A synthetic biology approach for the treatment of pollutants with microalgae.

The increase in global population and industrial development has led to a significant release of organic and inorganic pollutants into water streams, threatening human health and ecosystems. Microalgae, encompassing eukaryotic protists and prokaryotic cyanobacteria, have emerged as a sustainable and cost-effective solution for removing these pollutants and mitigating carbon emissions. Various microalgae species, such as and have demonstrated their ability to eliminate heavy metals, salinity, plastics, and pesticides.

Effect of feeding frequency on the anaerobic digestion of berry fruit waste.

On-site anaerobic digesters for small agricultural farms typically have feeding schedules that fluctuate according to farm operations. Shocks in feeding, particularly for putrescible waste can disrupt the stable operation of a digester. The effect of intermittent feeding on the anaerobic digestion of rejected raspberries was investigated in four 3L reactors operated in semicontinuous mode for 350 days at 38 °C with a hydraulic retention time of 25 days and an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1gVS/L/d.

Element distribution in electrochemically treated mine wastewater for efficient resource recovery and water treatment: A pilot study.

The feasibility of recovering major and critical elements from acid mine drainage using a pilot-scale electrochemical reactor (ECR) was investigated by assessing elements concentration and species distribution in the liquid and solid phase (sludge) in multistage tests. These were carried out at different electrical currents (18-22 amps) and thus, pH (8-12). The results showed that major metals Al, Cu and Fe were removed from the liquid phase at pH 5.

Role of the substrate on Ni inhibition in biological sulfate reduction.

In treating mine-impacted waters using sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), metal inhibition and substrate selection are important factors affecting the efficiency of the bioprocess. This work investigated the role of the substrate (i.e.

High-Rate Sulfate Removal Coupled to Elemental Sulfur Production in Mining Process Waters Based on Membrane-Biofilm Technology.

It is anticipated that copper mining output will significantly increase over the next 20 years because of the more intensive use of copper in electricity-related technologies such as for transport and clean power generation, leading to a significant increase in the impacts on water resources if stricter regulations and as a result cleaner mining and processing technologies are not implemented. A key concern of discarded copper production process water is sulfate. In this study we aim to transform sulfate into sulfur in real mining process water.

Bottom ash from smouldered digestate and coconut coir as an alkalinity supplement for the anaerobic digestion of fruit waste.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of readily hydrolysed substrates such as fruit waste requires the addition of a pH buffering agent. This study evaluated the use of bottom ash from the combustion of spent coconut coir and the digestate produced from rejected berry fruit and plant waste as a buffering agent. The performance of the ash was compared with using an equivalent amount of NaHCO as a buffering agent.

Influence of inoculum selection on the utilisation of volatile fatty acid and glucose in sulfate reducing reactors.

The capacity of three inocula (sewer biofilm, mangrove and estuary sediment) to utilise typical fermentation products of municipal solid waste for biological sulfate reduction was investigated. Each inoculum was used in two reactors, one fed a mixture of volatile fatty acids and another fed glucose to provide a suite of fermentation products via naturally occurring fermentation. Following 228 days of reactor operation, reactors inoculated with mangrove and estuary sediments exhibited higher sulfate reducing efficiencies (80-88%) compared to the biofilm-inoculated reactors (32-49%).

Anaerobic digestion of bean straw applying a fungal pre-treatment and using cow manure as co-substrate.

The significant amounts of agriculture residues such as bean straw (BS) in rural areas, advises its valorisation for energy recovery. The feasibility of using BS for biogas production through anaerobic digestion was assessed. Prior to this, a fungal pre-treatment to hydrolyse BS with s was studied at 30°C and 100 rpm in orbital incubators with 1, 10 and 30 mg fungus/g straw for 14, 21 and 28 days.

Trace elements effect on hydrolytic stage towards biogas production of model lignocellulosic substrates.

The effect and the response of several trace elements (TE) addition to the anaerobic degradation of key compounds of lignocellulosic biomass were evaluated. Lignin, cellulose and xylose were selected as principal compounds of lignocellulosic biomass. Lignin degradation was only improved by the addition of 1000 mg Fe/L, which allowed an improvement on the methane yield coefficient of 28% compared to control.

Characterization of sulfate-reducing bacteria dominated surface communities during start-up of a down-flow fluidized bed reactor.

An anaerobic down-flow fluidized bed reactor was inoculated with granular sludge and started-up with sulfate containing synthetic wastewater to promote the formation of a biofilm enriched in sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), to produce biogenic sulfide. The start-up was done in two stages operating the reactor in batch for 45 days followed by 85 days of continuous operation. Low-density polyethylene was used as support.