INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

1. INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCHMETHODOLOGIES By Dr. Rathnasiri P.G Dept of Chemical and Process Engineering Date 10th May 2010 at DCPE

2. Outline of presentation • What is research problem . • Identifying your research problem • Role of supervisor • Expectations from a research study • Conceptual diagram for explaining your research • How to write a literature survey • Define objectives of your work • How do you achieve your objectives – Materials and methods • Conclusions drawn from your work • What is your contributions to existing knowledge

3. What is the research problem The research problem is one or two sentences that cannot be answered `yes' or `no'; it is the broad problem that the researcher will examine more precisely in the hypotheses and is the problem prompting and placing a boundary around the research without specifying what kind of research is to be done

4. Research problem Literature review including parent discipline Research problem area Boundaries of research problem Part of the research problem solved in previous work Research questions or hypothesis not answered in previous research

5. Research methodology introduced in my studies

6. Role of facultative heterotrophesin an anaerobic sludge

7. How M.Sc research differs from P.hD research • The research problem in a PhD thesis is often more theoretical than the from Master’s theses , for a PhD research problem should not be merely a `problem-solving' one but should `test out' the limits of previously proposed generalizations (Phillips & Pugh 1987, p.  45).  That is, `[PhD] research, even when narrowly and tightly defined, should be guided by some explicit theoretical or conceptual framework' and without this, the thesis becomes a `mindless ... theoretical wasteland' (Adams & White 1994, pp.  566, 574). 

8. Expectations from a research • A distinct contribution to a body of knowledge through an original investigation or testing of ideas, worthy in part of publication • Competence in research processes, including an understanding of, and competence in, appropriate research techniques and an ability to report research • Mastery of a body of knowledge , including an ability to make critical use of published work and source materials

9. Background to research problem In scientific journal how they address this issue Establish overall field Summarize previous research Indicate the research gap State what you want to do Outline your work

10. What is Literature • "the literature" means the works you consulted in order to understand and investigate your research problem. Journalarticles: up-to-date information.for research, and because all reputable journals are refereed . Books:books tend to be less up-to-date than for a journal article. Text books are unlikely to be useful for including in your literature review as they are intended for teaching, not for research Theses and dissertations: these can be useful sources of information. However there are disadvantages: 1) they can be difficult to obtain since they are not published, but are generally only available from the library shelf or through interlibrary loan; 2) the student who carried out the research may not be an experienced researcher and therefore you might have to treat their findings with more caution than published research.  Conference proceedings: these can be useful in providing the latest research, or research that has not been published. They are also helpful in providing information on which people are currently involved in which research areas, and so can be helpful in tracking down other work by the same researchers

11. Why write a literature review • The literature review is a critical look at the existing research that is significant to the work that you are carrying out.  Although you need to summarize relevant research, it is also vital that you evaluatethis work, show the relationshipsbetween different work, and show how it relates to your work. In other words, you cannot simply give a concise description of, for example, an article: you need to select what parts of the research to discuss (e.g. the methodology), show how it relates to the other work (e.g. What other methodologies have been used? How are they similar? How are they different?) and show how it relates to your work (what is its relationship to your methodology?). • Keep in mind that the literature review should provide the context for your research by looking at what work has already been done in your research area. It is not supposed to be just a summary of other people's work!

12. Your literature review should answer following questions • What do we already know in the immediate area concerned? • What are the characteristics of the key concepts or the main factors or variables? • What are the relationships between these key concepts, factors or variables? • What are the existing theories? • Where are the inconsistencies or other shortcomings in our knowledge and understanding? • What views need to be (further) tested? • What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited? • Why study (further) the research problem? • What contribution can the present study be expected to make? • What research designs or methods seem unsatisfactory

13. See literature survey done by a research student, What is wrong • JACHOWSKI (1964) developed a model investigation conducted on the interlocking precast concrete block seawall. After a result of a survey of damages caused by the severe storm at the coast of USA, a new and especially shaped concrete block was developed for use in shore protection. This block was designed to be used in a revetment type seawall that would be both durable and economical as well as reduce wave run-up and overtopping, and scour at its base or toe. It was proved that effective shore protection could be designed utilizing these units. • HOM-MA and HORIKAWA (1964) studied waves forces acting on the seawall which was located inside the surf zone. On the basis of the experimental results conducted to measure waves forces against a vertical wall, the authors proposed an empirical formula of wave pressure distribution on a seawall. The computed results obtained by using the above formula were compared well with the field data of wa

14. How to write a good literature review

15. Features of a good review • Remember the purpose:You'll see that you should use the literature to explain your research - after all, you are not writing a literature review just to tell your reader what other researchers have done. You aim should be to show why your research needs to be carried out, how you came to choose certain methodologies or theories to work with, how your work adds to the research already carried out, etc. • Read with a purpose: you need to summarize the work you read but you must also decide which ideas or information are important to your research (so you can emphasize them), and which are less important and can be covered briefly or left out of your review. You should also look for the major concepts, conclusions, theories, arguments etc. that underlie the work, and look for similarities and differences with closely related work. This is difficult when you first start reading, but should become easier the more you read in your area. • Write with a purpose: your aim should be to evaluate and show relationships between the work already done (Is Researcher Y's theory more convincing than Researcher X's? Did Researcher X build on the work of Researcher Y?) and between this work and your own. In order to do this effectively you should carefully plan how you are going to organize your work.

16. How to be more specific in literature • When you read for your literature review, you are actually doing two things at the same time •  you are trying to define your research problem: finding a gap, asking a question, continuing previous research, counter-claiming • you are trying to read every source relevant to your research problem. • Naturally, until you have defined your problem, you will find that there are hundreds of sources that seem relevant. However, you cannot define your problem until you read around your research area. This seems a vicious circle, but what should happen is that as you read you define your problem, and as you define your problem you will more easily be able to decide what to read and what to ignore

17. New contribution with respect to existing MBR technologies

18. Structured approach to research Body of knowledge Model and hypothesis Contribution to Body of knowledge INTRODUCTION Analysis of collected data Methods for Data collection Candidates research

19. Bioenergetics of micro aeration New bioenergetic model for micro aeration Aerobic growth O2 for 1C-mole Glucose O2 in TCA and Fermentation paths Limited O2 supply range Aerobicity Parameter (Ω) ATP and Biomass yield Elementary, Heat & Free energy balance Enthalpy and free energy in solution Solution technique using MATLAB Balanced growth reactions Stoichiometry, heat & free energy dissipation for Micro aerated anaerobic process

20. New strategy developed for Membrane Micro-aerating Anaerobic Process Introduction to MMAD principle Fig. 1-6, page 9

21. Challenges in my research study • Micro-aeration and bioenergetics • micro-aerating techniques • Oxygen mass transfer • MMAD • In-situ OTR measurements • Characterization of biofilms • Membrane for monitoring • Mathematical modelling

22. Materials and Methods

23. Schematic diagram of newly developed MMAD

24. Auxiliary batch experiment supporting MMAD experiments

25. Schematic diagram of the batch experiments (1) anaerobic digester (1 liter glass bottle) (2) water bath, (3) thermo meter, (4) liquid inlet / outlet (feeding and removal of mixed liquid) (5) gas sampling outlet (6) Teflon tube for gas flow outlet (7) cover (to prevent evaporation of water) (8) insulation layer (9) magnetic stirrer and heater (10) gas collection bottle with barrier solution (11) gas release valve (12) liquid transmission tube (13) liquid collection bottle (14) supporter (15) electronic scale.

26. Mass transfer analysis Schematic view of membrane loop reactor 1. Transmitter for O2, pH and redox (Mycom CPM 152), 2. Potentiometer (LAZER Research lab), 3. Temperature controlled chamber, 4. Glass reactor, 5. Tubular silicone membranes (Versilic-saint gobain,France), 6. Microelectrode (Model DO-166FT), 7. Magnetic stirrer, 8. Peristaltic pump (Ismatec mini-660), 9. Nitrogen supply, 10.Magnetic stirrer, 11. Water beaker, 12. Air/pure oxygen supply.

27. Results from batch experiments Transient VFA accumulation from ‘shock load’ Slight Medium Strong Use modeling whenever experimenting Is difficult

28. Continuous micro-aeration Intermittent feeding No feeding Oxygen concentration varying inside close membrane loop

29. Bulk phase VFA during continuous micro aeration

30. Results from batch experiments C. Measured and simulated specific biogas production rates Scenario 2 Scenario 1 Scenario 3 Modeling for parameter estimation Scenario 1. Slight inhibition (OLR-2 and 1day NFP) Scenario 2. Medium inhibition (OLR-4 and 2 day NFP) Scenario 3 Maximum inhibition (OLR-3 and 8 day NFP)

31. Bioenergetics of micro-aeration Effect on biomass yield Effect on biogas composition

32. CONCLUSIONS • Shock load; reduced methane production • Shock extent depends on load/biomass ratio • ADM1 simulate transient responses for moderate shock loads • Bioenergetic model; oxygen supply range for micro aeration • Micro aerobic heat dissipation resemble anaerobic growth • New micro aeration strategy; controlled oxygen supply to anaerobic process • No oxygen transfer to head space after biofilm development • Highest OTR in membrane lumen just after feeding MMAD • OTR is function of OUR in membrane biofilm • VFA in bulk phase is in phase with lumen oxygen profile

33. CONCLUSIONS Biogas composition and production do not vary with/without micro aeration OUR is mass transfer limited not reaction limited Biofilm activity is independent of aeration history Facultative heterotrophes are abundant in MMAD