Multipoint characterization of the emission of odour, volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases from a full-scale membrane-based municipal WWTP.

Different environmental and social concerns can arise due to the generation of gaseous emissions during the treatment of urban wastewater. However, there is not an extensive knowledge about which are the main potential odour and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission sources in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and their variability. In this study, a multipoint characterization of the gaseous emissions generated in a full-scale municipal WWTP located in Barcelona was conducted, aiming at identifying the main odour and GHG emission sources. The WWTP under study treats an average inlet flow of 33,000 m3 d-1 using a Ludzack-Ettinger system with Membrane BioReactor (MBR) technology, and it has installed a gas caption and treatment system consisting of a biotrickling filter followed by a conventional biofilter to treat part of the off-gases produced during the wastewater treatment. For this work, gaseous emissions characterization campaigns were conducted to assess the proper performance of the gas treatment unit and to estimate the emission factors referred to odorants and GHGs for the different emission sources and to assess the proper performance of the gas treatment system. Besides, a chemical characterization of the different volatile organic compounds (VOC) present in the gaseous emissions was performed through TD-GC/MS. The main potential odour sources were the reception tank, the barscreens building and the primary settler, where odour concentrations were in the range of 1300 and 2600 ou·m-3. Moreover, GHG emissions were found during the primary treatment and in the MBR units, ranging from 2.21 to 68,217.13 mg CO2eq·m-3. Different VOCs such as aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes and ketones were found in the gaseous emissions with a high variability among all the emission sources. The results obtained are valuable indicators that can be used to develop odour and GHG mitigation strategies in WWTPs and to estimate the environmental impact of these facilities.

Scanning agro-industrial wastes as substrates for fungal biopesticide production: Use of Beauveria bassiana and Trichoderma harzianum in solid-state fermentation.

As a waste valorisation option, agro-industrial residues (rice husk, apple pomace, whisky draff, soy fiber, rice fiber, wheat straw, beer draff, orange peel and potato peel) were tested as feasible substrates for fungal conidia production. Solid-state fermentation tests were conducted at laboratory scale (100 g) with Beauveria bassiana or Trichoderma harzianum which conidia are reported to have biopesticide properties. Conidia concentrations with all substrates were at least two orders of magnitude above inoculum except for both fibers, thus demonstrating the possibilities of the proposed waste recovery option. Highest productions were at least 1 × 109 conidia g-1 dry matter for Beauveria bassiana using rice husk or potato peel and higher than 5 × 109 conidia g-1 dry matter for Trichoderma harzianum using beer draff, potato peel or orange pomace. Principal component analysis has been used to understand which parameters affect the most fungal conidia production for an easier evaluation of other similar wastes, being air-filled porosity and initial pH for Beauveria bassiana and cumulative oxygen consumption, initial moisture and total sugar content for Trichoderma harzianum.

Bioproduction of 2-phenylethanol and 2-phenethyl acetate by Kluyveromyces marxianus through the solid-state fermentation of sugarcane bagasse.

2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) and 2-phenethyl acetate (2-PEA) are important aroma compounds widely used in food and cosmetic industries due to their rose-like odor. Nowadays, due to the growing demand for natural products, the development of bioprocesses for obtaining value-added compounds has become of great significance. 2-PE and 2-PEA can be produced through the biotransformation of L-phenylalanine using the generally recognized as safe strain Kluyveromyces marxianus. L-phenylalanine bioconversion systems have been typically focused on submerged fermentation processes (SmF), but there is no information about other alternative productive approaches. Here, the solid-state fermentation (SSF) of sugarcane bagasse supplemented with L-phenylalanine was investigated as a sustainable alternative for producing 2-PE and 2-PEA in a residue-based system using Kluyveromyces marxianus as inoculum. An initial screening of the operational variables indicated that air supply, temperature, and initial moisture content significantly affect the product yield. Besides, it was found that the feeding strategy also affects the production and the efficiency of the process. While a basic batch system produced 16 mgproducts per gram of residue (dry basis), by using split feeding strategies (fed-batch) of only sugarcane bagasse, a maximum of 18.4 mgProducts g-1residue were achieved. Increase in product yield was also accompanied by an increase in the consumption efficiency of nutrients and precursor. The suggested system results as effective as other more complex SmF systems to obtain 2-PE and 2-PEA, showing the feasibility of SSF as an alternative for producing these compounds through the valorization of an agro-industrial residue.

Bioprocesses for 2-phenylethanol and 2-phenylethyl acetate production: current state and perspectives.

2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) and 2-phenethyl acetate (2-PEA) are valuable generally recognized as safe flavoring agents widely used in industry. Perfumes, pharmaceuticals, polishes, and personal care products, are some of the final products using these compounds as additives due to their rose-like odor. Also, 2-PE is used in disinfectants, pest control, and cleaning products due to its biocide capability. Although most of these additives production are derived from chemical synthesis, the current trend of consumers to prefer natural products has contributed to the development of biotechnological approaches as an alternative way to obtain natural 2-PE and 2-PEA. The most efficient route to bioproduce these compounds is through the bioconversion of L-phenylalanine via the Ehrlich pathway, and most of the advances have been focused on the development of this process. This review compiles the most recent developments in the biotechnological production of 2-PE and 2-PEA, indicating the most studied strains producing 2-PE and 2-PEA, the current advances in the in situ product recovery in liquid systems, an overview of the strain developments, and the progress in the use of residue-based systems. Future research should address the need for more sustainable and economic systems such as those using wastes as raw materials, as well as the scale-up of the proposed technologies.

Solid-state fermentation and composting as alternatives to treat hair waste: A life-cycle assessment comparative approach.

One of the wastes associated with leather production in tannery industries is the hair residue generated during the dehairing process. Hair wastes are mainly dumped or managed through composting but recent studies propose the treatment of hair wastes through solid-state fermentation (SSF) to obtain proteases and compost. These enzymes are suitable for its use in an enzymatic dehairing process, as an alternative to the current chemical dehairing process. In the present work, two different scenarios for the valorization of the hair waste are proposed and assessed by means of life-cycle assessment: composting and SSF for protease production. Detailed data on hair waste composting and on SSF protease production are gathered from previous studies performed by our research group and from a literature survey. Background inventory data are mainly based on Ecoinvent version 3 from software SimaPro® 8. The main aim of this study was to identify which process results in the highest environmental impact. The SSF process was found to have lower environmental impacts than composting, due to the fact that the enzyme use in the dehairing process prevents the use of chemicals traditionally used in the dehairing process. This permits to reformulate an industrial process from the classical approach of waste management to a novel alternative based on circular economy.

Inoculation effect of thermophilic microorganisms on protease production through solid-state fermentation under non-sterile conditions at lab and bench scale (SSF).

The production of protease enzyme was evaluated through the solid state fermentation (SSF) of soy fibre, a waste product that acted as a sole substrate for the fermentation, at a laboratory and bench scale using a 500-mL (batch size 115 g) and 10-L (batch size 2300 g) bioreactors. The objective was to assess the effect of the inoculation of the thermophilic bacteria Thermus sp. on the production of the enzyme when working at laboratory and bench scale under non-sterile conditions, since scaling-up and the need of sterilization are the main challenges of SSF, preventing its industrial development. Results revealed that the inoculation led to a substantial increase in the protease obtained on both scales when compared to non-inoculated fermentation. The maximum protease activities increased as a result of the inoculation from 500 to 800 and from 350 to 670 U/g dry matter of soy fibre in the lab and bench scale bioreactors, respectively. Finally, a very good correlation was found between the protease activities obtained and the fermentation most relevant parameters: oxygen uptake rate (R (2) = 0.81) and temperature (R (2) = 0.82). In this work, we have demonstrated that inoculation is effective even under non-sterile conditions at the kg scale and that this strain is able to compete with autochthonous microbiota and increase the protease production to levels higher than those previously reported in literature.

Valorization of soy waste through SSF for the production of compost enriched with Bacillus thuringiensis with biopesticide properties.

There is a growing generation of biodegradable wastes from different human activities from industrial to agricultural including home and recreational activities. On the other hand, agricultural and horticultural activities require significant amounts of organic amendments and pesticides. In this framework, the present study evaluates the viability of soy fiber residue valorization as organic soil amendment with biopesticide properties through aerobic solid-state fermentation (SSF) in the presence of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The experiments were performed first under sterile and non-sterile conditions at lab scale using 115 g of sample and controlled temperature (30 °C). Bt growth was successful in sterile conditions, obtaining 6.2 × 10(11) CFU g(-1) DM and 8.6 × 10(10) spores g(-1) DM after 6 days. Bt survived on solid culture under non-sterile conditions (3.8 × 10(9) CFU g(-1) DM and 1.3 × 10(8) spores g(-1) DM). Further, the valorization process was scaled-up to 10 L reactors (2300 g) under non-sterile conditions obtaining a final stabilized material with viable Bt cells and spores (9.5 × 10(7) CFU g(-1) DM and 1.1 × 10(8) spores g(-1) DM in average) after 9 days of SSF. These results confirm the possibility of managing biodegradable wastes by their transformation to a waste derived soil amendment with enhanced biopesticide effect, in comparison to traditional compost using a valuable and low-cost technique (SSF).

Programmed iron oxide nanoparticles disintegration in anaerobic digesters boosts biogas production.

A novel concept of dosing iron ions using Fe3O4 engineered nanoparticles is used to improve biogas production in anaerobic digestion processes. Since small nanoparticles are unstable, they can be designed to provide ions in a controlled manner, and the highest ever reported improvement of biogas production is obtained. The nanoparticles evolution during operation is followed by an array of spectroscopic techniques.

Solid-state fermentation of soybean residues for bioflocculant production in a pilot-scale bioreactor system.

An innovative approach using soybean residues for the production of bioflocculants through solid-state fermentation was carried out in 4.5 L near-to-adiabatic bioreactors at pilot-scale level. An added inoculum of the strain Bacillus subtilis UPMB13 was tested in comparison with control reactors without any inoculation after the thermophilic phase of the fermentation. The flocculating performances of the extracted bioflocculants were tested on kaolin suspensions, and crude bioflocculants were obtained from 20 g of fermented substrate through ethanol precipitation. The production of bioflocculants was observed to be higher during the death phase of microbial growth. The bioflocculants were observed to be granular in nature and consisted of hydroxyl, carboxyl and methoxyl groups that aid in their flocculating performance. The results show the vast potential of the idea of using wastes to produce bioactive materials that can replace the current dependence on chemicals, for future prospect in water treatment applications.

Exploring biorefinery alternatives for biowaste valorization: a techno-economic assessment of enzymatic hydrolysis coupled with anaerobic digestion or solid-state fermentation for high-value bioproducts.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of organic waste is gaining relevance as a complementary technology to conventional biological treatments. Moreover, biorefineries are emerging as a sustainable scenario to integrate waste valorization and high-value bioproducts production. However, their application on municipal solid waste is still limited. This study systematically evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of the conversion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) into high-value bioproducts through enzymatic hydrolysis. Two key variables are examined: (a) the source of the enzymes: commercial or on-site produced using OFMSW, and (b) the treatment of the solid hydrolyzate fraction: solid-state fermentation (SSF) for the production of biopesticides or anaerobic digestion for the production of energy. As a result, four different biorefinery scenarios are generated and compared in terms of profitability. Results showed that the most profitable scenario was to produce enzymes on-site and valorize the solid fraction via SSF, with an internal rate of return of 13%. This scenario led to higher profit margins (74%) and a reduced payback time (6 years), in contrast with commercial enzymes that led to an unprofitable biorefinery. Also, the simultaneous production of higher-value bioproducts and energy reduced the economic dependence of OFMSW treatment on policy instruments while remaining energetically self-sufficient. The profitability of the biorefinery scenarios evaluated was heavily dependent on the enzyme price and the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion process, highlighting the importance of cost-efficient enzyme production alternatives and high-quality OFMSW. This paper contributes to understanding the potential role of enzymes in future OFMSW biorefineries and offers economical insights on different configurations.

Techno-economic analysis to assess enzyme origin and solid hydrolysate fate.The viability of enzymatic hydrolysis depends on the cost and origin of enzymes.On-site produced enzymes cut payback time to 6 years, elevating profits by 74%.Anaerobic digestion and solid-state fermentation can be complementary technologies.High-value bioproducts are key to making organic waste biorefineries profitable.

Addressing the gaseous and odour emissions gap in decentralised biowaste community composting.

Composting has demonstrated to be an effective and sustainable technology to valorise organic waste in the framework of circular economy, especially for biowaste. Composting can be performed in various technological options, from full-scale plants to community or even individual composters. However, there is scarce scientific information about the potential impact of community composting referred to gaseous emissions. This work examines the emissions of methane and nitrous oxide as main GHG, ammonia, VOC and odours from different active community composting sites placed in Spain, treating kitchen, leftovers and household biowaste. Expectedly, the gaseous emissions have an evident relation with the composting progress, represented mainly by its decrease as temperature or biological activity decreases. GHG and odour emission rates ranged from 5.3 to 815.2 mg CO2eq d-1 kg-1VS and from 69.8 to 1088.5 ou d-1 kg-1VS, respectively, generally being lower than those find in open-air full-scale composting. VOC characterization from the community composting gaseous emissions showed a higher VOC families' distribution in the emissions from initial composting phases, even though terpenes such as limonene, α-pinene and ß-pinene were the most abundant VOC along the composting process occurring in the different sites studied. The results presented in this study can be the basis to evaluate systematically and scientifically the numerous current projects for a worldwide community composting implementation in decentralised biowaste management schemes.

Synthesis of Cobalt-Based Nanoparticles as Catalysts for Methanol Synthesis from CO2 Hydrogenation.

The increasing emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere has urged the scientific community to investigate alternatives to alleviate such emissions, being that they are the principal contributor to the greenhouse gas effect. One major alternative is carbon capture and utilization (CCU) toward the production of value-added chemicals using diverse technologies. This work aims at the study of the catalytic potential of different cobalt-derived nanoparticles for methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide hydrogenation. Thanks to its abundance and cost efficacy, cobalt can serve as an economical catalyst compared to noble metal-based catalysts. In this work, we present a systematic comparison among different cobalt and cobalt oxide nanocomposites in terms of their efficiency as catalysts for carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol as well as how different supports, zeolites, MnO2, and CeO2, can enhance their catalytic capacity. The oxygen vacancies in the cerium oxide act as carbon dioxide adsorption and activation sites, which facilitates a higher methanol production yield.

Filling in the gaps in biowaste biorefineries: The use of the solid residue after enzymatic hydrolysis for the production of biopesticides through solid-state fermentation.

Alternative production processes using waste are necessary to preserve non-renewable resources and prevent scarcity of materials for future generations. Biowaste, the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, is abundant and easily available. It can be fractionated into building blocks for which fermentative processes can be designed. By using solid-state fermentation, this paper proposes a method of valorizing biowaste's residual solid fraction after enzymatic hydrolysis. In a 22 L bioreactor, two digestates from anaerobic digestion processes were evaluated as cosubstrates to modify the acidic pH of the solid residue after enzymatic hydrolysis and promote the growth of the bacterial biopesticide producer Bacillus thuringiensis. Regardless of the cosubstrate used, the final microbial populations were similar indicating microbial specialization. The final product contained 4 × 108 spores per gram of dry matter and also crystal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis, which have insecticidal activity against pests. This method allows for the sustainable use of all materials liberated during the enzymatic hydrolysis of biowaste, including residual solids.

Recent Advances in the Catalytic Conversion of Methane to Methanol: From the Challenges of Traditional Catalysts to the Use of Nanomaterials and Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Methane and carbon dioxide are the main contributors to global warming, with the methane effect being 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Although the sources of methane are diverse, it is a very volatile and explosive gas. One way to store the energy content of methane is through its conversion to methanol. Methanol is a liquid under ambient conditions, easy to transport, and, apart from its use as an energy source, it is a chemical platform that can serve as a starting material for the production of various higher-value products. Accordingly, the transformation of methane to methanol has been extensively studied in the literature, using traditional catalysts as different types of zeolites. However, in the last few years, a new generation of catalysts has emerged to carry out this transformation with higher conversion and selectivity, and more importantly, under mild temperature and pressure conditions. These new catalysts typically involve the use of a highly porous supporting material such as zeolite, or more recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and graphene, and metallic nanoparticles or a combination of different types of nanoparticles that are the core of the catalytic process. In this review, recent advances in the porous supports for nanoparticles used for methane oxidation to methanol under mild conditions are discussed.

Advances, trends and challenges in the use of biochar as an improvement strategy in the anaerobic digestion of organic waste: a systematic analysis.

A recently strategy applied to anaerobic digestion (AD) is the use of biochar (BC) obtained from the pyrolysis of different organic waste. The PRISMA protocol-based review of the most recent literature data from 2011-2022 was used in this study. The review focuses on research papers from Scopus® and Web of Knowledge®. The review protocol used permits to identify 169 articles. The review indicated a need for further research in the following challenges on the application of BC in AD: i) to increase the use of BC in developing countries, which produce large and diverse amounts of waste that are the source of production of this additive; ii) to determine the effect of BC on the AD of organic waste under psychrophilic conditions; iii) to apply tools of machine learning or robust models that allow the process optimization; iv) to perform studies that include life cycle and technical-economic analysis that allow identifying the potential of applying BC in AD in large-scale systems; v) to study the effects of BC on the agronomic characteristics of the digestate once it is applied to the soil and vi) finally, it is necessary to deepen in the effect of BC on the dynamics of nitrogen and microbial consortia that affect AD, considering the type of BC used. In the future, it is necessary to search for new solutions in terms of the transport phenomena that occurs in AD with the use of BC using robust and precise mathematical models at full-scale conditions.

Magnetite-based nanoparticles and nanocomposites for recovery of overloaded anaerobic digesters.

The effect of magnetite nanoparticles and nanocomposites (magnetite nanoparticles impregnated into graphene oxide) supplement on the recovery of overloaded laboratory batch anaerobic reactors was assessed using two types of starting inoculum: anaerobic granular sludge (GS) and flocculent sludge (FS). Both nanomaterials recovered methane production at a dose of 0.27 g/L within 40 days in GS. Four doses of magnetite nanoparticles from 0.075 to 1 g/L recovered the process in FS systems between 30 and 50 days relaying on the dose. The presence of nanomaterials helped to reverse the effect of volatile fatty acids inhibition and enabled microbial communities to recover but also favoured the development of certain microorganisms over others. In GS reactors, the methanogenic population changed from being mostly acetoclastic (Methanothrix soehngenii) to being dominated by hydrogenotrophic species (Methanobacterium beijingense). Nanomaterial amendment may serve as a preventative measure or provide an effective remedial solution for system recovery following overloading.

Preliminary study of phosphate adsorption onto cerium oxide nanoparticles for use in water purification; nanoparticles synthesis and characterization.

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO(2)-NPs) and their adsorption potential for removing phosphate from water was evaluated using a multi-factor experimental design to explore the effect of various factors on adsorption. The objective function selected was the percentage of phosphate removed from water, in which the phosphate concentration and the CeO(2)-NP concentration are quantitative variables (factors in the experimental design). A lineal polynomial fitted the experimental results well (R(2) = 0.9803). The nanostructure was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM techniques before and after the adsorption process. During the adsorption and desorption processes several changes in the morphology and surface chemistry of the CeO(2)-NPs were observed.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: Optimization and valorization of the solid fraction for Bacillus thuringiensis biopesticide production through solid-state fermentation.

To reach a more sustainable society, the implementation of a circular economy perspective in municipal waste management becomes essential. In this work, the enzymatic hydrolysis of source-separated organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) has been optimized as a sugar-releasing step. A liquid sugar concentrate, with a maximum reducing sugar concentration of 50.56 g L-1, and a solid hydrolyzed fraction were obtained. The effect of the harshness of the hydrolysis conditions was evaluated on the performance of the resulting solid fraction as a substrate for Bacillus thuringiensis biopesticide production through solid-state fermentation. A production of 3.9 × 108 viable cells g-1 dry matter with a 33% sporulation ratio was achieved for milder hydrolysis conditions, highlighting the potential of the solid fraction of hydrolysis as a substrate of SSF processes. The proposed valorization pathway for the OFMSW results in a sugar concentrate with potential for fermentative processes and a fermented solid containing biopesticides from Bacillus thuringiensis.

Microbial biosurfactants: a review of recent environmental applications.

Microbial biosurfactants are low-molecular-weight surface-active compounds of high industrial interest owing to their chemical properties and stability under several environmental conditions. The chemistry of a biosurfactant and its production cost are defined by the selection of the producer microorganism, type of substrate, and purification strategy. Recently, biosurfactants have been applied to solve or contribute to solving some environmental problems, with this being their main field of application. The most referenced studies are based on the bioremediation of contaminated soils with recalcitrant pollutants, such as hydrocarbons or heavy metals. In the case of heavy metals, biosurfactants function as chelating agents owing to their binding capacity. However, the mechanism by which biosurfactants typically act in an environmental field is focused on their ability to reduce the surface tension, thus facilitating the emulsification and solubilization of certain pollutants (in-situ biostimulation and/or bioaugmentation). Moreover, despite the low toxicity of biosurfactants, they can also act as biocidal agents at certain doses, mainly at higher concentrations than their critical micellar concentration. More recently, biosurfactant production using alternative substrates, such as several types of organic waste and solid-state fermentation, has increased its applicability and research interest in a circular economy context. In this review, the most recent research publications on the use of biosurfactants in environmental applications as an alternative to conventional chemical surfactants are summarized and analyzed. Novel strategies using biosurfactants as agricultural and biocidal agents are also presented in this paper.

Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Methanol Using Cu-Zn Nanostructured Materials as Catalysts.

Nowadays, there is a growing awareness of the great environmental impact caused by the enormous amounts of carbon dioxide emitted. Several alternatives exist to solve this problem, and one of them is the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into methanol by using nanomaterials as catalysts. The aim of this alternative is to produce a value-added chemical, such as methanol, which is a cheaply available feedstock. The development of improved materials for this conversion reaction and a deeper study of the existing ones are important for obtaining higher efficiencies in terms of yield, conversion, and methanol selectivity, in addition to allowing milder reaction conditions in terms of pressure and temperature. In this work, the performance of copper, zinc, and zinc oxide nanoparticles in supported and unsupported bimetallic systems is evaluated in order to establish a comparison among the different materials according to their efficiency. For that, a packed bed reactor operating with a continuous gas flow is used. The obtained results indicate that the use of bimetallic systems combined with porous supports, such as zeolite and activated carbon, is beneficial, thus improving the performance of unsupported materials by four times.