Removal of paracetamol by an activated sludge bioreactor

the increased presence in wastewaters, rivers and other aquifers is of environmental concern. The search for new technologies that can solve the problem is imperative. This work proposes the use of activated sludge for paracetamol (PARA) removal. Different PARA concentrations were tested (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, and 1 mg L-1) in a batch reactor with a working volume of 4 L. The uptake values increased with increasing initial PARA concentration, from 0.104 to 0.341 mg g-1, in agreement with the theoretically expected. The removal percentage ranged from 93.3 to 98.8 decreasing with the increase on the initial concentration. The removal mechanism is well described by the pseudo 1st order model and pseudo 2nd order model, for all concentrations tested.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Removal of ibuprofen by an aerobic activated sludge system

O aumento de compostos farmacêuticos no meio ambiente levou à procura de métodos eficientes e amigos do ambiente capazes de solucionar o problema. Neste trabalho é proposta a utilização de lamas ativadas para a remoção de ibuprofeno (IBU). Foram testadas diferentes concentrações de IBU (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8 e 1 mg L-1), em sistema fechado, num reactor de 4 L. Foram calculados valores de uptake e percentagem de remoção. Os valores de uptake cresceram com o aumento da concentração inicial de IBU (0.192 para 0.660 mg g-1), o que está de acordo com o teoricamente esperado. A remoção foi quase total (99.1-99.5 %) sendo independente da concentração inicial de IBU. O mecanismo de remoção é bem descrito pelo modelo de pseudo- 2ª ordem, para todas as concentrações testadas. O sistema utilizado mostrou ser eficiente na remoção de IBU e poderá ser utilizado na remoção de IBU em grande escala.The increasing presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment leads to the search of efficient and eco-friendly methods able to solve the problem. This work proposes the use of activated sludge for the removal of ibuprofen (IBU). Different concentrations of IBU were tested (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, and 1 mg L-1) in a batch reactor with a working volume of 4 L. The uptake values and removal percentage were calculated. The uptake values increased with increasing initial concentration of IBU (0.192 to 0.660 mg g-1 ), which is in agreement with the theoretically expected. The removal was almost total (99.1-99.5 %) and independent of the initial IBU concentration. The removal mechanism is well described by the pseudo 2nd order model, for all concentrations tested. The system is efficient in removing IBU and may be used in the removal of IBU in large scale.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) através do projecto de financiamento estratégico à unidade de investigação (UID/BIO/04469/2013), COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - SFRH/BPD/82558/2011; SFRH/BPD/101338/2014

Characterization of the effects of pharmaceuticals in activated sludge using quantitative image analysis

Microbiotec'17 - Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology 2017Background: The extensive use of personal care products and pharmaceuticals for human consumption and veterinary usage led to the detection of these products in wastewater effluents and aqueous systems as rivers, surface waters and others. The ecotoxicology of pharmaceuticals was well studied by Backhaus [1]. The effect of these compounds on microorganisms is also an important study that should be taken into account when biological processes are used to remove these compounds from aqueous systems. Quantitative image analysis (QIA) is considered a useful technique for biological processes monitoring when combined to microscopy. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of ibuprofen (IBU), paracetamol (PARA), and ethynylestradiol (EE2) on the biomass morphology using QIA.The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-010145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. The authors also acknowledge the financial support to Cristina Quintelas through the postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/101338/2014) provided by FCT – Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solutions by an Arthrobacter viscosus biofilm supported on zeolite : from laboratory to pilot scale

This study discusses the retention of Ni(II) by Arthrobacter viscosus supported on zeolite 13 X in batch mode and in continuous mode, at laboratory scale and at pilot scale. The maximum adsorption capacities of 28.37, 20.21 and 11.13 mg/g were recorded for lab scale batch, for continuous lab scale minicolumns and for pilot scale bioreactors, respectively. The Sips isotherm and pseudo second order kinetics described well the observations registered in batch assays. The Adams–Bohart, Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models were applied to data obtained with the pilot scale bioreactor and a good fit was reached for Adams–Bohart and for Yoon–Nelson models. A fed-batch was performed at lab scale and the applicability of the biofilm in continuous mode for the described purpose was confirmed. The sorption mechanism was investigated in detail through FTIR, SEM and EDX analyses.The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support of this project by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Ministerio da Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal and co- funding by FSE (programme QREN - POPH). Cristina Quintelas thanks FCT for a Post-Doc grant (SFRH/ BPD/ 32113/ 2006)

Application of near infrared spectroscopy as a process analytical technology

Book of Abstracts of CEB Annual Meeting 2017info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The role of extracellular polymeric substances in micropollutant removal

In biological wastewater treatment (WWT), microorganisms live and grow held together by a slime matrix comprised of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), forming a three-dimensional microbial structure of aggregates (flocs or granules) and by chemical binding forces. Furthermore, microscopic observations showed that microbial cells within the flocs were cross linked with EPS, forming a network of polymers with pores and channels. The EPS are typically composed of organic substances such as polysaccharides (PS), proteins (PNs), humic acid substances (HAS), nucleic acids, and lipids. It has been established that EPS play an essential role in aggregate flocculation, settling, and dewatering. Moreover, in the presence of toxic substances, such as pharmaceutical compounds and pesticides, EPS form a protective layer for the aggregated biomass against environmental disturbances that might play an important role in the transport and transformation of micropollutants. Some researchers indicated that there is an increase in EPS concentration under toxic conditions, which can induce an increase in the size of microbial aggregates. In this contribution, we critically review the available information on the impact of micropollutants on microbial EPS production and the relationship between EPS and microbial aggregate structure. Also, a general definition, composition, and factors that affect EPS production are presented.The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit. The authors also acknowledge the financial support to AM through the Grant Number 240–20170220 provided by Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco (IFPE). DM and CQ thank FCT for funding through program DL 57/2016— Norma transitória.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recovery of biotreatment supports as catalysts in ciclohexene oxidation

EUROPACAT IX - Catalysis for a Sustainable WorldA biosorption system for the removal of hexavalent chromium from contaminated effiuents that allows the reutilization of the recovered supports as catalysts is proposed. The system consists of Arthrobacter viscosus bacterium supported on NaY zeolite. After the treatment of the effiuents, the metal-zeolite can be used in oxidation reactions. This work reports the optimized biotreatement conditions that lead to Cr-loaded in Na Y zeolite, which was tested as catalysts in the liquid-phase oxidation of cyclohexene. A comparison is made with a Cr-NaY zeolite prepared by the usual ion-exchange method.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

NIR spectroscopy applied to the determination of 2Phenylethanol and LPhenylalanine concentrations in culture medium of Yarrowia lipolytica

BACKGROUND: This work aims at developing a method, based on near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, to quantify 2phenylethanol (2PE) and Lphenylalanine (LPhe) concentrations during its microbial production by Yarrowia lipolytica. For this purpose, 197 samples obtained from different batch cultures were analyzed using Fourier transform near infrared (FTNIR) transmission spectroscopy in the range of 200 cm1 to 14000 cm1. RESULTS: A principal components analysis (PCA) was performed for clusters identification and outliers removal. A partial least square (PLS) regression was next applied to develop the calibration models, by an iterative method. The predictive ability of the models was confirmed by an external validation procedure with an independent sample set. The obtained results could be considered as promising with coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.92 for LPhe and 0.95 for 2PE, and residual prediction deviation (RPD) above three, for the ensemble data. CONCLUSIONS: The described methodology, using NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics, can be seen as a promising fast tool to determine both studied flavor compounds during biotechnological processes as alternative to chromatographic methods.The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469 unit, COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. The authors also acknowledge financial support to Cristina Quintelas through a postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/101338/2014) provided by FCT – Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioremoval of diethylketone by the synergistic combination of microorganisms and clays : uptake, removal and kinetic studies

The performance of two bacteria, Arthrobacter viscosus and Streptococcus equisimilis, and the effect of the interaction of these bacteria with four different clays on the retention of diethylketone were investigated in batch experiments. The uptake, the removal percentages and the kinetics of the processes were determined. S. equisimilis,by itself, had the best performance in terms of removal percentage, for all the initial diethylketone concentrations tested: 200, 350 and 700 mg/L. The uptake values are similar for both bacteria. A possible mechanism to explain the removal of diethylketone includes its degradation by bacteria, followed by the adsorption of the intermediates/sub-products by the functional groups present on the cells surfaces. The assays performed with bacteria and clays indicated that the uptake values are similar despite of the clay used, for the same microorganism and mass of clay, but in general higher values are reached when S. equisimilis is used, compared to A. viscosus. Kinetic data were described by pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models.The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support of this project by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Ministerio da Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal and co-funding by FSE (programme QREN-POPH). Cristina Quintelas thanks FCT for a post-doc grant. The authors would like also to thank Minas de Barqueiros, S. A., Prof. Rui Boaventura (FEUP-Portugal) and Prof. Isabel Correia Neves (Dep Quimica, UM, Portugal) who gently offered the clays

New PLS analysis approach to wine volatile compounds characterization by near infrared spectroscopy (NIR)

This work aims to explore the potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to quantify volatile compounds in Vinho Verde wines, commonly determined by gas chromatography. For this purpose, 105 Vinho Verde wine samples were analyzed using Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) transmission spectroscopy in the range of 5435cm1 to 6357cm1. Boxplot and principal components analysis (PCA) were performed for clusters identification and outliers removal. A partial least square (PLS) regression was then applied to develop the calibration models, by a new iterative approach. The predictive ability of the models was confirmed by an external validation procedure with an independent sample set. The obtained results could be considered as quite good with coefficients of determination (R2) varying from 0.94 to 0.97. The current methodology, using NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics, can be seen as a promising rapid tool to determine volatile compounds in Vinho Verde wines.The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/ 04469/2013 unit, COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020–ProgramaOperacionalRegionaldoNorte.Theauthorsalso acknowledge the financial support to Zlatina Genisheva and Cristina Quintelas through the postdoctoral Grants (SFRH/BPD/108868/2015 and SFRH/BPD/101338/2014) provided by FCT – Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio