Article
Environmental Sciences
Le Thi Nhi-Cong, Do Thi Lien, Cung Thi Ngoc Mai, Nguyen Viet Linh, Nguyen Quang Lich, Hoang Phuong Ha, Dong Van Quyen, Doris Ying Ying Tang, Pau Loke Show
Summary: Oil pollution from industrial activities, particularly the oil and gas industry, is a serious issue. This study evaluated the efficiency of cinder beats, coconut fiber, and polyurethane foam as immobilization carriers for purple phototrophic bacterial strains in biodegrading crude oil contaminated seawater, finding that the coconut fiber-bacteria system showed the highest removal efficiency for crude oil.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cristian A. Sepulveda-Munoz, Andres F. Torres-Franco, Ignacio de Godos, Raul Munoz
Summary: Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) are efficient in nutrient and carbon removal from piggery wastewater, especially under the condition of UV-VIS filtered photosynthetic active radiation. Temperature and the type of inoculum also influence the performance of PPB in wastewater treatment.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cristian A. Sepulveda-Munoz, Gorka Hontiyuelo, Saul Blanco, Andres F. Torres-Franco, Raul Munoz
Summary: Photosynthetic processes can be used to treat wastewater and convert nutrients into biomass. In this study, a combination of purple phototrophic bacteria photobioreactor and microalgae-bacteria photobioreactor was used to treat piggery wastewater, achieving efficient removal of carbon and nitrogen contaminants.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
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
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
Microbiology
Carlos Manchon, Yeray Asensio, Fernando Muniesa-Merino, Maria Llorente, Alvaro Pun, Abraham Esteve-Nunez
Summary: The climate crisis prompts the need for a new approach to wastewater treatment to recover resources and address energy demands. Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) offer a promising solution by transforming wastewater treatment plants into biorefineries that produce valuable protein-enriched biomass. This study explores the use of different types of cathodes and their impact on PPB biomass production, as well as how cathodic polarization influences microbial population shifts.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
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
Engineering, Environmental
Gabriel Capson-Tojo, Shengli Lin, Damien J. Batstone, Tim Hulsen
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of different dissolved oxygen concentrations on the performance of enriched purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) cultures in treating wastewater. The results showed that the presence of oxygen suppressed photoheterotrophic growth of PPB and led to dominant chemoheterotrophy under aerobic conditions. This suggests that PPB cannot outcompete other microbes under aerobic or microaerobic conditions, despite their aerobic capabilities.
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.
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ivan Kushkevych, Jiri Prochazka, Mario Gajdacs, Simon K. -M. R. Rittmann, Monika Vitezova
Summary: This paper discusses the two main types of bacterial photosynthesis: oxygenic and anoxygenic, focusing on the molecular mechanisms and physiological processes of purple and green sulfur bacteria. It also explores the molecular biotechnological perspectives of these phototrophic microorganisms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
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
Engineering, Environmental
Carlos Manchon, Fernando Muniesa-Merino, Daniel Serna, Yeray Asensio, Colin Wardman, Abraham Esteve-Nunez
Summary: Wastewater biorefineries aim to generate value-added products while removing pollutants. Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) are effective microorganisms for sustainable wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery. By utilizing the ability of PPB to exchange electrons with electroconductive materials, wastewater electrobioremediation capacity can be enhanced.
CHEMICAL 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
Agricultural Engineering
Xiao Zha, Panagiotis Tsapekos, Xinyu Zhu, Benyamin Khoshnevisan, Xiwu Lu, Irini Angelidaki
Summary: The study showed that utilizing biogas and discarded effluent from AD as nutrient sources to produce SCP using methanotrophic bacteria is feasible, with high yield and protein content.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(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.