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This article describes a collaborative and interdisciplinary initiative aiming the design, optimization, and construction of a water tower prototype for the victims of a natural disaster. The students of Architecture of Wroclaw University of Science and T Faculty of Architecture, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland; Faculty of Architecture, Yasar University, Izmir, Turkey; Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

This chapter explains the solubility of gas in water confined to a small pore is estimated by two different methods. The first is an analytical method where simple but reasonable approximations are used to show that in very small pores CH4 solubility should be somewhat larger than the macroscopic measurement values. The second solubility estimate for methane in a small pore is made using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. Molecular simulations have made enormous strides in recent years and are gradually becoming a ubiquitous tool in science and engineering. This is due to the development of new methods for description of complex fluids and materials and due to the availability of high-speed and large-capacity computers to an increasing number of researchers. The chapter discusses the solubility of methane in bulk water and in water confined to micropore using the test-particle method combined with the excluded volume map sampling method.

Methanol is an important volatile organic compound (VOC) present in the gaseous and liquid effluents of process industries such as pulp and paper, paint manufacturing and petroleum refineries. An estimated 55,377 tonnes of methanol was emitted to the atmosphere in the year 2017 in the United States alone and at least 65% of the total emission was from the Kraft mills of the pulp and paper industries. The anaerobic biological treatment of methanol-rich gaseous and liquid effluents was tested in two bioreactor configurations, namely a biotrickling filter (BTF) and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The volatile fatty acids (VFA) produced in these bioreactors were quantified and a mass balance analysis was carried out. Gas-phase methanol removal along with thiosulfate (~ 1000 mg/L) reduction was carried out for 123 d in an anoxic BTF. A maximum elimination capacity (ECmax) of 21 g/m3.h for methanol and complete removal of thiosulfate was achieved. To examine the gas-phase methanol removal along with selenate reduction, another anoxic BTF was operated for 89 d under step and continuous selenate feeding, wherein the selenate removal efficiency was > 90% and ~ 68%, respectively, during step and continuous selenate feed and a methanol ECmax of 46.4 g/m3.h was achieved. The anaerobic bioreduction of selenate coupled to methane oxidation was investigated in batch reactors and a BTF inoculated with marine sediment and operated for a period of 348 d. Complete reduction of up to 143 mg/L of step fed selenate was achieved in the BTF. Furthermore, the effect of selenate, sulfate and thiosulfate on methanol utilization for VFA production was individually examined in batch systems. For the study on liquid-phase methanol, acetogenesis of foul condensate (FC) obtained from a chemical pulping industry was tested in three UASB reactors operated at 22, 37 and 55 oC for 51 d. A maximum methanol removal efficiency of 45% in the 55 oC reactor and nearly complete removal of ethanol and acetone in all UASB reactors was achieved. Prior to acetogenesis of the FC, the UASB reactors were operated for a period of 113 d under conditions reported to induce acetogenesis of methanol-rich synthetic wastewater. The recovery of VFA was explored through adsorption studies using anion exchange resins in batch systems. The trends and capacity of adsorption of individual VFA on Amberlite IRA-67 and Dowex optipore L-493 were examined by fitting the experimental data to adsorption isotherm and kinetic models. Subsequently, a sequential batch process was tested to achieve selective separation of acetate from the VFA mixture

Iron is commonly present in groundwater worldwide. The presence of iron in drinking water is not harmful to human health, however it is undesirable because of the associated aesthetic and operational problems, namely: bad taste, colour, stains on laundry and plumbing fixtures, and aftergrowth in the distribution system. Iron is generally removed from groundwater by the process of aeration followed by rapid sand fihration. This study reveals that two mechanisms are involved in this process, namely: "floc filtration" and "adsorptive filtration". Floc filtration comprises the oxidation of iron(ll), wbicb is the dominant form of iron in groundwater, to iron(lll) followed by floc formation and removal ofthe flocs by rapid sand filtration. In adsorptive fihration, iron(ll) is adsorbed onto filter media and subsequently oxidised to iron(lll), forming a coating on the filter media. Under the ommonly applied treatment conditions in iron removing plants the floc filtration is expected to be dominant and tbe adsorptive filtration complimentary. A pilot study conducted at the Gilze water treatment plant of Water Supply North West Brabant demonstrated that adsorptive filtration has several potential advantages over floc filtration, namely: longer filter runs due to slower head loss development, better fihrate quality, shorter ripening time and less backwash water use. In existing groundwater treatment plants, the high irondi) adsorption capacity ofthe iron oxide coated filter media makes it potentially possible to switch tbe goveming mode of operation from floc filtration to adsorptive filtration. To achieve this two options can be considered, they are: (i) iron(ll) adsorption under anoxic conditions followed by oxidation with oxygen-rich water and, (ii) adsorption of iron(ll) in the presence of oxygen and simultaneous oxidation. The first option might be attractive specifically when two filtration steps are available.

Seawater desalination is increasingly used as a means to augment freshwater supplies in regions of the world with high water stress, and reverse osmosis is increasingly the technology of choice because of the lower energy consumption compared to thermal systems. However, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) systems suffer from various types of fouling, which can increase energy consumption and the use of chemicals during SWRO operation. In practice, pre-treatment systems are put in place to reduce the particulate and biological fouling potential of SWRO feed water. However, simple, reliable and accurate methods to assess the extent to which biological fouling potential is reduced during pre-treatment are not available for seawater. This research developed a new method to measure bacterial growth potential (BGP) using the native bacterial consortium in seawater. New reagents to extract and detect ATP in microbial cells were tested and optimized for seawater. The new lysis and detection reagents overcame the salt interference in seawater and allowed the detection of low concentrations of total ATP, free ATP and microbial ATP in seawater. Incorporating a filtration step increased the sensitivity of the method six fold, enabling ATP detection of ultra-low levels of microbial ATP in seawater (0.06 ng-ATP/L). The newly developed ATP-based BGP method was applied to monitor and assess the pre-treatment of five full-scale seawater desalination plants around the world, which included dual media filtration, dissolved air flotation and ultrafiltration. The highest removal of microbial ATP and BGP was achieved with dual media filtration in combination with inline coagulation. A correlation was observed between BGP measured in SWRO feed water and the pressure drop increase in SWRO systems, suggesting the applicability of using the ATP-based BGP method as a biofouling indicator in SWRO. Furthermore, a safe level of BGP (l70 µg/L) is tentatively proposed for SWRO feed water in order to ensure a chemical cleaning frequency of once/year or lower. However, to validate these conclusion, more SWRO plants with different pre-treatment systems need to be monitored. In the future, on-line monitoring of ATP and BGP in SWRO feed water may further reduce the consumption of chemicals and energy and improve the overall sustainability of seawater desalination by reverse osmosis.

Due to their characteristics, a significant portion of fruit produced on a large scale, especially kiwi, is wasted as organic waste. This problem has created an opportunity to evaluated the potential for biogas generation using kiwi waste as a substrate by the anaerobic process. Eight distinct assays were performed in two batch reactors (R1 and R18). Different substrate/inoculum ratios, addition of NaHCO3 and with and without nutrients addition were tested. The most satisfactory results were obtained with: kiwi waste (8.4 g), anaerobic digester slurry (192 mL), sodium bicarbonate (500.4mg), ammonium chloride (453.0mg) and potassium phosphate monobasic (106.0mg) added. In this assay, 759.1 mL biogas/g VS was produced and methane quality of 60%, indicating that kiwi fruit waste has potential for biogas production. It is also concluded that the quality of the inoculum and substrate/inoculum ratio influences the biogas production.

Brick and Block Masonry - Trends, Innovations and Challenges contains the lectures and regular papers presented at the 16th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference (Padova, Italy, 26-30 June 2016). In an ever-changing world, in which innovations are rapidly implemented but soon surpassed, the challenge for masonry, the oldest and most traditional building material, is that it can address the increasingly pressing requirements of quality of living, safety, and sustainability. This abstracts volume and full paper USB device, focusing on challenges, innovations, trends and ideas related to masonry, in both research and building practice, will proof to be a valuable source of information for researchers and practitioners, masonry industries and building management authorities, construction professionals and educators. © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London. The paper presents some preliminary analyses devoted to the identification of suitable models able to provide the frequency decay of a damaged masonry structure on the basis of the observed damage pattern. In particular the analysis will be carried out with reference to some comparison FE models, and by introducing two distinct damage patterns, i.e. an elastic modulus decay of an external layer of the bridge arch, or a localised reduction of section due to impact or brick and stone detachments. The worked out examples allow checking of a very simple formulation based on the frequency evaluation through the static displacement equivalence of energy, and the splitting of the curvature diagram in the average part plus an added impulse term due to the presence of defects. The proposed formula is in good agreement with the FE analyses and sufficiently simple to be used for the detection of the damaged material properties, as a function of the average frequency decay.

Various natural products from the sugar palm tree have been in use in Malaysia for hundreds of years. Sugar palm fiber, known as black fiber, is obtained from the sugar palm tree and can be used as reinforcement in composites. Sugar palm fibers are available in ready-to-use form and do not require secondary processing. Fibers can also be obtained from the frond, the bunch, and the trunk, with the main source being the hairy fiber, locally called ijuk, which wraps around the trunk. In this chapter, we review the mechanical, physical, chemical, thermal and moisture absorption properties of the sugar palm fibers studied by various researchers.

Chapter 9 discusses the development of biodegradable materials derived from sugar palm starch. Due to the increasing environmental problems arising from the disposal of non-biodegradable plastics, the development of biopolymers has gained increasing attention from researchers as substitutes for conventional petroleum-based plastic. Among biopolymers, starch has been considered the most promising material because it is low in cost, highly abundant, renewable and fully biodegradable. This biopolymer can be transformed into thermoplastic starch in the presence of heat and plasticizer. Recent research has focused on the development of thermoplastic starch utilizing a new source of starch, sugar palm (Arenga pinnata). Unfortunately, thermoplastic sugar palm starch presents some drawbacks, such as poor mechanical properties, high sensitivity to moisture, and low thermal degradation. Therefore, various studies have been carried out to overcome these drawbacks, such as blending thermoplastic sugar palm starch with other biopolymers and reinforcement with various natural fibers to enhance the properties of this bio-based material.

The methods for immobilization and de-immobilization of microalgae described in the scientific literature were gradually refined and optimized in Laboratory for Biological Research in Aquatic Pollution (LABRAP) for application with the most currently used algal test species: Selenastrum capricornutum. The Algaltoxkit happened to be finalized in LABRAP almost concurrently with two new invertebrate Toxkits. The Algaltoxkit first validation was based on the following inorganic and organic chemicals: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, mercuric chloride, cadmium chloride, zinc chloride, lead chloride, copper sulfate, and Aminex, a commercial formulation of the pesticide 2,4,D, manufactured and distributed by the Belgian company Pratex. The new microbiotest was also applied to industrial effluents from the textile industry. Intensive validation research is continuing in LABRAP and is also in progress in several laboratories in different countries to establish the full potential of this promising new Toxkit test.

Seawater desalination is a rapidly growing coastal industry that is increasingly threatened by algal blooms. Depending on the severity of algal blooms, desalination systems may be forced to shut down because of clogging and/or poor feed water quality. To maintain stable operation and provide good feed water quality to seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) systems, ultrafiltration (UF) pre-treatment is proposed. This research focused on assessing the ability of UF and other pre-treatment technologies to reduce biofouling in SWRO systems. An improved method to measure bacterial regrowth potential (BRP) was developed and applied at laboratory, pilot and full scale to assess the ability of conventional UF (150 kDa) and tight UF (10 kDa) alone and in combination with a phosphate adsorbent to reduce regrowth potential and delay the onset of biofouling in SWRO. The improved bacterial regrowth potential method employs a natural consortium ofmarine bacteria as inoculum and flow cytometry. The limit of detection of the BRP method was lowered to 43,000 ± 12,000 cells/mL,which is equivalent to 9.3 ± 2.6 μg-Cglucose/L. The reduction in bacterial regrowth potential after tight UF (10 kDa) was 3 to 4 times higher than with conventional UF (150 kDa). It was further reduced after the application of a phosphate adsorbent, independent of pore size of the UF membrane. Pilot studies demonstrated that the application of tight UF (10 kDa) coupled with a phosphate adsorbent consistently lowered the bacterial regrowth potential and no feed channel pressure drop increase was observed in membrane fouling simulators (MFS) over a period of 21 days. The study also showed that nonbackwashable fouling of UF membranes varied strongly with the type of algal species and the algal organic matter (AOM) they release. The presence of polysaccharide (stretching - OH) and sugar ester groups (stretching S=O) was the main cause of nonbackwashable fouling. In conclusion, this study showed that an improved BRP method is suitable for the assessment of SWRO pre-treatment systems and it can be a useful tool to develop potential strategies to mitigate biofouling and improve the sustainability of SWRO systems.

Summarization: Pyrolysis of high acidity olive oil, olive husk oil and animal fat was carried out under different atmospheres (vacuum, N2 and CH4), at constant temperature and different residence times. Bio-oils were the main pyrolysis products, with mass yields from 55.2% to 88.9%. The use of nitrogen or methane atmospheres led to an increase in the formation of gas products (14.1% to 26%), while increasing the residence time resulted in higher yields of gases and solids. The pyrolysis bio-oils contained 54.4% to 88.7% (w/w) of distillable liquids, collected as a light fraction and a heavy fraction. Both fractions were analysed by GC-MS to determine the hydrocarbon profiles and identification of functional groups. Vacuum pyrolysis promoted the formation of low molecular weight liquids while the use of a methane atmosphere increased the relative concentration of aliphatic components in the bio-oil. Παρουσιάστηκε στο: 4th International Conference Wastes: Solutions, Treatments and Opportunities