ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9039-5792
Current Organisations
The Ohio State University
,
University of Technology Sydney
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Chemical Engineering | Wastewater Treatment Processes | Environmental Technologies | Membrane and Separation Technologies | Environmental Technologies | Membrane And Separation Technologies | Water And Sanitary Engineering | Condensed Matter Physics | Civil Engineering Not Elsewhere Classified | Environmental Engineering Modelling | Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Electrical and Electronic Engineering not elsewhere classified | Functional Materials | Geotechnical Engineering | Biomedical Engineering not elsewhere classified | Fermentation | Condensed Matter Characterisation Technique Development |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Waste Management Services | Renewable Energy not elsewhere classified | Rehabilitation of degraded coastal and estuarine areas | Water Services and Utilities | Expanding Knowledge in Technology | Biofuel (Biomass) Energy | Urban and Industrial Water Management | Land and water management | Industrial Energy Conservation and Efficiency | Land and water management | Environmental health | Expanding Knowledge in the Physical Sciences | Industrial Chemicals and Related Products not elsewhere classified | Expanding Knowledge in Engineering | Public health not elsewhere classified | Electricity, gas and water services and utilities | Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Water Management
Related Links
Publications
Solid-Embedded Microplastics from Sewage Sludge to Agricultural Soils: Detection, Occurrence, and Impacts
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 05-05-2021
Thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes functionalized with graphene oxide–silver nanocomposites for biofouling control
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
Biofouling Mitigation in Forward Osmosis Using Graphene Oxide Functionalized Thin-Film Composite Membranes
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 26-05-2016
Abstract: Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging membrane process with potential applications in the treatment of highly fouling feedwaters. However, biofouling, the adhesion of microorganisms to the membrane and the subsequent formation of biofilms, remains a major limitation since antifouling membrane modifications offer limited protection against biofouling. In this study, we evaluated the use of graphene oxide (GO) for biofouling mitigation in FO. GO functionalization of thin-film composite membranes (GO-TFC) increased the surface hydrophilicity and imparted antimicrobial activity to the membrane without altering its transport properties. After 1 h of contact time, deposition and viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells on GO-TFC were reduced by 36% and 30%, respectively, compared to pristine membranes. When GO-TFC membranes were tested for treatment of an artificial secondary wastewater supplemented with P. aeruginosa, membrane biofouling was reduced by 50% after 24 h of operation. This biofouling resistance is attributed to the reduced accumulation of microbial biomass on GO-TFC compared to pristine membranes. In addition, confocal microscopy demonstrated that cells deposited on the membrane surface are inactivated, resulting in a layer of dead cells on GO-TFC that limit biofilm formation. These findings highlight the potential of GO to be used for biofouling mitigation in FO.
Osmotic dilution for sustainable greenwall irrigation by liquid fertilizer: Performance and implications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
Built-in electric field enabled in carbon-doped Bi3O4Br nanocrystals for excellent photodegradation of PAHs
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
Fabrication and critical current density in 16-filament stainless steel/Fe/MgB2 square wire
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2002
Occurrence of trace organic contaminants in wastewater sludge and their removals by anaerobic digestion
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.12.080
Abstract: This study aims to evaluate the occurrence of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in wastewater sludge and their removal during anaerobic digestion. The significant occurrence of 18 TrOCs in primary sludge was observed. These TrOCs occurred predominantly in the solid phase. Some of these TrOCs (e.g. paracetamol, caffeine, ibuprofen and triclosan) were also found at high concentrations (>10,000ng/L) in the aqueous phase. The overall removal of TrOCs (from both the aqueous and solid phase) by anaerobic digestion was governed by their molecular structure (e.g. the presence/absence of electron withdrawing/donating functional groups). While an increase in sludge retention time (SRT) of the digester resulted in a small but clearly discernible increase in basic biological performance (e.g. volatile solids removal and biogas production), the impact of SRT on TrOC removal was negligible. The lack of SRT influence on TrOC removal suggests that TrOCs were not the main substrate for anaerobic digestion.
Treatment of shale gas drilling flowback fluids (SGDFs) by forward osmosis: Membrane fouling and mitigation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
Linking endogenous decay and sludge bulking in the microbial community to membrane fouling at sub-critical flux
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2022
Rejection of small solutes by reverse osmosis membranes for water reuse applications: A pilot-scale study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2014
Sludge cycling between aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic regimes to reduce sludge production during wastewater treatment: Performance, mechanisms, and implications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.01.029
Abstract: Alternate cycling of sludge in aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic regimes is a promising strategy that can reduce the sludge yield of conventional activated sludge (CAS) by up to 50% with potentially lower capital and operating cost than physical- and/or chemical-based sludge minimisation techniques. The mechanisms responsible for reducing sludge yield include alterations to cellular metabolism and feeding behaviour (metabolic uncoupling, feasting/fasting, and endogenous decay), biological floc destruction, and predation on bacteria by higher organisms. Though discrepancies across various studies are recognisable, it is apparent that sludge retention time, oxygen-reduction potential of the anaerobic tank, temperature, sludge return ratio and loading mode are relevant to sludge minimisation by sludge cycling approaches. The impact of sludge minimisation on CAS operation (e.g., organics and nutrient removal efficiency and sludge settleability) is highlighted, and key areas requiring further research are also identified.
Optimization of hydraulic retention time and organic loading rate for volatile fatty acid production from low strength wastewater in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.09.075
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from low strength wastewater at various hydraulic retention time (HRT) and organic loading rate (OLR) in a continuous anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) using glucose as carbon source. This experiment was performed without any selective inhibition of methanogens and the reactor pH was maintained at 7.0 ± 0.1. 48, 24, 18, 12, 8 and 6 h-HRTs were applied and the highest VFA concentration was recorded at 8 h with an overall VFA yield of 48.20 ± 1.21 mg VFA/100 mg COD
Oxidation of triclosan by ferrate: Reaction kinetics, products identification and toxicity evaluation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.JHAZMAT.2010.10.106
Abstract: The oxidation of triclosan by commercial grade aqueous ferrate (Fe(VI)) was investigated and the reaction kinetics as a function of pH (7.0-10.0) were experimentally determined. Intermediate products of the oxidation process were characterized using both GC-MS and RRLC-MS/MS techniques. Changes in toxicity during the oxidation process of triclosan using Fe(VI) were investigated using Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata growth inhibition tests. The results show that triclosan reacted rapidly with Fe(VI), with the apparent second-order rate constant, k(app), being 754.7 M(-1) s(-1) at pH 7. At a stoichiometric ratio of 10:1 (Fe(VI):triclosan), complete removal of triclosan was achieved. Species-specific rate constants, k, were determined for reaction of Fe(VI) with both the protonated and deprotonated triclosan species. The value of k determined for neutral triclosan was 6.7(±1.9)×10(2) M(-1) s(-1), while that measured for anionic triclosan was 7.6(±0.6)×10(3) M(-1) s(-1). The proposed mechanism for the oxidation of triclosan by the Fe(VI) involves the scission of ether bond and phenoxy radical addition reaction. Coupling reaction may also occur during Fe(VI) degradation of triclosan. Overall, the degradation processes of triclosan resulted in a significant decrease in algal toxicity. The toxicity tests showed that Fe(VI) itself dosed in the reaction did not inhibit green algae growth.
Changes in surface properties and separation efficiency of a nanofiltration membrane after repeated fouling and chemical cleaning cycles
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
Role of pressure in organic fouling in forward osmosis and reverse osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
Editorial
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 14-11-2016
A preliminary assessment of forward osmosis to extract water from rumen fluid for artificial saliva
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Selection of microalgae strains for sustainable production of aviation biofuel
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2021.126408
Abstract: This study develops and applies the PROMETHEE-GAIA method as a new tool to select microalgae strains for aviation fuel production. Assessment involves 19 criteria with equal weighting in three aspects, namely biomass production, lipid quality, and fatty acid methylester properties. Here, the method is demonstrated for evaluating 17 candidate microalgae strains. Chlorella sp. NT8a is assessed as the most suitable strain for aviation fuel production. The results also show that unmodified biofuel from the most suitable strain could not meet all jet fuel standards. In particular, microalgae-based fuel could not satisfy the required density, heating value and freezing points of the international jet fuel standards. These results highlight the need for a broad action plan including improvement in the processing or modification of biofuel produced from microalgae and revision of the current jet fuel standards to facilitate the introduction of microalgae-based biofuel for the aviation industry.
Scaling control during membrane distillation of coal seam gas reverse osmosis brine
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
Relationship between the synergistic/antagonistic effect of anaerobic co-digestion and organic loading
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Phenol rejection by cellulose triacetate and thin film composite forward osmosis membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Removal of dissolved organics from produced water by forward osmosis
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-08-2014
Implications of membrane fouling toward the removal of the pharmaceutical sulfamethoxazole by nanofiltration processes
Publisher: Zhejiang University Press
Date: 08-2011
Special issue on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering-CESE-2012 9-13 September 2012, RACV City Club, Melbourne, Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-01-2014
Rejection of pharmaceutically active compounds by forward osmosis: Role of solution pH and membrane orientation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2012
Removal of emerging trace organic contaminants by MBR-based hybrid treatment processes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Delayed development of specific thyroid hormone-regulated events in transthyretin null mice
Publisher: American Physiological Society
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1152/AJPENDO.00216.2012
Abstract: Thyroid hormones (THs) are vital for normal postnatal development. Extracellular TH distributor proteins create an intravascular reservoir of THs. Transthyretin (TTR) is a TH distributor protein in the circulatory system and is the only TH distributor protein synthesized in the central nervous system. We investigated the phenotype of TTR null mice during development. Total and free 3′,5′,3,5-tetraiodo-l-thyronine (T 4 ) and free 3′,3,5-triiodo-l-thyronine (T 3 ) in plasma were significantly reduced in 14-day-old (P14) TTR null mice. TTR null mice also displayed a delayed suckling-to-weaning transition, decreased muscle mass, delayed growth, and retarded longitudinal bone growth. In addition, ileums from postnatal day 0 (P0) TTR null mice displayed disordered architecture and contained fewer goblet cells than wild type. Protein concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid from P0 and P14 TTR null mice were higher than in age-matched wild-type mice. In contrast to the current literature based on analyses of adult TTR null mice, our results demonstrate that TTR has an important and nonredundant role in influencing the development of several organs.
Biodegradation of cellulose triacetate and polyamide forward osmosis membranes in an activated sludge bioreactor: Observations and implications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2016
Removal of bisphenol A and diclofenac by a novel fungal membrane bioreactor operated under non-sterile conditions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Microbial Community in Anaerobic Digestion System: Progression in Microbial Ecology
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Date: 08-11-2019
Greenhouse gas emissions from different pig manure management techniques: a critical analysis
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-05-2017
Factors governing microalgae harvesting efficiency by flocculation using cationic polymers.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Bacterial community dynamics in an anoxic-aerobic membrane bioreactor – Impact on nutrient and trace organic contaminant removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
Free ammonia pretreatment improves anaerobic methane generation from algae
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2019.06.065
Abstract: Anaerobic methane generation from algae is hindered by the slow and poor algae biodegradability. A novel free ammonia (NH
Aerobic membrane bioreactors and micropollutant removal
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2020
Metals in e-waste: Occurrence, fate, impacts and remediation technologies
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Occurrence and bioconcentration of micropollutants in Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) in a reclaimed water reservoir
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.08.431
Abstract: This study examined the occurrence of 49 micropollutants in reclaimed water and Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) living in a reclaimed water reservoir. The numbers of micropollutants detected in reclaimed water, Silver Perch liver, and Silver Perch flesh were 20, 23, and 19, respectively. Concentrations of all micropollutants in reclaimed water, except benzotriazole, were well below the Australian Guideline for Recycled Water (AGRW) values for potable purposes. The concentration of benzotriazole in reclaimed water was 675 ± 130 ng/L while the AGRW value for this compound was 7 ng/L. Not all micropollutants detected in the water phase were identified in the Silver Perch flesh and liver tissues. Likewise, not all micropollutants detected in the Silver Perch flesh and liver were identified in the reclaimed water. In general, micropollutant concentrations in the liver were higher than in the flesh. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was detected at a trace level in reclaimed water well below the AGRW guideline value for potable purposes, but showed a high and medium bioconcentration factor in Silver Perch liver and flesh, respectively. In addition, the risk quotient for PFOS was medium and high when considering its concentration in Silver Perch liver and flesh, respectively. Results reported here highlight the need to evaluate multiple parameters for a comprehensive risk assessment. The results also single out PFOS as a notable contaminant of concern for further investigation.
A novel membrane distillation–thermophilic bioreactor system: Biological stability and trace organic compound removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.02.088
Abstract: The removal of trace organic compounds (TrOCs) by a novel membrane distillation-thermophilic bioreactor (MDBR) system was examined. Salinity build-up and the thermophilic conditions to some extent adversely impacted the performance of the bioreactor, particularly the removal of total nitrogen and recalcitrant TrOCs. While most TrOCs were well removed by the thermophilic bioreactor, compounds containing electron withdrawing functional groups in their molecular structure were recalcitrant to biological treatment and their removal efficiency by the thermophilic bioreactor was low (0-53%). However, the overall performance of the novel MDBR system with respect to the removal of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and TrOCs was high and was not significantly affected by the conditions of the bioreactor. All TrOCs investigated here were highly removed (>95%) by the MDBR system. Biodegradation, sludge adsorption, and rejection by MD contribute to the removal of TrOCs by MDBR treatment.
Hydrogen sulphide management in anaerobic digestion: A critical review on input control, process regulation, and post-treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2021.126634
Abstract: Hydrogen sulphide (H
Potable Water Reuse through Advanced Membrane Technology
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 23-08-2018
Abstract: Recycling water from municipal wastewater offers a reliable and sustainable solution to cities and regions facing shortage of water supply. Places including California and Singapore have developed advanced water reuse programs as an integral part of their water management strategy. Membrane technology, particularly reverse osmosis, has been playing a key role in producing high quality recycled water. This feature paper highlights the current status and future perspectives of advanced membrane processes to meet potable water reuse. Recent advances in membrane materials and process configurations are presented and opportunities and challenges are identified in the context of water reuse.
Characterising humic acid fouling of nanofiltration membranes using bisphenol A as a molecular indicator
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2008.06.005
Abstract: Fouling of nanofiltration (NF) membranes by humic acids was investigated using bisphenol A (BPA) as an indicator chemical to differentiate between various mechanisms that may lead to a change in solute rejection. Three commercially available NF membranes were investigated and an accelerated fouling condition was achieved with a foulant mixture containing humic acids in an electrolyte matrix. The effects of membrane fouling on the rejection of BPA were interpreted with respect to the membrane pore sizes and the fouling characteristics. Results reported here indicate that calcium concentration in the feed solution could be a major factor governing the humic acid fouling process. Moreover, a critical concentration of calcium in the feed solution was observed, at which membrane fouling was most severe. Membrane fouling characteristics were observed by their influence on BPA rejection. Such influence could result in either an increase or decrease in rejection of BPA by the three different membranes depending on the rejection mechanisms involved. It is hypothesized that these mechanisms could occur simultaneously and that the effects of each might not be easily distinguished. However, it was observed that their relative contribution was largely dependent upon membrane pore size. Pore blocking, which resulted in a considerable improvement in rejection, was prominent for the more open pore size TFC-SR2 membrane. In contrast, the cake-enhanced concentration polarisation effect was more severe for the tighter NF-270 and NF-90 membranes. For hydrophobic solutes such as BPA, the formation of the fouling layer could also interfere with the solute-membrane interaction, and therefore, exert considerable influence on the separation process.
Hollow fibre membrane contactors for ammonia recovery: Current status and future developments
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2017
3D printed polylactide scaffolding for laccase immobilization to improve enzyme stability and estrogen removal from wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2023
Water reclamation from shale gas drilling flow-back fluid using a novel forward osmosis–vacuum membrane distillation hybrid system
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 02-01-2014
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2014.003
Abstract: This study examined the performance of a novel hybrid system of forward osmosis (FO) combined with vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) for reclaiming water from shale gas drilling flow-back fluid (SGDF). In the hybrid FO-VMD system, water permeated through the FO membrane into a draw solution reservoir, and the VMD process was used for draw solute recovery and clean water production. Using a SGDF s le obtained from a drilling site in China, the hybrid system could achieve almost 90% water recovery. Quality of the reclaimed water was comparable to that of bottled water. In the hybrid FO-VMD system, FO functions as a pre-treatment step to remove most contaminants and constituents that may foul or scale the membrane distillation (MD) membrane, whereas MD produces high quality water. It is envisioned that the FO-VMD system can recover high quality water not only from SGDF but also other wastewaters with high salinity and complex compositions.
Effects of feed and draw solution temperature and transmembrane temperature difference on the rejection of trace organic contaminants by forward osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
Effects of salinity build-up on the performance of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor regarding basic water quality parameters and removal of trace organic contaminants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2016.05.075
Abstract: The effects of elevated inorganic salt concentration on anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treatment regarding basic biological performance and trace organic contaminant (TrOC) removal were investigated. A set of 33 TrOCs were selected to represent pharmaceuticals, steroids, and pesticides in municipal wastewater. Results show potential adverse effects of increase in the bioreactor salinity to 15g/L (as NaCl) on the performance of AnMBR with respect to chemical oxygen demand removal, biogas production, and the removal of most hydrophilic TrOCs. Furthermore, a decrease in biomass production was observed as salinity in the bioreactor increased. The removal of most hydrophobic TrOCs was high and was not significantly affected by salinity build-up in the bioreactor. The accumulation of a few persistent TrOCs in the sludge phase was observed, but such accumulation did not vary significantly as salinity in the bioreactor increased.
Fouling autopsy of hollow-fibre MF membranes in wastewater reclamation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2006
Removal of trace organic contaminants by nitrifying activated sludge and whole-cell and crude enzyme extract of Trametes versicolor
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 03-2013
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2013.684
Abstract: The resistance of certain anthropogenic trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) to conventional wastewater treatment and their potential adverse effects on human and ecological health raise significant concerns and have prompted research on their bioremediation by white-rot fungi. This study compared the removal efficiencies of four widespread TrOCs: carbamazepine (CBZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), bisphenol A (BPA) and diclofenac (DCF), by nitrifying activated sludge as well as whole-cell and extracellular enzyme (laccase) extract of the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor. Fungal whole-cell culture removed only BPA and DCF but with high efficiencies (& %) while the mixed nitrifying culture removed all compounds, although by levels of only 5–40%. Rapid initial sorption on fungal mycelium (44 ± 13% for DCF) was observed however, biodegradation governed the overall removal. Performance comparison between fungal whole-cell and extracellular extract revealed that, unlike BPA, a catalytic pathway independent of extracellular laccase was responsible for DCF removal. Addition of mediator (1-hydroxybenzotriazole) to extracellular extract improved the removal of SMX which bears an electron donor group, but not that of the resistant compound CBZ.
Photolysis and UV/H2 O2 of diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and trimethoprim: Identification of their major degradation products by ESI–LC–MS and assessment of the toxicity of reaction mixtures
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
Continuous biotransformation of bisphenol A and diclofenac by laccase in an enzymatic membrane reactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2014
Green technologies for sustainable environment: an introduction
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-10-2021
Aerobic Treatment of Effluents From the Aquaculture Industry
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2017
Organic carbon source-dependent properties of soluble microbial products in sequencing batch reactors and its effects on membrane fouling
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2019.05.045
Abstract: This study investigated the influence of three different organic carbon sources including sodium acetate (SOD), glucose (GLU), and starch (STAR), on soluble microbial products (SMP), which presumably have dissimilar uptake rates and metabolic pathways, in sequencing batch reactors (SBR) and their subsequent effects on membrane fouling of ultrafiltration (UF). SMP were mainly characterized by fluorescence excitation emission matrix coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). SMP produced in SOD-fed SBR showed higher abundances of protein-like fluorescent component and large sized aliphatic biopolymer (BP) than GLU- or STAR-fed counterpart did, while the STAR-based operation resulted in more SMP enriched with humic-like fluorescence. The differences in SMP exerted marked effects on UF membrane fouling as indicated by the highest fouling potential with reversibility shown for the SMP from the SOD-fed reactor. Regardless of the carbon source, BP fraction and protein-like component exhibited the greatest extent of reversible fouling, suggesting that size exclusion plays a critical role. However, notable differences in the reversible fouling propensity of relatively smaller size fractions among the three SBRs signified the possible involvement of chemical interactions as a secondary fouling mechanism and its dependency on different carbon sources. Our results provide a new insight into the roles of carbon sources in the characteristics of SMP in biological treatment systems and their effects on the post-treatment using membrane filtration, which is ultimately beneficial to the optimization of biological treatment design and membrane filtration operation.
A Forward Osmosis–Membrane Distillation Hybrid Process for Direct Sewer Mining: System Performance and Limitations
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 15-11-2013
DOI: 10.1021/ES404056E
Abstract: This study demonstrates the robustness and treatment capacity of a forward osmosis (FO)-membrane distillation (MD) hybrid system for small-scale decentralized sewer mining. A stable water flux was realized using a laboratory-scale FO-MD hybrid system operating continuously with raw sewage as the feed at water recovery up to 80%. The hybrid system also showed an excellent capacity for the removal of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs), with removal rates ranging from 91 to 98%. The results suggest that TrOC transport through the FO membrane is governed by "solute-membrane" interaction, whereas that through the MD membrane is strongly correlated to TrOC volatility. Concentrations of organic matter and TrOCs in the draw solution increased substantially as the water recovery increased. This accumulation of some contaminants in the draw solution is attributed to the difference in their rejection by the FO and MD systems. We demonstrate that granular activated carbon adsorption or ultraviolet oxidation could be used to prevent contaminant accumulation in the draw solution, resulting in near complete rejection (>99.5%) of TrOCs.
Removal of carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole by MBR under anoxic and aerobic conditions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2011.09.019
Abstract: This study reveals for the first time that near-anoxic conditions (dissolved oxygen, DO=0.5 mg/L) can be a favorable operating regime for the removal of the persistent micropollutant carbamazepine by MBR treatment. The removal efficiencies of carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole by an MBR were systematically examined and compared under near-anoxic (DO=0.5 mg/L) and aerobic (DO>2 mg/L) conditions. Preliminary batch tests confirmed that sulfamethoxazole is amenable to both aerobic and anoxic biotransformation. However, carbamazepine-a known persistent compound-showed degradation only under an anoxic environment. In good agreement with the batch tests, during near-anoxic operation, under a high loading of 750 μg/Ld, an exceptionally high removal (68±10%) of carbamazepine was achieved. In contrast, low removal efficiency (12±11%) of carbamazepine was observed during operation under aerobic conditions. On the other hand, an average removal efficiency of 65% of sulfamethoxazole was achieved irrespective of the DO concentrations.
Moringa oleifera coagulation as pretreatment prior to microfiltration for membrane fouling mitigation
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00186C
Abstract: Coagulation pretreatment using Moringa oleifera in the microfiltration of river water achieved membrane fouling mitigation and filtered water quality improvement.
A comprehensive review on the framework to valorise lignocellulosic biomass as biorefinery feedstocks
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Online monitoring of: N -nitrosodimethylamine for the removal assurance of 1,4-dioxane and other trace organic compounds by reverse osmosis
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00271A
Abstract: Online monitoring of N -nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) during reverse osmosis (RO) treatment was effective in ensuring the removal of trace organic chemicals, particularly 1,4-dioxane.
Chiral Inversion of 2-Arylpropionic Acid Enantiomers under Anaerobic Conditions
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 08-06-2022
Abstract: This work examined the chiral inversion of 2-arylpropionic acids (2-APAs) under anaerobic conditions and the associated microbial community. The anaerobic condition was simulated by two identical anaerobic digesters. Each digester was fed with the substrate containing 11 either pure (
Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for antibiotic wastewater treatment: Performance and membrane fouling issues
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.07.133
Abstract: Antibiotic wastewater has become a major concern due to the toxicity and recalcitrance of antibiotics. Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) are considered alternative technology for treating antibiotic wastewater because of their advantages over the conventional anaerobic processes and aerobic MBRs. However, membrane fouling remains the most challenging issue in the AnMBRs' operation and this limits their application. This review critically discusses: (i) antibiotics removal and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in different types of AnMBRs and the impact of antibiotics on membrane fouling and (ii) the integrated AnMBRs systems for fouling control and removal of antibiotics. The presence of antibiotics in AnMBRs could aggravate membrane fouling by influencing fouling-related factors (i.e., sludge particle size, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), soluble microbial products (SMP), and fouling-related microbial communities). Conclusively, integrated AnMBR systems can be a practical technology for antibiotic wastewater treatment.
Direct preparation of dialysate from tap water via osmotic dilution
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Monitoring the performance of permeable reactive barriers constructed in acid sulfate soils
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Integrity of reverse osmosis membrane for removing bacteria: new insight into bacterial passage
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00910D
Abstract: Fluorescent microspheres (surrogates for bacteria) allowed identification of the fact that even an intact O-ring seal can allow for some bacterial passage through the reverse osmosis membrane element.
Anaerobic co-digestion of expired alcohol-based hand sanitizer with synthetic wastewater for biogas production
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2023
Low Carbon Desalination by Innovative Membrane Materials and Processes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-10-2018
Impact of wastewater derived dissolved interfering compounds on growth, enzymatic activity and trace organic contaminant removal of white rot fungi – A critical review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2017.06.014
Abstract: White-rot fungi (WRF) and their ligninolytic enzymes have been investigated for the removal of a broad spectrum of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) mostly from synthetic wastewater in lab-scale experiments. Only a few studies have reported the efficiency of such systems for the removal of TrOCs from real wastewater. Wastewater derived organic and inorganic compounds can inhibit: (i) WRF growth and their enzyme production capacity (ii) enzymatic activity of ligninolytic enzymes and (iii) catalytic efficiency of both WRF and enzymes. It is observed that essential metals such as Cu, Mn and Co at trace concertation (up to 1 mM) can improve the growth of WRF species, whereas non-essential metal such as Pb, Cd and Hg at 1 mM concentration can inhibit WRF growth and their enzyme production. In the case of purified enzymes, most of the tested metals at 1-5 mM concentration do not significantly inhibit the activity of laccases. Organic interfering compounds such as oxalic acid and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at 1 mM concentration are potent inhibitors of WRF and their extracellular enzymes. However, inhibitory effects induced by interfering compounds are strongly influenced by the type of WRF species as well as experimental conditions (e.g., incubation time and TrOC type). In this review, mechanisms and factors governing the interactions of interfering compounds with WRF and their ligninolytic enzymes are reviewed and elucidated. In addition, the performance of WRF and their ligninolytic enzymes for the removal of TrOCs from synthetic and real wastewater is critically summarized.
Enhancement of removal of trace organic contaminants by powdered activated carbon dosing into membrane bioreactors
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
Mechanisms of free nitrous acid and freezing co-pretreatment enhancing short-chain fatty acids production from waste activated sludge anaerobic fermentation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2019.05.107
Abstract: Free nitrous acid (FNA) or freezing has been recently utilized as an efficient pretreatment method to increase short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) yield from waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic fermentation (AF). But until now, the performances and mechanisms of the co-pretreatment for SCFAs production are unknown. This research aimed to investigate the AF mechanisms through studying its influence on sludge solubilization and related bioprocesses. WAS was pretreated for 48 h with FNA (1.07 mg N/L), freezing (-5 °C) and combination of FNA and freezing (0.53-2.13 mg N/L FNA at -5 °C), respectively, then conducted batch AF. Experimental results indicated that the optimal total SCFAs yield of 391.19 ± 5.54 mg COD/g VSS was achieved after 1.07 mg N/L FNA + freezing pretreatment at 9 days of AF, which was 2.2, 1.6 and 1.3-fold of the blank, freezing and FNA pretreated s les, respectively. The mechanisms analysis showed that co-pretreatment showed synergetic effects on sludge disintegration and solubilization, which could release more soluble substrates for SCFAs production. The co-pretreatment resulted in slight inhibition to hydrolysis and negligible inhibition to acidogenesis but severe inhibition to methanogenesis, maybe due to less endurance of methanogens.
A review on microalgae-mediated biotechnology for removing pharmaceutical contaminants in aqueous environments: Occurrence, fate, and removal mechanism.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2023
DOI: 10.1016/J.JHAZMAT.2022.130213
Abstract: Pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic environments have been considered as emerging contaminants due to their potential risks to living organisms. Microalgae-based technology showed the feasibility of removing pharmaceutical contaminants. This review summarizes the occurrence, classification, possible emission sources, and environmental risk of frequently detected pharmaceutical compounds in aqueous environments. The efficiency, mechanisms, and influencing factors for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds through microalgae-based technology are further discussed. Pharmaceutical compounds frequently detected in aqueous environments include antibiotics, hormones, analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cardiovascular agents, central nervous system drugs (CNS), antipsychotics, and antidepressants, with a concentration ranging from ng/L to μg/L. Microalgae-based technology majorly remove the pharmaceutical compounds through bioadsorption, bioaccumulation, biodegradation, photodegradation, and co-metabolism. This review identifies the opportunities and challenges for microalgae-based technology and proposed suggestions for future studies to tackle challenges. The findings of this review advance our understanding of the occurrence and fate of pharmaceutical contaminants in aqueous environments, highlighting the potential of microalgae-based technology for pharmaceutical contaminants removal.
Removal of trace organic contaminants by submerged membrane bioreactors
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2009
Development of a predictive framework to assess the removal of trace organic chemicals by anaerobic membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.04.034
Abstract: This study aims to develop a predictive framework to assess the removal and fate of trace organic chemicals (TrOCs) during wastewater treatment by anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). The fate of 27 TrOCs in both the liquid and sludge phases during AnMBR treatment was systematically investigated. The results demonstrate a relationship between hydrophobicity and specific molecular features of TrOCs and their removal efficiency. These molecular features include the presence of electron withdrawing groups (EWGs) or donating groups (EDGs), especially those containing nitrogen and sulphur. All seven hydrophobic contaminants were well removed (>70%) by AnMBR treatment. Most hydrophilic TrOCs containing EDGs were also well removed (>70%). In contrast, hydrophilic TrOCs containing EWGs were mostly poorly removed and could accumulate in the sludge phase. The removal of several nitrogen/sulphur bearing TrOCs (e.g., linuron and caffeine) by AnMBR was higher than that by aerobic treatment, possibly due to nitrogen or sulphur reducing bacteria.
Boron removal by reverse osmosis membranes in seawater desalination applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 13-10-2010
Metals extraction processes from electronic waste: constraints and opportunities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-02-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S11356-022-19322-8
Abstract: The skyrocketing demand and progressive technology have increased our dependency on electrical and electronic devices. However, the life span of these devices has been shortened because of rapid scientific expansions. Hence, massive volumes of electronic waste (e-waste) is generating day by day. Nevertheless, the ongoing management of e-waste has emerged as a major threat to sustainable economic development worldwide. In general, e-waste contains several toxic substances such as metals, plastics, and refractory oxides. Metals, particularly lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, and copper along with some valuable metals such as rare earth metals, platinum group elements, alkaline and radioactive metal are very common which can be extracted before disposing of the e-waste for reuse. In addition, many of these metals are hazardous. Therefore, e-waste management is an essential issue. In this study, we critically have reviewed the existing extraction processes and compared among different processes such as physical, biological, supercritical fluid technologies, pyro and hydrometallurgical, and hybrid methods used for metals extraction from e-waste. The review indicates that although each method has particular merits but hybrid methods are eco-friendlier with extraction efficiency > 90%. This study also provides insight into the technical challenges to the practical realization of metals extraction from e-waste sources.
Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for emerging pollutants removal
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2020
Biomethane production from anaerobic co-digestion and steel-making slag: A new waste-to-resource pathway
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Phosphorus and water recovery by a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor–reverse osmosis system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.10.029
Abstract: An osmotic membrane bioreactor-reverse osmosis (OMBR-RO) hybrid system integrated with periodic microfiltration (MF) extraction was evaluated for simultaneous phosphorus and clean water recovery from raw sewage. In this hybrid system, the forward osmosis membrane effectively retained inorganic salts and phosphate in the bioreactor, while the MF membrane periodically bled them out for phosphorus recovery with pH adjustment. The RO process was used for draw solute recovery and clean water production. Results show that phosphorus recuperation from the MF permeate was most effective when the solution pH was adjusted to 10, whereby the recovered precipitate contained 15-20% (wt/wt) of phosphorus. Periodic MF extraction also limited salinity build-up in the bioreactor, resulting in a stable biological performance and an increase in water flux during OMBR operation. Despite the build-up of organic matter and ammonia in the draw solution, OMBR-RO allowed for the recovery of high quality reused water.
Recent developments of hydrogel based solar water purification technology
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1039/D1MA00894C
Abstract: Hydrogel-based solar water purification technology has been recognized as a promising alternative to existing energy-intensive technologies. This is a timely review of the recent 3 years, focusing on design principles and remaining challenges.
Synthesis and characterisation of MWNT/chitosan and MWNT/chitosan-crosslinked buckypaper membranes for desalination
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Effects of feed solution characteristics on the rejection of N-nitrosamines by reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2012
Effects of salinity build-up on the performance and bacterial community structure of a membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.10.043
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of salinity increase on bacterial community structure in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for wastewater treatment. The influent salt loading was increased gradually to simulate salinity build-up in the bioreactor during the operation of a high retention-membrane bioreactor (HR-MBR). Bacterial community ersity and structure were analyzed using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes of MBR mixed liquor s les. Results show that salinity increase reduced biological performance but did not affect microbial ersity in the bioreactor. Unweighted UniFrac and taxonomic analyses were conducted to relate the reduced biological performance to the change of bacterial community structure. In response to the elevated salinity condition, the succession of halophobic bacteria by halotolerant/halophilic microbes occurred and thereby the biological performance of MBR was recovered. These results suggest that salinity build-up during HR-MBR operation could be managed by allowing for the proliferation of halotolerant/halophilic bacteria.
From the Laboratory to Full-Scale Applications of Forward Osmosis: Research Challenges and Opportunities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-11-2019
Evaluation of micropollutant removal and fouling reduction in a hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor–membrane bioreactor system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.05.073
Abstract: A hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor-membrane bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) system and a conventional membrane bioreactor (CMBR) were compared in terms of micropollutant removal efficiency and membrane fouling propensity. The results show that the hybrid MBBR-MBR system could effectively remove most of the selected micropollutants. By contrast, the CMBR system showed lower removals of ketoprofen, carbamazepine, primidone, bisphenol A and estriol by 16.2%, 30.1%, 31.9%, 34.5%, and 39.9%, respectively. Mass balance calculations suggest that biological degradation was the primary removal mechanism in the MBBR-MBR system. During operation, the MBBR-MBR system exhibited significantly slower fouling development as compared to the CMBR system, which could be ascribed to the wide disparity in the soluble microbial products (SMP) levels between MBBR-MBR (4.02-6.32 mg/L) and CMBR (21.78 and 33.04 mg/L). It is evident that adding an MBBR process prior to MBR treatment can not only enhance micropollutant elimination but also mitigate membrane fouling.
A hybrid anaerobic and microalgal membrane reactor for energy and microalgal biomass production from wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2020
Thermally assisted flux flow and individual vortex pinning in Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 single crystals grown by the traveling solvent floating zone technique
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 02-05-2005
DOI: 10.1063/1.1855531
Abstract: Magnetoresisitivity and critical current density Jc as a function of temperature and field are studied for Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 single crystals grown using the traveling solvent floating zone technique. Below a characteristic field B∗, Jc as a function of field exhibits a field-independent plateau associated with thermally activated pinning of in idual vortices. Analysis of resistive transition broadening revealed that thermally activated flux flow is found to be responsible for the resistivity contribution in the vicinity of Tc. The activation energy U0 is 800K in low field, scales as B−1∕6 for B& T and drops to 200K with B−1∕2 for B& T.
Phosphorus removal from aqueous solution by steel making slag – Mechanisms and performance optimisation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Understanding the factors controlling the removal of trace organic contaminants by white-rot fungi and their lignin modifying enzymes: A critical review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2013.01.173
Abstract: White-rot fungi (WRF) and their lignin modifying enzymes (LME) can degrade a wide range of trace organic contaminants (TrOC), which are suspected to cause adverse health effects in humans and other biota. Recent studies have successfully applied either whole-cell WRF or their extracellular culture extract to remove TrOC from the aqueous phase. TrOC removal by a WRF system is dependent on a range of factors including molecular structure of the TrOC, fungal species and their specific LME, culture medium composition, and methods to enhance fungal degradation capacity however, the specific relationships between these factors have not been systematically delineated. The aim of this review paper is to fill this important gap in the literature by critically analysing the ability of WRF and their LME specifically to remove TrOC. Mechanisms and factors governing the degradation of TrOC by WRF and their LME are reviewed and discussed.
Characteristics and cadmium extraction performance of PVC/Aliquat 336 electrospun fibres in comparison with polymer inclusion membranes
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-03-2016
Removal of N-nitrosamines by an aerobic membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2013.01.057
Abstract: This study investigated the fate of eight N-nitrosamines during membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment. The results suggest that biodegradation is mainly responsible for the removal of N-nitrosamines during MBR treatment. Other removal mechanisms were insignificant (e.g. adsorption to sludge) or not expected (e.g. photolysis and volatilization) given the experimental conditions and physicochemical properties of the N-nitrosamines studied here. N-nitrosamine removal efficiencies were from 24% to 94%, depending on their molecular properties. High removal of N-nitrosamines such as N-nitrosodimethylamine and N-nitrosodiethylamine could be explained by the presence of strong electron donating functional groups (EDG) in their structure. In contrast, N-nitrosomorpholine possessing the weak EDG morpholine was persistent to biodegradation. The removal efficiency of N-nitrosomorpholine was 24% and was the lowest amongst all N-nitrosamines investigated in this study.
The effect of doping level and sintering temperature on Jc(H) performance in nano-SiC doped and pure MgB2 wires
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 15-04-2006
DOI: 10.1063/1.2173639
Abstract: Nanoscale SiC doped Fe∕MgB2 wire s les were prepared by an in situ reaction technique using SiC doping levels of 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt %. S les were heat treated at different temperatures using different temperature profiles. The effects of doping level and sintering temperature on superconducting properties of wire s les were investigated. The important finding of this study was that the enhancement in Jc(H) by nano-SiC doping can be achieved at different field regions by appropriate compromising of the doping level and sintering temperature.
Effects of iron salt addition on biosolids reduction by oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) process
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2015
Physical cleaning techniques to control fouling during the pre-concentration of high suspended-solid content solutions for resource recovery by forward osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
A comprehensive analysis of an effective flocculation method for high quality microalgal biomass harvesting
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of secondary sludge with free ammonia pretreatment: Focusing on volatile solids destruction, dewaterability, pathogen removal and its implications.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2021
Sorptive removal of dissolved organic matter in biologically-treated effluent by functionalized biochar and carbon nanotubes: Importance of sorbent functionality
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.08.046
Abstract: The sorptive removal of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in biologically-treated effluent was studied by using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), carboxylic functionalised MWCNT (MWCNT-COOH), hydroxyl functionalized MWCNT (MWCNT-OH) and functionalized biochar (fBC). DOM was dominated by hydrophilic fraction (79.6%) with a significantly lower hydrophobic fraction (20.4%). The sorption of hydrophobic DOM was not significantly affected by the sorbent functionality (∼10.4% variation) and sorption capacity followed the order of MWCNT > MWCNT-COOH > MWCNT-OH > fBC. In comparison, the sorption of hydrophilic fraction of DOM changed significantly (∼37.35% variation) with the change of sorbent functionality with adsorption capacity decreasing as MWCNT-OH > MWCNT-COOH > MWCNT > fBC. Furthermore, the affinity of adsorbents toward a hydrophilic compound (dinitrobenzene), a hydrophobic compound (pyrene) and humic acid was also evaluated to validate the proposed mechanisms. The results provided important insights on the type of sorbents which are most effective to remove different DOM fractions.
Contribution of the construction phase to environmental impacts of the wastewater treatment plant
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Assessment of pilot direct contact membrane distillation regeneration of lithium chloride solution in liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems using computer simulation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-08-2021
Laccase–syringaldehyde-mediated degradation of trace organic contaminants in an enzymatic membrane reactor: Removal efficiency and effluent toxicity
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.10.054
Abstract: Redox-mediators such as syringaldehyde (SA) can improve laccase-catalyzed degradation of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) but may increase effluent toxicity. The degradation performance of 14 phenolic and 17 non-phenolic TrOCs by a continuous flow enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) at different TrOC and SA loadings was assessed. A specific emphasis was placed on the investigation of the toxicity of the enzyme (laccase), SA, TrOCs and the treated effluent. Batch tests demonstrated significant in idual and interactive toxicity of the laccase and SA preparations. Reduced removal of resistant TrOCs by the EMR was observed for dosages over 50μg/L. SA addition at a concentration of 10μM significantly improved TrOC removal, but no removal improvement was observed at the elevated SA concentrations of 50 and 100μM. The treated effluent showed significant toxicity at SA concentrations beyond 10μM, providing further evidence that higher dosage of SA must be avoided.
The effect of information on public acceptance – The case of water from alternative sources
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2010.02.003
Abstract: This study aims to provide conclusive evidence that information about water from alternative sources increases public acceptance. We conducted an experiment with 1000 Australian respondents asking them about their acceptance of recycled and desalinated water for a range of purposes under two conditions: 1) no information provided and 2) information about the production process provided. Results indicate that - both for desalinated and recycled water - the stated likelihood of use increases significantly if people are provided with information about the production process. This has major implications for public policy makers indicating that providing factual information (as opposed to persuasive c aigns) will increase public support of water augmentation projects.
Geo-environmental approaches for the remediation of acid sulphate soil in low-lying floodplains
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
Date: 11-03-2011
DOI: 10.1061/41165(397)88
UV assisted backwashing for fouling control in membrane bioreactor operation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Synergistic effect of dual flocculation between inorganic salts and chitosan on harvesting microalgae Chlorella vulgaris
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Improved stormwater management through the combination of the conventional water sensitive urban design and stormwater pipeline network
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
Regulating bacterial dynamics by lime addition to enhance kitchen waste composting
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Effect of fouling on removal of trace organic compounds by nanofiltration
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 21-12-2011
Abstract: Abstract. The fate of chemical of concern is not yet fully understood during treatment of impaired waters. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of different organic-based fouling layers on the removal of a large range of trace organics. Both model and real water s les (mixed with trace organic contaminants at environmental concentration of 2 μg l−1) were used to simulate fouling in nanofiltration under controlled environment. The new and fouled membranes were systematically characterised for surface charge, hydrophobicity and roughness. It was observed that fouling generally reduced the membrane surface charge however, the alterations of the membrane hydrophobicity and surface roughness were dependent on the foulants composition. The rejection of charged trace organics was observed to be improved due to the increased electrostatic repulsion by fouled membranes and the adsorption of the trace organic chemicals onto organic matters. On the other hand, the removal of nonionic compounds decreased when fouling occurred, due to the presence of cake enhanced concentration polarization. The fouling layer structure was found to play an important role in the rejection of the trace organic compounds.
Understanding the mechanisms of trace organic contaminant removal by high retention membrane bioreactors: a critical review
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-09-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S11356-018-3256-8
Abstract: High retention membrane bioreactors (HR-MBR) combine a high retention membrane separation process such as membrane distillation, forward osmosis, or nanofiltration with a conventional activated sludge (CAS) process. Depending on the physicochemical properties of the trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) as well as the selected high retention membrane process, HR-MBR can achieve effective removal (80-99%) of a broad spectrum of TrOCs. An in-depth assessment of the available literature on HR-MBR performance suggests that compared to CAS and conventional MBRs (using micro- or ultra-filtration membrane), aqueous phase removal of TrOCs in HR-MBR is significantly better. Conceptually, longer retention time may significantly improve TrOC biodegradation, but there are insufficient data in the literature to evaluate the extent of TrOC biodegradation improvement by HR-MBR. The accumulation of hardly biodegradable TrOCs within the bioreactor of an HR-MBR system may complicate further treatment and beneficial reuse of sludge. In addition to TrOCs, accumulation of salts gradually increases the salinity in bioreactor and can adversely affect microbial activities. Strategies to mitigate these limitations are discussed. A qualitative framework is proposed to predict the contribution of the different key mechanisms of TrOC removal (i.e., membrane retention, biodegradation, and sorption) in HR-MBR.
Effects of membrane fouling on the nanofiltration of trace organic contaminants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2009
A novel electrospun, hydrophobic, and elastomeric styrene-butadiene-styrene membrane for membrane distillation applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
Bacterial dynamics for gaseous emission and humification during bio-augmented composting of kitchen waste with lime addition for acidity regulation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.157653
Abstract: This study investigated the impacts of lime addition and further microbial inoculum on gaseous emission and humification during kitchen waste composting. High-throughput sequencing was integrated with Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) and Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) to decipher bacterial dynamics in response to different additives. Results showed that lime addition enriched bacteria, such as Taibaiella and Sphingobacterium as biomarkers, to strengthen organic biodegradation toward humification. Furthermore, lime addition facilitated the proliferation of thermophilic bacteria (e.g. Bacillus and Symbiobacterium) for aerobic chemoheterotrophy, leading to enhanced organic decomposition to trigger notable gaseous emission. Such emission profile was further exacerbated by microbial inoculum to lime-regulated condition given the rapid enrichment of bacteria (e.g. Caldicoprobacter and Pusillimonas as biomarkers) for fermentation and denitrification. In addition, microbial inoculum slightly hindered humus formation by narrowing the relative abundance of bacteria for humification. Results from this study show that microbial inoculum to feedstock should be carefully regulated to accelerate composting and avoid excessive gaseous emission.
High transport critical current density and largeHc2andHirrin nanoscale SiC doped MgB2wires sintered at low temperature
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 05-04-2005
Extraction of strategically important elements from brines: Constraints and opportunities
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2019.115149
Abstract: Strategically important elements are those that are vital to advanced manufacturing, low carbon technologies and other growing industries. Ongoing depletion and supply risks to these elements are a critical concern, and thus, recovery of these elements from low-grade ores and brines has generated significant interest worldwide. Among the strategically important elements, this paper focuses on rare earth elements (REEs), the platinum-group metals and lithium due to their wide application in the advanced industrial economics. We critically review the current methods such as precipitation, ion exchange and solvent extraction for extracting these elements from low-grade ores and brines and provide insight into the technical challenges to the practical realisation of metal extraction from these low-grade sources. The challenges include the low concentration of the target elements in brines and inadequate selectivity of the existing methods. This review also critically analyzes the potential applicability of an integrated clean water production and metal extraction process based on conventional pressure-driven membrane and emerging membrane technologies (e.g., membrane distillation). Such a process can first enrich the strategically important elements in solution for their subsequent recovery along with clean water production.
Pesticide removal by a mixed culture of bacteria and white-rot fungi
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2012
Trace organic contaminant rejection by aquaporin forward osmosis membrane: Transport mechanisms and membrane stability
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2017.12.072
Abstract: We investigated transport mechanisms of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) through aquaporin thin-film composite forward osmosis (FO) membrane, and membrane stability under extreme conditions with respect to TrOC rejections. Morphology and surface chemistry of the aquaporin membrane were characterised to identify the incorporation of aquaporin vesicles into membrane active layer. Pore hindrance model was used to estimate aquaporin membrane pore size as well as to describe TrOC transport. TrOC transport mechanisms were revealed by varying concentration and type of draw solutions. Experimental results showed that mechanism of TrOC transport through aquaporin-embedded FO membrane was dominated by solution-diffusion mechanism. Non-ionic TrOC rejections were molecular-weight dependent, suggesting steric hindrance mechanisms. On the other hand, ionic TrOC rejections were less sensitive to molecular size, indicating electrostatic interaction. TrOC transport through aquaporin membrane was also subjected to retarded forward diffusion where reverse draw solute flux could hinder the forward diffusion of feed TrOC solutes, reducing their permeation through the FO membrane. Aquaporin membrane stability was demonstrated by either heat treatment or ethanol solvent challenges. Thermal stability of the aquaporin membrane was manifested as a relatively unchanged TrOC rejection before and after the heat treatment challenge test. By contrast, ethanol solvent challenge resulted in a decrease in TrOC rejection, which was evident by the disappearance of the lipid tail of the aquaporin vesicles from infrared spectrum and a notable decrease in the membrane pore size.
Simultaneous nitrification/denitrification and trace organic contaminant (TrOC) removal by an anoxic–aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.03.094
Abstract: Simultaneous nitrification/denitrification and trace organic contaminant (TrOC) removal during wastewater treatment by an integrated anoxic-aerobic MBR was examined. A set of 30 compounds was selected to represent TrOCs that occur ubiquitously in domestic wastewater. The system achieved over 95% total organic carbon (TOC) and over 80% total nitrogen (TN) removal. In addition, 21 of the 30 TrOCs investigated here were removed by over 90%. Low oxidation reduction potential (i.e., anoxic/anaerobic) regimes were conducive to moderate to high (50% to 90%) removal of nine TrOCs. These included four pharmaceuticals and personal care products (primidone, metronidazole, triclosan, and amitriptyline), one steroid hormone (17β-estradiol-17-acetate), one industrial chemical (4-tert-octylphenol) and all three selected UV filters (benzophenone, oxybenzone, and octocrylene). Internal recirculation between the anoxic and aerobic bioreactors was essential for anoxic removal of remaining TrOCs. A major role of the aerobic MBR for TOC, TN, and TrOC removal was observed.
Effect of regulating main governing factors on the selectivity membranes of electrodialysis used for LiCl liquid desiccant regeneration
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Optimization and organic fouling behavior of zwitterion-modified thin-film composite polyamide membrane for water reclamation: A comprehensive study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Application of a novel molecular technique to characterise the effect of settling on microbial community composition of activated sludge
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2019.109594
Abstract: Activated sludge (AS) and return activated sludge (RAS) microbial communities from three full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (denoted plant A, B and C) were compared to assess the impact of sludge settling (i.e. gravity thickening in the clarifier) and profile microorganisms responsible for nutrient removal and reactor foaming. The results show that all three plants were dominated with microbes in the phyla of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, Spirochaetae, Acidobacteria and Saccharibacteria. AS and RAS shared above 80% similarity in the microbial community composition, indicating that sludge thickening does not significantly alter the microbial composition. Autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrifiers were present in the AS. However, the abundance of autotrophic nitrifiers was significantly lower than that of the heterotrophic nitrifiers. Thus, ammonium removal at these plants was achieved mostly by heterotrophic nitrification. Microbes that can cause foaming were at 3.2% abundance, and this result is well corroborated with occasional aerobic biological reactor foaming. By contrast, these microbes were not abundant (<2.1%) at plant A and C, where aerobic biological reactor foaming has not been reported.
Lead time of early warning by wastewater surveillance for COVID-19: Geographical variations and impacting factors
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Impacts of mixing on foaming, methane production, stratification and microbial community in full-scale anaerobic co-digestion process
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2019.02.077
Abstract: This study investigated the impact of mixing on key factors including foaming, substrate stratification, methane production and microbial community in three full scale anaerobic digesters. Digester foaming was observed at one plant that co-digested sewage sludge and food waste, and was operated without mixing. The lack of mixing led to uneven distribution of total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) and volatile solid (VS) as well as methane production within the digester. 16S rRNA gene-based community analysis clearly differentiated the microbial community from the top and bottom. By contrast, foaming and substrate stratification were not observed at the other two plants with internal circulation mixing. The abundance of methanogens (Methanomicrobia) at the top was about four times higher than at the bottom, correlating to much higher methane production from the top verified by ex-situ biomethane assay, causing foaming. This result is consistent with foaming potential assessment of digestate s les from the digester.
Seawater-driven forward osmosis for pre-concentrating nutrients in digested sludge centrate
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2019.06.082
Abstract: Seawater-driven forward osmosis to enrich nutrients from sludge centrate and reduce membrane fouling is demonstrated. Due to enrichment and pH increase in the feed solution, without appropriate control measure, nutrient precipitation can occur directly on the membrane surface causing severe membrane fouling and reducing nutrient enrichment efficiency. Indeed without agitating the feed, there was less precipitation on the membrane surface, compared to with agitation. In addition, increase in the membrane area over permeate volume ratio significantly reduced the filtration time and nutrient precipitation. A novel technique to maintain the draw solution (DS) at an acidic condition was developed to improve nutrient enrichment and reduce membrane fouling. By using this technique and a high membrane surface to permeate volume ratio, nutrient enrichment similar to the theoretical efficiency was successfully demonstrated. Our technique reduced the filtration time to achieve 70% water recovery by over 90% (compared to unbuffered seawater as the DS, small membrane area, and feed agitation), as a result of significantly less membrane fouling. The amount of phosphorus precipitate on the membrane surface decreased by more than 10 times. The enrichment of ammonia and phosphorus as a function of water recovery was similar to the theoretical calculation, indicating negligible nutrient loss due to precipitation.
Simultaneous activated carbon adsorption within a membrane bioreactor for an enhanced micropollutant removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2010.11.070
Abstract: Significant adsorption of sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine to powdered activated carbon (PAC) was confirmed by a series of adsorption tests. In contrast, adsorption of these micropollutants to the sludge was negligible. The removal of these compounds in membrane bioreactor (MBR) was dependent on their hydrophobicity and loading as well as the PAC dosage. Sulfamethoxazole exhibited better removal rate during operation under no or low (0.1g/L) PAC dosage. When the PAC concentration in MBR was raised to 1.0 g/L, a sustainable and significantly improved performance in the removal of both compounds was observed - the removal efficiencies of sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine increased to 82 ± 11% and 92 ± 15% from the levels of 64 ± 7%, and negligible removal, respectively. The higher removal efficiency of carbamazepine at high (1.0 g/L) PAC dosage could be attributed to the fact that carbamazepine is relatively more hydrophobic than sulfamethoxazole, which subsequently resulted in its higher adsorption affinity toward PAC.
Degradation of a broad spectrum of trace organic contaminants by an enzymatic membrane reactor: Complementary role of membrane retention and enzymatic degradation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2015
NF/RO filtration of the hydrophobic ionogenic compound triclosan: Transport mechanisms and the influence of membrane fouling
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2008
Impact of organic and colloidal fouling on trace organic contaminant rejection by forward osmosis: Role of initial permeate flux
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
Contemporary Methods for Removal of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Water Reclamations
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1007/698_2020_550
Preparation of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles from Electrocoagulated Sludge using Sacrificial Titanium Electrodes
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 18-06-2010
DOI: 10.1021/ES100333S
Abstract: A comprehensive investigation of electrocoagulation using sacrificial titanium (Ti) electrodes in wastewater was carried out. The effects of specific process variables, such as initial pH, mixing, current density, initial organic loading, and ionic/electrolyte strength were first optimized to produce recyclable Ti-based sludge. The sludge was incinerated at 600 degrees C to produce functional TiO(2) photocatalyst. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that TiO(2) produced at optimum electrocoagulation conditions was mostly anatase structure. The specific surface area of the synthesized TiO(2) photocatalyst was higher than that of the commercially available and widely used Degussa P-25 TiO(2). Furthermore, energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses showed that in additional to titanium and oxygen, this photocatalyst is also composed of carbon and phosphorus. These elements were mainly doped as a substitute site for the oxygen atom. Transmission electron microscopy images exhibited sharply edged nanorods, round nanoparticles, and nanotubes with nonuniform shapes showing some structural defects. Photodecomposition of gaseous acetaldehyde by this photocatalyst was also conducted under UV and visible light irradiation to study the photocatalytic properties of the doped TiO(2) photocatalyst. While no photocatalytic activity was observed under visible light irradiation, this doped TiO(2) photocatalyst exhibited high photocatalytic activity under UV light.
Fouling behavior and performance of a submerged flat-sheet nanofiltration membrane system for direct treatment of secondary wastewater effluent
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Selection of forward osmosis draw solutes for subsequent integration with anaerobic treatment to facilitate resource recovery from wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.04.119
Abstract: Forward osmosis (FO) can be used to extract clean water and pre-concentrate municipal wastewater to make it amenable to anaerobic treatment. A protocol was developed to assess the suitability of FO draw solutes for pre-concentrating wastewater for potential integration with anaerobic treatment to facilitate resource recovery from wastewater. Draw solutes were evaluated in terms of their ability to induce osmotic pressure, water flux, and reverse solute flux. The compatibility of each draw solute with subsequent anaerobic treatment was assessed by biomethane potential analysis. The effect of each draw solute (at concentrations corresponding to the reverse solute flux at ten-fold pre-concentration of wastewater) on methane production was also evaluated. The results show that ionic organic draw solutes (e.g., sodium acetate) were most suitable for FO application and subsequent anaerobic treatment. On the other hand, the reverse solute flux of inorganic draw solutions could inhibit methane production from FO pre-concentrated wastewater.
A review on the occurrence of micropollutants in the aquatic environment and their fate and removal during wastewater treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2013.12.065
Abstract: Micropollutants are emerging as a new challenge to the scientific community. This review provides a summary of the recent occurrence of micropollutants in the aquatic environment including sewage, surface water, groundwater and drinking water. The discharge of treated effluent from WWTPs is a major pathway for the introduction of micropollutants to surface water. WWTPs act as primary barriers against the spread of micropollutants. WWTP removal efficiency of the selected micropollutants in 14 countries/regions depicts compound-specific variation in removal, ranging from 12.5 to 100%. Advanced treatment processes, such as activated carbon adsorption, advanced oxidation processes, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and membrane bioreactors can achieve higher and more consistent micropollutant removal. However, regardless of what technology is employed, the removal of micropollutants depends on physico-chemical properties of micropollutants and treatment conditions. The evaluation of micropollutant removal from municipal wastewater should cover a series of aspects from sources to end uses. After the release of micropollutants, a better understanding and modeling of their fate in surface water is essential for effectively predicting their impacts on the receiving environment.
Promotion of direct interspecies electron transfer and potential impact of conductive materials in anaerobic digestion and its downstream processing - a critical review.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Removal and fate of micropollutants in a sponge-based moving bed bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.02.107
Abstract: This study investigated the removal of micropollutants using polyurethane sponge as attached-growth carrier. Batch experiments demonstrated that micropollutants could adsorb to non-acclimatized sponge cubes to varying extents. Acclimatized sponge showed significantly enhanced removal of some less hydrophobic compounds (log D<2.5), such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, naproxen, and estriol, as compared with non-acclimatized sponge. The results for bench-scale sponge-based moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) system elucidated compound-specific variation in removal, ranging from 25.9% (carbamazepine) to 96.8% (β-Estradiol 17-acetate) on average. In the MBBR system, biodegradation served as a major removal pathway for most compounds. However, sorption to sludge phase was also a notable removal mechanism of some persistent micropollutants. Particularly, carbamazepine, ketoprofen and pentachlorophenol were found at high concentrations (7.87, 6.05 and 5.55 μg/g, respectively) on suspended biosolids. As a whole, the effectiveness of MBBR for micropollutant removal was comparable with those of activated sludge processes and MBRs.
Synthesis and evaluation of cationic polyacrylamide and polyacrylate flocculants for harvesting freshwater and marine microalgae
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2022
Optimising thermal efficiency of direct contact membrane distillation by brine recycling for small-scale seawater desalination
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2015
A novel application of membrane distillation to facilitate nickel recovery from electroplating wastewater
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-06-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S11356-019-05626-9
Abstract: In many years, the nickel electroplating technique has been applied to coat nickel on other materials for their increased properties. Nickel electroplating has played a vital role in our modern society but also caused considerable environmental concerns due to the mass discharge of its wastewater (i.e. containing nickel and other heavy metals) to the environment. Thus, there is a growing need for treating nickel electroplating wastewater to protect the environment and, in tandem, recover nickel for beneficial use. This study explores a novel application of membrane distillation (MD) for the treatment of nickel electroplating wastewater for a dual purpose: facilitating the nickel recovery and obtaining fresh water. The experimental results demonstrate the technical capability of MD to pre-concentrate nickel in the wastewater (i.e. hence pave the way for subsequent nickel recovery via chemical precipitation or electrodeposition) and extract fresh water. At a low operating feed temperature of 60 °C, the MD process increased the nickel content in the wastewater by more than 100-fold from 0.31 to 33 g/L with only a 20% reduction in the process water flux and obtained pure fresh water. At such high concentration factors, the membrane surface was slightly fouled by inorganic precipitates however, membrane pore wetting was not evident, confirmed by the purity of the obtained fresh water. The fouled membrane was effectively cleaned using a 3% HCl solution to restore its surface morphology. Finally, the preliminary thermal energy analysis of the combined MD-chemical precipitation/electrodeposition process reveals a considerable reduction in energy consumption of the nickel recovery process.
Role of Economic Policy Uncertainty in the Connectedness of Cross-Country Stock Market Volatilities
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 31-10-2020
DOI: 10.3390/MATH8111904
Abstract: The implied volatility index is a forward-looking indicator of fear among stock market participants. We examine the extent to which the connectedness of fear among global stock markets is driven by the cross-country connectedness of economic policy uncertainty (EPU). We use data on stock market fear and EPU indices for 13 countries, which spans from January 2011 to December 2018. To measure the connectedness among stock market fear and EPU of our s le countries, we employ two connectedness models. A cross-sectional regression model is further employed to ascertain the extent to which EPU connectedness between two countries explains the connectedness of fear between their stock markets, while controlling for bilateral linkage and country-specific factors. We find that EPU connectedness between any two partner countries significantly drives the connectedness of fear between their stock markets. The driving potential not only holds for short- and long-term connectedness, but also after controlling for bilateral linkages (bilateral trade, geographical distance, common language) and country-specific (trade and financial openness of the transmitter country) factors indicating robustness in our results.
Bisphenol A retention in the direct ultrafiltration of greywater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2006
Biomimetic aquaporin membranes for osmotic membrane bioreactors: Membrane performance and contaminant removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.09.170
Abstract: In this study, we investigated the performance of an osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) enabled by a novel biomimetic aquaporin forward osmosis (FO) membrane. Membrane performance and removal of 30 trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) were examined. Results show that the aquaporin FO membrane had better transport properties in comparison with conventional cellulose triacetate and polyamide thin-film composite FO membranes. In particular, the aquaporin FO membrane exhibited much lower salt permeability and thus smaller reverse salt flux, resulting in a less severe salinity build-up in the bioreactor during OMBR operation. During OMBR operation, the aquaporin FO membrane well complemented biological treatment for stable and excellent contaminant removal. All 30 TrOCs selected here were removed by over 85% regardless of their erse properties. Such high and stable contaminant removal over OMBR operation also indicates the stability and compatibility of the aquaporin FO membrane in combination with activated sludge treatment.
Proof of concept: Integrated membrane distillation-forward osmosis approaches water production in a low-temperature CO2 capture
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Comparison of different coagulants to improve membrane distillation performance for landfill leachate concentrate treatment
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1039/D3EW00532A
Critical risk points of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes in water recycling applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2006
Bacterial dynamics for gaseous emission and humification in bio-augmented composting of kitchen waste
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Electrospun biosystems made of nylon 6 and laccase and its application in dyes removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
The Individual and Synergistic Indexes for Assessments of Heavy Metal Contamination in Global Rivers and Risk: a Review
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-07-2021
Role of Reverse Divalent Cation Diffusion in Forward Osmosis Biofouling
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 09-11-2015
Abstract: We investigated the role of reverse alent cation diffusion in forward osmosis (FO) biofouling. FO biofouling by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was simulated using pristine and chlorine-treated thin-film composite polyamide membranes with either MgCl2 or CaCl2 draw solution. We related FO biofouling behavior-water flux decline, biofilm architecture, and biofilm composition-to reverse cation diffusion. Experimental results demonstrated that reverse calcium diffusion led to significantly more severe water flux decline in comparison with reverse magnesium permeation. Unlike magnesium, reverse calcium permeation dramatically altered the biofilm architecture and composition, where extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) formed a thicker, denser, and more stable biofilm. We propose that FO biofouling was enhanced by complexation of calcium ions to bacterial EPS. This hypothesis was confirmed by dynamic and static light scattering measurements using extracted bacterial EPS with the addition of either MgCl2 or CaCl2 solution. We observed a dramatic increase in the hydrodynamic radius of bacterial EPS with the addition of CaCl2, but no change was observed after addition of MgCl2. Static light scattering revealed that the radius of gyration of bacterial EPS with addition of CaCl2 was 20 times larger than that with the addition of MgCl2. These observations were further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy imaging, where bacterial EPS in the presence of calcium ions was globular, while that with magnesium ions was rod-shaped.
Effect of heat treatment on fouling resistance and the rejection of small and neutral solutes by reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 24-12-2014
DOI: 10.2166/WS.2014.135
Abstract: The effects of heat treatment on membrane fouling resistance and the rejection of small and neutral solutes by reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were elucidated. RO membrane modification by heat treatment reduced fouling and improved boron rejection. However, heat treatment also caused a decrease in the water permeability of RO membranes. Significant improvement on fouling resistance by heat treatment was observed when RO concentrate was used to simulate a feed solution with high fouling propensity. The improved fouling resistance is likely to be due to changes in the hydrophobic interaction between the membrane surface and foulants. Boron rejection by the ESPA2 membrane was enhanced by heat treatment from 26 to 68% (when evaluated at the permeate flux of 20 L/m2 h). Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy revealed that heat treatment did not significantly influence the free-volume hole-radius of the membrane active skin layer. The results reported in this study suggested that changes in the other membrane properties such as free-volume fraction and thickness may be the main cause improving boron rejection.
Water Reclamation Using a Ceramic Nanofiltration Membrane and Surface Flushing with Ozonated Water
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 19-04-2018
Effects of chemical preservation on flux and solute rejection by reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
Degradation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products by White-Rot Fungi—a Critical Review
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-01-2017
Microfibers in laundry wastewater: Problem and solution
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.158412
Abstract: Data corroborated in this study highlights laundry wastewater as a primary source of microfibers (MFs) in the aquatic environment. MFs can negatively impact the aquatic ecosystem via five possible pathways, namely, acting as carriers of other contaminats, physical damage to digestive systems of aquatic organisms, blocking the digestive tract, releasing toxic chemicals, and harbouring invasive and noxious plankton and bacteria. This review shows that small devices to capture MFs during household laundry activities are simple to use and affordable at household level in developed countries. However, these low cost and small devices are unrealiable and can only achieve up to 40 % MF removal efficiency. In line filtration devices can achieve higher removal efficiency under well maintained condition but their performance is still limited compared to over 98 % MF removal by large scale centralized wastewater treatment. These results infer that effort to increase sanitation coverage to ensure adequate wastewater treatment prior to environmental discharge is likely to be more cost effective than those small devices for capturing MFs. This review also shows that natural fabrics would entail significantly less environmental consequences than synthetic materials. Contribution from the fashion industry to increase the share of natural frabics in the current textile market can also reduce the loading of plastic MFs in the environment.
Resource recovery from wastewater by anaerobic membrane bioreactors: Opportunities and challenges
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.09.001
Abstract: This review examines the potential of anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) to serve as the core technology for simultaneous recovery of clean water, energy, and nutrient from wastewater. The potential is significant as AnMBR treatment can remove a board range of trace organic contaminants relevant to water reuse, convert organics in wastewater to biogas for subsequent energy production, and liberate nutrients to soluble forms (e.g. ammonia and phosphorus) for subsequent recovery for fertilizer production. Yet, there remain several significant challenges to the further development of AnMBR. These challenges evolve around the dilute nature of municipal wastewater, which entails the need for pre-concentrating wastewater prior to AnMBR, and hence, issues related to salinity build-up, accumulation of substances, membrane fouling, and membrane stability. Strategies to address these challenges are proposed and discussed. A road map for further research is also provided to guide future AnMBR development toward resource recovery.
Trace organic contaminants in biosolids: Impact of conventional wastewater and sludge processing technologies and emerging alternatives
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.JHAZMAT.2015.06.037
Abstract: This paper critically reviews the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in biosolids, with emphasis on identifying operation conditions that impact the accumulation of TrOCs in sludge during conventional wastewater and sludge treatment and assessing the technologies available for TrOC removal from biosolids. The fate of TrOCs during sludge thickening, stabilisation (e.g. aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion, alkaline stabilisation, and composting), conditioning, and dewatering is elucidated. Operation pH, sludge retention time (SRT), and temperature have significant impact on the sorption and biodegradation of TrOCs in activated sludge that ends up in the sludge treatment line. Anaerobic digestion may exacerbate the estrogenicity of sludge due to bioconversion to more potent metabolites. Application of advanced oxidation or thermal pre-treatment may minimise TrOCs in biosolids by increasing the bioavailability of TrOCs, converting TrOCs into more biodegradable products, or inducing complete mineralisation of TrOCs. Treatment of sludge by bioaugmentation using various bacteria, yeast, or fungus has the potential to reduce TrOC levels in biosolids.
Coupling Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) Adsorption with Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Treatment for Enhanced Removal of Trace Organics
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2012
Evaluation of fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis for coal seam gas reverse osmosis brine treatment and sustainable agricultural reuse
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Degradation of Trace Organic Contaminants by a Membrane Distillation—Enzymatic Bioreactor
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 28-08-2017
DOI: 10.3390/APP7090879
Challenges in the application of microbial fuel cells to wastewater treatment and energy production: A mini review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.05.136
Abstract: Wastewater is now considered to be a vital reusable source of water reuse and saving energy. However, current wastewater has multiple limitations such as high energy costs, large quantities of residuals being generated and lacking in potential resources. Recently, great attention has been paid to microbial fuel cells (MFCs) due to their mild operating conditions where a variety of biodegradable substrates can serve as fuel. MFCs can be used in wastewater treatment facilities to break down organic matter, and they have also been analysed for application as a biosensor such as a sensor for biological oxygen which demands monitoring. MFCs represent an innovation technology solution that is simple and rapid. Despite the advantages of this technology, there are still practical barriers to consider including low electricity production, current instability, high internal resistance and costly materials used. Thus, many problems must be overcome and doing this requires a more detailed analysis of energy production, consumption, and application. Currently, real-world applications of MFCs are limited due to their low power density level of only several thousand mW/m
Membrane Processes for the Regeneration of Liquid Desiccant Solution for Air Conditioning
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-07-2019
Biomethane production from anaerobic co-digestion at wastewater treatment plants: A critical review on development and innovations in biogas upgrading techniques
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2021
Continuous- and batch-processed MgB2/Fe strands––transport and magnetic properties
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2003
Assessing the environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions from the common municipal wastewater treatment systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
The role of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate to dynamically reduce mass transfer resistance of SPEEK coated membrane for oil-in-water emulsion treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
Pilot-scale operation experience of anaerobic Co-digestion for possible full scale implementation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
Fouling in greywater recycling by direct ultrafiltration
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2006
Influence of formulated chemical cleaning reagents on the surface properties and separation efficiency of nanofiltrationmembranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2013
Rejection of trace organic chemicals by a hollow fibre cellulose triacetate reverse osmosis membrane
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2015
Impact of hazardous events on the removal of nutrients and trace organic contaminants by an anoxic-aerobic membrane bioreactor receiving real wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2015
Membrane Bioreactor for Wastewater Treatment: Current Status, Novel Configurations and Cost Analysis
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1007/698_2022_871
Polyethylene separator supported thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes for concentrating lithium enriched brine
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2022.118297
Abstract: To extract lithium from salt lake brine involves a process of separation and concentration. After separating lithium from brine, the lithium ion concentration is generally a few hundred mg/L which is far below the required 20-30 g/L (as Li
Validation of a cationic polyacrylamide flocculant for the harvesting fresh and seawater microalgal biomass
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2019
Removal of organic micropollutants using advanced membrane-based water and wastewater treatment: A review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Effects of sludge retention time on oxic-settling-anoxic process performance: Biosolids reduction and dewatering properties
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2016.07.061
Abstract: In this study, the effect of sludge retention time (SRT) on oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) process was determined using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) attached to external aerobic/anoxic reactors. The SRT of the external reactors was varied from 10 to 40d. Increasing SRT from 10 to 20d enhanced volatile solids destruction in the external anoxic reactor as evidenced by the release of nutrients, however, increasing the SRT to 40d did not enhance volatile solids destruction further. Relatively short SRT (10-20d) favoured the conversion of destroyed solids into inert products. The application of an intermediate SRT (20d) of the external reactor showed the highest sludge reduction performance (>35%). Moreover, at the optimum SRT, OSA improved sludge dewaterability as demonstrated by lower capillary suction time and higher dewatered cake solids content.
Extraction and transport of metal ions and small organic compounds using polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 15-09-2006
Effects of fouling and scaling on the retention of trace organic contaminants by a nanofiltration membrane: The role of cake-enhanced concentration polarisation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 18-06-2010
A sequential membrane bioreactor followed by a membrane microalgal reactor for nutrient removal and algal biomass production
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1039/C9EW00851A
Abstract: A hybrid process combining a single compartment aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) and a membrane microalgal reactor (MMR) was evaluated for nutrient removal and microalgal biomass production.
Liquid desiccant lithium chloride regeneration by membrane distillation for air conditioning
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2017
Impact of chemical cleaning on the nanofiltration of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs): The role of cleaning temperature
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
Green technologies for sustainable water
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
Microalgae-based carbon capture and utilization: A critical review on current system developments and biomass utilization
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-03-2023
Harvesting Porphyridium purpureum using polyacrylamide polymers and alkaline bases and their impact on biomass quality
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Effective destruction of perfluorooctanoic acid by zero-valent iron laden biochar obtained from carbothermal reduction: Experimental and simulation study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Effect of temperature and hydraulic retention time on hydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) in an integrated up-flow anaerobic sludge fixed-film (UASFF) bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
Amphiphilic cellulose acetate membrane incorporated with MoS2 nanospheres for oil in water separation
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1039/D2EW00385F
Abstract: This work reports the design, fabrication, and application of a novel nanomaterial-assisted hiphilic MoS 2 nanosphere/cellulose acetate membrane to effectively treat oily wastewater.
Rejection and fate of trace organic compounds (TrOCs) during membrane distillation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
A sacrificial-layer approach to fabricate polysulfone support for forward osmosis thin-film composite membranes with reduced internal concentration polarisation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
Effects of salinity build-up on biomass characteristics and trace organic chemical removal: Implications on the development of high retention membrane bioreactors
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.11.084
Abstract: This study investigated the impact of salinity build-up on the performance of membrane bioreactor (MBR), specifically in terms of the removal and fate of trace organic chemicals (TrOCs), nutrient removal, and biomass characteristics. Stepwise increase of the influent salinity, simulating salinity build-up in high retention MBRs, adversely affected the metabolic activity in the bioreactor, thereby reducing organic and nutrient removal. The removal of hydrophilic TrOCs by MBR decreased due to salinity build-up. By contrast, with the exception of 17α-ethynylestradiol, the removal of all hydrophobic TrOCs was not affected at high salinity. Moreover, salinity build-up had negligible impact on the residual accumulation of TrOCs in the sludge phase except for a few hydrophilic compounds. Additionally, the response of the biomass to salinity stress also dramatically enhanced the release of both soluble microbial products (SMP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), leading to severe membrane fouling.
Modelling the rejection of N-nitrosamines by a spiral-wound reverse osmosis system: Mathematical model development and validation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
Degradation of azo dye acid orange 7 in a membrane bioreactor by pellets and attached growth of Coriolus versicolour
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2013.02.020
Abstract: The aim of this study was to systematically compare the degradation of azo dye acid orange 7 by spongy pellets and attached biofilm of Coriolus versicolour (NBRC 9791) in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) under non-sterile conditions. Mild stirring (35 rpm) resulted in spherical (φ=0.5 cm), spongy pellets and concomitantly triggered high enzymatic activity of the fungus, allowing for excellent decolouration (>99%) of a synthetic wastewater containing the dye. However, bacterial contamination eventually damaged the fungus pellets, leading to decreased decolouration efficiency. Promotion of attached growth on a plastic support along with formation of spherical spongy pellets allowed maintenance of high enzymatic activity and decolouration/degradation for an extended period. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) could influence the level of enzymatic activity and decolouration however, even at the shortest HRT (1 day) examined, the MBR could accomplish >95% decolouration.
The fate of trace organic contaminants during anaerobic digestion of primary sludge: A pilot scale study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.02.040
Abstract: A pilot-scale study was conducted to investigate the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) during anaerobic digestion of primary sludge. Of the 44 TrOCs monitored, 24 were detected in all primary sludge s les. Phase distribution of TrOCs was correlated well with their hydrophobicity (>67% mass in the solid phase when LogD > 1.5). The pilot-scale anaerobic digester achieved a steady performance with a specific methane yield of 0.39-0.92 L/gVS
Applications of Membrane Bioreactors in Biotechnology Processes
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2019
Reverse osmosis treatment of condensate from ammonium nitrate production: Insights into membrane performance
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Performance of a PRB for the remediation of acidic groundwater in acid sulfate soil terrain
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Date: 07-2010
Performance of a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) system: Flux stability and removal of trace organics
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2012.01.082
Abstract: Results reported here highlight the potential and several challenges in the development of a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) process for the treatment of municipal wastewater. Following the initial gradual decline, a stable permeate flux value was obtained after approximately four days of continuous operation. There was evidence of continuous deterioration of biological activity of the OMBR system, possibly due to the build-up of salinity in the reactor. The removal of 25 out of 27 trace organic compounds with molecular weight higher than 266 g/mol was above 80% and was possibly governed by the interplay between physical separation of the FO membrane and biodegradation. In contrast, the removal efficiency values of the other 23 trace organic compounds with molecular weight less than 266 g/mol were very scattered. The removal efficiency of these low molecular weight compounds by OMBR treatment appears to depend mostly on biological degradation.
Enhancement of trace organic contaminant degradation by crude enzyme extract from Trametes versicolor culture: Effect of mediator type and concentration
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2014
Osmotic versus conventional membrane bioreactors integrated with reverse osmosis for water reuse: Biological stability, membrane fouling, and contaminant removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2016.11.036
Abstract: This study systematically compares the performance of osmotic membrane bioreactor - reverse osmosis (OMBR-RO) and conventional membrane bioreactor - reverse osmosis (MBR-RO) for advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse. Both systems achieved effective removal of bulk organic matter and nutrients, and almost complete removal of all 31 trace organic contaminants investigated. They both could produce high quality water suitable for recycling applications. During OMBR-RO operation, salinity build-up in the bioreactor reduced the water flux and negatively impacted the system biological treatment by altering biomass characteristics and microbial community structure. In addition, the elevated salinity also increased soluble microbial products and extracellular polymeric substances in the mixed liquor, which induced fouling of the forward osmosis (FO) membrane. Nevertheless, microbial analysis indicated that salinity stress resulted in the development of halotolerant bacteria, consequently sustaining biodegradation in the OMBR system. By contrast, biological performance was relatively stable throughout conventional MBR-RO operation. Compared to conventional MBR-RO, the FO process effectively prevented foulants from permeating into the draw solution, thereby significantly reducing fouling of the downstream RO membrane in OMBR-RO operation. Accumulation of organic matter, including humic- and protein-like substances, as well as inorganic salts in the MBR effluent resulted in severe RO membrane fouling in conventional MBR-RO operation.
The role of forward osmosis and microfiltration in an integrated osmotic-microfiltration membrane bioreactor system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2015.04.082
Abstract: This study investigates the performance of an integrated osmotic and microfiltration membrane bioreactor (O/MF-MBR) system for wastewater treatment and reclamation. The O/MF-MBR system simultaneously used microfiltration (MF) and forward osmosis (FO) membranes to extract water from the mixed liquor of an aerobic bioreactor. The MF membrane facilitated the bleeding of dissolved inorganic salts and thus prevented the build-up of salinity in the bioreactor. As a result, sludge production and microbial activity were relatively stable over 60 days of operation. Compared to MF, the FO process produced a better permeate quality in terms of nutrients, total organic carbon, as well as hydrophilic and biologically persistent trace organic chemicals (TrOCs). The high rejection by the FO membrane also led to accumulation of hydrophilic and biologically persistent TrOCs in the bioreactor, consequently increasing their concentration in the MF permeate. On the other hand, hydrophobic and readily biodegradable TrOCs were minimally detected in both MF and FO permeates, with no clear difference in the removal efficiencies between two processes.
A rapid and reliable technique for N-nitrosodimethylamine analysis in reclaimed water by HPLC-photochemical reaction-chemiluminescence
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2016.06.094
Abstract: A fast and reliable analytical technique was evaluated and validated for determination of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation and rejection by reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in potable water reuse applications. The analytical instrument used in this study is high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), photochemical reaction (PR) and chemiluminescence (CL) - namely HPLC-PR-CL. Results reported here show that HPLC-PR-CL can be used to measure NDMA with a similar level of accuracy compared to conventional and more time-consuming techniques using gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry detection in combination with solid phase extraction. Among key residual chemicals (i.e. monochloramine, hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorite) in reclaimed wastewater, hypochlorite was the only constituent that interfered with the determination of NDMA by HPLC-PR-CL. However, hypochlorite interference was eliminated by adding ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. Direct injection of ultrafiltration (UF)-treated wastewater s les into HPLC-PR-CL also resulted in an underestimation of the NDMA concentration possibly due to interference by organic substances in the UF-treated wastewater. Accurate determination of NDMA concentrations in UF-treated wastewater was achieved by reducing the s le injection volume from 200 to 20 μL, though this increased the method detection limit from 0.2 to 2 ng/L. In contrast, no interference was observed with RO permeate. These results suggest that RO membranes could remove part of substances that interfere with the NDMA analysis by HPLC-PR-CL. In addition, RO treatment experiments demonstrated that HPLC-PR-CL was capable of evaluating near real-time variation in NDMA rejection by RO.
Occurrence and risk assessment of multiple classes of antibiotics in urban canals and lakes in Hanoi, Vietnam
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2019.07.092
Abstract: Very little information on the occurrence and risk assessment of antibiotics in the aquatic environment is reported for Vietnam, where antibiotics are assumed to be omnipresent in urban canals and lakes at high concentrations due to the easy accessibility of antibiotics without doctor prescription. This study provides comprehensive analysis of the occurrence of 23 antibiotics in urban canals (To Lich and Kim Nguu) and lakes (West Lake, Hoan Kiem, and Yen So) in Hanoi, Vietnam. Of these 23 antibiotics, 18 were detected in urban canals at above 67.9% detection frequency (DF). The concentrations of detected antibiotics were in the range from below quantification limit (MQL) to almost 50,000 ng/L, depending on the compound and s ling site. In urban canals, median concentration of amoxicillin, erythromycin, and sulfamethoxazole was >1000 ng/L while other antibiotics such as icillin, chlor henicol, clindamycin, sulfamethazine, tetracycline, tylosin and vancomycin were detected at median concentrations of <100 ng/L. Similarly, 16 target antibiotics were also detected in urban lakes. Macrolides (azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin-H
Microbes from mature compost to promote bacterial chemotactic motility via tricarboxylic acid cycle-regulated biochemical metabolisms for enhanced composting performance
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2023
Cometabolic biotransformation and impacts of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac on activated sludge microbial communities
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.12.094
Abstract: This study evaluated the removal of diclofenac (DCF) in activated sludge and its long-term exposure effects on the function and structure of the microbial community. Activated sludge could remove <50% of 50 μg/L DCF. The removal decreased significantly to below 15% when DCF concentrations increased to 500 and 5000 μg/L. Quantitative assessment of the fate of DCF showed that its main removal routes were biodegradation (21%) and adsorption (7%), with other abiotic removals being insignificant (<5%). The biodegradation occurred through cometabolic mechanisms. DCF exposure in the range of 50-5000 μg/L did not disrupt the major functions of the activated sludge ecosystem (e.g. biomass yield and heterotrophic activity) over two months of DCF exposure. Consistently, 16S rRNA gene-based community analysis revealed that the overall community ersity (e.g. species richness and ersity) and structure of activated sludge underwent no significant alterations. The analysis did uncover a significant increase in several genera, Nitratireductor, Asticcacaulis, and Pseudacidovorax, which gained competitive advantages under DCF exposure. The enrichment of Nitratireductor, Asticcacaulis, and Pseudacidovorax genus might contribute to DCF biodegradation and emerge as a potential microbial niche for the removal of DCF.
Combining MBR and NF/RO membrane filtration for the removal of trace organics in indirect potable water reuse applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2010
Insights into the roles of recently developed coagulants as pretreatment to remove effluent organic matter for membrane fouling mitigation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Enhanced Wastewater Treatment by Immobilized Enzymes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-04-2021
DOI: 10.1007/S40726-021-00183-7
Abstract: In the presented review, we have summarized recent achievements on the use of immobilized oxidoreductases for biodegradation of hazardous organic pollutants including mainly dyes, pharmaceuticals, phenols, and bisphenols. In order to facilitate process optimization and achievement of high removal rates, effect of various process conditions on biodegradation has been highlighted and discussed. Current reports clearly show that immobilized oxidoreductases are capable of efficient conversion of organic pollutants, usually reaching over 90% of removal rate. Further, immobilized enzymes showed great recyclability potential, allowing their reuse in numerous of catalytic cycles. Collected data clearly indicates immobilized oxidoreductases as an efficient biocatalytic tools for removal of hazardous phenolic compounds, making them a promising option for future water purification. Data shows, however, that both immobilization and biodegradation conditions affect conversion efficiency therefore, process optimization is required to achieve high removal rates. Nevertheless, we have demonstrated future trends and highlighted several issues that have to be solved in the near-future research, to facilitate large-scale application of the immobilized oxidoreductases in wastewater treatment.
Nitrogen removal in subsurface constructed wetland: Assessment of the influence and prediction by data mining and machine learning
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Optimization of process parameters for production of volatile fatty acid, biohydrogen and methane from anaerobic digestion
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2016.08.073
Abstract: The anaerobic digestion process has been primarily utilized for methane containing biogas production over the past few years. However, the digestion process could also be optimized for producing volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and biohydrogen. This is the first review article that combines the optimization approaches for all three possible products from the anaerobic digestion. In this review study, the types and configurations of the bioreactor are discussed for each type of product. This is followed by a review on optimization of common process parameters (e.g. temperature, pH, retention time and organic loading rate) separately for the production of VFA, biohydrogen and methane. This review also includes additional parameters, treatment methods or special additives that wield a significant and positive effect on production rate and these products' yield.
Coupling granular activated carbon adsorption with membrane bioreactor treatment for trace organic contaminant removal: Breakthrough behaviour of persistent and hydrophilic compounds
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2013.01.037
Abstract: This study investigated the removal of trace organic contaminants by a combined membrane bioreactor - granular activated carbon (MBR-GAC) system over a period of 196 days. Of the 22 compounds investigated here, all six hydrophilic compounds with electron-withdrawing functional groups (i.e., metronidazole, carbamazepine, ketoprofen, naproxen, fenoprop and diclofenac) exhibited very low removal efficiency by MBR-only treatment. GAC post-treatment initially complemented MBR treatment very well however, a compound-specific gradual deterioration of the removal of the above-mentioned problematic compounds was noted. While a 20% breakthrough of all four negatively charged compounds namely ketoprofen, naproxen, fenoprop and diclofenac occurred within 1000-3000 bed volumes (BV), the same level of breakthrough of the two neutral compounds metronidazole and carbamazepine did not occur until 11,000 BV. Single-solute isotherm parameters did not demonstrate any discernible correlation in idually with any of the parameters that may govern adsorption onto GAC, such as log D, number of hydrogen-bond donor/acceptor groups, dipole moment or aromaticity ratio of the compounds. The isotherm data, however, could differentiate the breakthrough behaviour between negatively charged and neutral trace organic contaminants.
Effect of organic loading rate on the recovery of nutrients and energy in a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2019.02.108
Abstract: This study aimed to assess the impacts of organic loading rate (OLR) (435-870 mgCOD/L·d) on nutrients recovery via a double-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) for treating domestic wastewater. Electricity generation was also explored at different OLRs, including power density and coulombic efficiency. Experimental results suggested the MFC could successfully treat municipal wastewater with over 90% of organics being removed at a wider range of OLR from 435 to 725 mgCOD/L·d. Besides, the maximum power density achieved in the MFC was 253.84 mW/m
Humification and maturation of kitchen waste during indoor composting by individual households
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2021.152509
Abstract: This study evaluated the humification and maturation of kitchen waste during indoor composting by in idual households. In total, 50 households were randomly selected to participate in this study using kitchen waste of their own for indoor composting using a standard 20 L sealed composter. Garden waste was also collected from their local communities and used as the bulking agent. Both effective microorganisms and lime were inoculated at 1% (wet weight) of raw composting materials to facilitate the composting initiation. Results from this study demonstrate for the first time that ordinary residents could correctly follow the instruction to operate indoor composting at household level to manage urban kitchen waste at source. Overall, 30 households provided valid and complete data to show an increase (to ~50 °C) and then decrease in temperature in response to the decline of biodegradable organic substances during indoor composting. The compost physiochemical characteristics varied significantly toward maturation with an increase in seed germination index to above 50% for most households. Furthermore, organic humification occurred continuously during indoor composting as indicated by the enhanced content of humic substances, degree of polymerization, and spectroscopic characteristics.
Nanofiltration of Hormone Mimicking Trace Organic Contaminants
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2005
Microalgae enrichment for biomass harvesting and water reuse by ceramic microfiltration membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2023
Extraction of matrix resistivity from short samples of superconducting multifilamentary composite tapes: influence of strand twist and internal structure
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2000
Biomass viability: An experimental study and the development of an empirical mathematical model for submerged membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2015.04.104
Abstract: This study investigates the influence of key biomass parameters on specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) in a sponge submerged membrane bioreactor (SSMBR) to develop mathematical models of biomass viability. Extra-cellular polymeric substances (EPS) were considered as a lumped parameter of bound EPS (bEPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP). Statistical analyses of experimental results indicate that the bEPS, SMP, mixed liquor suspended solids and volatile suspended solids (MLSS and MLVSS) have functional relationships with SOUR and their relative influence on SOUR was in the order of EPS>bEPS>SMP>MLVSS/MLSS. Based on correlations among biomass parameters and SOUR, two independent empirical models of biomass viability were developed. The models were validated using results of the SSMBR. However, further validation of the models for different operating conditions is suggested.
Removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from groundwater by reverse osmosis and nanofiltration
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Co-digestion of sewage sludge and crude glycerol for on-demand biogas production
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2014
Membrane distillation to regenerate different liquid desiccant solutions for air conditioning
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Removal of Emerging Contaminants for Water Reuse by Membrane Technology
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2016
Factors governing mass transfer during membrane electrodialysis regeneration of LiCl solution for liquid desiccant dehumidification systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
New insights into the relationship between draw solution chemistry and trace organic rejection by forward osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
Special issue on the 9th International Conference on Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering (CESE-2016) 6–10 November 2016, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Publisher: Desalination Publications
Date: 2017
Effects of chemical cleaning on the nanofiltration of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2012
Effects of thermal pre-treatment and recuperative thickening on the fate of trace organic contaminants during anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
A framework to assess indicators of the circular economy in biological systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
Analysis of N-nitrosamines in water by isotope dilution gas chromatography-electron ionisation tandem mass spectrometry
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.TALANTA.2012.05.032
Abstract: A method has been developed for the determination of eight N-nitrosamines in drinking water and treated municipal effluent. The method uses solid phase extraction (SPE), gas chromatography (GC) and analysis by tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) with electron ionization (EI). The target compounds are N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethyethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosodiethylamine NDEA), N-nitrosodipropylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine (NDBuA), N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPyr), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPip), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMorph). The use of direct isotope analogues for isotope dilution analysis of all analytes ensures accurate quantification, accounting for analytical variabilities that may occur during s le processing, extraction and instrumental analysis. Method detection levels (MDLs) were determined to describe analyte concentrations sufficient to provide a signal with 99% certainty of detection. The established MDLs for all analytes were 0.4-4 ng L(-1) in a variety of aqueous matrices. S le matrices were observed to have only a minor impact on MDLs and the method validation confirmed satisfactory method stability over intra-day and inter-day analyses of tap water and tertiary treated effluent s les.
N-nitrosamine rejection by reverse osmosis: Effects of membrane exposure to chemical cleaning reagents
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2014
Solar-powered compaction garbage bins in public areas: A preliminary economic and environmental evaluation
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 08-02-2010
DOI: 10.3390/SU2020524
Standard Methodology for Evaluating Membrane Performance in Osmotically Driven Membrane Processes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2013
Comparison between cold plasma, ultrasonication, and alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatments of garden waste to enhance humification in subsequent composting with kitchen waste: Performance and mechanisms
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2022.127228
Abstract: This study compared the performance and mechanisms of cold plasma, ultrasonication, and alkali-assisted hydrogen peroxide for garden waste pretreatment to advance humification in composting with kitchen waste. High-throughput sequencing integrated with Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa was used to relate bacterial dynamics to humification. Results show that all pretreatment techniques accelerated humification by 37.5% - 45.7% during composting in comparison to the control treatment. Ultrasonication and alkalization preferred to decompose lignocellulose to produce humus precursors in garden waste, thereby facilitating humus formation at the beginning of composting. By contrast, cold plasma was much faster and simpler than other pretreatment techniques to effectively disrupt the surface structure and reduce the crystallinity of garden waste to enrich functional bacteria for aerobic chemoheterotrophy, xylanolysis, cellulolysis, and ligninolysis during composting. As such, a more robust bacterial community was developed after cold plasma pretreatment to advance humification at the mature stage of composting.
Ozonation of carbamazepine, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim and formation of major oxidation products
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-04-2016
Evaluating ionic organic draw solutes in osmotic membrane bioreactors for water reuse
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Management of Enteric Methanogenesis in Ruminants by Algal-Derived Feed Additives
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-07-2020
Anaerobic membrane bioreactors-An introduction
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2020
Blue-Green Algae in Surface Water: Problems and Opportunities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-03-2020
Pharmaceutical Retention Mechanisms by Nanofiltration Membranes
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 30-08-2005
DOI: 10.1021/ES0507665
Abstract: This study investigates the retention mechanisms of three pharmaceuticals-sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and ibuprofen-by nanofiltration (NF) membranes. Laboratory-scale experiments were carried out with two well-characterized NF membranes, with the goal of relating pharmaceutical retention behavior to membrane characteristics, physicochemical properties of the pharmaceutical molecules, and solution chemistry. Results show that retention of pharmaceuticals by a tight NF membrane is dominated by steric (size) exclusion, whereas both electrostatic repulsion and steric exclusion govern the retention of ionizable pharmaceuticals by a loose NF membrane. In the latter case, speciation of pharmaceuticals may lead to a dramatic change in retention as a function of pH, with much greater retention observed for ionized, negatively charged pharmaceuticals. For uncharged pharmaceutical species, intrinsic physicochemical properties of the pharmaceutical molecules can substantially affect their retention. In its neutral form, ibuprofen adsorbs considerably to the membrane because of its relatively high hydrophobicity. Similarly, polarity (represented by the dipole moment) can influence the separation of molecules that are cylindrical in shape because they can be directed to approach the membrane pores head-on due to attractive interaction between the molecule polar centers and fixed charged groups on the membrane surface. This phenomenon is probably inherent for high dipole moment organic compounds, and the governing retention mechanism remains steric in nature.
Characterising poly (vinyl chloride)/Aliquat 336 polymer inclusion membranes: Evidence of phase separation and its role in metal extraction
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Effects of shearing on biogas production and microbial community structure during anaerobic digestion with recuperative thickening
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.03.051
Abstract: Recuperative thickening can intensify anaerobic digestion to produce more biogas and potentially reduce biosolids odour. This study elucidates the effects of sludge shearing during the thickening process on the microbial community structure and its effect on biogas production. Medium shearing resulted in approximately 15% increase in biogas production. By contrast, excessive or high shearing led to a marked decrease in biogas production, possibly due to sludge disintegration and cell lysis. Microbial analysis using 16S rRNA gene licon sequencing showed that medium shearing increased the evenness and ersity of the microbial community in the anaerobic digester, which is consistent with the observed improved biogas production. By contrast, microbial ersity decreased under either excessive shearing or high shearing condition. In good agreement with the observed decrease in biogas production, the abundance of Bacteroidales and Syntrophobaterales (which are responsible for hydrolysis and acetogenesis) decreased due to high shearing during recuperative thickening.
A critical review on life cycle assessment and plant-wide models towards emission control strategies for greenhouse gas from wastewater treatment plants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2020
Aerobic biotransformation of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin by Bradyrhizobium sp. isolated from activated sludge
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2018.08.004
Abstract: Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is an antibiotic that is widely used to treat bacterial infections and is poorly biodegraded during wastewater treatment. In this study, a CIP-degrading bacterial strain (GLC_01) was successfully retrieved from activated sludge by enrichment and isolation. The obtained bacterial strain shares over 99% nucleotide identity of the 16S rRNA gene with Bradyrhizobium spp. Results show that Bradyrhizobium sp. GLC_01 degraded CIP via cometabolism with another carbon substrate following a first-order kinetics degradation reaction. CIP degradation by Bradyrhizobium sp. GLC_01 increased when the concentration of the primary carbon source increased. The biodegradability of the primary carbon source also affected CIP degradation. The use of glucose and sodium acetate (i.e. readily biodegradable), respectively, as a primary carbon source enhanced CIP biotransformation, compared to starch (i.e. relatively slowly biodegradable). CIP degradation decreased with the increase of the initial CIP concentration. Over 70% CIP biotransformation was achieved at 0.05 mg L
Selective extraction of cadmium by polymer inclusion membranes containing PVC and Aliquat 336: Role base polymer and extractant
Publisher: Inderscience Publishers
Date: 2010
Integration of an enzymatic bioreactor with membrane distillation for enhanced biodegradation of trace organic contaminants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Significant enhancement of Hc2 and Hirr in MgB 2 +C4 H6 O5 bulks at a low sintering temperature of 600 °c
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 23-07-2007
Toward Resource Recovery from Wastewater: Extraction of Phosphorus from Digested Sludge Using a Hybrid Forward Osmosis–Membrane Distillation Process
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 09-01-2014
DOI: 10.1021/EZ400189Z
Enantiospecific fate of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen in a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2011.09.020
Abstract: The enantiospecific fate of three common pharmaceuticals was monitored in a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). The MBR was operated with a hydraulic retention time of 24 h and a mixed liquor suspended solids concentration of 8.6-10 g/L. Standard solutions of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen were dosed into the synthetic feed of the MBR. Influent and permeate s les were then collected for enantiospecific analysis. The in idual (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of the three pharmaceuticals were derivatised using a chiral derivatizing agent to form pairs of diastereomers, which could then be separated and analysed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Accurate quantitation of in idual enantiomers was undertaken by an isotope dilution process. By comparing the total concentration (as the sum of the two enantiomers) in the MBR influent and permeate, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen concentrations were observed to have been reduced as much as 99%, 43% and 68%, respectively. Furthermore, evidence of enantioselective biodegradation was observed for all three pharmaceuticals. (S)-Ibuprofen was shown to be preferentially degraded compared to (R)-ibuprofen with an average decrease in enantiomeric fraction (EF) from 0.52 to 0.39. In contrast, (R)-ketoprofen was preferentially degraded compared to (S)-ketoprofen with a relatively minor increase in EF from 0.52 to 0.63. The use of a relatively pure enantiomeric solution of (S)-naproxen resulted in a significant change in EF from 0.99 to 0.65. However, this experiment consistently revealed significantly increased concentrations of (R)-naproxen during MBR treatment. It is hypothesised that the source of this (R)-naproxen was the enantiomeric inversion of (S)-naproxen. Such enantiomeric inversion of chiral pharmaceuticals during wastewater treatment processes has not previously been reported.
Membrane-based nanoconfined heterogeneous catalysis for water purification: A critical review✰
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2023
Chiral inversion of 2-arylpropionoic acid (2-APA) enantiomers during simulated biological wastewater treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2021.117871
Abstract: This study examined the removal and enantio‑specific fate of a suite of eleven chiral 2-arylpropionic acids (2-APAs) during biological wastewater treatment simulated in a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). Using pure (R)- and (S)- enantiomers in the MBR influent, chiral inversion was determined through the increase in the concentration of the non-dominant enantiomer and changes in the enantiomeric fraction (EF) between the two enantiomers during the treatment process. Effective (>90%) and similar removal rates between (R)- and (S)- enantiomers were confirmed for eight 2-APAs. In this study, 2-APAs exhibited erse and distinctive chiral inversion behaviours: two 2-APAs showed (R→S) unidirectional inversion, three 2-APAs showed (S→R) unidirectional inversion, and six 2-APAs showed bidirectional inversion. This is the first study to report chiral inversion behaviours of a comprehensive suite of 2-APAs with a variety of functional groups substituted onto the aryl ring. A decrease in effluent EF over time was observed for two 2-APAs. This study shows that chiral inversion of 2-APAs varies significantly from compound to compound, despite the high similarity in their chemical structures.
Nutrient and trace organic contaminant removal from wastewater of a resort town: Comparison between a pilot and a full scale membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2015
Biocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, steroid hormones and pesticides in a membrane distillation-enzymatic bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.09.129
Abstract: Laccase-catalyzed degradation of a broad spectrum of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) by a membrane distillation (MD)-enzymatic membrane bioreactor (EMBR) was investigated. The MD component effectively retained TrOCs (94-99%) in the EMBR, facilitating their continuous biocatalytic degradation. Notably, the extent of TrOC degradation was strongly influenced by their molecular properties. A significant degradation (above 90%) of TrOCs containing strong electron donating functional groups (e.g., hydroxyl and amine groups) was achieved, while a moderate removal was observed for TrOCs containing electron withdrawing functional groups (e.g., amide and halogen groups). Separate addition of two redox-mediators, namely syringaldehyde and violuric acid, further improved TrOC degradation by laccase. However, a mixture of both showed a reduced performance for a few pharmaceuticals such as primidone, carbamazepine and ibuprofen. Mediator addition increased the toxicity of the media in the enzymatic bioreactor, but the membrane permeate (i.e., final effluent) was non-toxic, suggesting an added advantage of coupling MD with EMBR.
Biosolids reduction by the oxic-settling-anoxic process: Impact of sludge interchange rate
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2016.01.010
Abstract: The impact of sludge interchange rate (SIR) on sludge reduction by oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) process was investigated. The sludge yield of an OSA system (a sequencing batch reactor, SBR, integrated with external anoxic reactors) was compared to that of a control (an SBR attached to a single-pass aerobic digester). SIR (%) is the percentage by volume of sludge returned from the external reactor into the main bioreactor of the OSA, and was varied from 0% to 22%. OSA achieved greater sludge reduction when fed with unsettled sewage (sCOD=113mg/L) rather than settled sewage (sCOD=60mg/L). The SIR of 11% resulted in the highest OSA performance. At the optimum SIR, higher volatile solids destruction and nitrification/denitrification (i.e., conversion of destroyed volatile solids into inert forms) were observed in the external anoxic and intermittently aerated (i.e., aerobic/anoxic) reactors, respectively. Denitrification in the aerobic/anoxic reactor was inefficient without SIR. Effluent quality and sludge settleability of the main SBR were unaffected by SIR.
Predicting the Fate of Emerging Trace Organic Contaminants of Concern During MBR Treatment Based on Their Molecular Properties
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2012
Impact of humic acid fouling on membrane performance and transport of pharmaceutically active compounds in forward osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2013.05.013
Abstract: The impact of humic acid fouling on the membrane transport of two pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) - namely carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole - in forward osmosis (FO) was investigated. Deposition of humic acid onto the membrane surface was promoted by the complexation with calcium ions in the feed solution and the increase in ionic strength at the membrane surface due to the reverse transport of NaCl draw solute. The increase in the humic acid deposition on the membrane surface led to a substantial decrease in the membrane salt (NaCl) permeability coefficient but did not result in a significant decrease in the membrane pure water permeability coefficient. As the deposition of humic acid increased, the permeation of carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole decreased, which correlated well with the decrease in the membrane salt (NaCl) permeability coefficient. It is hypothesized that the hydrated humic acid fouling layer hindered solute diffusion through the membrane pore and enhanced solute rejection by steric hindrance, but not the permeation of water molecules. The membrane water and salt (NaCl) permeability coefficients were fully restored by physical cleaning of the membrane, suggesting that humic acid did not penetrate into the membrane pores.
Sodium hydroxide production from sodium carbonate and bicarbonate solutions using membrane electrolysis: A feasibility study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
Effects of salinity on the removal of trace organic contaminants by membrane bioreactor treatment for water reuse
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-03-2013
Effects of sulphur on the performance of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor: Biological stability, trace organic contaminant removal, and membrane fouling
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.11.021
Abstract: This study investigated the impact of sulphur content on the performance of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) with an emphasis on the biological stability, contaminant removal, and membrane fouling. Removal of 38 trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) that are ubiquitously present in municipal wastewater by AnMBR was evaluated. Results show that basic biological performance of AnMBR regarding biomass growth and the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was not affected by sulphur addition when the influent COD/SO
Factors governing the rejection of trace organic contaminants by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-08-2013
Forward osmosis as a platform for resource recovery from municipal wastewater - A critical assessment of the literature
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Ozonation of N-Nitrosamines in the Reverse Osmosis Concentrate from Water Recycling Applications
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-03-2014
Acetic acid extraction from rumen fluid by forward osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
High-transport critical current density above 30 K in pure Fe-clad MgB2 tape
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2001
Effects of membrane degradation on the removal of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) by NF/RO filtration processes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 15-09-2009
Advancements in detection and removal of antibiotic resistance genes in sludge digestion: A state-of-art review.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2021.126197
Abstract: Sludge from wastewater treatment plants can act as a repository and crucial environmental provider of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Over the past few years, people's knowledge regarding the occurrence and removal of ARGs in sludge has broadened remarkably with advancements in molecular biological techniques. Anaerobic and aerobic digestion were found to effectively achieve sludge reduction and ARGs removal. This review summarized advanced detection and removal techniques of ARGs, in the last decade, in the sludge digestion field. The fate of ARGs due to different sludge digestion strategies (i.e., anaerobic and aerobic digestion under mesophilic or thermophilic conditions, and in combination with relevant pretreatment technologies (e.g., thermal hydrolysis pretreatment, microwave pretreatment and alkaline pretreatment) and additives (e.g., ferric chloride and zero-valent iron) were systematically summarized and compared in this review. To date, this is the first review that provides a comprehensive assessment of the state-of-the-art technologies and future recommendations.
Membrane Distillation for Strategic Water Treatment Applications: Opportunities, Challenges, and Current Status
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-06-2020
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in soil and sediments: Occurrence, fate, remediation and future outlook
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
Effects of caustic cleaning on pore size of nanofiltration membranes and their rejection of trace organic chemicals
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Nanofiltration membranes prepared from pristine and functionalised multiwall carbon nanotubes/biopolymer composites for water treatment applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Effect of hydraulic retention time on the performance of a hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor-membrane bioreactor system for micropollutants removal from municipal wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.09.114
Abstract: This study evaluated micropollutants removal and membrane fouling behaviour of a hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor-membrane bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) system at four different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) (24, 18, 12 and 6h). The results revealed that HRT of 18h was the optimal condition regarding the removal of most selected micropollutants. As the primary removal mechanism in the hybrid system was biodegradation, the attached growth pattern was desirable for enriching slow growing bacteria and developing a ersity of biocoenosis. Thus, the efficient removal of micropollutants was obtained. In terms of membrane fouling propensity analysis, a longer HRT (e.g. HRTs of 24 and 18h) could significantly mitigate membrane fouling when compared with the shortest HRT of 6h. Hence, enhanced system performance could be achieved when the MBBR-MBR system was operated at HRT of 18h.
Comparison between oily and coal seam gas produced water with respect to quantity, characteristics and treatment technologies
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-02-2015
Continuous adsorption and biotransformation of micropollutants by granular activated carbon-bound laccase in a packed-bed enzyme reactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2016.01.014
Abstract: Laccase was immobilized on granular activated carbon (GAC) and the resulting GAC-bound laccase was used to degrade four micropollutants in a packed-bed column. Compared to the free enzyme, the immobilized laccase showed high residual activities over a broad range of pH and temperature. The GAC-bound laccase efficiently removed four micropollutants, namely, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac and bisphenol A, commonly detected in raw wastewater and wastewater-impacted water sources. Mass balance analysis showed that these micropollutants were enzymatically degraded following adsorption onto GAC. Higher degradation efficiency of micropollutants by the immobilized compared to free laccase was possibly due to better electron transfer between laccase and substrate molecules once they have adsorbed onto the GAC surface. Results here highlight the complementary effects of adsorption and enzymatic degradation on micropollutant removal by GAC-bound laccase. Indeed laccase-immobilized GAC outperformed regular GAC during continuous operation of packed-bed columns over two months (a throughput of 12,000 bed volumes).
Activated carbon preparation from biomass feedstock: Clean production and carbon dioxide adsorption
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
Impacts of redox-mediator type on trace organic contaminants degradation by laccase: Degradation efficiency, laccase stability and effluent toxicity
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Functionalized Materials as a Versatile Platform for Enzyme Immobilization in Wastewater Treatment
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2021
DOI: 10.1007/S40726-021-00193-5
Abstract: Untreated wastewater discharge can significantly and negatively impact the state of the environment. Rapid industrialization and economic development have directly contributed to land and water pollution resulting from the application of many chemicals such as organic dyes, pharmaceuticals, and industrial reagents. The removal of these chemicals before effluent discharge is crucial for environmental protection. This review aims to explore the importance of functionalized materials in the preparation of biocatalytic systems and consider their application in eliminating water pollutants. Wastewater treatment methods can be classified into three groups: (i) chemical (e.g., chemical oxidation and ozonation), (ii) physical (e.g., membrane separation and ion exchange), and (iii) biological processes. Biological treatment is the most widely used method due to its cost-effectiveness and eco-friendliness. In particular, the use of immobilized enzymes has recently become more attractive as a result of scientific progress in advanced material synthesis. The selection of an appropriate support plays an important role in the preparation of such biologically active systems. Recent studies have demonstrated the use of various materials for enzyme immobilization in the purification of water. This review identifies and discusses different biocatalytic systems used in the enzymatic degradation of various water pollutants. Materials functionalized by specific groups can serve as good support matrices for enzyme immobilization, providing chemical and thermal stability to support catalytic reactions. Enzymatic biocatalysis converts the pollutants into simpler products, which are usually less toxic than their parents. Due to immobilization, the enzyme can be used over multiple cycles to reduce the cost of wastewater treatment. Future studies in this field should focus on developing new platforms for enzyme immobilization in order to improve degradation efficiency.
Fixed-bed adsorption performance and empirical modelingof cadmium removal using adsorbent prepared from the cyanobacterium Aphanothece sp cultivar
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Influence of organic and colloidal fouling on the removal of sulphamethoxazole by nanofiltration membranes
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 07-2008
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2008.647
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of organic and colloidal fouling on the removal of a representative micropollutant sulphamethoxazole by two commercially available NF membranes. Alginate, bovine serum albumin and colloidal silica were selected as model foulants to simulate hydrophilic and hydrophobic organic fractions, and colloidal matter that are often found in treated effluent and surface water. Membrane fouling was related to the membrane and foulant characteristics and subsequently the separation behaviour of the micropollutant sulphamethoxazole under different solution pH. On the basis of these results, it was confirmed that membrane fouling is strongly dependent on both the foulant and membrane characteristics. The complex relationship among retention mechanisms, fouling mechanisms and the effects of fouling on retention was systematically delineated. Of the three model foulants selected for this study, colloidal fouling resulted in the most significant reduction in retention of sulphamethoxazole as well as inorganic salts, while flux decline as a result of colloidal fouling was quite moderate. Reduction in retention caused by fouling was attributed to a phenomenon known as cake-enhance concentration polarisation, which was a predominant mechanism of colloidal fouling. In addition, the reported results suggested that the effect of fouling on retention is also membrane pore size dependent.
Derivation of volatile fatty acid from crop residues digestion using a rumen membrane bioreactor: A feasibility study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Simultaneous nutrient recovery and algal biomass production from anaerobically digested sludge centrate using a membrane photobioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Scaling mitigation in membrane distillation: From superhydrophobic to slippery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Biohydrogen production from wastewater-based microalgae: Progresses and challenges
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Green Technologies for Sustainable Water (GTSW)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Fouling control of a ceramic microfiltration membrane for direct sewer mining by backwashing with ozonated water
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2015
Anaerobic digestion of soft drink beverage waste and sewage sludge
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.04.046
Abstract: Soft drink beverage waste (BW) was evaluated as a potential substrate for anaerobic co-digestion with sewage sludge to increase biogas production. Results from this study show that the increase in biogas production is proportional to the increase in organic loading rate (OLR) rate due to BW addition. The OLR increase of 86 and 171% corresponding to 10 and 20% BW by volume in the feed resulted in 89 and 191% increase in biogas production, respectively. Under a stable condition, anaerobic co-digestion with BW did not lead to any significant impact on digestate quality (in terms of COD removal and biosolids odour) and biogas composition. The results suggest that existing nutrients in sewage sludge can support an increase in OLR by about 2 kg COD/m
The effects of mediator and granular activated carbon addition on degradation of trace organic contaminants by an enzymatic membrane reactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.05.125
Abstract: The removal of four recalcitrant trace organic contaminants (TrOCs), namely carbamazepine, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole and atrazine by laccase in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) was studied. Laccases are not effective for degrading non-phenolic compounds nevertheless, 22-55% removal of these four TrOCs was achieved by the laccase EMR. Addition of the redox-mediator syringaldehyde (SA) to the EMR resulted in a notable dose-dependent improvement (15-45%) of TrOC removal affected by inherent TrOC properties and loading rates. However, SA addition resulted in a concomitant increase in the toxicity of the treated effluent. A further 14-25% improvement in aqueous phase removal of the TrOCs was consistently observed following a one-off dosing of 3g/L granular activated carbon (GAC). Mass balance analysis reveals that this improvement was not due solely to adsorption but also enhanced biodegradation. GAC addition also reduced membrane fouling and the SA-induced toxicity of the effluent.
Irreversibility field and flux pinning in MgB2with and without SiC additions
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 10-08-2004
Assessment of commercialized nylon membranes integrated with thin layer of MWCNTs for potential use in desalination process
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
Outstanding Reviewers for Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology in 2018
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C9EW90025J
Impact of anaerobic co-digestion between sewage sludge and carbon-rich organic waste on microbial community resilience
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00663F
Abstract: This study examines the changes in microbial community ersity and structure in response to anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) between sewage sludge and a carbon-rich organic waste.
Nanofiltration applications of tough MWNT buckypaper membranes containing biopolymers
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Validating the rejection of trace organic chemicals by reverse osmosis membranes using a pilot-scale system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2015
N-nitrosamine rejection by reverse osmosis membranes: A full-scale study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2013.07.035
Abstract: This study aims to provide longitudinal and spatial insights to the rejection of N-nitrosamines by reverse osmosis (RO) membranes during s ling c aigns at three full-scale water recycling plants. S les were collected at all in idual filtration stages as well as at a cool and a warm weather period to elucidate the impact of recovery and feed temperature on the rejection of N-nitrosamines. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was detected in all RO feed s les varying between 7 and 32 ng/L. Concentrations of most other N-nitrosamines in the feed solutions were determined to be lower than their detection limits (3-5 ng/L) but higher concentrations were detected in the feed after each filtration stage. As a notable exception, in one plant, N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) was observed at high concentrations in RO feed (177-475 ng/L) and permeate (34-76 ng/L). Overall rejection of NDMA among the three RO systems varied widely from 4 to 47%. Data presented here suggest that the feed temperature can influence rejection of NDMA. A considerable variation in NDMA rejection across the three RO stages (14-78%) was also observed. Overall NMOR rejections were consistently high ranging from 81 to 84%. On the other hand, overall rejection of N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) varied from negligible to 53%, which was considerably lower than values reported in previous laboratory-scale studies. A comparison between results reported here and the literature indicates that there can be some discrepancy in N-nitrosamine rejection data between laboratory- and full-scale studies probably due to differences in water recoveries and operating conditions (e.g. temperature, membrane fouling, and hydraulic conditions).
Assessing the integration of forward osmosis and anaerobic digestion for simultaneous wastewater treatment and resource recovery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.03.120
Abstract: This study assessed the performance and key challenges associated with the integration of forward osmosis (FO) and anaerobic digestion for wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Using a thin film composite polyamide FO membrane, maximising the pre-concentration factor (i.e. system water recovery) resulted in the enrichment of organics and salinity in wastewater. Biomethane potential evaluation indicated that methane production increased correspondingly with the FO pre-concentration factor due to the organic retention in the feed solution. At 90% water recovery, about 10% more methane was produced when using NaOAc compared with NaCl because of the contribution of biodegradable reverse NaOAc flux. No negative impact on anaerobic digestion was observed when wastewater was pre-concentrated ten-fold (90% water recovery) for both draw solutes. Interestingly, the unit cost of methane production using NaOAc was slightly lower than NaCl due to the lower reverse solute flux of NaOAc, although NaCl is a much cheaper chemical.
Probing the internal structure of reverse osmosis membranes by positron annihilation spectroscopy: Gaining more insight into the transport of water and small solutes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2015
Multienzymatic conversion of monosaccharides from birch biomass after pretreatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
Enhanced biological phosphorus removal and its modeling for the activated sludge and membrane bioreactor processes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2013.04.038
Abstract: A modified activated sludge process (ASP) for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) needs to sustain stable performance for wastewater treatment to avoid eutrophication in the aquatic environment. Unfortunately, the overall efficiency of the EBPR in ASPs and membrane bioreactors (MBRs) is frequently hindered by different operational/system constraints. Moreover, although phosphorus removal data from several wastewater treatment systems are available, a comprehensive mathematical model of the process is still lacking. This paper presents a critical review that highlights the core issues of the biological phosphorus removal in ASPs and MBRs while discussing the inhibitory process requirements for other nutrients' removal. This mini review also successfully provided an assessment of the available models for predicting phosphorus removal in both ASP and MBR systems. The advantages and limitations of the existing models were discussed together with the inclusion of few guidelines for their improvement.
Performance of microbial fuel cell for treating swine wastewater containing sulfonamide antibiotics
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
The rejection of mono- and di-valent ions from aquatic environment by MWNT/chitosan buckypaper composite membranes: Influences of chitosan concentrations
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Treatment of Acidic Groundwater in Acid Sulfate Soil Terrain Using Recycled Concrete: Column Experiments
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Date: 06-2011
A new perspective on small-scale treatment systems for arsenic affected groundwater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Treatment of coal seam gas produced water for beneficial use in Australia: A review of best practices
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2011
Current application of algae derivatives for bioplastic production: A review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2022.126698
Abstract: Improper use of conventional plastics poses challenges for sustainable energy and environmental protection. Algal derivatives have been considered as a potential renewable biomass source for bioplastic production. Algae derivatives include a multitude of valuable substances, especially starch from microalgae, short-chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from cyanobacteria, polysaccharides from marine and freshwater macroalgae. The algae derivatives have the potential to be used as key ingredients for bioplastic production, such as starch and PHAs or only as an additive such as sulfated polysaccharides. The presence of distinctive functional groups in algae, such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, and sulfate, can be manipulated or tailored to provide desirable bioplastic quality, especially for food, pharmaceutical, and medical packaging. Standardizing strains, growing conditions, harvesting and extracting algae in an environmentally friendly manner would be a promising strategy for pollution control and bioplastic production.
N-nitrosamine removal by reverse osmosis for indirect potable water reuse - A critical review based on observations from laboratory-, pilot- and full-scale studies
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
Effects of COD/N ratio on soluble microbial products in effluent from sequencing batch reactors and subsequent membrane fouling
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2018.01.024
Abstract: The relative ratios of chemical oxygen demand (COD) to nitrogen (N) in wastewater are known to have profound effects on the characteristics of soluble microbial products (SMP) from activated sludge. In this study, the changes in the SMP characteristics upon different COD/N ratios and the subsequent effects on ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fouling potentials were examined in sequencing batch reactors (SBR) using excitation emission matrix-parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Three unique fluorescent components were identified from the SMP s les in the bioreactors operated at the COD/N ratios of 100/10 (N rich), 100/5 (N medium), and 100/2 (N deficient). The tryptophan-like component (C1) was the most depleted at the N medium condition. Fulvic-like (C2) and humic-like (C3) components were more abundant with N rich wastewater. Greater abundances of large size biopolymer (BP) and low molecular weight neutrals (LMWN) were found under the N deficient and N rich conditions, respectively. SMPs from various COD/N exhibited a greater degree on membrane fouling following the order of 100/2 > 100/10 > 100/5. C1 and C2 had close associations with reversible and irreversible fouling, respectively, while the reversible fouling potential of C3 depended on the COD/N ratios. No significant impact of COD/N ratio was observed on the relative contributions of SMP size fractions to either reversible or irreversible fouling potential. However, the COD/N ratios likely altered the BP foulants' composition with greater contribution of proteinaceous substances to reversible fouling under the N deficient condition than at other N richer conditions. The opposite trend was observed for irreversible fouling. Our results provided further insight into changes in different SMP constitutes and their membrane fouling in response to microbial activities under different COD/N ratios.
Biogas sparging to control fouling and enhance resource recovery from anaerobically digested sludge centrate by forward osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Treatment of saline aqueous solutions using direct contact membrane distillation
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2011
Anaerobic co-digestion: A critical review of mathematical modelling for performance optimization
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2016.10.015
Abstract: Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) is a pragmatic approach to simultaneously manage organic wastes and produce renewable energy. This review demonstrates the need for improving AcoD modelling capacities to simulate the complex physicochemical and biochemical processes. Compared to mono-digestion, AcoD is more susceptible to process instability, as it operates at a higher organic loading and significant variation in substrate composition. Data corroborated here reveal that it is essential to model the transient variation in pH and inhibitory intermediates (e.g. ammonia and organic acids) for AcoD optimization. Mechanistic models (based on the ADM1 framework) have become the norm for AcoD modelling. However, key features in current AcoD models, especially relationships between system performance and co-substrates' properties, organic loading, and inhibition mechanisms, remain underdeveloped. It is also necessary to predict biogas quantity and composition as well as biosolids quality by considering the conversion and distribution of sulfur, phosphorus, and nitrogen during AcoD.
Excess Mg addition MgB2/Fe wires with enhanced critical current density
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 15-04-2008
DOI: 10.1063/1.2909203
Abstract: MgB 2 / Fe wires with 10 at. % excess Mg produced by in situ powder-in-tube processing were compared to normal stoichiometric MgB2/Fe wires prepared by the same method. It was found that the critical current density (Jc) and the irreversibility field (Hirr) were significantly enhanced for MgB2/Fe wires with excess Mg. The transport Jc for 10 at. % Mg excess s les sintered at 800 °C, measured at a field of up to 14 T, increased by a factor of 2 compared to that for the normal MgB2 wires. The best Jc results for the 10 at. % Mg excess s le were obtained by heating the s le at 600 °C for 1 h the Jc at a field of 8 T and at temperature of 10 K reached 3×104 A/cm2. The detailed analysis of the effect of excess Mg on the microstructures, the Jc, and the Hirr, of MgB2/Fe wires are presented in this paper.
Effects of harvesting on morphological and biochemical characteristics of microalgal biomass harvested by polyacrylamide addition, pH-induced flocculation, and centrifugation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2022.127433
Abstract: The effects of microalgae harvesting methods on microalgal biomass quality were evaluated using three species namely the freshwater green alga Chlorella vulgaris, marine red alga Porphyridium purpureum and marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Harvesting efficiencies of polyacrylamide addition, alkaline addition, and centrifugation ranged from 85 to 95, 59-92 and 100%, respectively, across these species. Morphology of the harvested cells (i.e. compromised cell walls) was significantly impacted by alkaline pH-induced flocculation for all three species. Over 50% of C. vulgaris cells were compromised with alkaline pH compared to < 10% with polyacrylamide and centrifugation. The metabolic profiles varied depending on harvesting methods. Species-specific decrease of certain metabolites was observed. These results suggest that the method of harvest can alter the metabolic profile of the biomass amongst the three harvesting methods, polyacrylamide addition showed higher harvesting efficiency with less compromised cells and higher retention of industry important biochemicals.
Digital Transformation of Packaged Reverse Osmosis Plants for Industrial and Sewer Mining Applications
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-12-2022
Effect of mixed liquor pH on the removal of trace organic contaminants in a membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2009.09.082
Abstract: Experiments were conducted over approximately 7 months to investigate the effects of mixed liquor pH (between pH 5 and 9) on the removal of trace organics by a submerged MBR system. Removal efficiencies of ionisable trace organics (sulfamethoxazole, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and diclofenac) were strongly pH dependent. However, the underlying removal mechanisms are different for ionisable and non-ionisable compounds. High removal efficiencies of these ionisable trace organics at pH 5 could possibly be attributed to their speciation behaviour. At this pH, these compounds exist predominantly in their hydrophobic form. Consequently, they could readily adsorb to the activated sludge, resulting in higher removal efficiency in comparison to under less acidic conditions in the reactor. Removal efficiencies of the two non-ionisable compounds bisphenol A and carbamazepine were relatively independent of the mixed liquor pH. Results reported here suggest an apparent connection between physicochemical properties of the compounds and their removal efficiencies by MBRs.
Fate of trace organic contaminants in oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) process applied for biosolids reduction during wastewater treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.02.053
Abstract: This study investigated the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in an oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) process consisting of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with external aerobic/anoxic and anoxic reactors. OSA did not negatively affect TrOC removal of the SBR. Generally, low TrOC removal was observed under anoxic and low substrate conditions, implicating the role of co-metabolism in TrOC biodegradation. Several TrOCs that were recalcitrant in the SBR (e.g., benzotriazole) were biodegraded in the external aerobic/anoxic reactor. Some hydrophobic TrOCs (e.g., triclosan) were desorbed in the anoxic reactor possibly due to loss of sorption sites through volatile solids destruction. In OSA, the sludge was discharged from the aerobic/anoxic reactor which contained lower concentration of TrOCs (e.g., triclosan and triclocarban) than that of the control aerobic digester, suggesting that OSA can also help to reduce TrOC concentration in residual biosolids.
New insights to the difference in microbial composition and interspecies interactions between fouling layer and mixed liquor in a membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
A facile technique to prepare MgO-biochar nanocomposites for cationic and anionic nutrient removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Comparison and Characterization of Nitrogen/Sulfur-Doped Activated Carbon for Activating Peroxydisulfate to Degrade Acid Orange 7: An Experimental and Theoretical Study
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 19-07-2023
Coal seam gas produced water treatment by ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and multi-effect distillation: A pilot study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
A novel membrane photo-electro oxidizer for advanced treatment of coal processing wastewater: Fouling control and permeate quality
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
Impact of organic matrix compounds on the retention of steroid hormone estrone by a ‘loose’ nanofiltration membrane
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 18-06-2010
Effects of operational disturbance and subsequent recovery process on microbial community during a pilot-scale anaerobic co-digestion
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
Rejection of trace organic chemicals by a nanofiltration membrane: The role of molecular properties and effects of caustic cleaning
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1039/C5EW00170F
Abstract: The aim of this study was to provide further insights to the rejection mechanisms of trace organic chemicals (TrOCs) by nanofiltration (NF).
The fate of trace organic contaminants in sewage sludge during recuperative thickening anaerobic digestion
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.02.020
Abstract: The aim of this work was to study the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in sewage sludge during recuperative thickening anaerobic digestion. Sludge shearing at 3142s
The COVID-19 pandemic: considerations for the waste and wastewater services sector
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2020
Estrogenic hormone removal from wastewater using NF/RO membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2004
Modification of a polyamide reverse osmosis membrane by heat treatment for enhanced fouling resistance
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 12-09-2013
DOI: 10.2166/WS.2013.164
Abstract: The use of heat treatment to improve solute rejection and fouling resistance of a polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membrane was investigated in this study. Heat treatment was carried out by immersing the membrane s les in Milli-Q water at 70 °C for a specific duration. Heat treatment (24 h) reduced the pure water permeability from 4.1 to 2.8 L/m2hbar but improved conductivity rejection from 95.5 to 97.0%. As a result, a correlation was observed between changes in the two parameters. Marginal changes in the membrane surface characteristics (i.e. zeta potential, hydrophobicity, chemistry and roughness) were observed as a result of heat treatment. Heat treatment significantly improved the fouling resistance property of the RO membrane. When the secondary effluent was filtrated at an elevated permeated flux, the virgin RO membrane exhibited 30% flux decline while the heat-treated membrane showed only 12% flux decline. This is possibly because heat treatment resulted in a denser cross-linked active skin layer, thus reducing the blockage caused by small organic foulants.
The fate of pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, phytoestrogens, UV-filters and pesticides during MBR treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2013.06.097
Abstract: This study examined the relationship between molecular properties and the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in the aqueous and solid phases during wastewater treatment by MBR. A set of 29 TrOCs was selected to represent pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, phytoestrogens, UV-filters and pesticides that occur ubiquitously in municipal wastewater. Both adsorption and biodegradation/transformation were found responsible for the removal of TrOCs by MBR treatment. A connection between biodegradation and molecular structure could be observed while adsorption was the dominant removal mechanism for the hydrophobic (logD>3.2) compounds. Highly hydrophobic (logD>3.2) but readily biodegradable compounds did not accumulate in sludge. In contrast, recalcitrant compounds with a moderate hydrophobicity, such as carbamazepine, accumulated significantly in the solid phase. The results provide a framework to predict the removal and fate of TrOCs by MBR treatment.
Improvement of critical current density and thermally assisted individual vortex depinning in pulsed-laser-deposited YBa 2Cu 3O 7-δ thin films on SrTiO 3 (100) substrate with surface modification by Ag nanodots
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 02-05-2005
DOI: 10.1063/1.1851877
Abstract: Y Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 films were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO3 (100) single-crystal substrates whose surfaces were modified by the introduction of Ag nanodots. The critical current density (Jc) was found to increase with the number of Ag shots. Zero-field magnetic Jc0 at 77K increased from 8×105 up to 3.5×106A∕cm2 as the number of Ag shots increased from 0 to over 150 times. Microstructure investigations indicated that the crystallinity and the ab alignment gradually improved as the number of Ag nanodots increased. Thermally activated depinning of in idual vortices is suggested responsible for a field-independent Jc plateau.
Graphene/PVDF flat-sheet membrane for the treatment of RO brine from coal seam gas produced water by air gap membrane distillation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Evaluating the Responsiveness of Accelerometry to Detect Change in Physical Activity
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-09-2014
Osmotic membrane bioreactors for wastewater reuse: Performance comparison between cellulose triacetate and polyamide thin film composite membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Synthesis, properties, water and solute permeability of MWNT buckypapers
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
An Osmotic Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation System for Simultaneous Wastewater Reuse and Seawater Desalination: Performance and Implications
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 28-11-2017
Abstract: In this study, we demonstrate the potential of an osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR)-membrane distillation (MD) hybrid system for simultaneous wastewater reuse and seawater desalination. A stable OMBR water flux of approximately 6 L m
Holistic sludge management through ozonation: A critical review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2016.10.022
Abstract: This paper critically reviews the multidimensional benefits of ozonation in wastewater treatment plants. These benefits include sludge reduction, removal of emerging trace organic contaminants (TrOC) from wastewater and sludge, and resource recovery from sludge. Literature shows that ozonation leads to sludge solubilisation, reducing overall biomass yield. Sludge solubilisation is primarily influenced by ozone dosage, which, in turn, depends on the fraction of ozonated sludge, ozone concentration, and sludge concentration. Additionally, sludge ozonation facilitates the removal of TrOCs from wastewater. On the other hand, by inducing cell lysis, ozonation increases the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nutrient concentration of the sludge supernatant, which deteriorates effluent quality. This issue can be resolved by implementing resource recovery. Thus far, successful retrieval of phosphorous from ozonated sludge supernatant has been performed. The recovery of phosphorous and other resources from sludge could help offset the operation cost of ozonation, and give greater incentive for wastewater treatment plants to adapt this approach.
Rejection of small and uncharged chemicals of emerging concern by reverse osmosis membranes: The role of free volume space within the active skin layer
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
Enhancement of lead removal from soil by in-situ release of dissolved organic matters from biochar in electrokinetic remediation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Simultaneous cooling and provision of make-up water by forward osmosis for post-combustion CO2 capture
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Treatment of RO brine from CSG produced water by spiral-wound air gap membrane distillation — A pilot study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
Current status and perspectives on anaerobic co-digestion and associated downstream processes
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00356D
Abstract: Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) has the potential to utilise spare digestion capacity at existing wastewater treatment plants to simultaneously enhance biogas production by digesting organic rich industrial waste and achieve sustainable organic waste management.
Role of electrostatic interactions in the retention of pharmaceutically active contaminants by a loose nanofiltration membrane
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2006
The effect of aging on thermomechanical and metal extraction properties of poly (vinyl chloride)/Aliquat 336 polymer inclusion membranes
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-11-2014
Insight into greenhouse gases emissions from the two popular treatment technologies in municipal wastewater treatment processes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Roadside rest area wastewater treatment system: Performance evaluation and improvement
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2011
Evaluating energy consumption of air gap membrane distillation for seawater desalination at pilot scale level
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
Comparison of the removal of hydrophobic trace organic contaminants by forward osmosis and reverse osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2012.02.023
Abstract: We compared the rejection behaviours of three hydrophobic trace organic contaminants, bisphenol A, triclosan and diclofenac, in forward osmosis (FO) and reverse osmosis (RO). Using erythritol, xylose and glucose as inert reference organic solutes and the membrane pore transport model, the mean effective pore size of a commercial cellulose-based FO membrane was estimated to be 0.74 nm. When NaCl was used as the draw solute, at the same water permeate flux of 5.4 L/m(2) h (or 1.5 μm/s), the adsorption of all three compounds to the membrane in the FO mode was consistently lower than that in the RO mode. Rejection of bisphenol A and diclofenac were higher in the FO mode compared to that in the RO mode. Because the molecular width of triclosan was larger than the estimated mean effective membrane pore size, triclosan was completely rejected by the membrane and negligent difference between the FO and RO modes could be observed. The difference in the separation behaviour of these hydrophobic trace organics in the FO (using NaCl the draw solute) and RO modes could be explained by the phenomenon of retarded forward diffusion of solutes. The reverse salt flux of NaCl hinders the pore diffusion and subsequent adsorption of the trace organic compounds within the membrane. The retarded forward diffusion effect was not observed when MgSO(4) and glucose were used as the draw solutes. The reverse flux of both MgSO(4) and glucose was negligible and thus both adsorption and rejection of BPA in the FO mode were identical to those in the RO mode.
Impact of inorganic salts on degradation of bisphenol A and diclofenac by crude extracellular enzyme from Pleurotus ostreatus
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 14-12-2017
Reduction and elimination of external-field AC loss in MgB2/Fe wire by in situ magnetic shielding
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2002
An anaerobic membrane bioreactor – membrane distillation hybrid system for energy recovery and water reuse: Removal performance of organic carbon, nutrients, and trace organic contaminants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.02.057
Abstract: In this study, a direct contact membrane distillation (MD) unit was integrated with an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) to simultaneously recover energy and produce high quality water for reuse from wastewater. Results show that AnMBR could produce 0.3-0.5L/g COD
Fouling mechanisms of submerged ultrafiltration membranes in greywater recycling
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2005
Biocatalytic membrane reactors for the removal of recalcitrant and emerging pollutants from wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2013
Effects of fouling on separation performance by forward osmosis: the role of specific organic foulants
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-05-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S11356-018-2277-7
Abstract: In this study, forward osmosis (FO) membranes and fouling solutions were systematically characterized to elucidate the effects of organic fouling on the rejection of two pharmaceutically active compounds, namely, sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine. Municipal wastewater resulted in a more severe flux decline compared to humic acid and sodium alginate fouling solutions. This result is consistent with the molecular weight distribution of these foulant solutions. Liquid chromatography with organic carbon detection analysis shows that municipal wastewater consists of mostly low molecular weight acids and neutrals, which produce a more compact cake layer on the membrane surface. By contrast, humic acid and sodium alginate consist of large molecular weight humic substances and biopolymers, respectively. The results also show that membrane fouling can significantly alter the membrane surface charge and hydrophobicity as well as the reverse salt flux. In particular, the reverse salt flux of a fouled membrane was significantly higher than that under clean conditions. Although the rejection of sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine by FO membrane was high, a discernible impact of fouling on their rejection could still be observed. The results show that size exclusion is a major rejection mechanism of both sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine. However, they respond to membrane fouling differently. Membrane fouling results in an increase in sulfamethoxazole rejection while carbamazepine rejection decreases due to membrane fouling.
A cryogel solar vapor generator with rapid water replenishment and high intermediate water content for seawater desalination
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1039/D2TA08317E
Abstract: By selecting appropriate polymer precursors, we developed a novel cryogel solar vapor generator for seawater desalination with high intermediate water content for lower evaporation enthalpy and interconnected macropores for rapid water replenishment.
Full scale co-digestion of wastewater sludge and food waste: Bottlenecks and possibilities
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Can membrane bioreactor be a smart option for water treatment?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
Microalgae biomass as a sustainable source for biofuel, biochemical and biobased value-added products: An integrated biorefinery concept
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Large upper critical field and irreversibility field in MgB2 wires with SiC additions
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 25-02-2005
DOI: 10.1063/1.1872210
Abstract: Resistive transition measurements are reported for MgB2 strands with SiC dopants. The starting Mg powders were 325 mesh 99.9% pure, and the B powders were amorphous, 99.9% pure, and at a typical size of 1–2 μm. The SiC was added as 10 mol % of SiC to 90 mol % of binary MgB2 [(MgB2)0.9(SiC)0.1]. Three different SiC powders were used the average particle sizes were 200 nm, 30 nm, and 15 nm. The strands were heat treated for times ranging from 5 to 30 min at temperatures from 675 °C to 900 °C. Strands with 200 nm size SiC additions had μ0Hirr and Bc2 which maximized at 25.4 T and 29.7 T after heating at 800 °C for 30 min. The highest values were seen for a strand with 15 nm SiC heated at 725 °C for 30 min which had a μ0Hirr of 29 T and a Bc2 higher than 33 T.
Combining flowform cascade with constructed wetland to enhance domestic wastewater treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Insights into biofilm carriers for biological wastewater treatment processes: Current state-of-the-art, challenges, and opportunities
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2019.121619
Abstract: Biofilm carriers play an important role in attached growth systems for wastewater treatment processes. This study systematically summarizes the traditional and novel biofilm carriers utilized in biofilm-based wastewater treatment technology. The advantages and disadvantages of traditional biofilm carriers are evaluated and discussed in light of basic property, biocompatibility and applicability. The characteristics, applications performance, and mechanism of novel carriers (including slow-release carriers, hydrophilic/electrophilic modified carriers, magnetic carriers and redox mediator carriers) in wastewater biological treatment were deeply analyzed. Slow release biofilm carriers are used to provide a solid substrate and electron donor for the growth of microorganisms and denitrification for anoxic and/or anaerobic bioreactors. Carriers with hydrophilic/electrophilic modified surface are applied for promoting biofilm formation. Magnetic materials-based carriers are employed to shorten the start-up time of bioreactor. Biofilm carriers acting as redox mediators are used to accelerate biotransformation of recalcitrant pollutants in industrial wastewater.
The role of microbial diversity and composition in minimizing sludge production in the oxic-settling-anoxic process
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2017.06.253
Abstract: The oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) process, which involves an aerobic tank attached to oxygen- and substrate-deficient external anoxic reactors, minimizes sludge production in biological wastewater treatment. In this study, the microbial community structure of OSA was determined. Principal coordinate analysis showed that among the three operational factors, i.e., (i) redox condition, (ii) external reactor sludge retention time (SRT
High retention membrane bioreactors: Challenges and opportunities
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.06.016
Abstract: Extensive research has focussed on the development of novel high retention membrane bioreactor (HR-MBR) systems for wastewater reclamation in recent years. HR-MBR integrates high rejection membrane separation with conventional biological treatment in a single step. High rejection membrane separation processes currently used in HR-MBR applications include nanofiltration, forward osmosis, and membrane distillation. In these HR-MBR systems, organic contaminants can be effectively retained, prolonging their retention time in the bioreactor and thus enhancing their biodegradation. Therefore, HR-MBR can offer a reliable and elegant solution to produce high quality effluent. However, there are several technological challenges associated with the development of HR-MBR, including salinity build-up, low permeate flux, and membrane degradation. This paper provides a critical review on these challenges and potential opportunities of HR-MBR for wastewater treatment and water reclamation, and aims to guide and inform future research on HR-MBR for fast commercialisation of this innovative technology.
Removal Mechanisms of Trace Organic Contaminants in Osmotically Driven Membrane Process
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2012
New and practical mathematical model of membrane fouling in an aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.04.006
Abstract: This study aimed to develop a practical semi-empirical mathematical model of membrane fouling that accounts for cake formation on the membrane and its pore blocking as the major processes of membrane fouling. In the developed model, the concentration of mixed liquor suspended solid is used as a lumped parameter to describe the formation of cake layer including the biofilm. The new model considers the combined effect of aeration and backwash on the foulants' detachment from the membrane. New exponential coefficients are also included in the model to describe the exponential increase of transmembrane pressure that typically occurs after the initial stage of an MBR operation. The model was validated using experimental data obtained from a lab-scale aerobic sponge-submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR), and the simulation of the model agreed well with the experimental findings.
Competitive adsorption of metals on cabbage waste from multi-metal solutions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2013.12.107
Abstract: This study assessed the adsorption capacity of the agro-waste 'cabbage' as a biosorbent in single, binary, ternary and quaternary sorption systems with Cu(II), Pb(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) ions. Dried and ground powder of cabbage waste (CW) was used for the sorption of metals ions. Carboxylic, hydroxyl, and amine groups in cabbage waste were found to be the key functional groups for metal sorption. The adsorption isotherms obtained could be well fitted to both the mono- and multi-metal models. In the competitive adsorption systems, cabbage waste adsorbed larger amount of Pb(II) than the other three metals. However, the presence of the competing ions suppressed the sorption of the target metal ions. Except the case of binary system of Cd(II)-Zn(II) and Cd(II)-Cu(II), there was a linear inverse dependency between the sorption capacities and number of different types of competitive metal ions.
Removal of trace organic contaminants by an MBR comprising a mixed culture of bacteria and white-rot fungi
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2013.08.142
Abstract: The degradation of 30 trace organic contaminants (TrOC) by a white-rot fungus-augmented membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated. The results show that white-rot fungal enzyme (laccase), coupled with a redox mediator (1-hydroxy benzotriazole, HBT), could degrade TrOC that are resistant to bacterial degradation (e.g. diclofenac, triclosan, naproxen and atrazine) but achieved low removal of compounds (e.g. ibuprofen, gemfibrozil and amitriptyline) that are well removed by conventional activated sludge treatment. Overall, the fungus-augmented MBR showed better TrOC removal compared to a system containing conventional activated sludge. The major role of biodegradation in removal by the MBR was noted. Continuous mediator dosing to MBR may potentially enhance its performance, although not as effectively as for mediator-enhanced batch laccase systems. A ToxScreen3 assay revealed no significant increase in the toxicity of the effluent during MBR treatment of the synthetic wastewater comprising TrOC, confirming that no toxic by-products were produced.
Removal process of antibiotics during anaerobic treatment of swine wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2019.122707
Abstract: High concentrations of antibiotics in swine wastewater pose potentially serious risks to the environment, human and animal health. Identifying the mechanism for removing antibiotics during the anaerobic treatment of swine wastewater is essential for reducing the serious damage they do to the environment. In this study, batch experiments were conducted to investigate the biosorption and biodegradation of tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics (TCs and SMs) in anaerobic processes. Results indicated that the removal of TCs in the anaerobic reactor contributed to biosorption, while biodegradation was responsible for the SMs' removal. The adsorption of TCs fitted well with the pseudo-second kinetic mode and the Freundlich isotherm, which suggested a heterogeneous chemisorption process. Cometabolism was the main mechanism for the biodegradation of SMs and the process fitted well with the first-order kinetic model. Microbial activity in the anaerobic sludge might be curtailed due to the presence of high concentrations of SMs.
Phthalates in the environment: characteristics, fate and transport, and advanced wastewater treatment technologies
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2021.126249
Abstract: Phthalates are well-known emerging contaminants that harm human health and the environment. Therefore, this review aims to discuss about the occurrence, fate, and phthalates concentration in the various environmental matrices (e.g., aquatic, sediment, soil, and sewage sludge). Hence, it is necessary to treat sources containing phthalates before discharging them to aqueous environment. Various advanced wastewater treatments including adsorption process (e.g., biochar, activated carbon), advanced oxidation processes (e.g., photo-fenton, ozonation, photocatalysis), and biological treatment (membrane bioreactor) have been successfully to address this issue with high removal efficiencies (70-95%). Also, the degradation mechanism was discussed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the phthalate removal for the reader. Additionally, key factors that influenced the phthalates removal efficiency of these technologies were identified and summarized with a view towards pilot-scale and industrial applications.
Membrane fouling, chemical cleaning and separation performance assessment of a chlorine-resistant nanofiltration membrane for water recycling applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
Using electrodialysis for regeneration of aqueous lithium chloride solution in liquid desiccant air conditioning systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2016
A novel red mud adsorbent for phosphorus and diclofenac removal from wastewater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
A Novel Approach in Crude Enzyme Laccase Production and Application in Emerging Contaminant Bioremediation
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 29-05-2020
DOI: 10.3390/PR8060648
Abstract: Laccase enzyme from white-rot fungi is a potential biocatalyst for the oxidation of emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones. This study aims to develop a three-step platform to treat ECs: (i) enzyme production, (ii) enzyme concentration and (iii) enzyme application. In the first step, solid culture and liquid culture were compared. The solid culture produced significantly more laccase than the liquid culture (447 vs. 74 µM/min after eight days), demonstrating that white rot fungi thrived on a solid medium. In the second step, the enzyme was concentrated 6.6 times using an ultrafiltration (UF) process, resulting in laccase activity of 2980 µM/min. No enzymatic loss due to filtration and membrane adsorption was observed, suggesting the feasibility of the UF membrane for enzyme concentration. In the third step, concentrated crude enzyme was applied in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) to remove a erse set of ECs (31 compounds in six groups). The EMR effectively removed of steroid hormones, phytoestrogen, ultraviolet (UV) filters and industrial chemical (above 90%). However, it had low removal of pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
Biological performance and trace organic contaminant removal by a side-stream ceramic nanofiltration membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Effects of membrane fouling on the nanofiltration of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs): Mechanisms and role of membrane pore size
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2007
Membrane distillation regeneration of liquid desiccant solution for air-conditioning: Insights into polarisation effects and mass transfer
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2020
The shadow pandemic of single use personal protective equipment plastic waste: A blue print for suppression and eradication
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Do Microplastics Affect Biological Wastewater Treatment Performance? Implications from Bacterial Activity Experiments
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 20-11-2019
Removal of pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, phytoestrogens, UV-filters, industrial chemicals and pesticides by Trametes versicolor: Role of biosorption and biodegradation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
Bacterial dynamics and functions driven by bulking agents to mitigate gaseous emissions in kitchen waste composting
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Free Ammonia Pretreatment to Enhance Biodegradation of Anaerobically Digested Sludge in Post Aerobic Digestion
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 02-08-2018
Transport of N-Nitrosamines through a Reverse Osmosis Membrane: Role of Molecular Size and Nitrogen Atoms
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 20-12-2019
Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants by Integrated Membrane Processes for Water Reuse Applications
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
Date: 27-06-2016
Lithium extraction from Chinese salt-lake brines: opportunities, challenges, and future outlook
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1039/C7EW00020K
Abstract: Chinese salt-lake brine is mainly of the magnesium sulfate subtype with a high Mg/Li ratio. To extract high purity lithium chloride from Chinese brine has been a decade-long challenge. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art of lithium extraction from Chinese salt-lake brine.
Monitoring antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment: current strategies and future challenges
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Effect of biomass retention time on performance and fouling of a stirred membrane photobioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2023
Membrane distillation crystallization for brine mining and zero liquid discharge: opportunities, challenges, and recent progress
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C9EW00157C
Abstract: This review outlines all the work done on the membrane distillation crystallization process.
Rejection and adsorption behaviour of phytoestrogens by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 24-02-2014
Effects of organic and colloidal fouling on the rejection of two pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) by nanofiltration processes: Role of membrane foulants
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-09-2014
Removal of the Natural Hormone Estrone from Aqueous Solutions Using Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 28-11-2002
DOI: 10.1021/ES0102336
Abstract: The ability of a variety of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes to retain the natural hormone estrone are examined here as a function of solution conditions. While size exclusion dominates retention with the tighter membranes, both size exclusion and adsorptive effects appear to be instrumental in maintaining high retention on nanofiltration membranes that otherwise exhibit relatively low ion retentions. These adsorptive effects may be driven by hydrogen bonding between estrone and the membrane. Electrostatic attraction appears to aid retention with an apparent slight decrease in retention at high NaCl concentrations. Deprotonation of estrone leads to a significant decrease in retention, most likely as a result of the effect of strong electrostatic repulsive forces decreasing the proximity of the negatively charged estrone to the negatively charged membrane surface and thus lowering the potential for adsorptive retention. This deprotonation effect is absent for tight RO membranes. The results reported here indicate that while open nanofiltration membranes may be effective in retaining estrone under some conditions, the extent of retention may be very susceptible to maintenance of adsorptive capacity at the membrane surface and depend on solution chemistry.
The preparation and characterization of buckypaper made from carbon nanotubes impregnated with chitosan
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-12-2020
DOI: 10.1002/PC.25463
Removal of Natural Hormones by Nanofiltration Membranes: Measurement, Modeling, and Mechanisms
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 13-02-2004
DOI: 10.1021/ES034952R
Abstract: The removal mechanisms of four natural steroid hormones-estradiol, estrone, testosterone, and progesterone-by nanofiltration (NF) membranes were investigated. Two nanofiltration membranes with quite different permeabilities and salt retention characteristics were utilized. To better understand hormone removal mechanisms, the membrane average pore size was determined from retention data of inert organic solutes of various molecular weights and a pore transport model that incorporates steric (size) exclusion and hindered convection and diffusion. Results indicate that, at the early stages of filtration, adsorption (or partitioning) of hormones to the membrane polymer is the dominant removal mechanism. Because the adsorptive capacity of the membrane is limited, the final retention stabilizes when the adsorption of hormones into the membrane polymer has reached equilibrium. At this later filtration stage, the overall hormone retention is lower than that expected based solely on the size exclusion mechanism. This behavior is attributed to partitioning and subsequent diffusion of hormone molecules in the membrane polymeric phase, which ultimately results in a lower retention. Hormone diffusion in the membrane polymeric matrix most likely depends on the size of the hormone molecule, hydrogen bonding of hormones to membrane functional groups, and hydrophobic interactions of the hormone with the membrane polymeric matrix.
Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering, CESE-2011: 25-30 September, Ever Green Plaza Hotel, Tainan City, Taiwan
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2012
The effects of feed solution temperature on pore size and trace organic contaminant rejection by the nanofiltration membrane NF270
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
Removal of polycyclic musks by anaerobic membrane bioreactor: Biodegradation, biosorption, and enantioselectivity
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2014.10.004
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the performance of anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for removing five polycyclic musks (PCMs), which are common active ingredients of personal care and household cleaning products. A laboratory scale AnMBR system was used in this investigation. Concentrations of the PCMs in both the liquid and biosolids phase were measured to conduct a mass balance analysis and elucidate their fate during AnMBR treatment. The AnMBR was effective for removing PCMs from the aqueous phase by a combination of biotransformation and sorption onto the biosolids. However, biotransformation was observed to be the dominant removal mechanism for all five PCMs. Enantioselective analysis of the PCMs in influent, effluent and biomass s les indicated that there was negligible enantioselectivity in the removal of these PCMs. Accordingly, all enantiomers of these PCMs can be expected to be removed by AnMBR with similar efficiency.
Adsorptive interactions between membranes and trace contaminants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2002
Special issue on Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering (CESE-2014) 12–16 October 2014, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-02-2016
Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering, CESE-2017: 11–15 Nov. 2017, Kunming, China
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
Removal of trace organic contaminants by the forward osmosis process
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2013
Lithium enrichment from a simulated salt lake brine using an integrated nanofiltration-membrane distillation process
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
A contemporary review of enzymatic applications in the remediation of emerging estrogenic compounds
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-02-2021
Enzyme-based control of membrane biofouling for water and wastewater purification: A comprehensive review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
New insights in biodegradation of organic pollutants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
New transformation products from ozonation and photolysis of diclofenac in the aqueous phase
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Water extraction from mixed liquor of an aerobic bioreactor by forward osmosis: Membrane fouling and biomass characteristics assessment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
Tweak in Puzzle: Tailoring Membrane Chemistry and Structure toward Targeted Removal of Organic Micropollutants for Water Reuse
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 25-03-2022
Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering CESE-2010 26 September-1 October 2010, The Sebel, Cairns, Queensland, Australia Total Water Management for the Sustainability of Freshwater in the Future
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2011
Continuous transformation of chiral pharmaceuticals in enzymatic membrane bioreactors for advanced wastewater treatment
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 20-06-2017
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2017.331
Abstract: This study demonstrates continuous enantiomeric inversion and further biotransformation of chiral profens including ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen by an enzymatic membrane bioreactor (EMBR) dosed with laccase. The EMBR showed non-enantioselective transformations, with high and consistent transformation of both (R)- and (S)-ibuprofen (93 ± 6%, n= 10), but lower removals of both enantiomers of naproxen (46 ± 16%, n= 10) and ketoprofen (48 ± 17%, n= 10). Enantiomeric analysis revealed a bidirectional but uneven inversion of the profens, for ex le 14% inversion of (R)- to (S)- compared to 4% from (S)- to (R)-naproxen. With redox-mediator addition, the enzymatic chiral inversion of both (R)- and (S)-profens remained unchanged, although the overall conversion became enantioselective except for (S)-naproxen, the addition of redox mediator promoted the degradation of (R)-profens only.
By-products of Anaerobic Treatment
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2017
Landfill leachate treatment using hybrid coagulation-nanofiltration processes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2010
Effects of feed solution characteristics on the rejection of N-nitrosamines by reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2012
Mechanisms underlying the effects of membrane fouling on the nanofiltration of trace organic contaminants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2010
Mitigation of reverse osmosis membrane fouling by electrochemical-microfiltration- activated carbon pretreatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Boron as a Surrogate for N-Nitrosodimethylamine Rejection by Reverse Osmosis Membranes in Potable Water Reuse Applications
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 29-05-2013
DOI: 10.1021/ES400732X
Abstract: The results of this study reveal a strong linear correlation (R(2) = 0.95) between the rejections of boron and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) by six different reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, suggesting that boron can be used as a surrogate for NDMA rejection. This proposal is based on the premise that the rejection of both boric acid and NDMA is governed by steric hindrance and that they have similar molecular dimensions. The concept proposed here is shown to be valid at pH 8 or below where boron exists as the neutral boric acid species and NDMA is also a neutral solute. Observed changes in the rejections of these two species, as a function of permeate fluxes and feed solution temperatures, were also almost identical. Boron rejection increased from 21 to 79%, and the correlation coefficient of the linear regression between boron and NDMA rejections was 0.99 as the permeate flux increased from 5 to 60 L m(-2)h(-1). Similarly, a linear correlation between boron and NDMA rejections was observed as the feed solution temperature increased from 10 to 40 °C. This linear correlation was also validated in a tertiary treated effluent matrix.
Phosphorus recovery from digested sludge centrate using seawater-driven forward osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2016
Effects of membrane fouling and scaling on boron rejection by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2011
Effects of membrane fouling on N-nitrosamine rejection by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2013
Biofouling Mitigation by Chloramination during Forward Osmosis Filtration of Wastewater
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 27-09-2018
Abstract: Pre-concentration is essential for energy and resource recovery from municipal wastewater. The potential of forward osmosis (FO) membranes to pre-concentrate wastewater for subsequent biogas production has been demonstrated, although biofouling has also emerged as a prominent challenge. This study, using a cellulose triacetate FO membrane, shows that chloramination of wastewater in the feed solution at 3–8 mg/L residual monochloramine significantly reduces membrane biofouling. During a 96-h pre-concentration, flux in the chloraminated FO system decreased by only 6% and this flux decline is mostly attributed to the increase in salinity (or osmotic pressure) of the feed due to pre-concentration. In contrast, flux in the non-chloraminated FO system dropped by 35% under the same experimental conditions. When the feed was chloraminated, the number of bacterial particles deposited on the membrane surface was significantly lower compared to a non-chloraminated wastewater feed. This study demonstrated, for the first time, the potential of chloramination to inhibit bacteria growth and consequently biofouling during pre-concentration of wastewater using a FO membrane.
Is halogen content the most important factor in the removal of halogenated trace organics by MBR treatment?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2011.02.019
Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between physicochemical properties (namely halogen content and hydrophobicity) of halogenated trace organics and their removal efficiencies by a laboratory scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) under stable operating conditions. The reported results demonstrated a combined effect of halogen content and hydrophobicity on the removal. Compounds with high halogen content (>0.3) were well removed (>85%) when they possessed high hydrophobicity (Log D>3.2), while those with lower Log D values were also well removed if they had low halogen content (<0.1). General indices such as the BIOWIN index (which is based on only biodegradation) or a more specific index such as the halogen content (which captures a chemical aspect) appeared insufficient to predict the removal efficiency of halogenated compounds in MBR. Experimental data confirmed that the ratio of halogen content and Log D, which incorporates two important physico-chemical properties, is comparatively more suitable.
A novel mechanistic model for nitrogen removal in algal-bacterial photo sequencing batch reactors
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.07.093
Abstract: A comprehensive mathematical model was constructed to evaluate the complex substrate and microbial interaction in algal-bacterial photo sequencing batch reactors (PSBR). The kinetics of metabolite, growth and endogenous respiration of ammonia oxidizing bacteria, nitrite oxidizing bacteria and heterotrophic bacteria were coupled to those of microalgae and then embedded into widely-used activated sludge model series. The impact of light intensity was considered for microalgae growth, while the effect of inorganic carbon was considered for each microorganism. The integrated model framework was assessed using experimental data from algal-bacterial consortia performing sidestream nitritation/denitritation. The validity of the model was further evaluated based on dataset from PSBR performing mainstream nitrification. The developed model could satisfactorily capture the dynamics of microbial populations and substrates under different operational conditions (i.e. feeding, carbon dosing and illuminating mode, light intensity, influent ammonium concentration), which might serve as a powerful tool for optimizing the novel algal-bacterial nitrogen removal processes.
Emerging investigators series: a steric pore-flow model to predict the transport of small and uncharged solutes through a reverse osmosis membrane
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C7EW00194K
Abstract: This study proposed a new approach to apply the steric pore-flow model to predict the rejection of eight N -nitrosamines and seven VOCs that are of great concern in potable water reuse through an RO membrane.
Modified centrifugal technique for determining polymer demand and achievable dry solids content in the dewatering of anaerobically digested sludge
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 16-03-2016
Free and immobilized biocatalysts for removing micropollutants from water and wastewater: Recent progress and challenges
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2021.126201
Abstract: Enzymatic conversion of micropollutants into less-toxic derivatives is an important bioremediation strategy. This paper aims to critically review the progress in water and wastewater treatment by both free and immobilized enzymes presenting this approach as highly efficient and performed under environmentally benign and friendly conditions. The review also summarises the effects of inorganic and organic wastewater matrix constituents on enzymatic activity and degradation efficiency of micropollutants. Finally, application of enzymatic reactors facilitate continuous treatment of wastewater and obtaining of pure final effluents. Of a particular note, enzymatic treatment of micropollutants from wastewater has been mostly reported by laboratory scale studies. Thus, this review also highlights key research gaps of the existing techniques and provides future perspectives to facilitate the transfer of the lab-scale solutions to a larger scale and to improve operationability of biodegradation processes.
Free Ammonia Pretreatment To Improve Bio-hydrogen Production from Anaerobic Dark Fermentation of Microalgae
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 03-12-2018
Experimental and Theoretical Insight of Perfluorooctanoic Acid Destruction by Alkaline Hydrothermal Treatment Enhanced with Zero-Valent Iron in Biochar
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 27-04-2023
Synergistic effect from anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and organic wastes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
Genome sequencing as a new window into the microbial community of membrane bioreactors – A critical review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2019.135279
Abstract: Recent developed sequencing techniques have resulted in a new and unprecedented way to study biological wastewater treatment, in which most organisms are uncultivable. This review provides (i) an insight on state-of-the-art sequencing techniques and their limitations (ii) a critical assessment of the microbial community in biological reactor and biofouling layer in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). The data from high-throughput sequencing has been used to infer microbial growth conditions and metabolisms of microorganisms present in MBRs at the time of s ling. These data shed new insight to two fundamental questions about a microbial community in the MBR process namely the microbial composition (who are they?) and the functions of each specific microbial assemblage (what are their function?). The results to date also highlight the complexity of the microbial community growing on MBRs. Environmental conditions are dynamic and erse, and can influence the ersity and structural dynamics of any given microbial community for wastewater treatment. The benefits of understanding the structure of microbial communities on three major aspects of the MBR process (i.e. nutrient removal, biofouling control, and micropollutant removal) were symmetrically delineated. This review also indicates that the deployment of microbial community analysis for a practical engineering context, in terms of process design and system optimization, can be further realized.
Removal of Emerging Trace Organic Chemicals by Forward Osmosis
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
Date: 31-07-2015
Transport of small and neutral solutes through reverse osmosis membranes: Role of skin layer conformation of the polyamide film
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
Removal of micropollutants by membrane bioreactor under temperature variation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2011
Degradation of diclofenac, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, and sulfamethoxazole by laccase from Trametes versicolor: Transformation products and toxicity of treated effluent
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-04-2019
Assessing the performance of solar thermal driven membrane distillation for seawater desalination by computer simulation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
Comparison between sequential and simultaneous application of activated carbon with membrane bioreactor for trace organic contaminant removal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2012.11.131
Abstract: The removal efficiency of 22 selected trace organic contaminants by sequential application of granular activated carbon (GAC) and simultaneous application of powdered activated carbon (PAC) with membrane bioreactor (MBR) was compared in this study. Both sequential application of GAC following MBR treatment (MBR-GAC) and simultaneous application of PAC within MBR (PAC-MBR) achieved improved removal (over 95%) of seven hydrophilic and biologically persistent compounds, which were less efficiently removed by MBR-only treatment (negligible to 70%). However, gradual breakthrough of these compounds occurred over an extended operation period. Charged compounds, particularly, fenoprop and diclofenac, demonstrated the fastest breakthrough (complete and 50-70%, in MBR-GAC and PAC-MBR, respectively). Based on a simple comparison from the long-term performance stability and activated carbon usage points of view, PAC-MBR appears to be a better option than MBR-GAC treatment.
Removal of trace organic contaminants by a membrane bioreactor–granular activated carbon (MBR–GAC) system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2011.10.051
Abstract: The removal of trace organics by a membrane bioreactor-granular activated carbon (MBR-GAC) integrated system were investigated. The results confirmed that MBR treatment can be effective for the removal of hydrophobic (log D>3.2) and readily biodegradable trace organics. The data also highlighted the limitation of MBR in removing hydrophilic and persistent compounds (e.g. carbamazepine, diclofenac, and fenoprop) and that GAC could complement MBR very well as a post-treatment process. The MBR-GAC system showed high removal of all selected trace organics including those that are hydrophilic and persistent to biological degradation at up to 406 bed volumes (BV). However, over an extended period, breakthrough of diclofenac was observed after 7320 BV. This suggests that strict monitoring should be applied over the lifetime of the GAC column to detect the breakthrough of hydrophilic and persistent compounds which have low removal by MBR treatment.
Application of rumen and anaerobic sludge microbes for bio harvesting from lignocellulosic biomass
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2019.04.159
Abstract: This study investigated the production of biogas, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and other soluble organic from lignocellulosic biomass by two microbial communities (i.e. rumen fluid and anaerobic sludge). Four types of abundant lignocellulosic biomass (i.e. wheat straw, oaten hay, lurence hay and corn silage) found in Australia were used. The results show that rumen microbes produced four-time higher VFAs level than that of anaerobic sludge reactors, indicating the possible application of rumen microorganism for VFAs generation from lignocellulosic biomass. VFA production in the rumen fluid reactors was probably due to the presence of specific hydrolytic and acidogenic bacteria (e.g. Fibrobacter and Prevotella). VFA production corroborated from the observation of pH drop in the rumen fluid reactors indicated hydrolytic and acidogenic inhibition, suggesting the continuous extraction of VFAs from the reactor. Anaerobic sludge reactors on the other hand, produced more biogas than that of rumen fluid reactors. This observation was consistent with the abundance of methanogens in anaerobic sludge inoculum (3.98% of total microbes) compared to rumen fluid (0.11%). VFA production from lignocellulosic biomass is the building block chemical for bioplastic, biohydrogen and biofuel. The results from this study provide important foundation for the development of engineered systems to generate VFAs from lignocellulosic biomass.
Performance of a seawater-driven forward osmosis process for pre-concentrating digested sludge centrate: organic enrichment and membrane fouling
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00132D
Abstract: This study demonstrated the potential of seawater-driven forward osmosis for enriching organic matter in digested sludge centrate.
Membrane distillation and membrane electrolysis of coal seam gas reverse osmosis brine for clean water extraction and NaOH production
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
Membrane scaling and prevention techniques during seawater desalination by air gap membrane distillation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
Influence of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment on physicochemical properties and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge with different solids content
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.WASMAN.2018.12.026
Abstract: The influence of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) on physicochemical properties (pH, total solids, volatile solids, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, volatile fatty acids, viscosity, and cell morphology) and anaerobic biodegradability of highly concentrated waste activated sludge (WAS) with TS content ranging from 1 to 7% was evaluated at different temperatures ranging from 100 to 220 °C. The biomethane potential (BMP) of the WAS was systematically analyzed and evaluated. Images of its cellular structure were also analyzed. The results indicated that THP is a useful method for solubilizing volatile solids and enhancing CH
Water reclamation and nitrogen extraction from municipal solid waste landfill leachate
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-04-2016
Factors governing the pre-concentration of wastewater using forward osmosis for subsequent resource recovery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2016.05.139
Abstract: This study demonstrated a technique using forward osmosis (FO) to pre-concentrate the organic matter in raw wastewater, thereby transforming low strength wastewater into an anaerobically digestible solution. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of raw wastewater was concentrated up to approximately eightfold at a water recovery of 90%. Thus, even low strength wastewater could be pre-concentrated by FO to the range suitable for biogas production via anaerobic treatment. Excessive salinity accumulation in pre-concentrated wastewater was successfully mitigated by adopting ionic organic draw solutes, namely, sodium acetate, and EDTA-2Na. These two draw solutes are also expected to benefit the digestibility of the pre-concentrated wastewater compared to the commonly used draw solute sodium chloride. Significant membrane fouling was observed when operating at 90% water recovery using raw wastewater. Nevertheless, membrane fouling was reversible and was effectively controlled by optimising the hydrodynamic conditions of the cross-flow FO system.
Flux jumping and a bulk-to-granular transition in the magnetization of a compacted and sintered MgB2 superconductor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2001
Impact of Membrane Ageing Caused by Chemical Cleaning on the Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants by Nanofiltration
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2012
Effects of mixing and covering with mature compost on gaseous emissions during composting
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2014.05.043
Abstract: This study investigated effects of mature compost on gaseous emissions during composting using pig manure amended with corn stalks. Apart from a control treatment, three treatments were conducted with the addition of 5% (wet weight of raw materials) of mature compost: (a) mixing raw materials with mature compost at the beginning of composting (b) covering raw materials with mature compost throughout the experimental period and (c) covering raw materials with mature compost at the start of composting, but incorporating it into composting pile on day 6 of composting. Mature compost used for the last treatment was inoculated with 2% (wet weight) of raw materials of strain M5 (a methanotrophic bacterium) solution. During 30-d of composting, three treatments with the addition of mature compost could reduce CH4 emission by 53-64% and N2O emission by 43-71%. However, covering with mature compost throughout the experimental period increased cumulative NH3 emission by 61%, although it could reduce 34% NH3 emission in the first 3d. Inoculating strain M5 in mature compost covered on the top of composting pile within first 6d enhanced CH4 oxidation, but simultaneously increased N2O emission. In addition, mixing with mature compost could improve compost maturity. Given the operational convenience in practice, covering with mature compost and then incorporating it into composting pile is a suitable approach to mitigate gaseous emissions during composting.
Long-term performance of a permeable reactive barrier in acid sulphate soil terrain
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-11-2009
Microalgae-bacteria consortium for wastewater treatment and biomass production
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.155871
Abstract: The ersity of microalgae and bacteria allows them to form a complementary consortium for efficient wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery. This review highlights the potential of wastewater-derived microalgal biomass as a renewable feedstock for producing animal feed, biofertilisers, biofuel, and many valuable biochemicals. Data corroborated from this review shows that microalgae and bacteria can thrive in many environments. Microalgae are especially effective at utilising nutrients from the water as they grow. This review also consolidates the current understanding of microalgae characteristics and their interactions with bacteria in a consortium system. Recent studies on the performance of only microalgae and microalgae-bacteria wastewater treatment are compared and discussed to establish a research roadmap for practical implementation of the consortium systems for various wastewaters (domestic, industrial, agro-industrial, and landfill leachate wastewater). In comparison to the pure microalgae system, the consortium system has a higher removal efficiency of up to 15% and shorter treatment time. Additionally, this review addresses a variety of possibilities for biomass application after wastewater treatment.
Biomethane potential evaluation of co-digestion of sewage sludge and organic wastes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Role of membrane fouling substances on the rejection of N-nitrosamines by reverse osmosis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2017.03.057
Abstract: The impact of fouling substances on the rejection of four N-nitrosamines by a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane was evaluated by characterizing in idual organic fractions in a secondary wastewater effluent and deploying a novel high-performance liquid chromatography-photochemical reaction-chemiluminescence (HPLC-PR-CL) analytical technique. The HPLC-PR-CL analytical technique allowed for a systematic examination of the correlation between the fouling level and the permeation of N-nitrosamines in the secondary wastewater effluent and synthetic wastewaters through an RO membrane. Membrane fouling caused by the secondary wastewater effluent led to a notable decrease in the permeation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) while a smaller but nevertheless discernible decrease in the permeation of N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) was also observed. Fluorescence spectrometry analysis revealed that major foulants in the secondary wastewater effluent were humic and fulvic acid-like substances. Analysis using the size exclusion chromatography technique also identified polysaccharides and proteins as additional fouling substances. Thus, further examination was conducted using solutions containing model foulants (i.e., sodium alginate, bovine serum albumin, humic acid and two fulvic acids). Similar to the secondary wastewater effluent, membrane fouling with fulvic acid solutions resulted in a decrease in N-nitrosamine permeation. In contrast, membrane fouling with the other model foulants resulted in a negligible impact on N-nitrosamine permeation. Overall, these results suggest that the impact of fouling on the permeation of N-nitrosamines by RO is governed by specific small organic fractions (e.g. fulvic acid-like organics) in the secondary wastewater effluent.
Oxidation reduction potential as a parameter to regulate micro-oxygen injection into anaerobic digester for reducing hydrogen sulphide concentration in biogas
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2014.09.052
Abstract: This study aims to evaluate the use of oxidation reduction potential (ORP) to regulate the injection of a small amount of oxygen into an anaerobic digester for reducing H2S concentration in biogas. The results confirm that micro-oxygen injection can be effective for controlling H2S formation during anaerobic digestion without disturbing the performance of the digester. Biogas production, composition, and the removal of volatile solids (VS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were monitored to assessment the digester's performance. Six days after the start of the micro-oxygen injection, the ORP values increased to between -320 and -270 mV, from the natural baseline value of -485 mV. Over the same period the H2S concentration in the biogas decreased from over 6000 ppm to just 30 ppm. No discernible changes in the VS and COD removal rates, pH and alkalinity of the digestate or in the biogas production or composition were observed.
Ceftriaxone sodium degradation by carbon quantum dots (CQDs)-decorated C-doped α-Bi2O3 nanorods.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2023
Removal of trace organics by MBR treatment: The role of molecular properties
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2011.01.023
Abstract: This study examined the relationship between specific molecular features of trace organic contaminants and their removal efficiencies by a laboratory scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). Removal efficiencies of 40 trace organic compounds were assessed under stable operating conditions. The reported results demonstrate an apparent correlation between chemical structures and the removal of trace organic contaminants by the laboratory scale MBR system. The removal of all 14 very hydrophobic (Log D > 3.2) trace organic compounds selected in this study was consistently high and was above 85%. The occurrence and types of electron withdrawing or donating functional groups appear to be important factors governing their removal by MBR treatment. In this study, all hydrophilic and moderately hydrophobic (Log D<3.2) compounds possessing strong electron withdrawing functional groups showed removal efficiency of less than 20%. In contrast, high removal efficiencies were observed with most compounds bearing electron donating functional groups such as hydroxyl and primary amine groups. A qualitative framework for the assessment of trace organic removal by MBR treatment was proposed to provide further insights into the removal mechanisms.
Nanofiltration of trace organic chemicals: A comparison between ceramic and polymeric membranes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2014
Real and apparent loss suppression in MgB2 superconducting composites
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2002
3D printed spacers for organic fouling mitigation in membrane distillation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
Impact of simultaneous retention of micropollutants and laccase on micropollutant degradation in enzymatic membrane bioreactor
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2018.07.066
Abstract: This study systematically compares the performance of ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) based enzymatic membrane bioreactors (EMBRs) for the degradation of five micropollutants, namely atrazine, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac and oxybenzone to elucidate the impact of effective membrane retention of micropollutants on their degradation. Based on the permeate quality, NF-EMBR achieved 92-99.9% micropollutant removal (i.e., biodegradation + membrane retention), while the removal of these micropollutants by UF-EMBR varied from 20 to 85%. Mass balance analysis revealed that micropollutant degradation was improved by 15-30% in NF-EMBR as compared to UF-EMBR, which could be attributed to the prolonged contact time between laccase and micropollutants following their effective retention by the NF membrane. A small decline in permeate flux was observed during EMBR operation. However, the flux could be recovered by flushing the membrane with permeate.
Removal of Trace Organic Chemicals and Performance of a Novel Hybrid Ultrafiltration-Osmotic Membrane Bioreactor
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 28-08-2014
DOI: 10.1021/ES501051B
Abstract: A hybrid ultrafiltration-osmotic membrane bioreactor (UFO-MBR) was investigated for over 35 days for nutrient and trace organic chemical (TOrC) removal from municipal wastewater. The UFO-MBR system uses both ultrafiltration (UF) and forward osmosis (FO) membranes in parallel to simultaneously extract clean water from an activated sludge reactor for nonpotable (or environmental discharge) and potable reuse, respectively. In the FO stream, water is drawn by osmosis from activated sludge through an FO membrane into a draw solution (DS), which becomes diluted during the process. A reverse osmosis (RO) system is then used to reconcentrate the diluted DS and produce clean water suitable for direct potable reuse. The UF membrane extracts water, dissolved salts, and some nutrients from the system to prevent their accumulation in the activated sludge of the osmotic MBR. The UF permeate can be used for nonpotable reuse purposes (e.g., irrigation and toilet flushing). Results from UFO-MBR investigation illustrated that the chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus removals were greater than 99%, 82%, and 99%, respectively. Twenty TOrCs were detected in the municipal wastewater that was used as feed to the UFO-MBR system. Among these 20 TOrCs, 15 were removed by the hybrid UFO-MBR system to below the detection limit. High FO membrane rejection was observed for all ionic and nonionic hydrophilic TOrCs and lower rejection was observed for nonionic hydrophobic TOrCs. With the exceptions of bisphenol A and DEET, all TOrCs that were detected in the DS were well rejected by the RO membrane. Overall, the UFO-MBR can operate sustainably and has the potential to be utilized for direct potable reuse applications.
Enhanced boron rejection by NF/RO membranes by complexation with polyols: Measurement and mechanisms
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2013
Implementation of forward osmosis to concentrate alpha-ketoglutaric acid from fermentation broth: Performance and fouling analysis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Enhanced biogas production and performance assessment of a full-scale anaerobic digester with acid phase digestion
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
N-nitrosamine rejection by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes: The importance of membrane characteristics
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2013
Relating rejection of trace organic contaminants to membrane properties in forward osmosis: Measurements, modelling and implications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2013.11.031
Abstract: This study elucidates the relationship between membrane properties and the rejection of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in forward osmosis (FO). An asymmetric cellulose triacetate (CTA) and a thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide FO membrane were used for this investigation. The effective average pore radius (rp), selective barrier thickness over porosity parameter (l/ε), surface charge, support layer structural parameter (S), pure water permeability coefficient (A) and salt (NaCl) permeability coefficient (B) of the two membranes were systematically characterised. Results show that measured rejection of TrOCs as a function of permeate water flux can be well described by the pore hindrance transport model. This observation represents the first successful application of this model, which was developed for pressure-driven nanofiltration, to an osmotically-driven membrane process. The rejection of charged TrOCs by the CTA and TFC membranes was high and was governed by both electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance. The TFC membrane exhibited higher rejection of neutral TrOCs with low molecular weight than the CTA membrane, although the estimated pore size of the TFC membrane (0.42 nm) was slightly larger than that of the CTA membrane (0.37 nm). This higher rejection of neutral TrOCs by the TFC membrane is likely attributed to its active layer properties, namely a more effective active layer structure, as indicated by a larger l/ε parameter, and pore hydration induced by the negative surface charge.
Significance of the presence of antibiotics on the microbial consortium in wastewater – The case of nitrofurantoin and furazolidone
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Evaluating waste concrete for the treatment of acid sulphate soil groundwater from coastal floodplains
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2011
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