An Investigation into the use of Coated Vanadium Alloys for the Purpose of Hydrogen Separation

A need for a new energy vector is highlighted, as carbon-based transport fuels are identified as producing sub-micron particulate causing both environmental and health issues. It is suggested that this energy vector should be hydrogen, however current commercial hydrogen production relies on the use of expensive hydrogen separation technologies such as amine separation and pressure swing adsorption. It is suggested in this work that a focus be put on the development of hydrogen separation membranes, and in particular a focus on metallic membranes due to their potential for delivering a large hydrogen flux at a high purity and low operating cost. The major barrier to utilisation is identified as cost and thus motivation is provided for the need to develop a new generation of membrane. The problem is identified as having two parts: identifying suitable surface catalysts and bulk membrane materials. Theoretical modelling was used to investigate the design of idealised membranes before tests were conducted. A number of membranes were tested in a bespoke enclosure under conditions designed to mimic real-life operation, with tests undertaken under non-dilute hydrogen conditions and with a mixed CO2/H2 feed. Tests on a non-palladium containing surface catalyst, oxidised silver, proved to show no positive results. Pd-Ag Coated V-Ni and V-Ni-Al membranes are shown to have a maximum apparent permeability of 3.3 x10-8 mol m-1 s-1 Pa-0.5 and 4.1 x10-8 mol m-1 s-1 Pa-0.5 when tested at 300 °C with a binary feed mixture of CO2 and H2. In both instances the purity of the permeate was found to be 99.9% hydrogen. The permeability of both membranes under these conditions warrants further study

Suicide Screening in Primary Care: Use of an Electronic Screener to Assess Suicidality and Improve Provider Follow-Up for Adolescents

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using an existing computer decision support system to screen adolescent patients for suicidality and provide follow-up guidance to clinicians in a primary care setting. Predictors of patient endorsement of suicidality and provider documentation of follow-up were examined. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted to examine the implementation of a CDSS that screened adolescent patients for suicidality and provided follow-up recommendations to providers. The intervention was implemented for patients aged 12–20 years in two primary care clinics in Indianapolis, Indiana. Results The sample included 2,134 adolescent patients (51% female; 60% black; mean age = 14.6 years [standard deviation = 2.1]). Just over 6% of patients screened positive for suicidality. A positive endorsement of suicidality was more common among patients who were female, depressed, and seen by an adolescent−medicine board-certified provider as opposed to general pediatric provider. Providers documented follow-up action for 83% of patients who screened positive for suicidality. Documentation of follow-up action was correlated with clinic site and Hispanic race. The majority of patients who endorsed suicidality (71%) were deemed not actively suicidal after assessment by their provider. Conclusions Incorporating adolescent suicide screening and provider follow-up guidance into an existing computer decision support system in primary care is feasible and well utilized by providers. Female gender and depressive symptoms are consistently associated with suicidality among adolescents, although not all suicidal adolescents are depressed. Universal use of a multi-item suicide screener that assesses recency might more effectively identify suicidal adolescents

Beyond COVID-19: Lessons for social protection from WFP's work in East Africa in 2020

© World Food Programme 2021. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial uses are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Director, Communications, Advocacy and Marketing Division, e-mail: [email protected] May 2020, RBN established a Social Protection Learning Facility to enhance evidence-based decision making, learning and accountability in WFP’s social protection work in the context of COVID-19 and other shocks. The Facility combined real-time evaluation of WFP’s activities with technical assistance to WFP staff who were navigating difficult trade-offs as they sought to support governments to flex social protection in the region. It comprised of social protection researchers and advisors who provided on demand support to WFP in areas of programme design, implementation and wider strategic considerations in WFP’s work, and offered ‘Ideas Space’ sessions to support the sharing of experiences. This report is a product of the first phase of the facility and focuses on lessons learned from WFP’s work in 2020 that are important for the social protection sector in the region going forward.World Food Programm

Building an LCA Inventory: A Worked Example on a CO2 to Fertilizer Process

This worked example is part of a series of examples that are designed to provide practical guidance to the application of the Techno-Economic Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines for CO2 Utilization. This worked example provides guidance on best practices and potential pitfalls in the production of a LCA inventory utilizing one or more sources of primary/secondary data. The worked example highlights the dangers of “picking and mixing” data by showing how derived results can vary significantly resulting in inconsistencies and uncertainty when considering direct comparisons for products/services and functions. The worked example considers a CO2 to nitrogen rich fertilizer pathway, with 18 inventories produced for assessment.Global CO2 InitiativeEIT Climate-KIChttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154989/3/Building an LCA Inventory (CO2 to fertilizer example).pdfDescription of Building an LCA Inventory (CO2 to fertilizer example).pdf : Report documen

Improving Surgical Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Pivotal Role for the World Health Organization

In response to increasing evidence that surgical conditions are an important global public health problem, and data suggesting that essential surgical services can be delivered in a cost-effective manner in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has expanded its interest in surgical care. In 2004, WHO established a Clinical Procedures Unit within the Department of Essential Health Technologies. This unit has developed the Emergency and Essential Surgical Project (EESC), which includes a basic surgical training program based on the “Integrated Management of Emergency and Essential Surgical Care” Toolkit and the textbook “Surgery at the District Hospital.” To promote the importance of emergency and essential surgical care, a Global Initiative for Emergency and Essential Care was launched in 2005. In what maybe the most important development, surgical care is included in WHO’s new comprehensive primary health care plan. Given these rapid developments, surgical care at WHO may be approaching a critical “tipping point.” Lobbying for a World Health Assembly resolution on emergency and essential surgical care, and developing “structured collaborations” between WHO and various stakeholders are potential ways to ensure that the global surgery agenda continues to move forward

Interpretation of LCA results: A Worked Example on a CO2 to Fertilizer Process

This worked example is part of a series of examples that are designed to provide practical guidance to the application of the Techno-Economic Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines for CO2 Utilization. In this worked example the impact of “picking and mixing” inventory data on results interpretation is explored in detail. The results of 18 LCA inventories (for a CO2 to nitrogen rich fertilizer pathway) are assessed, showing the inconsistencies in the conclusions drawn from the interpretation phase of the studies.Global CO2 InitiativeEIT Climate-KIChttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154990/4/Interpretation of LCA results (CO2 to fertilizer example).pdfDescription of Interpretation of LCA results (CO2 to fertilizer example).pdf : Report documen

A Guide to Goal Setting in TEA: A Worked Example Considering CO2 Use in the Domestic Heating Sector

This worked example is part of a series of examples that are designed to provide practical guidance to the application of the Techno-Economic Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines for CO2 Utilization. This worked example provides guidance on goal setting for TEA, with illustrative examples given for each of the perspectives listed in the guidelines (R&D, Corporate, Market). Multiple goals are derived following the advice of the guidelines with CO2 use in the domestic heating sector as the background. The example also provides advice on assessing the feasibility of using, either alongside a new study or in place of, with illustrative examples provided to demonstrate the impact data variance can have on the results of a study.Global CO2 InitiativeEIT Climate-KIChttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154988/4/Guide to goal setting in TEA (Domestic heating example).pdfDescription of Guide to goal setting in TEA (Domestic heating example).pdf : Report documen

Randomised trials conducted using cohorts : a scoping review

Acknowledgements We thank Margaret Sampson, MLIS, PhD, AHIP (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada) for developing the search strategies on behalf of the CONSORT team. We thank Dr Philippa Fibert, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London for her help in screening publications for inclusion.Peer reviewe

SNG Worked Example for the TEA Guidelines for CO2 Utilization

To meet the high demand for natural gas globally, synthetic natural gas (SNG) can be produced as a substitute for natural gas derived from fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the traditional SNG production process is highly carbon-intensive. In the framework of the Power-to-Gas concept, production of SNG can occur via hydrogenation of CO2, which can be captured from industrial sources. As a result, the reliance of SNG production on fossil fuels can be reduced and, subsequently, associated CO2 emissions can be controlled. The goal of the present study is to assess the technical viability and economic feasibility of producing SNG via CO2 hydrogenation. Additionally, to prepare for integrating the techno-economic analysis (TEA) with a life-cycle assessment (LCA), the challenges and pitfalls of such integration are also discussed. The TEA in this study was carried out mainly from a research & development perspective. The production cost for SNG based on carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is estimated and key cost drivers are identified. The combined indicator of CO2 abatement cost is also estimated as a quantitative indicator for assessing the TEA and LCA results. The methanation plant is assumed to be located next to an iron & steel plant in Germany, from which the CO2 feedstock for producing SNG is by means of MEA-based chemical absorption technology, while the hydrogen (which is produced via electrolysis using surplus electricity) is purchased from a production facility located 250 km away. The output capacity of the methanation plant is 148 MW. Aspen Plus software was used for process modelling and data were taken from the literature. Through discussions, it was found that setting the system boundaries was a central challenge for aligning the TEA and LCA. While LCA tends towards encompassing the full life cycle of products (cradle-to-grave or -gate), it is not necessary to include the upstream and downstream processes to conduct a TEA in the present study. The information on upstream processes is reflected in the characteristics of the input flows entering the product system. Setting identical system boundaries for TEA and LCA would require solving problems of multi-functionality, which can be very challenging for TEA when the market for the products to be analyzed is still uncertain. To align inventories, the relevant environmental parameters (e.g., CO2 emissions) should be documented in addition to the technical and economic parameters. For calculating CO2 abatement cost, system expansion can be used to account for the reduced CO2 emissions, or the CO2 feedstock can be regarded as negative emissions. The results show that the SNG production cost for the analyzed product system is 0.0748 €/MJ and the minimum selling price is 0.271 €/kWh. The production cost is more than 10 times greater than that of the benchmark product (coal-based SNG). The selling price of SNG produced by the proposed system is also significantly higher than that of natural gas in the German market. The CO2 abatement cost, as a combined indicator of TEA & LCA, was calculated as 0.75 €/kgCO2. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the hydrogen purchase price represents the most significant uncertainty for the analyzed system. At a 95% confidence interval, the estimated production cost ranges between 0.065 and 0.173 €/MJSNG. Current legislation of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is found to be inapplicable to the product system investigated. Thus, the analyzed CCU system cannot benefit from the emissions trading scheme. To drive CCU-based SNG forward in the future market, it is essential to reduce the production cost of hydrogen.Global CO2 InitiativeEIT Climate-KIChttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167382/1/TEA of Synthetic Natural Gas production - worked example.pdfDescription of TEA of Synthetic Natural Gas production - worked example.pdf : Report documentSEL

Multi-Attributional Decision Making in LCA & TEA for CCU: An Introduction to Approaches and a Worked Example

This worked example considers only the elements of the whole process relevant for the integrated assessment in greater detail. This worked example builds on a prior study, covering CO2 to methanol conversion, and as such a more detailed overview of the technology can be found there. A brief overview of the methanol technology is included for familiarization, along with details on the alignment approach taken to ensure that a ‘preference-based’ integration can be completed. The focus of this worked example is the application of multi-attribute decision making (MADM) approaches and their potential use within combined LCA & TEA studies. The practical part of this examples sees the application of one MADM method to a multi-criteria problem with relevancy in CCU that utilizes the outputs of both an LCA & TEA study.This worked example has been released at an intermediate timeframe within the CO2nsistent project, fitting in between the release of version 1.1 and 2.0 of the ‘Techno-economic Assessment & Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines for CO2 Utilization’. This means the subject matter of this worked example (combined assessment, in particular multi-criteria approaches to decision analysis/making) remains to a degree uncovered by the overarching guidelines associated with this project until the release of version 2.0. As such this worked example will include more contextual sections than has been typical in previous examples, in part bridging the gap until a more detailed guidance section on combined assessment can be included in version 2.0. This does not mean that no guidance can be drawn from version 1.1 of the guidelines document in the intermediate timeframe. Version 1.1 contains some guidance on both combined LCA & TEA studies (see section A) and the individual TEA section itself also contains a brief section and guideline rules on multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) for use within the field. Ultimately this guidance is useful even for application in a combined study, as ultimately the same concept applies with the complication of needing to ensure that both the LCA & TEA study are aligned with suitable precision.Global CO2 InitiativeEIT Climate-KIChttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167009/3/Multi-attributional Decision-Making in LCA and TEA for CCU and Worked Example.pdfedda1cab-631e-4ed3-880e-28ed1c223cc3SEL