Kinetic evaluation of sonicated food waste in continuously stirred tank reactor.

This work aimed to evaluate the process performance and stability of the anaerobic digestion of sonicated food waste (SFW) by determining the kinetic parameters using Monod, Contois, Modified Stover-Kincannon, and Grau second-order multicomponent substrate removal kinetic models. The anaerobic digestion was conducted on the sonicated food waste (SFW) in a 13 L continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with a stepwise organic loading rate (OLR) ranging from 1.5 to 3.

Evaluation of porogen factors for the preparation of ion imprinted polymer monoliths used in mercury removal.

In the present study, ion imprinted polymer monoliths (IIPMs) were developed to overcome the limitations of ion imprinted polymer particles (IIPPs) used for the removal of Hg(II) ions from waste water samples. The adsorbents preparation, characterization and Hg(II) removal were very well reported. The IIPMs on porogen optimization was prepared using the molding technique with Hg(II) as a template ion, [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium cysteine (MAETC) as ligand, methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylamide (EGDMA) as cross-linker, benzoyl peroxide as an initiator and methanol and acetonitrile as porogen in the polypropylene tube (drinking straw) as mold.

A novel biocoagulant agent from mushroom chitosan as water and wastewater therapy.

A new commercial cationic polyelectrolyte chitosan (CM), obtained from the waste of mushroom production, was examined using models of water and wastewater namely kaolin and palm oil mill effluent (pome). As it is biocompatible, widely available, and economically feasible, chitosan mushroom has high potential to be a suitable replacement for alum. Also, it can be a promising alternative to chitosan obtained traditionally from Crustaceans due to its higher zeta potential and homogeneity based on the raw material required for its production.

A tannin-based agent for coagulation and flocculation of municipal wastewater: Chemical composition, performance assessment compared to Polyaluminum chloride, and application in a pilot plant.

Chemical composition and flocculation efficiency were investigated for a commercially produced tannin - based coagulant and flocculant (Tanfloc). The results of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed what claimed about the chemical composition of Tanfloc. For moderate polluted municipal wastewater investigated in both jar test and pilot plant, Tanfloc showed high turbidity removal efficiency of approximately 90%, while removal efficiencies of BOD and COD were around 60%.

Phytoremediation of palm oil mill secondary effluent (POMSE) by Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) using artificial neural networks.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been widely used to solve the problems because of their reliable, robust, and salient characteristics in capturing the nonlinear relationships between variables in complex systems. In this study, ANN was applied for modeling of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and biodegradable organic matter (BOD) removal from palm oil mill secondary effluent (POMSE) by vetiver system. The independent variable, including POMSE concentration, vetiver slips density, and removal time, has been considered as input parameters to optimize the network, while the removal percentage of COD and BOD were selected as output.

Modeling BOD and COD removal from Palm Oil Mill Secondary Effluent in floating wetland by Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) using response surface methodology.

While the oil palm industry has been recognized for its contribution towards economic growth and rapid development, it has also contributed to environmental pollution due to the production of huge quantities of by-products from the oil extraction process. A phytoremediation technique (floating Vetiver system) was used to treat Palm Oil Mill Secondary Effluent (POMSE). A batch study using 40 L treatment tanks was carried out under different conditions and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the treatment process.

Effects of feedstock carbon to nitrogen ratio and organic loading on foaming potential in mesophilic food waste anaerobic digestion.

Foaming problem which occurred occasionally during food waste (FW) anaerobic digestion (AD) was investigated with the Malaysian FW by stepwise increase in organic loading (OL) from 0.5 to 7.5 g VS/L.

Flocculation behavior and mechanism of bioflocculant produced by Aspergillus flavus.

In this study, the flocculation behavior and mechanism of a cation-independent bioflocculant IH-7 produced by Aspergillus flavus were investigated. Results showed 91.6% was the lowest flocculating rate recorded by IH-7 (0.

An application of the theory of planned behaviour to study the influencing factors of participation in source separation of food waste.

Tremendous increases in biodegradable (food waste) generation significantly impact the local authorities, who are responsible to manage, treat and dispose of this waste. The process of separation of food waste at its generation source is identified as effective means in reducing the amount food waste sent to landfill and can be reused as feedstock to downstream treatment processes namely composting or anaerobic digestion. However, these efforts will only succeed with positive attitudes and highly participations rate by the public towards the scheme.

Production and characterization of a bioflocculant produced by Aspergillus flavus.

The production and characterization of a bioflocculant, IH-7, by Aspergillus flavus was investigated. About 0.4 g of purified bioflocculant with an average molecular weight of 2.

Analysis of heavy metals during composting of the tannery sludge using physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques.

The major limitation of direct application of tannery sludge compost in agriculture is the total heavy metal contents and their bioavailability to the soil-plant system. This study focused on the heavy metal characterization and the influence of changing the physicochemical properties of the medium throughout the composting on the concentrations, bioavailability or chemical forms of Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in tannery sludge. The study shows that throughout the 60 days of composting, physicochemical analysis and Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic characterization show that all parameters elaborated and reached relatively stable levels reflecting the stability and maturity of the final product, and revealed the biodegradation of components that can be easily assimilated by microorganism.

A study of heavy metals and their fate in the composting of tannery sludge.

Tannery waste is categorized as toxic and hazardous in Malaysia due to its high content of Cr (in excess of 500 mg/kg) and other heavy metals. Heavy metals, when in high enough concentrations, have the potential to be both phytotoxic and zootoxic. Heavy metals are found as contaminants in tannery sludge.

Film-pore-concentration-dependent surface diffusion model for the adsorption of dye onto palm kernel shell activated carbon.

The rate of dye adsorption from aqueous effluents onto palm kernel shell (PKS) activated carbon has been studied experimentally using the batch adsorption method. The adsorption rates of methylene blue on PKS for systems of different initial dye concentrations are modeled using a film-pore-concentration dependent surface diffusion (FPCDSD) model. The FPCDSD model is sufficiently general and can be reduced easily to describe other simplified models.

Incorporation of sewage sludge in clay brick and its characterization.

This study reports the use of sewage sludge generated from sewage treatment plant (STP) as raw material in a clay brick-making process. The physico-chemical and mineralogical characterization of the sewage sludge and clay were carried out in order to identify the major technological constraints and to define the sludge pretreatment requirements if necessary. Moreover, the effects on processing conditions and/or on changes of typical final characteristics are also evaluated.

Domestic wastewater biosolids accumulation by liquid state bioconversion process for rapid composting.

Bioconversion of higher strength of domestic wastewater biosolids (sludge) (4% w/w of TSS) by mixed fungal culture of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium corylophilum was studied in a laboratory. The effect of potential mixed fungi on domestic wastewater sludge accelerated the liquid state bioconversion (LSB) process. The highest production of dry sludge cake (biosolids) was enriched with fungal biomass to about 85.

Bioconversion of domestic wastewater sludge by immobilized mixed culture of penicillum Corylophilum WWZA1003 and Aspergillus niger SCahmA103.

The bioconversion of domestic wastewater sludge by immobilized mixed culture of filamentous fungi was investigated in a laboratory. The potential mixed culture of Penicillium corylophilum WWZA1003 and Aspergillus niger SCahmA103 was isolated from its local habitats (wastewater and sludge cake) and optimized on the basis of biodegradability and dewaterability of treated sludge. The observed results in this study showed that the sludge treatment was highly influenced by the effect of immobilized mixed fungi using liquid state bioconversion (LSB) process.

Characteristics of slag produced from incinerated hospital waste.

Ash produced from a hospital waste incinerator was treated using a high temperature melting process at 1200 degrees C. The quality of the produced slag was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), leaching tests and sequential chemical extraction of metals. The slag contained large amounts of SiO(2,) CaO, Al(2)O(3), Sn, Ni, Cu, Ba and B.

Effects of high temperature melting on fractionation of heavy metals in sewage sludge.

Sewage sludge from aerobic treatment plant was found to contain high amounts of heavy metals. Research was carried out to investigate the speciation and leaching behavior of heavy metals when using high temperature melting technology for treatment. This was achieved by conducting a sequential chemical extraction procedure and EP-TOX leaching test.

Filamentous fungi in Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) sewage treatment plant for biological treatment of domestic wastewater sludge.

A study was carried out to isolate and identify filamentous fungi for the treatment of domestic wastewater sludge by enhancing biodegradability, settleability and dewaterability of treated sludge using liquid state bioconversion process. A total of 70 strains of filamentous fungi were isolated from three different sources (wastewater, sewage sludge and leachate) of IWK's (Indah Water Konsortium) sewage treatment plant, Malaysia. The isolated strains were purified by conventional techniques and identified by microscopic examination.