Article
Environmental Sciences
Tengfei Li, Yanhui Fan, Hu Li, Zhiyin Ren, Liqing Kou, Xuetao Guo, Hanzhong Jia, Tiecheng Wang, Lingyan Zhu
Summary: Efficient sludge reduction was achieved by discharge plasma oxidation in this study, with approximately 18.22% sludge disintegration and 27.8% reduction of total suspended solids. The generation of reactive oxygen species played a crucial role in sludge disintegration by destroying flocs and promoting the conversion of organic substances, while concurrent cell lysis released intracellular organics and water into the liquid phase.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Pengfei Wan, Ying Liu, Quandi Zhang, Li Jiang, Heping Chen, Wenzhou Lv
Summary: Candida Tropicalis was used to improve the dewaterability of activated sludge (AS) by degrading EPS in AS, resulting in a decrease in protein, polysaccharide, and hydrophilic amino acids in EPS. The yeast degraded macromolecular organics into smaller molecular ones and direct addition of yeast to AS was more effective in EPS degradation. Addition of 0.75 g/L of wet yeast cells and 24 h of aeration enhanced the dewaterability of AS with a reduction in CST and MLSS. After 30 days of operation, lab-scale continuous SBRs reduced CST and MLSS of AS. FTIR spectroscopy showed a decrease in hydrophilic functional groups. This study presents a new approach for in-situ reduction of AS in wastewater treatment plants.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yanghui Xu, Qin Ou, Qiang He, Zhengsong Wu, Jun Ma, Xiaoliu Huangfu
Summary: The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in activated sludge play significant roles in the adsorption of nanoparticles, especially nano-silver (nano-Ag), from wastewater. This study investigated the adsorption mechanism of nano-Ag by activated sludge and the contributions of different EPS fractions. The results showed that about 26-41% of nano-Ag was trapped by the bound EPS matrix and 42.5-52.6% of them were adsorbed onto the inner cells. The interaction energy contributions of EPS fractions varied, with DEPS being negative and LB-EPS and TB-EPS being positive. EPS fractions played a significant role in adsorbing nano-Ag at low concentrations but had limited effect at high concentrations.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Hao Huang, Qian Zeng, Philippe M. Heynderickx, Guang-Hao Chen, Di Wu
Summary: Anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge is commonly used for stabilization, mass reduction, and resource recovery, but its performance can be hindered by poor digestibility and slow degradation rate. A series of bench-scale tests using an innovative electrochemical pretreatment method showed that destruction of the EPS matrix and anaerobic digestibility can be enhanced, with the most significant improvement observed at 15V for 1.5 hours. Economic analysis indicated that a 1-hour, 12V EPT is the most economically feasible option.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
You Ma, Pei-Kun Yuan, Yu Wu, Han Meng, Guo-Xiang Wang, Wen-Ming Xie, Li-Min Zhang, Jie Ma, Yan Xiao
Summary: This study investigated the role of main components of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in antibiotic adsorption through enzymatic treatment of activated sludge. The results showed that proteinase K and alpha-amylase can efficiently hydrolyze the proteins and polysaccharides of EPS, significantly enhancing the adsorption capacity of activated sludge for antibiotics. A multivariable linear regression model was successfully developed to quantify the impact of EPS components on antibiotic adsorption.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
You Ma, Pei-Kun Yuan, Yu Wu, Xin-Ying Cheng, Han Meng, Huan He, Guo-Xiang Wang, Xue-Ming Chen, Wen-Ming Xie, Li-Min Zhang
Summary: The study found that removing EPS from activated sludge can increase the adsorption capacity for TMP at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bingbing Lan, Ruofei Jin, Guangfei Liu, Bin Dong, Jiti Zhou, Defeng Xing
Summary: The study utilized sodium periodate as an advanced oxidation agent to regulate the EPS of waste activated sludge, in combination with APAM as a flocculant, leading to significantly improved sludge dewatering performance.
WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jie Yu, Doudou Gao, Ying Zhang, Xubiao Yu, Junrui Cheng, Lizi Jin, Yang Lyu, Zhimin Du, Minhui Guo
Summary: Calcium ion significantly inhibits the binding of ciprofloxacin to sludge and interacts with EPS and CIP binding system in distinct ways. The addition of Ca2+ increases association and binding constants, while decreasing the number of binding sites, leading to changes in functional groups of EPS and secondary structure of proteins. The competition for amide I C=O bonds by cations is responsible for the Ca2+-induced release of CIP from sludge, suggesting the potential release of CIP from high saline wastewater and cation-conditioned sludge.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Junguo He, Pengfei Zhang, Xiang Zou, Yijie Zhong, Xinlei Pan, Heliang Pang, Jie Zhang, Xinxin Cui, Xuewei Wu, Biqing Li, Xia Tang, Xiannian Xiao
Summary: Divalent cations, such as Mg2+ and Ca2+, were found to inhibit the performance of lysozyme pretreatment on waste-activated sludge solubilisation. The presence of divalent cations led to a decrease in the amount of released proteins and polysaccharides, hindering the solubilisation process of the sludge. Additionally, these cations prolonged the adsorption of lysozymes by sludge flocs, affecting the efficiency of the treatment.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Li Wang, Li Yuan, Zheng-Hao Li, Xin Zhang, Guo-Ping Sheng
Summary: The study found that the absolute abundances of EPS-associated ARGs were significantly higher than those of cell-free ARGs in activated sludge, and the transformation abilities of EPS-associated ARGs were also significantly higher than those of cell-free ARGs.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Run-Gen Zeng, Chen Shi, Li-Ting Hao, Ao Huang, Tian Yuan, Nan Zhang
Summary: The long-term operation of wastewater treatment plants leads to the generation of a significant amount of sewage sludge, which poses a critical challenge in terms of disposal. The excess sludge from conventional activated sludge and aerobic granular sludge contains a high concentration of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), particularly a type called ALEs. ALEs are distinguished by their exceptional gel-forming properties and have garnered considerable attention as versatile biomaterials that can be utilized in various domains. This study discusses the extraction method, primary structure, and potential applications of ALEs, highlighting their value as a high-value biomaterial in EPSs. Efficient extraction and utilization of ALEs are expected to bring about significant changes in wastewater treatment plants, contributing to the development of a sustainable and circular economy.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yaxin Wang, Xiuhong Liu, Runyu Liu, Weipeng Han, Qing Yang
Summary: This study investigated the interaction mechanisms between polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of activated sludge. The results showed that the presence of carbonyl functional group in protein amide I region was involved in the interactions between PS-NPs and EPS. The flocculation between PS-NPs and EPS varied with different carbon sources, and sodium acetate showed the strongest flocculation effect.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Cheng, Kun Tian, Peng Xie, Xianghao Ren, Ying Li, Yingying Kou, Kangmin Chon, Moon-Hyun Hwang, Myung-Han Ko
Summary: This study investigated the characteristics of EPS production and degradation in a real-scale food processing wastewater treatment system. The results showed that the organic carbon concentrations differed among different EPS fractions, and the composition of EPS changed throughout the treatment process. The microbial community composition was beneficial for EPS release and degradation, and the MAR-MBR system enhanced this process through gene function regulation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hong-Yu Jin, Zhang-Wei He, Yong-Xiang Ren, Cong-Cong Tang, Ai-Juan Zhou, Wenzong Liu, Qian Sun, Zhihua Li, Aijie Wang
Summary: Conductive materials affect the extra-cellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in anaerobic digestion, leading to an increase or decrease in methane production and changes in the content, composition, and characteristics of EPSs. There is a positive correlation between the maximal methane production potential (Pmax) and the ratio of proteins to polysaccharides (PN/PS) in EPSs, as well as fluorescent substances. EPSs are also related to microbial communities in anaerobic digestion.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Qiang An, Yuhang Chen, Meng Tang, Bin Zhao, Shuman Deng, Zheng Li
Summary: In this study, the effects of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the formation of activated sludge (AS) flocs were investigated. It was found that ionic tightly bound EPS and hydrophobic tightly bound EPS contributed positively to floc formation, while soluble EPS and loosely bound EPS had negative effects.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xinping Zhang, Yuxin Guo, Xiaoyang Liu, Shun-Yu Wu, Ya-Xuan Zhu, Shao-Zhe Wang, Qiu-Yi Duan, Ke-Fei Xu, Zi-Heng Li, Xiao-Yu Zhu, Guang-Yu Pan, Fu-Gen Wu
Summary: This study develops a nanotrigger HCFT for simultaneous photodynamic therapy and light-triggered ferroptosis therapy. The nanotrigger can relieve tumor hypoxia, induce enhanced photodynamic reaction, and facilitate the continuation of Fenton reaction, ultimately leading to lethal ferroptosis in tumor cells.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Olumide Bolarinwa Ayodele, Toyin Daniel Shittu, Olayinka S. Togunwa, Dan Yu, Zhen-Yu Tian
Summary: This study focused on the semihydrogenation of acetylene in an ethylene-rich stream using two alloyed Pt catalysts PtCu and PtCo. The PtCu catalyst showed higher activity and ethylene yield compared to PtCo due to its higher unoccupied Pt d-orbital density. This indicates that alloying Pt with Cu is more promising for industrial relevant SHA catalyst.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Guowei Chen, Wen-Cheng Chen, Yaozu Su, Ruicheng Wang, Jia-Ming Jin, Hui Liang, Bingxue Tan, Dehua Hu, Shaomin Ji, Hao-Li Zhang, Yanping Huo, Yuguang Ma
Summary: This study proposes an intramolecular dual-locking design for organic luminescent materials, achieving high luminescence efficiency and performance for deep-blue organic light-emitting diodes. The material also exhibits unique mechanochromic luminescence behavior and strong fatigue resistance.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Joren van Stee, Gregory Hermans, Jinu Joseph John, Koen Binnemans, Tom Van Gerven
Summary: This work presents a continuous solvent extraction method for the separation of cobalt and nickel in a millifluidic system using Cyphos IL 101 (C101) as the extractant. The optimal conditions for extraction performance and solvent properties were determined by investigating the effects of channel length, flow rate, and temperature. The performance of a developed manifold structure was compared to a single-channel system, and excellent separation results were achieved. The continuous separation process using the manifold structure resulted in high purity cobalt and nickel products.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yan Xu, Jingai Jiang, Xinyi Lv, Hui Li, Dongliang Yang, Wenjun Wang, Yanling Hu, Longcai Liu, Xiaochen Dong, Yu Cai
Summary: A programmed gas release nanoparticle was developed to address the challenges in treating diabetic infected wounds. It effectively removes drug-resistant pathogens and remodels the wound microenvironment using NO and H2S. The nanoparticle can eliminate bacteria and promote wound healing through antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tong Xia, Zhilin Xi, Lianquan Suo, Chen Wang
Summary: This study investigated a highly efficient coal dust suppressant with low initial viscosity and high adhesion-solidification properties. The results demonstrated that the dust suppressant formed a network of multiple hydrogen bonding cross-linking and achieved effective adhesion and solidification of coal dust through various chemical reactions.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinzhi Cai, Zhenshan Li
Summary: A density functional theory-based rate equation was developed to predict the gas-solid reaction kinetics of CaO carbonation with CO2 in calcium looping. The negative activation energy of CaO carbonation close to equilibrium was accurately predicted through experimental validation.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jianxiong Chen, Fuhao Ren, Ningning Yin, Jie Mao
Summary: This study presents an economically efficient and easily implementable surface modification approach to enhance the high-temperature electrical insulation and energy storage performance of polymer dielectrics. The self-assembly of high-insulation-performance boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) on the film surface through electrostatic interactions effectively impedes charge injection from electrodes while promoting charge dissipation and heat transfer.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zijian Li, Zhaohui Yang, Shao Wang, Hongxia Luo, Zhimin Xue, Zhenghui Liu, Tiancheng Mu
Summary: This study reports a strategy for upgrading polyester plastics into value-added chemicals using electrocatalytic methods. By inducing the targeted transfer of *OH species, polyethylene terephthalate was successfully upgraded into potassium diformate with high purity. This work not only develops an excellent electrocatalyst, but also provides guidance for the design of medium entropy metal oxides.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Navneet Singh Shekhawat, Surendra Kumar Patra, Ashok Kumar Patra, Bamaprasad Bag
Summary: This study primarily focuses on developing a sulphur dyeing process at room temperature using bacterial Lysate, which is environmentally friendly, energy and cost effective, and sustainable. The process shows promising improvements in dye uptake and fastness properties.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dengjia Shen, Hongyang Ma, Madani Khan, Benjamin S. Hsiao
Summary: This study developed cationic PVC nanofibrous membranes with high filtration and adsorption capability for the removal of bacteria and hexavalent chromium ions from wastewater. The membranes demonstrated remarkable performance in terms of filtration efficiency and maximum adsorption capacity. Additionally, modified nanofibrous membranes were produced using recycled materials and showed excellent retention rates in dynamic adsorption processes.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaoyan Wang, Zhikun Wang, Ben Jia, Chunling Li, Shuangqing Sun, Songqing Hu
Summary: Inspired by photosystem II, self-supported Fe-doped NiCoP nanowire arrays modified with carboxylate were constructed to boost industrial-level overall water splitting by employing the concerted proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism. The introduction of Fe and carboxyl ligand led to improved catalytic activity for HER and OER, and NCFCP@NF exhibited long-term durability for overall water splitting.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pengyao Yu, Ge Yang, Yongming Chai, Lubomira Tosheva, Chunzheng Wang, Heqing Jiang, Chenguang Liu, Hailing Guo
Summary: Thin LTA zeolite membranes were prepared through secondary growth of nano LTA seeds in a highly reactive gel, resulting in membranes with superior permeability and selectivity in gas separation applications.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Baiqin Zhou, Huiping Li, Ziyu Wang, Hui Huang, Yujun Wang, Ruichun Yang, Ranran Huo, Xiaoyan Xu, Ting Zhou, Xiaochen Dong
Summary: The use of machine learning to predict the performance of specific adsorbents in phosphate adsorption shows great promise in saving time and revealing underlying mechanisms. However, the small size of the dataset and insufficient detailed information limits the model training process and the accuracy of results. To address this, the study employs a fuzzing strategy that replaces detailed numeric information with descriptive text messages on the physiochemical properties of adsorbents. This strategy allows the recovery of discarded samples with limited information, leading to accurate prediction of adsorption amount, capacity, and kinetics. The study also finds that phosphate uptake by adsorbents is generally through physisorption, with some involvement of chemisorption. The framework established in this study provides a practical approach for quickly predicting phosphate adsorption performance in urgent scenarios, using easily accessible information.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Paula Alejandra Lamprea Pineda, Joren Bruneel, Kristof Demeestere, Lisa Deraedt, Tex Goetschalckx, Herman Van Langenhove, Christophe Walgraeve
Summary: This study evaluates the use of four esterified fatty acids and three vegetable oils as absorption liquids for hydrophobic VOCs. The experimental results show that isopropyl myristate is the most efficient liquid for absorbing the target VOCs.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)