scholarly journals A biosurfactant-producing yeast Rhodotorula sp.CC01 utilizing landfill leachate as nitrogen source and its broad degradation spectra of petroleum hydrocarbons

Author(s):  
Xiaoyun Lin ◽  
Hanghai Zhou ◽  
Feng Zeng ◽  
Lijia Jiang ◽  
Edidiong Okokon Atakpa ◽  
...  

Abstract In this study, a biosurfactant producing strain, Rhodotorula sp. CC01 was isolated using landfill leachate as nitrogen source, while olive oil was determined as the best sole carbon source for producing biosurfactants. The biosurfactant produced by Rhodotorula sp. CC01 was characterized as glycolipids with a critical micelle concentration of 70 mg/L, which showed stability over a wide range of pH (2–12), salinity (0–100%), and temperature (20–100°C). During the cultivation process, the surface tension decreased from 51.87 to 28.20 mN/m in 15 h, and the removal efficiency of NH4+-N reached 84.2% after 75 h cultivation with a maximum NH4+-N removal rate of 3.92 mg·L-1·h−1. In addition, Rhodotorula sp. CC01 has proven to be of great potential in remediating petroleum hydrocarbons, as revealed by chromogenic assays. The findings of this study prove a cost-effective strategy for the production of BS by yeast through the utilization of landfill leachate.

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 915-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Veuillet ◽  
S. Lacroix ◽  
A. Bausseron ◽  
E. Gonidec ◽  
J. Ochoa ◽  
...  

ANITA™Mox is a Veolia process using moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology tested and validated in full-scale for energy- and cost-effective autotrophic N-removal from sidestream effluent using anammox (ANaerobic AMMonium OXidation) bacteria. In order to increase the ANITA™Mox process performances under different operating conditions (e.g. mainstream and sidestream application), substrate transport and accessibility inside the biofilm must be enhanced. In this work, (i) two laboratory scale biofilm ANITA™Mox reactors were operated using different configurations (IFAS – integrated fixed-film activated sludge – and MBBR) and (ii) the distribution of the anammox (AnAOB) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in the suspended sludge and the biofilm was characterized using molecular tools (qPCR). This study showed that in IFAS configuration, the ANITA™Mox process achieved very high N-removal rate (up to 8 gN/m².d), which was three to four times higher than that achieved in the pure MBBR mode. The high concentration of suspended solids (mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS)) in the bulk obtained within the IFAS mode induces a very efficient bacterial distribution between the AOB and AnAOB population. AnAOB activity mainly occurs in the biofilm (96% of total AnAOB in the reactor), whereas nitritation by AOB mostly takes place in the suspended phase (93% of total AOB). This spatial distribution observed in the IFAS reactor results from a natural selection due to more easily substrate accessibility for AOB in the bulk (NH4+, O2) creating higher nitrite concentration in the bulk liquid compare to pure MBBR mode. The efficient control of MLSS level in the IFAS reactor is a key parameter to enhance the nitrite production by AOB and increase the substrate availability in the AnAOB-enriched biofilm leading to higher N-removal rate. These promising results obtained at laboratory scale have been further confirmed in on-going full-scale IFAS ANITA™Mox trials opening new roads for the widespread application of a very compact and robust ANITA™Mox process for sidestream but also mainstream cost-effective N-removal.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1192-1198
Author(s):  
M.S. Mohammad ◽  
Tibebe Tesfaye ◽  
Kim Ki-Seong

Ultrasonic thickness gauges are easy to operate and reliable, and can be used to measure a wide range of thicknesses and inspect all engineering materials. Supplementing the simple ultrasonic thickness gauges that present results in either a digital readout or as an A-scan with systems that enable correlating the measured values to their positions on the inspected surface to produce a two-dimensional (2D) thickness representation can extend their benefits and provide a cost-effective alternative to expensive advanced C-scan machines. In previous work, the authors introduced a system for the positioning and mapping of the values measured by the ultrasonic thickness gauges and flaw detectors (Tesfaye et al. 2019). The system is an alternative to the systems that use mechanical scanners, encoders, and sophisticated UT machines. It used a camera to record the probe’s movement and a projected laser grid obtained by a laser pattern generator to locate the probe on the inspected surface. In this paper, a novel system is proposed to be applied to flat surfaces, in addition to overcoming the other limitations posed due to the use of the laser projection. The proposed system uses two video cameras, one to monitor the probe’s movement on the inspected surface and the other to capture the corresponding digital readout of the thickness gauge. The acquired images of the probe’s position and thickness gauge readout are processed to plot the measured data in a 2D color-coded map. The system is meant to be simpler and more effective than the previous development.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 213-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed F. Hamoda ◽  
Ibrahim A. Al-Ghusain

Performance data from a pilot-plant employing the four-stage aerated submerged fixed film (ASFF) process treating domestic wastewater were analyzed to examine the organic removal rates. The process has shown high BOD removal efficiencies (> 90%) over a wide range of hydraulic loading rates (0.04 to 0.68 m3/m2·d). It could also cope with high hydraulic and organic loadings with minimal loss in efficiency due to the large amount of immobilized biomass attained. The organic (BOD and COD) removal rate was influenced by the hydraulic loadings applied, but organic removal rates of up to 104 kg BOD/ m2·d were obtained at a hydraulic loading rate of 0.68 m3/m2·d. A Semi-empirical model for the bio-oxidation of organics in the ASFF process has been formulated and rate constants were calculated based on statistical analysis of pilot-plant data. The relationships obtained are very useful for analyzing the design and performance of the ASFF process and a variety of attached growth processes.


Author(s):  
Allan Matthews ◽  
Adrian Leyland

Over the past twenty years or so, there have been major steps forward both in the understanding of tribological mechanisms and in the development of new coating and treatment techniques to better “engineer” surfaces to achieve reductions in wear and friction. Particularly in the coatings tribology field, improved techniques and theories which enable us to study and understand the mechanisms occurring at the “nano”, “micro” and “macro” scale have allowed considerable progress to be made in (for example) understanding contact mechanisms and the influence of “third bodies” [1–5]. Over the same period, we have seen the emergence of the discipline which we now call “Surface Engineering”, by which, ideally, a bulk material (the ‘substrate’) and a coating are combined in a way that provides a cost-effective performance enhancement of which neither would be capable without the presence of the other. It is probably fair to say that the emergence and recognition of Surface Engineering as a field in its own right has been driven largely by the availability of “plasma”-based coating and treatment processes, which can provide surface properties which were previously unachievable. In particular, plasma-assisted (PA) physical vapour deposition (PVD) techniques, allowing wear-resistant ceramic thin films such as titanium nitride (TiN) to be deposited on a wide range of industrial tooling, gave a step-change in industrial productivity and manufactured product quality, and caught the attention of engineers due to the remarkable cost savings and performance improvements obtained. Subsequently, so-called 2nd- and 3rd-generation ceramic coatings (with multilayered or nanocomposite structures) have recently been developed [6–9], to further extend tool performance — the objective typically being to increase coating hardness further, or extend hardness capabilities to higher temperatures.


Biostatistics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dane R Van Domelen ◽  
Emily M Mitchell ◽  
Neil J Perkins ◽  
Enrique F Schisterman ◽  
Amita K Manatunga ◽  
...  

SUMMARYMeasuring a biomarker in pooled samples from multiple cases or controls can lead to cost-effective estimation of a covariate-adjusted odds ratio, particularly for expensive assays. But pooled measurements may be affected by assay-related measurement error (ME) and/or pooling-related processing error (PE), which can induce bias if ignored. Building on recently developed methods for a normal biomarker subject to additive errors, we present two related estimators for a right-skewed biomarker subject to multiplicative errors: one based on logistic regression and the other based on a Gamma discriminant function model. Applied to a reproductive health dataset with a right-skewed cytokine measured in pools of size 1 and 2, both methods suggest no association with spontaneous abortion. The fitted models indicate little ME but fairly severe PE, the latter of which is much too large to ignore. Simulations mimicking these data with a non-unity odds ratio confirm validity of the estimators and illustrate how PE can detract from pooling-related gains in statistical efficiency. These methods address a key issue associated with the homogeneous pools study design and should facilitate valid odds ratio estimation at a lower cost in a wide range of scenarios.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8552
Author(s):  
Vahid Alimohammadi ◽  
Mehdi Maghfouri ◽  
Delaram Nourmohammadi ◽  
Pejman Azarsa ◽  
Rishi Gupta ◽  
...  

Clean water is a vital need for all living creatures during their lifespan. However, contaminated stormwater is a major issue around the globe. A wide range of contaminants, including heavy metals, organic and inorganic impurities, has been discovered in stormwater. Some commonly utilized methods, such as biological, physical and chemical procedures, have been considered to overcome these issues. However, these current approaches result in moderate to low contaminant removal efficiencies for certain classes of contaminants. Of late, filtration and adsorption processes have become more featured in permeable concretes (PCs) for the treatment of stormwater. As nanoparticles have vast potential and unique characterizations, such as a higher surface area to cure polluted stormwater, employing them to improve permeable concretes’ capabilities in stormwater treatment systems is an effective way to increase filtration and adsorption mechanisms. The present study reviews the removal rate of different stormwater contaminants such as heavy metals, organic and other pollutants using nanoparticle-improved PC. The application of different kinds of nanomaterials in PC as porous media to investigate their influences on the properties of PC, including the permeability rate, compressive strength, adsorption capacity and mix design of such concrete, was also studied. The findings of this review show that different types of nanomaterials improve the removal efficiency, compressive strength and adsorption capacity and decrease the infiltration rate of PC during the stormwater treatment process. With regard to the lack of comprehensive investigation concerning the use of nanomaterials in PC to treat polluted stormwater runoff, this study reviews 242 published articles on the removal rate of different stormwater contaminants by using PC improved with nanoparticles.


2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 565-583
Author(s):  
Ke Zhan ◽  
Quanxiong Lu ◽  
Sengwei Xia ◽  
Congnan Guo ◽  
Sisi Zhao ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Mamou Diallo ◽  
Servé W. M. Kengen ◽  
Ana M. López-Contreras

AbstractThe Clostridium genus harbors compelling organisms for biotechnological production processes; while acetogenic clostridia can fix C1-compounds to produce acetate and ethanol, solventogenic clostridia can utilize a wide range of carbon sources to produce commercially valuable carboxylic acids, alcohols, and ketones by fermentation. Despite their potential, the conversion by these bacteria of carbohydrates or C1 compounds to alcohols is not cost-effective enough to result in economically viable processes. Engineering solventogenic clostridia by impairing sporulation is one of the investigated approaches to improve solvent productivity. Sporulation is a cell differentiation process triggered in bacteria in response to exposure to environmental stressors. The generated spores are metabolically inactive but resistant to harsh conditions (UV, chemicals, heat, oxygen). In Firmicutes, sporulation has been mainly studied in bacilli and pathogenic clostridia, and our knowledge of sporulation in solvent-producing or acetogenic clostridia is limited. Still, sporulation is an integral part of the cellular physiology of clostridia; thus, understanding the regulation of sporulation and its connection to solvent production may give clues to improve the performance of solventogenic clostridia. This review aims to provide an overview of the triggers, characteristics, and regulatory mechanism of sporulation in solventogenic clostridia. Those are further compared to the current knowledge on sporulation in the industrially relevant acetogenic clostridia. Finally, the potential applications of spores for process improvement are discussed.Key Points• The regulatory network governing sporulation initiation varies in solventogenic clostridia.• Media composition and cell density are the main triggers of sporulation.• Spores can be used to improve the fermentation process.


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