Article
Environmental Sciences
Lili Li, Kun Wang, Zhijian Sun, Qingliang Zhao, Huimin Zhou, Qingwei Gao, Junqiu Jiang, Wangyang Mei
Summary: This study revealed the mechanism of mixing intervals on high-solids anaerobic co-digestion (HS-AcoD) of food waste (FW) and sewage sludge (SS), and determined an optimized intermittent mixing time through simulation. The results showed that intermittent mixing shortened digestion time and increased methane output, and promoted substrate solubilization and hydrolysis. Intermittent mixing also enhanced syntrophic metabolism and enriched genes involved in acidogenic and methanogenic pathways.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Anand Kumar Saini, Kunwar Paritosh, Amit Kumar Singh, Vivekanand Vivekanand
Summary: This study used CFD simulation to analyze the flow dynamics of a working sewage treatment plant, determining the optimal geometric configuration for mixing with minimum power consumption. Multiple inlet planes were found to be more efficient than single plane inlets, providing insights for future design and operation of sewage treatment plants.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Mohammed El Ibrahimi, Ismail Khay, Anas El Maakoul, Mohamed Bakhouya
Summary: This study investigates the thermal behavior and energy performance of an Unmixed Mesophilic Digester with Submerged solid waste (UMDS) through AD experiments, CFD simulations, and energy balance calculations. Results show that bottom waste placement achieves higher methane yield and VS removal rate compared to top placement, with a vertical temperature gradient observed in the UMDS. The use of double wall heating can improve temperature uniformity and methane yield.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Min-Hua Cui, Zhi-Yong Zheng, Meng Yang, Thangavel Sangeetha, Yan Zhang, Hong-Bo Liu, Bo Fu, He Liu, Chong-Jun Chen
Summary: This study investigated the hydrodynamics and digestion performance of horizontal anaerobic systems equipped with double-bladed impeller and ribbon impeller. It was found that the ribbon impeller exhibited superior mixing performance and energy efficiency outputs, making it proficient for high-solid anaerobic digestion.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Soroush Dabiri, Alireza Noorpoor, Maziar Arfaee, Prashant Kumar, Wolfgang Rauch
Summary: Anaerobic digestion is effective for mitigating the impacts of cattle manure on the environment, and efficient mixing with an asymmetrical mixer is crucial for ensuring mixing efficiency and minimizing energy consumption in the process. The study investigates the mixing process, total energy consumption, formation of stagnant volume, and velocity gradient in the digester to analyze the performance of the mixer type.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Liangliang Wei, Yimin Ren, Fengyi Zhu, Xinhui Xia, Chonghua Xue, Haizhou Yang, An Ding, Qingliang Zhao
Summary: Continuous improvements in human living standards in China leading to increased production of municipal sewage sludge and organic solid waste have raised concerns for potential risks to human health and the environment. The study focuses on optimizing horizontal flow reactor operations for efficient fermentation of high solid organics and biogas production through rheological characteristic analyses. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were used to determine the effects of operational parameters on reactor performance, providing insights for energy consumption efficiency.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
M. C. Sadino-Riquelme, A. Donoso-Bravo, F. Zorilla, E. Valdebenito-Rolack, D. Gomez, F. Hansen
Summary: Kinetics and CFD modeling are extensively used in studying biological treatment systems. This work reviews publications from 2006 to 2023 and compares different strategies for integrating fluid dynamics and kinetics modeling. The identified strategies fall into three categories: coupling CFD with kinetics, uncoupling CFD from kinetics, and indirect coupling modeling. Among these, the indirect coupling modeling with a CFD-based compartmental model is recommended as a feasible option for real-time applications.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Charbel Abou Khalil, Mohamed T. Eraky, Sophia Ghanimeh
Summary: A novel localized mixing concept was tested in an Anaerobic Plug Flow Reactor treating Food Waste mixed with municipal Wastewater. The results showed that localized mixing reduced energy demand, increased system stability, and improved biogas production efficiency.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Soroush Dabiri, Johannes Sappl, Prashant Kumar, Michael Meister, Wolfgang Rauch
Summary: Sludge recirculation mixing is crucial for the stable operation of anaerobic digesters, with the configuration of the sludge inlet significantly influencing process efficiency. Computational fluid dynamics was used to investigate the effect of inlet configuration, with single-phase and multi-phase models applied for submerged and splashing inlets. A surrogate single-phase model was developed to reduce computational demand, showing promising results in terms of reducing dead volume and simulation clock time.
BIOPROCESS AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lili Li, Kun Wang, Liangliang Wei, Qingliang Zhao, Huimin Zhou, Junqiu Jiang
Summary: This study investigated and optimized the mixing performance of gas and non-Newtonian fluid in high solids anaerobic digestion system using CFD simulation, exploring the impact of factors such as mixing energy magnitude, input pattern, and nozzle inlet angle on mixing effectiveness. Results showed that gas dispersed inlet achieved better mixing under specific energy conditions, emphasizing the significance of mixing performance optimization for the operation of high solids anaerobic digestion systems.
BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Alemayehu Ambaw, Tobi Fadiji, Umezuruike Linus Opara
Summary: Mathematical models are increasingly used in agro-food research and industry to optimize preharvest and postharvest operations. Computational modeling techniques are a cost-effective alternative to expensive experiments, especially with the increasing power and affordability of computers. Once validated, models can effectively evaluate the impact of operating and design parameters.
Article
Biophysics
Changyong Li, Jie Xiao, Xiao Dong Chen, Yan Jin
Summary: Through numerical simulation, it was found that there is a fast pathway near the lesser curvature of the stomach when water is emptied, but this pathway disappears when the gastric contents include food boluses with different properties. Muscle contractions enhance the mixing of light food boluses and water, while heavy food boluses are distributed in the bottom layer.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Haoran Wang, Makoto Ohta, Hitomi Anzai, Jiayuan Ji
Summary: This study examined the impact of different outlet diameters on biogas diffusers in Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It was found that increasing the outlet diameter improved gas velocity and wall shear stress on the membrane surface, resulting in enhanced stirring and flushing performance. However, exceeding a certain outlet diameter led to a concentrated gas distribution, which reduced the effectiveness of stirring and flushing.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yunpeng Zhao, Guangchen Jia, Yuan Cheng, Hongyu Zhu, Zhanyou Chi, Haibin Shen, Chenba Zhu
Summary: Wave-driven floating photobioreactors (PBRs) have the potential for cost and energy-effective microalgae production. However, poor wave conditions can lead to reduced biomass productivity or collapse of the cultures. This study numerically investigates the fluid dynamics of floating PBRs, considering wave conditions, culture depth, and different PBR structures. The results show that the liquid inside the PBRs follows a periodic sinusoidal flow, with square PBRs having aggressive mixing characteristics at high wave frequency and rectangular PBRs having intense mixing at low frequency. Increasing culture depth leads to decreased liquid mixing, and PBRs with high culture depth have dead zones. This study provides valuable insights for improving wave energy utilization and PBR design.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Sergi Vinardell, Sergi Astals, Konrad Koch, Joan Mata-Alvarez, Joan Dosta
Summary: The study evaluated the economic implications of co-digesting sewage sludge and food waste in anaerobic membrane bioreactors. It found that higher electricity revenue from co-digesting food waste could offset additional costs, but not when treating nutrients backload in sidestream digesters. Biosolids disposal was identified as the most significant cost in all scenarios, and sensitivity analysis showed that food waste gate fee influenced co-digestion economic feasibility.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Charbel Bou-Mosleh, Charbel Farhat
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Kevin Carlberg, Charbel Bou-Mosleh, Charbel Farhat
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING
(2011)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Gabriele Boncoraglio, Charbel Farhat, Charbel Bou-Mosleh
Summary: This study introduces a new approach combining adaptive parameter sampling, projection-based model order reduction, and a database of linear, projection-based reduced-order models for constructing an efficient computational framework for MDAO problems. Experimental applications on NASA's two different flight systems demonstrate the advantages of this new method in terms of solution optimality and time reduction for realistic MDAO problems.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Rawad Himo, Charbel Bou-Mosleh, Charbel Habchi
Summary: This paper focuses on the use of non-conventional trapezoidal-perforated VG tabs to delay or suppress flow separation on wings, blades, and vehicles. Computational fluid dynamic simulations showed that the non-conventional trapezoidal VG enhanced lift over drag ratio significantly, especially at the onset of stall. The originality lies in using three-dimensional numerical simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of non-conventional vortex generator shapes in improving lift over drag coefficient.
AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING AND AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Sebastian Grimberg, Charbel Farhat, Radek Tezaur, Charbel Bou-Mosleh
Summary: The ECSW method is an energy-conserving sampling and weighting method designed to accelerate the performance of reduced-order models associated with large-scale finite element models. It is shown to be robust, accurate, and capable of handling convection-related issues. Additionally, it demonstrates significant speedup factors for large-scale applications with turbulent flow problems.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING
(2021)
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Christine Khairallah, Elias Eid, Pierre Rahme, Charbel Bou-Mosleh
2019 FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS (ACTEA)
(2019)
Proceedings Paper
Energy & Fuels
Guy Salame, Elio Frem, Elias Albona, Charbel Bou-Mosleh, Pierre Rahme
2018 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (REDEC)
(2018)
Proceedings Paper
Construction & Building Technology
Joseph Youssef, Jean Matar, Pierre Rahme, Charbel Bou-Mosleh
ICSDEC 2016 - INTEGRATING DATA SCIENCE, CONSTRUCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2016)
Proceedings Paper
Construction & Building Technology
Wassim Chehaze, Dory Chamoun, Charbel Bou-Mosleh, Pierre Rahme
ICSDEC 2016 - INTEGRATING DATA SCIENCE, CONSTRUCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2016)
Proceedings Paper
Construction & Building Technology
Charbel Bou-Mosleh, Pierre Rahme, Peter Beaino, Rebecca Mattar, Elie Abi Nassif
2014 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (REDEC)
(2014)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaojian Liu, Bei Wang, Yayun Ma, Xiangyang Zhou, Juan Yang, Yuehui He, Jingjing Tang, Fanyun Su, Wan Yang
Summary: This study proposes a combined process of reduction roasting of herb-medicine residue and oxalic acid leaching to improve the recovery efficiency of lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries. By utilizing the reducing gas produced from the pyrolysis of herb-medicine residue, the layered structure of the cathode powder is destroyed and converted into Li2CO3, Ni, Co, and MnO. Additionally, selective extraction of lithium is achieved using oxalic acid, and the efficiency and kinetics of lithium extraction are improved under the combined action of herb-medicine residue and oxalic acid.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Muxina Konarova, Nuno Batalha, Gabriel Fraga, Mohamed H. M. Ahmed, Steven Pratt, Bronwyn Laycock
Summary: This study presents a proof of concept for a technology that integrates PET recovery from mixed plastic waste and plastic pyrolysis. By depolymerizing PET into TPA using a low volatility oil as medium, it achieves low-pressure operation and a selective separation and recovery of TPA from the product mix. Full PET conversion and high TPA recovery were achieved, making it an effective solution for processing mixed waste streams and improving the yield and quality of liquid product from thermal pyrolysis compared to untreated feedstock.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhenhua Sun, Jing Li, Xuejiang Wang, Siqing Xia, Jianfu Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the influence of in-situ formed MgFe2O4 on the hydrothermal treatment of swine manure. The results showed that the in-situ formation of MgFe2O4 improved the dehydration and decarboxylation of organic components in swine manure, thereby improving its carbonization degree. Furthermore, it enhanced the stabilization of heavy metals and the retention of phosphorus. MgFe2O4 modified hydrochars exhibited remarkable adsorption capacity for Pb(II) and Cu(II) without any leaching of heavy metals.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yijing Jiang, Boyang Leng, Jingxin Xi
Summary: The increased generation of municipal solid waste has had a significant impact on the economy, environment, and public health. The current waste treatment process has limitations. By developing a comprehensive social costing model, this study assesses the impacts of municipal solid waste management throughout its life cycle and provides policymakers with best practices and feasibility information.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Marina Hernandes de Paula e Silva, Ricardo Coser Mergulha, Jose Geraldo Vidal Vieira, Andrea Brasco Pampanelli, Rodrigo Salvador, Diogo Aparecido Lopes Silva
Summary: This study developed and implemented a self-assessment tool to assist companies in decision-making processes for establishing circular flows based on Lean Manufacturing and Circular Economy principles. The tool utilized a maturity model and was applied to nine companies of varying characteristics. The findings revealed that certain companies showed higher maturity in water-waste and chemical-emissions management, with larger enterprises focusing on these strategies. However, many companies lacked sufficient training and employee awareness prior to seeking cleaner alternatives, and comprehensive actions to manage the product lifecycle were lacking. To address these gaps, the tool provided tailored recommendations for each company to improve their processes, products, and value chain.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Gamze Dogdu, Turgay Pekdemir, Sanaz Lakestani, Seyda Karabork, Osman Cavus
Summary: This paper presents data on food waste associated with mini size food packaging services, highlighting the difficulties in emptying the food and consumer wastefulness as the main causes. These findings have significant implications for the sustainability of food and relevant packaging.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Qingxia Li, Xin Kong, Yuxin Chen, Jianan Niu, Jia Jing, Jin Yuan, Yifeng Zhang
Summary: This study investigates how to enhance methane production from food waste after hydrothermal pretreatment. The results demonstrate a significant increase in methane yield when zero-valent iron and magnetite are used together, and high organic loading is favorable for methane production. Microbial diversity analysis further reveals the dominant pathways and metabolic processes involved in methane generation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
D. H. H. Sim, I. A. W. Tan, L. L. P. Lim, E. T. Lau, B. H. Hameed
Summary: The development of controlled-release fertilizer formulation is important for preventing environmental pollution caused by nutrient leaching and volatilization. This study combined biochar-based fertilizer with encapsulation technology to improve the nutrient release mechanism. Optimal conditions for synthesizing urea-impregnated biochar (UIB) were determined using central composite design, and the release of nitrogen was described by mathematical models. Results showed that encapsulated UIB (EUIB) achieved complete release of nitrogen in water and exhibited improved water retention in sandy-textural soil. Therefore, EUIB derived from peppercorn waste has the potential to be used as a sustainable controlled-release fertilizer for agriculture.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yuchuan Wang, Neslihan Akdeniz
Summary: Incorporating biochar into composting systems can increase compost temperatures. This study developed a heat transfer model for a biochar-amended co-composting system and found that biochar increased thermal conductive losses but also enhanced microbial activity, resulting in an overall increase in total heat unit. When biochar was applied on the surface, it mainly functioned as an insulator.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
George Tsalis, Birger Boutrup Jensen, Jessica Aschemann-Witzel
Summary: This paper empirically explores the relationship between retail price promotions and household food waste. The results show that households with a higher proportion of discount food purchases and environmental awareness tend to waste less food, while larger households and those lacking food handling skills tend to waste more food.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lukas Friederici, Arne Koch, Patrick Martens, Jana Pantzke, Sebastiano Di Bucchianico, Thorsten Streibel, Christopher P. Rueger, Ralf Zimmermann
Summary: The increasing demand for lightweight materials has led to a rise in fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) production. However, the properties and compositional range of FRPs pose challenges to recycling strategies. Pyrolysis has emerged as a promising method for separating the fibers from the polymer matrix. This study investigated the pyrolysis process using thermal analysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry, and also assessed the toxicity of the recovered fibers using an in vitro model.
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Devika Kannan, Shakiba Khademolqorani, Nassibeh Janatyan, Somaieh Alavi
Summary: This paper introduces Smart Waste Management (SWM) that applies Industry 4.0 technologies in waste management. A framework called SWM4.0 is developed, which highlights the importance of smart people, smart cities, smart enterprises, and smart factories in achieving successful waste management. The paper also suggests future research directions and managerial implications.
