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In this study, a new cost-benefit economic model for hemodialyzer reuse has been developed considering all of the direct costs (dialyzer price, disinfection fluid price, reverse osmosis water cost, personnel, and miscellaneous) as well as the number of disinfections applied to the hemodialyzer. The maximum number of disinfections/reuses for different models of hemodialyzer was estimated using statistical analysis based on the information obtained from a total of 60 adult patients on maintenance hemodialysis for approximately 4 years; from a hospital in Santiago de Cuba province, Cuba. An equal number of treatments (100) was evaluated for each hemodialyzer including 2,800 total reuses. The total cost savings for reuse/disinfection using the new economic approach is compared with the single-use modality. Obtained results by applying the proposed model indicated that the correlation between the economic advantages of the reuse/disinfection process in the total cost of the hemodialysis treatment significantly depends on the type of hemodialyzer used for the treatment, the disinfection price, the virgin hemodialyzer price, the disposal cost and its price reduction because of the number of reuses and the maximum possible reuses that could be applied to the hemodialyzer. ispartof: Engineering Science & Technology vol:3 issue:2 pages:169-187 status: accepted

Supplemental material for Surface Chemistry of Oil-Filled Organic Nanoparticle Coated Papers Analyzed Using Micro-Raman Mapping by Pieter Samyn, Dries Vandamme, Peter Adriaensens and Robert Carleer in Applied Spectroscopy

The main barrier in the commercialisation of phytoextraction as a sustainable alternative for remediating metal contamined soils is its long time period, which can be countered by biomass valorisation. Fast pyrolysis is promising because its lower process temperature prevents metal volatilisation. A techno-economic assessment has been performed for fast pyrolysis of short rotation coppice. A techno-economic assessment requires by definition a multidisciplinary approach. The problem statement urges for a focus on the economic profitability from the viewpoint of an investor, including economic risk analysis. Fast pyrolysis seems more profitable than gasification. The profit is dependent on the scale of operation, the value of green power certificates and the oil yield. The economic risk can be reduced by increasing the scale of operation by means of complementing feedstocks, and by valorisation of the char byproduct by subsequent processing to activated carbon.

Green roofs contribute to more sustainable cities, but current commercial substrates suffer from important limitations. If carefully selected, biochar could serve as a viable option for a more sustainable green roof substrate. We propose a protocol to select an optimal biochar for green roof substrate amendment. Coffee husks, medium‑density fiberboard, palm date fronds, and a mixture of waste wood, tree bark, and olive stone kernels are selected as residues for biochar production to develop a selection protocol. The residues are pyrolyzed at 350, 450, 500, and 550 ◦C in a lab‑scale reactor. A pyrolysis temperature of 450 ◦C is selected for upscaling and is based on biochar yield, pH, salinity, and elemental composition. From evaluating the biochar characteristics after upscaling, it can be concluded that the biochar’s carbonization degree is mainly controlled by pyrolysis temper‑ ature, while yield, pH, and salinity are more dependent on the biomass properties. Ultimately, our procedure evaluates the presence of important contaminants, the biochar’s water holding capacity, salinity, pH, and carbonization degree. To validate the developed protocol, plant coverage exper‑ iments on green roofs are performed, which are quantified using a novel digital image processing method, demonstrating its efficient use to facilitate future biochar selection in substrates. This work was supported by Vlaams Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen (VLAIO) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) [BM20160604]. Institutional

Remarkably well-preserved soft tissues in Mesozoic fossils have yielded substantial insights into the evolution of feathers(1). New evidence of branched feathers in pterosaurs suggests that feathers originated in the avemetatarsalian ancestor of pterosaurs and dinosaurs in the Early Triassic(2), but the homology of these pterosaur structures with feathers is controversial(3,4). Reports of pterosaur feathers with homogeneous ovoid melanosome geometries(2,5) suggest that they exhibited limited variation in colour, supporting hypotheses that early feathers functioned primarily in thermoregulation(6). Here we report the presence of diverse melanosome geometries in the skin and simple and branched feathers of a tapejarid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous found in Brazil. The melanosomes form distinct populations in different feather types and the skin, a feature previously known only in theropod dinosaurs, including birds. These tissue-specific melanosome geometries in pterosaurs indicate that manipulation of feather colour-and thus functions of feathers in visual communication-has deep evolutionary origins. These features show that genetic regulation of melanosome chemistry and shape(7-9) was active early in feather evolution. This work was funded by a Fonds National pour la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) FRIA grant (F3/5/5-MCF/ROI/BC-2319784), an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship (GOIPD/2018/768) awarded to A.C. and an ERC Starting Grant H2020-2014-StG-637691-ANICOLEVO and an ERC Consolidator Grant H2020-2020-CoG-101003293-PALAEOCHEM awarded to M.N. We thank M. Benton for providing the original data and code used in the phylogenetic reconstruction2, Z. Yang for providing raw melanosome measurements used to compare melanosome geometry in pterosaurs and J. Cillis for assistance with SEM. MCT.R.1884 was photographed by T. Hubin (RBINS).

Two different heat treatments for MDF, microwave assisted pyrolysis (MWP) and conventional pyrolysis (CPS), are investigated. The influence of different microwave absorbers (activated carbon (AC) and K2CO3) and different microwave powers in MWP and different temperatures in CPS on the characteristics of biochar is reviewed. Morphology and chemical properties of the obtained biochars are evaluated comparing biochar yield, ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, biochar stability test, FTIR spectroscopy and solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. The resulting biochars of both processes are compared to find the best production method. An increasing microwave power without the use of MWA, leads to a higher degree of aromaticity. The addition of increasing amounts of AC at low microwave power (300 W) leads to higher pyrolysis temperatures and more aromatic biochars. At 400 W a more aromatic biochar with a more open surface is achieved compared to 300 W. However, the addition of an increasing amount of AC as a MWA at 400 W induces a lower pyrolysis temperature with increasing biochar yields and decreasing aromaticity. K2CO3 is more effective as a MWA and produces more aromatic biochar at lower microwave power than when using AC. In general MWP yields a biochar with a higher degree of aromaticity at lower temperatures than CPS. Both CPS and MWP are viable options for transforming MDF into a value added biochar. This work was supported byAgentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen (VLAIO) [BM20160604]; European Institute of Technology (EIT); and Research Foundation Flanders (postdoctoral fellowship D. Vandamme [FWO - 12D8914N]). Koen Van Vinckenroye for support with the 13C solid state NMR measurements Elsy Thijssen and Martine Vanhamel for FTIR measurements This work was supported byAgentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen (VLAIO) [BM20160604]; European Institute of Technology (EIT); and Research Foundation Flanders (postdoctoral fellowship D. Vandamme [FWO – 12D8914N]).

A comparative research on the effect of the ultrasound irradiation and peroxyacetic acid (PAA) desulfurization on sulfur forms in high sulfur coal samples (gathered from Tabas mine in Iran) was studied by reductive pyrolysis method. The total sulfur reduction after chemical desulfurization by PAA for sonicated samples is achieved in a range of 49-58%. Moreover, the studied sonicated-desulfurized samples showed that the pyritic and sulfate sulfur were mainly attacked by PAA. The maximum organic sulfur reduction was obtained for longer sonication treatment times (15 and 20 min) being around 42-44%. For the first time the role of advanced oxidation process (AOP) in the sonication treatment of coal samples has been considered. The profiles of m/z 48 (SO+) and 64 (SO2+) obtained by Atmospheric Pressure-Temperature Program Reduction on-line coupled with MS (AP-TPR/MS) experiments for sonicated and sonicated-desulfurized samples exhibited identical trends over the whole temperature range. This achievement demonstrated the presence of high amounts of oxidized sulfur functionalities as a function of sonication treatment and post-chemical PAA desulfurization. Furthermore, AP-TPR "off-line" coupled with TD-GC/MS showed quantitative changes in the refractory sulfur forms as a result of sonication settings before and after desulfurization. The Iranian authors like to thank the Tabas coal mine in helping the sampling and also the science and research branch of Islamic Azad University and Hasselt University for financial support of this research project.

Background: X-ray methods have proven to be reliable, accurate and sensitive techniques to study activated carbons in order to define its porous structure and functionality groups. Methods: For the first time, the characterization of the exhaustion level of granular activated carbon (GAC) used in rum production applying methods based on X-ray technology has been explored. In this work, the exhaustion degree of GAC from a target rum "filter" using X-ray radiography is evaluated. Digital processing techniques on X-ray radiography images from eight consecutive GAC layers of the industrial rum filter have been assessed. Results: The exhaustion profile for the rum "filter" applying X-ray radiography images processing is correlated with thermal desorption - gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) chromatograms. The total of pixel detected in the radiographic X-ray images (grey-scale) is related with the total amount of organic adsorbed compounds in the exhausted GAC. Conclusion: The proposed method opens possibilities for the rum producers to improve the management and economical use of the activated carbon at industrial scale. The proposed technique can be applied in the assessment of other adsorption systems such as: determining the poisoning level of catalyst material, the GAC exhaustion level in organic polluted water treatments, and the GAC regeneration degree and exhaustion studies on hemo-perfusion GAC cartridges. The authors would like to thank VLIR-UOS (Flemish Interuniversity Council for University Development Cooperation) project between Belgium and Cuba for providing funding and granting the support of the current and future studies.

For paper coatings with organic nanoparticles of poly(styrene-co-maleimide), dispersive Raman spectroscopy and confocal Raman microscopy are applied for qualitative and quantitative analyses of the lateral distribution of chemical moieties as a function of different coating grades (degree of imidization) and thermal curing temperatures (120-250 degrees C). Raman mapping with band intensity ratios, single band intensities, and average spectral intensities illustrates that surface locations with imide moieties are sensitive to the thermal curing temperature due to the reactivity of an amount of ammonolyzed (nonimidized) maleic anhydride, whereas the styrene moieties are not sensitive to the thermal curing. A maximum in imide functionalities at the surface occurs after curing at 135-150 degrees C depending on the coating grade. The surface coverage of the coating moieties is complementary to the cellulose components, but local variations in specific Raman bands for the latter suggest interactions due to hydrogen bonding. Principal component analysis with two parameters allows for a good quantification of the imide content and surface coverage. Samyn, P (reprint author), Univ Hasselt, Inst Mat Res IMO IMOMEC, Appl & Analyt Chem, Agoralaan Gebouw D, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. pieter.samyn@uhasselt.be

The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of pyrolysis oil from three types of sewage sludges. The flash pyrolysis was performed at 500 degrees C, the maximum oil yield was 43.1%, and the water content in bio-oils obtained from secondary sludges was relatively low - 10.3% and 17.0%. GC-MS results showed that pyrolytic bio-oils of studied sludges dominantly contained fatty acids and nitrogenous compounds with potential added value. Obtained solids had high ash content and low calorific value which make them unattractive for use in incineration. FT-IR results showed that solids gave similar IR features as notified alumino silicates; utilization of these solids as adsorbents could be a potential valorization. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leonardite humic acids from Kaz Daglari (Turkey) are studied by reductive pyrolysis. Sample is pyrolysed in a H-2 flow in the temperature range 250 degrees C divided by 950 degrees C. Volatiles are trapped in two ice-cooled Tenax tubes. Atmosphere Pressure-Temperature Programmed Reduction (AP-TPR) technique coupled "off-line" with thermal desorption gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) apparatus is used to specify organic compounds in the pyrolysate. During sample thermal decomposition a broad range of species is produced. Aliphatic compounds, i.e. n-alkenes/n-alkanes, i.e. nC(6)divided by nC(14); aromatic compounds, i.e. benzene, alkylated benzenes, naphthalenes, biphenyls; oxygen containing compounds, i.e. phenols, methoxy phenols, furans, benzofurans; sulphur containing compounds, i.e. polysulphides, thiophenes and nitrogen compounds, i.e. benzonitriles, indoles and quinolines. Leonardite organic matter is rich in oxygen, where phenolic structures are the most abundant. Compounds are quantitatively interpreted. According to pyrolysis data "average" structural units of leonardite humic acids from Kaz Daglari deposit are mainly composed by 1-2 aromatic cycles, condensed or coupled. Heteroatom compounds are also admitted. Experimental data argue for sample low maturity as rests of lignin building blocks, i.e. methoxy phenols, and carbohydrate degradation products, i.e., 2-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one, are still present.