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Luminescence materials have shown promise as display apparatus and lighting devices. The particularly interesting systems are photoluminescence materials that are capable of reversible colors emitting repeatedly on exposure to light. Here we report a series of color tunable flexible and transparent photoluminescence films consisting of multi-metals (Eu3+, Tb3+ and Zn2+) induced polymer aggregates (MIPAs) which are distributed uniformly in the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) films without agglomeration. MIPAs have a unique spherical structure due to the self-assembly of polystyrene-block-polyacrylic acid (PS-b-PAA) induced by metal ions. Notably, when applied in photoluminescence devices, these photoluminescence films exhibit not only red, green, blue colors (RGB) light, but also other tuned various color light covering the whole visible range upon excitation of 345 nm through adjusting the relative ratios of metal complexes. As the most important key point, non-conductive polymers can be used in photoluminescence devices as host medium, which is not realized in electroluminescent devices. Thus, the flexible photoluminescence films (FPFs) innovated herein exhibit the great potential to apply for flexible light-color and light-energy transformation devices.

The overall purpose of this research was to investigate the typical types of chemically enhanced backwash by-products (CEBBPs) produced in the chemically enhanced backwash (CEB) process and the influence of variability of CEB factors on typical CEBBPs in the adsorption-ultrafiltration process. Moreover, health risk assessment was utilized to assess the potential adverse health effects from exposure to effluent after the optimal online CEB. The results of the study found the NaClO backwash reagent could react with organic matter to produce CEBBPs, including 9 kinds of volatile halogenated organic compounds (VHOCs) and 9 kinds of haloacetic acids (HAAs) during the CEB process. After a comprehensive consideration of the influence of a single factor on the CEBBPs formation and membrane cleaning effect, the optimal CEB parameters were 6 min of BD, 120 min of BI, 30 L/(m2·h) of BF and 50 mg/L of RC. Under the optimum CEB cleaning parameters, the effluent does not pose a non-carcinogenic risk and posed potential carcinogenic risk to local residents. The lifetime carcinogenic risk (LCR) value for HAAs (6.68E-06) is very close to the LCR value of CEBBPs (6.78E-06), indicating that the HAAs are the main substances in the effluent after CEB.

Creating unique nanostructures is imperative to develop new generation of electrodes with high electro-capacitive property. Herein the molybdenum disulfide/polyaniline (MoS2/PANI) composites with different PANI loadings (40, 53, and 70 wt%) were prepared using MoS2 nanosheet as the substrate. At a 53 wt% loading amount of PANI, the obtained MoS2/PANI-53 nanopallet electrode material displayed the highest electro-capacitive property. The rational combination of the two components allowed the PANI thin layer to uniformly cover the surface of the MoS2 nanosheet and the synergistic effect of the high specific capacitance of PANI along with the fast ionic conductivity and mechanical stability of MoS2 make MoS2/PANI-53 as a suitable electrode material for supercapacitors. Therefore the MoS2/PANI-53 nanopallet symmetric supercapacitor delivered high energy density (35 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 335 W kg−1) and excellent cycling stability (81% capacitance retention after 8000 cycles). This work could be give rise to conducting polymer based composite electrode material with high performance for functional supercapacitor devices.

This study aimed to assess the impacts of organic loading rate (OLR) (435–870 mgCOD/L·d) on nutrients recovery via a double-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) for treating domestic wastewater. Electricity generation was also explored at different OLRs, including power density and coulombic efficiency. Experimental results suggested the MFC could successfully treat municipal wastewater with over 90% of organics being removed at a wider range of OLR from 435 to 725 mgCOD/L·d. Besides, the maximum power density achieved in the MFC was 253.84 mW/m2 at the OLR of 435 mgCOD/L·d. Higher OLR may disrupt the recovery of PO43−-P and NH4+-N via the MFC. The same pattern was observed for the coulombic efficiency of the MFC and its highest value was 25.01% at the OLR of 435 mgCOD/L·d. It can be concluded that nutrients and electrical power can be simultaneously recovered from municipal wastewater via the dual-chamber MFC.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is currently considered a promising technology for wastewater treatment. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a double-chamber MFC in terms of: (i) operating mode (batch mode, self-circulation mode, single-continuous mode) of anolyte on the nutrient accumulation in the catholyte, (ii) aeration conditions (anode effluent with aeration supplied in catholyte; anode effluent without aeration supplied in catholyte; cathode effluent with aeration supplied in catholyte and cathode effluent without aeration supplied in catholyte) on the nutrient recovery and (iii) types of separators (cation exchange membrane (CEM), forward osmosis (FO), and nonwoven (NW)) to remove nutrients toward their recovery from municipal wastewater. Results showed that there was no negligible increase in the phosphate concentration of the catholyte at the three different modes but accumulation of ammonium. At different aeration conditions, nutrients can be recovered by chemical precipitation at high pH generated by the MFC itself. Basically, phosphate was removed by microbial absorption and recovered by chemical precipitation while ammonium was accumulated by current generation and recovered as precipitates. It was found that double-chamber MFC with the CEM as the separator reported the best nutrients removal with >97.58% of NH4+-N and >94.9% of PO43−-P removed/recovered, followed by the MFC with the nonwoven and FO membrane, respectively. Thus, the double-chamber MFC is feasible for recovering nutrients in a comprehensive bioelectrochemical system.

This study aims to enhance nitrogen removal efficiency of a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) by developing a new MBBR with zeolite powder-based polyurethane sponges as biocarriers (Z-MBBR). Results indicated the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) performance in Z-MBBR were nearly 10% higher than those in the conventional MBBR with sponges as biocarriers (S-MBBR). About 84.2 ± 4.8% of TN was removed in Z-MBBR compared to 75.1 ± 6.8% in S-MBBR. Correspondingly, the SND performance in Z-MBBR and S-MBBR was 90.7 ± 4.1% and 81.7 ± 6.5%, respectively. The amount of biofilm attached to new biocarriers (0.470 ± 0.131 g/g carrier) was 1.3 times more than that of sponge carriers (0.355 ± 0.099 g/g carrier). Based on the microelectrode measurements and microbial community analysis, more denitrifying bacteria existed in the Z-MBBR system, and this can improve the SND performance. Consequently, this new Z-MBBR can be a promising option for a hybrid treatment system to better nitrogen removal from wastewater.

This study investigated the effect of CaO2 pretreatment on sulfonamide antibiotics (SMs) remediation by Chlorella sp. Results showed that a CaO2 dose ranging from 0.05 to 0.1 g/g biomass was the best and led to higher SMs removal efficacy 5-10% higher than the control. The contributions made by cometabolism and CaO2 in SMs remediation were very similar. Bioassimilation could remove 24% of sulfadiazine (SDZ) and sulfamethazine (SMZ), and accounted for 38% of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) remediation. Pretreatment by CaO2 wielded a positive effect on microalgae. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) level of the CaO2 pretreatment microalgae was three times higher when subjected to non-pretreatment. For the long-term, pretreatment microalgae removed SMs 10-20% more than the non-pretreatment microalgae. Protein fractions of EPS in continuous operation produced up to 90 mg/L for cometabolism. For bioassimilation, SMX intensity of the pretreatment samples was 160-fold less than the non-treatment one. It indicated the CaO2 pretreatment has enhanced the biochemical function of the intracellular environment of microalgae. Peroxidase enzyme involved positively in the cometabolism and degradation of SMs to several metabolites including ring cleavage, hydroxylation and pterin-related conjugation.

Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs), the combination of anaerobic digestion and membrane technology, have gained increasing popularity due to their remarkable advantages over aerobic membrane bioreactors, such as biogas production and potential energy use. However, membrane fouling remains a challenging issue that deteriorates the performance of membrane and shortens its lifespan. Pretreatment of feed wastewater by adding fouling reduction enhancers, such as adsorbents and flocculants, into anaerobic membrane bioreactor can effectively mitigate membrane fouling by altering the feed properties. Activated carbon, such as powdered activated carbon (PAC) and granular activated carbon (GAC), has been widely applied as an adsorbent to aerobic and anaerobic membrane bioreactors for membrane fouling control. Organic enhancers such as biochar and waste yeast, and inorganic enhancers like polyaluminum chloride and zeolite have also been applied to AnMBRs promoting flocculation and coagulation. Thus, this review discusses the impacts of different fouling reduction enhancers under anaerobic conditions as well as AnMBR system. In addition, the mechanisms of the enhancers mitigating the membrane fouling are also summarized for better understanding of the effects of the enhancers in AnMBRs.

The Daqingshan area in China located in the center part of the Khondalite belt, north of the Ordos Block and south of the Yinshan Block. The Daqingshan basin is the best-preserved Mesozoic basin that is oriented nearly east-west. Previous studies suggest that the provenance of Jurassic sediment is mainly the Khondalite belt and no material from Yinshan Block. We present detailed data on the detrital-zircon geochronology of the Jurassic sandstones from the Daqingshan area. The detrital-zircon U–Pb age data of the Wudanggou and Changhangou Formations show two peaks at ~2450 Ma and 1970–1930 Ma, with a few of Archean ages. The detrital-zircon age data of the Daqingshan Formation show three distinctive age populations of 2560–2460 Ma, 1950–1750 Ma, and 320–265 Ma. Comparison with the age of the surrounding magmatic rocks suggests that the main source area is the Wulashan–Daqingshan Complex, with the Yinshan Block being a lesser source. However, more Archean and Paleozoic detrital zircon occurs in the Daqingshan Formation, probably as a result of the rise of the western part of the basin and eastward movement of the center of the basin, thereby increasing provenance from the Yinshan Block. The Yanshan movement caused massive amounts of Yinshan material to move southward during the Middle-Late Jurassic. However, the barrier of the Yinshan Mountains caused Yinshan material to be deposited mainly in the eastern part of the basin.

The recent and vigorous developments in semiconductor technology strictly request better quality and large quantity of ultrapure water (UPW) for their production. It is crucial to secure a large amount of raw water for the future development of UPW production. Using reclaimed water as alternative raw water source to produce UPW is therefore considered the feasible trend and solution for sustainable use of water resources towards a common future practice in UPW production. The challenge of using reclaimed water is due to its higher content of organic pollutants, especially small molecule organic pollutants such as urea, which are difficult to remove through traditional UPW production process. Consequently, improving the existing UPW production process to meet the water standard desired in the semiconductor industry is essential. This paper reviewed the current traditional processes for removing organic matters in UPW production, including ion-exchange (IX) adsorption, granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, reverse osmosis (RO) and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The potential problems in the actual UPW production process were identified when using reclaimed water as raw water source. A new strategy of applying the advanced oxidation process (AOPs) to UPW production as a supplementary unit to guarantee UPW quality was proposed. Its feasibility and research focus were then analyzed and discussed in obtaining a new solution for a future development of the UPW production process.

The performance and membrane fouling of a hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor-membrane bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) system was evaluated when exposed to 0.5 mg/L of antibiotic sulfadiazine (SDZ). Results indicated that although SDZ reduced the removal efficiency of NH4+-N and TN (up to 12%) and TOC (up to 6%) at low C/N (2.5 and 4), it had no significant effect at high C/N (6 and 9). It was found that SDZ was removed 75% and 58% at high C/N of 9 and low C/N of 2.5, respectively. SDZ decreased the ratio of volatile biomass/total biomass and sludge particle size and increased the concentrations of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and soluble microbial product (SMP) in MBR. Consequently, this accelerated the membrane fouling rates, with an average increase of 6.85 kPa/d at low C/N (2.5) and 0.513–0.701 kPa/d at medium and high C/N (4, 6 and 9).

Electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) are ubiquitous in nature and have attracted considerable attention as they can be used for energy recovery and environmental remediation via their extracellular electron transfer (EET) capabilities. Although the EET mechanisms of Shewanella and Geobacter have been rigorously investigated and are well characterized, much less is known about the EET mechanisms of other microorganisms. For EAMs, efficient EET is crucial for the sustainable economic development of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Currently, the low efficiency of EET remains a key factor in limiting the development of BESs. In this review, we focus on the EET mechanisms of different microorganisms, (i.e., bacteria, fungi, and archaea). In addition, we describe in detail three engineering strategies for improving the EET ability of EAMs: (1) enhancing transmembrane electron transport via cytochrome protein channels; (2) accelerating electron transport via electron shuttle synthesis and transmission; and (3) promoting the microbe-electrode interface reaction via regulating biofilm formation. At the end of this review, we look to the future, with an emphasis on the cross-disciplinary integration of systems biology and synthetic biology to build high-performance EAM systems.

Four bench-scale sponge-based aerobic nitrifying moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were used to treat municipal wastewater containing typical pharmaceuticals (1 mg/L, 2 mg/L and 5 mg/L). This preliminary research aims to investigate the effects of sulfadiazine (SDZ), ibuprofen (IBU) and carbamazepine (CBZ) on nitrification performance and explore specific microbial diversity and functional gene (Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), amoA) of MBBRs. After 90 days of operation, the MBBR without pharmaceuticals could remove up to 97.4 ± 1.5% of NH4+-N while the removals of NH4+-N by the MBBRs with SDZ, IBU and CBZ were all suppressed to varying degrees. Based on the Shannon and Chao 1 index, the specific microbial diversity and richness in biofilm samples increased at a range of 1 mg/L to 2 mg/L pharmaceuticals (SDZ, IBU or CBZ) and started decreasing after the pharmaceutical concentration was higher than 2 mg/L. The determination of functional gene (AOB amoA) showed that Proteobacteria was the most dominant bacteria within all biofilms with the relative abundance ranging from 24.81% to 55.32%. Furthermore, Nitrosomonas was the most numerous genus in AOB, followed by Campylobacter and Thauera, whose relative abundance shifted under the pressure of different pharmaceuticals.

In recent years, research on graphene oxide (GO) has developed rapidly in both academic and industrial applications such as electronic, biosensor, drug delivery, water treatment and so forth. Based on the large amount of applications, it is anticipated that GO will inevitably find its own way to the environment, if used are not restricted to prevent their release. Environmental transformation is an important transformation process in the natural environment. In this review, we will summarize the recent developments on environmental transformation of GO in the aquatic environment. Although papers on environmental transformation of graphene-based nanomaterials can be found, a systematic picture describing photo-transformation of GO (dividing into different irradiation sources), environmental transformation of GO in the dark environmental, the environmental toxicity of GO are still lacking. Thus, it is essential to summarize how different light sources will affect the GO structure and reactive oxygen species generation in the photo-transformation process, how GO will react with various natural constituents in the aquatic environment, whether GO will toxic to different aquatic organisms and what will be the interactions between GO and the intracellular receptors in the intracellular level once GO released into the aquatic environment. This review will arouse the realization of potential risk that GO can bring to the aquatic environment and enlighten us to pay attention to behaviors of other two-dimensional GO-like nanomaterials, which have been intensively applied and studied in recent years.

Water deficiency due to climate change and the world's population growth increases the demand for the water industry to carry out vulnerability assessments. Although many studies have been done on climate change vulnerability assessment, a specific framework with sufficient indicators for water vulnerability assessment is still lacking. This highlights the urgent need to devise an effective model framework in order to provide water managers and authorities with the level of water exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity and water vulnerability to formulate their responses in implementing water management strategies. The present study proposes a new approach for water quantity vulnerability assessment based on remote sensing satellite data and GIS ModelBuilder. The developed approach has three layers: (1) data acquisition mainly from remote sensing datasets and statistical sources; (2) calculation layer based on the integration of GIS-based model and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's vulnerability assessment framework; and (3) output layer including the indices of exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity and water vulnerability and spatial distribution of remote sensing indicators and these indices in provincial and regional scale. In total 27 indicators were incorporated for the case study in Vietnam based on their availability and reliability. Results show that the most water vulnerable is the South Central Coast of the country, followed by the Northwest area. The novel approach is based on reliable and updated spatial-temporal datasets (soil water stress, aridity index, water use efficiency, rain use efficiency and leaf area index), and the incorporation of the GIS-based model. This framework can then be applied effectively for water vulnerability assessment of other regions and countries.

Nutrients recovery has become a meaningful solution to address shortage in the fertilizer production which is the key issue of nations' food security. The concept of municipal wastewater is based on its ability to be a major potential source for recovered nutrients because of its vast quantity and nutrient-rich base. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) has emerged as a sustainable technology, which is able to recover nutrients and simultaneously generate electricity. In this study a two-chambered MFC was constructed, and operated in a continuous flow mode employing artificial municipal wastewater as a substrate. The effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the recovery of nutrients by MFC were studied. The COD removal rates were insignificantly influenced by varying HRT from 0.35 to 0.69 d, that were over 92%. Furthermore, the recovery rate of nutrients was insignificantly affected while increasing the HRT, which fluctuates from 80% to 90%. In contrast, the maximum power generation declined when HRT increased and the lowest one was 510.3 mV at the HRT of 0.35 d. These results demonstrate that the lab-scale double chamber MFC using municipal wastewater as the substrate can provide a highly effective removal strategy for organic matter, nutrients recovery and electricity output when operating at a specific HRT.

This study investigated the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and enzyme extrusion of Chlorella sp. using seven carbon sources and two salinities for potential pollutant co-metabolism. Results indicated that the levels of biomass, EPS and enzymes of microalgae cultured with glucose and saccharose outcompeted other carbon sources. For pigment production, glycine received the highest chlorophyll and carotene, up to 10 mg/L. The EPS reached 30 mg/L, having doubled the amount of protein than carbohydrate. For superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes, the highest concentrations were beyond 60 U/ml and 6 nmol/d.ml, respectively. This amount could be potentially used for degrading 40% ciprofloxacin of concentration 2000 µg/L. When increasing salinity from 0.1% to 3.5%, the concentrations of pigment, EPS and enzymes rose 3 to 30 times. These results highlighted that certain carbon sources and salinities could induce Chlorella sp. to produce EPS and enzymes for pollutant co-metabolism and also for revenue-raising potential.

A novel laboratory-scale aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor integrating sponge-plastic biocarriers (SPSMBR) was conducted to study the removal and degradation mechanisms of sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs). Experimental results indicated that SPSMBR had a better removal of sulfadiazine (91% SDZ) and sulfamethoxazole (88% SMZ) than that of a conventional aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor (CSMBR) (76% SDZ and 71% SMZ, respectively). Material balance calculations suggested that biodegradation is the primary removal mechanism of SDZ and SMZ. Protein (tyrosine-like materials) significantly affected the removal of SAs. Moreover, the SPSMBR exhibited its better performance in removing SAs due to more abundance of tyrosine-like materials. The 16S rRNA sequencing showed that biocarriers could promote the enrichment of slow growing bacteria, especially Thermomonas, associated with the removal of SAs. Valuable insights into the removal and degradation mechanisms of SAs in the SPSMBR systems are documented here.

Algae is a well-known organism that its characteristic is prominent for biofuel production and wastewater remediation. This critical review aims to present the applicability of algae with in-depth discussion regarding three key aspects: (i) characterization of algae for its applications; (ii) the technical approaches and their strengths and drawbacks; and (iii) future perspectives of algae-based technologies. The process optimization and combinations with other chemical and biological processes have generated efficiency, in which bio-oil yield is up to 41.1%. Through life cycle assessment, algae bio-energy achieves high energy return than fossil fuel. Thus, the algae-based technologies can reasonably be considered as green approaches. Although selling price of algae bio-oil is still high (about $2 L−1) compared to fossil fuel’s price of $1 L−1, it is expected that the algae bio-oil’s price will become acceptable in the next coming decades and potentially dominate 75% of the market.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been regarded as an essential target for the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the emergence of the G1202R solvent front mutation that confers resistance to the drugs was reported for the first as well as the second generation ALK inhibitors. It was thought that the G1202R solvent front mutation might hinder the drug binding. In this study, a different fact could be clarified by multiple molecular modeling methodologies through a structural analogue of ceritinib (compound 10, Cpd-10) that is reported to be a potent inhibitor against the G1202R mutation. Herein, molecular docking, accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) simulations in conjunction with principal component analysis (PCA), and free energy map calculations were used to produce reasonable and representative initial conformations for the conventional MD simulations. Compared with Cpd-10, the binding specificity of ceritinib between ALK wild-type (ALKWT) and ALK G1202R (ALKG1202R) are prima...

Membrane separation technologies have proven viable in tackling the issues of water pollution and shortage of freshwater resources with practical applications. Two-dimensional (2D) materials with thickness of one to a few atoms stand out as desirable building blocks to design and fabricate membranes with outstanding performances. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), as a promising alternative 2D material, has been currently one of the most intriguing 2D materials beyond graphene due to many excellent physicochemical, mechanical and biological properties, which are not available in graphene-based nanomaterials. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been few reviews of MoS2-based membranes studies. It is thus urgently needed to summarize key findings of MoS2-based membranes and assess the current research studies in this area. This paper attempts to critically review the present state-of-the-art of MoS2-based membranes in water treatment and purification. Firstly, we briefly introduce the main preparation methods of MoS2 nanosheets, which are often applied in fabricating membranes. Next, the design and fabrication of MoS2-based membranes are systematically summarized in terms of nanoporous membranes, layer-stacked membranes, MoS2 composite membranes including MoS2-incorporated membranes, and membranes surface modification with MoS2. Then, we critically review the recent advancement about applications of MoS2-based membranes for water treatment and purification, focusing on desalination, industrial wastewater treatment, and antifouling properties. Finally, we discuss the existing challenges, future research efforts and opportunities of MoS2-based membranes. This work will be very valuable to understand the current state-of-the-art of MoS2-based membranes and will be helpful for developing other 2D-based membranes for efficient and low-energy-consumption in water treatment and purification.

This study aims to investigate the behavior of nitrogen removal in an aerobic sponge based moving bed biofilm reactor by evaluating nitrification and denitrification rates of sponge biocarriers from three aerobic moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) with filling ratios of 10% (R-10), 20% (R-20) and 30% (R-30). Results showed that the highest removal efficiencies of total nitrogen in three reactors were 84.5% (R-10), 93.6% (R-20) and 95.3% (R-30). Correspondingly, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification rate (SND) was 90.9%, 97.6% and 100%, respectively. Although R-20 had the highest attached-growth biomass (AGB) per gram of sponge compared to the other two reactors, R-30 showed the maximum ammonium oxidation rate (AOR) (2.1826 ± 0.0717 mg NH 4 + -N/g AGB/h) and denitrification rate (DNR) (5.0852 ± 0.0891 mg NO 3 − -N/g AGB/h), followed by R-20 and R-10. These results indicated AOR, DNR and AGB were affected by the filling ratio under the same operation mode.

A large amount of spent coffee grounds is produced as a processing waste each year during making the coffee beverage. Sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) are frequently detected in the environment and cause pollution problems. In this study, biochar (BC) and hydrochar (HC) were derived from spent coffee grounds through pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization, respectively. Their characteristics and sulfonamide antibiotics adsorption were investigated and compared with reference to adsorption capacity, adsorption isotherm and kinetics. Results showed BC possessed more carbonization and less oxygen-containing functional groups than HC when checked by Elemental Analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared. These groups affected the adsorption of sulfonamide antibiotics and adsorption mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacities of BC for sulfadiazine (SDZ) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) were 121.5 μg/g and 130.1 μg/g at 25 °C with the initial antibiotic concentration of 500 μg/L, respectively. Meanwhile the maximum adsorption capacities of HC were 82.2 μg/g and 85.7 μg/g, respectively. Moreover, the adsorption mechanism for SAs adsorbed onto BC may be dominated by π-π electron donor-acceptor interactions, yet the SAs adsorption to HC may be attributed to hydrogen bonds. Further analysis of the adsorption isotherms and kinetics, found that physical and chemical interactions were involved in the SAs adsorption onto BC and HC. Overall, results suggested that: firstly, pyrolysis was an effective thermochemical conversion of spent coffee grounds; and secondly, BC was the more promising adsorbent for removing sulfonamide antibiotics.

Four lab-scale moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were built to treat simulated wastewater containing typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). The efficiency in removing different PPCPs at different concentrations (1, 2 and 5 mg/L) and their effects on the performance of MBBRs were investigated. Results showed that the average removal efficiencies of sulfadiazine, ibuprofen and carbamazepine were 61.1 ± 8.8%, 74.9 ± 8.8% and 28.3 ± 7.4%, respectively. Compared to the reactor without PPCPs, the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of the reactors containing sulfadiazine, ibuprofen and carbamazepine declined by 21%, 30% and 42%, respectively. Based on the microbial community analysis, increasing the PPCPs concentration within a certain range (2 mg/L) could stimulate microbial growth and increase microbial diversity yet the diversity reduced when the concentration (5 mg/L) exceeded the tolerance of microorganisms. Furthermore the presence and degradation of different PPCPs resulted in a different kind of microbial community structure in the MBBRs.

Application of biochars to remove inorganic nitrogen (NH4+, NO2−, NH3, NO, NO2, N2O) from wastewater and agricultural fields has gained a significant interest. This study aims to investigate the relationship between ammonium sorption and physicochemical properties of biochars derived from different kinds of fruit peel. Biochars from three species of fruit peel (orange, pineapple and pitaya) were prepared at 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C with the residence time of 2 h and 4 h. Their characteristics and sorption for ammonium was evaluated. The results show a clear effect of pyrolysis conditions on physicochemical properties of biochars, including elemental composition, functional groups and pH. The maximum NH4+ adsorption capacities were associated with biochars of orange peel (4.71 mg/g) and pineapple peel (5.60 mg/g) produced at 300 °C for 2 h. The maximum NH4+ adsorption capacity of the pitaya peel biochar produced at 400 °C for 2 h was 2.65 mg/g. For all feedstocks, biochars produced at low temperatures showed better NH4+ adsorption capacity. It was found that biochars had better adsorption efficiency on ammonium at a pH of 9. Adsorption kinetics of ammonium on biochars followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model while Langmuir isotherm model could well simulate the adsorption behavior of ammonium on biochars. The adsorption mechanism of ammonium on biochars predominantly involved surface complexation, cation exchange and electrostatic attraction. Conclusively, the fruit peel-derived biochars can be used as an alternative to conventional sorbents in water treatment.

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd In the present study, a dual-compartment microbial fuel cell (MFC) was constructed and continuously operated under different influent concentrations of ammonium-nitrogen (5–40 mg/L). The impacts of ammonium on organics removal, energy output and nutrient recovery were investigated. Experimental results demonstrated that this MFC reactor achieved a CDO removal efficiency of greater than 85%. Moreover, excess ammonium concentration in the feed solution compromises the generation of electricity. Simultaneously, the recovery rate of phosphate achieved in the MFC was insignificantly influenced at the wider influent ammonium concentration. In contrast, a high concentration of ammonium may not be beneficial for its recovery.

© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Saline wastewater contains numerous pollutants such as nutrients, heavy metals, micropollutants, and organic pollutants. This kind of wastewater needs to be treated prior to discharging. Compared to other technologies for saline wastewater treatment, the microalgae process is considered to be ‘green’ or environmentally friendly as it generates no secondary pollutants and creates profit. To elucidate the issue, this review investigated the following: (1) the nature of saline wastewater; (2) adaptation of microalgae in saline wastewater; (3) pollutants’ remediation by microalgae in saline wastewater; (4) comparisons with other technologies; and (5) future perspectives. Most importantly, during microalgae process, the saline wastewater is transformed from a waste into a source for biofuel and pigment production. This trend implies to heal the environment, cut remediation expenses and raise revenue.

Removing micro-pollutants is an important global challenge for the development of good adsorbents and environmental engineering issues. In this work, the structure of hierarchically and interconnected porous polymer has been fabricated by a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) with water-in-oil and used for removing boron from water. This porous polymer was synthesized via monomer radical polymerization and utilized the active sites of monomer –Cl. In this way the vicinal hydroxyl group of N-Methyl- d -glucamine (NMG) was successfully introduced and grafted into HIPE by nucleophilic substitution reaction under the catalysis of triethylamine. The maximum boron uptake capacity was 2.54 mmol/g at a boron concentration of 100 mg/L, and reached adsorption equilibrium after about 2 h. Compared to traditional adsorption membrane materials, the HIPE porous polymer had better mechanical strength and able to resist acid and alkaline in the long-term. Meanwhile the regeneration efficiency of the HIPE30 %-g-PNMG porous polymer remained at 100 % after being used for 10 cycles.

In this study, ultrasonic-assisted liquid-phase stripping and hydrothermal synthesis were used to prepare the two structural types of MoS2 nanosheets, namely u-MoS2 and h-MoS2, respectively. The u-MoS2 and h-MoS2 were characterized by various techniques, and the profound relationship between the structure and preparation method was also identified. Results indicated that adsorptions of Pb2＋ onto both u-MoS2 and h-MoS2 nanosheets reached equilibrium after 30 min at higher rates. The removal efficiencies of Pb2＋ by h-MoS2 and u-MoS2 nanosheets were 98.4% and 20.6% under the condition of low dosage (60 mg/L). The Pb2＋ by h-MoS2 adsorption fitted well to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm with the adsorption capacity of 174.0 mg/g while the Pb2＋ adsorption by u-MoS2 fitted well to the Freundlich isotherm (n=1). The obvious discrepancy suggested that the adsorption performance was directly associated with their structural properties, which were induced by two different synthesis methods. Based on these results, the effects of operational parameters (pH, dosage and existing ions) on Pb2＋ adsorption using h-MoS2 were further investigated. The dosage greatly affected the adsorption capacity and removal efficiency, while pH and coexisting ions had small effects on adsorption performance. In short, this study could help to better understand the role of MoS2 nanosheets’ structures obtained by different preparation methods for adsorption of heavy metal ions in aqueous solution.

Glycine (GLY), potassium tartrate (PT), and hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid (HEDP) have been used as effective complexing agents for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of a cobalt (Co) barrier layer, but the most suitable of these three complexing agents is still unclear. In this paper, the density functional theory (DFT) method is employed to predict the complexing capability of the three complexing agents to Co ions. The prediction results show that the complexing capability of the three complexing agents is in the order of: HEDP > GLY > PT. Then, electrochemical experiments, static corrosion tests, UV-Vis spectra, and XPS analysis successfully prove the effectiveness of the DFT method for molecular activity prediction. The experimental results show that regardless of the presence or absence of H2O2, PT has the weakest complexing capability, which results in sufficient Co removal rate without causing unnecessary Co dissolution. In addition, the complexation capability of HEDP is stronger than that of GLY when the oxidation of the Co surface is not a limiting factor.

Microalgae (Scenedesmus obliquus) dewatering using forward osmosis membrane has received considerable attention for its possible application in biofuel generation. To investigate the filtration performance by analyzing permeate water flux, five different velocities (0.23 m/s, 0.31 m/s, 0.40 m/s, 0.55 m/s, 0.66 m/s) were selected in a bench-scale experiments. The results showed that the optimal flux was with 0.55 m/s velocity. Moreover, the same velocities (0.23 m/s, 0.31 m/s, 0.40 m/s, 0.55 m/s, 0.66 m/s) and three various spacer positions (0.3 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm away from the membrane) were simulated employing the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. The results showed that the pressure and velocity distribution were affected by the velocities at the module inlet and the spacer configuration. And the 0.55 m/s velocity was confirmed, while the CFD revealed that the velocity distribution was relatively uniform and exerted a higher pressure on the membrane, and 0.55 m/s velocity agreed with the experiment in optimal operation. As for the spacer configurations, they were evenly distributed in the channel and the optimum structures occurred when the spacers were 1 mm away from the membrane. The spacer is beneficial for alleviating external concentration polarization (ECP) during osmosis process.

This work aimed to clarify the combined effect of a complexing agent (nitrilotriacetic acid; NTA) and inhibitor (2,2′-{[(methyl-1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)methyl]imino}bisethanol; TT-LYK), which are essential for the development of polishing slurries with excellent performances. Static etch rate (SER) experiments, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and polishing experiments revealed that NTA is an effective copper complexing agent, and TT-LYK has a better corrosion inhibition effect under static conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows that the copper surface contained Cu2O, CuO, and Cu(OH)2 species. Both NTA and TT-LYK could reduce the surface oxidation. The potential polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to further study the influence of the complexation and corrosion inhibition on the electrochemical properties. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations clarified the complexation mechanism of NTA and proved that TT-LYK adsorbs on the surface of hydroxylated Cu2O in a tilted mode. The influences of the corrosion inhibitor concentration and liquid flow were systematically evaluated, and the excellent barrier ability of the corrosion inhibitor film to NTA was proven. A combined action mechanism of TT-LYK and NTA was proposed. Finally, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the slurry developed in this paper to meet the requirements of cobalt barrier polishing.

Garcinia species are well known for being used traditionally in many different ways in Guangxi and Yunnan, China. To preserve this knowledge, this study recorded the ethnobotanical importance of the genus Garcinia in this area. Ethnobotanical data were collected from seven prefectures in Guangxi (Baise, Chongzuo, Guilin, Fangchenggang, Hechi, Liuzhou, Qinzhou) and six prefectures in Yunnan (Dehong, Honghe, Lincang, Puer, Wenshan, Xishuangbanna) from different ethnic groups. The data were collected in different seasons during 2008, and then again between 2010 and 2014, and 2016. A total of 250 informants were interviewed. Free listing methods, Smith’ S value, use frequency, semi-structured interviews, and potential distribution analysis were used to gather the data. Nine species were identified: Garcinia bracteata C. Y. Wu ex Y. H. Li, Garcinia cowa Roxb., Garcinia esculenta Y. H. Li, Garcinia multiflora Champ. ex Benth., Garcinia oblongifolia Champ. ex Benth., Garcinia paucinervis Chun & How, Garcinia pedunculata Roxb., Garcinia xanthochymus Hook. f. ex T. Anders., and Garcinia yunnanensis Hu. For each species, the field distribution, use knowledge, estimated usage intensities, prediction for potential distributions, and traditional management were recorded and analyzed. Conclusions are that (1) local knowledge of Garcinia species is diversified and influenced by ethnic groups. They are used as edible fruit, medicine, wood, ornamental plants, and extracting oil; (2) different ethnic groups share similar ideas regarding sustainable harvest and meeting their needs through resource management; and (3) with the rapid socio-economic changes in these areas, the traditional knowledge of the local people is being threatened.

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd Cubic-shaped polyurethane sponges (15 × 15 × 15 mm) in the form of biofilm carriers were used in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for treating synthetic domestic wastewater. Results indicated there was no significant difference in total organic carbon (TOC) and ammonia (NH4+-N) removal at different filling fractions. Three reactors exhibited high removal efficiencies of over 93% TOC and 95% NH4+-N on average at an HRT of 12 h and aeration flow of 0.09 m3/h. However, total nitrogen (TN) removal and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) increased with increasing the filling fraction. TN removal averaged at 77.2, 85.5% and 86.7% in 10%, 20% and 30% filling fraction reactor, respectively. Correspondingly, SND were 85.5 ± 8.7%, 91.3 ± 9.4% and 93.3 ± 10.2%. Moreover, it was observed that sponge carriers in the 20% filling fraction reactor achieved the maximum biomass amount per gram sponge, followed by the 10% and 30% filling fraction reactors.

The world’s increasing population means that more food production is required. A more sustainable supply of fertilizers mainly consisting of phosphate is needed. Due to the rising consumption of scarce resources and limited natural supply of phosphate, the recovery of phosphate and their re-use has potentially high market value. Sewage has high potential to recover a large amount of phosphate in a circular economy approach. This paper focuses on utilization of biological process integrated with various subsequent processes to concentrate and recycle phosphate which are derived from liquid and sludge phases. The phosphate accumulation and recovery are discussed in terms of mechanism and governing parameters, recovery efficiency, application at plant-scale and economy.

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. In this study, new sponge modified plastic carriers for moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was developed. The performance and membrane fouling behavior of a hybrid MBBR-membrane bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) system were also evaluated. Comparing to the MBBR with plastic carriers (MBBR), the MBBR with sponge modified biocarriers (S-MBBR) showed better effluent quality and enhanced nutrient removal at HRTs of 12 h and 6 h. Regarding fouling issue of the hybrid systems, soluble microbial products (SMP) of the MBR unit greatly influenced membrane fouling. The sponge modified biocarriers could lower the levels of SMP in mixed liquor and extracellular polymeric substances in activated sludge, thereby mitigating cake layer and pore blocking resistances of the membrane. The reduced SMP and biopolymer clusters in membrane cake layer were also observed. The results demonstrated that the sponge modified biocarriers were capable of improving overall MBBR performance and substantially alleviated membrane fouling of the subsequent MBR unit.

Reaction energy, mechanical behavior, and impact initiation of three kinds of tungsten (W)–polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)–aluminum (Al) composites are investigated. The reaction energy results show that, the reaction energy of W–PTFE–Al composites in both oxygen and argon decreases with the mass ratio of W increased from 50% to 80%. Quasi-static compression results show that, the increased mass ratio of W has no obvious influence on the strength of W–PTFE–Al composites. However, the critical failure strain presents obviously decreasing tendency with the increased mass ratio of W. Dynamic compression results show that, the strength enhances with the increased W in W–PTFE–Al. The critical failure strain shows no obvious difference when the W content of W–PTFE–Al increases. Under impact condition, the deflagration time of all the three kinds of W–PTFE–Al composites lasts for about 500 μs. The insensitivity to impact loading shows an increasing tendency with the increased W mass ratio. During impact compressive deformation, the PTFE matrix is elongated in nano-fibers, thus significantly increases the reaction activity of W–PTFE–Al composites. The nano-fiber structure is necessary for the reaction of W–PTFE–Al composites. The formation of PTFE nano-fibers must undergo severe plastic deformation, which is responsible for the excellent insensitivity of W–PTFE–Al composites. Keywords: W–PTFE–Al composites, Reaction energy, Mechanical characterization, Insensitivity, Fracture

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. A breakthrough biosorbent namely multi-metal binding biosorbent (MMBB) made from a combination of tea wastes, maple leaves and mandarin peels, was prepared to evaluate their biosorptive potential for removal of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) from multi-metal aqueous solutions. FTIR and SEM were conducted, before and after biosorption, to explore the intensity and position of the available functional groups and changes in adsorbent surface morphology. Carboxylic, hydroxyl and amine groups were found to be the principal functional groups for the sorption of metals. MMBB exhibited best performance at pH. 5.5 with maximum sorption capacities of 31.73, 41.06, 76.25 and 26.63. mg/g for Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II), respectively. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order models represented the kinetic experimental data in different initial metal concentrations very well. Among two-parameter adsorption isotherm models, the Langmuir equation gave a better fit of the equilibrium data. For Cu(II) and Zn(II), the Khan isotherm describes better biosorption conditions while for Cd(II) and Pb(II), the Sips model was found to provide the best correlation of the biosorption equilibrium data. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated feasible, spontaneous and exothermic biosorption process. Overall, this novel MMBB can effectively be utilized as an adsorbent to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions.

This work was aimed at elucidating the synergy of the two inhibitors, TT-LYK and potassium oleate (PO), on cobalt (Co) in alkaline medium. Potentiodynamic tests, surface topography measurements, contact angle measurements and the single frequency EIS results revealed that the combination of TT-LYK and PO provided better Co protection. The adsorption of TT-LYK as well as PO on the Co surface fitted Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that once TT-LYK and PO are mixed together, the inhibitor molecules adsorbed on the Co surface are thicker and stronger. Density-functional-theory (DFT) calculations were employed to clarify the adsorption and bonding mechanism between the oleate and Co surface from an atomic level. Finally, the polishing experiment proved that the slurry consisting of 5 wt% silica abrasives, 0.6 wt% H2O2, 1.2 wt% potassium tartrate, 300 ppm TT-LYK and 1.5 mM PO yielded a removal rate of Co film of ~331.1 A/min at pH 9, which met the requirements of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of the Co barrier liner.

Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) was used as a complexing agent for Co barrier chemical–mechanical polishing (CMP), and 2,2'-{[(methyl-1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)methyl]imino}bisethanol (TT-LYK) as a corrosion inhibitor. The mechanism of both the complexing agent and inhibitor—individually and combined—on the Co surface was comprehensively studied. Static etch rate (SER) experiments showed that NTA is an effective complexing agent for Co. After adding NTA, Co SER increases from ∼0 to ∼15 A/min, and a complexing mechanism is proposed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the surface state and species composition. The active site of TT-LYK was analyzed by density functional theory and the adsorption mechanism of TT-LYK on the Co (0001) plane. The calculations showed that TT-LYK molecules were vertically adsorbed through atoms N9 and N10 as well as O17–H··Co hydrogen bonds, and parallel adsorbed through benzene and triazole rings. CMP, atomic force microscopy (AFM), potentiodynamics, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to study the mechanism of NTA and TT-LYK under polishing conditions. TT-LYK inhibits chemical corrosion of the concave surface, and NTA promotes removal of the oxide film on the convex surface. In combination, NTA and TT-LYK impart a high-quality Co surface.

The recovery of fertilizer-used nutrients from wastewater is a sustainable approach for wastewater management and helping social sustainability. This is especially the case given the strict discharge requirements and shortages existing in nutrients supply. Recognizing that wastewater is a very useful resource and the value of recycled nutrients has made researchers consider the recovery of nutrients from wastewater. This review described the current technologies used to recover nutrients in wastewater treatment and their mechanisms, including chemical methods, biological technologies, membrane systems and advanced membrane systems. Also, an economic analysis of these nutrient recovery systems was discussed and compared them in terms of positive and negative aspects. The economic feasibility of recovered nutrients was investigated. Finally, future perspectives expects some possible research directions regarding recovery system which can be more economically accessible for wastewater treatment, in which the osmotic membrane bioreactors (OMBR) and bioelectrochemical systems (BES)-based hybrid systems are highly recommended.

Removal of tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) by biochar adsorption is emerging as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly strategy. This study developed a novel pomelo peel derived biochar, which was prepared at 400 °C (BC-400) and 600 °C (BC-600) under nitrogen conditions. To enhance the adsorption capacity, BC-400 was further activated by KOH at 600 °C with a KOH: BC-400 ratio of 4:1. The activated biochar (BC-KOH) displayed a much larger surface area (2457.37 m2/g) and total pore volume (1.14 cm3/g) than BC-400 and BC-600. High adsorption capacity of BC-KOH was achieved for removing tetracycline (476.19 mg/g), oxytetracycline (407.5 mg/g) and chlortetracycline (555.56 mg/g) simultaneously at 313.15 K, which was comparable with other biochars derived from agricultural wastes reported previously. The adsorption data could be fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model successfully. The initial solution pH indicated the potential influence of TCs adsorption capacity on BC-KOH. These results suggest that pore filling, electrostatic interaction and π–π interactions between the adsorbent and adsorb ate may constitute the main adsorption mechanism. BC-KOH can be used as a potential adsorbent for removing TCs from swine wastewater effectively, cheaply and in an environmentally friendly way.

The chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of Cu/Co/TaN barrier liner stack of the sub-14nm devices was associated with several challenges, one of which was to screen out the desired slurries formulation. In this paper, the preliminary screening of cobalt (Co) slurries, combined with the orthogonal test method, was reported systematically for the first time. Based on this, the effects of SiO2, H2O2, potassium tartrate, and TT-LYK on the Co removal rates (RRs) were investigated. The corrosion and polishing behavior of the Co in the slurries containing the above additives were investigated by in-situ OCP measurements, potentiodynamic measurements, and polishing experiments. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were performed to characterize the complexation mechanism between Co and potassium tartrate. It was found that the slurries containing 5 wt% SiO2, 1 wt% H2O2, and 1.2 wt% PT with 900 ppm TT-LYK at pH 9 was a better candidate for Co barrier planarization and effective in minimizing the galvanic corrosion of Co and Cu under Polishing conditions. Finally, Cu/Co/TaN wafers polished with the candidate slurries showed a good RR selectivity. And the atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements showed excellent post-polish surfaces.

The photobioreactor is an efficient artificial system in terms of biomass cultivation and removing pollutants. Compared to other conventional technologies, its design and operational processes are superior. Therefore, the photobioreactor specifically targets and tailors for the increasing demand for biomass and stringent pollutants removal standards. Since the early 1950s, there has been a variety of photobioreactor types, and these have been addressing the different technical issues over time and others more recently. As well, diverse applications of the photobioreactor process are becoming more widespread, and this opens for a good opportunity for future sustainable developments. This book chapter discusses advances being made in photobioreactor technology, encompassing: (1) modelling; (2) designs and classifications; (3) applications and (4) future perspectives.

This paper investigated a strategy to minimize membrane fouling and increase treatment efficiency through an investigation of a specific approach by adding sponges into a conventional submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (CAnSMBR). During the operation, the protein-based soluble microbial products as the main factor affecting the membrane fouling could be reduced by sponge addition in the CAnSMBR (SAnSMBR). Furthermore, reducing HRT from 18 h to 12 h could shorten the membrane fouling cycle to 62% and 87% in CAnSMBR and SAnSMBR, respectively. At the initial of COD/NO3 ratio ranges from 5 to 4, only 88% of nitrogen in CAnSMBR was removed, while the SAnSMBR could remove more than 90%. TOC removal efficiency could reach more than 95% under a good stirring scenario. It is evident that the SAnSMBR is a promising solution for improving overall CAnSMBR performance and substantially mitigating membrane fouling.

Antibiotics and hormones in swine wastewater have become a critical concern worldwide due to the severe threats to human health and the eco-environment. Removal of most detectable antibiotics and hormones, such as sulfonamides (SAs), SMs, tetracyclines (TCs), macrolides, and estrogenic hormones from swine wastewater utilizing various biological processes were summarized and compared. In biological processes, biosorption and biodegradation are the two major removal mechanisms for antibiotics and hormones. The residuals in treated effluents and sludge of conventional activated sludge and anaerobic digestion processes can still pose risks to the surrounding environment, and the anaerobic processes' removal efficiencies were inferior to those of aerobic processes. In contrast, membrane bioreactors (MBRs), constructed wetlands (CWs) and modified processes performed better because of their higher biodegradation of toxicants. Process modification on activated sludge, anaerobic digestion and conventional MBRs could also enhance the performance (e.g. removing up to 98% SMs, 88.9% TCs, and 99.6% hormones from wastewater). The hybrid process combining MBRs with biological or physical technology also led to better removal efficiency. As such, modified conventional biological processes, advanced biological technologies and MBR hybrid systems are considered as a promising technology for removing toxicants from swine wastewater.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of C/N ratio on the performance of a hybrid sponge-assisted aerobic moving bed-anaerobic granular membrane bioreactor (SAAMB-AnGMBR) in municipal wastewater treatment. The results showed that organic removal efficiencies were above 94% at all C/N conditions. Nutrient removal was over 91% at C/N ratio of 100/5 but was negatively affected when decreasing C/N ratio to 100/10. At lower C/N ratio (100/10), more noticeable membrane fouling was caused by aggravated cake formation and pore clogging, and accumulation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the mixed liquor and sludge cake as a result of deteriorated granular quality. Foulant analysis suggested significant difference existed in the foulant organic compositions under different C/N ratios, and humic substances were dominant when the fastest fouling rate was observed. The performance of the hybrid system was found to recover when gradually increasing C/N ratio from 100/10 to 100/5.

Biochar derived from waste has been increasingly considered as a potential green adsorbent due to its significant ability and affordable production costs. This study prepared and evaluated 7 types of food waste-based biochars (FWBBs) (including meat and bone, starchy staples, leafy stemmed vegetables, nut husks, fruit pericarp, bean dreg and tea leaves). The impacts of raw materials, pyrolysis temperatures (300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 °C), and residence time (2 h and 4 h) on the removal of ammonia nitrogen at different ammonia nitrogen concentrations (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 150 mg/L) were investigated. The batch equilibrium and kinetic experiments confirmed that a FWBB dosage of 3 g/L at 25 °C could remove up to 92.67% ammonia nitrogen. The Langmuir isotherm model had the best fit to equilibrium experimental data with a maximum adsorption capacity of 7.174 mg/g at 25 °C. The pseudo-second order kinetic model well describes the ammonia nitrogen adsorption.

Projection artifacts in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) blur the retinal vascular plexuses together and limit visualization of the individual plexuses.To describe projection-resolved (PR) OCTA in eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and healthy eyes.In this case-control study, patients with DR and healthy controls were enrolled in this observational study from January 26, 2015, to December 4, 2015, at a tertiary academic center. Spectral-domain, 70-kHz OCT obtained 3 × 3-mm macular scans. The PR algorithm suppressed projection artifacts. A semiautomated segmentation algorithm divided PR-OCTA into superficial, intermediate, and deep retinal plexuses. Two masked graders examined 3-layer PR-OCTA and combined angiograms for nonperfusion and abnormal capillaries.Retinal nonperfusion and capillary abnormalities and the diagnostic accuracy of detecting DR.Twenty-nine eyes of 15 healthy individuals (mean [SD] age, 36.2 [13.4] years; 11 women) and 47 eyes of 29 patients with DR (mean [SD] age, 55.5 [11.9]; 10 women) underwent imaging. PR-OCTA revealed 3 distinct retinal plexuses in their known anatomical locations in all eyes. The intermediate and deep plexuses of healthy eyes revealed capillary networks of uniform density and caliber, whereas the superficial plexus revealed vessels in the familiar centripetal branching pattern. In eyes with DR, 3-layer PR-OCTA disclosed incongruent areas of nonperfusion and varied vessel caliber and density in the deeper plexuses. Masked grading of capillary nonperfusion on 3-layer PR-OCTA detected DR with 100% sensitivity (95% CI, 90.8%-100%) and 100% specificity (95% CI, 85.4%-100%). With unsegmented retinal angiograms, the sensitivity and specificity were 78.7% (95% CI, 63.9%-88.8%) and 100% (95% CI, 85.4%-100%), respectively (P = .002 for sensitivity). On 3-layer PR-OCTA, sensitivity was 72.2% (95% CI, 54.6%-85.2%) for severe nonproliferative DR and proliferative DR eyes with generalized nonperfusion in 2 or more individual plexuses, but on combined angiogram, sensitivity was 25.0% (95% CI, 12.7%-42.5%) for generalized nonperfusion (P .001). PR-OCTA disclosed dilated vessels in the intermediate and deep plexuses in 23 eyes (100%) with proliferative DR, 13 eyes (100%) with severe nonproliferative DR, 8 eyes (73%) with mild to moderate nonproliferative DR, and 0 control eyes.By presenting 3 retinal vascular plexuses distinctly, PR-OCTA reveals capillary abnormalities in deeper layers with clarity and may distinguish DR from healthy eyes and severe DR from mild DR with greater accuracy compared with conventional OCTA.

Phosphate plays an irreplaceable role in the production of fertilizers. However, its finite availability may not be enough to satisfy increasing demands for the fertilizer production worldwide. In this scenario, phosphate recovery can effectively alleviate this problem. Municipal wastewater has received high priority to recover phosphate because its quantity is considerable. Therefore, phosphate recovery from municipal wastewater can bring many benefits such as relieving the burden of increasing production of fertilizers and reduction in occurrence of eutrophication caused by the excessive concentration of phosphate in the released effluent. The chemical processes are the most widely applied in phosphate recovery in municipal wastewater treatment because they are highly stable and efficient, and simple to operate. This paper compares chemical technologies for phosphate recovery from municipal wastewater. As phosphate in the influent is transferred to the liquid and sludge phases, a technical overview of chemical phosphate recovery in both phases is presented with reference to mechanism, efficiency and the main governing parameters. Moreover, an analysis on their applications at plant-scale is also presented. The properties of recovered phosphate and its impact on crops and plants are also assessed with a discussion on the economic feasibility of the technologies.