Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tim Hulsen, Samuel Stegman, Damien J. Batstone, Gabriel Capson-Tojo
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of utilizing anaerobic purple phototrophic bacteria to produce single cell protein from piggery and chicken processing wastewater. The harvested biomass has high protein contents and can be used as a high-quality feed. The biofilm reactors showed efficient removal of COD, N, and P, with high productivities.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
S. Shaikh, N. Rashid, G. McKay, A. R. Liberski, H. R. Mackey
Summary: This research investigates the integration of purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) biomass production with treatment of fuel synthesis wastewater (FSW) for a low-cost substrate and improved harvesting through biofilm formation. The study shows that a nitrogen-deficient biofilm-based system has potential to reduce costs while producing high value-added resources.
BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tim Hulsen, Christian Zuger, Zuo Meng Gan, Damien J. Batstone, David Solley, Pip Ochre, Brett Porter, Gabriel Capson-Tojo
Summary: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a 10 m long PPB-enriched flat plate photobioreactor for resource recovery from poultry processing wastewater. Different operational strategies were tested, and the reactor showed efficient removal of volatile fatty acids, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The biomass produced can be potentially used as feed, with a suitable amino acid profile.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
P. S. Goh, K. C. Wong, A. F. Ismail
Summary: In recent years, the harmful effects of saline wastewater discharge have garnered public concerns, prompting the use of membrane technology for treatment and resource recovery. Pressure-driven, osmotically-driven, thermally-driven, and electrically-driven membrane processes each have unique features and limitations that can contribute to improving treatment efficiency and sustainability.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Zi-Yan Yang, Feng Gao, Jun-Zhi Liu, Jin-Sheng Yang, Mei Liu, Ya-Ming Ge, Dong-Zhi Chen, Jian-Meng Chen
Summary: Saline wastewater was found to improve the sedimentation and lipid production of freshwater microalgae. A salinity of 0.5% or above effectively promoted the settling of microalgae and reduced algal biomass in the effluent. The mechanism behind this improvement involved changes in zeta potential, cell particle size, and extracellular polymeric substance synthesis, which varied with the influent salinity.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Ranjna Sirohi, Jaemin Joun, Ji Young Lee, Byung Sun Yu, Sang Jun Sim
Summary: This review discusses the use of novel microalgal-bacterial consortium as a solution for the treatment and resource recovery of dairy, starch and aquaculture wastewater. Biofilm reactors containing anaerobic and aerobic sludge have shown high COD and nutrient removal efficiency in the treatment of dairy and starch processing wastewater. However, treatment of aquaculture processing wastewater requires a salt-tolerant bacteria-microalgae consortium.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ojima Z. Wada, Annette Shoba Vincent, Hamish R. Mackey
Summary: The large-scale production of single-cell protein (SCP) using purple non-sulphur bacteria (PNSB) shows great potential in addressing food insecurity and water scarcity issues, as well as reducing the cost of wastewater treatment. PNSB is metabolically versatile and contains valuable bioproducts, such as protein and other nutrients. It has been found that PNSB-based aquafeed can enhance growth and boost immunity in aquaculture. This review highlights the advantages, components, challenges, and future outlooks of PNSB-based SCP production, emphasizing its importance.
REVIEWS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND BIO-TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Hassimi Abu Hasan, Mohd Hafizuddin Muhamad, Bin Ji, Nur Aisyah Nazairi, Koh Weng Jiat, Saffi Irdina Sim Wan Azlan Sim, Amir Fitri Muhammad Shafiq Poh
Summary: Rising concerns about environmental pollution, diminishing water resources, and circular economy in waste management have led to a need for traditional wastewater treatment approaches. Microalgae-based technology offers a potential solution, but research is needed to address challenges. This review examines the applications of microalgae in domestic, industrial, and agro-industrial wastewater and analyzes various factors that impact treatment effectiveness. Microalgae-based wastewater treatment shows promise but requires strategic consideration.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Shashi Kant Bhatia, Vishal Ahuja, Neha Chandel, Sanjeet Mehariya, Pradeep Kumar, Vandana Vinayak, Ganesh Dattatraya Saratale, Tirath Raj, Sang-Hyoun Kim, Yung-Hun Yang
Summary: Excessive generation of wastewater is a global concern, and wastewater treatment utilizing microalgae-mediated process is considered an environmentally friendly and sustainable method. However, low biomass productivity, costly harvesting process, and energy extensive cultivation process are major challenges. The use of microalgal-bacteria granular consortia (MBGC) process is cost-effective and requires less energy, but understanding the structure, composition, and interaction of MBGC is important for its efficient utilization.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jun Li, Lila Otero-Gonzalez, Joris Michiels, Piet N. L. Lens, Gijs Du Laing, Ivet Ferrer
Summary: This study evaluated the selenium (Se) removal efficiency of two pilot-scale high-rate algae ponds (HRAPs) treating domestic wastewater and found that selenium-enriched microalgae may serve as a promising feed supplement, offering high protein content and potentially increasing the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in microalgae.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Tianyi Chen, Jingtao Bi, Zhiyong Ji, Junsheng Yuan, Yingying Zhao
Summary: This review outlines the recent applications of bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) for waste salt recovery and high-value acid/alkali generation from saline wastewater. The economy analysis, operational factors, and strategies for improving BMED performance are also discussed. This work is of great significance for guiding the application of BMED in saline wastewater treatment and the conversion of salt resources.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Rohit Dey, Franziska Ortiz Tena, Song Wang, Josef Martin Messmann, Christian Steinweg, Claudia Thomsen, Clemens Posten, Stefan Leu, Matthias S. Ullrich, Laurenz Thomsen
Summary: This study investigated the operation of a 1000L microalgae-based membrane photobioreactor system for continuous secondary wastewater treatment. The research focused on a green microalgae strain called Desmodesmus sp. The study aimed to understand key trends and optimization strategies by conducting experiments in both summer and winter seasons. The findings showed that maintaining low cell concentrations during periods of light inhibition was beneficial for nutrient uptake rates. Effective strategies for enhancing algae-based wastewater treatment included cell mass recycling and adjusting dilution rates based on light availability.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Changkun Yang, Hongguang Liu, Ping Gong, Pengfei Li, Ling Li
Summary: This study improved the design of an ion membrane electrolysis device to evaluate its potential for electrolytic desalination and hydrogen production using wastewater from subsurface drainage pipes in saline-alkali land. By conducting quantitative experiments and optimizing multiple factors, the researchers identified the optimal operating parameters and significantly improved the electrolysis performance.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Pablo M. Binder, Nicola Frison, Nagore Guerra-Gorostegi, Ipan Hidayat, Lidia Paredes, Laia Llenas, Enric Blazquez, Mabel Mora, Matteo Ballottari, Stefano Cazzaniga, Francesco Fatone, Sergio Ponsa Salas
Summary: Wastewater treatment-derived sludge is a growing concern due to environmental issues, increasing production rates, and regulations. This study shows the technical feasibility of obtaining valuable products like animal feeds, bioplastics, biofuels, and fertilizers from sludge. Novel valorization pathways, such as microalgae and purple bacteria cultures growing over sludge, are explored and found to be effective in producing high-quality proteins and nutrient-rich biomass.
BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Suellen Pereira Espindola, Mario Pronk, Jure Zlopasa, Stephen J. Picken, Mark C. M. van Loosdrecht
Summary: This study focuses on extracting cellulose from wastewater solids and obtaining high-purity cellulose nanocrystals through acid hydrolysis. The cellulose derived from wastewater shows similar properties to commercial nanocrystals, with high cellulose content and crystallinity. The use of wastewater-derived cellulose in the preparation of nanocellulose for bio-nanocomposites demonstrates a positive impact on the mechanical properties of the composite materials.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mingu Kim, Moustafa Elbahrawi, Azardokht Aryaei, George Nakhla, Domenico Santoro, Damien J. Batstone
Summary: The study showed that higher temperature enhances the biological degradation efficiency of cellulose, but hydrolysis process is more influenced by solids retention time. Hydrolysis reaction mainly follows 1st order kinetics.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tim Hulsen, Samuel Stegman, Damien J. Batstone, Gabriel Capson-Tojo
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of utilizing anaerobic purple phototrophic bacteria to produce single cell protein from piggery and chicken processing wastewater. The harvested biomass has high protein contents and can be used as a high-quality feed. The biofilm reactors showed efficient removal of COD, N, and P, with high productivities.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tim Hulsen, Christian Zuger, Zuo Meng Gan, Damien J. Batstone, David Solley, Pip Ochre, Brett Porter, Gabriel Capson-Tojo
Summary: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a 10 m long PPB-enriched flat plate photobioreactor for resource recovery from poultry processing wastewater. Different operational strategies were tested, and the reactor showed efficient removal of volatile fatty acids, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The biomass produced can be potentially used as feed, with a suitable amino acid profile.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Mohammad Shakil Ahmmed, Alan Skerman, Damien J. Batstone
Summary: This study investigated the sludge accumulation in anaerobic lagoons using computational fluid dynamics and a compartmental-based model. The results showed that different lagoons had different hydrodynamic characteristics, with rapid sludge accumulation in lagoons with sloped sidewalls, while shallow lagoons were susceptible to solids accumulation and deep lagoons allowed the formation of a well-developed settled fraction.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN
(2022)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Tim Hulsen, Andrew C. Barnes, Damien J. Batstone, Gabriel Capson-Tojo
Summary: Mixed culture purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) is a technology with potential for resource recovery from wastewaters. The biomass of PPB can be used as single-cell protein and has value-added components. However, there is still a lack of information for technoeconomic assessment of PPB single-cell protein, which requires research in larger-scale outdoor systems.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Maria Grassino, Damien J. Batstone, Ken W. L. Yong, Gabriel Capson-Tojo, Tim Hulsen
Summary: In this study, a new method was developed to measure the content of neurosporene, lycopene, and bacteriochlorophyll a in PPB cultures, and successfully applied to mixed PPB cultures. Additionally, a method for acquiring live-cell spectrophotometric information and rapid decomposition of whole-cell spectra for pigment analysis was also developed.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Gabriel Capson-Tojo, Damien J. Batstone, Maria Grassino, Tim Hulsen
Summary: This study evaluated the light attenuation in enriched purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) cultures. The results showed that increased biomass concentrations led to higher light attenuation, and pigment concentration had a strong effect on attenuation. A proposed mathematical model allowed effective prediction of the kinetics of photoheterotrophic growth.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Y. Segura, R. Molina, I. Rodriguez, T. Hulsen, D. Batstone, V. Monsalvo, F. Martinez, J. A. Melero, D. Puyol
Summary: Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) are used to recover organics and nutrients from wastewater through assimilative growth. Thermal hydrolysis (TH) as a pretreatment method before anaerobic digestion (AD) improves digestibility and recovery potentials. The study found that continuous TH pretreatment resulted in enhanced recovery potentials, with methane production reaching up to 380 LCH4/kgVS and 73% nitrogen release over 165 days. Although TH pretreatment is energy-intensive, a combined configuration with heat recovery and increased methane production in AD can make it energy positive.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Gabriel Capson-Tojo, Damien J. Batstone, Tim Hulsen
Summary: This work presents an extended Photo-Anaerobic Model (ePAnM) that considers the metabolic capabilities of purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB), microbial clades interacting with PPB, and varying environmental conditions. The model was calibrated and validated using different datasets and was able to predict key compound concentrations and microbial communities.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Gabriel Capson-Tojo, Albie Zuo Meng Gan, Pablo Ledezma, Damien J. Batstone, Tim Hulsen
Summary: Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) can produce single-cell protein at high yields from wastewater. Growing in a biofilm versus suspended state improves product quality and consistency. This study compared the performance of enriched PPB cultures in an outdoor photobioreactor using suspended and attached growths, and found similar treatment performances and productivities, although attached growth had lower VFA removal efficiencies and higher biomass quality.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Felix Egger, Tim Hulsen, Damien J. Batstone
Summary: Anaerobic digestion produces biogas that requires desulfurization before use due to its corrosive nature. A continuous desulfurization process using purple phototrophic bacteria, powered by light, was developed as an alternative to traditional methods. This caustic-free process can integrate with anaerobic digestion using centrate as a nutrient source, but may be limited by the availability of light for nighttime operation in a scaled process.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Maxime Rattier, Jose A. Jimenez, Mark W. Miller, Ashwin Dhanasekar, John Willis, Jurg Keller, Damien Batstone
Summary: A long-term comparison of UASB and AnMBR systems for domestic wastewater treatment at pilot scale showed that both systems could achieve comparable COD removal efficiencies, but the sustainability of UASB performance was lower compared to AnMBR.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Rong-Gui Zhu, Chang-Gui Pan, Feng-Jiao Peng, Chao-Yang Zhou, Jun-Jie Hu, Kefu Yu
Summary: This comprehensive survey investigated the occurrence, bioaccumulation, and trophic magnification of parabens and their metabolite 4-HB in a marine food web. Results showed that parabens were the predominant pollutants in marine organisms, with significant bioaccumulation from sediments. The estimated trophic magnification factor indicated biomagnification for MeP and trophic dilution for 4-HB. Overall, the risks for humans consuming marine organisms were found to be low.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Andres F. Torres-Franco, Deborah Leroy-Freitas, Cristina Martinez-Fraile, Elisa Rodriguez, Pedro A. Garcia-Encina, Raul Munoz
Summary: Anaerobic and microalgae-based technologies have emerged as sustainable alternatives for municipal wastewater treatment. However, the presence of viruses in the treated wastewater is a major concern for reuse applications. This study assessed the ability of these technologies to reduce viruses during secondary wastewater treatment. The results showed that all technologies were effective in reducing the concentration of viruses, with microalgae-based treatment exhibiting the highest potential for reducing the disinfection requirements of treated wastewater.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Young Gwang Kim, Sae Yun Kwon, Spencer J. Washburn, Scott C. Brooks, Ji Won Yoon, Lucien Besnard
Summary: The study uses Hg isotope ratios to identify the sources and exposure pathways of mercury in bivalves, finding that dissolved Hg phases in the water column are the primary source and exposure pathway to bivalves. This provides new insights into using bivalves as bioindicators for sediment quality monitoring.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hui Geng, Ying Xu, Rui Liu, Dianhai Yang, Xiaohu Dai
Summary: This study investigates the effect of cation exchange resin (CER) on the sequential recovery of hydrogen and methane from anaerobic digestion (AD) and the corresponding mechanisms. The results show that CER can simultaneously enhance the production of hydrogen and methane by promoting the solubilisation, hydrolysis, and acidification of organic matter. Additionally, CER facilitates effective contact between bacteria and organic particulates and reduces the energy barrier for mass transfer during methane production. The study also reveals changes in the microbial community structure and metagenomics during the AD process.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaojing Lin, Zhan Jin, Shunfeng Jiang, Zhiquan Wang, Suqing Wu, Ke Bei, Min Zhao, Xiangyong Zheng
Summary: Dehumidification combined with addition of absorbent resin supplement (ARS) was used to achieve rapid evaporation of non-pretreated urine, resulting in high water evaporation efficiency and nutrient recovery.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yangli Che, Chaoran Lin, Shen Li, Jiao Liu, Longhai Zhu, Shilei Yu, Nan Wang, Haoshuai Li, Mutai Bao, Yang Zhou, Tonghao Si, Rui Bao
Summary: Hydrodynamic processes play a crucial role in the transmission of sediments, microbial assembly, and organic carbon redistribution in the ocean. Through experiments and analysis, we found that hydrodynamics shape the assembly of microbial communities and control the redistribution of different sourced organic carbon, thereby influencing microbial-mediated biogeochemical transformation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chao Chen, Yu Yang, Nigel J. D. Graham, Zhenyu Li, Xingtao Yang, Zhining Wang, Nadia Farhat, Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder, Li -an Hou
Summary: The fouling of seawater reverse osmosis membranes is a persistent challenge in desalination. This study monitored the operational performance of a desalination plant for 7 years and the fouling development in different areas of membrane modules. The findings showed that operational performance declined over time and fouling mainly occurred at the feed side of the modules, with the highest microbial diversity. Keystone species like Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes played an important role in maintaining community structure and biofilm maturation. Polysaccharides, soluble microbial products, marine humic acid-like substances, and inorganic substances contributed to fouling. Overall, biofouling had a significant impact on membrane fouling after 7 years of operation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dan Li, Jieyi Sun, Yibo Fu, Wentao Hong, Heli Wang, Qian Yang, Junhong Wu, Sen Yang, Jianhui Xu, Yunfei Zhang, Yirong Deng, Yin Zhong, Ping'an Peng
Summary: Sulfidation-oxidation treatment of magnetite (Fe3O4) enhances the production of dark center dot OH, which can efficiently degrade dissolved organic matter (DOM) and accelerate carbon cycling.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cheng Yu, Kaijun Wang, Kaiyuan Zhang, Ruiyang Liu, Pingping Zheng
Summary: This study implemented a microaerobic-aerobic configuration in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment facility and investigated the effects on sludge characteristics, pollutant removal, microbial community, and granulation mechanisms. The results showed successful transition from flocculent-activated sludge to well-defined AGS after two months of operation. The primary pathways for pollutant removal were simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal. Moreover, the incorporation of internal separators induced shifts in the flow pattern, which promoted granulation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhe Zhang, Shaoyang Hu, Guangrong Sun, Wei Wang
Summary: Halogenated aromatic disinfection byproducts (DBPs), such as halogenated phenols, have garnered widespread attention due to their high toxicity and prevalence. This study reports on the analysis, occurrence, and cytotoxicity of a group of emerging halogenated aromatic DBPs, known as halogenated polyhydroxyphenols (HPPs), in drinking water.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shengyue Chen, Jinliang Huang, Peng Wang, Xi Tang, Zhenyu Zhang
Summary: Accurate prediction of river water quality is crucial for sustainable water management. This study introduces wavelet analysis and transfer learning techniques to assist LSTM modeling, proposing a newly coupled modeling approach that improves short-term prediction of river water quality.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bang Du, Xinmin Zhan, Piet N. L. Lens, Yifeng Zhang, Guangxue Wu
Summary: Efficient anaerobic digestion relies on the cooperation of different microorganisms with different metabolic pathways. This study investigated the effects of different operational modes and the addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC) on ethanol metabolic pathways. The results showed that the SBR mode and the presence of CO2 facilitated ethanol metabolism towards propionate production, while the CFR mode with extended solids retention time enriched Geobacter. Adjusting operational modes and PAC addition can modulate anaerobic ethanol metabolism and enrich Geobacter.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wanfa Wang, Si-Liang Li, Jun Zhong, Yuanbi Yi, Fujun Yue, Zenglei Han, Qixin Wu, Ding He, Cong-Qiang Liu
Summary: This study compares the carbon biogeochemical processes in karst and non-karst regions within large thermal stratified river-reservoir systems. The results demonstrate that karst reservoirs have a reduced potential for carbon emissions and highlight the importance of considering geologic settings to improve accuracy in regional and global CO2 emission estimates.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chunxia Jiang, Zelong Zhao, Dong Zhu, Xiong Pan, Yuyi Yang
Summary: This study analyzed the occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in different environmental media of the Yangtze River using metagenomics. Core resistome dominated by multidrug resistance genes was found in all samples, while rare resistome dominated by various resistance genes was more prevalent in plasmids. Specific bacteria were identified as hosts for both core and rare resistomes, with high clinical concern ARGs found in the rare resistome. Particle-associated environment provided the most ideal conditions for resistome hosts. This study provided insights into the genetic locations of ARGs and the community assembly mechanisms of ARG hosts in freshwater environments.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yu Zhang, Yongtao He, Linchun Jia, Lei Xu, Zheng Wang, Yueling He, Ling Xiong, Xumeng Lin, Hong Chen, Gang Xue
Summary: By synergizing organic carbon source, thiosulfate, and zero-valent iron, efficient mixotrophic denitrification of oligotrophic secondary effluent can be achieved. Thiosulfate plays a vital role in promoting TN removal efficiency, while corrosion of Fe0 releases OH- to neutralize H+ from thiosulfate-driven denitrification, creating a suitable environment for denitrification. The coordination of thiosulfate and Fe0 maintains the dominance of Thiobacillus for denitrification.
