Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhen Li, Anran Fang, Han Cui, Jie Ding, Bingfeng Liu, Guojun Xie, Nanqi Ren, Defeng Xing
Summary: The research reveals that cross-feeding interactions between Ethanoligenens harbinense and Geobacter sulfurreducens in microbial electrolysis cells can enhance hydrogen production and improve substrate conversion efficiency, offering an effective strategy to increase energy recovery from wastes.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jamile Mohammadi Moradian, Jian-Li Mi, Xinyan Dai, Guo-Feng Sun, Jing Du, Xiao-Mei Ye, Yang-Chun Yong
Summary: This study reports the use of a yeast strain to produce three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (3D rGO) hydrogel anodes, which significantly enhance the performance of yeast-based microbial fuel cells (MFCs) in producing bioelectricity and biohydrogen from xylose. The improved performance can be attributed to the increased yeast cell attachment and reduced charge transfer resistance on the surface of the 3D rGO hydrogel.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jiangbo Li, Kai Wang, Shaojie Wang, Haijia Su
Summary: This study developed spatially-ordered layer-by-layer biofilms to enhance the cooperation efficiency between two strains and achieved a significant increase in hydrogen production compared to suspended fermentation and mixed biofilms. By optimizing the mixed ratios of the two strains, the highest hydrogen accumulation was obtained at an inoculation volume ratio of A1:B1 = 1:1. Furthermore, the biofilm system showed stable hydrogen production performance during 5 repeat batches of fermentation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yanli Guo, Zhuang Chen, Shaohui Zhang
Summary: This study investigated a new startup strategy and operation performance for methane-fueled microbial fuel cells (MFCs), successfully starting up the MFC in a short time by pre-cultivating an adapted culture and optimizing conditions with increased concentrations of molybdenum and tungsten. The methane-fueled MFC achieved a maximum power density of 166 mW/m(3), demonstrating the effectiveness of the new startup strategy and operational conditions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xue Ning, Chen Deng, Xihui Kang, Richard O'Shea, David M. Wall, Richen Lin, Jerry D. Murphy
Summary: This research investigates the optimization of biomethane yield from grass silage and cattle slurry through biochar-supplemented two-stage anaerobic digestion. The results demonstrate that the addition of biochar can increase methane production and improve the electrochemical properties of the digester contents.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Sufiyan Siddiqui, Pranshul Bhatnagar, Sahej Dhingra, Utkarsh Upadhyay, I. Sreedhar
Summary: In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for efficient and sustainable energy generation methods from waste products, as well as wastewater treatment, due to the exponential increase in effluent-laden wastewater from industries, the agricultural sector, and the food sector. Microbial fuel cells offer a potential solution to these issues by performing bioelectrochemical processes to generate power from organic biodegradable compounds. However, they still face economic and scientific challenges.
BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Mochamad Arief Budihardjo, Syafrudin, Agus Jatnika Effendi, Syarif Hidayat, Candra Purnawan, Ayudya Izzati Dyah Lantasi, Fadel Iqbal Muhammad, Bimastyaji Surya Ramadan
Summary: This review article discusses the potential of solid-phase microbial fuel cells as a source of electrical energy from solid waste processing. It highlights the advantages and challenges of using SMFCs for treating solid waste, and notes that optimizing key factors can increase electricity generation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Tae Hyun Chung, Bipro Ranjan Dhar
Summary: The global generation of food waste is increasing, but it contains biodegradable organics that can be converted into clean energy. Traditional waste valorization technologies have limitations, while microbial electrochemical technologies are considered promising for efficiently harvesting energy and products from food waste.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Laszlo Kook, Nandor Nemestothy, Katalin Belafi-Bako, Peter Bakonyi
Summary: Biohydrogen production from dark fermentation is a practical pathway for scaling-up, but incomplete conversion of feedstock leaves behind process effluent with notable organic strength. The main components of dark fermentation effluents are volatile fatty acids that can be utilized by integrated applications involving microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for generating electrical energy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Mohamed Saad Hellal, Filip Gamon, Grzegorz Cema, Gamal Kamel Hassan, Gehad Ginedy Mohamed, Aleksandra Ziembinska-Buczynska
Summary: This study investigated the enrichment of biohydrogen production from pretreated industrial sludge using SiO2@Cu-Ag core-shell nanostructure. The results showed that the addition of 40 mg/L of core-shell nanostructure significantly improved the biohydrogen yield and promoted the development of hydrogen-producing bacteria.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Supriya Gupta, Ashmita Patro, Yamini Mittal, Saurabh Dwivedi, Palak Saket, Rupobrata Panja, Tanveer Saeed, Fernando Martinez, Asheesh Kumar Yadav
Summary: Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising technology that converts chemical energy into electricity. This review examines the development of MFC technology from the lab to the field, including different variants such as sediment-microbial fuel cell (S-MFC), plant-microbial fuel cell (P-MFC), and integrated constructed wetlands-microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC). The review also evaluates the commercialization potential and challenges of these technologies.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
K. B. Sasidhar, P. Senthil Kumar, Leilei Xiao
Summary: With the increasing concern over global warming, a growing number of countries have joined the net-zero coalition to reduce fossil fuel consumption. Additionally, there is a strong focus on reducing the pollution load from waste biomass. Sequential biohydrogen and biomethane production has been found to offer operational stability, higher energy yield, and cleaner by-products. This review provides insights and discusses the challenges of scaling up biohydrogen and biomethane production, as well as the viability of Hythane as a clean and renewable fuel with over 40% reduction in carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions.
Article
Microbiology
Marie Abadikhah, Miguel de Celis Rodriguez, Frank Persson, Britt-Marie Wilen, Anne Farewell, Oskar Modin
Summary: The study investigated the composition and performance of microbial communities in different types of MECs, revealing that the initial colonization of electrogenic bacteria was stochastic. Negative correlations were found between different putatively electrogenic Deltaproteobacteria on the anode, possibly due to competition for the conductive anode surface. The cathode communities were dominated by hydrogen-utilizing taxa and had a lower proportion of negative correlations.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Luisa Bloebaum, Cees Haringa, Alexander Gruenberger
Summary: Bioprocesses are often scaled up to produce large quantities of products. However, with larger volumes, mixing becomes less efficient and environmental gradients become more significant, which can affect microbial metabolism and hinder prediction of large-scale performance. An effective method for understanding microbial population dynamics in large-scale bioprocesses is the analysis of microbial lifelines, which describe a microbe's experience of environmental gradients over time. Current lifeline determination methods primarily use computational fluid dynamics, but advances in flow-following sensor particles and microfluidic single-cell cultivation offer new interdisciplinary possibilities. We critically review current lifeline concepts and challenges, as well as strategies for integrating lifeline analysis into bioprocess development. Lifelines can guide scale-down experiments, identify targets for strain engineering, and optimize bioreactors, thus contributing to successful scale-up.
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
A. A. Kovalev, D. A. Kovalev, A. N. Nozhevnikova, E. A. Zhuravleva, I. Katraeva, V. S. Grigoriev, Yu Litti
Summary: This study examined the effects of low digestate recirculation ratio on biofuel and bioenergy recovery in a two-stage anaerobic digestion process. Results showed that a low RR can improve the performance of the system, with the best recovery achieved at an RR of 0.11.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ahmed Taha, Mauricio Paton, Farrukh Ahmad, Jorge Rodriguez
Summary: This study developed a mechanistic biokinetic model to provide a theoretical accurate description for treating water contaminated with nitrate. The model successfully described the complex processes and the impact of design parameters on system performance, especially the effects of changing applied voltage and hydraulic retention time.
Article
Polymer Science
Kuen Hee Eom, Shuwei Li, Eun Gyeong Lee, Jae Ho Kim, Jung Rae Kim, Il Kim
Summary: Cell-penetrating peptides are facilitated by the presence of arginine or other guanidinium groups. However, little research has been done on the impact of these functional groups on antimicrobial peptides. In this study, a series of cationic linear, star, and multi-branched copolymers were synthesized and their antibacterial efficacy was tested. The results showed that the structure and composition of the copolymers significantly influenced their antibacterial activity, with the multi-branched structure exhibiting the highest efficacy.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Minsoo Kim, Shuwei Li, Da Seul Kong, Young Eun Song, Soo -Yong Park, Hyoung-il Kim, Jungho Jae, Ildoo Chung, Jung Rae Kim
Summary: The interactions between microbes and the anode surface are crucial for capturing respiratory electrons in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The chemical and electrochemical characteristics of carbon materials affect biofilm growth and electron transfer in MFCs. This study investigated the electrodeposition of polydopamine (PDA) and polypyrrole (PPY) on a graphite felt electrode. The MFC with modified PDA/PPY-GF exhibited significantly higher electrochemical performance compared to other electrodes, demonstrating the potential of co-doped PDA/PPY to enhance biofilm development and improve bioelectrochemical performance in MFCs.
Article
Electrochemistry
Jiyun Baek, Changman Kim, Young Eun Song, Da Seul Kong, Sakuntala Mutyala, Eun-Hee Seol, Jung Rae Kim
Summary: This paper reports an electrode-assisted non-native pathway regulation using a potentiostat to induce a change in intracellular redox state via bacteria-electrode electron transfer. By controlling the electrode potential, the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid or 1,3-propanediol in E. coli was increased or enhanced, respectively.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei-Jin Zhang, Shuwei Li, Yong-Zhu Yan, Sung Soo Park, Anandhu Mohan, Ildoo Chung, Suk-kyun Ahn, Jung Rae Kim, Chang-Sik Ha
Summary: In this study, a novel MXene-based nanocarrier was developed for drug delivery, which exhibited excellent drug-loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency. The MXene nanosheets also demonstrated outstanding dual-responsive properties and exhibited excellent antibacterial activity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei-Jin Zhang, Shuwei Li, Veena Vijayan, Jun Seok Lee, Sung Soo Park, Xiuguo Cui, Ildoo Chung, Jaejun Lee, Suk-kyun Ahn, Jung Rae Kim, In-Kyu Park, Chang-Sik Ha
Summary: In this study, a responsive nanoparticle system was designed for efficient chemotherapy drug delivery and antibacterial applications. The nanoparticles showed superior biocompatibility and stability, and exhibited excellent photothermal conversion efficiency and extinction coefficient. Additionally, the nanoparticles demonstrated both ROS-responsive and pH-responsive release performance of the chemotherapy drug, as well as high antibacterial activity.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Ziang Kong, Han Wang, Guoliang Yan, Qun Yan, Jung Rae Kim
Summary: The effects of limited dissolved oxygen (DO) on hydrogenotrophic denitrification at biocathode were investigated using a bioelectrochemical system. It was found that total nitrogen removal increased by 5.9% when DO reached about 0.24 mg/L with the cathodic chamber unplugged (group R_Exposure). The presence of limited DO not only influenced the nitrogen metabolic pathway, but also enriched the composition of microbial communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria accordingly.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Da Seul Kong, Minsoo Kim, Shuewi Li, Sakuntala Mutyala, Min Jang, Changman Kim, Jung Rae Kim
Summary: The bacterial redox state plays a crucial role in regulating the titer and yield of final metabolites in bioconversion processes. In this study, the use of zero-valent iron (ZVI) in glycerol bioconversion of Klebsiella pneumoniae L17 led to an increase in 1,3-propanediol (PDO) production and the cellular NADH/NAD+ ratio. The implementation of ZVI in the fermentation process shifted the bioconversion towards a more glycerol-reductive pathway. These findings suggest that ZVI can induce intracellular metabolic shifts and contribute to the biotransformation of PDO. Furthermore, this study provides insight into a novel microbial fermentation strategy involving microbially influenced corrosion (MIC).
FERMENTATION-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ahmed Taha, Mauricio Paton, David Penas, Julio Banga, Jorge Rodriguez
Summary: In this study, a method is developed to evaluate the feasibility of alternative metabolic pathways in microbes by optimizing the energy yield and driving forces of metabolic intermediates. The method uses thermodynamic principles and multi-objective optimization to consider different pathway variants. Other constraints, such as the balance of conserved components, are also taken into account. The method transforms the maximum energy yield problem into a multi-objective mixed-integer linear optimization problem and solves it using the epsilon-constraint method. The methodology is applied to analyze different pathways in propionate oxidation and CO2 fixation by microbes.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Viktoria Bendikova, Tim Patterson, Savvas Savvas, Sandra Esteves
Summary: Biological power to methane can convert CO2 and renewable H2 into synthetic methane gas, providing strategic benefits such as compatible fuel with existing infrastructure, increased energy security, carbon recycling to replace fossil carbon extraction, renewable energy storage, and transportation and storage of hydrogen. However, broader deployment requires policy and economic modifications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sakuntala Mutyala, Shuwei Li, Himanshu Khandelwal, Da Seul Kong, Jung Rae Kim
Summary: This study found that acetate can be converted to succinate under microaerobic conditions by overexpressing citrate synthase (gltA) in Pseudomonas putida. The gltA-KT strain showed a nearly 50% improvement in succinate production compared to the wild type. Under optimal pH of 7.5, the accumulation of succinate was approximately 400% higher than that of the wild type. Overall, gltA overexpression alone resulted in 9.5% of the maximum theoretical yield in a minimal medium with acetate as the sole carbon source. This highlights the importance of citrate synthase in acetate conversion to succinate by P. putida under microaerobic conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vishnu Murali, Jung Rae Kim, Young-Kwon Park, Jeong-Myeong Ha, Jungho Jae
Summary: This study presents an efficient green approach for the quantitative conversion of PET to high-density C6-C8 cyclic hydrocarbons using a Ru/TiO2 catalyst in a water-assisted biphasic system. The catalyst demonstrated a high selectivity in producing fuel-range C6-C8 cyclic hydrocarbons from PET. The addition of water to the biphasic system enhanced the rate of proton transfer on the catalyst support.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tomas Allegue, Ramis Rafay, Sanjana Chandran, Shady A. Amin, S. Jane Fowler, Jorge Rodriguez
Summary: This preliminary study aims to improve the valerate yields achievable in a lab-scale granular mixed culture fermentation. The results show that exogenous addition of lactate can significantly increase the valerate production and decrease the propionate concentration.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Mauricio Paton, Farida Al-Hosani, Anderson E. Stanciole, Bashir Aden, Andrey Timoshkin, Amrit Sadani, Omar Najim, Cybill A. Cherian, Juan M. Acuna, Jorge Rodriguez
Summary: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on large events is significant. A study on the potential impact of international arrivals due to Expo 2020 in the United Arab Emirates reveals that the number of infected arrivals is the major factor causing a surge in cases, while the vaccination status of visitors has a minor impact.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE MODELLING
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sanjay Nagarajan, Rhys Jon Jones, Lucy Oram, Jaime Massanet-Nicolau, Alan Guwy
Summary: This review focuses on the production of biohydrogen and VFAs from organic wastes. Through a critical analysis of recent literature, intensification strategies including substrate pre-treatment, digestion parameters, and product recovery are discussed. The techno-economic aspects and future research directions are highlighted.
FERMENTATION-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cameron Bracken, Nathalie Voisin, Casey D. Burleyson, Allison M. Campbell, Z. Jason Hou, Daniel Broman
Summary: This study presents a methodology and dataset for examining compound wind and solar energy droughts, as well as the first standardized benchmark of energy droughts across the Continental United States (CONUS) for a 2020 infrastructure. The results show that compound wind and solar droughts have distinct spatial and temporal patterns across the CONUS, and the characteristics of energy droughts are regional. The study also finds that compound high load events occur more often during compound wind and solar droughts than expected.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ning Zhang, Yanghao Yu, Jiawei Wu, Ershun Du, Shuming Zhang, Jinyu Xiao
Summary: This paper provides insights into the optimal configuration of CSP plants with different penetrations of wind power by proposing an unconstrained optimization model. The results suggest that large solar multiples and TES are preferred in order to maximize profit, especially when combined with high penetrations of wind and photovoltaic plants. Additionally, the study demonstrates the economy and feasibility of installing electric heaters (EH) in CSP plants, which show a linear correlation with the penetration of variable energy resources.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
M. Szubel, K. Papis-Fraczek, S. Podlasek
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
J. Silva, J. C. Goncalves, C. Rocha, J. Vilaca, L. M. Madeira
Summary: This study investigated the methanation of CO2 in biogas and compared two different methanation reactors. The results showed that the cooled reactor without CO2 separation achieved a CO2 conversion rate of 91.8%, while the adiabatic reactors achieved conversion rates of 59.6% and 67.2%, resulting in an overall conversion rate of 93.0%. Economic analysis revealed negative net present worth values, indicating the need for government monetary incentives.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yang Liu, Yonglan Xi, Xiaomei Ye, Yingpeng Zhang, Chengcheng Wang, Zhaoyan Jia, Chunhui Cao, Ting Han, Jing Du, Xiangping Kong, Zhongbing Chen
Summary: This study investigated the effect of using nanofiber membrane composites containing Prussian blue-like compound nanoparticles (PNPs) to relieve ammonia nitrogen inhibition of rural organic household waste during high-solid anaerobic digestion and increase methane production. The results showed that adding NMCs with 15% PNPs can lower the concentrations of volatile fatty acids and ammonia nitrogen, and increase methane yield.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhong Ge, Xiaodong Wang, Jian Li, Jian Xu, Jianbin Xie, Zhiyong Xie, Ruiqu Ma
Summary: This study evaluates the thermodynamic, exergy, and economic performance of a double-stage organic flash cycle (DOFC) using ten eco-friendly hydrofluoroolefins. The influences of key parameters on performance are analyzed, and the advantages of DOFC over single-stage type are quantified.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Nicolas Kirchner-Bossi, Fernando Porte-Agel
Summary: This study investigates the optimization of power density in wind farms and its sensitivity to the available area size. A novel genetic algorithm (PDGA) is introduced to optimize power density and turbine layout. The results show that the PDGA-driven solutions significantly reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) compared to the default layout, and exhibit a convex relationship between area and LCOE or power density.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chunxiao Zhang, Dongdong Li, Lin Wang, Qingpo Yang, Yutao Guo, Wei Zhang, Chao Shen, Jihong Pu
Summary: In this study, a novel reversible liquid-filled energy-saving window that effectively regulates indoor solar radiation heat gain is proposed. Experimental results show that this window can effectively reduce indoor temperature during both summer and winter seasons, while having minimal impact on indoor illuminance.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Alessandro L. Aguiar, Martinho Marta-Almeida, Mauro Cirano, Janini Pereira, Leticia Cotrim da Cunha
Summary: This study analyzed the Brazilian Equatorial Shelf using a high-resolution ocean model and found significant tidal variations in the area. Several hypothetical barrages were proposed with higher annual power generation than existing barrages. The study also evaluated the installation effort of these barrages.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Francesco Superchi, Nathan Giovannini, Antonis Moustakis, George Pechlivanoglou, Alessandro Bianchini
Summary: This study focuses on the optimization of a hybrid power station on the Tilos island in Greece, aiming to increase energy export and revenue by optimizing energy fluxes. Different scenarios are proposed to examine the impact of different agreements with the grid operator on the optimal solution.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Peimaneh Shirazi, Amirmohammad Behzadi, Pouria Ahmadi, Sasan Sadrizadeh
Summary: This research presents two novel energy production/storage/usage systems to reduce energy consumption and environmental effects in buildings. A biomass-fired model and a solar-driven system integrated with photovoltaic thermal (PVT) panels and a heat pump were designed and assessed. The results indicate that the solar-based system has an acceptable energy cost and the PVT-based system with a heat pump is environmentally superior. The biomass-fired system shows excellent efficiency.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zihao Qi, Yingling Cai, Yunxiang Cui
Summary: This study aims to investigate the operational characteristics of the solar-ground source heat pump system (SGSHPS) in Shanghai under different operation modes. It concludes that tandem operation mode 1 is the optimal mode for winter operation in terms of energy efficiency.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
L. Bartolucci, S. Cordiner, A. Di Carlo, A. Gallifuoco, P. Mele, V. Mulone
Summary: Spent coffee grounds are a valuable biogenic waste that can be used as a source of biofuels and valuable chemicals through pyrolysis and solvent extraction processes. The study found that heavy organic bio-oil derived from coffee grounds can be used as a carbon-rich biofuel, while solvent extraction can extract xantines and p-benzoquinone, which are important chemicals for various industries. The results highlight the promising potential of solvent extraction in improving the economic viability of coffee grounds pyrolysis-based biorefineries.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Luiza de Queiroz Correa, Diego Bagnis, Pedro Rabelo Melo Franco, Esly Ferreira da Costa Junior, Andrea Oliveira Souza da Costa
Summary: Building-integrated photovoltaics, especially organic solar technology, are important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. This study analyzed the performance of organic panels laminated in glass in a vertical installation in Latin America. Results showed that glass lamination and vertical orientation preserved the panels' performance and led to higher energy generation in winter.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhipei Hu, Shuo Jiang, Zhigao Sun, Jun Li
Summary: This study proposes innovative fin arrangements to enhance the thermal performance of latent heat storage units. Through optimization of fin distribution and prediction of transient melting behaviors, it is found that fin structures significantly influence heat transfer characteristics and melting behaviors.
