Comprehensive review and assessment of carbon capturing methods and technologies: An environmental research

A majority of the primary contributors of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the environment have really been out of human-made activities. The levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have increased substantially since the time of the industrial revolution. This has been linked to the use of fossil fuels for energy production, as well as the widespread production of some industrial components like cement and the encroaching destruction of forests. An extreme approach is now necessary to develop the right policies and address the local and global environmental issues in the right way. In this regard, CO2 capturing, utilization, and storage are reliable options that industrial facilities can initiate to overcome this problem. Therefore, we have evaluated the two leading technologies that are used for carbon capture: direct (pre-combustion, post-combustion, and oxy-combustion) and indirect carbon (reforestation, enhanced weathering, bioenergy with carbon capture, and agricultural practices) capturing to provide their current status and progresses. Among the considered processes, the post-combustion techniques are widely utilized on a commercial scale, especially in industrial applications. Technology readiness level (TRL) results have showed that amine solvents, pressure-vacuum swing adsorption, and gas separation membranes have the highest TRL value of 9. In addition, the environmental impact assessment methods have been ranked to evaluate their sustainability levels. The highest global warming potential of 219.53 kgCO2 eq./MWh has been obtained for the post-combustion process. Overall, through this comprehensive review, we have identified some critical research gaps in the open literature in the field of CO2-capturing methods where there are strong needs for future research and technology development studies, for instance, developing stable and cost-effective liquid solvents and improving the adsorption capacity of commercialized sorbents. Furthermore, some research areas, like novel process design, environmental and economic impact assessment of capturing methods with different chemicals and modeling and simulation studies, will require further effort to demonstrate the developed technologies for pilot and commercial-scale applications.

Comparative environmental sustainability assessment of biohydrogen production methods

As energy crisis is recognized as an increasingly serious concern, the topic on biohydrogen (bioH2) production, which is renewable and eco-friendly, appears to be a highly-demanding subject. Although bioH2 production technologies are still at the developmental stage, there are many reported works available on lab- and pilot-scale systems with a promising future. This paper presents various potential methods of bioH2 production using biomass resources and comparatively assesses them for environmental impacts with a special emphasis on the specific biological processes. The environmental impact factors are then normalized with the feature scaling and normalization methods to evaluate the environmental sustainability dimensions of each bioH2 production method. The results reveals that the photofermentation (PF) process is more environmentally sustainable than the other investigated biological and thermochemical processes, in terms of emissions, water-fossil-mineral uses, and health issues. The global warming potential (GWP) and acidification potential (AP) for the PF process are then found to be 1.88 kg-CO2 eq. and 3.61 g-SO2 eq., which become the lowest among all processes, including renewable energy-based H2 production processes. However, the dark fermentation-microbial electrolysis cell (DF-MEC) hybrid process is considered the most environmentally harmful technique, with the highest GWP value of 14.6 kg-CO2 eq. due to their superior electricity and heat requirements. The water conception potential (WCP) of 84.5 m3 and water scarcity footprint (WSF) of 3632.9 m3 for the DF-MEC process is also the highest compared to all other processes due to the huge amount of wastewater formation potential of the system. Finally, the overall rankings confirm that biological processes are primarily promising candidates to produce bioH2 from an environmentally friendly point of view.

Development of a new photoelectrochemical system for clean hydrogen production and a comparative environmental impact assessment with other production methods

Hydrogen is recognized as a critical substance for diversifying the global energy supply, providing new economic opportunities and realizing a carbon-free energy sector. In the current study, a life cycle assessment is conducted on a photoelectrochemical hydrogen production process of a newly developed photoelectrochemical reactor. With a photoactive electrode area of 870 cm2, the hydrogen production rate of the reactor is 47.1 μg/s while operating with the energy and exergy efficiencies of 6.3% and 6.31%, respectively. For a Faradaic efficiency of 96%, the produced current density is evaluated as 3.15 mA/cm2. A comprehensive study is conducted for a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of the proposed hydrogen photoelectrochemical production system. The life cycle assessment results of the proposed photoelectrochemical system are further evaluated within a comparative analysis by considering a total of four key hydrogen generation processes, namely steam-methane reforming, photovoltaics-based and wind electricity-driven proton exchange membrane water electrolysis and the current photoelectrochemical system and studying five environmental impact categories. The global warming potential of hydrogen production via the proposed photoelectrochemical cell is evaluated as 1.052 kg CO2 equivalent per kg of produced hydrogen. In the normalized comparative life cycle assessment results, the PEC-based hydrogen production is found to be the most nature-friendly option among the considered pathways.

An experimental study on the environmental impact of hydrogen and natural gas blend burning

In this study, an experimental investigation is conducted to analyze the effect of adding hydrogen into natural gas on emissions and the burning performance of the obtained blends. Natural gas alone and natural gas-hydrogen blends are burned in identical gas stoves, and the emitted CO, CO₂, and NO_x are measured. The base case with natural gas only is compared with the natural gas and hydrogen blends (including hydrogen additions of 10%, 20% and 30% volumetrically). The experimental results show that the combustion efficiency increases from 39.32% to 44.4% by enhancing the hydrogen blending ratio from 0 to 0.3. While CO₂ and CO emissions are reduced with rising the hydrogen ratio in the blend, NO_x emissions have a fluctuating trend. Moreover, a life cycle analysis is performed to determine the environmental impact of the considered blending scenarios. With the blending ratio of 0.3 hydrogen by volume, global warming potential decreases from 6.233 to 6.123 kg CO₂ equivalents per kg blend, and acidification potential reduces from 0.0507 to 0.04928 kg SO₂ equivalents per kg blend in comparison with natural gas. On the other hand, human toxicity, abiotic depletion, and ozone depletion potentials per kg blend show slight augmentation from 5.30 to 5.52 kg 1,4-dichlorobenzene (DCB) eq., 0.0000107 to 0.00005921 kg SB eq., and 3.17 × 10^-8 to 5.38 × 10^-8 kg CFC-11 eq., respectively.

Economic and environmental impact assessments of a new integrated energy system for ocean applications

Transportation via the world's oceans is a critical way to convey goods and fuels between continents that cannot be performed cost-effectively by any other means. However, the big ships heavily rely on fossil fuels, aggravating global emissions. A great resolution to this dilemma is to employ clean fuels to lower carbon emissions. This research paper introduces a new hybrid compound marine engine involving a gas turbine, a solid oxide fuel cell, and a steam Rankine cycle. Three types of analyses, such as exergy, exergoeconomic, and exergoenvironmental analyses, are conducted on this proposed engine. It is found that the engine combination can produce a power of 15.5 MW, which is more than 48% compared to the marine traditional engine power, and the engine performance has up to 61% energy efficiency and 43% exergy efficiency. However, the exergetic efficiency of this engine based on fuel and product principal is 60%, which is more than 17% compared to its exergy efficiency. This engine has a 218 $/h Levelized cost rate and 139 mPt/h environmental rate. Finally, the average overall specific product exergy cost and environment are obtained to be 59 $/GJ and 20 mPt/MJ. By comparing five fuel blends, methane and hydrogen are the most economical and have the least impact on the environment; the second option is ethanol blend and all fuel blends.

Development and application of an integrated smart city model

This study presents an innovative integrated approach for smart cities, aimed at promoting environmentally sustainable economies through novel technological and socio-economic transitions. The proposed model determines the smart city index (SCI) by aggregating 32 distinct performance indicators that significantly transform the environment, economy, energy, social, governance, and transportation sectors. This model is inherently multidisciplinary and is methodologically processed using multi-criteria decision analysis, which is aggregated using four distinct weighting schemes. The model results reveal that based on the equal weighting scheme, Sydney emerges as the city with the highest SCI score of 0.72, whereas Lima is identified as the city with the lowest SCI score of 0.26. On the other hand, based on the sustainability triad scheme, Toronto tops the list with an SCI score of 0.77, whereas Abuja scores the lowest with an SCI score of 0.31. Interestingly, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal continue to maintain their position among the top 5 cities across all three schemes: equal weighting, sustainability triad, and energy-focused schemes. Furthermore, the energy-focused scheme identifies Montreal as the top-performing city, scoring 0.7, followed by Oshawa at 0.67, and four Canadian cities top the SCI scores in this scheme. In contrast, Lima still remains at the bottom of the list with an SCI score of 0.27. Finally, based on a smart health-focused scheme, Sydney, Osaka, and Hämeenlinna rank highest in SCI scores. Overall, the proposed approach and model provide valuable insights and guidelines for policy-makers and urban planners to design and implement smart city initiatives that can significantly enhance sustainable development and improve quality of life in urban settings.

Evaluation of cardiac function by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in uncomplicated COVID-19 survivors

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

5COVID-19 is a multi-systemic infectious disease. Nearly 20-30% of hospitalized patients have evidence of acute myocardial involvement, portending a poorer prognosis. However, not much is known about the long-term cardiac effects of the disease. Also, there is a growing concern about the cardiac sequelae of COVID-19 among survivors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the long-term cardiac effects in patients with prior mild-moderate COVID-19 infection, using both conventional and speckle tracking echocardiographic imaging modalities. A total number of 58 patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the previous six months and 20 age-, sex- and risk factor-matched healthy adults were included. All patients underwent a comprehensive echocardiographic examination. Both conventional and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiographic measurements were done. Also, serum cardiac biomarkers were obtained on the day of echocardiographic examination. Compared with healthy controls, COVID-19 survivors had similar left and right ventricular systolic function at six months. Also, left and right atrial peak systolic strain values did not differ between the groups. Long-term cardiac sequelae of COVID-19 infection are still widely unknown, resulting in concern among survivors. This study is valuable in putting forth the unaffected systolic and diastolic myocardial function on long-term in uncomplicated COVID-19 cases and may decrease the survivors’ anxiety and the number of unnecessary applications to cardiology clinics.

Development and performance assessment of new solar and fuel cell-powered oxygen generators and ventilators for COVID-19 patients

In this study, a new solar-based fuel cell-powered oxygenation and ventilation system is presented for COVID-19 patients. Solar energy is utilized to operate the developed system through photovoltaic panels. The method of water splitting is utilized to generate the required oxygen through the operation of a proton exchange membrane water electrolyser. Moreover, the hydrogen produced during water splitting is utilized as fuel to operate the fuel cell system during low solar availability or the absence of solar irradiation. Transient simulations and thermodynamic analyses of the developed system are performed by accounting for the changes in solar radiation intensities during the year. The daily oxygen generation is found to vary between 170.4 kg/day and 614.2 kg/day during the year. Furthermore, the amount of daily hydrogen production varies between 21.3 kg/day and 76.8 kg/day. The peak oxygen generation rate attains a value of 18.6 g/s. Moreover, the water electrolysis subsystem entails daily exergy destruction in the range of 139.9-529.7 kWh. The maximum efficiencies of the developed system are found to be 14.3% energetically and 13.4% exergetically.

Development and analysis of a new renewable energy-based industrial wastewater treatment system

In this research study, a new solar energy-based integrated system is developed for treating industrial brine wastewater. An integrated solar-powered evaporation and membrane-based water treatment technique is utilized. Both forced convection as well as falling film evaporators are incorporated to treat high-concentration rejected brine. The system performance is assessed through a comprehensive thermodynamic investigation at varying operating parameters. The energetic performance is evaluated to vary from 12.5% to 15.9% across the year. Furthermore, the peak efficiency in terms of exergy is found to be 11.1%. Also, the membrane-based wastewater treatment subsystem is found to entail an energetic performance of 73.3% and an exergetic performance of 34.6% in terms of efficiencies. Moreover, an energetic performance of 15.4% and an exergetic performance of 2.9% is found for the evaporation-based subsystem. The exergy destructions in each system component are evaluated and the power generation subsystem is determined to have the highest exergy destruction rate of 15.4 MW. To investigate the effects of varying design parameters and operating conditions on the system performance, several parametric studies are also performed.

A comparative review of potential ammonia-based carbon capture systems

Carbon capturing technologies are recognized as a cornerstone solution in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet the 2050 emissions targets set during the past Paris agreement. Recently, ammonia has become a major carbon-free chemical to absorb CO₂ emissions from flue gases. In this regard, this paper concerns the recently developed novel ammonia-based carbon capturing systems in the open literature and comparatively evaluates them from various perspectives in addition to discussing their advantages and disadvantages. The systems considered are basically classified into three categories, namely renewable energy-based systems, energy savings-focused systems, and Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)-based systems. Then, comparative assessments of the novel systems are conducted to see their advantages and weaknesses as compared to the typical chilled ammonia process. Generally, the novel systems have significantly lower energy requirements. The highest reduction is 37.3%. Another result of the comparative study is that renewable energy-based systems of carbon capturing have higher operational costs that can reach up to C$136 ton^-1 of CO₂ captured. Future efforts are expected to focus on reducing these costs since renewable energy-based systems are also used to co-produce chemical commodities, such as urea and ammonium bicarbonate. These high-value commodities have the potential to generate enough economic value to compensate for the operational costs of carbon capturing using ammonia as a chemical solvent.

The role of three dimensional transeosephageal echocardiography in predicting the effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy on mitral regurgitation in patients with low ejection fraction heart fail

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Purpose

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has  a positive effect on the improvement of functional mitral regurgitation in patients with low ejection heart failure. However geometric changes in the mitral valve apparatus, subvalvular structures and their contribution to  the improvement of mitral regurgitation after CRT have not  been clearly defined. The aim of our study was to evaluate the geometric parameters of mitral valve apparatus measured with 3Dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before CRT implantation and to determine the parameters predicting the improvement of mitral regurgitation after CRT.

Methods

Thirty patients with moderate or severe mitral regurgitation with low EF heart failure planned for CRT implantation and had an indication for TEE were included in the study. Effective regurgitant orifice (ERO) and regurgitant volume (RV) measurements were performed before CRT implantation. Detailed quantitative measurements of mitral valve were done from recorded images by 3D TEE. ERO, RV measurements were repeated to evaluate mitral regurgitation at the end of 3rd month.

Results

There were no significant changes in left ventricular EF and left ventricular diameters at the end of 3rd month, whereas ERO and RV values were decreased. A statistically significant difference was found in  posterior leaflet angle between mitral regurgitation responder and non-responder groups.  (28,93 ± 8,41 vs 41,25 ± 10,90, p = 0,006).

Conclusion

Heart failure patients with moderate or severe functional mitral regurgitation who underwent CRT implantation were found to have lower posterior leaflet angle measured by 3D TEE in the patient group whose mitral regurgitation improved after CRT. Abstract Figure.

Assessment of effectiveness of optimum physical distancing phenomena for COVID-19

Currently, COVID-19 is a global pandemic that scientists and engineers around the world are aiming to understand further through rigorous testing and observation. This paper aims to provide safe distance recommendations among individuals and minimize the spread of COVID-19, as well as examine the efficacy of face coverings as a tool to slow the spread of respiratory droplets. These studies are conducted using computational fluid dynamics analyses, where the infected person breathes, coughs, and sneezes at various distances and environmental wind conditions and while wearing a face-covering (mask or face shield). In cases where there were no wind conditions, the breathing and coughing simulations display 1-2 m physical distancing to be effective. However, when sneezing was introduced, the physical distancing recommendation of 2 m was deemed not effective; instead, a distance of 2.8 m and greater was found to be more effective in reducing the exposure to respiratory droplets. The evaluation of environmental wind conditions necessitated an increase in physical distancing measures in all cases. The case where breathing was measured with a gentle breeze resulted in a physical distancing recommendation of 1.1 m, while coughing caused a change from the previous recommendation of 2 m to a distance of 4.5 m or greater. Sneezing in the presence of a gentle breeze was deemed to be the most impactful, with a recommendation for physical distancing of 5.8 m or more. It was determined that face coverings can potentially provide protection to an uninfected person in static air conditions. However, the uninfected person's protection can be compromised even in gentle wind conditions.

A comparative review on clean hydrogen production from wastewaters

This paper provides a unique review of hydrogen production methods with wastewater treatment to depict a clean and sustainable approach. Various methods for hydrogen production from wastewaters are identified and discussed with recent details by discussing the critical challenges, opportunities, and future directions. Five main performance sectors are considered in detail for each hydrogen production method of the recent case studies, including economic, environmental, social, technical, and reliability. Eight hydrogen production methods are reviewed, including anaerobic method, photo fermentation, dark fermentation, electrolysis, electrodialysis, photocatalysis, photoelectrochemical methods, and super water gasification. A comparative assessment of six reviewed methods for hydrogen production, including environmental, economic, energetic, and exergetic impacts, is evaluated. The comparative assessment results indicate that dark fermentation technology is the most economical method, and it is followed by microbial electrolysis and photofermentation. The most environmentally friendly method for the lowest global warming potential (GWP) is the microbial electrolysis method, and it is followed by photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical methods. Furthermore, the highest energy and exergy efficiencies have been recorded for the microbial electrolysis to be 68% and 64.7%, respectively.

Development and multi-objective optimization of a newly proposed industrial heat recovery based cascaded hydrogen and ammonia synthesis system

The industrial flue gas emitted to the atmosphere is considered not only harmful to the environment but also a waste of plentiful resources of thermal energy. The thermal energy extracted from the industrial flue gas can be employed for multiple purposes. This study proposes a new configuration to integrate the thermal management of industrial flue gas for thermochemical copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle based ammonia synthesis. A reverse osmosis desalination unit is employed to supply the freshwater required by the thermochemical Cu-Cl cycle. To recover the heat from high-temperature oxygen stream, thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and organic Rankine cycle (ORC) are integrated with the proposed configuration to utilize the low-grade waste heat for power production. A portion of produced hydrogen through the thermochemical Cu-Cl cycle is supplied to the cascaded system for ammonia production. A double-stage cascaded ammonia synthesis system is integrated with the proposed configuration to achieve high fractional conversion. A multi-objective optimization using genetic algorithm is implemented to the proposed system using the MATLAB to investigate and determine the best-operating temperatures and pressures for the ammonia synthesis system. The proposed configuration produces 518.4 kmol/day of hydrogen and 226.8 kmol/day of ammonia. The overall exergetic and energetic efficiencies are found to be 28.7% and 40.8%. Moreover, the results obtained from the comprehensive sensitivity analyses are presented and discussed.

Investigation of acoustic and geometric effects on the sonoreactor performance

In this work, three design configurations of a sonoreactor are considered under various operating conditions, and the acoustic characteristics during water sonication are investigated while using an immersed-type ultrasonic flat transducer probe in a sonoreactor model. Numerical models are also developed to simulate the sonication process, and they are successfully validated and compared with available data in the literature. Several sets of numerical investigations are conducted using the finite-element method and solved by the computational acoustics module in the COMSOL Multiphysics. The effects of the acoustical and geometrical parameters are investigated, analyzed, and reported, including the ultrasonic frequency, acoustic intensity, and scaling-up the reactor. The present study includes a parametric investigation examining the change of the ultrasonic frequency, intensity, and probe immersion depth on the performance. The results of the parametric study show that the highest cavitation energy corresponds to the maximum magnitude of negative pressure that takes place in the range of 60-80 kHz. The cavitation energy analyses are conducted under the conditions of 20 kHz of frequency and at 36 W input power. It is found that the cavitation energy of 15.87 W could produce 2.98 × 10^-10 mol/J of sonochemical efficiency. In addition, the effect of altering the transducer probe depth changes the acoustic pressure field insignificantly. Furthermore, a recommendation is made to improve the sonochemical efficiency by introducing more considerable ultrasound input power while operating the sonoreactor at an ultrasonic frequency lower than 60 kHz. The results presented in this paper provide a comprehensive assessment of different sonoreactors and the feasibility of scaling-up their production rate.

Analysis of mobility trends during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic: Exploring the impacts on global aviation and travel in selected cities

This paper analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on the transportation sector and subsequent implications on the sectoral energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions in some selected cities worldwide. A model for smart transportation is proposed by considering four indicators, including transport efficiency, technology integration, traffic congestion rate, and accessibility ratio. While prior health crises, such as SARS, impacted the transportation sector, the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, resulting in exceptional impacts on this sector. Canadian Civil Aviation activities dropped by 71%, compared to business as usual, whereas military aviation activities declined by 27%. As of the end of June 2020, cities with higher than 50% mobility index include Brussels, Singapore, Stockholm, Lyon, Paris, Moscow, and Hong Kong with the highest mobility index of 76%. American cities have the lowest mobility indexes as of the end of June with mobility indexes lower than 20%. It is expected and reasonable to assume that the public's response to COVID-19 will exceed that of SARS. While Britons and Canadians are the biggest supporters of keeping the economy and businesses shut until COVID-19 is fully contained, the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and Italians find it vital to restart the economy regardless. Results show that the majority of the world is in a state of mental distress and will face nervousness and anxiety issues post-COVID-19. This sentiment is strongest in India, Japan, China, the U.K., Brazil and Canada, ranging between 68% and 78%. The trucking industry is the main contributor to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Canadian transportation sector, accounting for more than 62% of the total emissions in 2019. Given the impact of COVID-19, forecasted GHG emissions of the Canadian transportation sector for 2020is evaluated to be 93 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.

Analysis of the electricity demand trends amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

This paper investigates the impact of COVID-19 and the global pandemic on the energy sector dynamics. Hourly electricity demand data was collected and analyzed for the province of Ontario. It is evident that health-related pandemics have a detrimental and direct influence on the concept of the smart city. This is manifested through various social, economic, environmental, technological and energy-related changes. The overall electricity demand of the province for the month of April of this year amidst pandemic conditions declined by 14%, totaling 1267 GW. A unique trend of reciprocating energy demand exists throughout the week. The post-COVID-19 indicates higher energy demand in the earlier part of the week and a lower demand in the latter part of the week. Pre-pandemic, the days of highest electricity demand were in the latter part of the work week (Wed-Fri) in addition to the weekend. Post-pandemic, the highest electricity demand occurred in the earlier part of the week (Mon-Tue). Hourly electricity demand shows a clear curve flattening during the pandemic, especially during peak hours of 7-11 in the morning and 5-7 in the evening, resulting in significant demand reductions during these periods. Lastly, due to COVID-19, GHG emission reductions of 40,000 tonnes of CO₂e were achieved along with savings of $131,844 for the month of April.

A photoelectrochemical system for hydrogen and chlorine production from industrial waste acids

The galvanizing industry uses the concentrated hydrochloric acid in its metal surface treatment processes known as pickling. Every year tons of waste acid solutions polluted with metals ions are discharged to the environment after neutralization process. In this study, a novel photoelectrochemical reactor is designed and developed for the production of hydrogen and chlorine gas from spent hydrochloric acid generated in the galvanizing industry. The novel reactor design allows all the hydrogen gas to flow from the reactor without any dead zone in the cathode compartment, while chlorine gas is carried out with aqueous 5 M HCl at the surface of the illuminated photoanode without any dissolution. Further, the unique design of the cathode corrosion-resistant high surface area (3 × the anode) results in good proton and H⁺ transfer rate while the TiO₂ coated photoanode further enhances the charge transfer process and chlorine gas production. The characterization of the coated stainless steel is tested by the energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The photoelectrochemical potentiostatic experiments with and without sunlight are performed on the reactor. The hydrogen and chlorine gas production rates are observed as 3 mL/min and 0.5 mL/min, respectively. Also, a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of the photoelectrochemical reactor is conducted, and energy, exergy, and quantum efficiencies are found as 45.55%, 73.75%, and 6%, respectively. The exergoeconomic assessment study shows that the lowest exergy cost rate is achieved with sunlight illumination for a hydrogen exergy cost of 1.7 $/kg and chlorine exergy cost rate of 0.3 $/kg at an applied potential of 2 V.

P1697 A rare case: primary cardiac sarcoma in the left and right atrium presenting with dispnea due to mitral valvular obstruction

Introduction Primary cardiac tumors are extremely rare; the incidence is approximately 0.001% to 0.03%. Malignant tumors account for 25% of primary cardiac tumors, and among those, sarcomas are the most prevalent. We report a case of primary cardiac sarcoma presenting with dyspnea due to mitral valvuler obstruction.

Case Report A 41-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with dyspnea for 8 months without any obvious causes. She was healthy previous and without family history. Physical examination was normal. Thorax computed tomography (CT) scan was performed with the doubt of pulmonary disease. A 1x1 cm hypodense nodule was detected in superior segment of the right lower lobe lung. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) revealed a 1*1 cm nodule in the lung. And also increased 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake was observed in the left scapula, left iliac wing and right 4th rib, likely due to metastasis. Biopsy from the lesion of iliac wing was performed. Pathologic examination was primarily compatible with the malign mesenchymal tumor and sarcoma infiltration; but malignant epithelial tumor and metastasis of carcinoma could not be ruled out. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lung was performed to find the origin of the metastatic tumor. A 8,6 x 5,3 x 5,1 cm mass filling the right and left atria was detected.It was extending from the right atrium to the superior vena cava and also from the left atrium to the right inferior and superior pulmonary venules. The image of mass was compatible with sarcoma. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed. A mass in the left and right atrium was detected. It was filling the left atrium. Due to the mass, the maximum mitral gradient was 21 mm Hg and the mean mitral gradient was 10 mm Hg, as if there was mitral stenosis.Systolic pulmonary artery pressure was 40 mmHg. Mild mitral insufficiency was detected. The patient was evaluated with the department of oncology and cardiovascular surgery. It was decided that the mass was inoperable. So transesophageal echocardiography was not performed. It was thought that, the mass was primary cardiac sarcoma, pulmonary nodule and bone lesions were metastasis of this primary cardiac sarcoma. So chemotherapy protocol (ifosfamide,adriamycin,mesna) was started.

Conclusion Cardiac tumors have many clinical presentations. Early stages of the disease are often asymptomatic. In advanced stages, patients present with symptoms of the classic triad (intracardiac obstruction, systemic embolization, constitutional symptoms) Symptoms are often non-spesific; so diagnostic suspicion is very important. Although cardiac sarcoma therapy includes complete surgical excision, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, prognosis is still poor. Surgery can offer dramatic palliation of symptoms in cases of valvular obstruction. In conclusion, it remains clear that early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important because of their prognostic and therapeutic value.

Abstract P1697 Figure.

P1703 Cardiac metastasis of germ cell tumor "like beads" in the right heart chambers and also left atrium

Introduction

Testis tumors constitute 1-2% of all malignant tumors in men. But it is the most common solid tumor in men between 15-35 years of age. Germ cell tumors constitute for almost 90% of all testis tumors. Intracardiac metastasis of testicular carcinomas is rare. We now report a case of a testicular germ cell tumor with right atrial metastasis.

Case report

A 30-year-old male patient was diagnosed with B-cell ALL.Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were completed in 2016. In January 2017, the patient applied to the hospital with pain in the right testicle.A mass detected and orchiectomy was performed.Pathologic examination revealed mixed germ cell tumor and B-cell ALL infiltration.Chemotherapy was started. The patient was admitted to our hospital with fever, in March 2018.Antibiotics were started but fever contuniued.Transthoracic echocardiography showed a large,hypoechogen,mobile mass in the right atrium.Then transesophageal echocardiography revealed a 2x3,3 cm mobile mass within the right atrium that prolapsed through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle in diastole.We could not distinguish if it is a vegetation or a metastatic mass. The patient underwent cardiac surgery.Pathologic examination revealed mixed germ cell tumor metastasis.

After the surgery, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit because of sepsis. Antibiotics were expanded due to fever. Control transthoracic echocardiography and also transesophageal echocardiography showed a 1,8 x 0,6 cm mobile mass extending from the inferior vena cava into the right atrium and through the patent foramen ovale into the left atrium. One week after the surgery, a mass was detected in the transthoracic echocardiography. But no further examination was done. We thought that the mass may not have been completely removed in the the operation (residual tumor?). The patient was evaluated with the department of oncology and cardiovascular surgery. It was decided that reoperation would be very risky.

Conclusion

Metastatic tumors of the heart are seen more frequently than primary tumors. Although intracardiac metastasis of testicular germ cell tumors are rare (less than %1), it has been related to short survival. They may lead to the congestive heart failure, paradoxical systemic emboli and vena cava superior syndrome. Most cases in the literature are associated with right atrial mass. But in our case, the mass was extending from the inferior vena cava into the right atrium and through the patent foramen ovale into the left atrium. We wanted to share our experience and also wanted to discuss the treatment modality for similar patients.

Abstract P1703 Figure.

Targeted use of LEDs in improvement of production efficiency through phytochemical enrichment

Based on available literature, ecology and economy of light emitting diode (LED) lights in plant foods production were assessed and compared to high pressure sodium (HPS) and compact fluorescent light (CFL) lamps. The assessment summarises that LEDs are superior compared to other lamp types. LEDs are ideal in luminous efficiency, life span and electricity usage. Mercury, carbon dioxide and heat emissions are also lowest in comparison to HPS and CFL lamps. This indicates that LEDs are indeed economic and eco-friendly lighting devices. The present review indicates also that LEDs have many practical benefits compared to other lamp types. In addition, they are applicable in many purposes in plant foods production. The main focus of the review is the targeted use of LEDs in order to enrich phytochemicals in plants. This is an expedient to massive improvement in production efficiency, since it diminishes the number of plants per phytochemical unit. Consequently, any other production costs (e.g. growing space, water, nutrient and transport) may be reduced markedly. Finally, 24 research articles published between 2013 and 2017 were reviewed for targeted use of LEDs in the specific, i.e. blue range (400-500 nm) of spectrum. The articles indicate that blue light is efficient in enhancing the accumulation of health beneficial phytochemicals in various species. The finding is important for global food production. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Impact Assessment and Environmental Evaluation of Various Ammonia Production Processes

In the current study, conventional resources-based ammonia generation routes are comparatively studied through a comprehensive life cycle assessment. The selected ammonia generation options range from mostly used steam methane reforming to partial oxidation of heavy oil. The chosen ammonia synthesis process is the most common commercially available Haber-Bosch process. The essential energy input for the methods are used from various conventional resources such as coal, nuclear, natural gas and heavy oil. Using the life cycle assessment methodology, the environmental impacts of selected methods are identified and quantified from cradle to gate. The life cycle assessment outcomes of the conventional resources based ammonia production routes show that nuclear electrolysis-based ammonia generation method yields the lowest global warming and climate change impacts while the coal-based electrolysis options bring higher environmental problems. The calculated greenhouse gas emission from nuclear-based electrolysis is 0.48 kg CO₂ equivalent while it is 13.6 kg CO₂ per kg of ammonia for coal-based electrolysis method.

Analysis and Assessment of a Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor for Nuclear Desalination

A thermodynamic analysis of the coupling of a reverse osmosis (RO) process with the gas turbine-modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) is presented in which the waste heat is utilized for the generation of steam as it is expanded in a steam turbine. A comprehensive parametric study is carried out to reveal the effect of some parameters such as compression ratio, turbine inlet temperature, recovery ratio, and preheated feed seawater inlet temperature on the exergy efficiencies of the RO process, electricity generation process, electricity generation without steam turbine work output, and overall system. The analysis shows that the exergy efficiency of the electric generation process is increased by 10.3%, if the waste heat from the reactor is utilized. The exergy efficiencies of the RO process, electricity generation process, electricity generation without steam turbine work output, and overall system are found to be 89.0%, 40.0%, 29.7%, and 41.0%, respectively.

Comparison between nebivolol and ramipril in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy: a randomized open blinded end-point (PROBE) trial

AIMS

To compare the effects of nebivolol and ramipril on left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted with a pre-randomised blinded endpoint (PROBE) design in which 106 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy were randomised to ramipril (n = 52) or to nebivolol (n = 54) and treated for 39 weeks. The doses of ramipril and nebivolol were 2.5 and 5 mg/day, respectively. After 4-8 weeks, in patients with not normalised diastolic blood pressure, a thiazide diuretic was added (indapamide 2.5 mg or hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg/day). In the ramipril group, thiazide diuretic was added in 97% of subjects and in nebivolol group in 92%. The effect of treatment on left ventricular mass was assessed by two-dimensional guided M-mode transthoracic echocardiography, at baseline and at the end of the treatment. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was calculated and indexed to body surface area (g/m2) and height2.7 (g/height2.7). Blood pressure (BP) was measured at baseline, after 4, 8, 12, 24 and 39 weeks with a standard mercury sphygmomanometer.

RESULTS

Both left ventricular mass (LVM) and mass index (LVMI) decreased significantly after treatment with ramipril (LVMI -14.8 g/m2, -7.3 g/height2.7; p < 0.001), and after treatment with nebivolol (LVMI -31.9 g/m2, -15.6 g/height2.7; p < 0.001). The difference between ramipril and nebivolol (-17.1 g/m2, -8.3 g/height2.7) with regards to reduction of LVMI was statistically significant (p < 0.001). No differences were observed between the two groups in terms of normalization of LVMI. Both drugs decreased BP similarly after 39 weeks of treatment

CONCLUSIONS

The present study shows that both nebivolol and ramipril decrease LVMI. Nebivolol 5 mg/daily treatment reduced LVMI significantly more than ramipril 2.5 mg/daily. Both drugs similarly decreased BP during the treatment.

Energy and exergy analyses of a biomass-based hydrogen production system

In this paper, a novel biomass-based hydrogen production plant is investigated. The system uses oil palm shell as a feedstock. The main plant processes are biomass gasification, steam methane reforming and shift reaction. The modeling of the gasifier uses the Gibbs free energy minimization approach and chemical equilibrium considerations. The plant, with modifications, is simulated and analyzed thermodynamically using the Aspen Plus process simulation code (version 11.1). Exergy analysis, a useful tool for understanding and improving efficiency, is used throughout the investigation, in addition to energy analysis. The overall performance of the system is evaluated, and its efficiencies become 19% for exergy efficiency and 22% energy efficiency while the gasifier cold gas efficiency is 18%.

Intrapulmonary-located Castleman's disease, which was surgically resected without pulmonary resection

Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare disease with unknown aetiology. It is characterised by benign lymph node hyperplasia that may involve all lymph nodes. The most common locations are the mediastinum and abdomen. CD arising from intrapulmonary lymph nodes has been reported in five cases, in the English language literature to date. Tumours in these patients are usually resected during lung surgery. An asymptomatic 29-year-old male patient was evaluated due to a mass lesion with a diameter of 55 mm located in the infrahilar region of the right lung with a high degree of contrast enhancement on thoracic computed tomography (CT). Vascularity of this central lesion was excluded by pulmonary angiography. Thoracotomy was performed due to the inability to obtain a diagnosis with percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsies. A frozen section examination of the mass revealed a benign lesion, arising from the intrapulmonary lymph nodes and protruding to the lower-lobe parenchyma. The mass was then extracted from the parenchyma. After histopathological evaluation of the mass, CD involving the lymph nodes was diagnosed. CD rarely involves the intrapulmonary lymph nodes. Diagnosis is difficult in these patients, and thoracotomy may be required. After obtaining benign results by mass sampling, limited resection of these masses, while sparing the lung parenchyma, may be possible.