Publications

Maher, W, Roach, A, Doblin, M, Fan, T, Foster, S, Garrett, R, Möller, G, Oram, L & Wallschläger, D 2010, 'Environmental sources, speciation, and partitioning of selenium' in Ecological Assessment of Selenium in the Aquatic Environment, pp. 47-90.

Maurya, D, Sultana, Y & Kalam, M 2010, 'Self-Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems' in Colloids in Drug Delivery, CRC Press, pp. 299-310.
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Ralph, PJ, Wilhelm, C, Lavaud, J, Jakob, T, Petrou, K & Kranz, SA 2010, 'Fluorescence as a Tool to Understand Changes in Photosynthetic Electron Flow Regulation' in Suggett, DJ, Borowitzka, MA & Prasil, O (eds), Chlorophyll a Fluorescence in Aquatic Sciences: Methods and Applications, Springer Netherlands, United Kingdom, pp. 75-89.
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This chapter investigates the use of chlorophyll a fluorescence to better understand changes in the regulation of photosynthetic electron transport. It describes the different electron pathways utilised by photosynthetic organisms, including pathways used in photosynthesis as well as alternative electron cycling (AEC). The major photoprotective processes are described, in particular, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and its three components, energy-dependent quenching (qE), state-transition quenching (qT), and photoinhibition (qI). Fluorescence and NPQ responses to light stress are compared across a higher plant, diatom and cyanobacteria. Photosynthesis is a complex interaction of complementary processes making the identification and isolation of a particular photosynthetic pathway or process inherently difficult. Therefore, we describe the use of chemicals which allow for the differentiation of mechanistic photosynthetic processes, such as electron transport pathways, CO2 fixation and the use of trans-thylakoid proton gradients, which can be effectively understood and quantified using chlorophyll fluorescence detection techniques.

Warner, ME, Lesser, MP & Ralph, PJ 2010, 'Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Reef Building Corals' in Suggett, DJ, Borowitzka, MA & Prasil, O (eds), Chlorophyll a Fluorescence in Aquatic Sciences: Methods and Applications, Springer Netherlands, UK, pp. 209-222.
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The ecological success of reef-building corals throughout the tropics is due in large part to the endosymbiotic dinoflagellates that reside within the gastrodermal cells of these cnidarian hosts. These algae, belonging to the genus Symbiodinium, are often referred to by the common term of zooxanthellae. This mutualism between Symbiodinium spp. and tropical and sub-tropical coral species has been a key component to the evolutionary persistence of reef-building corals since the Triassic (Stanely 2003). The importance of these algae in the long-term success of reef-building corals cannot be over emphasized, as they can contribute a significant portion of photosynthetically derived carbon to the host via translocation. The coral metabolizes this carbon, thereby meeting up to 90 percent or more of the animals daily metabolic demand from the byproducts of photosynthesis by the symbionts (Muscatine 1990).

Zhou, JL & Zhang, Z 2010, 'Analysis of Hormones in Food' in Nollet, LML (ed), Analysis of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in Food, Wiley, Iowa, pp. 243-254.
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Abdul, JM, Vigneswaran, S, Shim, WG & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Removal of metsulfuron methyl by granular activated carbon adsorption', Desalination and Water Treatment, vol. 21, no. 1-3, pp. 247-254.
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The removal of metsulfuron methyl (MSM) from aqueous solution (a sulfonyl urea herbicide) was investigated by adsorption both in batch and fixed bed processes. Coal based granular activated carbon (GAC) was used as an adsorbent. The adsorption equilibrium, isotherms and kinetics of MSM were studied and the data was fitted into various mathematical models. The adsorption equilibrium was fitted by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Homogeneous surface diffusion model (HSDM) kinetic equation with Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model was successfully applied to predict the adsorption kinetics data for various concentrations of MSM. The average mass transfer coefficients (kf) were 2.125 105 and 2.198 105 m/s with the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model, respectively. The Bohart-Adams, Thomas, and Yoon and Nelson empirical models were attempted to fit long term column adsorption data. Overall, the Thomas model was found to best simulate the fixed bed adsorption of MSM.

Aljibori, HSS, Chong, WP, Mahlia, TMI, Chong, WT, Edi, P, Al-qrimli, H, Anjum, I & Zahari, R 2010, 'Load–displacement behavior of glass fiber/epoxy composite plates with circular cut-outs subjected to compressive load', Materials & Design, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 466-474.
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Aryal, R, Vigneswaran, S, Kandasamy, J & Naidu, R 2010, 'Urban stormwater quality and treatment', Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1343-1359.
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Stormwater runoff from urban and suburban areas generates numerous pollutants. The areas include residential areas, parks, commercial areas, industrial areas and road/highways. Land use and human activities largely determine the nature and level of pollutants. Among the various types of pollutants that can contribute to adverse water quality impact in receiving water bodies, of concern are suspended solids, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nutrients. This paper provides a critical review of the characteristics and sources of urban stormwater pollutants and the manner in which the pollution occurs. Treatment systems for urban stormwater runoff and for urban stormwater harvesting are discussed.

Aryal, R, Vigneswaran, S, Kandasamy, J, Baral, B & Grasmick, A 2010, 'Influence of aeration and permeate flux on deposition of particulates on membrane surface', Water Supply, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 979-986.
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In microfiltration, a deposit of foulant tends to form on the membrane surface and this usually controls the performance of the filtration process. This paper discusses the influence of physical parameters such as aeration and permeates flux on migration and deposition of above micron particles on the membrane surface. Kaolin clay suspension of particle 3.7–8 μm with mean particle diameter 4.1 μm was used in this study. Equal amount of mass of deposited particles on the membrane surface created different transmembrane pressure (TMP) when operated at different aeration rates and permeate flux showing that there is a composite effect. The particle deposition rate at the beginning at lower flux was almost linear which changed to a sharp logarithamic rise at higher flux. The difference in TMP rise for the same amount of deposit demonstrated the selective nature of particle deposition. The mass of the particle deposition on the membrane surface could be described by two parameters: maximum deposition and time using a simple empirical logarithamic equation y=k/[1+exp(b−at)], where k, a, and b are constant; y is the particulate mass deposit (g/m2) and t is the time. The maximum particle mass deposition growth could be described by the equation dy/dt=1/4ka.

Aryal, RK, Vigneswaran, S & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Influence of buoyant media on particle layer dynamics in microfiltration membranes', Water Science and Technology, vol. 61, no. 7, pp. 1733-1738.
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This study forms a part of the physical study of the membrane bioreactor in presence of buoyancy media. Kaolin clay suspension with buoyancy media (anthracite) was used as a suspension and the particle layer development on membrane surface with evolution of time was studied. Presence of buoyancy media reduced the pressure development by almost two folds compared to in absence of the media. The particles deposition on membrane surface was size selective. The mean particle diameter (0.45 μm) deposited on the membrane surface remained almost similar in presence of the media after 7 hrs run where as in its absence the mean diameter finer particles deposition occurred at the beginning followed by coarser particles.

Atkins, A, Bignal, KL, Zhou, JL & Cazier, F 2010, 'Profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls from the combustion of biomass pellets', Chemosphere, vol. 78, no. 11, pp. 1385-1392.
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An investigation was made into the emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as well as inorganic gases (e.g. CO) from a wood fired combustion boiler using wood pellets, under two different boiler operating modes. Levels of total PAHs varied from 6.4 and 154 μg m-3, and were found to be dominating in the gas phase (>80%), regardless of pellet type and boiler operating mode. In addition to this, PAH concentrations were higher in slumber mode than in full flame, and increased with the moisture content of pellets, consistent with the lower combustion efficiency in slumber mode (58.6-64.3%) than in full flame (74.4-82.3%). PAHs in the gas phase comprised mainly of low molecular mass compounds, while PAHs in the particulate phase were mostly composed of high molecular mass compounds, consistent with the physicochemical properties of such compounds. In comparison to PAHs, significantly lower concentrations of PCBs (a maximum of 2.5 μg m-3) were released from pellet combustion, consistent with the virgin nature of the pellets. The PCBs in both the gas and particulate phases were dominated by hexachlorinated congeners, although congeners with more chlorine substitution were more abundant in the particulate phase than in gas phase. Significant relationships were established between CO and organic pollutants, and between PAHs and PCBs, which are useful tools for prediction purposes. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Balaam, JL, Grover, D, Johnson, AC, Jürgens, M, Readman, J, Smith, AJ, White, S, Williams, R & Zhou, JL 2010, 'The use of modelling to predict levels of estrogens in a river catchment: How does modelled data compare with chemical analysis and in vitro yeast assay results?', Science of The Total Environment, vol. 408, no. 20, pp. 4826-4832.
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Effluent discharges at Rodbourne sewage treatment works (STWs) were assessed using chemical and in vitro biological analysis as well as modelling predictions. Results showed that Rodbourne STW discharged less estrone (E1) than expected, but similar 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2) to those predicted by a widely cited effluent prediction model. The Exposure Analysis Modelling System (EXAMS) model was set up using measured effluent concentrations as its starting point to predict estrogen concentrations along a 10. km length of the receiving water of the River Ray. The model adequately simulated estrogen concentrations along the river when compared to July 2007 measured data. The model predicted combined estrogen equivalents in reasonable agreement with estrogenicity as measured by passive sampler (POCIS) extracts using the yeast estrogen screen. Using gauged mean flow values for 2007 the model indicated that the most important determinand for estrogen exposure in the Ray was not season, but proximity to the Rodbourne effluent. Thus, fish in the first 3. km downstream of Rodbourne were typically exposed to two or even three times more estrogens than those living 7-10. km further downstream. The modelling indicated that, assuming the effluent estrogen concentrations measured in February 2008 were typical, throughout the year the whole length of the Ray downstream of Rodbourne would be estrogenic, i.e. exceeding the 1. ng/L E2 equivalent threshold for endocrine disruption. © 2010.

Chanan, A, Saravanamuth, V, Kandasamy, J & Shon, HK 2010, 'Chemical-assisted physico-biological water mining system', PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS-WATER MANAGEMENT, vol. 163, no. 9, pp. 469-474.
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Water mining is the process of extracting valuable water from a sewerage network by treating raw sewage to high standards. A range of commercially viable water mining treatment technologies are now available to treat sewage to specified water quality targets. Most of these technologies have minimal plant footprint requirements, making them suitable for decentralised operations. This paper discusses a hybrid water mining system that includes chemically assisted fine solids separation followed by a biological treatment process. Results from the first proof testing of this water mining system in Sydney, Australia are presented. The results confirm the suitability of the hybrid system for producing high-quality water for non-potable reuse.

Chanan, A, Vigneswaran, S & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Valuing stormwater, rainwater and wastewater in the soft path for water management: Australian case studies', Water Science and Technology, vol. 62, no. 12, pp. 2854-2861.
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A Water Sensitive City is now commonly acknowledged best practice for designing the cities of the future. In Australia, the National Water Initiative has allocated high priority towards offering insight into successful water sensitive urban development projects, to facilitate capacity building within the industry. This paper shares innovative water sensitive projects implemented at Kogarah City Council, in Sydney. Four key projects are discussed, demonstrating how stormwater, rainwater and wastewater can be incorporated into decentralised water systems to offer sustainable water management of the future. The case studies included in the paper highlight Kogarah's journey towards the Soft Path for Water Management.

Chanan, AP, Kandasamy, JK, Vigneswaran, S, Spyrakis, G, Ghetti, I & idris, E 2010, 'Applied Rainwater Harvesting Education: An Australian Case Study', Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 32-35.
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Rainwater tanks have been an integral part of the Australian landscape given the vital role these tanks have played over the years in rural Australia. In the past Local government and Water Authorities actively discouraged the use of rainwater tanks and informing citizens that they were illegal and dangerous. Kogarah Council within the Sydney metropolitan area is a proactive Council, and became the first council in Sydney to adopt Total Water Cycle Management (TWCM) principles into its Sustainability Management Plan, integrating these principles into on-ground projects at a catchment level in a planned and strategic approach. Among it priority projects was the Rainwater Tanks in Schools. This paper outlines how this project assisted all 22 schools in the Kogarah LGA (The Local Government Association) to increase the efficiency of water use and install rainwater tanks to reduce potable water use in toilet flushing and irrigating school gardens. The rainwater harvesting reduced the amount of drinking water used for toilet flushing and/or irrigation. The rainwater tanks also act as a visual reminder to conserve water for the students. The project has equipped the next generation with the necessary tools to make informed decisions and undertake actions that will move towards achieving sustainability.

Chang, C-Y, Chang, J-S, Chen, C-M, Chiemchaisri, C & Vigneswaran, S 2010, 'An innovative attached-growth biological system for purification of pond water', Bioresource Technology, vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1506-1510.
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This study applied the non-woven material from used diaper as the carrier for bio-film process to purify the recycled water from a landscape pond at the Tainan City Municipal Culture Center (TCMCC), Taiwan. An on-site system was installed and the experiment was accomplished through three stages in 192 days with different time periods of 70 days, 63 days, and 59 days, respectively. The results showed that the non-woven media is functional for SS removal. The average SS removal of stages 1, 2, and 3 were 91%, 96%, and 95%, respectively. The highest SCOD removal efficiency of 90% occurred at stage 3. A significant color improvement of the pond water was achieved through this non-woven bio-carrier treatment system. Whole system can be without any maintenance for 139 days. The result indicated that the non-woven medium system was with a great potential in treating and recycling the pond water with stable operation and satisfactory removal performance.

Chen, X, Lingam, HK, Huang, Z, Yisgedu, T, Zhao, J-C & Shore, SG 2010, 'Thermal Decomposition Behavior of Hydrated Magnesium Dodecahydrododecaborates', The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 201-204.
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Chinu, K, Johir, AH, Vigneswaran, S, Shon, HK & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Assessment of pretreatment to microfiltration for desalination in terms of fouling index and molecular weight distribution', DESALINATION, vol. 250, no. 2, pp. 644-647.
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In this study, different processes such as flocculation with ferric chloride (FeCl3) and deep bed filtration (sand filtration and dual media filtration) as a pre-treatment to microfiltration (MF) were used for seawater desalination. The performance of these pre-treatments was determined in terms of silt density index (SDI) and modified fouling index (MFI) and flux decline in MF. Flux decline of MF with seawater was 45% without any pre-treatment, 42% after pre-treatment of FeCl3 flocculation, 24% after pre-treatment of sand filtration with in-line coagulation and 22% after pre-treatment of dual media filtration (sand and anthracite), respectively. MFI and SDI also indicated that deep bed filtration with in-line flocculation was better pretreatment than flocculation alone. Detailed molecular weight distribution (MWD) of seawater organic matter was examined after different pretreatments. MWD of the initial seawater mainly ranged from 1510 Da to 130 Da. Deep bed filtration with in-line flocculation removed relatively large molecular weight of organic matter (1510â1180 Da), while the small molecular weights (less than 530 Da) were not removed.

Chinu, K, Vigneswaran, S, Erdei, L, Shon, HK, Kandasamy, J & Ngo, HH 2010, 'Comparison of fouling indices in assessing pre-treatment for seawater reverse osmosis', DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, vol. 18, no. 1-3, pp. 187-191.
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In this study, different processes such as fl occulation with ferric chloride (FeCl3) and deep bed filtration (sand filtration and dual media filtration) as a pre-treatment were used for seawater desalination. The performance of these pre-treatments was determined in terms of silt density index (SDI) and modified fouling index by using microfilter (MF-MFI), ultrafilter (UF-MFI), and nanofi lter (NF-MFI) membrane. MFI and SDI indicated that deep bed filtration with in-line flocculation was better pre-treatment than flocculation alone as colloidal particles are removed after this pretreatment. UF-MFI and NF-MFI indicated that these pretreatment cannot remove dissolved organic matter as the fouling reduction was smaller. Detailed molecular weight distribution (MWD) of seawater organic matter was examined after different pretreatments. MWD of the initial seawater mainly ranged from 1510 Da to 130 Da. Deep bed filtration with in-line flocculation removed relatively large molecular weight of organic matter (1510–1180 Da), while the small molecular weights (less than 530 Da) were not removed. © 2010, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Csaszar, NBM, Ralph, PJ, Frankham, R, Berkelmans, R & van Oppen, MJH 2010, 'Estimating the Potential for Adaptation of Corals to Climate Warming', PLOS ONE, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 1-8.
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The persistence of tropical coral reefs is threatened by rapidly increasing climate warming, causing a functional breakdown of the obligate symbiosis between corals and their algal photosymbionts (Symbiodinium) through a process known as coral bleaching. Yet the potential of the coral-algal symbiosis to genetically adapt in an evolutionary sense to warming oceans is unknown. Using a quantitative genetics approach, we estimated the proportion of the variance in thermal tolerance traits that has a genetic basis (i.e. heritability) as a proxy for their adaptive potential in the widespread Indo-Pacific reef-building coral Acropora millepora. We chose two physiologically different populations that associate respectively with one thermotolerant (Symbiodinium clade D) and one less tolerant symbiont type (Symbiodinium C2). In both symbiont types, pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed significant heritabilities for traits related to both photosynthesis and photoprotective pigment profile. However, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays showed a lack of heritability in both coral host populations for their own expression of fundamental stress genes. Coral colony growth, contributed to by both symbiotic partners, displayed heritability. High heritabilities for functional key traits of algal symbionts, along with their short clonal generation time and high population sizes allow for their rapid thermal adaptation. However, the low overall heritability of coral host traits, along with the corals' long generation time, raise concern about the timely adaptation of the coral-algal symbiosis in the face of continued rapid climate warming. © 2010 Császár et al.

Doblin, MA, Murphy, KR & Ruiz, GM 2010, 'Thresholds for tracing ships' ballast water: an Australian case study', MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES, vol. 408, pp. 19-32.
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To limit the spread of non-indigenous marine species, ships can be legally required to conduct ballast water exchange (BWE) prior to discharging ballast water. It has been proposed to verify BWE by measuring concentrations of coastal tracers in ballast tanks, which should track their removal. Using 3 Australian ports as case studies (Port Botany, Port Curtis and Port Phillip Bay), each representing a different BWE verification difficulty level, the spatial and temporal variability of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and 3 trace elements (manganese [Mn], barium [Ba] and phosphorus [P]), were measured to assess their utility as tracers of coastal (unexchanged) ballast water. CDOM fluorescence at λex/λem = 320/414 nm (C2*) and 370/494 nm (C3*) and Mn concentrations were significantly higher in ports than in the adjacent Tasman Sea, except near port entrances and at a few sites in Port Botany. Ba concentrations demonstrated the least power to discriminate coastal sources, but P easily discriminated water from mesotrophic Port Phillip Bay. In general, tracers showed greater variation between and within ports, rather than between seasons. Conservative BWE thresholds were calculated to be 1.6 quinine sulphate equivalents for C2*, 0.9 quinine sulphate equivalents for C3*, 1.4 μg lâ1 for Mn and 6.9 μg lâ1 for Ba. Overall, these thresholds would allow water sourced from eastern Australian ports to be identified as coastal at 92%, 69% and 74% of sites examined using C3*, Mn and Ba, respectively, requiring 71 ± 26%, 54 ± 40% and 59 ± 38% replacement with mid-ocean water to be within ocean baseline concentration ranges.

El Saliby, IJ, Shon, HK, Okour, YH, Vigneswaran, S, Senthilnanthanan, M & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Production of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles and Nanostructures from Dye Wastewater Sludge - Characterisation and Evaluation of Photocatalytic activity', JOURNAL OF ADVANCED OXIDATION TECHNOLOGIES, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 15-20.
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Producing a useful catalyst (TiO2) from sludge is possible after the incineration of sludge produced from the flocculation of wastewater by Ti-salts. In this study, TiO2 was successfully produced from dye wastewater sludge. Titanate nanotubes and nanoaggregates were produced through alkaline-hydrothermal and hydrogen peroxide treatments, respectively. Catalysts were characterised using scanning electron microscope and BET surface measurement. The photocatalytic activity was monitored for the photodegradation of organics in synthetic wastewater (SWW) and the photodecomposition of gas acetaldehyde. Nanotubes with a high surface area of 155.83 m2/g were obtained by alkaline-hydrothermal treatment, while lower surface area (65.22 m2/g) nanoaggregates were synthesized after hydrogen peroxide treatment. In general, nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanoaggregates showed mild photocatalytic activity. All catalysts showed similar photocatalytic activity for the photodecomposition of organics in SWW and the photodecomposition of acetaldehyde.

Erdei, L, Vigneswaran, S & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Modelling of submerged membrane flocculation hybrid systems using statistical and artificial neural networks methods', JOURNAL OF WATER SUPPLY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-AQUA, vol. 59, no. 2-3, pp. 198-208.
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Hybrid membrane filtration processes involve complex physical, chemical and biological phenomena, thus their mechanistic modelling is challenging. The chief advantages of statistical and artificial neural networks (ANN) models (data-driven models) are that they do not require assumptions and simplifications to establish relationships from data. This paper investigates the characteristics and performance of several data-driven methods to model a hybrid membrane system. The focus is on the application of regression analysis and artificial intelligence based methods to a steady-state system. Among empirically based approaches, ANN neural networks methods were found to be very useful to predict permeate quality and membrane fouling. In the past multivariate nonlinear regression had barely been investigated for process modelling in water and waste water treatment. In this study polynomial multivariate nonlinear regression showed a superior performance. Multivariate parametric nonlinear models could match the performance of the nonparametric ANN models in the empirical modelling of complex systems, especially when combined with advanced optimization methods. This paper gives the methodology of how one could optimize a membrane hybrid system using ANN, validating it with one set of data. The same procedure/methodology can be applied to similar systems.

Fang, F, Ni, B-J, Xie, W-M, Sheng, G-P, Liu, S-G, Tong, Z-H & Yu, H-Q 2010, 'An integrated dynamic model for simulating a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant under fluctuating conditions', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 160, no. 2, pp. 522-529.
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Fatahi, B, Khabbaz, H & Indraratna, B 2010, 'Bioengineering ground improvement considering root water uptake model', ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 222-229.
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Bioengineering features of native vegetation are currently being evolved to enhance soil stiffness, slope stabilisation and erosion control. The effects of tree roots on soil moisture content and ground settlement are discussed in this paper. Matric suction induced by tree roots is a key factor, governing the properties of unsaturated soils, directly imparting stability to slopes and resistance for yielding behaviour. A mathematical model for the rate of root water uptake that considers ground conditions, type of vegetation and climatic parameters has been developed. This study highlights the inter-related parameters contributing to the development of a conceptual evapo-transpiration and root moisture uptake equilibrium model that is then incorporated in a comprehensive numerical finite element model. The developed model considers fully coupled-flow-deformation behaviour of soil. Field measurements obtained by the Authors from a site in Victoria, South of Australia, are used to validate the model. In this study, the active tree root distribution has been predicted by measuring soil organic content distribution. The predicted results show acceptable agreement with the field data in spite of the assumptions made for simplifying the effects of soil heterogeneity and anisotropy. The results prove that the proposed root water uptake model can reliably predict the region of the maximum matric suction away from the tree axis. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Guo, W, Ngo, H-H, Dharmawan, F & Palmer, CG 2010, 'Roles of polyurethane foam in aerobic moving and fixed bed bioreactors', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1435-1439.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of sponge as an active mobile carrier for attachedgrowth biomass in three typical types of aerobic bioreactors to treat a high strength synthetic wastewater. The results show that sponge thickness deteriorated the organic and nutrient removal and 1 cm is the optimumthickness for fixed-bed sponge biofilter (SBF). The sponge volume had significant impact on phosphorus removal rather than organic or nitrogen removal, and 20% volume of sponge could achieve 100% T-P removal within 3 h in a sponge batch reactor (SBR). When sponge coupled with submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR), the single system show outstanding ammonium (100% at filtration flux of 10 and 15 L/m2 h) and phosphorus (>91% at all fluxes range) removal with optimum pH range of 6â7

Guo, W, Ngo, H-H, Vigneswaran, S, Dharmawan, F, Nguyen, TT & Aryal, R 2010, 'Effect of different flocculants on short-term performance of submerged membrane bioreactor', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 274-279.
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This study aims at evaluating the impacts of flocculant addition to a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR). Three types of common flocculants (FeCl3, PACl and chitosan) were tested based on the performance of organic and nutrients removal, respiration test and fouling control. The data showed that all of the flocculants not only could keep high removal efficiencies of DOC and COD (>90%) compared to SMBR alone, but also exhibited different advantages and disadvantages according to the properties of the flocculants. For instance, inorganic flocculants strongly affected the nitrification process and organic flocculant addition slightly reduced the phosphorus removal efficiency in SMBR. After adding FeCl3 and PACl, NH4-N removal decreased to 31.9% and 11.1%, while T-N removal dropped to 22% and 0.5% respectively. Although flocculants addition improved sludge settleability and oxygen transfer to some extent, organic flocculant obtained more stable sludge volume indexes (SVI) and specific oxygen uptake rates (SOUR) than those of inorganic flocculants. Inorganic flocculants, on the other hand, led to more reduction of soluble microbial products (SMP) present in mixed liquor and lower membrane fouling rates (1.3 and 2.6 kPa/day for FeCl3 and PACl respectively). © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Guo, WS, Zhang, R, Vigneswaran, S, Ngo, HH & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Membranes coupled with physico chemical treatment in water reuse', WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 513-519.
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In this study, short-term experiments were conducted with different configurations of membrane hybrid systems to treat biological treated sewage effluent containing refractory organic pollutants: (i) submerged hollow fiber microfiltration (SMF) alone; (ii) spiral flocculator (SF)-SMF without settling; (iii) SF-PAC-SMF without settling and (iv) SMF with magnetic ion exchange resin MIEXw pretreatment. The results indicated that the pre-flocculation of SF could improve the mitigation of membrane fouling significantly even when the system was operated at a high membrane filtration rate. The transmembrane pressure (TMP) of SF-PAC-SMF only increased marginally (0.8 kPa over 8 hours). SF-SMF without the addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC) also took a relatively long duration for the TMP to increase. The TMP only increased by 2.5 kPa over 8 hours. The SF-PAC-MF system resulted in a high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal of more than 96%. When used as pre-treatment to submerged membranes, the fluidized bed MIEXw contactor could remove a significant amount of organic matter in wastewater. This pre-treatment helped to reduce the membrane fouling and kept the TMP low during the membrane operation.

Hao, X, Wang, Q, Cao, Y & van Loosdrecht, MCM 2010, 'Experimental evaluation of decrease in the activities of polyphosphate/glycogen‐accumulating organisms due to cell death and activity decay in activated sludge', Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol. 106, no. 3, pp. 399-407.
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AbstractDecrease in bacterial activity (biomass decay) in activated sludge can result from cell death (reduction in the amount of active bacteria) and activity decay (reduction in the specific activity of active bacteria). The goal of this study was to experimentally differentiate between cell death and activity decay as the cause of decrease in bacterial activity. By means of measuring maximal anaerobic phosphate release rates, verifying membrane integrity by live/dead staining and verifying presence of 16S rRNA with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the decay rates and death rates of polyphosphate‐accumulating organisms (PAOs) in a biological nutrient removal (BNR) system and a laboratory phosphate removing sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system were determined, respectively, under famine conditions. In addition, the decay rate and death rate of glycogen‐accumulating organisms (GAOs) in a SBR system with an enrichment culture of GAOs were also measured under famine conditions. Hereto the maximal anaerobic volatile fatty acid uptake rates, live/dead staining, and FISH were used. The experiments revealed that in the BNR and enriched PAO‐SBR systems, activity decay contributed 58% and 80% to the decreased activities of PAOs, and that cell death was responsible for 42% and 20% of decreases in their respective activities. In the enriched GAOs system, activity decay constituted a proportion of 74% of the decreased activity of GAOs, and cell death only accounted for 26% of the decrease of their activity. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010; 106: 399–407. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hao, X, Wang, Q, Cao, Y & van Loosdrecht, MCM 2010, 'Measuring the activities of higher organisms in activated sludge by means of mechanical shearing pretreatment and oxygen uptake rate', Water Research, vol. 44, no. 13, pp. 3993-4001.
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Hao, X-D, Wang, Q-L, Zhu, J-Y & Van Loosdrecht, MCM 2010, 'Microbiological Endogenous Processes in Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems', Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 239-265.
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Herrera-Silveira, JA, Cebrian, J, Hauxwell, J, Ramirez-Ramirez, J & Ralph, P 2010, 'Evidence of negative impacts of ecological tourism on turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) beds in a marine protected area of the Mexican Caribbean', AQUATIC ECOLOGY, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 23-31.
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Many marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established in recent years. Some MPAs are open to tourists to foster environmental education and generate revenue for the MPA. This has been coined âecological tourismâ. Here, we examine the impact of ecological tourism on turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) health in one area of the âCosta Occidental de Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún y Punta Nizuc❠MPA in the Mexican Caribbean. A heavily visited location was compared with an unvisited location. Turtlegrass leaves at the visited location were sparser, shorter, grew more slowly, and had more epiphytes than at the unvisited location. Vertical and horizontal rhizomes of turtlegrass also grew more slowly at the visited than at the unvisited location. There is reasonable evidence to suggest that the observed differences are likely due to the deleterious impacts of novice and careless snorkelers. If continuing, these impacts could cause severe degradation of the visited areas in this MPA and, thus, changes in management policies seem in order.

Ho, DP, Senthilnanthan, M, Mohammad, JA, Vigneswaran, S, Ngo, HH, Mahinthakumar, G & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'The Application of Photocatalytic Oxidation in Removing Pentachlorophenol from Contaminated Water', JOURNAL OF ADVANCED OXIDATION TECHNOLOGIES, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 21-26.
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The degradation of sodium salt of pentachlorophenol (PCPS) by photocatalysis with titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the catalyst was investigated. The residual PCPS after photo-degradation was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) while the c

Ho, DP, Vigneswaran, S & Ngo, HH 2010, 'Integration of Photocatalysis and Microfiltration in Removing Effluent Organic Matter from Treated Sewage Effluent', SEPARATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 155-162.
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An integration of photocatalysis with low-pressure submerged membrane has attracted growing interest for its synergic advantages in water and wastewater treatment. In this study, the adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds by UV light responsive titanium dioxide (TiO2) were investigated. First, the adsorption behavior of the TiO2 was examined by the adsorption isotherm and kinetics experiments. The photocatalytic reactivity of the catalysts was then compared at different operating conditions. The results indicate that the Freundlich model described well the adsorption capacity of both materials. The photocatalytic kinetics showed that the highest removal of effluent organic matter (EfOM) was achieved at an optimum concentration of 1.0 g/L of TiO2. In addition, it was found that the pre-photosensitization with titanium dioxide/ultra-voilet radiation (TiO2/UV) could effectively reduce membrane fouling and enhance the permeate flux of the submerged membrane reactor when it was used as a post-treatment. An increase of 10% in organic removal efficiency was achieved by the posttreatment of membrane filtration. The sustainable flux of the membrane reactor increased from 25 up to 40 L/m2.h when the pretreatment of photocatalysis was used.

Hu, B-L, Zheng, P, Tang, C-J, Chen, J-W, van der Biezen, E, Zhang, L, Ni, B-J, Jetten, MSM, Yan, J, Yu, H-Q & Kartal, B 2010, 'Identification and quantification of anammox bacteria in eight nitrogen removal reactors', Water Research, vol. 44, no. 17, pp. 5014-5020.
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Huang, Z, Gallucci, J, Chen, X, Yisgedu, T, Lingam, HK, Shore, SG & Zhao, J-C 2010, 'Li2B12H12·7NH3: a new ammine complex for ammonia storage or indirect hydrogen storage', Journal of Materials Chemistry, vol. 20, no. 14, pp. 2743-2743.
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Huang, Z, King, G, Chen, X, Hoy, J, Yisgedu, T, Lingam, HK, Shore, SG, Woodward, PM & Zhao, J-C 2010, 'A Simple and Efficient Way to Synthesize Unsolvated Sodium Octahydrotriborate', Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 49, no. 18, pp. 8185-8187.
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Jahirul, MI, Masjuki, HH, Saidur, R, Kalam, MA, Jayed, MH & Wazed, MA 2010, 'Comparative engine performance and emission analysis of CNG and gasoline in a retrofitted car engine', Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 30, no. 14-15, pp. 2219-2226.
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Jegatheesan, V, Shu, L & Ngo, HH 2010, 'Special Issue on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering, CESE-2009 14–17 July, 2009 – Jupiters Hotel, Townsville, Queensland, Australia', Bioresource Technology, vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1415-1415.
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Johir, MAH, Vigneswaran, S & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Hybrid filtration method for pre-treatment of stormwater', Water Science and Technology, vol. 62, no. 12, pp. 2937-2943.
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In this study the hybrid filtration process (combining fibre filter with deep bed dual media filtration) was investigated as pre-treatment to stormwater. This process was investigated in-terms of reduction in turbidity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), colour, headloss development across the filters, suspended solids removal, organic matter removal, nutrients and heavy matter (such as iron, copper, lead, zinc) removal efficiency. A comparison was made between the hybrid filter with single media (sand) deep bed filter and fibre filter. It was found that the hybrid filtration system successfully removed turbidity (98%), colour (99%), suspended solids (99%), and DOC (55%). The removal efficiency of heavy metal was relatively low as the concentration of heavy metals present in stormwater was low. The removal efficiency of nitrate, nitrite and phosphorous (as orthophosphate) was 27, 35 and 72% respectively. Hybrid filtration processes showed a better reduction of Modified Fouling Index (MFI) value (from 15.500 s/l2 to 9 s/l2) compared with single media sand, anthracite and fibre filter which were 35 s/l2, 13 s/l2and 14 s/l2 respectively when operated at FeCl3 dose of 15 mg/l.

Kim, DH, Shon, HK, Phuntsho, S & Cho, J 2010, 'Determination of the Apparent Charge of Natural Organic Matter', SEPARATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 339-345.
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The charge of natural organic matter (NOM) is an important parameter for understanding the membrane fouling and NOM removal mechanism with charged membrane. However, there is a lack of technology to make direct measurement of the NOM charge. In this study, we report a novel concept of measuring an apparent charge of the NOM using selectivity coefficient. The apparent charges of three different NOM containing different structures were evaluated to validate this proposed method. The apparent charge of the NOM exhibited a good correlation with specific UV absorbance of the NOM. This apparent charge is therefore a useful indicator for predicting the membrane fouling and NOM removal in membrane filtration technology. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Kim, JB, Park, HJ, Shon, HK, Cho, DL, Kim, G-J, Choi, SW & Kim, J-H 2010, 'Preparation of TiO<SUB>2</SUB> Nanoparticle from Ti-Salt Flocculated Sludge with Dye Wastewater', Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 3260-3265.
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Dye wastewater flocculation using TiCl4 and FeSO4 coagulants was studied for organic removal and precipitation efficiency. Moreover, TiCl4 was assessed in a pilot-scale flocculation process to investigate organic removal and solution pH effect. A large amount of TiO2 was produced from sludge of Ti-salt flocculation in dye wastewater. This flocculation process simultaneously reduces a large amount of sludge produced from wastewater. The TiO2 nanoparticle was characterized in terms of physical and chemical properties. Results showed that 77.6% of organic matter was removed from dye wastewater when using FeSO4 as coagulant, while TiCl4 degraded 75.9% of organic matter. On the other hand, floc precipitation efficiency was better for TiCl4 if compared with FeSO4. The optimum concentration of TiCl4 for pilot-scale flocculation was found to be equal to 2.1 g/L. DWT (Dye wastewater titania) size was 15-20 nm, mainly doped with carbon atoms and exhibited a dominant anatase structure. DWT was similar to P-25 in decomposing acetaldehyde under UV-irradiation and complete photocatalytic degradation was achieved after 140 min.

Kim, JB, Seol, D-H, Shon, HK, Kim, G-J & Kim, J-H 2010, 'Preparation and Characterization of Titania Nanoparticles from Titanium Tetrachloride and Titanium Sulfate Flocculation of Dye Wastewater', Journal of the Japan Petroleum Institute, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 167-172.
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Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most widely used metal oxide for environmental applications, cosmetics, paints, electronic paper and solar cells, so demand is increasing rapidly. TiO2 can be produced from Ti-flocculated sludge, which is superior to the co

Kim, SH, Shon, HK & Ngo, HH 2010, 'Adsorption characteristics of antibiotics trimethoprim on powdered and granular activated carbon', JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 344-349.
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The adsorption characteristics of trimethoprim (TMP) onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) were studied. The adsorption isotherms could be plotted using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Toth models with a reasonable degree

Kus, B, Kandasamy, J, Vigneswaran, S & Shon, HK 2010, 'Analysis of first flush to improve the water quality in rainwater tanks', WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 421-428.
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Although most Australians receive their domestic supply from reticulated mains or town water, there are vast areas with very low population densities and few reticulated supplies. In many of these areas rainwater collected in tanks is the primary source of drinking water. Heavy metals have recently become a concern as their concentration in rain water tanks was found to exceed recommended levels suitable for human consumption. Rainwater storage tanks also accumulate contaminants and sediments that settle to the bottom. Although not widely acknowledged, small amounts of contaminants such as lead found in rain water (used as drinking water) may have a cumulative and poisonous effect on human health over a life time. This is true for certain factors that underlie many of the chronic illnesses that are becoming increasingly common in contemporary society. The paper reports on a study which is part of a project that aims to develop a cost effective in-line filtration system to improve water quality in rainwater tanks. To enable this, the characteristics of rainwater need to be known. One component of this characterization is to observe the effects of the first flush on a rainwater tank. Samples of the roof runoff collected from an urban residential roof located in the Sydney Metropolitan Area in the initial first few millimetres of rain were analysed. The results show that bypassing the first 2mm of rainfall gives water with most water quality parameters compliant with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) standards. The parameters that did not comply were lead and turbidity, which required bypassing approximately the first 5mm of rainfall to meet ADWG standards. Molecular weight distribution (MWD) analysis showed that the concentration of rainwater organic matter (RWOM) decreased with increasing amount of roof runoff.

Kus, B, Kandasamy, J, Vigneswaran, S & Shon, HK 2010, 'Water quality characterisation of rainwater in tanks at different times and locations', WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 429-439.
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Rainwater collected from ten domestic roofs in Sydney and from one in Wollongong, a town south of Sydney, Australia was analysed to determine the water quality and to compare against the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) to determine its suitability as a potable water supply. The pollutants analysed were 13 heavy metals, 8 salts & minerals, pH, ammonia, orthophosphate, conductivity, water hardness, turbidity, total suspended solids, Total dissolved salts & Bicarbonate. The results indicate that the rainwater tested complied to most of the parameters specified in the ADWG. Molecular weight distribution of organic matter from one of the domestic rainwater tanks was analysed in terms of the effects of aging and roof contact. Molecular weight distribution of organic matter in rainwater showed prominent peaks at 37,500 daltons may be due to biopolymers, 850 Da to humic substances, 500 Da to building blocks, 220 Da to low MW acids, and less than 220 Da to amphiphilics. The findings also indicate that the first flush volumes that by-passed the tank can have a significant influence on the water quality in the rainwater tank.

Lebegue, J, Aryal, R, Shon, HK, Vigneswaran, S, Heran, M & Grasmick, A 2010, 'Identification and quantification of foulant in submerged membrane reactor', DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, vol. 24, no. 1-3, pp. 278-283.
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In submerged membrane system, membrane fouling is linked to the reversible accumulation of macromolecules and solids on the membrane surface and the irreversible sorption of soluble molecules inside the pores. In the first part of the paper, the fouling was analysed at two different aeration rates through the determination of membrane resistance due to (a) sludging (Rsludging), (b) irreversible biofilm (Rbiofilm) and (c) adsorption of organic (Radsorption). These results confirm the importance of aeration for sludge control in the bundle. In the second part of the paper, irreversible foulant obtained at different aeration rates were characterised. Membrane air flow rate limits adsorption of biopolymers onto or into the membrane surface.

Lee, E, Shon, HK & Cho, J 2010, 'Biofouling characteristics using flow field-flow fractionation: Effect of bacteria and membrane properties', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1487-1493.
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In this study, membrane biofouling caused by bacteria that have different characteristics was evaluated using flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF). Three different bacteria which differed from size and shape (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Flavobacterium lutescens) were investigated with GM ultrafiltration (UF, rough with a low negative surface charge and relatively high hydrophobicity) and NE70 nanofiltration (NF, smooth with a high negative surface charge and relatively low hydrophobicity) membranes. The FlFFF retention time of S. epidermidis, E. coli and F. lutescens was highly influenced by the ionic strength of the solution and the surface polarity of the membranes and bacteria. The NF membrane was found to have a higher potential of biofouling than the UF membrane with the bacteria tested in this study. E. coli was the most significant biofoulant among the bacteria tested on both membrane surfaces based on FlFFF retention times compared to other bacteria.

Lee, JJ, Johir, MAH, Chinu, KH, Shon, HK, Vigneswaran, S, Kandasamy, J, Kim, CW & Shaw, K 2010, 'Novel pre-treatment method for seawater reverse osmosis: Fibre media filtration', DESALINATION, vol. 250, no. 2, pp. 557-561.
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A high rate fibre filter was used as a pre-treatment to seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) to reduce membrane fouling. Seawater was drawn from Chowder Bay where the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Australia is located. A lab-scale fibre filter with a height of 1000 mm and a diameter of 30 mm was used in conjunction with in-line coagulation. The effect of operating the fibre filter with different packing densities (105, 115 kg/m3) and filtration velocities (40, 60 m/h) was investigated in terms of silt density index (SDI10), modified fouling index (MFI), pressure drop (ÎP), turbidity and molecular weight distribution (MWD). The use of in-line coagulation improved the performance of fibre filter as measured by the MFI and SDI. Regardless of filtration velocity and packing density the MFI and SDI10 values remained low as did the turbidity until the end of the filtration run. The MWD analysis showed the removal efficiencies of organic materials like biopolymers, fulvic acids, low MW acids for even experiments with the highest filtration velocity (60 m/h) and lowest packing density (105 kg/m3). This pre-treatment has a small foot print as it has the capacity of operating at a very high filtration velocity

Liaquat, AM, Kalam, MA, Masjuki, HH & Jayed, MH 2010, 'Potential emissions reduction in road transport sector using biofuel in developing countries', Atmospheric Environment, vol. 44, no. 32, pp. 3869-3877.
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Lilley, RM, Ralph, PJ & Larkum, AWD 2010, 'The determination of activity of the enzyme Rubisco in cell extracts of the dinoflagellate alga Symbiodinium sp by manganese chemiluminescence and its response to short-term thermal stress of the alga', PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 995-1004.
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The dinoflagellate alga Symbiodinium sp., living in symbiosis with corals, clams and other invertebrates, is a primary producer in coral reefs and other marine ecosystems. The function of the carbon-fixing enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in dinoflagellates is difficult to study because its activity is rapidly lost after extraction from the cell. We report procedures for the extraction of Rubisco from Symbiodinium cells and for stable storage. We describe a continuous assay for Rubisco activity in these crude cell extracts using the Mn2+ chemiluminescence of Rubisco oxygenase. Chemiluminescence time courses exhibited initial transients resembling bacterial Form II Rubisco, followed by several minutes of linearly decreasing activity. The initial activity was determined from extrapolation of this linear section of the time course. The activity of fast-frozen cell extracts was stable at -80 °C and, after thawing and storage on ice, remained stable for up to 1 h before declining non-linearly. Crude cell extracts bound [14C] 2-carboxy-D-arabitinol 1,5-bisphosphate to a high molecular mass fraction separable by gel filtration chromatography. After pre-treatment of Symbiodinium cell cultures in darkness at temperatures above 30 °C, the extracted Rubisco activities decreased, with almost complete loss of activity above 36 °C. The implications for the sensitivity to elevated temperature of Symbiodinium photosynthesis are assessed. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Lin, W, Huang, B, Fu, Q, Wang, G & Huang, J 2010, 'Investigation of nitroxide radical coupling reaction in wide temperature range and different catalyst system', Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, vol. 48, no. 14, pp. 2991-2999.
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AbstractThe effect of temperature, catalyst system, and the structure of bromine connected groups on the nitroxide radical coupling (NRC) reaction is investigated in details. A series of polymers with different bromine connected groups as poly (tert‐butyl acrylate) (PtBA‐Br), polystyrene (PS‐Br), and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA‐Br) are prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization first, then the bromine‐containing polymers were coupled with 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidinyl‐1‐oxy‐containing poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL‐TEMPO) in different catalyst systems as CuBr/PMDETA, Cu0/PMDETA and CuBr/Cu0/PMDETA in the temperature range from 90 °C to 25 °C. The result shows that the catalyst system of CuBr/Cu0/PMDETA is the best one for NRC reaction, in which the NRC reaction could be conducted in high efficiency in the wide temperature range from room temperature to high temperature. The efficiency of NRC reaction between PtBA‐Br and PCL‐TEMPO is more than 85% in the temperature range from 25 to 75 °C, the efficiency between PS‐Br and PCL‐TEMPO is more than 90% from 25 to 90 °C, and the efficiency between PMMA‐Br and PCL‐TEMPO is more than 90% only at the room temperature. The effect of bromine connected groups on the NRC reaction is discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2991–2999, 2010

Lingam, HK, Chen, X, Yisgedu, T, Huang, Z, Zhao, J-C & Shore, SG 2010, 'Redetermination of di-μ-hydrido-hexahydridotetrakis(tetrahydrofuran)dialuminium(III)magnesium(II)', Acta Crystallographica Section E Structure Reports Online, vol. 66, no. 5, pp. m575-m575.
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Mahlia, TMI & Iqbal, A 2010, 'Cost benefits analysis and emission reductions of optimum thickness and air gaps for selected insulation materials for building walls in Maldives', Energy, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 2242-2250.
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Mahlia, TMI & Saidur, R 2010, 'A review on test procedure, energy efficiency standards and energy labels for room air conditioners and refrigerator–freezers', Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 1888-1900.
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Mahlia, TMI & Yanti, PAA 2010, 'Cost efficiency analysis and emission reduction by implementation of energy efficiency standards for electric motors', Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 365-374.
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Mahlia, TMI, Saidur, R, Husnawan, M, Masjuki, HH & Kalam, MA 2010, 'An approach to estimate the life-cycle cost of energy efficiency improvement of room air conditioners', Energy Education Science and Technology Part A: Energy Science and Research, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 1-11.
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This paper presents an approach to calculate life-cycle cost analysis of energy efficiency improvement of room air conditioners. The least efficient model from a survey in the market is selected for sample calculation. The method includes the selection of a set of design options that increase efficiency, life cycle cost (LCC) analysis and payback period. LCC is analyzed as a function of seven design options and five variables, namely discount rate, fuel price, appliance lifetime, incremental cost and potential efficiency improvement. The study found that, certain level of efficiency improvement can be achieved, if manufacturers willing to adopt more efficient design options with a little additional investment for the product. Furthermore, the method can be used for other appliances without any major modification.

Maskaoui, K & Zhou, JL 2010, 'Colloids as a sink for certain pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment', Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 898-907.
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Background, aim, and scope: The occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is recognized as one of the emerging issues in environmental chemistry and as a matter of public concern. Existing data tend to focus on the concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the aqueous phase, with limited studies on their concentrations in particulate phase such as sediments. Furthermore, current water quality monitoring does not differentiate between soluble and colloidal phases in water samples, hindering our understanding of the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms. In this study, an investigation was conducted into the concentrations and phase association (soluble, colloidal, suspended particulate matter or SPM) of selected pharmaceuticals (propranolol, sulfamethoxazole, meberverine, thioridazine, carbamazepine, tamoxifen, indomethacine, diclofenac, and meclofenamic acid) in river water, effluents from sewage treatment works (STW), and groundwater in the UK. Materials and methods: The occurrence and phase association of selected pharmaceuticals propranolol, sulfamethoxazole, meberverine, thioridazine, carbamazepine, tamoxifen, indomethacine, diclofenac, and meclofenamic acid in contrasting aquatic environments (river, sewage effluent, and groundwater) were studied. Colloids were isolated by cross-flow ultrafiltration (CFUF). Water samples were extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE), while SPM was extracted by microwave. All sample extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in the multiple reaction monitoring. Results and discussion: Five compounds propranolol, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, indomethacine, and diclofenac were detected in all samples, with carbamazepine showing the highest concentrations in all phases. The highest concentrations of these compounds were detected in STW effluents, confirming STW as a key source of these compounds in the aquatic environ...

McMinn, A, Pankowskii, A, Ashworth, C, Bhagooli, R, Ralph, P & Ryan, K 2010, 'In situ net primary productivity and photosynthesis of Antarctic sea ice algal, phytoplankton and benthic algal communities', MARINE BIOLOGY, vol. 157, no. 6, pp. 1345-1356.
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Primary production at Antarctic coastal sites is contributed from sea ice algae, phytoplankton and benthic algae. Oxygen microelectrodes were used to estimate sea ice and benthic primary production at several sites around Casey, a coastal area in eastern Antarctica. Maximum oxygen export from sea ice was 0. 95 mmol O2 m-2 h-1 (~11. 7 mg C m-2 h-1) while from the sediment it was 6. 08 mmol O2 m-2 h-1 (~70. 8 mg C m-2 h-1). When the ice was present O2 export from the benthos was either low or negative. Sea ice algae assimilation rates were up to 3. 77 mg C (mg Chl-a)-1 h-1 while those from the benthos were up to 1. 53 mg C (mg Chl-a)-1 h-1. The contribution of the major components of primary productivity was assessed using fluorometric techniques. When the ice was present approximately 55-65% of total daily primary production occurred in the sea ice with the remainder unequally partitioned between the sediment and the water column. When the ice was absent, the benthos contributed nearly 90% of the primary production. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Nguyen, TT, Guo, W, Ngo, HH & Vigneswaran, S 2010, 'A new combined inorganic-organic flocculant (CIOF) as a performance enhancer for aerated submerged membrane bioreactor', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 204-209.
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In this study, a new combined inorganic-organic flocculant (CIOF) of FeCl3 and membrane performance enhancer (MPE50) was prepared and added to an aerated submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR). The effects of CIOF on the performance of an aerated submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) were evaluated. The results indicated that the SMBR with CIOF addition could remove almost 100% total phosphate while eliminating over 90% ammonia (NH 4-N) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during an 80-day of operation. The respiration tests revealed that the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) was stable around 1.5-2.0 mg O2/gMLVSS h. The sludge volume index (SVI) of less than 100 mL/g during the operation showed the importance of CIOF on the improvement of settling properties of the sludge. Soluble carbohydrate concentration was also well correlated with DOC of the supernatant. CIOF was successful in the reduction of fouling of membrane as the membrane was only chemically cleaned after 53 days of operation. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nguyen, TT, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Johnston, A & Listowski, A 2010, 'Effects of sponge size and type on the performance of an up-flow sponge bioreactor in primary treated sewage effluent treatment', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1416-1420.
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The effects of polyurethane sponge size and type on the performance of an up-flow sponge bioreactor were studied using different sponge cube sizes (1 × 1 × 1 cm, 2 × 2 × 2 cm and 3 × 3 × 3 cm) and types of sponge (S28-30/45R, S28-30/60R, S28-30/80R and S28-30/90R). The reactors were operated under anaerobic conditions in an early stage and an aerobic condition in a latter stage. The results indicate that there was no significant difference in the organic and nutrient removal rates between sponge types. The medium size sponge (2 × 2 × 2 cm) had the best performance in terms of both biomass growth and pollutants removal. Under anaerobic condition, the COD, TN and TP removal efficiencies were up to 70%, 45% and 55%, respectively, and significantly improved under aerobic conditions (e.g. >90% TOC, 95% COD, 65% TN and 90% TP). The external biomass grew faster under anaerobic conditions while internal biomass was dominant under aerobic condition. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

Nguyen, TV, Vigneswaran, S, Ngo, HH & Kandasamy, J 2010, 'Arsenic removal by iron oxide coated sponge: Experimental performance and mathematical models', JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, vol. 182, no. 1-3, pp. 723-729.
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Millions of people worldwide are at risk from the presence of arsenic in groundwater. In this study, adsorption equilibrium and long term experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of iron oxide coated sponge (IOCSp) in arsenic removal. It was found that maximum adsorption capacity of IOCSp for As(III) and As(V) calculated by Sips isotherm was 4.2 and 4.6. mg/g of IOCSp, respectively. A filter packed with small amount of 25. g IOCSp maintained a consistent arsenic removal efficiency of 95% from synthetic solution containing arsenic concentration of as high as 1000. μg/L. This produced a throughput volume of 153 and 178. L of water containing As(III) and As(V), respectively before any need for regeneration or disposal of IOCSp. IOCSp could be regenerated by washing it with NaOH solution. The dynamic (column) adsorption kinetics were successfully predicted by the Thomas and Nikolaidis modified models. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Ni, B & Yu, H 2010, 'Modeling and simulation of the formation and utilization of microbial products in aerobic granular sludge', AIChE Journal, vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 546-559.
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AbstractA mathematical model is established to simulate the formation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), soluble microbial products (SMP), and internal storage products (XSTO) in aerobic granular sludge. The sensitivity of these microbial products concentrations toward the key model parameters is analyzed. Independent experiments are conducted to find required parameter values and to test its predictive ability. The model is evaluated by using one‐cycle operating experimental results of a lab‐scale aerobic granule‐based sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and batch experimental results. Results show that the model is able to describe the microbial product dynamics in aerobic granules and provide further insights into a granule‐based SBR. The effect of the initial substrate and biomass concentrations on the formation of microbial products in aerobic granular sludge can therefore be analyzed by model simulation. A higher substrate concentration results in a greater concentration of EPS, SMP, and XSTO. An accumulation of biomass in the bioreactor leads to an increased production rate of EPS, SMP, and XSTO. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010

Ni, B, Rittmann, BE & Yu, H 2010, 'Modeling predation processes in activated sludge', Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol. 105, no. 6, pp. 1021-1030.
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AbstractPredation by protozoa plays an important role in activated sludge. In this work, the kinetics for protozoan predation of active bacteria (XH), extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and intracellular storage products (XSTO) are added into a previously expanded unified model that describes the dynamics of EPS, XSTO, and soluble microbial products (SMP). The new biomass growth–decay–predation model describes the biomass fractions, soluble organic components, and oxygen‐uptake rates considering EPS, XSTO, and predators during dynamic operating conditions in activated sludge. Model calibration using batch experimental data provides the new parameter values for predation processes and insights into mechanisms involving predators. The calibrated value of the maximum specific growth rate for the predators is much slower than for the bacteria, confirming that predators are relatively slow growers. However, the predators and bacteria have similar decay rates and dissolved oxygen affinities. Model testing with results independent of the calibration data shows two things. First, the model and calibrated parameters accurately simulate the independent results when predators are present. Second, eliminating predation by high salinity significantly lowers the OUR, and this is captured by the model. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;105: 1021–1030. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ni, B, Xie, W, Liu, S, Yu, H, Gan, Y, Zhou, J & Hao, E 2010, 'Development of a mechanistic model for biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems and application to a full‐scale WWTP', AIChE Journal, vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 1626-1638.
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AbstractIn wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) the production of nitrite as an intermediate in the biological nutrient removal (BNR) process has been widely observed, but not been taken into account by most of the conventional activated sludge models yet. This work aims to develop a mechanistic mathematical model to evaluate the BNR process after resolving such a problem. A mathematical model is developed based on the Activated Sludge Model No.3 (ASM3) and the EAWAG Bio‐P model with an incorporation of the two‐step nitrification–denitrification, the anoxic P uptake, and the associated two‐step denitrification by phosphorus accumulating organisms. The database used for simulations originates from a full‐scale BNR municipal wastewater treatment plant. The influent wastewater composition is characterized using batch tests. Model predictions are compared with the measured concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH‐N, NO‐N, NO‐N, PO‐P, and mixed liquid volatile suspended solids. Simulation results indicate that the calibrated model is capable of predicting the microbial growth, COD removal, nitrification and denitrification, as well as aerobic and anoxic P removal. Thus, this model can be used to evaluate and simulate full‐scale BNR activa...

Ni, B-J & Yu, H-Q 2010, 'Mathematical modeling of aerobic granular sludge: A review', Biotechnology Advances, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 895-909.
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Ni, B-J, Hu, B-L, Fang, F, Xie, W-M, Kartal, B, Liu, X-W, Sheng, G-P, Jetten, M, Zheng, P & Yu, H-Q 2010, 'Microbial and Physicochemical Characteristics of Compact Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing Granules in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor', Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 76, no. 8, pp. 2652-2656.
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ABSTRACT Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a promising new process to treat high-strength nitrogenous wastewater. Due to the low growth rate of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria, efficient biomass retention is essential for reactor operation. Therefore, we studied the settling ability and community composition of the anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing granules, which were cultivated in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor seeded with aerobic granules. With this seed, the start-up period was less than 160 days at a NH 4 + -N removal efficiency of 94% and a loading rate of 0.064 kg N per kg volatile suspended solids per day. The formed granules were bright red and had a high settling velocity (41 to 79 m h −1 ). Cells and extracellular polymeric substances were evenly distributed over the anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing granules. The high percentage of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in the granules could be visualized by fluorescent in situ hybridization and electron microscopy. The copy numbers of 16S rRNA genes of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in the granules were determined to be 4.6 × 10 8 copies ml −1 . The results of this study could be used for a better design, shorter start-up time, and more stable operation of anammox systems for the treatment of nitrogen-rich wastewaters.

Ni, B-J, Rittmann, BE & Yu, H-Q 2010, 'Evaluation on the impacts of predators on biomass components and oxygen uptake in sequencing batch reactor and continuous systems', Water Research, vol. 44, no. 15, pp. 4616-4622.
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Ni, B-J, Rittmann, BE, Fang, F, Xu, J & Yu, H-Q 2010, 'Long-term formation of microbial products in a sequencing batch reactor', Water Research, vol. 44, no. 13, pp. 3787-3796.
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Ni, B-J, Sheng, G-P, Li, X-Y & Yu, H-Q 2010, 'Quantitative Simulation of the Granulation Process of Activated Sludge for Wastewater Treatment', Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 49, no. 6, pp. 2864-2873.
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Ni, B-J, Zeng, RJ, Fang, F, Xie, W-M, Sheng, G-P & Yu, H-Q 2010, 'Fractionating soluble microbial products in the activated sludge process', Water Research, vol. 44, no. 7, pp. 2292-2302.
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Okour, Y, Shon, HK, El Saliby, IJ, Naidu, R, Kim, JB & Kim, J-H 2010, 'Preparation and characterisation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and thiourea-doped titanate nanotubes prepared from wastewater flocculated sludge', BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1453-1458.
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In this study, titanium (Ti), ferric (Fe) and aluminum (Al) salt flocculants were compared for their efficiency in treating wastewater collected from Sydney Olympic Park wastewater treatment plant by following the jar test procedure. Produced sludge from Ti-salt flocculation was dried and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were generated after the incineration of sludge produced from the Ti-salt flocculation of wastewater. Later on, titanate nanotubes were synthesized after TiO2 nanoparticles were hydrothermally treated with 10 N NaOH solution at 130 °C for 24 h. Titanate nanotubes were either acid or deionised water-washed, while thiourea-doping was employed to produce visible light-responsive nanotubes. Wastewater flocculation using Ti-salt was found to be as efficient as Fe and Al flocculation in terms of turbidity and DOC removal. XRD results showed that the anatase structure was predominant for TiO2 nanoparticles, while thiourea-doped titanate nanotubes only indicated anatase structure with an increased crystallinity after being crystallized at 600 °C. The photocatalytic activity of all photocatalysts was evaluated using the photooxidation of acetaldehyde. Thiourea-doped nanotubes showed a greater photocatalytic activity than as-prepared TiO2 nanoparticles, deionised water-washed, acid-washed titanate nanotubes and P25 under UV and visible light irradiation.

Park, KH, Shim, WG, Shon, HK, Lee, SG, Ngo, HH, Vigneswaran, S & Moon, H 2010, 'Adsorption Characteristics of Acetaldehyde on Activated Carbons Prepared from Corn-Based Biomass Precursor', SEPARATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 45, no. 8, pp. 1084-1091.
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The ACs (R-1/2 and R-1/4) having two different textual and chemical properties are prepared from corn-based biomass precursor and evaluated together with a wood-based activated carbon (WAC) at room temperature using a gas chromatograph. The results obtained from the correlation studies indicate that the pore size distribution (below 8A Ë ) and the relatively lower energetic heterogeneity of ACs on acetaldehyde adsorption are considerable factors rather than that of a specific surface area and surface chemistry. The adsorption equilibrium of ACs is well correlated with the Sips equation. The pseudo second-order equation was better in describing the ACsâ adsorption kinetic of acetaldehyde.

Petrou, K, Hill, R, Brown, CM, Campbell, DA, Doblin, MA & Ralph, PJ 2010, 'Rapid photoprotection in sea-ice diatoms from the East Antarctic pack ice', LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 1400-1407.
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Photoinhibition and D1 protein re-synthesis were investigated in bottom-dwelling sea-ice microalgal communities from the East Antarctic pack ice during early spring. Bottom-dwelling sea-ice microalgal communities were dominated by diatoms that exhibited rapid photoprotection when exposed to a range of different light levels (10 μmol photons m-2 s -1, 50 μmol photons m-2 s-1, 100 μmol photons m-2 s-1, and 200 μmol photons m-2 s-1). Photosynthetic capacity of photosystem II (PSII) dropped significantly over 3 h under 200 μmol photons m-2 s-1, but largely recovered when placed in a low-light environment (10 μmol photons m-2 s-1) for an additional 3 h. PSII repair rates increased with increasing irradiance, and the D1-protein pool remained steady even under high light (200 μmol photons m-2 s-1). Sea-ice diatoms showed a low intrinsic susceptibility to photoinactivation of PSII across all the light treatments, and a strong and irradiance-dependent induction of nonphotochemical quenching, which did not depend upon chloroplast protein synthesis, was also seen. These highly plastic organisms, once thought to be adapted to shade, are in fact well equipped to withstand rapid and relatively large changes in light at low temperatures with minimal long-term effect on their photosynthetic machinery. © 2010, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.

Phuntsho, S, Dulal, I, Yangden, D, Tenzin, UM, Herat, S, Shon, H & Vigneswaran, S 2010, 'Studying municipal solid waste generation and composition in the urban areas of Bhutan', WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 545-551.
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Bhutan lacks the solid waste data which are essential parameters for planning and scheduling of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) systems. The first ever large-scale research survey on solid waste generation and characterization in the urban areas of Bhutan was conducted between November 2007 and January 2008 using the method of waste sampling at source. The MSW generation rates in the urban centres were 0.53 kg capita-1 day - 1, which consists predominantly of organic waste materials of up to 58% indicating a great opportunity for composting. Domestic waste from the households contributed the maximum (47%) component of the total MSW generated from the urban centres followed by wastes from the commercial establishments. Attempt to study the correlation between household monthly income and the waste per capita generation rates did not yield any conclusive result. © The Author(s), 2010.

Ren, X, Shon, HK, Jang, N, Lee, YG, Bae, M, Lee, J, Cho, K & Kim, IS 2010, 'Novel membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with a nonwoven fabric filter for household wastewater treatment', WATER RESEARCH, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 751-760.
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Conventional and modified membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are increasingly used in small-scale wastewater treatment. However, their widespread applications are hindered by their relatively high cost and operational complexity. In this study, we investigate a new concept of wastewater treatment using a nonwoven fabric filter bag (NFFB) as the membrane bioreactor. Activated sludge is charged in the nonwoven fabric filter bag and membrane filtration via the fabric is achieved under gravity flow without a suction pump. This study found that the biofilm layer formed inside the NFFB achieved 10 mg/L of suspended solids in the permeate within 20 min of initial operation. The dynamic biofilter layer showed good filterability and the specific membrane resistance consisted of 0.3â1.9 Ã 1012 m/kg. Due to the low F/M ratio (0.04â0.10 kg BOD5/m3/d) and the resultant low sludge yield, the reactor was operated without forming excess sludge. Although the reactor provided aerobic conditions, denitrification occurred in the biofilm layer to recover the alkalinity, thereby eliminating the need to supplement the alkalinity. This study indicates that the NFFB system provides a high potential of effective wastewater treatment with simple operation at reduced cost, and hence offer an attractive solution for widespread use in rural and sparsely populated areas.

Saidur, R & Mahlia, TMI 2010, 'Energy, economic and environmental benefits of using high-efficiency motors to replace standard motors for the Malaysian industries', Energy Policy, vol. 38, no. 8, pp. 4617-4625.
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Seery, CR & Ralph, PJ 2010, 'Ecological relevance of a chlorophyllafluorescence ecotoxicological endpoint', Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, vol. 92, no. 8, pp. 1529-1540.
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With the increasing use of new techniques to assess toxic stress and the effects of pollution, it is important to ensure that any 'new' endpoint employed is able to demonstrate a level of eco-relevance. Though recent application of chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters to macroalgal bioassays has been successful, a level of eco-relevance for such use has not been experimentally shown. As such, this article presents a series of experiments designed to establish a link between fluorescence parameters and higher-level effects (supra-individual level). The results show that fluorescence parameters are capable of predicting germination success of macroalgal gametes and can do so much sooner than the actual event of germination. Furthermore, a decline in ΔF/F′m is shown to be strongly associated with a reduced germination success. Thus, a level of eco-relevance has been established for the fluorescence endpoint that is at least equal to that of the widely accepted germination-based macroalgal bioassays. © Taylor & Francis.

Senthilnanthan, M, Ho, DP, Vigneswaran, S, Ngo, HH & Shon, HK 2010, 'Visible light responsive ruthenium-doped titanium dioxide for the removal of metsulfuron-methyl herbcide in aqueous phase', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 75, no. 3, pp. 415-419.
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Titanium dioxide (TiO2) under UV light irradiation is one of the effective treatment methods to reduce the concentration of synthetic organic compounds in water. Nevertheless, only a small amount of UV light is absorbed in the solar light. This makes the less use of TiO2 for environmental applications. In this study, we prepared Ru-doped visible light responsive (VLR) TiO2 to improve visible light absorption and characterized it in terms of physical and chemical properties. The photocatalytic activity of VLR Rudoped TiO2 was investigated to remove metsulfuron-methyl (MSM) in aqueous phase. The Ru-doped TiO2 at different Ru concentrations was found to have the anatase phase. The undoped and Ru-doped TiO2 consisted of regular round shape. The photocatalytic activity of VLR photocatalyst was significantly improved on the addition of Ru from 40% for undoped TiO2 to 80% for Ru-doped TiO2. The removal efficiency of MSM was proportional to the increasing Ru-doped TiO2 under visible light. As the calcined temperature increased from 300 to 900 â¦C, the degradation efficiencies moderately changed from 65 to 90%. However, the effect of calcination duration was marginal on the photodegradation of MSM.

Shon, HK, Phuntsho, S, Vigneswaran, S, Kandasamy, J, Nghiem, LD, Kim, GJ, Kim, JB & Kim, J-H 2010, 'Preparation of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles from Electrocoagulated Sludge using Sacrificial Titanium Electrodes', ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, vol. 44, no. 14, pp. 5553-5557.
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A comprehensive investigation of electrocoagulation using sacrificial titanium (Ti) electrodes in wastewater was carried out. The effects of specific process variables, such as initial pH, mixing, current density, initial organic loading, and ionic/electrolyte strength were first optimized to produce recyclable Ti-based sludge. The sludge was incinerated at 600 °C to produce functional TiO2 photocatalyst. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that TiO2 produced at optimum electrocoagulation conditions was mostly anatase structure. The specific surface area of the synthesized TiO 2 photocatalyst was higher than that of the commercially available and widely used Degussa P-25 TiO2. Furthermore, energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses showed that in additional to titanium and oxygen, this photocatalyst is also composed of carbon and phosphorus. These elements were mainly doped as a substitute site for the oxygen atom. Transmission electron microscopy images exhibited sharply edged nanorods, round nanoparticles, and nanotubes with nonuniform shapes showing some structural defects. Photodecomposition of gaseous acetaldehyde by this photocatalyst was also conducted under UV and visible light irradiation to study the photocatalytic properties of the doped TiO2 photocatalyst. While no photocatalytic activity was observed under visible light irradiation, this doped TiO2 photocatalyst exhibited high photocatalytic activity under UV light. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Shon, HK, Puntsho, S, Vigneswaran, S, Kandasamy, J, Kim, JB, Park, HJ & Kim, IS 2010, 'PVDF-TiO2 coated microfiltration membranes: preparation and characterization', MEMBRANE WATER TREATMENT, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 193-206.
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© 2017 Techno-Press, Ltd. Organic fouling and biofouling pose a significant challenge to the membrane filtration process. Photocatalysis-membrane hybrid system is a novel idea for reducing these membranes fouling however, when TiO 2 photocatalyst nanoparticles are used in suspension, catalyst recovery is not only imposes an extra step on the process but also significantly contributes to increased membrane resistance and reduced permeate flux. In this study, TiO 2 photocatalyst has been immobilized by coating on the microfiltration (MF) membrane surface to minimize organic and microbial fouling. Nano-sized TiO 2 was first synthesized by a sol-gel method. The synthesized TiO 2 was coated on a Poly Vinyl Difluoride (PVDF) membrane (MF) surface using spray coating and dip coating techniques to obtain hybrid functional composite membrane. The characteristics of the synthesized photocatalyst and a functional composite membrane were studied using numerous instruments in terms of physical, chemical and electrical properties. In comparison to the clean PVDF membrane, the TiO 2 coated MF membrane was found more effective in removing methylene blue (20%) and E-coli (99%).

Shon, HK, Vigneswaran, S, El Saliby, I, Okour, Y, Kim, IS, Cho, J, Park, HJ, Kim, JB & Kim, J-H 2010, 'Hydrogen production affected by Pt concentration on TiO₂produced from the incineration of dye wastewater flocculated sludge using titanium tetrachloride', Desalination and Water Treatment, vol. 15, no. 1-3, pp. 214-221.
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TiO2 from the incineration of dye wastewater flocculated sludge using TiCl4 coagulant was produced. Optimal catalyst amount and Pt-loading on TiO2 were studied for the production of H2 by photocatalytic reforming of methanol (6% vol.). On the other hand, BTSE (biologically treated sewage effluent) was flocculated using TiCl4 and produced sludge was incinerated to generate TiO2. TiO2 was loaded with optimum Pt and added to the supernatant in a photocatalytic reactor to test the efficiency of using remaining organics as a âsacrificial reagent❠for photocatalytic hydrogen production. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and molecular weight distribution (MWD) were measured for nanofiltration (NF) and TiCl4 flocculation followed by photocatalysis. TiO2 (from the incineration of BTSE flocculated sludge using TiCl4) was produced and loaded with 0.5% Pt. Results showed that the optimum concentration of TiO2 (from dye wastewater) for H2 production was 0.3 g/L, while the optimum amount of Pt was 0.5%. DOC and MWD removal was similar for the flocculation of BTSE followed by photocatalytic reaction and the NF process. Remaining organic compounds after flocculation could not be used as sacrificial reagent to induce H2 production. Further investigations on studying the UV intensity and/or identifying organic/inorganic scavengers to inhibit H2 production are underway.

Shon, HK, Vigneswaran, S, El Saliby, I, Okour, Y, Kim, IS, Cho, J, Park, HJ, Kim, JB & Kim, J-H 2010, 'Hydrogen production affected by Pt concentration on TiO2 produced from the incineration of dye wastewater flocculated sludge using titanium tetrachloride', DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, vol. 15, no. 1-3, pp. 214-221.
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Tadkaew, N, Sivakumar, M, Khan, SJ, McDonald, JA & Nghiem, LD 2010, 'Effect of mixed liquor pH on the removal of trace organic contaminants in a membrane bioreactor', Bioresource Technology, vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1494-1500.
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Tu, KL, Nghiem, LD & Chivas, AR 2010, 'Boron removal by reverse osmosis membranes in seawater desalination applications', Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 87-101.
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Turner, BD, Binning, PJ & Sloan, SW 2010, 'Impact of Phosphate on Fluoride Removal by Calcite', Environmental Engineering Science, vol. 27, no. 8, pp. 643-650.
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Vogel, D, Simon, A, Alturki, AA, Bilitewski, B, Price, WE & Nghiem, LD 2010, 'Effects of fouling and scaling on the retention of trace organic contaminants by a nanofiltration membrane: The role of cake-enhanced concentration polarisation', Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 256-263.
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Wright, JT, Byers, JE, Koukoumaftsis, LP, Ralph, PJ & Gribben, PE 2010, 'Native species behaviour mitigates the impact of habitat-forming invasive seaweed', OECOLOGIA, vol. 163, no. 2, pp. 527-534.
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Habitat-forming invasive species cause large, novel changes to the abiotic environment. These changes may elicit important behavioural responses in native fauna, yet little is known about mechanisms driving this behaviour and how such trait-mediated responses influence the fitness of native species. Low dissolved oxygen is a key abiotic change created by the habitat-forming invasive seaweed, Caulerpa taxifolia, which influences an important behavioural response (burrowing depth) in the native infaunal bivalve Anadara trapezia. In Caulerpa-colonised areas, Anadara often emerged completely from the sediment, and we experimentally demonstrate that water column hypoxia beneath the Caulerpa canopy is the mechanism instigating this 'pop-up' behaviour. Importantly, pop-up in Caulerpa allowed similar survivorship to that in unvegetated sediment; however, when we prevented Anadara from popping-up, they suffered >50% mortality in just 1 month. Our findings not only highlight the substantial environmental alteration by Caulerpa, but also an important role for the behaviour of native species in mitigating the effects of habitat-forming invasive species. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Xie, W-M, Ni, B-J, Sheng, G-P, Yu, H-Q & Yang, M 2010, 'Substrate consumption and excess sludge reduction of activated sludge in the presence of uncouplers: a modeling approach', Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 85, no. 6, pp. 2001-2008.
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Xie, W-M, Ni, B-J, Zeng, RJ, Sheng, G-P, Yu, H-Q, Song, J, Le, D-Z, Bi, X-J, Liu, C-Q & Yang, M 2010, 'Formation of soluble microbial products by activated sludge under anoxic conditions', Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 373-382.
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Xing, W, Guo, W, Ngo, H-H, Cullum, P & Listowski, A 2010, 'Integration of Inorganic Micronutrients and Natural Starch Based Cationic Flocculant in Primary Treated Sewage Effluent (PTSE) Treatment', SEPARATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 619-625.
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In this study, a natural starch-based cationic flocculant (SBCF) was first evaluated using a granular activated carbon fluidized-bed bioreactor (GAC-FBBR) to treat a high strength synthetic domestic wastewater (primary treated sewage effluent) containing

Xing, W, Ngo, H-H, Guo, W, Wu, Z, Nguyen, TT, Cullum, P, Listowski, A & Yang, N 2010, 'Enhancement of the performance of anaerobic fluidized bed bioreactors (AFBBRs) by a new starch based flocculant', SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY, vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 140-146.
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In this study, laboratory-scale anaerobic fluidized bed bioreactors (AFBBRs) using granular activated carbon as bedding material were employed for treating a primary treated sewage effluent (PTSE) with or without refractory organic pollutants (ROPs). A new starch based flocculant (NSBF) combining a nature starch based cationic flocculants and trace nutrients was prepared and applied in the AFBBR. The impact of NSBF on the performance of AFBBR was mainly evaluated in terms of organic and nutrient removal and microbial activity. Membrane fouling based on critical flux was assessed when the bioreactor used as pretreatment for microfiltration. The results indicated that the addition of NSBF in AFBBR (NSBF-AFBBR) not only attained improved organic (9-10%) and nutrient removal (10-20%), higher biomass growth (3.0 gbiomass/LGAC) and net bed expansion (18 cm), but also doubled the critical flux (from 15 L/m3 h to 30 L/m3 h) in the microfiltration system. In addition, NSBF-AFBBR could retain 10% better DOC removal efficiency at different recirculation rates for treating PTSE with ROPs. When increasing organic loading rate from 21.6 kg COD/m3 d to 43.2 kg COD/m3 d, NSBF-AFBBR achieved comparatively constant organic removal of 55% whereas the efficiency in AFBBR alone decreased dramatically from 47% to 34%. Thus, NSBF could act as a performance enhancer for AFBBR. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Yisgedu, TB, Chen, X, Lingam, HK, Huang, Z, Meyers, EA, Shore, SG & Zhao, J-C 2010, 'Intermolecular dihydrogen- and hydrogen-bonding interactions in diammoniumcloso-decahydrodecaborate sesquihydrate', Acta Crystallographica Section C Crystal Structure Communications, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. m1-m3.
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Zhang, Z, Fu, Q & Huang, J 2010, 'A Simple Way for Synthesis of Alkyne‐Telechelic Poly(methyl methacrylate) via Single Electron Transfer Radical Coupling Reaction', Chinese Journal of Chemistry, vol. 28, no. 8, pp. 1327-1330.
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AbstractThe telechelic α,ω‐alkyne‐poly(methyl methacrylate) (alkyne‐PMMA‐alkyne) was synthesized by single electron transfer radical coupling (SETRC) reaction of α‐alkyne, ω‐bromine‐poly(methyl methacrylate) (alkyne‐ PMMA‐Br). The propargyl 2‐bomoisobutyrate (PgBiB) was first prepared to initiate atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate at 45°C using CuCl/1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyl triethylenetetramine (HMTETA) as homogeneous catalytic system. Then the SETRC reaction was conducted at room temperature in the presence of nascent Cu(0) and N,N,N′,N′ ′,N′ ′‐pentamethyldiethyllenetriamine (PMDETA). The precursor alkyne‐PMMA‐Br and coupled product alkyne‐PMMA‐alkyne were characterized by GPC and 1H NMR in detail.

Zhao, B-H, Mu, Y, Dong, F, Ni, B-J, Zhao, J-B, Sheng, G-P, Yu, H-Q, Li, Y-Y & Harada, H 2010, 'Dynamic Modeling the Anaerobic Reactor Startup Process', Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 49, no. 16, pp. 7193-7200.
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Ben-Aim, R, Chinu, KJ, Johir, MH, Vigneswaran, S & Kandasamy, JK 1970, 'New sources of water: Optimizing the use of membranes for their production', IWA Regional Conference and Exhibition on Membrane Technology & Water Reuse, IWA, Istabul-Turkey, pp. 1025-1027.
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In many parts of the world water stress is predicted to occur in a near future. Membrane technology can help address this issue but the use of membranes has to be optimized for obtaining suitable water quality in an acceptable economic and ecological manner. Eventually the use of membranes could introduce a shift from a centralized water management to a decentralized one. The three potential new sources of water are treated wastewater or wastewater reuse, seawater and brackish water, rainwater including stormwater.

Far, H, Fatahi, B & Samali, B 1970, 'Seismic Behaviour of Steel Moment Resisting Buildings on Soft Soil Considering Soil-Structure Interaction', Proceeding of the 14 European Conference on Earthquake Engineering 2010, European Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Macedonian Association for Earthquake Engineering (MAEE), Ohrid, Macedonia, pp. 1720-1727.
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The 1985 Mexico City and many other recent earthquakes clearly illustrate the importance of local soil properties on the earthquake response of structures. These earthquakes demonstrated that the rock motions could be amplified at the base of the structure. Therefore, there is a strong engineering motivation for a site-dependent dynamic response analysis for many foundations to determine the free-field earthquake motions. The determination of a realistic site-dependent free-field surface motion at the base of the structure can be the most important step in the earthquake resistant design of structures. In this study, the effects of Soil-Structure Interaction on seismic behaviour of steel moment resisting building frames have been studied using Finite Difference Method. Two types of mid-rise structures, including 5 and 15 storey buildings on a soft soil deposit have been selected and analysed under influence of three different earthquake acceleration records. The above mentioned frames been analysed under two different boundary conditions: (i) fixed-base (no soil-structure interaction), and (ii) flexible-base (considering soil-structure interaction). The results of the analyses in terms of structural forces and lateral displacements for the above mentioned boundary conditions have been compared and discussed. It is concluded that the dynamic soil-structure interaction plays a significant role in the seismic behaviour of the mentioned building frames including substantial increment in lateral inter-storey drifts of the structures and changing the performance level of the structures from life safe to near collapse or total collapse. Thus, Considering SSI effects in seismic design of steel moment resisting building frames resting on soft soil deposit is essential.

Far, H, Samali, B & Fatahi, B 1970, 'Effects of Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction on Inelastic Behaviour of Mid-Rise Moment Resisting Buildings on Soft Soils', AEES Conference 2010 - Australian Earthquake Engineering Society 2010 Conference, Australian Earthquake Engineering Society Conference, Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, Perth, Western Australia, pp. 1-11.
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In this study, a ten storey moment resisting building frame, representing the conventional type of regular mid-rise building frames, resting on shallow foundation, is selected in conjunction with a clayey soil, representing subsoil class Ee, as classified in the AS 1170.4. The structural sections are designed after applying dynamic nonlinear time history analysis, based on both elastic method, and inelastic procedure using elastic-perfectly plastic behaviour of structural elements. The frame sections are modelled and analysed, employing Finite Difference Method using FLAC 2D software under two different boundary conditions: (i) fixed-base (no Soil-Structure Interaction), and (ii) considering Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI). Fully nonlinear dynamic analysis under influence of different earthquake records is conducted and the results of the two different cases for elastic and inelastic behaviour of the structural model are extracted and compared respectively. The results indicate that the lateral deflection increments for both cases are substantially dominating and can change the performance level of the structures from life safe to near collapse or total collapse. Therefore, conventional elastic and inelastic structural analysis methods assuming fixed-base structure may no longer be adequate to guarantee the structural safety. Therefore, considering SSI effects in seismic design of concrete moment resisting building frames resting on soft soil deposit is essential.

Fatahi, B, Far, H & Samali, B 1970, 'Influence Of Soil Characteristics On Seismic Response Of Mid-Rise Moment Resisting Buildings Considering Soil-Structure Interaction', Seismic Engineering Design for Management of Geohazards - Proceedings of the 2010 Symposium, Seismic Engineering Design for Management of Geohazards, The Australian Geomechanics Society, Sydney, NSW, Australia, pp. 67-74.
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In this study, a fifteen storey moment resisting building frame, representing the conventional types of regular mid-rise building frames, resting on a shallow foundation, is selected in conjunction with three soil types with the shear wave velocity less that 600m/s, representing classes Ce, De and Ee, according to AS 1170.4. Characteristics of the employed soils have been extracted from the available geotechnical investigation reports of various projects. Furthermore, the structure is modelled considering the three mentioned types of the subsoil medium underneath employing the Finite Difference approach using FLAC 2D software. Three strong ground motion records adopted by the international community as benchmark earthquakes are used. These are the 1968 Hachinohe, the 1995 Kobe and the 1994 Northridge earthquakes. Fully nonlinear dynamic analysis under influence of different earthquake records is conducted, and the results of the three different cases are compared and discussed. The results indicate that the dynamic properties of the subsoil play a significant role in seismic response of the building frames under the influence of soil-structure interaction. As the shear wave velocity of the subsoil decreases, lateral deflections and inter-storey drifts of the structures increase which can change the performance level of the structures from life safe to near collapse or total collapse.

Hill, R, Brown, C, DeZeeuw, K, Campbell, D & Ralph, PJ 1970, 'Increased rate of D1 repair in coral symbionts during bleaching is insufficient to counter accelerated photoinactivation', Euro ISRS Symposium 2010, Grafisch Service Center, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 87-87.

Khan, A, Khan, EU, Nasir, AB & Khabbaz, H 1970, 'Methods for Estimating Internal Erosion in Embankment Dams', Proceedings of the International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering, International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering, Pakistan Geotechnical Engineering Society (PGES), Lahore, Pakistan, pp. 129-135.
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Historical data shows that piping failure is one of the most common modes of failure in dams. To evaluate the safety of dams it is necessary to estimate the internal erosion rate based on precise geotechnical and soil hydraulic properties. This paper presents two methods for estimating the internal erosion through embankment dams. The findings of this paper indicate that a combination of these two methods can lead to a more robust and reliable set of results when estimating internal erosion of embankment dams.

Nguyen, TV, Rahman, A, Vigneswaran, S, Ngo, HH, Chang, JS & Chang, CY 1970, 'The uptake of arsenite by coprecipitation and adsorption on iron oxide coated sponge', Arsenic in Geosphere and Human Diseases, As 2010 - 3rd International Congress: Arsenic in the Environment, 3rd International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment, CRC PRESS-TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP, Natl Cheng Kung Univ, Dept Earth Sci, Tainan, TAIWAN, pp. 450-452.

Parsa Pajouh, A, Fatahi, B & Khabbaz, H 1970, 'Uncertainties of Smear Zone Characteristics in the Design of Preloading with Prefabricated Vertical Drains', The 4th International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Mechanics (ICSESM 2010), International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Mechanics, Iranian Geotechnical Society (IGS), Tehran, Iran, pp. 1-8.
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Installing prefabricated vertical drains using mandrels induces disturbance of the soil surrounding the drain, resulting in a smear zone with the reduced permeability. The required time for pore pressure dissipation in preloading design is strongly associated with the smear zone characteristics. In this study, the effects of smear zone properties on preloading time are numerically investigated. Parametric study is conducted to find out the range of smear zone parameters significantly influencing the consolidation period. It is observed that the characteristics of smear zone namely size and permeability have a substantial impact on the preloading design to achieve certain soil strength and stiffness satisfying both bearing capacity and settlement design criteria.

Schrameyer, V, Kraemer, W, Hill, R, Doblin, MA, Kai, B & Ralph, PJ 1970, 'Nutritional status of hard and soft corals influences photosynthesis capacity of Symbiodinium sp. and vitality of the holobiont', Euro ISRS Symposium 2010, Grafisch Service Center, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 108-108.

Shrestha, B & Khabbaz, H 1970, 'Improving Reinforced Soil Performance Incorporating Vertical Reinforcement', Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics, GeoShanghai International Conference 2010, American Society of Civil Engineers, Shanghai, China, pp. 249-254.
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Reinforced soils have been widely used in different variety and range of applications. Applying vertical reinforcement along with conventional horizontal reinforcement, a new concept of soil reinforcement, is proposed in this paper. The primary difference between the general practice and the insertion of vertical reinforcement is that the latter provides passive resistance against shearing, making all the layers intact that will increase the strength and stability of the reinforced soil. Different modes of failure can be tackled by this improvement in reinforced soil technology. Vertical reinforcement cages the soils in different units along with layered by horizontal reinforcement and produce intact effects in soil mass. It enhances the tensile strength and provides bending effects. Likewise, implementing vertical reinforcement reduces the induced tensile stresses in horizontal reinforcement, which results in less length. The main objective of the vertical reinforcement is to stitch horizontal reinforcing layers to each other. This paper also presents possible methods of construction process. This technology can add numerous benefits to the current industry of soil reinforcement.

Sinutok, S, Hill, R, Doblin, MA & Ralph, PJ 1970, 'Rising ocean temperature and ocean acidification will reduce productivity and calcification in Halimeda sp. and benthic foraminifera from the Great Barrier Reef', Euro ISRS Symposium 2010, Grafisch Service Center, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 191-191.

Altaee, A, Karim Bourouni, K & Mohamed Thameur Chaibi, MT UNESCO-EOLSS 2010, WATER DESALINATION BY HUMIDIFICATION AND DEHUMIDIFICATION OF AIR, SEAWATER GREENHOUSE PROCESS, SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION AND PHOTOENERGY SYSTEMS, Tunisia.
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The Seawater Greenhouse (SWGH) is a novel concept which combines natural processes and simple construction techniques to provide a low-cost solution to one of the world's greatest needs - fresh water. SWGH is a new development that offers sustainable solution to the problem of providing water for agriculture in arid coastal regions. The process uses seawater to cool and humidify the air that ventilates the greenhouse and sunlight to distil fresh water from seawater. Fresh water is condensed out of the humid air. This enables the year round cultivation of high value crops that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to grow in hot and arid regions. In this work an overview on the fundamentals and applications of SWGH is presented. It includes basic process design, system configuration, choice of material and components. The process is analyzed from thermodynamic point of view; heat and mass transfer occurring in the different components of seawater greenhouses are detailed. The corresponding models are discussed and analyzed. A particular interest was given to the cooling process of the condenser used in SWGH since it is the major limiting concept. performance of the process in different locations and the influence of the climate conditions (radiation, humidity and wind velocity) are investigated. Finally, a number of pilot plants installed worldwide in Canary Islands, UAE and Oman are presented and their performances discussed The

Chartrand, KM, McKenna, SA, Petrou, K, Jimenez Denness, IM, Franklin, J, Sankey, TL, Hedge, SA, Rasheed, M & Ralph, PJ DEEDI Publication 2010, Port Curtis Benthic Primary Producer Habitat Assessment and Health Studies Update: Interim Report December 2010, pp. 1-128, Cairns.