Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Jia-jin Liang, Bing Li, Lei Wen, Ruo-hong Li, Xiao-yan Li
Summary: This study developed a three-phase innovative strategy for wastewater sludge treatment, including thermal hydrolysis, fungal fermentation, and anaerobic digestion. Increasing temperature during thermal hydrolysis improved sludge reduction and organic release efficiencies significantly. Fungal fermentation converted waste organics to valuable fiber materials, producing dense and strong paper sheets.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elin Ossiansson, Simon Bengtsson, Frank Persson, Michael Cimbritz, David J. I. Gustavsson
Summary: Primary filtration is an effective pre-treatment process for municipal wastewater, characterized by high removal of suspended solids. By combining with rotating belt filter and fermentation, volatile fatty acids can be produced as carbon source for biological nutrient removal. The process efficiently removes particles larger than 10 micrometers and has a strong linear correlation with the influent suspended solids concentration. Fermentation of sludge at ambient temperature and addition to wastewater significantly increases VFA concentration.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Moh Moh Thant Zin, Diwakar Tiwari, Dong-Jin Kim
Summary: A sustainable struvite production pathway was proposed for the recovery of NH4+-N and PO43--P from sewage sludge through hydrolysis and incineration, achieving high recovery rates and producing struvite with excellent chemical composition and properties.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Qiandi Wang, Xiqi Li, Wenzong Liu, Siyuan Zhai, Qiongying Xu, Chang'an Huan, Shichen Nie, Qinghua Ouyang, Hongcheng Wang, Aijie Wang
Summary: Carbon cycle regulation and GHG emission abatement in WWTPs can improve sustainability. However, external carbon sources used for nitrogen removal and waste sludge disposal aggravate the carbon footprint. In this study, carbon was recovered from primary sludge through acidogenic fermentation and used for denitrification in an industrial WWTP. The recovered carbon sources enhanced denitrification and contributed to GHG emission reduction.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hongbo Liu, Lu Dong, Xuedong Zhang, Cheng Zhao, Mingze Shi, Yajie Li, He Liu
Summary: Thermal hydrolysis is an effective method to improve the bioconversion of organic matter during sludge anaerobic treatment. Liquid fermentation for volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production using hydrolysate as the substrate has been successfully developed. The concentration of organics in the hydrolysate cannot be arbitrarily increased, and excessive hydrolysis intensity may produce non-biodegradable organics. The choice of appropriate hydrolysis intensity is crucial for the performance of sludge liquid fermentation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Musfique Ahmed, Mina Aziziha, Rifat Anwar, Matthew B. Johnson, Lian-Shin Lin
Summary: This study evaluated the feasibility of resource recovery from iron-based sewage sludge by calcining them at different temperatures to transform them into magnetic particles. The research showed that higher calcination temperatures resulted in increased magnetization values and crystallinity of the sludge byproducts. Additionally, the phosphate adsorption capacity of the samples was also evaluated and the sample treated at 350 degrees Celsius showed relatively higher capacity, possibly due to smaller crystallite size and reduced crystallinity.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Francesco Di Capua, Simona de Sario, Alberto Ferraro, Andrea Petrella, Marco Race, Francesco Pirozzi, Umberto Fratino, Danilo Spasiano
Summary: Phosphate rocks are essential for fertilizer production, but their availability is insufficient to meet agricultural demands. Wastewater treatment plants play a crucial role in phosphorus management by removing and recovering phosphorus, reducing eutrophication and meeting fertilizer demands. Recent studies have focused on improving phosphorus removal efficiency and reducing treatment costs through advancements in biological and material sciences. The development of processes for phosphorus recovery from wastewater and sludge has also been explored. This review provides updated information for the design and upgrading of wastewater treatment plants in anticipation of forthcoming regulations on phosphorus removal and recovery.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
N. Perez-Esteban, S. Vinardell, C. Vidal-Antich, S. Pena-Picola, J. M. Chimenos, M. Peces, J. Dosta, S. Astals
Summary: Fermentation is an emerging biotechnology for transforming waste into easily assimilable organic compounds. Co-fermentation of multiple waste streams in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can increase the yields of sludge fermentation. The most studied variables in co-fermentation include mixing ratio, pH, and temperature. Continuous co-fermentation can be optimized by controlling temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time, and organic load. This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of co-fermentation research and lays the foundation for future studies.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sabolc Pap, Paul P. J. Gaffney, Barbara Bremner, Maja Turk Sekulic, Snezana Maletic, Stuart W. Gibb, Mark A. Taggart
Summary: Shell-based adsorbents prepared from mussel and oyster shells through chemical calcination were effective in removing phosphate from water. The adsorbents contained calcite and lime on their surfaces and achieved high phosphate adsorption capacity through inner-sphere complexation and surface microprecipitation mechanisms. Desorption study revealed that the bonded phosphate could be readily available for plant uptake in soil.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ye Tian, Zhe Tian, Yupeng He, Guangxi Sun, Yu Zhang, Min Yang
Summary: Enhanced hydrolysis is an effective pretreatment technology for the biological treatment of antibiotic production wastewater. However, the full-scale application of this technology to real oxytetracycline production wastewater requires controlling the organic loading rate to prevent reactor deterioration. The study found that particle formation and blockage were the main causes of reactor deterioration, but this problem could be solved by removing particles from the hydrolyzed wastewater.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Xin Tan, Guo-Jun Xie, Wen-Bo Nie, De-Feng Xing, Bing-Feng Liu, Jie Ding, Nan-Qi Ren
Summary: Granular sludge is widely used in wastewater treatment plants due to its high biomass retention and excellent settling properties. The extracellular biomaterials in granular sludge, which are renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic, offer opportunities for recovering high value-added biomaterials with properties similar to industrial products. This review focuses on the characteristics, extraction, recovery technologies, and potential applications of extracellular biomaterials from granular sludge, as well as their impacts on subsequent sludge treatment processes. The study provides insights into the potential for developing recycling technologies for extracellular biomaterials from granular sludge-based wastewater treatment processes.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lu Li, Zhouyang Li, Kang Song, Yilu Gu, Xiaofeng Gao, Xiaoli Zhao
Summary: This study explored the potential of fatty acid production from algal sludge through anaerobic fermentation at different pH values, with the highest recovery of short-chain fatty acids observed at pH 11. The results indicated that pH 11 provided the optimal conditions for the recovery of SCFAs due to higher cell disruption, suitable ORP conditions, and inhibition of methanogens.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhenao Gu, Zhiyang Zhang, Nan Ni, Chengzhi Hu, Jiuhui Qu
Summary: An electrocatalytic hydrogenation method was developed to efficiently and selectively transform phenol to cyclohexanol. The technique exhibited excellent performance under different pH values and high phenol concentrations, with little influence from functional groups on phenol. This study provides a novel solution for the remediation of phenol wastewater and the recovery of organic compounds.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Wenyan He, Qibin Wang, Yue Zhu, Kaijun Wang, Jianhua Mao, Xiaofei Xue, Yanwei Shi
Summary: This study developed a novel technology for municipal wastewater treatment, achieving rapid sludge sedimentation and efficient pollutants removal. By adding nanofloc periodically to SBRs, results showed high removal efficiency of NH4+-N and COD, with low sludge volume index, making it a competitive method for wastewater treatment plants' upgrade and expansion delay.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yangzhong Zhang, Jiafu Qin, Zhenguo Chen, Yongxing Chen, Xuwen Zheng, Lu Guo, Xiaojun Wang
Summary: Chemical precipitation thermodynamic modeling was used to evaluate the effect of solution factors on the crystallization of vivianite. The results showed that solution pH influenced ion concentration, and the initial Fe2+ concentration impacted the formation of vivianite. pH 7.0, initial Fe2+ concentration 500 mg/L, and Fe:P molar ratio 1.50 were the optimal conditions for phosphorus recovery.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mei-Mei Wang, Li-Juan Liu, Jia-Rui Xi, Ying Ding, Peng-Xi Liu, Liang Mao, Bing-Jie Ni, Wei-Kang Wang, Juan Xu
Summary: In this study, novel oxygen vacancies-enriched hollow ZnCo2O4 nanocages were synthesized for efficient peroxydisulfate activation. The incorporation of Zn into the lattice of Co3O4 increased the number of oxygen vacancies while preserving the morphology of the catalysts. The developed activation system showed resistance to environmental concentrations of Cl-, NO(3)(-), and humic acid, and demonstrated potential in the treatment of packaging wastewater with low ionic potential organic pollutants.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Xinzhe Zhu, Bingyou Liu, Lianpeng Sun, Ruohong Li, Huanzhong Deng, Xiefei Zhu, Daniel C. W. Tsang
Summary: This study applied machine learning methods to comprehensively assess high-moisture municipal sludge and found that hydrothermal carbonization technology can efficiently and sustainably handle the sludge while generating valuable products. The study also identified the positive and negative impacts of sludge properties on product quality, as well as the crucial role of hydrothermal carbonization parameters in predicting product outcomes. Overall, this research provides a comprehensive reference for sustainable municipal sludge treatment and industrial application.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Manman Zhang, Yuanting Li, Bowen Yang, Yinglong Su, Juan Xu, Jingjing Deng, Tianshu Zhou
Summary: By using an alkali post-treatment method, a fluffed hybrid-cobalt core-shell nanocatalyst was created for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) with high efficiency. The presence of acetate ions (Ac-) promoted the degradation of BPA, especially in food waste leachate where 100% removal was achieved. The magnetic core of the nanocatalyst allowed for easy recycling.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lianpeng Sun, Yuhao Yang, Weifang Yuan, Xueya Wu, Zikun Cui, Hao Wang, Huanzhong Deng, Xinzhe Zhu, Ruohong Li
Summary: The practical phosphorus recovery process lacks a useful tool to predict the purity of struvite production, identify the precipitation species, and evaluate the influence of impurities on struvite formation. This study developed an integrated struvite purity prediction process combining response surface methodology (RSM) and Visual Minteq. RSM was used to establish polynomial models for prediction, while Visual Minteq simulated the precipitation process of impurity groups. The integrated process reduces prediction deviation and provides a tool for predicting and optimizing the quality of recovered products in practical phosphorus recovery.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Junxuan Zhu, Jiacheng Li, Miao Xu, Bowen Yang, Yiling Zhang, Juan Xu, Guoyue Shi, Tianshu Zhou, Jingjing Deng
Summary: In this study, a dual-mode colorimetric and fluorometric assay for phosphate ions (Pi) and multi-responsive coffee ring chips were proposed based on guest-functionalized infinite coordination polymers (ICPs). The ICPs exhibited purple-blue color and blue fluorescence, which changed to purple-red and orange-red, respectively, in the presence of Pi, enabling dual-mode Pi detection. Additionally, the coffee ring deposition pattern on the glass substrate reflected the changes in surface wettability/size/amount of ICPs, providing a signal readout for multi-responsive coffee ring chips.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wei-Kang Wang, Lu-Lu Zhou, Hong-Yang Cao, Peng-Xi Liu, Xiu-Yan Li, Mamoru Fujitsuka, Juan Xu, Tetsuro Majima
Summary: In this study, self-interspersed porous nanoplates assembled WO3 catalysts were synthesized without templates and demonstrated excellent photoelectrocatalytic activity and stability. The degradation efficiency of bisphenol A in the photoelectrocatalytic system was significantly higher than that in photocatalysis and electrocatalysis systems. The two-dimensional porous structure and self-interspersed arrangement improved the specific surface area and provided more catalytic sites, while promoting efficient charge separation. Hydroxyl radicals were identified as the predominant reactive oxygen species in the developed photoelectrocatalytic system.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ruo-hong Li, Wei-jun Wang, Ren-xin Zhao, Jia-yu Zhang, Lianpeng Sun, Xiao-yan Li, Bing Li
Summary: This study revealed the mechanism of microbial cooperation in the acidogenic phosphorus release (APR) process. High-throughput sequencing characterized the functional microorganisms involved, including hydrolytic bacteria, acidogens, and iron-reducing bacteria. Microbial iron reduction and acidogenic fermentation were identified as the key biological reactions in the APR process. The study demonstrated that bacteria-mediated metal reductive dissolution approach efficiently releases reducible metal compounds from complex mixtures, with potential applications in resource extraction and recovery.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinli Cui, Jinsu Yang, Mischa Weber, Jia Yan, Ruohong Li, Tingshan Chan, Yi Jiang, Tangfu Xiao, Xiaoyan Li, Xiangdong Li
Summary: The interactions between phosphate and an iron-titanium coprecipitated oxide composite were studied, and the removal and recovery of phosphate were confirmed through experiments with real wastewater. At pH 7, the presence of calcium significantly increased the removal of phosphate by precipitating it as hydroxyapatite. Acetate had no influence on phosphate removal capacity and molecular mechanisms. At pH 4, the presence of acetate and high calcium concentration facilitated the formation of amorphous FePO4 precipitate. The Fe-Ti composite decreased the formation of amorphous FePO4 and facilitated phosphate recovery.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaofang Yan, Jing Sun, Yizhen Wang, Zisha Zhang, Chuning Zhang, Wei Li, Juan Xu, Xiaohu Dai, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: The study explored the use of low-dose ferrate (Fe(VI)) for destroying the structure of sewer biofilms, aiming to enhance the efficiency of biofilm control. The results showed that the biofilm structure started to deteriorate at a Fe(VI) dosage of 15 mg Fe(VI)/L and was further damaged with increasing dosage. Fe(VI) treatment mainly reduced the content of humic substances (HS) in biofilm extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), resulting in a looser biofilm structure. XDLVO analysis indicated that the treated biofilm was less likely to aggregate and easier to be removed by shear stress. Combined dosing experiments with Fe(VI) and free nitrous acid (FNA) showed considerable reduction in FNA dosing rate and exposure time, leading to a substantial decrease in cost. The study suggests that low-rate Fe(VI) dosing for biofilm structure destruction is an economical way to facilitate sewer biofilm control.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zi-Run Yan, Yang Liu, Yu-Ying Zhu, Wei Zhang, Juan Xu, Guo-Ping Sheng
Summary: In this study, the binding interactions between microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) were probed using biolayer interferometry (BLI). The influence of environmental conditions on the binding interaction was investigated, and the results showed that acidic conditions, higher ionic strength, and lower temperature favored stronger binding between EPS and SMX. BLI analysis allowed for multichannel operations concurrently, reducing testing time. The developed BLI approach provides a powerful tool for probing binding interactions in complex environmental samples.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lianpeng Sun, Chuanhan Chen, Siru Zhou, Weifang Yuan, Hui Lu, Hao Wang, Xinzhe Zhu, Huanzhong Deng, Xiao-yan Li, Lin Lin, Ruo-hong Li
Summary: A novel iron-rich sludge conditioning method, called microbial iron reduction activating sodium percarbonate (MIR/SPC) treatment, was developed and optimized. The study found that MIR/SPC treatment significantly improved the sludge dewaterability. The optimal conditions for sludge conditioning were determined to be 5-day anaerobic MIR treatment, pH 3, and 1 g/L of SPC. Under these conditions, the conditioned sludge showed a reduction of over two-thirds in CST value and a decrease in moisture content to 51.5% in full-scale application. The critical mechanism of MIR-promoted advanced oxidation process (AOP) in sludge conditioning was explored.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hui-Shan Meng, Shu-Zhen He, Mei-Mei Wang, Jia-Rui Xi, Jia-Tai Wen, Hong-Wei Luo, Wei-Kang Wang, Juan Xu
Summary: A persulfate activation cell (PAC) is developed by spatially separating pollutants and persulfate, and a CuCoNi-NF catalyst is used as the electrode of the PAC. The PAC shows superior stability compared to a mixed persulfate activation system (PAM) and exhibits high degradation efficiency for phenolic pollutants.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lianpeng Sun, Jinjun Zhu, Jinxin Tan, Xianfeng Li, Ruohong Li, Huanzhong Deng, Xinyang Zhang, Bingyou Liu, Xinzhe Zhu
Summary: A healthy sewage pipe system is crucial for urban water management. However, frequent sewage pipe defects have been observed in recent years, leading to potential damages and overflows. The current assessment of pipe defects largely relies on manual checking of CCTV videos/images. An automated sewage pipe defect detection system using deep learning can provide an efficient and accurate solution for timely determining and repairing pipe issues.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hongwei Luo, Chaolin Tu, Dongqin He, Anping Zhang, Jianqiang Sun, Jun Li, Juan Xu, Xiangliang Pan
Summary: This comprehensive review summarizes the aging process of microplastics (MPs) and the factors that impact their aging, and discusses the effects of aging on the interaction of MPs with contaminants. The review also outlines a range of characterization methods that elucidate the mechanistic processes of these interactions. The rate and extent of MPs aging are influenced by their physicochemical properties and other environmental factors, which ultimately affect the adsorption and aggregation of aged MPs with environmental contaminants.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yu-Ying Zhu, Yang Liu, Juan Xu, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: This study investigates the binding interactions between microplastics and a hydrophobic contaminant bisphenol A (BPA). The results show that the binding strength of microplastics to BPA is influenced by environmental conditions such as pH and temperature. The binding process is mainly driven by entropy and is dominated by hydrophobic forces and weak hydrogen bonds. This study provides insights into the composition pollutions of microplastics and hydrophobic pollutants in aquatic environments.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2022)
