Effects of Calcium and Phosphate on Dissolution of Enamel, Dentin and Hydroxyapatite in Citric Acid.

The aim was to evaluate the effect of dissolved calcium and phosphate on dissolution rate of enamel, dentin and compressed hydroxyapatite (HA) in citric acid solution as a function of pH. At pH 2.5, dissolution rate of enamel increased significantly by 6% in 20 mmol/L added calcium but, otherwise, dissolution rates of neither enamel, dentin nor HA were significantly affected by 10 or 20 mmol/L calcium.

Randomised controlled trial of a microneedle patch with a topical anaesthetic for relieving the pain of dental injections.

Objectives: To determine whether a microneedle patch combined with 5% topical lidocaine reduces dental injection pain more than a patch without microneedles combined with 5% topical lidocaine.

Methods: This proof of principle randomised, two-treatment, double-blind, crossover split-unit design study in 16 healthy participants investigated levels of perceived pain from 3 increasing pain provoking challenges, when topical 5% lidocaine dental gel was applied to the oral mucosa with a microneedle patch and a patch with no microneedles, prior to infiltration with local anaesthesia on 2 visits. Pain was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) and 4-point verbal rating scale (VRS).

Interaction of Chlorella vulgaris and bacteria when co-cultivated in anaerobically digested swine manure.

Mono-culture and co-culture of algae (Chlorella vulgaris) and bacteria (activated sludge) on anaerobically digested swine manure (ADSM) were investigated in this research. The results showed that during the co-cultivation biomass growth was promoted (2.43 ± 0.

The immune-enhancing potential of peptide fractions from fermented Spirulina platensis by mixed probiotics.

Mixed fermentation with different microorganisms can facilitate fermentation metabolism and increase the low molecular metabolites accumulation, thereby enhancing the bioactive activity. In this study, we evaluated the immune-stimulating activities of Spirulina platensis and different extracts from fermented S. platensis (FS) by mixed probiotics in vitro, by measuring the proliferation and Th1/Th2 immunomodulatory potential on murine primary splenic lymphocytes.

Characterization, bioavailability and protective effects of phenolic-rich extracts from almond hulls against pro-oxidant induced toxicity in Caco-2 cells.

Almond hulls, the main by-product of almond production, are considered a valuable source of bioactive phenolic compounds. This study aimed to characterize the phenolic composition, bioavailability of the phenolic-rich extracts from almond hulls (PEAH), and their protective effect on oxidative stressed Caco-2 cells induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BOOH). The ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) analysis detected 11 phenolic compounds in the PEAH with high total phenolic content and antioxidant activity.

Tribonema sp. and Chlorella zofingiensis co-culture to treat swine wastewater diluted with fishery wastewater to facilitate harvest.

Cultivating microalgae on wastewaters is an effective way to produce algal biomass whereas harvesting microalgae is a costly operation. This study we examined the feasibility of co-culturing a high-value microalga with an auto-flocculating strain to enable efficient recovery of biomass. Experiments were conducted to co-cultivate Chlorella zofingiensis with Tribonema sp.

Cobalt enrichment enhances the tolerance of Botryococcus braunii to high concentration of CO.

This work mainly studied B. braunii adapted to different CO concentrations with cobalt enrichment, and developed a process for CO capture, hydrocarbon production and cobalt removal. The results showed that B.

Evolution of membrane fouling and cleaning strategy development in municipal wastewater reclamation by nanofiltration.

Membrane fouling is a serious concern in municipal wastewater treatment using nanofiltration (NF). The variation of NF membrane fouling at different operational durations were monitored and evaluated to understand the evolution of fouling mechanism in the present study. Six representative cleaning methods were picked for tests to deconstruct the structure and composition of the fouling layers on membrane surface.

A novel algal biofilm photobioreactor for efficient hog manure wastewater utilization and treatment.

This study developed a high-efficiency algal biofilm photobioreactor for microalgae by designing a special array of curtain membrane components. This paper also discusses the growth and nutrient composition of Chlorella vulgaris, and hog manure wastewater utilization and purification. It was found that after about 5 days of culture, the biomass of C.

Microalgae-based wastewater treatment for nutrients recovery: A review.

The water resource crisis and concerns with environmental pollution are pushing for upgrading of conventional wastewater treatment process. Microalgae-based wastewater treatment process has shown many advantages that can meet the new demand for improved wastewater treatment. However, considering the issues related to the complexity of wastewater characteristics and adaptability of microalgae species, and the challenges to the design and optimization of treatment processes in order to achieve higher removal efficiencies with lower costs, further exploration and research are still needed.

High-value chemicals from Botryococcus braunii and their current applications - A review.

Botryococcus braunii is known for its high yield of extracellular hydrocarbons and polysaccharides. Hydrocarbons, especially botryococcenes and squalene can be used as not only fuels but also alternative feedstock for other fossil-based products. Exopolysaccharides excreted from B.

Exogenic glucose as an electron donor for algal hydrogenases to promote hydrogen photoproduction by Chlorella pyrenoidosa.

In this work, glucose addition (0.7 g l) almost doubled hydrogen yield of Chlorella pyrenoidosa (121.1 ml l vs 65.

Sustainable Non-Thermal Plasma-Assisted Nitrogen Fixation-Synergistic Catalysis.

In this Minireview, the multiple chemical synergies present in catalytic non-thermal plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation (NTPNF) are uncovered through a critical exploration of the underlying mechanisms, during which the catalyst, plasma, and reactants play different roles. For the gas-phase NTPNF, the synergies consist of different aspects of the catalytic pathways such as electron-impact dissociation; Zeldovich mechanism in the PNO interactions; and Eley-Rideal, Langmuir-Hinshelwood, surface adsorption, and diffusion mechanisms for the plasma-catalyst interactions. The synergies within the gas-liquid NTPNF involve contributions of plasma and UV excitation to the gas-phase reactions and the UV excitation of molecules at the liquid-surface interface, which improves synthesis of aqueous nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium products.

Cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris in sludge extracts: Nutrient removal and algal utilization.

In order to utilize the excess sludge and reduce the cost of algal cultivation, Chlorella vulgaris was cultivated in increasing proportions of sludge extracts for simultaneous nutrients removal and algal utilization. Results showed that C. vulgaris cultivated in the 100% sludge extract gained the highest total biomass (33.

Integrated process for anaerobically digested swine manure treatment.

An integrated three-step process was proposed for the treatment of the anaerobically digested swine manure (ADSM). The flocculation and struvite precipitation were used as the pre-treatment to remove the particles and reduce phosphorus to balance the condition for the algae growth. In the biological step, the 40% group (2.

Correction: In situ plasma-assisted atmospheric nitrogen fixation using water and spray-type jet plasma.

Correction for 'In situ plasma-assisted atmospheric nitrogen fixation using water and spray-type jet plasma' by Peng Peng et al., Chem. Commun.

Intermittent-vacuum assisted thermophilic co-digestion of corn stover and liquid swine manure: Salinity inhibition.

In this study, the effects of Intermittent-Vacuum Stripping (IVS) on activities of methanogenesis in co-digestion of corn stover with liquid swine manure (LSM + CS) under thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) conditions were evaluated. A 65% methanogenesis activity inhibition was observed in pretreated LSM plus corn stover (pLSM + CS), while 60 and 165 mL/L/day CH productions were achieved in pLSM + CS and LSM + CS, respectively. The high salinity condition (5.

In-situ and ex-situ catalytic upgrading of vapors from microwave-assisted pyrolysis of lignin.

In-situ and ex-situ catalytic upgrading with HZSM-5 of vapors from microwave-assisted pyrolysis of lignin were studied. The in-situ process produced higher bio-oil and less char than ex-situ process. The gas yield was similar for both processes.

Cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris on anaerobically digested swine manure with daily recycling of the post-harvest culture broth.

In this work, a cultivation system with daily recycling of the post-harvest culture broth was set up and performed in order to reuse the water and nutrients in pretreated anaerobically digested swine manure, which was used as media to cultivate Chlorella vulgaris (UTEX 2714) at different recycling ratios. Results showed that the alga grew well in the system with an accumulative algal biomass and productivity of 1.68-3.

Microwave-assisted co-pyrolysis of brown coal and corn stover for oil production.

The controversial synergistic effect between brown coal and biomass during co-pyrolysis deserves further investigation. This study detailed the oil production from microwave-assisted co-pyrolysis of brown coal (BC) and corn stover (CS) at different CS/BC ratios (0, 0.33, 0.

A comparative study between fungal pellet- and spore-assisted microalgae harvesting methods for algae bioflocculation.

Fungi assisted microalgae bioflocculation is an emerging, efficient and cost-effective microalgal harvesting method, but no study has systematically evaluated and compared fungal spore-assisted (FSA) and fungal pellet-assisted (FPA) microalgal harvesting methods. In this study, harvesting Chlorella sp. cells by co-culture with Penicillium sp.

In situ plasma-assisted atmospheric nitrogen fixation using water and spray-type jet plasma.

In this study, a sustainable nitrogen fixation process was presented under atmospheric conditions and without introducing hydrogen or any catalyst. The novel in situ synthesis in this study used an advanced spray-type jet plasma, which significantly improved the fixation rate of nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium. Furthermore, the mechanism focusing on the co-synthesis of the abovementioned three nitrogen compounds was proposed based on the synergistic interactions between the gas-phase plasma and liquid surface dissociation.

Waste-to-biofuel integrated system and its comprehensive techno-economic assessment in wastewater treatment plants.

Combining wastewater treatment and biofuel production is considered the cost-effective way for better waste remediation and lowering the environmental impact for biofuel production. In this study, an innovative integrated system incorporating sludge, scum and centrate treatment and biofuel production was developed. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis was conducted to evaluate the technology and economic feasibility of the integrated system with the consideration of biofuel production, wastewater treatment improvement, tax credits, carbon credit, and coproducts utilization.