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LACOG0515 is a multicenter database of patients with germ cell tumors treated in Brazil, with 1,232 patients. The results showed a high rate of adjuvant chemotherapy in clinical stage I. For patients with advanced GCT, although our data demonstrate inferior PFS compared with the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group and other contemporary series, the survival rates were similar. Introduction: Germ-cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common malignancy in young men. There is a paucity of data on GCTs in developing countries. LACOG 0515 study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in patients with GCTs from Brazilian cancer centers. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study evaluating male patients diagnosed with GCTs from 2000 to 2018 in 13 Brazilian hospitals. We described baseline characteristics, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 1232 patients were included, with a median age of 30 years. Histology was seminoma in 47.1% and non-seminoma GCT (NSGCT) in 52.9%. The primary tumor site was testis in 96.5%. At diagnosis, clinical stage I was present in 68.1% and 34.7% and clinical stages IS/II/III in 31.9% and 65.2% of patients with seminoma and NSCGT, respectively. Following orchiectomy, 55.2% of patients with clinical stage I were managed with surveillance. The 5-year disease-free survival rates among patients with stage I were 98.0% in seminoma and 92.3% in NSGCT, with 5-year OS of 99.6% and 97.6%, respectively. Among patients with advanced disease (IS, II, and III), the 5-year PFS were 88.7% in seminoma and 68.7% in NSGCT, with 5y-OS of 97.6% and 82.8%, respectively. Conclusion: This is the largest Brazilian cohort of GCTs. Our results show a high rate of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with clinical stage I. Although our data demonstrate slightly inferior PFS compared with the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group and other contemporary series, the OS rates were similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of dietary counseling on body composition in early breast cancer patients (EBC) treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) is uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a diet counseling program on weight, BMI, total and regional body composition in patients treated with AIs. This observational study involved 194 EBC patients, of which 97 attended a 6-month personalized counseling program, based on Mediterranean diet principles (cohort A) and 97 did not (cohort B). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan was used to measure the total and regional fat and lean body mass, before (baseline) and after at least 18 months of AI-therapy. Weight and BMI increased significantly, on the average, in cohort B, but not in cohort A. In the cohorts A and B, fat mass increased by 10 % and 7.7 % respectively, while lean mass decreased by 3.3 % and 2.6 % from before to after AI therapy, without statistically significant differences between them using the Mann-Whitney test. The changes in body composition were greater in premenopausal than in postmenopausal women at cancer diagnosis. The proportion of patients with sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity increased from before to after AI therapy, similarly in both cohorts. Patients treated with AIs reported an increase in fat mass and a decrease in lean mass, and consequently an increase in sarcopenia and obesity, regardless of the participation in a dietary counseling program. A combined dietary counseling and physical exercise program may be necessary for preventing these unfavourable changes in these patients. • Lifestyle is still considered the keystone for preventing obesity and sarcopenia. • Patients treated with AIs reported an increase in fat mass and a decrease in lean mass. • Dietary counseling with physical exercise program could prevent these unfavourable changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of CO 2 power cycles has proved to be particularly advantageous to exploit high-temperature heat sources (500–800 °C) in the case of available low-temperature heat sinks (15–25 °C). Otherwise, the efficiency of these cycles is strongly reduced when cold sink temperatures are higher than 25 °C. This is the case, for example, of solar applications installed in desert areas whose cold sink is represented by available hot air. Due to these high temperatures of the cold sink, CO 2 is inevitably compressed in the supercritical phase thus preventing its more efficient pressurization in the liquid phase. One of the solutions envisaged to overcome this problem consists of adding to CO 2 a small amount of one or more chemicals, resulting in a mixture with a critical temperature higher than the one of pure CO 2 (about 31 °C). This preserves the working fluid compression in its liquid phase, even in the case of cold sinks with temperatures greater than 25 °C. This research aims to show that the addition to CO 2 of a specifically selected second component enables to increase the critical temperature up to 45 °C with relevant improvements of cycle efficiency with respect to pure-CO 2 power cycles. In particular, after summarizing the most relevant criteria to be accounted for when selecting CO 2 -additives, the paper warns about the thermodynamic effects deriving from adding to CO 2 a second component characterized by a much more high critical temperature, such as the occurrence of infinite-pressure critical points and multiple-phase liquid-liquid and vapor-liquid critical points. Moreover, the paper specifically analyses the thermodynamic properties of CO 2 -TiCl 4 mixtures which, depending on the content of TiCl 4 , may lead to a mixture characterized by the sought higher critical temperature. While studying this mixture, it has been observed that it presents multiple-phase critical points. For the sake of completeness, the paper also shows how do enthalpy and specific volume change in response to pressure variations in the event of either liquid-liquid or vapor-liquid critical points. This research finally shows the comparison between performances of power cycles which use, as working fluid, either pure CO 2 or the specifically designed CO 2 -TiCl 4 mixture. As expected, the TiCl 4 addition brings about a significant efficiency gain. • A CO 2 -based mixture suitable for power plant production is defined. • The thermodynamic properties for the CO 2 -TiCl 4 mixture are evaluated. • Thermodynamic cycles operating with the CO 2 -TiCl 4 mixture are defined and their performances are estimated. • Comparison between recuperative cycle and recompressed cycle are proposed. • Solar application with both the molten salt technology and the liquid metal technology are assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• K 2 CO 3 addition reduced the heat of CO 2 desorption with respect to aqueous NH 3 solvent. • Higher desorption temperature reduced the heat of desorption. • Upon addition of K 2 CO 3 , the NH 3 partial pressure of the solvent decreased. • K 2 CO 3 addition reduced the rate of CO 2 absorption compared to that in aqueous NH 3. • Free NH 3 molality was correlated with the CO 2 absorption rate. An innovative solvent based on the quaternary system CO 2 -NH 3 -K 2 CO 3 -H 2 O is reported and characterized in terms of its thermodynamic properties and rate of CO 2 absorption. Thermodynamic properties of the solvent such as vapor-liquid equilibrium, solid-liquid equilibrium, and the heat of desorption were modelled with the Extended UNIQUAC thermodynamic model. The kinetics of CO 2 absorption in the solvent were studied experimentally with a wetted wall column set-up. The absorption rate was investigated with respect to temperature, ammonia concentration, potassium carbonate concentration, and CO 2 loading, under the typical operating conditions of a capture plant. Globally, the solvent has a number of interesting properties for CO 2 capture applications. Indeed, adding K 2 CO 3 to the ammonia solvent reduced both the ammonia slip and the heat of desorption. Experimental analysis showed that the kinetics of absorption were mainly influenced by the reaction between free ammonia and CO 2. Hence, the overall mass transfer coefficient decreased when increasing the K 2 CO 3 content of the solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the global warming potential (GWP) impact of producing lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in emerging European Gigafactories. The paper presents a cradle-to-gate (CTG) life cycle assessment (LCA) of nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistries for battery electric vehicle (BEV) applications. We consider three scenarios to cover the most probable production routes in Germany, France, and Italy, foreseen as the largest European LIB producers by 2030. The energy demand for manufacturing considers two cases: electricity only and a mix of heat and electricity. The results show that European Gigafactories can reduce the overall GWP relative to 1 kWh of NMC battery, with respect to Chinese NMC LIBs, in a range of 32–60%. This corresponds to a decrease in equivalent CO 2 emission of 32–81 kg CO 2 eq., depending on the location, the energy demand and the NMC chemistry, if the whole production takes place in the facility. French Gigafactories obtain the upper bound of this reduction. A sensitivity analysis of the source of the lithium compound, used to produce the active cathode material, shows that increasing the nickel content decreases the GWP impact per kWh of battery capacity. However, NMC622 generates less equivalent CO 2 than NMC811, for lithium compound produced from Chilean brine. In addition, a simplified analysis of the utilization phase of two different classes of BEVs shows the positive effects of the regional LIB production and of the low carbon intensity of the electricity mix. • Global warming potential impact of producing lithium-ion batteries in Europe. • Carbon footprint of nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistries for electric vehicle application. • European Gigafactories can reduce the overall Global warming potential impact. • Sensitivity analysis on critical material for the NMC batteries. • Comparison of the impact due to the lithium compound from ores or brines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Post-combustion capture plants are widely studied because they represent a feasible solution to limit the CO 2 emissions from existing plant. They can be applied to power plants and to industrial plants. The captured CO 2 is transported to dedicated sites to be sequestrated. In this study, the captured CO 2 from a coal-fired power plant is exploited to extract the geothermal energy for subsequent electric production. The system of wells consists of one of injection in a geothermal source of about 200-300 °C and one of production from which the CO 2 exits at high pressure and high temperature. It is expanded in a turbine to extract part of the energy and it is cooled to be sent to the storage site. The cooling process exchanges heat with an Organic Rankine Cycle to convert the heat to electric power. The ORC plants are tested with five different substances: R245fa, HCFO, hexane, pentane, and Isobutane. The better performances are obtained with the latter two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption technologies provide high selectivity and low energy consumption making this technique very attractive to be employed in post-combustion carbon capture. In this publication, a material made of activated carbon and zeolite 13X is considered for a hybrid process termed Temperature Electric Swing Adsorption (T/ESA). This hybrid T/ESA can work as a traditional Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) heated by hot gas, but can also increase the temperature of the adsorbent very fast by Joule effect as long as the activated carbon provides a continuous conductive matrix for electricity. This paper discusses a detailed modeling of the T/ESA process when applied to three cases. The first case is the simulation of the T/ESA process with exhaust with 12% of CO 2 concentration, which has been chosen to validate the model against literature results. The second and third case studies consider the T/ESA application in a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) traditional power plant, and in a NGCC plant with exhaust gas recycle (EGR). These cases were selected to investigate the adsorption technology at low CO 2 concentration and quantify the benefit of the EGR for carbon capture applications. Starting from an NGCC overall electric efficiency of 58.3% LHV based, the efficiency of the NGCC with T/ESA technology reduces to 35.3% while with EGR is 38.9% against the 49.9% with the MEA absorption plant. The same results are confirmed by the SPECCA index 13.05 MJ LHV /kg CO2 to 9.64 MJ LHV /kg CO2 against the reference of 3.36 MJ LHV /kg CO2 . The energy penalty of the T/ESA is significant because of electric consumptions required for the heating and fast cooling of the adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absorption reaction between aqueous NH 3 and CO 2 was studied using the Wetted Wall Column. A total of 27 different cases are investigated in the region defined by temperatures from 15 °C to 35 °C, NH 3 concentrations from 5% to 15%, which are the typical solvent conditions in absorption columns, and lastly CO 2 loadings from 0.2 to 0.6. The resulting overall mass transfer coefficient of absorption measured follows the trends described by the modelling of the reactor and the equations used to describe the rate of the absorption reactions. Moreover, the overall mass transfer coefficient of absorption is in agreement with data available in the literature, valid in smaller portions of the investigated region. From the data analysis, the kinetics of the absorption reactions in the liquid phase is characterized. The equation proposed to fit the data is a power law equation which reproduces the experimental results measured at different CO 2 loadings. This represents a novelty because in literature the kinetic model of the reaction is usually fitted only to data for unloaded solutions (CO 2 loading equal to zero). Hence, in this case there is an experimental evidence that the kinetic model holds true in every loading conditions. The kinetic model intercept the values found in literature in every range of concentration. Consequently, the model is valid in every conditions and the rate of the reaction between NH 3 and CO 2 in liquid phase is described with an Arrhenius constant with a pre-exponential factor of 1.41·10 8 [mol/(m 3 s)] and an activation energy of 60,680 [J/mol], a linear dependence on the CO 2 concentration and a dependence on the NH 3 with an exponent γ  = 1.89. The proposed equation is found to be appropriate for implementation into process simulation software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of CO 2 power cycles is advantageous to exploit high-temperature sources (500-800°C) in the case of available low-temperature heat sinks (15-25°C). However, their efficiency is strongly reduced for higher heat sink temperatures. At these temperatures, due to the low-critical temperature of CO 2 (about 31°C), CO 2 is in fact compressed in the supercritical vapor phase rather than in the liquid phase, thus increasing energetic demand for compression. One of the solutions envisaged to overcome this problem is the addition of one or more chemicals that allow having a mixture with a higher critical temperature than the one of pure CO 2 . This preserve the working fluid compression in its liquid phase, even in the case of heat sinks with temperatures greater than 25°C. This research shows that the addition to CO 2 of a properly selected chemical component enables to increase the critical temperature up to 45°C with relevant improvements of cycle efficiency with respect to pure-CO 2 power cycles. In particular, it summarizes the most relevant criteria to be accounted for when selecting CO 2 -additives. Moreover, the paper warns of the thermodynamic effects deriving from adding to CO 2 a second characterized by a much more high critical temperature, such as the occurrence of infinite-pressure critical points and multiple-phase liquid-liquid and vapor-liquid critical points. Finally, the paper analyses the thermodynamic properties of a high-critical temperature CO 2 -based mixture, suitable for these applications, that presents multiple phase critical points. In this regard, it is specified that the paper also aims at filling a knowledge gap in the study of thermodynamic properties of mixtures presenting how do enthalpy and specific volume change in response to pressure variations in the event of liquid-liquid and vapour-liquid critical points. Finally, we present the comparison between performances of power cycles which use, as working fluid, either pure CO 2 or the novel designed higher temperature CO 2 -based mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful exploitation of geothermal energy for power production relies on to the availability of nearly zero emission and efficient technologies, able to provide flexible operation. It can be realized with the binary cycle technology. It consists of a closed power cycle coupled to a closed geothermal loop, whereby the closed power cycle is generally accomplished by means of an organic Rankine cycle (in a few cases the Kalina cycle has been adopted). The confinement of the geothermal fluid in a closed loop is an important advantage from the environmental point of view: possible pollutants contained in the geothermal fluid are not released into the ambient and are directly reinjected underground. Although a well-established technology in the frame of geothermal applications, the adoption of the binary cycle technology is at the moment typically confined to the exploitation of medium-low temperature liquid geothermal reservoirs, generally between 100-170 °C. The important advantages of the binary cycle technology from the environmental point of view suggest nevertheless that it is worthwhile to investigate whether the application range could be extended to higher temperature reservoirs, and up to which extent. Moreover, the paper investigates the effect of an increasing CO 2 content in the geothermal fluid. The paper compares in a convenient high temperature range of the geothermal source the performance of a properly optimized geothermal ORC plant, with the performance of a modified flash plant, whereby the geothermal steam enters a turbine, and the CO 2 stream is separated, compressed and finally reinjected. An environmentally friendly working fluid, recently introduced in the market, is considered in the ORC optimization process. The performance comparison will involve the assessment of plant net power. As far as the calculations are concerned, the geothermal fluid is assumed to be a mixture of water and possibly CO 2 . The auxiliary power consumption is properly accounted for: beyond cooling auxiliaries, a submersible well pump for the ORC plant and a gas compressor for the reinjection of the non-condensable gases in the flash plant are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful exploitation of geothermal energy for power production relies on the availability of nearly zero emission and efficient technologies. Two zero emission flash plant layouts, with full reinjection of the geothermal fluid (non-condensable gas included), are considered. This paper focusses on the CO2 issue, and therefore only the carbon dioxide is considered as non-condensable gas present in the geothermal fluid; the CO2 flow is separated, compressed, and reinjected with the geothermal fluid. Both the reservoir and the power plant are simulated. A first scheme of plant presents a conventional layout in which the CO2 is separated and compressed after the condenser. The second scheme presents a plant layout that allows the separation of the CO2 at higher pressure with respect to the conventional layout, thus reducing the requested power consumption. The conventional plant scheme performs always better at higher temperature and at lower concentration of CO2. The new layout results better for low temperature and higher gas content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental and technical aspects of four supercritical (SC) pulverized-coal processes with post-combustion carbon capture and storage (CCS) are evaluated in the present work. The post-combustion CCS technologies (e.g. MDEA, aqueous ammonia and Calcium Looping (CaL) are compared to the benchmark case represented by the SC pulverized coal without CCS). Some important key performance indicators (e.g. net electrical power, energy conversion efficiency, carbon capture rate, specific CO 2 emissions, SPECCA) are calculated based on process modeling and simulation data. The focus of the present work lies in the environmental evaluation, using the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology, of the processes considered. The system boundaries include: i) power production from coal coupled to energy efficient CCS technologies based on post-combustion capture; ii) upstream processes such as extraction and processing of coal, limestone, solvents used post-combustion CCS, as well as power plant, coal mine, CO 2 pipelines construction and commissioning and iii) downstream processes: CO 2 compression, transport and storage (for the CCS case) as well as power plant, CCS units, coal mine and CO 2 pipelines decommissioning. GaBi6 software was used to perform a “cradle-to-grave” LCA study, to calculate and compare different impact categories, according to CML 2001 impact assessment method. All results are reported to one MWh of net energy produced in the power plant. Discussions about the most significant environmental impact categories are reported leading to the conclusions that the introduction of the CCS technologies decreases the global warming potential (GWP) indicator, but all the other environmental categories increase with respect to the benchmark case. There is also a competition between the aqueous ammonia adsorption and CaL for some impact categories (other than GWP). The implementation of these new CCS technologies is more favorable than the traditional amine-based CO 2 capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed-salt technology, a solvent-based technology for removing CO 2 from flue gas streams offers a significant advantage over conventional amine-based CO 2 removal technologies (e.g., Fluor Econamine FG Plus SM technology). SRI International (SRI) is currently investigating the application of mixed-salt technology for pulverized coal combustion (PCC) power plant retrofit applications for removing >90% CO 2 at a cost not to exceed $40/tonne of CO 2 captured. The research was performed at a large bench-scale level with funding from the United States Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Very recently, a successful demonstration of mixed-salt technology at 0.25 tonne/day system was conducted in the USA, and the data obtained from the tests was used to develop a rate-based model to determine the mass and energy balance for a carbon dioxide recovery (CDR) removing 90% CO 2 from a 550-MW supercritical power plant. In this paper, we present the process modeling data including the preliminary techno-economic evaluation (TEA) of mixed-salt technology. CO 2 capture and CO 2 pipeline purity specifications were met in all the process configurations investigated in this study. SRI's mixed-salt process can strip CO 2 at high pressure as the stripper for rich-solvent regeneration is operated at higher pressure than the Fluor Econamine FG Plus SM process. Thus, the electrical power required for compressing CO 2 to delivery pressures (> 130 atm) is greatly reduced in the mixed-salt process compared to other solvent-based technologies operating with lower-pressure regenerations. Ammonia-based technologies require absorber solvent cooling and treated gas washing to reduce ammonia emissions, and the raw water consumption of the process combines the water being used in the two water-wash sections. The Fluor Econamine FG Plus SM technology requires a large water recycle in the CDR unit for cooling purposes (1,173,350-1,286,900 lpm or 310,000-340,000 gpm), which greatly exceeds the PC plant cooling water requirement (643,450-757,000 lpm or 170,000-200,000 gpm). SRI's mixed-salt process requires a relatively smaller recycle for cooling purposes, and the overall cooling water recycled was 71% less in the mixed-salt process compared to the baseline case. As such, the auxiliary power required for mixed-salt process CDR unit was 60% less than the baseline case. The heat duty for the mixed-salt process was calculated to be 2.0 MJ/Kg of CO 2 recovered (in the stripper reboiler). This accounts for a 44% decrease in the heat duty requirement in the mixed-salt process compared to the baseline case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on carbon capture in an Ultra Super Critical power plant. The technology selected for CO 2 capture is based on cooled ammonia scrubbing in post-combustion mode, as recently investigated by the authors in another work. Here, a rate-based approach is adopted. In detail, a specific primary energy consumption for CO 2 avoided (SPECCA) of 2.77 MJ/kg CO2 is calculated in case of 85% of CO 2 capture, with an ultimate power plant efficiency of 37.27%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on carbon capture in an advanced combined cycle with air-blown gasification of high-sulfur coal. The technology selected for CO 2 capture is based on cooled ammonia scrubbing in post-combustion mode, as recently investigated by the authors in another work. Here, a stronger integration among the desulfurization unit, the CO 2 capture plant and the steam cycle is considered, in order to improve the ultimate performance. In detail, a specific primary energy consumption for CO 2 avoided (SPECCA) as low as 1.97 MJ/kg CO2 is calculated in case of 90% of CO 2 capture, with an ultimate power plant efficiency of 42.53%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the integration of Electric swing adsorption (ESA) Process in a Natural Gas Combined Cycle. This process was investigated in the MATESA FP7 project financed by European Commission. The ESA process is modelled through ASPEN Adsorption using both heat and electricity for regenerating the sorbent. The overall heat duty of the sorbent is 4 MJ/kgCO 2 where half of this is recovered in the regeneration cycle. The resulting CO 2 avoided is around 90% with a net electric efficiency of about 40%. The low efficiency is consequence of the higher energetic value of electricity with respect to the thermal power typically adopted in MEA regeneration. Being the first attempt of simulating this process using multiple heat sources and the recent development of sorbents, significant improvements can be expected by ESA reducing the gap with conventional post-combustion CO 2 capture technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem ED volume and acuity were anticipated to increase at an inner-city hospital. A strategy to mitigate the impact was needed. Methods A multidisciplinary team facilitated a workflow modification project implementing a Super Track to treat low-acuity patients. A literature review led to the creation of an evidence-based framework. Staff education regarding the change process and the results of an analysis in the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat format, along with simulation exercises and a pilot project, supported implementation of this strategy. Results Simulation exercises demonstrated that the proposed workflow with a Super Track had the potential to reduce the length of stay among level 4 and 5 patients coming to the emergency department. Implementing a Super Track reduced the patient arrival-to-provider time for low-acuity patients, but length of stay was not affected. After implementation, the number of patients who left without being seen decreased by 40%, and patient satisfaction increased by 36%. Implications for practice A modified front-end workflow process produced a statistically significant, sustainable improvement in patient flow of low-acuity patients in our emergency department. Use of an evidence-based, multidisciplinary team approach supported the change process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aspen Plus VLE model implementation approach for AP-PRLD blend for CO 2 capture • The methodology is general and applicable for developing ELECNRTL models • Experimental validation using quality in-house VLE data • Accurate estimation of absorption heat and reasonable speciation plots are obtaine • Estimation of physical properties of the blend Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) using chemical absorption is a viable method to significantly cut CO 2 emissions in the industrial and energy sectors. However, further development of improved absorbents is necessary to reduce the costs and environmental impact of current CCS technologies. To design the process and quantify energy consumption and costs through process simulation, it is necessary to implement an accurate and robust thermodynamic model. This article describes in details how to develop, regress, and validate a VLE model using ELECNRTL model in Aspen Plus V11 for the novel HS3 solvent, a blend of 3-amino-1-propanol and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl) pyrrolidine, which is currently being characterized in Realise (H2020-funded project). The VLE model is validated over a wide range of temperatures and loadings. Deviations on CO 2 partial pressures and heat of absorption are lower than 15% and 8%, respectively. The proposed procedure to regress ELECNRTL parameters can be used as a general guideline for implementing VLE models in Aspen Plus for generic amine blends or electrolyte solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals with CO 2 capture plants for an advanced air-blown gasification-based combined cycle where a coal with high sulphur content, which is really relevant for the coal market, is used as feedstock. The sulphur removed as H 2 S from the coal-derived gas enters a wet sulphuric acid process. Later, the resulting acid is used to control ammonia slip in a post-combustion CO 2 capture plant based on ammonia scrubbing and designed for a reduced energy demand. Thus, limiting the energy impact of the CO 2 capture technology will improve the power plant efficiency, according to a presumable lower cost of the generated electricity, as a high-sulphur coal is used as fuel input. In detail, a cooled ammonia-based process is found to be more attractive than a more conventional chilled ammonia-based solution: in case of 90% of CO 2 avoided, the overall power plant efficiency is equal to 41.7% and the SPECCA (specific primary energy consumption for CO 2 avoided) as low as 2 . 3 MJ/kg CO 2 . Moreover, the calculation results show the SPECCA for CO 2 avoided ranging from 80% to 90% is almost constant, even though the power plant efficiency increases if lower levels of CO 2 capture are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is the evaluation of the influence of the kinetic of the NH 3 -CO 2 -H 2 O reactions in the absorber with respect to the electric power losses due to the steam bleeding from the turbine for the regeneration of the solvent. The results exposed conclude that there are few works about the kinetic of the aqueous reaction of the system NH 3 -CO 2 -H 2 O and data from the literature are not in agreement among them probably due to a dependence of the kinetic constants on the ammonia concentration in the liquid. The kinetic parameters have a strong influence on the specific electric power losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gasification of the biomass is an efficient way to employ the renewable source for the production of electric power. Nevertheless, the water content in the biomass can be very high and the performances of a power plant that exploits the syngas produced can be negatively affected. The mixing of thermosetting resin with the biomass in order to increase the performances even with high moisture of the biomass is evaluated in a two stage gasifier. An Aspen Plus model that simulates the sub-processes of the gasification is implemented. The equations that describe the pyrolysis and the gasification are regressed with the data available in literature. The power production obtained with a mixture of 30% of thermosetting resins and biomass with 65% of water is higher than the ones obtained with biomass with 45% of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy impact of different post-combustion CO 2 capture plants integrated in an advanced air-blown IGCC is simulated in this paper. Ammonia scrubbing is considered as the CO 2 capture technology and chilled and cooled modes are investigated with reference to operation temperatures at the absorber equal to 7 °C and 20 °C respectively. Ammonia slip is controlled by means of an absorption-desorption cycle just before a final acid wash, where use of the H 2 S removed from the coal-derived gas at the desulphurization unit of the IGCC is made. Focusing on three levels of CO 2 capture, from 80% to 90%, it is possible to appreciate that the cooled mode is promising as far as a reduction of the energy cost related to CO 2 capture is concerned. As a matter of fact, the energy saving, possible when adopting an air cooling system instead of a chilling plant, is significant with the specific primary energy consumption for 90% of CO 2 avoided which decreases from 2.79 MJ/kg CO2 to 2.54 MJ/kg CO2 , when switching from the chilled to the cooled mode, with a difference equal to about 0.7 percentage point in IGCC efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-combustion carbon capture technologies seem to be necessary to realize the CO 2 mitigation policies internationally shared for the next future, despite none of them appears to be ready for full-scale applications. This work considers the aqueous ammonia-based process for a coal-fired Ultra Super Critical power plant. Two layouts are simulated with Aspen Plus employing the recently recalibrated Extended UNIQUAC thermodynamic model. The first one operates at chilling conditions, which yield to salt precipitation, and is taken as reference because already analyzed in previous studies. The second layout operates at cooled conditions, which does not yield any salt precipitation. The Chilled layout reveals low specific heat duty and SPECCA equal to 2.2 and 2.86 MJ/kg CO2 , respectively. In contrast, the Cooled layout presents a higher specific heat duty of almost 3 MJ/kg CO2 but, importantly, a lower SPECCA of 2.58 MJ/kg CO2 . The latter layout is a better choice also from the perspective of the plant operation since it does not present the salt precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research efforts have been applied to obtain more efficient and less cost-intensive absorption-based processes and solvent systems for CO2 capture during the last 15-20 years. High concentrated aqueous solutions of piperazine (PZ) have been suggested as a good replacement for the current bench-mark solvent mono-ethanolamine (MEA). So far, the research on concentrated PZ solutions has mainly focused on the development and evaluation of various configurations for the post-combustion CO2 capture process. The present paper studies the integration of a configuration based on high-pressure flash regeneration with the upstream power plant. The main focus is on the overall energy performance, but a qualitative analysis of the effect of flexible operation is added as this is important for the optimization of the total plant. A power plant integrated with the optimal PZ-based capture plant is found to have a net electric efficiency of 37.4%, which is 7.2% less than the reference power plant without CO2 capture. The efficiency penalty when using an MEA-based capture plant including lean-vapour compression is 9.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical CO 2 (sCO 2) cycles represent an innovative technology especially if applied for waste heat recovery from gas turbines. This work investigates the performance of the partial heating sCO 2 cycle as the bottoming cycle of a 5 MW-class gas turbine. Particular attention is paid to the selection of both minimum CO 2 pressure and temperature and use of the non-dimensional criterion named Acceleration Margin to Condensation is made to prevent the formation of liquid CO 2 droplets at the inlet of the compressor. Moreover, in order to avoid heavily loaded turbomachinery, considerations about the machine Mach numbers result in possible limits for the maximum cycle pressure. Single-stage radial turbomachines are selected and their efficiency calculated according to Aungier's correlations by taking actual size and running conditions into account. Focusing on the net electric power produced by the bottoming cycle and on the corresponding specific cost, a number of investigations has been carried out. After setting a limit for the compressor Mach number, around 1600 kW can be recovered by the sCO 2 bottoming cycle, though a techno-economic optimization would guide towards an optimum point with slightly more than 1500 kW of power output and a specific cost for the technology of around 2000 $/kW. • A supercritical CO 2 cycle is studied as bottomer of a 4.7 MW gas turbine. • The partial heating cycle is considered based on the limited number of components. • Around 1600 kW of net electric power can be recovered by the bottomer cycle. • The specific cost of the investigated technology is around 2000 $/kW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper deals with post-combustion CO2 capture by aqueous ammonia in air-blown gasification-based combined cycles and follows previous authors’ investigations of CO2 capture by MEA scrubbing. Based on the calculations, CO2 capture seems to be more penalizing when realized by chilled ammonia instead of MEA. As a matter of fact, chilling down to 7°C both the exhaust gas and the ammonia solution results in significant power consumption of chillers, which is only partly balanced by the lower consumption for CO2 compression and lower steam extraction from the bottoming cycle compared to the MEA case. Cases with cooled instead of chilled ammonia are investigated as well. In particular, raising the process temperature up to 20°C seems to be an interesting solution, since temperature control in the absorber can be realized by passing the aqueous ammonia solution through an heat exchanger, using ambient-temperature water as refrigerant medium and removing the chillers from the system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Hot fuel gas clean-up is a very favorable technology for IGCC concepts. [•] IGCC net efficiency reduces to 41.5% when realizing post-combustion CO2 capture. [•] Complex IGCC layouts are necessary if exhaust gas recirculation is realized. [•] IGCC performance does not significantly vary with exhaust gas recirculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many alternatives are being investigated for the carbon capture, but none appears to have been proved as the choice for full-scale applications. This work considers the Chilled Ammonia Process for coal-fired Ultra Super Critical power plants. Three layouts are simulated with Aspen Plus and the Extended UNIQUAC thermodynamic model. Compared to a traditional layout, stripping of the wash water of the absorber or, better, splitting the rich solution between the middle and the top of the column limits greatly the ammonia slip. Moreover, splitting the regeneration over two levels reduces substantially the electric loss due to stream extraction from the turbine. The simulations show that the net electric efficiency drops from 45.5% to 33.5-34.5%, the SPECCA index is 3.8-4.3 MJth kgCO2–1 and the heat duties are 2.7-2.9 MJth kgCO2–1. The performances may improve greatly upon optimization of the parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As carbon dioxide anthropogenic generation and climate change appear to be correlated, carbon capture becomes advisable, in particular if applied to coal-fired power plants. The Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP) is a promising technology to be proved for the purpose. Continuing an ongoing study, this work examines the integration of Ultra Super Critical (USC) power plants with CAP, conducting a parametric investigation on the design parameters of the capture block in order to find the optimum from an energy perspective, analyzing then in details the power block and estimating ultimately the overall investment and annual costs. The commercial code Aspen Plus and the in-house research code GS are employed. The index SPECCA is adopted as preferred figure of merit of the global performance. With respect to a reference plant of 758MWe net electric production at 45.2% net electric efficiency, the carbon capture of 88.4% of the generated CO2 reduces the net electrical power by 19% and the net electrical efficiency by 8.6% points. The optimum SPECCA is and the corresponding specific heat duty to the reboiler is . Finally, despite the investment cost of the capture block is about 15% of the power block, the cost of electricity increases from 59.9 to 82.4€/MWhe because of the net electric efficiency penalty, the additional operation and maintenance costs as well as the consumable costs. The resulting cost of avoided CO2 is . For comparison, the European Benchmark Task Force (EBTF) computes for conventional MEA a SPECCA of more than , a cost of electricity of approximately 92€/MWhe and a cost of avoided CO2 of about . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Post-combustion carbon capture is attracting much attention due to the fact that it can be retrofitted on existing coal power plants. Among the most interesting technologies is the one that employs aqueous ammonia solutions to absorb the generated carbon dioxide. The evaluation of such process requires the modeling of electrolyte solutions. In this work two thermodynamic models for electrolyte solutions are compared against each other with respect to experimental data. They are the e-NRTL model and the Extended UNIQUAC model, both implemented in the commercial software Aspen Plus® 1 [1] Aspen Plus is a registered trademark of Aspen Technology, Inc. (version 7.2). Subsequently, a simple absorption/regeneration layout is simulated employing both models and the process performances are compared. In general, the Extended UNIQUAC appears to describe the experimental data for larger ranges of temperature, pressure and concentration of ammonia more satisfactorily. The energy performances computed with the Extended UNIQUAC models are less promising than with the e-NRTL model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As carbon dioxide anthropogenic generation and climate change appear to be correlated, carbon capture becomes necessary, in particular if applied to coal-fired power plants. The Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP) is a promising technology to be proved for the purpose. This work investigates the integration of Ultra Super Critical (USC) power plants with CAP, conducting a parametric investigation on the design parameters to find the optimum and analyzing then on the details of the power block. The commercial code Aspen Plus and the in-house research code GS are employed. With respect to a reference plant, carbon capture reduces the net electrical power by 19% and the net electrical efficiency by 8.5 percent points. The performance index SPECCA is also utilized. The optimum SPECCA is 3.18 MJ/kgCO2 , which is to be compared to 4.2 MJ/kgCO2 for conventional amine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The techno-economic performance of the novel 2-propanol/1-butanol zeotropic mixture and 2-propanol/water azeotropic mixture as a working fluid in Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) for waste heat recovery applications is analyzed. The ORC with two different architectures is modeled in the Aspen Plus V.10 environment for heat recovery from hot gases at 250 and 350 °C with atmospheric and sub-atmospheric condensation scenarios. The effects of different heat source/sink conditions on the performance of zeotropic mixture are studied in detail to show under which condition the zeotropic mixtures may result in higher efficiencies. The propanol/butanol mixtures (P/B) rich in propanol and propanol/water mixtures (P/W) with composition near the azeotropic point can result in 15–75% higher overall efficiencies compared to toluene and MM. However, cyclopentane shows higher efficiencies than these mixtures when atmospheric condensation is considered. According to the economic assessment, the 55%P/45%W and 75%P/25%B mixtures lead to superior results for the atmospheric condensation scenario compared to other fluids. Also, it was found that only under a tailored boundary condition, the zeotropic mixture can perform superiorly compared to the most efficient component in the mixture. • 2-propanol/1-butanol and 2-propanol/water mixtures in Rankine cycle. • Application for heat recovery from the heat source at 250–350 °C. • Techno-economic comparison with common working fluids applied in commercial ORCs. • The effects of boundary conditions on the performance of the zeotropic mixture. • Evaluation of the effect of the minimum pressure of the cycle on the performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Post-combustion carbon capture in existing power plants is a strategic technology that can reduce emissions from power generation. The proven approach is scrubbing with amines. However, its drawbacks are energy requirement, 3 to 5 MJ per kg of captured CO2, as well as solution corrosion and solvent degradation. An alternative approach is scrubbing with chilled aqueous ammonia. This technology aims at mitigating energy usage and solving corrosion and degradation issues. Here an approximate model of the CO2- H2O- NH3 system is coupled with a proposed process to evaluate mass, energy and entropy flows. For 1 kg of captured CO2, the simulation yields a steam extraction of 0.59 kg, equivalent to a heat duty exceeding slightly 1.5 MJ and a generation loss approaching closely 0.1 kWh, an auxiliary consumption of 0.1 kWh and a delta of almost 0.18 kWh with respect to the ideal case. Assuming a cost of electricity of 7c/kWh, the sole operation of the capture system totals 14C/ton_ CO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We describe how a new program of unit-based patient safety walk-rounds (PSW), where staff participate in quality improvement monitoring and discuss patient safety issues, was developed and conducted, share our tools, and report preliminary results. Over the first 9 months, 20 unit-based PSW involving 99 staff members occurred, including 30% on weekends, 40% during the evening, and 25% during the overnight shifts. Several systems issues were identified using 6 quality improvement tools and acted upon including creation of educational programs, collaboration with multiple departments external to the emergency department, changes in computerized physician order sets, and institution of multidisciplinary bedside rounds. The number of medication “near-miss” incident reports during this period increased by 44% compared with the 24 months before beginning this program. Through unit-based PSW, clinical, administrative, and ancillary support staff have successfully worked together to improve safety and quality of care and awareness of patient safety in a children''s hospital emergency department. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Parametric analysis of CO 2 capture by aqueous mixtures of NH 3 and K 2 CO 3. • K 2 CO 3 reduces the NH 3 slip in solvents with high NH 3 content and low CO 2 loading. • K 2 CO 3 increases NH 3 slip in solvents with low NH 3 content and high CO 2 loading. • K 2 CO 3 decreases the heat duty of the reboiler in NH 3 based solvents. • Increase in the pressure of regeneration from 5 to 15 bar decreases the heat duty. The industrial sector has a significant contribution to global CO 2 emissions. Aqueous mixtures of NH 3 and K 2 CO 3 seem to be promising solvents for the capture of CO 2 from industrial flue gases. The CO 2 capture from simulated industrial flue gases with CO 2 between 10%v/v and 30%v/v was evaluated, considering nominal capture rate of CO 2 (CCO 2) 90%. The effect of pressure on the solvent regeneration was investigated in the range 5–15 bar. Aspen plus software and the Extended UNIQUAC thermodynamic model were used in equilibrium-based calculations. The aqueous mixtures of NH 3 - K 2 CO 3 had lower heat of desorption of CO 2 than that in aqueous NH 3. K 2 CO 3 effect on NH 3 slip from the absorption column was influenced by the concentration of CO 2 in gas phase and the composition of solvent. The reduction in NH 3 slip by K 2 CO 3 was pronounced in solvents with high NH 3 content, ≥4.54 mol/kg H2O. The NH 3 slip increased by K 2 CO 3 when solvents with low content of NH 3 were used. The presence of K 2 CO 3 in solvents with high CO 2 loading, ≥0.4, was not beneficial in terms of NH 3 slip. The increase in the pressure of regeneration resulted in an increase in the temperature of regeneration and a decrease in the heat duty of the reboiler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The FReSMe process for CO 2 capture and methanol production in steel plants is analysed. • Costs and energy performances are compared to conventional ammine-based CCS. • FReSMe reduces the CO 2 emissions by 60 % against the 18 % of ammine-based CCS. • With a carbon tax above 40.6 €/t CO2 , FReSMe has lower costs than conventional CCS. The iron and steel industry accounts for 6 % of the global CO 2 emissions and it is one of the main hard-to-abate sectors that must be un-locked to reach climate neutrality in the coming decades. The objective of this work is to assess the economics of the FReSMe (From Residual Steel gases to Methanol) process for reducing the carbon footprint of conventional steel plants based on the Blast Furnace route. This reduction is achieved by capturing and converting part of the steel plants residual gases into methanol. The process includes the Sorption Enhanced Water Gas Shift (SEWGS) technology to treat the residual gases separating the CO 2 and producing a H 2 -rich stream. The latter can be recirculated back to the steel plant to cover part of its primary energy demand or reacted together with part of the separated CO 2 to synthetize methanol. The CO 2 excess can be used for underground storage. Four different process configurations with different methanol production capacities are investigated. Costs and performances of each configuration are assessed and compared to two reference cases. Results show that the FReSMe process allows to avoid around the 60 % of the overall steel plant CO 2 emissions, while the reference plant with post-combustion capture in the power section only 18 %. The cost of CO 2 avoided is in the range 40.6 €/t CO2 – 46.2 €/t CO2. When no carbon tax is considered, the optimal methanol production capacity results 600 t/day with a Levelized Cost of Hot Rolled Coil of around 520 €/t HRC , 9.4 % higher than in the base case (476 €/t HRC). With a carbon tax rate above 40.6 €/t CO2 , the optimal configuration has a methanol production capacity of 300 t/day and it ensures higher emissions reduction and lower costs than conventional post-combustion carbon capture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]