Mercury release and speciation in chemical looping combustion of coal

In the in situ Gasification Chemical Looping Combustion of coal (iG-CLC), the fuel is gasified in situ in the fuel reactor and gasification products are converted to CO2 and H2O by reaction with the oxygen carrier. This work is the first study on mercury release in Chemical Looping Combustion of coal. The fraction of the mercury in coal vaporized in the fuel reactor depended mainly on the fuel reactor temperature and the coal type. In the fuel reactor, mercury was mainly emitted as Hg0 in the gas phase and the amount increased with the temperature. In the air reactor, mercury was mostly emitted as Hg2+. In a real CLC system, mercury emissions to the atmosphere will decrease compared to conventional combustion as only mercury released in the air reactor will reach the atmosphere. However, measures should be taken to reduce Hg0 in the CO2 stream before the purification and compression steps in order to avoid operational problems.The authors thank the Government of Aragón and La Caixa (2012-GA-LC-076 project) and the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation (ENE2010-19550 project) for the financial support. P. Gayán thanks CSIC for the financial support of the project 201180E102. The authors also thank to Alcoa Europe-Alúmina Española S.A. for providing the Fe-enriched sand fraction used in this work. G. Galo is acknowledged for his contribution to the experimental results.Peer reviewe

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Ammonia from power plant emission gases via reduction of the nitrosyl complex de Fe(II)EDTA by S(IV)

The full reduction of nitric oxide in nitrosyl complexes of Fe{Il)EDTA by aqueous bisulfite solutions has been investigated under a variety of conditions. It was found that about 85 % of the initial NO is converted into NH_4 by prior incubation of FeEDTA(NO)^(2-) in excess bisulfite at 300 K, pH = 6.8 during 4 hours, followed by a second stage in which the reaction mixture is brought to 373 K, pH= 1 for 6 hours. Partial oxidation of the metal center reveals an active role for FeEDTA^(2-) in this process

Free radicals and diradicals in the reaction between nitrous acid and bisulfite in acid aqueous media

Rates of the prompt formation of (HSO_3)_2NO•(F) in the reaction of nitrous acid with bisulfite were measured by stopped-flow electron spin resonance spectrometry at pH = 3.0-5.8, 298 K. Initial rates have a positive dependence on (HONO] and [HSO_3^-] but decrease markedly with pH. The induction periods observed in air-saturated solutions are suppressed by addition of 2 mM hydroxylaminedisulfonate, (SO_3^-)_2NOH (FH), revealing a free-radical precursor to F. The spin trap 5.5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) also inhibits the formation of F but without producing new paramagnetic species, ruling out monoradical intermediates. We show that these observations are consistent with the previously proposed participation of a nitrene, HON:, in this system. Present evidence suggests that the title reaction is a potential source of free radicals in natural environments

Tar abatement for clean syngas production during biomass gasification in a dual fluidized bed

© 2016. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Syngas obtained from biomass gasification needs to fulfil strong purity requirements before being used as raw material in power energy generation or chemicals manufacturing. The use of hot catalytic filter candles inside the freeboard of fluidized bed gasifiers allows obtaining clean syngas without dust and low tar content. The tar removal efficiency of four different catalytic filter designs was evaluated with real biomass tar produced in situ in a dual fluidized bed gasifier (DFBG). The tar conversion reached at the outlet of the fluidized bed gasifier was larger for the candles with catalytically active layer design. If a monolith is also incorporated, the tar conversion increases up to 95% which is one of the highest values obtained up to date. In this case, the tar content at the outlet of the catalytic filter was as low as 0.2 g/Nm3 (N2 free, d.b.).This work was supported by the European Commission (EC Project UNIQUE Nº211517-ENERGY FP7-2008/2011) and the Spanish Ministry MINECO (ENE2014-56857-R). T. Mendiara thanks for the ‘‘Ramón y Cajal’’ post-doctoral contract awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Peer reviewe