Co-production of synfuels and electricity from coal + biomass with zero net carbon emissions: An Illinois case study

Abstract Energy, carbon, and economic performance are estimated for facilities co-producing Fischer–Tropsch Liquid (FTL) fuels and electricity from a co-feed of biomass and coal in Illinois, with capture and storage of by-product CO 2 . The estimates include detailed models of supply systems for corn stover or mixed prairie grasses and of feedstock conversion facilities. The Illinois results are extrapolated to estimate the potential FTL production in 23 states

Energy and economic performance of novel integrated gasifier fuel cell (IGFC) cycles with carbon capture

This work analyzes the efficiency and economic performance of different configurations of a coal-fed integrated gasification fuel cell (IGFC) plant with CO2 capture. Our analysis evaluates novel configurations, providing a detailed economic assessment for each case.The plants studied here are based on a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) based power cycle integrated with a Shell coal gasifier. The design variations focus on syngas cleaning and pre-processing upstream of the SOFC power island. In particular, we have designed, simulated and optimized three main system configurations; two with a partial methanation process upstream of the SOFC ('TREMP' and 'HICOM' cases, respectively) and one without ('DIRECT' case). Depending on the specific plant layout, carbon capture is accomplished either before or after the SOFC power island, or both.The best performance, both thermodynamic and economic, was achieved by the HICOM case, whose coal-to-electricity conversion efficiency is ~55% (lower heating value, LHV, basis). Note that this paper is meant to supplant the preliminary results presented in Lanzini et al. (2012). ?????? 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Hypertension, the renin-angiotensin system, and the risk of lower respiratory tract infections and lung injury: implications for COVID-19.

Systemic arterial hypertension (referred to as hypertension herein) is a major risk factor of mortality worldwide, and its importance is further emphasized in the context of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection referred to as COVID-19. Patients with severe COVID-19 infections commonly are older and have a history of hypertension. Almost 75% of patients who have died in the pandemic in Italy had hypertension. This raised multiple questions regarding a more severe course of COVID-19 in relation to hypertension itself as well as its treatment with renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers, e.g. angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). We provide a critical review on the relationship of hypertension, RAS, and risk of lung injury. We demonstrate lack of sound evidence that hypertension per se is an independent risk factor for COVID-19. Interestingly, ACEIs and ARBs may be associated with lower incidence and/or improved outcome in patients with lower respiratory tract infections. We also review in detail the molecular mechanisms linking the RAS to lung damage and the potential clinical impact of treatment with RAS blockers in patients with COVID-19 and a high cardiovascular and renal risk. This is related to the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells, and expression of ACE2 in the lung, cardiovascular system, kidney, and other tissues. In summary, a critical review of available evidence does not support a deleterious effect of RAS blockers in COVID-19 infections. Therefore, there is currently no reason to discontinue RAS blockers in stable patients facing the COVID-19 pandemic