Coupling methane and bioactive polysaccharide recovery from wasted activated sludge: A sustainable strategy for sludge treatment.

Bioactive polysaccharides (PSs) are valuable resources that can be extracted from waste activated sludge (WAS). The PS extraction process causes cell lysis that may enhance hydrolytic processes during anaerobic digestion (AD) and thus increase the methane production. Thus, coupling PSs and methane recovery from WAS could be an efficient and sustainable sludge treatment.

Reusable self-floating carriers recover heavy metals from industrial wastewater through heterogeneous nucleation for resource reuse.

Coagulation-flocculation in industrial wastewater treatment drives environmental pollution from landfilling heavy metal-laden sludge. Efficient separation of the sludge is crucial for cost-effective metal recovery. This study explored a new separation method of Cu, Ni, Zn and Cr via self-floating metal hydroxides assisted by hollow glass microsphere (HGM) carriers.

Dosing with pyrite significantly increases anammox performance: Its role in the electron transfer enhancement and the functions of the Fe-N-S cycle.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) represents an energy-efficient process for biological nitrogen removal from ammonium-rich wastewater. However, there are mechanistic issues unsolved regarding the low microbial electron transfer and undesired accumulation of nitrate in treated water, limiting its widespread engineering applications. We found that the addition of pyrite (1 g L reactor), an earth-abundant iron-bearing sulfide mineral, to the anammox system significantly improved the nitrogen removal rate by 52% in long-term operation at a high substrate shock loading (3.

Coupling sulfur-based denitrification with anammox for effective and stable nitrogen removal: A review.

Anoxic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is an energy-efficient nitrogen removal process for wastewater treatment. However, the unstable nitrite supply and residual nitrate in the anammox process have limited its wide application. Recent studies have proven coupling of sulfur-based denitrification with anammox (SDA) can achieve an effective nitrogen removal, owing to stable provision of substrate nitrite from the sulfur-based denitrification, thus making its process control more efficient in comparison with that of partial nitrification and anammox process.

A rational strategy of combining Fenton oxidation and biological processes for efficient nitrogen removal in toxic coking wastewater.

Effective removal of nitrogen from coking wastewaters is a great challenge, since conventional biological technologies commonly suffer from concentrated bio-toxic components such as phenolic compounds and thiocyanide (SCN). This study has successfully developed a novel ternary process for efficiently removing nitrogen from a practical coking wastewater, by rationally combined biological pretreatment, Fenton sub-pretreatment and final partial nitrification-denitrification (PN) process. It was noted that the oxic biological pretreatment (OP) could degrade above 80 % of COD and SCN in the wastewater, by adopting the pristine coking wastewater sludge.

Assessing wastewater-based epidemiology for the prediction of SARS-CoV-2 incidence in Catalonia.

While wastewater-based epidemiology has proven a useful tool for epidemiological surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic, few quantitative models comparing virus concentrations in wastewater samples and cumulative incidence have been established. In this work, a simple mathematical model relating virus concentration and cumulative incidence for full contagion waves was developed. The model was then used for short-term forecasting and compared to a local linear model.

Sustainability analysis of implementing sludge reduction in overall sludge management process: Where do we stand?

Sustainable sludge management has significance due to the great potential of recovering energy and resources, potentially achieving carbon neutrality and energy positivity in the process. However, whether the sludge reduction strategy really benefits the aim of a sustainable sludge management process requires a holistic analysis. In this study, nine scenarios involving different sludge management strategies with or without sludge reduction methods were environmentally and economically assessed to clarify the necessity of adopting a sludge reduction or not.

Mining minerals and critical raw materials from bittern: Understanding metal ions fate in saltwork ponds.

Seawater represents a potential resource for raw materials extraction. Although NaCl is the most representative mineral extracted other valuable compounds such as Mg, Li, Sr, Rb and B and elements at trace level (Cs, Co, In, Sc, Ga and Ge) are also contained in this "liquid mine". Most of them are considered as Critical Raw Materials by the European Union.

Influences of specific surfactant structures on biohydrogen production from oily wastewater in batch and continuous anaerobic dark fermentation.

Residual oil in palm oil mill effluent (POME) poses difficulties in its treatment chain. Non-ionic surfactants containing different hydrophobic tail structures and their optimal concentrations were evaluated for effectiveness in biohydrogen production. By adding the surfactants at their critical micelle concentration in synthetic oily wastewater, the maximal H yield was increased by 2.

Insights into the role of biochar on the acidogenic process and microbial pathways in a granular sulfate-reducing up-flow sludge bed reactor.

In this study, the effect of biochar on sulfate reduction and anaerobic acidogenic process was explored in a granular sulfate-reducing up-flow sludge bed reactor in both long-term operation and batch tests. Both bioreactors had a high sulfate reduction efficiency of over 95% during the long-term operation, while the reactor with biochar addition showed higher sulfate reduction efficiency and stronger robustness against volatile fatty acids accumulation with a higher organic loading and sulfate loading rate. Batch tests showed that adding biochar significantly lessened the lag phase of the sulfate-reducing process, accelerated the adaption of acidogens, and facilitated both production and utilization of volatile fatty acids.

Recovery of Polyphenols from Agri-Food By-Products: The Olive Oil and Winery Industries Cases.

The production of olive oil and wine are two of the main agri-food economic activities in Southern Europe. They generate large amounts of solid and liquid wastes (e.g.

"Food waste-wastewater-energy/resource" nexus: Integrating food waste management with wastewater treatment towards urban sustainability.

Sustainable food waste management is a global issue with high priority for improving food security and conserving natural resources and ecosystems. Diverting food waste from the solid waste stream to the wastewater stream is a promising way for food waste source separation, collection, treatment, and disposal. Given the advances in wastewater treatment, this integrated system has great potential for the concurrent recovery of water, resource, and energy.

Techno-economic assessment of decentralized polishing schemes for municipal water reclamation and reuse in the industrial sector in costal semiarid regions: The case of Barcelona (Spain).

This study demonstrates the techno-economic reliability of an innovative fit-for-use treatment train to boost municipal reclaimed water reuse fore industrial uses in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (BMA). The relatively high conductivity (2090 μS/cm) and hardness (454 mg/L) of reclaimed water in the BMA (e.g.

Emerging electrochemistry-based process for sludge treatment and resources recovery: A review.

The electrochemical process is gaining widespread interest as an emerging alternative for sludge treatment. Its potentials for sludge stabilization and resources recovery have been well proven to date. Despite the high effectiveness of the electrochemical process having been highlighted in several studies, concerns about the electrochemical sludge treatment, including energy consumption, scale-up feasibility, and electrode stability, have not yet been addressed.

Integrated self-forming dynamic membrane (SFDM) and membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) system enhanced single-stage autotrophic nitrogen removal.

The membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) is a novel bioreactor technology, facilitating single-stage autotrophic nitrogen removal. Two laboratory-scale MABRs equipped with non-woven fabrics were operated simultaneously without and with a self-forming dynamic membrane (SFDM) filtration module. After 87 days of operation (system start-up), the reactor incorporated with SFDM filtration showed better performance in terms of total nitrogen removal (>80%) and effluent suspended solid (less than1 mg/L) than the MABR in the up flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) configuration (i.

Recovery of rare earth elements from acidic mine waters: An unknown secondary resource.

Acidic mine Drainage (AMD) is still considered one of the greatest mining sustainability challenges due to the large volumes of wastes generated and the high associated treatment cost. New regulation initiatives on sustainable development, circular economy and the need for strategic elements as Rare Earth Elements (REE) may overcome the traditional research initiatives directed to developing low cost treatment options and to develop research initiatives to identify the potential benefit of considering such AMD as a potential secondary resource. As an example, this study develops the integration of a three-stage process where REE are selectively separated from base metals (e.

Rapid and improved identification of drinking water bacteria using the Drinking Water Library, a dedicated MALDI-TOF MS database.

According to the European Directives (UE) 2020/2184 and 2009/54/EC, which establishes the sanitary criteria for water intended for human consumption in Europe, water suitable for human consumption must be free of the bacterial indicators Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens and Enterococcus spp. Drinking water is also monitored for heterotrophic bacteria, which are not a human health risk, but can serve as an index of bacteriological water quality. Therefore, a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective method for the identification of these colonies would improve our understanding of the culturable bacteria of drinking water and facilitate the task of water management by treatment facilities.

Diversion of food waste into the sulfate-laden sewer: Interaction and electron flow of sulfidogenesis and methanogenesis.

Diverting food waste (FW) into the sulfate-laden sewer may pose a significant influence on the production of methane and sulfide in sewers. Identifying microbial electron utilization is essential to understanding the interaction of sulfidogenesis and methanogenesis in depth. Here, we reported sulfide and methane production from the sewer bioreactors receiving sulfate-laden wastewater (160 mg S/L), with and without FW addition.

Elemental sulfur as electron donor and/or acceptor: Mechanisms, applications and perspectives for biological water and wastewater treatment.

Biochemical oxidation and reduction are the principle of biological water and wastewater treatment, in which electron donor and/or acceptor shall be provided. Elemental sulfur (S) as a non-toxic and easily available material with low price, possesses both reductive and oxidative characteristics, suggesting that it is a suitable material for water and wastewater treatment. Recent advanced understanding of S-respiring microorganisms and their metabolism further stimulated the development of S-based technologies.

Optimization of biochemical sulfide potential (BSP) assay for anaerobic biodegradability assessment.

The anaerobic biodegradability assessment (biodegradation extent and kinetics) of organic wastes is critical for optimum design and evaluating treatment efficiencies for anaerobic treatment technologies. The biochemical sulfide potential (BSP) assay has previously demonstrated the advantages of its time efficiency and measurement accuracy for biologically assessing substrate degradability, while its application is limited by undefined operational parameters. In this study, the BSP assay was further optimized through a systematic investigation of a critical parameter, inoculum-to-substrate ratio (ISR), and the applicable kinetic model to unravel the potential use of BSP assays for anaerobic waste treatment.

Life cycle assessment of deploying sludge minimization with (sulfidogenic-)oxic-settling-anaerobic configurations in sewage-sludge management systems.

This study conducted life-cycle evaluation (on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy consumption and economic performance) and sensitivity analysis in nine scenarios considering the deployment of conventional anoxic/oxic (AO) and/or sludge-minimizing (OSA, SOSA) bioprocess for sewage treatment linking with subsequent sludge handling. The analysis results demonstrated that compared with conventional AO-based scenarios, OSA- and SOSA-based scenarios reduced 23-28% GHG emissions (GHGs) and 18-24% cost, despite no significant electricity consumption reduction. The scenario analysis indicates renewable energy and improving energy consumption efficiency benefit the application of OSA and SOSA.

Anaerobic digestion of saline waste activated sludge and recovering raw sulfated polysaccharides.

This study investigated a new bioresource technology of recovering raw chemicals of sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) from the digested saline waste activated sludge (WAS) that naturally contained 3-30% (w/w) of SPs. Two bench-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) experiments were conducted under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions; the effectiveness of extracting SPs from digested WAS and the biochemical characteristics of SPs were examined. After 20-days of digestion, the results showed that approximately 54 - 58% of initial total SPs in WAS were recoverable, in which 38 - 48% in solid digestate and 10-15% in liquid supernatant).

Development of a kinetic model to evaluate thiosulfate-driven denitrification and anammox (TDDA) process.

Recently, the integration of sulfur-driven denitrification and anammox process has been extensively studied as a promising alternative nitrogen removal technology. Most of these studies investigated the process feasibility and monitored the community dynamics. However, an in-depth understanding of this new sulfur-nitrogen cycle bioprocess based on mathematical modeling and elucidation of complex interactions among different microorganisms has not yet been achieved.