Characterization of preconcentrated domestic wastewater toward efficient bioenergy recovery: Applying size fractionation, chemical composition and biomethane potential assay.

Domestic wastewater (DWW) can be preconcentrated to facilitate energy recovery via anaerobic digestion (AD), following the concept of "carbon capture-anaerobic conversion-bioenergy utilization." Herein, real DWW and preconcentrated domestic wastewater (PDWW) were both subject to particle size fractionation (0.45-2000 μm). DWW is a type of low-strength wastewater (average COD of 440.26 mg/L), wherein 60% of the COD is attributed to the substances with particle size greater than 0.45 μm. Proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids are the major DWW components. PDWW with a high COD concentration of 2125.89 ± 273.71 mg/L was obtained by the dynamic membrane filtration (DMF) process. PDWW shows larger proportions of settleable and suspended fractions, and accounted for 63.4% and 33.8% of the particle size distribution, and 52.4% and 32.2% of the COD, respectively. The acceptable biomethane potential of 262.52 ± 11.86 mL CH4/g COD of PDWW indicates bioenergy recovery is feasible based on DWW preconcentration and AD

Frustration Effects in Antiferromagnetic FCC Heisenberg Films

We study the effects of frustration in an antiferromagnetic film of FCC lattice with Heisenberg spin model including an Ising-like anisotropy. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations have been used to study thermodynamic properties of the film. We show that the presence of the surface reduces the ground state (GS) degeneracy found in the bulk. The GS is shown to depend on the surface in-plane interaction $J_s$ with a critical value at which ordering of type I coexists with ordering of type II. Near this value a reentrant phase is found. Various physical quantities such as layer magnetizations and layer susceptibilities are shown and discussed. The nature of the phase transition is also studied by histogram technique. We have also used the Green's function (GF) method for the quantum counterpart model. The results at low-$T$ show interesting effects of quantum fluctuations. Results obtained by the GF method at high $T$ are compared to those of MC simulations. A good agreement is observed.Comment: 11 pages, 19 figures, submitted to J. Phys.: Condensed Matte

Nitrogen removal enhancement using lactic acid fermentation products from food waste as external carbon sources: Performance and microbial communities

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd In this study, nitrogen removal using the lactic acid fermentation products from food waste and other external chemical carbon sources (sodium acetate, sodium lactate and starch) was investigated. Similar to sodium acetate and lactate, the lactic acid-enriched fermentation liquid from food waste (FLFW) exhibited a high denitrification rate (5.5 mg NOx-N/(g-VSS h)) and potential (0.16 g NO3−-N/g COD), and could achieve high NH4+-N and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies during long-term operation. Using FLFW as supplementary carbon sources reduced the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content, improved the settleability and achieved a satisfactory biomass yield of activated sludge. Additionally, the increased microbial metabolic activity and bacterial community diversity and the accumulation of unique bacteria in the activated sludge cultured with FLFW further promoted the organics utilization rate and nitrogen removal efficiency, indicating that the FLFW prepared from solid waste was an ideal carbon source for wastewater treatment

The impact of gas slug flow on microfiltration performance in an airlift external loop tubular membrane reactor

© 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry. This work investigated the impact of gas slug flow on microfiltration in an airlift external loop tubular membrane reactor. A complete description for the characteristics of the slug flow was obtained as the aeration rate increased from 30 to 120 L h-1 with an interval of 30 L h-1. The shear stress of the falling film region could reach 6.37 × 10-3 Pa with the aeration rate of 90 L h-1. Experimental results showed that the growth of transmembrane pressure (TMP) could be controlled effectively by increasing the aeration rate and the optimal aeration rate in a slug flow was around 90 L h-1. However, a subsequent increase in the aeration rate had no significant effect on slowing down the TMP growth rate. Turning the constant air-flow into periodic pulsatile air-flow, low gas-velocity and high gas-velocity led to alternate operation in filtration. When the alternate interval of pulsatile air-flow was 60 s at the alternate aeration rates of 30/90 L h-1 and 60/90 L h-1, it could delay membrane fouling and save a lot of gas compared with implementing a constant air-flow of 90 L h-1. Finally, for different water outlet positions along the membrane tube, membrane fouling gradually slowed down from the bottom to the top

Electron probe microanalysis of ion exchange of selected elements between dentine and adhesive restorative materials

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: There have been numerous attempts to demonstrate the phenomenon of ion exchange between auto cure glass ionomer cements (GICs) and dentine. The purpose of this study was to employ an electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) technique to examine the interchange of elements between non-demineralized dentine and two types of restorative material, auto cure GICs and a resin composite. Methods: Restorations of auto cure GICs (Riva Fast, Fuji IX Fast, Ketac Molar Quick and Fuji VII) and a bonded composite resin were placed in each of 10 recently extracted human third molar teeth. After two weeks the restorations were sectioned and prepared for EPMA. Percentage weights of calcium, phosphorus aluminum, strontium and fluoride were calculated in the restorations 200μm from the restorative interface and 200μm into the dentine at 5μm intervals. Results: There was evidence of calcium and phosphorus in all five auto cure GICs to a depth of 50μm. Aluminum and strontium ions were also present in dentine except subjacent to Ketac Molar restorations. There was evidence of element transfer into composite resin and resin-bonded dentine. Conclusions: The findings of this paper support the concept of ion exchange as a bonding mechanism between auto cure GIC and dentine. Element penetration into tooth structure and GIC exceeded beyond the “ion exchange layer” observed in scanning electron microscopy studies. Penetration of calcium and phosphorus into composite resin from dentine likely occurred as a result of the self-etching process dissolving calcium and phosphorus and incorporating these elements into the hybrid layer. The presence of Al and Sr ions in dentine were likely to be associated with resin tags extending into the dentine.GM Knight, JM McIntyre, GG Craig and Mulyan

Enhanced low C/N nitrogen removal in an innovative microbial fuel cell (MFC) with electroconductivity aerated membrane (EAM) as biocathode

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. A novel microbial fuel cell (MFC) was developed to enhance simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) by employing electrons from the anode. The cathode chamber of the reactor consisted of a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) which was made of an electroconductivity aerated membrane. The maximum power density of 4.20 ± 0.12 W m−3was obtained at a current density of 4.10 ± 0.11 A m−2(external resistance = 10 Ω). Compared with an open-circuit system, the removal rates of NH4+-N and TN were improved by 9.48 ± 0.33% and 19.80 ± 0.84%, respectively, which could be ascribed to the electrochemical denitrification. The anode (chemical oxygen demand, COD) and cathode (NO3−) chambers reached the maximum coulombic efficiencies (CEs) of 40.67 ± 1.05% and 42.84 ± 1.14%, respectively. It suggested that the electroconductivity MABR has some advantages in controlling aeration intensity, thus improving SND and CEs. Overall, EAM-MFC could successfully generate electricity from wastewater whilst showing high capacity for removing nitrogen at a low COD/N ratio of 2.8 ± 0.07 g COD g−1N

Triggering up states in all-to-all coupled neurons

Slow-wave sleep in mammalians is characterized by a change of large-scale cortical activity currently paraphrased as cortical Up/Down states. A recent experiment demonstrated a bistable collective behaviour in ferret slices, with the remarkable property that the Up states can be switched on and off with pulses, or excitations, of same polarity; whereby the effect of the second pulse significantly depends on the time interval between the pulses. Here we present a simple time discrete model of a neural network that exhibits this type of behaviour, as well as quantitatively reproduces the time-dependence found in the experiments.Comment: epl Europhysics Letters, accepted (2010

Improving nutrient removal performance of surface flow constructed wetlands in winter using hardy submerged plant-benthic fauna systems

© 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been widely used as an ecological technology for removing nutrients from aquatic ecosystems. However, the treatment efficiency of surface flow constructed wetlands (SFCWs) in winter is generally low. To enhance the nutrient removal performance of SFCWs in winter, we developed a novel hardy submerged plant-benthic fauna system by adding Chironomus riparius (C. riparius) larvae and planting Potamogeton crispus L. in SFCWs. Compared to a system without C. riparius, the paired system greatly enhanced TN and TP removal with the average removal efficiencies of 54.73% and 94.76%, respectively. Furthermore, the paired system improved NO 3- -N removal efficiency by 29.51% and reached NH 4+ -N removal efficiency as high as 86.20% simultaneously. The mass balance analysis indicated that C. riparius larvae enhanced substrate absorption and plant uptake in the CWs. The results of microbial analysis agreed with the nutrient removal performance, showing that C. riparius larvae influence the abundance and community structure of microbes related to N removal. As a whole, this study provides a promising ecological strategy for performance intensification of SFCWs in winter

A critical review on ammonium recovery from wastewater for sustainable wastewater management

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The growing global population's demand for ammonium has triggered an increase in its supply, given that ammonium plays a crucial role in fertilizer production for the purpose of food security. Currently, ammonia used in fertilizer production is put through what is known as the industrial Haber Bosch process, but this approach is substantially expensive and requires much energy. For this reason, looking for effective methods to recover ammonium is important for environmental sustainability. One of the greatest opportunities for ammonium recovery occurs in wastewater treatment plants due to wastewater containing a large quantity of ammonium ions. The comprehensively and critically review studies on ammonium recovery conducted, have the potential to be applied in current wastewater treatment operations. Technologies and their ammonium recovery mechanisms are included in this review. Furthermore the economic feasibility of such processes is analysed. Possible future directions for ammonium recovery from wastewater are suggested