In this study, we investigated the selective SO2 removal performance of three absorbentsdistilled water (DW), aqueous NaOH, and Na2SO3 solutionsfrom a typical ship exhaust gas stream using a hollow-fiber membrane contactor. SEM and contact angle analyses were performed to apprehend the morphological and water interaction characteristics of the membrane. A SO2/CO2/N2 gas mixture (1000 ppm of SO2, 5.50 mol % CO2, balance N2) was used and the absorbents were thoroughly evaluated in terms of SO2 gas removal efficiency over a range of operating parameters including absorbent flow rate, feed gas flow rate, absorbent concentration, and L/G ratio. The aq. NaOH absorbent had the best SO2 removal efficiency among the three absorbents under all conditions, mainly due to high alkalinity. Notably, around 100% SO2 removal efficiency can be achieved with the NaOH absorbent. The Na2SO3 solution closely followed the NaOH in SO2 removal efficiency. DW was the worst performer under all conditions. This study confirms that the use of membrane contactor is advantageous over the conventional packed towers because the membrane contactors are compact, offer high contact area, and achieve higher removal efficiencies.

Nanostructured copper compounds were grown by electrochemical anodization of copper foil in aqueous NaOH under varying conditions including electrolyte concentration, reaction temperature, current density, and reaction time. Their morphology and atomic composition were investigated by using SEM, TEM, XRD, EDS and XPS. At the con-), wire-like orthorhombic Cu(OH)2 nanobundles with an average width of 100 -300 nm and length of 10 µm were synthesized with the preferential [100] growth direction. Furthermore, when the concentration decreased to 0.5 M NaOH, the 1D nanobundle structure became narrower and longer without any change in compositions or crystalline structure. Side reaction pathways appeared to compete with the 1D nanostructure formation channels: the formation of CuO nanoleaves at 50 o C via the sequential dehydration of Cu(OH)2, CuO/Cu2O aggregates in 4 M NaOH, and Cu2O nanoparticles and CuO nanosheets at lower current density.

Greenhouse gas treatment is urgently needed because of the impact of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions after global economic growth. In this study, postcombustion capture was carried out to screen absorbents for simultaneous absorption and regeneration of CO2 and H2S byproducts of biogas using N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)-based additives. Twelve different absorbents were selected and compared according to the types of the amine group and the alcohol group. The mixture gas of 35 vol % CH4, 15 vol % CO2, and 50 ppm H2S balanced by N2 was used for absorption and regeneration. Absorption and regeneration were carried out at 35 and 80 °C, respectively. The absorbent concentration was fixed at 4.5 wt % for MDEA and 0.5 wt % for additives. In the continuous absorption and regeneration experiments, rich loading, lean loading, cyclic loading, absorption rate, and desorption rate were measured according to the loading values of CO2 and H2S using MDEA/additive mixed absorbent. CO2-rich loading was excellent in MDEA/diethylenetriamine (DETA), and CO2 cyclic capacity was excellent in MDEA/bis­(3-aminopropyl)­amine (APA). H2S-rich loading was superior in MDEA/APA, and H2S cyclic capacity was superior in MDEA/DETA. The CO2 absorption and regeneration rates were excellent in MDEA/piperazine (PZ), and the H2S absorption and regeneration rates were excellent in MDEA/2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol. MDEA-based blending absorbent showed better absorption and regeneration performance than MDEA, and MDEA/PZ showed good performance for CO2 but very poor performance for H2S. It was confirmed that MDEA/APA was superior for gas composition in the simultaneous absorption and regeneration of CO2 and H2S.

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Objectives : This study investigated the prescribing patterns of atypical antipsychotics for the various psychiatric disorders in the psychiatric ward of a University hospital. Methods : We reviewed the medical records of patients who were discharged from an open psychiatric ward from May, 2003 through April, 2014. The association between psychiatric disorders and prescription pattern of atypical antipsychotics was analyzed. Results : The study included 3091 patients' prescription of psychiatric medication. 60% of prescription included antipsychotics; quetiapine was the most frequently prescribed antipsychotics, but the average dosage was the lowest among all the atypical antipsychotics. According to the diagnoses, prescription rates and dosage of antipsychotics were different. Prescription rates of antipsychotics were the lowest in patients with anxiety disorders, and the mean dosage were the lowest in those with delirium, dementia, and amnestic and other cognitive disorders.Conclusion : This observational study shows prescription patterns of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of psychiatric disorders in a University hospital; atypical antipsychotics were widely used for the treatment of the various disorders, and there were differences in prescription patterns for each disorders. The results of this study may be used to identify the proper atypical antipsychotics effective on certain psychiatric disorders and to propose expanding the indications of each atypical antipsychotics in the future. (Korean J Schizophr Res 2016;19:68-77)