Economic feasibility study of aerators in aquaculture using life cycle costing (LCC) approach.

Selection of aerator is a very important aspect in aquaculture operations. The selected aerator must be economically efficient and should be able to fulfil the requirement of oxygen supply in the pond water. In the present study, economic feasibility of nine different types of aerators, namely, perforated pooled circular stepped cascade (PPCSC), pooled circular stepped cascade (PCSC), circular stepped cascade (CSC), paddle wheel (PWA), spiral aerator (SA), propeller-aspirator-pump (PAA), submersible (SUBA), impeller aerator (IA) and air-jet aerator (AJA) was assessed based on capitalization method, a life cycle costing (LCC) approach. The results revealed that the PPCSC aerator can be considered as the most suitable aerator when dissolved oxygen (DO) content in the pond water is less than equal to 3 mg/L, and pond water volume (V) is less than 2100 m3. In other situations, mostly when pond water volume is more, IA proves to be the most suitable aerator, followed by PWA, PPCSC, and other available aerators. The sensitivity analysis conducted by using varying stocking density and capital cost also showed the same trend with regard to selection of aerators. This life cycle costing approach for selection of aerator can be implemented for any types of cultured species at any prevailing environmental conditions.

Assessment of water quality using multivariate statistical techniques in the coastal region of Visakhapatnam, India.

The present study was intended to develop a Water Quality Index (WQI) for the coastal water of Visakhapatnam, India from multiple measured water quality parameters using different multivariate statistical techniques. Cluster analysis was used to classify the data set into three major groups based on similar water quality characteristics. Discriminant analysis was used to generate a discriminant function for developing a WQI. Discriminant analysis gave the best result for analyzing the seasonal variation of water quality. It helped in data reduction and found the most discriminant parameters responsible for seasonal variation of water quality. Coastal water was classified into good, average, and poor quality considering WQI and the nutrient load. The predictive capacity of WQI was proved with random samples taken from coastal areas. High concentration of ammonia in surface water during winter was attributed to nitrogen fixation by the phytoplankton bloom which resulted due to East India Coastal Current. This study brings out the fact that water quality in the coastal region not only depends on the discharge from different pollution sources but also on the presence of different current patterns. It also illustrates the usefulness of WQI for analyzing the complex nutrient data for assessing the coastal water and identifying different pollution sources, considering reasons for seasonal variation of water quality.

Utilisation of waste medicine wrappers as an efficient low-cost electrode material for microbial fuel cell.

Waste generation from healthcare facilities now has become a concerning issue as it contain plastic and metals. Medicine wrappers are one of the major portions of healthcare solid waste, which impel intensive solid waste management practice due to fewer possibilities of deriving by-products. However, it can be recycled and used as an electrode material in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). An electrode material for application in MFCs is a crucial component, which governs total fabrication cost as well as power recovery, thus a cost-effective, stable and durable electrode is essential. In this endeavour, a new metallic (aluminium) waste material, a waste medicine wrapper (WMW), was evaluated for feasibility to be used as anode/cathode in MFCs. Based on the stability test under corrosive environment (1 N KCl), the WMW electrode sustained a maximum current of 46 mA during cyclic voltammetry (CV) and noted only 14% reduction in current at an applied voltage of +0.4 V after 2500 s in chronoamperometry, indicating its good stability. Power recovery from MFC using WMW was higher than the MFC using bare carbon felt as an anode (27 vs. 21 mW/m2). The entire analytical test results viz. CV, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and power performance established WMW as an excellent anode rather than cathode material.

Biofouling effects on the performance of microbial fuel cells and recent advances in biotechnological and chemical strategies for mitigation.

The occurrence of biofouling in MFC can cause severe problems such as hindering proton transfer and increasing the ohmic and charge transfer resistance of cathodes, which results in a rapid decline in performance of MFC. This is one of the main reasons why scaling-up of MFCs has not yet been successfully accomplished. The present review article is a wide-ranging attempt to provide insights to the biofouling mechanisms on surfaces of MFC, mainly on proton exchange membranes and cathodes, and their effects on performance of MFC based on theoretical and practical evidence. Various biofouling mitigation techniques for membranes are discussed, including preparation of antifouling composite membranes, modification of the physical and chemical properties of existing membranes, and coating with antifouling agents. For cathodes of MFC, use of Ag nanoparticles, Ag-based composite nanoparticles, and antifouling chemicals is outlined in considerable detail. Finally, prospective techniques for mitigation of biofouling are discussed, which have not been given much previous attention in the field of MFC research. This article will help to enhance understanding of the severity of biofouling issues in MFCs and provides up-to-date solutions. It will be beneficial for scientific communities for further strengthening MFC research and will also help in progressing this cutting-edge technology to scale-up, using the most efficient methods as described here.

Biofouling inhibition and enhancing performance of microbial fuel cell using silver nano-particles as fungicide and cathode catalyst.

Morphological analysis of biofouling developed on cathode surface in an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) was performed. For sustaining power production and enhancing Coulombic efficiency (CE) of MFC, studies were conducted to inhibit cathode biofouling using different loadings of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) with 5% and 10% Ag in carbon black powder. In MFC without using Ag-NPs in cathode (MFC-C), cathode biofouling increased the charge transfer resistance (Rct) from 1710Ω.cm(2) to 2409Ω.cm(2), and reduced CE by 32%; whereas in MFC with 10% Ag in cathode Rct increased by only 5%. Power density of 7.9±0.5W/m(3) in MFC using 5% Ag and 9.8±0.3W/m(3) in MFC using 10% Ag in cathode was 4.6 and 5.7-folds higher than MFC-C. These results suggest that the Ag-NPs effectively inhibit the fungal biofouling on cathode surface of MFCs and enhanced the power recovery and CE by improving cathode kinetics.