Assessing the utility of marine filter feeders for environmental DNA (eDNA) biodiversity monitoring

Aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are transforming how we monitor marine ecosystems. The time-consuming pre-processing step of active filtration, however, remains a bottleneck. Hence, new approaches omitting active filtration are in great demand. One exciting prospect is to use the filtering power of invertebrates to collect eDNA. While proof-of-concept has been achieved, comparative studies between aquatic and filter feeder eDNA signals are lacking. Here, we investigated the differences among four eDNA sources (water; bivalves; sponges; and ethanol in which filter-feeding organisms were stored) along a vertical transect in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand using three metabarcoding primers (fish (16S); MiFish-E/U). While concurrent SCUBA diver observations validated eDNA results, laboratory trials corroborated in-field bivalve eDNA detection results. Combined, eDNA sources detected 59 vertebrates, while divers observed eight fish species. There were no significant differences in alpha and beta diversity between water and sponge eDNA and both sources were highly correlated. Vertebrate eDNA was detected in ethanol, although only a reduced number of species were detected. Bivalves failed to reliably detect eDNA in both field and mesocosm experiments. While additional research into filter feeder eDNA accumulation efficiency is essential, our results provide strong evidence for the potential of incorporating sponges into eDNA surveys.

Integrated Treatment at Laboratory Scale of a Mature Landfill Leachate via Active Filtration and Anaerobic Digestion: Preliminary Results

The management of mature landfill leachate (MLL) represents an increasingly crucial issue to tackle. In this study, the feasibility of an integrated treatment was investigated at the laboratory scale using synthetic leachate with the objective of maximizing the recovery of potentially useful compounds present in leachate (especially ammonia nitrogen). First, in order to remove heavy metals, active filtration of the MLL was carried out using zero-valent iron (ZVI) mixed with either lapillus or granular activated carbon (GAC). The average removal rates for the ZVI/lapillus and the ZVI/GAC filter were 33%, 85%, 66%, and 58% and 56%, 91%, 67%, and 75% for COD, Cu, Ni, and Zn, respectively. Then, pre-treated MLL was added during the anaerobic digestion (AD) of cellulose with the aim of providing bacteria with macro (i.e., ammonia nitrogen) and micro (e.g., residual heavy metals) nutrients. After 38 days, the best performance in terms of cumulative methane production (5.3 NL) and methane yield (0.26 NL/gVSadded on average) was recorded in the reactor fed with the lowest dosage (17.9 mL/d) of MLL pre-treated by the ZVI/lapillus filter. The main issue that emerged during AD was the possible inhibition of the process linked to an excessive presence of humic substances; however, in future experiments, this problem can be solved through an optimization of the management of the whole process. The residual digestate from AD, rich in nitrogen and humic substances, may be safely used for agriculture purposes, closing the cycle of MLL management.

SHUNT ACTIVE FILTER CONTROL OF A THREE-PHASE THREE-WIRE NETWORK IN THE COORDINATE SYSTEM OF THE TWO WATTMETERS METHOD

A combined control system for a shunt active filter in the coordinate system of the two-wattmeters method has been proposed, which, depending on the conditions of use, implements one of the four active filtration strategies, optimal according to a certain quality indicator. The most promising is the proposed integral strategy for active filtration control with the reference vector of line voltages of direct sequence, which provides symmetric sinusoidal currents of the network and the minimum pulsation of power consumption for the almost identical energy-saving effect as the concept of S. Fryze. New formulas for calculating the energy-saving effect and pulsations of the instantaneous power in a three-phase system of power in the case of the formation of an active current in the transmission line in the conditions of asymmetry of loading voltage and linear asymmetric load have been developed. Simulation studies have confirmed the adequacy of the proposed strategies and calculations. References 15, figures 5, tables 2.

Evaluating the Impact of a Wall-Type Green Infrastructure on PM10 and NOx Concentrations in an Urban Street Environment

Nature-based solutions can represent beneficial tools in the field of urban transformation for their contribution to important environmental services such as air quality improvement. To evaluate the impact on urban air pollution of a CityTree (CT), an innovative wall-type green infrastructure in passive (deposition) and active (filtration) modes of operation, a study was conducted in a real urban setting in Modena (Italy) during 2017 and 2018, combining experimental measurements with modelling system evaluations. In this work, relying on the computational resources of CRESCO (Computational Centre for Research on Complex Systems)/ENEAGRID High Performance Computing infrastructure, we used the air pollution microscale model PMSS (Parallel Micro-SWIFT-Micro SPRAY) to simulate air quality during the experimental campaigns. The spatial characteristics of the impact of the CT on local air pollutants concentrations, specifically nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10), were assessed. In particular, we used prescribed bulk deposition velocities provided by the experimental campaigns, which tested the CT both in passive (deposition) and in active (filtration) mode of operation. Our results showed that the PM10 and NOx concentration reductions reach from more than 0.1% up to about 0.8% within an area of 10 × 20 m2 around the infrastructure, when the green infrastructure operates in passive mode. In filtration mode the CT exhibited higher performances in the abatement of PM10 concentrations (between 1.5% and 15%), within approximately the same area. We conclude that CTs may find an application in air quality hotspots within specific urban settings (i.e., urban street canyons) where a very localized reduction of pollutants concentration during rush hours might be of interest to limit population exposure. The optimization of the spatial arrangement of CT modules to increment the “clean air zone” is a factor to be investigated in the ongoing development of the CT technology.

Filtration performance of biaxial circular seamless knitted filter material based on electrostatic adsorption

In order to solve the problem of dust accumulation at the joints of traditional filter materials and the reduction of filtration efficiency, weft knitting was selected to make the fabric cylindrical unwinding machine. The cylindrical filter material was formed by cylindrical needling machine in the later period. This type of novel seamless filter material was compared with the traditional one on the filtration performance and numerical simulation of filtration performance. The results show that when the warp and weft lining yarns in the seamless filter material were PTFE monofilaments containing tourmaline particles, the filtration efficiency was the optimal due to the presence of the surface static voltage. The filtration efficiency could greatly be improved by 7.24%. The relationship between the surface static voltage and distance was exponential. The filter material with electrostatic field on the surface increased the active filtration of electrostatic adsorption in addition to the passive filtration. This type of seamless filter material provided research and development ideas and theoretical guidance for the development and application of filter materials.