Green dispersants for oil spill response: A comprehensive review of recent advances.

Green dispersants are so-called "green" because they are renewable (from bio-based sources), non-volatile (from ionic liquids), or are from naturally available solvents (vegetable oils). In this review, the effectiveness of different types of green dispersants, namely, protein isolates and hydrolysates from fish and marine wastes, biosurfactants from bacterial and fungal strains, vegetable-based oils such as soybean lecithin and castor oils, as well as green solvents like ionic liquids are reviewed. The challenges and opportunities offered by these green dispersants are also elucidated.

Updated review on microplastics in water, their occurrence, detection, measurement, environmental pollution, and the need for regulatory standards.

The gravity of the impending threats posed by microplastics (MPs) pollution in the environment cannot be over-emphasized. Several research studies continue to stress how important it is to curb the proliferation of these small plastic particles with different physical and chemical properties, especially in aquatic environments. While several works on how to monitor, detect and remove MPs from the aquatic environment have been published, there is still a lack of explicit regulatory framework for mitigation of MPs globally.

Sorption and removal of crude oil spills from seawater using peat-derived biochar: An optimization study.

Bio-based sorbents are preferred over chemical-based methods for the clean-up of crude oil spills in marine environments because bio-based sorbents are more environmentally friendly. This study evaluates the use of peat-derived biochar (PB) as a bio-sorbent for the sorption and removal of crude oil spills from synthetic seawater. Experiments were designed to determine the effect of four operating factors (PB/crude oil contact time, PB dosage, oil dosage, and temperature) on two performance indicators (crude oil sorption capacity of PB, S, and oil removal efficiency, R%).

Pyrolysis of date palm waste to biochar using concentrated solar thermal energy: Economic and sustainability implications.

A system of concentrated solar energy for pyrolysis of date palm waste to biochar is designed and simulated using SuperPro Designer v8.5. Both economic and environmental sustainability implications are evaluated by bench-marking with the conventional process (electric heating-based pyrolysis).

Membrane bioreactors and electrochemical processes for treatment of wastewaters containing heavy metal ions, organics, micropollutants and dyes: Recent developments.

Research and development activities on standalone systems of membrane bioreactors and electrochemical reactors for wastewater treatment have been intensified recently. However, several challenges are still being faced during the operation of these reactors. The current challenges associated with the operation of standalone MBR and electrochemical reactors include: membrane fouling in MBR, set-backs from operational errors and conditions, energy consumption in electrochemical systems, high cost requirement, and the need for simplified models.

Comparative cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of biogas production from marine algae and cattle manure biorefineries.

The environmental impacts resulting from the cradle-to-grave life cycles of Enteromorpha prolifera macroalgae and cattle manure biorefineries are assessed and compared. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to evaluate the response of the impacts to changes in biogas application by using Simapro 7.3.

Recent improvements in oily wastewater treatment: Progress, challenges, and future opportunities.

Oily wastewater poses significant threats to the soil, water, air and human beings because of the hazardous nature of its oil contents. The objective of this review paper is to highlight the current and recently developed methods for oily wastewater treatment through which contaminants such as oil, fats, grease, and inorganics can be removed for safe applications. These include electrochemical treatment, membrane filtration, biological treatment, hybrid technologies, use of biosurfactants, treatment via vacuum ultraviolet radiation, and destabilization of emulsions through the use of zeolites and other natural minerals.

Numerical modeling of an electrically enhanced membrane bioreactor (MBER) treating medium-strength wastewater.

In this paper, a numerical model of an electrically enhanced membrane bioreactor (MBER) was developed. MBER is a reactor that combines biological decomposition, membrane filtration and electrocoagulation of wastewater pollutants in a hybrid unit. To assess its design, the final contents and removal efficiencies of organics, nutrients, and metals were carried out using varying influent compositions.

Enhanced sludge properties and distribution study of sludge components in electrically-enhanced membrane bioreactor.

This study investigated the impact of electric field on the physicochemical and biological characteristics of sludge wasted from an electrically-enhanced membrane bioreactor treating medium-strength raw wastewater. This method offers a chemical-free electrokinetic technique to enhance sludge properties and remove heavy metals. For example, sludge volume index (SVI), time-to-filter (TTF), mean sludge particle diameter (PSD), viscosity, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of 21.