67 results match your criteria: "Biològica i Ambiental. Escola d'Enginyeria. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona[Affiliation]"

Continuous high-purity bioelectrochemical nitrogen recovery from high N-loaded wastewaters.

Bioelectrochemistry

August 2024

GENOCOV, Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain.

Microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) have been identified as an energy efficient system for ammonium recovery from wastewater. However, high ammonium concentrations at the anode can have inhibitory effects. This work aims to determine the effects on current generation performance and active ammonia nitrogen recovery in wastewater containing 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As an efficient degradation strain, SC-1 can breakdown 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) with high proficiency. To investigate the internal factors that regulate this process, we conducted whole-genome sequencing and successfully identified the pivotal 3-PBA-degrading gene (1,230 bp). After was expressed in engineered bacteria, a remarkable degradation efficiency was observed, as 20 mg/L 3-PBA was almost completely decomposed within 24 h.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Surfactin is a natural surfactant almost exclusively produced by Bacillus species with excellent physical-chemical, and biological properties. Among innovative applications, surfactin has been recently used as an ingredient in formulations. The antibacterial and anti-acne activities, as well as the anti-wrinkle, moisturizing, and cleansing features, are some of the reasons this lipopeptide is used in cosmetics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A review on the management of rinse wastewater in the agricultural sector.

Chemosphere

March 2024

Departament d'Enginyeria Química Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.

Pesticides have become indispensable compounds to sustain global food production. However, a series of sustainable agricultural practices must be ensured to minimize health and environmental risks, such as eco-friendly cultivation techniques, the transition to biopesticides, appropriate hygiene measures, etc. Hygiene measures should include the management of rinse wastewater (RWW) produced when cleaning agricultural equipment and machinery contaminated with pesticides (among other pollutants), such as sprayers or containers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Combining fungal bioremediation and ozonation for rinse wastewater treatment.

Sci Total Environ

February 2024

LSRE-LCM - Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.

In this work, agricultural rinse wastewater, which is produced during the cleaning of agricultural equipment and constitutes a major source of pesticides, was treated by fungal bioremediation and ozonation, both individually and combined in a two-stage treatment train. Three major pesticides (thiacloprid, chlortoluron, and pyrimethanil) were detected in rinse wastewater, with a total concentration of 38.47 mg C L.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Evaluating the opportunities for mainstream P-recovery in anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic systems.

Sci Total Environ

February 2024

GENOCOV, Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Mainstream P-recovery can help wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to effectively maintain good enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) while helping to recover P. In this study, a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (AO) process was operated for simultaneous COD/N/P removal and P-recovery under different operational conditions. The operation with conventional extraction of waste activated sludge (WAS) from the aerobic reactor was compared to the mainstream P-recovery strategy of WAS extraction from the anaerobic reactor.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mapping the risk of exposure to Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in the Iberian Peninsula using Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) as a model.

Ticks Tick Borne Dis

January 2024

Health & Biotechnology (SaBio) group, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain; CIBERINFEC, ISCIII - CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III,. Electronic address:

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen that can cause a lethal haemorrhagic disease in humans. Although the virus appears to be endemically established in the Iberian Peninsula, CCHF is an emerging disease in Spain. Clinical signs of CCHFV infection are mainly manifested in humans, but the virus replicates in several animal species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biotransformation of chloramphenicol by white-rot-fungi Trametes versicolor under cadmium stress.

Bioresour Technol

February 2023

Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biologica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

The recalcitrant chloramphenicol (CAP) combined with heavy metals cadmium (Cd) commonly co-existed in the environment, posing threat to environment health. The capacity of Trametes versicolor to remove/biodegrade CAP in air-pulse fluidized-bed reactor was evaluated, even under Cd stress. T.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This work evaluates the performance and stability of a continuous anaerobic/aerobic A-stage system with integrated enhanced biological phosphorus removal (A-stage-EBPR) under different operational conditions. Dissolved oxygen (DO) in the aerobic reactor was tested in the 0.2-2 mgDO/L range using real wastewater amended with propionic acid, obtaining almost full simultaneous COD and P removal without nitrification in the range 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fungal treatment of agricultural washing wastewater: Comparison between two operational strategies.

J Environ Manage

January 2023

Departament d'Enginyeria Química Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.

Agricultural washing wastewater (AWW) is an important source of pesticides that, given its intrinsic characteristics, has a high potential to be treated by fungal bioremediation using white rot fungi. In the present study, two AWW treatment strategies were compared: a fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) with T. versicolor pellets and a rotating drum bioreactor (RDB) with T.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Exploring GHG emissions in the mainstream SCEPPHAR configuration during wastewater resource recovery.

Sci Total Environ

November 2022

GENOCOV, Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

The wastewater sector paradigm is shifting from wastewater treatment to resource recovery. In addition, concerns regarding sustainability during the operation have increased. In this sense, many water utilities have become aware of the potential GHG emissions during the operation of wastewater treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fungal bioremediation emerges as an effective technology for pesticide treatment, but its successful implementation depends on overcoming the problem of microbial contamination. In this regard, fungal immobilization on wood seems to be a promising strategy, but there are two main drawbacks: the predominant removal of pesticides by sorption and fungal detachment. In this study, agricultural wastewater with pesticides was treated by Trametes versicolor immobilized on wood chips in a rotary drum bioreactor (RDB) for 225 days, achieving fungal consolidation and high pesticide biodegradation through two main improvements: the use of a more favorable substrate and the modification of operating conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sarcoptic mange is considered the main driver of demographic declines occurred in the last decades in Iberian ibex () populations. Mass treatment campaigns by administration of in-feed acaricides are used as a measure to mitigate the impact of mange in the affected populations. However, there are no data on ivermectin (IVM) pharmacokinetics in this wild caprine, and the treatment through medicated feed is not endorsed by evidence on its effectiveness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A plant-wide model describing GHG emissions and nutrient recovery options for water resource recovery facilities.

Water Res

May 2022

GENOCOV, Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

In this study, a plant-wide model describing the fate of C, N and P compounds, upgraded to account for (on-site/off-site) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, was implemented within the International Water Association (IWA) Benchmarking Simulation Model No. 2 (BSM2) framework. The proposed approach includes the main biological NO production pathways and mechanistically describes CO (biogenic/non-biogenic) emissions in the activated sludge reactors as well as the biogas production (CO/CH) from the anaerobic digester.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) virus-like particles (VLPs) are nanostructures derived from the self-assembly and cell budding of Gag polyprotein. Mimicking the native structure of the virus and being noninfectious, they represent promising candidates for the development of new vaccines as they elicit a strong immune response. In addition to this, the bounding membrane can be functionalized with exogenous antigens to target different diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Phosphorus (P), an essential nutrient for all organisms, urgently needs to be recovered due to the increasing demand and scarcity of this natural resource. Recovering P from wastewater is a feasible and promising way widely studied nowadays due to the need to remove P in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). When enhanced biological P removal (EBPR) is implemented, an innovative option is to recover P from the supernatant streams obtained in the mainstream water line, and then combine it with liquor-crystallisation recovery processes, being the final recovered product struvite, vivianite or hydroxyapatite.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Iberian wild goats faced severe genetic bottlenecks in the 19th and 20th centuries due to overhunting and habitat loss, leading to low genetic diversity.
  • Augmentation translocations were implemented from the 1970s to the 1990s to help restock their populations, but these efforts were poorly planned and recorded.
  • Recent analysis shows limited signs of hybridization with domestic goats, but it indicates potential threats to the genetic integrity of Iberian wild goats, emphasizing the need for protective measures against uncontrolled domestic goat herds in their habitats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

First report of interspecific transmission of sarcoptic mange from Iberian ibex to wild boar.

Parasit Vectors

September 2021

Espacio Natural de Sierra Nevada and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Pinos Genil, Granada, Spain.

Article Synopsis
  • * Diagnosis was confirmed through necropsy, skin examinations, and genetic analysis of the sarcoptic mange-causing mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, found in the wild boar.
  • * This case marks the first documentation of sarcoptic mange in wild boars in Spain and highlights the potential for cross-transmission of the parasite between species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pesticide bioremediation by Trametes versicolor: Application in a fixed-bed reactor, sorption contribution and bioregeneration.

Sci Total Environ

November 2021

Departament d'Enginyeria Química Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Although immobilization on lignocellulosic materials has recently become a promising strategy in the fungal-based technology for micropollutant bioremediation, research evidence in this area is still scarce and significant knowledge gaps need to be addressed. In this study, Trametes versicolor immobilized on Quercus ilex wood chips was initially proposed to remove two pesticides, diuron and bentazon, from real agricultural wastewater. Thus, a bioremediation treatment was performed in a fixed-bed bioreactor at two empty bed contact times (EBCT) of 1 and 3 days.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Electrochemical In Situ pH Control Enables Chemical-Free Full Urine Nitrification with Concomitant Nitrate Extraction.

Environ Sci Technol

June 2021

Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium.

Urine is a valuable resource for nutrient recovery. Stabilization is, however, recommended to prevent urea hydrolysis and the associated risk for ammonia volatilization, uncontrolled precipitation, and malodor. This can be achieved by alkalinization and subsequent biological conversion of urea and ammonia into nitrate (nitrification) and organics into CO.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Comparison between two reactors using Trametes versicolor for agricultural wastewater treatment under non-sterile condition in sequencing batch mode.

J Environ Manage

September 2021

Institut de Química Avançada de Catalunya (IQAC), CSIC. Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain.

Agricultural wastewater is a major source of herbicides, which pose environmental and health concerns owing to their substantial use and poor elimination rate in conventional wastewater treatment plants. White-rot fungi are versatile in degrading xenobiotics; however, the key problem encountered with their application in actual scenarios is competition with indigenous microorganisms, mainly bacteria. To address this barrier, two different strategies were implemented in the present study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The massive use of pesticides represents one of the main causes of environmental deterioration, as they have adverse effects on non-target organisms. Thus, the development of technologies capable of reducing their release into the environment is urgently needed. This study reports for the first time the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor as an alternative towards the degradation of medium to highly polar pesticides such as the organophosphate malathion, and the neonicotinoids acetamiprid and imidacloprid.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Conventional active sludge (AS) process at municipal centralized wastewater treatment facilities may exhibit little pharmaceuticals (PhACs) removal efficiencies when treating hospital wastewater (HWW). Therefore, a dedicated efficient wastewater treatment at the source point is recommended. In this sense, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and fungal treatment (FG) have evidenced promising results in degrading PhACs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Optimisation of the operational parameters for a comprehensive bioelectrochemical treatment of acid mine drainage.

J Hazard Mater

May 2021

GENOCOV Research Group, Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental. Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.

Bioelectrochemical systems provide a promising tool for the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). Biological sulphate reduction powered with electrical energy consumes acidity and produces sulphide, which can precipitate metals. However, the produced sulphide and the changes in pH resulting from the biological processes affect the efficiency and the environmental impacts of this treatment significantly.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recovering energy from wastewater in addition to its treatment is a hot trend in the new concept of water resource recovery facility (WRRF). High-rate systems operating at low solid retention time (SRT) have been proposed to meet this challenge. In this paper, the integration of Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) in an anaerobic/aerobic continuous high-rate system (A-stage EBPR) was evaluated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF