Preparation of synthetic micro- and nano plastics for method validation studies.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is a persisting global problem. Accurate analysis is essential in quantifying the effects of microplastic pollution and develop novel technologies that reliably and reproducibly measure microplastic content in various samples. The most common methods for this are FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.

Interplay role of microalgae and bio-carriers in hybrid membrane bioreactors on wastewater treatment, membrane fouling, and microbial communities.

Algal membrane bioreactors (algae-MBRs) and advanced hybrid biocarrier algal membrane bioreactors (hybrid algae-MBRs) have been investigated to improve the performance of conventional MBRs (C-MBRs). Maximum chemical oxygen demand and nutrient removal efficiencies, similar to the maximum biomass growth rate, chlorophyll-a concentration, and balanced microbial growth, were achieved in the hybrid algae-MBR inoculated with polyethylene biocarriers and algal cells. During the 90 days of operation, the hybrid algae-MBR demonstrated lower membrane fouling without membrane washing, whereas the C-MBR and algae-MBR were washed seven and four times, respectively.

Removal and recovery of nutrients from septic tank wastewater using microalgae: Key factors and practical implications.

Treatment of septic tank wastewater (STWW) with high concentrations of ammonium (NH) and total phosphorus (TP), is challenging in decentralized areas. Utilizing microalgae for STWW treatment can simultaneously recover nutrients in the form of high-value microalgal biomass. However, despite the potential benefits, microalgal treatment of STWW is rarely reported.

Reuse of end-of-life membranes through accelerated polyamide degradation.

End-of-life (EoL) thin-film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis membranes were converted into ultrafiltration-like (UF) membranes in an accelerated degradation process of the polyamide (PA) using an oxidant (NaOCl) in the presence of either MgCl or CaCl. The PA degradation was evaluated by measuring pure water permeability (PWP), MgSO passage and molecular weight cut-off; the more PWP increased, and the less MgSO was retained after treatment, the more the PA was degraded. By adding 10 mM of metal ions, PWP increased 2.

Insights into the adsorption of CO generated from synthetic urban wastewater treatment on olive pomace biochar.

In this investigation, a sustainable and low-cost method to capture CO generated from the treatment of urban wastewater was evaluated. We studied the adsorption of CO on olive pomace biochar. The experiments of degradation of synthetic wastewater mimicking effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with an initial Total Organic Carbon (TOC) concentration of 10 mg L were conducted by using the UV-C/HO process in the absence or presence of biochar.

Effect of Low Concentrations of Lithium Chloride Additive on Cellulose-Rich Ultrafiltration Membrane Performance.

Various water treatment processes make extensive use of porous polymeric membranes. A key objective in membrane fabrication is to improve membrane selectivity without sacrificing other properties such as permeability. Herein, LiCl (0-2 wt.

Effects of monospecific and mixed-algae culture on performance of algae-sludge membrane bioreactors.

To increase wastewater treatment efficiency and biofuel production, seven microalgae were mixed with activated sludge in batch bioreactors. Based on batch results, two microalgae (Chlamydomonas and Selenastrum) and their mixture were inoculated into conventional-membrane-bioreactors (CMBRs) to evaluate effects of monospecific and mixed-algae culture on the performance of algae-sludge-MBRs. The best nutrient removal, highest chlorophyll-a, and lowest membrane fouling were achieved by the mixed-algae membrane bioreactor.

Cellulose Nanofibers Derived Surface Coating in Enhancing the Dye Removal with Cellulosic Ultrafiltration Membrane.

Commercially available ultrafiltration membranes were coated with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) produced from softwood pulp by a two-step process: a non-derivatizing DES treatment and a simple mechanical treatment (high-speed homogenization and sonification). The CNFs coating aimed at enhancement of the removal of methylene blue (MB) from water and was investigated at different concentrations of the coating, quantified in grams of CNFs per square meter of the membrane (1.3, 6.

Historical and current occurrence of microplastics in water and sediment of a Finnish lake affected by WWTP effluents.

Only scarce information is available about the abundance of microplastics (MPs) in Nordic lakes. In this study, the occurrence, types, and distribution of MPs were assessed based on the lake water and sediment samples collected from a sub-basin of Lake Saimaa, Finland. The main goal was to estimate the possible effect of the local wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) on the abundance of MPs in different compartments of the recipient lake area.

Wood-Based Cellulose-Rich Ultrafiltration Membranes: Alkaline Coagulation Bath Introduction and Investigation of Its Effect over Membranes' Performance.

In this study, wood-based cellulose-rich membranes were produced with a novel approach to casting procedure. Flat-sheet membranes were prepared from birch biomass pretreated with deep eutectic solvent and dissolved in ionic liquid-dimethylsulfoxide system via phase inversion method. Alkaline coagulation bath filled with sodium hydroxide solution was added to the process before a water coagulation bath and aimed to improve membranes' performance.

The assessment of particle selection and blank correction to enhance the analysis of microplastics with Raman microspectroscopy.

Although microplastics research has received enormous attention in the last decade, both the research practices and the quality of produced data should still be improved. In this study, the identification process of microplastics with Raman imaging microscope was improved by decreasing the time needed for the analysis. To do that, new features, including terrain mosaic and automatic particle selection, were utilized and various ways of handling the produced microplastics data were implemented and discussed.

Cellulose Membranes in the Treatment of Spent Deep Eutectic Solvent Used in the Recovery of Lignin from Lignocellulosic Biomass.

Ultrafiltration was employed in the purification of spent Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES, a mixture of choline chloride and lactic acid, 1:10, respectively) used in the extraction of lignin from lignocellulosic biomass. The aim of this was to recover different lignin fractions and to purify spent solvent. The results revealed that the commercial regenerated cellulose membranes-RC70PP and Ultracel 5 kDa UF membranes-could be used in the treatment of the spent DES.

Dynamics of microbial community and their effects on membrane fouling in an anoxic-oxic gravity-driven membrane bioreactor under varying solid retention time: A pilot-scale study.

Membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) is highly influenced by the characteristics of the influent, the mixed liquor microbial community and the operational parameters, all of which are environment specific. Therefore, we studied the dynamics of microbial community during the treatment of real municipal wastewater in a pilotscale anoxic-oxic (A/O) MBR equipped with a gravity-driven membrane filtration system. The MBR was operated at three different solid retention times (SRTs): 25, 40 and 10 days for a total period of 180 days in Nordic environmental conditions.

Green solvents in recovery of aluminium and plastic from waste pharmaceutical blister packaging.

Pharmaceutical blister packages usually comprise of aluminium and plastic layers. Due to their multi-material structure, the discarded packages are typically landfilled, although when separated, both metallic and polymeric fractions would be recyclable. In the present study, separation of aluminium and polymeric layers of waste pharmaceutical blisters was conducted by exploitation of deep eutectic solvent (DES, lactic acid - choline chloride) and pure lactic acid, both of which are considered green solvents.

Transport of pharmaceuticals during electrodialysis treatment of wastewater.

Electrodialysis (ED) is a promising emerging electrochemical membrane technology for nutrient concentration and recovery from wastewater. However associated environmental safety aspects have to be assessed before utilizing concentrated nutrient produced by ED, for instance as fertilizer. Municipal wastewaters contain various micropollutants that have the potential of being concentrated during the ED treatment processes.

Technical implications and global warming potential of recovering nitrogen released during continuous thermal drying of sewage sludge.

Thermal drying and consequent incineration of sewage sludge result in an absolute loss of an important macronutrient - nitrogen. To fulfill the growing food demand, humanity relies more on industrial fixation of nitrogen, primarily via the Haber-Bosch process. The present paper examines the nitrogen release during continuous thermal drying of municipal sewage sludge and its consequent recovery for fertilization.

Vanillin as an Antifouling and Hydrophilicity Promoter Agent in Surface Modification of Polyethersulfone Membrane.

Fouling as an intricate process is considered as the main obstacle in membrane technologies, and its control is one of the main areas of attention in membrane processes. In this study, a commercial polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane (MWCO: 4000 g/mol) was surface modified with different concentrations of vanillin as an antifouling and hydrophilicity promoter to improve its performance. The presence of vanillin and its increasing adsorption potential trends in higher vanillin concentrations were clearly confirmed by observable changes in FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectra after modification.

Effect of Precipitation Temperature on the Properties of Cellulose Ultrafiltration Membranes Prepared via Immersion Precipitation with Ionic Liquid as Solvent.

Supported cellulose ultrafiltration membranes are cast from a cellulose-ionic liquid solution by the immersion precipitation technique. The effects of coagulation bath temperature and polymer concentration in the casting solution on the membrane morphology, wettability, pure water flux, molecular weight cut-off, and fouling resistance are studied. Scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and filtration experiments are carried out in order to characterise the obtained ultrafiltration cellulose membranes.

Utilization of DES-Lignin as a Bio-Based Hydrophilicity Promoter in the Fabrication of Antioxidant Polyethersulfone Membranes.

Enhancement of membrane permeability at no detriment of its other performances, e.g., selectivity, is a goal-directed objective in membrane fabrication.

Visual tool for real-time monitoring of membrane fouling via Raman spectroscopy and process model based on principal component analysis.

Membrane fouling, i.e. accumulation of unwanted material on the surface of the membrane is a significant problem in filtration processes since it commonly degrades membrane performance and increases operating costs.

Natural cellulose ionogels for soft artificial muscles.

Rapid development of soft micromanipulation techniques for human friendly electronics has raised the demand for the devices to be able to carry out mechanical work on a micro- and macroscale. The natural cellulose-based ionogels (CEL-iGEL) hold a great potential for soft artificial muscle application, due to its flexibility, low driving voltage and biocompatibility. The CEL-iGEL composites undergo reversible bending already at ±500mV step-voltage values.

Modeling and comparative assessment of bubbling fluidized bed gasification system for syngas production - a gateway for a cleaner future in Pakistan.

The present study explores the potential of MSW gasification for exergy analysis and has been recently given a premier attention in a region like Pakistan where the urbanization is rapidly growing and resources are few. The plant capacity was set at 50 MW based on reference data available and the total exergetic efficiency was recorded to be 31.5 MW.

A Double Transducer for High Precision Ultrasonic Time-Domain Reflectometry Measurements.

Membrane fouling, where unwanted particles accumulate on the membrane surface and reduce its permeability, causes problems in membrane filtration processes. With ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (UTDR) it is possible to measure the extent of membrane fouling and hence take actions to minimize it. However, the usability of UTDR is very limited to constant filtration conditions if the sonic velocity, which has a great impact on UTDR measurement accuracy, is unknown.

Robustness of steady state recycling chromatography with an integrated solvent removal unit.

The robustness of a hybrid separation process where the performance of mixed-recycle steady state recycling chromatography is enhanced by integrating it with a solvent removal unit is analysed theoretically and by means of numerical simulations. The equilibrium theory of chromatography is applied to derive equations for boundaries of feasible operating parameters in such a hybrid process. Visualization of the feasible operating parameter ranges helps in analysing the influence of various physical and process parameters of robustness of an operating point.

High precision UTDR measurements by sonic velocity compensation with reference transducer.

An ultrasonic sensor design with sonic velocity compensation is developed to improve the accuracy of distance measurement in membrane modules. High accuracy real-time distance measurements are needed in membrane fouling and compaction studies. The benefits of the sonic velocity compensation with a reference transducer are compared to the sonic velocity calculated with the measured temperature and pressure using the model by Belogol'skii, Sekoyan et al.