Achieving Zero/Negative-Emissions Coal-Fired Power Plants Using Amine-Based Postcombustion CO Capture Technology and Biomass Cocombustion.

The strengthening carbon mitigation efforts to meet the 1.5 °C target requires the development of zero/negative CO emission technologies to eliminate large direct CO emissions from fossil-fuel fired power stations. Amine scrubbing is a dominant technology to capture CO from fossil-fuel power stations, but its application in achieving zero/negative emission in power stations is rarely reported.

Mechanism Investigation of Advanced Metal-Ion-Mediated Amine Regeneration: A Novel Pathway to Reducing CO Reaction Enthalpy in Amine-Based CO Capture.

The high energy consumption of CO and absorbent regeneration is one of the most critical challenges facing commercial application of amine-based postcombustion CO capture. Here, we report a novel approach of metal-ion-mediated amine regeneration (MMAR) to advance the process of amine regeneration. MMAR uses the dual ability of amine to reversibly react with CO and reversibly complex with metal ions to reduce the enthalpy of the CO reaction, thus decrease the overall heat requirement for amine regeneration.

Information Derivation from Vapor-Liquid Equilibria Data: A Simple Shortcut to Evaluate the Energy Performance in an Amine-Based Postcombustion CO Capture.

Evaluation of amine absorbents is crucial for the development of a technically and economically feasible CO capture process. However, the capture performance estimation usually requires a load of experiments, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The present study proposed a simple but effective shortcut that employs the fewest experimental data, i.

[Fatal outcome in a patient coinfected by malaria and HIV].

Imported malaria is a pathology mainly due to Plasmodium falciparum. For patients with co- morbidities, such as HIV or believing themselves immune, the risk of malaria is more severe. We present the case of a HIV patient carrier with a cerebral malaria of letal evolution despite a rapid decline in its parasitaemia using Artesunate.

Insights into the Chemical Mechanism for CO(aq) and H in Aqueous Diamine Solutions - An Experimental Stopped-Flow Kinetic and H/C NMR Study of Aqueous Solutions of N,N-Dimethylethylenediamine for Postcombustion CO Capture.

In an effort to advance the understanding of multiamine based CO capture process absorbents, we report here the determination of the kinetic and equilibrium constants for a simple linear diamine N,N-dimethylethylenediamine (DMEDA) via stopped-flow spectrophotometric kinetic measurements and H/C NMR titrations at 25.0 °C. From the kinetic data, the formation of monocarbamic acid (DMEDACOOH) from the reaction of DMEDA with CO(aq) is the dominant reaction at high pH > 9.

Evaluation and Modeling of Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium and CO Absorption Enthalpies of Aqueous Designer Diamines for Post Combustion Capture Processes.

Novel absorbents with improved characteristics are required to reduce the existing cost and environmental barriers to deployment of large scale CO capture. Recently, bespoke absorbent molecules have been specifically designed for CO capture applications, and their fundamental properties and suitability for CO capture processes evaluated. From the study, two unique diamine molecules, 4-(2-hydroxyethylamino)piperidine (A4) and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-aminopiperidine (C4), were selected for further evaluation including thermodynamic characterization.

Technoeconomic Assessment of an Advanced Aqueous Ammonia-Based Postcombustion Capture Process Integrated with a 650-MW Coal-Fired Power Station.

Using a rigorous, rate-based model and a validated economic model, we investigated the technoeconomic performance of an aqueous NH-based CO capture process integrated with a 650-MW coal-fired power station. First, the baseline NH process was explored with the process design of simultaneous capture of CO and SO to replace the conventional FGD unit. This reduced capital investment of the power station by US$425/kW (a 13.

Antiphase domain tailoring for combination of modal and 4¯ -quasi-phase matching in gallium phosphide microdisks.

We propose a novel phase-matching scheme in GaP whispering-gallery-mode microdisks grown on Si substrate combining modal and 4¯ -quasi-phase-matching for second-harmonic-generation. The technique consists in unlocking parity-forbidden processes by tailoring the antiphase domain distribution in the GaP layer. Our proposal can be used to overcome the limitations of form birefringence phase-matching and 4¯ -quasi-phase-matching using high order whispering-gallery-modes.

Millisecond Photon Lifetime in a Slow-Light Microcavity.

Optical microcavities with ultralong photon storage times are of central importance for integrated nanophotonics. To date, record quality (Q) factors up to 10^{11} have been measured in millimetric-size single-crystal whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators, and 10^{10} in silica or glass microresonators. We show that, by introducing slow-light effects in an active WGM microresonator, it is possible to enhance the photon lifetime by several orders of magnitude, thus circumventing both fabrication imperfections and residual absorption.

Stable integrated hyper-parametric oscillator based on coupled optical microcavities.

We propose a flexible scheme based on three coupled optical microcavities that permits us to achieve stable oscillations in the microwave range, the frequency of which depends only on the cavity coupling rates. We find that the different dynamical regimes (soft and hard excitation) affect the oscillation intensity, but not their periods. This configuration may permit us to implement compact hyper-parametric sources on an integrated optical circuit with interesting applications in communications, sensing, and metrology.

Light coupling with a nonlinear prism.

We propose the use of a prism with nonlinear optical properties to improve the prism-coupling method. The principle is based on the inscription of an adapted waveguide inside this prism by beam self-trapping to enhance the coupling efficiency and stability. The experimental demonstration is realized with a prism diced from a LiNbO3 wafer to couple light into a resonator.

Technical and Energy Performance of an Advanced, Aqueous Ammonia-Based CO2 Capture Technology for a 500 MW Coal-Fired Power Station.

Using a rate-based model, we assessed the technical feasibility and energy performance of an advanced aqueous-ammonia-based postcombustion capture process integrated with a coal-fired power station. The capture process consists of three identical process trains in parallel, each containing a CO2 capture unit, an NH3 recycling unit, a water separation unit, and a CO2 compressor. A sensitivity study of important parameters, such as NH3 concentration, lean CO2 loading, and stripper pressure, was performed to minimize the energy consumption involved in the CO2 capture process.

Coupled optical microresonators for microwave all-optical generation and processing.

Two coupled microresonator systems with instantaneous nonlinear index can exhibit self-pulsing behavior and could be used as all-optical integrated microwave generators. The frequency of the RF signal is limited by the photon lifetime of the resonators. For oscillations at tens of GHz, semiconductor microdisks with moderate quality factors (≈10(4)) can be used.

Innovative use of membrane contactor as condenser for heat recovery in carbon capture.

The gas-liquid membrane contactor generally used as a nonselective gas absorption enhancement device is innovatively proposed as a condenser for heat recovery in liquid-absorbent-based carbon capture. The membrane condenser is used as a heat exchanger to recover the latent heat of the exiting vapor from the desorber, and it can help achieve significant energy savings when proper membranes with high heat-transfer coefficients are used. Theoretical thermodynamic analysis of mass and heat transfer in the membrane condensation system shows that heat recovery increases dramatically as inlet gas temperature rises and outlet gas temperature falls.

Tailoring of the free spectral range and geometrical cavity dispersion of a microsphere by a coating layer.

The modal dispersion of a whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator is a very important parameter for use in all nonlinear optics applications. In order to tailor the WGM modal dispersion of a microsphere, we have coated a silica microsphere with a high-refractive-index coating in order to study its effect on the WGM modal dispersion. We used Er(3+) ions as a probe for a modal dispersion assessment.

Process modeling of an advanced NH₃ abatement and recycling technology in the ammonia-based CO₂ capture process.

An advanced NH3 abatement and recycling process that makes great use of the waste heat in flue gas was proposed to solve the problems of ammonia slip, NH3 makeup, and flue gas cooling in the ammonia-based CO2 capture process. The rigorous rate-based model, RateFrac in Aspen Plus, was thermodynamically and kinetically validated by experimental data from open literature and CSIRO pilot trials at Munmorah Power Station, Australia, respectively. After a thorough sensitivity analysis and process improvement, the NH3 recycling efficiency reached as high as 99.

Controling the coupling properties of active ultrahigh-Q WGM microcavities from undercoupling to selective amplification.

Ultrahigh-quality (Q) factor microresonators have a lot of applications in the photonics domain ranging from low-threshold nonlinear optics to integrated optical sensors. Glass-based whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonators are easy to produce by melting techniques, however they suffer from surface contamination which limits their long-term quality factor to a few 10(8). Here we show that an optical gain provided by erbium ions can compensate for residual losses.

Acute paralysis after seafood ingestion.

The first European case of tetrodotoxin intoxication is reported in a patient who ingested a trumpet shellfish from the Atlantic Ocean in Southern Europe. He suffered general acute paralysis with respiratory failure necessitating ventilation. Early neurophysiologic studies showed complete peripheral nerve inexcitability, with no recordable sensory or motor responses, and normal electroencephalography.

About the role of phase matching between a coated microsphere and a tapered fiber: experimental study.

Coatings of spherical optical microresonators are widely employed for different applications. Here the effect of the thickness of a homogeneous coating layer on the coupling of light from a tapered fiber to a coated microsphere has been studied. Spherical silica microresonators were coated using a 70SiO(2)- 30HfO(2) glass doped with 0.

One-pot preparation and CO2 adsorption modeling of porous carbon, metal oxide, and hybrid beads.

Hierarchically porous carbon (C), metal oxide (ZrTi), or carbon-metal oxide (CZrTi) hybrid beads are synthesized in one pot through the in situ self-assembly of Pluronic F127, titanium and zirconium propoxides, and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Upon contact with water, a precipitation of PAN from the liquid phase occurs concurrently with polymerization and phase separation of the inorganic precursors. The C, ZrTi, and CZrTi materials have similar morphologies but different surface chemistries.

High-gain wavelength-selective amplification and cavity ring down spectroscopy in a fluoride glass erbium-doped microsphere.

We experimentally demonstrate a compact optical amplifier consisting of a rare-earth-doped whispering-gallery-mode microsphere coupled via a tapered fiber. A gain up to 20 dB is reported in an erbium-doped fluoride glass microsphere 135 μm in diameter. Below the amplification regime, the optical gain is used to compensate for unavoidable losses due to surface contamination or scattering.

Towards commercial scale postcombustion capture of CO2 with monoethanolamine solvent: key considerations for solvent management and environmental impacts.

Chemical absorption with aqueous amine solvents is the most advanced technology for postcombustion capture (PCC) of CO(2) from coal-fired power stations and a number of pilot scale programs are evaluating novel solvents, optimizing energy efficiency, and validating engineering models. This review demonstrates that the development of commercial scale PCC also requires effective solvent management guidelines to ensure minimization of potential technical and environmental risks. Furthermore, the review reveals that while solvent degradation has been identified as a key source of solvent consumption in laboratory scale studies, it has not been validated at pilot scale.

Haemoperitoneum associated with cocaine abuse: a case report.

Cocaine use is now relatively common in the occidental societies and is responsible for a long list of medical complications involving almost every organ system in the body. The digestive complications are less known. We report a case of a young man who presented to the emergency department with violent abdominal pain and several episodes of vomiting after using intranasal cocaine.

Whispering-gallery-mode laser at 1.56 mum excited by a fiber taper.

We report the observation of whispering-gallery-mode lasers based on Er(3+) -doped ZBLAN microspheres coupled with half-tapered and tapered optical fibers. A multimode lasing effect is observed at 1.56mu when the taper diameters are properly adjusted so that their fundamental propagation constants match those of the resonant modes of interest.

Simple method to obtain symmetry harmonics of point groups.

We propose a simple, self-consistent method to obtain basis functions of irreducible representations of a finite point group. Our method is based on eigenproblem formulation of a projection operator represented as a nonhomogeneous polynomial of angular momentum L. The method is shown to be more efficient than the usual numerical methods when applied to the analysis of high-order symmetry harmonics in cubic and icosahedral groups.