Enhancement of livestock wastewater treatment by a novel wooden-modified biocarrier.

Intensive livestock wastewater poses threat to ecosystem. A novel wooden-modified biocarrier was applied in this study to enhance the livestock wastewater treatment in anoxic-aerobic systems. Compared to the ordinary polyethylene (PE) biocarrier, the novel wooden-modified biocarrier improved the biomass owing to its rough surface and porous side wall, and had better nitrogen removal ability.

Effects of a novel sawdust-modified carrier on performance, bioaccumulation and microbial community of sequencing batch reactor.

The impact of a novel sawdust-modified carrier on the performance of aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was examined. Compared with the conventional polyethylene (PE) carrier, the sawdust-modified carrier had coarse surface and porous side wall, which was beneficial for the rapid formation of biofilm. The biomass of sawdust-modified carrier was 3.

Energetic utilization of corn stalk and elimination of methyl orange in ECMO-like integrated reactor: Co-occurrence of anaerobic digestion and aerobic treatment.

For the simultaneous energetic utilization of corn stalk and azo-dye contaminated wastewater, an ECMO-like integrated reactor was come up to achieve the biogas production and azo-dye degradation during anaerobic digestion (AD). Methyl orange (MO) was selected as the model compound for azo-dye. The ECMO-like reactor included AD main reactor with a spray device and solid-liquid separation components, integrated with an aeration reactor for biogas slurry.

Novel flocking materials as biocarriers in moving bed biofilm reactor for improving simultaneous nitrification and denitrification performance.

Biocarrier is the key factor for the stable operation of moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). To achieve efficient simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND), this study provided novel flocking materials as biocarriers. The biofilm formation experiment showed that longer flocking carrier was more conducive to biomass accumulation, resulting in greater oxygen uptake rate.

Simultaneous denitrification enhancement and sludge reduction based on novel suspended carrier modified using activated carbon and magnetite at low carbon/nitrogen ratio.

A novel suspended carrier was prepared by sticking activated carbon (AC) and magnetite (FeO) onto polypropylene slices. Although this carrier could not reverse the decreased denitrification capacity trends under anoxic conditions at an influent carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 2, it enhanced denitrification by stimulating sludge reduction and accelerating electron transfer to certain extent. The carrier stuck by mixed AC/FeO exhibited better performance in terms of sludge reduction, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion, and denitrification than that merely stuck by AC and FeO at an influent C/N ratio of 2.

Use of magnetic powder to effectively improve the denitrification employing the activated sludge fermentation liquid as carbon source.

Nitrogen removal is often limited in municipal wastewater treatment due to the lack of sufficient carbon source. Utilizing volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentation broth as a carbon source is an ideal alternative to reduce the cost for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and improve denitrification efficiency simultaneously. In this study, an anaerobic system was applied for simultaneous denitrification and WAS fermentation and the addition of magnetic microparticles (MMP) were confirmed to enhance both denitrification and WAS fermentation.

Core-Shell Au@Nanoplastics as a Quantitative Tracer to Investigate the Bioaccumulation of Nanoplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems.

Studies on the adverse effects of nanoplastics (NPs, particle diameter <1000 nm) including physical damage, oxidative stress, impaired cell signaling, altered metabolism, developmental defects, and possible genetic damage have intensified in recent years. However, the analytical detection of NPs is still a bottleneck. To overcome this bottleneck and obtain a reliable and quantitative distribution analysis in complex freshwater ecosystems, an easily applicable NP tracer to simulate their fate and behavior is needed.

From anaerobic digestion to single cell protein synthesis: A promising route beyond biogas utilization.

The accumulation of a large amount of organic solid waste and the lack of sufficient protein supply worldwide are two major challenges caused by rapid population growth. Anaerobic digestion is the main force of organic waste treatment, and the high-value utilization of its products (biogas and digestate) has been widely concerned. These products can be used as nutrients and energy sources for microorganisms such as microalgae, yeast, methane-oxidizing bacteria(MOB), and hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria(HOB) to produce single cell protein(SCP), which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Combined disposal of methyl orange and corn straw via stepwise adsorption-biomethanation-composting.

Agriculture wastes have been proved to be the potential adsorbents to remove azo dye from textile wastewater, but the post-treatment of azo dye loaded agriculture waste is generally ignored. A three-step strategy including sequential adsorption-biomethanation-composting was developed to realize the co-processing of azo dye and corn straw (CS). Results showed that CS represented a potential adsorbent to remove methyl orange (MO) from textile wastewater, with the maximum MO adsorption capacity of 10.

Effects of size and surface charge on the sedimentation of nanoplastics in freshwater.

The environmental issues caused by nanoplastics (NPs) are increasingly noticeable. Environmental behavior study of the NPs could provide vital information for their environmental impact assessment. However, associations between NPs' inherent properties and their sedimentation behaviors were seldom investigated.

Insights into the roles of humic acids in facilitating the anaerobic digestion process.

Humic acids (HAs) are important byproducts of anaerobic digestion (AD), which have complex structures and dynamic electrochemical activities. However, the effects of HAs on AD process were usually misestimated due to the neglect of the in situ generated HAs and the interaction between HAs and metal ions. This study explored the effects of HAs on AD performance using corn straw as typical "clean" substrate (rare in metals content) via commercial HAs (C-HAs) addition and in-situ-generated HAs (In-HAs) removal.

Enhanced bio-affinity of magnetic QD-P(St-GMA)@FeO micro-particles via surface-quaternized modification.

In this work, a kind of bio-carrier quaternized-polystyrene-polyglycidyl methacrylate@FeO (QD-P(St-GMA)@FeO, QD-PSGF) micro-particles was successfully prepared by modifying PSGF micro-particles through a hydrothermal method. The quaternary ammonium group and surface structure of QD-PSGF were confirmed through several characterization methods. We directly verified the efficacy of the quaternary ammonium group in promoting microbial activity due to QD-PSGF being synthesized by a hydrothermal method without changing the surface topography and pore.

The degradation of high emulsified oil wastewater in an intermittently-aerated MBBR packed with magnetic polystyrene particles.

This work aims to explore the effects of the magnetic polystyrene particles (MPS) on contaminants removal of the high emulsified oil wastewater. 26 days intermittently-aerated progress illustrated that COD removal efficiency and the resistance to the shock loading was promoted in the presence of MPS. Gas chromatography (GC) results also indicated that MPS enhanced the number of organic species reduced.

Synthesis of zeolite A from fly ash and its application in the slow release of urea.

The study focused on the transformation of coal fly ash to zeolite A (ZA) as a potential carrier for the slow release of urea. After being treated with HCl aqueous solution and NaOH successively, SiO and AlO were converted into sodium silicoaluminate. The obtained silicoaluminate was then heated with NaAlO in an aqueous NaOH solution at 70-110 °C for 3-18 h and zeolite A was successfully prepared according to the X-ray diffraction measurements.

Micro-aeration: an attractive strategy to facilitate anaerobic digestion.

Micro-aeration can facilitate anaerobic digestion (AD) by regulating microbial communities and promoting the growth of facultative taxa, thereby increasing methane yield and stabilizing the AD process. Additionally, micro-aeration contributes to hydrogen sulfide stripping by oxidization to produce molecular sulfur or sulfuric acid. Although micro-aeration can positively affect AD, it must be strictly regulated to maintain an overall anaerobic environment that permits anaerobic microorganisms to thrive.

Improved fertilization efficiency of manure compost obtained by using oil shale semicoke as the bulking agent.

Oil shale semicoke is a kind of solid waste produced during the retorting process of oil shale, which could cause environmental pollution without reasonable disposing. In our previous study, the abandoned semicoke was recycled as bulking agent to reduce the nitrogen loss and greenhouse gases emission during composting. But influences of the obtained semicoke-blended compost on soil properties and plant growth remained unclear, which would be discussed in this study.

Enhancement of biological nitrogen removal performance from low C/N municipal wastewater using novel carriers based on the nano-FeO.

The aim of this work was to study the effects of the magnetic microparticles (MMP) on nitrogen removal under low C/N conditions. A 30-day anaerobic/oxic progress illustrated that nitrification and denitrification were promoted in the presence of MMP. MMP could facilitate the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and act as pH buffering in aerobic conditions.

Understanding the mechanisms behind enhanced anaerobic digestion of corn straw by humic acids.

Humic acids (HAs) are abundant on earth, yet their effects on anaerobic digestion (AD) of cellulosic substrate are not fully uncovered. The effects of HAs on AD of corn straw and the mechanisms behind were analyzed in this study. Results showed that the effects of HAs on methane yield were closely related to the total solids (TS) content.

Synthesis of cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogel with high salt tolerance for soil conditioning.

In this study, cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogel was synthesized from sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na), acrylic acid (AA), and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) to enhance its water absorbency and salt tolerance for soil-conditioning applications in areas suffering from drought and soil salinization. Superabsorbent hydrogels (SHs) were prepared by CMC-Na and AMPS successfully, using chemical graft technology. Structure, morphology, thermal stability, and water absorbency of SHs were deduced.

Promoting biomethane production from propionate with FeO@carbon nanotubes composites.

Using a batch anaerobic system constructed with 60 mL serum bottles, potential of a composite material with FeO nanoparticles decorated on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to enhance biomethane production was investigated. The composites (FeO@CNTs) with well dispersed FeO nanoparticles (4.5 nm) were fabricated by a facile thermal decomposition method in a muffle furnace under nitrogen atmosphere.