Luffa cylindrica (Sponge Gourd) Fibers in Treatment of Greywater: an Aerobic Fixed-Film Reactor Approach.

The need for potable water consumption in urban and suburban regions can be decreased by greywater treatment and its reuse. Utilizing natural fibers may provide sustainable solutions in addressing challenges related to water resource management. In this study, a fixed-film reactor was designed with Luffa cylindrica (an annually occurring fruit) as a bio-carrier.

Review on solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass and organic solid waste.

Sustainable management of organic solid wastes especially the municipal solid waste (MSW) is essential for the realization of various sustainable development goals (SDGs). Resource recovery centric waste processing technologies generate valorizable products to meet the operations and maintenance (O&M) costs while reducing the GHG emissions. Solid-state anaerobic digestion (SSAD) of organic solid wastes is a biomethanation process performed at a relatively higher total solids (TS) loading in the range of 10-45%.

Household discharge of chemical products and its classification based on anaerobic biodegradability.

Synthetic household chemical products (HCP) are used in various household activities. An average urban household was estimated to consume ~ 3 kg HCP per month while discarding 212-387 mg/L HCP in sewage comprising > 265 different chemical compounds. The high sorption properties of HCP and their antimicrobial resistance lead to their long-term persistence in the environment.

Accumulation of antibiotic-resistant genes in anaerobic biofilm reactor fed with household chemical products.

This research aims to determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARG) in anaerobic biofilm reactors (ABR) fed with household chemical products (HCP) such as laundry detergents and handwash without any influx of antibiotics. The ABR comprised a three-chamber design with bottom sludge, a middle chamber containing fluidized PVC spiral, and a top chamber with packed coir fiber as a biofilm support medium, respectively. Four different ABRs were simultaneously operated for a prolonged period (200 day) and subjected to variations in physicochemical conditions.

Fate and transport of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in runoff and soil as affected by the timing of swine manure slurry application.

Land application of swine manure slurry is a common practice to supplement nutrients to soil for crop production. This practice can introduce antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into the environment. Field testing is critical in identifying manure management practices effective in minimizing the environmental impacts of manure-borne antibiotic and ARGs.

The physicochemical characteristics and anaerobic degradability of desiccated coconut industry waste water.

Desiccated coconut industries (DCI) create various intermediates from fresh coconut kernel for cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. The mechanized and non-mechanized DCI process between 10,000 and 100,000 nuts/day to discharge 6-150 m(3) of malodorous waste water leading to a discharge of 264-6642 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD) daily. In these units, three main types of waste water streams are coconut kernel water, kernel wash water and virgin oil waste water.