Effect of substrate size reduction and periodic nutrient supplementation on biological wood oxidation.

Biological wood oxidation (BWO) is a composting heat recovery system tailored for woody lignocellulose valorization, with the potential to generate sustainable and low-temperature heat. This study investigated the effects of feedstock particle sizing and periodic nutrient supplementation (PNS) on microbial activity and wood decomposition during BWO. Birch wood was processed into sawdust (<5 mm) and cubes of various diameters (5, 10, and 15 mm), incubated in batch-mode BWO reactors for 88 days, and periodically supplemented with a nutrient medium.

Biological S reduction at neutral and acidic conditions: Performance and microbial community shifts in a H/CO-fed bioreactor.

Sulfidogenesis is a promising technology for the selective recovery of chalcophile bulk metals (e.g. Cu, Zn, and Co) from metal-contaminated waters such as acid mine drainage (AMD) and metallurgy waste streams.

Oxygen-to-ammonium-nitrogen ratio as an indicator for oxygen supply management in microoxic bioanodic ammonium oxidation.

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have been proven effective for oxidizing ammonium (NH), where the anode acts as an electron acceptor, reducing the energy input by substituting oxygen (O). However, O has been proved to be essential for achieving high removal rates MECs. Thus, precise control of oxygen supply is crucial for optimizing treatment performance and minimizing energy consumption.

Influence of oxidation-reduction potential and pH on polysulfide concentrations and chain lengths in the biological desulfurization process under haloalkaline conditions.

Biological desulfurization under haloalkaline conditions has been applied worldwide to remove hydrogen sulfide (HS) from sour gas steams. The process relies on sulfide-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) to oxidize HS to elemental sulfur (S), which can then be recovered and reused. Recently, a dual-reactor biological desulfurization system was implemented where an anaerobic (sulfidic) bioreactor was incorporated as an addition to a micro-oxic bioreactor, allowing for higher S selectivity by limiting by-product formation.

Implications in the production of defossilized methanol: A study on carbon sources.

The transition of the current fossil based chemical industry to a carbon-neutral industry can be done by the substitution of fossil carbon for defossilized carbon in the production of base chemicals. Methanol is one of the seven base chemicals, which could be used to produce other base chemicals (light olefins and aromatics). In this research, we evaluated the synthesis of methanol based on defossilized carbon sources (maize, waste biomass, direct air capture of CO (DAC), and CO from the cement industry) by considering carbon source availability, energy, water, and land demand.

Electrochemical route outperforms chemical struvite precipitation in mitigating heavy metal contamination.

Electrochemically mediated struvite precipitation (EMSP) offers a robust, chemical-free process towards phosphate and ammonium reclamation from nutrients-rich wastewater, i.e., swine wastewater.

Polysulfide Concentration and Chain Length in the Biological Desulfurization Process: Effect of Biomass Concentration and the Sulfide Loading Rate.

Removal of hydrogen sulfide (HS) can be achieved using the sustainable biological desulfurization process, where HS is converted to elemental sulfur using sulfide-oxidizing bacteria (SOB). A dual-bioreactor process was recently developed where an anaerobic (sulfidic) bioreactor was used between the absorber column and micro-oxic bioreactor. In the absorber column and sulfidic bioreactor, polysulfides (S) are formed due to the chemical equilibrium between HS and sulfur (S).

Enhancement of Ammonium Oxidation at Microoxic Bioanodes.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are considered to be energy-efficient to convert ammonium, which is present in wastewater. The application of BESs as a technology to treat wastewater on an industrial scale is hindered by the slow removal rate and lack of understanding of the underlying ammonium conversion pathways. This study shows ammonium oxidation rates up to 228 ± 0.

Potential reuse of domestic organic residues as soil organic amendment in the current waste management system in Australia, China, and The Netherlands.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is essential for most soil functions. Changes in land use from natural land to cropland disrupt long-established SOC balances and reduce SOC levels. The intensive use of chemical fertilisers in modern agriculture accelerates the rate of SOC depletion.

Integrated life cycle assessment of biotreatment and agricultural use of domestic organic residues: Environmental benefits, trade-offs, and impacts on soil application.

Extensive agricultural activities have been shown to degrade soils, promoting research into improving soil quality. One such method is to increase the amount of organic matter in the soil, and domestic organic residues (DOR) are commonly used for this purpose. The environmental impact of DOR-derived products, from production to agricultural application, remains unclear in current research.

Effect of organic amendments obtained from different pretreatment technologies on soil microbial community.

The application of organic amendments (OAs) obtained from biological treatment technologies is a common agricultural practice to increase soil functionality and fertility. OAs and their respective pretreatment processes have been extensively studied. However, comparing the properties of OAs obtained from different pretreatment processes remains challenging.

Continuous single-stage elemental sulfur reduction and copper sulfide precipitation under thermoacidophilic conditions.

Metal sulfide precipitation is a viable technology for high-yield metal recovery from hydrometallurgical streams, with the potential to streamline the process design. A single-stage elemental sulfur (S)-reducing and metal sulfide precipitating process can optimize the operational and capital costs associated with this technology, boosting the competitiveness of this technology for wider industrial application. However, limited research is available on biological sulfur reduction at high temperature and low pH, frequent conditions of hydrometallurgical process waters.

Nutrient recovery and pollutant removal during renewable fuel production: opportunities and challenges.

Stimulated by the desire to achieve a Net Zero energy economy, the demand for renewable fuels is growing rapidly. The production of toxic waste streams that accompanies the transition from fossil fuels to renewable fuels is often overlooked. These waste streams include, among others, thiols and ammonia, and benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX).

Basket anode filled with CaCO particles: A membrane-free electrochemical system for boosting phosphate recovery and product purity.

Phosphorus (P) is often regarded as the primary stimulant for eutrophication, while its importance as a crucial life element is also well acknowledged. Given its future scarcity, P recycling from waste streams is suggested and practiced. Electrochemically mediated precipitation (EMP) is a robust and chemical-free process for P removal and recovery, yet it requires further developments.

Anaerobic sulphide removal by haloalkaline sulphide oxidising bacteria.

Sulphide is a toxic and corrosive compound and requires removal from waste streams. Recent discoveries show that sulphide oxidising bacteria (SOB) from modern desulphurisation plants are able to spatially separate sulphide removal and oxygen reduction when exposed to intermittent anaerobic and aerobic environments. Here, SOB act as electron shuttles between electron donor and acceptor.

Removal of small elemental sulfur particles by polysulfide formation in a sulfidic reactor.

For over 30 years, biological gas desulfurization under halo-alkaline conditions has been studied and optimized. This technology is currently applied in already 270 commercial installations worldwide. Sulfur particle separation, however, remains a challenge; a fraction of sulfur particles is often too small for liquid-solid separation with conventional separation technology.

Effects of Current on the Membrane and Boundary Layer Selectivity in Electrochemical Systems Designed for Nutrient Recovery.

During electrochemical nutrient recovery, current and ion exchange membranes (IEM) are used to extract an ionic species of interest (e.g., ion) from a mixture of multiple ions.

How sulfur species can accelerate the biological immobilization of the toxic selenium oxyanions and promote stable hexagonal Se formation.

Toxic selenium oxyanions and sulfur species are often jointly present in contaminated waters and soils. This study investigated the effect on kinetics and resulting products for bio-reduction of selenium oxyanions in the presence of biologically produced sulfur resulting from bio-oxidation of sulfide in (bio)gas-desulfurization (bio-S) and of sulfate. Selenite and selenate (~2 mmol L) bio-reduction was studied in batch up to 28 days at 30 C and pH 7 using lactic acid and a sulfate-reducing sludge, 'Emmtec'.

Producing organic amendments: Physicochemical changes in biowaste used in anaerobic digestion, composting, and fermentation.

Organic amendments (OAs) produced via composting, anaerobic digestion, or lactic acid fermentation, can be used to replenish soil carbon. Not all OAs production technologies preserve C and nutrients in the same way. In this study, we compared the influence of these technologies (i.

Continuous electron shuttling by sulfide oxidizing bacteria as a novel strategy to produce electric current.

Sulfide oxidizing bacteria (SOB) are widely applied in industry to convert toxic HS into elemental sulfur. Haloalkaliphilic planktonic SOB can remove sulfide from solution under anaerobic conditions (SOB are 'charged'), and release electrons at an electrode (discharge of SOB). The effect of this electron shuttling on product formation and biomass growth is not known.

Electrochemically mediated precipitation of phosphate minerals for phosphorus removal and recovery: Progress and perspective.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for the growth and reproduction of organisms. Unfortunately, the natural P cycle has been broken by the overexploitation of P ores and the associated discharge of P into water bodies, which may trigger the eutrophication of water bodies in the short term and possible P shortage soon. Consequently, technologies emerged to recover P from wastewater to mitigate pollution and exploit secondary P resources.