CCU

A dream comes true: tailor-made polyethercarbonate polyols are synthesised from propylene oxide and
CO2. Molecular weight and functionality of these polyethercarbonate polyols are controlled by the use of
an appropriate alcohol starter enabling innovative applications as a polymer building block. Interestingly,
the properties of the polyethercarbonate polyols can be adjusted in a wide range by tuning CO2 content
and architecture. The feasibility of using such tailored polyethercarbonate polyols in the production of
polyurethanes is demonstrated as a prime example for a novel CO2 utilization with industrial potential.

Global warming has received much public concern and carbon dioxide utilization has been considered as one of viable approaches to reduce the CO 2 emissions and alleviate global warming. Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is regarded as potential technique to reduce anthropogenic (greenhouse gases) GHGs emissions. Both catalysis and plasma technologies have been applied for DRM to investigate the CO 2 and CH 4 conversion as well as syngas generation efficiency. For catalysis, noble metal catalysts exhibit good activity but the cost is too high. Ni-based catalysts are usually investigated and several methods of modifying are postulated to enhance their DRM performance including better metal-support interaction, basicity of catalyst and smaller metal cluster size. However, catalysis needs to be operated at a high temperature which results in high energy consumption. Moreover, coke deposition leads to deactivation of catalyst which also limits the lifetime of catalyst. Plasma reforming which can be operated at a wide range of temperature (from room temperature to over 1000 °C) is another technique for DRM. Both non-thermal plasma and thermal plasma are proved to effectively convert CO 2 and CH 4 into syngas. However, the energy utilization efficiency is still low and relatively low syngas selectivity results in low syngas generation efficiency. Thus, combination of catalysis and plasma can be an alternative to integrate the advantages of catalysis and plasma. Plasma catalysis is proved to have synergistic effects to improve the syngas generation efficiency, since catalysis and plasma can improve the performance of each other. Plasma can enhance catalysis activity and durability, while the existence of catalyst promotes electron density in plasma and energy utilizing efficiency is expected to improve. In this study, the mechanisms of catalysis promotion are described, the synergistic effects between catalyst and plasma are elucidated, and possible approaches to optimize DRM are proposed.

The steel industry is the main generator of CO2 among the different industrial sectors. That is why efforts are being made to reduce or avoid CO2 emissions by process optimisation or by Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) processes. In the steel production by blast furnace technology, three main off-gases are generated, namely the Blast Furnace Gas (BFG), the Coke-Oven Gas (COG) and the Basic Oxygen Furnace Gas (BOFG). Many processes and technologies can be identified for their use, depending on the volume and composition of the steelwork off-gases. In the present work, a review and an analysis of several alternatives proposed during last years to use these off-gases are carried out, with a particular focus on thermochemical processes. Three main alternatives are considered: the thermal use of the gases, the recovery of valuable compounds for selling and the synthesis of a high-added value product. The possible implementation of these alternatives may conduct to improvements in energy efficiency of the steel making process with subsequent reduction of CO2 emissions.

Steep rise of carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of global warming. This increase is ascribed to the fact that, since the beginning of industrial revolution, natural processes for CO2 sequestration are no more able to cope with the excess of CO2 produced by anthropogenic activities. In the recent years, research has been focused on defining artificial CO2 cycles to support the natural one. Element magnesium is used in this review as leitmotif to explore the majority of systems involved in any step of natural and artificial CO2 cycles (separation, storage, sequestration or recycling). Magnesium is in fact ubiquitous, being present in the mesosphere as global layers, on the Earth surface in the most important enzyme for carbon fixation (Rubisco) and in silicates, that constitute the most part of rocks, where CO2 is sequestered through natural weathering. For what concerns synthetic materials, zeolites, metal-supported particles and metal-organic frameworks are only few of the systems considered in literature. The intent of this review is to connect different fields of study to create an interdisciplinary review in the chemistry domain. Research outlooks are suggested for the different fields. In the end, a qualitative analysis of the advantages and limits of different processes and a rough estimate of their potential are given in terms of the time needed to reduce the atmospheric CO2 level. Although economical, political and health evaluations would be also necessary, this analysis indicates that forestation could be the possible winning solution in the short-middle term for lowering atmospheric CO2 concentration.

Background/Aims: One of the first steps in developing quality improvement programs for hospitals and reducing patients’ waiting time is to understand the customer’s expectations and then aligning the health care services with those expectations. The current study investigates the factors that cause waiting line of receiving intensive care unit services for the patients in the hospitals of Mazandaran province in 2011. 

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-base study was carried out among a randomly selected sample of 84 matrons, supervisors and ICU and CCU managers of 15 hospitals of the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Using a Likert scale, respondents rated different factors that influence their waiting time in the hospital. The collected data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics, the average of standard deviation, frequency and frequency percentage, as well as statistical T test.

Results:  Validity of the questionnaire was approved with a high Cronbach's alpha of 0.912.Average length of stay in ICU and CCU was 5.46 and 2.78 days, respectively. The analysis of factors affecting the long line of waiting showed that, in ICU, factors related to increasing needs for hospitalization averaged 4.2, (p<0.002) and factors related to equipment had a mean score of 4.2 (p<0.001); whereas in CCU, factors relating to medical personnel was 3.8 (p<0.003), and factors related to increased needs to hospitalization was 4.1 (p<0.024).

Conclusion:  Hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences face a lack of beds in their intensive care units. Besides, the increasing community needs, problems related to staffing, inadequate equipment and a lack of cooperation are the main factors that affect the patients’ waiting time. Thus, increasing the number of beds is inevitable. This study suggests two main strategies as to how tackle the issue.

Despite the diversity of studies on global warming and climate change mitigation technologies, research on the changing role of CO2 in the industrial processes, which is connected with the introduction of circular economy principles, is still out of scope. The purpose of this review is to answer the following question: Is technogenic CO2 still an industrial waste or has it become a valuable resource? For this purpose, statistical information from the National Energy Technology Library and the Global CCS Institute databases were reviewed. All sequestration projects (199) were divided into three groups: carbon capture and storage (65); carbon capture, utilization, and storage (100); and carbon capture and utilization (34). It was found that: (1) total annual CO2 consumption of such projects was 50.1 Mtpa in 2018, with a possible increase to 326.7 Mtpa in the coming decade; (2) total amount of CO2 sequestered in such projects could be 2209 Mt in 2028; (3) the risk of such projects being cancelled or postponed is around 31.8%; (4) CO2 is a valuable and sought-after resource for various industries. It was concluded that further development of carbon capture and utilization technologies will invariably lead to a change in attitudes towards CO2 , as well as the appearance of new CO2-based markets and industries.

Joule is the most advanced and most scalable carbon-neutral source of energy for the mobility sector
- Recycles CO₂ emissions through biocatalyst to produce ethanol and diesel/jet fuels
- Also uses sunlight, non-potable brackish water and non-arable land
- Protects existing assets from carbon taxes and emission caps through emissions reuse
- Can benefit from incentives for advanced biofuels and low-carbon fuel markets 
-Utilizes existing infrastructure, logistics, and service station networks

To date, the company has committed $200m to develop technology
- Proven field operations at demonstration-plant facility in Hobbs, NM, USA
- Produced independently-validated US and EU fuel-grade ethanol and diesel/jet blend stock
- Currently rolling out the first phase of the industrialization process

Background: One of the major concerns in intensive
care units is caring. There was no universally accepted definition
of the phenomenon, instead of decades of research in this field.
Purpose: The study presented here was designed to explore the
meaning of caring, particularly from the nurses working at a
renowned intensive coronary care unit (ICCU).
Method: Volunteers participated in semi-structured interviews
and the interviews were recorded in a tape. The recordings were
transcribed verbatim and the analysis was done using Colliazzi
reductive framework.
Findings: Being a nurse in the ICCU meant being valuable,
professional, and confident. However, in some cases they were
also frustrated. The theme that emerged from the meaning of
caring include accountability

Despite the diversity of studies on global warming and climate change mitigation technologies, research on the changing role of CO2 in the industrial processes, which is connected with the introduction of circular economy principles, is still out of scope. The purpose of this review is to answer the following question: Is technogenic CO2 still an industrial waste or has it become a valuable resource? For this purpose, statistical information from the National Energy Technology Library and the Global CCS Institute databases were reviewed. All sequestration projects (199) were divided into three groups: carbon capture and storage (65); carbon capture, utilization, and storage (100); and carbon capture and utilization (34). It was found that: (1) total annual CO2 consumption of such projects was 50.1 Mtpa in 2018, with a possible increase to 326.7 Mtpa in the coming decade; (2) total amount of CO2 sequestered in such projects could be 2209 Mt in 2028; (3) the risk of such projects bein...

The activation of CO2 is highlighted for two lead-structures of cobalt- and zinc-based homogeneous catalysts
used in the copolymerization of epoxides and CO2. Following the activation of CO2 with in situ
ATR-IR spectroscopy, a surprisingly facile insertion of CO2 into metal–phenoxide bonds was revealed.

Background: Women generally wait longer than men prior to seeking treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). They are more likely to present with atypical symptoms, and are less likely to be admitted to coronary or intensive care units (CCU or ICU) compared to similarly-aged males. Women are more likely to die during hospital admission. Sex differences in the associations of delayed arrival, admitting ward, and mortality have not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: Focusing on presenting symptoms and time of presentation since symptom onset, we evaluated sex differences in in-hospital mortality following a first AMI in 4859 men and women presenting to three emergency departments (ED) from December 2008 to February 2014. Sex-specific risk of mortality associated with admission to either CCU/ICU or medical wards was calculated after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, triage-assigned urgency of presentation, blood pressure, heart rate, presenting symptoms, timing of presentation since symptom onset, and treatment in the ED. Sex-specific age-adjusted attributable risks were calculated. Results: Compared to males, females waited longer before seeking treatment, presented more often with atypical symptoms, and were less likely to be admitted to CCU or ICU. Age-adjusted mortality in CCU/ICU or medical wards was higher among females (3.1 and 4.9 % respectively in CCU/ICU and medical wards in females compared to 2.6 and 3.2 % in males). However, after adjusting for variation in presenting symptoms, delayed arrival and other risk factors, risk of death was similar between males and females if they were admitted to CCU or ICU. This was in contrast to those admitted to medical wards. Females admitted to medical wards were 89 % more likely to die than their male counterparts. Arriving in the ED within 60 min of onset of symptoms was not associated with in-hospital mortality. Among males, 2.2 % of in-hospital mortality was attributed to being admitted to medical wards rather than CCU or ICU, while for females this age-adjusted attributable risk was 4.1 %. Conclusions: Our study stresses the need to reappraise decision making in patient selection for admission to specialised care units, whilst raising awareness of possible sex-related bias in management of patients diagnosed with an AMI.