Article
Acoustics
Wenhua Lei, Ying Zhu, Xiuqing Zhu, Yuyang Huang, Linlin Liu, Mingshou Lu, Binyu Sun
Summary: This study investigated the effects of ultrasound-assisted water thawing on the thawing rate and gel properties of frozen tofu. The results showed that appropriate ultrasonic treatment could improve the water retention capacity of the tofu network, make the gel network structure more compact, and reduce protein denaturation. These findings offer theoretical support for improving the frozen tofu thawing process while ensuring optimal final product quality.
ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xueying Li, Sujie Shan, Hui Liang, Boling Li, Dapeng Li, Yong Huang
Summary: The study optimized the hydrothermal conditions for producing sludge-based hydrochar precursors by introducing different modifying agents. It then investigated the surface properties and flocculation performance of the derived cationic coagulants. Results showed that the presence of citric acid significantly increased the content of phenolic hydroxyl groups and resulted in better flocculation performance for the derived coagulants.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qichuan Hu, Jing Liu, Hailong Yu, Hanqi Xu, Jinyang Yu, Wenzhi Wu
Summary: This study discovered new luminescent materials where organic cations such as tetrabutylammonium can serve as the sole luminescence centers for metal halides, even without benzene or aromatic rings.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wei Lin, Jie Zeng, Rourou Zhang, Xu He, Jun Nan, Guibai Li, Jun Ma, Huu Hao Ngo, An Ding
Summary: In this study, the effects of different valence states of metal ions (Na+, Ca2+ and Fe3+) on sludge properties were compared. It was found that Na+ could damage the alpha-helix structure and increase hydrophobicity, while Ca2+ and Fe3+ improved hydrophilicity by reducing hydrophobic polysaccharides and increasing hydrophilic proteins. All three types of metal ions were able to effectively damage the two-dimensional spatial structure of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) proteins. This study is of great importance in making the correct choice of metal ions for sludge conditioning.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ganpei Tian, Lei Li, Bo Liu, Tong Zhang, Xiuren Hu, Limin Zhang, Bo Bian
Summary: A treatment process using flocculant and skeleton builder for conditioning sludge has been proposed. The addition of 2% aluminum ammonium enhancer and 20% sawdust resulted in the best conditioning effect. The conditioned sludge showed improved dewatering performance and increased organic matter content and calorific value.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Taishan Liu, Xinyang Zhang, Guangchao Ding, Songgeng Li
Summary: This study proposes a novel sludge conditioning method incorporating sludge-based carbon (SBC) to improve sludge dewaterability. The co-conditioning method effectively reduces specific resistance to filtration, moisture content of the filter cake, and sludge compressibility coefficient, while increasing the net sludge solids yield. The mechanism involves a synergistic effect of coagulation, adsorption, and flocculation, with SBC optimizing coagulation by electrostatic neutralization and strengthening flocculation by bridging biopolymers and PAM.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaofeng Jiang, Yi Zhou, Xianliang Meng, Guoguang Wu, Zhenyong Miao, Feng Sun, Enle Xu
Summary: Coal water slurry (CWS) is an efficient and low-pollution coal-based liquid fuel. Municipal sludge, as a substantial solid waste, is gaining attention due to its severe environmental pollution and difficulty in disposal. This study modified the sludge using inorganic salt solution to prepare salt-modified sludge coal water slurry (SSCWS), and found that KCl and AlCl3 can reduce the viscosity of CWS, while low concentration of CaCl2 slightly increases the viscosity and higher concentration of CaCl2 reduces the viscosity. The higher the cation valence state, the easier the dispersant molecules are adsorbed on the surface of coal or sludge particles, improving the dispersion of coal and sludge particles and enhancing the slurrability of SSCWS.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mingjing Zeng, Zhenghao Li, Yuanyuan Cheng, Yi Luo, Yiran Hou, Junfeng Wu, Bei Long
Summary: This study examined the impact of nitrogen loading rates on the stability of aerobic granular sludge when treating simulated rare earth mine wastewater. The results showed that maintaining a relative equilibrium between nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria was crucial for stability maintenance. The study provides important technical support for the treatment of rare earth mine wastewater using aerobic granular sludge.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
M. Ismail, W. K. Zahra, Shinichi Ookawara, Hamdy Hassan
Summary: The performance of an air conditioning unit combined with phase change material as thermal energy storage in hot climates was investigated. A theoretical transient model was developed and numerically solved for plate and cylinder configurations. The results showed that the cylinder configuration had shorter discharging and charging durations compared to the plate configuration. Increasing the inlet air temperature decreased the exit air temperature and air conditioning coefficient of performance, but shortened the cooling time. Using phase change material with a lower melting temperature increased the melting time and exit air temperature. Mixing hybrid nanoparticles with phase change material had a short-term positive influence on air conditioning performance. The maximum power saving was 16.4% for the cylinder and 6.4% for the plate over a 2-hour and 10-hour working period, respectively.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wei Wu, Jinxing Ma, Jun Xu, Zhiwei Wang
Summary: Compared to PAM with a low charge density, high charge-density PAM (70%) improves sludge flocculation and apparent filtration performance by enhancing structural strength. The bonding between biomolecules and PAM leads to floc aggregation, water displacement, and ultimately improved dewaterability.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Baolv Hua, Zhao Shichao, Fengting Li
Summary: Efficient dewatering of sludge can be achieved by combining polyamine (PA) with inorganic coagulant polyferric sulfate (PFS). The combination of PFS and PA effectively removes iron ions and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in sludge water content. The synergistic effect of coagulation and flocculation reduces bound water, resulting in improved sludge dewatering performance compared to using a coagulant or flocculant alone, even PFS + polyacrylamide (PAM).
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hongru He, Pan Xu, Shuli Wang, Xi Wang, Shengqi Ma, Henan Peng, Yunxia Lv, Hongwei Zhou, Chunhai Chen
Summary: A copper (II) ions-doped thin film composite (TFC-Cu) membrane with ridge-valley morphology was prepared by incorporating copper (II) ions in the aqueous phase during interfacial polymerization (IP). The ridge-valley morphology increases the contact area between the membrane and the solvent, leading to improved solvent permeability. The hydrophilicity and permeability of the membrane can be adjusted by changing the content of copper (II) ions in the aqueous phase. The modified TFC-Cu-100 membrane exhibited significantly enhanced methanol permeation performance and high dye retention level, as well as maintained good long-term organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) performance.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Liangyun Sun, Juan Han, Jiacong Wu, Wenrui Huang, Yuanyuan Li, Yanli Mao, Lei Wang, Yun Wang
Summary: This study investigated the pretreatment of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) using two kinds of common inorganic salt hydrates. It was found that the water content of the inorganic salt hydrates affected the dissolution time of MCC and the reactivity of regenerated cellulose (RC). The pretreatment process led to changes in the structure, surface morphology, and thermal stability of MCC. ZnBr2·4H2O and FeCl3·6H2O showed better pretreatment effects. RC-ZnBr2·4H2O exhibited a higher adsorption rate of cellulase, accelerating the hydrolysis rate of cellulose. Furthermore, ZnBr2·4H2O was found to be a reusable pretreatment solvent.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dominik Spahr, Jannes Koenig, Lkhamsuren Bayarjargal, Victor Milman, Alexander Perlov, Hanns-Peter Liermann, Bjoern Winkler
Summary: Researchers have synthesized a novel inorganic pyrocarbonate salt, Sr[C2O5], which contains isolated [C2O5](2-) groups. This discovery significantly expands the crystal chemistry of inorganic carbonates. Through experimental and theoretical calculations, it is shown that Sr[C2O5] is a pyrocarbonate salt and it is predicted that more inorganic pyrocarbonates can be obtained. These findings are relevant to geoscience and provide insights into the conversion of CO2 into useful inorganic compounds.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Max Schmid, Selina Hafner, Serge Biollaz, Joerg Schneebeli, Gebhard Waizmann, Guenter Scheffknecht
Summary: This study focuses on using limestone as a bed additive in sewage sludge gasification to reduce the production of tar, H2S, and COS. Results show that adding limestone can significantly reduce heavy tar species and decrease H2S and COS concentrations without affecting NH3 levels. This approach can effectively mitigate facility problems related to tar and reduce downstream cleaning efforts.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2021)
