Aghayarzadeh, M, Khabbaz, H, Fatahi, B & Terzaghi, S 2020, 'Interpretation of Dynamic Pile Load Testing for Open-Ended Tubular Piles Using Finite-Element Method', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMECHANICS, vol. 20, no. 2.
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Ahmad, HA, Ni, SQ, Ahmad, S, Zhang, J, Ali, M, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Tan, Z & Wang, Q 2020, 'Gel immobilization: A strategy to improve the performance of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria for nitrogen-rich wastewater treatment', Bioresource Technology.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process appears a suitable substitute to nitrification-denitrification at a lower C/N ratios. Anammox is a chemolithoautotrophic process, belong to phylum Planctomycetes, and they are slow growing bacteria. Different strategies, e.g., biofilm formation, granulation and gel immobilization, have been applied to maintain a critical mass of bacterial cells in the system by avoiding washout from the bioreactor. Gel immobilization of anammox appears the best alternative to the natural process of biofilm formation and granulation. Polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate, polyethylene glycol, and waterborne polyurethane are the most reported materials used for the entrapment of anammox bacteria. However, dissolution of the gel beads refrains its application for long term bioprocess. Magnetic powder could coat on the surface of the beads which may increase the mechanical strength and durability of pellets. Application and problem of immobilization technology for the commercialization of this technology also addressed.
Ahmed, MB, Alam, MM, Zhou, JL, Xu, B, Johir, MAH, Karmakar, AK, Rahman, MS, Hossen, J, Hasan, ATMK & Moni, MA 2020, 'Advanced treatment technologies efficacies and mechanism of per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances removal from water', PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, vol. 136, pp. 1-14.
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Ajani, PA, Lim, HC, Verma, A, Lassudrie, M, McBean, K, Doblin, MA & Murray, SA 2020, 'First report of the potentially toxic marine diatomPseudo-nitzschia simulans(Bacillariophyceae) from the East Australian Current', PHYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 254-259.
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Akther, N, Ali, SM, Phuntsho, S & Shon, H 2020, 'Surface modification of thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes with polyvinyl alcohol–graphene oxide composite hydrogels for antifouling properties', Desalination, vol. 491.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. In this study, the polyamide (PA) layers of commercial thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes were coated with glutaraldehyde cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel comprising of graphene oxide (GO) at various loadings to enhance their fouling resistance. The optimal GO concentration of 0.02 wt% in hydrogel solution was confirmed from the FO membrane performance, and its influence on membrane antifouling properties was studied. The properties of the modified membranes, such as surface morphology, surface charge and wettability, were also investigated. PVA/GO coating was observed to increase the smoothness and hydrophilicity of the membrane surface. The foulant resistances of the pristine, PVA-coated and PVA/GO-coated membranes were also reported. PVA hydrogel-coated TFC membrane with a GO loading of 0.02 wt% showed a 55% reduction in specific reverse solute flux, only a marginal reduction in the water flux, and the best antifouling property with a 58% higher flux recovery than the pristine TFC membrane. The significant improvement in the selectivity of the modified membranes meant that the hydrogel coating could be used to seal PA defects. The biocidal GO flakes in PVA hydrogel coating also improved the biofouling resistance of the modified membranes, which could be attributed to their morphologies and superior surface properties.
Akther, N, Yuan, Z, Chen, Y, Lim, S, Phuntsho, S, Ghaffour, N, Matsuyama, H & Shon, H 2020, 'Influence of graphene oxide lateral size on the properties and performances of forward osmosis membrane', DESALINATION, vol. 484.
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Alam, MM, Hossain, MA, Hossain, MD, Johir, MAH, Hossen, J, Rahman, MS, Zhou, JL, Hasan, ATMK, Karmakar, AK & Ahmed, MB 2020, 'The Potentiality of Rice Husk-Derived Activated Carbon: From Synthesis to Application', PROCESSES, vol. 8, no. 2.
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Alhathal Alanezi, A, Altaee, A & Sharif, AO 2020, 'The effect of energy recovery device and feed flow rate on the energy efficiency of reverse osmosis process', Chemical Engineering Research and Design, vol. 158, pp. 12-23.
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© 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers The energy requirements for reverse osmosis (RO) seawater desalination continue to be a major matter of debate. Previous studies have shown the dependence of optimum RO desalination energy on the RO recovery rate. However, they overlooked including the effect of Energy Recovery Device (ERD) and pretreatment on the power consumption. In this work, a computer model was used to analyze the energy requirements for RO desalination, taking into account the effect of ERD efficiencies and pretreatment. The specific power consumption (SPC) of the RO was found to increase with the increase of RO recovery rate when the ERD system was included. The optimum SPC became more dependent on the RO recovery rate when the pretreatment energy was added. The recovery for optimum desalination energy was 46%, 44%, and 40% for the RO system coupled with an ERD of 65%, 80%, and 95% efficiency, respectively. The results showed that RO process could be operated at lower recovery rate and still meet the projected desalination capacity by increasing the feed flow rate and coupling with high-efficiency ERD. A trivial decrease of the total desalination energy was achieved when the feed flow rate increased from 7 m3/h to 8 m3/h and recovery rate decreased from 46% to 44% by coupling the RO with an ERD of 95% efficiency. This suggests that the RO–ERD system can be operated at a high feed flow rate and low recovery rate without affecting the plant capacity.
Al-Jubainawi, A, Ma, Z, Guo, Y & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Effect of regulating main governing factors on the selectivity membranes of electrodialysis used for LiCl liquid desiccant regeneration', JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING, vol. 28.
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Alosime, EM, Alshahrani, AA, Nghiem, LD & Panhuis, M 2020, 'The preparation and characterization of buckypaper made from carbon nanotubes impregnated with chitosan', Polymer Composites.
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Alshahrani, AA, Algamdi, MS, Alsohaimi, IH, Nghiem, LD, Tu, KL, Al-Illwajfeh, AE & Panhuis, MIH 2020, 'The rejection of mono- and di-valent ions from aquatic environmental by MWNT/chitosan buckypaper composite membranes: Influences of chitosan concentrations', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 234.
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Altaee, A 2020, 'Organic Fouling in Forward Osmosis: A Comprehensive Review', Water, vol. 12, no. 5.
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Altaee, A & AlZainati, N 2020, 'Novel Thermal Desalination Brine Reject-Sewage Effluent Salinity Gradient for Power Generation and Dilution of Brine Reject', Energies, vol. 13, no. 7.
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Salinity gradient resource presents an essential role for power generated in the process of pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO). Researchers proposed several designs for coupling the PRO process with the desalination plants, particularly reverse osmosis technology for low-cost desalination but there is no study available yet on the utilization of the concentrated brine reject from a thermal desalination plant. This study evaluates the feasibility of power generation in the PRO process using thermal plant brine reject-tertiary sewage effluent (TSE) salinity gradient resource. Power generation in the PRO process was determined for several commercially available FO membranes. Water flux in Oasys Forward Osmosis membrane was more than 31 L/m2h while the average water flux in the Oasys module was 17 L/m2h. The specific power generation was higher in the thin film composite (TFC) membranes compared to the cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes. The specific power generation for the Oasys membrane was 0.194 kWh/m3, which is 41% of the maximum Gibbs energy of the brine reject-TSE salinity gradient. However, the Hydration Technology Innovation CTA membrane extracted only 0.133 kWh/m3 or 28% of Gibbs free energy of mixing for brine reject-TSE salinity gradient. The study reveals the potential of the brine reject-TSE salinity gradient resource for power generation and the dilution of brine reject.
Altaee, A, Khalaifat, N & Zhou, J 2020, 'Assessment of wind energy potential at Yanco, New South Wales, Australia', International Journal of Industrial Electronics and Electrical Engineering, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 26-30.
Altaee, A, Khlaifat, N, Zhou, J & Huang, Y 2020, 'A review of the key sensitive parameters on the aerodynamic performance of a horizontal wind turbine using Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling', AIMS Energy, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 493-524.
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Renewable energy technologies are receiving much attention to replacing power plants operated by fossil and nuclear fuels. Of all the renewable technologies, wind power has been successfully implemented in several countries. There are several parameters in the aerodynamic characteristics and design of the horizontal wind turbine. This paper highlights the key sensitive parameters that affect the aerodynamic performance of the horizontal wind turbine, such as environmental conditions, blade shape, airfoil configuration and tip speed ratio. Different turbulence models applied to predict the flow around the horizontal wind turbine using Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling are reviewed. Finally, the challenges and concluding remarks for future research directions in wind turbine design are discussed.
Altaee, A, Khlaifat, N, Zhou, J, Huang, Y & Braytee, A 2020, 'Optimization of a Small Wind Turbine for a Rural Area: A Case Study of Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia', Energies, vol. 13.
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The performance of a wind turbine is profoundly affected by wind conditions. Small wind turbines usually achieve the demand for electricity in rural areas. The shape of the blade greatly influences the performance of the wind turbine. The present study aims to optimize the performance of a 20 kW horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) under local wind conditions at Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia. ANSYS Fluent was used to investigate the aerodynamic performance of the 20 KW HAWT. The effects of four Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) turbulence models on predicting the flow over the wind turbine under separation condition were examined. Transition SST model had the best agreement with NREL CER data, which was used to investigate the mechanical output at different rotational speeds and variable pitch angles. Then the aerodynamic shape of the rotor of the wind turbine was optimized to maximize the annual energy production (AEP) in the Deniliquin region. Statistical wind analysis was applied to define the Weibull function and scale parameters which were 2.096 and 5.042 m/s, respectively. HARP_Opt was enhanced with design variables concerning the shape of the blade, rated rotational speed, and pitch angle. Pitch angle remained at 0ᵒ while the rising wind speed improved rotor speed to 148.4482 rpm at rated speed. This optimization improved the AEP rate by 9.068% when compared to the original NREL design.
Arjmandi, A, Peyravi, M, Arjmandi, M & Altaee, A 2020, 'Exploring the use of cheap natural raw materials to reduce the internal concentration polarization in thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 398.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Internal concentration polarization (ICP) is a significant problem in Forward osmosis (FO) membranes, which reduces the water flux. In order to mitigate the ICP phenomenon, rice bran (RB) and wood sawdust (WSD) particles were selected as natural green pore formers and incorporated into the polyethersulfone (PES) matrix to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). Fabricated MMMs were used as the porous support layer (SL) to make thin-film composite (TFC) FO membranes. Firstly, the water uptake experiment was performed to evaluate the water adsorption capacity of the RB and WSD particles. Furthermore, all samples were characterized by FTIR, FESEM, AFM, XPS, DLS, static contact angle (CA), and tensile strength. Also, performance tests in reverse osmosis (RO) and the FO units were performed to evaluate the fabricated membranes. The results showed that the use of RB and WSD particles dramatically reduced the structural parameter in all MMMs, resulting in lower ICP effects and high water flux. Due to the softer structure, smaller size, and more water uptake, the RB-based TFC membranes recorded better results. The TFC-RB-5 (with 5% of RB in the SL) was the best membrane with a water flux of about 65.71 L/m2.h for Caspian seawater desalination, while the FO water flux for DI water as the feed solution (FS) was 83.65 L/m2.h. The present study showed the membranes made in this study are competitive with the existing FO membranes and very cost-effective for broad applications.
Arjmandi, M, Altaee, A, Arjmandi, A, Pourafshari Chenar, M, Peyravi, M & Jahanshahi, M 2020, 'A facile and efficient approach to increase the magnetic property of MOF-5', Solid State Sciences, vol. 106.
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© 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS In this study, a facile and efficient approach to increase the magnetic property of metal-organic framework-5 (MOF-5) has been investigated. The basis of this approach is the encapsulation of cluster-oxygen composition (i.e. ZnO in MOF-5) during the synthesis process of MOF-5 to form ZnO@MOF-5 nanocrystals. Both MOF-5 and ZnO@MOF-5 were synthesized for comparison purposes, considering their magnetic property. The physicochemical properties of MOF-5 and ZnO@MOF-5 were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA, DLS, FESEM, and Magnetization measurements. The FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of additional ZnO molecules in the ZnO@MOF-5 structure. Results from the XRD showed that the presence of additional ZnO molecules in the ZnO@MOF-5 altered the structure of MOF-5. The TGA analysis also confirmed the presence of additional ZnO molecules in the ZnO@MOF-5 structure, indicating that the ZnO@MOF-5 contains 15.23 wt% ZnO more than MOF-5. The FESEM and DLS results showed that the average sizes of MOF-5 and ZnO@MOF-5 nanocrystals are below 100 nm, with no defined morphology. Finally, the magnetization measurements showed that the MOF-5 nanocrystals have diamagnetic properties. For ZnO@MOF-5 nanocrystals, a ferromagnetic-like character was observed in the scanned field range and the saturation value of about 2.59 × 10−3 emu/g was obtained. The success of this facile and hassle-free approach can be an important step towards enhancing the magnetic properties of MOFs.
Arjmandi, M, Peyravi, M, Altaee, A, Arjmandi, A, Pourafshari Chenar, M, Jahanshahi, M & Binaeian, E 2020, 'A state-of-the-art protocol to minimize the internal concentration polarization in forward osmosis membranes', Desalination, vol. 480.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The main reason for the lower water flux, than expected, in the forward osmosis (FO) process, is the internal concentration polarization (DICP). Usually, the structural parameter (S) is used as an indicator of the intensity of DICP. Small S value is desirable for the FO membrane due to the low DICP. However, due to design and construction problems, structural parameter reduction has some drawbacks. In this work, DICP reduction in FO membranes will be investigated using an approach other than structural parameter reduction. Accordingly, during the FO process, the feed solution (FS) valve is opened and closed at a constant period of time (feed valve timing (FVT)). Four types of FO membranes with different S parameters were used. The effects of the implementation of the proposed protocol on the water flux (Jw), reverse salt flux (Js), specific reverse solute flux (Js/Jw) and effective driving force were investigated. The effects of the S parameter and draw solution (DS) concentration also investigated separately. The results showed that the proposed protocol significantly increased Jw. Also, the values of Js/Jw decreased with increasing the FVT values and reached the lowest level in the practical recovery time (PRT).
Arjmandi, M, Pourafshari Chenar, M, Altaee, A, Arjmandi, A, Peyravi, M, Jahanshahi, M & Binaeian, E 2020, 'Caspian seawater desalination and whey concentration through forward osmosis (FO)-reverse osmosis (RO) and FO-FO-RO hybrid systems: Experimental and theoretical study', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 37, pp. 101492-101492.
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Ball, J, Qiuhua, L, Jingming, H, Bingyao, L, Yu, T, Hui, L & Liping, M 2020, 'Cause Analysis for a New Type of Devastating Flash Flood', Hydrology Research: an international journal, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 1-16.
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This work introduces an unprecedented flash flood that resulted in nine casualties in Shimen Valley, China, 2015. Through field survey and numerical simulation, the causes of the disaster are systematically analyzed, finding that the intense storm, terrain features, and the large woody debris(LWD) played important roles. The intense storm induced fast runoff and, in turn, high discharges as a result of the steep catchment surfaces and channels. The flood flushed LWD and boulders downstream until blockage occurred in a contraction section, forming a debris lake. When the debris dam broke, a dam break wave rapidly propagated to the valley mouth, washing people away. After considering the disaster-inducing factors, measures for preventing similar floods are proposed. The analysis presented herein should help others manage flash floods in mountain areas.
Bao, T, Damtie, MM, Hosseinzadeh, A, Wei, W, Jin, J, Hoang, NPV, Ye, JS, Liu, Y, Wang, XF, Yu, ZM, Chen, ZJ, Wu, K, Frost, RL & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Bentonite-supported nano zero-valent iron composite as a green catalyst for bisphenol A degradation: Preparation, performance, and mechanism of action', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 260.
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Barolo, L, Abbriano, RM, Commault, AS, George, J, Kahlke, T, Fabris, M, Padula, MP, Lopez, A, Ralph, PJ & Pernice, M 2020, 'Perspectives for Glyco-Engineering of Recombinant Biopharmaceuticals from Microalgae', CELLS, vol. 9, no. 3.
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Bian, Y, Wang, D, Liu, X, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, BJ, Li, H & Zhang, Y 2020, 'The fate and impact of TCC in nitrifying cultures', Water Research, vol. 178.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Triclocarban (TCC) is a highly effective antibacterial agent, which is widely used in a variety of applications and present at significant levels (e.g., 760 μg/L) in wastewater worldwide. However, the interaction between TCC and nitrifiers, important microbial cultures in wastewater treatment plants, has not been documented. This work therefore aimed to evaluate the fate of TCC in a nitrifying culture and its impact on nitrifiers in four long-term nitrifiers-rich reactors, which received synthetic wastewater containing 0, 0.1, 1, or 5 mg/L TCC. Experimental results showed that 36.7%–50.7% of wastewater TCC was removed by nitrifying cultures in stable operation. Mass balance analysis revealed that the removal of TCC was mainly achieved through adsorption rather than biodegradation. Adsorption kinetic analysis indicated that inhomogeneous multilayer adsorption was responsible for the removal while fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that several functional groups such as hydroxyl, amide and polysaccharide seemed to be the main adsorption sites. The adsorbed TCC significantly deteriorated settleability and performance of nitrifying cultures. With an increase of influent TCC from 0 to 5 mg/L, reactor volatile suspended solids and effluent nitrate decreased from 1200 ± 90 mg/L and 300.81 ± 7.52 mg/L to 880 ± 80 and 7.35 ± 4.62 mg/L while effluent ammonium and nitrite increased from 0.41 ± 0.03 and 0.45 ± 0.23 mg/L to104.65 ± 3.46 and 182.06 ± 7.54 mg/L, respectively. TCC increased the extracellular polymeric substances of nitrifying cultures, inhibited the specific activities of nitrifiers, and altered the abundance of nitrifiers especially Nitrospira sp. In particular, TCC at environmentally relevant concentration (i.e., 0.1 mg/L) significantly inhibited NOB activity and reduced NOB population.
Chang, Z, Long, G, Zhou, JL & Ma, C 2020, 'Valorization of sewage sludge in the fabrication of construction and building materials: A review', RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING, vol. 154.
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Cheng, D, Hao Ngo, H, Guo, W, Wang Chang, S, Duc Nguyen, D, Liu, Y, Zhang, X, Shan, X & Liu, Y 2020, 'Contribution of antibiotics to the fate of antibiotic resistance genes in anaerobic treatment processes of swine wastewater: A review', Bioresource Technology, vol. 299.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in water environment have become a global health concern. Swine wastewater is widely considered to be one of the major contributors for promoting the proliferation of ARGs in water environments. This paper comprehensively reviews and discusses the occurrence and removal of ARGs in anaerobic treatment of swine wastewater, and contributions of antibiotics to the fate of ARGs. The results reveal that ARGs’ removal is unstable during anaerobic processes, which negatively associated with the presence of antibiotics. The abundance of bacteria carrying ARGs increases with the addition of antibiotics and results in the spread of ARGs. The positive relationship was found between antibiotics and the abundance and transfer of ARGs in this review. However, it is necessary to understand the correlation among antibiotics, ARGs and microbial communities, and obtain more knowledge about controlling the dissemination of ARGs in the environment.
Cheng, D, Huu, HN, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Zhang, X, Varjani, S & Liu, Y 2020, 'Feasibility study on a new pomelo peel derived biochar for tetracycline antibiotics removal in swine wastewater', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 720.
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Cheng, D, Liu, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Zhang, S, Luo, G & Liu, Y 2020, 'A review on application of enzymatic bioprocesses in animal wastewater and manure treatment', Bioresource Technology, vol. 313.
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© 2020 Enzymatic processing has been considered an interesting technology as enzymes play important roles in the process of waste bioconversion, whilst heling to develop valuable products from animal wastes. In this paper, the application of enzymes in animal waste management were critically reviewed in short with respect to utilization in: (i) animal wastewater treatment and (ii) animal manure management. The results indicate that the application of enzymes could increase both chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and production of biogas. The enzymatic bioprocesses were found to be affected by the type, source and dosage of enzymes and the operating conditions. Further studies on optimizing the operating conditions and developing cost-effective enzymes for the future large-scale application are therefore necessary.
Cheng, D, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Li, J, Ly, QV, Nguyen, TAH & Tran, VS 2020, 'Applying a new pomelo peel derived biochar in microbial fell cell for enhancing sulfonamide antibiotics removal in swine wastewater', Bioresource Technology.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd A sequential anode-cathode double-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising system for simultaneously removing contaminants, recovering nutrients and producing energy from swine wastewater. To improve sulfonamide antibiotics (SMs)’s removal in the continuous operating of MFC, one new pomelo peel-derived biochar was applied in the anode chamber in this study. Results demonstrated that SMs can be absorbed onto the heterogeneous surfaces of biochar through pore-filling and π-π EDA interaction. Adding biochar to a certain concentration (500 mg/L) could enhance the efficiency in removing sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine and sulfamethazine to 82.44–88.15%, 53.40–77.53% and 61.12–80.68%, respectively. Moreover, electricity production, COD and nutrients removal were improved by increasing the concentration of biochar. Hence, it is proved that adding biochar in MFC could effectively improve the performance of MFC in treating swine wastewater containing SMs.
Cheng, D, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Liu, Y, Shan, X, Nghiem, LD & Nguyen, LN 2020, 'Removal process of antibiotics during anaerobic treatment of swine wastewater.', Bioresource technology, vol. 300, pp. 122707-122707.
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High concentrations of antibiotics in swine wastewater pose potentially serious risks to the environment, human and animal health. Identifying the mechanism for removing antibiotics during the anaerobic treatment of swine wastewater is essential for reducing the serious damage they do to the environment. In this study, batch experiments were conducted to investigate the biosorption and biodegradation of tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics (TCs and SMs) in anaerobic processes. Results indicated that the removal of TCs in the anaerobic reactor contributed to biosorption, while biodegradation was responsible for the SMs' removal. The adsorption of TCs fitted well with the pseudo-second kinetic mode and the Freundlich isotherm, which suggested a heterogeneous chemisorption process. Cometabolism was the main mechanism for the biodegradation of SMs and the process fitted well with the first-order kinetic model. Microbial activity in the anaerobic sludge might be curtailed due to the presence of high concentrations of SMs.
Cheng, D, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Liu, Y, Wei, Q & Wei, D 2020, 'A critical review on antibiotics and hormones in swine wastewater: Water pollution problems and control approaches.', Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 387.
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Swine wastewater (SW) is an important source of antibiotics and hormones (A&H) in the environment due to their large-scale application in swine industry. A&H in SW can be released into the water environment through the direct discharge of SW, effluent from SW treatment plants, and runoff and leaching from farmland polluted by swine wastes. The presence of A&H in the water environment has become an increasing global concern considering their adverse effects to the aquatic organism and human. This review critically discusses: (i) the occurrence of A&H in global water environment and their potential risks to water organisms and human; (ii) the management and technical approaches for reducing the emission of A&H in SW to the water environment. The development of antibiotic alternatives and the enhanced implementation of vaccination and biosecurity are promising management approaches to cut down the consumption of antibiotics during swine production. Through the comparison of different biological treatment technologies for removing A&H in SW, membrane-based bioprocesses have relatively higher and more stable removal efficiencies. Whereas, the combined system of bioprocesses and AOPs is expected to be a promising technology for elimination and mineralization of A&H in swine wastewater. Further study on this system is therefore necessary.
Cheng, D, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Lee, D, Nghiem, DL, Zhang, J, Liang, S, Varjani, S & Wang, J 2020, 'Performance of microbial fuel cell for treating swine wastewater containing sulfonamide antibiotics', Bioresource Technology, vol. 311.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd The proper treatment of swine wastewater with relatively high concentrations of antibiotics is very important to protect environmental safety and human health. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology shows much promise for removing pollutants and producing electricity simultaneously. A double-chamber MFC was investigated in this study. Synthetic swine wastewater with the addition of sulfonamides was used as the fuels in the anode chamber. Results indicated that COD could be effectively removed (>95%) and virtually not affect by the presence of sulfonamides in the MFC. A stable voltage output was also observed. The removal efficiencies of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), sulfadiazine (SDZ), and sulfamethazine (SMZ) in the MFC were in the 99.46–99.53%, 13.39–66.91% and 32.84–67.21% ranges, respectively. These totals were higher than those reported for a traditional anaerobic reactor. Hence, MFC revealed strong resistance to antibiotic toxicity and high potential to treat swine wastewater with antibiotics.
Choi, Y, Naidu, G, Lee, S & Vigneswaran, S 2020, 'Recovery of sodium sulfate from seawater brine using fractional submerged membrane distillation crystallizer', Chemosphere, vol. 238.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine contain many valuable resources. In this study, fractional-submerged membrane distillation crystallizer (F-SMDC) was used to recover sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) from SWRO brine. The concentration/temperature gradient (CG/TG) in the reactor enhanced water recovery utilizing MD and Na2SO4 crystallization via a crystallizer. Crystals were not obtained at the bottom section of the F-SMDC due to: firstly, calcium sulfate crystallization occurring on the membrane surface; and secondly, low temperature-sensitivity solubility component such as NaCl exerting a negative influence. In order to obtain supersaturation, a sulfate-rich scenario was created in the reactor through the addition of the following three components: Na2SO4, MgSO4 and (NH4)2SO4. When Na2SO4 and MgSO4 were added, a larger concentration was observed at the top section, resulting in a low concentration gradient (CG) ratio, i.e. around 1.7. Conversely, the addition of (NH4)2SO4 achieved faster Na2SO4 crystallization (VCF 1.42) at the bottom section with a greater CG ratio of more than 2.0. Total water recovery ratio of 72% and 223.73 g Na2SO4 crystals were successfully extracted from simulated SWRO brine using laboratory scale F-SMDC.
Collins, S, Boyd, PW & Doblin, MA 2020, 'Evolution, Microbes, and Changing Ocean Conditions', ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE, VOL 12, vol. 12, pp. 181-208.
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Commault, AS, Kaur Walia, N, Fabris, M, Barolo, L, Siboni, N, Adriaans, J, Ralph, PJ & Pernice, M 2020, 'Effect of biphasic temperature regime on therapeutic recombinant protein production in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii', Algal Research, vol. 50.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Microalgae are increasingly being considered for recombinant protein production because of low cultivation costs, absence of endotoxins and insusceptibility to human infectious agents. Despite these advantages, the yield of recombinant protein produced in microalgae is still low compared to more established expression systems and optimization at the genetic and cultivation levels is required for this new system to be economically viable. This study investigates the effect of biphasic temperature regimes on the yield of recombinant human interferon alpha 2a (IFN-α2a), a therapeutic protein known for its anti-cancer and anti-viral properties, produced by the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr.IFN-α2a). Biphasic growth is commonly employed to increase recombinant protein production in mammalian cell lines used for commercial production of therapeutic proteins, with a lowering of the temperature resulting in higher yields. In this study, lowering the temperature from 25 °C to 15 °C in mid-exponential growth phase increased the accumulation of Cr.IFN-α2a by 3.3-fold while it slowed down the growth of the three C. reinhardtii transgenic lines tested. In contrast, a rise of temperature from 25 °C to 35 °C accelerated cell growth, while negatively impacting the production of Cr.IFN-α2a. After a two-step chromatography purification, the Cr.IFN-α2a produced was estimated to be 53% pure with a yield of 90 μg/L of culture. The amino acid sequence of Cr.IFN-α2a was confirmed by mass spectrometry. However, the anti-viral activity of Cr.IFN-α2a was found to be 10 times lower than the human IFN-α2a standard produced using E. coli when challenged in a cytopathic effect (CPE) assay, likely due to the formation of aggregates. While the molecular mechanisms driving the accumulation of Cr.IFN-α2a at lower temperature remains unclear, our results support that reducing the temperature at the peak of expression is a valid strategy to increase the yield o...
Cong Nguyen, N, Cong Duong, H, Chen, SS, Thi Nguyen, H, Hao Ngo, H, Guo, W, Quang Le, H, Cong Duong, C, Thuy Trang, L, Hoang Le, A, Thanh Bui, X & Dan Nguyen, P 2020, 'Water and nutrient recovery by a novel moving sponge – Anaerobic osmotic membrane bioreactor – Membrane distillation (AnOMBR-MD) closed-loop system', Bioresource Technology, vol. 312.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd For the first time, a novel sponge-based moving bed-anaerobic osmosis membrane bioreactor/membrane distillation (AnOMBR/MD) system using mixed Na3PO4/EDTA–2Na as the draw solution was employed to treat wastewater for enhanced water flux and reduced membrane fouling. Results indicated that the moving sponge-AnOMBR/MD system obtained a stable water flux of 4.01 L/m2 h and less membrane fouling for a period lasting 45 days. Continuous moving sponge around the FO module is the main mechanism for minimizing membrane fouling during the 45-day AnOMBR operation. The proposed system's nutrient removal was almost 100%, thus showing the superiority of simultaneous FO and MD membranes. Nutrient recovery from the MF permeate was best when solution pH was controlled to 9.5, whereby 17.4% (wt/wt) of phosphorus was contained in precipitated components. Moreover, diluted draw solute following AnOMBR was effectively regenerated using the MD process with water flux above 2.48 L/m2 h and salt rejection > 99.99%.
Cui, Z, Hao Ngo, H, Cheng, Z, Zhang, H, Guo, W, Meng, X, Jia, H & Wang, J 2020, 'Hysteresis effect on backwashing process in a submerged hollow fiber membrane bioreactor (MBR) applied to membrane fouling mitigation.', Bioresource technology, vol. 300, pp. 122710-122710.
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Hysteresis effect on backwashing in a submerged MBR was investigated with dead-end hollow fiber membranes. The out-of-step changes in TMP and flux is the real hysteresis effect which is common but easily overlooked. Methods of visualization and ultrasonic spectrum analysis were implemented. The results showed that fouling layer is just the culprit of hysteresis effect. Fouling level and fiber length were determined as two key factors that affect hysteresis effect by data and model derivation. Moreover, a hysteresis evaluation index "τbw" is proposed to quantify the result of TMP vs time. The relationship between influence factors and "τbw" is interactive. A linear relationship between fouling level and "τbw" was found as well as an extreme value between fiber length and "τbw". A lower fouling level (lower backwashing flow) and optimal backwashing duration will be helpful for an effective backwashing no matter for membrane fouling control or energy cost reduce.
Dang, LC, Dang, CC & Khabbaz, H 2020, '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.
Deng, L, Guo, W, Ngo, HH, Wang, XC, Hu, Y, Chen, R, Cheng, D, Guo, S & Cao, Y 2020, 'Application of a specific membrane fouling control enhancer in membrane bioreactor for real municipal wastewater treatment: Sludge characteristics and microbial community', Bioresource Technology, vol. 312.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd The feasibility of a novel bioflocculant (GemFloc™) for membrane fouling mitigation in membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated during real municipal wastewater treatment. When compared to the conventional MBR (CMBR), suspended sludge in the MBR with GemFloc™ (G-MBR) showed less soluble microbial products (SMP), higher ratios of proteins to polysaccharides in SMP (SMPP/SMPC) and loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS). Adding GemFloc™ also enlarged floc size (> 200 µm), and increased tightly bound EPS levels, zeta potential and relative hydrophobicity of sludge flocs, further reduced cake layer and pore blocking resistances. Moreover, more diverse microbial community and enrichment of fouling reduction microbes such as Arenimonas and Flavihumibacter were observed in the G-MBR, together with less abundant microbes (e.g. Sphaerotilus and Povalibacter) which could aggravate membrane fouling. Therefore, GemFloc™ has high capability in improving sludge characteristics, mitigating membrane fouling and increasing diversity of special functional bacterial community in MBR.
Do, MH, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Liu, Y, Varjani, S & Kumar, M 2020, 'Microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for online monitoring wastewater quality: A critical review.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 712, pp. 135612-135612.
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Recently, the application of the microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based biosensor for rapid and real-time monitoring wastewater quality is very innovative due to its simple compact design, disposability, and cost-effectiveness. This review represents recent advances in this emerging technology for the management of wastewater quality, where the emphasis is on biochemical oxygen demand, toxicity, and other environmental applications. In addition, the main challenges of this technology are discussed, followed by proposing possible solutions to those challenges based on the existing knowledge of detection principles and signal processing. Potential future research of MFC-based biosensor has been demonstrated in this review.
Doan, S & Fatahi, B 2020, 'Analytical solution for free strain consolidation of stone column-reinforced soft ground considering spatial variation of total stress and drain resistance', COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS, vol. 118.
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Dong, Y & Fatahi, B 2020, 'Discrete element simulation of cavity expansion in lightly cemented sands considering cementation degradation', COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS, vol. 124.
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Dong, Y, Fatahi, B & Khabbaz, H 2020, 'Three dimensional discrete element simulation of cylindrical cavity expansion from zero initial radius in sand', COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS, vol. 117.
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Dorji, P, Kim, DI, Hong, S, Phuntsho, S & Shon, HK 2020, 'Pilot-scale membrane capacitive deionisation for effective bromide removal and high water recovery in seawater desalination', DESALINATION, vol. 479.
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Drumond, PDP, Ball, JE, Moura, P & Lara Pinto Coelho, MM 2020, 'Are the current On-site Stormwater Detention (OSD) policies the best solution for source control stormwater management? A case study of Australian and Brazilian cities', URBAN WATER JOURNAL.
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Ekanayake, UGM, Seo, DH, Faershteyn, K, O'Mullane, AP, Shon, H, MacLeod, J, Golberg, D & Ostrikov, KK 2020, 'Atmospheric-pressure plasma seawater desalination: Clean energy, agriculture, and resource recovery nexus for a blue planet', Sustainable Materials and Technologies, vol. 25, pp. e00181-e00181.
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Fabris, M, Abbriano, RM, Pernice, M, Sutherland, DL, Commault, AS, Hall, CC, Labeeuw, L, McCauley, J, Kuzhiuparambil, U, Ray, P, Kahlke, T & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Emerging Technologies in Algal Biotechnology: Toward the Establishment of a Sustainable, Algae-Based Bioeconomy', FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE, vol. 11.
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Fabris, M, George, J, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Lawson, CA, Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Abbriano, RM, Vickers, CE & Ralph, P 2020, 'Extrachromosomal Genetic Engineering of the Marine Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum Enables the Heterologous Production of Monoterpenoids', ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 598-612.
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Fang, C, Rajabzadeh, S, Zhang, P, Liu, W, Kato, N, Shon, HK & Matsuyama, H 2020, 'Controlling spherulitic structures at surface and sub-layer of hollow fiber membranes prepared using nucleation agents via triple-orifice spinneret in TIPS process', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 609.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. In this study, the growth of a spherulitic structure at the surface and sub-layer of the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane was controlled by co-extruding nucleation agent (NA) solutions as the outermost layer of a triple-orifice spinneret in the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) process. Using this method, the spherulites were tailored to be a variety of morphologies having different combinations with the bi-continuous network at the membrane surface and sub-layer, while the bulk membrane structure remained almost unchanged. These typically tailored spherulitic structures dramatically enhanced the surface roughness, hydrophobicity, liquid entry pressure, and permeation stability of the TIPS-prepared PVDF hollow fiber membranes. The experimental results from the pressure-driven filtration and the direct contact membrane distillation demonstrated great potential of the tailored membranes to achieve water treatment and seawater desalination. The electrostatic interaction between NA and PVDF played a key role in tailoring the special membrane spherulite structures, providing new possibilities for engineering TIPS-prepared hollow fiber membranes with desirable structures and performances to address current and future water shortages.
Fatahi, B, Huang, B, Yeganeh, N, Terzaghi, S & Banerjee, S 2020, 'Three-Dimensional Simulation of Seismic Slope-Foundation-Structure Interaction for Buildings Near Shallow Slopes', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMECHANICS, vol. 20, no. 1.
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Fleck, R, Gill, RL, Pettit, T, Irga, PJ, Williams, NLR, Seymour, JR & Torpy, FR 2020, 'Characterisation of fungal and bacterial dynamics in an active green wall used for indoor air pollutant removal', BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT, vol. 179.
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Gao, P, Huang, Z & Yu, H 2020, 'Exploration of the Dehydrogenation Pathways of Ammonia Diborane and Diammoniate of Diborane by Molecular Dynamics Simulations Using Reactive Force Fields', JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A, vol. 124, no. 9, pp. 1698-1704.
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Garcia-Rincon, J, Gatsios, E, Rayner, JL, McLaughlan, RG & Davis, GB 2020, 'Laser-induced fluorescence logging as a high-resolution characterisation tool to assess LNAPL mobility', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 725.
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George, J, Kahlke, T, Abbriano, RM, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Ralph, PJ & Fabris, M 2020, 'Metabolic Engineering Strategies in Diatoms Reveal Unique Phenotypes and Genetic Configurations With Implications for Algal Genetics and Synthetic Biology', FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, vol. 8.
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Ghobadi, R, Altaee, A, Zhou, JL, McLean, P & Yadav, S 2020, 'Copper removal from contaminated soil through electrokinetic process with reactive filter media', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 252.
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Gomes, SDC, Zhou, JL, Li, W & Qu, F 2020, 'Recycling of raw water treatment sludge in cementitious composites: effects on heat evolution, compressive strength and microstructure', Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 161.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Water treatment sludge (WTS) is produced daily and represents a globally significant solid waste stream. The application of this sludge as construction materials has been studied although most studies have modified the sludge before its incorporation, hence involving significant energy consumption. This study aims to use raw sludge as a novel cementitious material, by determining the effects of sludge addition on the composition and performance of cementitious composites. Important aspects such as the physicochemical interaction of the raw sludge with the Portland cement, the heat evolution of the cement paste and the compressive strength of the composite cement were carefully studied. The results show that for 1-2% of WTS addition, the compressive strength and heat evolution of the cement paste was well maintained being close to the reference specimen after 28 days of curing. However, for sludge addition above 5%, a delay in the hydration reaction was observed, together with about 25% reduction in compressive strength at 28 days of curing. The mineralogical and thermal analysis showed decreasing portlandite content and increasing calcite in the WTS-amended composites. Scanning electron microscope analysis demonstrated that the addition of sludge induced more porous and weak surface structures compared to the reference specimen.
Guo, Z, Kang, Y, Hu, Z, Liang, S, Xie, H, Ngo, HH & Zhang, J 2020, 'Removal pathways of benzofluoranthene in a constructed wetland amended with metallic ions embedded carbon', Bioresource Technology, vol. 311.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd The limited adsorption capacity of the substrate and the concentration of dissolved oxygen in constructed wetlands (CWs) have inhibited their ability to efficiently remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from wastewater. Presently, biochar and activated carbon modified with Fe3+ and Mn4+ were used as effective sorbents in the removal of benzofluoranthene (BbFA), a typical PAH, in CW microcosms. The addition of metallic ions embedded carbon increased NO3-N accumulation by the reduction of Fe3+ and Mn4+, which led to improved BbFA degradation. Additionally, plant adsorption in root and stem sections were observed separately. The abundance of PAH-degrading microbes in the rhizosphere substrate was higher with the metallic ions embedded carbon than control group. The Fe3+, Mn4+ and NO3-N served as electron acceptors increased BbFA microbial degradation. The removal pathways of BbFA in the modified CWs were proposed which involved settlement in the substrate, plant absorption, and microbial degradation.
Hao, Q, Jia, G, Wei, W, Vinu, A, Wang, Y, Arandiyan, H & Ni, BJ 2020, 'Graphitic carbon nitride with different dimensionalities for energy and environmental applications', Nano Research, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 18-37.
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© 2019, Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. As a metal-free semiconductor, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has received extensive attention due to its high stability, nontoxicity, facile and low-cost synthesis, appropriate band gap in the visible spectral range and wide availability of resources. The dimensions of g-C3N4 can influence the regime of the confinement of electrons, and consequently, g-C3N4 with various dimensionalities shows different properties, making them available for many stimulating applications. Although there are some reviews focusing on the synthesis strategy and applications of g-C3N4, there is still a lack of comprehensive review that systemically summarises the synthesis and application of different dimensions of g-C3N4, which can provide an important theoretical and practical basis for the development of g-C3N4 with different dimensionalities and maximises their potential in diverse applications. By reviewing the latest progress of g-C3N4 studies, we aim to summarise the preparation of g-C3N4 with different dimensionalities using various structural engineering strategies, discuss the fundamental bottlenecks of currently existing methods and their solution strategies, and explore their applications in energy and environmental applications. Furthermore, it also puts forward the views on the future research direction of these unique materials. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].
Hao, Q, Liu, C, Jia, G, Wang, Y, Arandiyan, H, Wei, W & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Catalytic reduction of nitrogen to produce ammonia by bismuth-based catalysts: state of the art and future prospects', Materials Horizons.
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This review provides an up-to-date review on Bi-based nitrogen-fixation materials and future directions for the development of new Bi-based nitrogen-fixation materials under ambient conditions.
Hao, Q, Xie, C, Huang, Y, Chen, D, Liu, Y, Wei, W & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Accelerated separation of photogenerated charge carriers and enhanced photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 by Bi2S3 nanoparticles', CHINESE JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 249-258.
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Hien, NT, Lan, HN, Huu, TV, Thi, DN, Thi, HVN, Thi, HHC, Tien, VN, Van, TT, Xuan, HV & Aziz, KHH 2020, 'Heterogeneous catalyst ozonation of Direct Black 22 from aqueous solution in the presence of metal slags originating from industrial solid wastes', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 233.
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Hirsimaki, C, Outram, JG, Millar, GJ & Altaee, A 2020, 'Process simulation of High pH reverse osmosis systems to facilitate reuse of coal seam gas associated Water', Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, pp. 104122-104122.
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Hoang, LP, Nguyen, TMP, Van, HT, Hoang, TKD, Vu, XH, Nguyen, TV & Ca, NX 2020, 'Cr(VI) Removal from Aqueous Solution Using a Magnetite Snail Shell', WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, vol. 231, no. 1.
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Hong, L, Ju, S, Yang, Y, Zheng, J, Xia, G, Huang, Z, Liu, X & Yu, X 2020, 'Hollow-shell structured porous CoSe2 microspheres encapsulated by MXene nanosheets for advanced lithium storage', SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & FUELS, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 2352-2362.
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Hossain, SM, Park, H, Kang, H-J, Kim, JB, Tijing, L, Rhee, I, Jun, Y-S, Shon, HK & Kim, J-H 2020, 'Preparation and Characterization of Photoactive Anatase TiO2 from Algae Bloomed Surface Water', CATALYSTS, vol. 10, no. 4.
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Hossain, SMG & McLaughlan, RG 2020, 'Non-equilibrium 2, 4-DCP uptake onto pine chips from aqueous solutions', ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY.
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Hosseinzadeh, A, Baziar, M, Alidadi, H, Zhou, JL, Altaee, A, Najafpoor, AA & Jafarpour, S 2020, 'Application of artificial neural network and multiple linear regression in modeling nutrient recovery in vermicompost under different conditions', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 303.
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Hosseinzadeh, A, Zhou, JL, Altaee, A, Baziar, M & Li, D 2020, 'Effective modelling of hydrogen and energy recovery in microbial electrolysis cell by artificial neural network and adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system.', Bioresource technology, vol. 316, p. 123967.
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This study aims to analyze and model cathodic H2 recovery (rcat), coulombic efficiency (CE) with inputs of voltage, electrical conductivity (EC) and anode potential, and H2 production rate and total energy recovery with inputs of rcat and CE in a microbial electrolysis cell using artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) procedures. Both ANN and ANFIS models demonstrated great goodness of fit for rcat, CE, H2 production rate and total energy recovery prediction with high R2 values. The sum square error values for rcat (0.0017), CE (0.0163), H2 production rate (0.1062) and total energy recovery (0.0136) in ANN models were slightly higher than those in ANFIS models at 0.0005, 0.0091, 0.1247 and 0.0148 respectively. Sensitivity analysis by ANN models demonstrated that voltage, EC, rcat and rcat were the most effective factors for rcat, CE, H2 production rate and total energy recovery, respectively.
Hosseinzadeh, A, Zhou, JL, Altaee, A, Baziar, M & Li, X 2020, 'Modeling water flux in osmotic membrane bioreactor by adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system and artificial neural network', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 310.
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Hou, J, Li, B, Tong, Y, Ma, L, Ball, J, Luo, H, Liang, Q & Xia, J 2020, 'Cause analysis for a new type of devastating flash flood', Hydrology Research, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 1-16.
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© 2020 The Authors. This work introduces an unprecedented flash flood that resulted in nine casualties in Shimen Valley, China, 2015. Through field survey and numerical simulation the causes of the disaster are systematically analyzed, finding that the intense storm, terrain features, and the large woody debris (LWD) played important roles. The intense storm induced fast runoff and, in turn, high discharges as a result of the steep catchment surfaces and channels. The flood flushed LWD and boulders downstream until blockage occurred in a contraction section, forming a debris lake. When the debris dam broke, a dam break wave rapidly propagated to the valley mouth, washing people away. After considering the disaster-inducing factors, measures for preventing similar floods are proposed. The analysis presented herein should help others manage flash floods in mountain areas.
Hu, X, Zhang, X, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wen, H, Li, C, Zhang, Y & Ma, C 2020, 'Comparison study on the ammonium adsorption of the biochars derived from different kinds of fruit peel.', The Science of the total environment, pp. 135544-135544.
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Application of biochars to remove inorganic nitrogen (NH4+, NO2-, NH3, NO, NO2, N2O) from wastewater and agricultural fields has gained a significant interest. This study aims to investigate the relationship between ammonium sorption and physicochemical properties of biochars derived from different kinds of fruit peel. Biochars from three species of fruit peel (orange, pineapple and pitaya) were prepared at 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C with the residence time of 2 h and 4 h. Their characteristics and sorption for ammonium was evaluated. The results show a clear effect of pyrolysis conditions on physicochemical properties of biochars, including elemental composition, functional groups and pH. The maximum NH4+ adsorption capacities were associated with biochars of orange peel (4.71 mg/g) and pineapple peel (5.60 mg/g) produced at 300 °C for 2 h. The maximum NH4+ adsorption capacity of the pitaya peel biochar produced at 400 °C for 2 h was 2.65 mg/g. For all feedstocks, biochars produced at low temperatures showed better NH4+ adsorption capacity. It was found that biochars had better adsorption efficiency on ammonium at a pH of 9. Adsorption kinetics of ammonium on biochars followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model while Langmuir isotherm model could well simulate the adsorption behavior of ammonium on biochars. The adsorption mechanism of ammonium on biochars predominantly involved surface complexation, cation exchange and electrostatic attraction. Conclusively, the fruit peel-derived biochars can be used as an alternative to conventional sorbents in water treatment.
Hu, Y, Zang, Y, Yang, Y, Duan, A, Wang, XC, Ngo, HH, Li, YY & Du, R 2020, 'Zero-valent iron addition in anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactors for preconcentrated wastewater treatment: Performance and impact', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 742.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Wastewater preconcentration to capture abundant organics is promising for facilitating subsequent anaerobic digestion (AD) to recover bioenergy, however research efforts are still needed to verify the effectiveness of such an emerging strategy as carbon capture plus AD. Therefore, lab-scale anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactors (AnDMBRs) without and with the addition of zero-valent iron (ZVI) (i.e., AnDMBR1 versus AnDMBR2) were developed for preconcentrated domestic wastewater (PDW) treatment, and the impact of ZVI addition on process performance and associated mechanisms were investigated. The stepwise addition of ZVI from 2 to 4 to 6 g/L improved the treatment performance as COD removal slightly increased and TP removal and methane production were enhanced by 53.3%–62.9% and 22.6%–31.3%, respectively, in consecutive operational phases. However, the average increasing rate of the transmembrane pressure (TMP) in AnDMBR2 (0.18 kPa/d) was obviously higher than that in AnDMBR1 (0.05 kPa/d), indicating an unfavorable impact of dosing ZVI on the dynamic membrane (DM) filtration performance. ZVI that has transformed to iron ions (mainly Fe2+) can behave as a coagulant, electron donor or inorganic foulant, thus enabling the excellent removal of dissolved phosphorous, enhancing the enrichment and activities of specific methanogens and causing the formation of a compact DM layer. Morphological, componential, and microbial community analyses provided new insights into the functional mechanisms of ZVI added to membrane-assisted anaerobic digesters, indicating that ZVI has the potential to improve bioenergy production and resource recovery, while optimizing the ZVI dosage should be considered to alleviate membrane fouling.
Huang, Q-S, Wu, W, Wei, W, Song, L, Sun, J & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Highly-efficient Pb2+ removal from water by novel K2W4O13 nanowires: Performance, mechanisms and DFT calculation', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 381.
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Huang, Y, Mok, WC, Yam, YS, Zhou, JL, Surawski, NC, Organ, B, Chan, EFC, Mofijur, M, Mahlia, TMI & Ong, HC 2020, 'Evaluating in-use vehicle emissions using air quality monitoring stations and on-road remote sensing systems', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 740.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. This study investigated real world in-use vehicle emissions using two regulatory techniques simultaneously, namely on-road remote sensing (RS) systems and air quality (AQ) monitoring stations, aiming to provide a full pollution profile from tailpipe to roadside and atmosphere. Two large AQ and RS datasets collected during 2012–2018 were analyzed. The effects of various emission control programmes on the trends of tailpipe emissions and air quality were evaluated. Correlations between tailpipe emissions and roadside and ambient air quality were also explored. The results showed a decreasing trend of NO2 at both roadside and ambient AQ stations from 2013 to 2016, which was attributed to the intensive implementation of a series of vehicle emissions control programmes. Although NO2 was decreasing, O3 was generally increasing for all AQ stations. AQ data showed that O3 had little correlation with either NO2 or NOx, but was mainly determined by NO2/NOx ratio. Roadside NO2/NOx ratio increased first and then decreased or stabilized after 2014, while ambient NO2/NOx ratio increased steadily. RS data showed that the overall NO decreased quickly during 2012–2015 and then decreased moderately after 2015. The decrease was mainly attributed to the effective NO reduction from LPG vehicles. However, diesel NO remained high and reduced relatively slowly during the study period. Gasoline vehicles were relatively clean compared with LPG and diesel vehicles. Finally, good correlations were demonstrated between NO measured by RS sites and NOx measured by roadside AQ stations, indicating that vehicle emissions were the major contributor to roadside NOx pollution. Ambient NOx emissions could be affected by various sources, leading to different correlation levels between RS and ambient AQ results.
Huang, Y, Ng, ECY, Surawski, NC, Yam, Y-S, Mok, W-C, Liu, C-H, Zhou, JL, Organ, B & Chan, EFC 2020, 'Large eddy simulation of vehicle emissions dispersion: Implications for on-road remote sensing measurements', ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, vol. 259.
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Huang, Y, Surawski, NC, Yam, Y-S, Lee, CKC, Zhou, JL, Organ, B & Chan, EFC 2020, 'Re-evaluating effectiveness of vehicle emission control programmes targeting high-emitters', NATURE SUSTAINABILITY.
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Huang, Z, Wang, S, Dewhurst, RD, Ignat'ev, NV, Finze, M & Braunschweig, H 2020, 'Bor in energiebezogenen Prozessen und Anwendungen', Angewandte Chemie, vol. 132, no. 23, pp. 8882-8900.
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Huang, Z, Wang, S, Dewhurst, RD, Ignat'ev, NV, Finze, M & Braunschweig, H 2020, 'Boron: Its role in energy related research and applications.', Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English).
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Boron's uniqueposition in the periodic table, i.e. at the apex of the line separating metals and nonmetals, makes it highly versatile in chemical reactions and applications. Contemporary demand for renewable and clean energy and energy-efficient products has seen boron playing key roles in energy-related research, from activating and synthesizing energy-rich small molecules, to storing chemical and electrical energy, to converting electrical energy to light. These applications are fundamentally associated with boron's unique characteristics, such as its electron-deficiency and the availability of an unoccupied p orbital, which allow the formation of a myriad of compounds with great tunability in chemical and physical properties. For example, boron's ability to achieve a full octet of electrons with four covalent bonds and a negative charge has led to the synthesis of a wide variety of borate anions of high chemical and electrochemical stability, in particular the useful family of weakly coordinating anions. This review summarizes recent advances in the study of boron compounds for energy-related research and applications, driven by modern demands and enabled by breakthroughs in the synthesis and understanding of boron chemistry.
Hughes, DJ, Crosswell, JR, Doblin, MA, Oxborough, K, Ralph, PJ, Varkey, D & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Dynamic variability of the phytoplankton electron requirement for carbon fixation in eastern Australian waters', Journal of Marine Systems, vol. 202.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry (FRRf) generates high-resolution measures of phytoplankton primary productivity as electron transport rates (ETRs). How ETRs scale to corresponding inorganic carbon (C) uptake rates (the so-called electron requirement for carbon fixation, Φe,C), inherently describes the extent and effectiveness with which absorbed light energy drives C-fixation. However, it remains unclear whether and how Φe,C follows predictable patterns for oceanographic datasets spanning physically dynamic, and complex, environmental gradients. We utilise a unique high-throughput approach, coupling ETRs and 14C-incubations to produce a semi-continuous dataset of Φe,C (n = 80), predominantly from surface waters, along the Australian coast (Brisbane to the Tasman Sea), including the East Australian Current (EAC). Environmental conditions along this transect could be generally grouped into cooler, more nutrient-rich waters dominated by larger size-fractionated Chl-a (>10 μm) versus warmer nutrient-poorer waters dominated by smaller size-fractionated Chl-a (<2 μm). Whilst Φe,C was higher for warmer water samples, environmental conditions alone explained <20% variance of Φe,C, and changes in predominant size-fraction(s) distributions of Chl-a (biomass) failed to explain variance of Φe,C. Instead, normalised Stern-Volmer non-photochemical quenching (NPQNSV = F0′/Fv′) was a better predictor of Φe,C, explaining ~55% of observed variability. NPQNSV is a physiological descriptor that accounts for changes in both long-term driven acclimation in non-radiative decay, and quasi-instantaneous PSII downregulation, and thus may prove a useful predictor of Φe,C across physically-dynamic regimes, provided the slope describing their relationship is predictable. We also consider recent advances in fluorescence-based corrections to evaluate the potential role of baseline fluorescence (Fb) in contributing to overestimation of Φe,C and the correlation between Φe,C...
Ibrar, I, Altaee, A, Zhou, JL, Naji, O & Khanafer, D 2020, '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, Yadav, S, Altaee, A, Samal, AK, Zhou, JL, Nguyen, TV & Ganbat, N 2020, 'Treatment of biologically treated landfill leachate with forward osmosis: Investigating membrane performance and cleaning protocols', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 744.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. This study presents systematic investigations to evaluate the performance, rejection rate, fouling, cleaning protocols and impact of physical and chemical cleaning strategies on the performance of commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane. The treatment of landfill leachate (LFL) solution was performed in the active layer facing feed solution and support layer facing the draw solution (AL-FS mode), and active layer facing the draw solution and support layer facing the feed solution (AL-DS mode). Compared to the AL-FS mode, a higher flux for AL-DS mode was achieved, but membrane fouling was more severe in the latter. In both membrane orientations, the rejection rate of the FO membrane to heavy ions and contaminants in the wastewater was between 93 and 99%. Physical and chemical cleaning strategies were investigated to recover the performance of the FO membrane and to study the impact of cleaning methods on the membrane rejection rate. Physical cleaning with hot water at 35 °C and osmotic backwashing with 1.5 M NaCl demonstrated excellent water flux recovery compared to chemical cleaning. In the chemical cleaning, an optimal concentration of 3% hydrogen peroxide was determined for 100% flux recovery of the fouled membrane. However, slight membrane damage was achieved at this concentration on the active layer side. Alkaline cleaning at pH 11 was more effective than acid cleaning at pH 4, although both protocols compromised the membrane rejection rate for some toxic ions. A comparison of the membrane long-term performance found that cleaning with osmotic backwashing and hot water were effective methods to restore water flux without comprising the membrane rejection rate. Overall, it was found that physical cleaning protocols are superior to chemical cleaning protocols for forward osmosis membrane fouled by landfill leachate wastewater.
Jamil, S, Loganathan, P, Kandasamy, J, Listowski, A, McDonald, JA, Khan, SJ & Vigneswaran, S 2020, 'Removal of organic matter from wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate using granular activated carbon and anion exchange resin adsorbent columns in sequence', Chemosphere, vol. 261.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) generated as a waste stream during reverse osmosis treatment of reclaimed wastewater, presents significant disposal challenges. This is because it causes environmental pollution when it is disposed to lands and natural water bodies. A long-term dynamic adsorption experiment was conducted by passing ROC from a wastewater reclamation plant, firstly through a granular activated carbon (GAC) column, and subsequently through an anion exchange resin (Purolite) column, for the removal of two major ROC pollutants, namely dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microorganic pollutants (MOP). GAC removed most of the smaller-sized low molecular weight neutrals and building block fractions as well as the hydrophobic fraction of DOC with much less removal by the subsequent Purolite column. In contrast, the humics fraction was less well removed by the GAC column; however, Purolite column removed all that was remaining of this fraction. This study demonstrated that combining adsorbents having different affinities towards a variety of DOC fractions constitute an effective method of taking advantage of their different properties and achieving larger DOC removals. Almost 100% of all 17 MOPs were removed by the GAC column, even after 2880 bed volumes of continuous use. This contrasted with the DOC fractions’ removal which was much lower.
Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Ashworth, J & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Levels of diatom minor sterols respond to changes in temperature and salinity', Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, vol. 8, no. 2.
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© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Diatoms are a broadly distributed and evolutionarily diversified group of microalgae that produce a diverse range of sterol compounds. Sterols are triterpenoids that play essential roles in membrane-related processes in eukaryotic cells. Some sterol compounds possess bioactivities that promote human health and are currently used as nutraceuticals. The relationship between sterol diversity in diatoms and their acclimation to different environments is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of different sterol types across twelve diatom species, as well as the effect of temperature reduction and changes in salinity on the sterol contents of three model diatom species. In the diatoms Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Chaetoceros muelleri, we found that changes in the relative contents of minor sterols accompanied shifts in temperature and salinity. This may be indicative of acquired adaptive traits in diatom metabolism.
Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Ashworth, J, Fabris, M & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'The unique sterol biosynthesis pathway of three model diatoms consists of a conserved core and diversified endpoints', ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS, vol. 48.
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Ji, M, Hu, Z, Hou, C, Liu, H, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Lu, S & Zhang, J 2020, 'New insights for enhancing the performance of constructed wetlands at low temperatures', Bioresource Technology, vol. 301.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been widely utilized for various types of wastewater treatment due to their merits, including high cost-effectiveness and easy operation. However, a few intrinsic drawbacks have always restricted their application and long-term stability, especially their weak performance at temperatures under 10 °C (low temperatures) due to the deterioration of microbial assimilation and plant uptake processes. The existing modifications to improve CWs performance from the direct optimization of internal components to the indirect adjunction of external resources promoted the wastewater treatment efficiency to a certain degree, but the sustainability and sufficiency of pollutants removal remains a challenge. With the goal of optimizing CW components, the integrity of the CW ecosystem and the removal of emerging pollutants, future directions for research should include radiation plant breeding, improvements to CW ecosystems, and the combination or integration of certain treatment processes with CWs to enhance wastewater treatment effects at low temperatures.
Khanzada, NK, Farid, MU, Kharraz, JA, Choi, J, Tang, CY, Nghiem, LD, Jang, A & An, AK 2020, 'Removal of organic micropollutants using advanced membrane-based water and wastewater treatment: A review', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 598.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. The rising consumption of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and endocrine disruptive compounds for healthcare purposes and improving living standards has resulted in the widespread occurrence of organic micropollutants (MPs) in water and wastewater. Conventional water/wastewater treatment plants are faced with inherent limitations in tackling these compounds, leading to difficulties in the provision of secure and safe water supplies. In this context, membrane technology has been found to be a promising method for resolving this emerging concern. To ensure the suitability of membrane-based treatment processes in full-scale applications, we first need to develop a better understanding of the behavior of MPs and the mechanisms behind their removal using advanced membrane technologies. This review provides a thorough overview of the advanced membrane-based treatment methods available for the effective removal of MPs, including reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, forward osmosis, and membrane distillation.
Kim, D, Nguyen, LN & Oh, S 2020, 'Ecological impact of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on microbial community of aerobic activated sludge.', Environmental geochemistry and health.
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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, Gonzales, RR, Dorji, P, Gwak, G, Phuntsho, S, Hong, S & Shon, H 2020, 'Efficient recovery of nitrate from municipal wastewater via MCDI using anion-exchange polymer coated electrode embedded with nitrate selective resin', DESALINATION, vol. 484.
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Kulk, G, Platt, T, Dingle, J, Jackson, T, Joensson, BF, Bouman, HA, Babin, M, Brewin, RJW, Doblin, M, Estrada, M, Figueiras, FG, Furuya, K, Gonzalez-Benitez, N, Gudfinnsson, HG, Gudmundsson, K, Huang, B, Isada, T, Kovac, Z, Lutz, VA, Maranon, E, Raman, M, Richardson, K, Rozema, PD, van de Poll, WH, Segura, V, Tilstone, GH, Uitz, J, van Dongen-Vogels, V, Yoshikawa, T & Sathyendranath, S 2020, 'Primary Production, an Index of Climate Change in the Ocean: Satellite-Based Estimates over Two Decades', REMOTE SENSING, vol. 12, no. 5.
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Lee, D, Woo, YC, Park, KH, Phuntsho, S, Tijing, LD, Yao, M, Shim, WG & Shon, HK 2020, 'Polyvinylidene fluoride phase design by two-dimensional boron nitride enables enhanced performance and stability for seawater desalination', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 598.
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© 2019 The instability of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes in membrane distillation (MD) for seawater desalination is still a problem, despite the tremendous effort expended to resolve this issue. Here, a simple and feasible approach for improving desalination performance through the incorporation of two-dimensional boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) in polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene (PVDF-co-HFP) electrospun nanofiber membrane (BNs-PH) is proposed as well as demonstrate its origin for fundamental understanding. The BNs-PH membrane exhibits a stable water vapor flux (18 LMH) and superior salt rejection (99.99%), even after operation for 280 h (commercial PVDF: steep decay within 28 h; neat PH: wetting within 4 h). From structural/chemical analyses, the BNNSs play a crucial role in forming favorable phases of the PH polymer crystal structure, inducing a superhydrophobic surface with greater nanoporosity and higher heterogeneity as well as enhanced mechanical properties (increase of UTS: 13.4%; modulus: 1.2%) for long-term operation. Theoretical modeling results of an air-gap MD system are consistent with our experimental results. The approach introduced in this study can be applied to other desalination systems to boost various water treatment applications.
Li, L, Song, K, Yeerken, S, Geng, S, Liu, D, Dai, Z, Xie, F, Zhou, X & Wang, Q 2020, 'Effect evaluation of microplastics on activated sludge nitrification and denitrification', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 707.
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Li, X, Chen, L, Ji, Y, Li, M, Dong, B, Qian, G, Zhou, J & Dai, X 2020, 'Effects of chemical pretreatments on microplastic extraction in sewage sludge and their physicochemical characteristics.', Water research, vol. 171, pp. 115379-115379.
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Sewage sludge is a primary pathway for microplastics (MPs) entering into terrestrial ecosystems. However, a standardized method to analyze MP in sludge is lacking due to its high organic matter. This study investigated the extraction efficiency of six MPs in five solid matrices, i.e. sewage sludge, cattle manure, soil, sediment and silicon dioxide. Results show lower extraction efficiency of 87.2% for MPs in sludge compared with that in other matrices, especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (only 27.8%). The possible reason was that the presence of extracellular polymeric substances within the sludge hinders the MPs to float. Therefore, five protocols, i.e. hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), Fenton, nitric acid (HNO3), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were used to pretreat the sludge and optimize the MP extraction. The sludge pretreated by H2O2, Fenton and 1 M of acids had higher MP extraction efficiency than the raw sludge due to higher extraction of the PET. The MP extraction efficiency in the sludge first increased, and subsequently decreased with the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) content, implying that moderate dissolution of sludge organic matter is beneficial to the MP extraction. Quantitative analysis of the changes in the MP physicochemical characteristics after the pretreatments indicated that polyamide (PA) and PET are not resistant to acid and alkali treatment, respectively. Principal component analysis shows that the effect of pretreatments on the MPs follows a decreasing sequence: alkali > high concentration of acids > low concentration of acids > H2O2 and Fenton. Additionally, the susceptibility of the MPs to the pretreatments follows a decreasing sequence: PET, PA and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) > polystyrene (PS) > polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The findings supply novel insights into the effect of chemical pretreatments on MP extraction in sewage sludge.
Li, X, Ji, M, Nghiem, LD, Zhao, Y, Liu, D, Yang, Y, Wang, Q, Trinh, QT, Vo, D-VN, Van, QP & Ngoc, HT 2020, 'A novel red mud adsorbent for phosphorus and diclofenac removal from wastewater', JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS, vol. 303.
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Li, X, Li, X, Kuang, Z, Kuang, Z, Zhang, J, Zhang, J, Liu, X, Liu, X, Hu, J, Hu, J, Xu, Q, Wang, D, Wang, D, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Yang, Q, Yang, Q & Li, H 2020, 'Performance and Mechanism of Potassium Ferrate(VI) Enhancing Dark Fermentative Hydrogen Accumulation from Waste Activated Sludge', ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, vol. 8, no. 23, pp. 8681-8691.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. Potassium ferrate (K2FeO4, PF), as a multifunctional green oxidant, has been used for oxidative degradation of pollutants and recovery of resources in sludge. However, its impact on the generation of hydrogen in anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) is still unclear. The purpose of this work is to study the influence of PF on the dark fermentative hydrogen production. Experimental result suggested that as PF increased from 0 to 0.09 g/g of TSS (total suspended solids), the maximal hydrogen production increased from 1.47 to 8.35 mL/g VSS (volatile suspended solids). A further increase to 0.12 g/g of TSS resulted in a decrease in hydrogen yield. Mechanism studies revealed that that the addition of PF not only facilitated the disruption of sludge cell and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) but also increased the proportion of biodegradable organics, providing more bioavailable organics for subsequent reactions involved in hydrogen accumulation. Although the activities of microorganisms relevant to dark fermentation were suppressed to a certain extent in the presence of PF, the induced suppression to hydrogen consumers was more severe. Microbial studies indicated that the relative abundances of hydrogen producers (such as Petrimonas and Proteiniborus) were augmented while hydrogen consumers (such as Methanosaeta and Methylocaldum) decreased in the presence of PF.
Li, Y, Wang, D, Yang, G, Yuan, X, Xu, Q, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Wang, Q, Ni, B-J, Tang, W & Jiang, L 2020, 'Enhanced dewaterability of anaerobically digested sludge by in-situ free nitrous acid treatment', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 169.
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Li, Y, Zeng, X, Zhou, J, Liu, H, Gu, Y, Pan, Z, Zeng, Y & Zeng, Y 2020, 'Incorporation of disposed oil-contaminated soil in cement-based materials', RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING, vol. 160.
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Li, Y, Zhu, Y, Wang, D, Yang, G, Pan, L, Wang, Q, Ni, BJ, Li, H, Yuan, X, Jiang, L & Tang, W 2020, 'Fe(II) catalyzing sodium percarbonate facilitates the dewaterability of waste activated sludge: Performance, mechanism, and implication', Water Research, vol. 174.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd In this work, Fe(II) catalyzing sodium percarbonate (Fe(II)/SPC) was managed to facilitate waste activated sludge (WAS) dewatering for the first time. The results showed that after WAS was treated by 20 mg/g total suspended solids (TSS) Fe(II) and 50 mg/g TSS SPC, the water content of sludge cake (WCSC) by press filtration and capillary suction time (CST) dropped from 90.8% ± 1.6% and 96.1 ± 4.0 s (the control) to 55.6% ± 1.4% and 30.1 ± 2.5 s, respectively. The mechanism investigations indicated that four intermediates or products (i.e., •OH, H2O2, Fe(II), and Fe(III)) generated in the Fe(II)/SPC process were responsible for the improved WAS dewaterability, and •OH and Fe(III) were the two major contributors. It was found that •OH collapsed and fragmented extracellular polymeric substances, damaged cell wall and permeabilized cytoplasmic membrane, and transformed conformation of the extracellular proteins secondary structure via both affecting the hydrogen bond maintaining α-helix and cracking disulfide bond in cysteine residues while Fe(III), the oxidization product of Fe(II), decreased the surface electronegativity and water-affinity surface areas of WAS flocs. As a result, the bound water release, flocculability, surface hydrophobicity, drain capability, and flowability of WAS flocs were strengthened whereas the compact surface structure, colloidal forces, network strength, gel-like structure, and apparent viscosity of WAS flocs were weakened. In addition, Fe(II)/SPC process also reduced the recalcitrant organics and fecal coliforms in sludge, which facilitated land application of dewatered sludge. The findings acquired in this work not only deepens our understanding of Fe(II)/SPC-involved WAS treatment process but also may guide engineers to develop both effective and promising strategies to better condition WAS for dewatering in the future.
Lim, S, Akther, N, Van, HT, Bae, T-H, Phuntsho, S, Merenda, A, Dumee, LF & Shon, HK 2020, 'Covalent organic framework incorporated outer-selective hollow fiber thin-film nanocomposite membranes for osmotically driven desalination', DESALINATION, vol. 485.
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Lim, S, Park, KH, Van, HT, Akther, N, Phuntsho, S, Choi, JY & Shon, HK 2020, 'Size -controlled graphene oxide for highly permeable and fouling -resistant outer -selective hollow fiber thin-film composite membranes for forward osmosis', JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE, vol. 609.
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Liu, X, He, D, Wu, Y, Xu, Q, Wang, D, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Ni, BJ, Wang, Q & Li, X 2020, 'Freezing in the presence of nitrite pretreatment enhances hydrogen production from dark fermentation of waste activated sludge', Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 248.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Due to the poor biodegradability of released organics and the rapid consumption of hydrogen, hydrogen production from the untreated waste activated sludge (WAS) and/or inocula is still limited. In this study, it was found that the dark fermentative hydrogen production was largely enhanced from WAS pretreated by freezing in the presence of nitrite. With an increase of nitrite addition from 100 to 400 mg NO2−-N/L during freezing pretreatment (−5 °C for 4 h), the maximal hydrogen yield increased from 7.96 to 19.40 mL/g VS (volatile solids), which was 5.5–13.4 times of that in the control (without freezing and nitrite addition). Mechanism explorations revealed that the proposed pretreatment not only accelerated the disintegration of sludge but also promoted the proportion of biodegradable organics released, thereby provided more bio-available substrates for subsequent hydrogen production. Proposed pretreatment severely suppressed the sludge microorganisms responding to homoacetogenesis (−32.1%), methanogenesis (−58.4%), and sulfate-reducing process (−51.5%), inhibited the consumption of hydrogen. Moreover, there was more acetic and butyric (76% versus 57.5%) but less propionic acid (22.6% versus 13.4%) in this pretreated fermenter, which was in correspondence with the theory of fermentation type affecting hydrogen production. Long-term fermentation experiments indicated that the proposed pretreatment boosted the [FeFe]-hydrogenase activities while suppressed the activities of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, coenzyme F420, and adenylyl sulfate reductase.
Liu, X, Huang, X, Wu, Y, Xu, Q, Du, M, Wang, D, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Ni, BJ, Yang, G, Yang, F & Wang, Q 2020, 'Activation of nitrite by freezing process for anaerobic digestion enhancement of waste activated sludge: Performance and mechanisms', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 387.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Nitrite-based pretreatment was demonstrated to effectively improve anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. It was found in this work that the freezing activated nitrite pretreatment could further enhance the performances. With the increase of nitrite addition from 0 to 600 mg NO2−-N/L during freezing process, the biochemical methane potential of pretreated-sludge gradually increased from 191.3 ± 8.0 to 233.2 ± 10.6 mL per gram volatile solid (VS), while only 178.6 ± 7.3 mL/g VS was obtained in the raw sludge. Mechanism explorations revealed that the freezing activated nitrite pretreatment remarkably facilitated the disintegration of sludge. Excitation emission matrix and fluorescence regional integration analyses further revealed that nitrite addition during freezing process promoted the proportion of biodegradable organics released, thereby providing more bio-available substrates for subsequent anaerobic digestion. Freezing condition induced reactive derivatives from nitrite (e.g., free nitrite acid, NO2[rad], N2O3) were assumed to be the major contributors to the enhanced sludge disintegration and recalcitrant organics (e.g., humic acid-like substances) degradation. It was also found that 600 mg NO2−-N/L addition activated by freezing pretreatment produced an anaerobically digested sludge with an improved dewaterability, as indicated by the decrease of the specific resistance to filterability and moisture content of dewatered cake. Moreover, 600 mg NO2−-N/L addition activated by freezing pretreatment and subsequent anaerobic digestion largely inactivated the pathogens to the levels below Class A biosolids requirements. Considering that nitrite can be in-situ produced in wastewater treatment plants through nitritation of the digestion liquid, this nitrite-based freezing process for sludge pretreatment was environmental-friendly and economically attractive.
Liu, Y, Luo, G, Ngo, HH, Guo, W & Zhang, S 2020, 'Advances in thermostable laccase and its current application in lignin-first biorefinery: A review.', Bioresource technology, pp. 122511-122511.
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As the most abundant aromatic polymers on the Earth, lignin has great potential to produce biofuels and aromatic chemicals due to their high carbon content and low oxygen content. Lignin-first biorefinery methods have attracted increasing attention recently for their high-value of aromatic chemicals, and high biofuels productivity from lignocellulosic wastes. Thermostable laccase has proven to be an excellent alternative catalyst in degrading lignin for its versatile catalytic abilities under industrial conditions and pollution-free by-products. Thermostable laccases can be found in native extreme environments or modified by biologically based technologies such as gene recombination expression and enzyme direct evolution. This review demonstrated thermostable laccases and their application in lignin degradation. Future research should focus more on the investigation of the reaction of thermostable laccases with lignin substrates.
Liu, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wang, D, Peng, L, Wei, W & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Impact of coexistence of sludge flocs on nitrous oxide production in a granule-based nitrification system: A model-based evaluation', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 170.
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Liu, Y, Zhao, T, Su, Z, Zhu, T & Ni, BJ 2020, 'Evaluating the roles of coexistence of sludge flocs on nitrogen removal and nitrous oxide production in a granule-based autotrophic nitrogen removal system', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 730.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Certain levels of sludge flocs would always coexist in granule-based reactors due to the biomass detachment from granules. Such inevitable coexistence could affect both total nitrogen (TN) removal and nitrous oxide (N2O) production in autotrophic nitrogen removal systems. This work utilized a mathematical approach to systematically study the influence of the coexisting sludge flocs on TN removal and N2O production in a granular nitritation-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process for the first time, based on a 2-pathway N2O production model concept. The modelling results reveal that the highest TN removal efficiency decreases from ca. 87–88% to ca. 41–49% as the fraction of sludge flocs in the system increases from 10% to 40%, while the N2O production rate gradually increases with such increase. Meanwhile, both bulk dissolved oxygen (DO, 0.05–0.3 mg/L) and the size of granule (200–400 μm) could also influence the TN removal efficiency and N2O production. As the fraction of sludge flocs increases from 10% to 40%, the contribution of granular biomass to total N2O production is reduced due to increase of N2O-producing ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in the sludge flocs, and the increase of granule size could intensify such decrease. In addition, the hydroxylamine oxidation pathway dominates the nitrifier denitrification pathway in both granules and sludge flocs under various testing conditions, whereas the increasing contribution of the latter would occur at a certain DO range, higher fraction of sludge flocs and smaller granule size. These results disclose an important influence of the coexisting sludge flocs on the performance of granular nitritation-Anammox systems.
Liyanaarachchi, S, Jegatheesan, V, Shu, L, Shon, HK, Muthukumaran, S & Li, CQ 2020, 'Evaluating the feasibility of forward osmosis in diluting ro concentrate using pretreatment backwash water', Membranes, vol. 10, no. 3.
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© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Forward osmosis (FO) is an excellent membrane process to dilute seawater (SW) reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate for either to increase the water recovery or for safe disposal. However, the low fluxes through FO membranes as well the biofouling/scaling of FO membranes are bottlenecks of this process requiring larger membrane area and membranes with anti‐fouling properties. This study evaluates the performance of hollow fibre and flat sheet membranes with respect to flux and biofouling. Ferric hydroxide sludge was used as impaired water mimicking the backwash water of a filter that is generally employed as pretreatment in a SWRO plant and RO concentrate was used as draw solution for the studies. Synthetic salts are also used as draw solutions to compare the flux produced. The study found that cellulose triacetate (CTA) flat sheet FO membrane produced higher flux (3–6 L m−2 h−1) compared to that produced by polyamide (PA) hollow fibre FO membrane (less than 2.5 L m−2 h−1) under the same experimental conditions. Therefore, long‐term studies conducted on the flat sheet FO membranes showed that fouling due to ferric hydroxide sludge did not allow the water flux to increase more than 3.15 L m−2 h−1.
Loganathan, P, Gradzielski, M, Bustamante, H & Vigneswaran, S 2020, 'Progress, challenges, and opportunities in enhancing NOM flocculation using chemically modified chitosan: A review towards future development', Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 45-61.
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© 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Natural organic matter (NOM) occurs ubiquitously in water bodies and this can greatly affect feed or raw water quality (taste, colour, odour, bacterial growth). Furthermore, it reduces the performance of the coagulation-based water treatment process. Because the NOM content and its chemical complexity are increasing throughout the world, the removal of NOM from water has become a major challenge in supplying the required amounts of good quality water. The coagulation-flocculation process is widely used for purifying urban water supplies. However, it is not always sufficiently successful in removing the augmented NOM in the feed water, mostly because the polyelectrolytes currently used as coagulants/flocculants cannot effectively interact with all the NOM components consisting of different functional groups, molecular weights, charges, and hydrophobicity. Within the class of polyelectrolytes, chitosan (Cs), which is produced by the deacetylation of abundantly available chitin, has been tested in removing NOM. The effectiveness of Cs can be further improved by chemically modifying the abundant free amino and hydroxyl groups along the Cs chain backbone. This will provide new functional groups that can increase the positive charges, molecular weight, and allow for solubility over a wider pH range, as well as introduce tailored groups which interact in an optimised way with NOM, thereby reducing the solubility of the formed complexes. This paper critically reviews the chemistry of the formed polyelectrolyte/NOM complexes and provides information on how this can be taken advantage of, to identify modified chemical structures of Cs to improve NOM removal in water treatment strategies.
Ly, QV, Matindi, C, Kuvarega, AT, Ngo, HH, Le, QV, Nam, VH & Li, J 2020, 'Exploring the novel PES/malachite mixed matrix membrane to remove organic matter for water purification', Chemical Engineering Research and Design, vol. 160, pp. 63-73.
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© 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers This study presents a greener approach to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) by introducing malachite nanoparticles (MLC NPs) synthesized from copper sulfate, a toxic waste from many industrial applications, into polyethersulfone (PES) membrane to remove organic matter for water reclamation. The PES/MLC MMMs were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM(EDX), Raman Spectroscopy, Photoluminescence Spectrometry, and Contact angle measurements. Results showed that the incorporation of MLC NPs into PES altered the membrane morphology, and made the membrane more hydrophilic. At the optimal amount of 0.1 wt.% MLC NPs, PES/MLC showed the best water flux of 931.1 L/(m2 h) (LMH) with the highest breaking stability of 5.06 ± 0.33 MPa. The membrane also exhibited enhanced adsorption of organic foulants with a corresponding flux recovery rate of 0.55 ± 0.03%. The inevitable agglomeration of MLC NPs witnessed at MLC NP dosage of 1 wt.% compromised either the throughput or the mechanical integrity. The elevated NP loading rate from 0 to 1 wt.% enhanced the removal rate of organic carbon (C) from 20.8 ± 1.7% to 26.3 ± 2.3%, respectively. Optical methods demonstrated the preferential rejection of aromatic constituents by the fabricated membranes suggests their potential applicability of optical methods, particularly the fluorescence spectrometry for better prediction of treated water quality by membrane filtration.
Ma, XY, Dong, K, Tang, L, Wang, Y, Wang, XC, Ngo, HH, Chen, R & Wang, N 2020, 'Investigation and assessment of micropollutants and associated biological effects in wastewater treatment processes', Journal of Environmental Sciences (China), vol. 94, pp. 119-127.
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© 2020 Currently, the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) attempt to achieve the shifting from general pollution parameters control to reduction of organic micropollutants discharge. However, they have not been able to satisfy the increasing ecological safety needs. In this study, the removal of micropollutants was investigated, and the ecological safety was assessed for a local WWTP. Although the total concentration of 31 micropollutants detected was reduced by 83% using the traditional biological treatment processes, the results did not reflect chemicals that had poor removal efficiencies and low concentrations. Of the five categories of micropollutants, herbicides, insecticides, and bactericides were difficult to remove, pharmaceuticals and UV filters were effectively eliminated. The specific photosynthesis inhibition effect and non-specific bioluminescence inhibition effect from wastewater were detected and evaluated using hazardous concentration where 5% of aquatic organisms are affected. The photosynthesis inhibition effect from wastewater in the WWTP was negligible, even the untreated raw wastewater. However, the bioluminescence inhibition effect from wastewater which was defined as the priority biological effect, posed potential ecological risk. To decrease non-specific biological effects, especially of macromolecular dissolved organic matter, overall pollutant reduction strategy is necessary. Meanwhile, the ozonation process was used to further decrease the bioluminescence inhibition effects from the secondary effluent; ≥ 0.34 g O3/g DOC of ozone dose was recommended for micropollutants elimination control and ecological safety.
McCauley, JI, Labeeuw, L, Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Nguyen, LN, Nghiem, LD, Chaves, AV & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Management of Enteric Methanogenesis in Ruminants by Algal-Derived Feed Additives', CURRENT POLLUTION REPORTS.
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Meena, NK, Nimbalkar, S, Fatahi, B & Yang, G 2020, 'Effects of soil arching on behavior of pile-supported railway embankment: 2D FEM approach', COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS, vol. 123.
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Messer, LF, Ostrowski, M, Doblin, MA, Petrou, K, Baird, ME, Ingleton, T, Bissett, A, Van de Kamp, J, Nelson, T, Paulsen, I, Bodrossy, L, Fuhrman, JA, Seymour, JR & Brown, M 2020, 'Microbial tropicalization driven by a strengthening western ocean boundary current', GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY.
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Miller, AD, Coleman, MA, Clark, J, Cook, R, Naga, Z, Doblin, MA, Hoffmann, AA, Sherman, CDH & Bellgrove, A 2020, 'Local thermal adaptation and limited gene flow constrain future climate responses of a marine ecosystem engineer', EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 918-934.
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Mojiri, A, Zhou, JL, Robinson, B, Ohashi, A, Ozaki, N, Kindaichi, T, Farraji, H & Vakili, M 2020, 'Pesticides in aquatic environments and their removal by adsorption methods', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 253.
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Moon, DH, Chung, WJ, Chang, SW, Lee, SM, Kim, SS, Jeung, JH, Ro, YH, Ahn, JY, Guo, W, Ngo, HH & Dinh, DN 2020, 'Fabrication and characterization of Ni-Ce-Zr ternary disk-shaped catalyst and its application for low-temperature CO2 methanation', FUEL, vol. 260.
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Muniyasamy, A, Sivaporul, G, Gopinath, A, Lakshmanan, R, Altaee, A, Achary, A & Velayudhaperumal Chellam, P 2020, 'Process development for the degradation of textile azo dyes (mono-, di-, poly-) by advanced oxidation process - Ozonation: Experimental & partial derivative modelling approach', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 265, pp. 110397-110397.
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Murray, JS, Nishimura, T, Finch, SC, Rhodes, LL, Puddick, J, Harwood, DT, Larsson, ME, Doblin, MA, Leung, P, Yan, M, Rise, F, Wilkins, AL & Prinsep, MR 2020, 'The role of 44-methylgambierone in ciguatera fish poisoning: Acute toxicity, production by marine microalgae and its potential as a biomarker for Gambierdiscus spp.', Harmful Algae, vol. 97.
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© 2020 The Author(s) Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is prevalent around the tropical and sub-tropical latitudes of the world and impacts many Pacific island communities intrinsically linked to the reef system for sustenance and trade. While the genus Gambierdiscus has been linked with CFP, it is commonly found on tropical reef systems in microalgal assemblages with other genera of toxin-producing, epiphytic and/or benthic dinoflagellates – Amphidinium, Coolia, Fukuyoa, Ostreopsis and Prorocentrum. Identifying a biomarker compound that can be used for the early detection of Gambierdiscus blooms, specifically in a mixed microalgal community, is paramount in enabling the development of management and mitigation strategies. Following on from the recent structural elucidation of 44-methylgambierone, its potential to contribute to CFP intoxication events and applicability as a biomarker compound for Gambierdiscus spp. was investigated. The acute toxicity of this secondary metabolite was determined by intraperitoneal injection using mice, which showed it to be of low toxicity, with an LD50 between 20 and 38 mg kg−1. The production of 44-methylgambierone by 252 marine microalgal isolates consisting of 90 species from 32 genera across seven classes, was assessed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. It was discovered that the production of this secondary metabolite was ubiquitous to the eight Gambierdiscus species tested, however not all isolates of G. carpenteri, and some species/isolates of Coolia and Fukuyoa.
Naidu, G, Tijing, L, Johir, MAH, Shon, H & Vigneswaran, S 2020, 'Hybrid membrane distillation: Resource, nutrient and energy recovery', JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE, vol. 599.
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Nguyen, AQ, Nguyen, LN, Johir, MAH, Ngo, HH, Chaves, AV & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Derivation of volatile fatty acid from crop residues digestion using a rumen membrane bioreactor: A feasibility study', Bioresource Technology, vol. 312.
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© 2020 This study evaluates the feasibility of a novel rumen membrane bioreactor (rumen MBR) to produce volatile fatty acids (VFA) from crop residues (i.e. lignocellulosic biomass). Rumen MBR can provide a sustainable route for VFA production by mimicking the digestive system of ruminant animals. Rumen fluid was inoculated in a reactor coupled with ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and fed with maize silage and concentrate feed at 60:40% (w/w). Continuous VFA production was achieved at an average daily yield of 438 mg VFA/g substrate. The most abundant VFA were acetic (40–80%) and propionic (10–40%) acids. The majority (73 ± 15%) of produced VFA was transferred through the UF membrane. Shifts in dominant rumen microbes were observed upon the transition from in vivo to in vitro environment and during reactor operation, however, stable VFA yield was maintained for 35 days, providing the first proof-of-concept of a viable rumen MBR.
Nguyen, HM, Kim, M, Ralph, PJ, Marín-Guirao, L, Pernice, M & Procaccini, G 2020, 'Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol. 11.
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© Copyright © 2020 Nguyen, Kim, Ralph, Marín-Guirao, Pernice and Procaccini. While thermal priming and the relative role of epigenetic modifications have been widely studied in terrestrial plants, their roles remain unexplored in seagrasses so far. Here, we experimentally compared the ability of two different functional types of seagrass species, dominant in the Southern hemisphere, climax species Posidonia australis and pioneer species Zostera muelleri, to acquire thermal-stress memory to better survive successive stressful thermal events. To this end, a two-heatwave experimental design was conducted in a mesocosm setup. Findings across levels of biological organization including the molecular (gene expression), physiological (photosynthetic performances and pigments content) and organismal (growth) levels provided the first evidence of thermal priming in seagrasses. Non-preheated plants suffered a significant reduction in photosynthetic capacity, leaf growth and chlorophyll a content, while preheated plants were able to cope better with the recurrent stressful event. Gene expression results demonstrated significant regulation of methylation-related genes in response to thermal stress, suggesting that epigenetic modifications could play a central role in seagrass thermal stress memory. In addition, we revealed some interspecific differences in thermal responses between the two different functional types of seagrass species. These results provide the first insights into thermal priming and relative epigenetic modifications in seagrasses paving the way for more comprehensive forecasting and management of thermal stress in these marine foundation species in an era of rapid environmental change.
Nguyen, HT, Yoon, Y, Ngo, HH & Jang, A 2020, 'The application of microalgae in removing organic micropollutants in wastewater', Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology.
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© 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Micropollutants have become a serious environmental problem with several negative outcomes for human health and ecosystems. Many efforts have been made to remove micropollutants using a variety of physical, chemical and biological methods. By far, the most attention has been paid to microalgae-based technologies for wastewater treatment in order to obtain high-quality effluents, recover algal biomass for fertilizers, protein-rich feed, biofuel, and put them to other practical use. This paper reviews the potential of microalgae-based systems for the removal of organic micropollutants from open ponds to closed photobioreactors coupled by suspended microalgal cells, immobilized cells, or microalgae-microbial consortia. The inhibition of micropollutants on microalgae growth as well as micropollutant removal mechanisms performed by microalgae-based systems are also discussed. Other treatment methods for the removal of micropollutants are analyzed to show the advantages and limitations of microalgae-based treatment strategies, from which some possible combined systems can be suggested. Finally, some recommendations for future studies on this topic are proposed. (Figure presented.).
Nguyen, LN, Commault, AS, Kahlke, T, Ralph, PJ, Semblante, GU, Johir, MAH & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Genome sequencing as a new window into the microbial community of membrane bioreactors - A critical review.', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 704, pp. 135279-135279.
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Recent developed sequencing techniques have resulted in a new and unprecedented way to study biological wastewater treatment, in which most organisms are uncultivable. This review provides (i) an insight on state-of-the-art sequencing techniques and their limitations; (ii) a critical assessment of the microbial community in biological reactor and biofouling layer in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). The data from high-throughput sequencing has been used to infer microbial growth conditions and metabolisms of microorganisms present in MBRs at the time of sampling. These data shed new insight to two fundamental questions about a microbial community in the MBR process namely the microbial composition (who are they?) and the functions of each specific microbial assemblage (what are their function?). The results to date also highlight the complexity of the microbial community growing on MBRs. Environmental conditions are dynamic and diverse, and can influence the diversity and structural dynamics of any given microbial community for wastewater treatment. The benefits of understanding the structure of microbial communities on three major aspects of the MBR process (i.e. nutrient removal, biofouling control, and micropollutant removal) were symmetrically delineated. This review also indicates that the deployment of microbial community analysis for a practical engineering context, in terms of process design and system optimization, can be further realized.
Nguyen, LN, Truong, MV, Nguyen, AQ, Johir, MAH, Commault, AS, Ralph, PJ, Semblante, GU & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'A sequential membrane bioreactor followed by a membrane microalgal reactor for nutrient removal and algal biomass production', Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 189-196.
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© 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry. A hybrid process combining a single compartment aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) and a membrane microalgal reactor (MMR) was evaluated for nutrient removal and microalgal biomass production. When operated without biomass extraction, the microalgal biomass in the MMR reached 920 mg L-1 on day 18 and then collapsed, rendering nutrient removal ineffective. Stable operation of the MMR was achieved by regular biomass extraction (i.e. 1/30 of the microalgal biomass in the reactor daily). The biomass production at steady state was approximately 26 g m-3 d-1. The NO3- and PO43- uptake values by microalgae were 4.0 ± 1.1 and 1.5 ± 0.9 g m-3 d-1, respectively. A facile flocculation and separation technique capable of recovering 98% microalgal biomass was demonstrated. Although the hybrid process can significantly enhance nutrient removal and biomass production, further research is needed to intensify the microalgal growth rate. At the current microalgal growth rate, a large MMR volume (37 times that of the MBR) is necessary for synchronous operation.
Nguyen, LN, Vu, MT, Johir, MAH, Pathak, N, Zdarta, J, Jesionowski, T, Semblante, GU, Hai, FI, Nguyen, HKD & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'A novel approach in crude enzyme laccase production and application in emerging contaminant bioremediation', Processes, vol. 8, no. 6.
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© 2020 by the authors. Laccase enzyme from white-rot fungi is a potential biocatalyst for the oxidation of emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones. This study aims to develop a three-step platform to treat ECs: (i) enzyme production, (ii) enzyme concentration and (iii) enzyme application. In the first step, solid culture and liquid culture were compared. The solid culture produced significantly more laccase than the liquid culture (447 vs. 74 μM/min after eight days), demonstrating that white rot fungi thrived on a solid medium. In the second step, the enzyme was concentrated 6.6 times using an ultrafiltration (UF) process, resulting in laccase activity of 2980 μM/min. No enzymatic loss due to filtration and membrane adsorption was observed, suggesting the feasibility of the UF membrane for enzyme concentration. In the third step, concentrated crude enzyme was applied in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) to remove a diverse set of ECs (31 compounds in six groups). The EMR effectively removed of steroid hormones, phytoestrogen, ultraviolet (UV) filters and industrial chemical (above 90%). However, it had low removal of pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
Nguyen, NC, Duong, HC, Nguyen, HT, Chen, SS, Le, HQ, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Duong, CC, Le, NC & Bui, XT 2020, 'Forward osmosis–membrane distillation hybrid system for desalination using mixed trivalent draw solution', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 603.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Finding suitable draw solutions is still a major problem when developing FO technologies. This study represents the first time a mixed trivalent draw solution containing of EDTA–2Na and Na3PO4 was systemically studied for FO performance. The objective here was to achieve simultaneously low reverse salt flux and high water flux. The FO results showed that the mixed trivalent draw solution-based 0.3 M EDTA–2Na and 0.55 M Na3PO4 underwent higher water flux (Jw = 9.17 L/m2⋅h) than that of pure 0.85 M EDTA-2Na (Jw = 7.02 L/m2⋅h) due to its lower viscosity. Additionally, the specific reverse salt flux caused by mixing 0.3 M EDTA–2Na with 0.55 M Na3PO4 draw solution was only 0.053 g/L using DI water as the feed solution. Donnan equilibrium force and formed complexation of [EDTANa]3-, [HPO4Na]- with the FO membrane are believed to constitute the main mechanism for minimizing salt leakage from the mixed draw solution. Moreover, the FO desalination process utilizing the mixed trivalent draw solution achieved water fluxes of 6.12 L/m2⋅h with brackish water (TDS = 5000 mg/L) and 3.10 L/m2⋅h with seawater (TDS = 35,000 mg/L) as the feed solution. Lastly, diluted mixed trivalent draw solution following the FO process was effectively separated using the MD process with salt rejection >99.99% at a mild feed temperature of 55 °C.
Nguyen, TAH, Ngo, HH, Guo, WS, Nguyen, THH, Soda, S, Vu, ND, Bui, TKA, Vo, TDH, Bui, XT, Nguyen, TT & Pham, TT 2020, 'White hard clam (Meretrix lyrata) shells media to improve phosphorus removal in lab-scale horizontal sub-surface flow constructed wetlands: Performance, removal pathways, and lifespan', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 312.
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Nguyen, TAH, Ngo, HH, Guo, WS, Nguyen, TT, Vu, ND, Soda, S, Nguyen, THH, Nguyen, MK, Tran, TVH, Dang, TT, Nguyen, VH & Cao, TH 2020, 'White hard clam (Meretrix lyrata) shells as novel filter media to augment the phosphorus removal from wastewater.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 741, p. 140483.
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It is well recognized that filter media play a crucial role in constructed wetlands (CWs) for decontamination of phosphorus (P)-rich wastewater. This study investigates the suitability of raw white hard clam shells (WHC) and white hard clam shells thermally modified at 800 °C (WHC-M800) as potential media to enhance P treatment performance in CWs. The results indicated that both WHC and WHC-M800 displayed appropriate physicochemical properties, such as high porosity, excellent hydraulic conductivity, and rich Ca content. WHC-M800 exhibited a superior P adsorption capacity (38.7 mg/g) to WHC (12.8 mg/g). However, the practical utilization of WHC-M800 as filter media in CWs may be compromised, due to certain limitations, for example: extremely high pH values in the post-adsorption solutions; high weight losses during calcination and adsorption processes; low mechanical strength; and intensive energy consumption. In contrast, the WHC demonstrated significant advantages of reasonably high P adsorption capacity, locally abundant availability, low cost, and marginal side effects. The fractionation of inorganic P of WHC and WHC-M800 revealed that Ca-bounded P was the most dominant binding form, followed by loosely bound P, Fe-P, occluded P, and Al-P. The present study demonstrates that recycling of WHC shells as a potential substrate in CWs provides a feasible method for upgrading P removal in CWs. Additionally, it helps to reduce waste WHC shells in a simple, cheap, and eco-friendly way, thus can double environmental benefits.
Nguyen, TH, Tran, HN, Vu, HA, Trinh, MV, Nguyen, TV, Loganathan, P, Vigneswaran, S, Nguyen, TM, Trinh, VT, Vu, DL & Nguyen, THH 2020, 'Laterite as a low-cost adsorbent in a sustainable decentralized filtration system to remove arsenic from groundwater in Vietnam.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 699, pp. 134267-134267.
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In the Red River Delta, Vietnam, arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater is a serious problem where more than seventeen million people are affected. Millions of people in this area are unable to access clean water from the existing centralized water treatment systems. They also cannot afford to buy expensive household water filters. Similar dangerous situations exist in many other countries and for this reason there is an urgent need to develop a cost-effective decentralized filtration system using new low-cost adsorbents for removing arsenic. In this study, seven locally available low-cost materials were tested for arsenic removal by conducting batch adsorption experiments. Of these materials, a natural laterite (48.7% Fe2O3 and 18.2% Al2O3) from Thach That (NLTT) was deemed the most suitable adsorbent based on arsenic removal performance, local availability, stability/low risk and cost (US$ 0.10/kg). Results demonstrated that the adsorption process was less dependent on the solution pH from 2.0 to 10. The coexisting anions competed with As(III) and As(V) in the order, phosphate > silicate > bicarbonate > sulphate > chloride. The adsorption process reached a fast equilibrium at approximately 120-360 min, depending on the initial arsenic concentrations. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities of NLTT at 30 °C were 512 μg/g for As(III) and 580 μg/g for As(V), respectively. Thermodynamic study conducted at 10 °C, 30 °C, and 50 °C suggested that the adsorption process of As(III) and As(V) was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. A water filtration system packed with NLTT was tested in a childcare centre in the most disadvantaged community in Ha Nam province, Vietnam, to determine arsenic removal performance in an operation lasting six months. Findings showed that the system reduced total arsenic concentration in groundwater from 122 to 237 μg/L to below the Vietnam drinking water standard of 10 μg/L.
Nguyen, TKL, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Nguyen, TV & Nghiem, DL 2020, 'Contribution of the construction phase to environmental impacts of the wastewater treatment plant', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 743.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. This study aims to investigate the environmental issues regarding the construction phase of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and explore the roles of different materials through their environmental impacts. Detailed inventories of the two WWTPs were conducted by involving materials and transportation for civil works undertaken. EPD 2018 and ReCiPe life cycle impact assessment methods were employed to measure all the impact categories. Five treatment processes - (1) pumping, (2) primary treatment, (3) secondary treatment, (4) sludge line, and (5) building landscape - were considered for the assessment. It was found that concrete and reinforcing steel played similarly vital roles in most of the EPD 2018 impacts. The significant score of reinforcing steel was found on human cancer toxicity, which contributed more than 90% of the impacts. The contribution of diesel on ozone formation was 5% higher than that of reinforcing steel. Glassfiber was responsible for 70% of the burdens on ozone depletion, showing much higher than the total share of concrete and reinforcing steel. Primary treatment units only contributed 9.5% of the construction impacts in the Girona WWTP but up to 43.8% in Mill Creek WWTP mainly because of the proportion of consumed materials. In short, the comprehensive data inventories were necessary when evaluating the total environmental impacts of the WWTP.
Nguyen, TKL, Ngo, HH, Guo, WS, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Nghiem, LD & Nguyen, TV 2020, 'A critical review on life cycle assessment and plant-wide models towards emission control strategies for greenhouse gas from wastewater treatment plants', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 264.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd For decades, there has been a strong interest in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Numerous models were developed to measure the emissions and propose the quantification. Existing studies looked at the relationship between GHG emissions and operational cost (OCI), which is one of the most important indicators for decision-makers. Other parameters that can influence the control strategies include the effluent quality (EQI) and total environmental impacts. Plant-wide models are reliable methods to examine the OCI, EQI and GHG emissions while Life cycle assessment (LCA) works to assess the potential environmental impacts. A combined LCA and plant-wide model proved to be a valuable tool evaluating and comparing strategies for the best performance of WWTPs. For this study involving a WWTP, the benchmark model is used while LCA is the decision tool to find the most suitable treatment strategy. LCA adds extra criteria that complement the existing criteria provided by such models. Complementing the cost/performance criteria is proposed for plant-wide models, including environmental evaluation, based on LCA, which provides an overall better assessment of WWTPs. It can capture both the dynamic effects and potential environmental impacts. This study provides an overview of the integration between plant-wide models and LCA.
Nguyen, TT, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Nguyen, HQ, Luu, C, Dang, KB, Liu, Y & Zhang, X 2020, 'New approach of water quantity vulnerability assessment using satellite images and GIS-based model: An application to a case study in Vietnam', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 737.
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© 2020 Water deficiency due to climate change and the world's population growth increases the demand for the water industry to carry out vulnerability assessments. Although many studies have been done on climate change vulnerability assessment, a specific framework with sufficient indicators for water vulnerability assessment is still lacking. This highlights the urgent need to devise an effective model framework in order to provide water managers and authorities with the level of water exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity and water vulnerability to formulate their responses in implementing water management strategies. The present study proposes a new approach for water quantity vulnerability assessment based on remote sensing satellite data and GIS ModelBuilder. The developed approach has three layers: (1) data acquisition mainly from remote sensing datasets and statistical sources; (2) calculation layer based on the integration of GIS-based model and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's vulnerability assessment framework; and (3) output layer including the indices of exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity and water vulnerability and spatial distribution of remote sensing indicators and these indices in provincial and regional scale. In total 27 indicators were incorporated for the case study in Vietnam based on their availability and reliability. Results show that the most water vulnerable is the South Central Coast of the country, followed by the Northwest area. The novel approach is based on reliable and updated spatial-temporal datasets (soil water stress, aridity index, water use efficiency, rain use efficiency and leaf area index), and the incorporation of the GIS-based model. This framework can then be applied effectively for water vulnerability assessment of other regions and countries.
Nguyen, TTD, Nguyen, TT, An Binh, Q, Bui, XT, Ngo, HH, Vo, HNP, Andrew Lin, KY, Vo, TDH, Guo, W, Lin, C & Breider, F 2020, 'Co-culture of microalgae-activated sludge for wastewater treatment and biomass production: Exploring their role under different inoculation ratios', Bioresource Technology, vol. 314.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd In this study, mixed culture (microalgae:activated sludge) of a photobioreactor (PBR) were investigated at different inoculation ratios (1:0, 9:1, 3:1, 1:1, 0:1 wt/wt). This work was not only to determine the optimal ratio for pollutant remediation and biomass production but also to explore the role of microorganisms in the co-culture system. The results showed high total biomass concentrations were obtained from 1:0 and 3:1 ratio being values of 1.06, 1.12 g L-1, respectively. Microalgae played a dominant role in nitrogen removal via biological assimilation while activated sludge was responsible for improving COD removal. Compared with the single culture of microalgae, the symbiosis between microalgae and bacteria occurred at 3:1 and 1:1 ratio facilitated a higher COD removal by 37.5–45.7 %. In general, combined assessment based on treatment performance and biomass productivity facilitated to select an optimal ratio of 3:1 for the operation of the co-culture PBR.
Nguyen, TTQ, Loganathan, P, Nguyen, TV & Vigneswaran, S 2020, 'Removing arsenic from water with an original and modified natural manganese oxide ore: batch kinetic and equilibrium adsorption studies.', Environmental science and pollution research international, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 5490-5502.
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Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a serious water quality problem in many parts of the world. In this study, a low-cost manganese oxide ore from Vietnam (Vietnamese manganese oxide (VMO)) was firstly evaluated for its performance in arsenate (As(V)) removal from water. This material contains both Mn (25.6%) and Fe (16.1%) mainly in the form of cryptomelane and goethite minerals. At the initial As(V) concentration of 0.5 mg/L, the adsorption capacity of original VMO determined using the Langmuir model was 0.11 mg/g. The modified VMOs produced by coating VMO with iron oxide (Fea-VMO) and zirconium oxide (Zra-VMO) at 110 °C and 550 °C achieved the highest As(V) adsorption capacity when compared to three other methods of VMO modifications. Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities of Fea-VMO and Zra-VMO at pH 7.0 were 2.19 mg/g and 1.94 mg/g, respectively, nearly twenty times higher than that of the original VMO. Batch equilibrium adsorption data fitted well to the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models and batch kinetics adsorption data to pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and Elovich models. The increase of pH progressively from 3 to 10 reduced As(V) adsorption with a maximum reduction of 50-60% at pH 10 for both original and modified VMOs. The co-existing oxyanions considerably weakened the As(V) removal efficiency because they competed with As(V) anions. The competition order was PO43- > SiO32- > CO32- > SO42-. The characteristics of the original and modified VMOs evaluated using SEM, FTIR, XRD, XRF, surface area, and zeta potential explained the As(V) adsorption behaviour.
Nguyen, TTQ, Loganathan, P, Nguyen, TV, Vigneswaran, S & Ngo, HH 2020, 'Iron and zirconium modified luffa fibre as an effective bioadsorbent to remove arsenic from drinking water', Chemosphere, vol. 258.
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© 2020 Porous luffa plant fibre (LF) was grafted with Fe and Zr, and the ability of the fabricated adsorbents to remove arsenate (As(V)) from water was investigated in batch and column adsorption experiments. The Langmuir adsorption capacity (mg g−1) at pH 7 of LF was found to be 0.035, which increased to 2.55 and 2.89 after being grafted with Fe (FLF-3) and Zr (ZLF-3), respectively. Grafting with Fe and Zr increased the zeta potential and zero point of charge (ZPC) of LF (from pH 3.9 to 7.4 for Fe grafting and to 7.6 for Zr grafting), due to chemical bonding of the metals, possibly with the hydroxyl and carboxylic groups in LF as indicated in FTIR peaks. Zeta potential and ZPC decreased after As adsorption owing to inner-sphere complexation mechanism of adsorption. The increase of pH from 3 to 10 progressively reduced the adsorbents’ adsorption capacity. Co-existing anions weakened the As(V) removal efficiency in the order, PO43− > SiO32− > CO32− > SO42−. Adsorption kinetics data fitted well to the Weber and Morris model, which revealed initial fast and subsequent slow rates of intra-particle As diffusion into the bigger pores and smaller pores, respectively. Column adsorption data fitted well to the Thomas model with the predicted adsorption capacities in the same order as in the batch adsorption experiment (ZLF-3 > FLF-3 > LF).
Nguyen, XC, Tran, TCP, Hoan, H, Nguyen, TP, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Guo, W, Kumar, A, Duong, DL & Quang-Vu, B 2020, 'Combined biochar vertical flow and free-water surface constructed wetland system for dormitory sewage treatment and reuse', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 713.
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Ni, B-J, Zeng, S, Wei, W, Dai, X & Sun, J 2020, 'Impact of roxithromycin on waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion: Methane production, carbon transformation and antibiotic resistance genes', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 703.
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Nuruzzaman, M, Ren, J, Liu, Y, Rahman, MM, Shon, HK & Naidu, R 2020, 'Hollow Porous Silica Nanosphere with Single Large Pore Opening for Pesticide Loading and Delivery', ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 105-113.
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Organ, B, Huang, Y, Zhou, JL, Yam, Y-S, Mok, W-C & Chan, EFC 2020, 'Simulation of engine faults and their impact on emissions and vehicle performance for a liquefied petroleum gas taxi', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 716.
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Park, J, Lim, J, Park, Y, Han, DS, Shon, HK, Hoffmann, MR & Park, H 2020, 'In Situ-Generated Reactive Oxygen Species in Precharged Titania and Tungsten Trioxide Composite Catalyst Membrane Filters: Application to As(III) Oxidation in the Absence of Irradiation.', Environmental science & technology.
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This study demonstrates that in situ-generated reactive oxygen species (ROSs) in prephotocharged TiO2 and WO3 (TW) composite particle-embedded inorganic membrane filters oxidize arsenite (As(III)) into arsenate (As(V)) without any auxiliary chemical oxidants under ambient conditions in the dark. TW membrane filters have been charged with UV or simulated sunlight and subsequently transferred to a once-through flow-type system. The charged TW filters can transfer the stored electrons to dissolved O2, producing ROSs that mediate As(III) oxidation in the dark. Dramatic inhibition of As(V) production with O2 removal or addition of ROS quenchers indicates an ROS-mediated As(III) oxidation mechanism. Electron paramagnetic spectroscopic analysis has confirmed the formation of the HO2•/O2•- pair in the dark. The WO3 fraction in the TW filter significantly influences the performance of the As(III) oxidation, while As(V) production is enhanced with increasing charging time and solution pH. The As(III) oxidation is terminated when the singly charged TW filter is fully discharged; however, recharging of TW recovers the catalytic activity for As(III) oxidation. The proposed oxidation process using charged TW membrane filters is practical and environmentally benign for the continuous treatment of As(III)-contaminated water during periods of unavailability of sunlight.
Pathak, N, Phuntsho, S, Van, HT, Johir, MAH, Ghaffour, N, Leiknes, T, Fujioka, T & Shon, HK 2020, 'Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification using baffled osmotic membrane bioreactor-microfiltration hybrid system at different oxic-anoxic conditions for wastewater treatment', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 253.
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Pathak, N, Tran, VH, Merenda, A, Johir, MAH, Phuntsho, S & Shon, H 2020, 'Removal of Organic Micro-Pollutants by Conventional Membrane Bioreactors and High-Retention Membrane Bioreactors', APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL, vol. 10, no. 8.
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Paull, NJ, Krix, D, Irga, PJ & Torpy, FR 2020, 'Airborne particulate matter accumulation on common green wall plants.', International journal of phytoremediation, pp. 1-13.
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In order to better design greening systems for effective particulate matter (PM) removal, it is important to understand the impact leaf traits have on PM deposition. There are however, inconsistences amongst the leaf traits that have previously been correlated with PM accumulation. The aim of this paper was to identify vegetation characteristics of green wall plants that were associated with the accumulation of particulate matter. To determine patterns associated with different leaf morphologies, eleven common ornamental plant species were sampled across 15 sites, over a 6 month duration. PM deposition was determined gravimetrically and its associated size fractions determined microscopically. Linear mixed models were used to identify statistical patterns relating to differences in PM deposition across plant species. PM deposition and the relative frequencies of particle size fractions were found to be statistically different among species, sites and months. Green wall plants were shown to be effective at PM accumulation as all of the assessed plant species had equivalent PM removal efficiency, with minimal evidence of influential leaf characteristics that could enhance PM removal.
Paull, NJ, Krix, D, Torpy, FR & Irga, PJ 2020, 'Can green walls reduce outdoor ambient particulate matter, noise pollution and temperature?', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 14, pp. 1-19.
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© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Green walls have previously demonstrated the capacity to reduce particulate matter (PM), noise pollution, and temperature conditions in manipulative experiments and computational models. There is, however, minimal evidence that green walls can influence ambient environmental conditions, especially taking into account the variable environmental conditions encountered in situ. The aim of this paper was to determine if green walls have a quantitative effect on ambient air quality in an urban environment. Ambient PM, noise, and temperature were recorded at 12 green wall and adjacent reference wall locations across a dense urban centre, over a 6-month period. The results indicated that PM levels and temperature did not significantly differ between the green wall and reference wall sites. Ambient noise at the green wall sites, however, was significantly lower than at the reference wall locations. It is suggested that mechanically assisted, or ‘active’ green wall systems may have a higher PM and temperature reduction capacity, and if so, they will be more valuable for installation in situ compared to standard passive systems, although this will require further research.
Peng, L, Fan, S-Q, Xie, G-J, Ni, B-J, Liu, Y, Xu, Y, Liu, B-F, Xing, D-F, Han, H-J, Song, S & Ren, N-Q 2020, 'Modeling Nitrate/Nitrite Dependent Anaerobic Methane Oxidation and Anammox Process in a Membrane Granular Sludge Reactor', Chemical Engineering Journal, pp. 125822-125822.
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Peng, L, Nie, W-B, Ding, J, Ni, B-J, Liu, Y, Han, H-J & Xie, G-J 2020, 'Denitrifying Anaerobic Methane Oxidation and Anammox Process in a Membrane Aerated Membrane Bioreactor: Kinetic Evaluation and Optimization', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, vol. 54, no. 11, pp. 6968-6977.
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Pham, TT, Ngo, HH, Tran, VS & Nguyen, MK 2020, 'Removal of As (V) from the aqueous solution by a modified granular ferric hydroxide adsorbent.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 706.
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A novel adsorbent was prepared in granular form from iron (III) hydroxide and other additives to remove arsenate (As (V)) from aqueous solution. Adsorption of As (V) onto the adsorbent in batch experiments was analyzed to understand the adsorption mechanism, affecting factors, and adsorption isotherms. The optimal working conditions for the developed adsorbent were at pH 3, 30 °C and 50 g/L. The adsorption of arsenate onto the adsorbent occurred rapidly in the first 10 min and reached equilibrium in 2 h. The Langmuir isotherm was found to be best fitted the adsorption. The pre- and post-adsorption adsorbents were characterized by SEM, BET, FTIR, XRD, and Zeta potential techniques. Experimental results clearly demonstrated the potential impact of elemental composition, crystallinity, surface morphology, and other physico-chemical properties of the adsorbent on the adsorption performance variety. The experimental results with the pilot scale treatment system revealed that the adsorbent can be applied successfully and lead to a very efficient drinking water treatment system, at a competitive cost compared to the water market in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Phong Vo, HN, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Hong Nguyen, TM, Li, J, Liang, H, Deng, L, Chen, Z & Hang Nguyen, TA 2020, 'Poly‐and perfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater: A comprehensive review from sources to remediation', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 36.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pollutants have attracted major concern due to their high persistence and bioaccumulation. They are causing increasingly serious epidemiological problems in many communities globally due to consuming PFAS-contaminated water sources. Necessarily, the behavior of PFAS in water and wastewater needs to be understood better. This study attempts to comprehensively review, analyze and discuss PFAS based on the following key aspects: (i) sources, (ii) occurrence in water and wastewater, (iii) transformation, fate and migration, and (iv) remediation technologies. Studies indicated that modern water and wastewater treatment plants cannot deal completely with PFAS and in some cases, the removal efficiency is minus -3500-fold. The main reasons are the high hydrophobicity of PFAS and presence of PFAS precursors. Precursors can account for 33–63% of total PFAS concentration in water and wastewater. Detection and identification of precursors are challenging due to the requirement of advanced analytical instrument and standard chemicals. Several technologies have been developed for PFAS remediation involving two main mechanisms: separation-concentration and destruction. The most widespread in-use technology is adsorption because it is reasonably affordable. Anion exchange resin and synthesized materials are the most effective sorbents having a sorption capacity of 100–2000 mg PFAS/g sorbent, effective within a few hours. The destruction technology such as plasma can also be a promising one for degrading PFAS to below health-based standard in 1 min. However, plasma is costly and not yet ready for full scale application.
Phuntsho, S, Kim, JE, Tran, VH, Tahara, S, Uehara, N, Maruko, N, Matsuno, H, Lim, S & Shon, HK 2020, 'Free-standing, thin-film, symmetric membranes: Next-generation membranes for engineered osmosis', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 607.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The support layer of an asymmetric thin-film composite membrane results in structural resistance (internal concentration polarization) that significantly undermines engineered osmosis. Increasing the porosity and reducing the thickness and tortuosity of the membrane support layer reduces structural resistance; however, internal concentration polarization still impacts membrane performance. A novel, ultrathin, free-standing and symmetric membrane has been synthesized using sulfonated polyether ketone and tested for forward osmosis applications. This membrane is composed of a protonic acid group containing an aromatic polyether resin with sulfonated structural units. Polyether ketone provides high mechanical strength essential for ultrathin free-standing membranes, while sulfonation enhances the membrane hydrophilicity. These sulfonated polyether ketone membranes show promising water flux performances with impressive mechanical strength under the hydraulic operating conditions used for a FO process.
Pramanik, BK, Long, DN & Hai, FI 2020, 'Extraction of strategically important elements from brines: Constraints and opportunities', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 168.
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Price, S, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Pernice, M & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Cyanobacterial polyhydroxybutyrate for sustainable bioplastic production: Critical review and perspectives', Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 104007-104007.
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Punetha, P, Nimbalkar, S & Khabbaz, H 2020, 'Analytical Evaluation of Ballasted Track Substructure Response under Repeated Train Loads', International Journal of Geomechanics, vol. 20, no. 7.
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers. The irrecoverable deformations in the substructure layers are detrimental to the track stability and demand frequent maintenance. With an escalation in axle load and traffic volume, the frequency of maintenance operations has remarkably increased. Consequently, there is an inevitable need to predict the long-term behavior of the track substructure layers. This article presents a methodology to evaluate the recoverable and irrecoverable responses of the substructure layers under the train-induced repetitive loads. The present method utilizes an integrated approach combining track loading, resiliency, and settlement models. The track substructure layers are simulated as lumped masses that are connected by springs and dashpots. The method is successfully validated against the field investigation data reported in the literature. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of substructure layer properties on the track response. The results reveal that the response of each track layer is significantly influenced by the neighboring layer properties and the incorporation of multilayered track structure enables more accurate prediction of track behavior. The present analytical approach is simple, computationally efficient and may assist the practicing engineers in the safer design of the ballasted track.
Punetha, P, Nimbalkar, S & Khabbaz, H 2020, 'Evaluation of additional confinement for three-dimensional geoinclusions under general stress state', CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL JOURNAL, vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 453-461.
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Rasouli, H & Fatahi, B 2020, 'Geofoam blocks to protect buried pipelines subjected to strike-slip fault rupture', Geotextiles and Geomembranes.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd This paper proposes using geofoam blocks to improve the safety of buried steel pipelines under permanent ground deformation due to strike-slip fault rupture. Since these geofoam blocks are deformable, they can compress during fault rupture and thus reduce the pressure imposed on the pipeline by the surrounding soil. This means that the pipe can sustain a higher level of tectonic deformations. For the pipeline system adopted in this study, the geofoam blocks consist of two 1 m thick blocks at each side and another on the top of the pipeline. The effectiveness of this configuration is then assessed in comparison to the conventional buried pipeline by three dimensional numerical simulations that consider the interaction between soil and structure and the impact of critical parameters such as the pipeline-fault trace crossing angle, geofoam blocks thickness and the internal pressure of the pipeline. The results indicated that the geofoam blocks reduced the axial tensile strain of non-pressurised pipeline from the unacceptable 4.16% to the safe level of 0.75% when the crossing angle was 135°. In addition, geofoam blocks successfully decreased the maximum ovalisation parameter and compressive strain of the non-pressurised pipeline from 0.237 and −25.8% to 0.065 and −0.47%, respectively when the crossing angle was 65°.
Rasouli, H, Fatahi, B & Nimbalkar, S 2020, 'Liquefaction and Post-liquefaction Assessment of Lightly Cemented Sands', Canadian Geotechnical Journal.
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Ren, LF, Ngo, HH, Bu, C, Ge, C, Ni, SQ, Shao, J & He, Y 2020, 'Novel external extractive membrane bioreactor (EMBR) using electrospun polydimethylsiloxane/polymethyl methacrylate membrane for phenol-laden saline wastewater', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 383.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Phenol-laden saline wastewaters can adversely affect water, groundwater, soil, organisms and ecosystems. Given that frequently-used biodegradation process is generally inhibited by salinity, this work aims to solve the problem through a novel configuration of external extractive membrane bioreactor (EMBR) for the objective of simultaneous phenol permeation, salt rejection and biodegradation. Contact angles of 160.9 ± 2.2° (water) and 0.0° (phenol) were observed on the electrospun polydimethylsiloxane/polymethyl methacrylate (PDMS/PMMA) membrane, suggesting this superhydrophobic/superorganophilic membrane was suitable for separating phenol from water-soluble salt. Phenol ranging from 14.1 ± 2.7 to 290.7 ± 10.4 mg/L (stages 1 to 8) was continuously permeated and completely biodegraded in external EMBR under a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h, which corresponded with detoxification performance improving from 6.3% to 70.5%. After phenol exposure of 8 stages, Proteobacteria and Saccharibacteria became the main phyla for microorganisms. Enumeration of functional genes (phe, amoA, narG, nirS) confirmed that phenol was mainly consumed by denitrifiers and other heterotrophs as the sole carbon and energy source via oxidation and ring cleavage. As bacterial responses, these genes’ proliferation was promoted under low phenol concentrations but inhibited under high phenol concentrations. Meanwhile, results of extracellular polymeric substances revealed that protein was the key substance in toxicity resistance, phenol adsorption and transfer.
Ren, Y, Huu, HN, Guo, W, Wang, D, Peng, L, Ni, B-J, Wei, W & Liu, Y 2020, 'New perspectives on microbial communities and biological nitrogen removal processes in wastewater treatment systems', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 297.
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Roobavannan, M, Kandasamy, J, Pande, S, Vigneswaran, S & Sivapalan, M 2020, 'Sustainability of agricultural basin development under uncertain future climate and economic conditions: A socio-hydrological analysis', Ecological Economics, vol. 174.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. A socio-hydrological model is used to forecast future conditions in a river basin arising from changes in climate and the economy in order to learn about macroeconomic conditions that would yield pathways for sustainable development and how they may be affected by changes in climate and the economy. The study uses a system dynamics model with endogenous social values and preferences and exogenous climate and economic drivers. Basin scale sustainability is defined as a function of economic growth, provision of environmental services and equality within the basin. The analysis reveals that a diversified basin economy is important to achieve sustainable development. Under current climate conditions, a higher level of diversification in the basin's economy increases sustainability. Higher current capital growth rates, e.g., >2% of the current rate, would also lead to more sustainable development of a kind that is less affected by the availability of water and robust to vagaries of climate change. The results suggest that policy-makers and resource managers should focus on measures to diversify the economy when it is thriving, but also consider the capacity of society to adapt to unpredictable shocks to the system.
Roobavannan, S, Vigneswaran, S & Naidu, G 2020, 'Enhancing the performance of membrane distillation and ion-exchange manganese oxide for recovery of water and lithium from seawater', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, vol. 396.
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Samadi-Boroujeni, H, Abbasi, S, Altaee, A & Fattahi-Nafchi, R 2020, 'Numerical and Physical Modeling of the Effect of Roughness Height on Cavitation Index in Chute Spillways', International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 18, pp. 539-550.
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© 2019, Iran University of Science and Technology. This study presents the results of physical and numerical modeling of the effect of bed roughness height of chute spillways on the cavitation index. A 1:50-scale physical hydraulic model of the chute spillway of Surk Dam was constructed at the hydraulic laboratory of Shahrekord University, Iran. The experiments were conducted for different flow rates and the parameters of pressure, velocity, and flow depth in 26 positions along the chute. Finally, the ANSYS-FLUENT model was calibrated in the chute spillway using the experimental data by assumptions of two-phase volume of fluid and k–ε (RNG) turbulence models. The cavitation index in different sections of the chute spillway was calculated for different values of bed roughness including the roughness heights of 1, 2, and 2.5 mm. Results showed that the minimum values of the cavitation index were 0.2906, 0.2733, and 0.2471 for the roughness heights of 1, 2, and 2.5 mm, respectively. The statistical significance analysis showed that reducing the roughness height from 2.5 to 1 mm would not change significantly the value of the cavitation index at 95% confidence interval.
Samaei, SM, Gato-Trinidad, S & Altaee, A 2020, 'Performance evaluation of reverse osmosis process in the post-treatment of mining wastewaters: Case study of Costerfield mining operations, Victoria, Australia', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 34.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane has been used for treatment and purification of industrial wastewaters including those from the mining industry before being discharged to receiving body or reuse for applications that are fit for purpose. This study evaluates the performance of Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant as a post-treatment process in mining operations in Victoria, Australia. The data analysis shows that the RO unit significantly improves the quality of the final permeate before discharged to surface waters. Considering average rejection efficiency for the entire evaluated period, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), Antimony, Arsenic, Nickel, Zinc and Iron concentrations are reduced by 85 %, 96 %, 95 %, 66 %, 82 %, 48 % and 10 %, respectively in the RO permeate compared to the feed water. Although the quality of the RO permeate was in a desirable condition in most days of the evaluated years, TDS concentrations on the October 11 and 20,2016 and November 14, 2017 were higher than the limits specified by Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria. Anomalies regarding antimony levels in RO permeate occurred in September and November 2016 as well as August 2017 due to inconsistency in the RO feed quality. This resulted in fouling of RO membranes and contributed to discharge non-compliance with EPA licence conditions on TDS and antimony. Discharge to waterways was suspended over the period when TDS and antimony contents were above the EPA guidelines. Changes in the pre-treatment reduced the turbidity of the feed water and improved the performance of the RO system to comply with the discharge guidelines.
Satya, A, Harimawan, A, Haryani, GS, Johir, MAH, Vigneswaran, S, Ngo, HH & Setiadi, T 2020, 'Batch study of cadmium biosorption by carbon dioxide enriched aphanothece sp. dried biomass', Water (Switzerland), vol. 12, no. 1.
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© 2020 by the authors. The conventional method for cadmium removal in aqueous solutions (1-100 mg/L) is ineffective and inefficient. Therefore, a batch biosorption reactor using a local freshwater microalga (originating from an urban lake, namely, Situ Rawa Kalong-Depok) as dried biosorbent was tested. Biosorbent made from three kinds of cyanobacterium Aphanothece sp. cultivars (A0, A8, and A15) were used to eliminate cadmium (Cd2+) ions in aqueous solution (1-7 mg/L). The biosorbents were harvested from a photobioreactor system enriched with carbon dioxide gas of 0.04% (atmospheric), 8%, and 15% under continuous light illumination of about 5700-6000 lux for 14 d of cultivation. Produced dried biosorbents had Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area ranges of 0.571-1.846 m2/g. Biosorption of Cd2+ was pH and concentration dependent. Sorption was spontaneous (G =-8.39 to-10.88 kJ/mol), exothermic (H=-41.85 to-49.16 kJ/mol), and decreased randomness (S =-0.102 to-0.126 kJ/molK) on the interface between solid and liquid phases when the process was completed. The kinetic sorption data fitted best to the pseudo-second-order model (k2 = 2.79 x 10-2, 3.96 x 10-2, and 4.54 x 10-2 g/mgmin). The dried biosorbents of A0, A8, and A15, after modeling with the Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models, indicated that cadmium binding occurred through chemisorption (qmax, D-R = 9.74 x 10-4, 4.79 x 10-3, and 9.12 x 10-3 mol/g and mean free energy of 8.45, 11.18, and 11.18 kJ/mol) on the monolayer and homogenous surface (qmax, Langmuir of 12.24, 36.90, and 60.24 mg/g). In addition, the results of SEM, EDX, and FTIR showed that there were at least nine functional groups that interacted with Cd2+ (led to bond formation) after biosorption through cation exchange mechanisms, and morphologically the surfaces changed after biosorption. Biosorbent A15 indicated the best resilient features over three cycles of sorption-desorption using 1 M HCl as the desorbing eluent. These biosorb...
Shanmugam, S, Ngo, HH & Wu, YR 2020, 'Advanced CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing tools for microbial biofuels production: A review', Renewable Energy.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd With rapid progress in the fields of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, there are possible applications to generate a wide range of advanced biofuels with maximized yield and productivity to achieve a more sustainable bioprocess with reduced carbon footprints. Among the diverse molecular biology tools, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) technology stands out with potential targeted genome editing, exhibiting a more precise and accurate gene knock-out and knock-in system better than its predecessors, for example zinc finger nucleases (ZFN) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN). There are reports involved in the advanced microbial genome engineering tools for the biofuels production; however, there is lack of a comprehensive review about the CRISPR-Cas based-techniques in improved biofuel production along with the strategies to reduce the off-target effect that ensures the success and safety of this method. Therefore, in this review we attempt to systematically comment on the mechanism of CRISPR-Cas and its application to microbial biofuels production. This includes bioethanol, biobutanol as well as other hydrocarbons that sequentially follow various suggestions on enhancing the efficiency of targeting genes. The role of inducible on/off genetic circuits in response to environmental stimuli in the regulation of targeted genome editing (TGE) by minimizing metabolic burden and maximizing fermentation efficiency is also discussed. The relevant stringent regulatory demands to ensure minimal off-target cleavage with maximum efficiency coupled with complete biosafety of this technology are considered. It can be concluded that the recent development of CRISPR-Cas technology should open a new avenue in creating microbial biorefineries for potentially enhanced biofuel production.
Singh, R, Altaee, A & Gautam, S 2020, 'Nanomaterials in the advancement of hydrogen energy storage.', Heliyon, vol. 6, no. 7, p. e04487.
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The hydrogen economy is the key solution to secure a long-term energy future. Hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and its usage completes the unit of an economic system. These areas have been the topics of discussion for the past few decades. However, its storage methods have conflicted for on-board hydrogen applications. In this review, the promising systems based on solid-state hydrogen storage are discussed. It works generally on the principles of chemisorption and physisorption. The usage of hydrogen packing material in the system enhances volumetric and gravimetric densities of the system and helps in improving ambient conditions and system kinetics. Numerous aspects like pore size, surface area ligand functionalization and pore volume of the materials are intensively discussed. This review also examines the newly developed research based on MOF (Metal-Organic Frameworks). These hybrid clusters are employed for nano-confinement of hydrogen at elevated temperatures. A combination of the various methodologies may give another course to a wide scope in the area of energy storage materials later in the future.
Soja-Woźniak, M, Laiolo, L, Baird, ME, Matear, R, Clementson, L, Schroeder, T, Doblin, MA & Suthers, IM 2020, 'Effect of phytoplankton community size structure on remote-sensing reflectance and chlorophyll a products', Journal of Marine Systems, vol. 211.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Remotely-sensed ocean colour is the main tool for estimating chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentration and primary productivity on the global scale. In order to investigate the source of errors in remotely-sensed Chl-a concentration we obtained in situ bio-optical properties, in situ reflectances, satellite-derived reflectances and the Chl-a concentration satellite products of the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) Instrument on board Sentinel-3 A in waters off eastern Australia. The mesoscale eddies of these oligotrophic waters provide contrasting phytoplankton communities that allowed us to focus on the effect of phytoplankton size as a source of errors. In these waters, cold-core cyclonic eddies (CE) are dominated by large phytoplankton cells, while small cells dominate warm-core anticyclonic eddies (ACE). The chlorophyll-specific absorption and backscattering from contrasting sites show significant difference due to the differing package effect of phytoplankton size distributions. After normalising the absorption and backscattering spectra to Chl-a associated with just small phytoplankton, the spectra of optical properties become much more similar, showing that small-sized phytoplankton dominate IOPs even when large cells contain the greater fraction of Chl-a concentration of the phytoplankton community. Measured in situ reflectances agreed with reflectances calculated using a simple optical model based on measured IOPs. Furthermore, the in situ measured reflectances agreed well with the OLCI reflectance (mean normalised bias (MNB) of 7% for wavelengths <600 nm). However, a systematic underestimation of Chl-a concentrations by the OLCI algorithms was found in the region of cyclonic eddies characterised by increased Chl-a concentration and dominance of large-sized phytoplankton. A similar underprediction was found in Chl-a concentration calculated with the band-ratio OC4Me algorithm using in situ and IOP-calculated reflectance. Excluding Ch...
Song, Z, Zhang, X, Sun, F, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wen, H, Li, C & Zhang, Z 2020, 'Specific microbial diversity and functional gene (AOB amoA) analysis of a sponge-based aerobic nitrifying moving bed biofilm reactor exposed to typical pharmaceuticals', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 742.
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© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Four bench-scale sponge-based aerobic nitrifying moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were used to treat municipal wastewater containing typical pharmaceuticals (1 mg/L, 2 mg/L and 5 mg/L). This preliminary research aims to investigate the effects of sulfadiazine (SDZ), ibuprofen (IBU) and carbamazepine (CBZ) on nitrification performance and explore specific microbial diversity and functional gene (Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), amoA) of MBBRs. After 90 days of operation, the MBBR without pharmaceuticals could remove up to 97.4 ± 1.5% of NH4+-N while the removals of NH4+-N by the MBBRs with SDZ, IBU and CBZ were all suppressed to varying degrees. Based on the Shannon and Chao 1 index, the specific microbial diversity and richness in biofilm samples increased at a range of 1 mg/L to 2 mg/L pharmaceuticals (SDZ, IBU or CBZ) and started decreasing after the pharmaceutical concentration was higher than 2 mg/L. The determination of functional gene (AOB amoA) showed that Proteobacteria was the most dominant bacteria within all biofilms with the relative abundance ranging from 24.81% to 55.32%. Furthermore, Nitrosomonas was the most numerous genus in AOB, followed by Campylobacter and Thauera, whose relative abundance shifted under the pressure of different pharmaceuticals.
Sornalingam, K, McDonagh, A, Canning, J, Cook, K, Johir, MAH, Zhou, JL & Ahmed, MB 2020, 'Photocatalysis of 17 alpha-ethynylestradiol and estriol in water using engineered immersible optical fibres and light emitting diodes', JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING, vol. 33.
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Sun, L, Zhou, JL & Cai, Q 2020, 'Impacts of soil properties on flow velocity under rainfall events: Evidence from soils across the Loess Plateau', Catena, vol. 194.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Flow velocity is one of the most significant hydraulic parameters directly connected to sediment transport-deposition processes. Four soils were collected from north to south of the Loess Plateau, namely Sandy Loess (SL), Loessial Soil (LS), Heilu Soil (HS) and Anthrosol Soil (AS), to examine the impacts of soil property on mean flow velocity in both interrill and rill flows under different simulated rainfall experiments. The mean velocity of interrill flow (MVIF) followed the order of LS > HS ≈ AS > SL at 90 mm h−1 rainfall intensity and LS > HS > AS > SL at 120 mm h−1 rainfall intensity. The mean velocity of rill flow (MVRF) decreased as LS ≈ HS > AS at 90 mm h−1 and LS ≈ HS > AS > SL at 120 mm h−1. The order of MVIF and MVRF on four soil slopes is determined by the relations of runoff discharge, Darcy-Weisbach friction factor in interrill area (fI) and rills (fR), which are closely related to soil properties. Soil properties also changed the effects of rainfall intensity on flow velocities in different erosion stages, resulting in the increasing trend of MVIF on SL, HS and AS slopes and the decreasing trend of MVIF on LS slope with the increase of rainfall intensity. Moreover, soil properties may change the variations of MVIF and MVRF with the increase of slope gradient, by altering the relations of sealing progress and slope effect. The slope effect determined the increasing trend of MVIF with the increase of slope gradients. However, the sealing progress may offset the slope effect and cause the decrease of MVIF on the critical slopes, and the critical slope decreased from the north (20° and 25°) to the south (15°). The equal roles of rill bed roughness and slope effect caused the unchanged of MVRF on LS and HS slopes, while rill bed roughness dominated the fluctuations of MVRF on SL and AS slopes.
Surawski, NC, Macdonald, LM, Baldock, JA, Sullivan, AL, Roxburgh, SH & Polglase, PJ 2020, 'Exploring how fire spread mode shapes the composition of pyrogenic carbon from burning forest litter fuels in a combustion wind tunnel', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 698.
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Sutherland, DL & Ralph, PJ 2020, '15 years of research on wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds in New Zealand: discoveries and future directions', NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF BOTANY.
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Sutherland, DL, Howard-Williams, C, Ralph, P & Hawes, I 2020, 'Environmental drivers that influence microalgal species in meltwater pools on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica', POLAR BIOLOGY, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 467-482.
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Sutherland, DL, Park, J, Heubeck, S, Ralph, PJ & Craggs, RJ 2020, 'Size matters - Microalgae production and nutrient removal in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds of three different sizes', ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS, vol. 45.
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Sutherland, DL, Park, J, Ralph, PJ & Craggs, RJ 2020, 'Improved microalgal productivity and nutrient removal through operating wastewater high rate algal ponds in series', Algal Research, vol. 47.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. High rate algal ponds are recognised as a cost effective and efficient upgrade to conventional wastewater ponds for the treatment of a wide range of wastewaters. Their design allows microalgae to proliferate, which, in turn, results in high levels of nutrient removal, via algal assimilation. Furthermore, these ponds offer the opportunity to recover resources, in the form of algal biomass, for beneficial re-use, thus creating a circular bio-economy using wastewater. However, both increased microalgal biomass and nutrient removal is required to make coupled full-scale systems commercially viable. The performance of high rate algal ponds operated in series, on short hydraulic retention time of 4 days, versus in parallel, on a longer retention time of 8 days, was assessed with respect to nutrient removal and microalgal production. For microalgal productivity, the combined total volatile suspended solids (organic matter) and chlorophyll-a biomass were significantly higher (p < 0.01) under Series (191 ± 41 kg per day for volatile suspended solids) than Parallel (127 ± 18 kg per day) operation. The combined total dissolved inorganic nitrogen removed per day was significantly higher (p < 0.01) under Series (23 ± 4 kg of nitrogen per day) than Parallel (17 ± 4 kg) operation. The total amount of phosphorus removed per day was unaffected by mode of operation. Higher biomass production under short retention times came at the expense of nitrogen removal but treatment of the harvested effluent through a second pond in series, resulted in overall higher daily nitrogen removal and biomass production than ponds in parallel, for the same volume of wastewater treated. This study has demonstrated that with simple modifications to pond operation higher microalgal yields and improved effluent water quality without increased capital or operational costs.
Suwaileh, W, Pathak, N, Shon, H & Hilal, N 2020, 'Forward osmosis membranes and processes: A comprehensive review of research trends and future outlook', Desalination, vol. 485.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Recently, Forward Osmosis (FO) desalination process has been widely investigated as a potential technology that could minimize the drawbacks of traditional desalination processes. To review the past, current, and future research scope of the FO desalination process, a statistical analysis that gives insights on the FO topics of interest is needed to assist researchers in the development of the FO technology. The main objective of this work is to conduct a survey highlighting the general and specific research trends in FO technology topics. The level of research interest is quantified based on the number of publications in each area collected from Science Direct and Scopus databases from 1999 to 2020. This survey indicated an increasing number of publications on the FO processes and membranes technology. The topics of interest are fouling phenomenon, draw solutions, membrane fabrication and modification. Some potential research areas highlighted in this review to help researchers to further advance the FO technology. This review reveals that recycling the draw solution and energy consumption are the most important research areas that have shown growth in the number of publications over the last eight years. An increase of publications was also found in the treatment of the organic matter over the last decade. To further promote FO process in industry, developing FO membranes, optimizing the energy consumption, and establishing an effective recovery system are the most essential topics. Thus, the interest in this process is expected to be continued in the future.
Tahmoorian, F & Khabbaz, H 2020, 'Performance comparison of a MSW settlement prediction model in Tehran landfill', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 254.
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© 2019 The municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills experience a large post-closure settlement over time. Waste settlement significantly impairs utilities, structures, and the other facilities constructed on top of a landfill. This study presents the settlement mechanisms and the methods of estimating MSW landfill settlements. Since the waste materials exhibit engineering properties which vary depending on many factors such as the location, time, climate, this study also presents the data related to the landfill characteristics, waste composition, waste moisture content, and other physical and chemical properties of waste. In addition, this paper discusses the findings of a settlement investigation conducted at a municipal solid waste landfill in Tehran. In this research, based on the collected field data and data obtained from the available literature, a technical management tool for MSW closed landfills has been developed using MATLAB, which aims to predict time dependent settlement under self-weight and surcharge loads in landfills considering various related parameters, leachate, gas generation, and moisture distribution, coefficients of compression, whilst it calculates different properties of wastes, and determines the landfill slope stability under various conditions. This user-friendly program captures the variation of the model parameters with time. The results of the verification process indicate that the results from the technical management tool have been in a very good agreement with the measured field settlement data, collected from Tehran landfill. Moreover, the results of sensitivity analysis of the model in regard to variation of input parameters indicate that there are two prominent characteristics, having significant impacts on the overall landfill settlement. These characteristics are the landfill height and the compressibility parameters. The outcomes of this study can improve the confidence for design and construction on MSW landfills. It may r...
Thu, TN, Huu, HN, Guo, W & Wang, XC 2020, 'A new model framework for sponge city implementation: Emerging challenges and future developments', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, vol. 253.
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Thuy, C-V, Suraski, N, Ristovski, Z, Yuan, C-S, Stevanovic, S, Rahman, SMA, Hossain, FM, Guo, Y, Rainey, T & Brown, RJ 2020, 'The effect of diesel fuel sulphur and vanadium on engine performance and emissions', FUEL, vol. 261.
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Tijing, LD, Dizon, JRC, Ibrahim, I, Nisay, ARN, Shon, HK & Advincula, RC 2020, '3D printing for membrane separation, desalination and water treatment', Applied Materials Today, vol. 18, pp. 1-22.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Additive manufacturing or commonly known as 3D printing is driving innovation in many industries and academic research including the water resource sector. The capability of 3D printing to fabricate complex objects in a fast and cost-effective manner makes it highly desirable over conventional manufacturing processes. Recent years have seen a rapid increase in research using 3D printing for membrane separation, desalination and water purification applications, potentially revolutionizing this field. This review focuses on recent advancements in 3D-printed materials and methods for water-related applications including developments in module spacers, novel filtration and desalination membranes, adsorbents, water remediation, solar steam generation materials, catalysis, etc. The emergence of new 3D printers with higher printing resolution, better efficiency, faster speed, and wider material applicability has garnered more interest and can potentially reshape research and development in this field. The promising potential, challenges and future prospects of 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and materials for water resource and treatment-related applications are all discussed in this review.
To, VHP, Nguyen, TV, Bustamante, H & Vigneswaran, S 2020, 'Effects of extracellular polymeric substance fractions on polyacrylamide demand and dewatering performance of digested sludges', Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 239.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. High polymer demand in sludge conditioning is an intractable aspect of the water industry. This study investigated the effects of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) fractions on polyacrylamide demand for conditioning and dewatering performance. Specifically, it examined aerobically and anaerobically digested sludges from seven full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Our study successfully quantified the contributions of soluble EPS to polyacrylamide demand during conditioning and explained the role of tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) in determining the digested sludges’ dewatering performance. Results show that the concentrations of soluble EPS in the sludges varied between 92 and 1148 mg/L. Experimental results also demonstrated that between 25% and 80% of polyacrylamides used for conditioning were wasted in “parasitic” reactions with soluble EPS. The residual cationic polyacrylamide left in solution, after the parasitic reactions, was substantial and varied between 35 and 254 mg/L. Despite this outcome, the zeta potential values of dewatered sludge cakes remained negative, i.e. between −24 and −35 mV. These indicated that the residual soluble cationic polyacrylamides would not have been absorbed on the negatively charged sludge particles. This explained the relatively poor performance of the dewatering stage in the treatment plants studied. Furthermore the results suggested the TB-EPS attached to the sludge particles would be responsible for the poor dewatering. We postulated that the TB-EPS would gelify and immobilize the water surrounding the sludge particles. Our study suggested that new and more effective polymers for conditioning are needed to both: (i) reduce polymer demand; and (ii) improve the dewatering performance.
Trevathan-Tackett, SM, Jeffries, TC, Macreadie, PI, Manojlovic, B & Ralph, P 2020, 'Long-term decomposition captures key steps in microbial breakdown of seagrass litter', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 705.
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© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Seagrass biomass represents an important source of organic carbon that can contribute to long-term sediment carbon stocks in coastal ecosystems. There is little empirical data on the long-term microbial decomposition of seagrass detritus, despite this process being one of the key drivers of carbon-cycling in coastal ecosystems, that is, it influences the amount and quality of carbon available for sequestration. Here, our goal was to investigate how litter quality (leaf vs. rhizome/root) and the microbial communities involved in organic matter remineralisation shift over a 2-year field decomposition study north of Sydney, Australia using the temperate seagrass Zostera muelleri. The sites varied in bulk sediment characteristics and the sediment-associated microbial communities, but these variables overall had little influence on long-term seagrass decomposition rates or seagrass-associated microbiomes. The results showed a clear succession of bacterial and archaeal communities for both tissues types from r-strategists such as α- and γ-proteobacteria to K-strategies, including δ-proteobacteria, Bacteroidia and Spirochaetes. We used a new mathematical model to capture how decay rates varied over time and found that two decomposition events occurred for some seagrass leaf samples, possibly due to exudate input from living seagrass roots growing into the litter bag. The new model also indicated that conventional single exponential models overestimate long-term decay rates, and we detected for the first time the refractory, or stable, phase of decomposition for rhizome/root biomass. The stable phase began at approximately 20% mass remaining and after 600 days, and the persistence of rhizome/root biomass was attributed to the anoxic conditions and the preservation of refractory organic matter. While we predict that rhizome/root biomass will contribute more to the long-term sediment carbon stocks, the preservation of leaf carbon may be enhanced at loc...
Trinh, VT, Nguyen, TMP, Van, HT, Hoang, LP, Nguyen, TV, Ha, LT, Vu, XH, Pham, TT, Nguyen, TN, Quang, NV & Nguyen, XC 2020, 'Phosphate Adsorption by Silver Nanoparticles-Loaded Activated Carbon derived from Tea Residue', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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© 2020, The Author(s). This study presents the removal of phosphate from aqueous solution using a new silver nanoparticles-loaded tea activated carbon (AgNPs-TAC) material. In order to reduce costs, the tea activated carbon was produced from tea residue. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of impregnation ratio of AgNPs and TAC, pH solution, contact time, initial phosphate concentration and dose of AgNPs-AC on removing phosphate from aqueous solution. Results show that the best conditions for phosphate adsorption occurred at the impregnation ratio AgNPs/TAC of 3% w/w, pH 3, and contact time lasting 150 min. The maximum adsorption capacity of phosphate on AgNPs-TAC determined by the Langmuir model was 13.62 mg/g at an initial phosphate concentration of 30 mg/L. The adsorption isotherm of phosphate on AgNPs-TAC fits well with both the Langmuir and Sips models. The adsorption kinetics data were also described well by the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models with high correlation coefficients of 0.978 and 0.966, respectively. The adsorption process was controlled by chemisorption through complexes and ligand exchange mechanisms. This study suggests that AgNPs-TAC is a promising, low cost adsorbent for phosphate removal from aqueous solution.
Truong, MV, Nguyen, LN, Li, K, Fu, Q, Johir, MAH, Fontana, A & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Biomethane production from anaerobic co-digestion and steel-making slag: A new waste-to-resource pathway', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 738.
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© 2020 A proof of concept of using steel-making slag to upgrade biogas to biomethane is demonstrated in this study. Biogas is generated from the anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and beverage waste. The CO2 capture capacity of an alkaline liquor derived from the release of calcium from the steel-making slag is comparable to that of the commercial adsorbent monoethanolamine. Although only 5% of Ca in the steel-making slag was released to the alkaline liquor, 1 ton of steel-making slag could be capable of upgrading 10 m3 of biogas to over 90% methane content. The results also show that pH can be used as a surrogate parameter to monitor and control biogas upgrading. Further research to improve the release of calcium is essential for the acceleration of the weathering process of steel-making slag for subsequent construction applications.
Truong, NT, Thi, HPN, Ninh, HD, Phung, XT, Van Tran, C, Nguyen, TT, Pham, TD, Dang, TD, Chang, SW, Rene, ER, Ngo, HH, Nguyen, DD & La, DD 2020, 'Facile fabrication of graphene@Fe-Ti binary oxide nanocomposite from ilmenite ore: An effective photocatalyst for dye degradation under visible light irradiation', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 37.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Photocatalysis is an effective treatment technique for the removal of toxic pollutants present in water and wastewater. In this study, graphene@Fe-Ti binary oxide composites was prepared using a hydrothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis. The prepared composite exhibited even distribution of the Fe-Ti binary oxide on the surface of graphene, with an average diameter of 16.4 nm and a surface area of 133.7 m2/g. The optical property was evaluated and the band gap was calculated to be 2.867 eV using solid-state UV–vis spectroscopy and the [F(R)hν]1/2 plot. Lab-scale experiments were performed to evaluate the performance of graphene@Fe-Ti binary oxides to remove methyl blue (i.e. a dye) from wastewater. It was observed that the graphene loading had a significant effect on the photocatalytic activity of the composite and a composite with 20 % graphene showed the highest photocatalytic activity, with 100 % removal of the dye, after 20 min of irradiation time and a degradation rate constant of 0.213 min−1. Besides, the possible photocatalytic dye degradation mechanism using graphene@Fe-Ti binary oxide composite has also been proposed.
Usman, M, Shi, Z, Ren, S, Ngo, HH, Luo, G & Zhang, S 2020, 'Hydrochar promoted anaerobic digestion of hydrothermal liquefaction wastewater: Focusing on the organic degradation and microbial community', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 399.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Hydrothermal liquefaction wastewater (HTLWW) can be used for biogas production through anaerobic digestion (AD). Nevertheless, it generally contains refractory and toxic organics which causes low methane production. The present study showed that the methane yield and methane production rate were increased by 32–52 % and by 51–84 %, respectively, with the addition of hydrochars derived from different feedstocks including sludge, corn straw, poplar wood and Enteromorpha algae. Although hydrochars could adsorb certain amount of organics, the adsorption capacity was not related with the promotion of AD. The adsorbed organics could be neglected after AD due to the biodegradation. 3-dimensional fluorescence excitation emission matrix analysis revealed that hydrochars increased the degradation of all types of fluorescent compounds. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed hydrochars significantly reduced the concentrations of aromatic, amino acids, amide I and amide II functional groups compounds in HTLWW during AD. Hydrochars also led to higher degradation of nitrogenous, aromatic and phenolic compounds as revealed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. In addition, it was shown that hydrochars resulted in low number of organic species whose concentration increased during partly degradation. Microbial analysis showed hydrochars enhanced the growth of syntrophic bacteria (e.g. Syntrophomonas and Syntrophorhabdus) which had ability to degrade an extensive range of various types of organics including aromatic and phenolic organics. Hydrochars also facilitated direct interspecies electron transfer considering the enrichment of known microbes involved in direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) process including Geobacter and certain methanogens (Methanosaeta and Methanobacterium).
Van, HT, Lim, S, Park, MJ, Han, DS, Phuntsho, S, Park, H, Matsuyama, H & Shon, HK 2020, 'Fouling and performance of outer selective hollow fiber membrane in osmotic membrane bioreactor: Cross flow and air scouring effects', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 295.
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Varjani, S, Joshi, R, Srivastava, VK, Ngo, HH & Guo, W 2020, 'Treatment of wastewater from petroleum industry: current practices and perspectives.', Environmental science and pollution research international.
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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, Hughes, DJ, Harwood, DT, Suggett, DJ, Ralph, PJ & Murray, SA 2020, 'Functional significance of phylogeographic structure in a toxic benthic marine microbial eukaryote over a latitudinal gradient along the East Australian Current', Ecology and Evolution.
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Vilayphone, V, Outram, JG, Collins, F, Millar, GJ & Altaee, A 2020, 'Process design of coal seam gas associated water treatment plants to facilitate beneficial reuse', Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 104255-104255.
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Vo, HNP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Chen, Z, Wang, XC, Chen, R & Zhang, X 2020, 'Microalgae for saline wastewater treatment: a critical review', Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 50, no. 12, pp. 1224-1265.
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© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Saline wastewater contains numerous pollutants such as nutrients, heavy metals, micropollutants, and organic pollutants. This kind of wastewater needs to be treated prior to discharging. Compared to other technologies for saline wastewater treatment, the microalgae process is considered to be ‘green’ or environmentally friendly as it generates no secondary pollutants and creates profit. To elucidate the issue, this review investigated the following: (1) the nature of saline wastewater; (2) adaptation of microalgae in saline wastewater; (3) pollutants’ remediation by microalgae in saline wastewater; (4) comparisons with other technologies; and (5) future perspectives. Most importantly, during microalgae process, the saline wastewater is transformed from a waste into a source for biofuel and pigment production. This trend implies to heal the environment, cut remediation expenses and raise revenue.
Vo, HNP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Liu, Y, Woong Chang, S, Nguyen, DD, Zhang, X, Liang, H & Xue, S 2020, 'Selective carbon sources and salinities enhance enzymes and extracellular polymeric substances extrusion of Chlorella sp. for potential co-metabolism', Bioresource Technology, vol. 303.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd This study investigated the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and enzyme extrusion of Chlorella sp. using seven carbon sources and two salinities for potential pollutant co-metabolism. Results indicated that the levels of biomass, EPS and enzymes of microalgae cultured with glucose and saccharose outcompeted other carbon sources. For pigment production, glycine received the highest chlorophyll and carotene, up to 10 mg/L. The EPS reached 30 mg/L, having doubled the amount of protein than carbohydrate. For superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes, the highest concentrations were beyond 60 U/ml and 6 nmol/d.ml, respectively. This amount could be potentially used for degrading 40% ciprofloxacin of concentration 2000 µg/L. When increasing salinity from 0.1% to 3.5%, the concentrations of pigment, EPS and enzymes rose 3 to 30 times. These results highlighted that certain carbon sources and salinities could induce Chlorella sp. to produce EPS and enzymes for pollutant co-metabolism and also for revenue-raising potential.
Vo, HNP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Nguyen, KH, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Liu, Y, Liu, Y, Ding, A & Bui, XT 2020, 'Micropollutants cometabolism of microalgae for wastewater remediation: Effect of carbon sources to cometabolism and degradation products', Water Research, vol. 183.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd This study investigated the impacts of selective sole carbon source-induced micropollutants (MPs) cometabolism of Chlorella sp. by: (i) extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzyme production; (ii) MPs removal efficiency and cometabolism rate; (iii) MPs’ potential degradation products identification; and (iv) degradation pathways and validation using the Eawag database to differentiate the cometabolism of Chlorella sp. with other microbes. Adding the sole carbon sources in the presence of MPs increased EPS and enzyme concentrations from 2 to 100-fold in comparison with only sole carbon sources. This confirmed that MPs cometabolism had occurred. The removal efficiencies of tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, and bisphenol A ranged from 16-99%, 32–92%, and 58–99%, respectively. By increasing EPS and enzyme activity, the MPs concentrations accumulated in microalgae cells also fell 400-fold. The cometabolism process resulted in several degradation products of MPs. This study drew an insightful understanding of cometabolism for MPs remediation in wastewater. Based on the results, proper carbon sources for microalgae can be selected for practical applications to remediate MPs in wastewater while simultaneously recovering biomass for several industries and gaining revenue.
Volpin, F, Jiang, J, El Saliby, I, Preire, M, Lim, S, Hasan Johir, MA, Cho, J, Han, DS, Phuntsho, S & Shon, HK 2020, 'Sanitation and dewatering of human urine via membrane bioreactor and membrane distillation and its reuse for fertigation', Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 270.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Source separation and recovery of human urine have often been proposed as an effective way to achieve a more sustainable waste-to-resource cycle. Its high density of available macronutrients (N–P–K) in urine makes it an ideal raw material for the production of fertiliser. However, to improve the safety and public acceptance of urine-based fertilisers, odour and pathogens must be removed. In this work, low-temperature DCMD was investigated a mean to produce a non-odorous high-concentration liquid fertiliser. The effectiveness of urine-fertiliser in hydroponically growing leafy vegetables was benchmarked with a commercial solution. Also, prior to the DCMD, urine was biologically oxidised through an MBR which removed over 95% of the DOC and converted almost 50% of the NH3 into NO3−. The results showed that, despite the high salinity and high LMW organics in human urine, MD was still able to achieve a final product with TDS concentration up to 280 g.L−1. A sharp flux decline was measured after 80% water recovery, but alkaline cleaning effectively removed the thick fouling layer and fully recovered the initial flux. When used to grow lettuce and Pak Choi hydroponically, the produced urine fertiliser achieved promising performances as the biomass from the aerial part of the plants was often similar to the one obtained with commercial fertilisers. Overall, this article investigates the whole urine-to-biomass cycle, from collection to treatment to plant growth tests.
Vu, HP, Nguyen, LN, Lesage, G & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Synergistic effect of dual flocculation between inorganic salts and chitosan on harvesting microalgae Chlorella vulgaris', ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION, vol. 17.
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Vu, HP, Nguyen, LN, Vu, MT, Johir, MAH, McLaughlan, R & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'A comprehensive review on the framework to valorise lignocellulosic biomass as biorefinery feedstocks', Science of The Total Environment, pp. 140630-140630.
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Vu, HP, Nguyen, LN, Zdarta, J, Nga, TTV & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Blue-Green Algae in Surface Water: Problems and Opportunities', Current Pollution Reports, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 105-122.
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© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Purpose of Review: Cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, are often seen as a problem. Their accumulation (bloom) in surface water can cause toxicity and aesthetic concerns. Efforts have been made in preventing and managing cyanobacterial blooms. By contrast, purposeful cultivation of cyanobacteria can create great opportunities in food, chemical and biofuel applications. This review summarises the current stage of research and the socio-economic impacts associated with both the problems and opportunities induced from the presence of cyanobacteria in surface water. Recent Findings: Insightful knowledge of factors that trigger cyanobacterial blooms has allowed for the development of prevention and control strategies. Advanced technologies are utilised to detect, quantify and treat cyanobacterial biomass and cyanotoxins in a timely manner. Additionally, understanding of cyanobacterial biochemical properties enables their applications in food and health industry, agriculture and biofuel production. Researchers have been able to genetically modify several cyanobacterial strains to obtain a direct pathway for ethanol and hydrogen production. Summary: Cyanobacterial blooms have been effectively addressed with advances technologies and cyanobacterial research. However, this review identified a knowledge gap regarding cyanotoxin synthesis and the relevant environmental triggers. This information is essential for developing measures to prevent cyanobacterial blooms. Additionally, this review affirms the promising opportunities that cyanobacteria offer in the food, cosmetics, pigments and agriculture. Biofuel production from cyanobacterial biomass presents an immense potential but is currently constrained by the cultivation process. Thus, future research should strive to achieve effective mass harvesting of cyanobacterial biomass and obtain a profound understanding of cyanotoxin production.
Vu, MT, Vu, HP, Nguyen, LN, Semblante, GU, Johir, MAH & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'A hybrid anaerobic and microalgal membrane reactor for energy and microalgal biomass production from wastewater', Environmental Technology and Innovation, vol. 19.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. In the concept of a circular economy, wastewater is no longer waste but a resource for water, energy and nutrients. In this study, a hybrid system containing an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) and a microalgal membrane reactor (MMR) was developed to harvest energy, nutrients, and microalgal biomass from food and agribusiness industrial wastewater. The AnMBR removed over 97% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and generated 4.7 ± 0.15 L (n=80) of biogas equivalent to 2.4 kWh kg−1 COD (feed) d−1. Through anaerobic metabolism, the microorganism in AnMBR generated NH4+ and PO43− -rich effluent. Their effluent concentrations were 1.9 and 1.4 times of that in the influent, respectively. NH4+ and PO43−-rich effluent was directly used (i.e. without filtration or sterilization) to culture microalgae Chlorella vulgaris in the MMR. . Microalgal biomass production reached up to 700 mg/L after 6 days of operation and nutrient removal rates of above 75% were achieved. However, biomass production and nutrient removal declined towards the end of experiment. The generated biomass was completely harvested using cationic polyacrylamide at the dose of 36 mg g−1 dry weight. Overall, the AnMBR has great potential to produce energy. Future research is needed to intensify the microalgal growth (e.g. genetic modification of strains, addition of plant hormones) in the MMR for continuous operation of the hybrid system.
Wang, G, Li, Y, Sheng, L, Xing, Y, Liu, G, Yao, G, Ngo, HH, Li, Q, Wang, XC, Li, YY & Chen, R 2020, 'A review on facilitating bio-wastes degradation and energy recovery efficiencies in anaerobic digestion systems with biochar amendment', Bioresource Technology.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd In this review, progress in the potential mechanisms of biochar amendment for AD performance promotion was summarized. As adsorbents, biochar was beneficial for alleviating microbial toxicity, accelerating refractory substances degradation, and upgrading biogas quality. The buffering capacity of biochar balanced pH decreasing caused by volatile fatty acids accumulation. Moreover, biochar regulated microbial metabolism by boosting activities, mediating electron transfer between syntrophic partners, and enriching functional microbes. Recent studies also suggested biochar as potential useful additives for membrane fouling alleviation in anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR). By analyzing the reported performances based on different operation models or substrate types, debatable issues and associated research gaps of understanding the real role of biochar in AD were critically discussed. Accordingly, Future perspectives of developing biochar-amended AD technology for real-world applications were elucidated. Lastly, with biochar-amended AD as a core process, a novel integrated scheme was proposed towards high-efficient energy-resource recovery from various bio-wastes.
Wang, X, Guo, Z, Hu, Z, Ngo, HH, Liang, S & Zhang, J 2020, 'Adsorption of phenanthrene from aqueous solutions by biochar derived from an ammoniation-hydrothermal method', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 733.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. An innovative ammoniation-hydrothermal method of biochar production was developed for the adsorption of phenanthrene (PHE) from aqueous solutions in this paper. Phragmites australis (PA) was used to produce biochar in a hydrothermal kettle at 280 °C in muffle furnace using urea as an ammoniation reagent. Characterizations were executed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to explore its morphological, physical, and chemical properties. Batch experiments of PHE adsorption were carried out to study the adsorption isotherms and kinetics. Quantum chemistry computational simulations were employed based on density functional theory (DFT) to establish and optimize adsorption configurations and analyze the biochar's structural effects on adsorption performance. Results showed that the ammoniation-hydrothermal method produced biochar with a higher surface area and a maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity of 1.97 mg/g. The adsorption fitted well with Freundlich isotherm model (R2 > 0.96) and Pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 > 0.82). Adsorption energy calculation revealed that the N functionalities, especially pyridine N in the N-doped biochar structure, exhibited stronger binding ability with PHE, which contributed most to the favorable adsorption ability of the ammoniation-hydrothermal biochar.
Wang, Y, Wang, D, Yi, N, Li, Y, Ni, B-J, Wang, Q, Wang, H & Li, X 2020, 'Insights into the toxicity of troclocarban to anaerobic digestion: Sludge characteristics and methane production.', Journal of hazardous materials, vol. 385, pp. 121615-121615.
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Triclocarban (TCC), as the most typical antibacterial agent, is widely discovered in many ecological environment, especially in sludge. However, so far, no studies have reported the effect of TCC exposure on the properties of excess sludge. Therefore, in this study, TCC's toxicities to waste activated sludge (WAS) were analyzed by investigating the variation of physicochemical properties of sludge. It was found that TCC exposure has no effect on sludge pH, while it facilitated organic substances release from sludge, e.g. dissolved organic matter (DOM), protein and polysaccharide, which caused an increase of sludge reduction and changed the structure of functional groups and surface morphology of sludge. Moreover, we explored the effect of TCC on anaerobic digestion of WAS and found methane production was seriously inhibited by TCC. The related mechanism tests had illustrated that TCC exposure did not affect the hydrolysis process, but promoted the acidification and acetogenesis, and importantly inhibited the methanogenesis process. Methanogenic community was further evaluated and observed that the presence of TCC could vary the microbial community of methanogens with the abundance of aceticlastic methanogens increasing and hydrogenotrophic methanogens decreasing. These findings reached in this study would widen the understanding scope for TCC's toxicity to WAS.
Wei, W, Guo, W, Ngo, HH, Mannina, G, Wang, D, Chen, X, Liu, Y, Peng, L & Ni, BJ 2020, 'Enhanced high-quality biomethane production from anaerobic digestion of primary sludge by corn stover biochar', Bioresource Technology, vol. 306.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd This study conducted batch and continuous tests to reveal the feasibility of corn stover biochar on improving anaerobic digestion of primary sludge (PS). Dosing biochar (1.82, 2.55 and 3.06 g/g Total Solids (TS)) in digester improved methane content increasing from 67.5% to 81.3–87.3% and enhanced methane production by 8.6–17.8%. Model analysis indicated that biochar accelerated PS hydrolysis and enhanced methane potential of PS. The mechanistic studies showed that biochar enhanced process stability provided by strong buffering capacity and alleviated NH3 inhibition. In continuous test over 116 days, the volatile solids (VS) destruction in the biochar-dosed digester increased by 14.9%, resulting in a 14% reduction in the volume of digestate for disposal. Biochar changed microbial community in an expected direction for anaerobic digestion. This work suggests that biochar technology would apply to co-digestion of WAS and PS to maximize the energy recovery and sludge reduction from the two sludge streams.
Wei, W, Hao, Q, Chen, Z, Bao, T & Ni, BJ 2020, 'Polystyrene nanoplastics reshape the anaerobic granular sludge for recovering methane from wastewater', Water Research, vol. 182.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Wastewater has been identified as an important carrier for nanoplastics, which could elicit unintended impacts on critical microbial processes. However, the long-term impacts of nanoplastics on anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) for methane recovery from wastewater and the mechanisms involved remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the long term exposure-response relationship between polystyrene nanoplastics (Nano-PS) and AGS. In continuous test over 120 days with 86 days’ Nano-PS exposure, feeding wastewater with 10 μg/L of Nano-PS had no significant impacts on the AGS performance. In comparison, higher levels (i.e., 20 and 50 μg/L) of Nano-PS decreased methane production and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal by 19.0–28.6% and 19.3–30.0%, respectively, along with volatile fatty acids (VFA) accumulation. More extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) was induced by 10 μg/L of Nano-PS as a response to protect microbes, but higher levels (i.e., 20 and 50 μg/L) of Nano-PS decreased EPS generation, causing a decline in granule size and cell viability. Fluorescence tagging found that a large number of Nano-PS agglomerated/accumulated on the outer layer of AGS and even transferred into deeper layers of AGS over exposure time, producing toxic effects to adherent microorganisms, e.g., Longilinea sp., Paludibacter sp. and Methanosaeta sp. The oxidative stress induced by Nano-PS was revealed to be a key factor for reshaping the AGS, reflected by the increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. The sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) leached from Nano-PS was also demonstrated to restrain the activities of antioxidant enzymes, thereby further lessening resistance to oxidative stress induced by Nano-PS. This work improves our ability to predict the risks associated with this ubiquitous contaminant in the environment.
Wei, W, Wu, L, Liu, X, Chen, Z, Hao, Q, Wang, D, Liu, Y, Peng, L & Ni, B-J 2020, 'How does synthetic musks affect methane production from the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge?', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 713.
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Wilkinson, S, Biloria, N & Ralph, P 2020, 'The technical issues associated with algae building technology', International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation.
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© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: As the impacts of climate change become more evident, the need to adopt new ways of constructing buildings becomes more urgent. The Earth has experienced hotter climates globally for the last 70 years (NASA, 2019), and this has resulted in unprecedented levels of bushfire in Australia, flooding in the UK and drought in Africa in early 2020 (World Resources Institute, 2019). The predictions are for increased temperatures globally and increasing carbon emissions from fossil fuel consumption. There is a critical need to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels as a building energy source (WCED, 1987). Existing renewables focus on solar, wind and wave power, where technological improvements have increased efficiencies (Hinnells, 2008). Uptake of the technologies is variable depending on location and willingness to adopt renewables. As well as further uptake of existing renewable energy sources, we need to look wider and across traditional discipline groups, at new technologies such as biotechnologies. One potential energy source is biofuels. Biofuels are produced from biomass, which is algae. In 2016, the BIQ, a four-storey apartment building, was constructed in Hamburg, Germany. The BIQ features glazed façade panels filled with algae to produce biomass and solar thermal energy. Could algae building technology (ABT), in the form of façade panels, offer a new renewable energy source? Design/methodology/approach: What are the technical issues associated with Algae building technology? This qualitative research sought to identify what technical issues likely to arise in terms of algae building construction, operation and maintenance. Semi-structured interviews with 24 experienced built environment professionals in Australia were undertaken in 2016 to assess the most likely issues that could arise with this new innovative technology. Findings: As a result, a greater understanding of the range of technical issues related to design, ...
Wilkinson, S, Ralph, P & Biloria, N 2020, 'The technical Issues associated with Algae Building TechnologyDOI (10.1108/IJBPA-02-2020-0012)', International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation.
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As the impacts of climate change become more evident, the need to adopt new ways of constructing buildings becomes more urgent. The earth has experienced hotter climates globally for the last 70 years (NASA 2019) and this has resulted in unprecedented levels of bushfire in Australia, flooding in the UK and drought in Africa in early 2020 (World Resources Institute, 2019). The predictions are for increased temperatures (Climate Chip, 2020) globally and increasing carbon emissions from fossil fuel consumption. There is a critical need to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels as a building energy source (WCED 1987). Existing renewables focus on solar, wind and wave power, where technological improvements have increased efficiencies (Hinnells, 2008). Uptake of the technologies is variable depending on location and willingness to adopt renewables. As well as further uptake of existing renewable energy sources, we need to look wider and across traditional discipline groups, at new technologies such as bio-technologies. One potential energy source is biofuels. Biofuels are produced from biomass, which is algae. In 2016 the BIQ, a four storey apartment building, was constructed in Hamburg, Germany. The BIQ features glazed façade panels filled with algae to produce biomass and solar thermal energy. Could algae building technology (ABT), in the form of façade panels offer a new renewable energy source?
What are the technical issues associated with Algae building technology? This qualitative research sought to identify what technical issues likely to arise in terms of algae building construction, operation and maintenance. Semi structured interviews with 24 experienced built environ-ment professionals in Australia were undertaken in 2016 to assess the most likely issues that could arise with this new innovative technology.
As a result, a greater understanding of the range of technical issues related to design, construction, maintenance and operation were identified, as well ...
Wu, L, Chen, X, Wei, W, Liu, Y, Wang, D & Ni, B-J 2020, 'A Critical Review on Nitrous Oxide Production by Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea.', Environmental science & technology.
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The continuous increase of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere has become a global concern because of its property as a potent greenhouse gas. Given the important role of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in ammonia oxidation and their involvement in N2O production, a clear understanding of the knowledge on archaeal N2O production is necessary for global N2O mitigation. Compared to bacterial N2O production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), AOA-driven N2O production pathways are less-well elucidated. In this Critical Review, we synthesized the currently proposed AOA-driven N2O production pathways in combination with enzymology distinction, analyzed the role of AOA species involved in N2O production pathways, discussed the relative contribution of AOA to N2O production in both natural and anthropogenic environments, summarized the factors affecting archaeal N2O yield, and compared the distinctions among approaches used to differentiate ammonia oxidizer-associated N2O production. We, then, put forward perspectives for archaeal N2O production and future challenges to further improve our understanding of the production pathways, putative enzymes involved and potential approaches for identification in order to potentially achieve effective N2O mitigations.
Wu, L, Peng, L, Wei, W, Wang, D & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Nitrous oxide production from wastewater treatment: The potential as energy resource rather than potent greenhouse gas.', Journal of hazardous materials, vol. 387, pp. 121694-121694.
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Nitrous oxide (N2O), produced from wastewater treatment, is a potent greenhouse gas and has become a global concern in recent years. However, N2O has also been commonly used as a powerful oxidant for energy generation. As such, an increasing effort has been devoted to explore the energy potential of N2O from wastewater treatment processes recently. Nevertheless, the holistic knowledge on energy recovery from nitrogen in wastewater is still lacking for facilitating its further development. Striving for sustainable wastewater treatment, this review paper aimed to give the up-to-date status on several essential aspects regarding the N2O recovery as an energy resource rather than emission as a greenhouse gas, including energy production via N2O decomposition, main biotic N2O production sources, the potential bioprocesses used for N2O recovery, and the possible N2O harvesting strategies. We then put forward perspectives for N2O recovery and future challenges to improve our understanding of the energy generation, microbial processes involved and harvesting approaches in order to potentially achieve sustainable wastewater treatment via N2O recovery.
Wu, S-L, Sun, J, Chen, X, Wei, W, Song, L, Dai, X & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Unveiling the mechanisms of medium-chain fatty acid production from waste activated sludge alkaline fermentation liquor through physiological, thermodynamic and metagenomic investigations', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 169.
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Xie, F, Li, L, Sun, X, Hu, T, Song, K, Giesy, JP & Wang, Q 2020, 'A novel Mg(OH)2 binding layer-based DGT technique for measuring phosphorus in water and sediment', Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 340-349.
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© 2020 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) have gained wide attention for in situ measurement of reactive phosphorus species (PO4) in natural water, sediments and potentially soils. In this study, a novel Mg(OH)2 binding gel was formed using magnesium hydroxide obtained by in situ hydration of calcined magnesium oxide. Laboratory scale experiments showed that the novel Mg(OH)2 gel had a homogeneous dispersion of fine particles of Mg(OH)2 with a particle size of 2-5 μm. With 10 mL of 2.0 mol L-1 NaOH as the eluting agent, the optimal elution efficiency of PO4 on the Mg(OH)2 gel was 72 ± 5%. There were linear relationships between the accumulated PO4 mass and the applied PO4 concentration (0.1 to 20 mg P per L), time (0 to 24 h) and temperature (22 to 40 °C). The capacity of the Mg(OH)2 binding layer was determined to be 99.5 μg P per disc. Tests in synthetic seawater, Chaohu Lake and Yihai Pond confirmed that Mg(OH)2-DGT was able to accurately measure phosphorus up to 10 days. This was indicated by the good agreements between the concentrations measured by DGT (CDGT) technology and by an ex situ chemical method in solution (Csoln), with a CDGT/Csoln ratio between 0.91 and 1.09.
Xu, B, Ahmed, MB, Zhou, JL & Altaee, A 2020, 'Visible and UV photocatalysis of aqueous perfluorooctanoic acid by TiO2 and peroxymonosulfate: Process kinetics and mechanistic insights', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 243.
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Xu, B, Zhou, JL, Altaee, A, Ahmed, MB, Johir, MAH, Ren, J & Li, X 2020, 'Improved photocatalysis of perfluorooctanoic acid in water and wastewater by Ga2O3/UV system assisted by peroxymonosulfate', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 239.
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Xu, D-S, Xu, X-Y, Li, W & Fatahi, B 2020, 'Field experiments on laterally loaded piles for an offshore wind farm', MARINE STRUCTURES, vol. 69.
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Xu, Q, Du, M, Liu, X, Wang, D, Wu, Y, Li, Y, Yang, J, Fu, Q, He, D, Feng, C, Liu, Y, Wang, Q & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Calcium peroxide eliminates grease inhibition and promotes short-chain fatty acids production during anaerobic fermentation of food waste', Bioresource Technology, vol. 316, pp. 123947-123947.
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Xu, Q, Liu, X, Yang, G, Wang, D, Wu, Y, Li, Y, Huang, X, Fu, Q, Wang, Q, Liu, Y, Li, X & Yang, Q 2020, 'Norfloxacin-induced effect on enhanced biological phosphorus removal from wastewater after long-term exposure', Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 392.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. In this study, long-term experiments were performed under synthetic wastewater conditions to evaluated the potential impacts of norfloxacin (NOR) (10, 100 and 500 μg/L) on enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). Experimental result showed that long-term exposure to 10 μg/L NOR induced negligible effects on phosphorus removal. The presence of 100 μg/L NOR slightly decreased phosphorus removal efficiency to 94.41 ± 1.59 %. However, when NOR level further increased to 500 μg/L, phosphorus removal efficiency was significantly decreased from 97.96 ± 0.8 5% (control) to 82.33 ± 3.07 %. The mechanism study revealed that the presence of 500 μg/L NOR inhibited anaerobic phosphorus release and acetate uptake as well as aerobic phosphorus uptake during long-term exposure. It was also found that 500 μg/L NOR exposure suppressed the activity of key enzymes related to phosphorus removal but promoted the transformations of intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoate and glycogen. Microbial analysis revealed that that the presence of 500 μg/L NOR reduced the abundances of polyphosphate accumulating organisms but increased glycogen accumulating organisms, as compared the control.
Yadav, S, Ibrar, I, Altaee, A, Samal, AK, Ghobadi, R & Zhou, J 2020, 'Feasibility of brackish water and landfill leachate treatment by GO/MoS2-PVA composite membranes.', Sci Total Environ, vol. 745, p. 141088.
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Two-dimensional (2D) based layered materials with tunable chemical functionalities and surface charge properties have emerged for on-demand applications including membrane technology. However, the process control, time and energy-efficient production of non-swelling graphene oxide (GO) with retaining physicochemical properties are still challenging. In this work, we have fabricated highly ordered GO membrane on cellulose acetate supporting membrane filters of 1.2 μm pore size using molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) as a nano-spacer and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as an adhesive for the first time with limited swelling. The fabricated membranes were used for NaCl rejection and removal of toxic heavy metal ions, and the radioactive element from landfill leachate water. The introduction of hydrophilic PVA, thickness control using a various amount of nanospacer and graphene oxide played a vital role in the transport mechanism, permeability, and selectivity index. The composition of PVA and MoS2 in the coating solution was optimized to tune the d-spacing of graphene oxide layers. The newly developed composite membranes have 89% rejection rate to NaCl and 3.96 L/m2h water flux at low operating pressures of 5 bar. Also, the prepared membranes have a high rejection of multivalent metal ions in landfill leachate. 86.5% to 99.8% rejection rate of multivalent metal ions in landfill leachate was observed for the M3 (GO (10): MoS2 (10): PVA (0.5)) membrane. The excellent rejection performance is ascribed to the combined impact of size exclusion, ion adsorption, electrostatic interaction and Gibbs-Donnan exclusion mechanism. The excellent stability and high rejection rate even after 216 h of operation make the fabricated membranes promising for use in practical water separation applications.
Yadav, S, Saleem, H, Ibrar, I, Naji, O, Hawari, AA, Alanezi, AA, Zaidi, SJ, Altaee, A & Zhou, J 2020, 'Recent developments in forward osmosis membranes using carbon-based nanomaterials', DESALINATION, vol. 482.
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Yan, X, Sun, J, Kenjiahan, A, Dai, X, Ni, B-J & Yuan, Z 2020, 'Rapid and strong biocidal effect of ferrate on sulfidogenic and methanogenic sewer biofilms', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 169.
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Yang, G, Zhang, N, Yang, J, Fu, Q, Wang, Y, Wang, D, Tang, L, Xia, J, Liu, X, Li, X, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Wang, Q & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Interaction between perfluorooctanoic acid and aerobic granular sludge', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 169.
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Yang, J, Liu, X, Liu, X, Xu, Q, Wang, W, Wang, D, Yang, G, Fu, Q, Kang, Z, Yang, Q, Liu, Y, Wang, Q & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Enhanced dark fermentative hydrogen production from waste activated sludge by combining potassium ferrate with alkaline pretreatment.', The Science of the total environment, vol. 707, pp. 136105-136105.
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Alkaline pretreatment was demonstrated to be effective in the enhancement of hydrogen production. However, the sludge solubilization rate of alkaline pretreatment is still limited. This study reports a new strategy of K2FeO4 + pH 9.5 for sludge mesophilic anaerobic fermentation. Experimental results showed that the combination of K2FeO4/pH 9.5 pretreatment had a greater hydrogen yield than the individual K2FeO4 and pH 9.5. The maximum hydrogen yield was 19.2 mL per gram volatile suspended solids (VSS) under the optimal condition (0.02 g per gram total suspended solids K2FeO4 + pH 9.5). Kinetic analysis showed that the highest hydrogen production potential of 19.9 mL/g VSS was obtained in the combined reactor, which well fitted the first-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.9925). Besides, the fermentation type was mainly acetic and butyric in the combined reactor, which contributed to hydrogen production. Further analyses showed that the combined pretreatment reduced hydrogen sulfide yield, providing an environmentally friendly method to sludge treatment.
Yang, Y, Liu, Y, Fang, X, Miao, W, Chen, X, Sun, J, Ni, B-J & Mao, S 2020, 'Heterogeneous Electro-Fenton catalysis with HKUST-1-derived Cu@C decorated in 3D graphene network', CHEMOSPHERE, vol. 243.
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Yang, Y, Zang, Y, Hu, Y, Wang, XC & Ngo, HH 2020, 'Upflow anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (AnDMBR) for wastewater treatment at room temperature and short HRTs: Process characteristics and practical applicability', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 383.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. An upflow anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (AnDMBR) was set up for real domestic wastewater treatment at room temperature (20–25 °C) and short hydraulic retention time (HRT = 8 h, 4 h, 2 h, and 1 h). Following continuous operation for 93 days with stepwise decreased HRT, stable average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was achieved (between 77.3% and 70.6%) when HRT was reduced from 8 h to 4 h, then 2 h with flux varying from 22.5 to 90 L/m2·h. At these three HRTs, the rate of increase in trans-membrane pressure (TMP) was 0.4, 0.38, and 0.57 kPa/d, and average methane (CH4) production was 0.12, 0.10, and 0.08 L/g CODremoved, respectively. Furthermore, decreasing the HRT to 1 h resulted in less COD being removed (60.4%) and lower CH4 production (0.05 L/g CODremoved) as well as a faster rate of TMP increase (2.11 kPa/d). Various analytical methods were applied to characterize the morphology and composition of the dynamic membrane (DM) layers. Organic components analysis revealed that, with reduced HRT, there were apparent increases in soluble microbial products in the liquid phase and accumulation of tryptophan protein-like substances and aromatic protein-like substances in the DM layer, especially when the HRT was shortened to 1 h. Whilst the upflow AnDMBR proved applicable to wastewater treatment at room temperature with short HRTs, 2 h could be the HRT limit for maintaining stable operation.
Yao, M, Tijing, LD, Naidu, G, Kim, S-H, Matsuyama, H, Fane, AG & Shon, HK 2020, 'A review of membrane wettability for the treatment of saline water deploying membrane distillation', DESALINATION, vol. 479.
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Ye, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Dinh, DN, Zhang, X, Zhang, S, Luo, G & Liu, Y 2020, 'Impacts of hydraulic retention time on a continuous flow mode dual-chamber microbial fuel cell for recovering nutrients from municipal wastewater', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 734.
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Ye, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Zhang, X, Zhang, J & Liang, S 2020, 'Nutrient recovery from wastewater: From technology to economy', Bioresource Technology Reports.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd The recovery of fertilizer-used nutrients from wastewater is a sustainable approach for wastewater management and helping social sustainability. This is especially the case given the strict discharge requirements and shortages existing in nutrients supply. Recognizing that wastewater is a very useful resource and the value of recycled nutrients has made researchers consider the recovery of nutrients from wastewater. This review described the current technologies used to recover nutrients in wastewater treatment and their mechanisms, including chemical methods, biological technologies, membrane systems and advanced membrane systems. Also, an economic analysis of these nutrient recovery systems was discussed and compared them in terms of positive and negative aspects. The economic feasibility of recovered nutrients was investigated. Finally, future perspectives expects some possible research directions regarding recovery system which can be more economically accessible for wastewater treatment, in which the osmotic membrane bioreactors (OMBR) and bioelectrochemical systems (BES)-based hybrid systems are highly recommended.
Zang, Y, Yang, Y, Hu, Y, Ngo, HH, Wang, XC & Li, YY 2020, 'Zero-valent iron enhanced anaerobic digestion of pre-concentrated domestic wastewater for bioenergy recovery: Characteristics and mechanisms', Bioresource Technology, vol. 310.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Pre-concentrated domestic wastewater (PDWW) rich in organic matters can be a suitable substrate for anaerobic digestion (AD) towards holistic resource and bioenergy recovery. Micron zero-valent iron (ZVI) was applied in designed batch experiments during anaerobic treatment of PDWW to verify its roles in performance enhancement and associated mechanisms. In the selected range of food to microorganism (F/M) ratio, 0.5 gCOD/gMLVSS was most appropriate as biomethane production potential (BMP) of 0.275 L CH4/gCOD was obtained. The optimal ZVI dosage at fixed F/M of 0.5 was 6 g/L, further enhancing the BMP by 15.2%. Furthermore, ZVI improved the hydrolysis process (producing more soluble organics) and regulated acidification process (affecting volatile fatty acids distribution). No obvious impact on acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis processes was noted with ZVI addition. ZVI based AD of the PDWW is promising for promoting the practical application of advanced domestic wastewater treatment strategy (pre-concentration plus anaerobic digestion).
Zhang, S, Ly, QV, Nghiem, LD, Wang, J, Li, J & Hu, Y 2020, 'Optimization and organic fouling behavior of zwitterion-modified thin-film composite polyamide membrane for water reclamation: A comprehensive study', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 596.
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© 2019 Membrane fouling can hinder the widespread application of thin film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) for water treatment. This study evaluated a novel zwitterion-grafted TFC RO as a mean to address organic fouling for water reclamation. The membrane exhibited the best permeability at the grafting condition of 45 °C in 1 h. This modified membrane consistently possessed improved antifouling ability irrespective of organic foulants. Among individual foulants, surfactant Dodecyl Trimethyl Ammonium Chloride (DTAC) posed the worst fouling potential due to its low molecular weight and positive charge, whereas fouling induced by other substances were relatively analogous and minor. In the mixture of DTAC and proteins, the former played a key role in governing the membrane fouling. While, their interplay affected membrane fouling, the fouling extent varied upon the membrane materials. The extended Derijaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek (xDLVO) theory was unable to fully describe the interactions between surfactant foulants and the membrane materials. The complementary use of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), otherwise, concurred the fouling potential and gave the plausible interpretation for fouling mechanisms by providing insightful information of foulant layer on the polyamide-coated sensor. This study provided critical insights of organic foulants’ behavior on TFC RO membrane and offered the promising industrial implication of the novel membrane.
Zhang, X, Song, Z, Hao Ngo, H, Guo, W, Zhang, Z, Liu, Y, Zhang, D & Long, Z 2020, 'Impacts of typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products on the performance and microbial community of a sponge-based moving bed biofilm reactor.', Bioresource Technology, vol. 295, pp. 122298-122298.
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Four lab-scale moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were built to treat simulated wastewater containing typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). The efficiency in removing different PPCPs at different concentrations (1, 2 and 5 mg/L) and their effects on the performance of MBBRs were investigated. Results showed that the average removal efficiencies of sulfadiazine, ibuprofen and carbamazepine were 61.1 ± 8.8%, 74.9 ± 8.8% and 28.3 ± 7.4%, respectively. Compared to the reactor without PPCPs, the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of the reactors containing sulfadiazine, ibuprofen and carbamazepine declined by 21%, 30% and 42%, respectively. Based on the microbial community analysis, increasing the PPCPs concentration within a certain range (<2 mg/L) could stimulate microbial growth and increase microbial diversity yet the diversity reduced when the concentration (5 mg/L) exceeded the tolerance of microorganisms. Furthermore the presence and degradation of different PPCPs resulted in a different kind of microbial community structure in the MBBRs.
Zhang, X, Zhang, Y, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Wen, H, Zhang, D, Li, C & Qi, L 2020, 'Characterization and sulfonamide antibiotics adsorption capacity of spent coffee grounds based biochar and hydrochar', SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, vol. 716.
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Zhang, Y-T, Wei, W, Sun, J, Xu, Q & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Long-Term Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics on Anaerobic Granular Sludge for Recovering Methane from Wastewater.', Environmental science & technology.
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Polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) are emerging contaminants affecting biological wastewater treatment processes. However, most of the previous studies mainly focused on their short-term impacts on floc sludge, with little work being conducted to explore their potential effects on more complex anaerobic granular sludge (AGS), which has been widely used for high-strength organic wastewater treatment. In this paper, the long-term effects of PVC-MPs on AGS were investigated via continuous feeding tests that are representative of real wastewater treatment processes. The results of a continuous 264 days test showed that the prolonged exposure of PVC-MPs at 15-150 MPs·L-1 significantly (p = 7.86 × 10-37, 3.44 × 10-43, and 5.29 × 10-46) inhibited the COD removal efficiency of AGS by 13.2%-35.5%, accompanied by a 11.0%-32.3% decreased production of methane and 40.3%-272.7% increased accumulation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In addition, the PVC-MPs exposure suppressed the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), causing AGS and the inside microorganisms to lose the protection of EPS, thereby resulting in granule breakage and decreased cells viability. Aligning with the deteriorated performance, the long-term exposure of PVC-MPs reduced the total microbial populations and the relative abundances of key methanogens and acidogens. A toxicity mechanism assessment revealed that the negative impacts induced by PVC-MPs are mainly attributed to the toxic leachate and excess oxidative stress.
Zhao, S, Dou, P, Song, J, Nghiem, LD, Li, XM & He, T 2020, 'Direct preparation of dialysate from tap water via osmotic dilution', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 598.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Preparation of dialysate for hemodialysis (or dialysis) requires dilution of the dialysis concentrate with purified water. Present practice contains two steps: first to purify water, and then water is transported to clinic to mix with the dialysate concentrate before treatment. As a new forward osmosis dialysis hybrid process, based on osmotic dilution, is evaluated for decentralized health care systems. A commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) and a tailor-made thin film composite (TFC) polyamide FO membranes were examined. The rejection of salts in tap water by the FO membranes was investigated, and the real rejections of various ions as a function of permeate flux were well described by using a irreversible thermodynamic model. The hollow fiber TFC FO membrane showed higher water flux and lower reverse salt flux than the CTA membrane in diluting process. Both steric hindrance and electrostatic repulsion explained the rejection behavior of the membranes to the ions. Higher rejections of anions were obtained than cations, which was attributed to the anions selection characteristics of the membranes. No obvious foulings or scalings were observed in a relatively long time osmotic dilution process over 5 repeated cycles. The stable, high efficient osmotic dilution process in hemodialysis holds a strong promise in reducing the consumption of purified water or even eliminating the water purification step. This work provides a potentially new platform hemodialysis which can be portable and implementable away from major hospitals and major clinics.
Zheng, L, Price, WE, He, T & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Simultaneous cooling and provision of make-up water by forward osmosis for post-combustion CO2 capture', Desalination, vol. 476.
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© 2019 This study evaluates the feasibility of forward osmosis (FO) for simultaneous post-combustion CO2 capture and make-up water provision using seawater and treated effluent as the feed. Three amine-based CO2 adsorbents (glycine, sodium glycinate, and monoethanolamine (MEA)) were used as draw solutes. A non-linear relationship between concentration of these adsorbents and conductivity (thus osmotic pressure) was observed. Glycine showed higher water flux and lower reverse salt flux and specific reverse salt flux than sodium glycinate and MEA in both membrane orientations, thus was selected for further investigations. A higher water flux but with the considerable flux decline were observed when active layer faced draw solution. In addition, temperature increase in draw solution could alter thermodynamic properties of glycine, resulting in an increase of reverse salt flux. Water flux increase was also observed due to diminishing concentrative internal concentration polarisation. Changes in water flux were insignificant when active layer faced feed solution even as temperature increased. Temperature increase was likely to aggravate the severity of dilutive internal concentration polarisation and offset the growth of osmotic pressure. Seawater could also be a potential source for simultaneous cooling and providing the make-up water, although the water flux was lower compared to treated effluent.
Zhou, X, Jin, W, Wang, Q, Guo, S, Tu, R, Han, SF, Chen, C, Xie, G, Qu, F & Wang, Q 2020, 'Enhancement of productivity of Chlorella pyrenoidosa lipids for biodiesel using co-culture with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in municipal wastewater', Renewable Energy, vol. 151, pp. 598-603.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd As one of the most promising renewable energy, microalgal biodiesel has been widely studied worldwide. However, the low-efficiency of conventional microalgae cultivation procedures restrict the development of microalgae biodiesel production. Microalgal-bacterial symbiosis could both enhance the growth of algal-bacterial culture and promote the removal and conversion of wastewater nutrients. In this study, three strains of high-efficient heterotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria JN1, FN3, and FN5 were screened from municipal wastewater treatment system with over 80% degradation rates of 50 mg/L ammonia-nitrogen (NH3–N) in 24 h. Among them, FN5, belonging to Kluyvera sp., had the optimum effect on enhancing growth of oil-rich microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa. In stationary phase, the biomass and lipid content of Chlorella pyrenoidosa was14.8% and 13.6% higher than the blank control tests without FN5. In contrast, JN1 and FN3 failed to enhance the growth of Chlorella pyrenoidosa. After the cultivation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa-FN5 consortia in municipal wastewater, the degradation rate of NH3–N was up to 91% while the content of microalgae biomass and lipid attained 0.35 g/L and 39.0%. The Saturated fatty acids (SFAs), Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were 43.9, 37.1 and 19.0%, respectively, which had the potential for biodiesel production after pretreatment.
Zhu, Y, Ouyang, L, Zhong, H, Liu, J, Wang, H, Shao, H, Huang, Z & Zhu, M 2020, 'Closing the Loop for Hydrogen Storage: Facile Regeneration of NaBH4 from its Hydrolytic Product', Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol. 59, no. 22, pp. 8623-8629.
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© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is among the most studied hydrogen storage materials because it is able to deliver high-purity H2 at room temperature with controllable kinetics via hydrolysis; however, its regeneration from the hydrolytic product has been challenging. Now, a facile method is reported to regenerate NaBH4 with high yield and low costs. The hydrolytic product NaBO2 in aqueous solution reacts with CO2, forming Na2B4O7⋅10 H2O and Na2CO3, both of which are ball-milled with Mg under ambient conditions to form NaBH4 in high yield (close to 80 %). Compared with previous studies, this approach avoids expensive reducing agents such as MgH2, bypasses the energy-intensive dehydration procedure to remove water from Na2B4O7⋅10 H2O, and does not require high-pressure H2 gas, therefore leading to much reduced costs. This method is expected to effectively close the loop of NaBH4 regeneration and hydrolysis, enabling a wide deployment of NaBH4 for hydrogen storage.
Zhuang, LL, Li, M & Hao Ngo, H 2020, 'Non-suspended microalgae cultivation for wastewater refinery and biomass production', Bioresource Technology, vol. 308.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Non-suspended microalgae cultivation technology coupled with wastewater purification has received more scientific attention in recent decades. Since the non-suspended microalgae cultivation is quite different from the suspended ones, the following issues are compared in this study such as advantages and disadvantages, pollutant removal mechanisms and regulations, influential factors, and microalgae biomass accumulation. The analysis aims to support the further application of this technology. The median removal rates of COD, TN, TP, NH4+-N and NO3−-N were 91.6%, 78.2%, 87.5%, 93.2% and 81.7%, respectively, by non-suspended microalgae under the TN & TP load rates up to 150 mg·L−1·d−1. The main pathway for TN & TP removal is microalgae cell absorbance. Light intensity, pollutant composition and microalgae metabolic types are the major factors that influence pollutant removal and the lipid content of microalgae. Meanwhile the mechanism concerning how macro-outer conditions influence the micro-environment and further growth of non-suspended microalgae requires more investigation.