RESULTS FROM 1 TO 20 OF 32

2023, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Development of Functional Hybrid Polymers and Gel Materials for Sustainable Membrane-Based Water Treatment Technology: How to Combine Greener and Cleaner Approaches

Rando, Giulia; Sfameni, Silvia; Plutino, Maria Rosaria

Water quality and disposability are among the main challenges that governments and societies will outside during the next years due to their close relationship to population growth and urbanization and their direct influence on the environment and socio-economic development. Potable water suitable for human consumption is a key resource that, unfortunately, is strongly limited by anthropogenic pollution and climate change. In this regard, new groups of compounds, referred to as emerging contaminants, represent a risk to human health and living species; they have already been identified in water bodies as a result of increased industrialization. Pesticides, cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, organic dyes, and other man-made chemicals indispensable for modern society are among the emerging pollutants of difficult remediation by traditional methods of wastewater treatment. However, the majority of the currently used waste management and remediation techniques require significant amounts of energy and chemicals, which can themselves be sources of secondary pollution. Therefore, this review reported newly advanced, efficient, and sustainable techniques and approaches for water purification. In particular, new advancements in sustainable membrane-based filtration technologies are discussed, together with their modification through a rational safe-by-design to modulate their hydrophilicity, porosity, surface characteristics, and adsorption performances. Thus, their preparation by the use of biopolymer-based gels is described, as well as their blending with functional cross-linkers or nanofillers or by advanced and innovative approaches, such as electrospinning.

GELS 9 (1), pp. 9

DOI: 10.3390/gels9010009

2023, Contributo in atti di convegno, ENG

An easy numerical evaluation of the DM growth in Self-Forming Dynamic Membrane Bioreactors (SFD MBR) for Wastewater Treatment

Castrogiovanni Fabiano, Salerno Carlo, Berardi Giovanni, Tumolo Marina, Pollice Alfieri

In the last years, self-forming dynamic membranes (SFD MBR) revealed as one of the most innovative technological solutions for wastewater treatment. In these systems, filtration takes place through a cake layer (Dynamic Membrane, DM) supported by a 10-200 µm filter mesh. Filtration efficiency may decrease when the DM becomes too thick or its composition changes, and this can be measured under constant flux through the increase of TMP (TransMembrane Pressure). In this study, three different DM maintenance strategies have been adopted to limit the loss of performance caused by excessive cake layer growth. A 4h filtration cycle was applied ending with a filtration break of 11' with different mesh cleaning strategies. The cake growth on the support mesh was analyzed evaluating the TMP increase rate. TMP peaks in the range 20-200 mbar were observed during the 4h filtration cycles. These data were interpreted with second order interpolations and linear trends. Here, the slopes of the trend lines are used to evaluate the performance of the different DM maintenance strategies considered. These lines provide a simplified representation of the speed at which the pressure of 200 mbar is reached, once the DM thickness starts to increase (lower TMP instability threshold of 20 mbar). These slopes allow to estimate cake layer accumulation: the lower the slope value, the longer the time to reach the critical TMP value. Filtration efficiency may decrease when the DM becomes too thick or its composition changes, and this can be measured under constant flux through the increase of TMP (TransMembrane Pressure). In this study, three different DM maintenance strategies have been adopted to limit the loss of performance caused by excessive cake layer growth. A 4h filtration cycle was applied ending with a filtration break of 11' with different mesh cleaning strategies. The cake growth on the support mesh was analyzed evaluating the TMP increase rate. TMP peaks in the range 20-200 mbar were observed during the 4h filtration cycles. These data were interpreted with second order interpolations and linear trends. Here, the slopes of the trend lines are used to evaluate the performance of the different DM maintenance strategies considered. These lines provide a simplified representation of the speed at which the pressure of 200 mbar is reached, once the DM thickness starts to increase (lower TMP instability threshold of 20 mbar). These slopes allow to estimate cake layer accumulation: the lower the slope value, the longer the time to reach the critical TMP value.

18th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (CEST2023), Athens (Greece), 30/08-02/09/2023

DOI: 10.30955/gnc2023.00522

2023, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Electrodeposition of Ni Rh Alloys and their Use as Cathodes for Nitrate Reduction in Alkaline Solutions

Mattarozzi L.; Cattarin S.; Comisso N.; Musiani M.; Vázquez-Gómez L.; Verlato E.

Compact Ni-Rh alloys are electrodeposited potentiostatically on rotating disk and sheet electrodes; film compositions are adjusted by varying bath composition and deposition potential E-dep. SEM images of these alloys show a compact, globular morphology for Rh contents up to 30 at%, and a smoother aspect for films with a medium-to-high content of Rh. XRD spectra show the formation of a single crystalline phase, with diffraction peaks in intermediate positions between those of the constituent elements. Data analysis indicates that crystal lattice parameters vary with composition according to Vegard's law. Linear voltammetries of nitrate reduction in alkali highlight a maximum of activity, in terms of reduction current, for alloys in the range of 10-30 at.% Rh. Prolonged electrolysis at appropriate potential performed with Ni85Rh15 alloy shows, in comparison with pure Ni and pure Rh: much increased activity and faster abatement of nitrate; lower production of the undesired nitrite species; higher selectivity towards production of ammonia.

ChemElectroChem, pp. e202201122

DOI: 10.1002/celc.202201122

2023, Contributo in volume, ENG

Aerobic and anaerobic membrane bioreactors for seafood processing wastewater treatment

N. N. Thoai, T. T. Thai Hang, L. V. Trung, T. H. Thuan, N. Van Tuyen, C. X. Quang, A. Figoli, F. Galiano, T. L. Luu

This review points out two main variants of MBR aerobic MBR and anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) in seafood wastewater treatment. The mechanisms of their biodegradability and membrane characteristics are mentioned. Besides, the influence of salinity on such processes is discussed to have a general correlation of different factors to membrane performance and their fouling behaviours.

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-443-19180-0.00007-9

2023, Monografia o trattato scientifico, ENG

Advanced Technologies in Wastewater Treatment - Oily Wastewaters

Angelo Basile, Alfredo Cassano, Mohammad Reza Rahimpour, Mohammad Amin Makarem

Advanced Technologies in Wastewater Treatment - Oily Wastewaters focus on characteristics and innovative treatment technologies of oily wastewater from various resources. The book discusses in detail primary and physical treatment methods, such as absorption and adsorption, as well as common techniques like coagulation and fluctuation. The applications of other advanced methods for oily wastewaters treatment, such as utilization of membranes and stripping gases, are thoroughly covered. Finally, novel technologies applied in purification of oily wastewaters-such as photocatalytic degradation and biological processes-are reviewed, and future outlooks and prospects are illustrated.

2022, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Ammonium recovery from municipal wastewater by ion exchange: Development and application of a procedure for sorbent selection

Davide Pinelli, Alessia Foglia, Francesco Fatone, Elettra Papa, Carla Maggetti, Sara Bovina, Dario Frascari

Ion exchange represents one of the most promising processes for ammonium recovery from municipal wastewater (MWW). However, most previous studies on ammonium ion exchange did not optimize the process or evaluate its robustness under real operational conditions. This experimental study aimed at (i) developing a procedure for the selection of a sorbent for selective ammonium removal/recovery from MWW, (ii) validating the procedure by applying it to several sorbents, (iii) performing a preliminary optimization and robustness assessment of ammonium removal/recovery with the selected sorbent. The application of the procedure to natural and synthetic zeolites and a cation exchange resin confirmed that batch isotherm tests need to be integrated by continuous-flow tests. The selected sorbent, a natural mixture of Chabazite and Phillipsite, resulted in high performances in terms of cation exchange capacity (33 mgN gdry resin - 1 ), ammonium operating capacity (5.2 mgN gdry resin - 1 ), ammonium recovery yield (78-91%) and selectivity towards ammonium. The process performances resulted stable during 7 adsorption/desorption cycles conducted with MWW treatment plant effluents in a 60-cm column. The switch to a highly saline effluent produced in a hotspot of seawater intrusion did not determine significant changes in performances. Contact time was reduced to 6 min without any decrease in performances. Potassium - well tolerated by crops - was selected as the regenerating agent, in the perspective to produce a desorbed product to be re-used as fertilizer. The study shows that Chabazite/Phillipsite has a high capacity to recover ammonium from MWW in a circular economy approach.

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 10, pp. 108829

DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2022.108829

2022, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Ammonium removal and recovery from municipal wastewater by ion exchange using a metakaolin K-based geopolymer

Medri V.; Papa E.; Landi E.; Maggetti C.; Pinelli D.; Frascari D.

Among the available technologies for ammonium removal from wastewater, ion exchange represents one of the most promising ones in the perspective to recover ammonium and produce a fertilizing product. However, the vast majority of previous studies on ammonium ion exchange did not evaluate the process robustness under real operational conditions nor optimized the desorption step. In this paper, tests of ammonium removal and recovery were conducted on a metakaolin K-based geopolymer, compared with a high-performing Italian natural zeolite in K-form. Real municipal and saline wastewater was treated in a continuous flow pilot plant equipped with a 60-cm adsorption bed (bed volume 203 mL, sorbent mass 145-173 g, empty bed contact time 10 min). Geopolymer granules showed higher performances in terms of selectivity towards ammonium, operating capacity (8.5 mg g dry adsorbent at an inlet concentration of 40 mg L), bed volumes of wastewater treated at the selected breakpoint (149). Geopolymer resulted to be a cost-effective adsorbent for wastewater treatment capable to adsorb cations by ion exchange, allowing a fractionated desorption procedure that led to recover ammonium in a solution composed mainly by NHNO (37%) and KNO (56%), potentially usable as fertilizer. The geopolymer robustness was assessed after repeated adsorption/regeneration cycles showing that the geopolymer mechanical and morphological properties did not deteriorate. The results make the tested geopolymer a very promising material for the optimization and scale-up of the ammonium recovery process in a circular economy perspective.

Water research (Oxf.) 225, pp. 119203

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119203

2022, Progetto, ENG

Conversion of Rose Processing Effluent into Bioproducts with Bio-Circular Economic and Artificial Intelligence Predictive Models.

Önder UYSAL, Turkey; Caner KOÇ, Turkey; Ozan ÖZDEM?R, Turkey; Tawfik Ismail, Egypt; Emilio Molina Grima, Spain; Miquel Joan Vidal Espinar, Spain; Carmela Maria Assunta Barone,Italy; Roberto Altieri, Mohammed Salah AZAZA, Tunis.

Türkiye is the top producer of the oil rose flower production in the last 10 years and the obtained rose oil worldwide which meets 70% of rose oil production of the world. Hence, Türkiye, has a very important place in the perfumery and cosmetics sector and exports trade of the oil reached US$953.27 Million in 2020. As a result, large quantities of Rose oil solid processing waste-rose pulp (RSPW) and Rose Oil Processing Effluent- process wastewater (ROPE) are produced over a limited time interval. Unfortunately, the wastes resulting from this production, contains pollutant loads, is stored in collection pits and therefore brings environmental problems. The increase in the number of the rose oil factories as well as the distant locations of each other make waste management and environmental inspections difficult. Many problems such as underground and surface water pollution, soil pollution, odor problem, air pollution, visual pollution and disease risk arise as a result of not properly treated and evaluated wastes from rose oil factories and leaving them to nature unsupervised. The general objective of our RoPEBio-AIM project is to convert RSPW and ROPE from rose oil factories, which are used in the cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries, where the most rose and rose products are produced among the Mediterranean countries, into bioproducts. In addition, it is aimed to produce raw materials for agriculture, food and energy sectors on the axis of bio-circular economy. Specific objectives in terms of bio-circular economic model are: -to treat an agricultural industrial wastewater that has not been economically utilized with a biological process, to reduce the grey water footprint level -To reduce input costs for nutrient media for microalgae cultivation -To provide CO2 removal during the biological process to reduce the carbon footprint -To obtain microalgae-based agricultural bioproducts without occupying agricultural areas -Reuse wastewater; saving blue water as a result of reducing the blue water footprint (in agricultural irrigation, in aquaponic system, in the distillation water in the rose oil processing) -To increase the diversity of bioproducts (compost, biofertilizer, biochar, biodiesel, biogas, fish feed) -To perform techno-economic-energy analysis -To develop a decision support system with machine learning and developing wastewater-bioproduct-based economic models -To build a blockchain for data sharing -To create socio-economic models with artificial intelligence-based evaluation of outputs In RoPEBio-AIM; monitoring of sustainability performance in all processes, ensuring sustainability teamwork by the entire project management, and a systematic sustainability report will be presented at the end of the project process. For this purpose, monitoring and reporting of sustainability targets, activities and outputs will be carried out. It is planned to ensure continuity of communication with the project partners and the external stakeholders of the project, taking into account the stakeholder relations at every stage of this process. Such as GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board), CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), CDSB (Climate Disclosure Standards Board), TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures) and IIRC (International Integrated Reporting Council) recommendations, principles, frameworks and standards will be set for sustainability disclosures, including climate-related reporting from institutions. It is planned to develop a sustainability reporting format in line with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) associated with the project, by making use of these up-to-date guidelines throughout the project process.

2021, Contributo in volume, ENG

Aquatic Weeds: A Potential Pollutant Removing Agent from Wastewater and Polluted Soil and Valuable Biofuel Feedstock

Mehariya, Sanjeet; Kumar, Prasun; Marino, Tiziana; Casella, Patrizia; Iovine, Angela; Verma, Pradeep; Musmarra, Dino; Molino, Antonio

The worldwide growing population needs water security for communities will rise higher in the near future. Natural freshwater sources globally decreasing rapidly; therefore, it is expected that clean water will be secured sincerely for basic human needs (Rezania et al. in J Hazard Mater 318:587-599, 2016c). Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, wastewater discharge into the environment is increasing day by day. In the last few years, developed countries are updating the environmental policies and dedicated to reducing water pollution as well as developing an efficient and self-sustainable approach for wastewater treatment. For higher efficacy particularly in metropolitan cities, the advancement of recognized traditional treatment methods of water and wastewater is in a need to be further developed.

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-33-6552-0_3

2020, Monografia o trattato scientifico, ENG

Development and application of integrated technological and management solutions for wastewater treatment and efficient reuse in agriculture tailored to the needs of Mediterranean African countries

R. Lamaddalena, D. Frascari, V.F. Uricchio, N. Kalogerakis, S. Kyriacou, A. Rashed, A. Jaouani, A. Cherif, R. Choukr-Allah, S. Borin, C. Gibert, J. Froebrich, N. Lamaddalena, Wen-Tao Li, B. Molle, C. V. Ortega, M. Mulder, P. Corvini, M. Alhamdi

Water is a vital resource, a primary element for humans and an essential source for the survival and development of any productive sector. It is a responsibility for everyone, as well as for institutions, to defend, protect and preserve water as the essence of life and the security for future generations. Hence arises the modern setting of water management in agriculture, based on stringent criteria of efficiency and environmental protection, required also by the EU and national legislation. The threat of climate change, the effects of which have an impact on the water cycle and are particularly evident in the Mediterranean area, requires an integrated approach to water management and policies. It is therefore necessary to ensure policies based on governance models compatible with various demands of use, taking into account the trends of water consumption and availability. Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However freshwater - the stuff we drink, bathe in, irrigate our farm fields with -- is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world's water is freshwater, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.

DOI: 10.6092/unibo/amsacta/6560

2020, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Viscosity Modification of Polymerizable Bicontinuous Microemulsion by Controlled Radical Polymerization for Membrane Coating Applications

E. Gukelberger, C. Hitzel, R. Mancuso, F. Galiano, M. D. L. Bruno, R. Simonutti, B. Gabriele, A. Figoli, J. Hoinkis

Membrane modification is becoming ever more relevant for mitigating fouling phenomena within wastewater treatment applications. Past research included a novel low-fouling coating using polymerizable bicontinuous microemulsion (PBM) induced by UV-LED polymerization. This additional cover layer deteriorated the filtration capacity significantly, potentially due to the observed high pore intrusion of the liquid PBM prior to the casting process. Therefore, this work addressed an innovative experimental protocol for controlling the viscosity of polymerizable bicontinuous microemulsions (PBM) before casting on commercial ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. Prior to the coating procedure, the PBM viscosity modulation was carried out by controlled radical polymerization (CRP). The regulation was conducted by introducing the radical inhibitor 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl after a certain time (CRP time). The ensuing controlled radical polymerized PBM (CRP-PBM) showed a higher viscosity than the original unpolymerized PBM, as confirmed by rheological measurements. Nevertheless, the resulting CRP-PBM-cast membranes had a lower permeability in water filtration experiments despite a higher viscosity and potentially lower pore intrusion. This result is due to dierent polymeric structures of the differently polymerized PBM, as confirmed by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) investigations. The findings can be useful for future developments in the membrane science field for production of specific membrane-coating layers for diverse applications.

Membranes (Basel) 10

DOI: 10.3390/membranes10090246

2019, Poster, ENG

Feasibility of tertiary treated wastewater reuse in the irrigation of grapes and olives

Carlo Salerno, Pompilio Vergine, Giovanni Berardi, Giuseppe Pappagallo, Alfieri Pollice

The increased global water demand is causing strong stress on natural water resources, and implies the need of alternative ones. In this view, treated wastewater is increasingly considered a potential source of water, rather than a waste. In recent years, several studies about treated wastewater reuse for irrigation confirmed the feasibility of this practice. Nevertheless, water reuse still meets hesitation in potential users, mainly for incomplete information about the characteristics and potential benefits of reclaimed water. The project MeProWaRe (WaterWorks2014, Water JPI cofunded call) was aimed at encouraging treated wastewater reuse through an integrated strategy for the irrigation of vineyards and olives groves. MeProWaRe introduces an innovative methodology towards water reuse specifically addressing well defined types of crops, agronomic practices, and water constraints that are typical of Mediterranean countries. The idea is to highlight the positive relationships between water reuse, plants growth and crops productivity with specific reference to the Mediterranean area. To obtain this, reuse practices were made more easily acceptable to stakeholders through their direct participation in the implementation of the proposed methodology. Experimental activities were carried out at three demonstration sites in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. The present study focuses of the Italian case study of Acquaviva delle Fonti (Puglia, South-Eastern Italy), where the adoption of tertiary treated effluents from the local municipal wastewater treatment plant was evaluated by monitoring their quality over time. The proposed strategy included the possibility of blending the treated effluent with the conventional source (well water), and the results showed the effectiveness of the tertiary treatment based on gravity disk microfiltration and UV disinfection to obtain water suitable for unrestricted irrigation. The possibility of adjusting the dilution ratio of the two water sources according to the nutrient content of the treated effluent and the phenological needs of the crops was also evaluated.

IX International Symposium On Irrigation Of Horticultural Crops, Matera, 17-20/06/2019

2019, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Green waste-derived substances immobilized on SBA-15 silica: Surface properties, adsorbing and photosensitizing activities towards organic and inorganic substrates

Tummino M.L.; Testa M.L.; Malandrino M.; Gamberini R.; Prevot A.B.; Magnacca G.; Laurenti E.

Urban wastes are a potential source of environment contamination, especially when they are not properly disposed. Nowadays, researchers are finding innovative solutions for recycling and reusing wastes in order to favour a sustainable development from the viewpoint of circular economy. In this context, the lignin-like fraction of biomass derived from Green Compost is a cost-effective source of soluble Bio-Based Substances (BBS-GC), namely complex macromolecules/supramolecular aggregates characterized by adsorbing and photosensitizing properties. In this work BBS-GC were immobilized on a silica support (SBA-15) and the chemico-physical properties of the resulting hybrid material (BBS-SBA) were analysed by zeta-potential measurements, nitrogen adsorption at 77K and micro-calorimetric techniques. Successively, the BBS-SBA photosensitizing and adsorption abilities were tested. Adsorption in the dark of Rhodamine B and Orange II on BBS-SBA and their degradation upon irradiation under simulated solar light were shown, together with the formation of hydroxyl radicals detected by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy. Furthermore, the adsorption of six inorganic ions (Al, Ni, Mn, As, Hg, Cr) on BBS-SBA was studied in pure water at two different pH values and in a landfill leachate, showing the good potential of this kind of materials in the removal of wastewater contaminants.

Nanomaterials (Basel) 9, pp. 162–175

DOI: 10.3390/nano9020162

2018, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Polyamidoamine-Based Hydrogel for Removal of Blue and Red Dyes from Wastewater

Rizzi, Vito; Fiorini, Federica; Lamanna, Giuseppe; Gubitosa, Jennifer; Prasetyanto, Eko Adi; Fini, Paola; Fanelli, Fiorenza; Nacci, Angelo; De Cola, Luisa; Cosma, Pinalysa

One of the major problems related to the use of dyes in industrial applications is their elimination from the water or soil and eventually their recovery and reutilization. In this context, a new biocompatible material, previously considered suitable for biomedical applications, is presented for the first time, as an innovative adsorbent material for wastewater treatment. A polyamidoamine-based hydrogel, prepared by Michael-type polyaddition in water, is used for efficiently adsorbing two anionic toxic textile dyes from aqueous solutions. Several parameters affecting the adsorption process, such as the pH of solutions containing dyes, the amount of hydrogel and dyes, and the effect of temperature, are investigated. Moreover, the hydrogel dehydration and swollen conditions by using dye water solution are studied by Thermo-Gravimetry (TG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analyses, finding that the dehydration temperature plays a relevant role in determining the subsequent adsorbing behavior. The material characterization shows that the adsorption process can be attributed to a combination of electrostatic attraction and intermolecular interactions between hydrogel functional groups and the dye molecules. Visible absorption spectroscopy and Fourier Transform InfraRed-Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) support the findings. The kinetics of the dye adsorption process are also evaluated, together with the adsorption isotherms.

Advanced sustainable systems 2 (6)

DOI: 10.1002/adsu.201700146

2018, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Direct contact membrane distillation for the treatment of wastewater for a cooling tower in the power industry

A. Ali, A. Criscuoli, F. Macedonio, P. Argurio, A. Figoli, E. Drioli

Water abstraction for cooling requirements in energy production accounts for more than 40% of the total gross abstraction in the European Union, thus driving the interest in using alternative water resources. The current study presents the application of direct contact membrane distillation for the treatment of wastewater from a flue gas desulphurization (FGD) plant for potential applications in cooling towers. Membrane distillation (MD) performance of two commercial lab-scale membrane modules (in capillary and flat configuration) was compared in terms of flux, specific energy consumption (SEC), and rejection towards non-volatiles present in wastewater samples, pretreated according to various protocols. For the flat module, two commercial membranes were tested. In all cases, a good quality permeate was produced, with stable flux over experimental time. SEC of MD for wastewater treatment, calculated experimentally, varied from 946 to 2,830 kWh/m3 for the various applied membranes operating under different conditions. MD allows extracting more than 80% freshwater from FGD wastewater stream while maintaining high (.99.60%) rejection towards electrical conductivity.

H2Open (Online) 1 (1), pp. 57–68

DOI: 10.2166/h2oj.2018.003

2018, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Carbon Felt Monoliths Coated with a Highly Hydrophobic Mesoporous Carbon Phase for the Continuous Oil Sorption/Filtration from Water

Ba, H. Liu, Y. Wang, W. Duong-Viet, C. Papaefthimiou, V. Nguyen-Dinh, L. Tuci, G. Giambastiani, G. Pham-Huu, C.

The recovery of oils and organic compounds is a key challenge in wastewater purification processes. Herein we describe a straightforward and easy-to-scale-up strategy for the fabrication of lightweight and highly hydrophobic composites with superior mechanical strength, through the coating of commercial carbon felt (CF) with a thin mesoporous carbon phase (MC). Composites (CF@MC) are prepared by dip-coating method starting from CF foams to be soaked in a water/ethanol solution of food-grade components (sucrose and citric acid) before undergoing two successive thermal treatments. CF@MC composites exhibit an extremely high efficiency and complete reusability in the recovery of oils and organic compounds from wastewaters. They have been successfully employed as classical absorbents under batch conditions or filters under continuum separation mode. Noteworthy, the inherent electrical conductivity/resistivity of CF@MC foams has allowed their application to the recovery of water floating waxy organic residues. Indeed, absorbents can be heated up by the passage of a direct electrical current (DC) thus allowing semi-solid organic pollutants to be melted and absorbed by the hydrophobic composite without sorbents fouling or deactivation. The outlined synthetic strategy towards cheap and scalable lightweight hydrophobic materials for wastewater cleaning and environmental remediation from oil spilling, is a highly attractive technology that offers concrete hints to the exploitation of these composites on an industrial level.

Advanced sustainable systems

DOI: 10.1002/adsu.201800040

2018, Articolo in rivista, ENG

UV-LED induced bicontinuous microemulsions polymerisation for surface modification of commercial membranes - Enhancing the antifouling properties

Galiano F.; Andre Schmidt S.; Ye X.; Kumar R.; Mancuso R.; Curcio E.; Gabriele B.; Hoinkis J.; Figoli A.

Due to a worldwide growing population and the resulting rising demand for fresh water, the treatment of wastewater is becoming more and more important to meet the water demand in many countries that have limited access to freshwater sources. In several processes, as in textile industries, the produced wastewater is treated by membrane bioreactors (MBRs). However, the membrane life-time and performance are strongly influenced by the fouling issue and, for this reason innovative approaches have to be considered for producing antifouling membranes. In this work, a novel polymerisable bicontinuous microemulsion (PBM) with antimicrobial properties was coated onto a commercial polyethersulfone (PES) UF membrane by using a UV-LED polymerisation system. The energy efficient UV-LED based process allows curing within a shorter time by selecting the optimal photoinitiator, curing time, coating thickness and temperature. The improved anti-fouling propensity was verified by water permeability experiments with humic acid as model foulant. The stability of the novel PBM coating was proven by FTIR analysis subsequent to chemical cleaning at pH 1 and 13. The novel PBM surface modification technique can be considered as a great step forward in the scale-up of a process thanks to the possibility of integrating into existing membrane production plants.

Separation and purification technology (Print) 194, pp. 149–160

DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2017.10.063

2017, Monografia o trattato scientifico, ENG

Sustainable Membrane Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment (Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology)

Figoli, A.; Criscuoli, A.

This book analyses the sustainability of membrane operations applied on an industrial scale, as well as that of those under investigation on lab/pilot scales, covering also the preparation of both polymeric and inorganic membranes. It presents reverse osmosis in desalination, membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment and pressure-driven industrial wastewater treatment in agrofood and textile fields as examples of industrial membrane operations. Regarding the membrane processes still on a lab/pilot scale, the analysis includes membrane operations for the recovery of valuable products from wastewater streams, for the removal of toxic compounds from water/wastewater, and for zero liquid discharge approaches in desalination. The book offers a useful guide for scientists and engineers working in various fields, including membrane technology, separation, desalination, and wastewater treatment.

2017, Articolo in rivista, ENG

Low content nano-polyrhodanine modified polysulfone membranes with superior properties and their performance for wastewater treatment

Aktij S.A.; Rahimpour A.; Figoli A.

In this study, PSf ultrafiltration membranes were modified with a low content of polyrhodanine (PRh) nanoparticles to improve the membrane performance for wastewater treatment. Ternary phase diagram evaluation showed that the binodal boundary moved to the solvent-polymer axis by addition of 0.05 wt% PRh nanoparticles and hence the speed of phase separation increased and consequently the membrane porosity improved. Contact angle results confirmed the hydrophilicity enhancement of the membrane surface by addition of PRh nanoparticles to the polymer solution. Furthermore, by addition of the 0.05 wt% PRh nanoparticles to the PSf casting solution, the water and industrial wastewater flux increased from 83 and 70 LMH to 259 and 135 LMH, respectively. Additionally, COD and natural organic matter removal increased from 56.8% and 81.8% to 66.3% and 89.5% respectively. Although increasing the nanoparticle content up to 0.08 wt% had no considerable effect on membrane rejection, the water and industrial wastewater flux decreased to 80 LMH and 64 LMH. Moreover, the modified membranes showed lower irreversible fouling and higher water flux recovery indicating their better antifouling properties. In addition, the membrane containing low contents of PRh nanoparticles demonstrated considerable antibacterial activity.

Environmental science. Nano (Print) 4, pp. 2043–2054

DOI: 10.1039/c7en00584a

2017, Articolo in rivista, AUS/ENG

Three promising applications of microbial electrochemistry for the water sector

Modin, Oskar; Aulenta, Federico

Microbial electrochemical technologies are based on the interactions between living microorganisms and electrodes. There is a wide range of possible applications and many are highly relevant for the water sector. The most well-known is probably the microbial fuel cell, which has been proposed as an environmentally-friendly process for simultaneous wastewater treatment and electrical energy production. However, full-scale implementation at wastewater treatment plants is very challenging and there are several other applications of microbial electrochemistry that are less well-known to people outside the research field, but potentially could be widely applied and make an impact on the water sector in a shorter time perspective. In this paper, we highlight three such applications: (i) sensors for biochemical oxygen demand, volatile fatty acids and toxicity; (II) in situ bioremediation of contaminated sites; and (iii) removal and recovery of metals from wastewaters, leachates and brines.

Environmental science. Nano (Online) 3 (3), pp. 391–402

DOI: 10.1039/c6ew00325g

InstituteSelected 0/10
    ITM, Istituto per la tecnologia delle membrane (9)
    IRSA, Istituto di ricerca sulle acque (4)
    IGAG, Istituto di geologia ambientale e geoingegneria (2)
    ISMN, Istituto per lo studio dei materiali nanostrutturati (2)
    ISSMC, Istituto di Scienza, Tecnologia e Sostenibilità per lo Sviluppo dei Materiali Ceramici (2)
    ICCOM, Istituto di chimica dei composti organo metallici (1)
    ICMATE, Istituto di Chimica della Materia Condensata e di Tecnologie per l'Energia (1)
    IPCF, Istituto per i processi chimico-fisici (1)
    ISAFoM, Istituto per i sistemi agricoli e forestali del mediterraneo (1)
    ISOF, Istituto per la sintesi organica e la fotoreattività (1)
AuthorSelected 0/42
    Figoli Alberto (6)
    Drioli Enrico (3)
    Galiano Francesco (3)
    Berardi Giovanni (2)
    Cassano Alfredo (2)
    Criscuoli Alessandra (2)
    Lopez Antonio (2)
    Papa Elettra (2)
    Poerio Teresa (2)
    Pollice Alfieri (2)
TypeSelected 0/7
    Articolo in rivista (21)
    Contributo in volume (3)
    Monografia o trattato scientifico (3)
    Progetto (2)
    Abstract in atti di convegno (1)
    Contributo in atti di convegno (1)
    Poster (1)
Research programSelected 0/15
    PM.P02.007.004, Studio e sviluppo di operazioni a membrana e sistemi integrati a membrana in cicli industriali nel settore agroalimentare, conciario, tessile, etc (2)
    AG.P04.017.001, Agrotecnologie per il miglioramento della quantità e della qualità dei prodotti tipici mediterranei (1)
    DCM.AD005.037.001, LEMICE Leghe Metalliche Innovative per applicazioni in Catalisi ed Energetica (1)
    DCM.AD006.242.001, SMASH - (1)
    PM.P02.007.003, Preparazione di membrane polimeriche, inorganiche e catalitiche (1)
    PM.P02.007.007, Membrane in Separazioni Gassose e Catalisi anche ad alta temperatura in processi di interesse industriale (1)
    PM.P02.008.002, Operazioni a membrana in processi biotecnologici (1)
    PM.P02.008.003, Sviluppo di una nuova generazione di membrane per Reattori Biologici a membrana (MBR) bioreattori a membrana (1)
    PM.P02.015.001, Processi di polimerizzazione radicalica: polimerizzazione RAFT, applicazioni delle radiazioni ad alta energia e della spettroscopia ESR (1)
    PM.P03.002.007, Processi catalitici sostenibili per la produzione e la funzionalizzazione di macromolecole (1)
EU Funding ProgramSelected 0/2
    FP7 (2)
    H2020 (2)
EU ProjectSelected 0/4
    BIONEXGEN (1)
    MADFORWATER (1)
    ROUTES (1)
    VicInAqua (1)
YearSelected 0/16
    2023 (5)
    2018 (4)
    2017 (3)
    2022 (3)
    2005 (2)
    2006 (2)
    2013 (2)
    2019 (2)
    2020 (2)
    1994 (1)
LanguageSelected 0/3
    Inglese (29)
    Lingue australiane (1)
    Creolo-inglese (altra lingua) (1)
Keyword

wastewater treatment

RESULTS FROM 1 TO 20 OF 32