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Innovative Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid, Liquid and Gaseous...
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Innovative Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 24734

Special Issue Editors

Dr. David Gabriel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: gaseous emissions control; biological treatment & resource recovery; biofiltration; innovative bioreactors; biofilms and granular biomass; bioprocesses modelling and monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giulio Munz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering – University of Florence, Via Santa Marta 3, 50139, Florence, Italy
Interests: industrial wastewater treatment; microbial community engineering; resource recovery; biological nutrient removal; bioaugmentation; biological processes mathematical modelling; autotrophic denitrification
Dr. Xavier Gamisans Noguera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mining, Industrials and ICT Engineering, Manresa School of Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08242-Barcelona, Spain
Interests: industrial gaseous emissions control; biotechniques for air pollution prevention; biofilms characterization; CFD modelling of bioreactors; mass transfer phenomena in bioreactors; biogas upgrading; circular bioeconomy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The new paradigm in engineering waste treatment facilities is to turn current treatment trains into innovative combinations of efficient technologies that consume less energy, simultaneously considering turning waste into added-value products with no collateral health impacts. In recent years, novel technologies based on biological processes combining unit processes for solving environmental problems from a plant-wide—rather than local—perspective has been growing with the aim of finding global optimal solutions while considering circular economy concepts. The smart combination of advanced technologies based on the integration of the carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles (e.g., autotrophic denitrification-based processes) enables the treatment of waste gases and wastewater in a more energy-effective manner. Innovative bioreactor configurations and treatment trains are being developed to recover energy, and a wide range of useful by-products such as aromas, fertilizers, bioplastics, and commodities for chemicals and plastics production out of a variety of solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on innovative technologies for wastewater and gaseous emissions treatment, considering public health. New research papers, reviews, and case reports are welcome to this Issue. Papers dealing with the impact of effluents and emissions from innovative processes on public health are also welcome.

Prof. David Gabriel
Dr. Xavier Gamisans Noguera
Dr. Giulio Munz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • characterization of wastewaters and gaseous emissions
  • integration of C, N, and S cycles
  • granular and biofilm-based bioreactors
  • modelling of innovative bioreactors
  • enzyme conversions of wastes into value-added products
  • health impact
  • biogas treatment and recovery
  • anaerobic digestion
  • autotrophic denitrification
  • nutrient removal and recovery
  • gaseous effluents treatment
  • biorefinery
  • CFD modeling
  • circular bioeconomy
  • biofilms characterization
  • mass transfer in bioreactors

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5724 KiB  
Article
Making Biodegradable Seedling Pots from Textile and Paper Waste—Part B: Development and Evaluation of Seedling Pots
by Jeanger P. Juanga-Labayen and Qiuyan Yuan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7609; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18147609 - 17 Jul 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 10539
Abstract
This study evaluates the efficacy of using textile waste blended with paper waste to form biodegradable seedling pots. A bio-composite blend of cotton (20% cotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) and polycotton (20% polycotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) with an [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the efficacy of using textile waste blended with paper waste to form biodegradable seedling pots. A bio-composite blend of cotton (20% cotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) and polycotton (20% polycotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) with an optimum strength was formed into seedling pots. The appreciated seedling pots (untreated blends of cotton and polycotton) were compared with the commercial pots (cardboard seed starter pot and Jiffy pot) in terms of mechanical properties (tensile strength and compressive strength), biodegradability (soil burial test and anaerobic digestion), and seed germination. The untreated blends of cotton and polycotton pots demonstrated a comparable optimum strength, while the Jiffy pot and cardboard seed starter pot obtained the least tensile and compressive strengths, respectively. The anaerobic biodegradability assay suggests that the cotton blend pot, polycotton blend pot, and cardboard seed starter pot can degrade anaerobically because of high biogas and methane generation potential. A 100% seed germination was observed from the four seedling pots tested. Thus, the results demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing textile waste and paper waste to develop seedling pots with desirable strength and biodegradability compared to the commercial pots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes)
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9 pages, 3005 KiB  
Article
Making Biodegradable Seedling Pots from Textile and Paper Waste—Part A: Factors Affecting Tensile Strength
by Jeanger P. Juanga-Labayen and Qiuyan Yuan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 6964; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18136964 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3490
Abstract
This study investigates the efficacy of using discarded textile (cotton and polycotton) and paper waste (newspaper and corrugated cardboard) as substrates to form sheets with optimum tensile strength. The effect of alkali treatment (sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)), compressive [...] Read more.
This study investigates the efficacy of using discarded textile (cotton and polycotton) and paper waste (newspaper and corrugated cardboard) as substrates to form sheets with optimum tensile strength. The effect of alkali treatment (sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)), compressive loads (200 N and 500 N), and the use of binding agents (blackstrap molasses, sodium alginate, and cornstarch) were studied to optimize the tensile strength of homogeneous sheets. The alkali treatment using 5% NaOH for 5 h of soaking demonstrated the highest increase in tensile strength of 21% and 19% for cotton and newspaper, respectively. Increasing compressive load from 200 N to 500 N showed the highest increase in tensile strength of 37% and 42% for cotton and newspaper, respectively. Remarkably, among the binders, cornstarch at 20% concentration obtained an increase in tensile strength of 395%, 320%, 310%, and 185% for cotton, polycotton, corrugated cardboard, and newspaper sheets, respectively. The optimum results obtained from this study will be utilized to develop biodegradable seedling pots using discarded textile and paper waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes)
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18 pages, 2054 KiB  
Article
Tannery Wastewater Recalcitrant Compounds Foster the Selection of Fungi in Non-Sterile Conditions: A Pilot Scale Long-Term Test
by Francesco Spennati, Salvatore La China, Giovanna Siracusa, Simona Di Gregorio, Alessandra Bardi, Valeria Tigini, Gualtiero Mori, David Gabriel and Giulio Munz
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6348; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18126348 - 11 Jun 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2168
Abstract
This study demonstrated that a microbial community dominated by fungi can be selected and maintained in the long-term under non-sterile conditions, in a pilot-scale packed-bed reactor fed with tannery wastewater. During the start-up phase, the reactor, filled with 0.6 m3 of polyurethane [...] Read more.
This study demonstrated that a microbial community dominated by fungi can be selected and maintained in the long-term under non-sterile conditions, in a pilot-scale packed-bed reactor fed with tannery wastewater. During the start-up phase, the reactor, filled with 0.6 m3 of polyurethane foam cubes, was inoculated with a pure culture of Aspergillus tubingensis and Quebracho tannin, a recalcitrant compound widely used by tannery industry, was used as sole carbon source in the feeding. During the start-up, fungi grew attached as biofilm in carriers that filled the packed-bed reactor. Subsequently, the reactor was tested for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from an exhaust tanning bath collected from tanneries. The entire experiment lasted 121 days and average removals of 29% and 23% of COD and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the tannins bath were achieved, respectively. The evolution of the microbial consortium (bacteria and fungi) was described through biomolecular analyses along the experiment and also developed as a function of the size of the support media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes)
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11 pages, 1424 KiB  
Article
Implementation of a Sulfide–Air Fuel Cell Coupled to a Sulfate-Reducing Biocathode for Elemental Sulfur Recovery
by Enric Blázquez, David Gabriel, Juan Antonio Baeza, Albert Guisasola, Pablo Ledezma and Stefano Freguia
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 5571; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18115571 - 23 May 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2285
Abstract
Bio-electrochemical systems (BES) are a flexible biotechnological platform that can be employed to treat several types of wastewaters and recover valuable products concomitantly. Sulfate-rich wastewaters usually lack an electron donor; for this reason, implementing BES to treat the sulfate and the possibility of [...] Read more.
Bio-electrochemical systems (BES) are a flexible biotechnological platform that can be employed to treat several types of wastewaters and recover valuable products concomitantly. Sulfate-rich wastewaters usually lack an electron donor; for this reason, implementing BES to treat the sulfate and the possibility of recovering the elemental sulfur (S0) offers a solution to this kind of wastewater. This study proposes a novel BES configuration that combines bio-electrochemical sulfate reduction in a biocathode with a sulfide–air fuel cell (FC) to recover S0. The proposed system achieved high elemental sulfur production rates (up to 386 mg S0-S L−1 d−1) with 65% of the sulfate removed recovered as S0 and a 12% lower energy consumption per kg of S0 produced (16.50 ± 0.19 kWh kg−1 S0-S) than a conventional electrochemical S0 recovery system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes)
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17 pages, 3607 KiB  
Article
Start-Up of Chitosan-Assisted Anaerobic Sludge Bed Reactors Treating Light Oxygenated Solvents under Intermittent Operation
by Keisy Torres, Francisco Javier Álvarez-Hornos, Carmen Gabaldón and Paula Marzal
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4986; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18094986 - 07 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2019
Abstract
Quality of the granular sludge developed during the start-up of anaerobic up-flow sludge bed reactors is of crucial importance to ensure the process feasibility of treating industrial wastewater such as those containing solvents. In this study, the microbial granule formation from suspended-growth biomass [...] Read more.
Quality of the granular sludge developed during the start-up of anaerobic up-flow sludge bed reactors is of crucial importance to ensure the process feasibility of treating industrial wastewater such as those containing solvents. In this study, the microbial granule formation from suspended-growth biomass was investigated in two chitosan-assisted reactors. These reactors operated mimicking industrial sites working with night closures treating a mixture of ethanol, ethyl acetate, and 1-ethoxy-2-propanol. Each reactor operated under different hydrodynamic regimes typical from UASB (R1: <0.15 m h−1) and EGSB (R2: 3 m h−1). High soluble COD removal efficiencies (>90%) accompanied by rapid formation of robust anaerobic granules were achieved at both up-flow velocity levels. After three weeks from the start-up, mean size diameters of 475 µm and 354 µm were achieved for R1 and R2, respectively. The performance of the process was found to be stable for the whole operational period of 106 days treating intermittent OLR up to 13 kg COD m−3 d−1. A memory dose of chitosan at day 42 was beneficial to guarantee good quality of the granules by offsetting the negative impact of intermittent water supply on the granular size. Methanocorpusculum was identified as the dominant archaea at both up-flow velocities. Acetobacterium, Geobacter and Desulfovibrio bacteria were also abundant, demonstrating its role on the degradation of light-oxygenated solvents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes)
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