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Polyhydroxyalkanoate production in a biofilm by mixed culture phototrophic bacteria

Hülsen, Tim (author), Venturato, Daniel (author), Chan, Clement (author), Vandi, Luigi (author), Laycock, Bronwyn (author), Pratt, Steven (author), Stegman, Samuel (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Batstone, Damien J. (author)

Anoxygenic purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) were utilised in an 80 L biofilm flat plate photobioreactor to generate polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) over 44 cycles, with acetate as feed. Over the cycles, net PHA yield (growth + accumulation) averaged 21% while accumulation yield averaged 55%. Average PHA content was 35 wt% volatile solids (VS),...

journal article 2024

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Release of phosphorus through pretreatment of waste activated sludge differs essentially from that of carbon and nitrogen resources: Comparative analysis across four wastewater treatment facilities

Deng, Shaoyu (author), Liu, J. (author), Yang, Xiaofan (author), Sun, Dezhi (author), Wang, Aijie (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Cheng, Xiang (author)

The accumulation of phosphorus in activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) provides potential for phosphorus recovery from sewage. This study delves into the potential for releasing phosphorus from waste activated sludge through two distinct treatment methods—thermal hydrolysis and pH adjustment. The investigation was conducted...

journal article 2024

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The concept of circular water value and its role in the design and implementation of circular desalination projects. The case of coal mines in Poland

Xevgenos, Dimitris (author), Tourkodimitri, K. Panteleaki (author), Mortou, M. (author), Mitko, K. (author), Sapoutzi, D. (author), Stroutza, D.E. (author), Turek, M. (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author)

Circular economy has become a popular subject, attracting attention from academics, practitioners, and policy-makers alike. However, despite the excitement surrounding it, the concept of circular economy has been criticized for being vague and having multiple interpretations from different fields. As a result, there is a lack of evidence and...

journal article 2024

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Introducing a new method to assess the benefits of resources recovered from wastewater to the natural environment

Bhambhani, A. (author), Jovanovic, O. (author), van Nieuwenhuijzen, Arjen (author), van der Hoek, J.P. (author), Kapelan, Z. (author)

Resources recovery can improve the economic efficiency and reduce the negative environmental impacts of municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTP). The recovered resources can also actively benefit the natural environment enabling a reciprocal relationship between human society and nature. Focusing on these benefits can reveal new resources...

journal article 2024

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Human health risk assessment framework for new water resource recovery-based bio-composite materials

Nativio, A. (author), Jovanovic, O. (author), Kapelan, Z. (author), van der Hoek, J.P. (author)

A new type of bio-composite material is being produced from water-recovered resources such as cellulose fibres from wastewater, calcite from the drinking water softening process, and grass and reed from waterboard sites. These raw materials may be contaminated with pathogens and chemicals such as Escherichia coli, heavy metals, and resin...

journal article 2024

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Pioneering minimum liquid discharge desalination: A pilot study in Lampedusa Island

Morgante, C. (author), Vassallo, F. (author), Cassaro, C. (author), Virruso, G. (author), Diamantidou, D. (author), Van Linden, N. (author), Ktori, R. (author), Rodriguez Pascual, M. (author), Micale, G. (author), Xevgenos, Dimitris (author)

Minimum Liquid Discharge (MLD) and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) schemes have been widely proposed in the recent scientific literature not only as a possible solution to brine disposal but also as a non-conventional sustainable source of raw materials. Nevertheless, very few works have pushed the idea towards a real demonstration activity, and...

journal article 2024

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A Social life cycle assessment of Urban Wastewater Treatment Systems with Resources Recovery: A Case Study of the WATER MINING Project in Portugal

Mantero Morais Vieira Vasconcelos, Carmo (author)

Global water-related impacts are in constant aggravation due to climate change, increased water demand, intensive human activities, and deterioration of the quality of water bodies.<br/>Under this paradigm, humanity must adapt and implement measures to ensure both the quality of water bodies and the sustainable management of resources. <br/>As a...

master thesis 2023

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Syntrophy between fermentative and purple phototrophic bacteria to treat and valorize carbohydrate-rich wastewaters

Cerruti, M. (author), Crosset-Perrotin, G. (author), Ananth, Mythili (author), Rombouts, Julius Laurens (author), Weissbrodt, D.G. (author)

Fermentative chemoorganoheterotrophic bacteria (FCB) and purple photoorganoheterotrophic bacteria (PPB) are two interesting microbial guilds to process carbohydrate-rich wastewaters. Their metabolic interactions have been studied in pure cultures or co-cultures, but little is known about mixed cultures. We studied the effect of reactor...

journal article 2023

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Optimization and continuous-flow operation of electrochemically mediated selective formate separation by polyvinyl ferrocene/graphene oxide electrodes

Polat, S. (author), Kortlever, R. (author), Eral, H.B. (author)

Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction is a promising route to convert intermittent renewable energy into fuels and valuable chemical products. Separation of CO₂ reduction products by ion-selective electrochemical technology may play a decisive role in the pursuit of commercially viable CO₂ reduction...

journal article 2023

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Conceptual system for sustainable and next-generation wastewater resource recovery facilities

Owusu-Agyeman, Isaac (author), Plaza, Elzbieta (author), Elginöz, Nilay (author), Atasoy, M. (author), Khatami, Kasra (author), Perez-Zabaleta, Mariel (author), Cabrera-Rodríguez, Carlos (author), Yesil, Hatice (author), Tugtas, A. Evren (author)

Shifting the concept of municipal wastewater treatment to recover resources is one of the key factors contributing to a sustainable society. A novel concept based on research is proposed to recover four main bio-based products from municipal wastewater while reaching the necessary regulatory standards. The main resource recovery units of the...

journal article 2023

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Effects of thermal and enzymatic pre-treatments on the solubilisation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and subsequent anaerobic digestion of microalgae-bacterial biomass

Cabeza, Camila (author), van Lier, J.B. (author), van der Steen, Peter (author)

Microalgae-bacteria biomass was digested through anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce biogas. Since microalgae typically have a more resistant cell wall than activated sludge (AS), its anaerobic biodegradability is limited. Therefore, three different pre-treatment techniques were evaluated for their effect on anaerobic biodegradability,...

journal article 2023

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FeOOH and (Fe,Zn)OOH hybrid anion exchange adsorbents for phosphate recovery: A determination of Fe-phases and adsorption–desorption mechanisms

Belloni, C. (author), Korving, L. (author), Witkamp, G. J. (author), Brück, E.H. (author), de Jager, P. (author), Dugulan, A.I. (author)

Hybrid anion exchange adsorbents (HAIX) seem promising to prevent eutrophication and recover phosphate (P). HAIX consist of an anion exchange resin (AIX) backbone, promoting anion physisorption (outer-sphere complex), impregnated with iron (hydr)oxide nanoparticles (NPs), for selective P chemisorption (inner-sphere complex). In this work, for...

journal article 2023

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A new approach to circularity assessment for a sustainable water sector: Accounting for environmental functional flows and losses

Bhambhani, A. (author), Kapelan, Z. (author), van der Hoek, J.P. (author)

Resource recovery solutions can reduce the water sector's resource use intensity. With many such solutions being proposed, an assessment method for effective decision-making is needed. The water sector predominantly deals with biogeochemical resources (e.g., nitrogen) that are different from technical resources (e.g., industrial coagulants)...

journal article 2023

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Molecular-scale characterization of groundwater treatment sludge from around the world: Implications for potential arsenic recovery

Wang, K. (author), Holm, P. E. (author), Trettenes, U. Brinkmann (author), Bandaru, S. R.S. (author), van Halem, D. (author), van Genuchten, C. M. (author)

Iron (Fe)-based treatment methods are widely applied to remove carcinogenic arsenic (As) from drinking water, but generate toxic As-laden Fe (oxyhydr)oxide waste that has traditionally been ignored for resource recovery by the water sector. However, the European Commission recently classified As as a Critical Raw Material (CRM), thus...

journal article 2023

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Machine learning and circular bioeconomy: Building new resource efficiency from diverse waste streams

Tsui, To Hung (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Dai, Yanjun (author), Tong, Yen Wah (author)

Biorefinery systems are playing pivotal roles in the technological support of resource efficiency for circular bioeconomy. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence presents great potential in handling scientific tasks of high-dimensional complexity. This review article scrutinizes the status of machine learning (ML) applications in four critical...

review 2023

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A novel mechanistic modelling approach for microbial selection dynamics: Towards improved design and control of raceway reactors for purple bacteria

Alloul, A. (author), Moradvandi, A. (author), Puyol, Daniel (author), Molina, Raúl (author), Gardella, G. (author), Vlaeminck, Siegfried E. (author), De Schutter, B.H.K. (author), Abraham, E. (author), Lindeboom, R.E.F. (author), Weissbrodt, D.G. (author)

Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) show an underexplored potential for resource recovery from wastewater. Raceway reactors offer a more affordable full-scale solution on wastewater and enable useful additional aerobic processes. Current mathematical models of PPB systems provide useful mechanistic insights, but do not represent the full...

journal article 2023

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Resource recovery from desalination, the case of small islands

Palmeros Parada, M.D.M. (author), Randazzo, Serena (author), Gamboa, Gonzalo (author), Ktori, R. (author), Bouchaut, B.F.H.J. (author), Cipolina, Andrea (author), Micale, Giorgio (author), Xevgenos, Dimitris (author)

This work explores resource recovery coupled to seawater desalination in small islands. As small islands depend on seawater desalination for water access, they make an excellent ground for exploring the trade-offs associated to resource recovery, like potential economic gains, energy use, and environmental impacts. Here, we investigated these...

journal article 2023

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Recovery of magnesium from RO concentrate for struvite production

Mehta, Divvay (author)

Magnesium is one of the most critical natural resources and 96% of magnesium used in Europe is imported. The present study investigated possible ways of implementing circularity in the magnesium cycle within the borders of Waternet, a water utility in the Netherlands. The wastewater treatment plant at Amsterdam-West produces struvite from...

master thesis 2022

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High phosphate concentrations due to VFA production from sieved activated sludge at WWTP Ommen: A source identification and resource recovery strategy

Nederveen, Tim (author)

Environmental guidelines (EU WFD) impose a strict effluent phosphate target on wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). An abundance of phosphate (and other nutrients) in a water body is called eutrophication. Eutrophication can lead to algal blooms which result in very low oxygen concentrations in the water. Other species, like fish and aquatic...

master thesis 2022

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Modelling, optimisation and caustic recovery for more sustainable bottle washers

Zhang, Annie (author)

In this research, a few initiatives were completed with practical industrial information and water samples from Heineken®. A Python model was built for an imaginary bottle washer, and tested with difference operational variables under the four testing scenarios. Based on the operational information fromthe Spanish brewery, a second Python model...

master thesis 2022