Article
Engineering, Environmental
Katarzyna Mikula, Grzegorz Izydorczyk, Dawid Skrzypczak, Konstantinos Moustakas, Anna Witek-Krowiak, Katarzyna Chojnacka
Summary: Metallurgical plants produce a large amount of waste, including slag, sludge, and dust. To manage the environmental impact, valuable metals can be selectively separated and recovered while reducing harmful components by using methods such as hydrometallurgy, techniques promoting element mobility, and biological processes.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sanjay K. S. Patel, Devashish Das, Sun Chang Kim, Byung-Kwan Cho, Vipin Chandra Kalia, Jung-Kul Lee
Summary: The inefficient waste management and associated environmental pollution deplete precious renewable resources and have negative impacts on human health and the global economy. By utilizing microbial anaerobic digestion, organic matter can be metabolized into energy-rich methane and carbon dioxide, producing eco-friendly and biodegradable value-added products. Despite some challenges, integrating different processes for H2 production and waste management could lead to a sustainable economy transition.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xin Huang
Summary: This paper uses a dynamic multi-game model to analyze the pollution control game behavior of upstream and downstream regions along the basin and obtain the dynamic equilibrium strategies and pollution trajectories under different cooperation modes. The results show that pollution abatement cooperation can improve the environment but may not necessarily improve social welfare. The eco-compensation mechanism is not always beneficial for the improvement of the basin's environment and welfare, and the effective conditions for implementing ecological compensation are proposed. Additionally, the impact of consumer preferences, pollution treatment efficiency, and other parameters on decision-making and social welfare are analyzed. These conclusions provide a theoretical basis for cooperative governance schemes for transboundary pollution in river basins.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Mohamed A. Farag, Jianbo Xiao, Hosssam M. Abdallah
Summary: Barley is a highly nutritious cereal crop with beneficial effects against degenerative diseases. However, only 2% of global barley production is utilized due to its unacceptable organoleptic characters. Continuous modifications and novel processing methods are needed to improve its organoleptic characters and decrease its antinutrient levels.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ranbin Liu, Siqi Li, Yingfan Tu, Xiaodi Hao, Fuguo Qiu
Summary: Microalgae blooms can have negative impacts on the aquatic environment, but they can also be used as resources to replace fossil fuels and plastics. In addition, microalgae can absorb nutrients from wastewater, making it a valuable approach to increase wastewater value. However, specific technical protocols need to be developed for different microalgae products and wastewater types.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Krishna Gautam, Poonam Sharma, Shreya Dwivedi, Amarnath Singh, Vivek Kumar Gaur, Sunita Varjani, Janmejai Kumar Srivastava, Ashok Pandey, Jo-Shu Chang, Huu Hao Ngo
Summary: This review comprehensively explores the recent advancements in using microbial omics approaches and artificial intelligence or machine learning to identify, characterize, quantify, and mitigate soil pollutants. It aims to reduce the time and expense of soil treatment and promote soil sustainability.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Yuwen Zhou, Vinay Kumar, Sharareh Harirchi, V. S. Vigneswaran, Karthik Rajendran, Pooja Sharma, Yen Wah Tong, Parameswaran Binod, Raveendran Sindhu, Surendra Sarsaiya, Deepanraj Balakrishnan, M. Mofijur, Zengqiang Zhang, Mohammad J. Taherzadeh, Mukesh Kumar Awasthi
Summary: This review provides an overview of advanced technologies for the valorization of solid waste and the generation of various bio-products, including the utilization of microbial fermentation techniques for waste biorefinery processes and the utilization of C1 and C2 gases generated from different industries by various microbes to control global warming.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Peter Lusis, Lachlan L. H. Andrew, Ariel Liebman, Guido Tack
Summary: This article explores coordinated control of photovoltaic inverters to increase energy transmission to the grid while adhering to voltage constraints through centralized coordination of curtailment. Experimental data shows that coordinated inverter control outperforms autonomous inverters in high impedance LV networks and LV networks constrained by distribution transformer capacity limits.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pallabi Das, Sidhidatri Upadhyay, Sudarshan Dubey, Krishnakant K. Singh
Summary: Steel slag, a by-product of steel production, contains valuable elements that can be extracted through waste utilization technologies to increase their value and applications in various fields. Evaluating the pros and cons of different extraction methods, assessing their applicability, innovation, economic analysis, and scalability potential are essential for valorizing these elements effectively.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rodrigo B. Carneiro, Gisele M. Gomes, Marcelo Zaiat, Alvaro J. Santos-Neto
Summary: This study investigates the impact of phase separation on the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) by operating different configurations of anaerobic fixed bed biofilm reactors. The results show that feeding the effluent stream from the acidogenic reactor to the methanogenic reactor improves system start-up, alkalinity generation, and biomethane production. The COD removal kinetics is also enhanced in the sequential two-phase system. Hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is the predominant pathway in the methanogenic reactor, while the Methanosaeta-driven acetoclastic pathway predominates in the acidogenic reactor. The higher diversity of bacteria and archaea in the methanogenic reactor indicates a better balance between volatile organic acid degradation and methane generation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ismail Bulent Gurbuz, Elcin Nesirov, Gulay Ozkan
Summary: This study empirically analyzed the long-term relationship between agricultural production and carbon dioxide emissions in Azerbaijan, confirming the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The findings suggest that GDP and energy consumption have a positive impact on CO2 emissions, while agricultural production has a negative impact. Furthermore, the study confirmed the inverted-U-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Rashmi Gondi, S. Kavitha, R. Yukesh Kannah, Gopalakrishnan Kumar, J. Rajesh Banu
Summary: This review critically examines the use of microalgae in wastewater treatment and its potential for valorization. It also discusses the recent advances in microalgae systems for wastewater treatment and the bioproduction of value-added products.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSESSMENTS
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Jonas da Silva, Edy Sousa de Brito, Sandra Regina Salvador Ferreira
Summary: Cashew production has expanded globally, resulting in the generation of large quantities of by-products with adverse effects on the environment and economy. However, these by-products still contain beneficial compounds, providing an opportunity for increasing the sustainability and profitability of cashew production through their recovery.
FOOD AND BIOPROCESS TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yueyue Luo, Xiao Lin, Eric Lichtfouse, Hongru Jiang, Chongqing Wang
Summary: Plastic pollution is a global environmental problem that requires advanced methods for recycling waste plastics in the context of the circular economy. This review article focuses on methods and strategies for converting waste plastics into value-added carbon materials, including pretreatment techniques and the preparation of carbon materials. Carbonization methods such as oxygen-limited carbonization, catalytic carbonization, template-based methods, and pressure carbonization are used to prepare carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanosheets, carbon spheres, and porous carbon. The conversion of different types of plastics, including polyethene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, halogenated plastics, polyurethane, and mixed plastics, is emphasized.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Pei Han, Qian Lu, Huiqi Zhong, Jiawen Xie, Lijian Leng, Jingjing Li, Liangliang Fan, Jun Li, Paul Chen, Yuping Yan, Feng Wei, Wenguang Zhou
Summary: Spirulina NCU-Sm was used to treat soy sauce wastewater and produce value-added biomass effectively. Optimizing pH and light spectrum can enhance the biomass yield and value-added components of NCU-Sm.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Silan Zhao, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: Thermal treatment of sewage sludge has gained significant attention in recent years. Numerous papers have discussed the mass flows, energy, and emissions data related to incineration, gasification, and pyrolysis of sewage sludge. Incineration is an established technology, but there is limited data on flue gas cleaning and air emissions. Gasification and pyrolysis are experimental technologies with varying output data.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Daniel Vazquez Pombo, Henrik W. Bindner, Sergiu Spataru, Poul E. Sorensen, Martin Rygaard
Summary: This paper proposes a novel energy management system that utilizes a small modular nuclear reactor, wind and solar farms, reverse osmosis, and flash desalination plants to increase energy efficiency, reduce curtailment, and decarbonize water production. The system is optimized using mixed integer linear programming and renewable availability is predicted using physics informed machine learning models. The suitability of the system is validated through two study cases.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Farago, Anders Damgaard, Morten Rebsdorf, Per Henrik Nielsen, Martin Rygaard
Summary: Wastewater treatment is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and we investigated the accounting of emissions in three advanced wastewater treatment facilities. The results showed the importance of electricity consumption and direct emissions, and we proposed recommendations for accurate reporting and accounting. The facilities have made progress in offsetting emissions, and our study provides guidance for wastewater operators in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Maria Farago, Anders Damgaard, Ivana Logar, Martin Rygaard
Summary: In Europe, sewage sludge is commonly used in agriculture or incinerated. However, emerging technologies like sludge pyrolysis have the potential to transform wastewater treatment plants into water resource recovery facilities. A life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis were conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of sludge pyrolysis. The results showed that pyrolysis reduced environmental impacts and had positive economic net present value compared to using sludge in agriculture, but pyrolysis with biochar production was not as beneficial as incineration.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Isabel Schestak, Jan Spriet, Kirsty Black, David Styles, Maria Farago, Martin Rygaard, A. Prysor Williams
Summary: This study explores the potential environmental and financial benefits of heat recovery from different process and by-product streams, using a Scotch whisky distillery as an example. The results show significant reductions in carbon emissions and water consumption, with a relatively short payback period for the investment.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Ankun Xu, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: System modelling of sewage sludge treatment is an important area of research for comparing and optimizing technologies. A review of literature on relevant parameters revealed significant variations in the compositional data of thickened and dewatered sludge, but most of the data followed a lognormal distribution. The average total solid content was 3.3% for thickened sludge and 21.0% for dewatered sludge. Other important parameters included ash content, lower heating value, and biochemical methane potential. These data provide valuable insights for modelling sewage sludge treatment systems, but further characterization of sludge is needed in the future.
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Ankun Xu, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: Technological comparison and system modelling of sewage sludge treatment are crucial for sustainable development and climate change mitigation. Dewatering and drying processes play a significant role in reducing volume and are essential for further sludge treatment. However, the scarcity of data limits the detailed analysis of the relationships between inputs and outputs for these technologies. Nevertheless, the available data can serve as a starting point for planning sludge management. Additional data on energy consumption and water composition from full-scale plants are strongly needed to improve the inventory and support future studies.
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Martin Dorber, Inge de Graaf, Alexis Laurent, Michael Z. Hauschild, Martin Rygaard, Valerio Barbarossa, Eleonore Pierrat
Summary: Balancing the need for freshwater between human communities and ecosystems is a significant challenge in the 21st century due to population growth and improved living conditions. A global operational method to evaluate the consequences of freshwater consumption and its interdependence on different water compartments is currently missing. This study developed depletion factors to quantify the effects of water consumption on various hydrological variables globally, providing valuable insights into the ecological impacts of water consumption. These depletion factors can be integrated into sustainability assessment tools to guide sustainable water management strategies.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vasileios Chrysochoidis, Mikkel H. H. Andersen, Enrico U. U. Remigi, Maria Farago, Barth F. F. Smets, Carlos Domingo-Felez, Borja Valverde-Perez
Summary: N2O measurements by liquid sensors in aerated tanks are used in gas-liquid mass-transfer models to predict N2O off-gas emissions. Three different mass-transfer models were evaluated for predicting N2O emissions from Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs), and the selection of an inappropriate model may lead to miscalculation of carbon footprints based on online N2O measurements. The differences in model predictions varied with dissolved oxygen concentration, aeration type, efficiency, tank design, and nitrogen loading rate. The selection of different mass-transfer models did not affect the selection of biochemical parameters for N2O model calibration.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Ana Rosa Aon Cardoso Fernandes, Bruno Eduardo Lobo Baeta, Anders Damgaard
Summary: The goal of neutrality in greenhouse gas emissions has led to increased exploration of renewable fuels. This study suggests using life-cycle assessment (LCA) to identify critical areas in hydrothermal pretreatment of biomass and evaluate its potential as a renewable fuel. The assessment revealed limitations in lab assumptions. In Brazil, the two-stage co-digestion of hydrothermal pretreated biomass showed promising results, reducing CO2 emissions compared to the business-as-usual scenario. Only Brazil and Spain demonstrated potential for exploring this proposal among top beer-producing countries.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Valentina Bisinella, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: We quantified the potential climate change impacts of eight conventional technology configurations for sewage sludge treatment and disposal, considering different energy exchanges. The results showed that all configurations had large climate change loads and savings when using fossil-based energy systems, while the impacts were approximately three times lower when using renewable energy systems. Landfilling had the greatest climate change impact, while thermal drying with incineration had the highest probability of better climate change performance.
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.