Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pei Zhang, Yi-Min Ding, Tian-Lei Zhao, Yu-Han Wang, Qi-Zhi Yao, Sheng-Quan Fu, Gen-Tao Zhou
Summary: Biomineralization of struvite for recovering dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) from wastewater is a promising approach. This study used Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 with high organic P-mineralizing ability to mineralize struvite from Pb2+-bearing wastewaters. The results showed that MR-1 can efficiently mineralize struvite and form pyromorphite particles tightly associated with bacterial biomass, achieving concurrent phosphorus recovery and Pb2+ removal.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Soni Kumari, Sheeja Jagadevan
Summary: This study investigated the ability of a gram-negative bacterium (Enterobacter cloacae) and a gram-positive bacterium (Bacillus pumilus) to precipitate struvite crystals in synthetic municipal wastewater. Both organisms were able to precipitate struvite crystals with similar growth patterns, pH changes, and concentrations of ammonium and phosphate ions. The mechanism of struvite biomineralization was explained for both bacteria. The study further validated the results using real influent from an influent treatment plant, showing that Bacillus pumilus was able to precipitate crystals in real influent while Enterobacter cloacae was not. This study provides insights into bacterial biomineralization in wastewater and its potential for nutrient recovery and circularity in treatment plants, which can contribute to global food security.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei He, Hua-Peng Xue, Chuang Liu, Ai Hua Zhang, Jian-Ke Huang, Dao-Feng Zhang
Summary: This study found that bacteria of the genus Alteromonas can induce mineral crystal formation in seawater, and the mechanism mainly lies in their ability to produce ammonia through the ammonification metabolism pathway. This discovery reveals a new ecological role of bacteria belonging to the genus Alteromonas in the ocean.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yirong Leng, Ana Soares
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms of struvite production by biomineralization in municipal wastewater for five microorganisms, revealing different pathways for bio-struvite formation. Nutrient recovery through biomineralization has the potential to promote circularity within the wastewater industry, with various microorganisms showing promise for ortho-phosphate removal and bio-struvite generation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Peng Wu, Guihua Liu, Xiaobin Li, Zhihong Peng, Qiusheng Zhou, Tiangui Qi, Yilin Wang, Leiting Shen
Summary: This study investigated the feasibility of removing organics through foam flotation in synthetic Bayer liquor and verified its effectiveness in industrial production. Low molecular weight organics showed higher removal rates in the solution, while elevated temperatures reduced their removal rates. The enrichment of organics in the foam was mainly attributed to small bubbles, high TOC concentrations, and multilayer adsorption.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Flavio Silva Costa, Falko Langenhorst, Erika Kothe
Summary: Biomineral formation is a common trait in soil Actinobacteria, including Streptomyces genus. In the presence of a heavy-metal-resistant Streptomyces mirabilis P16B-1, the formation of nickel-containing biominerals was investigated. It was found that biomineralization occurred both in solid and liquid media, with the minerals identified as either Mg-containing struvite or Ni-struvite. Precipitation of Ni-struvite reduced the concentration of nickel available in the medium, serving as an efficient mechanism for nickel tolerance. The contribution of a plasmid-encoded nickel efflux transporter in aiding biomineralization was discussed.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Guoyong Wang, Guowen Qian, Jia Yao, Weiliang Cai, Shuping Peng, Cijun Shuai
Summary: The study modified black phosphorous (BP) with dopamine to enhance its stability and incorporated it into a PLLA scaffold, resulting in improved strength and bioactivity of the scaffold, demonstrating great potential for bone repair.
Article
Microbiology
Marie Harpke, Sebastian Pietschmann, Flavio Silva Costa, Clara Gansert, Falko Langenhorst, Erika Kothe
Summary: Microbial communities in a former uranium mining site in Germany were screened for strains that can survive high salt and metal concentrations. These strains mainly rely on the formation of strontium- or cesium-struvite minerals to resist the toxic effects of metals and salt.
Article
Water Resources
Olivier Nsengiyuma, Yuva Coothen, David Ikumi, Kirshen Naidoo
Summary: In the past 20 years, there have been significant shifts in the conventional design and modelling of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), including a move towards plant-wide modelling and considering WWTPs as water and resource recovery facilities. The need to simplify WWTP models for new stakeholders has prompted debate about model complexity versus modelling purpose. Limited research has been done on the impact of sludge recycling dewatering liquor on overall plant performance, especially in South African WWTPs, leading to the development of a simplified full-scale steady-state WWTP simulation tool. Various strategic scenarios were evaluated using this tool, including the implementation of side-stream treatment processes and their impact on plant performance. Integration of these processes in the WWTP layout resulted in improved effluent quality and operational cost indices.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Addagada Lavanya, Ramesh Sri Krishnaperumal Thanga
Summary: The study found that the pH of the solution significantly affects the recovery rate of phosphate and the purity of struvite. A suitable MgO:P molar ratio and pH value can achieve a high phosphate recovery rate. Economic evaluation shows that recovering struvite from phosphorous rich wastewater can reduce chemical demand and sludge transportation and disposal costs.
SEPARATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jayanta Kumar Biswas, Monojit Mondal, Dhrubajyoti Majumdar, Amit Bhatnagar, Binoy Sarkar, Meththika Vithanage, Erik Meers, Filip M. G. Tack, Deepak Pant, Ramesh Goel
Summary: This study successfully converted human urine into fertilizer through chemical and biological mineralization, and evaluated their fertilizer potential. The synthesized struvite products showed slow release fertilizer characteristics and improved plant growth and seed yield of cowpea. It was found that struvite has the potential for long-term phosphate supply. The chemogenic synthesis route yielded higher struvite compared to the biogenic synthesis, but the latter is preferred for its eco-friendliness.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sayantan Maity, Siddhant Bajpai, Basab Bijayi Dhar
Summary: Phosphorous-doped graphitic material synthesized under microwave irradiation shows promising potential for selective removal of uranium from contaminated water at room temperature. The material's high specific surface area and presence of phosphate functionalities contribute to its high adsorption capacity. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies suggest a chemisorption process, with the material showing multilayer uptake at lower U(VI) concentrations and monolayer uptake at higher concentrations. Additionally, the material can be reused multiple times with minimal efficiency loss and 90% of the adsorbed uranium can be regenerated through simple acid treatment.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pei Zhang, Wen-Ping Liu, Tian-Lei Zhao, Qi-Zhi Yao, Han Li, Sheng-Quan Fu, Gen-Tao Zhou
Summary: When inducing bacterial-assisted mineralization of struvite by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in simulated Cr(VI)-bearing wastewaters, the yield and conversion efficiency were not significantly affected by Cr(VI), but surface pitting and roughening were observed. The struvite precipitated from the model wastewaters with 0.1 or 0.2 mM Cr(VI) met the regulatory standard of Cr content in fertilizers.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zuozhen Han, Na Guo, Huaxiao Yan, Yudong Xu, Jihan Wang, Yanyang Zhao, Yanhong Zhao, Long Meng, Xiangqun Chi, Hui Zhao, Maurice E. Tucker
Summary: The eco-friendly method of precipitating phosphate, magnesium, and ammonium ions as struvite using free and immobilized Bacillus cereus was studied. Immobilized bacteria showed higher removal ratios of these ions compared to free bacteria, providing a simple and economical method for eutrophic water treatment.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhi-Gong Liu, Xiao-Bo Min, Fan Feng, Xi Tang, Wan-Chao Li, Cong Peng, Tian-Yu Gao, Xi-Lin Chai, Chong-Jian Tang
Summary: Recovering nitrogen and phosphorus from waste water in the form of struvite faces challenges such as insufficient purity and large loss. Developing innovative methods and optimizing the reactor structure and operation conditions can reduce the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus, improve struvite purity, and enhance recovery efficiency.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yadira Bajon Fernandez, Ana Soares, Peter Vale, Konrad Koch, Anne Laure Masse, Elise Cartmell
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Energy & Fuels
S. Longo, M. Mauricio-Iglesias, A. Soares, P. Campo, F. Fatone, A. L. Eusebi, E. Akkersdijk, L. Stefani, A. Hospido
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Eleanor Raper, Tom Stephenson, Raymond Fisher, David R. Anderson, Ana Soares
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yirong Leng, Robert Colston, Ana Soares
Article
Engineering, Environmental
K. M. Wang, A. Soares, B. Jefferson, H. Y. Wang, L. J. Zhang, S. F. Jiang, E. J. McAdam
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miao Zhang, Chenjie Zhu, Ting Pan, Yajun Fan, Ana Soares, Jun Wu, Chengda He
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Pascal Ochs, Benjamin D. Martin, Eve Germain, Zhuoying Wu, Po-Heng Lee, Tom Stephenson, Mark van Loosdrecht, Ana Soares
Summary: This study aimed to optimize the operation and evaluate the performance of a full-scale S-CSTR with a hydrocyclone for AMX biomass separation. Results showed high nitrogen removal efficiency under different nitrogen loading rates, and the importance of SRT in NOB washout. The study also demonstrated the role of the hydrocyclone in maintaining AMX and process stability.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yirong Leng, Ana Soares
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms of struvite production through biomineralisation by five microorganisms, revealing that Bacillus pumilus and Idiomarina loihiensis produced bio-struvite through biologically controlled mineralisation. This finding indicates a potential method for recovering nutrients from wastewater streams.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Imma Bortone, Hacer Sakar, Ana Soares
Summary: This article discusses the UK government's Ten-Point Plan and funding support for Green-Tech, with a focus on the significant role of the building sector in emissions reduction. By analyzing existing regulations and standards, discrepancies in the implementation of Green-Tech are identified, emphasizing the importance of individual engagement in driving relevant actions.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yirong Leng, Ana Soares
Summary: Microbial biomineralisation is an innovative process for nutrient recovery from wastewater. This study found that microorganisms can form bio-struvite crystals in wastewater, which have high purity and low heavy metal content, making them suitable for use as inorganic fertiliser.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pascal Ochs, Ben Martin, Eve Germain-Cripps, Tom Stephenson, Mark van Loosdrecht, Ana Soares
Summary: Over the past twenty years, various commercial technologies have been deployed to remove ammonia from anaerobic digestion liquors. This study provides a comparative techno-economic assessment of sidestream technologies to remove ammonia from conventional AD and THP/AD dewatering liquors. The study identified that deammonification is a capable and cost-effective nitrogen removal technology.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Francisco Simoes, Robert Colston, Catarina Rosa-Fernandes, Peter Vale, Tom Stephenson, Ana Soares
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pascal Ochs, Benjamin D. Martin, Eve Germain, Tom Stephenson, Mark C. M. van Loosdrecht, Ana Soares
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-WATER RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiangjun Huang, Samuela Guida, Bruce Jefferson, Ana Soares
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ana Soares
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY
(2020)
