From pine forests to blue skies, new jet biofuel passes rigorous testing

Renewable Energy Magazine: Virent and Virdia, formerly HCL CleanTech, have announced the successful conversion of cellulosic pine tree sugars to drop-in hydrocarbon fuels within the BIRD Energy project, a joint program funded by the US Department of Energy, the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructure and the BIRD Foundation.The project, which commenced in January 2011, successfully demonstrated that Virdia’s deconstruction process generated high-quality sugars from cellulosic biomass, which were converted to fuel via Virent’s BioForming process.Virent used Virdia’s biomass-derived sugars to produce gasoline and jet fuel, the latter being sent to the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for analysis where it passed rigorous testing. Tim Edwards of the Fuels Branch of the AFRL said, “This fuel passed the most stringent specification tests we could throw at it (such as thermal stability) under some conditions where conventional jet fuels would fail. This fuel is definitely worth further evaluation.” “While Virent’s BioForming process has previously generated fuels and chemicals from sugars in cellulosic biomass,” said Virent Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Randy Cortright, “The high-quality sugars generated from pine trees using Virdia’s process leveraged Virent’s conversion process, establishing a viable route to drop-in hydrocarbons from biomass.” “Passing the AFRL’s arduous test requirements for jet fuel further substantiates the superior value proposition of the advanced carbohydrates that Virdia is introducing,” said Philippe Lavielle, Virdia CEO. “As demonstrated by the BIRD Energy project results, Virdia’s CASE™ (Cold Acid Solvent Extraction) process can deliver the high-purity, cost-effective cellulosic sugars needed as the primary raw material for jet fuels and other applications. We are pleased to work with Virent to prove that the value of cellulosic biomass can be unlocked.” Virdia’s CASE process encompasses a sequence of proprietary extraction and separation operations. Originally developed around the Bergius process (concentrated hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of biomass), the CASE process achieves the highest yields in the industry, and produces high purity fractions of sugars and lignin. Its low temperature, low pressure hydrolysis coupled with its closed loops of acid recovery and solvent extraction establish it as one of the most economical and environmentally sustainable processes. Virent’s BioForming platform utilizes a novel combination of catalytic processes to convert water-soluble oxygenated hydrocarbons derived from biomass to non-oxygenated hydrocarbons that can be used as drop-in compounds in gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel. Virent’s BioForming platform catalysts and reactor systems are similar to those found in today’s petroleum oil refineries and petrochemical complexes. The development of Virent’s BioForming technology platform is supported through strategic partners including Cargill, Coca-Cola, Honda and Shell. Source: Renewable Energy Magazine

Read More........→April 19, 2012

New high-tech plaster to reduce risk of blood clot post surgery

Scientists have developed a high-tech plaster that's stuck to the back of the knee, which could lower the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clots in the leg following surgery. The plaster generates electronic pulses that stimulate a nerve, the common peroneal nerve, in the back of the knee, the Daily Mail reported. This nerve is responsible for making muscles in the calf, shin and foot contract. Once the Geko has been turned on, the nerve sends signals to the muscles deep in the leg, causing them to contract every few seconds. By zapping the nerve every few seconds for up to 30 hours at a time - until its battery runs out - the plaster triggers "micro contractions" that ensure blood is kept moving round the body, rather than collecting in the lower leg. This "pooling" of blood is what causes the dangerous clotting that claims an estimated 25,000 lives every year in the UK. A DVT is a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg. It's most commonly associated with immobility, such as on a long-haul flights. The most common cause is an operation that lasts for more than an hour (through a combination of immobility and the blood becoming sticky as a result of illness). When we walk, the pressure on the foot and the contracting of our calf muscles helps pump blood from the legs back up to the heart. Without this action, blood starts to "pool" in the legs. Clots can form and parts break off, becoming lodged in small blood vessels in the lungs, causing a deadly condition called a pulmonary embolism. To prevent DVTs, patients who have had major surgery are currently given blood-thinning drugs, compression stockings or air-filled 'wraps' around the leg that squeeze the blood vessels. The latest device, called the Geko, is disposable, battery-powered and no bigger than a wristwatch. It has been developed by British firm Sky Medical Technology in conjunction with doctors and researchers at St Bartholomew's Hospital and Queen Mary University, both in London. It looks like a cross between a watch and a plaster. The larger "watch" part at one end houses a power unit, battery and an on/off button.The power unit is connected to two electrodes, which run the length of the strap. To use the device, a doctor peels off a protective strip to reveal a sticky gel, which not only helps fix the device to the back of the knee but also helps conduct the electrical pulses through the skin to the peroneal nerve. Once the Geko has been turned on, the nerve sends signals to the muscles deep in the leg, causing them to contract every few seconds. They squeeze the blood vessels and blood is pumped back up towards the heart, instead of lying still in the lower leg. Doctors can tell if the power is sufficient because the calf and foot visibly twitch when the muscles contract. The patient feels the muscles twitching but there is no pain. (ANI), Source: News Track India

Read More........→January 01, 2013

Scientists identify six distinct clusters of COVID-19 symptoms in patients

LONDON: Scientists have claimed that there are six distinct ''types'' of COVID-19, each distinguished by a particular cluster of symptoms in patients, findings, if validated, can help physicians better diagnose and monitor those infected with the novel coronavirus. The yet-to-be peer reviewed study, published in the medRxiv preprint platform, used a machine learning algorithm to analyse data from a subset of around 1,600 users in the UK and US with confirmed COVID-19, who had regularly logged their symptoms using the app in March and April. It analysed if particular symptoms appeared together, and how this was related to the progression of the disease. According to the scientists, led by those from King's College London in the UK, the findings have major implications for the clinical management of COVID-19 patients. "These findings have important implications for care and monitoring of people who are most vulnerable to severe COVID-19," said Claire Steves, a co-author of the study from King''s College London. They said the research can also help doctors predict who is most at risk and likely to need hospital care in a second wave of coronavirus infections. The study noted that patient symptoms can fall under one of the six following categories: ''flu-like' with no fever, ‘flu-like' with fever, gastrointestinal, severe level one with fatigue, severe level two with confusion, and severe level three accompanied by abdominal and respiratory pain. In the first category of patients who reported ''flu-like symptoms with no fever, the scientists said the manifestations included loss of smell, muscle pains, cough, sore throat, chest pain, but no fever. According to their analysis, those in the second category had headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, fever, and loss of appetite, and those in the gastrointestinal symptoms cluster had a combination of headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, diarrhea, sore throat, chest pain, but no cough. Under the ''severe level one with fatigue'' category, the scientists said patients reported loss of smell, cough, headache, fever, hoarseness, chest pain, and fatigue, and those with the level two of severity expressed these same symptoms with the addition of loss of appetite, sore throat, confusion, and muscle pain. In the most severe category, the study noted that patients experienced headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. According to the research, all people reporting symptoms experienced headache and loss of smell, with varying combinations of additional symptoms at various times. It said some of the manifestations, such as confusion, abdominal pain and shortness of breath, are not widely known as COVID-19 symptoms, yet are hallmarks of the most severe forms of the disease. The scientists also analysed if people experiencing particular symptom clusters were more likely to require breathing support in the form of ventilation or additional oxygen. They discovered that only 1.5 per cent of people with cluster one, 4.4 per cent of those with cluster two and 3.3 per cent in cluster 3 required breathing support. For clusters four, five, and six, the researchers said these figures were 8.6, 9.9, and 19.8 per cent respectively. Nearly half of the patients in cluster six, according to the study, ended up in hospital, compared with just 16 per cent of those in cluster one. People with cluster four, five or six symptoms tended to be older and frailer, and were more likely to be overweight, the scientists said, adding that these patients had pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or lung disease than those in the other types. "If you can predict who these people are at day five, you have time to give them support and early interventions such as monitoring blood oxygen and sugar levels, and ensuring they are properly hydrated -- simple care that could be given at home, preventing hospitalisations and saving lives," Steves said. Carole Sudre from King''s College London, one of the lead scientists part of the study, said the research illustrates the importance of monitoring symptoms over time to make predictions about individual risk and outcomes more sophisticated and accurate. "This approach is helping us to understand the unfolding story of this disease in each patient so they can get the best care," Sudre said. "Being able to gather big datasets through the app and apply machine learning to them is having a profound impact on our understanding of the extent and impact of COVID-19, and human health more widely," added Sebastien Ourselin, a senior author of the study from King's College London. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News

Read More........→July 19, 2020