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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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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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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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Life cycle sustainability assessment framework for water sector resource recovery solutions: Strengths and weaknesses

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

Resource recovery solutions are an essential part of a sustainable water sector. Sustainability of these solutions needs to be analysed to assess, compare and optimize them. Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is the most commonly used framework for sustainability assessment. This review paper discusses three critical characteristics of...

journal article 2022

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Societal values, tensions and uncertainties in resource recovery from wastewaters

Palmeros Parada, M.D.M. (author), Kehrein, P.A. (author), Xevgenos, Dimitris (author), Asveld, L. (author), Osseweijer, P. (author)

The recovery of resources, including water reuse, has been presented as a solution to overcome scarcity, and improve the economic and environmental performance of water provision and treatment. However, its implementation faces non-technical challenges, including the need to collaborate with new stakeholders and face societal acceptance...

review 2022

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Risk assessment methods for water resource recovery for the production of bio-composite materials: Literature review and future research directions

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

Bio-composite materials made from resources recovered from the water cycle are the future of the holistic approach towards sustainable wastewater treatment. The raw ingredients for these materials are coming from contaminated sources such as wastewater resources, water plants from surface water etc.. Thus, different risks like human health,...

review 2022

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A solid oxide fuel cell fuelled by methane recovered from groundwater

Saadabadi, S.A. (author), van Linden, N. (author), Heinsbroek, Abel (author), Aravind, P.V. (author)

This study investigates the feasibility of electricity production in a solid oxide fuel cell using methane recovered from groundwater as the fuel. Methane must be removed from groundwater for the production of drinking water to, amongst others, avoid bacterial regrowth. Instead of releasing methane to the atmosphere or converting it to carbon...

journal article 2021

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Recovery and applications of ammoniacal nitrogen from nitrogen-loaded residual streams: A review

Deng, Z. (author), van Linden, N. (author), Guillen, Elena (author), Spanjers, H. (author), van Lier, J.B. (author)

Total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) is considered to be a pollutant, but is also a versatile resource. This review presents an overview of the TAN recovery potentials from nitrogen (N)-loaded residual streams by discussing the sources, recovery technologies and potential applications. The first section of the review addresses the fate of TAN...

review 2021

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Novel semi-decentralised mobile system for the sanitization and dehydration of septic sludge: a pilot-scale evaluation in the Jordan Valley

Kocbek, E. (author), Garcia, H. (author), Hooijmans, Christine M. (author), Mijatović, Ivan (author), Al-Addous, Mohammad (author), Dalala, Zakariya (author), Brdjanovic, Damir (author)

The provision of effective sanitation strategies has a significant impact on public health. However, the treatment of septic sludge still presents some challenges worldwide. Consequently, innovative technologies capable of an effective and efficient sludge treatment, mostly at a decentralized level, are in high demand to improve sanitation...

journal article 2021