden bepaald die leiden tot de vorming van optimaal mycelium. Daartoe zullen twee verschillende schimmels worden gekweekt in bioreactoren bij de Hogeschool Arnhem Nijmegen (HAN), waarbij specifiek de effecten van de procescondities (temperatuur, pH, shear, beluchting) en de samenstelling van het kweekmedium op groei van het mycelium en materiaal eigenschappen zullen worden onderzocht. De meest optimale condities zullen vervolgens worden opgeschaald. Op het op deze wijze verkregen materiaal zal Mylium BV een aantal nabehandelingsstappen uitvoeren om de sterkte, elasticiteit, en duurzaamheid van het product te vergroten. Daartoe worden biobased plasticizers, cross-linkers en/of flexibility agents gebruikt. Het resulterende eindproduct zal middels specifiek fysieke testen vergeleken worden met leer alsook worden voorgelegd aan mogelijke klanten. Indien beide resultaten positief zijn kan het betreffende proces na het project verder worden opgeschaald voor toepassing naar de markt.
The maritime transport industry is facing a series of challenges due to the phasing out of fossil fuels and the challenges from decarbonization. The proposal of proper alternatives is not a straightforward process. While the current generation of ship design software offers results, there is a clear missed potential in new software technologies like machine learning and data science. This leads to the question: how can we use modern computational technologies like data analysis and machine learning to enhance the ship design process, considering the tools from the wider industry and the industry’s readiness to embrace new technologies and solutions? The obbjective of this PD project is to bridge the critical gap between the maritime industry's pressing need for innovative solutions for a more agile Ship Design Process; and the current limitations in software tools and methodologies available via the implementation into Ship Design specific software of the new generation of computational technologies available, as big data science and machine learning.
Green methanol is emerging as a key player in sustainable biotech, offering a renewable alternative to fossil fuels or sugar based feedstocks. Although methanol has long been considered a promising material for bioproduction, using it on industrial scale has been challenging due to its high oxygen demands, making the process expensive and inefficient. This project focuses on developing a sustainable, but more economical feasible way to produce biochemicals, like Single Cell Protein (SCP). The innovative solution proposed by FeedstocksUnited (FSU) is to use paraformaldehyde, a compound derived from renewable methanol, as feedstock, which requires much less oxygen during fermentation. This new method has already shown promising results in the lab, where it was tested with microorganisms that can use formaldehyde (released from paraformaldehyde) as a source of carbon and energy. FSU’s approach has the potential to significantly reduce the costs and environmental impacts associated with large-scale bioproduction. The process can be managed more efficiently than methods using methanol, since the production of paraformaldehyde from formaldehyde is tunable. This process control will lead to better yields and reduced energy and feedstock consumption. The HAN BioCentre, with its advanced research facilities and experienced team, will conduct further research to optimize this method for industrial applications. This includes studying how organisms metabolize formaldehyde and improving the process through continuous fermentation. The research also supports educational goals by involving students in cutting-edge biotechnological work. Ultimately, the project aims to provide a solid proof-of-concept that can be scaled up to industrial levels, contributing to a more sustainable bioeconomy.
