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Frossard E, Crain G, Giménez de Azcárate Bordóns I, Hirschvogel C, Oberson A, Paille C, Pellegri G, Udert KM. Recycling nutrients from organic waste for growing higher plants in the Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) loop during long-term space missions. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2024; 40:176-185. [PMID: 38245343 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2023.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Space agencies are developing Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) in view of upcoming long-term crewed space missions. Most of these BLSS plan to include various crops to produce different types of foods, clean water, and O2 while capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. However, growing these plants will require the appropriate addition of nutrients in forms that are available. As shipping fertilizers from Earth would be too costly, it will be necessary to use waste-derived nutrients. Using the example of the MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) loop of the European Space Agency, this paper reviews what should be considered so that nutrients recycled from waste streams could be used by plants grown in a hydroponic system. Whereas substantial research has been conducted on nitrogen and phosphorus recovery from human urine, much work remains to be done on recovering nutrients from other liquid and solid organic waste. It is essential to continue to study ways to efficiently remove sodium and chloride from urine and other organic waste to prevent the spread of these elements to the rest of the MELiSSA loop. A full nitrogen balance at habitat level will have to be achieved; on one hand, sufficient N2 will be needed to maintain atmospheric pressure at a proper level and on the other, enough mineral nitrogen will have to be provided to the plants to ensure biomass production. From a plant nutrition point of view, we will need to evaluate whether the flux of nutrients reaching the hydroponic system will enable the production of nutrient solutions able to sustain a wide variety of crops. We will also have to assess the nutrient use efficiency of these crops and how that efficiency might be increased. Techniques and sensors will have to be developed to grow the plants, considering low levels or the total absence of gravity, the limited volume available to plant growth systems, variations in plant needs, the recycling of nutrient solutions, and eventually the ultimate disposal of waste that can no longer be used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Frossard
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland.
| | - Grace Crain
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Astrid Oberson
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland
| | | | - Geremia Pellegri
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland
| | - Kai M Udert
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600, Dubendorf, Switzerland; ETH Zurich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
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Jurga A, Ratkiewicz K, Wdowikowska A, Reda M, Janicka M, Chohura P, Janiak K. Urine and grey water based liquid fertilizer - Production and the response of plants. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 331:117248. [PMID: 36652879 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plant cultivation is a key aspect of future long-distance space missions, and the creation of an efficient food system will not be possible without it. The production of fertilizer in space is based on the recovery of water and nutrients from wastewater, such as urine and grey water. In this study, the fertilizer production process was conducted in an aerobic, activated sludge reactor, where nitrification and the process of carbon removal take place. Treated streams have three potential factors that could affect the plants growth in a hydroponic system (anionic surfactants, nutrients deficiencies, high salinity). The effect of these factors was examined for two hydroponic configurations. Their influence on lettuce yield, quality parameters and stress response were investigated and compared to the control cultivation. The results showed that the main cause of a decrease (up to 24%) in the yield productivity of plants grown on nitrified urine and grey water is oxidative stress originated from a deficiency of elements, not from used anionic surfactant. Enrichment with nutrients resulted in the restoration of proper protein synthesis and an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, which was positively reflected in the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the enriched cultivation (fresh leaves mass equal to 103% of the control). Results also show that Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate (SMCT) surfactant itself after biological treatment used in plant cultivation has no negative effects reflected in lettuce yield or quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Jurga
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Krzysztof Ratkiewicz
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anna Wdowikowska
- Department of Plant Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Reda
- Department of Plant Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Janicka
- Department of Plant Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Chohura
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, St. C. K. Norwida 27, 50-375, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Kamil Janiak
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wroclaw, Poland; Wroclaw Municipal Water and Sewage Company, Na Grobli 19, 50-421, Wroclaw, Poland
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Wdowikowska A, Reda M, Kabała K, Chohura P, Jurga A, Janiak K, Janicka M. Water and Nutrient Recovery for Cucumber Hydroponic Cultivation in Simultaneous Biological Treatment of Urine and Grey Water. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1286. [PMID: 36986974 PMCID: PMC10053017 DOI: 10.3390/plants12061286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Water and nutrient deficiencies in soil are becoming a serious threat to crop production. Therefore, usable water and nutrient recovery from wastewater, such as urine and grey water, should be considered. In this work, we showed the possibility of using grey water and urine after processing in an aerobic reactor with activated sludge in which the nitrification process takes place. The resulting liquid (nitrified urine and grey water, NUG) contains three potential factors that can adversely affect plant growth in a hydroponic system: anionic surfactants, nutrient deficits, and salinity. After dilution and supplementation with small amounts of macro- and micro-elements, NUG was suitable for cucumber cultivation. Plant growth on this modified medium (enriched nitrified urine and grey water, NUGE) was similar to that of plants cultivated on Hoagland solution (HS) and reference commercial fertilizer (RCF). The modified medium (NUGE) contained a significant amount of sodium (Na) ions. Therefore, typical effects of salt stress were observed in cucumber plants, including reduced chlorophyll levels, slightly weaker photosynthesis parameters, increased H2O2 levels, lipid peroxidation, ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity, and proline content in the leaves. In addition, reduced protein levels were observed in plants treated with recycled medium. At the same time, lower nitrate content in tissues was found, which may have resulted from their intensive use by nitrate reductase (NR), the activity of which significantly increased. Although cucumber is a glycophyte, it grew very well in this recycled medium. Interestingly, salt stress and possibly anionic surfactants promoted flower formation, which in turn could positively affect plant yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Wdowikowska
- Department of Plant Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Reda
- Department of Plant Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Kabała
- Department of Plant Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Piotr Chohura
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, St. C. K. Norwida 27, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anna Jurga
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Kamil Janiak
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
- Wroclaw Municipal Water and Sewage Company, Na Grobli 19, 50-421 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Janicka
- Department of Plant Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wrocław, Poland
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Li X, Tao RJ, Tian MJ, Yuan Y, Huang Y, Li BL. Recovery and dormancy of nitrogen removal characteristics in the pilot-scale denitrification-partial nitrification-Anammox process for landfill leachate treatment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 300:113711. [PMID: 34509812 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The pilot-scale partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonia oxidation (PN-Anammox) process for landfill leachate treatment has been running stably for 2 years. The degradation characteristics of nitrogen removal performance of PN-Anammox in this system were discussed during shutdown, and different recovery strategies were analyzed from the perspective of economy and easy implementation. The results showed that during the 166 d dormancy period, the decrease in Anammox bacteria activity occurred earlier than that of Anammox bacteria, and both tended to slow down after 128 d. The recovery strategy of simulated wastewater was the fastest, followed by the pretreated landfill leachate recovery strategy with inoculation of some corresponding functional sludges, while the worst strategy was the direct pretreated landfill leachate recovery strategy. The recovery start-up of the pilot-scale PN-Anammox process further showed that microbial activities were difficult to recover simultaneously during operation using raw wastewater directly due to the presence of high NH4+-N levels and the coupling process, which easily led to the accumulation of NH4+-N or NO2-N, thereby inhibiting microbial activity. The addition of some functional bacteria was more conducive to the rapid recovery of microbial activity. This study provides a new strategy for the rapid recovery of microbial activity for the engineering application of the PN-Anammox process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China.
| | - Ren-Jie Tao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Meng-Jia Tian
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Yan Yuan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Yong Huang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Bo-Lin Li
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
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