Feasibility study on manganese nodules recovery in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

The sea occupies three quarters of the area on the earth and provides various kinds of resources to mankind in the form of minerals, food, medicines and even energy. “Seabed exploitation” specifically deals with recovery of the resources that are found on the seabed, in the form of solids, liquids and gasses (methane hydrates, oil and natural gas). The resources are abundant; nevertheless the recovery process from the seabed, poses various challenges to mankind. This study starts with a review on three types of resources: polymetallic manganese nodules, polymetallic manganese crusts and massive sulphides deposits. Each of them are rich in minerals, such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper and some rare earth elements. They are found at many locations in the deep seas and are potentially a big source of minerals. No commercial seabed mining activity has been accomplished to date due to the great complexities in recovery. This book describes the various challenges associated with a potential underwater mineral recovery operation, reviews and analyses the existing recovery techniques, and provides an innovative engineering system. It further identifies the associated risks and a suitable business model.Chapter 1 presents a brief background about the past and present industrial trends of seabed mining. A description of the sea, seabed and the three types of seabed mineral resources are also included. A section on motivations for deep sea mining follows which also compares the latter with terrestrial mining.Chapter 2 deals with the decision making process, including a market analysis, for selecting manganese nodules as the resource of interest. This is followed by a case study specific to the location of interest: West COMRA in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Specific site location is determined in order to estimate commercial risk, environmental impact assessment and logistic challenge.Chapter 3 lists the existing techniques for nodule recovery operation. The study identifies the main components of a nodules recovery system, and organizes them into: collector, propulsion and vertical transport systems.Chapter 4 discusses various challenges posed by manganese nodules recovery, in terms of the engineering and environment. The geo-political and legal-social issues have also been considered. This chapter plays an important role in defining the proposed engineering system, as addressing the identified challenges will better shape the proposed solution.Chapter 5 proposes an engineering system, by considering the key components in greater details. An innovative component, the black box is introduced, which is intended to be an environmentally-friendly solution for manganese nodules recovery. Other auxiliary components, such as the mother ship and metallurgical processing, are briefly included. A brief power supply analysis is also provided.Chapter 6 assesses the associated risks, which are divided into sections namely commercial viability, logistic challenges, environmental impact assessment and safety assessment. The feasibility of the proposed solution is also dealt with.Chapter 7 provides a business model for the proposed engineering system. Potential customers are identified, value proposition is determined, costumer relation is also suggested. Public awareness is then discussed and finally a SWOT analysis is presented. This business model serves as an important bridge to reach both industry and research institutes.Finally, Chapter 8 provides some conclusions and recommendation for future work

Characterization and optimization of PDMS microfluidic devices for rapid DNA hybridization

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-53).Two elastomeric microfluidic devices were designed for the purpose of conducting rapid, flow-based, multiplexed DNA hybridization. Experimental results showed that flowing hybridization assays could detect similar concentrations of labeled probe as standard stationary microarrays, but in 1/100h of the time, using 2% of the sample volume. An 8-channel device was used to spot glass slides with 64 hybridization assays and generate data supporting a theoretical model of DNA hybridization in both traditional stationary microarrays and flowing sample arrays. Larger devices were also used to create rrays of 96x96 spots on a single slide, demonstrating the scalability of the technology. Protocols were written and optimized for the use of both chips, allowing the technology to be distributed to collaborating labs for further development.by Jenny Hu.S.B

Insights into the Thermodynamics of Hydricity for a Rhenium Pincer Complex and their Implications on Catalytic Conditions

Thermodynamic considerations regarding critical hydrogenation reactions have not been well studied. We report a rhenium(I) pincer carbonyl complexes have been synthesized. Hydricity values, as well as the enthalpy and entropy of H2 heterolysis, have been experimentally determined in various solvents (THF, MeCN, toluene). Preliminary catalytic hydrogenation reactions of CO2 have been carried out using (tBuPOCOP)(Re)(CO)2(H)-.Bachelor of Scienc

Low-cost cell-based production platform for seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines

Influenza-related illnesses have caused an estimated over million cases of severe illness, and it has about hundred thousands of deaths worldwide annually. Traditionally these vaccines are produced in embryonated chicken eggs. However, in the case of a pandemic outbreak, this egg-based production system may not be quickly enough to meet the surging demand. The efficacy associated with egg-based vaccines are low in recently years. The raising concerns with egg-derived vaccines is resulting in the spurred exploration of alternatives. MDCK cells are becoming as an alternative host to embryonated eggs for influenza virus propagation. Although MDCK cells were considered to be a suitable host for the virus production, their inability to grow in suspension still limits the process of scale-up and their production capability. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

A cost analysis of upscaling access to continuity of midwifery carer: Population-based microsimulation in Queensland, Australia

Objective To quantify the economic impact of upscaling access to continuity of midwifery carer, compared with current standard maternity care, from the perspective of the public health care system. Methods We created a static microsimulation model based on a whole-of-population linked administrative data set containing all public hospital births in one Australian state (Queensland) between July 2017 to June 2018 (n = 37,701). This model was weighted to represent projected State-level births between July 2023 and June 2031. Woman and infant health service costs (inpatient, outpatient and emergency department) during pregnancy and birth were summed. The base model represented current standard maternity care and a counterfactual model represented two hypothetical scenarios where 50 % or 65 % of women giving birth would access continuity of midwifery carer. Costs were reported in 2021/22 AUD. Results The estimated cost savings to Queensland public hospital funders per pregnancy were $336 in 2023/24 and$546 with 50 % access. With 65 % access, the cost savings were estimated to be $534 per pregnancy in 2023/24 and$839 in 2030/31. A total State-level annual cost saving of $12 million in 2023/24 and$19 million in 2030/31 was estimated with 50 % access. With 65 % access, total State-level annual cost savings were estimated to be $19 million in 2023/24 and$30 million in 2030/31. Conclusion Enabling most childbearing women in Australia to access continuity of midwifery carer would realise significant cost savings for the public health care system by reducing the rate of operative birth