Self-cleaning MnZn ferrite/biochar adsorbents for effective removal of tetracycline.

A renewable tri-metallic spinel decorated biochar adsorbent (MZF-BC) was fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method and to remove tetracycline. The physicochemical properties of MZF-BC were well studied. MZF-BC with a hybrid pore structure of mesopores (~7.

On-site CO bio-sequestration in anaerobic digestion: Current status and prospects.

The advantages of anaerobic digestion (AD) technology in organic solid waste treatment for bioenergy recovery are evidenced in worldwide. Recently, more attention has been paid to on-site biogas research, as well as biogenic CO sequestration from AD plant, to promote "carbon neutral". Single-phase and two-phase AD system can be incorporated with various CO bioconversion technologies through H mediated CO bioconversion (in-situ and ex-situ biogas upgrading), or other emerging strategies for CO fixation without exogenous H injection; these include in-situ direct interspecies electron transfer reinforcement, electromethanogenesis, and off-gas reutilization.

Assessing the stability of co-digesting sewage sludge with pig manure under different mixing ratios.

This study assessed the digester stability and overall methane production of co-digestion of sewage sludge (SS) and pig manure (PM). Four different ratios of PM were mixed with SS to reach different final concentrations of total solids (TS), i.e.

Impact of pyrochar and hydrochar derived from digestate on the co-digestion of sewage sludge and swine manure.

Four kinds of biochar were obtained by pyrolysis carbonization and hydrothermal carbonization from swine manure digestate, i.e. pyrochar (HC, HC-Fe) and hydrochar (HTC, HTC-Fe).

Artemisinin and its derivatives: a potential treatment for leukemia.

Artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives are one of the most important classes of antimalarial agents, originally derived from a Chinese medicinal plant called Artemisia annua L. Beyond their outstanding antimalarial and antischistosomal activities, ART and its derivatives also possess both in-vitro and in-vivo activities against various types of cancer. Their anticancer effects range from initiation of apoptotic cell death to inhibition of cancer proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis, and even modulation of the cell signal transduction pathway.

Prevalence and risk factors of community-associated methicillin-resistant carriage in Asia-Pacific region from 2000 to 2016: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Community-associated methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) is an emerging global public health threat. In response to a highlighted strategic priority of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, to "strengthen the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and research", we synthesized published articles to estimate CA-MRSA carriage prevalence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO CRD:42017067399).

Environmental Sustainability and Mold Hygiene in Buildings.

Environmental sustainability is one of the key issues in building management. In Hong Kong, one of the initiatives is to reduce the operation hours of air-conditioning in buildings to cut down energy consumption. In this study, we reported a mold contamination case in a newly refurbished laboratory, in which the air-conditioner was switched from 24- to 18-h mode after refurbishment.

Evaluation of integrated ammonia recovery technology and nutrient status with an in-vessel composting process for swine manure.

The study investigated the effect of different initial moisture (IM) content (55, 60, 65, and 70%) of composting mixtures (swine manure and sawdust) for the production of nutrient rich manure, and the recovery of ammonia through a condensation process using a vertical cylindrical in-vessel composter for 56days. The composting resulted in a significant reduction in C:N ratio and electrical conductivity (EC), with a slight increase in pH in all products. The NH were emitted notably, and at the same time the NO-N concentration gradually increased with the reduction of NH-N in the composting mixtures.

Evaluation of pilot-scale in-vessel composting for Hanwoo manure management.

The study investigated the effect of in-vessel composting process on Hanwoo manure in two different South Korea regions (Pyeongchang and Goechang) with sawdust using vertical cylindrical in-vessel bioreactor for 42days. The stability and quality of Hanwoo manure in both regions were improved and confirmed through the positive changes in physico-chemical and phytotoxic properties using different commercial seed crops. The pH and electrical conductivity (EC, ds/m) of composted manure in both regions were slightly increased.

Biological nutrient transformation during composting of pig manure and paper waste.

Composting of pig manure is a challenging task that requires appropriate co-substrate and bulking agent to provide optimum composting conditions and reduce nitrogen loss. In this study, paper waste is co-composted with pig manure as well as wood chips as the bulking agents. These raw materials were mixed at three different ratios of paper: pig manure: wood chips = 1:1:0 (pile 1), 3:2:1 (pile 2) and 3:1:1(pile 3), respectively.

Anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and chemically enhanced primary-treated sludge under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with primary sewage sludge is beneficial for urban centers, while the optimized conditions reported in the literature are not locally suitable for Hong Kong. Therefore, the present study was aimed to develop an optimized mixing ratio of food waste to chemically enhanced primary-treated sewer sludge (CEPT) for co-digestion using batch tests under mesophilic (37°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions. The mixing ratios of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1 and 3:1 (v v(-1)) of food waste to CEPT sludge was tested under the following conditions: temperature - 35°C and 55°C; pH - not regulated; agitation - 150 rpm and time - 20 days.

Fate of extracellular polymeric substances of anaerobically digested sewage sludge during pre-dewatering conditioning with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans culture.

This study investigated the fate of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of anaerobically digested saline sewage sludge during its preconditioning. Sludge was conditioned with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (AF) culture for 24h in the presence and absence of Fe(2+) as an energy substrate. pH decreased from 7.

Innovative method for increased methane recovery from two-phase anaerobic digestion of food waste through reutilization of acidogenic off-gas in methanogenic reactor.

In this study, the performance of a two-phase anaerobic digestion reactor treating food waste with the reutilization of acidogenic off-gas was investigated with the objective to improve the hydrogen availability for the methanogenic reactor. As a comparison a treatment without off-gas reutilization was also set up. Results showed that acidogenic off-gas utilization in the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor increased the methane recovery up to 38.

Effect of Chinese medicinal herbal residues on microbial community succession and anti-pathogenic properties during co-composting with food waste.

This study investigated the antimicrobial properties of Chinese medicinal herbal residues (CMHRs) during its co-composting with food waste (FW) in two different ratios along with a control. Inhibition on total microbial population were assessed while the numerically dominant microbes were isolated and their antagonistic effects were assessed. Results indicate that the active ingredients persist in the composting mass did not affect the microbes unspecifically as revealed from almost similar bacterial and fungal populations.

Sludge conditioning using biogenic flocculant produced by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans for enhancement in dewaterability.

Biogenic flocculant produced by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was used for sludge conditioning to improve the dewaterability of anaerobically-digested sludge, and its efficiency was compared with commercial cationic polyacrylamide (PAM). Biogenic flocculant rapidly reduced the pH and increased the oxidation-reduction potential of sludge. Capillary suction time (CST) and specific resistant to filtration (SRF) of sludge was decreased by 74% and 89%, respectively, compared with control; and the reductions were 58% CST and 67% SRF higher when compared with commercial polymer.

Influence of lime on struvite formation and nitrogen conservation during food waste composting.

This study aimed at investigating the feasibility of supplementing lime with struvite salts to reduce ammonia emission and salinity consequently to accelerate the compost maturity. Composting was performed in 20-L bench-scale reactors for 35days using artificial food waste mixed with sawdust at 1.2:1 (w/w dry basis), and Mg and P salts (MgO and K2HPO4, respectively).

Influence of microbial diversity and plant growth hormones in compost and vermicompost from fermented tannery waste.

This study focuses on the effect of the epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae (with and without addition) to transform solid state fermented (SSF) and submerged (SmF) state fermented TFL mixed with cow dung and leaf litter into value added products in compost and vermicompost bioreactors respectively. The significant role of microbes was identified during compost and vermicompost process. In addition, three important phytohormones (Indole 3-acetic acid, Gibberellic acid, Kinetin) were also detected in the compost and vermicompost products.

Artificial neural network based modeling to evaluate methane yield from biogas in a laboratory-scale anaerobic bioreactor.

The performance of a laboratory-scale anaerobic bioreactor was investigated in the present study to determine methane (CH4) content in biogas yield from digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). OFMSW consists of food waste, vegetable waste and yard trimming. An organic loading between 40 and 120kgVS/m(3) was applied in different runs of the bioreactor.

Microbial biodegradation of proteinaceous tannery solid waste and production of a novel value added product - Metalloprotease.

In this study, animal fleshing (ANFL) was utilized as a substrate for the production of extracellular protease by Clostridium limosum through central composite rotatable design (CCRD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Optimum protease production of 433U/ml was achieved and the purified enzyme was identified as acidic metalloprotease, a monomeric protein. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 71kDa, whose activity was enhanced by bivalent metals such as Zn(2+) and Mg(2+).

Effect of composites based nickel foam anode in microbial fuel cell using Acetobacter aceti and Gluconobacter roseus as a biocatalysts.

This study explores the use of materials such as chitosan (chit), polyaniline (PANI) and titanium carbide (TC) as anode materials for microbial fuel cells. Nickel foam (NF) was used as the base anode substrate. Four different types of anodes (NF, NF/PANI, NF/PANI/TC, NF/PANI/TC/Chit) are thus prepared and used in batch type microbial fuel cells operated with a mixed consortium of Acetobacter aceti and Gluconobacter roseus as the biocatalysts and bad wine as a feedstock.

Assistant role of bioelectrode on methanogenic reactor under ammonia stress.

To assess the role of abiotic/biotic electrode and electric field for enhancing methanogenesis under ammonia stress, three sets were conducted, i.e. R1 (titanium electrode+closed circuit), R2 (graphite felt+closed circuit), R3 (graphite felt+open circuit).

Influence of livestock activities on residue antibiotic levels of rivers in Hong Kong.

Occurrence of 10 antibiotics in the Yuen Long (YLR), Kam Tin (KTR), and Shing Mun (SMR) rivers of Hong Kong and possible influence of livestock activities on the concentrations of antibiotics were investigated. Tetracycline (30-497 ng/L), sulfadiazine (2-80 ng/L), sulfamethoxazole (2-152 ng/L), ofloxacin (5-227 ng/L), and erythromycin (1-315 ng/L) were detected in all the three rivers; chlortetracycline (23-227 ng/L), oxytetracycline (7-104 ng/L), ciprofloxacin (12-68 ng/L), and roxithromycin (1-105 ng/L) were detected in YLR and KTR, whereas norfloxacin (3-34 ng/L) was detected in KTR only. Significant correlation between livestock population and antibiotic contamination was observed in YLR only, indicating the influences of other sources in KTR and SMR.

Improved dewatering of CEPT sludge by biogenic flocculant from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans.

Bioleaching using an iron-oxidizing bacterium, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, and its biogenic flocculants was evaluated to improve the dewaterability of chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) sewage sludge. CEPT sludge in flasks was inoculated with A. ferrooxidans culture, medium-free cells and the cell-free culture filtrate with and without the energy substance Fe(2+), and periodically the sludge samples were analysed for the dewaterability.

Influence of ionic conductivity in bioelectricity production from saline domestic sewage sludge in microbial fuel cells.

This study aimed at manipulating ionic conductivity (EC) to harvest the maximum electrical energy from seawater-based domestic wastewater sewage sludge (SWS), unique to only a few cities, through microbial fuel cell (MFC). SWS has never been investigated as a MFC substrate before, and thus the influence of high in-situ EC on the energy recovery was unknown. In this study, the EC of the SWS was reduced through mixing it with fresh water-based domestic wastewater sewage sludge (FWS) or diluted 50% using deionized water while FWS and SWS were individually served as reference treatments.