The health of women and girls determines the health and well-being of our modern world: A White Paper From the International Council on Women's Health Issues

The International Council on Women's Health Issues (ICOWHI) is an international nonprofit association dedicated to the goal of promoting health, health care, and well-being of women and girls throughout the world through participation, empowerment, advocacy, education, and research. We are a multidisciplinary network of women's health providers, planners, and advocates from all over the globe. We constitute an international professional and lay network of those committed to improving women and girl's health and quality of life. This document provides a description of our organization mission, vision, and commitment to improving the health and well-being of women and girls globally

Thermochemical energy storage and heat transformation based on SrBr2: generic reactor concept for validation experiments

Since energy efficiency of chemical processes becomes more and more important, recovery of thermal waste heat offers an increasing potential for industrial applications. In general, re-integrating waste heat into a chemical process not solely depends on the simultaneous presence of availability and demand. It is also limited by the temperature level of the heat flows, as waste heat flows usually occur at lower temperatures than the actual required process heat. A heat pump could principally be used to close this temperature gap. However, there is no heat pump commercially available yet that offers output temperatures of more than 140 °C [1]. Therefore, thermochemical energy storage based on gas-solid reactions has come into the focus of interest [2]. Such reactions can generally be described by the following reaction equation: A(s) + B(g) AB(s) + ΔRH. By varying the partial pressure of the gaseous reaction partner B, the required reaction temperature can be adjusted. Thereby, it is possible to perform the endothermic reaction at lower temperatures than the exothermic reaction, and hence achieve a temperature lift between energy input and energy output. Additionally, gas-solid reactions can also be used for storing thermal energy with high storage densities, which makes them very attractive candidates for waste heat recovery. In this work, SrBr2/H2O has been chosen as a working pair of materials. The reversible reaction of SrBr2 monohydrate to the hydrate SrBr2 x 6 H2O has been applied for thermochemical energy storage for domestic use below 80 °C [3, 4]. However, by using a different reaction step, namely a lower degree of hydration, energy storage as well as heat transformation at temperatures relevant for industrial waste heat recovery (150 – 300 °C) seems thermodynamically possible. In order to investigate the application potential of this reaction, it was analyzed considering technically relevant boundary conditions. In the oral presentation, a comparison of experimental thermodynamic and kinetic data at two mass scales will be discussed: on the one hand, 15 mg SrBr2 monohydrate were tested using thermogravimetric analysis. On the other hand, 1 kg of the solid was analyzed in a lab-scale reactor which was mainly designed to obtain experimental data, e.g. for model validations. Due to its generic geometry, it allows to test the effects of various process parameters, such as pressure variations or different gas in- and outlet conditions, on the performance of the reactive bulk. This consequently leads to a deeper understanding of material requirements for the applications mentioned above, since thermodynamic and kinetic limitations of the reactive material can be properly distinguished from macroscopic effects, e.g. the effects of heat and mass transfer within its bulk. References: [1] REISSNER, F.; GROMOLL, B.; SCHAEFER, J.; DANOV, V.; KARL, J. Experimental performance evaluation of new safe and environmentally friendly working fluids for high temperature heat pumps. European Heat Pump Summit, Nürnberg, Germany, October 2013. [2] YU, Y.Q.; ZHANG, P.; WU, J.Y.; WANG, R.Z. Energy upgrading by solid-gas reaction heat transformer: A critical review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2008, Volume 12, 1302-1324. [3] LELE, A.F.; KUZNIK, F.; OPEL, O.; RUCK, W.K.L. Performance analysis of a thermochemical based heat storage as an addition to cogeneration systems. Energy Conversion and Management, 2015, Volume 106, 1327–1344. [4] MICHEL, B.; MAZET, N.; NEVEU, P. Experimental investigation of an innovative thermochemical process operating with a hydrate salt and moist air for thermal storage of solar energy: Global performance. Applied Energy, 2014, Volume 129, 177-186

SrBr2/H2O as reaction system for thermochemical heat transformation

In chemical industries, waste heat usually occurs at low temperature levels, whereas process heat is mostly needed at higher temperatures [1]. To bridge this temperature gap, heat pumps are commonly used absorbing thermal energy at low temperatures and releasing it at a higher temperature level. This process is driven by external energy such as electrical energy. However, there is no heat pump available yet on industrial scale that offers an output temperature of more than 140 °C, which is required for many applications [2]. This is why thermochemical heat transformation based on gas-solid reactions has come into the focus of interest [3]. Such reactions can generally be described by the following reaction equation: A(s) + B(g) AB(s) + ΔRH. By varying the partial pressure of the gaseous reaction partner B, the temperature of the exothermic reaction can be adjusted. It is therefore possible to perform the endothermic reaction at lower temperatures than the exothermic reaction. This process is comparable to conventional heat pumps, since it leads to a temperature lift between energy input and energy output. Another positive aspect is the possibility to store thermal energy which extends the range of application, e.g. to batch processes. In order to apply these reactions to thermochemical energy storage systems, the following requirements have to be met: chemical reversibility of the reaction, high reaction enthalpy, small reaction hysteresis and fast reaction kinetics, amongst others. Based on a screening of more than 300 different binary salts, the reversible reaction of SrBr2 anhydrate to its monohydrate has been chosen for further analysis as reaction material for thermochemical heat transformation [4, in preparation]. Using this single step reaction, an energy storage density of 170 kWh/m3 [5] (calculation based on anhydrate and a 50 % powder bed porosity) and heat transformation at high temperature levels (150 – 300 °C) is possible. The oral contribution will outline the thermodynamic principle of thermally driven heat transformation and its main difference to conventional heat pumps. Additionally, the potential of the working pair SrBr2/H2O will be discussed based on experimental data from thermogravimetric analysis at different partial vapor pressures. It will also include first results of the thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of the reaction system. References: [1] BRUECKNER, S.; LIU, S.; MIRO, L.; RADSPIELER, M.; CABEZA, L.F.; LAEVEMANN, E. Industrial waste heat recovery technologies: An economic analysis of heat transformation technologies. Applied Energy, 2015, Volume 151,157-167. [2] BLESL, M.; WOLF, S.; FAHL, U. Large scale application of heat pumps. 7th EHPA European Heat Pump Forum, Berlin, Germany, May 2014. [3] YU, Y.Q.; ZHANG, P.; WU, J.Y.; WANG, R.Z. Energy upgrading by solid-gas reaction heat transformer: A critical review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2008, Volume 12, 1302-1324. [4] RICHTER, M. et. al. A systematic screening of salt hydrates as materials for a thermochemical heat transformer. In preparation. [5] WAGMAN, D.D.; EVANS, W.H.; PARKER, V.B.; SCHUMM, R H.; HALOW, I.; BAILEY, S.M.; CHURNEY, K.L.; NUTTALL, R.L. The NBS tables of chemical thermodynamic properties. Selected values for inorganic and C1 and C2 organic substances in SI units. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 1982, Volume 11, Supplement No. 2

Downstream Processing of Itraconazole:HPMCAS Amorphous Solid Dispersion: From Hot-Melt Extrudate to Tablet Using a Quality by Design Approach

The downstream processing of hot-melt extruded amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) into tablets is challenging due to the low tabletability of milled ASDs. Typically, the extrudate strand is sized before milling, as the strand cannot be fed directly into the milling system. At the lab scale, the strand can be sized by hand-cutting before milling. For scaling up, pelletizers or chill roll and flaker systems can be used to break strands. Due to the different techniques used, differences in milling and tablet compaction are to be expected. We present a systematic study of the milling and tableting of an extruded ASD of itraconazole with hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) as a carrier polymer. The strand was sized using different techniques at the end of the extruder barrel (hand-cutting, pelletizer, or chill roll and flaker) before being milled at varying milling speeds with varying screen sizes. The effects of these variables (sizing technology, milling speed, and screen size) on the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of the milled ASD, such as yield, mean particle size (D50), tablet compaction characteristics, and tablet dissolution, were established using response surface methodology. It was found that the CQAs varied according to sizing technology, with chill roll flakes showing the highest percentage yield, the lowest D50, and the highest tabletability and dissolution rate for itraconazole. Pearson correlation coefficient tests indicated D50 as the most important CQA related to tabletability and dissolution. For certain milling conditions, the milling of hand-cut filaments results in similar particle size distributions (PSDs) to the milling of pellets or chill roll flakes

Rate of belowground carbon allocation differs with successional habit of two afromontane trees.

BACKGROUND: Anthropogenic disturbance of old-growth tropical forests increases the abundance of early successional tree species at the cost of late successional ones. Quantifying differences in terms of carbon allocation and the proportion of recently fixed carbon in soil CO(2) efflux is crucial for addressing the carbon footprint of creeping degradation. METHODOLOGY: We compared the carbon allocation pattern of the late successional gymnosperm Podocarpus falcatus (Thunb.) Mirb. and the early successional (gap filling) angiosperm Croton macrostachyus Hochst. es Del. in an Ethiopian Afromontane forest by whole tree (13)CO(2) pulse labeling. Over a one-year period we monitored the temporal resolution of the label in the foliage, the phloem sap, the arbuscular mycorrhiza, and in soil-derived CO(2). Further, we quantified the overall losses of assimilated (13)C with soil CO(2) efflux. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: (13)C in leaves of C. macrostachyus declined more rapidly with a larger size of a fast pool (64% vs. 50% of the assimilated carbon), having a shorter mean residence time (14 h vs. 55 h) as in leaves of P. falcatus. Phloem sap velocity was about 4 times higher for C. macrostachyus. Likewise, the label appeared earlier in the arbuscular mycorrhiza of C. macrostachyus and in the soil CO(2) efflux as in case of P. falcatus (24 h vs. 72 h). Within one year soil CO(2) efflux amounted to a loss of 32% of assimilated carbon for the gap filling tree and to 15% for the late successional one. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed clear differences in carbon allocation patterns between tree species, although we caution that this experiment was unreplicated. A shift in tree species composition of tropical montane forests (e.g., by degradation) accelerates carbon allocation belowground and increases respiratory carbon losses by the autotrophic community. If ongoing disturbance keeps early successional species in dominance, the larger allocation to fast cycling compartments may deplete soil organic carbon in the long run

Assessment of volumetric scale-up law for processing of a sustained release formulation on co-rotating hot-melt extruders

In this research, the volumetric scale-up law was assessed for its applicability to scale-up from a laboratory-scale extruder (11 mm diameter) to a pilot-scale extruder (16 mm diameter) with geometric similarity using low feed rates (0.1-0.26 kg/h at lab-scale). A sustained release formulation was extruded on both scales using scaled feed rates according to the volumetric scale-up law. The specific mechanical energies, drug solid-state, drug dissolution and the residence time distribution responses (i.e. axial mixing degree, mean residence time, width of distribution) were compared between both scales. The results showed that the difference in mean residence time between both scale extruders reduced with higher throughput and thus fill level. Overall, the specific mechanical energies (SME) were comparable between scales when using the volumetric scale-up law (i.e. applying scaling factor q = 3) and were exactly matching with a scaling factor of q = 2.6. Furthermore, plug flow conditions at lab-scale should be avoided before scaling up to obtain similar SMEs. The same degree of axial mixing (represented by the Peclet number) was demonstrated at a scaling factor of q = 2. If drug solid-state is a critical quality attribute (CQA), focus should be on the screw speed and cooling capacity of the larger scale extruder. The drug dissolution showed similarity between scales and was independent of drug solid-state for this formulation, indicating that successful scale-up was possible