Light intensity effects on bioproduct recovery from fuel synthesis wastewater using purple phototrophic bacteria in a hybrid biofilm-suspended growth system.

This research looked at how three different light intensities (1600, 4300, and 7200 lx) affect the biomass development, treatment of fuel synthesis wastewater and the recovery of valuable bioproducts between biofilm and suspended growth in a purple-bacteria enriched photobioreactor. Each condition was run in duplicate using an agricultural shade cloth as the biofilm support media in a continuously mixed batch reactor. The results showed that the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate (56.

Evaluation of cell disruption methods for protein and coenzyme Q10 quantification in purple non-sulfur bacteria.

A recent focus has been on the recovery of single-cell protein and other nutritionally valuable bioproducts, such as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) from purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) biomass following wastewater treatment. However, due to PNSB's peculiar cell envelope (e.g.

Corrigendum to : [Biotechnology Reports 36 (2022) e00775].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.

Nutrient treatment of greywater in green wall systems: A critical review of removal mechanisms, performance efficiencies and system design parameters.

Greywater has lower pathogen and nutrient levels than other mixed wastewaters, making it easier to treat and to reuse in nature-based wastewater treatment systems. Green walls (GWs) are one type of nature-based solutions (NBS) that are evolving in design to support on-site and low-cost greywater treatment. Greywater treatment in GWs involves interacting and complex physical, chemical, and biological processes.

Comparative computational study to augment UbiA prenyltransferases inherent in purple photosynthetic bacteria cultured from mangrove microbial mats in Qatar for coenzyme Q biosynthesis.

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is a powerful antioxidant with a myriad of applications in healthcare and cosmetic industries. The most effective route of CoQ production is microbial biosynthesis. In this study, four CoQ biosynthesizing purple photosynthetic bacteria:  and , were identified using 16S rRNA sequencing of enriched microbial mat samples obtained from Purple Island mangroves (Qatar).

A review of prospects and current scenarios of biomass co-pyrolysis for water treatment.

With ever-growing population comes an increase in waste and wastewater generated. There is ongoing research to not only reduce the waste but also to increase its value commercially. One method is pyrolysis, a process that converts wastes, at temperatures usually above 300 °C in a pyrolysis unit, to carbon-rich biochars among with other useful products.

A critical overview of MXenes adsorption behavior toward heavy metals.

In recent years, tremendous interest has been generated in MXenes as a fast-growing and diversified family of two-dimensional (2D) materials with a wide range of potential uses. MXenes exhibit many unique structural and physicochemical properties that make them particularly attractive as adsorbents for removing heavy metals from aqueous media, including a large surface area, abundant surface terminations, electron-richness, and hydrophilic nature. In light of the adsorption capabilities of MXenes at the ever-increasing rate of expansion, this review investigates the recent computational predictions for the adsorption capabilities of MXenes and the effect of synthesis of different MXene on their remediation behavior toward heavy metals.

Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes by AgNPs/TiO/TiCT MXene Composites under UV and Solar Light.

Due to their broad applications in various industrial activities, and their well-known negative impacts on the aquatic environment, organic dyes have been continuously identified as serious threat to the quality of ecosystems. The photocatalytic degradation process in aqueous solutions has emerged as an efficient and reliable approach for the removal of organic dyes. MXenes, a new class of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, possess unique chemical composition, surface functionalities, and physicochemical properties.

The effectiveness of divalent cation addition for highly saline activated sludge cultures: Influence of monovalent/divalent ratio and specific cations.

Saline wastewaters are prevalent in various industries and pose challenges to stable biological treatment. Increasing monovalent cation concentrations are commonly reported to deteriorate treatment and settling performance, while divalent cations can enhance flocculation and settling. However, many previous studies were performed at relatively low salinities and reports conflict on whether concentrations of monovalent cations, divalent cations, or their ratio (M/D) are most critical.

Thermal degradation characteristics and gasification kinetics of camel manure using thermogravimetric analysis.

In this work, the sustainable valorisation of camel manure has been studied using thermogravimetric analysis. The gasification tests were performed from ambient conditions to 950 °C at 10, 20, and 50 °C/min under an O environment. The TGA data were applied to determine the kinetics of the O gasification.

The impact of pyrolysis conditions on orange peel biochar physicochemical properties for sandy soil.

The citrus industry is considered one of the main contributors to agricultural waste. Peels are commonly used in the food industry or as feedstock in biorefining. In this study, the potential of waste orange peel biochar for agricultural applications in sandy soil was investigated.

An overview of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and their applications in environmental biotechnology for sustainable Resource recovery.

Anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (APB) are a phylogenetically diverse group of organisms that can harness solar energy for their growth and metabolism. These bacteria vary broadly in terms of their metabolism as well as the composition of their photosynthetic apparatus. Unlike oxygenic phototrophic bacteria such as algae and cyanobacteria, APB can use both organic and inorganic electron donors for light-dependent fixation of carbon dioxide without generating oxygen.

Shock effects of monovalent cationic salts on seawater cultivated granular sludge.

Saline wastewater is commonly encountered in various industries, posing challenges to biological treatments. The application of seawater as a seed source provides a media of diverse halophilic organisms for rapid startup. However, effects of transitioning from a mixed salt source to monovalent salt solutions prevalent in industry remains unexplored.

Performance evaluation of various individual and mixed media for greywater treatment in vertical nature-based systems.

Nature-based systems (NBS) are a cost-effective, energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing approach for greywater treatment, but they are space intensive. Vertical NBS overcome this issue but must utilize lightweight media to reduce their construction costs. This study evaluates four common plant growing media: perlite, coco coir, LECA and sand, and compares them with two new media derived from local waste materials: date seeds and spent coffee grounds (SCG).

Food waste from a university campus in the Middle East: Drivers, composition, and resource recovery potential.

Food waste is a pressing issue that imposes economic, social and environmental impacts on both developing and developed countries. This study analyzes quantitatively and qualitatively the generated food waste at various food outlets of a university campus in Qatar. It is a fundamental step to manage the issue of food waste from educational institutes.

Effect of Graphene Oxide Synthesis Method on Properties and Performance of Polysulfone-Graphene Oxide Mixed Matrix Membranes.

Graphene oxide (GO) has shown great promise as a nanofiller to enhance the performance of mixed matrix composite membranes (MMMs) for water treatment applications. However, GO can be prepared by various synthesis routes, leading to different concentrations of the attached oxygen functional groups. In this research, GO produced by the Hummers', Tour, and Staudenmaier methods were characterized and embedded at various fractions into the matrix of polysulfone (PSf) and used to prepare microfiltration membranes via the phase inversion process.

Environmental assessment of intake alternatives for seawater reverse osmosis in the Arabian Gulf.

The study carried out an environmental assessment for two seawater reverse osmosis (RO) plants located within the Arabian Gulf considering subsurface intake alternatives and differing energy source options. The study used life cycle assessment to quantify the environmental impacts for open intake pretreatment vs. subsurface intake pretreatments of two plants with operating capacities of approximately 175,000 m/d and 275,000 m/d respectively.

Recent advances in dissimilatory sulfate reduction: From metabolic study to application.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are a group of diverse anaerobic microorganisms omnipresent in natural habitats and engineered environments that use sulfur compounds as the electron acceptor for energy metabolism. Dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR)-based techniques mediated by SRB have been utilized in many sulfate-containing wastewater treatment systems worldwide, particularly for acid mine drainage, groundwater, sewage and industrial wastewater remediation. However, DSR processes are often operated suboptimally and disturbances are common in practical application.

Greywater recycling in buildings using living walls and green roofs: A review of the applicability and challenges.

Living walls and green roofs offer numerous benefits to densely populated urban areas such as cooling, air filtering and improved aesthetics. However, plants in these two systems are high water consumers making such systems particularly unsuitable for water-scarce arid environments most at need of passive cooling and urban greening. Integrated greywater treatment in these structures provides a possible solution, providing plants not only with water but other required nutrients and organics.

Biological sulfur oxidation in wastewater treatment: A review of emerging opportunities.

Sulfide prevails in both industrial and municipal waste streams and is one of the most troublesome issues with waste handling. Various technologies and strategies have been developed and used to deal with sulfide for decades, among which biological means make up a considerable portion due to their low operation requirements and flexibility. Sulfur bacteria play a vital role in these biotechnologies.

Sludge flotation, its causes and control in granular sludge upflow reactors.

Sludge flotation is a commonly reported and long-standing issue hindering not only the widespread implementation of upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB)-type bioreactors in wastewater treatment but also the development of novel anaerobic/anoxic treatment processes such as anammox, partial denitrification, and biological sulfate reduction. This review attempts to address the instability of UASB-type bioreactors due to sludge flotation. Possible causes of sludge flotation are classified into intrinsic and extrinsic ones.

Denitrifying sulfur conversion-associated EBPR: Effects of temperature and carbon source on anaerobic metabolism and performance.

The recently developed Denitrifying Sulfur conversion-associated Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (DS-EBPR) process has demonstrated simultaneous removal of organics, nitrogen and phosphorus with minimal sludge production in the treatment of saline/brackish wastewater. Its performance, however, is sensitive to operating and environmental conditions. In this study, the effects of temperature (20, 25, 30 and 35 °C) and the ratio of influent acetate to propionate (100-0, 75-25, 50-50, 25-75 and 0-100%) on anaerobic metabolism were investigated, and their optimal values/controls for performance optimization were identified.

Application of a moving-bed biofilm reactor for sulfur-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification.

Sulfur-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification (SO-AD) was investigated in a laboratory-scale moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) at a sewage temperature of 22 °C. A synthetic wastewater with nitrate, sulfide and thiosulfate was fed into the MBBR. After 20 days' acclimation, the reduced sulfur compounds were completely oxidized and nitrogen removal efficiency achieved up to 82%.

Development of biochemical sulfide potential (BSP) test for sulfidogenic biotechnology application.

The determination of organics biodegradability and corresponding biodegradation kinetics provides valuable information on the optimal design and operation of anaerobic biotechnology especially for sulfidogenesis. This study proposes a deterministic method, i.e.