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Nebulization and In Vitro Upper Airway Deposition of Liposomal Carrier Systems
(American Chemical Society, 2024-03-11) Mišík, Ondrej; Szabová, Jana; Cejpek, Ondřej; Malý, Milan; Jugl, Adam; Bělka, Miloslav; Mravec, Filip; Lízal, František
Liposomal carrier systems have emerged as a promising technology for pulmonary drug delivery. This study focuses on two selected liposomal systems, namely, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine stabilized by phosphatidic acid and cholesterol (DPPC-PA-Chol) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine stabilized by polyethylene glycol and cholesterol (DPPC-PEG-Chol). First, the research investigates the stability of these liposomal systems during the atomization process using different kinds of nebulizers (air-jet, vibrating mesh, and ultrasonic). The study further explores the aerodynamic particle size distribution of the aerosol generated by the nebulizers. The nebulizer that demonstrated optimal stability and particle size was selected for more detailed investigation, including Andersen cascade impactor measurements, an assessment of the influence of flow rate and breathing profiles on aerosol particle size, and an in vitro deposition study on a realistic replica of the upper airways. The most suitable combination of a nebulizer and liposomal system was DPPC-PA-Chol nebulized by a Pari LC Sprint Star in terms of stability and particle size. The influence of the inspiration flow rate on the particle size was not very strong but was not negligible either (decrease of D-v50 by 1.34 mu m with the flow rate increase from 8 to 60 L/min). A similar effect was observed for realistic transient inhalation. According to the in vitro deposition measurement, approximately 90% and 70% of the aerosol penetrated downstream of the trachea using the stationary flow rate and the realistic breathing profile, respectively. These data provide an image of the potential applicability of liposomal carrier systems for nebulizer therapy. Regional lung drug deposition is patient-specific; therefore, deposition results might vary for different airway geometries. However, deposition measurement with realistic boundary conditions (airway geometry, breathing profile) brings a more realistic image of the drug delivery by the selected technology. Our results show how much data from cascade impactor testing or estimates from the fine fraction concept differ from those of a more realistic case.
Digestate and woodchips gasification: A comparison of different gasifying agents
(Elsevier, 2024-04-26) Milčák, Pavel; Baláš, Marek; Lisý, Martin; Lisá, Hana; Kracík, Petr; Lachman, Jakub
Digestate is the secondary product of the fermentation process in biogas plants. The use of digestate as a fertilizer is very common. However, this is more and more limited nowadays and therefore alternative uses for digestate are sought. The research described in this article maps the possibilities of using digestate from the wet fermentation process for the syngas generation. This work is focuses on the gasification of the digestate with spruce chips mixtures. The mixtures were prepared with a proportion of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of the digestate. The experiments were carried out on a semi-operational fluidized bed gasifier at atmospheric pressure. The working temperature of the fluidized bed was 810 °C; the gasification was autothermal. The gasification was carried out with three types of gasification agents, i.e. air, air-steam, and oxygen-steam for each fuel mixture. The aim of the research was to assess the effect of the digestate with wood chips on the qualitative and quantitative properties of the syngas. The digestate can be characterized as a secondary energy source reducing the consumption of primary energy sources. The produced syngas is of high quality and the digestate can become a very desirable fuel for the syngas production.
Structure of Flow Fields Downstream of Two Different Swirll Generators
(2012-05-14) Štefan, David; Rudolf, Pavel
This paper discusses the comparison of the flow fields downstream of two different swirl generators. Both swirl generators are used to imitate the flow at the exit of the hydraulic turbine runner and study spatio-temporal behaviour of the swirling flow in the draft tube (i.e. outlet diffuser part of the hydraulic turbine), which undergoes breakdown into vortex rope. Unsteady CFD computations are carried out for identical Reynolds number. Resulting velocity and vorticity profiles are correlated with the structure of the vortex rope. Difference in excited pressure pulsations is illustrated on amplitudefrequency spectra of static wall pressure.
Development of an Effervescent Atomizer for Industrial Burners
(American Chemical Society, 2009-11-09) Jedelský, Jan; Jícha, Miroslav; Sláma, Jaroslav; Otáhal, Jan
The present work is conducted with the aim of developing an effervescent atomizer for industrial burners that will generate a fine and steady spray in large turn-down ratio. The atomizer is fed with light heating oil (LHO) and uses air as an atomizing medium. First, a basic classification is made of the published design concepts of effervescent atomizers investigated by different researchers. Three distinct types of such atomizers are recognized. A single-hole, plain-orifice atomizer with an "outside-in" gas injection configuration was chosen for this study. The basic geometric parameters that may significantly influence atomizer performance are described. An experimental study of the effervescent atomizer was conducted to evaluate the influence of operational conditions and of several geometric parameters on the drop size in the spray. The Sauter mean diameter of drops was measured using a Phase/Doppler Particle Analyser. The study covers the size and number of aerator holes, their location, and the diameter of the mixing chamber. The influence of these parameters on the spray quality was evaluated at atomizing pressures of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 MPa and gas to liquid mass flow-rate ratios (GLR) of 2, 5 and 10 %. The main goal of this work is to develop a new procedure for the design of effervescent atomizers. This procedure is based upon our experimental results and it is also supported by the findings of other authors. It allows for the determination of the key geometric parameters of the atomizer to achieve sprays of minimum mean drop size for defined values of liquid flow rate, air supply pressure and GLR. The article also studies the optimization of the exit orifice size and of other parameters, such as the size of the mixing chamber (internal diameter and length), and the number, size, and position of aeration holes.
Hydrodynamic cavitation-enhanced activation of sodium percarbonate for estrogen removal
(IWA Publishing, 2023-12-01) Odehnalová, Klára; Přibilová, Petra; Maršálková, Eliška; Zezulka, Štěpán; Pochylý, František; Rudolf, Pavel; Maršálek, Blahoslav
The present paper investigated the potential of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) as an effective tool for activating sodium percarbonate (SPC). The method's efficiency was demonstrated by effectively removing estrogens, which are pollutants that have adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems. The effects of the SPC concentration, temperature of solution, and cavitation time were evaluated. After SPC/HC treatment, the removal of estrogens was monitored by LC-MS/MS. Already after 4 s of treatment and 24 h of reaction time, more than 97% of estrogens (initial concentration of 300 ng/L) were removed. The effect of post-treatment time is not considered in several papers, even though it seems to be crucial and is discussed here. The results were supported by the values of degradation rate constants, which fit the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. We also verified that HC alone was not effective for estrogen removal under the selected conditions. The sustainability of the SPC/HC system was evaluated based on electric energy per order calculation. The combination of SPC and HC is a promising approach for rapidly degrading micropollutants such as estrogenic compounds without the need for additional technological steps, such as pH or temperature adjustment.

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