title: Modeling of the polluting emissions from a cement production plant by partial least-squares, principal component regression, and artificial neural networks.
abstract: A Portland cement process was taken into consideration and monitored for one month with respect to polluting emissions, fuel and raw material physical-chemical properties, and operative conditions. Soft models, based on linear (partial least-squares, PLS, and principal component regression, PCR) and nonlinear (artificial neural networks, ANNs) approaches, were employed to predict the polluting emissions. The predictive ability of the three regression methods was evaluated by means of the partition of the dataset by Kohonen self-associative maps into both a training and a test set. Then, a "leave-more-out" approach, based on the use of a training set, a test set, and a production set, was adopted. The training set was used to build the models, the test set was used to select the number of latent variables or the neural network training endpoint, and the production set was used to produce genuine predictions. ANNs proved to be much more effective in prediction with respect to PLS and PCR and, at least in the case of SO2 and dust, provided a predictive ability comparable with the experimental estimated uncertainty of the response. This showed that it is possible to satisfactorily predict the two responses. Such a prediction will result in the prevention of environmental and legal problems connected to the polluting emissions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences and Life, University of Eastern Piedmont, Via Bellini 25/G, 15100 Alessandria, Italy. marengoe@tin.it
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marengo
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bobba
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Robotti
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Liparota
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D007221:Industry; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide