Differences in volatile methyl siloxane (VMS) profiles in biogas from landfills and anaerobic digesters and energetics of VMS transformations

The objectives of this study were to compare the types and levels of volatile methyl siloxanes (VMS) present in biogas generated in the anaerobic digesters and landfills, evaluate the energetics of siloxane transformations under anaerobic conditions, compare the conditions in anaerobic digesters and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills which result in differences in siloxane compositions. Biogas samples were collected at the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant and South Dade Landfill in Miami, Florida. In the digester gas, D4 and D5 comprised the bulk of total siloxanes (62% and 27%, respectively) whereas in the landfill gas, the bulk of siloxanes were trimethylsilanol (TMSOH) (58%) followed by D4 (17%). Presence of high levels of TMSOH in the landfill gas indicates that methane utilization may be a possible reaction mechanism for TMSOH formation. The free energy change for transformation of D5 and D4 to TMSOH either by hydrogen or methane utilization are thermodynamically favorable. Either hydrogen or methane should be present at relatively high concentrations for TMSOH formation which explains the high levels present in the landfill gas. The high bond energy and bond distance of the Si–O bond, in view of the atomic sizes of Si and O atoms, indicate that Si atoms can provide a barrier, making it difficult to break the Si–O bonds especially for molecules with specific geometric configurations such as D4 and D5 where oxygen atoms are positioned inside the frame formed by the large Si atoms which are surrounded by the methyl groups.     

Population dynamics during startup of thermophilic anaerobic digesters: The mixing factor

Two thermophilic digesters were inoculated with manure and started-up under mixed and stagnant conditions. The Archaea in the mixed digester (A) were dominated by hydrogenotrophic Methanobateriaceae (61%) with most of the methane being produced via syntrophic pathways. Methanosarcinales (35%) were the only acetoclastic methanogens present. Acetate dissipation seems to depend on balanced hydrogenotrophic-to-acetotrophic abundance, which in turn was statistically correlated to free ammonia levels. Relative abundance of bacterial community was associated with the loading rate. However, in the absence of mixing (digester B), the relationship between microbial composition and operating parameters was not discernible. This was attributed to the development of microenvironments where environmental conditions are significantly different from average measured parameters. The impact of microenvironments was accentuated by the use of a non-acclimated seed that lacks adequate propionate degraders. Failure to disperse the accumulated propionate, and other organics, created high concentration niches where competitive and inhibiting conditions developed and favored undesired genera, such as Halobacteria (65% in B). As a result, digester B experienced higher acid levels and lower allowable loading rate. Mixing was found necessary to dissipate potential inhibitors, and improve stability and loading capacity, particularly when a non-acclimated seed, often lacking balanced thermophilic microflora, is used.     

Methanogenic diversity changes in full-scale anaerobic digesters by co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This study aims to investigate the methanogenic community of anaerobic mono-digestion of sewage sludge (SL-digester) and co-digestion of sewage...     

Life cycle assessment of energy from waste via anaerobic digestion: A UK case study

Particularly in the UK, there is potential for use of large-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) plants to treat food waste, possibly along with other organic wastes, to produce biogas. This paper presents the results of a life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impacts of AD with energy and organic fertiliser production against two alternative approaches: incineration with energy production by CHP and landfill with electricity production. In particular the paper investigates the dependency of the results on some specific assumptions and key process parameters. The input Life Cycle Inventory data are specific to the Greater London area, UK. Anaerobic digestion emerges as the best treatment option in terms of total CO₂ and total SO₂ saved, when energy and organic fertiliser substitute non-renewable electricity, heat and inorganic fertiliser. For photochemical ozone and nutrient enrichment potentials, AD is the second option while incineration is shown to be the most environmentally friendly solution. The robustness of the model is investigated with a sensitivity analysis. The most critical assumption concerns the quantity and quality of the energy substituted by the biogas production. Two key issues affect the development and deployment of future anaerobic digestion plants: maximising the electricity produced by the CHP unit fuelled by biogas and to defining the future energy scenario in which the plant will be embedded.     

Recovery of Chromium(III) from Tannery Wastewater by Nanoparticles and Whiskers of Chitosan

Chitosan, its nanoparticles and whiskers present an excellent capacity to complex chromium ions. However, this phenomenon is influenced by different parameters. In our search, we determined the appropriate range of pH to form chitosan–Cr(III), nanoparticles Cr(III) and whiskers–Cr(III) complex. We studied also the influence of chromium concentration and nature of chitosan-based materials on complexation process. Our main aim is approximate the optimal conditions to remove chromium(III) from tanning bath, recuperated from tannery wastewater of Marrakech in Morocco. However, the results of adsorption kinetic in tannery wastewater revealed that chitosan, its nanoparticles, whiskers and biocomposites are good sorbent of chromium as well, even if the adsorbed quantity is less compared to chromium solution. Although, according to ICP-OES analysis in this real effluent, nanoparticles are the best complexing ligand, after 24 h of contact nanoparticles can remove 70% of chromium from this tannery wastewater.     

Agricultural reuse of the digestate from low-cost tubular digesters in rural Andean communities

This research aimed at assessing the properties of guinea pig manure digestate from low-cost tubular digesters for crops fertilization in rural Andean communities. To this end, field trials were carried out to evaluate the effect of the digestate on two common Andean crops: potato (Solanum tuberosum) and forage (Lolium multiflorum and Trifolium pratense L.). The potato yield (20-25 tha(-1)) increased by 27.5% with digestate, by 15.1% with pre-compost and by 10.3% with the mixture, compared to the control. The forage yield (20-21 tha(-1)) increased by 1.4% with digestate - 50% dose, and by 8.8% with digestate - 100% dose and digestate - 150% dose, compared to the control. The results suggest that the digestate is an appropriate substitute of manure pre-compost for potato fertilization. The results with forage indicate that it can be applied in a range of doses, according to the amount produced by the digester. Currently, manure is either used for cooking or as fertilizer. With low-cost tubular digesters implementation, it could be used to feed the digester, using the digestate for crops fertilization and biogas for cooking; improving household living conditions and protecting the environment. Since soil properties in rural Andean communities differ from experimental layouts, the effect of fertilizers should be re-evaluated in-situ in future research studies.     

Benefits of supplementing an industrial waste anaerobic digester with energy crops for increased biogas production

Currently, there is increasing competition for waste as feedstock for the growing number of biogas plants. This has led to fluctuation in feedstock supply and biogas plants being operated below maximum capacity. The feasibility of supplementing a protein/lipid-rich industrial waste (pig manure, slaughterhouse waste, food processing and poultry waste) mesophilic anaerobic digester with carbohydrate-rich energy crops (hemp, maize and triticale) was therefore studied in laboratory scale batch and continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) with a view to scale-up to a commercial biogas process. Co-digesting industrial waste and crops led to significant improvement in methane yield per ton of feedstock and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio as compared to digestion of the industrial waste alone. Biogas production from crops in combination with industrial waste also avoids the need for micronutrients normally required in crop digestion. The batch co-digestion methane yields were used to predict co-digestion methane yield in full scale operation. This was done based on the ratio of methane yields observed for laboratory batch and CSTR experiments compared to full scale CSTR digestion of industrial waste. The economy of crop-based biogas production is limited under Swedish conditions; therefore, adding crops to existing industrial waste digestion could be a viable alternative to ensure a constant/reliable supply of feedstock to the anaerobic digester.     

Potential of anaerobic digestion for material recovery and energy production in waste biomass from a poultry slaughterhouse

This study was carried out to assess the material and energy recovery by organic solid wastes generated from a poultry slaughterhouse. In a poultry slaughterhouse involving the slaughtering of 100,000 heads per day, poultry manure & feather from the mooring stage, blood from the bleeding stage, intestine residue from the evisceration stage, and sludge cake from the wastewater treatment plant were discharged at a unit of 0.24, 4.6, 22.8, and 2.2 Mg day^?1, consecutively. The amount of nitrogen obtained from the poultry slaughterhouse was 22.36 kg 1000 head^?1, phosphate and potash were 0.194 kg 1000 head^?1 and 0.459 kg 1000 head^?1, respectively. As regards nitrogen recovery, the bleeding and evisceration stages accounted for 28.0% and 65.8% of the total amount of recovered nitrogen. Energy recovered from the poultry slaughterhouse was 35.4 N m³ 1000 head^?1 as CH₄. Moreover, evisceration and wastewater treatment stage occupied 88.1% and 7.2% of the total recovered CH₄ amount, respectively.     

Recovery of benzene-rich oil from the degradation of metal- and metal oxide-containing poly(ethylene terephthalate) composites

Pure poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) resin and metal-/metal oxide-containing PET composites were thermally decomposed in the presence of Ca(OH)₂ using a tube reactor. The effects of batch and continuous processing, the presence of Ca(OH)₂, and PET size on benzene production were investigated. A maximum benzene yield and purity of 82.9 % and 78.8 wt%, respectively, were obtained at 700 °C in the presence of Ca(OH)₂ when using small PET particles; further, a continuous feed reactor was favored over a batch reactor. Effective contact between PET and Ca(OH)₂ was important in the PET degradation, which promoted hydrolysis of PET and decarboxylation of terephthalic acid, whereas pyrolysis was suppressed. Furthermore, the results of thermal decomposition of PET-based waste—PET-based X-ray films, magnetic tape, and prepaid cards—indicated that the metal and metal oxides contained in the waste had no significant catalytic effect on PET degradation or on the recovery of benzene-rich oil in the presence of Ca(OH)₂.     

硫脲法浸出回收炼锌废渣中的银

对用硫脲法从炼锌废渣中浸出回收银的工艺及其影响因素进行了研究;确定了最佳浸出工艺条件为：硫脲质量浓度１０ｇ／Ｌ,「Ｆｅ＾３＋」０．０１２５ｍｇ／Ｌ,液固比１０：１,浸出液ＰＨ１．５－２．０,浸出温度４０－６０℃;     

硼氢化钠还原法回收电镀废液中的铜

采用NaBH4作为还原剂回收电镀废液中的铜。正交实验结果表明,各因素对剩余铜离子质量浓度的影响的显著性顺序为n(NaBH4)∶n(CuSO4)反应时间反应温度。最佳实验条件为:n(NaBH4)∶n(CuSO4)=1.50,反应温度30℃,反应时间25min。经该工艺可获得平均粒径为33nm的近球形立方晶系纳米铜粉,处理后废液中铜离子质量浓度低至0.2mg/L。在铜粉制备过程中加入非离子型表面活性剂可有效阻止晶粒长大,并提高其分散性能,使产物粒径均匀。采用苯骈三氮唑处理后的铜粉抗氧化能力明显提高。     

氯化铵浸取法回收盐泥中的镁

以盐泥为原料,采用氯化铵浸取回收盐泥中的Mg²⁺,以浸取液和回收的氨反应制取氢氧化镁产品。考察了盐泥浆液固含量、浸取时间、物料比（氯化铵与盐泥中氢氧化镁的摩尔比）等工艺条件对Mg²⁺浸取率的影响,并以比表面积为考察指标进行正交实验,确定氢氧化镁的最佳制备条件。实验结果表明：在盐泥浆液固含量为248 g/L、浸取时间为100 min、物料比为2.3的条件下,Mg²⁺浸取率为75.0%;在n（MgCl₂）:n（NH₄Cl）=0.5、氨水浓度3 mol/L、氨水滴加速率 0.8 mL/min、反应温度 90 ℃的最佳条件下,制备的氢氧化镁的比表面积为17.87 m²/g,粒径约为3 μm。该工艺简单可行,为盐泥的综合利用提供了新的思路。     

废催化剂中金属的回收

简述了含有铂、钒、镍金属组分的废催化剂来源及金属回收工艺，介绍了萃取法在金属回收中的应用。     

Material and energy recovery from Automotive Shredded Residues (ASR) via sequential gasification and combustion

Shredding is the common end-of-life treatment in Europe for dismantled car wrecks. It produces the so-called Automotive Shredded Residue (ASR), usually disposed of in landfill. This paper summarizes the outcome of a study carried out by Politecnico di Milano and LEAP with the support of Actelios SpA on the prospects of a technology based on sequential gasification and combustion of this specific waste stream. Its application to the treatment of ASR allows the recovery of large fractions of metals as non-oxidized, easily marketable secondary raw materials, the vitrification of most of the ash content and the production of power via a steam cycle. Results show that despite the unfavourable characteristics of ASR, the proposed technology can reach appealing energy performances. Three of four environmental impact indicators and the cumulative energy demand index are favourable, the main positive contributes being electricity production and metal recovery (mainly aluminium and copper). The only unfavourable indicator is the global warming index because, since most of the carbon in ASR comes from fossil sources, the carbon dioxide emissions at the stack of the thermal treatment plant are mainly non-renewable and, at the same time, the avoided biogas production from the alternative disposal route of landfilling is minor.     

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from waste and biomass to energy plants.

Following the Kyoto protocol with respect to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases emissions, and EU energy policy and sustainability in waste management, there has been an increased interest in the reduction of emissions from waste disposal operations. From the point of view of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, waste incineration and waste co-combustion are very acceptable methods for waste disposal. In order to achieve very low N2O emissions from waste incineration, particularly for waste with higher nitrogen content (e.g. sewage sludge), two factors are important: temperature of incineration over 900 degrees C and avoiding the selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) de-NO(X) method based on urea or ammonia treatments. The more modern selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for de-NO(X) give rise to negligible sources of N2O.     

Hidden values in bauxite residue (red mud): Recovery of metals

Bauxite residue (red mud) is a hazardous waste generated from alumina refining industries. Unless managed properly, red mud poses significant risks to the local environment due to its extreme alkalinity and its potential impacts on surface and ground water quality. The ever-increasing generation of red mud poses significant challenges to the aluminium industries from management perspectives given the low proportion that are currently being utilized beneficially. Red mud, in most cases, contains elevated concentrations of iron in addition to aluminium, titanium, sodium and valuable rare earth elements. Given the scarcity of iron supply globally, the iron content of red mud has attracted increasing research interest. This paper presents a critical overview of the current techniques employed for iron recovery from red mud. Information on the recovery of other valuable metals is also reviewed to provide an insight into the full potential usage of red mud as an economic resource rather than a waste. Traditional hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy are being investigated continuously. However, in this review several new techniques are introduced that consider the process of iron recovery from red mud. An integrated process which can achieve multiple additional values from red mud is much preferred over the single process methods. The information provided here should help to improve the future management and utilization of red mud.     

Thorium(IV) Recovery from Water and Sea Water Using Surface Modified Nanocellulose/Nanobentonite Composite: Process Design

Thorium(Th) contamination in the ground water an emerging environmental issue and Th recovery from sea water and nuclear wastewater is of high significance, as it is a major player in the energy sector. For the adsorption and recovery of Th, polymer grafted bio materials are reported as most efficient materials. P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB was prepared and all the steps in the synthetic routes were monitored using FTIR, SEM–EDS, and XRD, TG. Efficiency in removal of Th(IV) by P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB was tested by batch adsorption technique. The pH dependent Th(IV) adsorption process, was optimized at 4.5 and adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 120 min. Experimental kinetic data correlates well with pseudo-second-order equation, indicates adsorption was chemical process via ion exchange followed by complexation reaction, also could explain the film diffusion process of adsorption. Sips isotherm proved to best fit for the adsorption of Th(IV) onto P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB with maximum adsorption capacity of 95.19 mg/g. Thermodynamic studies revealed the endothermic nature, feasibility and spontaneity of the adsorption process. ΔHx and ΔSx were decreased to a small extent from ?5.567 to ?3.439 kJ/mol and increased from 11.18 to 18.39 J/mol, respectively, with increase in surface loading from 50 to 70 mg/g, indicating that the surface of the onto P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB is having energetically heterogeneous surface and there may be some lateral interactions between the adsorbed Th(IV) ions Repeated adsorption–desorption study over six cycles, adsorption percentage decreases from 99.0 to 94.6 %, proved the efficiency of P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB as an effective adsorbent for the removal and recovery of Th(IV) from aqueous solutions. Complete removal of Th(IV) ions from seawater containing 10 mg/L with a dose of 0.25 g/L P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB achieved. Batch adsorption system as double stage reactor designed from the adsorption isotherm data of Th(IV) by constructing operational lines. From these could be concluded that P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB is a promising candidate for the effective removal and removal of Th(IV) from industrial effluents phase and sea water. The maximum adsorption capacity Qs for Ceralite IRC-50 calculated which was found to be 179.67 mg/g which are considerably lower than those for P(IA/MAA)-g-NC/NB.     

Recovery of nickel oxide from spent catalyst

This study investigates the possibility of recovering nickel from the spent catalyst (NiO/Al2O3) resulting from the steam reforming process to produce water gas (H2/H2O) in many industries. In the extraction process, nickel is recovered as sulfate using sulfuric acid as a solvent. The considered parameters affecting nickel recovery were acid concentration, temperature and time of digestion solid:liquid ratio, particle size and stirring rate. Nickel was to be directly recovered as a sulfate salt by direct crystallization method. The conversion was 99% at 50% sulfuric acid concentration, solid: liquid ratio (1:12) by weight, particle size less than 500 micron for more than 5 h and 800 rpm at 100 degrees C.     

Chemical Recovery of Useful Chemicals from Polyester (PET) Waste for Resource Conservation: A Survey of State of the Art

In this paper we present the main technologies developed over the last decades on chemical recycle of PET from a practical and economical point of view. We show details of plants used to carry out solvolitic reactions emphasising steps of purification, which are sometimes not considered when discussing chemical, recycle but which, in fact, are the key feasibility factors. The recycling or modification of PET to obtain monomers and other useful chemicals as intermediates and additives is carefully considered.     

从废感光胶片中回收银

研究了以Fe3 -乙二胺四乙酸二钠-N a2S2O3体系为浸取剂从废感光胶片中回收银的方法,考察了浸出银的最佳工艺条件。实验表明,当浸取剂中FeC l3.6H2O质量浓度为35g/L、N a2S2O3.5H2O质量浓度为150g/L、pH为7、固液质量比为3∶10时,浸取剂可重复使用6次,胶片上银的浸出率可达99%以上;浸取液中的银采用硼氢化钠还原回收,粗银粉配以熔剂高温熔炼可得到纯度达99.78%的银,银回收率达96.88%,回收银后的浸取液可循环使用。