Simultaneous reuse and treatment of sugar-sweetened beverage wastes for citric acid production.

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) for citric acid (CA) production and its impact on chemical oxygen demand (COD) of SSB. Five types of SSB were used as a carbon source for CA production by A. niger, and the COD of each SSB was measured before and after the bioprocess. Results showed that all tested SSB were suitable for CA production, with maximum yields ranging from 13.01 to 56.62 g L- 1. The COD was reduced from 53 to 75.64%, indicating that the bioprocess effectively treated SSB wastes. The use of SSB as a substrate for CA production provides an alternative to traditional feedstocks, such as sugarcane and beet molasses. The low-cost and high availability of SSB makes it an attractive option for CA production. Moreover, the study demonstrated the potential of the bioprocess to simultaneously treat and reuse SSB wastes, reducing the environmental impact of the beverage industry. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05761-9.

Emerging contaminants bioremediation by enzyme and nanozyme-based processes - A review.

Due to their widespread occurrence and the inadequate removal efficiencies by conventional wastewater treatment plants, emerging contaminants (ECs) have recently become an issue of great concern. Current ongoing studies have focused on different physical, chemical, and biological methods as strategies to avoid exposing ecosystems to significant long-term risks. Among the different proposed technologies, the enzyme-based processes rise as green biocatalysts with higher efficiency yields and lower generation of toxic by-products. Oxidoreductases and hydrolases are among the most prominent enzymes applied for bioremediation processes. The present work overviews the state of the art of recent advances in enzymatic processes during wastewater treatment of EC, focusing on recent innovations in terms of applied immobilization techniques, genetic engineering tools, and the advent of nanozymes. Future trends in the enzymes immobilization techniques for EC removal were highlighted. Research gaps and recommendations on methods and utility of enzymatic treatment incorporation in conventional wastewater treatment plants were also discussed.

Agro-industrial wastewater in a circular economy: Characteristics, impacts and applications for bioenergy and biochemicals.

The generation of agroindustrial byproducts is rising fast worldwide. The slaughter of animals, the production of bioethanol, and the processing of oil palm, cassava, and milk are industrial activities that, in 2019, generated huge amounts of wastewaters, around 2448, 1650, 256, 85, and 0.143 billion liters, respectively. Thus, it is urgent to reduce the environmental impact of these effluents through new integrated processes applying biorefinery and circular economy concepts to produce energy or new products. This review provides the characteristics of some of the most important agro-industrial wastes, including their physicochemical composition, worldwide average production, and possible environmental impacts. In addition, some alternatives for reusing these materials are addressed, focusing mainly on energy savings and the possibilities of generating value-added products. Finally, this review considers recent research and technological innovations and perspectives for the future.

Current developments and challenges of green technologies for the valorization of liquid, solid, and gaseous wastes from sugarcane ethanol production.

The sugarcane industry is one of the largest in the world and processes huge volumes of biomass, especially for ethanol and sugar production. These processes also generate several environmentally harmful solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes. Part of these wastes is reused, but with low-added value technologies, while a large unused fraction continues to impact the environment. In this review, the classic waste reuse routes are outlined, and promising green and circular technologies that can positively impact this sector are discussed. To remain competitive and reduce its environmental impact, the sugarcane industry must embrace technologies for bagasse fractionation and pyrolysis, microalgae cultivation for both CO2 recovery and vinasse treatment, CO2 chemical fixation, energy generation through the anaerobic digestion of vinasse, and genetically improved fermentation yeast strains. Considering the technological maturity, the anaerobic digestion of vinasse emerges as an important solution in the short term. However, the greatest environmental opportunity is to use the pure CO2 from fermentation. The other opportunities still require continued research to reach technological maturity. Intensifying the processes, the exploration of driving-change technologies, and the integration of wastes through biorefinery processes can lead to a more sustainable sugarcane processing industry.

Hydrogen production by dark fermentation using a new low-cost culture medium composed of corn steep liquor and cassava processing water: Process optimization and scale-up.

The use of effluents for hydrogen production through dark fermentation is promising because it results in the generation of value-added products and reduction of the effluent's organic load. A low-cost medium using agroindustrial effluents, corn steep liquor (CSL) and cassava processing wastewater (CPW) was evaluated for hydrogen production with microbial consortia (Vir and Gal). Four variables were evaluated for their impact on biohydrogen production through a Plackett Burman design. Subsequently, the significant variables were optimized using a central composite design, resulting in two mathematical models with regression coefficients R2 > 0.92. The maximum yields were validated and resulted in 107 and 83.1 mL of biohydrogen/g COD removed for Vir and Gal, respectively. The lower medium cost for biohydrogen production was 81.5 USD/m3, approximately 80% more economical than some supplemented media. Finally, the scale-up of the biohydrogen production by consortia to 5L resulted in an increase of more than 40%.

Biological hydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) by anaerobic consortia and Clostridium beijerinckii.

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) was tested as a substrate to produce hydrogen by dark fermentation. Two microbial consortia and a pure culture of Clostridium beijerinckii (ATCC 8260) were cultured anaerobically in raw, diluted and hydrolyzed POME to compare biohydrogen production yields in all three media. Experiments were done in 15 mL Hungate tubes containing 5 mL of medium and 1 mL of inoculum. When Clostridium beijerinckii was cultivated at 30 °C in the hydrolyzed POME (P003), containing 7.5 g/L of sucrose, during 8 days of fermentation and 20 % of the inoculum, the maximum biohydrogen production yield was 4.62 LH2/Lmed. Consortium C3 also showed the best production in hydrolyzed POME while consortium C6 achieved its maximum production in raw POME. This effluent is a potential substrate for biohydrogen production.

Biohydrogen production in cassava processing wastewater using microbial consortia: Process optimization and kinetic analysis of the microbial community.

Biohydrogen production was evaluated using cassava processing wastewater (CPW) and two microbial consortia (Vir and Gal) from different Brazilian environments. The biohydrogen production was optimized using a Box-Behnken design (T, pH, C/N, and % v/v inoculum). Maximum yields were obtained with hydrolyzed substrate: 4.12 and 3.80 mol H2 / for Vir and Gal, respectively. Similarly, the kinetic parameters µ, k, and q were higher with hydrolyzed CPW in both consortia. The molecular analysis of the consortia through Illumina high-throughput sequencing showed the presence of bacteria from the families Porphyromonadaceae, Clostridiaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Enterococcaceae. The relative abundance of microbial families varies as fermentation progresses. In both consortia, Clostridiaceae reached the maximum relative abundance in the media between 16 and 24 h, interval in which approximately 90% of the biohydrogen is generated.