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This work investigates commercially available granular phase change materials (PCMs) with different transition temperatures for the use of thermal-energy storage systems in fluidized beds. The hydrodynamic characteristics of granular PCMs were tested in cylindrical-3D and planar-2D fluidized beds. The density, particle size distribution and angle of repose were measured for various PCM materials. Further attrition studies were conducted with changes in particle surface from abrasion, which were characterized using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results indicate that some materials with smaller particle size and thinner supporting structure can lose the paraffin during the fluidization process, when paraffin is in a liquid state. As a consequence, the particles agglomerate, and the bed defluidizes. For all of the tested materials, only GR50 (with a transition temperature of 50 °C) properly fluidizes when the paraffin is in the liquid state and has shown to endure >75 h of continuous operation and 15 melting-solidification cycles in a fluidized bed. Additional differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements of the cycled particles did not show a decrease in energy storage capacity of the granular PCM, which corroborates that there is no loss of material after >75 h of fluidization. ; The work is partially funded by the Spanish government (ENE2010-15403, ENE2011-22722 and ENE2015-64117-C5-1). The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation to their research groups GREA (2014 SGR 123). The study that led to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n°n°PIRSES-GA-2013-610692 (INNOSTORAGE) and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 657466 (INPATH-TES).

Original research paper ; Anthropogenic pressures are changing the magnitude and nature of matter inputs into the ocean. The Ría de Vigo (NW Spain) is a highly productive and dynamic coastal system that is likely affected by such alterations. Previous nutrient-addition microcosm experiments conducted during contrasting hydrographic conditions suggested that heterotrophic bacteria are limited by organic carbon (C) and occasionally co-limited by inorganic nutrients in this coastal area. In order to assess short-term responses in biomass, production, and respiration of heterotrophic bacteria from the Ría de Vigo to increasing amounts of natural inputs of matter, we conducted 6 microcosm experiments, wherein surface seawater collected in spring, summer, and autumn was mixed with increasing amounts of dissolved natural matter concentrates from riverine and atmospheric origin. Simultaneous experiments with controlled inorganic and/or organic additions indicated that bacteria were co-limited by inorganic nutrients and C in spring and summer and primarily limited by C in autumn. Production responded more than biomass to increasing inputs of matter, whereas respiration did not change. The bacterial production response to increasing dissolved organic C load associated with riverine and atmospheric inputs was strongly related to the relative phosphorus (P) content of the dissolved matter concentrates. Our data suggest that bacterial production might decrease with the increase of P-deficient allochthonous matter inputs, which would have important biogeochemical consequences for C cycling in coastal areas. ; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, MINECO, CSIC, Xunta of Galicia and European Union (Marie Curie Grants) ; Versión del editor