Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2023) | Viewed by 12981

Special Issue Editor

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, 50100 Kozani, Greece
Interests: water and wastewater treatment; advanced bio-oxidation processes; sewage sludge management; resources and energy recovery from wastewater; soil and groundwater bioremediation; bio-electrochemical systems; mathematical modeling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the rapid population growth and industrialization have increased the use of natural resources and production of wastes. Intense pollution of the environment has led to the development and application of many biological as well as physicochemical technologies for wastewater treatment and waste management.

Moreover, the increased care for environmental protection and strict legislation, as well as circular economy implementation, has led to the consideration of novel treatment technologies, recycling and reuse alternatives, and disposal control strategies for wastewater and waste.

The application of mathematical models capable of describing the processes considered in treatment/management schemes comprise effective tools for the prediction and design of full-scale applications for wastewater and waste treatment.

On the basis of the above, we believe that this Special Issue will successfully report recent advances and research findings regarding novel technologies for wastewater treatment and waste management toward environmental de-pollution and, eventually, human health protection.

Dr. Ioanna Vasiliadou
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • wastewater treatment
  • solid waste treatment
  • industrial and urban wastes
  • biological processes
  • physicochemical processes
  • reactor design, control, and optimization (bench-, pilot-, full-scale)
  • advanced (bio)oxidation processes
  • bioelectrochemical systems
  • wastes disposal control strategies
  • energy and resource recovery
  • bioenergy production
  • sewage sludge management
  • mathematical modeling

Published Papers (9 papers)

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14 pages, 2818 KiB  
Article
Extraction Study of Lignite Coalbed Methane as a Potential Supplement to Natural Gas for Enhancing Energy Security of Western Macedonia Region in Greece
by Ioanna A. Vasiliadou, Zacharoula A. Semizoglou, Vayos G. Karayannis and Constantinos G. Tsanaktsidis
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010174 - 25 Dec 2023
Viewed by 639
Abstract
Greek lignite reserves are mainly located in the northwestern part of the country (Region of Western Macedonia, Greece), reaching a total of 5 billion tons. Considering that Greece is planning to stop burning lignite for electricity production, the recovery of the CH4 [...] Read more.
Greek lignite reserves are mainly located in the northwestern part of the country (Region of Western Macedonia, Greece), reaching a total of 5 billion tons. Considering that Greece is planning to stop burning lignite for electricity production, the recovery of the CH4 trapped in lignite coalbed reservoirs can be a valuable alternative for power generation and may help to reduce the direct emissions of methane during mining activities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the LCBM in the Region of Western Macedonia, Greece (Ptolemaida basin). In order to assess the LCBM that could be extracted, three samples were collected from an active mine and were subjected to desorption experiments at different temperatures (25 °C, 50 °C, 100 °C, and 150 °C) by channeling high purity Ar gas at 1 atm of pressure. According to the results, the highest amount of CH4 was extracted during the desorption process at 50 °C, while the total amount of CH4 from all three samples was 0.82 m3/kg, confirming the presence of CH4 in the lignite deposits. Finally, a SWOT analysis was carried out that shows the strengths and opportunities against the weaknesses and threats of a potential LCBM exploitation in Greece, while also taking into account the social, economic, and environmental nexus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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13 pages, 3534 KiB  
Article
UiO-66/Palygorskite/TiO2 Ternary Composites as Adsorbents and Photocatalysts for Methyl Orange Removal
by Thaleia Ioannidou, Maria Anagnostopoulou, Dimitrios Papoulis, Konstantinos C. Christoforidis and Ioanna A. Vasiliadou
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(16), 8223; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12168223 - 17 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1261
Abstract
Metal–organic frameworks are recognized as a new generation of emerging porous materials in a variety of applications including adsorption and photocatalysis. The present study presents the development of ternary composite materials made through the coupling of UiO-66 with palygorskite (Pal) clay mineral and [...] Read more.
Metal–organic frameworks are recognized as a new generation of emerging porous materials in a variety of applications including adsorption and photocatalysis. The present study presents the development of ternary composite materials made through the coupling of UiO-66 with palygorskite (Pal) clay mineral and titanium dioxide (TiO2) applied as adsorbent and photocatalyst for the removal of methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solutions as a typical anionic dye. The prepared materials were characterized using XRD, ATR, DR UV/Vis, and TGA analysis. Detailed kinetic experiments revealed that the presence of the clay at low amounts in the composite outperformed the adsorption efficiency of pure UiO-66, increasing MO adsorption by ca. 8%. In addition, coupling Pal/UiO-66 with TiO2 for the production of ternary composites provided photocatalytic properties that resulted in complete removal of MO. This was not observed in the pure UiO-66, the Pal/UiO-66 composite, or the pure TiO2 material. This study presents the first example of clay mineral/MOF/TiO2 composites with improved performance in removing dyes from aqueous solutions and highlights the importance of coupling MOFs with low-cost clay minerals and photocatalysts for the development of multifunctional advanced composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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11 pages, 3417 KiB  
Article
Toxic Elements Behavior during Plasma Treatment for Waste Collected from Power Plants
by Ibrahim AlShunaifi, Imed Ghiloufi, Abdullah Albeladi and Ahmed Alharbi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(13), 6564; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136564 - 28 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1081
Abstract
The subject of this work is the treatment of solid waste collected from power plants using thermal plasma technology. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to characterize the waste before and after the treatment. The [...] Read more.
The subject of this work is the treatment of solid waste collected from power plants using thermal plasma technology. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to characterize the waste before and after the treatment. The results show that waste is formed essentially from carbon, but it also contains sulfur and toxic elements like lead, cadmium, zinc, and arsenic. For this reason, a plasma reactor was used to separate carbon from the heavy metals by a pyrolysis/combustion plasma system. After the plasma treatment, the mass of the waste was reduced by more than 85% and the metals were collected in the filter bag. A computer code was used to study the toxic element volatility during the treatment. With this code, the effects of plasma temperature, confinement matrix, and the composition of the carrier gas on the volatility of lead and arsenic were determined. The code results show that arsenic remains in the liquid phase for temperatures less than 2000 K, whereas for temperatures beyond 2100 K, arsenic becomes very volatile. For lead, any increase in temperature increases its vaporized quantity and its vaporization speed. The addition of oxygen in the carrier gas leads to the heavy metal incorporation in the confinement matrix. The increase of the quantity of Ba in the containment matrix strengthens the confinement of as in the matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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22 pages, 5766 KiB  
Article
Continuous Co-Digestion of Agro-Industrial Mixtures in Laboratory Scale Expanded Granular Sludge Bed Reactors
by Roberto Eloy Hernández Regalado, Jurek Häner, Daniel Baumkötter, Lukas Wettwer, Elmar Brügging and Jens Tränckner
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2295; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052295 - 22 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1562
Abstract
Anaerobic co-digestion often improves the yields and stability of single anaerobic digestion. However, finding the right substrate proportions within mixtures and corresponding optimal operating conditions using a particular reactor technology often presents a challenge. This research investigated the anaerobic digestion of three mixtures [...] Read more.
Anaerobic co-digestion often improves the yields and stability of single anaerobic digestion. However, finding the right substrate proportions within mixtures and corresponding optimal operating conditions using a particular reactor technology often presents a challenge. This research investigated the anaerobic digestion of three mixtures from the liquid fractions of piglet manure (PM), cow manure (CWM), starch wastewater (SWW), and sugar beet (SBT) using three 30 L expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors. The synergistic effects of two three-substrate mixtures (i.e., PM+CWM+SWW and PM+CWM+SBT) were studied using the PM+CWM mixture as a benchmark. These were used to detect the predicted synergistic interactions found in previous batch tests. The methane productivity of both three-substrate mixtures (~1.20 LCH4/Lreact/d) was 2× the productivity of the benchmark mixture (0.64 LCH4/Lreact/d). Furthermore, strong indications of the predicted synergistic effects were found in the three-substrate mixtures, which were also stable due to their appropriate carbon-to-nitrogen ratio values. Moreover, the lowest averaged solid to hydraulic retention times ratio calculated for samples obtained from the top of the reactors was > 1. This confirmed the superior biomass retention capacity of the studied EGSB reactors over typical reactors that have been used in agricultural biogas plants with a continuous stirred tank reactor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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18 pages, 5322 KiB  
Article
Hematite Nanoparticles Addition to Serpentine/Pyroxenes By-Products of Magnesite Mining Enrichment Process for the Production of Refractories
by Kyriaki Kalaitzidou, Evangelia Pagona, Paraskevas Stratigousis, Xanthi Ntampou, Vasileios Zaspalis, Anastasios Zouboulis and Manassis Mitrakas
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2094; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042094 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1541
Abstract
The present study focuses on the refractory upgrade and reuse of the mining wastes/by-products of the magnesite mine “Grecian Magnesite SA” (Chalkidiki, N. Greece), by the addition of hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanomaterial. These by-products were also examined after the application [...] Read more.
The present study focuses on the refractory upgrade and reuse of the mining wastes/by-products of the magnesite mine “Grecian Magnesite SA” (Chalkidiki, N. Greece), by the addition of hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanomaterial. These by-products were also examined after the application of thermal pre-treatment, i.e., treated at 850 °C for 30 min, prior to sintering. Different thermal treatments and times were applied, aiming to induce the formation of forsterite and attempting to examine the respective effects on the refractory properties of up-cycled products. The results indicate that hematite addition of 5 wt.% can improve the major refractory parameters of products, whereas the applied thermal pre-treatment was not found to be particularly beneficial. Nevertheless, the optimum results were realized after thermal treatment at 1300 °C for 120 min heating time, also revealing that the initial mineralogical content of the examined mineral wastes is a key factor for the subsequent upgrade ranking of the final product. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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15 pages, 3096 KiB  
Article
White Grape Pomace Valorization for Remediating Purposes
by Simona Gavrilaș, Ioan Calinovici, Sabin Chiș, Claudiu-Ștefan Ursachi, Mirabela Raț and Florentina-Daniela Munteanu
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 1997; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12041997 - 14 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1356
Abstract
The present investigation focuses on a possible alternative to reduce grape pomace’s negative impact on the environment by exploiting its capacities for wastewater remediation. Therefore, three directions are followed: (1) the characterization of white grape byproducts’ antioxidant and antiradical properties; (2) the determination [...] Read more.
The present investigation focuses on a possible alternative to reduce grape pomace’s negative impact on the environment by exploiting its capacities for wastewater remediation. Therefore, three directions are followed: (1) the characterization of white grape byproducts’ antioxidant and antiradical properties; (2) the determination of organophosphorus compound concentration that might be present in the samples; and (3) the evaluation of the possible use for wastewater remediation. The grape pomace was used for obtaining different extracts considering different extraction conditions. The hydroalcoholic extracts have an increased amount of total phenolic content. The lyophilized hydroalcoholic extract showed high total phenolic content (159.52 mg/100 g) and low organophosphorus content (0.257 ± 0.015 nmol). The lowest DPPH antiradical-scavenging activities were obtained for the extracts in ethanol obtained from refrigerated pomace (0.055) and for dried pomace (0.045). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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10 pages, 2452 KiB  
Article
Influence of Different Carbon Content on Reduction of Zinc Oxide via Metal Bath
by Michael Auer, Christoph Wölfler and Jürgen Antrekowitsch
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020664 - 11 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2016 | Correction
Abstract
Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) is an important secondary resource for the zinc industry. The most common process for its recycling is the pyro-metallurgical treatment in the Waelz process. However, this process focuses on the recycling of the zinc, whereas the recovery of [...] Read more.
Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) is an important secondary resource for the zinc industry. The most common process for its recycling is the pyro-metallurgical treatment in the Waelz process. However, this process focuses on the recycling of the zinc, whereas the recovery of other metals from the EAFD—such as iron and other alloying elements—is neglected. An up-to-date version of reprocessing can involve multi-metal recycling by means of a metal bath containing carbon. The use of a liquid iron alloy requires a higher processing temperature, which enables the reduction and melting of iron oxides as well as other compounds occurring in the dust. Furthermore, the Zn yield is higher and the reduction kinetics are faster than in the Waelz process. This paper is only focused on the zinc reduction in such a metal bath. In order to determine the influence of the carbon content in the molten metal on the reduction rate, experiments were carried out on the reduction behavior of zinc oxide using a synthetic slag. This slag, with a basicity B2 = 1, was applied to an iron bath with varying carbon contents. (0.85%, 2.16%, 2.89%, and 4.15%) The decrease in the zinc oxide concentration was monitored, along with the reaction rates calculated from these data. It was found that the reaction rate increases with rising carbon content in the melt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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13 pages, 3051 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Valorization Potential of Fermentation Waste of Greengage (Prunus mume)
by Jing Wang, Jingluan Wang, Chongde Wu, Jun Huang, Rongqing Zhou and Yao Jin
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8296; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188296 - 07 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1816
Abstract
Greengage wine is gaining increasing attention in Asia for its rich nutritional elements and medicinal value. However, the treatment of the fermentation waste after brewing is a problem that remains unsolved. This work proposed to valorize the fermentation waste extract by a simple [...] Read more.
Greengage wine is gaining increasing attention in Asia for its rich nutritional elements and medicinal value. However, the treatment of the fermentation waste after brewing is a problem that remains unsolved. This work proposed to valorize the fermentation waste extract by a simple centrifugation. The bioactive compounds of the fermentation waste were investigated, including total flavonoids, total phenols, specific phenols and volatile compounds. The antioxidant and antibacterial capacities of the waste extract were also evaluated. The results revealed that the total phenol (1.34 mg GAE/g EPW) and total flavonoid (1.17 mg RE/g EPW) of the fermentation waste extract were still considerable. The fermentation waste also showed high DPPH radical scavenging capacity (5.39 μmol TE/g EPW) and high ABTS radical scavenging capacity (9.80 μmol TE/g EPW). Both GC-MS and LC-MS analysis identified key bioactive compounds, such as linalool, terpineol, β-ionone, neochlorogenic acid and chlorogenic acid, which have high antioxidant capacity and strong, thermal-stable antibacterial capacity. All these characteristics show a promising future for valorized fermentation waste, for example, in food additives or mouthwash. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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1 pages, 158 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Auer et al. Influence of Different Carbon Content on Reduction of Zinc Oxide via Metal Bath. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 664
by Michael Auer, Christoph Wölfler and Jürgen Antrekowitsch
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4180; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094180 - 21 Apr 2022
Viewed by 644
Abstract
In the original article [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment of Wastes and Energy Recovery)
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