Hydrodynamic disintegration effects assessment by CFD modelling integrated with bench tests.

The hydrodynamic disintegration process depends, among others, on operational parameters like rotational speed or introduced energy. The study presents an interdisciplinary approach to the hydrodynamic disintegration parameters impact assessment on the internal processes and disintegration effects on the example of sewage sludge treatment. Three rotational speeds were considered, including fluid properties change at selected disintegration stages. Disintegration effects were measured in the bench tests. Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were measured before and after disintegration process. The assessment of the effects of disintegration employed the disintegration degree and the assessment of the course of methane production employed biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests. Fluid properties change during the disintegration stages does not cause a significant change in the flow structure. Due to the mathematical modelling results, at 1500 rpm no cavitation phenomenon was observed. Although, the bench tests results indicates, for the rotational speed 1500 rpm, organic compounds released to the liquid were characterised by higher susceptibility to biological decomposition than those released for 2500 and 3000 rpm (as suggested by the low SCOD/VFA values for 1500 rpm). Obtained results have confirmed, that the main phenomenon responsible for the disintegration effect is mechanical shredding not cavitation.

Effects of various rotational speeds of hydrodynamic disintegrator on carbon, nutrient, and energy recovery from sewage sludge.

Until recently, sewage sludge produced in wastewater treatment processes was considered problematic waste. It currently constitutes a valuable substrate for raw materials and energy recovery. One of the methods of intensifying resource recovery from sludge is its pretreatment by means of disintegration methods. This study presents the CFD modelling and experimentally investigates the use of a hydrodynamic cavitation rotor operated with various rotational speeds (1500, 2500, and 300 rpm) for the recovery of organic compounds, nutrients, and energy. Rheological properties of raw sludge, a non-Newtonian fluid, were determined and used in the modelling calculations. Cavitation zones were observed for 2500 rpm and 3000 rpm, although a stronger cavitation effect occurred for a rotational speed of 3000 rpm. A rotational speed of 1500 rpm was too low to generate a pressure drop below 1705 Pa, and no cavitation was recorded. An increase in rotational speed from 1500 rpm to 3000 rpm for each analysed energy density caused an increase in SCOD and nitrogen concentration. Moreover, it was determined that at low energy densities (<105 kJ/L), mechanical tearing was the dominant factor responsible for carbon recovery, and at its higher values (≥105 kJ/L), the cavitation phenomenon became increasingly important. Rotation speed also had a significant effect on methane yield (YCH4). An increase in YCH4 by 6.2% was recorded only for disintegrated sludge at a rotational speed of 1500 rpm in reference to untreated sludge. Disintegration conducted at higher rotational speeds led to a decrease in YCH4 (-0.7% for 2500 rpm and -7.9% for 3000 rpm).

Disintegration of waste sludge as an element bio-circular economy in waste water treatment plant towards carbon recovery for biological nutrient removal.

The goal of the study was to evaluate the possibility of use of disintegrated excess sludge to enhance combined biological nutrient removal from wastewater. In the experiment lasting 295 days four runs were performed. Effectiveness of contaminants removal in sequencing batch reactor without and with applying sludge subjected previously to hydrodynamic disintegration at three energy density (ƐL) levels was analysed. It was shown that ƐL is a crucial parameters responsible for the characteristics of disintegrated sludge applied as a carbon source for biological nutrient removal. Using sludge disintegrated at 70 and 210 kJ/L the increase in effectiveness of N and P removal was noted, averagely by 16.1 % (N removal) and 70.3 % (P removal) at ƐL = 70 kJ/L and by 17.8 % and 63.1 % at ƐL = 210 kJ/L. On the contrary, use of sludge disintegrated at ƐL = 280 kJ/L caused decline in N removal by averagely 12.8 %, what was a consequence of nitrification failure.

Development of microbial communities in biofilm and activated sludge in a hybrid reactor.

Microorganisms play a key role in biological wastewater treatment. The form in which biomass develops determines the efficiency and mechanisms of organic compound conversion, due to different conditions in various microbial structures. However, the results of studies comparing the microbial communities in biofilm and activated sludge have often conflicted. Therefore, this study compared the composition and development of the bacterial communities in biofilm and activated sludge in a hybrid reactor, employing 16S rRNA sequencing. Statistical analysis of the sequencing data included the identification of taxa characteristic to the biofilm and activated sludge, alpha and beta diversity analysis, and network analysis. These analyses indicated that the biofilm bacterial community was richer and more diverse than the activated sludge community. The mean numbers of OTU were 1614 in the biofilm and 993 in the activated sludge, and the mean values of the Chao1 (1735 vs. 1105) and Shannon (5.3 vs. 4.3) biodiversity indices were significantly higher for the biofilm. The biofilm was a better environment for development of nitrifiers (e.g., Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira) and phosphorus accumulating organisms (Candidatus Accumulibacter). Bacteria in the biofilm co-occurrence network had more connections (based on Spearman's rank correlation coefficient) with each other, indicating that they interact more than those in the activated sludge.

How to assess the efficiency of the agro waste disintegration process.

The objective of the study was to verify whether the method of determining the efficiency of sewage sludge disintegration, i.e. the disintegration degree (DD), can also be used to assess agro-waste disintegration. The following types of agro waste were tested: remains of fruits, sugar beet pulp and sugar beet pulp in the form of pellets. It was shown that DD as used for sewage sludge can also be a useful tool in assessing the disintegration efficiency of agro waste, although it requires the following modifications: (a) a methodology of chemical hydrolysis for each type of agro waste in order to determine the total amount of soluble COD (SCOD) that can be released from the sample and (b) possible changes in the SCOD value that may occur in the sample left in ambient conditions for a time period corresponding to the duration of the disintegration process. DD of agro waste determined according to the formula adopted for sewage sludge resulted in a considerable overestimation of the value in comparison to the formula proposed by the authors, i.e. DD determined for an energy density of 35 kJ L-1 was higher by 55.9 ± 21.5%, and for an energy density of 140 kJ L-1 it was higher by as much as 73.8 ± 28.1%. Taking into account the differences in the determined disintegration degree values that result from the methodology of conducting the chemical hydrolysis, it is recommended, in order to assess the efficiency of disintegration of agro waste, to use the efficiency of organic compound release.

Empagliflozin-A New Chance for Patients with Chronic Heart Failure.

The heart failure (HF) epidemic is one of the challenges that has been faced by the healthcare system worldwide for almost 25 years. With an ageing world population and a fast-paced lifestyle that promotes the development of cardiovascular disease, the number of people suffering from heart failure will continue to rise. To improve the treatment regimen and consequently the prognosis and quality of life of heart failure patients, new therapeutic solutions have been introduced, such as an inclusion of Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors in a new treatment regimen as announced by the European Society of Cardiology in August 2021. This article focuses on the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin and its use in patients with heart failure. Empagliflozin is a drug originally intended for the treatment of diabetes due to its glycosuric properties, yet its beneficial effects extend beyond lowering glycemia. The pleiotropic effects of the drug include nephroprotection, improving endothelial function, lowering blood pressure and reducing body weight. In this review we discuss the cardioprotective mechanism of the drug in the context of the benefits of empagliflozin use in patients with chronic cardiac insufficiency. Numerous findings confirm that despite its potential limitations, the use of empagliflozin in HF treatment is advantageous and effective.

A study of zearalenone biosorption and metabolisation by prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

A study of the mechanism responsible for the zearalenone (ZEA) neutralization by lactic acid bacteria Lactococcus lactis 56 and L929 cell line was carried out by determination of the kinetics of the binding process. In the case of prokaryotic cells the biosorption process was non-linear and three steps were identified. The maximum efficiency of zearalenone binding to L. lactis was almost 30% and no metabolites were observed. In turn, for eukaryotic cells only two steps of the binding process were differentiated, and the efficiency of zearalenone binding was 53.99%. Furthermore, L929 cell line metabolizes zearalenone to α-ZOL and ß-ZOL. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used for description of the structural changes at the protein and lipid level, while Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was applied to detect changes at the molecular level.

Investigation of Zearalenone Adsorption and Biotransformation by Microorganisms Cultured under Cellular Stress Conditions.

The zearalenone binding and metabolization ability of probiotic microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillusparacasei, Lactococcus lactis, and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, isolated from food products, were examined. Moreover, the influence of cellular stress (induced by silver nanoparticles) and lyophilization on the effectiveness of tested microorganisms was also investigated. The concentration of zearalenone after a certain time of incubation with microorganisms was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The maximum sorption effectiveness for L.paracasei, L. lactis, and S. cerevisiae cultured in non-stress conditions was 53.3, 41.0, and 36.5%, respectively. At the same time for the same microorganisms cultured at cellular stress conditions, the maximum sorption effectiveness was improved to 55.3, 47.4, and 57.0%, respectively. Also, the effect of culture conditions on the morphology of the cells and its metabolism was examined using microscopic technique and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, respectively.

High performance liquid chromatography as a molecular probe in quantitative structure-retention relationships studies of selected lipid classes on polar-embedded stationary phases.

Studies on the retention mechanism of lipid classes (phospholipids, sphingomyelin) were performed using three polar-embedded stationary phases for which diol, phosphate, amino, and amide moieties were incorporated into the alkyl chains of the stationary phases. Their structural descriptors were determined using the quantum-mechanical method. The retention behavior of the analytes was investigated as a function of different binary hydro-organic mobile phases containing (90%/10% acetonitrile (or methanol)/0.1% formic acid). It was found that the elution order on the tested stationary phases was governed chiefly by the hydrophilicity of the analyte and indicated the existence of a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography retention mechanism. Quantitative structure-retention relationships studies were performed to further elucidate the retention mechanism. These studies showed that the dominant analyte descriptor influencing retention on the alkyl-amine stationary phase was the logarithm of the octanol-water partition coefficient. For the phospho-diol and alkyl-amide stationary phases, the dominant analyte descriptor influencing retention was the molar volume and solvent accessible area of the analyte, respectively.

Comparison of Various Extraction Techniques of Medicago sativa: Yield, Antioxidant Activity, and Content of Phytochemical Constituents.

Medicago sativa L. (M. sativa) is a source of many valuable secondary metabolites. Extraction yield and the concentration of phenolics, flavonoids, and saponins, as well as antioxidant potential were determined in extracts from different parts of M. sativa obtained using extraction methods such as maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). The concentrations of the listed groups of compounds were spectrophotometrically determined and confirmed by HPLC-MS. The results showed that ASE of flowers with 70% ethanol (EtOH) provided the highest yield of extraction (47.5 ± 4.0%), whereas the lowest yield was obtained in stems (4.0 ± 0.2%). The 70% EtOH extract from flowers showed the highest phenolic content [48.4 ± 4.6 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry matter (DM)], as well as the highest antioxidant activity. The highest total flavonoid content (139.0 ± 7.1 mg rutin equivalents/g DM) was observed in the extract from leaves obtained through SFE. This extract was also especially rich in saponins [622.2 ± 30.3 mg oleanolic acid equivalents (OAE)/g DM]. However, the lowest compound content was observed in maceration extracts from stems (54.6 ± 27.0 mg OAE/g DM). The results suggest that EtOH extracts from alfalfa flowers and SFE extracts from M. satvia leaves, especially, may serve as potential sources of natural antioxidants for nutraceuticals, food additives, and cosmetic ingredients.

Silver nanoparticles functionalized with ampicillin.

The resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics has become a serious problem. The emphasis is placed on the development of new, effective antimicrobial strategies. One of them is the use of AgNPs in association with antibiotic drugs. The aim of this study was to obtain silver nanoparticles functionalized with ampicillin and to investigate the mechanism of binding antibiotics to nanoparticle using high-performance liquid chromatography approach. To confirm the occurrence of silver nanoparticles functionalization, FTIR, MALDI-TOF MS, and DLS analysis and zeta potential measurements were performed. Moreover we assessed the antibacterial activity of biologically synthesized nanoparticles functionalized with ampicillin against a range of gram (+) and gram (-) bacteria strains such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Escherichia coli.

Analytical Techniques in Lipidomics: State of the Art.

Current studies related to lipid identification and determination, or lipidomics in biological samples, are one of the most important issues in modern bioanalytical chemistry. There are many articles dedicated to specific analytical strategies used in lipidomics in various kinds of biological samples. However, in such literature, there is a lack of articles dedicated to a comprehensive review of the actual analytical methodologies used in lipidomics. The aim of this article is to characterize the lipidomics methods used in modern bioanalysis according to the methodological point of view: (1) chromatography/separation methods, (2) spectroscopic methods and (3) mass spectrometry and also hyphenated methods. In the first part, we discussed thin layer chromatography (TLC), high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). The second part includes spectroscopic techniques such as Raman spectroscopy (RS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The third part is a synthetic review of mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), hyphenated methods, which include liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and also multidimensional techniques. Other aspects are the possibilities of the application of the described methods in lipidomics studies. Due to the fact that the exploration of new methods of lipidomics analysis and their applications in clinical and medical studies are still challenging for researchers working in life science, we hope that this review article will be very useful for readers.

Non-target analysis of phospholipid and sphingolipid species in egg yolk using liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry.

In this work, phospholipids extracted from egg yolk (control group, experimental group) were identified using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Combinations of fatty acyls occurring in 11 classes of phospholipids from egg yolk were investigated. Differences between the profile of fatty acyls from hens fed traditionally and the ones that received special diet supplementation were observed. Experimental findings were complemented with multivariate chemometric analysis. Multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry mode was utilized and 123 distinct combinations of fatty acyls occurring in phospholipids were identified. From these, large portions are polyunsaturated fatty acyls from the omega-3 and omega-6 family. HPLC MS/MS analysis allows for quick, accurate and precise determination of biologically active compounds, found in low concentrations within the tested material.

Determination of phospholipids in milk using a new phosphodiester stationary phase by liquid chromatography-matrix assisted desorption ionization mass spectrometry.

A methodology employing high performance liquid chromatography coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been utilized to determine the quality of phospholipid classes. Home-made phosphoester chemically bonded stationary phase containing diol, phosphate and octadecyl groups (Diol-P-C18) has been employed in the separation of polar lipids from milk. Each phospholipid fraction was collected manually and identified by MALDI-TOF MS.

Hyphenated Analytical Methods in Determination of Biologically Active Compounds in Hen's Eggs.

Hen's egg is a complete material needed for the development of the embryo; it is an important source of nutraceutical compounds, such as protein, fats, vitamins, trace metals, and minerals. Moreover, avian egg contains biologically active compounds that exhibit antibacterial and antimicrobial activities as well as antitumor, antiviral, antioxidant, immunomodulating, and therapeutic properties. Eggs are mostly very good sources of valuable, easily digestible proteins. This review focuses on the biologically active compounds from hen's egg and applications of these compounds in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, it gives an overview of the hyphenated separation techniques, including sample preparation, analysis, and identification, used in the proteomics and lipidomics analysis.

Enhancing combined biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater by applying mechanically disintegrated excess sludge.

The goal of the study was to evaluate the possibility of applying disintegrated excess sludge as a source of organic carbon to enhance biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The experiment, performed in a sequencing batch reactor, consisted of two two-month series, without and with applying mechanically disintegrated excess sludge, respectively. The effects on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus removal were observed. It was shown that the method allows enhancement of combined nitrogen and phosphorus removal. After using disintegrated sludge, denitrification effectiveness increased from 49.2 ± 6.8% to 76.2 ± 2.3%, which resulted in a decline in the NOx-N concentration in the effluent from the SBR by an average of 21.4 mg NOx-N/L. Effectiveness of biological phosphorus removal increased from 28.1 ± 11.3% to 96.2 ± 2.5%, thus resulting in a drop in the [Formula: see text] concentration in the effluent by, on average, 6.05 mg PO4(3-)-P/L. The application of disintegrated sludge did not deteriorate effluent quality in terms of COD and NH4(+)-N. The concentration of NH4(+)-N in both series averaged 0.16 ± 0.11 mg NH4(+)-N/L, and the concentration of COD was 15.36 ± 3.54 mg O2/L.

Effects of mechanical disintegration of activated sludge on the activity of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria and phosphorus accumulating organisms.

The purpose of the study was to analyse the impact of hydrodynamic disintegration of thickened excess activated sludge, performed at different levels of energy density (70, 140 and 210 kJ/L), on the activity of microorganisms involved in nutrient removal from wastewater, i.e. nitrifiers, denitrifiers and phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs). Ammonium and nitrogen utilisation rates and phosphorus release rates for raw and disintegrated sludge were determined using batch tests. The experiment also included: 1) analysis of organic and nutrient compound release from activated sludge flocs, 2) determination of the sludge disintegration degree (DD), and 3) evaluation of respiratory activity of the biomass by using the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) batch test. It was shown that the activity degree of the examined groups of microorganisms depended on energy density and related sludge disintegration degree, and that inactivation of individual groups of microorganisms occurred at different values of DD. Least resistant to the destruction of activated sludge flocs turned out to be phosphorus accumulating organisms, while the most resistant were denitrifiers. A decrease of 20-40% in PAO activity was noted already at DD equal to 3-5%. The threshold values of DD, after crossing which the inactivation of nitrifiers and denitrifiers occurred, were equal to 8% and 10%, respectively. At lesser DD values an increase in the activity of these groups of microorganisms was observed, averaging 20.2-41.7% for nitrifiers and 9.98-36.3% for denitrifiers.

Pharmacokinetic study of amoxicillin in human plasma by solid-phase microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

Sensitive and selective analytical procedures based on high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection were developed for the determination of amoxicillin in human plasma samples. Samples were prepared by applying in-house manufactured molecularly imprinted solid-phase microextraction probes. The detection of target compounds was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The multiple reaction monitoring detection was operated in the positive electrospray ionization mode using the transitions of m/z 366 ([M + H](+) ) → 349 for amoxicillin and m/z 390 ([M + H](+) ) → 372 for gemifloxacin. The method was validated with precision within 15% relative standard deviation and accuracy within 15% relative error. The method was successfully applied to study of the pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin in human plasma after oral administration of amoxicillin.