Hubs and clusters approach to unlock the development of carbon capture and storage - Case study in Spain

Many countries have assigned an indispensable role for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in their national climate change mitigation pathways. However, CCS deployment has stalled in most countries with only limited commercial projects realised mainly in hydrocarbon-rich countries for enhanced oil recovery. If the Paris Agreement is to be met, then this progress must be replicated widely, including hydrocarbon-limited countries. In this study, we present a novel source-to-sink assessment methodology based on a hubs and clusters approach to identify favourable regions for CCS deployment and attract renewed public and political interest in viable deployment pathways. Here, we apply this methodology to Spain, where fifteen emission hubs from both the power and the hard-to-abate industrial sectors are identified as potential CO2 sources. A priority storage structure and two reserves for each hub are selected based on screening and ranking processes using a multi-criteria decision-making method. The priority source-to-sink clusters are identified indicating four potential development regions, with the North-Western and North-Eastern Spain recognised as priority regions due to resilience provided by different types of CO2 sources and geological structures. Up to 68.7 Mt CO2 per year, comprising around 21% of Spanish emissions can be connected to clusters linked to feasible storage. CCS, especially in the hard-to-abate sector, and in combination with other low-carbon energies (e.g., blue hydrogen and bioenergy), remains a significant and unavoidable contributor to the Paris Agreement's mid-century net-zero target. This study shows that the hubs and clusters approach can facilitate CCS deployment in Spain and other hydrocarbon-limited countries

Bendamustine, bortezomib and prednisone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: Results of a prospective phase 2 Spanish/PETHEMA trial

Bendamustine is a bifunctional alkylating agent with proven activity in myeloma. In this study 60 newly diag- nosed myeloma patients were given bendamustine plus bortezomib and prednisone in a regimen consisting of one cycle of bortezomib twice weekly for 6 weeks (1.3 mg/m2 on days 1, 4, 8, 11, 22, 25, 29, and 32), plus bendamus- tine (90 mg/m2 on days 1 and 4) and prednisone. The following cycles included bortezomib once weekly. Patients who were transplant candidates proceeded to stem cell collection after four cycles and the transplant was per- formed after six cycles. Patients who were not candidates for transplantation received up to nine cycles. Forty-two patients were transplant candidates and after six cycles, 50% achieved at least a very good partial response, with 24% having complete responses; 35 proceeded to a transplant, and the complete response rate was 54%. Seventeen patients continued up to nine cycles, and 57% achieved at least a very good partial response, including 26% with complete responses. The 2-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 62% and 86%, respectively. The safety profile was manageable, but stem cell mobilization was compromised in 35% of patients. In summary, this combination is effective in untreated patients, with an acceptable toxicity profile, but given the introduction of second-generation novel agents and monoclonal antibodies, the combination will probably be bet- ter reserved for relapsing patients, in whom stem cell collection is not needed, while cost-effective combinations with non-cross-resistant drugs continue to represent a medical need. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01376401