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- Bolívar Caballero, José Juan, et al.
(author)
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Advanced application of a geometry-enhanced 3D-printed catalytic reformer for syngas production
- 2023
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In: Energy Conversion and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0196-8904 .- 1879-2227. ; 287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Catalyst research on reforming processes for syngas production has mainly focused on the active metals and support materials, while the effect of the catalyst's geometry on the reforming reactions has been poorly studied. The application of 3D-printed materials with enhanced geometries has recently started to be studied in heterogeneous catalysis and is of interest to be implemented for reforming biomass and plastic waste to produce H2-rich syngas. In this study, a geometry-enhanced 3D-printed Ni/Al2O3/FeCrAl-based monolithic catalyst with a periodic open cellular structure (POCS) was designed and fabricated. The catalyst was used for batch steam reforming biomass pyrolysis volatiles for syngas production at different parameters (temperature and steam-to-carbon ratio). The results showed complete reforming of pyrolysis volatiles in all experimental cases, a high H2 yield of ≈ 7.6 wt% of biomass was obtained at the optimized steam-to-carbon ratio of 8 and a reforming temperature of 800 °C, which is a higher yield compared to other batch reforming tests reported in the literature. Moreover, CFD simulation results in COMSOL Multiphysics demonstrated that the POCS configuration improves the reforming of pyrolysis volatiles for tar/bio-oil reforming and H2 production thanks to enhanced mass and heat transfer properties compared to the regular monolithic single-channel configuration.
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| 2. |
- Gong, Ze, et al.
(author)
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The Association Between Quadriceps Strength and Synovitis in Knee Osteoarthritis : An Exploratory Study From the Osteoarthritis Initiative
- 2023
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In: The Journal of rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 50:4, s. 548-555
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the association between quadriceps strength and synovitis in knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: This study was derived from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), which recruited adults from the OAI cohort with or at risk of KOA. Knees with complete records of isometric quadriceps strength and effusion-synovitis and Hoffa-synovitis assessments were included. Quadriceps strength was measured isometrically at baseline. Effusion-synovitis and Hoffa-synovitis were measured using the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Osteoarthritis Knee Score at baseline and at 1-year and 2-year follow-ups. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the associations of baseline quadriceps strength with changes in effusion-synovitis and Hoffa-synovitis in multivariable analyses. Additionally, analyses were stratified by synovitis-driven inflammatory phenotypes. RESULTS: A total of 1513 knees were included in this study. In total, 61% of the subjects were female; subjects had an average age of 61.9 (SD 8.8) years and a mean BMI of 29.4 (SD 4.7). Regarding the whole population, baseline quadriceps strength was negatively associated with baseline effusion-synovitis and follow-up changes in effusion-synovitis (odds ratio [OR] 0.77-0.86), but no significant association was observed in terms of Hoffa-synovitis. Stratified by synovitis-driven inflammatory phenotype, baseline quadriceps strength was significantly associated with follow-up changes in effusion-synovitis-but not in Hoffa-synovitis-in the population with existing effusion-synovitis (OR 0.75-0.79). CONCLUSION: Higher baseline quadriceps strength was negatively associated with changes in effusion-synovitis-but not in Hoffa-synovitis-especially in the population with existing effusion-synovitis. Our findings suggested a potential protective role of the quadriceps in effusion-synovitis.
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