iBB
58.1K views | +2 today
Follow
iBB
Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences
Curated by iBB
Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
Scoop.it!

Biodegradation of an Azo Dye by Aerobic Granular Sludge

Biodegradation of an Azo Dye by Aerobic Granular Sludge | iBB | Scoop.it

The effective removal from textile industry wastewaters of the hazards of azo dyes and their partial degradation metabolites is severely hampered by the difficulties in cultivating microbial populations able to mineralize these recalcitrant pollutants in treatment bioreactors. In recent work applying the novel aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology to this challenge, researchers Rita DG Franca, Nídia D Lourenço and Helena M Pinheiro (BERG-iBB) and M Conceição Oliveira (CQE) used liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) to identify the colourless metabolites produced by AGS from azo dye Acid Red 14. Metabolite profiles under different bioreaction conditions provided insights into the associated biodegradation pathways. This work was published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

No comment yet.
Scoop.it!

Featured Photo: Aerobic Granular Sludge Bioreactors Under a New Light

Featured Photo: Aerobic Granular Sludge Bioreactors Under a New Light | iBB | Scoop.it
Description: Aerobic granular sludge bioreactors operating at laboratory scale pictured under stage-like illumination, featured photo by Nídia Lourenço, Copyright BERG-iBB 2017.

Context: BERG researchers led by Nídia Lourenço and Helena Pinheiro are developing aerobic granular sludge bioreactors as a next generation of wastewater treatment. Under particular focus is the purification of textile effluents bearing recalcitrant dyes and emerging pollutants such as engineered nanoparticles and microplastics. The work is being performed in the context of iBB's Strategic Area 2: Advanced Bioprocess Engineering. The reactors and associated laboratory equipment were the stage of a video feature commissioned by Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional promoting the profession of (bio)chemical laboratory technician.
No comment yet.
Scoop.it!

Stability of Aerobic Granular Sludge During Textile Wastewater Treatment

Stability of Aerobic Granular Sludge During Textile Wastewater Treatment | iBB | Scoop.it

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is considered the next generation of wastewater treatment. However, long-term AGS stability is still a challenge. A recent study led by Nídia Lourenço from BERG-iBB assessed the effect of two feeding regimens, anaerobic plug-flow feeding and static anaerobic feeding, on the stability of AGS in sequencing batch reactors treating dye-laden synthetic textile wastewater for over 300 days. Both bioreactors could cope with dye and organic shock loads, despite the negative effect on granule integrity. Switching the wastewater substrate from hydrolyzed starch to acetate induced AGS instability, the plug-flow fed bioreactor recovering faster and revealing a higher capacity to deal with substrate-related variations. Click on title to learn more.

No comment yet.
Scoop.it!

Assessing the Potential of Aerobic Granular Sludge for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Assessing the Potential of Aerobic Granular Sludge for Industrial Wastewater Treatment | iBB | Scoop.it

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is a compact and energy-saving biotechnology pointed as the next generation of wastewater treatment. In a recent publication, BERG-iBB and BSRG-iBB researchers led by Nídia Lourenço compare the performance of AGS with conventional activated sludge in the treatment of textile industry wastewater. High efficiencies were attained in both systems, with AGS providing higher yields and excellent biomass settling properties. Yeast-based toxicity assays also highlighted the better wastewater detoxification performance of AGS, supporting its potential application for industrial wastewater treatment as an effective alternative to the conventional technology based on floc-forming bacteria.

No comment yet.
Scoop.it!

Stability of Aerobic Granules During Bioreactor Operation

Stability of Aerobic Granules During Bioreactor Operation | iBB | Scoop.it
Aerobic granular sludge technology is regarded as the upcoming new standard for biological treatment of wastewaters. Aerobic granules (AG) are dense, compact, self-immobilized microbial aggregates that allow better sludge-water separation and higher biomass concentrations in bioreactors than conventional activated sludge aggregates. This brings potential advantages in terms of investment cost, energy consumption and footprint. In a recent paper in Biotechnology Advances, BERG-researchers Helena Pinheiro, Nídia Lourenço and Rita Franca, and Mark van Loosdrecht from the University of Delft, provide an up-to-date review of the literature on AG stability. The identification of key factors for long-term stability of AG, the underlying mechanisms and operational conditions leading to granule disintegration are described, alongside with possible practical solutions to improve long-term stability. Click on title to learn more.
No comment yet.
Scoop.it!

Impact of Engineered Nanoparticles on Textile Wastewater Treatment With Aerobic Granular Sludge

Impact of Engineered Nanoparticles on Textile Wastewater Treatment With Aerobic Granular Sludge | iBB | Scoop.it
Nídia Lourenço, will be giving a talk entitled "Impact of engineered nanoparticles on textile wastewater treatment with aerobic granular sludge", Monday the 3rd July, at 12h30m, in room QA1.3, South Tower, IST (Alameda). Nídia Lourenço is a Researcher at BERG-iBB. Her research has focused on the areas of aerobic granular sludge bioreactors for industrial wastewater treatment, biodegradation of textile dyes in sequencing batch reactors or wastewater quality monitoring using spectrometry. The talk is included in the 2nd Edition of iBB seminars.
No comment yet.
Scoop.it!

Impact of Silver Nanoparticles on Biological Wastewater Treatment

Impact of Silver Nanoparticles on Biological Wastewater Treatment | iBB | Scoop.it
The use of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in the textile and other industrial sectors has been rapidly increasing and their occurrence in wastewater is expected to rise accordingly. However, the fate of NPs during biological wastewater treatment is largely unknown. A recent study led by Nídia Lourenço from BERG-iBB highlighted the potential application of nuclear microscopy to characterize the interaction of silver-NPs (AgNPs) with biological wastewater treatment systems based on aerobic granular sludge (AGS). Elemental maps of AGS samples revealed that the AgNPs were preferentially associated to extracellular polymeric substances, which represents an important step forward regarding their effective removal from textile wastewater.
No comment yet.
Scoop.it!

Visiting Scholar From TUDelft

Visiting Scholar From TUDelft | iBB | Scoop.it

"Professor Mark van Loosdrecht, leader from the Environmental Biotechnology Group of TUDelft, visited the Environmental Biotechnology Lab of iBB on September 26 in the context of the collaboration established with Doctor Nídia Lourenço, principal investigator of the FCT-funded BIOTEXTILE project (PTDC/EBB-BIO/120624/2010). The project aims to assess the applicability of Aerobic Granular Sludge technology for dye-laden textile wastewater treatment and Mark van Loosdrecht is the inventor of this technology, which is already considered the next generation of wastewater biotreatment processes. Van Loosdrecht has received numerous awards, both from academia and industry, including the 2014 Spinoza Prize from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the highest scientific distinction in the Netherlands. He is interested in extending the collaboration with iBB and he is currently co-supervising one MSc student with Nídia Lourenço and one PhD student with Nídia Lourenço and Helena Pinheiro. "

No comment yet.