Publications

Dang, LC, Dang, CC & Khabbaz, MH 2019, 'A Parametric Study of Deep Mixing Columns and Fibre Reinforced Load Transfer Platform Supported Embankments' in New Prospects in Geotechnical Engineering Aspects of Civil Infrastructures, Springer, Cham, pp. 179-194.
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The ground improvement technique using deep cement mixing (DCM) columns combined with geosynthetic reinforced traditional angular layer as a load transfer platform supported embankments has recently been adopted widely in construction of roads, railways, and highways over soft soils. This modification technique provides a practical and efficient measure for such infrastructure construction projects as it brings significant savings in construction costs and construction time. In this numerical study, a novel ground modification technique utilising fibre reinforced load transfer platform (FRLTP) and DCM columns supported embankment constructed on top of multilayers of soft soils is proposed and investigated based on the finite element method incorporated in PLAXIS. A series of numerical analyses was firstly carried out on the full geometry of a DCM columns supported (CS) embankment reinforced without or with an FRLTP in a two-dimensional plane strain condition. The main objective of this analysis is to examine the effectiveness of the FRLTP inclusion into the CS embankment system in terms of maximum settlement and lateral displacement. Subsequently, an extensive parametric study was conducted to further investigate the influence of the FRLTP thickness on the performance of the CS embankment by comparing the maximum and differential settlements, and the lateral displacement. The numerical results reveal that the embankment with FRLTP inclusion can effectively enhance the total settlement and the lateral displacement of the embankment. The findings of the extensive parametric study reveal that the platform thickness has significant influence on the embankment behavior, especially in improving the total and differential settlements, the rigidity and stability of the embankment, and the more load transfer from the embankment to DCM columns. Meanwhile it significantly minimises the lateral displacement and the embankment loads transferred to soft foundation soils.

Nguyen, LN, Nguyen, AQ & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Microbial Community in Anaerobic Digestion System: Progression in Microbial Ecology' in Bui, X-T, Chiemchaisri, C, Fujioka, T & Varjani, S (eds), Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Springer Singapore, pp. 331-355.
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Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biochemical process that involves four microorganism groups, namely, hydrolyzers, acidogens, acetogens, and methanogens. These groups function in syntrophy and have intra-dependent metabolic pathways. Changes in one group (e.g., over-/underexpressed population and function) can alter this chain of anaerobic process and consequently AD performance. With recent progress in culture-independent techniques, an array of previously unknown and uncultured microorganisms has been recently uncovered in the AD process. Discoveries on the diversity and structure of the AD microbial community can provide new information on digester stability and performance (e.g., biogas production). This chapter provided a critical analysis of the current knowledge on the AD microbial community, focusing on the factors affecting microbial community and the relationship between microbial community and AD performance. Gaining a better understanding of microbial ecology could be the key for greater AD efficiency and biogas production capacity.

Tijing, L, Yao, M, Ren, J, Park, C-H, Kim, CS & Shon, H 2019, 'Nanofibers for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Recent Advances and Developments' in Bui, X-T, Chiemchaisri, C, Fujioka, T & Varjani, S (eds), Water and Wastewater Technologies, Springer, Singapore, pp. 431-468.
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VO HOANG NHAT, P, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Bui, XT, Nguyen, PD, Nguyen, TMH & Zhang, X 2019, 'Advances of Photobioreactors in Wastewater Treatment: Engineering Aspects, Applications and Future Perspectives' in Bui, X-T, Chiemchaisri, C, Fujioka, T & Varjani, S (eds), Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Springer, pp. 297-329.
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Wilkinson, S, Ralph, P & Biloria, NM 2019, 'Algae Building: Is This the New Smart Sustainable Technology' in Biloria, N (ed), Data-Driven Multivalence in the Built Environment, Springer Nature, Switzerland, pp. 245-268.
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Building energy use contributes around 40% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (UNEP 2009) and reducing building-related GHG emissions could mitigate global warming significantly. With a three degree increase in global temperature by 2100 predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change we need to explore ways to mitigate these impacts. An option for the built environment is to build and retrofit using innovative technologies to adopt onsite energy generation and reduce energy use (UNEP 2015). Increasing energy efficiency and using renewable energy are ways to reduce GHG emissions. Technological innovations change over time, and innovations that start as expensive and inefficient can become economic and highly productive, solar energy is an example. In the mid 1800s the photovoltaic (PV) effect was discovered but it took a century to invent a suitable storage device, after which rapid innovation in efficiency and costs followed. Could the same happen for bio-energy? Global biomass energy production reached 88 GW in 2014 (Rosillo et al, 2016); and bio-energy is no longer a transition energy source. In 2013, a residential building in Hamburg Germany adopted algae, as a renewable energy source. Several questions arise; how does algae produce energy for buildings? And how much energy is produced? How does it compare to other renewable energy sources? Furthermore, which building types are suited to adoption of algae as an energy source? This chapter explores the feasibility of algae building technology explaining the technology and how it works; the strengths and weaknesses. Then the chapter sets out the drivers and barriers to adopting Algae Building Technology, and; to assesses opportunities across a range of building types.

Abdo, P, Huynh, BP, Irga, PJ & Torpy, FR 2019, 'Evaluation of air flow through an active green wall biofilter', Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, vol. 41, pp. 75-84.
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© 2019 Elsevier GmbH Green walls show promise as active bio-filters to improve indoor air quality by removing both gaseous and particulate air pollutants. The current work represents a detailed assessment of airflow through an active green wall module. Airflow distribution through the module, the effect of wetting the substrate, and the effect of introducing a cover to the module's open top face were investigated, with the aim to improve the module's design and achieve more appropriate and effective airflow. Four cases of both planted and unplanted modules under both dry and wet conditions are considered. This work's primary observation is that more air will pass through a typical green wall substrate, and hence become cleansed, when the substrate is saturated wet more than when it is dry. The increase was substantial at approximately 50% more with 14.9 ± 0.2 L/s total air flow rate passing through the wet planted module versus 10 ± 0.2 L/s when dry. Reducing the 15.5 ± 0.75% of airflow passing through the module's open top face was found to be essential to maximize the bio-filtration capacity. Adding a top cover to the module having six 10 mm holes for irrigation decreased the airflow through the top by 6 ± 0.75%, and directed it through the filter increasing the percentage of air flow passing through the front openings from 79 ± 4% to 85 ± 4%.

Ahmed, MB, Hasan Johir, MA, Zhou, JL, Ngo, HH, Nghiem, LD, Richardson, C, Moni, MA & Bryant, MR 2019, 'Activated carbon preparation from biomass feedstock: Clean production and carbon dioxide adsorption', Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 225, pp. 405-413.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd The current methods used for the production of activated carbon (AC) are often chemical and energy intensive and produce significant amount of chemical waste. Thus, clean production of AC is important to reduce its overall production cost and to limit the adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to develop a clean method for AC production from woody biomass with low chemical consumption. Herein, this study reports a facile strategy for reducing chemical usages in the production of high-performance AC, by introducing a crucial pre-pyrolysis step before chemical activation of biomass. The ACs prepared were characterised using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas adsorption measurements. All these characterisations indicated that produced ACs have similar physicochemical properties. The strategy reduced chemical use by 70% and produced high-performance ultra-microporous ACs with excellent carbon dioxide adsorption capacity (4.22–5.44 mmol m −2 ). The facile pre-pyrolysis method is recommended for further research as a cleaner activated carbon preparation method from biomass feedstock.

Akther, N, Lim, S, Tran, VH, Phuntsho, S, Yang, Y, Bae, TH, Ghaffour, N & Shon, HK 2019, 'The effect of Schiff base network on the separation performance of thin film nanocomposite forward osmosis membranes', Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 217, pp. 284-293.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. In this study, Schiff base network-1 (SNW-1) nanoparticles, which are covalent organic frameworks (COFs), were used as fillers in the polyamide (PA) active layer to elevate the performance of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis (FO) membranes. The TFN membranes were prepared by interfacial polymerization (IP) of m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC), and the SNW-1 nanoparticles were dispersed in the MPD aqueous solution at various concentrations. The secondary amine groups of SNW-1 nanoparticles reacted with the acyl chloride groups of TMC during the IP reaction to form strong covalent/amide bonds, which facilitated better interface integration of SNW-1 nanoparticles in the PA layer. Additionally, the incorporation of amine-rich SNW-1 nanoparticles into the TFN membranes improved their surface hydrophilicity, and the porous structure of SNW-1 nanoparticles offered additional channels for transport of water molecules. The TFN0.005 membrane with a SNW-1 nanoparticle loading of 0.005 wt% demonstrated a higher water flux than that of pristine TFC membrane in both AL-FS (12.0 vs. 9.3 L m−2 h−1) and AL-DS (25.2 vs. 19.4 L m−2 h−1) orientations when they were tested with deionized water and 0.5 M NaCl as feed and draw solution, respectively.

Akther, N, Phuntsho, S, Chen, Y, Ghaffour, N & Shon, HK 2019, 'Recent advances in nanomaterial-modified polyamide thin-film composite membranes for forward osmosis processes', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 584, pp. 20-45.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Polyamide thin-film composite (PA TFC)membranes have attained much attention for forward osmosis (FO)applications in separation processes, water and wastewater treatment due to their superior intrinsic properties, such as high salt rejection and water permeability compared to the first-generation cellulose-based FO membranes. Nonetheless, several problems like fouling and trade-off between membrane selectivity and water permeability have hindered the progress of conventional PA TFC FO membranes for real applications. To overcome these issues, nanomaterials or chemical additives have been integrated into the TFC membranes. Nanomaterial-modified membranes have demonstrated significant improvement in their anti-fouling properties and FO performance. In addition, the PA TFC membranes can be designed for specific applications like heavy metal removal and osmotic membrane bioreactor by using nanomaterials to modify their physicochemical properties (porosity, surface charge, hydrophilicity, membrane structure and mechanical strength). This review provides a comprehensive summary of the progress of nanocomposite PA TFC membrane since its first development for FO in the year 2012. The nanomaterial-incorporated TFC membranes are classified into four categories based on the location of nanomaterial in/on the membranes: embedded inside the PA active layer, incorporated within the substrate, coated on the PA layer surface, or deposited as an interlayer between the substrate and the PA active layer. The key challenges still being confronted and the future research directions for nanocomposite PA TFC FO are also discussed.

Alharbi, SK, Nghiem, LD, van de Merwe, JP, Leusch, FDL, Asif, MB, Hai, FI & Price, WE 2019, 'Degradation of diclofenac, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, and sulfamethoxazole by laccase from Trametes versicolor: Transformation products and toxicity of treated effluent', Biocatalysis and Biotransformation.
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© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The degradation of diclofenac (DCF), trimethoprim (TMP), carbamazepine (CBZ), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by laccase from Trametes versicolor was investigated. Experiments were conducted using the pharmaceuticals individually, or as a mixture at different initial concentrations (1.25 and 5 mg/L each). The initial enzymatic activity of all the treated samples was around 430–460 U (DMP) /L. The removal of the four selected pharmaceuticals tested individually was more effective than when tested in mixtures under the same conditions. For example, 5 mg DCF/L was completely removed to below its detection limit (1 µg/L) within 8 h in the individual experiment vs. after 24 h when dosed as a mixture with the other pharmaceuticals. A similar trend was visible with other three pharmaceuticals, with 95 vs. 39%, 82 vs. 34% and 56 vs. 49% removal after 48 h with 5 mg/L of TMP, CBZ, and SMX tested individually or as mixtures, respectively. In addition, at the lower initial concentration (1.25 mg/L each), the removal efficiency of TMP, CBZ, and SMX in mixtures was lower than that obtained at the higher initial concentrations (5 mg/L each) during both the individual and combined treatments. Four enzymatic transformation products (TPs) were identified during the individual treatments of DCF and CBZ by T. versicolor. For TMP and SMX, no major TPs were observed under the experimental conditions used. The toxicity of the solution before and after enzymatic treatment of each pharmaceutical was also assessed and all treated effluent samples were verified to be non-toxic.

Ali, SM, Qamar, A, Kerdi, S, Phuntsho, S, Vrouwenvelder, JS, Ghaffour, N & Shon, HK 2019, 'Energy efficient 3D printed column type feed spacer for membrane filtration', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 164.
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Almabrok, MH, McLaughlan, R, Vessalas, K & Thomas, P 2019, 'Effect of oil contaminated aggregates on cement hydration', American Journal of Engineering Research (AJER), vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 81-89.
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Canola oil, refined mineral oil, and crude oil additions up to 10% of the aggregate mass in Portland cement mortars were found to decrease the 28-day compressive strength by 71%, 75% and 50%, respectively, and retard setting times. There was a progressive impact upon cement hydration as the oil content increased in mortars. Only in the case of vegetable oil and refined mineral oil could strength loss be attributed in part to cement hydration inhibition, as evidenced by reduced total evolved heat. It is likely that microstructural effects were also a key factor in strength loss for all mortars particularly for those containing crude oil.

Altaee, A & Cipolina, A 2019, 'Modelling and optimization of modular system for power generation from a salinity gradient', Renewable Energy, vol. 141, pp. 139-147.
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Altaee, A, Braytee, A, Millar, GJ & Naji, O 2019, 'Energy efficiency of hollow fibre membrane module in the forward osmosis seawater desalination process', JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE, vol. 587.
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Altaee, A, Hafez, MA & Hawari, AH 2019, 'A hybrid forward osmosis/reverse osmosis process for the supply of fertilizing solution from treated wastewater', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 32, pp. 1-7.
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This work investigates the application of a hybrid system that combines forward osmosis (FO) and reverse osmosis (RO) processes for the supply of a fertilizing solution that could be used directly for irrigation purposes. In the FO process the feed solution is treated sewage effluent (TSE) and two different types of draw solutions were investigated. The impact of the feed solution and the draw solution flowrates and the membrane orientation on the membrane flux were investigated in the forward osmosis process. RO was used for the regeneration of the draw solution. In the forward osmosis process it was found that the highest membrane flux was 13.2 LMH. The FO process had high rejection rates for total phosphorus and ammonium which were 99% and 97%, respectively. RO achieved 99% total salts rejection rate. Seawater RO (SW30HR) and brackish water RO (BW30LE) membranes were used for the regeneration of the draw solution. The specific power consumption for the regeneration of the draw solution was 2.58 kWh/m3 and 2.18 kWh/m3 for SW30HR and BW30LE membranes, respectively. The final product water had high quality in terms of total dissolved solids concentration but the concentration of phosphorus was slightly higher than recommended due to adding 0.1M of diammonium phosphate in the draw solution.

Altaee, A, Zhou, J, Zaragoza, G & Sharif, AO 2019, 'Impact of membrane orientation on the energy efficiency of dual stage pressure retarded osmosis', Journal of Water Process Engineering.
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The performance of Dual Stage Pressure Retarded Osmosis (DSPRO) was analyzed using a developed computer model. DSPRO process was evaluated on Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) and Forward Osmosis (FO) operating modes for different sodium chloride (NaCl) draw and feed concentrations. Simulation results revealed that the total power generation in the DSPRO process operating on the PRO mode was 2.5–5 times more than that operating on the FO mode. For DSPRO operating on the PRO mode, the higher power generation was in the case of 2 M NaCl-fresh and 32% the contribution of the second stage to the total power generation in the DSPRO. To the contrast, he total power generated in the DSPRO operating on the FO mode was in the following order 5M-0.6M > 5M-0.7M > 2M-0.01 > 2M-0.6 M. Interestingly, single stage process operating on the FO mode performed better than DSPRO process due to the severe concentration polarization effects. The results also showed that power density of the DSPRO reached a maximum amount at a hydraulic pressure less than the average osmotic pressure gradient, Δπ/2, due to the variation of optimum operating pressure of each stage. Moreover, results showed that the effective specific energy in the PRO process was lower than the maximum specific energy. However, the effective specific energy of the DSPRO was larger than that of the single stage PRO due to the rejuvenation of the salinity gradient, emphasizing the high potential of the DSPRO process for power generation.

Areerachakul, N, Sakulkhaemaruethai, S, Johir, MAH, Kandasamy, J & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants from wastewater using aluminium doped titanium dioxide', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 27, pp. 177-184.
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© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The objective of this research was to study the performance of batch and continuous recirculating reactor to photo-degrade dye and synthetic wastewater. Here, Aluminium (Al) was used as the doped metal. The commercially available TiO2 P-25 and Al (NO3)3 was used as a Ti-precursor and doping agent, respectively, via the impregnation method. Various parameters such as the concentration of the doping agent, and calcination temperature were studied. The TiO2 nanocrystal doped with Al was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The photocatalytic performance of Al-doped nanoparticle was quantified by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under a visible light irradiation condition. Its performance was compared against undoped-nano-TiO2. The results showed that Al(NO3)3 solution with a concentration of 0.25% and volume of 100 cm/ml, and calcined at 300 ๐C for 4 h, was the optimum condition of Al-doped nano-TiO2. Furthermore, the highest pseudo-first-order kinetic rate was 0.096 where the doped Al(NO3)3 of 0.75 w/v was used in the batch reactor. The Al-doped nano-TiO2 that was obtained has the potential for use as a photocatalyst for degradation organics pollutant from wastewater under the visible light irradiation. The highest removal of organic pollutants from synthetic wastewater was 75% using TiO2 P-25 alone at 2 g/L dosage. In addition, the removal of organic pollutant by TiO2/doped with Al was 80% at a dosage of 0.5 g/L and was 85% at a dosage of 1 g/L.

Asif, MB, Ansari, AJ, Chen, SS, Nghiem, LD, Price, WE & Hai, FI 2019, 'Understanding the mechanisms of trace organic contaminant removal by high retention membrane bioreactors: a critical review', Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
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© 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. 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.

Aung, Y, Khabbaz, H & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Mixed hardening hyper-viscoplasticity model for soils incorporating non-linear creep rate - H-creep model', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLASTICITY, vol. 120, pp. 88-114.
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Bao, T, Damtie, MM, Yu, ZM, Liu, Y, Jin, J, Wu, K, Deng, CX, Wei, W, Wei, XL & Ni, BJ 2019, 'Green Synthesis of Fe3O4@Carbon Filter Media for Simultaneous Phosphate Recovery and Nitrogen Removal from Domestic Wastewater in Biological Aerated Filters', ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.
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© 2019 American Chemical Society. Domestic wastewater depth processing and reclamation are essential in the alleviation of global water shortage. In this study, an innovative filter media (i.e., Fe3O4@Carbon filter media [FCM]) was synthesized and subsequently used in a biological aerated filter (BAF) for simultaneous phosphate recovery and nitrogen removal (SPN) from domestic wastewater. The performance of FCM was compared with the commercially available ceramsite (CAC). The results showed that the performance of FCMBAF was better than that of CACBAF; as far as SPN is concerned, the magnetic field of FCMBAF could accelerate the growth rate of biofilm. Moreover, the nitrospira and nirK gene copy numbers of FCMBAF were considerably higher than those of CACBAF. Interestingly, the interconnectivity and uniformity of pores were also suitable for the microdistribution of biofilm, where different aerobic and anaerobic zones of the FCM were formed. This facilitates the microinteraction between the key microorganisms and the filter media that successfully enhanced the nitrogen removal. The phosphate recovery was attained via hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) formation, which resulted from the reaction between phosphate (PO43-) and FCM. The average effluent concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), and PO43- were 8.12, 6.18, 0.997, and 0.073 mg/L of FCMBAF, respectively, which were lower than those from the national standard (CODcr ≤ 50 mg L-1, NH4+-N ≤ 5.0 mg L-1, TN ≤ 15 mg L-1, TP ≤ 0.5 mg L-1, GB 18918-2002, first standard). Thus, FCM demonstrated a promising potential for SPN and wastewater recycling of BAF in domestic wastewater treatment.

Biradar, J, Banerjee, S, Shankar, R, Ghosh, P, Mukherjee, S & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Response of square anchor plates embedded in reinforced soft clay subjected to cyclic loading', GEOMECHANICS AND ENGINEERING, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 165-173.
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Buapet, P, Mohammadi, NS, Pernice, M, Kumar, M, Kuzhiumparambil, U & Ralph, PJ 2019, 'Excess copper promotes photoinhibition and modulates the expression of antioxidant-related genes in Zostera muelleri', AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY, vol. 207, pp. 91-100.
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Bui, HH, Ha, NH, Nguyen, TND, Nguyen, AT, Pham, TTH, Kandasamy, J & Tien, VN 2019, 'Integration of SWAT and QUAL2K for water quality modeling in a data scarce basin of Cau River basin in Vietnam', ECOHYDROLOGY & HYDROBIOLOGY, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 210-223.
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Castillo, EHC, Thomas, N, Al-Ketan, O, Rowshan, R, Abu Al-Rub, RK, Nghiem, LD, Vigneswaran, S, Arafat, HA & Naidu, G 2019, '3D printed spacers for organic fouling mitigation in membrane distillation', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 581, pp. 331-343.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. 3D printing offers the flexibility to achieve favorable spacer geometrical modification. The role of 3D printed spacers for organic fouling mitigation in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) is evaluated. Compared to a commercial spacer, the design of 3D printed triply periodic minimal surfaces spacers (Gyroid and tCLP) - varying filament thickness and smaller hydraulic diameter enhanced DCMD fluxes by 50–65%. The highest DCMD flux was obtained with the 3D tCLP spacer due to its specific geometrical design feature. However, its design characteristics resulted in higher channel pressure drop compared to 3D Gyroid spacer. Moreover, 3D Gyroid spacer exhibited superior fouling mitigation (lower membrane organic mass deposition and reversible membrane hydrophobicity with humic acid solution), attributed to its tortuous design that repelled foulants. 3D Gyroid spacer was effective in achieving high water recovery (85%) while maintaining good quality distillate (10–15 μS/cm, 99% ion rejection) in DCMD with wastewater concentrate that contained high organics, mixed with inorganics. In MD, high organic contents minimally affected MD fluxes but reduced membrane hydrophobicity. Repeated DCMD cycles showed that organic pre-treatment as well as cleaning-in-place of membrane and spacer are essential for achieving high recovery rate while maintaining a stable long-term DCMD operation with wastewater concentrate.

Chapple, A, Nguyen, LN, Hai, FI, Dosseto, A, Rashid, MHO, Oh, S, Price, WE & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Impact of inorganic salts on degradation of bisphenol A and diclofenac by crude extracellular enzyme from Pleurotus ostreatus', Biocatalysis and Biotransformation, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 10-17.
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© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This study investigated the influence of inorganic salts on enzymatic activity and the removal of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) by crude laccase from the white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. A systematic analysis of 15 cations and anions from common inorganic salts was presented. Laccase activity was not inhibited by monovalent cations (i.e. Na + , NH 4 + , K + ), while the presence of divalent and trivalent cations showed variable impact – from negligible to complete inhibition – of both laccase activity and its TrOC removal performance. Of interest was the observation of discrepancy between residual laccase activity and TrOC removal in the presence of some ions. Mg 2+ had negligible impact on residual laccase activity but significant impact on TrOC removal. Conversely, F − showed greater impact on residual laccase activity than on TrOC removal. This observation indicated different impacts of the interfering ions on the interaction between laccase and TrOCs as compared to that between laccase and the reagent used to measure its activity, implicating that residual laccase activity may not always be an accurate indicator of TrOC removal. The degree of impact of halides was in the order of F −   >  I − >  Br −   >  Cl − . Particularly, the tolerance of the tested laccase to Cl − has important implications for a range of industrial applications.

Chen, F, Lu, S, Hu, X, He, Q, Feng, C, Xu, Q, Chen, N, Ngo, HH & Guo, H 2019, 'Multi-dimensional habitat vegetation restoration mode for lake riparian zone, Taihu, China', Ecological Engineering, vol. 134, pp. 56-64.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. The riparian zones that were surround bodies of fresh water have been extensively degraded by human influence. Their restoration strength and management are an issue of urgent. Particularly, the knowledge based for the restoration of riparian zone has expanded in recent years. However, progress on a global scale has been limited, because little is known about its complex and diverse functions and structures. A national ecological restoration project of Taihu Lake (China)provided a case study for classifying and restoring the riparian zone. In this work, we quantified the classification of riparian zone, vegetation-zone in the ecotones and a recommended suite of introduced riparian vegetation communities. Taking the structures of the ecotones, soil conditions, vegetation configurations, and anthropogenic disturbances into account, six types of vegetation-zone were used to classify riparian zone, which are as follow: reefs, islands, dokdo–island, island–shore, dike–shore, and shoreland. Then a multi-dimensional habitat vegetation restoration mode for each type based on six vegetation-zones were also recommended. The water ecological quality was developed to a healthy state under this implement. Therefore, results suggest that profound division of habitat-vegetation is important in the modern ecological engineering theories for riparian zone. In order to provide a key parameter for Taihu Lake and other worldwide lakes with similar characteristics, an eco-restoration model and a reconstruction scheme for the vegetation community have been presented. In a conclusion, these recommendations could largely assist further development for lake management.

Chen, H, Li, A, Cui, C, Ma, F, Cui, D, Zhao, H, Wang, Q, Ni, B & Yang, J 2019, 'AHL-mediated quorum sensing regulates the variations of microbial community and sludge properties of aerobic granular sludge under low organic loading', ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL, vol. 130.
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Chen, X, Lai, C-Y, Fang, F, Zhao, H-P, Dai, X & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Model-based evaluation of selenate and nitrate reduction in hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE, vol. 195, pp. 262-270.
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Chen, X, Ni, BJ & Sin, G 2019, 'Nitrous oxide production in autotrophic nitrogen removal granular sludge: A modeling study', Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol. 116, no. 6, pp. 1280-1291.
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© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The sustainability of autotrophic granular system performing partial nitritation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) for complete nitrogen removal is impaired by the production of nitrous oxide (N 2 O). A systematic analysis of the pathways and affecting parameters is, therefore, required for developing N 2 O mitigation strategies. To this end, a mathematical model capable of describing different N 2 O production pathways was defined in this study by synthesizing relevant mechanisms of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria (HB), and anammox bacteria. With the model validity reliably tested and verified using two independent sets of experimental data from two different autotrophic nitrogen removal biofilm/granular systems, the defined model was applied to reveal the underlying mechanisms of N 2 O production in the granular structure as well as the impacts of operating conditions on N 2 O production. The results show that: (a) in the aerobic zone close to the granule surface where AOB contribute to N 2 O production through both the AOB denitrification pathway and the NH 2 OH pathway, the co-occurring HB consume N 2 O produced by AOB but indirectly enhance the N 2 O production by providing NO from NO 2− reduction for the NH 2 OH pathway, (b) the inner anoxic zone of granules with the dominance of anammox bacteria acts as a sink for NO 2− diffusing from the outer aerobic zone and, therefore, reduces N 2 O production from the AOB denitrification pathway, (c) operating parameters including bulk DO, influent NH 4+ , and granule size affect the N 2 O production in the granules mainly by regulating the NH 2 OH pathway of AOB, accounting for 34–58% of N 2 O turnover, and (d) the competition between the NH 2 OH pathway and heterotrophic denitrification for nitric oxide leads to the positive role of HB in reducing N 2 O production in the autotrophic nitrogen removal granules, which could b...

Chen, X, Sin, G & Ni, BJ 2019, 'Impact of granule size distribution on nitrous oxide production in autotrophic nitrogen removal granular reactor', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 689, pp. 700-708.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. This work applied an approach with reactor compartmentation and artificial diffusion to study the impact of granule size distribution on the autotrophic granular reactor performing partial nitritation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation with focus on the nitrous oxide (N2O) production. The results show that the microbial community and the associated N2O production rates in the granular structure are significantly influenced by the granule size distribution. Heterotrophic bacteria growing on microbial decay products tend to be retained and contribute to N2O consumption in relatively small granules. Ammonium-oxidizing bacteria are mainly responsible for N2O production via two pathways in granules of different sizes. Under the conditions studied, such heterogeneity in the granular structure disappears when the number of granule size classes considered reaches >4, where heterotrophic bacteria are completely outcompeted in the granules. In general, larger granules account for a higher portion of the net N2O production, while the trend regarding the volumetric contribution of each granule size class changes with a varied number of granule size classes, due to the different contributions of relevant N2O production pathways (with the heterotrophic denitrification pathway being the most decisive). Overall, with the increasing extent of granule size distribution, the nitrogen removal efficiency decreases slightly but consistently, whereas the N2O production factor increases until the number of granule size classes reaches 4 or above. Practical implications of this work include: i) granules should be controlled as well-distributed as possible in order to obtain high nitrogen removal while minimizing N2O production; ii) granule size distribution should be considered carefully and specifically when modelling N2O production/emission from the autotrophic nitrogen removal granular reactor.

Chen, Y, Alanezi, AA, Zhou, J, Altaee, A & Shaheed, MH 2019, 'Optimization of module pressure retarded osmosis membrane for maximum energy extraction', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 32.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd A full-scale Pressure Retarded Osmosis process (PRO) is optimized in non-ideal operating conditions using Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithms. Optimization process included the classical parameters that previous studies recommended such as operating pressure, and feed and draw fractions in the mixture solution. The study has revealed that the recommended operating pressure ΔP=Δπ/2 and the ratio of feed or draw solution to the total mixture solution, ̴ 0.5, in a laboratory scale unit or in an ideal PRO process are not valid in a non-ideal full-scale PRO module. The optimization suggested that the optimum operating pressure is less than the previously recommended value of ΔP=Δπ/2. The optimization of hydraulic pressure resulted in 4.4% increase of the energy output in the PRO process. Conversely, optimization of feed fraction in the mixture has resulted in 28%–70% higher energy yield in a single-module PRO process and 9%–54% higher energy yield in a four-modules PRO process. The net energy generated in the optimized PRO process is higher than that in the unoptimized (normal) PRO process. The findings of this study reveal the significance of incorporating machine-learning algorithms in the optimization of PRO process and identifying the preferable operating conditions.

Chen, Z, Duan, X, Wei, W, Wang, S & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Recent advances in transition metal-based electrocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen evolution', JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A, vol. 7, no. 25, pp. 14971-15005.
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Chen, Z, Liu, Y, Wei, W & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Recent advances in electrocatalysts for halogenated organic pollutant degradation', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-NANO, vol. 6, no. 8, pp. 2332-2366.
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Chenari, RJ, Fatahi, B, Ghoreishi, M & Taleb, A 2019, 'Physical and numerical modelling of the inherent variability of shear strength in soil mechanics', GEOMECHANICS AND ENGINEERING, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 31-45.
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Cheng, DL, Ngo, HH, Guo, WS, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD & Kumar, SM 2019, 'Microalgae biomass from swine wastewater and its conversion to bioenergy.', Bioresource Technology, vol. 275, pp. 109-122.
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Ever-increasing swine wastewater (SW) has become a serious environmental concern. High levels of nutrients and toxic contaminants in SW significantly impact on the ecosystem and public health. On the other hand, swine wastewater is considered as valuable water and nutrient source for microalgae cultivation. The potential for converting the nutrients from SW into valuable biomass and then generating bioenergy from it has drawn increasing attention. For this reason, this review comprehensively discussed the biomass production, SW treatment efficiencies, and bioenergy generation potentials through cultivating microalgae in SW. Microalgae species grow well in SW with large amounts of biomass being produced, despite the impact of various parameters (e.g., nutrients and toxicants levels, cultivation conditions, and bacteria in SW). Pollutants in SW can effectively be removed by harvesting microalgae from SW, and the harvested microalgae biomass elicits high potential for conversion to valuable bioenergy.

Choi, J, Dorji, P, Shon, HK & Hong, S 2019, 'Applications of capacitive deionization: Desalination, softening, selective removal, and energy efficiency', Desalination, vol. 449, pp. 118-130.
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© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Capacitive deionization (CDI) has attracted a great attention as a promising desalination technology, and studies on CDI have increased significantly in the last ten years. However, there have been no guidelines for developing strategies involving CDI technology for specific applications. Therefore, our work presents a critical review of the recent advances in CDI to meet the technical requirements of various applicable areas, with an emphasis on hybrid systems. This paper first summarizes the major developments made on novel electrode materials for CDI for brackish water desalination. Then, CDI and reverse osmosis (RO) integrated systems are critically reviewed for both ultrapure water production and wastewater treatment. Additionally, the applicability of CDI on various industrial processes is discussed, covering two distinct topics: (1) water softening and (2) selective removal of valuable heavy metals and nutrients (nitrate/phosphate). Lastly, recent improvements on the energy efficiency of CDI processes are delineated, specifically focusing on energy recovery and hybridization with energy producing technology, such as reverse electrodialysis (RED) and microbial fuel cells (MFC). This review paper is expected to share the practical experience of CDI applications as well as to provide guidelines for electrode material development for each specific application.

Choi, J, Dorji, P, Shon, HK & Hong, S 2019, 'Corrigendum to “Applications of capacitive deionization: Desalination, softening, selective removal, and energy efficiency” [Desalination 449 (2019) 118–130](S0011916418306386)(10.1016/j.desal.2018.10.013)', Desalination, vol. 468.
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© 2019 The authors regret that the Acknowledgements should be revised due to the change of funder.Previous: This work was supported by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA), grant funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Grant 18IFIP-B116952-03). Update: This work was supported by Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI) through Industrial Facilities & Infrastructure Research Program, funded by Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) (1485016424).The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Choi, Y, Naidu, G, Lee, S & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Effect of inorganic and organic compounds on the performance of fractional-submerged membrane distillation-crystallizer', JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE, vol. 582, pp. 9-19.
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Choi, Y, Naidu, G, Nghiem, LD, Lee, S & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Membrane distillation crystallization for brine mining and zero liquid discharge: opportunities, challenges, and recent progress', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-WATER RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY, vol. 5, no. 7, pp. 1202-1221.
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Choi, Y, Ryu, S, Naidu, G, Lee, S & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Integrated submerged membrane distillation-adsorption system for rubidium recovery', Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 218, pp. 146-155.
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Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine management is essential for desalination. Improving brine recovery rate with resource recovery can enhance the overall desalination process. In this study, an integrated submerged membrane distillation (S-MD) with adsorption (granular potassium copper hexacyanoferrate (KCuFC)) was evaluated for improving water recovery from brine while extracting valuable Rb. The thermal S-MD process (55 °C) with a continuous supply of Rb-rich SWRO brine enabled Rb to be concentrated (99% rejection) while producing fresh water. Concentrated Rb in thermal condition enhanced Rb extraction by granular KCuFC. An optimum dose (0.24 g/L) KCuFC was identified based on 98% Rb mass adsorption (9.78 mg as Rb). The integrated submerged MD-adsorption system was able to achieve more than 85% water recovery and Rb extraction in continuous feed supply (in two cycles). Ca in SWRO brine resulted in CaSO4 deposition onto the membrane and surface of KCuFC, reducing recovery rate and Rb adsorption. MD water recovery significantly improved upon Ca removal while achieving a total of 6.65 mg of Rb extraction. In comparing the performance of different KCuFC forms (granular, particle and powder), the particle form of KCuFC exhibited 10–47% higher capacity in terms of total adsorbed Rb mass and adsorption rate.

Coleman, MA, Clark, JS, Doblin, MA, Bishop, MJ & Kelaher, BP 2019, 'Genetic differentiation between estuarine and open coast ecotypes of a dominant ecosystem engineer', Marine and Freshwater Research.
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© CSIRO 2018. Temperate intertidal shores globally are often dominated by habitat-forming seaweeds, but our knowledge of these systems is heavily biased towards northern hemisphere species. Rocky intertidal shores throughout Australia and New Zealand are dominated by a single monotypic species, Hormosira banksii. This species plays a key role in facilitating biodiversity on both rocky shores and estuarine habitats, yet we know little about the processes that structure populations. Herein we characterise the genetic diversity and structure of Hormosira and demonstrate strong restrictions to gene flow over small spatial scales, as well as between estuarine and open coast populations. Estuarine ecotypes were often genetically unique from nearby open coast populations, possibly due to extant reduced gene flow between habitats, founder effects and coastal geomorphology. Deviations from random mating in many locations suggest complex demographic processes are at play within shores, including clonality in estuarine populations. Strong isolation by distance in Hormosira suggests that spatial management of intertidal habitats will necessitate a network of broad-scale protection. Understanding patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow in this important ecosystem engineer will enhance the ability to manage, conserve and restore this key species into the future.

Collins, S, Boyd, PW & Doblin, MA 2019, 'Evolution, Microbes, and Changing Ocean Conditions.', Annual review of marine science.
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Experimental evolution and the associated theory are underutilized in marine microbial studies; the two fields have developed largely in isolation. Here, we review evolutionary tools for addressing four key areas of ocean global change biology: linking plastic and evolutionary trait changes, the contribution of environmental variability to determining trait values, the role of multiple environmental drivers in trait change, and the fate of populations near their tolerance limits. Wherever possible, we highlight which data from marine studies could use evolutionary approaches and where marine model systems can advance our understanding of evolution. Finally, we discuss the emerging field of marine microbial experimental evolution. We propose a framework linking changes in environmental quality (defined as the cumulative effect on population growth rate) with population traits affecting evolutionary potential, in order to understand which evolutionary processes are likely to be most important across a range of locations for different types of marine microbes. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Marine Science, Volume 12 is January 3, 2020. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Commault, AS, Fabris, M, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Adriaans, J, Pernice, M & Ralph, PJ 2019, 'Methyl jasmonate treatment affects the regulation of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway and early steps of the triterpenoid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii', Algal Research, vol. 39.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Terpenoids are a large and diverse class of naturally occurring metabolites serving many industrial applications and natural roles. Economically important terpenoids are often produced in low abundance from their natural sources, making their industrial-scale production challenging or uneconomical, therefore engineered microorganisms are frequently used as heterologous production platforms. Photosynthetic microorganisms, such as the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, represent promising systems to produce terpenoids in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, but knowledge about the regulation of their terpenoid metabolism remains limited. Here we report on the investigation of the phytohormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) as elicitor of algal terpenoid synthesis. We treated C. reinhardtii cells in mid-exponential growth phase with three different concentrations of MeJA (0.05, 0.5 and 1 mM). The highest concentration of MeJA affected the photosynthetic activity of the cells, arrested the growth and up-regulated key genes of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, leading to a significant increase in intermediates of this pathway, squalene and (S)-2,3-epoxysqualene, while the abundance of cycloartenol, and two main sterols (ergosterol and 7-dehydroporiferasterol) decreased. These data suggest the redirection of the carbon flux towards the synthesis of yet uncharacterised triterpenoid secondary metabolites upon MeJA treatment. Our results offer important new insights into the regulation of the triterpenoid metabolism in C. reinhardtii and raise important questions on hormonal signalling in microalgae. Phytohormone treatment is tested for the first time in algae, where it holds great potential for identifying key transcriptional regulators of the MEP pathway as targets for future metabolic engineering studies for improve production of high-value triterpenoids.

Damtie, MM, Woo, YC, Kim, B, Park, KD, Hailemariam, RH, Shon, HK & Choi, JS 2019, 'Analysis of mass transfer behavior in membrane distillation: Mathematical modeling under various conditions', Chemosphere, vol. 236.
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© 2019 Four commercially available hydrophobic membranes with different pore sizes were separately used in a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) apparatus to investigate the effect of fouling on the mass transfer coefficient, and the dominant mass transport mode under different conditions defined by the temperature, membrane material, flow regime, and membrane pore size. Both ultrapure deionized water and simulated industrial wastewater were considered as the feed water. The results of the investigation confirmed that the fouling layer impacted the mass transport directly by resisting it, and indirectly by altering the heat transfer mechanism. In addition to the surface fouling layer, a significant number of particles were also observed to accumulate in the membrane pores. It was further determined that the contribution of Poiseuille flow to the entire mass transport was significant at higher temperatures when using a membrane with large pores. This highlighted the need for careful consideration of Poiseuille flow in the modeling and simulation of a membrane distillation (MD) mass transport process. It was also observed that the flow rate did not affect the Poiseuille flow and therefore did not directly impact the entire mass transfer. The study findings provide systematic insight for the development of a strategy for selecting an appropriate operating feed for DCMD and adjusting the permeate temperature to fit the prevailing water demand and environmental conditions.

Dang, LC, Dang, CC & Khabbaz, H 2019, 'Modelling of columns and fibre reinforced load transfer platform supported embankments', Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Ground Improvement.
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This study proposes a novel ground modification technique utilising fibre reinforced load transfer platform (FRLTP) and deep cement mixing (DCM) columns supported (CS) embankment constructed over soft soils. An equivalent two-dimensional finite element model was developed to simulate the full geometry of a CS embankment reinforced without or with an FRLTP. A series of numerical analyses was firstly conducted on the proposed model for different improvement depths to assess the effectiveness of the introduction of FRLTP into the CS embankment system in terms of total and differential settlements, stress transfer mechanism and lateral displacement with depth. Subsequently, another extensive parametric study was conducted to further investigate the influence of the FRLTP key parameters including elastic deformation modulus, shear strength properties, and tensile strength on the embankment performance during construction and consolidation time. The numerical results show that the embankment with FRLTP can effectively diminish the total settlement and the lateral deformation of the embankment, meanwhile improve the stress concentration ratio and the embankment stability to a great extent. The findings of the extensive parametric study indicate that the FRLTP shear strength properties appear to be the most influence factors to be considered in the design procedure of a target CS-FRLTP-embankment system.

De Carvalho Gomes, S, Zhou, JL, Li, W & Long, G 2019, 'Progress in manufacture and properties of construction materials incorporating water treatment sludge: A review', Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 145, pp. 148-159.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Water treatment sludge (WTS) management is a growing global problem for water treatment plants (WTPs) and governments. Considering the scarcity of raw materials in many parts of the planet and unique properties of WTS, extensive research has been conducted on the application of WTS in the production of construction materials such as roof tiles, bricks, lightweight aggregates, cement, concrete and geopolymers. This paper critically reviews the progress in the application of WTS in construction materials, by synthesizing results from recent studies. Research findings have revealed that incorporation of ≤10% alum-based sludge in ceramic bricks is satisfactory with a small reduction of mechanical performance. Using the iron-based sludge, the bricks presented better mechanical strength than the reference clay-bricks. Concerning WTS application in concrete, 5% replacement of cement or sand by WTS was considered as the ideal value for the application in a variety of structural and non-structural concrete without adverse effect on concrete mechanical performance. Furthermore, this paper discusses sludge-amended concrete in terms of durability, potential leaching of toxic elements and cost, and suggests topics for future research on the sustainable management of WTS.

Deng, L, Huu-Hao, N, Guo, W & Zhang, H 2019, 'Pre-coagulation coupled with sponge-membrane filtration for organic matter removal and membrane fouling control during drinking water treatment', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 157, pp. 155-166.
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Ding, A, Lin, D, Zhao, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Bai, L, Luo, X, Li, G, Ren, N & Liang, H 2019, 'Effect of metabolic uncoupler, 2,4‑dinitrophenol (DNP) on sludge properties and fouling potential in ultrafiltration membrane process.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 650, no. Pt 2, pp. 1882-1888.
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Energy uncoupling technology was applied to the membrane process to control the problem of bio-fouling. Different dosages of uncoupler (2,4‑dinitrophenol, DNP) were added to the activated sludge, and a short-term ultrafiltration test was systematically investigated for analyzing membrane fouling potential and underlying mechanisms. Ultrafiltration membrane was used and made of polyether-sulfone with a molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of 150 kDa. Results indicated that low DNP concentration (15-30 mg/g VSS) aggravated membrane fouling because more soluble microbial products were released and then rejected by the membrane, which significantly increased cake layer resistance compared with the control. Conversely, a high dosage of DNP (45 mg/g VSS) retarded membrane fouling owing to the high inhibition of extracellular polymeric substances (proteins and polysaccharides) of the sludge, which effectively prevented the formation of cake layer on the membrane surface. Furthermore, analyses of fouling model revealed that a high dosage of DNP delayed the fouling model from pore blocking transition to cake filtration, whereas this transition process was accelerated in the low dosage scenario.

Ding, W, Jin, W, Cao, S, Zhou, X, Wang, C, Jiang, Q, Huang, H, Tu, R, Han, S-F & Wang, Q 2019, 'Ozone disinfection of chlorine-resistant bacteria in drinking water', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 160, pp. 339-349.
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Ding, X, Wei, D, Guo, W, Wang, B, Meng, Z, Feng, R, Du, B & Wei, Q 2019, 'Biological denitrification in an anoxic sequencing batch biofilm reactor: Performance evaluation, nitrous oxide emission and microbial community', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 285.
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Dinh, DN, Byong-Hun, J, Jeung, JH, Rene, ER, Banu, JR, Ravindran, B, Cuong, MV, Huu, HN, Guo, W & Chang, SW 2019, 'Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of model organic wastes: Evaluation of biomethane production and multiple kinetic models analysis', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 280, pp. 269-276.
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Dong, B, Xia, Z, Sun, J, Dai, X, Chen, X & Ni, B-J 2019, 'The inhibitory impacts of nano-graphene oxide on methane production from waste activated sludge in anaerobic digestion', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 646, pp. 1376-1384.
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Dorji, P, Kim, DI, Jiang, J, Choi, J, Phuntsho, S, Hong, S & Shon, HK 2019, 'Bromide and iodide selectivity in membrane capacitive deionisation, and its potential application to reduce the formation of disinfection by-products in water treatment', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 234, pp. 536-544.
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Douglas, ANJ, Irga, PJ & Torpy, FR 2019, 'Determining broad scale associations between air pollutants and urban forestry: A novel multifaceted methodological approach.', Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), vol. 247, pp. 474-481.
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Global urbanisation has resulted in population densification, which is associated with increased air pollution, mainly from anthropogenic sources. One of the systems proposed to mitigate urban air pollution is urban forestry. This study quantified the spatial associations between concentrations of CO, NO₂, SO₂, and PM₁₀ and urban forestry, whilst correcting for anthropogenic sources and sinks, thus explicitly testing the hypothesis that urban forestry is spatially associated with reduced air pollution on a city scale. A Land Use Regression (LUR) model was constructed by combining air pollutant concentrations with environmental variables, such as land cover type and use, to develop predictive models for air pollutant concentrations. Traffic density and industrial air pollutant emissions were added to the model as covariables to permit testing of the main effects after correcting for these air pollutant sources. It was found that the concentrations of all air pollutants were negatively correlated with tree canopy cover and positively correlated with dwelling density, population density and traffic count. The LUR models enabled the establishment of a statistically significant spatial relationship between urban forestry and air pollution mitigation. These findings further demonstrate the spatial relationships between urban forestry and reduced air pollution on a city-wide scale, and could be of value in developing planning policies focused on urban greening.

Duan, H, Ye, L, Wang, Q, Zheng, M, Lu, X, Wang, Z & Yuan, Z 2019, 'Nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) contained in influent deteriorate mainstream NOB suppression by sidestream inactivation', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 162, pp. 331-338.
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Duong, HC, Ansari, AJ, Nghiem, LD, Cao, HT, Vu, TD & Nguyen, TP 2019, 'Membrane Processes for the Regeneration of Liquid Desiccant Solution for Air Conditioning', Current Pollution Reports.
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© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Purpose of Review: Regeneration of liquid desiccant solutions is critical for the liquid desiccant air conditioning (LDAC) process. In most LDAC systems, the weak desiccant solution is regenerated using the energy-intensive thermal evaporation method which suffers from desiccant carry-over. Recently, membrane processes have gained increasing interest as a promising method for liquid desiccant solution regeneration. This paper provides a comprehensive review on the applications of membrane processes for regeneration of liquid desiccant solutions. Fundamental knowledge, working principles, and the applications of four key membrane processes (e.g., reverse osmosis (RO), forward osmosis (FO), electrodialysis (ED), and membrane distillation (MD)) are discussed to shed light on their feasibility for liquid desiccant solution regeneration and the associated challenges. Recent Findings: RO is effective at preventing desiccant carry-over; however, current RO membranes are not compatible with hypersaline liquid desiccant solutions. FO deploys a concentrated draw solution to overcome the high osmotic pressure of liquid desiccant solutions; hence, it is feasible for their regeneration despite the issues with internal/external concentration polarization and reverse salt flux. ED has proven its technical feasibility for liquid desiccant solution regeneration; nevertheless, more research into the process energy efficiency and the recycling of spent solution are recommended. Finally, as a thermally driven process, MD is capable of regenerating liquid desiccant solutions, but it is adversely affected by the polarization effects associated with the hypersalinity of the solutions. Summary: Extensive studies are required to realize the applications of membrane processes for the regeneration of liquid desiccant solutions used for LDAC systems.

Duong, HC, Pham, TM, Luong, ST, Nguyen, KV, Nguyen, DT, Ansari, AJ & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'A novel application of membrane distillation to facilitate nickel recovery from electroplating wastewater', Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 26, no. 23, pp. 23407-23415.
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© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. 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.

Eeshwarasinghe, D, Loganathan, P & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Simultaneous removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals from water using granular activated carbon', Chemosphere, vol. 223, pp. 616-627.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are dangerous pollutants that commonly co-occur in water. An adsorption study conducted on the simultaneous removal of PAHs (acenaphthylene, phenanthrene) and heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn) by granular activated carbon (GAC) showed that, when these pollutants are present together, their adsorption was less than when they were present individually. The adsorptive removal percentage of PAHs (initial concentration 1 mg/L) was much higher than that of heavy metals (initial concentration (20 mg/L). The reduction in adsorption of PAHs by heavy metals followed the heavy metals' adsorption capacity and reduction in the negative zeta potential of GAC order (Cu > Zn > Cd). In contrast, PAHs had little effect on the zeta potential of GAC. The Langmuir adsorption capacities of acenaphthylene (0.31–2.63 mg/g) and phenanthrene (0.74–7.36 mg/g) on GAC decreased with increased metals' concentration with the reduction following the order of the metals’ adsorption capacity. The kinetic adsorption data fitted to Weber and Morris plots, indicating intra-particle diffusion of both PAHs and heavy metals into the mesopores and micropores in GAC with the diffusion rates. This depended on the type of PAH and metal and whether the pollutants were present alone or together.

Ekanayake, D, Aryal, R, Johir, MAH, Loganathan, P, Bush, C, Kandasamy, J & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Interrelationship among the pollutants in stormwater in an urban catchment and first flush identification using UV spectroscopy', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 233, pp. 245-251.
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Fatahi, B 2019, 'Editorial', Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Ground Improvement, vol. 172, no. 1, pp. 1-2.
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Feng, Y, Zhao, Y, Jiang, B, Zhao, H, Wang, Q & Liu, S 2019, 'Discrepant gene functional potential and cross-feedings of anammox bacteria Ca. jettenia caeni and Ca. Brocadia sinica in response to acetate', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 165.
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Fujioka, T, Hoang, AT, Ueyama, T & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Integrity of reverse osmosis membrane for removing bacteria: new insight into bacterial passage Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c8ew00910d', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-WATER RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 239-245.
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Fujioka, T, Kodamatani, H, Nghiem, LD & Shintani, T 2019, 'Transport of N-Nitrosamines through a Reverse Osmosis Membrane: Role of Molecular Size and Nitrogen Atoms', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 44-48.
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Gao, P, Wang, X, Huang, Z & Yu, H 2019, 'B-11 NMR Chemical Shift Predictions via Density Functional Theory and Gauge-Including Atomic Orbital Approach: Applications to Structural Elucidations of Boron-Containing Molecules', ACS OMEGA, vol. 4, no. 7, pp. 12385-12392.
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Gonzales, RR, Park, MJ, Bae, T-H, Yang, Y, Abdel-Wahab, A, Phuntsho, S & Shon, HK 2019, 'Melamine-based covalent organic framework-incorporated thin film nanocomposite membrane for enhanced osmotic power generation', DESALINATION, vol. 459, pp. 10-19.
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Goyen, S, Camp, EF, Fujise, L, Lloyd, A, Nitschke, MR, LaJeunensse, T, Kahlke, T, Ralph, PJ & Suggett, D 2019, 'Mass coral bleaching of P. versipora in Sydney Harbour driven by the 2015–2016 heatwave', Coral Reefs, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 815-830.
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© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. High-latitude coral communities are distinct from their tropical counterparts, and how they respond to recent heat wave events that have decimated tropical reefs remains unknown. In Australia, the 2016 El Niño resulted in the largest global mass coral bleaching event to date, reaching as far south as Sydney Harbour (~ 34°S). Coral bleaching was observed for the first time (affecting ca., 60% of all corals) as sea surface temperatures in Sydney Harbour remained > 2 °C above the long-term mean summer maxima, enabling us to examine whether high-latitude corals bleached in a manner described for tropical corals. Responses of the geographically cosmopolitan Plesiastrea versipora and southerly restricted Coscinaraea mcneilli were contrasted across two harbour sites, both in situ and among samples-maintained ex situ in aquaria continually supplied with Sydney Harbour seawater. While both coral taxa hosted the same species of microalgal endosymbiont (Breviolum spp; formerly clade B), only P. versipora bleached both in situ and ex situ via pronounced losses of endosymbiont cells. Both species displayed very different metabolic responses (growth, photosynthesis, respiration and calcification) and bleaching susceptibilities under elevated temperatures. Bacterial microbiome profiling, however, revealed a convergence of bacterial community composition across coral species throughout the bleaching. Corals species found in temperate regions, including the generalist P. versipora, will therefore likely be highly susceptible to future change as heat waves grow in frequency and severity unless their thermal thresholds increase. Our observations provide further evidence that high-latitude systems are susceptible to community reorganisation under climate change.

Goyen, S, Camp, EF, Fujise, L, Lloyd, A, Nitschke, MR, LaJeunesse, TC, Kahlke, T, Ralph, PJ & Suggett, D 2019, 'Mass coral bleaching of P. versipora in Sydney Harbour driven by the 2015-2016 heatwave (vol 38, pg 815, 2019)', CORAL REEFS, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 877-877.
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Guo, H, Hu, J, Li, J, Gao, M-T, Wang, Q, Guo, W & Ngo, HH 2019, 'Systematic insight into the short-term and long-term effects of magnetic microparticles and nanoparticles on critical flux in membrane bioreactors', JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE, vol. 582, pp. 284-288.
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Hai, NT, Hoang, CN, Woo, SH, Tien, VN, Vigneswaran, S, Hosseini-Bandegharaei, A, Rinklebe, J, Sarmah, AK, Ivanets, A, Dotto, GL, Tho, TB, Juang, R-S & Chao, H-P 2019, 'Removal of various contaminants from water by renewable lignocellulose-derived biosorbents: a comprehensive and critical review', CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
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Han, R, Khan, MH, Angeloski, A, Casillas, G, Yoon, CW, Sun, X & Huang, Z 2019, 'Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanosheets Grown via Chemical Vapor Deposition for Silver Protection', ACS Applied Nano Materials, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 2830-2835.
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Han, SF, Jin, W, Abomohra, AEF, Zhou, X, Tu, R, Chen, C, Chen, H, Gao, SH & Wang, Q 2019, 'Enhancement of Lipid Production of Scenedesmus obliquus Cultivated in Municipal Wastewater by Plant Growth Regulator Treatment', Waste and Biomass Valorization, pp. 1-7.
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© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature Effects of four different plant growth regulators including indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 1-triacontanol (TRIA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) on biomass and lipid productivity of microalga Scenedesmus obliquus cultured in municipal wastewater were primarily studied. The results showed that the lipid productivity of S. obliquus was significantly increased by 30.5 and 23.6% after the treatment by IAA and TRIA, respectively. According to the GC analysis of the lipids, the addition of IAA and TRIA could increase the content of monounsaturated fatty acid in S. obliquus, and thus improving the grade of biodiesel. After the addition of IAA and TRIA, the nitrogen content of S. obliquus significantly decreased, while bacterial diversity in wastewater increased, which could enhance the stability of microbial system in the wastewater medium. Meanwhile, significant increase were also found in the abundances of β-Proteobacteria and α-Proteobacteria.

Han, S-F, Jin, W, Yang, Q, Abomohra, AE-F, Zhou, X, Tu, R, Chen, C, Xie, G-J & Wang, Q 2019, 'Application of pulse electric field pretreatment for enhancing lipid extraction from Chlorella pyrenoidosa grown in wastewater', RENEWABLE ENERGY, vol. 133, pp. 233-239.
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Hao, Q, Liu, Y, Chen, T, Guo, Q, Wei, W & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Bi2O3@Carbon Nanocomposites for Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Chlorophenols', ACS Applied Nano Materials.
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Hassoun, M & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Novel integrated ground anchor technology for the seismic protection of isolated segmented cantilever bridges', Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, vol. 125.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd An external restraining system which is anchoring the bridge superstructure to the embankment backfill is proposed in this study for the seismic protection of isolated bridges. The restraining system is employed to reduce the seismic demands of the bridge deck by utilising the otherwise inactive ground behind the abutment back-walls. The system can be described as fastening the bridge end-diaphragms to the rocky strata that lie beneath the abutment backfill. The anchoring is achieved through a series of steel strands grouted to the rock to achieve a strong anchoring capacity. Indeed, the proposed anchor is flexible enough to allow the thermal, creep and shrinkage serviceability movements of the deck. A parametric study conducted in this paper shows that the ground anchor external restraining system is truly effective in reducing the seismic demands of the bridge deck.

Hossain, SM, Park, MJ, Park, HJ, Tijing, L, Kim, J-H & Shon, HK 2019, 'Preparation and characterization of TiO2 generated from synthetic wastewater using TiCl4 based coagulation/flocculation aided with Ca(OH)2.', Journal of environmental management, vol. 250, p. 109521.
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This study focused on the preparation of undoped and Ca-doped titania from flocculation generated sludge. Initially, TiCl4 was utilised to perform coagulation and flocculation in synthetic wastewater and an optimised dose of coagulant was determined by evaluating the turbidity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and zeta potential of the treated water. Later, using Ca(OH)2 as a coagulant aid, the effects on effluent pH, turbidity and DOC removal were investigated. Both Ca-doped and undoped anatase TiO2 were prepared from the flocculated sludge for morphological and photocatalytic evaluation. During the standalone use of TiCl4, maximum turbidity and DOC removal were found at 11.63 and 14.54 mg Ti/L, respectively. At the corresponding coagulant dose, rapid deprotonation of water caused the pH of the effluent to reach below 3.77 mg Ti/L. Whereas, when using Ca(OH)2 as a coagulant aid, a neutral pH (7.26) was attained at a simultaneous dosing of 32.40 mg Ca/L and 14.54 mg Ti/L. When aided with Ca(OH)2, the turbidity removal was further increased by 54.28% and the DOC removal was somewhat similar to the standalone use of TiCl4. TiO2 was prepared by incinerating the collected sludge at 600 °C for 2 h. Both XRD and SEM analysis were conducted to observe the morphology of the prepared titania. The XRD pattern of the TiO2 showed only an anatase phase along with the presence of a high atomic proportion of Ca (4.14%). Consequently, a high amount of Ca atoms inhibited the level of TiO2 phase and no obvious presence of CaO was observed. The prepared Ca-doped TiO2 at the optimised dose of Ca(OH)2 was found to be inferior to the undoped TiO2 during the photodegradation of acetaldehyde. However, a reduced dose of Ca(OH)2 (<15 mg Ca/L) exhibited a substantial increase in photoactivity under UV irradiance.

Howard, D, Macsween, K, Edwards, GC, Desservettaz, M, Guérette, EA, Paton-Walsh, C, Surawski, NC, Sullivan, AL, Weston, C, Volkova, L, Powell, J, Keywood, MD, Reisen, F & (Mick) Meyer, CP 2019, 'Investigation of mercury emissions from burning of Australian eucalypt forest surface fuels using a combustion wind tunnel and field observations', Atmospheric Environment, vol. 202, pp. 17-27.
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© 2018 Environmental cycling of the toxic metal mercury (Hg) is ubiquitous, and still not completely understood. Volatilisation and emission of mercury from vegetation, litter and soil during burning represents a significant return pathway for previously-deposited atmospheric mercury. Rates of such emission vary widely across ecosystems as they are dependent on species-specific uptake of atmospheric mercury as well as fire return frequencies. Wildfire burning in Australia is currently thought to contribute between 1 and 5% of the global total of mercury emissions, yet no modelling efforts to date have utilised local mercury emission factors (mass of emitted mercury per mass of dry fuel) or local mercury emission ratios (ratio of emitted mercury to another emitted species, typically carbon monoxide). Here we present laboratory and field investigations into mercury emission from burning of surface fuels in dry sclerophyll forests, native to the temperate south-eastern region of Australia. From laboratory data we found that fire behaviour — in particular combustion phase — has a large influence on mercury emission and hence emission ratios. Further, emission of mercury was predominantly in gaseous form with particulate-bound mercury representing <1% of total mercury emission. Importantly, emission factors and emission ratios with respect to carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, from both laboratory and field data all show that gaseous mercury emission from biomass burning in Australian dry sclerophyll forests is currently overestimated by around 60%. Based on these results, we recommend a mercury emission factor of 28.7 ± 8.1 μg Hg kg−1 dry fuel, and emission ratio of gaseous elemental mercury relative to carbon monoxide of 0.58 ± 0.01 × 10−7, for estimation of mercury release from the combustion of Australian dry sclerophyll litter.

Huang, QS, Wei, W, Sun, J, Mao, S & Ni, BJ 2019, 'Hexagonal K2W4O13 Nanowires for the Adsorption of Methylene Blue', ACS Applied Nano Materials, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 3802-3812.
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© 2019 American Chemical Society. In this study, novel hexagonal K2W4O13 (h-K2W4O13) nanowires were strategically synthesized via a facial hydrothermal method, which exhibited excellent adsorption capacities for wastewater treatment. The inorganic agent K2SO4 was used as a structure-directing agent to scaffold the tunnel structure of h-K2W4O13 and form the one-dimensional structure. Through increasing the relative molar ratio of K2SO4 to Na2WO4 precursor, the pure-phase h-WO3 nanorods and h-K2W4O13 nanowires were obtained, attributing to the competitive electrostatic adsorption between K+ ions and Na+ ions on h-WO3 nuclei. With a smaller hydrated radius in the solution (dK+ = 3.31 Å, dNa+= 3.58 Å), K+ exhibited superior affinity compared to Na+ with the negatively charged h-WO3 nuclei because of a larger charge density, resulting in the formation of h-K2W4O13. Adsorption experimental results showed that 89.4% of methylene blue was removed by h-K2W4O13 in the first 5 min (99% in 1 h) and the maximum uptake capacity reached 204.08 mg g-1. In addition, the novel h-K2W4O13 exhibited acid or alkali resistance and good reusability, revealed by the stable adsorption capacity in a wide pH range of 3.0-11.0 and five-run recycle tests. The large specific area, high proportion of effective pore volume, and abundant hydroxyl groups of the synthesized h-K2W4O13 resulted in excellent adsorption performance for methylene blue.

Huang, WY, Ngo, HH, Lin, C, Vu, CT, Kaewlaoyoong, A, Boonsong, T, Tran, HT, Bui, XT, Vo, TDH & Chen, JR 2019, 'Aerobic co-composting degradation of highly PCDD/F-contaminated field soil. A study of bacterial community', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 660, pp. 595-602.
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© 2018 Elsevier B.V. This study investigated bacterial communities during aerobic food waste co-composting degradation of highly PCDD/F-contaminated field soil. The total initial toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) of the soil was 16,004 ng-TEQ kg −1 dry weight. After 42-day composting and bioactivity-enhanced monitored natural attenuation (MNA), the final compost product's TEQ reduced to 1916 ng-TEQ kg −1 dry weight (approximately 75% degradation) with a degradation rate of 136.33 ng-TEQ kg −1 day −1 . Variations in bacterial communities and PCDD/F degraders were identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Thermophilic conditions of the co-composting process resulted in fewer observed bacteria and PCDD/F concentrations. Numerous organic compound degraders were identified by NGS, supporting the conclusion that PCDD/Fs were degraded during food waste co-composting. Bacterial communities of the composting process were defined by four phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes). At the genus level, Bacillus (Firmicutes) emerged as the most dominant phylotype. Further studies on specific roles of these bacterial strains are needed, especially for the thermophiles which contributed to the high degradation rate of the co-co-composting treatment's first 14 days.

Huang, Y, Ng, ECY, Yam, Y-S, Lee, CKC, Surawski, NC, Mok, W-C, Organ, B, Zhou, JL & Chan, EFC 2019, 'Impact of potential engine malfunctions on fuel consumption and gaseous emissions of a Euro VI diesel truck', ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT, vol. 184, pp. 521-529.
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Huang, Y, Organ, B, Zhou, JL, Surawski, NC, Yam, Y-S & Chan, EFC 2019, 'Characterisation of diesel vehicle emissions and determination of remote sensing cutpoints for diesel high-emitters.', Environmental Pollution, vol. 252, no. Part A, pp. 31-38.
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Diesel vehicles are a major source of air pollutants in cities and have caused significant health risks to the public globally. This study used both on-road remote sensing and transient chassis dynamometer to characterise emissions of diesel light goods vehicles. A large sample size of 183 diesel vans were tested on a transient chassis dynamometer to evaluate the emission levels of in-service diesel vehicles and to determine a set of remote sensing cutpoints for diesel high-emitters. The results showed that 79% and 19% of the Euro 4 and Euro 5 diesel vehicles failed the transient cycle test, respectively. Most of the high-emitters failed the NO limits, while no vehicle failed the HC limits and only a few vehicles failed the CO limits. Vehicles that failed NO limits occurred in both old and new vehicles. NO/CO2 ratios of 57.30 and 22.85 ppm/% were chosen as the remote sensing cutpoints for Euro 4 and Euro 5 high-emitters, respectively. The cutpoints could capture a Euro 4 and Euro 5 high-emitter at a probability of 27% and 57% with one snapshot remote sensing measurement, while only producing 1% of false high-emitter detections. The probability of high-emitting events was generally evenly distributed over the test cycle, indicating that no particular driving condition produced a higher probability of high-emitting events. Analysis on the effect of cutpoints on real-driving diesel fleet was carried out using a three-year remote sensing program. Results showed that 36% of Euro 4 and 47% of Euro 5 remote sensing measurements would be detected as high-emitting using the proposed cutpoints.

Huang, Y, Surawski, NC, Organ, B, Zhou, JL, Tang, OHH & Chan, EFC 2019, 'Fuel consumption and emissions performance under real driving: Comparison between hybrid and conventional vehicles.', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 659, pp. 275-282.
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Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are perceived to be more energy efficient and less polluting than conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. However, increasing evidence has shown that real-driving emissions (RDE) could be much higher than laboratory type approval limits and the advantages of HEVs over their conventional ICE counterparts under real-driving conditions have not been studied extensively. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the real-driving fuel consumption and pollutant emissions performance of HEVs against their conventional ICE counterparts. Two pairs of hybrid and conventional gasoline vehicles of the same model were tested simultaneously in a novel convoy mode using two portable emission measurement systems (PEMSs), thus eliminating the effect of vehicle configurations, driving behaviour, road conditions and ambient environment on the performance comparison. The results showed that although real-driving fuel consumption for both hybrid and conventional vehicles were 44%-100% and 30%-82% higher than their laboratory results respectively, HEVs saved 23%-49% fuel relative to their conventional ICE counterparts. Pollutant emissions of all the tested vehicles were lower than the regulation limits. However, HEVs showed no reduction in HC emissions and consistently higher CO emissions compared to the conventional ICE vehicles. This could be caused by the frequent stops and restarts of the HEV engines, as well as the lowered exhaust gas temperature and reduced effectiveness of the oxidation catalyst. The findings therefore show that while achieving the fuel reduction target, hybridisation did not bring the expected benefits to urban air quality.

Hurtado-McCormick, V, Kahlke, T, Petrou, K, Jeffries, T, Ralph, PJ & Seymour, JR 2019, 'Regional and Microenvironmental Scale Characterization of the Zostera muelleri Seagrass Microbiome', FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, vol. 10.
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Ibrar, I, Altaee, A, Zhou, JL, Naji, O & Khanafer, D 2019, 'Challenges and potentials of forward osmosis process in the treatment of wastewater', Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, pp. 1-45.
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Ibrar, I, Naji, O, Sharif, A, Malekizadeh, A, Alhawari, A, Alanezi, AA & Altaee, A 2019, 'A Review of Fouling Mechanisms, Control Strategies and Real-Time Fouling Monitoring Techniques in Forward Osmosis', Water, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 695-695.
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Forward osmosis has gained tremendous attention in the field of desalination and wastewater treatment. However, membrane fouling is an inevitable issue. Membrane fouling leads to flux decline, can cause operational problems and can result in negative consequences that can damage the membrane. Hereby, we attempt to review the different types of fouling in forward osmosis, cleaning and control strategies for fouling mitigation, and the impact of membrane hydrophilicity, charge and morphology on fouling. The fundamentals of biofouling, organic, colloidal and inorganic fouling are discussed with a focus on recent studies. We also review some of the in-situ real-time online fouling monitoring technologies for real-time fouling monitoring that can be applicable to future research on forward osmosis fouling studies. A brief discussion on critical flux and the coupled effects of fouling and concentration polarization is also provided.

Irga, P, Pettit, T, Irga, R, Paull, N, Douglas, A & Torpy, F 2019, 'Does plant species selection in functional active green walls influence VOC phytoremediation efficiency?', Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. Volume 26,, no. 13, pp. 12851-12858.
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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are of public concern due to their adverse health effects. Botanical air filtration is a promising technology for reducing indoor air contaminants, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study assessed active botanical biofilters for their single-pass removal efficiency (SPRE) for benzene, ethyl acetate and ambient total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), at concentrations of in situ relevance. Biofilters containing four plant species (Chlorophytum orchidastrum, Nematanthus glabra, Nephrolepis cordifolia 'duffii' and Schefflera arboricola) were compared to discern whether plant selection influenced VOC SPRE. Amongst all tested plant species, benzene SPREs were between 45.54 and 59.50%, with N. glabra the most efficient. The botanical biofilters removed 32.36-91.19% of ethyl acetate, with C. orchidastrum and S. arboricola recording significantly higher ethyl acetate SPREs than N. glabra and N. cordifolia. These findings thus indicate that plant type influences botanical biofilter VOC removal. It is proposed that ethyl acetate SPREs were dependent on hydrophilic adsorbent sites, with increasing root surface area, root diameter and root mass all associated with increasing ethyl acetate SPRE. The high benzene SPRE of N. glabra is likely due to the high wax content in its leaf cuticles. The SPREs for the relatively low levels of ambient TVOCs were consistent amongst plant species, providing no evidence to suggest that in situ TVOC removal is influenced by plant choice. Nonetheless, as inter-species differences do exist for some VOCs, botanical biofilters using a mixture of plants is proposed.

Jamil, S, Loganathan, P, Kandasamy, J, Listowski, A, Khourshed, C, Naidu, R & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Removal of dissolved organic matter fractions from reverse osmosis concentrate: Comparing granular activated carbon and ion exchange resin adsorbents', Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 7, no. 3.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Reverse osmosis (RO) generates a concentrate (ROC) containing dangerous levels of pollutants including dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Adsorption experiments were conducted to study the effectiveness of removing DOC and its fractions from ROCs produced in a water reclamation plant using three adsorbents tested individually and in sequential combination. The ROCs had 23-42 mg/L DOC which contained 83-90% hydrophilics. These hydrophilics comprised 72-76% humics, 2-3% biopolymers, 5-7% building blocks, and 16-18% low molecular weight neutrals. Granular activated carbon (GAC) removed a larger amount of DOC than two strong base anion exchange resins (Purolite A502PS, Purolite A860S). In both batch and column experiments, the adsorptive removal of the hydrophobic fraction was greater for GAC than for the Purolites. Humics present in hydrophilic fraction was completely removed by Purolites but only partially by GAC. In the sequential adsorption batch experiment, GAC followed by Purolite treatment removed more hydrophobics, however, Purolite followed by GAC removed more humics. Almost 100% of humics was removed for all doses of adsorbents when Purolite served as the first treatment. It is concluded that the order of adsorbent use for effectively treating ROC depends on the target DOC fraction intended to be removed.

Jamil, S, Loganathan, P, Listowski, A, Kandasamy, J, Khourshed, C & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Simultaneous removal of natural organic matter and micro-organic pollutants from reverse osmosis concentrate using granular activated carbon', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 155, pp. 106-114.
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Jamshidi Chenari, R, Alaie, R & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Constrained Compression Models for Tire-Derived Aggregate-Sand Mixtures Using Enhanced Large Scale Oedometer Testing Apparatus', Geotechnical and Geological Engineering.
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© 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Tire derived aggregates have recently been in wide use both in industry and engineering applications depending on the size and the application sought. Five different contents of tire derived aggregates (TDA) were mixed with sand thoroughly to ensure homogeneity. A series of large scale oedometer experiments were conducted to investigate the compressibility properties of the mixtures. Tire shreds content, TDA aspect ratio, skeletal relative density and overburden pressure are studied parameters. Constrained deformation modulus and coefficient of earth pressure at rest are measured parameters. All tests were conducted at seven overburden pressure levels. It was concluded that deformability of TDA-sand mixture increases with soft inclusion. Overburden pressure and skeletal relative density are also important parameters which render more rigidity and less lateral earth pressure coefficient accordingly. TDA size or aspect ratio was shown to have minor effect at least for the constrained strain conditions encountered in current study. An EPR-based parametric study and also sensitivity analyses based on cosine amplitude method revealed quantitative evaluation of the relative importance of each input parameter in varying deformation and lateral earth pressure coefficient as the outputs.

Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Ashworth, J, Fabris, M & Ralph, PJ 2019, 'Phytosterol biosynthesis and production by diatoms (Bacillariophyceae).', Phytochemistry, vol. 163, pp. 46-57.
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Diatoms are abundant unicellular marine photosynthetic algae that have genetically diversified their physiology and metabolism while adapting to numerous environments. The metabolic repertoire of diatoms presents opportunities to characterise the biosynthesis and production of new and potentially valuable microalgal compounds, including sterols. Sterols of plant origin, known as phytosterols, have been studied for health benefits including demonstrated cholesterol-lowering properties. In this review we summarise sterol diversity, the unique metabolic features of sterol biosynthesis in diatoms, and prospects for the extraction of diatom phytosterols in comparison to existing sources. We also review biotechnological efforts to manipulate diatom biosynthesis, including culture conditions and avenues for the rational engineering of metabolism and cellular regulation.

Javaheri, F, Kheshti, Z, Ghasemi, S & Altaee, A 2019, 'Enhancement of Cd²⁺ removal from aqueous solution by multifunctional mesoporous silica: Equilibrium isotherms and kinetics study', Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 224, pp. 199-208.
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© 2019 In this work, a novel amino-functionalized mesoporous microsphere was synthesized to remove cadmium ions from water. The Fe3O4@SiO2@m-SiO2–NH2 micro-spheres were successfully prepared via a facile two-stage process by coating of the as-synthesized magnetic cores with a silica shell followed by increasing the porosity of the structure using a cationic surfactant as structure-directing agents. The template removal from the structure has been performed following the method of solvent extraction and methanol-enhanced supercritical fluid CO2 (SCF-CO2)extraction. This novel approach provides the multifunctional microspheres with a high surface area, which improves the adsorption capacity of adsorbent. Characterization of the as-synthesized adsorbent were analytically determined showing that as-prepared adsorbent has a significant surface area of 637.38 m2 g−1. The kinetic data agreed with pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity of the synthesized adsorbent was about 884.9 mg g−1, and can be easily separated from solution under an external magnetic field. The synthesized microspheres were recycled using HCl and cadmium removal was over 92% after 6 cycles, which confirms the chemical stability and reusability of the manufactured particles.

Jeong, SY, Chang, SW, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Nghiem, LD, Banu, JR, Jeon, B-H & Dinh, DN 2019, 'Influence of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment on physicochemical properties and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge with different solids content', WASTE MANAGEMENT, vol. 85, pp. 214-221.
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Jia, H, Feng, F, Wang, J, Ngo, HH, Guo, W & Zhang, H 2019, 'On line monitoring local fouling behavior of membrane filtration process by in situ hydrodynamic and electrical measurements', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 589.
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© 2019 The hollow fiber ultrafiltration (UF) membrane has been widely applied in the water treatment industry, however, the membrane fouling is the core reason and limiting factor in terms of its industrial application. In the constant flux process, hollow fiber membranes (HFM) non-uniform fouling varies along the axis direction, which is the basic mechanism of HFM fouling. In this paper, the local membrane fouling behaviors and verities are investigated using electrical impedance (EI) and zeta potential (ZP) to capture the feedback signals of membrane fouling behaviors. The results are then, integrated with Hermia's model and an equivalent circuit model. As the fitting results show, both the EI and ZP can be employed as indicators of different membrane fouling states. This work defines the different stages of membrane fouling depending on the alternating relationship between EI and ZP in the membrane filtration process. Furthermore, the behavior of cake layer compaction is defined from the perspective of the membrane fouling mechanism. Therefore, this study provides an effective means for accurate identification of membrane fouling behavior. In addition, the EI and ZP exhibit great potential to identify the fouling distributions and proceedings in HFM fouling. Doing so successfully confirms that the characteristics of non-uniform fouling of HFM are reflected in the spatiotemporal difference of the fouling process.

Jiang, J, Kim, DI, Dorji, P, Phuntsho, S, Hong, S & Shon, HK 2019, 'Phosphorus removal mechanisms from domestic wastewater by membrane capacitive deionization and system optimization for enhanced phosphate removal', PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, vol. 126, pp. 44-52.
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Jo, Y, Johir, MAH, Cho, Y, Naidu, G, Rice, SA, McDougald, D, Kandasamy, J, Vigneswaran, S & Sun, S 2019, 'A comparative study on nitric oxide and hypochlorite as a membrane cleaning agent to minimise biofilm growth in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) process', Biochemical Engineering Journal, vol. 148, pp. 9-15.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Reverse osmosis concentrates (ROC) produced from water reclamation plants can threaten the environment if it is not appropriately treated before discharge. A membrane bioreactor (MBR) process to treat ROC was used in this project. In an MBR, fouling is an essential and inevitable phenomenon which leads to higher operational and capital costs. A comparative study on chemical cleaning, such as sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and nitric oxide (NO), was experimentally evaluated together with the influence of filtration flux. Exposure to a low concentration of NO reduced biofilms in an MBR system. NO treatment delayed the formation of new biofilm biomass on the membrane. NO also showed good performance in reducing membrane fouling and had no adverse effect on activated sludge and the environment. In MBR, the bacterial community was dominated by Proteobacteria (61%), with Alpha and Beta-proteobacteria representing approximately 54% of the community. After NO treatment, the relative abundance of the Proteobacteria decreased to 44%, and this was also reflected in a reduction in Alpha and Beta-proteobacteria, to 30% and 5% respectively. Thus, NO treatment resulted in the decrease of the relative biofilms associated with reduced MBR performance.

Kahlke, T & Ralph, PJ 2019, 'BASTA – Taxonomic classification of sequences and sequence bins using last common ancestor estimations', Methods in Ecology and Evolution, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 100-103.
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1. Identification of the taxonomic origin of a DNA sequence is crucial for many sequencing projects, e.g. metagenomics studies, identification of contaminations in whole genome sequencing projects and filtering of organisms of interest in marker‐gene based community analyses. 2. Last common ancestor algorithms are powerful approaches to estimate the taxonomy of a given sequence and have been widely used for classification of next‐generation sequencing (NGS) reads, also known as 2nd generation sequencing reads. 3. Here, we present BASTA (https://github.com/timkahlke/BASTA), a basic sequence taxonomy annotator, which extends last common ancestor estimations from sequencing reads to any kind of nucleotide or amino acid sequence utilizing NCBI taxonomies of user‐defined best hits. 4. BASTA can be configured to use the output of many common sequence comparison tools, e.g. BLAST and Diamond, in conjunction with either provided or user‐defined target sequence databases.

Kalaruban, M, Loganathan, P, Tien, VN, Nur, T, Johir, MAH, Thi, HN, Minh, VT & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Iron-impregnated granular activated carbon for arsenic removal: Application to practical column filters', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 239, pp. 235-243.
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Kang, Y, Xie, H, Li, B, Zhang, J, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Gun, Z, Kong, Q, Liang, S, Liu, J, Cheng, T & Zhang, L 2019, 'Performance of constructed wetlands and associated mechanisms of PAHs removal with mussels', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 357, pp. 280-287.
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Katz, A, Shon, HK, Chekli, L & Kim, JH 2019, 'TiO₂-Coated Optical Fibres for Groundwater Remediation', Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 1086-1089.
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In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was tested as an alternative polymer to improve the coating of TiO₂ particles onto optical fibres. The addition of PEG helped dispersing effectively the particles in solution to control their deposition and therefore achieving better properties of the coating film. Results showed that PEG increased the effectiveness of the coating and the prepared fibres showed better performance for the removal of methylene blue (MB). This was attributed to the morphological changes induced by PEG. EDX mapping of the fibre surface showed that the addition of PEG lead to a better coverage of the fibre surface; increasing the active surface area for subsequent photocatalytic degradation. This study also showed that the light intensity, pH and initial concentration of MB have a significant influence. Finally, it was demonstrated that the coatings using PEG were better ordered and structured; showing a distinct layer-by-layer deposition.

Keerthisinghe, TP, Luong, NN, Kwon, EE & Oh, S 2019, 'Antiseptic chlorhexidine in activated sludge: Biosorption, antimicrobial susceptibility, and alteration of community structure', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 237, pp. 629-635.
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Keith, A, Brown, NJ & Zhou, JL 2019, 'The feasibility of a collapsible parabolic solar cooker incorporating phase change materials', Renewable Energy Focus, vol. 30, pp. 58-70.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd This paper presents a solar energy-based cooking solution for reducing the dependency of refugees on firewood for cooking food. The use of firewood is associated with a variety of problems such as deforestation, environmental degradation and household air pollution. This paper proposes that a collapsible parabolic solar cooker with 12 panels and a phase change material-incorporated cooking pot is a viable alternative to firewood. The phase change material allows food cooked during the day to be kept warm and subsequently consumed as an evening meal. Furthermore, the proposed solution considers, and fits within, the cultural aspect of the refugee context. The cultural aspect is highlighted as it is a factor in determining whether refugees will accept the proposed solution. This paper also presents a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed solution which shows that if used by a family unit of four members, the payback period is 52 weeks or less. Finally, this paper concludes with recommendations pertaining to the efficiency of the system to reduce cooking time and enable the system to keep food warm for subsequent meals. These recommendations are focused on maximising the chances of acceptance of the parabolic solar cooker by refugees during humanitarian crises.

Khabbaz, H, Gibson, R & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Effect of Constructing Twin Tunnels under a Building Supported by Pile Foundations in the Sydney Central Business District', Underground Space.
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Khan, MA, Huu, HN, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Varjani, S, Liu, Y, Deng, L & Cheng, C 2019, 'Selective production of volatile fatty acids at different pH in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 283, pp. 120-128.
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Khan, MA, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Liu, Y, Nghiem, LD, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Zhang, S, Luo, G & Jia, H 2019, 'Optimization of hydraulic retention time and organic loading rate for volatile fatty acid production from low strength wastewater in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor.', Bioresource Technology, vol. 271, pp. 100-108.
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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 CODfeed. Three different ORLs were applied (350, 550 and 715 mg CODfeed) at the optimum 8 h-HRT. The acetic and propanoic acid concentration maximums were (1.1845 ± 0.0165 and 0.5160 ± 0.0141 mili-mole/l respectively) at 550 mg CODfeed. The isobutyric acid concentration was highest (0.3580 ± 0.0407 mili-mole/l) at 715 mg CODfeed indicating butyric-type fermentation at higher organic loading rate.

Kheshti, Z, Ghajar, KA, Altaee, A & Kheshti, MR 2019, 'High-Gradient Magnetic Separator (HGMS) combined with adsorption for nitrate removal from aqueous solution', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 212, pp. 650-659.
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Kim, D, Nguyen, LN & Oh, S 2019, 'Ecological impact of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on microbial community of aerobic activated sludge', Environmental Geochemistry and Health.
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© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. This study investigated the effects and fate of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) at environmentally relevant levels (50–500 µg/L) in activated sludge (AS) microbial communities under aerobic conditions. Exposure to 500 µg/L of CIP decreased species diversity by about 20% and significantly altered the phylogenetic structure of AS communities compared to those of control communities (no CIP exposure), while there were no significant changes upon exposure to 50 µg/L of CIP. Analysis of community composition revealed that exposure to 500 µg/L of CIP significantly reduced the relative abundance of Rhodobacteraceae and Nakamurellaceae by more than tenfold. These species frequently occur in AS communities across many full-scale wastewater treatment plants and are involved in key ecosystem functions (i.e., organic matter and nitrogen removal). Our analyses showed that 50–500 µg/L CIP was poorly removed in AS (about 20% removal), implying that the majority of CIP from AS processes may be released with either their effluents or waste sludge. We therefore strongly recommend further research on CIP residuals and/or post-treatment processes (e.g., anaerobic digestion) for waste streams that may cause ecological risks in receiving water bodies.

Kim, DI, Dorji, P, Gwak, G, Phuntsho, S, Hong, S & Shon, H 2019, 'Effect of Brine Water on Discharge of Cations in Membrane Capacitive Deionization and Its Implications on Nitrogen Recovery from Wastewater', ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, vol. 7, no. 13, pp. 11474-11484.
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Kim, DI, Dorji, P, Gwak, G, Phuntsho, S, Hong, S & Shon, H 2019, 'Reuse of municipal wastewater via membrane capacitive deionization using ion-selective polymer-coated carbon electrodes in pilot-scale', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 372, pp. 241-250.
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Kim, JE, Kuntz, J, Jang, A, Kim, IS, Choi, JY, Phuntsho, S & Shon, HK 2019, 'Techno-economic assessment of fertiliser drawn forward osmosis process for greenwall plants from urban wastewater', Process Safety and Environmental Protection, vol. 127, pp. 180-188.
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© 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers Pressure-assisted osmosis (PAO) has been suggested to integrate with fertiliser driven forward osmosis (FDFO) to improve the overall efficiency of simultaneous wastewater reuse and fertiliser osmotic dilution. This study aims to demonstrate the techno-economic feasibility of pressure-assisted fertiliser driven forward osmosis (PAFDO) hybrid system compared to the existing ultraviolet and reverse osmosis (UV–RO) process. The results showed that coupling FDFO with PAO (i.e. PAFDO) could help fulfill the water quality required for greenwall fertigation. An economic analysis on capital and operational costs for the PAFDO showed that the PAO mode application at a lower FDFO dilution stage could significantly reduce the costs. However, when considering the different applied pressures in PAO (i.e. 2, 4, and 6 bar), the increase in the total water cost was not significant. This indicates that the dilution stage for applying PAO is more sensitive to the total water cost of the PAFDO than the applied pressure. A coupling of higher average water flux (>10 L/m2h) and lower draw solution (DS) dilution factor (DF < 60) is recommended. Therefore, this could make the PAFDO system economically viable compared to the benchmark for the UV-RO disinfection system.

Kim, M, Pernice, M, Watson-Lazowski, A, Guagliardo, P, Kilburn, MR, Larkum, AWD, Raven, JA & Ralph, PJ 2019, 'Effect of reduced irradiance on 13C uptake, gene expression and protein activity of the seagrass Zostera muelleri.', Marine environmental research, vol. 149, pp. 80-89.
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Photosynthesis in the seagrass Zostera muelleri remains poorly understood. We investigated the effect of reduced irradiance on the incorporation of 13C, gene expression of photosynthetic, photorespiratory and intermediates recycling genes as well as the enzymatic content and activity of Rubisco and PEPC within Z. muelleri. Following 48 h of reduced irradiance, we found that i) there was a ∼7 fold reduction in 13C incorporation in above ground tissue, ii) a significant down regulation of photosynthetic, photorespiratory and intermediates recycling genes and iii) no significant difference in enzyme activity and content. We propose that Z. muelleri is able to alter its physiology in order to reduce the amount of C lost through photorespiration to compensate for the reduced carbon assimilation as a result of reduced irradiance. In addition, the first estimated rate constant (Kcat) and maximum rates of carboxylation (Vcmax) of Rubisco is reported for the first time for Z. muelleri.

Kim, Y, Li, S, Phuntsho, S, Xie, M, Shon, HK & Ghaffour, N 2019, 'Understanding the organic micropollutants transport mechanisms in the fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis process', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 248.
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Larsson, ME, Harwood, TD, Lewis, RJ, Himaya, SWA & Doblin, MA 2019, 'Toxicological characterization of Fukuyoa paulensis (Dinophyceae) from temperate Australia', Phycological Research, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 65-71.
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© 2018 Japanese Society of Phycology Dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus are known to produce neurotoxins that cause the human illness ciguatera, a tropical and sub-tropical fish poisoning. Some species from the Gambierdiscus genus were recently re-classified into a new genus, Fukuyoa based on their phylogenetic and morphological divergence, however, little is known about their distribution, ecology and toxicology. Here we report the first occurrence of F. paulensis in the temperate coastal waters of eastern Australia and characterize its toxicology. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) did not detect the presence of ciguatoxins, however, a putative maitotoxin congener (MTX-3) was present. Similarly, high maitotoxin-like activity was detected in High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) fractionated cell extracts using a Ca2+ influx bioassay on a Fluorescent Imaging Plate Reader (FLIPR), but no ciguatoxin-like activity was detected.

Larsson, ME, Smith, KF & Doblin, MA 2019, 'First description of the environmental niche of the epibenthic dinoflagellate species Coolia palmyrensis, C. malayensis, and C. tropicalis (Dinophyceae) from Eastern Australia.', Journal of phycology, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 565-577.
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Environmental variables such as temperature, salinity, and irradiance are significant drivers of microalgal growth and distribution. Therefore, understanding how these variables influence fitness of potentially toxic microalgal species is particularly important. In this study, strains of the potentially harmful epibenthic dinoflagellate species Coolia palmyrensis, C. malayensis, and C. tropicalis were isolated from coastal shallow water habitats on the east coast of Australia and identified using the D1-D3 region of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA). To determine the environmental niche of each taxon, growth was measured across a gradient of temperature (15-30°C), salinity (20-38), and irradiance (10-200 μmol photons · m-2  · s-1 ). Specific growth rates of Coolia tropicalis were highest under warm temperatures (27°C), low salinities (ca. 23), and intermediate irradiance levels (150 μmol photons · m-2  · s-1 ), while C. malayensis showed the highest growth at moderate temperatures (24°C) and irradiance levels (150 μmol photons · m-2  · s-1 ) and growth rates were consistent across the range of salinity levels tested (20-38). Coolia palmyrensis had the highest growth rate of all species tested and favored moderate temperatures (24°C), oceanic salinity (35), and high irradiance (>200 μmol photons · m-2  · s-1 ). This is the first study to characterize the environmental niche of species from the benthic harmful algal bloom genus Coolia and provides important information to help define species distributions and inform risk management.

Law, Y, Matysik, A, Chen, X, Swa Thi, S, Ngoc Nguyen, TQ, Qiu, G, Natarajan, G, Williams, RBH, Ni, BJ, Seviour, TW & Wuertz, S 2019, 'High dissolved oxygen selection against nitrospira sublineage i in full-scale activated sludge', Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 53, no. 14, pp. 8157-8166.
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© 2019 American Chemical Society. A single Nitrospira sublineage I OTU was found to perform nitrite oxidation in full-scale domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the tropics. This taxon had an apparent oxygen affinity constant lower than that of the full-scale domestic activated sludge cohabitating ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) (0.09 ± 0.02 g O2 m-3 versus 0.3 ± 0.03 g O2 m-3). Thus, nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) may in fact thrive under conditions of low oxygen supply. Low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions selected for and high aeration inhibited the NOB in a long-term lab-scale reactor. The relative abundance of Nitrospira sublineage I gradually decreased with increasing DO until it was washed out. Nitritation was sustained even after the DO was lowered subsequently. The morphologies of AOB and NOB microcolonies responded to DO levels in accordance with their oxygen affinities. NOB formed densely packed spherical clusters with a low surface area-to-volume ratio compared to the Nitrosomonas-like AOB clusters, which maintained a porous and nonspherical morphology. In conclusion, the effect of oxygen on AOB/NOB population dynamics depends on which OTU predominates given that oxygen affinities are species-specific, and this should be elucidated when devising operating strategies to achieve mainstream partial nitritation.

Lee, S, Choi, J, Park, YG, Shon, H, Ahn, CH & Kim, SH 2019, 'Hybrid desalination processes for beneficial use of reverse osmosis brine: Current status and future prospects', Desalination, pp. 104-111.
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© 2018 Elsevier B.V. As water shortage has increasingly become a serious global problem, desalination using seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is considered as a sustainable source of potable water sources. However, a major issue on the SWRO desalination plant is the generation of brine that has potential adverse impact due to its high salt concentration. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop technologies that allow environmentally friendly and economically viable management of SWRO brines. This paper gives an overview of recent research works and technologies to treat SWRO brines for its beneficial use. The treatment processes have been classified into two different groups according to their final purpose: 1) technologies for producing fresh water and 2) technologies for recovering energy. Topics in this paper includes membrane distillation (MD), forward osmosis (FO), pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO), reverse electrodialysis (RED) as emerging tools for beneficial use of SWRO brine. In addition, a new approach to simultaneously recover water and energy from SWRO brine is introduced as a case study to provide insight into improving the sustainability of seawater desalination.

Li, L, Geng, S, Wu, C, Song, K, Sun, F, Visvanathan, C, Xie, F & Wang, Q 2019, 'Microplastics contamination in different trophic state lakes along the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River Basin', ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, vol. 254.
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Li, X, Liu, Y, Xu, Q, Liu, X, Huang, X, Yang, J, Wang, D, Wang, Q, Liu, Y & Yang, Q 2019, 'Enhanced methane production from waste activated sludge by combining calcium peroxide with ultrasonic: Performance, mechanism, and implication', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 279, pp. 108-116.
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Li, X, Mei, Q, Chen, L, Zhang, H, Dong, B, Dai, X, He, C & Zhou, J 2019, 'Enhancement in adsorption potential of microplastics in sewage sludge for metal pollutants after the wastewater treatment process', Water Research, vol. 157, pp. 228-237.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Microplastics (MPs) as new pollutants of environmental concern have been widely detected in sewage sludge, and may act as significant vectors for metal pollutants due to their adsorption property. Our findings show that Cd, Pb, and Co, but not Ni, contents in sewage sludge are lower than that of corresponding metal irons adsorbed on sludge-based MPs, indicating that the MPs accumulate such metal pollutants as Cd in the sludge samples. In contrast to virgin MPs, sludge-based MPs are one order of magnitude higher adsorption capacity for Cd, which reaches up to 2.523 mg g−1, implying that there is a considerable enhancement in adsorption potential of the MPs for metals after the wastewater treatment process. SEM analysis shows that sludge-based MPs have rougher and more porous surface than virgin MPs, and FTIR spectra reveal that functional groups such as C–O and O–H are found on sludge-based MPs. Further, two-dimensional FTIR correlation spectroscopy indicates that C–O and N–H functional groups play a vital role in the process that sludge-based MPs adsorb Cd, which are not found in virgin MPs. The results imply that increased adsorption potentials of the sludge-based MPs to Cd are attributed to changes in the MP physicochemical properties during wastewater treatment process. In addition, such factors as pH value, and sludge inorganic and organic components also have an effect on the MP adsorption to Cd. Principal component analysis shows that the MPs could be divided into three categories, i.e. polyamide, rubbery MPs (polyethylene and polypropylene) and glassy MPs (polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene). Their adsorption potentials to Cd follow the decreasing order: polyamide > rubbery MPs > glassy MPs. In summary, these findings indicate that MPs may exert an important influence on fate and transport of metal pollutants during sewage sludge treatment process, which deserves to be further concerned.

Li, Y, Huang, C, Ngo, HH, Pang, J, Zha, X, Liu, T & Guo, W 2019, 'In situ reconstruction of long-term extreme flooding magnitudes and frequencies based on geological archives', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 670, pp. 8-17.
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Lim, S, Tran, VH, Akther, N, Phuntsho, S & Shon, HK 2019, 'Defect-free outer-selective hollow fiber thin-film composite membranes for forward osmosis applications', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 586, pp. 281-291.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. This study presents the successful fabrication of a novel defect-free outer-selective hollow fiber (OSHF) thin-film composite (TFC) membrane for forward osmosis (FO) applications. Thin and porous FO membrane substrates made of polyether sulfone (PES) with a dense and smooth outer surface were initially fabricated at different air-gap distances. A modified vacuum-assisted interfacial polymerization (VAIP) technique was then successfully utilised for coating polyamide (PA) layer on the hollow fiber (HF) membrane substrate to prepare OSHF TFC membranes. Experimental results showed that the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of the surface of the membrane substrate should be less than 88 kDa with smooth surface roughness to obtain a defect-free PA layer via VAIP. The FO test results showed that the newly developed OSHF TFC membranes achieved water flux of 30.2 L m−2 h−1 and a specific reverse solute flux of 0.13 g L−1 using 1 M NaCl and DI water as draw and feed solution, respectively. This is a significant improvement on commercial FO membranes. Moreover, this OSHF TFC FO membrane demonstrated higher fouling resistance and better cleaning efficiency against alginate-silica fouling. This membrane also has a strong potential for scale-up for use in larger applications. It also has strong promise for various FO applications such as osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) and fertilizer-drawn OMBR processes.

Liu, R, Zhao, Y, Li, W, Wang, Q, Shen, C, Awe, OW & Hao, X 2019, 'Dynamics of the activated sludge in a newly-defined green bio-sorption reactor (GBR)', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 374, pp. 1046-1054.
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Liu, X, Duan, X, Wei, W, Wang, S & Ni, BJ 2019, 'Photocatalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to valuable products', Green Chemistry, vol. 21, no. 16, pp. 4266-4289.
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© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019. Biomass is a naturally abundant, sustainable and clean resource, which has potential to replace a portion of the finite petroleum and fossil feedstock for sustainable production of value-added chemicals and fuels. However, an efficient conversion process is still difficult to be achieved due to the complex nature of biomass. Currently, the simple, mild, and environmentally benign photocatalytic process appears to be a new research avenue for lignocellulosic biomass transformation. This review provides insights into the state-of-the-art accomplishments in photocatalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass and its derivatives, including selective cleavage of dominant bonds of lignin, valorization of processed and native lignin, photoreforming reactions of cellulose and its intermediates, and the depolymerization of robust native lignocellulose under visible or UVA light irradiation. In addition, electricity production from photocatalytic conversion of biomass is also discussed as an innovative lignocellulosic biomass transformation process. We then put forward perspectives for photocatalytic conversion of native lignocellulose and future challenges in increasing the profitability and sustainability of a photocatalysis biorefinery system.

Liu, X, Xu, Q, Wang, D, Wu, Y, Fu, Q, Li, Y, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Ni, B-J, Wang, Q, Yang, G, Li, H & Li, X 2019, 'Microwave pretreatment of polyacrylamide flocculated waste activated sludge: Effect on anaerobic digestion and polyacrylamide degradation', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 290.
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Liu, X, Xu, Q, Wang, D, Wu, Y, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Li, X, Li, H, Zeng, G & Yang, G 2019, 'Unveiling the mechanisms of how cationic polyacrylamide affects short-chain fatty acids accumulation during long-term anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 155, pp. 142-151.
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Liu, X, Xu, Q, Wang, D, Yang, Q, Wu, Y, Li, Y, Fu, Q, Yang, F, Liu, Y, Ni, B-J, Wang, Q & Li, X 2019, 'Thermal-alkaline pretreatment of polyacrylamide flocculated waste activated sludge: Process optimization and effects on anaerobic digestion and polyacrylamide degradation', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 281, pp. 158-167.
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Liu, X, Xu, Q, Wang, D, Yang, Q, Wu, Y, Yang, J, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, BJ, Li, X, Li, H & Yang, G 2019, 'Enhanced Short-Chain Fatty Acids from Waste Activated Sludge by Heat-CaO2 Advanced Thermal Hydrolysis Pretreatment: Parameter Optimization, Mechanisms, and Implications', ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 3544-3555.
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© 2019 American Chemical Society. In the present work,heat-CaO2 advanced thermal hydrolysis pretreatment was applied for enhancing fermentative short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production from waste activated sludge (WAS). Various pretreatment conditions including heating temperatures, CaO2 doses, and times were optimized. Simulation and experimental results showed that the optimal pretreatment conditions were a temperature of 67.4 °C, CaO2 of 0.12 g/g VSS, and time of 19 h, under which the maximum SCFAs yield reached to 336.5 mg COD/g VSS after 5 days of fermentation, with the percentage of acetic acid accounted for 70.1%. Mechanism investigations exhibited that CaO2 and heat pretreatment caused positive synergy on sludge solubilization and SCFAs production. Compared with the control, heat pretreatment, and CaO2 addition alone, the heat-CaO2 pretreatment not only facilitated the organic released from WAS but also increased the proportion of biodegradable organic matters, which thereby providing more organics for subsequent SCFA production. It was found that the heat-CaO2 pretreatment improved the activities of both hydrolytic and acid-forming enzymes while it inhibited the coenzymes of methanogens during the fermentation process. In addition, heat-CaO2 pretreatment and subsequent fermentation worked well in removal of refractory organic pollutants and pathogens contained in WAS. Further analysis indicated that the heat-CaO2 pretreatment can be used as an effective method for both valuable carbon source recovery and refractory pollutant removal in the WAS treatment process.

Liu, Y, Jin, W, Zhou, X, Han, S-F, Tu, R, Feng, X, Jensen, PD & Wang, Q 2019, 'Efficient harvesting of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus obliquus cultivated in urban sewage by magnetic flocculation using nano-Fe3O4 coated with polyethyleneimine', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 290.
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Liu, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Peng, L, Wang, D & Ni, B 2019, 'The roles of free ammonia (FA) in biological wastewater treatment processes: A review.', Environment international, vol. 123, pp. 10-19.
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Free ammonia (FA) can pose inhibitory and/or biocidal effects on a variety of microorganisms involved in different biological wastewater treatment process, which is widely presented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to the high levels of ammonium in the systems. This review article gives the up-to-date status on several essential roles of FA in biological wastewater treatment processes: the impacts of FA, mechanisms of FA roles, modeling of FA impacts, and implications of FA for wastewater treatment. Specifically, the impacts of FA on both wastewater and sludge treatment lines were firstly summarized, including nitrification, denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox), enhanced biological phosphorus removal and anaerobic processes. The involved mechanisms were then analyzed, which indicated FA inhibition can slow specific microbial activities or even reconfigure the microbial community structure, likely due to negative impacts of FA on intracellular pH, specific enzymes and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), thus causing cell inactivation/lysis. Mathematical models describing the impact of FA on both wastewater and sludge treatment processes were also explored to facilitate process optimization. Finally, the key implications of FA were identified, that is FA can be leveraged to substantially enhance the biodegradability of secondary sludge, which would further improve biological nutrient removal and enhance renewable energy production.

Long, G, Li, L, Li, W, Ma, K, Dong, W, Bai, C & Zhou, JL 2019, 'Enhanced mechanical properties and durability of coal gangue reinforced cement-soil mixture for foundation treatments', Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 231, pp. 468-482.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd High-speed railways with high load capacity and long-term performance have been developed by the aid of high-performance construction materials for foundation treatments. The mechanical properties and durability of new cement-soil mixture reinforced by local sourced waste coal gangue aggregate were investigated in this study. Extensive experiments were carried out to analyse the effects of coal gangue on compressive strength, elastic modulus, stress-strain curve and anti-corrosion of cement-soil mixture. The results show that incorporation of coal gangue significantly improve the strength, stiffness and anti-corrosion ability of cement-soil mixture. Strength improvements up to 81.8% was achieved, but the ductile failure model shited to brittle failure with more than 42% coal gangue reinforcements. Except for the declining segment of the stress-strain curve, the ascending segment of the stress-strain curve can be fitted by the existing models. From the microstructural characterization, coal gangue can reduce acid solution permeation compared to the soil. For the cemented soil with coal gangue, the mass-loss rates only reach 4–7% after 140 days acid solution immersion. Therefore, this new clean production of high-performance cement-soil mixture through waste coal gangue reinforcement has great potential for railway foundation treatments.

Lu, P, Liu, T, Ni, BJ, Guo, J, Yuan, Z & Hu, S 2019, 'Growth kinetics of Candidatus ‘Methanoperedens nitroreducens’ enriched in a laboratory reactor', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 659, pp. 442-450.
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© 2018 Recently it has been shown that Candidatus ‘Methanoperedens nitroreducens’, an anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME), can reduce nitrate to nitrite using electrons derived from anaerobic oxidation of methane. In this study, the growth kinetics of ‘M. nitroreducens’ enriched in a laboratory reactor were studied. In the experimental concentration range (up to 16 mg CH 4 L −1 ), anaerobic oxidation of methane by ‘M. nitroreducens’ was found to comply with first order kinetic model with a rate constant of 0.019 ± 0.006 h −1 and a biomass-specific rate constant of 0.04–0.14 L h −1 g −1 VSS. Meanwhile, the nitrate reduction to nitrite was well described by the Monod-type kinetic model with an affinity constant for nitrate of 2.1 ± 0.4 mg N L −1 , which is slightly higher than, but comparable to, that of most known denitrifying bacteria. This is the first time that the growth kinetics of ‘M. nitroreducens’ have been experimentally studied. The applicability of the kinetic model reported herein to this organism or similar organisms in natural or engineering systems requires further investigation.

Ly, QV, Nghiem, LD, Cho, J, Maqbool, T & Hur, J 2019, 'Organic carbon source-dependent properties of soluble microbial products in sequencing batch reactors and its effects on membrane fouling', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 244, pp. 40-47.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd 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.

Ma, XY, Wang, Y, Dong, K, Wang, XC, Zheng, K, Hao, L & Ngo, HH 2019, 'The treatability of trace organic pollutants in WWTP effluent and associated biotoxicity reduction by advanced treatment processes for effluent quality improvement', Water Research, vol. 159, pp. 423-433.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd As increasing attention is paid to surface water protection, there has been demand for improvements of domestic wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. This has led to the application of many different advanced treatment processes (ATPs). In this study, the treatability of trace organic pollutants in secondary effluent (SE) and associated biotoxicity reduction by four types of ATPs, including coagulation, granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, ultraviolet (UV) photolysis and photocatalysis, and ozonation, were investigated at the bench-scale. The ATPs showed different removal capacity for the 48 chemicals, which were classified into seven categories. EDCs, herbicides, bactericides and pharmaceuticals were readily degraded, and insecticides, flame retardants, and UV filters were relatively resistant to removal. During these processes, the efficiency of the ATPs in reducing four biological effects were investigated. Of the four biological effects, the estrogenic activity from SE was not detected using the yeast estrogen screen. In contrast with genotoxicity and photosynthesis inhibition, bacterial cytotoxicity posed by SE was the most difficult biological effect to reduce with these ATPs. GAC adsorption and ozonation were the most robust treatment processes for reducing the three detected biotoxicities. UV photolysis and photocatalysis showed comparable efficiencies for the reduction of genotoxicity and photosynthesis inhibition. However, coagulation only performed well in genotoxicity reduction. The effect-based trigger values for the four bioassays, that were derived from the existing environmental quality standards and from HC5 (hazardous concentration for 5% of aquatic organisms), were all used to select and optimize these ATPs for ecological safety. Conducting ATPs in more appropriate ways could eliminate the negative effects of WWTP effluent on receiving water bodies.

McInnes, AS, Laczka, OF, Baker, KG, Larsson, ME, Robinson, CM, Clark, JS, Laiolo, L, Alvarez, M, Laverock, B, Kremer, CT, van Sebille, E & Doblin, MA 2019, 'Live cell analysis at sea reveals divergent thermal performance between photosynthetic ocean microbial eukaryote populations.', The ISME journal, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1374-1378.
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Experimentation at sea provides insight into which traits of ocean microbes are linked to performance in situ. Here we show distinct patterns in thermal tolerance of microbial phototrophs from adjacent water masses sampled in the south-west Pacific Ocean, determined using a fluorescent marker for reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS content of pico-eukaryotes was assessed after 1, 5 and 25 h of incubation along a temperature gradient (15.6-32.1 °C). Pico-eukaryotes from the East Australian Current (EAC) had relatively constant ROS and showed greatest mortality after 25 h at 7 °C below ambient, whereas those from the Tasman Sea had elevated ROS in both warm and cool temperature extremes and greatest mortality at temperatures 6-10 °C above ambient, interpreted as the outcome of thermal stress. Tracking of water masses within an oceanographic circulation model showed populations had distinct thermal histories, with EAC pico-eukaryotes experiencing higher average temperatures for at least 1 week prior to sampling. While acclimatization and community assembly could both influence biological responses, this study clearly demonstrates that phenotypic divergence occurs along planktonic drift trajectories.

Mishra, B, Varjani, S, Iragavarapu, GP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W & Vishal, B 2019, 'Microbial Fingerprinting of Potential Biodegrading Organisms', Current Pollution Reports.
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© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The world is witnessing various pollutants in the environment since the last few decades that threaten human life. The biological responses to various pollutants show variations as the living system behaves differently in their sensitivities to the same types of pollutants. The relative response and activity depend upon the duration of exposure to the specific pollutant. It is impossible to stop various activities leading to environmental pollution; however, pollutants can be eliminated from the environment using the microorganisms. Application of biological processes can be executed in order to get rid of toxic pollutants through their biodegradation. The pollutants like hydrocarbons, heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, nitro-aromatic compounds, non-chlorinated herbicides and pesticides, organophosphates, radionuclides can lead to serious health and environmental problems. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the effects of pollutants on the living beings and environment, microbial responses to pollution, and distribution of various biodegrading microorganisms in the environment. Profiling of biodegrading microorganisms, microbial biosensor to detect environmental pollution, and strain improvement through genetic manipulation to enhance the biodegradation process have been discussed in detail.

Mojiri, A, Zhou, JL, Ohashi, A, Ozaki, N & Kindaichi, T 2019, 'Comprehensive review of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water sources, their effects and treatments.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 696, p. 133971.
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are principally derived from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. This study investigated the occurrence of PAHs in aquatic environments around the world, their effects on the environment and humans, and methods for their removal. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have a great negative impact on the humans and environment, and can even cause cancer in humans. Use of good methods and equipment are essential to monitoring PAHs, and GC/MS and HPLC are usually used for their analysis in aqueous solutions. In aquatic environments, the PAHs concentrations range widely from 0.03 ng/L (seawater; Southeastern Japan Sea, Japan) to 8,310,000 ng/L (Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant, Siloam, South Africa). Moreover, bioaccumulation of ∑16PAHs in fish has been reported to range from 11.2 ng/L (Cynoscion guatucupa, South Africa) to 4207.5 ng/L (Saurida undosquamis, Egypt). Several biological, physical and chemical and biological techniques have been reported to treat water contaminated by PAHs, but adsorption and combined treatment methods have shown better removal performance, with some methods removing up to 99.99% of PAHs.

Naidu, G, Ryu, S, Thiruvenkatachari, R, Choi, Y, Jeong, S & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'A critical review on remediation, reuse, and resource recovery from acid mine drainage', Environmental Pollution, vol. 247, pp. 1110-1124.
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Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a global environmental issue. Conventionally, a number of active and passive remediation approaches are applied to treat and manage AMD. Case studies on remediation approaches applied in actual mining sites such as lime neutralization, bioremediation, wetlands and permeable reactive barriers provide an outlook on actual long-term implications of AMD remediation. Hence, in spite of available remediation approaches, AMD treatment remains a challenge. The need for sustainable AMD treatment approaches has led to much focus on water reuse and resource recovery. This review underscores (i) characteristics and implication of AMD, (ii) remediation approaches in mining sites, (iii) alternative treatment technologies for water reuse, and (iv) resource recovery. Specifically, the role of membrane processes and alternative treatment technologies to produce water for reuse from AMD is highlighted. Although membrane processes are favorable for water reuse, they cannot achieve resource recovery, specifically selective valuable metal recovery. The approach of integrated membrane and conventional treatment processes are especially promising for attaining both water reuse and recovery of resources such as sulfuric acid, metals and rare earth elements. Overall, this review provides insights in establishing reuse and resource recovery as the holistic approach towards sustainable AMD treatment. Finally, integrated technologies that deserve in depth future exploration is highlighted.

Nguyen, AQ, Nguyen, LN, Phan, HV, Galway, B, Bustamante, H & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Effects of operational disturbance and subsequent recovery process on microbial community during a pilot-scale anaerobic co-digestion', INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION, vol. 138, pp. 70-77.
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Nguyen, H, Khabbaz, H & Fatahi, B 2019, 'A numerical comparison of installation sequences of plain concrete rigid inclusions', Computers and Geotechnics, vol. 105, pp. 1-26.
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Soil displacement induced when installing controlled modulus columns (CMC) as ground reinforcement could affect the columns installed close by. Realising numerical analyses may provide useful insights, this paper describes a numerical approach to investigate how groups of CMC installed in different sequences could affect columns installed previously. Coupled consolidation analyses in large strain mode and incorporating soil-CMC interaction were carried out using the three-dimensional finite difference software package FLAC3D. The CMCs were modelled using advanced non-linear Hoek-Brown material with a tensile yield criterion while soils with a typical profile were characterised using the modified Cam Clay and the elastic-perfectly plastic material with a Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion. Where possible, the predicted responses of ground surrounding the CMCs were compared to a number of existing analytical methods. Predictions revealed that lateral soil movement and soil heave near existing CMCs induced by installing new CMCs towards the existing CMCs were approximately 15% and 25% greater than corresponding predictions when a reverse installation sequence was adopted. The maximum excess pore water pressures, induced near existing columns due to installing new columns towards the existing ones, were almost twice more than those caused by the reverse sequence of installation. Moreover, the predicted bending moments generated in the existing columns induced by installing new columns towards the existing CMCs were almost 22% greater than the corresponding values when the reverse installation sequence was adopted. This shows the importance of selecting an appropriate installation sequence in the CMC construction process as well as considering the initial stress field and bending moments in the surrounding soil and CMCs, respectively when designing embankments on improved soft soils.

Nguyen, KT, Nguyen, HM, Truong, CK, Ahmed, MB, Huang, Y & Zhou, JL 2019, 'Chemical and microbiological risk assessment of urban river water quality in Vietnam', Environmental Geochemistry and Health.
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© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. Abstract: The contamination and risk by nutrients (NH 4+ , NO 2− , NO 3− and PO 43− ), COD, BOD 5 , coliform and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) of As, Cd, Ni, Hg, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr were investigated in urban river (Nhue River), Vietnam during 2010–2017. The extensive results demonstrated that concentrations of these contaminants showed significant spatial and temporal variations. The Nhue River was seriously polluted by NH 4+ (0.025–11.28 mg/L), PO 43− (0.17–1.72 mg/L), BOD 5 (5.8–179.6 mg/L), COD (1.4–239.8 mg/L) and coliform (1540–326,470 CFU/100 mL); moderately polluted by As (0.2–131.15 μg/L) and Hg (0.11–4.1 μg/L); and slightly polluted by NO 2− (0.003–0.33 mg/L) and Cd (2.1–18.2 μg/L). The concentrations of NH 4+ , PO 43− , COD, BOD 5 and coliform frequently exceeded both drinking water guidelines and irrigation water standards. Regarding PTEs, As, Cd and Hg concentrations were frequently higher than the regulatory limits. Human health risks of PTEs were evaluated by estimating hazard index (HI) and cancer risk through ingestion and dermal contacts for adults and children. The findings indicated that As was the most important pollutant causing both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic concerns. The non-carcinogenic risks of As were higher than 1.0 at all sites for both adults (HI = 1.83–7.4) and children (HI = 2.6–10.5), while As posed significant carcinogenic risks for adults (1 × 10 −4 −4.96 × 10 −4 ). A management strategy for controlling wastewater discharge and protecting human health is urgently needed. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

Nguyen, LN & Oh, S 2019, 'Impacts of antiseptic cetylpyridinium chloride on microbiome and its removal efficiency in aerobic activated sludge', International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, vol. 137, pp. 23-29.
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This study evaluated short- and long-term exposure of activated sludge (AS) microbiome to cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a quaternary ammonium compound widely used as biocidal additive or cationic surfactant. Toxicity assay in batch mode showed that CPC (50 μg L−1) inhibited cell growth. However, in a continuous reactor, CPC concentration in the range of 50–500 μg L−1 did not result in any observable impact on the biological activities of the AS microbiome. Similarly, 16S rRNA gene-based community profiling revealed that CPC had no observable impact on microbial diversity. At the phylogenetic structure, Rhodobacter (15 ± 7% of the total) and Asticcacaulis (9 ± 3%) were the only two phyla with increasing population in the 500 μg L−1-exposed reactors. This was also supported by an observation of no major change in the community structure. The reactors could remove >60% of CPC at initial concentrations of 50–500 μg L−1, primarily by adsorption and biodegradation. The enrichment of Rhodobacter and Asticcacaulis genus might contribute to CPC biodegradation and emerge as a potential microbial niche for the removal of CPC.

Nguyen, LN, Johir, MAH, Commault, A, Bustamante, H, Aurisch, R, Lowrie, R & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Impacts of mixing on foaming, methane production, stratification and microbial community in full-scale anaerobic co-digestion process.', Bioresource technology, vol. 281, pp. 226-233.
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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 samples from the digester.

Nguyen, LN, Labeeuw, L, Commault, AS, Emmerton, B, Ralph, PJ, Johir, MAH, Guo, W, Ngo, HH & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Validation of a cationic polyacrylamide flocculant for the harvesting fresh and seawater microalgal biomass', Environmental Technology and Innovation, vol. 16.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. A simple, efficient, and fast settling flocculation technique to harvest microalgal biomass was demonstrated using a proprietary cationic polyacrylamide flocculant for a freshwater (Chlorella vulgaris) and a marine (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) microalgal culture at their mid-stationary growth phase. The optimal flocculant doses were 18.9 and 13.7 mg/g of dry algal biomass for C. vulgaris and P. tricornutum, respectively (equivalent to 7 g per m3 of algal culture for both species). The obtained optimal dose was well corroborated with changes in cell surface charge, and culture solution optical density and turbidity. At the optimal dose, charge neutralization of 64 and 86% was observed for C. vulgaris and P. tricornutum algal cells, respectively. Algae recovery was independent of the culture solution pH in the range of pH 6 to 9. Algal biomass recovery was achieved of 100 and 90% for C vulgaris and P. tricornutum respectively, and over 98% medium recovery was achievable by simple decanting.

Nguyen, LN, Nghiem, LD, Pramanik, BK & Oh, S 2019, 'Cometabolic biotransformation and impacts of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac on activated sludge microbial communities', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 657, pp. 739-745.
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Nguyen, LN, Nghiem, LD, Pramanik, BK & Oh, S 2019, 'Cometabolic biotransformation and impacts of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac on activated sludge microbial communities', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 657, pp. 739-745.
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© 2018 Elsevier B.V. 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 diversity (e.g. species richness and diversity) 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.

Nguyen, LN, Nguyen, AQ, Johir, MAH, Guo, W, Ngo, HH, Chaves, AV & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Application of rumen and anaerobic sludge microbes for bio harvesting from lignocellulosic biomass.', Chemosphere, vol. 228, pp. 702-708.
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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.

Nguyen, TT, Bui, XT, Dang, BT, Ngo, HH, Jahng, D, Fujioka, T, Chen, SS, Dinh, QT, Nguyen, CN & Nguyen, PTV 2019, 'Effect of ciprofloxacin dosages on the performance of sponge membrane bioreactor treating hospital wastewater', Bioresource Technology, vol. 273, pp. 573-580.
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© 2018 Elsevier Ltd This study aimed to evaluate treatment performance and membrane fouling of a lab-scale Sponge-MBR under the added ciprofloxacin (CIP) dosages (20; 50; 100 and 200 µg L−1) treating hospital wastewater. The results showed that Sponge-MBR exhibited effective removal of COD (94–98%) during the operation period despite increment of CIP concentrations from 20 to 200 µg L−1. The applied CIP dosage of 200 µg L−1 caused an inhibition of microorganisms in sponges, i.e. significant reduction of the attached biomass and a decrease in the size of suspended flocs. Moreover, this led to deteriorating the denitrification rate to 3–12% compared to 35% at the other lower CIP dosages. Importantly, Sponge-MBR reinforced the stability of CIP removal at various added CIP dosages (permeate of below 13 µg L−1). Additionally, the fouling rate at CIP dosage of 200 µg L−1 was 30.6 times lower compared to the control condition (no added CIP dosage).

Nguyen, TT, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wang, XC, Ren, N, Li, G, Ding, J & Liang, H 2019, 'Implementation of a specific urban water management - Sponge City.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 652, pp. 147-162.
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Climate change, rapid urbanization and inappropriate urban planning policies in many countries have resulted in urban water-related problems, such as flooding disasters, water pollution and water shortages. To tackle these issues, the specific urban water management strategy known as Sponge City has been implemented in China since 2013. This is a complex method and one involving many challenges. This paper critically assesses the approaches associated with conventional urban water management. The Sponge City concept and its adoption are then scrutinized to comprehensively assess the limitations and opportunities. It emerges that Sponge City has four main principles, these being: urban water resourcing, ecological water management, green infrastructures, and urban permeable pavement. The uncertainties in Sponge City design and planning, and financial insufficiencies are the most serious problems that can risk the failure of the Sponge City concept. While significant barriers exist, the opportunities for implementing a Sponge City are evident. To obtain multi-ecosystem services of Sponge City, it should be implemented at the watershed scales and be flexible, depending on different decision levels or catchment characteristics. It is essential to apply an intelligent decision-making mechanism and consider the need for close cooperation between various agencies with which the central government can work. A suitable sized and harmonious Sponge City, ensuring a good balance between socio-economic development and environmental conservation, is the ideal.

Ni, B-J, Huang, Q-S, Wang, C, Ni, T-Y, Sun, J & Wei, W 2019, 'Competitive adsorption of heavy metals in aqueous solution onto biochar derived from anaerobically digested sludge', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 219, pp. 351-357.
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Ni, B-J, Yan, X, Sun, J, Chen, X, Peng, L, Wei, W, Wang, D, Mao, S, Dai, X & Wang, Q 2019, 'Persulfate and zero valent iron combined conditioning as a sustainable technique for enhancing dewaterability of aerobically digested sludge', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 232, pp. 45-53.
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Nie, WB, Xie, GJ, Ding, J, Lu, Y, Liu, BF, Xing, DF, Wang, Q, Han, HJ, Yuan, Z & Ren, NQ 2019, 'High performance nitrogen removal through integrating denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation and Anammox: from enrichment to application', Environment International, vol. 132.
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© 2019 The Authors Integrating denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) with Anammox provides alternative solutions to simultaneously remove nitrogen and mitigate methane emission from wastewater treatment. However, the practical application of DAMO has been greatly limited by slow-growing DAMO microorganisms living on low-solubility gaseous methane. In this work, DAMO and Anammox co-cultures were fast enriched using high concentration of mixed sludges from various environments, and achieved nitrogen removal rate of 76.7 mg NH4+-N L−1 d−1 and 87.9 mg NO3−-N L−1 d−1 on Day 178. Subsequently, nitrogen removal rate significantly decreased but recovered quickly through increasing methane flushing frequency, indicating methane availability could be the limiting factor of DAMO activity. Thus, this work developed a novel Membrane Aerated Membrane Bioreactor (MAMBR), which equipped with gas permeable membrane for efficient methane delivery and ultrafiltration membrane for complete biomass retention. After inoculated with enriched sludge, nitrogen removal rates of MAMBR were significantly enhanced to 126.9 mg NH4+-N L−1 d−1 and 158.8 mg NO3−-N L−1 d−1 by membrane aeration in batch test. Finally, the MAMBR was continuously fed with synthetic wastewater containing ammonium and nitrite to mimic the effluent from partial nitritation. When steady state with nitrogen loading rate of 2500 mg N L−1 d−1 was reached, the MAMBR achieved total nitrogen removal of 2496.7 mg N L−1 d−1, with negligible nitrate in effluent (~6.5 mg NO3−-N L−1). 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed the microbial community dynamics during enrichment and application. The high performance of nitrogen removal (2.5 kg N m−3 d−1) within 200 days operation and excellent biomass retention capacity (8.67 kg VSS m−3) makes the MAMBR promising for practical application of DAMO and Anammox in wastewater treatment.

Niu, Q, Xu, Q, Wang, Y, Wang, D, Liu, X, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, B-J, Yang, Q, Li, X & Li, H 2019, 'Enhanced hydrogen accumulation from waste activated sludge by combining ultrasonic and free nitrous acid pretreatment: Performance, mechanism, and implication', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 285.
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Nur, T, Loganathan, P, Ahmed, MB, Johir, MAH, Tien, VN & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Removing arsenic from water by coprecipitation with iron: Effect of arsenic and iron concentrations and adsorbent incorporation', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 226, pp. 431-438.
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Oh, S-H, Jeong, S, Kim, IS, Shon, HK & Jang, A 2019, 'Removal behaviors and fouling mechanisms of charged antibiotics and nanoparticles on forward osmosis membrane', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 247, pp. 385-393.
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Organ, B, Huang, Y, Zhou, JL, Surawski, NC, Yam, Y-S, Mok, W-C & Hong, G 2019, 'A remote sensing emissions monitoring programme reduces emissions of gasoline and LPG vehicles', ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH, vol. 177.
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Pan, Y, Liu, Y, Peng, L, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wei, W, Wang, D & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Substrate Diffusion within Biofilms Significantly Influencing the Electron Competition during Denitrification.', Environmental science & technology, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 261-269.
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A common and long-existing operational issue of wastewater denitrification is the unexpected accumulation of nitrite (NO2-) that could suppress the activity of various microorganisms involved in biological wastewater treatment process and nitrous oxide (N2O) that could emit as a potent greenhouse gas. Recently, it has been confirmed that the accumulation of these denitrification intermediates in biological wastewater treatment process is greatly influenced by the electron competition between the four denitrification steps. However, little is known about this in biofilm systems. In this work, we applied a mathematical model that links carbon oxidation and nitrogen reduction processes through a pool of electron carriers, to assess electron competition in denitrifying biofilms. Simulations were performed comprehensively at seven combinations of electron acceptor addition scheme (i.e., simultaneous addition of one, two or three among nitrate (NO3-), NO2-, and N2O) to compare the effect of electron competition on NO3-, NO2- and N2O reduction. Overall, the effects of substrate loading, biofilm thickness and effective diffusion coefficients on electron competition are not always intuitive. Model simulations show that electron competition was intensified due to the substrate load limitation (from 120 to 20 mg COD/L) and increasing biofilm thicknesses (from 0.1 to 1.6 mm) in most cases, where electrons were prioritized to nitrite reductase because of the insufficient electron donor availability in the biofilm. In contrast, increasing effective diffusion coefficients did not pose a significant effect on electron competition and only increased electrons distributed to nitrite reductase when both NO2- and N2O are added.

Pan, Y, Liu, Y, Wang, D & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Modeling effects of H2S on electron competition among nitrogen oxide reduction and N2O accumulation during denitrification', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-WATER RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 533-542.
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Park, MJ, Lim, S, Gonzales, RR, Phuntsho, S, Han, DS, Abdel-Wahab, A, Adham, S & Shon, HK 2019, 'Thin-film composite hollow fiber membranes incorporated with graphene oxide in polyethersulfone support layers for enhanced osmotic power density', DESALINATION, vol. 464, pp. 63-75.
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Peng, L, Huu, HN, Song, S, Xu, Y, Guo, W, Liu, Y, Wei, W, Chen, X, Wang, D & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Heterotrophic denitrifiers growing on soluble microbial products contribute to nitrous oxide production in anammox biofilm: Model evaluation', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 242, pp. 309-314.
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Pettit, T, Bettes, M, Chapman, AR, Hoch, LM, James, ND, Irga, PJ & Torpy, FR 2019, 'The botanical biofiltration of VOCs with active airflow: is removal efficiency related to chemical properties?', Atmospheric Environment, vol. 214.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Botanical biofiltration using active green walls is showing increasing promise as a viable method for the filtration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from ambient air; however there is a high level of heterogeneity reported amongst VOC removal efficiencies, and the reasons for these observations have yet to be explained. Comparisons of removal efficiencies amongst studies is also difficult due to the use of many different VOCs, and systems that have been tested under different conditions. The current work describes a procedure to determine whether some of these differences may be related to the chemical properties of the VOCs themselves. This work used an active green wall system to test the single pass removal efficiency (SPRE) of nine different VOCs (acetone, benzene, cyclohexane, ethanol, ethyl acetate, hexane, isopentane, isopropanol and toluene) and explored which chemical properties were meaningful predictor variables of their biofiltration efficiencies. Ethanol was removed most efficiently (average SPRE of 96.34% ± 1.61), while benzene was least efficiently removed (average SPRE of 19.76% ± 2.93). Multiple stepwise linear regression was used to determine that the dipole moment and molecular mass were significant predictors of VOC SPRE, in combination accounting for 54.6% of the variability in SPREs amongst VOCs. The octanol water partition coefficient, proton affinity, Henry's law constant and vapour pressure were not significant predictors of SPRE. The most influential predictor variable was the dipole moment, alone accounting for 49.8% of the SPRE variability. The model thus allows for an estimation of VOC removal efficiency based on a VOC's chemical properties, and supports the idea that system optimisation could be achieved through methods that promote both VOC partitioning into the biofilter's aqueous phase, and substrate development to enhance adsorption.'

Pettit, T, Irga, PJ & Torpy, FR 2019, 'The in situ pilot-scale phytoremediation of airborne VOCs and particulate matter with an active green wall', Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, pp. 33-44.
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© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. Atmospheric pollutant phytoremediation technologies, such as potted plants and green walls, have been thoroughly tested in lab-scale experiments for their potential to remove air pollutants. The functional value of these technologies, however, is yet to be adequately assessed in situ, in ‘high value’ environments, where pollutant removal will provide the greatest occupant health benefits. Air pollution in countries such as China is a significant public health issue, and efficient air pollution control technologies are needed. This work used pilot-scale trials to test the capacity of potted plants, a passive green wall and an active green wall (AGW) to remove particulate matter (PM) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) from a room in a suburban residential house in Sydney, Australia, followed by an assessment of the AGW’s potential to remove these pollutants from a classroom in Beijing. In the residential room, compared to potted plants and the passive green wall, the AGW maintained TVOCs at significantly lower concentrations throughout the experimental period (average TVOC concentration 72.5% lower than the control), with a similar trend observed for PM. In the classroom, the AGW reduced the average TVOC concentration by ~ 28% over a 20-min testing period compared to levels with no green wall and a filtered HVAC system in operation. The average ambient PM concentration in the classroom with the HVAC system operating was 101.18 μg/m3, which was reduced by 42.6% by the AGW. With further empirical validation, AGWs may be implemented to efficiently clean indoor air through functional reductions in PM and TVOC concentrations.

Rasouli, H & Fatahi, B 2019, 'A novel cushioned piled raft foundation to protect buildings subjected to normal fault rupture', Computers and Geotechnics, vol. 106, pp. 228-248.
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© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Recent earthquake events have shown that besides the earthquake forces, interaction between the fault rupture and structure could cause a lot of damage to the surface and underground structures. Field observations have revealed a need to design structures for fault induced loading in regions with active faults. In this present study, three-dimensional numerical modelling using ABAQUS finite element software is used to study the interactive mechanism of normal fault rupture with a 20-story moment-resisting building frame sitting on a raft, connected piled raft, and cushioned piled raft foundations. The performance of a foundation-structure system is examined by considering geotechnical and structural performance objectives such as structural inter-story drift, raft displacement, and the bending moment and shear forces within the raft and piles. In order to improve the geotechnical and structural performance of foundations and buildings, a new foundation system with cushioned piles below the raft is proposed because of its superior performance with regards to raft rocking and permanent structural inter-story drifts under normal fault rupture. This proposed foundation system also curtailed the bending moments induced in the piles.

Ren, J, Woo, YC, Yao, M, Lim, S, Tijing, LD & Shon, HK 2019, 'Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) immobilization onto graphene oxide (GO)-incorporated electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber membrane for groundwater remediation via gravity-driven membrane filtration', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 688, pp. 787-796.
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Ren, J, Yao, M, Woo, YC, Tijing, LD, Kim, J-H & Shon, HK 2019, 'Recyclable nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI)-immobilized electrospun nanofiber composites with improved mechanical strength for groundwater remediation', COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING, vol. 171, pp. 339-346.
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Ren, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Ni, B-J & Liu, Y 2019, 'Linking the nitrous oxide production and mitigation with the microbial community in wastewater treatment: A review', Bioresource Technology Reports, vol. 7, pp. 100191-100191.
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Ryu, S, Naidu, G, Hasan Johir, MA, Choi, Y, Jeong, S & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Acid mine drainage treatment by integrated submerged membrane distillation-sorption system.', Chemosphere, vol. 218, pp. 955-965.
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Acid mine drainage (AMD), an acidic effluent characterized by high concentrations of sulfate and heavy metals, is an environmental and economic concern. The performance of an integrated submerged direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) - zeolite sorption system for AMD treatment was evaluated. The results showed that modified (heat treated) zeolite achieved 26-30% higher removal of heavy metals compared to natural untreated zeolite. Heavy metal sorption by heat treated zeolite followed the order of Fe > Al > Zn > Cu > Ni and the data fitted well to Langmuir and pseudo second order kinetics model. Slight pH adjustment from 2 to 4 significantly increased Fe and Al removal rate (close to 100%) due to a combination of sorption and partial precipitation. An integrated system of submerged DCMD with zeolite for AMD treatment enabled to achieve 50% water recovery in 30 h. The integrated system provided a favourable condition for zeolite to be used in powder form with full contact time. Likewise, heavy metal removal from AMD by zeolite, specifically Fe and Al, mitigated membrane fouling on the surface of the hollow fiber submerged membrane. The integrated system produced high quality fresh water while concentrating sulfuric acid and valuable heavy metals (Cu, Zn and Ni).

Samadi-Boroujeni, H, Altaee, A, Khabbaz, H & Zhou, J 2019, 'Application of buoyancy-power generator for compressed air energy storage using a fluid–air displacement system', Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 26.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd This study proposes a gravity power generator based on the fluid–air displacement system using Compressed Air Energy Storage from renewable energy sources to increase the solar and wind power system penetration in the power network. A computer model was applied to estimate the performance of the fluid–air displacement system, taking into account the effects of key design and operating parameters. Analysis of the system was performed to calculate the net energy generation as the difference between the energy input and the energy output. Simulation results indicated that the round-trip efficiency of the fluid–air displacement system was between 47% and 60%, assuming 80% compressor efficiency. Results also showed that a system generating the maximum energy density should have a speed of cylinders movement of 0.65 m/s, a cylinder-wall distance of 0.25 × diameter of the cylinder and a gap distance between centers of two tandem cylinders is equal to 1.25. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis conducted on the main parameters of the system identified that the gap ratio and the buckets moving speed were the highly sensitive parameters to the design and operation of the proposed system. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of using the fluid-displacement system in energy storage from renewable energy technologies.

Scott, M, Millar, GJ & Altaee, A 2019, 'Process design of a treatment system to reduce conductivity and ammoniacal nitrogen content of landfill leachate', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 31.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd An innovative combination of computational modelling and laboratory testing was applied to address the challenge of reducing conductivity and ammoniacal nitrogen in landfill leachate. The hypothesis was that accelerated selection of an appropriate treatment process could be achieved by application of new water process engineering software termed AqMB. Several scenarios were investigated incorporating settling ponds, clarifiers, lime softening, ion exchange, pH adjustment and degassing unit operations. Settling ponds reduced the lime demand if a lime softening process was tested, albeit ponds involved greater expense and needed space. Alternately, a clarifier using aluminium chlorohydrate removed suspended solids. Use of a single cation resin bed in series with a strong base anion (SBA) resin column was not able to meet regulatory targets. However, employment of a weak acid cation (WAC) and strong acid cation (SAC) resin combination achieved very low ammoniacal nitrogen levels. To satisfy conductivity limits both a degassing unit and a strong base anion (SBA) resin were also necessary. Bench top testing of actual leachate confirmed that the software predicted the trends in water quality. Final solution conductivity of ca. 250 μS/cm and ammoniacal nitrogen content of <1 mg/l were recorded which were compliant with target values of <1600 μS/cm and <100 mg/l ammoniacal nitrogen. Process economics encompassing power, chemicals, and resin costs were calculated to be A$10.50 per kL leachate.

Shah Mohammadi, N, Buapet, P, Pernice, M, Signal, B, Kahlke, T, Hardke, L & Ralph, PJ 2019, 'Transcriptome profiling analysis of the seagrass, Zostera muelleri under copper stress', Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 149.
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© 2019 Copper (Cu) in an essential trace metal but it can also contaminate coastal waters at high concentrations mainly from agricultural run-off and mining activities which are detrimental to marine organisms including seagrasses. The molecular mechanisms driving Cu toxicity in seagrasses are not clearly understood yet. Here, we investigated the molecular responses of the Australian seagrass, Z. muelleri at the whole transcriptomic level after 7 days of exposure to 250 μg Cu L−1 and 500 μg Cu L−1. The leaf-specific whole transcriptome results showed a concentration-dependent disturbance in chloroplast function, regulatory stress responses and defense mechanisms. This study provided new insights into the responses of seagrasses to trace metal stress and reports possible candidate genes which can be considered as biomarkers to improve conservation and management of seagrass meadows.

Song, K, Yeerken, S, Li, L, Sun, J & Wang, Q 2019, 'Improving Post-Anaerobic Digestion of Full-Scale Anaerobic Digestate Using Free Ammonia Treatment', ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 7171-7176.
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Song, Z, Zhang, X, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Song, P, Zhang, Y, Wen, H & Guo, J 2019, 'Zeolite powder based polyurethane sponges as biocarriers in moving bed biofilm reactor for improving nitrogen removal of municipal wastewater.', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 651, no. Pt 1, pp. 1078-1086.
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This study aims to enhance nitrogen removal efficiency of a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) by developing a new MBBR with zeolite powder-based polyurethane sponges as biocarriers (Z-MBBR). Results indicated the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) performance in Z-MBBR were nearly 10% higher than those in the conventional MBBR with sponges as biocarriers (S-MBBR). About 84.2 ± 4.8% of TN was removed in Z-MBBR compared to 75.1 ± 6.8% in S-MBBR. Correspondingly, the SND performance in Z-MBBR and S-MBBR was 90.7 ± 4.1% and 81.7 ± 6.5%, respectively. The amount of biofilm attached to new biocarriers (0.470 ± 0.131 g/g carrier) was 1.3 times more than that of sponge carriers (0.355 ± 0.099 g/g carrier). Based on the microelectrode measurements and microbial community analysis, more denitrifying bacteria existed in the Z-MBBR system, and this can improve the SND performance. Consequently, this new Z-MBBR can be a promising option for a hybrid treatment system to better nitrogen removal from wastewater.

Song, Z, Zhang, X, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wen, H & Li, C 2019, 'Occurrence, fate and health risk assessment of 10 common antibiotics in two drinking water plants with different treatment processes', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 674, pp. 316-326.
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Su, D, Zhang, QH, Ngo, HH, Dzakpasu, M, Guo, WS & Wang, XC 2019, 'Development of a water cycle management approach to Sponge City construction in Xi'an, China', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 685, pp. 490-496.
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© 2019 In recent years, climate change, population growth, and inefficient use of water have exacerbated the water resources scarcity problems around the world. Hence, this paper establishes a new approach of Sponge City construction (SCC) based on water cycle management (WCM) for the sustainable exploitation of groundwater, recycled wastewater and rainwater in the Xi'an Siyuan University. The University is located in an isolated area that is far away from the city center so that no centralized water supply system could be utilized. To mitigate water scarcity problems in the University, 39% of the annual rainfall is harvested and stored from impervious surfaces and grasslands by using the Curve Number (CN) method. This stored water is reused for non-potable purposes: 40% for toilet flushing and 60% as miscellaneous water. According to findings, the available rainwater of500–700 m3/d accounts for 16–23% of the non-potable water from April to December. Moreover, the utilization rate of water resources increases from 204% to 227%. With the minimum volume of large-scale rainwater harvesting cistern of 52,760 m3, the environment could be adequately watered while improving the expansion and development conditions on the campus. Furthermore, water scarcity problems could be mitigated through optimization of the water resources utilization system. This study demonstrates that this new approach of SCC based on WCM could alleviate water resources scarcity problems in Xi'an Siyuan University effectively. It is hoped that this study will provide a model and example of the new approach for future applications.

Sun, J, Dai, X, Wang, Q, van Loosdrecht, MCM & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Detection, occurrence and removal', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 152, pp. 21-37.
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Sun, L, Fang, H, Cai, Q, Yang, X, He, J, Zhou, JL & Wang, X 2019, 'Sediment load change with erosion processes under simulated rainfall events', Journal of Geographical Sciences, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 1001-1020.
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© 2019, Science Press Springer-Verlag. It is of great significance to quantify sediment load changing with erosion processes for improving the precision of soil loss prediction. Indoor rainfall experiments were conducted in 2 rainfall intensities (90 mm·h−1 and 120 mm·h−1), four slope gradients (17.60%, 26.80%, 36.40%, 46.60%) and 2 slope lengths (5 m, 10 m). Erosion processes are divided into five stages. Results show that sediment yield is mainly sourced from rill erosion, contributing from 54.60% to 95.70% and the duration of which is extended by slope gradients. Sediment load and sediment concentration are significantly different along erosion stages, with the highest values in rill development stage (SIV). Surface flow velocities (interrill and rill) demonstrate less significant differences along erosion stages. Rainfall intensity increases sediment load in all stages, with up to 12.0 times higher when changing from 90 to 120 mm·h−1. There is an increasing trend for sediment load and sediment concentration with the rising slope gradient, however, fluctuations existed with the lowest values on 26.80% and 36.40%, respectively, among different treatments. The slope gradient effects are enhanced by rainfall intensity and slope length. Results from this study are important for validating and improving hillslope erosion modelling at each erosion stage.

Sutherland, DL & Ralph, PJ 2019, 'Microalgal bioremediation of emerging contaminants - Opportunities and challenges.', Water research, vol. 164.
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Emerging contaminants (ECs) are primarily synthetic organic chemicals that have a focus of increasing attention due to either increased awareness of their potential risks to humans and aquatic biota, or only recently been detected in the aquatic environment or drinking water supplies, through improved analytical techniques. . Many ECs have no regulatory standards due to the lack of information on the effects of chronic exposure. Pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and flame retardants are some of the most frequently detected ECs in aquatic environments, with over 200 individual compounds identified, to date. Current wastewater treatment is ineffective at removing ECs and there is a vital need for the development of efficient, cost-effective EC treatment systems that can be applied to a range of scales and wastewater types. Microalgae have demonstrated potential for detoxifying organic and inorganic pollutants, with a number of large-scale wastewater treatment microalgal technologies already developed. There are three main pathways that microalgae can bioremediate ECs; bioadsorption, bio-uptake and biodegradation. Microalgal bioadsorption occurs when ECs are either adsorbed to cell wall components, or onto organic substances excreted by the cells, while bio-uptake involves the active transport of the contaminant into the cell, where it binds to intracellular proteins and other compounds. Microalgal biodegradation of ECs involves the transformation of complex compounds into simpler breakdown molecules through catalytic metabolic degradation. Biodegradation provides one of the most promising technologies for the remediation of contaminants of concern as it can transform the contaminant to less toxic compounds rather than act as a biofilter. Further research is needed to exploit microalgal species for EC bioremediation properties, such as increased bioadsorption, enhanced biodegrading enzymes and optimised growth conditions. When coupled with nutrient...

Tang, J, Wang, XC, Hu, Y, Pu, Y, Huang, J, Ngo, HH, Zeng, Y & Li, Y 2019, 'Nutrients removal performance and sludge properties using anaerobic fermentation slurry from food waste as an external carbon source for wastewater treatment', Bioresource Technology, vol. 271, pp. 125-135.
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© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Enhancement of nitrogen and phosphate removal using thermophilic fermentation slurry from food waste (FSFW) as external carbon source was investigated. Based on the batch tests, the soluble and particulate fractions of the FSFW acted as easily and slowly biodegradable carbon sources, respectively, and the fermented slurry showed the combined nutrients removal properties of soluble and solid organics. During the long-term operation of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with FSFW for wastewater treatment, the sludge particle size increased obviously, the bacterial metabolic capacity improved significantly, and some functional microorganisms were enriched selectively, which significantly promoted the nitrogen removal efficiency (approximately 90%) by enhancing the anoxic denitrification and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) processes. Moreover, high phosphate removal efficiency (above 98%) was achieved through the aerobic and anoxic phosphate accumulation processes. Thus, using the FSFW as supplementary carbon source is a suitable solution for both food waste disposal and wastewater treatment.

Tang, Z, Li, W, Hu, Y, Zhou, JL & Tam, VWY 2019, 'Review on designs and properties of multifunctional alkali-activated materials (AAMs)', CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS, vol. 200, pp. 474-489.
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Tang, Z, Li, W, Ke, G, Zhou, JL & Tam, VWY 2019, 'Sulfate attack resistance of sustainable concrete incorporating various industrial solid wastes', JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION, vol. 218, pp. 810-822.
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Terechovs, AKE, Ansari, AJ, McDonald, JA, Khan, SJ, Hai, FI, Knott, NA, Zhou, J & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Occurrence and bioconcentration of micropollutants in Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) in a reclaimed water reservoir.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 650, no. Pt 1, pp. 585-593.
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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.

Thabit, MS, Hawari, AH, Ammar, MH, Zaidi, S, Zaragoza, G & Altaee, A 2019, 'Evaluation of forward osmosis as a pretreatment process for multi stage flash seawater desalination', Desalination, vol. 461, pp. 22-29.
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Thang, PN, Fatahi, B & Khabbaz, H 2019, 'Impacts of Drying-Wetting and Loading-Unloading Cycles on Small Strain Shear Modulus of Unsaturated Soils', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMECHANICS, vol. 19, no. 8.
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Thi, KLN, Huu, HN, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Long, DN, Liu, Y, Ni, B & Hai, F 2019, 'Insight into greenhouse gases emissions from the two popular treatment technologies in municipal wastewater treatment processes', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 671, pp. 1302-1313.
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Thomson, A, Trevathan-Tackett, S, Ralph, P, Macreadie, P & Maher, D 2019, 'Bioturbator-stimulated loss of seagrass sediment carbon stocks', Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 64, pp. 342-356.
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Seagrass ecosystems are highly productive, and are sites of significant carbon sequestration. Sediment‐held carbon stocks can be many thousands of years old, and persist largely due to sediment anoxia and because microbial activity is decreasing with depth. However, the carbon sequestered in seagrass ecosystems may be susceptible to remineralization via the activity of bioturbating fauna. Microbial priming is a process whereby remineralization of sediment carbon (recalcitrant organic matter) is stimulated by disturbance, i.e., burial of a labile source of organic matter (seagrass). We investigated the hypothesis that bioturbation could mediate remineralization of sediment carbon stocks through burial of seagrass leaf detritus. We carried out a 2‐month laboratory study to compare the remineralization (measured as CO2 release) of buried seagrass leaves (Zostera muelleri) to the total rate of sediment organic matter remineralization in sediment with and without the common Australian bioturbating shrimp Trypaea australiensis (Decapoda: Axiidea). In control sediment containing seagrass but no bioturbators, we observed a negative microbial priming effect, whereby seagrass remineralization was favored over sediment remineralization (and thus preserving sediment stocks). Bioturbation treatments led to a two‐ to five‐fold increase in total CO2 release compared to controls. The estimated bioturbator‐stimulated microbial priming effect was equivalent to 15% of the total daily sediment‐derived CO2 releases. We propose that these results indicate that bioturbation is a potential mechanism that converts these sediments from carbon sinks to sources through stimulation of priming‐enhanced sediment carbon remineralization. We further hypothesized that significant changes to seagrass faunal communities may influence seagrass sediment carbon stocks.

To, VHP, Nguyen, TV, Bustamante, H & Vigneswaran, S 2019, 'Deleterious effects of soluble extracellular polymeric substances on polyacrylamide demand for conditioning of anaerobically digested sludge', Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 7, no. 2.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. High polyacrylamide (polymer) demand for conditioning of sludge, especially anaerobically digested sludge (ADS), is a major issue for the water industry. Currently, this problem is being investigated and the reasons for doing so are varied. It has been demonstrated that excess amounts of soluble extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) can lead to high polymer demand for conditioning. This study developed a simple and unique yet effective method for quantifying the contribution of soluble EPS to conditioning polymer demand. It did this by measuring absorbance at 191.5 nm wavelength of the supernatant derived from conditioned ADS. Experimental results confirmed that approximately 87 wt% of soluble EPS interacted with polyacrylamides during the conditioning process. Furthermore, they revealed that a specified amount of soluble EPS could not be removed by polymer flocculation despite high polymer dosage. This study concluded that about 86 wt% of the polyacrylamide used for conditioning was consumed solely by soluble EPS. These results confirm the important role of reducing this EPS fraction in ADS in order to curtail significant chemical costs for sludge conditioning and dewatering.

Tran, HN, Nguyen, DT, Le, GT, Tomul, F, Lima, EC, Woo, SH, Sarmah, AK, Nguyen, HQ, Nguyen, PT, Nguyen, DD, Nguyen, TV, Vigneswaran, S, Vo, D-VN & Chao, H-P 2019, 'Adsorption mechanism of hexavalent chromium onto layered double hydroxides-based adsorbents: A systematic in-depth review.', Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 373, pp. 258-270.
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An attempt has been made in this review to provide some insights into the possible adsorption mechanisms of hexavalent chromium onto layered double hydroxides-based adsorbents by critically examining the past and present literature. Layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanomaterials are typical dual-electronic adsorbents because they exhibit positively charged external surfaces and abundant interlayer anions. A high positive zeta potential value indicates that LDH has a high affinity to Cr(VI) anions in solution through electrostatic attraction. The host interlayer anions (i.e., Cl-, NO3-, SO42-, and CO32-) provide a high anion exchange capacity (53-520 meq/100 g) which is expected to have an excellent exchangeable capacity to Cr(VI) oxyanions in water. Regarding the adsorption-coupled reduction mechanism, when Cr(VI) anions make contact with the electron-donor groups in the LDH, they are partly reduced to Cr(III) cations. The reduced Cr(III) cations are then adsorbed by LDH via numerous interactions, such as isomorphic substitution and complexation. Nonetheless, the adsorption-coupled reduction mechanism is greatly dependent on: (1) the nature of divalent and trivalent salts utilized in LDH preparation, and the types of interlayer anions (i.e., guest intercalated organic anions), and (3) the adsorption experiment conditions. The low Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area of LDH (1.80-179 m2/g) suggests that pore filling played an insignificant role in Cr(VI) adsorption. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of LDH (Qomax) toward Cr(VI) was significantly affected by the natures of used inorganic salts and synthetic methods of LDH. The Qomax values range from 16.3 mg/g to 726 mg/g. Almost all adsorption processes of Cr(VI) by LDH-based adsorbent occur spontaneously (ΔG° <0) and endothermically (ΔH° >0) and increase the randomness (ΔS° >0) in the system. Thus, LDH has much potential as a promising material that can effectively remove anion pollutants, especiall...

Tran, NH, Hoang, L, Nghiem, LD, Nguyen, NMH, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Trinh, QT, Mai, NH, Chen, H, Nguyen, DD, Ta, TT & Gin, KYH 2019, 'Occurrence and risk assessment of multiple classes of antibiotics in urban canals and lakes in Hanoi, Vietnam', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 692, pp. 157-174.
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© 2019 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 sampling site. In urban canals, median concentration of amoxicillin, erythromycin, and sulfamethoxazole was >1000 ng/L while other antibiotics such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, 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-H2O), fluoroquinolones (enrofloxacin and ofloxacin), lincosamides (clindamycin and lincomycin), and trimethoprim were ubiquitously detected in urban lakes (DF = 100%). In this study, potential risks of antibiotics in the investigated urban canals and lakes were assessed based on the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) from the existing literature for antibiotic resistance selection (PNECARM) and ecological toxicity to aquatic organisms (PNECEcotox). Ampicillin, amoxicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, enrofloxacin, erythromycin, ofloxacin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim were found in the investigated urban canals at concentrations exceeding their PNECARM and PNECEcotox. Similarly, most of the target antibiotics (i.e. amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, clindamycin, enrofloxacin, erythromyci...

Tran, VH, Lim, S, Han, DS, Pathak, N, Akther, N, Phuntsho, S, Park, H & Shon, HK 2019, 'Efficient fouling control using outer-selective hollow fiber thin-film composite membranes for osmotic membrane bioreactor applications', Bioresource Technology, vol. 282, pp. 9-17.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd This paper investigates the efficiency of fouling mitigation methods using a novel outer selective hollow fiber thin-film composite forward osmosis (OSHF TFC FO) membrane for osmosis membrane bioreactor (OMBR) system treating municipal wastewater. Two home-made membrane modules having similar transport properties were used. Two operation regimes with three different fouling mitigation strategies were utilized to test the easiness of membrane for fouling cleaning. These two membrane modules demonstrated high performance with high initial water flux of 14.4 LMH and 14.1 LMH and slow increase rate of mixed liquor's salinity in the bioreactor using 30 g/L NaCl as draw solution. OMBR system showed high removals of total organic carbon and NH4 + -N (>98%). High fouling cleaning efficiency was achieved using OSHF TFC FO membrane with different fouling control methods. These results showed that this membrane is suitable for OMBR applications due to its high performance and its simplicity for fouling mitigation.

Tri, DQ, Kandasamy, J & Don, NC 2019, 'Quantitative assessment of the environmental impacts of dredging and dumping activities at sea', Applied Sciences (Switzerland), vol. 9, no. 8.
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© 2019 by the authors. The dumping of dredge materials often raises concerns about the release of pollutants to the marine environment. Wind data from the Global Forecast System (GFS) model was used to simulate the wind-wave propagation from offshore in a two-dimensional (2D) model during September and October 2016. The calibration and validation of the 2D model showed a high conformity in both the phases and amplitude between the observed and simulated data. The 2D mud transport simulation results of three scenarios showed that the concentration of suspended material in the third scenario tested (scenario 3) was greater than 0.004 kg/m3 in the low tide, spreading to a 9 km2 area, and in the high tide, the concentration was 0.004 kg/m3 in a 6 km2 area. Finally, the results of 2D particle tracking (PT) showed changes in the seabed due to the concentration of dredged material, and its dump (approximately 180 days) increased from 0.08 m to 0.16 m in 2.85 ha. In scenario 3, the element block moved quite far-approximately 2.9 km-from the dredge position. Therefore, the simulation results were qualified, as the dredging position situated far from the sea is significantly affected by the direction and velocity of wave-wind in the dredging position.

Tri, DQ, Mai Linh, NT, Thai, TH & Kandasamy, J 2019, 'Application of 1D–2D coupled modeling in water quality assessment: A case study in Ca Mau Peninsula, Vietnam', Physics and Chemistry of the Earth.
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© 2018 Elsevier Ltd A few 1D and 2D models are used to simulate and calculate the water level and water quality regarding four state variable (DO, NH4, NO3, and BOD) observations in the main rivers and coastal estuaries on the Ca Mau peninsula. This study calibrates and validates 1D and 2D models during the dry and flood seasons for 2014 and 2015, as well as assesses water quality in coastal estuaries during the dry and flood season of 2016 by using a 2D model. The calibration and validation results of the hydrodynamic 1D and 2D models show that there is a high degree of conformity regarding the phase and amplitude of water level at observing stations with mean absolute error (MAE) ranges from 0.05 m to 0.37 m. The RMSE–observation standard deviation ratio (RSR) vary from 0.12 to 0.64, and the percent bias (PBIAS) is from −8.9% to 3.2%. Calibration and validation of water quality parameter (DO, NH4, NO3, and BOD5 concentration) results have a high correlation coefficient during both the dry and flood season of 2014 and 2015. The standards, originating from the National Technical Regulation on Surface Water quality and on Coastal Water Quality, are used to evaluate pollutant concentrations in estuaries in the study area during the dry and flood seasons of 2016. The water quality parameters contain DO (4.6 mg/l–7.9 mg/l) and BOD (4.6 mg/l–10.7 mg/l) concentrations over the National Technical Regulation on Surface and Coastal Water Quality and the A1 limit with DO (>4 mg/l) and BOD5 (4 mg/l) on surface water quality for domestic water use in the dry and flood seasons. The calculated results will help managers make better plans for aquaculture and aquatic conservation zones in coastal estuaries in the future.

Van, HT, Nguyen, LH, Nguyen, VD, Nguyen, XH, Nguyen, TH, Nguyen, TV, Vigneswaran, S, Rinklebe, J & Tran, HN 2019, 'Characteristics and mechanisms of cadmium adsorption onto biogenic aragonite shells-derived biosorbent: Batch and column studies.', Journal of environmental management.
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Calcium carbonate (CaCO3)-enriched biomaterial derived from freshwater mussel shells (FMS) was used as a non-porous biosorbent to explore the characteristics and mechanisms of cadmium adsorption in aqueous solution. The adsorption mechanism was proposed by comparing the FMS properties before and after adsorption alongside various adsorption studies. The FMS biosorbent was characterized using nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and point of zero charge. The results of batch experiments indicated that FMS possessed an excellent affinity to Cd(II) ions within solutions pH higher than 4.0. An increase in ionic strength resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of Cd(II) adsorbed onto FMS. Kinetic study demonstrated that the adsorption process quickly reached equilibrium at approximately 60 min. The FMS biosorbent exhibited the Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity as follows: 18.2 mg/g at 10 °C < 26.0 mg/g at 30 °C < 28.6 mg/g at 50 °C. The Cd(II) adsorption process was irreversible, spontaneous (-ΔG°), endothermic (+ΔH°), and more random (+ΔS°). Selective order (mmol/g) of metal cations followed as Pb2+ > Cd2+ > Cu2+ > Cr3+ > Zn2+. For column experiments, the highest Thomas adsorption capacity (7.86 mg/g) was achieved at a flow rate (9 mL/min), initial Cd(II) concentration (10 mg/L), and bed height (5 cm). The Cd(II) removal by FMS was regarded as non-activated chemisorption that occurred very rapidly (even at a low temperature) with a low magnitude of activation energy. Primary adsorption mechanism was surface precipitation. Cadmium precipitated in the primary (Cd,Ca)CO3 form with a calcite-type structure on the FMS surface. A crust of rhombohedral crystals on the substrate was observed by SEM. Freshwater mussel shells have the potential as a renewable adsorbent to remove cadmium from water.

Varjani, S, Joshi, R, Srivastava, VK, Ngo, HH & Guo, W 2019, 'Treatment of wastewater from petroleum industry: current practices and perspectives', Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
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© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Petroleum industry is one of the fastest growing industries, and it significantly contributes to economic growth in developing countries like India. The wastewater from a petroleum industry consist a wide variety of pollutants like petroleum hydrocarbons, mercaptans, oil and grease, phenol, ammonia, sulfide, and other organic compounds. All these compounds are present as very complex form in discharged water of petroleum industry, which are harmful for environment directly or indirectly. Some of the techniques used to treat oily waste/wastewater are membrane technology, photocatalytic degradation, advanced oxidation process, electrochemical catalysis, etc. In this review paper, we aim to discuss past and present scenario of using various treatment technologies for treatment of petroleum industry waste/wastewater. The treatment of petroleum industry wastewater involves physical, chemical, and biological processes. This review also provides scientific literature on knowledge gaps and future research directions to evaluate the effect(s) of various treatment technologies available.

Verma, A, Kohli, GS, Harwood, DT, Ralph, PJ & Murray, SA 2019, 'Transcriptomic investigation into polyketide toxin synthesis in Ostreopsis (Dinophyceae) species', Environmental Microbiology.
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© 2019 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. In marine ecosystems, dinoflagellates can become highly abundant and even dominant at times, despite their comparatively slow growth. Their ecological success may be related to their production of complex toxic polyketide compounds. Ostreopsis species produce potent palytoxin-like compounds (PLTX), which are associated with human skin and eye irritations, and illnesses through the consumption of contaminated seafood. To investigate the genetic basis of PLTX-like compounds, we sequenced and annotated transcriptomes from two PLTX-producing Ostreopsis species; O. cf. ovata, O. cf. siamensis, one non-PLTX producing species, O. rhodesae and compared them to a close phylogenetic relative and non-PLTX producer, Coolia malayensis. We found no clear differences in the presence or diversity of ketosynthase and ketoreductase transcripts between PLTX producing and non-producing Ostreopsis and Coolia species, as both groups contained >90 and > 10 phylogenetically diverse ketosynthase and ketoreductase transcripts, respectively. We report for the first-time type I single-, multi-domain polyketide synthases (PKSs) and hybrid non-ribosomal peptide synthase/PKS transcripts from all species. The long multi-modular PKSs were insufficient by themselves to synthesize the large complex polyether backbone of PLTX-like compounds. This implies that numerous PKS domains, including both single and multi-, work together on the biosynthesis of PLTX-like and other related polyketide compounds.

Vo, HNP, Koottatep, T, Chapagain, SK, Panuvatvanich, A, Polprasert, C, Nguyen, TMH, Chaiwong, C & Nguyen, NL 2019, 'Removal and monitoring acetaminophen-contaminated hospital wastewater by vertical flow constructed wetland and peroxidase enzymes', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 250.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Hospital wastewater contains acetaminophen (ACT) and nutrient, which need adequate removal and monitoring to prevent impact to environment and community. This study developed a pilot scale vertical flow constructed wetland (CW) to (1) remove high-dose ACT and pollutants in hospital wastewater and (2) identify the correlation of peroxidase enzyme extruded by Scirpus validus and pollutants removal efficiency. By that correlation, a low-cost method to monitor pollutants removal was drawn. Plants, such as Scirpus validus, generated peroxidase enzymes to alleviate pollutants’ stress. Results showed that the CW removed 3.5 to 6 logs of initial concentration 10 mg ACT/L to a recommended level for drinking water. The CW eliminated COD, TKN and TP efficiently, meeting the wastewater discharged standards of Thailand and Vietnam. By various multivariable regression models, concentrations of ACT in CW effluent and enzymes in S. validus exhibited a significant correlation (p < 0.01, R2 = 68.3%). These findings suggested that (i) vertical flow CW could remove high-dose ACT and nutrient and (ii) peroxidase enzymes generated in S. validus, such as soluble and covalent ones, could track ACT removal efficiency. This would help to reduce facilities and analytical cost of micro-pollutants.

Vo, HNP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Nguyen, TMH, Liu, Y, Liu, Y, Nguyen, DD & Chang, SW 2019, 'A critical review on designs and applications of microalgae-based photobioreactors for pollutants treatment.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 651, no. Pt 1, pp. 1549-1568.
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The development of the photobioreactors (PBs) is recently noticeable as cutting-edge technology while the correlation of PBs' engineered elements such as modellings, configurations, biomass yields, operating conditions and pollutants removal efficiency still remains complex and unclear. A systematic understanding of PBs is therefore essential. This critical review study is to: (1) describe the modelling approaches and differentiate the outcomes; (2) review and update the novel technical issues of PBs' types; (3) study microalgae growth and control determined by PBs types with comparison made; (4) progress and compare the efficiencies of contaminants removal given by PBs' types and (5) identify the future perspectives of PBs. It is found that Monod model's shortcoming in internal substrate utilization is well fixed by modified Droop model. The corroborated data also remarks an array of PBs' types consisting of flat plate, column, tubular, soft-frame and hybrid configuration in which soft-frame and hybrid are the latest versions with higher flexibility, performance and smaller foot-print. Flat plate PBs is observed with biomass yield being 5 to 20 times higher than other PBs types while soft-frame and membrane PBs can also remove pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) up to 100%. Looking at an opportunity for PBs in sustainable development, the flat plate PBs are applicable in PB-based architectures and infrastructures indicating an encouraging revenue-raising potential.

Volkova, L, Roxburgh, SH, Surawski, NC, Meyer, CP & Weston, CJ 2019, 'Improving reporting of national greenhouse gas emissions from forest fires for emission reduction benefits: An example from Australia', Environmental Science and Policy, vol. 94, pp. 49-62.
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© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Forest fires are a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Accurate reporting of GHG emissions from forest fires requires development of detailed methodologies and country specific data for estimating emissions. In recent years, Australia has updated its national methodology for reporting GHG emissions from fires on temperate forested lands, using a Tier 2 approach of the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. This involved refinement of the equation for estimating GHG emissions from fires provided in the Guidance, and the revision of country specific data which was derived from a comprehensive literature review. The refinements were key to transparent reporting and evaluation of the climatic impacts of mitigation actions such as forest fire management. In this paper we describe the steps required to develop a Tier 2 method in reporting fire emissions using this Australian example, the lessons learnt, and the steps required to reduce uncertainties in estimates. This paper may assist other countries seeking to estimate and report GHG emissions from forest fires by moving from the default Tier 1 method to Tier 2 using country-specific information.

Volpin, F, Chekli, L, Phuntsho, S, Ghaffour, N, Vrouwenvelder, JS & Shon, HK 2019, 'Optimisation of a forward osmosis and membrane distillation hybrid system for the treatment of source-separated urine', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 212, pp. 368-375.
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Volpin, F, Heo, H, Johir, MAH, Cho, J, Phuntsho, S & Shon, HK 2019, 'Techno-economic feasibility of recovering phosphorus, nitrogen and water from dilute human urine via forward osmosis', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 150, pp. 47-55.
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Volpin, F, Yu, H, Cho, J, Lee, C, Phuntsho, S, Ghaffour, N, Vrouwenvelder, JS & Shon, HK 2019, 'Human urine as a forward osmosis draw solution for the application of microalgae dewatering.', Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 378, pp. 120724-120724.
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Human urine is a unique solution that has the right composition to constitute both a severe environmental threat and a rich source of nitrogen and phosphorous. In fact, between 4-9% of urine mass consists of ions, such as K+, Cl-, Na+ or NH4+. Because of its high ionic strength, urine osmotic pressure can reach values of up to 2000 kPa. With this in mind, this work aimed to study the effectiveness of real urine as a novel draw solution for forward osmosis. Water flux, reverse nitrogen flux and membrane fouling were investigated using fresh or hydrolysed urine. Water flux as high as 16.7 ± 1.1 L m-2 h-1 was recorded using real hydrolysed urine. Additionally, no support layer membrane fouling was noticed in over 20 h of experimentation. Urine was also employed to dewater a Chlorella vulgaris culture. A fourfold increase in algal concentration was achieved while having an average flux of 14.1 L m-2 h-1. During the algae dewatering, a flux decrease of about 19% was noticed; this was mainly due to a thin layer of algal deposition on the active side of the membrane. Overall, human urine was found to be an effective draw solution for forward osmosis.

Vu, TM, Nghiem, LD, He, T, Price, WE & Zhang, X 2019, 'Seawater-driven forward osmosis for pre-concentrating nutrients in digested sludge centrate', Journal of Environmental Management.

Wang, B, Ni, BJ, Yuan, Z & Guo, J 2019, 'Cometabolic biodegradation of cephalexin by enriched nitrifying sludge: Process characteristics, gene expression and product biotoxicity', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 672, pp. 275-282.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. The nitrifying systems have been reported to be able to biodegrade micropollutants, yet it is still unclear about the cometabolism of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) towards micropollutants, in particular their enzyme and transcriptional responses under exposure of micropollutants. This study investigated cometabolic biodegradation of a selected antibiotic, cephalexin (CFX), by an enriched nitrifying culture through a series of batch experiments, together with the assessments of enzymatic activity, key gene expression, and biotoxicity of the degradation products. More than 99% CFX with an initial concentration of 50 μg/L could be removed with the presence of ammonium, while <44% of CFX removal was observed in the absence of ammonium, suggesting the cometabolic degradation of CFX by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). After the addition of 50 μg/L CFX, the ammonia oxidizing rate (AOR) decreased from 36.6 to 11.0 mg N/(L·h·g VSS), followed by a slight recovery when CFX concentration decreased to below 8 μg/L. Ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) activity showed a similar trend with that of AOR. The quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay indicated that the expression level of amoA gene was significantly upregulated (up to 3-fold, p < 0.05) due to the addition of CFX, while decreased to the normal level once CFX was degraded, suggesting a mechanism of AOB to neutralize the toxicity of CFX by metabolizing ammonia more effectively. Meanwhile, the biotoxicity test showed the degradation products of CFX did not exhibit any antibacterial impacts in terms of cell viability, compared to the parent compounds. Our finding shed a light on AMO-mediated cometabolic biodegradation of antibiotics in nitrifying cultures.

Wang, D, He, D, Liu, X, Xu, Q, Yang, Q, Li, X, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, B-J & Li, H 2019, 'The underlying mechanism of calcium peroxide pretreatment enhancing methane production from anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 164.
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Wang, D, Wang, Y, Liu, X, Xu, Q, Yang, Q, Li, X, Zhang, Y, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, B-J & Li, H 2019, 'Heat pretreatment assists free ammonia to enhance hydrogen production from waste activated sludge', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 283, pp. 316-325.
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Wang, D, Zhang, D, Xu, Q, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, B-J, Yang, Q, Li, X & Yang, F 2019, 'Calcium peroxide promotes hydrogen production from dark fermentation of waste activated sludge', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 355, pp. 22-32.
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Wang, Q, Gong, Y, Liu, S, Wang, D, Liu, R, Zhou, X, Nghiem, LD & Zhao, Y 2019, 'Free Ammonia Pretreatment To Improve Bio-hydrogen Production from Anaerobic Dark Fermentation of Microalgae', ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1642-1647.
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Wang, Q, Sun, J, Liu, S, Gao, L, Zhou, X, Wang, D, Song, K & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Free ammonia pretreatment improves anaerobic methane generation from algae', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 162, pp. 269-275.
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Wang, R, Hao, Q, Feng, J, Wang, G-C, Ding, H, Chen, D & Ni, B 2019, 'Enhanced separation of photogenerated charge carriers and catalytic properties of ZnO-MnO2 composites by microwave and photothermal effect', JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, vol. 786, pp. 418-427.
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Wang, Y, Wang, D, Chen, F, Yang, Q, Ni, B-J, Wang, Q, Sun, J, Li, X & Liu, Y 2019, 'Nitrate addition improves hydrogen production from acidic fermentation of waste activated sludge', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 235, pp. 814-824.
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Wei, W, Huang, Q-S, Sun, J, Dai, X & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Revealing the Mechanisms of Polyethylene Microplastics Affecting Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, vol. 53, no. 16, pp. 9604-9613.
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Wei, W, Huang, Q-S, Sun, J, Wang, J-Y, Wu, S-L & Ni, B-J 2019, 'Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics Affect Methane Production from the Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge through Leaching Toxic Bisphenol-A', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, vol. 53, no. 5, pp. 2509-2517.
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Wickham, R, Xie, S, Galway, B, Bustamante, H & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Pilot-scale operation experience of anaerobic Co-digestion for possible full scale implementation', International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation, vol. 142, pp. 137-142.
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© 2019 Anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge with four beverage wastes (namely beer, soft drink, fruit juice, and wine)was evaluated using a dedicated pilot research plant. Temporal variation in the sludge's organic content highlighted the importance of using a mono-digestion control reactor for a systematic comparison with co-digestion. Results indicate that chemical oxygen demand (COD)is a better parameter compared to volatile solids (VS)for determining the organic loading rate during co-digestion with beverage waste that contain solubilised organic carbon. In this study, all beverage wastes investigated here (with the exception of wine)were suitable for co-digestion. H2S content in biogas decreased during co-digestion, possibly due to the dilution effect by the additional biogas generated from sulphur-lean organic rich waste. Results from this study show that the organic content in most beverage waste can be readily and completely converted to biogas. At 10% substrate addition (v/v)beer, soft drink and juice addition did not observably affect total COD and VS in the digestate, whilst increasing biomethane production relative to the control by 39, 41 and 64% respectively. Furthermore, the interchanging of co-substrates did not result in any observable impact on digestion performance. Further investigation is recommended to ascertain the low performance of wine waste co-digestion with sewage sludge.

Wicks, M, Millar, GJ & Altaee, A 2019, 'Process simulation of ion exchange desalination treatment of coal seam gas associated water', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 27, pp. 89-98.
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© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The aim of this investigation was to develop an ion exchange process for the remediation of coal seam gas (CSG) associated water to make it suitable for beneficial reuse. The hypothesis was that computational modelling could accelerate the selection of appropriate ion exchange desalination strategies. Hence, we applied AqMB water process engineering software to predict which combination of weak acid cation (WAC), strong acid cation (SAC), weak base anion (WBA) and strong base anion (SBA) resins were most appropriate. Simulation results revealed that both SAC/WBA and SAC/SBA resin combinations were unable to meet water beneficial reuse standards for conductivity (< 950 μS/cm) due to the presence of bicarbonate species (4973 and 1918 μS/cm, respectively). Thus, a degasser unit was necessary to remove the large concentrations (ca. 1328 mg/L) of dissolved carbon dioxide formed due to decomposition of bicarbonate/carbonate species under acidic conditions in the cation resin stages. pH adjustment of effluent from the preferred SBA resin with acid not only did not meet solution conductivity guidelines but also raised the concentration of chloride or sulphate ions to levels, which may be detrimental for crop growth. Addition of a WAC resin allowed production of high quality water (either SAC/SBA/WAC or WAC/SAC/SBA combinations). To comply with sodium adsorption ratio requirements for irrigating soil it was suggested to apply micronized gypsum to the treated water. Economic evaluation suggested the treated water cost was A$1003 (WAC/SAC/SBA) to A$1276 (SAC/SBA/WAC) per ML treated which was comparable to estimated costs for a reverse osmosis desalination system.

Wu, Y, Song, K, Sun, X, Li, L, Wang, W, Wang, Q & Wang, D 2019, 'Effects of free nitrous acid and freezing co-pretreatment on sludge short-chain fatty acids production and dewaterability', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 669, pp. 600-607.
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Wu, Y, Song, K, Sun, X, Ngo, H, Guo, W, Nghiem, LD & Wang, Q 2019, 'Mechanisms of free nitrous acid and freezing co-pretreatment enhancing short-chain fatty acids production from waste activated sludge anaerobic fermentation', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 230, pp. 536-543.
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Wu, Y, Wang, D, Liu, X, Xu, Q, Chen, Y, Yang, Q, Li, H & Ni, B 2019, 'Effect of poly aluminum chloride on dark fermentative hydrogen accumulation from waste activated sludge', Water Research, vol. 153, pp. 217-228.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Poly aluminum chloride (PAC), an inorganic coagulant being accumulated in waste activated sludge (WAS) at substantial levels, are generally thought to inhibit WAS anaerobic fermentation. However, its effect on dark fermentative hydrogen accumulation has not been documented. This work therefore aimed to explore its effect on hydrogen accumulation and to elucidate the mechanism of how PAC affects hydrogen accumulation. Experimental results showed that with an increase of PAC addition from 0 to 20 mg Al per gram of total suspended solids (TSS), the maximal hydrogen yield from alkaline fermentation (pH 9.5) increased from 20.9 mL to 27.4 mL per gram volatile suspended solids (VSS) under the standard condition. Further increase of PAC to 30 mg Al/g TSS didn't cause a significant increase of hydrogen yield (p > 0.05). The mechanism explorations revealed that although PAC reduced the total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, this reduction was mainly enforced to propionic acid fermentation type, which did not contribute hydrogen production. PAC suppressed all the microbial processes relevant to anaerobic fermentation to some extents, but its inhibition to hydrogen consumption was much severer than that to hydrogen production. Illumina Miseq sequencing analysis revealed that PAC did not affect the populations of SCFA and hydrogen producers, but the two hydrogen consumers, Acetoanaerobium and Desulfobulbus, were almost washed out by PAC. Among the three types of Al species present in the anaerobic fermentation systems, Ala (monomeric species) significantly affected the maximal hydrogen production potential while Alb (medium polymer species) and Alc (species of sol or gel) posed impacts on hydrogen production rate and the lag time.

Wu, Y, Wu, Z, Chu, H, Li, J, Huu, HN, Guo, W, Zhang, N & Zhang, H 2019, 'Comparison study on the performance of two different gas-permeable membranes used in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 658, pp. 1219-1227.
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Xiao, Z, Li, Z, Guo, H, Liu, Y, Wang, Y, Yin, H, Li, X, Song, J, Nghiem, LD & He, T 2019, 'Scaling mitigation in membrane distillation: From superhydrophobic to slippery', Desalination, vol. 466, pp. 36-43.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Scaling is a major obstacle to commercial application of membrane distillation (MD) for desalination. Contemporary understanding of scaling formation onto hydrophobic membrane was built on thermodynamic assumption of a non-slip condition. This research provides an alternative theory and a novel insight from a hydrodynamic view of slip boundary. We purposely selected three polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes with different surface characteristics - namely a tailor made superhydrophobic micro-pillared (CF4-MP-PVDF), a micro-pillared (MP-PVDF) and a commercial (C-PVDF) membranes, for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) using a supersaturated CaSO4 feed. MD flux analysis showed that CF4-MP-PVDF was highly scaling resistant whereas the other two membranes were not. Nucleation energy barrier, wetting state factor and slip length were used to explain for the observed difference in scaling behavior. Results showed that hydrodynamic properties, such as the wetting state and slip length, play a critical role in determining the anti-scaling behavior of a hydrophobic membrane rather than the contact angle nor the thermodynamic nucleation energy barrier. New findings from this study serve as a new guideline for the fabrication of antiscaling membranes by creating a slippery surface.

Xu, J, Cao, Z, Wang, Y, Zhang, Y, Gao, X, Ahmed, MB, Zhang, J, Yang, Y, Zhou, JL & Lowry, GV 2019, 'Distributing sulfidized nanoscale zerovalent iron onto phosphorus-functionalized biochar for enhanced removal of antibiotic florfenicol', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 359, pp. 713-722.
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Xu, Q, Liu, X, Wang, D, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, B-J, Li, X, Yang, Q & Li, H 2019, 'Enhanced short-chain fatty acids production from waste activated sludge by sophorolipid: Performance, mechanism, and implication', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 284, pp. 456-465.
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Xu, Q, Liu, X, Yang, G, Wang, D, Wang, Q, Liu, Y, Li, X & Yang, Q 2019, 'Free nitrous acid-based nitrifying sludge treatment in a two-sludge system obtains high polyhydroxyalkanoates accumulation and satisfied biological nutrients removal', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 284, pp. 16-24.
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Xu, R & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Impact of In Situ Soil Shear-Wave Velocity Profile on the Seismic Design of Tall Buildings on End-Bearing Piles', JOURNAL OF PERFORMANCE OF CONSTRUCTED FACILITIES, vol. 33, no. 5.
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Xu, R & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Novel application of geosynthetics to reduce residual drifts of mid-rise buildings after earthquakes', SOIL DYNAMICS AND EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING, vol. 116, pp. 331-344.
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Xu, X, Zhou, Y, Han, R, Song, K, Zhou, X, Wang, G & Wang, Q 2019, 'Eutrophication triggers the shift of nutrient absorption pathway of submerged macrophytes: Implications for the phytoremediation of eutrophic waters', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 239, pp. 376-384.
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Xuan, CN, Chang, SW, Thi, CPT, Thi, TNN, Thi, QH, Banu, JR, Al-Muhtaseb, AH, Duc La, D, Guo, W, Ngo, HH & Dinh, DN 2019, 'Comparative study about the performance of three types of modified natural treatment systems for rice noodle wastewater', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 282, pp. 163-170.
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Xue, S, Zhang, X, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wen, H, Li, C, Zhang, Y & Ma, C 2019, 'Food waste based biochars for ammonia nitrogen removal from aqueous solutions', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 292.
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Yang, J, Liu, X, Wang, D, Xu, Q, Yang, Q, Zerig, G, Li, X, Liu, Y, Gong, J, Ye, J & Li, H 2019, 'Mechanisms of peroxymonosulfate pretreatment enhancing production of short-chain fatty acids from waste activated sludge', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 148, pp. 239-249.
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Yang, S, Gao, B, Jang, A, Shon, HK & Yue, Q 2019, 'Municipal wastewater treatment by forward osmosis using seawater concentrate as draw solution', Chemosphere, vol. 237.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Forward osmosis (FO) has been used in the wastewater treatment due to its advantages including low energy consumption and low membrane fouling. In this study, real municipal wastewater was concentrated by FO process using seawater concentrate as draw solution (DS). The influences of operating conditions such as temperature, flow velocity and sewage pre-filtration on water flux were investigated. Chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus could not be enriched by 4 times while sewage was reduced to 1/4 volume. Excitation and emission matrix fluorescence spectrum showed that a fraction of dissolved organic compounds in sewage transported across membrane into DS. Membrane fouling was evaluated by scanning electronic microscope analysis that a dense cake layer was formed on the membrane surface after sewage filtration. However, water flux of the fouled membrane was highly recovered after 1 h of physical cleaning.

Yang, S, Gao, B, Zhao, P, Wang, C, Shen, X, Yue, Q & Shon, HK 2019, 'The application of forward osmosis for simulated surface water treatment by using trisodium citrate as draw solute', Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 8585-8593.
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© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. In this study, trisodium citrate was used as draw solute in forward osmosis (FO) due to its biodegradability and easy reuse after FO dilution. The effect of operating conditions on FO performance was investigated. The study focused on the long-term flux performance and membrane fouling when surface water was used as feed solution. A water flux of 9.8 LMH was observed using 0.5 M trisodium citrate as draw solution in PRO mode. In the long-term FO process, trisodium citrate showed a slight decrease in total flux loss (13.06%) after 20 h of operation. The membrane fouling was significantly reduced after a two-step physical cleaning. A considerable flux recovery (> 95%) of the fouled membrane was finally obtained. Therefore, this study proves the superiority of trisodium citrate as draw solution and paves a new way in applying FO directly for surface water reclamation.

Yao, M, Ren, J, Akther, N, Woo, YC, Tijing, LD, Kim, S-H & Shon, HK 2019, 'Improving membrane distillation performance: Morphology optimization of hollow fiber membranes with selected non-solvent in dope solution', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 230, pp. 117-126.
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Yao, M, Woo, YC, Ren, J, Tijing, LD, Choi, J-S, Kim, S-H & Shon, HK 2019, 'Volatile fatty acids and biogas recovery using thermophilic anaerobic membrane distillation bioreactor for wastewater reclamation.', Journal of environmental management, vol. 231, pp. 833-842.
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The effects of bioreactor temperatures and salinities of an anaerobic membrane distillation bioreactor (anMDBR) on the permeation performance and their potential recovery of bioresources were fully examined in this study. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of a lab-scale anMDBR process utilizing sub-merged hollow fiber membranes. The hybrid system utilizing both membrane distillation (MD) and anaerobic bioreactors achieved 99.99% inorganic salt rejection regardless the operation temperatures and high initial flux from (2-4 L m-2 h-1) at 45-65 °C. However, after 7-day operation, the flux dropped by 16-50% proportional to the bioreactor temperatures. It was found that the effects of bioreactor temperatures had strong impacts on both the permeation performance and fouling behavior while salinity had insignificant effect. A compact non-porous fouling layer was observed on the membrane surface from the bioreactor operated at 65 °C while only a few depositions was found on the membrane from 45 °C bioreactor. In the present study, the optimal anMDBR temperature was found to be 45 °C, showing a balanced biogas production and membrane permeation performance including less fouling formation. At this bioreactor temperature (45 °C), the biogas yield was 0.14 L/g CODremoval, while maintaining a methane recovery of 42% in the biogas, similar recovery to those at bioreactor temperatures of 55 and 65 °C. The potential recovery of volatile fatty acids made anMDBR a more economically efficient system, in addition to its lower operation cost and smaller footprint compared with most other technologies for on-site wastewater treatment.

Ye, Y, Jiao, J, Kang, D, Jiang, W, Kang, J, Huu, HN, Guo, W & Liu, Y 2019, 'The adsorption of phosphate using a magnesia-pullulan composite: kinetics, equilibrium, and column tests', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH, vol. 26, no. 13, pp. 13299-13310.
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Ye, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Liu, Y, Long, DN, Zhang, X & Wang, J 2019, 'Effect of organic loading rate on the recovery of nutrients and energy in a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 281, pp. 367-373.
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Ye, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Liu, Y, Ni, B-J & Zhang, X 2019, 'Microbial fuel cell for nutrient recovery and electricity generation from municipal wastewater under different ammonium concentrations', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 292.
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Ye, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Liu, Y, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Ren, J, Liu, Y & Zhang, X 2019, 'Feasibility study on a double chamber microbial fuel cell for nutrient recovery from municipal wastewater', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 358, pp. 236-242.
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Yeganeh, N & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Effects of choice of soil constitutive model on seismic performance of moment-resisting frames experiencing foundation rocking subjected to near-field earthquakes', Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, vol. 121, pp. 442-459.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd The current study investigated the extent to which the choice of the soil constitutive models can impact the predicted seismic performance of a 20-story reinforced concrete moment-resisting building with a mat foundation considering the Seismic Soil-Structure Interaction (SSSI). Since the soil, in general, is the weakest material, involved in the commonplace geotechnical engineering projects, a soil constitutive model would be able to rule the dynamic response of the system. In this research, the hardening plasticity-based soil constitutive model, named “hyperbolic hardening with hysteretic damping” in conjunction with the two simple, conventional soil models, namely, the isotropic elastic with hysteretic damping model, and elastic-perfectly plastic Mohr-Coulomb with hysteretic damping model, were invoked in the three-dimensional coupled soil-structure numerical simulations using FLAC3D software. The direct method of analysis was used for analyzing the soil-foundation-structure system in one single step without a need to separately analyze each part of the domain. The cherry-picked earthquake excitations, viz, the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan), and 2011 Kohriyama (Japan), were scaled by means of the widely-used response spectrum matching method as per the design response spectrum of a strong rock. The plastic moment concept was employed so as to assign the elastic-perfectly plastic model to the superstructure and its foundation. Additionally, the strain-compatible shear modulus and damping dependency on the cyclic shear strain were considered via the programmed hysteretic damping algorithm. The numerical predictions included the response spectra at the seismic bedrock and ground surface, base shear forces, shear force distributions along the building height, maximum and permanent foundation displacements, and foundation rocking, plus the flooring lateral deflections and inter-story drifts. The life safety limits for the transient and residual total in...

Yu, C, Wang, H, Wu, Z-X, Sun, W-J & Fatahi, B 2019, 'Analytical Solution for Pollutant Diffusion in Soils with Time-Dependent Dispersion Coefficient', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMECHANICS, vol. 19, no. 10.
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Yu, Z, Hu, Y, Dzakpasu, M, Wang, XC & Ngo, HH 2019, 'Dynamic membrane bioreactor performance enhancement by powdered activated carbon addition: Evaluation of sludge morphological, aggregative and microbial properties.', Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 75, pp. 73-83.
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The effects of powdered activated carbon (PAC) addition on sludge morphological, aggregative and microbial properties in a dynamic membrane bioreactor (DMBR) were investigated to explore the enhancement mechanism of pollutants removal and filtration performance. Sludge properties were analyzed through various analytical measurements. The results showed that the improved sludge aggregation ability and the evolution of microbial communities affected sludge morphology in PAC-DMBR, as evidenced by the formation of large, regularly shaped and strengthened sludge flocs. The modifications of sludge characteristics promoted the formation process and filtration flux of the dynamic membrane (DM) layer. Additionally, PAC addition did not exert very significant influence on the propagation of eukaryotes (protists and metazoans) and microbial metabolic activity. High-throughput pyrosequencing results indicated that adding PAC improved the bacterial diversity in activated sludge, as PAC addition brought about additional microenvironment in the form of biological PAC (BPAC), which promoted the enrichment of Acinetobacter (13.9%), Comamonas (2.9%), Flavobacterium (0.31%) and Pseudomonas (0.62%), all contributing to sludge flocs formation and several (such as Acinetobacter) capable of biodegrading relatively complex organics. Therefore, PAC addition could favorably modify sludge properties from various aspects and thus enhance the DMBR performance.

Yuan, Z, Dong, L, Gao, Q, Huang, Z, Wang, L, Wang, G & Yu, X 2019, 'SnSb alloy nanoparticles embedded in N-doped porous carbon nanofibers as a high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 777, pp. 775-783.
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© 2018 SnSb alloy is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries due to its high specific capacity. However, the large volume change in the process of charge/discharge causes significant pulverizing of SnSb alloy particles, which leads to a rapid capacity fading. This paper reports the synthesis of homogenous SnSb nanoparticles that are embedded in N-doped porous carbon nanofibers through electrospinning technique with LiN3 serving as poregen agent. This distinctive structure prevents the direct contact of SnSb nanoparticles with the electrolyte and provides enough space for the volume change of SnSb alloy during the Li+ insertion/extraction process, enabling this material to deliver a high reversible capacity of 892 mA h g−1 after 100th cycle at 100 mA g−1, and a stable capacity of 487 mA h g−1 after 1000 cycles at 2000 mA g−1. These results highlight the importance of the synergistic effect of SnSb alloy nanoparticles and N-doped porous carbon nanofibers for the high performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Zhang, L, Ma, C, Liu, L, Pan, J & Wang, Q 2019, 'Fabrication of novel particle electrode gamma-Al2O3@ZIF-8 and its application for degradation of Rhodamine B', WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 80, no. 1, pp. 109-116.
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Zhang, L, Pan, J, Liu, L, Song, K & Wang, Q 2019, 'Combined physical and chemical activation of sludge-based adsorbent enhances Cr(VI) removal from wastewater', JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION, vol. 238.
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Zhao, LS, Zhou, WH, Geng, X, Yuen, KV & Fatahi, B 2019, 'A closed-form solution for column-supported embankments with geosynthetic reinforcement', Geotextiles and Geomembranes, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 389-401.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Soil arching effect results from the non-uniform stiffness in a geosynthetic-reinforced and column-supported embankment system. However, most theoretical models ignore the impact of modulus difference on the calculation of load transfer. In this study, a generalized mathematical model is presented to investigate the soil arching effect, with consideration given to the modulus ratio between columns and the surrounding soil. For simplification, a cylindrical unit cell is drawn to study the deformation compatibility among embankment fills, geosynthetics, columns, and subsoils. A deformed shape function is introduced to describe the relationship between the column and the adjacent soil. The measured data gained from a full-scale test are applied to demonstrate the application of this model. In the parametric study, certain influencing factors, such as column spacing, column length, embankment height, modulus ratio, and tensile strength of geosynthetic reinforcement, are analyzed to investigate the performance of the embankment system. This demonstrates that the inclusion of a geosynthetic reinforcement or enlargement of the modulus ratio can increase the load transfer efficiency. When enhancing the embankment height or applying an additional loading, the height of the load transfer platform tends to be reduced. However, a relatively long column has little impact on the load transfer platform.

Zhao, Y, Liu, D, Huang, W, Yang, Y, Ji, M, Long, DN, Quang, TT & Ngoc, HT 2019, 'Insights into biofilm carriers for biological wastewater treatment processes: Current state-of-the-art, challenges, and opportunities', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 288.
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Zheng, L, Price, WE & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'Effects of fouling on separation performance by forward osmosis: the role of specific organic foulants.', Environmental science and pollution research international.
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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.

Zheng, L, Price, WE, McDonald, J, Khan, SJ, Fujioka, T & Nghiem, LD 2019, 'New insights into the relationship between draw solution chemistry and trace organic rejection by forward osmosis', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 587.
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© 2019 This study elucidates the impact of draw solution chemistry (in terms of pH and draw solute species) and membrane fouling on water flux and the rejection of trace organic contaminants by forward osmosis. The results show that draw solution chemistry could induce a notable impact on both water flux and TrOCs rejection. In addition, the impact was further influenced by membrane fouling. The reverse flux of proton (or hydroxyl) could alter the feed solution pH, which governed the separation of ionisable TrOCs. In addition, charged compounds generally exhibited higher rejections than neutral ones by the clean membrane. Electrostatic interaction, rather than size exclusion, was therefore the dominant rejection mechanism for most compounds. There was also a weak correlation between rejection and molecular sizes of the 43 TrOCs. Compared with Na+, Li+ with a larger hydrated radius showed a significantly lower reverse salt flux, resulting in a lower ionic strength and therefore a stronger electrostatic interaction. A fouling cake layer consisted of low molecular weight neutral organics could also affect TrOC rejection due to pore blockage and cake-enhanced concentration polarisation.

Zheng, M, Duan, H, Dong, Q, Ni, BJ, Hu, S, Liu, Y, Huang, X & Yuan, Z 2019, 'Effects of ultrasonic treatment on the ammonia-oxidizing bacterial (AOB) growth kinetics', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 690, pp. 629-635.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Ultrasound has in the past few decades found applications in a variety of disciplines including chemistry, medicine, physics, and to a much less extent microbiology. Our previous studies found that ultrasonic treatment increases the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) while suppressing nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), resulting in beneficial effects in wastewater treatment. In this study, the kinetic and microbiological features of nitrifying microorganisms in activated sludge intermittently treated with ultrasound were investigated to gain an improved understanding of the mechanism involved in ultrasound-induced stimulation of AOB kinetics. The nitrifying microorganisms were initially enriched over 100 days in a laboratory sequential batch reactor (SBR). Ultrasonic treatment of the sludge was then applied with the treatment time in each 12 h SBR cycle progressively increased from 4 to 24 min. Application of the treatment for 21 days led to a doubled maximum specific ammonia oxidation rate, and also the enhanced dominance of known AOB Nitrosomonas genus in the biomass. This stimulatory effect is well described by a modified enzyme catalyzed reaction model, showing a good linear relationship between the natural logarithm value of μmax,AOB and the applied ultrasonic energy density. This result suggests that ultrasonic treatment likely reduced the activation energy of key enzymes involved in ammonium oxidation.

Zhou, X, Jin, W, Han, S-F, Li, X, Gao, S-H, Chen, C, Xie, G-J, Tu, R, Wang, Q & Wang, Q 2019, 'The mutation of Scenedesmus obliquus grown in municipal wastewater by laser combined with ultraviolet', KOREAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, vol. 36, no. 6, pp. 880-885.
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Zhou, X, Jin, W, Tu, R, Guo, Q, Han, S-F, Chen, C, Wang, Q, Liu, W, Jensen, PD & Wang, Q 2019, 'Optimization of microwave assisted lipid extraction from microalga Scenedesmus obliquus grown on municipal wastewater', JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION, vol. 221, pp. 502-508.
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Zhou, Y, Xu, X, Han, R, Li, L, Feng, Y, Yeerken, S, Song, K & Wang, Q 2019, 'Suspended particles potentially enhance nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in the oxic estuarine waters of eutrophic lakes: Field and experimental evidence', ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, vol. 252, pp. 1225-1234.
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Aghayarzadeh, M & Khabbaz, H 2019, 'Numerical simulation of concrete pile groups’ response bored in cemented sand deposit under axial static load testing', E3S Web of Conferences.
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© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. For a safe foundation to perform as desired, the ultimate strength of each pile must fulfil both structural and geotechnical requirements. Pile load testing is considered as a direct method of determining the ultimate bearing capacity of a pile. Pile groups are commonly used in foundation engineering and due to the difficulties and cost of full-scale load tests, most pile group tests are scaled down regardless of whether performed in the field or laboratory. In this paper, it is aimed to simulate the behaviour of concrete bored pile groups under axial static load testing using PLAXIS 3D software and to compare the obtained results with measured curves in an experimental study introduced in the literature. In numerical simulation, to account for the stiffness variation existing inside the pile group and to achieve a reasonable correlation between measured and predicted load-settlement curves three different analyses, including linear elastic, completely non-linear, and a combination of non-linear and linear analyses were performed. The results indicate that the combined non-linear and linear analysis seems a suitable analysis for pile group behaviour prediction.

Aghayarzadeh, M, Khabbaz, H & Fatahi, B 2018, 'Evaluation of Concrete Bored Piles Behaviour in Saturated Loose and Dense Sand During the Static Load Testing', New Developments in Materials for Infrastructure Sustainability and the Contemporary Issues in Geo-environmental Engineering, GeoChina International Conference, Springer, Hangzhou, China, pp. 75-89.
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Diversity of construction methods is available for the installation of piles; and generally piles are classified into two main groups in terms of their installation method, including non-displacement piles and displacement piles. However, non-displacement piles such as bored piles or drilled shafts cause less disruption to adjacent soil compared to displacement piles. Knowing the behaviour of piles, the load-displacement curve has an important role during the pile load testing. In this study, firstly, the background and concepts of three different constitutive soil models including Mohr-Coulomb, Hardening Soil and Hypoplastic models are discussed. Secondly, using these soil models and finite element software PLAXIS, the load carrying capacity of a single bored pile in saturated dense and loose sand are evaluated. Finally, different factors affecting load-displacement curve including Hypoplastic model parameters are assessed. The most important aim of this study is comparing the capability of different soil models to capture the large strain behaviour observed during the static load testing. The results revealed that all three soil models indicate a reasonable correlation to each other, except when the “Intergranular Strain” concept, defined in Hypoplastic model, is activated. This paper can be useful for the practicing engineers to identify the effect of different soil models in numerical simulation of static pile load testing.

Aghayarzadeh, M, Khabbaz, H & Fatahi, B 1970, 'Evaluation of Reaction Piles Effect on Test Piles in Static Load Testing Using 3-D Numerical Analysis', International Conference on Stress Wave Theory and Testing Methods for Deep Foundations, San Diego, California, USA.
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Static load testing includes the direct measurement of pile head displacements when a physical test load is applied. It is known as the most fundamental form of pile load testing, and generally considered as a benchmark for pile performance assessment. During static load testing, the load is commonly applied using a hydraulic jack acting against a reaction beam, which is restrained by an anchorage system. The anchorage system may be in the form of cable anchors or reaction piles installed into the ground to provide tension resistance. In this paper, PLAXIS 3D software incorporating elastic-perfectly-plastic Mohr-Coulomb and hardening-soil constitutive models is initially used to simulate a real static load test conducted in stiff overconsolidated clay. Then, in order to assess the effect of the reaction system on the test results, a similar model using the hardening soil model is simulated. In the three-dimensional model, different numbers of reaction piles, identical to the test pile are located in different distances from the test pile. Subsequently, the influences of spacing, length, diameter of reaction piles, and type of reaction piles on the load - displacement behavior of test piles are assessed. This paper can provide insight to practicing civil engineers on how to design the loading systems for static pile load tests.

Dang, LC & Khabbaz, M 2019, 'Shear Strength Behaviour of Bagasse Fibre Reinforced Expansive Soil', International Conference on Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering 2018.
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This paper presents an experimental investigation on the shear strength behaviour of expansive soil reinforced with bagasse fibre. Bagasse fibre, an agricultural waste by-product left after crushing of sugar-cane for juice extraction, was employed in this study as a reinforcing component for expansive soil reinforcement. The expansive soil used in this investigation was collected from Queensland, Australia. To experimentally investigate the influence of bagasse fibre reinforcement on the shear strength of expansive soil, a series of non-reinforced and fibre reinforced soil samples was prepared by changing randomly distributed bagasse fibre content from 0% to 2%. An array of intensive experimental tests using triaxial compression apparatus was carried out and its results are presented and discussed in further detail. The experimental results reveal that bagasse fibre reinforcement exhibited significant effects on shear strength characteristics of reinforced soils in terms of relationships between deviatoric stress and axial shear strain, ultimate deviatoric strength, and shear strength parameters.

Dang, LC & Khabbaz, MH 2018, 'Experimental Investigation on the Compaction and Compressible Properties of Expansive Soil Reinforced with Bagasse Fibre and Lime', Recent Advancements on Expansive Soils: Proceedings of the 2nd GeoMEast International Congress and Exhibition on Sustainable Civil Infrastructures, Egypt 2018 – The Official International Congress of the Soil-Structure Interaction Group in Egypt (SSIGE), GeoMEast International Congress and Exhibition on Sustainable Civil Infrastructures, Egypt 2018 – The Official International Congress of the Soil-Structure Interaction Group in Egypt (SSIGE), Springer, Egypt.
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This paper presents a laboratory investigation into the mechanical characteristics of expansive soil reinforced with randomly distributed bagasse fibre and lime combination. Bagasse fibre, an agricultural waste by-product left after crushing of sugar-cane for juice extraction, was employed in this investigation as a reinforcing component for expansive soil reinforcement. Several series of laboratory experiments including standard compaction and consolidation tests were carried out on untreated soil and soil samples mixed with various contents of bagasse fibre in a wide range from 0% to 2% and a certain amount of 2.5% lime. The experimental results were used to comprehend the effects of adding bagasse fibre on the compaction and compressible properties of fibre reinforced soils with lime stabilisation. The compaction test results indicate that the addition of bagasse fibre, hydrated lime, and their combination decreased the dry density of stabilised soils. Moreover, the obtained results of the consolidation tests reveal that the reinforcement of expansive soil with bagasse fibre improved the pre-consolidation pressure, meanwhile tended to reduce the compression characteristics of the lime stabilised soils as bagasse fibre content increased from 0% to 1%. However, an excessive increase in bagasse fibre content beyond 1% to 2% was found to result in a slight reduction of the compressibility of lime-soil mixtures reinforced with bagasse fibre. The findings of this research provide a deeper insight into promoting applications of an agricultural waste by-product of bagasse fibre as a low-cost and eco-friendly material for treatment of expansive soils and fill materials for sustainable construction development in the field of civil infrastructure foundations.

Dong, Y, Fatahi, B, Khabbaz, H & Hsi, J 2018, 'Impact of Initial In-Situ Stress Field on Soil Response During Cavity Expansion Using Discrete Element Simulation', New Developments in Materials for Infrastructure Sustainability and the Contemporary Issues in Geo-environmental Engineering, GeoChina International Conference, Springer, Hang Zhou, China, pp. 1-10.
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Discrete element method (DEM) is gaining its popularity in investigating many complicated geotechnical related problems due to its discontinuous nature in simulating granular materials. Particularly when simulating the processes involving large deformation and displacement of soil (e.g. pile penetration), DEM demonstrates distinct advantages over other numerical solutions that may confront convergence problems. Despite the facts that DEM analysis has been conducted to study the mechanism of the cavity expansion, there is a very limited number of investigations conducted to study the effects of the initial stress field on the soil response. Hence, in this study, a three-dimensional numerical analysis has been conducted using PFC3D to investigate the soil response under different initial stress conditions during cavity expansion. A large-scale model containing an adequate number of particles has been constructed to simulate the soil medium, in which, microscopic contact properties were calibrated against existing experimental data to mimic the realistic behaviour of a sandy soil. To examine the effects of the initial in-situ stresses, several cylindrical cavities were created and expanded gradually from an initial radius to a final radius, while stress and strain variations were monitored during the entire simulation. It should be noted that the internal cylinder boundary was loaded using a constant strain rate, while the outer boundary was controlled through a servo mechanism to maintain a constant external pressure adopting appropriate subroutines. The results obtained confirmed that the initial stress conditions have significant effects on the soil response during cavity expansion.

Huang, B, Fatahi, B & Terzaghi, S 2019, 'Investigating effects of wave incident angle and joint depth on ground surface motion considering multiple reflections via coupled discrete element and finite difference method', Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering for Protection and Development ofEnvironment and Constructions, The 7th International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering (VII ICEGE), Roma, Italy.
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Huang, B, Fatahi, B & Zargarbashi, S 2019, 'Coupled discrete element and finite difference modelling of wave propagation across rock mass considering multiple reflections between ground surface and joint', 13th Australia New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, 13th Australia New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, Perth, Australia.
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Le, TM, Dang, LC & Khabbaz, H 2019, 'Combined Effects of Bottom Ash and Lime on Behaviour of Expansive Soil', Recent Advancements on Expansive Soils, Springer International Publishing, pp. 28-44.
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This study illustrates the effectiveness of combining bottom ash and hydrated lime to enhance the engineering properties of expansive soil. The bottom ash was collected from Eraring Power Station in New South Wales, Australia, as a by-product of coal-fired power stations, and soil specimens were used as artificial soil including kaolinite, bentonite and fine sand in a reasonable ratio to stimulate soil samples with characteristics of expansive soil. The stabilised soil samples were prepared by altering the bottom ash content from 0% to 30% on a dry weight basis of expansive soil as well as with constant percentage of 5% in hydrated lime. Through conducting a series of experimental tests including linear shrinkage and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) in various curing time, the shrinkage and strength behaviour of treated soils were investigated and compared with untreated soil samples. The results revealed that the combination of bottom ash and hydrated lime significantly reduced the linear shrinkage, while it increased the strength of expansive soil. The use of bottom ash alone is not recommended due to a slight increase of linear shrinkage and a minor negative impact on the soil strength. The optimum content of combined bottom ash and hydrated lime to stabilise expansive soils is also presented.

Le, TM, Dang, LC & Khabbaz, H 2019, 'Strength characteristics of lime and bottom ash reinforced expansive soils', Geotechnical Special Publication, pp. 352-362.
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© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers. The primary aim of study is to evaluate the influence of hydrated lime and bottom ash on strength properties of expansive soil by two different kinds of dry-weight-based ratios. In this research, bottom ash is used as a stabilizing agent for expansive soil stabilization due to the potential benefits of its additional pozzolanic components in combination of hydrated lime. Bottom ash is a by-product of coal-fired process which was collected from Eraring Power Station in New South Wales, Australia. Meanwhile, expansive soils were artificially prepared using a proper combination of kaolinite, bentonite, and Sydney fine sand to constitute soil samples typically representing expansive soil in the region. To determine the optimum combination ratio of bottom ash to lime to stabilize expansive soil, different contents of randomly distributed bottom ash from 5% to 30% were mixed with soil and 5% hydrated lime to investigate the engineering behaviour of stabilized expansive soils. It is noted that the additive contents of lime and bottom ash, adopted in this study, were calculated based on both the dry weight of soil alone and the total weight of bottom ash-lime-soil admixture for the comparison purpose. The results of indirect tensile (IDT) strength and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests after various curing times are presented and discussed. The experimental findings show that a ratio of 5% lime to 20% bottom ash mixed with expansive soil is considered as their optimum combination ratio for achieving the maximum bearing capacity and tensile strength for soil-dry-weight-based additives. However, the optimum combination ratio of 5% lime to 25% bottom ash is determined in the case of the entire mixture-dry-weight-based additives. It is concluded that applying the latter optimum ratio to a combination of lime and bottom ash can improve the expansive soil strength better than the former.

Nguyen, TAH, Ngo, HH, Guo, WS, Pham, TQ, Cao, TH & Nguyen, THH 2019, 'Applicability of zirconium loaded okara in the removal and recovery of phosphorus from municipal wastewater', IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.
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© 2019 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. Recently, there is a new trend to consider wastewater as a precious resource. Since phosphorus is a limited non-renewable element, and MAP (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate - MgNH4PO4.6H2O) is a valuable slow-release fertilizer, the recovery of phosphorous as MAP has received special attention from scientists all over the world. However, the application of this process with municipal wastewater is still a challenge, due to low concentration of phosphorus and high volume of municipal wastewater. This study investigates the potential of reclaiming MAP from municipal wastewater by combination of adsorption and crystallization. Soybean milk residue (okara) was loaded with Zirconium (Zr) to prepare the adsorbent (ZLO). Adsorption and desorption experiments were conducted in a semi-pilot scale ZLO packed colum system. Effects of P: N: Mg molar ratios, chemical sources and temperature on the formation of MAP were examined in an attempt to identify the optimal crystallization conditions. The attained precipitate was characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR techniques. It was found that the ZLO packed column adsorption-desorption system could pre-concentrate phosphorus from municipal wastewater up to 28.36 times, fitting well the minimum requirement (50 mg P/L) for the economical MAP recovery. Up to 95.19% of dissolved phosphorus in desorption solution was recovered at pH = 9, Mg: N: P molar ratio = 2:2:1, using a combination of MgCl2.6H2O and NH4Cl. The harvested MAP exhibited high purity (92.59%), high P-availability (89% by mass), and extremely low levels of heavy metals. The results prove that it is viable to recover MAP from municipal wastewater by employing ZLO as adsorbent, followed by crystallization. This paves the way for mining phosphorus from municipal wastewater and reducing okara as an agricultural byproduct in a green way.

Nguyet, LM, Kandasamy, J & Minh, DQ 2019, 'Assessing the Impact of Inundation Preventing Construction on River Morphology of Can Giuoc River in Long An Province', IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.
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© 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. To attend to inundation prevention in Ho Chi Minh city, the Prime Minister approved the irrigation plan to prevent inundation in which there is a solution of constructing Thu Bo tidal drainage in Long An province. Thu Bo drainage is expected to have a total width of 200m, including 120m with drainage threshold -8m and 80m with drainage threshold -4,0m. Thu Bo drainage will be constructed on Can Giuoc River which is a national waterway that has been planned (two level 3 waterways from Ho Chi Minh city to Kien Luong and to Ca Mau). The article presents the result of MIKE 21 model study to assess the impact of inundation preventing construction on river morphology of Can Giuoc River in Long An province. The result indicates that the location of the drainage has caused local erosion due to narrow riverbed, flow velocity here increases, hence there are erosions in front of and behind the drainage. The sphere of erosion influence causes riverbed modification towards the upstream and downstream about 180 - 200m, especially in the time of drainage operation, there are significant differences between the upstream and downstream water level, which causes local erosion, therefore it is essential to have riverbed and river bank strengthening reinforcement measures to stabilize riverbed.

Zhang, X, Fatahi, B & Khabbaz, H 2018, 'Investigating Effects of Individual Fracture Length on Behaviour of Weak Rock Using Discrete Element Method', Proceedings of the 5th GeoChina International Conference 2018 – Civil Infrastructures Confronting Severe Weathers and Climate Changes: From Failure to Sustainability, 5th GeoChina International Conference, Wuhan, pp. 1-11.
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