ACS ES&T engineeringPub Date : 2025-02-04DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c0065710.1021/acsestengg.4c00657
Shunan Zhao, Yunong Dai, Ruikang Wang, Qianli Guo, Ge Song, Liuying Song, Jiyong Bian, Kai Zhao*, Ruiping Liu and Yu-You Li,
{"title":"Broad Influence of Quorum Sensing in Environmental Biotechnology: From Mechanisms to Applications","authors":"Shunan Zhao, Yunong Dai, Ruikang Wang, Qianli Guo, Ge Song, Liuying Song, Jiyong Bian, Kai Zhao*, Ruiping Liu and Yu-You Li, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0065710.1021/acsestengg.4c00657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00657https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00657","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Quorum sensing (QS), a pivotal cell-to-cell communication mechanism in microbial communities, plays a significant role in regulating microbial behaviors such as biofilm formation and sludge granulation, which are critical for the efficiency of wastewater treatment systems. This review provides thorough insight into the QS pathway modulation, focusing on the utilization of signaling molecules, particularly N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), to augment microbial aggregation and extracellular polymeric substance synthesis within wastewater biotreatment system. The strategic addition of exogenous AHLs has been demonstrated to significantly accelerate the granulation process in aerobic and anaerobic sludge, leading to the development of more stable and compact granules with enhanced settling velocity and nutrient removal efficiency. Furthermore, the QS pathway significantly impacts microbial community structure and function, with diverse signaling molecules forming a complex regulatory network that can be leveraged to improve the performance of biotechnological processes. In addition to enhancing the advantageous attributes of biofilms, researchers have also immersed themselves in the exploration of quorum quenching (QQ) strategies. These strategies are adeptly applied to disrupt QS pathways, thereby effectively managing membrane fouling within membrane bioreactors (MBRs). By employing QQ enzymes, synthetic analogs, and QQ bacterial strains, researchers present effective approaches to mitigate biofilm-related issues without adversely affecting the microbial treatment processes. The innovative use of immobilized QQ enzymes and the integration of QQ strains into the MBRs have shown promising results in reducing fouling and maintaining operational stability. This review highlights the dual potential of QS manipulation for both enhancing desirable microbial process and controlling detrimental ones. By providing a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms and practical applications for QS/QQ pathway, scholars would be expected to develop more efficient and sustainable environmental biotechnology solutions for wastewater treatment and beyond.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"284–302 284–302"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS ES&T engineeringPub Date : 2025-02-02DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c0070010.1021/acsestengg.4c00700
Jedy Prameswari, and , Yu-Chuan Lin*,
{"title":"Innovative Catalysis Approaches for Methane Utilization","authors":"Jedy Prameswari, and , Yu-Chuan Lin*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0070010.1021/acsestengg.4c00700","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00700https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00700","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), has exhibited a persistent escalation in emissions from the energy sector. The imperative to mitigate these emissions has become paramount, and one promising avenue is the catalytic conversion of methane into diverse chemicals. This review focuses on the exploration of methane conversion into valuable compounds, including syngas, olefins, and methanol. As advancements in catalysis technology and studies have unfolded, numerous additional insights into the catalytic conversion of methane into novel and significant compounds have surfaced. This review provides an in-depth analysis, focusing predominantly on the latest advancements and cutting-edge innovations in catalytic methane conversion methodologies encompassing methane to acetonitrile and hydrogen cyanide conversion, selective methane conversion to formaldehyde, pyrolysis of methane into solid carbon and hydrogen, and the application of plasma-aided technology. Additionally, it endeavors to elucidate critical parameters and advantages and addresses the intricate array of limitations and future prospects such as theoretical calculations and artificial intelligence (AI)-aided catalyst design.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"325–343 325–343"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00700","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cooking Oil Fumes: A Comprehensive Review of Emission Characteristics and Catalytic Oxidation Strategies","authors":"Ying Feng, Yunpeng Jiang, Mengwei Hua, Zhiquan Hou, Yuxi Liu, Jiguang Deng* and Hongxing Dai*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0067110.1021/acsestengg.4c00671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00671https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00671","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Cooking oil fumes contain complex particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pose a significant threat to the atmospheric environment and human health. This review offers a detailed analysis of the chemical compositions and emission characteristics of VOCs from cooking oil fumes and their corresponding treatment methods, with the highlight being put on the current state of catalytic VOC oxidation, which covers the oxidation of various VOCs, including alkanes, aromatics, oxygenated VOCs, and mixed VOCs. The review also explores the types and formation mechanisms of the byproducts of VOC oxidation. Moreover, it offers an in-depth examination of catalytic oxidation performance, mechanisms, and future development directions of various catalysts, including noble-metal-based, transition metal oxide, and rare-earth-doped catalysts. The conclusions drawn from this review can provide useful insights into efficient elimination of VOCs from cooking and related industries.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"303–324 303–324"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advances in Purification of Organic Exhaust via Microbial Electrochemical Systems: Mechanistic Understanding, Performance, and Future Prospects","authors":"Shen Zhang, Jianan Feng, Xinwu Liu, Changsen Zhang, Shunyi Li, Ruiqin Zhang and Panpan Liu*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0058610.1021/acsestengg.4c00586","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00586https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00586","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Industrial exhausts containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) threaten the atmosphere and human health. Purification of organic exhausts by energy-efficient approaches would be necessary for sustainable industrial production. Recently, microbial electrochemical systems (MES) have emerged as an innovative biotechnological solution for removing VOCs in exhaust by combining microbial metabolism and electrochemical processes. MES and its integration with other technologies, i.e., photocatalysis, biotrickling filter, and electrocatalysis have achieved superior performance for VOCs removal. While nonnegligible gaps still exist in this field relating to industrial application. To get full insight into the development of MES for exhaust purification, this review summarizes working principles on VOCs degradation in various MES and the systematic evaluation of their performances. In addition, a critical review of strategies for improving the performance of MES is introduced. Challenges and future directions are identified for VOCs removal by MES in practical application. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the development of MES for VOCs and facilitates the development of more efficient and sustainable pollution control strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"271–283 271–283"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS ES&T engineeringPub Date : 2025-01-14DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c0044810.1021/acsestengg.4c00448
Xinyue Zhao, Yibo Shi, Lan Yang and Shih-Hsin Ho*,
{"title":"Microbial Iron Utilization Pathways in Constructed Wetlands: Analysis of Substrates Affecting Iron Transformation, Absorption, and Utilization","authors":"Xinyue Zhao, Yibo Shi, Lan Yang and Shih-Hsin Ho*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0044810.1021/acsestengg.4c00448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00448https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00448","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Iron materials are known to enhance the nitrogen removal efficiency in constructed wetlands (CWs) by coupling iron transformation with nitrogen removal. However, current research lacks detailed explanations of the microbial processes involved in utilizing iron substrates, such as iron transformation, cellular iron uptake, and metabolism, leaving a gap in the understanding of these connections. This study addresses this gap by constructing four microcosm CW systems using Fe–C, various ratios of pyrite, and zerovalent iron (ZVI) as substrates. Experimental results indicated that the iron transformation was the most thermodynamically favorable with pyrite. Microbial communities on pyrite: gravel in a 2:1 volume ratio (2P1G) exhibited a greater propensity for Feammox, with a 0.76% increase in the functional microbial network of Feammox and a 31.20% increase in the abundance of the <i>nirA</i> gene associated with Feammox process compared to the Fe–C group. Conversely, the iron transformation in the Fe–C group was thermodynamically less favorable. To maintain intracellular iron homeostasis, microorganisms in the Fe–C group increased the siderophore activity. The gene abundances related to the release and absorption of siderophore were 22.12% and 17.26% increased, respectively, compared to 2P1G. This research employs the siderophore indicators to elucidate the link between iron transport and nitrogen metabolism, providing insights for improving nitrogen removal in CWs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"366–376 366–376"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS ES&T engineeringPub Date : 2025-01-14DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c0052410.1021/acsestengg.4c00524
Chengpeng Lee, Hau Truong, Khoa Nam Ngo, Ahmed AlSayed, Emily Karen Kin, Stephanie Fuentes, Xiaojue Chen, Haydée De Clippeleir* and George Wells*,
{"title":"Integrating Biological Phosphorus Removal with High-Rate Activated Sludge for Enhanced Settleability and Nutrient Management at Short Solids Retention Times","authors":"Chengpeng Lee, Hau Truong, Khoa Nam Ngo, Ahmed AlSayed, Emily Karen Kin, Stephanie Fuentes, Xiaojue Chen, Haydée De Clippeleir* and George Wells*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0052410.1021/acsestengg.4c00524","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00524https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00524","url":null,"abstract":"<p >High-rate activated sludge (HRAS) processes operate at reduced hydraulic retention time and solids retention time (SRT) to minimize mineralization and enhance sludge digestibility. Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) employs phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) to uptake soluble phosphorus from wastewater, preventing nutrient pollution. However, the slow growth rates of PAOs relative to the aggressive SRTs (<2 days) commonly used in HRAS present a potential conflict. This study aims to determine the feasible minimum aerobic SRT that maintains biological phosphorus (bio-P) removal, quantify phosphorus removal through biomass assimilation and bio-P pathways, and assess the impact of bio-P selection on HRAS sludge settleability. Two parallel bioreactors were operated for 246 days with real wastewater supplemented with acetate and phosphate to ensure a consistent feed source; one system was operated as an HRAS without EBPR and the other as an integrated HRAS and EBPR. Significantly, integrating EBPR with HRAS improved sludge settleability, leading to an enhancement in carbon capture. In continuous operation, bio-P performance deteriorated at aerobic SRT below 1.9 days and was strongly influenced by the influent’s volatile fatty acid to phosphorus ratio. Interestingly, Bio-P activity tests demonstrate the feasibility of integrating EBPR with HRAS at aerobic SRT as low as 1.1 days. These results highlight the cobenefits of EBPR integration, including enhanced phosphorus removal, carbon redirection, and settleability, underscoring the high potential for resource recovery from wastewater streams.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"377–388 377–388"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS ES&T engineeringPub Date : 2025-01-13DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c0056210.1021/acsestengg.4c00562
Giuseppina Oliva, Antonio Buonerba, Aniello Mariniello, Antonis Zorpas, Chi-Wang Li, Vincenzo Belgiorno, Vincenzo Naddeo* and Tiziano Zarra,
{"title":"Revolutionizing Microalgae Harvesting and Cultivation with Living Membranes: A Leap Forward in Optimized Biomass Recovery and Lipid Production","authors":"Giuseppina Oliva, Antonio Buonerba, Aniello Mariniello, Antonis Zorpas, Chi-Wang Li, Vincenzo Belgiorno, Vincenzo Naddeo* and Tiziano Zarra, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0056210.1021/acsestengg.4c00562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00562https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00562","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A newly designed living membrane filtering module (LMFM) has been applied to promote synergistic cultivation phases and harvesting of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> microalgae. The LMFM is based on a living biomembrane intercalated between two woven fabrics made of polyester Dacron that allows an unprecedented simple microalgae recovery from the aqueous cultivation media. A systematic comparison of two systems operated in parallel for biological carbon capture and utilization (bCCU) was executed. The performances of the photobioreactor with a submerged LMFM (membrane photobioreactor, MPBR) were compared to those of a conventional photobioreactor for microalgae cultivation (PBR). PBR and MPBR obtained 92 and 94% carbon dioxide removal yields, respectively. The presence of the membrane did not significantly affect the performance in terms of carbon dioxide removal, which resulted in elimination capacity per stage up to 24.3 ± 4.4 g m<sup>–3</sup> h<sup>–1</sup> in the MPBR. The LMFM indeed afforded a remarkable enhancement in microalgal biomass production and composition in lipids, with lipid concentration up to 36% on dry weight. The produced biomass in the MPBR was almost 80% higher than that obtained in the conventional PBR, and the LMFM allowed an increase of 77% in total lipids. Lipid accumulation was mainly attributed to the increased photon availability in the MPBR. Integrating LMFM in the MPBR enhanced biomass recovery and lipid accumulation, increasing the potentiality of algal-based carbon biofixation as an effective biorefinery technology.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"475–486 475–486"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS ES&T engineeringPub Date : 2025-01-02DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c0059510.1021/acsestengg.4c00595
Guangyu Cui, Xiaoyi Wu, Xuyang Lei, Ning Wang, Fan Lü, Pinjing He and Qiyong Xu*,
{"title":"Insights into the Degradability of Poly(lactic acid) and Its Association with the Bacterial Community in a Simulated Industrial Food Waste Composting System","authors":"Guangyu Cui, Xiaoyi Wu, Xuyang Lei, Ning Wang, Fan Lü, Pinjing He and Qiyong Xu*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0059510.1021/acsestengg.4c00595","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00595https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00595","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The environmental risk associated with bioplastics has garnered increasing attention. However, their fates and the driving mechanisms in industrial composting engineering, which is a primary method for treating food waste, remain unclear. This study delved into the degradation behaviors of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and its correlation with the PLA-associated bacterial communities in simulated food waste composting systems with and without the addition of a microbial agent (MA). The results derived from the water contact angle and molecular weight (<i>M</i><sub>n</sub>) analyses indicate that composting exhibited a limited degradation capacity for the polymer. The addition of the microbial agent (MA) demonstrated a promoting effect, leading to final <i>M</i><sub>n</sub> values of 8970 g·mol<sup>–1</sup> for the treatment group and 19,324 g·mol<sup>–1</sup> for the control group, compared to an initial <i>M</i><sub>n</sub> of 50,136 g·mol<sup>–1</sup> for the polymer. The influence of composting on PLA-associated bacterial communities manifested in the later stages of composting, showing a lower diversity (Shannon index of 4.11) compared to the compost (4.50). The supplementation of MA facilitated the development of biofilms within the plastisphere, resulting in an increased level of presence of functional bacteria crucial for PLA degradation. This study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of PLA degradation under typical food waste composting conditions, providing crucial insights into the effective handling and risk evaluation of bioplastics in composting environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"531–540 531–540"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS ES&T engineeringPub Date : 2024-12-11DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.4c0038610.1021/acsestengg.4c00386
Dan Li, George Wells, Wei Liu, Marvin Yeung, Lishan Niu and Jinying Xi*,
{"title":"Effect of NO Concentration on the Biological Conversion From NO to N2O under Thermophilic Conditions","authors":"Dan Li, George Wells, Wei Liu, Marvin Yeung, Lishan Niu and Jinying Xi*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0038610.1021/acsestengg.4c00386","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00386https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00386","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Recently, some research has explored the production of nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) through biological denitrification of NO derived from flue gas under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. However, the effects of the NO concentration on N<sub>2</sub>O production and its optimal range for thermophilic conditions remain unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of the NO concentration on the biological conversion of NO to N<sub>2</sub>O at 45 °C using flask tests. The highest conversion efficiency from NO to N<sub>2</sub>O was 92%, with 1.3 × 10<sup>5</sup> mg/m<sup>3</sup> N<sub>2</sub>O detected in the headspace at an initial NO concentration of 20 mM in the solution. The ratio of NO reductase to N<sub>2</sub>O reductase (NOR/N<sub>2</sub>OR) peaked at a NO concentration of 20 mM. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis highlighted a positive correlation between <i>Escherichia-Shigella</i> and <i>Propionicicella</i> with N<sub>2</sub>O accumulation. Metagenome analysis results further indicate that <i>Escherichia</i> possesses <i>norVWR</i> genes but not <i>nos</i> genes, enabling conversion of NO to N<sub>2</sub>O rather than N<sub>2</sub>, which is distinct from the typical denitrifying genes <i>norBC</i>. This study demonstrated that the optimal NO concentration range is 10–20 mM under thermophilic conditions and identified a unique denitrifier with special functional genes that contribute to N<sub>2</sub>O accumulation. These findings could deepen our understanding of the mechanism of biological conversion from NO to N<sub>2</sub>O and help to develop a biological N<sub>2</sub>O production process for flue gas emission control and reclamation.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"344–357 344–357"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143404845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Biochar and Granular Activated Carbon Mitigate Polystyrene Nanoplastics Inhibition in Dark Biohydrogen Fermentation of Sludge","authors":"Monisha Alam, Simran Kaur Dhillon, Sherif Ismail and Bipro Ranjan Dhar*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.4c0056510.1021/acsestengg.4c00565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00565https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.4c00565","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Nano/microplastics (NPs/MPs) are commonly found in sewage sludge, which leads to their unavoidable introduction into anaerobic bioreactors used for the fermentation or digestion of sludge in bioenergy recovery processes. This results in oxidative stress on the microbiome, ultimately hindering energy recovery. This study investigates the efficacy of biochar (BC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) in enhancing the dark hydrogen fermentation of primary sludge while mitigating the inhibitory effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PsNPs). Comprehensive analyses included volatile fatty acid production, microbial community, toxicity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and sludge dewaterability. For the sludge without PsNPs, the highest enhancement (22.4% over the control) in biohydrogen production was obtained for 5 g/L BC. However, GAC performed better than BC by achieving the highest recovery (64.3%) of biohydrogen production by reducing ROS and toxicity from PsNPs. The abundance of Firmicutes in BC- and GAC-amended reactors was linked to higher biohydrogen yields. Also, BC and GAC significantly reduced the prolonged capillary suction times observed in the PsNPs-containing reactors, demonstrating their effectiveness in enhancing the sludge dewaterability. These findings demonstrate the potential of carbonaceous additives, such as BC and GAC, to deliver multiple benefits, including boosting biohydrogen production and mitigating the inhibitory effects of PsNPs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"5 2","pages":"487–499 487–499"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}