Spent coffee ground characterization, pelletization test and emissions assessment in the combustion process.

Industrial development and increased energy requirements have led to high consumption of fossil fuels. Thus, environmental pollution has become a profound problem. Every year, a large amount of agro-industrial, municipal and forest residues are treated as waste, but they can be recovered and used to produce thermal and electrical energy through biological or thermochemical conversion processes. Among the main types of agro-industrial waste, soluble coffee residues represent a significant quantity all over the world. Silver skin and spent coffee grounds (SCG) are the main residues of the coffee industry. The many organic compounds contained in coffee residues suggest that their recovery and use could be very beneficial. Indeed, thanks to their composition, they can be used in the production of biodiesel, as a source of sugar, as a precursor for the creation of active carbon or as a sorbent for the removal of metals. After a careful evaluation of the possible uses of coffee grounds, the aim of this research was to show a broad characterization of coffee waste for energy purposes through physical and chemical analyses that highlight the most significant quality indexes, the interactions between them and the quantification of their importance. Results identify important tools for the qualification and quantification of the effects of coffee waste properties on energy production processes. They show that (SCG) are an excellent raw material as biomass, with excellent values in terms of calorific value and low ash content, allowing the production of 98% coffee pellets that are highly suitable for use in thermal conversion systems. Combustion tests were also carried out in an 80kWth boiler and the resulting emissions without any type of abatement filter were characterized.

Treatment of dye solutions by vacuum membrane distillation.

In this work, the vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) process has been applied to treat water containing different types of dyes. The influence of operating parameters, as feed temperature, feed flow rate, feed concentration, on the permeate flux and on rejection has been investigated. In all experimental tests, a complete rejection has been achieved and pure water has been recovered at the permeate side. Furthermore, experiments with water as feed have been carried out before and after the tests with dyes, in order to analyze the effect of fouling on the performance of the VMD. The water vapor fluxes immediately after the tests with dyes were higher than the values registered before the tests, probably due to an interaction with the polymeric membrane material which promotes a swelling of the membrane when in contact with the dye solutions. However, initial fluxes are recovered after prolonged cleaning with only water.

[Ultrasonically guided percutaneous treatment of renal cysts using ethanol and human fibrin glue (tissucol)]. / Il trattamento percutaneo eco-guidato delle cisti renali con etanolo e colla di fibrina umana (tissucol).

The sclerosant agents to be employed in the percutaneous treatment of renal cysts, according to the world wide published reports, are still topic of debate. The authors report the satisfying results obtained, once the cyst has been emptied under ultrasonographic control, by the injection into the cyst of ethanol 95% immediately followed by human fibrin glue (tissucol). In all ten patients so treated the complete and rapid disappearance of the cyst occurred without relapse after 6 months. The proposed procedure is also particularly suitable due to the lack of local and/or general complications deriving from the synergic, yet unprecedented, use of the two substances.

Benzo[6,7]cyclohepta[1,2-b]pyran derivatives with platelet antiaggregating and other activities.

The synthesis of some N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-6,7-dihydro-3-phenylbenzo[6,7]cyclohepta[1,2-b]pyran-2(5H) -ones by reaction of phenylchloroketene with a series of N,N-disubstituted 6-aminomethylene-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-benzocyclohepten-5-ones, followed by dehydrochlorination of the primary adducts with DBN, is described. Some compounds showed a platelet antiaggregating activity in vitro superior or comparable to that of acetylsalicylic acid, as well as a weak local anesthetic activity in mice and antiinflammatory activity in rats.

omega-Dialkylaminoalkyl ethers of 5-(arylmethylene)-1,3,3-trimethyl-2- oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-6-hydroxyimines with platelet antiaggregating and other activities.

The synthesis of omega-dialkylaminoalkyl ethers 3 by the reaction of some 5-(arylmethylene)-1,3,3-trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-6- hydroxyimines as sodium salts with the appropriate omega-chloroalkyldialkylamine in DMF solution is described. Some aminoethers 3 showed strong platelet antiaggregating activity in vitro superior to that of acetylsalicylic acid, as well as weak antiarrhythmic activity in rats and moderate infiltration anesthesia in mice.

omega-Dialkylaminoalkyl ethers of 6-(benzyl or phenyl)-1,3,3-trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo [2.2.2]octan-6-ol with platelet antiaggregating and local anesthetic activities.

The synthesis of 1,3,3-trimethyl-6-phenyl-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-6-ol 2 and 6-benzyl-1,3,3-trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-6-ol 3 starting from (+)-1,3,3-trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-6-one and phenylmagnesium bromide or benzylmagnesium chloride, respectively, is described. Alcohols 2 and 3 gave a series of omega-dialkylaminoalkyl ethers 4 by reaction as sodium salts with omega-chloroalkyldialkylamines in toluene solution. Some compounds 4, in particular those derived from alcohol 2, showed a strong platelet antiaggregating activity in vitro, superior to that of acetylsalicylic acid, as well as in general an appreciable local anesthetic activity and a weak sedative effect in mice.

Ambulatory treatment by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for an urethral stone in a hypospadic boy.

A 13-year-old hypospadic boy with a urethral stone was successfully treated with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy after various unsuccessful attempts at urological extraction. The easiness of ESWL application in this case and the quick elimination of the stone suggest that ESWL should be considered in the management of urethral calculi.

Atmospheric extinction measurements of a He-Ne laser.

The extinction of a He-Ne laser in a 300-m long urban path has been measured and correlated to temperature and relative humidity variations. The results are contrasted with the scattering coefficient theoretically calculated for a model of aerosols. The agreement seems to indicate that the values of the extinction are strongly correlated with relative humidity in inhomogeneous urban paths.

Atmospheric turbulence effects on the phase of laser beams.

Measurements of the phase structure function of a laser beam propagated through the turbulent atmosphere along two different paths are reported. The first path was chosen in an urban zone, the second one was along a flat and quiet region. A comparison of the results with the theoretical predictions of Tatarsky and Lutomirsky and Yura is made. A discussion of the range of validity of the theoretical treatments is presented.

Optical processing of the phase correlation induced by a turbulent medium in a laser beam.

A general method which allows precise measurements of the frequency spectrum of a phase modulated wave down to a few cycles per second is presented. The momenta of the distribution of the instantaneous frequency (time derivative of the phase) can also be easily obtained. An experiment is described in which the study of the phase correlation induced by a laboratory generated thermal turbulence in a laser beam is described.

Influence of thermal turbulence in a convective ascending stream on phase fluctuations of a laser beam.

The effects of thermal turbulence on the phase fluctuations of a laser beam are investigated in laboratory. The turbulent region created by means of a horizontal heated Nichrome grid is made to shift upwards owing to the convective motion. A Mach-Zehnder interference experiment is performed in which two beams from a laser source are superimposed after crossing the turbulent region. The displacements of the fringe pattern allow one to study the temporal decay of the mean square refractive index fluctuation. An interpretation of the results is given on the basis of the theory of an isotropic turbulent scalar field.

Influence of laboratory generated turbulence on phase fluctuations of a laser beam.

An experiment is performed the aim of which is to investigate the phase fluctuations of a laser beam induced by artificially generated thermal turbulence. This is achieved by observing the displacements of a fringe pattern obtained by means of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The temporal decay of the mean square refractive index fluctuation is studied. An interpretation of the results is given on the basis of the theory of an isotropic turbulent scalar field.

Interferometric study of phase fluctuations of a laser beam through the turbulent atmosphere.

Phase fluctuations of a laser beam propagating through a turbulent atmosphere are studied as a function of the distance in a cross section of the beam. An interferometer is described that allows simultaneous measurements of phase fluctuations for pairs of rays that travel in the beam at different distances between each other. Experiments with this method have been performed in an urban center at a distance of 3.5 km and 0.5 km from the source (a helium-neon laser). The results of these measurements are described, and the behavior of the mean square fluctuation of the phase difference is studied. The values of the structure constant C(n) are calculated.