The fate and behaviour of two groups of endocrine disrupting chemicals, steroid estrogens and nonylphenol ethoxylates, have been evaluated during the anaerobic digestion of primary and mixed sewage sludge under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Digestion occurred over six retention times, in laboratory scale reactors, treating sludges collected from a sewage treatment works in the United Kingdom. It has been established that sludge concentrations of both groups of compounds demonstrated temporal variations and that concentrations in mixed sludge were influenced by the presence of waste activated sludge as a result of transformations during aerobic treatment. The biodegradation of total steroid estrogens was >50% during primary sludge digestion with lower removals observed for mixed sludge, which reflected bulk organic solids removal efficiencies. The removal of nonylphenol ethoxylates was greater in mixed sludge digestion (>58%) compared with primary sludge digestion and did not reflect bulk organic removal efficiencies. It is apparent that anaerobic digestion reduces the concentrations of these compounds, and would therefore be expected to confer a degree of protection against exposure and transfer of both groups of compounds to the receiving/re-use environment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.10.075 | DOI Listing |
Front Microbiol
January 2025
School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are innovative environmental engineering systems that harness the metabolic activities of microbial communities to convert chemical energy in waste into electrical energy. However, MFC performance optimization remains challenging due to limited understanding of microbial metabolic mechanisms, particularly with complex substrates under realistic environmental conditions. This study investigated the effects of substrate complexity (acetate vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Omega
January 2025
Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa.
Anaerobic digestion is a crucial process in wastewater treatment, renowned for its sustainable biogas production capabilities and the simultaneous reduction of environmental pollution. However, dysregulation of vital biological processes and pathways can lead to reduced efficiency and suboptimal biogas output, which can be seen through low counts per million of sequences related to three critical control points for methane synthesis. Namely, tetrahydromethanopterin S-methyltransferase (MTR), methyl-coenzyme reductase M (MCR), and CoB/CoM heterodisulfide oxidoreductase (HDR) are the last reactions that must occur.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Res
January 2025
School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, 518055 Shenzhen, China.
This work evaluated the effect of zero-valent iron (ZVI) particle size (150 μm-100 nm) on the performance of food waste anaerobic digestion (AD) under various acid stress conditions. The results indicated that ZVI significantly improved the AD performance, ensuring successful CH production even under high acid stress. However, the extent of this promoting effect was highly dependent on the particle size.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioresour Technol
January 2025
Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China; School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens public health, necessitating urgent efforts to mitigate the global impact of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Anaerobic digestion (AD), known for volatile solid reduction and energy generation, also presents a feasible approach for the removal of ARGs. This review encapsulates the existing understanding of ARGs and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) during the AD process, highlighting unresolved challenges pertaining to their detection and quantification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWater Res
January 2025
School of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea. Electronic address:
Anaerobic digestion (AD), which relies on a complex microbial consortium for efficient biogas generation, is a promising avenue for renewable energy production and organic waste treatment. However, understanding and optimising AD processes are challenging because of the intricate interactions within microbial communities and the impact of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on biogas production. To address these challenges, this study proposes the application of graph convolutional networks (GCNs) to comprehensively model AD processes.
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