Membrane and Electrochemical Based Technologies for the Decontamination of Exploitable Streams Produced by Thermochemical Processing of Contaminated Biomass

Phytoremediation is an emerging concept for contaminated soil restoration via the use of resilient plants that can absorb soil contaminants. The harvested contaminated biomass can be thermochemically converted to energy carriers/chemicals, linking soil decontamination with biomass-to-energy and aligning with circular economy principles. Two thermochemical conversion steps of contaminated biomass, both used for contaminated biomass treatment/exploitation, are considered: Supercritical Water Gasification and Fast Pyrolysis. For the former, the vast majority of contaminants are transferred into liquid and gaseous effluents, and thus the application of purification steps is necessary prior to further processing. In Fast Pyrolysis, contaminants are mainly retained in the solid phase, but a part appears in the liquid phase due to fine solids entrainment. Contaminants include heavy metals, particulate matter, and hydrogen sulfide. The purified streams allow the in-process re-use of water for the Super Critical Water Gasification, the sulfur-free catalytic conversion of the fuel-rich gaseous stream of the same process into liquid fuels and recovery of an exploitable bio-oil rich stream from the Fast Pyrolysis. Considering the fundamental importance of purification/decontamination to exploit the aforementioned streams in an integrated context, a review of available such technologies is conducted, and options are shortlisted. Technologies of choice include polymeric-based membrane gas absorption for desulfurization, electrooxidation/electrocoagulation for the liquid product of Supercritical Water Gasification and microfiltration via ceramic membranes for fine solids removal from the Fast Pyrolysis bio-oil. Challenges, risks, and suitable strategies to implement these options in the context of biomass-to-energy conversion are discussed and recommendations are made

Innovative Gas-Liquid Membrane Contactor Systems for Carbon Capture and Mineralization in Energy Intensive Industries

CO2 mineralization is an alternative to conventional geological storage and results in permanent carbon storage as a solid, with no need for long-term monitoring and no requirements for significant energy input. Novel technologies for carbon dioxide capture and mineralization involve the use of gas-liquid membrane contactors for post-combustion capture. The scope of the present study is to investigate the application of hollow fiber membrane contactor technology for combined CO2 capture from energy-intensive industry flue gases and CO2 mineralization, in a single-step multiphase process. The process is also a key enabler of the circular economy for the cement industry, a major contributor in global industrial CO2 emissions, as CaCO3 particles, obtained through the mineralization process, can be directed back into the cement production as fillers for partially substituting cement in high-performance concrete. High CO2 capture efficiency is achieved, as well as CaCO3 particles of controlled size and crystallinity are synthesized, in every set of operating parameters employed. The intensified gas-liquid membrane process is assessed by calculating an overall process mass transfer coefficient accounting for all relevant mass transfer resistances and the enhanced mass transfer due to reactive conditions on the shell side. The obtained nanocomposite particles have been extensively characterized by DLS, XRD, TGA, SEM, TEM, and FTIR studies, revealing structured aggregates (1–2 μm average aggregate size) consisting of cubic calcite when the contactor mode is employed

Wedge resection and segmentectomy in patients with stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma

The use of sublobar resections as definitive management in stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma is a controversial topic in the medical community. We intend to report the latest developments and trends in relative indications for each of the above-mentioned surgical approaches for the treatment of stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma as well as the results of studies regarding local recurrence, disease-free survival and five-year survival rates. We reviewed 45 prospective and retrospective studies conducted over the last 25 years listed in the Pubmed and Scopus electronic databases. Trials were identified through bibliographies and a manual search in journals. Authors, citations, objectives and results were extracted. No meta-analysis was performed. Validation of results was discussed. Segmentectomies are superior to wedge resections in terms of local recurrences and cancer-related mortality rates. Sublobar resections are superior to lobectomy in preserving the pulmonary parenchyma. High-risk patients should undergo segmentectomy, whereas lobectomies are superior to segmentectomies only for tumors >2 cm (T2bN0M0) in terms of disease-free and overall 5-year survival. In most studies no significant differences were found in tumors <2 cm. Disease-free surgical margins are crucial to prevent local recurrences. Systematic lymphadenectomy is mandatory regardless of the type of resection used. In sublobar resections with less thorough nodal dissections, adjuvant radiotherapy can be used. This approach is preferable in case of prior resection. In pure bronchoalveolar carcinoma, segmentectomy is recommended. Sublobar resections are associated with a shorter hospital stay. The selection of the type of resection in T1aN0M0 tumors should depend on characteristic of the patient and the tumor. Patient age, cardiopulmonary reserve and tumor size are the most important factors to be considered. However further prospective randomized trials are needed to investigate the efficacy of minimal resections in early lung cancer patients

Membrane and Electrochemical Based Technologies for the Decontamination of Exploitable Streams Produced by Thermochemical Processing of Contaminated Biomass

Phytoremediation is an emerging concept for contaminated soil restoration via the use of resilient plants that can absorb soil contaminants. The harvested contaminated biomass can be thermochemically converted to energy carriers/chemicals, linking soil decontamination with biomass-to-energy and aligning with circular economy principles. Two thermochemical conversion steps of contaminated biomass, both used for contaminated biomass treatment/exploitation, are considered: Supercritical Water Gasification and Fast Pyrolysis. For the former, the vast majority of contaminants are transferred into liquid and gaseous effluents, and thus the application of purification steps is necessary prior to further processing. In Fast Pyrolysis, contaminants are mainly retained in the solid phase, but a part appears in the liquid phase due to fine solids entrainment. Contaminants include heavy metals, particulate matter, and hydrogen sulfide. The purified streams allow the in-process re-use of water for the Super Critical Water Gasification, the sulfur-free catalytic conversion of the fuel-rich gaseous stream of the same process into liquid fuels and recovery of an exploitable bio-oil rich stream from the Fast Pyrolysis. Considering the fundamental importance of purification/decontamination to exploit the aforementioned streams in an integrated context, a review of available such technologies is conducted, and options are shortlisted. Technologies of choice include polymeric-based membrane gas absorption for desulfurization, electrooxidation/electrocoagulation for the liquid product of Supercritical Water Gasification and microfiltration via ceramic membranes for fine solids removal from the Fast Pyrolysis bio-oil. Challenges, risks, and suitable strategies to implement these options in the context of biomass-to-energy conversion are discussed and recommendations are made

A comparative study of the effect of varied reaction environments on a swirl stabilized flame geometry via optical measurements

The present work is a part of a larger experimental campaign which examines the behaviour of various fuels on a swirl stabilized flame burner configuration. Overall, detailed speciation measurements and temperature measurements were combined with optical measurements. The work presented here concerns the part of the experimental campaign which deals with the optical characteristics of the examined flames. The work adds to the growing database of experimental measurements assessing engine-relevant reaction environments which shift from traditional ones in order to meet pollutant emission regulations and efficiency standards. Here, the oxidation of several commonly used fuel and fuel surrogates that are subjected to the addition of a bio-derived fuel additive (dimethyl ether) and emulated exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is studied in a laboratory-scale swirl stabilized burner. The natural flame chemiluminescence has been exploited to selectively measure line of sight CH* and OH* profiles for combinations of these fuels and reaction environments. As a result, the geometry and intensity of the reaction and oxidation zones have been parametrically evaluated for a sizable number of initial conditions. From an analysis of the collected data, a chemical uniqueness in methane and propane flames has been found along with a change in flame topology as a function reactant temperature and dilution with inert gases, while the flames were virtually unaffected by all other variations in reaction conditions. This insensitivity provides confidence in the use of tailored in-cylinder fluid dynamic/chemical interactions to extend engine operating conditions to otherwise difficult regimes.The research leading to these results has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/ under REA grant agreement no 607214. All authors are additionally grateful to the SMARTCATS action.2020-01-0