Production and growth of microalgae in urine and wastewater: A review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Issues of climate change, energy demand, and natural resources depletion are calling for circular methods to produce value-added products such as biomass, biofuel,...     

Biocompatible Polyurethane Scaffolds Prepared from Glycerol Monostearate-Derived Polyester Polyol

Biodegradable polyester polyol was synthesized from oleochemical glycerol monostearate (GMS) and glutaric acid under a non-catalyzed and solvent-free polycondensation method. The chemical structure of GMS-derived polyester polyol (GPP) was elucidated by FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and molecular weight of GPP was characterized by GPC. The synthesized GPP with acid value of 3.03 mg KOH/g sample, hydroxyl value of 115.72 mg KOH/g sample and M_n of 1345 g/mol was incorporated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polycaprolactone diol (PCL diol) to produce a water-blown porous polyurethane system via one-shot foaming method. The polyurethanes were optimized by evaluating glycerol as a crosslinker, silicone surfactant and water blowing agent on tensile properties of polyurethanes. All polyurethanes underwent structural change, and crystalline hard segments of polyurethanes were shifted to higher temperature suggested that hard segments undergone re-ordering process during enzymatic treatment. In terms of biocompatibility, polyurethane scaffold produced by reacting 100% w/w of GPP with isophorone diisocyanate and additives showed the highest cells viability of 3T3 mouse fibroblast (94%, day 1), and MG63 human osteosarcoma (107%, day 1) and better cell adhesion as compared to reference polyurethane produced by only PEG and PCL diol (3T3 cell viability: 8%; MG63 cell viability: 2%). The current work demonstrated GPP synthesized from renewable and environmental friendly resources produced polyurethanes that allows improvement in physico-chemical, mechanical and biocompatibility properties. By blending with increasing content of GPP, the water-blown porous polyurethane scaffold has shown great potential as biomaterial for soft and hard tissue engineering.     

The System Dynamics of Nuclear Energy in Singapore

In this article, a system dynamics model is developed to study the complex issues involving nuclear energy in Singapore by assessing four essential aspects, namely (1) Economic, (2) Environment, (3) Social, and (4) Political in various scenarios. The first factor juxtaposes the monetary benefit from deploying nuclear energy with the current situation. The second deals with carbon dioxide emission, nuclear waste, and thermal pollution from nuclear power plant. The third part discusses the safety and social acceptance toward nuclear project, and the last section analyzes the political stability in provision of nuclear energy advent. The proposed system dynamic model incorporates all four components that allow us to run sensitivity analysis based on various scenarios and enables us to gain insight in how each domain evolves with time. Based on the model, we present advantages and disadvantages of possessing nuclear power plants in Singapore and suggest remedies to rectify the drawbacks.     

Conservation of Sarawak peat swamp in an urban landscape by fuzzy inference system

Freshwater habitats are one of the planet’s most important, yet most manipulated, environments. This is what happens in Sarawak that the environment has been radically changed due to urban developments. This paper is promoting the idea that we do not need a complicated but a simple tool like fuzzy inference system to strike a balance between the existence of peat swamp and the humans who live nearer and nearer to it. Conditions vital to the survival and continuity of a natural wetland system can be adapted as fuzzy rules. These rules are capable of providing indicators of how much wetland can be exploited and at the same time still allow the system to properly functioning as a wetland.     

利用洪水风险图指导洪泛区及城市建设

本文就洪水风险图的概念、编制方法作了探讨,并介绍了黄河北金堤滞洪区等洪水风险图。最后就洪水风险图的应用作了分析。     

北京清河水体及水生生物体内抗生素污染特征

利用高效液相色谱和串联质谱联用的方法,分析了北京市清河水体和水生生物体内4类抗生素含量水平及污染特征. 结果表明:清河水体中QNs(喹诺酮类)和MCs(大环内酯类)抗生素是主要污染物质,ρ(∑QNs)和ρ(∑MCs)的平均值分别为2238.9和814.9ng/L;在检测的5种大型水生植物体内,QNs和TCs(四环素类)抗生素是主要污染物质,w(∑QNs)和w(∑TCs)的平均值分别为945.3和389.2μg/kg;在鱼类和软体动物体内,QNs和SAs(磺胺类)抗生素是主要污染物质,w(∑QNs)和w(∑SAs)的平均值分别为3213.9和653.5μg/kg. 抗生素对清河水生态系统的环境风险评价结果表明,OFL(氧氟沙星)、CIP(环丙沙星)和NOR(诺氟沙星)对藻类和水生植物的HQs(危害系数)均大于1,说明在清河水体中这3种抗生素对藻类和水生植物存在环境风险. 研究表明,清河水环境存在一定程度的抗生素污染,其中QNs抗生素的HQs较高,其环境风险不容忽视.      

Study of Thermal Decomposition Kinetics of Palm Oleic Acid-Based Alkyds and Effect of Oil Length on Thermal Stability

Thermal decomposition kinetics of three palm oleic acid-based alkyds with different oil lengths and having different molecular weights were studied using TGA measurements under non-isothermal conditions. Activation energies were obtained from Kissinger and Ozawa, Flynn and Wall (OFW) methods and subsequently the pre-exponential factor, A, degradation rate constant, k, for all the alkyds were also determined. From kinetic analysis of the thermal decomposition using the OFW method, it was found that degradation of all the alkyds has taken place in more than two stages, corresponding to different mechanisms. As shown from Ozawa and Kissinger methods, the chemical composition of the alkyds influenced the thermal degradation; increasing the phthalic anhydride and glycerol, and decreasing the oleic acid increased the thermal stabilities of the alkyds.     

Effect of operational factors on bioregeneration of binary phenol and 4-chlorophenol-loaded granular activated carbon using PVA-immobilized biomass cryogels

The effects of dry biomass density in cryogel beads, shaking speed and initial concentration ratio of phenol to 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) on the bioregeneration efficiencies of binary phenol and 4-CP-loaded granular activated carbon (GAC) for phenol and 4-CP, respectively, were investigated under the simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation approach. The results revealed higher bioregeneration efficiencies of binary-loaded GAC for phenol and 4-CP at higher dry biomass density but moderate shaking speed. The optimum dry biomass density in cryogel beads and shaking speed for use in bioregeneration were found to be 0.01 g/mL and 250 rpm, respectively. With respect to the initial phenol to 4-CP concentration ratio, the bioregeneration efficiencies were lower under increasing phenol and 4-CP initial concentrations, respectively, with the effect being more conspicuous under increasing 4-CP concentration. Higher bioregeneration efficiencies were achieved with the use of immobilized rather than suspended biomasses.     

Palm Oleic Acid Based Alkyds: Effect of the Fatty Acid Content on the Polyesterification Kinetics

The kinetic behavior of polyesterification of the alkyd resins synthesized using glycerol and phthalic anhydride modified with oleic acid from the palm oil at temperatures between 120 and 240 °C was studied. Three alkyds having oleic acid contents of 28, 40, and 65% were prepared by employing fatty acid method. The extent of the polyesterification reaction and average degree of polymerization were monitored by determining the acid number of the aliquot of the reaction mixture at various intervals of time and by measuring the volume of water evolved. Kinetic studies revealed that initial reaction rates followed a second-order kinetics up to certain limit and thereafter deviations were observed. The extent of reaction varied from 77.4 to 86.3% before deviation for all the three samples and exhibited a considerable degree of conversion. The second-order rate constants calculated from the linear part were found to be of the order of 10⁻⁵ g (mg KOH)⁻¹ min⁻¹. Molecular weight of the alkyd samples was determined by GPC; number average molecular weight of the alkyds ranged from 980 to 2,070.