Considering product life cycle characteristics and industry background in environmental impact analysis and application: a case study of a television

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used to evaluate product's life cycle environmental impact and identify the environmental weaknesses. However, it is difficult for existing LCA software to perform flexible LCA analysis based on the product life cycle characteristics and industry background. Meanwhile, under the existing LCA research model, product designers and manufacturers are usually not LCA evaluators, resulting in a certain time gap between the evaluation results and product improvement. Designers with less experience in green design often find it difficult to identify high environmental impact links in products at different life cycle stages and product levels, and updated products are challenging to meet various environmental restrictions. This paper establishes a multi-module product life cycle analysis model that combines product industry background that includes basic information, assessment information, structural information, and restriction information to achieve the multi-scenario of product LCA in different dimensions in a typical domain. The calculated mechanism of the dynamic power emission factor is built according to the service time and space dimensions. The proposed method forms an integrated environmental performance evaluation of household appliance (EPEHA) system. A software assessment and an optimization method are proposed to improve the EPEHA system. The results of this study show that these proposed methods can improve the timeliness and diversity of results analysis of product LCA in the field of household appliances in China. The universal data exchange format and simple operation interface of the EPEHA system enable people related to the product to quickly understand the environmental impact of the product in different scenarios, even if they lack green design knowledge and professional software training.

Fabricated magnetic adsorption - Forward osmosis membrane hybrid system for hydroponic irrigation from rich arsenic-containing heavy metal water stream

Solidification of soluble arsenic from extremely acidic water and direct use of recovery water have been the major challenges in global water management, with the urgent need for new treatment system development. Thus, magnetic adsorption - fertilizer drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) hybrid system with a novel adsorbent and fertilizer mixture to solve the drawbacks of each process was developed with the ultimate goals of metal removal and direct reuse for hydroponic irrigation. Magnetic metal-organic framework-based adsorbent (CMM) was synthesized with various promising capabilities, i.e., wide pH range efficiency, strong pH adjustment, good stability, fast adsorption (1 h), and oxidation (40 min), high capacity (175 and 126 mg/g for As(III), As(V)), strong magnetization (75 emu/g), complete separation by a magnet, excellent interference-tolerance and reusability. In the FDFO system, a massive water volume (50 times higher than the initial draw solution with suitable nutrients for hydroponics irrigation with acceptable NaCl levels was obtained for the first time up to now. However, low As(III) rejection (50%) required the FDFO process to improve more. After integrating with magnetic adsorption, nearly 100% of As was removed. The pH of feed solutions adjusted from extremely acidic to close to neutral conditions further solidified metal by precipitation and membrane separation processes, leading to almost no detection of metals in the final draw solution. Also, favorable nutrients and excellent reusability were obtained. This hybrid process would generally offer an environmentally sustainable and high efficiency for decontaminating As-containing heavy metal water for hydroponic irrigation.

Optimising ePrescribing in hospitals through the interoperability of systems and processes: a qualitative study in the UK, US, Norway and the Netherlands

BACKGROUND

Investment in the implementation of hospital ePrescribing systems has been a priority in many economically-developed countries in order to modernise the delivery of healthcare. However, maximum gains in the safety, quality and efficiency of care are unlikely to be fully realised unless ePrescribing systems are further optimised in a local context. Typical barriers to optimal use are often encountered in relation to a lack of systemic capacity and preparedness to meet various levels of interoperability requirements, including at the data, systems and services levels. This lack of systemic interoperability may in turn limit the opportunities and benefits potentially arising from implementing novel digital heath systems.

METHODS

We undertook n = 54 qualitative interviews with key stakeholders at nine digitally advanced hospital sites across the UK, US, Norway and the Netherlands. We included hospitals featuring 'standalone, best of breed' systems, which were interfaced locally, and multi-component and integrated electronic health record enterprise systems. We analysed the data inductively, looking at strategies and constraints for ePrescribing interoperability within and beyond hospital systems.

RESULTS

Our thematic analysis identified 4 main drivers for increasing ePrescribing systems interoperability: (1) improving patient safety (2) improving integration & continuity of care (3) optimising care pathways and providing tailored decision support to meet local and contextualised care priorities and (4) to enable full patient care services interoperability in a variety of settings and contexts. These 4 interoperability dimensions were not always pursued equally at each implementation site, and these were often dependent on the specific national, policy, organisational or technical contexts of the ePrescribing implementations. Safety and efficiency objectives drove optimisation targeted at infrastructure and governance at all levels. Constraints to interoperability came from factors such as legacy systems, but barriers to interoperability of processes came from system capability, hospital policy and staff culture.

CONCLUSIONS

Achieving interoperability is key in making ePrescribing systems both safe and useable. Data resources exist at macro, meso and micro levels, as do the governance interventions necessary to achieve system interoperability. Strategic objectives, most notably improved safety, often motivated hospitals to push for evolution across the entire data architecture of which they formed a part. However, hospitals negotiated this terrain with varying degrees of centralised coordination. Hospitals were heavily reliant on staff buy-in to ensure that systems interoperability was built upon to achieve effective data sharing and use. Positive outcomes were founded on a culture of agreement about the usefulness of access by stakeholders, including prescribers, policymakers, vendors and lab technicians, which was reflected in an alignment of governance goals with system design.

Impact of connecting methods of continuous renal replacement therapy device on patients underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A retrospectively observational study

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to compare the safety and efficiency of different extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) connection methods.

BACKGROUND

The number of patients receiving ECMO is increasing, and the fields of application are getting wider. However, patients receiving ECMO are prone to acute kidney injury and fluid overload requiring CRRT. There are few comparative studies of two different systems of connecting CRRT device and ECMO from safety and efficacy perspective.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study included patients receiving ECMO in the extracorporeal life support centre of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from June, 2015, to December, 2020. Patients were divided into the parallel system group and integrated system group according to the connecting method between ECMO circuit and CRRT line. The outcomes were discharge survival rate, CRRT therapeutic dose completion rate, CRRT catheterisation time, CRRT initiating time, local bleeding at the CRRT catheter site, mean filter life, ECMO circuit thrombosis, ECMO air leakage, or blood leakage due to CRRT.

RESULTS

Thirty patients in the parallel system group and 70 patients in the integrated system group were finally included. The discharge survival rate and CRRT therapeutic dose completion rate were not significantly different between the two groups. The parallel system group had significant longer CRRT initiating time (49.0 ± 12.1 min vs. 14.6 ± 2.1 min, P < 0.001) and shorter filter life (11.5 ± 3.2 h vs. 47.3 ± 14.0 h, P < 0.001) than the integrated system group. The occurrence rate of local bleeding was 93.3% in the parallel system group, and there is no bleeding case in the integrated system group. There was no case of ECMO circuit thrombosis from CRRT as well as ECMO air or blood leakage caused by CRRT in either group. ECMO therapy can be adapted by adjusting the position of the CRRT outlet in the integrated system.

CONCLUSIONS

Connecting CRRT and ECMO as an integrated system might accelerate CRRT initiation, avoid local bleeding, and prolong filter life compared to the parallel system. The chance of developing CRRT-related ECMO circuit leak and thrombosis is manageable.

Achieving artificial carbon cycle via integrated system of high-emitting industries and CCU technology: Case of China

Process-related carbon emissions, which cannot be completely eliminated by the improvement of processes and energy structure, are recognized as an enormous challenge for in-depth decarbonization. To accelerate the achievement of carbon neutrality, the concept of 'artificial carbon cycle' is proposed based on the integrated system of process-related carbon emissions from high-emitting industries and CCU technology as a potential pathway towards a sustainable future. This paper conducts a systematic review on the integrated system with the case of China, which is the largest carbon-emitting and manufacturing country, to provide a clearer and more meaningful analysis. Multi-index assessment was used to organize the literature and draw the useful conclusion. Based on literature review, the high-quality carbon sources, reasonable carbon capture approaches and promising chemical products were identified and analyzed. Then the potential and practicability of the integrated system was further summarized and analyzed. Finally, key factors of future development including technology improvement, green hydrogen, clean energy and industrial cooperation were stressed to provide a theoretical reference for future researchers and policy makers.

Performance shaping factors for future sustainable energy management: A new integrated approach

The current literature suggests that a lack of integration between engineering for performance shaping factors (PSFs) and workplace energy management (WEM) is a significant barrier to improving energy management practices (EMP) and power plant efficiency. The study identified three research objectives in response to this research gap: (1) conduct a systematic literature review to analyze current studies; (2) develop a novel integrative model capable of predicting EMP; and (3) test the novel model's validity and reliability through an empirical study in thermal power plants. In this study, a group of academic and energy experts designed research instruments to achieve the study's objectives, which were then pilot-tested. Partial least square structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the data in this study. The study successfully developed a new model for future sustainable energy management in power plants and a new model integrating the PSFs and WEM to predict power plant energy performance, aiming to enhance communication between operators and EMP in power plants. The model exhibited exceptional explanatory and predictive abilities, yielding a strong fit. Furthermore, the incorporation of success factors associated with PSFs positively influenced the EMP. The data set followed a normal distribution, confirming the model's reliability and validity. Significantly, this study achieved a breakthrough by being the first to integrate success factors for PSFs and WEM in thermal power plants, thus effectively addressing an unexplored area of research. However, the inconsistencies in the current studies emphasize the necessity for additional investigations into the strategy of PSFs in EMP within power plants.

Spatiotemporal dissection of tumor microenvironment via in situ sensing and monitoring in tumor-on-a-chip

Real-time monitoring in the tumor microenvironment provides critical insights of cancer progression and mechanistic understanding of responses to cancer treatments. However, clinical challenges and significant questions remain regarding assessment of limited clinical tissue samples, establishment of validated, controllable pre-clinical cancer models, monitoring of static versus dynamic markers, and the translation of insights gained from in vitro tumor microenvironments to systematic investigation and understanding in clinical practice. State-of-art tumor-on-a-chip strategies will be reviewed herein, and emerging real-time sensing and monitoring platforms for on-chip analysis of tumor microenvironment will also be examined. The integration of the sensors with tumor-on-a-chip platforms to provide spatiotemporal information of the tumor microenvironment and the associated challenges will be further evaluated. Though optimal integrated systems for in situ monitoring are still in evolution, great promises lie ahead that will open new paradigm for rapid, comprehensive analysis of cancer development and assist clinicians with powerful tools to guide the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment course in cancer.

Integrated system for rapid enrichment and detection of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are extremely toxic environmental pollutants, which are harmful to the human body. Direct collection and analysis of airborne PAHs is essential for air quality monitoring. Herein, we demonstrated an integrated system for airborne PAHs enrichment and detection. The enrichment cube was composed of channels with threaded structures and curved channels, which had high capture efficiency. Then PAHs-carried particles could be crushed into the detection chip for testing. The whole process took about 25 min (5 min for PAHs enrichment and 20 min for PAHs test). The limit of detection was 3.3 ng/m³, which could meet the needs of daily analysis. It had the advantages of low cost, low reagent consumption, simple operation, semi-automatic operation, high sensitivity, high speed and high throughput compared with conventional techniques, showing the potential for becoming an air pollution monitoring platform.

Pilot-scale treatment of municipal garbage mechanical dewatering wastewater by an integrated system involving partial nitrification and denitrification

The municipal solid waste (MSW) with high water content can be pre-treated by the mechanical dewatering technology to significantly decrease the leachate generation in sequential landfill treatment or to improve the efficiency for solid waste incineration, which has attracted great concerns recently. However, the generated mechanical dewatering wastewater (MDW) containing high organics and nitrogenous content has been one of the big challenges for the sustainable treatment of MSW. In this study, a pilot-scale integrated system composed of physiochemical pretreatment, anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR), partial nitrification SBR (PN-SBR), denitrification SBR (DN-SBR), and UV/O₃ advanced oxidation process, with a capacity of 1.0 m³/d to treat MDW containing over 34000 mg-chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L organics pollutant and 850 mg/L NH₄⁺-N, was successfully developed. By explorations on the start-up of this integrated system and the process conditions optimization, after a long-term system operation, the findings demonstrated that this integrated system could reach the removal efficiency in the COD, NH₄⁺-N and total nitrogen (TN) in the MDW of 99.7%, 98.2% and 96.9%, respectively. Partial nitrification and denitrification were successfully obtained for the TN removal with the nitrite accumulation rate of over 80%. The treatment condition parameters were optimized to be 800 mg/L polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and 2 mg/L polyacrylamide (PAM) under a pH of 9 for pretreatment, 36 h hydraulic retention time (HRT) for ASBR, 24 h for PN-SBR, and 2 h for UV/O₃ unit. The organic sources in the MDW were also found to be feasible for the DN-SBR. Consequently, the resulting final effluent was stably in compliance with the discharge standard with high stability and reliability.

Purification of domestic laundry wastewater in an integrated treatment system consists of coagulation and ultrafiltration membrane process

An integrated unit to purify and reuse domestic laundry wastewater consisting of coagulation, sand filtration, carbon adsorption, and ultrafiltration process is developed. Chitosan and Ameztreat 102 polyamine were used as coagulants and their treatability was measured by color, turbidity and concentration of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonates (LAS) at various operation conditions. As a result of the trial studies, the maximum removal efficiency was attained as (i) for Chitosan- 98.2% color, 99.3% turbidity, 100% LAS removal efficiency; (ii) for Polyamine-88% color, 99% turbidity, 100% LAS. The transport mechanism of the pollutant towards the coagulant was described using kinetic models. The thickener area calculated is 0.2436 m² for the flow rate of 100 L/h by Kynch theory. The results were recommended that the laundry wastewater be efficiently treated in the proposed treatment train and could be reused effectively.

A pilot system integrating a settling technique and a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland for the treatment of polluted lake water

An integrated system was tested at pilot-scale for treating polluted water from the Marriot Lake in Egypt, comprising a settling technique followed by three parallel horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HFCWs) units operating under a continuous flow mode; one HFCW unit was planted with Typha angustifolia and contained a perforated pipes network for enhanced passive aeration (CWA), one unit was planted without the perforated pipe network (CWR) and one served as a Control unit (unplanted and without perforated pipes). Changes in physicochemical parameters, BOD₅, nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), microbial community, and trace metals at different hydraulic retention times (HRT; 0.5-6 h) and hydraulic loading rates (HLR; 750, 1000, 1250, and 2000 L/m²/d) were monitored. The CWA unit had an overall better performance than the CWR unit, while both planted units outperformed the Control unit. CWA showed the highest performance at HLR of 1000 L/m²/d and 4-6 h-HRT with 95.3% removal for turbidity, 83% for BOD₅, 99.3% for ammonia nitrogen (NH₄-N), 70.8% for Total Nitrogen (TN), and 66.7% for Total Phosphorus (TP), while higher NO₃-N and NO₂-N effluent concentrations were observed. Trace metals levels were significantly reduced and accumulated in plant tissues. Microbial communities' densities fluctuated in the CWA unit. The integrated system with the settling stage and the planted CWA unit was proved to achieve a high removal efficiency and reached the national discharge limits, thus representing a novel nature-based solution for the sustainable remediation of polluted lake water.

Constructed wetlands for textile wastewater remediation: A review on concept, pollutant removal mechanisms, and integrated technologies for efficiency enhancement

Textile industries are among the ecologically unsustainable industries that release voluminous wastewater threatening ecosystem health. The constructed wetlands (CWs) are low-cost eco-technological interventions for the management of industrial wastewaters. The CWs are self-sustaining remediation systems that do not require an external source of energy and encompass simple operational mechanisms including biological (bioremediation and phytoremediation), chemical, and physical processes for pollutant removal. This review idiosyncratically scrutinizes the recent advances and developments in CWs, and their types employed for textile wastewater treatment. The major focus is on mechanisms involved during the removal of contaminants from textile wastewater in CWs and factors affecting the performance of the system. The article also discusses the State-of-the-Art integrated technologies e.g., CW-MFCs/algal ponds/sponge iron coupled systems, for the performance and sustainability enhancement of CWs. All the important aspects together with the technology amalgamation are critically synthesized for establishing suitable strategies for CW-based textile wastewater treatment systems.

An update on microneedle-based systems for diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most serious chronic diseases today. Patients with diabetes need frequent insulin injections or blood sampling to monitor blood glucose levels. The microneedles are a painless transdermal drug delivery system, which has great advantages in achieving self-management. There have been a lot of researches on microneedles used in diabetes treatment. Microneedle-based treatment of diabetes has also changed from a simple and reliable system to a complex and efficient system. This review introduces microfluidic, glucose response, and other contents based on microneedles, and some challenges in the development of microneedles.

Efficiency and driving force assessment of an integrated urban water use and wastewater treatment system: Evidence from spatial panel data of the urban agglomeration on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River

With the rapid development of urban agglomerations, urban water use and wastewater environments have gradually constrained sustainable development and caused increasing concern. In this paper, we selected the urban agglomeration on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYZ) as a typical area. We proposed an integrated urban water use and wastewater treatment (UWUWT) system and its urban water use (UWU) subsystem and urban wastewater treatment (UWT) subsystem. Moreover, an integrated two-stage slacks-based measure (SBM) data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was used to evaluate the efficiency of the UWUWT system and its subsystem during 2010 to 2017. Additionally, the multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model was adopted to analyze the influence mechanism of each factor on the defined system. The results indicated that the tendency of UWU efficiency and UWUWT efficiency were similar and mainly showed the same trend with an 'N' shape in a time-dependent manner for the UAMRYZ and provinces, respectively. Furthermore, the UWU efficiency and UWUWT efficiency of each city showed strong spatiotemporal heterogeneity. The UWT efficiency of the UAMRYZ and its representative cities was stable in the region and always had a higher value. With continuous economic development and increased interregional foreign trade, the UWU subsystem efficiency and the UWUWT system efficiency had a significant increase for cities along the entire river in the Yangtze Basin. The regional differences of the overall UWU efficiency, UWT efficiency and UWUWT efficiency gradually decreased and the efficiency has gradually improved from 2010 to 2017. Attribution analysis showed that the secondary industry was the main constraining factor, while the water resource was the most acceleration factor for the UWUWT system in most areas and the UWT subsystem for all cities. Our study evaluated the specific insufficiencies of the defined system and supported regulatory policies.

Integrated microfluidic system for isolating exosome and analyzing protein marker PD-L1

Exosomes are lipid-bilayered nanovesicles secreted by cells to mediate intercellular communication. Various kinds of biomolecules involved in exosomes offer non-invasive approaches for detecting or monitoring disease and developing targeted therapeutics. Here, we present an integrated microfluidic exosome isolation and detection system (EXID system) to analyze the abundance of the exosomal PD-L1 protein marker, which is a transmembrane protein expressed by tumors to suppress immune activation of T cells. By incorporating exosome isolation and biomarker labelling and quantification within a single microfluidic chip, our system reduced the total analysis time below 2 h. Using the EXID system, 7 categories of cell lines including cancer cell lines and control samples were profiled, where significant differences in the fluorescence intensity were observed with the limit of detection (LOD) down to 10.76 per microliter. Such noticeable variations in PD-L1 abundance among cancer cell lines highlighted the need of personalized treatments. Furthermore, 16 clinical samples from 7 post-treated cancer patients, 3 prior-treatment patients and 6 healthy controls, are tested, among which differences in sensitivity toward immune response were subsistent. Because the abundance of PD-L1 reflects the sensibility for immune response, our results provide useful guides to design immunotherapy strategies for different types of tumors.

Review on current approach for treatment of palm oil mill effluent: Integrated system

Malaysia is one of the countries that is well known for its palm oil based products and exports all over the world. Over the years, palm oil mill has been rising at alarming rate in Malaysia, causing palm oil-based wastes to increase especially palm oil mill effluent (POME). POME in Malaysia are channelled into water bodies such as rivers after treated mostly with conventional biological method. However, with current technologies and knowledge, conventional POME treatments are seen to be outdated and require major improvements as greenhouse gaseous are emitted to the environment as well as being less cost effective. Integrated systems that combine two or more conventional methods are introduced and reviewed to provide insights on the advantages and disadvantages of the system if it is to be implemented in real life plant. Integrated systems that focus on combining conventional methods are compiled and reviewed specifically for POME treatment. Among the integrated methods that are reviewed includes biological with membrane, adsorption with magnetic field exposure, adsorption with membrane and electrocoagulation with membrane. The systems are seen to give excellent color, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal with average of higher than 90%. Reduction in space utilization, improved treatment time as well as simplified operating system were reported when integrated systems are applied as compared to conventional treatment of POME.

Toxicity evaluation of hospital laundry wastewaters treated by microbial fuel cells and constructed wetlands

Hospital laundries generate high wastewater volumes with the presence of several contaminants. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the toxicity of these effluents and looked for treatment alternatives that might reduce this eventual toxicity. So, the present study assessed the performance of an integrated system combining a microbial fuel cell (MBFC) and a constructed wetland (CW) to reduce toxic effects of wastewaters generated at a hospital laundry. After collection, raw effluents remained 7 days at the first unit (MBFC) of integrated system. Afterward, they were transferred to the second unit (CW) unit where remained more 7 days totaling a hydraulic detention time of 14 days. The toxicity evaluation involved three different organisms: Daphnia magna (acute ecotoxicity), Lactuca sativa (phytotoxicity) and Allium cepa (phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, and genotoxicity). Got results revealed an extremely acute ecotoxicity against D. magna, high phytotoxic effects in the L. sativa and A. cepa assays, and genotoxicity in the A. cepa assay for the untreated effluents. Furthermore, no significant incidence of micronuclei was observed in the raw wastewaters. Regarding the treatment, after the first stage, it was possible to verify that MBFC reduced the toxicity of the wastewaters only in some tested assays (endpoints) while after the CW (second stage) the effluents presented a complete absence of toxicity of the investigated bioassays. Therefore, the use of the integrated system combining two environmentally friendly technologies can be considered promising, since both MBFC and CW presented a complimentary effect with excellent results regarding the reduction of the overall toxicity of hospital laundry wastewaters.

Quorum quenching bacteria bioaugmented GO/PPy modified membrane in EMBR for membrane antifouling

A novel integrated system with quorum quenching (QQ) bacterium Burkholderia sp. ssn-2 bioaugmented graphene oxide/polypyrrole (GO/PPy) conductive polymercomposite membrane (CPM) in MBR with electric field (EMBR) was established. The integrated system exhibited the highest degradation efficiency for phenol (100%) and COD (93.2%-99.9%) during the 120 days operation. Membrane fouling in the integrated system was notably mitigated by the coupling effect of CPM + voltage and QQ bacterium ssn-2. The hydrophilicity and antibacterial activity of CPM inhibited the hydrophobic protein foulants adsorption, bacteria colonization and attachment on the CPM surface. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content was positively correlated with N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) concentration, and decreased with AHLs degradation by QQ bacterium ssn-2. The increased negative charge of EPS on the CPM surface augmented the electrostatic repulsion between the EPS and cathode CPM in the integrated system. Moreover, the coupling effect altered the microbial communities. A decreased AHLs concentration had a significantly negative correlation with QQ bacterium ssn-2 enrichment, which exhibited the dual effects of degrading phenol and AHLs, and enriching biopolymer-degrading genera Clostridium sensu strict and Acidovorax in the integrated system and on the CPM surface. This can lead to a decrease in the EPS content.

Personal continuity versus specialisation of care approaches in mental healthcare: experiences of patients and clinicians-results of the qualitative study in five European countries

BACKGROUND

The current debate on organisation of the mental health care raises a question whether to prioritise specialisation of clinical teams or personal continuity of care. The article explores the experiences of patients and clinicians regarding specialisation (SC) and personal continuity (PCC) of care in five European countries.

METHODS

Data were obtained via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with patients (N = 188) suffering from mental disorders (F20-49) and with clinicians (N = 63). A maximum variation sampling was applied to assume representation of patients and of clinicians with different characteristics. The qualitative data from each country were transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed through a thematic analysis method.

RESULTS

Many positive experiences of patients and clinicians with the PCC approach relate to the high quality of therapeutic relationship and the smooth transition between hospital and community care. Many positive experiences of patients and clinicians with the SC approach relate to concepts of autonomy and choice and the higher adequacy of diagnosis and treatment. Clinicians stressed system aspects of providing mental health care: more effective management structure and higher professionalization of care within SC approach and the lower risk of disengagement from treatment and reduced need for coercion, restraint, forced medication or involuntary admission within PCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Neither the PCC, nor the SC approach meets the needs and expectations of all patients (and clinicians). Therefore, future reforms of mental health services should offer a free choice of either approach, considering that there is no evidence of differences in patient outcomes between PCC and SC approaches.

Digestate management for high-solid anaerobic digestion of organic wastes: A review

Digestate management for anaerobic digestion (AD) is becoming a bottleneck of the sustainability of AD plants when the use of digestate for agricultural application is restricted due to nutrient surplus and low market acceptance. Digestate quality and treatment in high solid anaerobic digestion (HSAD) can be better than conventional low-solid system. The rheological behavior of digestate in high solid anaerobic digestion (HSAD) can have a great impact on the energy consumption of digestate management. After post-conditioning guided by rheological parameters, the solid digestate can be further treated based on the integrated solutions to enhance the energy efficiency or nutrients recovery. The environmental impacts for some core parts of those integrated systems were also evaluated in this study. This article presented a critical review of recent investigations of digestate management for HSAD, especially focusing on the rheology of HSAD digestate, integrated solutions and their environmental performances.

Data on a new neurorehabilitation approach targeting functional recovery in stroke patients

Robotic-assisted devices are known to positively affect the recovery of one specific motor effector after stroke. However, it has widely been reported that the functional status of patients is only partially ameliorated after application of this kind of advanced treatment.

Here, data about the effect of a new rehabilitation approach has been described in a large population of stroke patients. We sought to validate an integrated rehabilitation system for stroke (IRSS) patients, which is composed of a set of robotic-assisted tools aimed at recovering the entire body.

We evaluated the motor recovery in 84 stroke patients equally divided into experimental and control groups to assess the difference between IRSS approach and conventional rehabilitation treatment. We found that IRSS induced a significant improvement as measured by functional neurological scales, such as the barthel index and functional independence measure.

The data provided in this article will assist therapists and physicians working for developing new rehabilitation protocols more focused on a holistic functional recovery approach. The data are available at Mendeley Data, https://doi.org/10.17632/wptmgm7zk2.1.

Bacterioplankton community in response to biological filters (clam, biofilm, and macrophytes) in an integrated aquaculture wastewater bioremediation system

Integrated systems with appropriate bio-filters can be used to treat aquaculture effluents. However, the information on bio-filters that alters the ecological functions of the bacterioplankton community (BC) in biodegradation of the aquaculture effluents remains controversial. In this study, we implemented a comprehensive restoration technology combined with bio-filters [biofilm, clam (Tegillarca granosa), and macrophytes (Spartina anglica)] to investigate their influence on the stability of the BC and nutrient removal. We found that the diversity of BC was linked with biogeochemical factors in processing and upcycling nitrogen-rich effluents into high-value biomass. The BC exhibited significant distinct patterns in the bio-filter areas. Potential biomarkers for constrained harmfully algae-bacteria (Nitriliruptoraceae, Bacillales, and Rhodobacteraceae) and nutrient removal were significantly higher in the bio-filters areas. The bio-filters significantly promoted the restoration effects of N and P balance by reducing 82.34% of total nitrogen (TN) and 81.64% of total phosphorus (TP) loads at the water interface. The main mechanisms for TN and TP removal and nutrient transformation were achieved by assimilation and absorption by the emergent macrophytes (Spartina anglica). The bio-filters significantly influenced the biodegradability and resolvability of particulate organic matter through ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification of microbes, which meliorated the nutrient removal. Beside bio-filter effects, the BC was significantly controlled by abiotic factors [nitrate (NO₃^--N), dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen (TN), and water temperature (WT)], and biotic factors (chlorophyll ɑ and green algae). Our study revealed that the co-existence system with bio-filters may greatly improve our understanding on the ecological functions of the BC in aquaculture systems. Overall, combined bio-filters provide an opportunity for the development of efficient and optimized aquaculture wastewater treatment technology.

Integrated System of Solar Cells with Hierarchical NiCo2O4 Battery-Supercapacitor Hybrid Devices for Self-Driving Light-Emitting Diodes

An integrated system has been provided with a-Si/H solar cells as energy conversion device, NiCo₂O₄ battery-supercapacitor hybrid (BSH) as energy storage device, and light emitting diodes (LEDs) as energy utilization device. By designing three-dimensional hierarchical NiCo₂O₄ arrays as faradic electrode, with capacitive electrode of active carbon (AC), BSHs were assembled with energy density of 16.6 Wh kg^-1, power density of 7285 W kg^-1, long-term stability with 100% retention after 15,000 cycles, and rather low self-discharge. The NiCo₂O₄//AC BSH was charged to 1.6 V in 1 s by solar cells and acted as reliable sources for powering LEDs. The integrated system is rational for operation, having an overall efficiency of 8.1% with storage efficiency of 74.24%. The integrated system demonstrates a stable solar power conversion, outstanding energy storage behavior, and reliable light emitting. Our study offers a precious strategy to design a self-driven integrated system for highly efficient energy utilization.

Pollutant removal performance of an integrated system that combines a baffled vertical-flow wetland and a scenic water body

Stormwater treatment requires effective control measures and development of low-cost and high-efficiency technologies. An integrated system is developed by combining a baffled vertical-flow constructed wetland (BVFCW) and a scenic water body for stormwater quality control purpose. The objectives of the study are to compare the pollutant removal performance of the full-scale integrated system with four groups of wetland-to-scenic water body area ratios (WSARs) including 1/11, 2/11, 3/11, 4/11 and investigate its treatment efficiency. Results show that the system performs better in the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), and total phosphorus (TP) at the WSAR of 4/11 than that at 3/11 in sixteen-day operation, while it reaches the highest total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of 74.0% at the WSAR of 2/11 due to relatively rich carbon source and high influent TN concentration. The integrated system may prove the most effective COD removal at the WSAR of 4/11 for four-time aerobic/anaerobic alternating conditions, a longer flow path and more time to contact with substrates, although the influent COD is lower than that at 2/11 and 1/11. After sixteen-day operation, BVFCW achieved COD removal rate of 90.3%, NH₄⁺-N removal rate of 85.7%, NO₃-N removal rate of 68.6%, and TP removal rate of 52.5% at the WSAR of 4/11. At the WSAR of 1/11, effluent met the Class IV requirements in Chinese standards after one-week operation, while effluent met the Class III requirements under the rest conditions. Since effluent in all WSARs met the standards, WSARs of 1/11 and 2/11 were recommended.

Lipase catalysed biodiesel synthesis with integrated glycerol separation in continuously operated microchips connected in series

Although the application of microreactors in different processes has been extensively explored in recent decades, microreactors continue to be underexplored in the context of the enzyme-catalysed process for biodiesel production. Due to their numerous advantages, microreactors could become the next step in the development of a biodiesel production process characterised by sustainability, cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. In this investigation, biodiesel production was catalysed by lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (Lipolase L100). Edible sunflower oil was used as a model substrate in order to investigate the process. After optimal process conditions had been determined, waste-cooking oil was used for biodiesel production to make the production process more sustainable. Three different substrate-feeding strategies were investigated and finally an optimal strategy was proposed. In all the investigated systems, fatty acids methyl esters (FAME) content was higher than 95% and obtained in a significantly shorter time (less than 2 h) compared to the batch process in which biodiesel production was catalysed by lipase (C = 95%, t = 96 h). After the optimal biodiesel production system had been proposed, an integrated system with two microchips connected in series was developed. The first microchip was used for biodiesel production and the second for simultaneous purification i.e. glycerol separation. Finally, purified biodiesel was produced with glycerol content below the detection limit.

A review of the innovative gas separation membrane bioreactor with mechanisms for integrated production and purification of biohydrogen

This review article focuses on an assessment of the innovative Gas Separation Membrane Bioreactor (GS-MBR), which is an emerging technology because of its potential for in-situ biohydrogen production and separation. The GS-MBR, as a special membrane bioreactor, enriches CO₂ directly from the headspace of the anaerobic H₂ fermentation process. CO₂ can be fed as a substrate to auxiliary photo-bioreactors to grow microalgae as a promising raw material for biocatalyzed, dark fermentative H₂-evolution. Overall, these features make the GS-MBR worthy of study. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the GS-MBR has not been studied in detail to date; hence, a comprehensive review of this topic will be useful to the scientific community.

Sequential application of Fenton and ozone-based oxidation process for the abatement of Ni-EDTA containing nickel plating effluents

Treatment of Ni-EDTA in industrial nickel plating effluents was investigated by integrated application of Fenton and ozone-based oxidation processes. Determination of integrated sequence found that Fenton oxidation presented higher apparent kinetic rate constant of Ni-EDTA oxidation and capacity for contamination load than ozone-based oxidation process, the latter, however, was favorable to guarantee the further mineralization of organic substances, especially at a low concentration. Serial-connection mode of two oxidation processes was appraised, Fenton effluent after treated by hydroxide precipitation and filtration negatively affected the overall performance of the sequential system, as evidenced by the removal efficiencies of Ni²⁺ and TOC dropping from 99.8% to 98.7%, and from 74.8% to 66.6%, respectively. As a comparison, O₃/Fe²⁺ oxidation process was proved to be more effective than other processes (e.g. O₃-Fe²⁺, O₃/H₂O₂/Fe²⁺, O₃/H₂O₂-Fe²⁺), and the final effluent Ni²⁺ concentration could satisfied the discharge standard (<0.1 mg L^-1, China) under the optimal conditions (H₂O₂ dosage of 1.0 mL L^-1, Fe²⁺: H₂O₂ mole ratio of 1.46, and reaction time of 10 min for Fenton reaction, initial influent pH of 3.0, O₃ dosage of 252 mg L^-1, Fe²⁺ of 150 mg L^-1, and reaction time of 30 min for O₃/Fe²⁺ oxidation). Furthermore, pilot-scale test was carried out to study the practical treatability towards the real nickel plating effluent, revealing the effective removal of some other co-existence contaminations. And Fenton reaction has contributed most, with the percentage ranging from 72.41% to 93.76%. The economic cost advantage made it a promising alternative to the continuous Fenton oxidation.

Sustainability of agro-livestock integration: Implications and results of Emergy evaluation

This study aims to assess the sustainability of an agroforestry system: i.e. a system obtained by the union of two productions to get at least two by-products from the same productive space. In particular, this case study presents the integration of a goose raising system with an organic grape production, from an environmental point of view. This integration is mainly designed to have two simultaneous co-products (grape and goose meat) with: i) a less intensive use of machineries for weeding and ii) avoiding use of chemical fertilizers and weeding. The sustainability is assessed by means of emergy evaluation. Emergy is a thermodynamic based tool able to estimates the environmental cost of products and services in terms of the solar energy (directly and indirectly) required for its production. As Emergy is not a state function, its final value depends on the way the product is made. The set theory applied to the emergy evaluation enables the comparison between the integrated system and the originating isolated systems in a proper way. Results confirm that the integrated system enables a saving, in emergy terms, amounting to 33% compared to the two originating isolated production systems. Emergy evaluation is able to keep track of the lower amount of resources required from outside the agroforestry system due to the optimization of resources internally available.

An integrated system for synchronous detection of neuron spikes and dopamine activities in the striatum of Parkinson monkey brain

BACKGROUND

Synchronous detecting neuron spikes and dopamine (DA) activities in the non-human primate brain play an important role in understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD). At present, most experiments are carried out by combing of electrodes and commercial instruments, which are inconvenient, time-consuming and inefficient.

NEW METHOD

Herein, this study describes a novel integrated system for monitoring neuron spikes and DA activities in non-human primate brain synchronously. This system integrates an implantable sensor, a dual-function head-stage and a low noise detection instrument.

METHODS

The system was developed efficiently by using the key technologies of noise reduction, interference protection and differential amplification. To demonstrate the utility of this system, synchronous recordings of electrophysiological signals and DA were in vivo performed in a monkey before and after treated as a Parkinson model monkey.

RESULTS

The system typically exhibited input-referred noise levels of only ∼ 3 μV_RMS, input impedance levels of up to 5.1 GΩ, and a sensitivity of 14.075 pA/μM for DA and could detect electrophysiological signals and DA without mutual interference. In monkey experiments, lower DA concentrations in the striatum and more intensive spikes of the Parkinson model monkey than the normal one were synchronously recorded efficiently.

COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS

This integrated system will not only significantly simplify the experimental operation and improve the experimental efficiency, but also improve the signal quality and synchronization performance.

CONCLUSIONS

This integrated system, which is practical, efficient and convenient, can be widely used for the study of PD and other neurological disorders.

Biohydrogen production from food waste: Current status, limitations, and future perspectives

Among the various biological routes for H₂ production, dark fermentation is considered the most practically applicable owing to its capability to degrade organic wastes and high H₂ production rate. Food waste (FW) has high carbohydrate content and easily hydrolysable in nature, exhibiting higher H₂ production potential than that of other organic wastes. In this review article, first, the current status of H₂ production from FW by dark fermentation and the strategies applied for enhanced performance are briefly summarized. Then, the technical and economic limitations of dark fermentation of FW are thoroughly discussed. Economic assessment revealed that the economic feasibility of H₂ production from FW by dark fermentation is questionable. Current efforts to further increase H₂ yield and waste removal efficiency are also introduced. Finally, future perspectives along with possible routes converting dark fermentation effluent to valuable fuels and chemicals are discussed.

Performance of an integrated system combining microalgae and vertical flow constructed wetlands for urban wastewater treatment

The present study investigated the performance of an integrated system, combining the sequential use of microalgae (MA) and vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) for the treatment of wastewaters produced at a university campus. Ecotoxicity and phytotoxicity assays were performed using respectively Daphnia magna and Lactuca sativa, whereas the genotoxicity of the wastewaters was assessed by using D. magna and Allium cepa. The results revealed that the major environmental impacts of the studied wastewaters are associated with the high eutrophication potential, due to high N-NH3 (68.8 ± 25.7 mg L-1), total P (7.71 ± 2.5 mg L-1), and BOD5 (526.4 ± 177 mg L-1) values, pathogenic load, and genototoxicity (p < 0.0001). The results also showed that the integrated system (MA + VFCW) was not able to satisfactory reduce the total p values (only 4%). Nevertheless, the MA + VFCW system achieved very promising results for the nitrogen removal, with emphasis on N-NH3 removal (100%) and the highest BOD5 removal (57%). Neither the raw wastewaters nor the treated wastewaters were phytotoxic. The integrated system completely eliminated the ecotoxicity (100%) and genotoxicity (n.s.) of the raw wastewater and showed decontamination potential. Thus, the integrated system emerges as an innovative environmental technology and, with minor adjustments, might be efficiently used in large scale and eventually replace conventional wastewater treatment systems.

The Operating Room of the Future Versus the Future of the Operating Room

Technological advancement in the operating room is evolving into a dynamic system mirroring that of the aeronautics industry. Through data visualization, information is continuously being captured, collected, and stored on a scalable informatics platform for rapid, intuitive, iterative learning. The authors believe this philosophy (paradigm) will feed into an intelligent informatics domain fully accessible to all and geared toward precision, cell-based therapy in which tissue can be targeted and interrogated in situ. In the future, the operating room will be a venue that facilitates this real-time tissue interrogation, which will guide in situ therapeutics to restore the state of health.

Efficient treatment of phenolic wastewater with high salinity using a novel integrated system of magnetically immobilized cells coupling with electrodes

A novel integrated system in which magnetically immobilized cells coupled with a pair of stainless iron meshes-graphite plate electrodes has been designed and operated to enhance the treatment performance of phenolic wastewater under high salinity. With NaCl concentration increased, phenol, o-cresol, m-cresol, p-cresol and COD removal rates by integrated system increased significantly, which were obviously higher than the sum of removal rates by single magnetically immobilized cells and electrode reaction. This integrated system exhibited higher removal rates for all the compounds than that by single magnetically immobilized cells during six cycles for reuse, and it still performed better, even when the voltage was cut off. These results indicated that there was a coupling effect between biodegradation and electrode reaction. The investigation of phenol hydroxylase activity and cells concentration confirmed that electrode reaction played an important role in this coupling effect.

Dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion and microbial fuel cells: An integrated system to valorize swine manure and rice bran

This work describes how dark fermentation (DF), anaerobic digestion (AD) and microbial fuel cells (MFC) and solid-liquid separation can be integrated to co-produce valuable biochemicals (hydrogen and methane), bioelectricity and biofertilizers. Two integrated systems (System 1: AD+MFC, and System 2: DF+AD+MFC) are described and compared to a traditional one-stage AD system in converting a mixture (COD=124±8.1gO2kg(-1)Fresh Matter) of swine manure and rice bran. System 1 gave a biomethane yield of 182 LCH4kg(-1)COD-added, while System 2 gave L yields of bio-hydrogen and bio-methane of 27.3±7.2LH2kg(-1)COD-added and 154±14LCH4kg(-1)COD-added, respectively. A solid-liquid separation (SLS) step was applied to the digested slurry, giving solid and liquid fractions. The liquid fraction was treated via the MFC-steps, showing power densities of 12-13Wm(-3) (500Ω) and average bioelectricity yields of 39.8Whkg(-1)COD to 54.2Whkg(-1)COD.

Process contribution evaluation for COD removal and energy production from molasses wastewater in a BioH2-BioCH4-MFC-integrated system

In this study, a three-stage-integrated process using the hydrogenic process (BioH₂), methanogenic process (BioCH₄), and a microbial fuel cell (MFC) was operated using molasses wastewater. The contribution of individual processes to chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and energy production was evaluated. The three-stage integration system was operated at molasses of 20 g-COD L^-1, and each process achieved hydrogen production rate of 1.1 ± 0.24 L-H₂ L^-1 day^-1, methane production rate of 311 ± 18.94 mL-CH₄ L^-1 day^-1, and production rate per electrode surface area of 10.8 ± 1.4 g m^-2 day^-1. The three-stage integration system generated energy production of 32.32 kJ g-COD^-1 and achieved COD removal of 98 %. The contribution of BioH₂, BioCH₄, and the MFC reactor was 20.8, 72.2, and, 7.0 % of the total COD removal, and 18.7, 81.2, and 0.16 % of the total energy production, respectively. The continuous stirred-tank reactor BioH₂ at HRT of 1 day, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket BioCH₄ at HRT of 2 days, and MFC reactor at HRT of 3 days were decided in 1:2:3 ratios of working volume under hydraulic retention time consideration. This integration system can be applied to various configurations depending on target wastewater inputs, and it is expected to enhance energy recovery and reduce environmental impact of the final effluent.

Integrated forward osmosis-membrane distillation process for human urine treatment

This study demonstrated a forward osmosis-membrane distillation (FO-MD) hybrid system for real human urine treatment. A series of NaCl solutions at different concentrations were adopted for draw solutions in FO process, which were also the feed solutions of MD process. To establish a stable and continuous integrated FO-MD system, individual FO process with different NaCl concentrations and individual direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process with different feed temperatures were firstly investigated separately. Four stable equilibrium conditions were obtained from matching the water transfer rates of individual FO and MD processes. It was found that the integrated system is stable and sustainable when the water transfer rate of FO subsystem is equal to that of MD subsystem. The rejections to main contaminants in human urine were also investigated. Although individual FO process had relatively high rejection to Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Ammonium Nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) in human urine, these contaminants could also accumulate in draw solution after long term performance. The MD process provided an effective rejection to contaminants in draw solution after FO process and the integrated system revealed nearly complete rejection to TOC, TN and NH4(+)-N. This work provided a potential treatment process for human urine in some fields such as water regeneration in space station and water or nutrient recovery from source-separated urine.

Integrated system for extraction, purification, and digestion of membrane proteins

An integrated system was developed for directly processing living cells into peptides of membrane proteins. Living cells were directly injected into the system and cracked in a capillary column by ultrasonic treatment. Owing to hydrophilicity for broken pieces of the cell membrane, the obtained membranes were retained in a well-designed bi-filter. While cytoplasm proteins were eluted from the bi-filter, the membranes were dissolved and protein released by flushing 4% SDS buffer through the bi-filter. The membrane proteins were subsequently transferred into a micro-reactor and covalently bound in the reactor for purification and digestion. As the system greatly simplified the whole pretreatment processes and minimized both sample loss and contamination, it could be used to analyze the membrane proteome samples of thousand-cell-scales with acceptable reliability and stability. We totally identified 1348 proteins from 5000 HepG2 cells, 615 of which were annotated as membrane proteins. In contrast, with conventional method, only 233 membrane proteins were identified. It is adequately demonstrated that the integrated system shows promising practicability for the membrane proteome analysis of small amount of cells.

Advantages of integrated and sustainability based assessment for metabolism based strategic planning of urban water systems

Despite providing water-related services as the primary purpose of urban water system (UWS), all relevant activities require capital investments and operational expenditures, consume resources (e.g. materials and chemicals), and may increase negative environmental impacts (e.g. contaminant discharge, emissions to water and air). Performance assessment of such a metabolic system may require developing a holistic approach which encompasses various system elements and criteria. This paper analyses the impact of integration of UWS components on the metabolism based performance assessment for future planning using a number of intervention strategies. It also explores the importance of sustainability based criteria in the assessment of long-term planning. Two assessment approaches analysed here are: (1) planning for only water supply system (WSS) as a part of the UWS and (2) planning for an integrated UWS including potable water, stormwater, wastewater and water recycling. WaterMet(2) model is used to simulate metabolic type processes in the UWS and calculate quantitative performance indicators. The analysis is demonstrated on the problem of strategic level planning of a real-world UWS to where optional intervention strategies are applied. The resulting performance is assessed using the multiple criteria of both conventional and sustainability type; and optional intervention strategies are then ranked using the Compromise Programming method. The results obtained show that the high ranked intervention strategies in the integrated UWS are those supporting both water supply and stormwater/wastewater subsystems (e.g. rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling schemes) whilst these strategies are ranked low in the WSS and those targeting improvement of water supply components only (e.g. rehabilitation of clean water pipes and addition of new water resources) are preferred instead. Results also demonstrate that both conventional and sustainability type performance indicators are necessary for strategic planning in the UWS.

Optimized matching modes of bioelectrochemical module and anaerobic sludge in the integrated system for azo dye treatment

In this work, three matching modes (relative positions, catholyte flow sequences, and flow regimes) of bioelectrochemical module and anaerobic sludge were evaluated and optimized for azo dye treatment in the integrated system with embedding modular bioelectrochemical system into anaerobic sludge reactor. Results showed that it was favorable to operate this integrated system under the condition of 1/4 cathode soaking into sludge with spiral distributor in down-flow direction. Current, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and pH clearly demonstrated the important role of 1/4 soaking in electron/proton transfer. The down-flow direction flowed through electrode zone and then sludge zone could benefit to the efficient use of cathode and improve AO7 treatment. Furthermore, the positive effect of spiral catholyte distributor might be due to its promoting role in mixing and creating a spiral flow channel around the cathode electrode-microbes-solution interface. These results exhibited great potential for matching modular bioelectrochemical system with anaerobic treatment process.

Improved azo dye decolorization in an advanced integrated system of bioelectrochemical module with surrounding electrode deployment and anaerobic sludge reactor

A new integrated system, embedding a modular bioelectrochemical system (BES) with surrounding electrode deployment into an anaerobic sludge reactor (ASR), was developed to improve azo dye decolorization. Results demonstrated that the AO7 decolorization and COD removal can be improved without co-substrate in such system. The kinetic rate of decolorization (0.54h(-1)) in integrated system was 1.4-fold and 54.0-fold higher than that in biocathode BES (0.39h(-1)) and ASR (0.01h(-1)), respectively. COD can be removed after cleavage of azo bond, different from biocathode BES. The combined advantages of this integrated system were achieved by the cooperation of biocathode in modular BES and sludge in ASR. Biocathode was a predominant factor in AO7 decolorization, and anaerobic sludge contributed negligibly to AO7 reduction decolorization but mostly in the COD removal. These results demonstrated the great potential of integrating a BES module with anaerobic treatment process for azo dye treatment.

Sustainable water recovery from oily wastewater via forward osmosis-membrane distillation (FO-MD)

This study proposed and investigated a hybrid forward osmosis - membrane distillation (FO-MD) system for sustainable water recovery from oily wastewater by employing lab-fabricated FO and MD hollow fiber membranes. Stable oil-in-water emulsions of different concentrations with small droplet sizes (<1 μm) were firstly prepared and applied as the feed solution in the FO process. Fouling was immediately observed in the FO mode and was low on the cellulose triacetate (CTA) - based thin film composite (TFC) membranes. Moreover, slight increment of fouling was observed in the first few hours and the water flux was then stabilized over 24 h. The characterizations of water flux and solute rejection in separate FO and MD processes revealed that a high water flux, good NaCl rejection, impressively high retention of oil droplets and partial permeation of acetic acid could be achieved. Finally, an integrated FO-MD system was developed to treat the oily wastewater containing petroleum, surfactant, NaCl and acetic acid at 60 °C in the batch mode. The water flux in FO undergoes three-stage decline due to fouling and reduction in osmotic driving force, but is quite stable in MD regardless of salt concentration. Oily wastewater with relatively high salinity could be effectively recovered by the FO-MD hybrid system while maintaining large water flux, at least 90% feed water recovery could be readily attained with only trace amounts of oil and salts, and the draw solution was re-generated for the next rounds of FO-MD run. Interestingly, significant amount of acetic acid was also retained in the permeate for further reuse as a chemical additive during the production of crude oil. The work has demonstrated that not only water but also organic additives in the wastewater could be effectively recovered by FO-MD systems for reuse or other utilizations.

Fermentative hydrogen production in anaerobic membrane bioreactors: A review

Reactor design considerations are crucial aspects of dark fermentative hydrogen production. During the last decades, many types of reactors have been developed and used in order to drive biohydrogen technology towards practicality and economical-feasibility. In general, the ultimate aim is to improve the key features of the process, namely the H2 yields and generation rates. Among the various configurations, the traditional, completely stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) are still the most routinely employed ones. However, due to their limitations, there is a progress to develop more reliable alternatives. One of the research directions points to systems combining membranes, which are called as anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs). The aim of this paper is to summarize and highlight the recent biohydrogen related work done on AnMBRs and moreover to evaluate their performances and potentials in comparison with their conventional CSTR counterparts.