The effects of waste-activated sludge pretreatment using hydrodynamic cavitation for methane production

Disintegration of waste-activated sludge (WAS) is regarded as a prerequisite of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process to reduce sludge volume and increase methane yield. Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), which shares a similar underlying principle with ultrasonication but is energy-efficient, was employed as a physical means to break up WAS. Compared with ultrasonic (180–3600 kJ/kg TS) and thermal methods (72,000 kJ/kg TS), HC (60–1200 kJ/kg TS) found to consume significantly low power. A synergetic effect was observed when HC was combined with alkaline treatment in which NaOH, KOH, and Ca(OH)₂ were used as alkaline catalysts at pH ranging from 8 to 13. As expected, the production yield of CH₄ gas increased proportionally as WAS disintegration proceeded. HC, when combined with alkaline pretreatment, was found to be a cost-effective substitute to conventional methods for WAS pretreatment.     

Exfoliation and thermal transformations of Nb-substituted layered titanates

Single-layer Nb-substituted titanate nanosheets of ca. 1 nm thickness were obtained by exfoliating tetrabutylammonium (TBA)-intercalated Nb-substituted titanates in water. AFM images and turbidity measurements reveal that the exfoliated nanosheets crack and corrugate when sonicated. Upon heating, the thermal transformation into anatase and further to rutile is retarded. This suppression of the phase transition upon higher valent substitution may promote technological applications of anatase thin films, hereunder development of films with TCO properties. Depending on the oxygen partial pressure during the transformation, the Nb-substitution into TiO₂ provokes different defect situations and also electronic properties. At reducing conditions, Nb is incorporated as Nb^V and an equivalent amount of Ti^IV is transformed to Ti^III as evidenced by XPS. Magnetic susceptibility data show accordingly paramagnetic behavior. For samples heated in air Ti^IV and Nb^V cations prevail, the latter is compensated by cation vacancies. ⁹³Nb MAS NMR data prove that Nb is finely dispersed into the transformed (Ti,Nb)O₂ oxide matrices without sign of Nb₂O₅ (nano)precipitates. The Nb-O-Ti bonds and defects at cation sites are considered key factors for increasing the transformation temperatures for conversion of the nanosheets to anatase and finally into rutile. It is further tempting to link the delay in crystallization to morphology limitations originating from the nanosheets. The present work shows that layered Nb-titanates are appropriate precursors for formation of highly oriented Nb-substituted anatase thin films via delamination, reconstruction and subsequent heat treatment.     

Ultrasonication-assisted extraction and preconcentration of medicinal products from herb by ionic liquids

Ionic liquid-based extraction of medicinal or useful compounds from plants was investigated as an alternative to supercritical fluid, cloud point and conventional organic solvent extractions. The method integrated extraction and preconcentration. Medicinal products were first extracted by an ionic liquid solution, part of which was then converted to a hydrophobic form by anion metathesis for preconcentration. The remaining soluble ionic liquid acted as a dispersive agent to enhance the efficiency of preconcentration. Protein in the extract was precipitated spontaneously without addition of further solvents. Ultrasonication assisted this method for extraction and preconcentration of cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I and tanshinone II A from Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge. 0.233 mg g⁻¹, 0.695 mg g⁻¹ and 0.682 mg g⁻¹ of each, respectively, were extracted using [OMIM][Cl], and preconcentrated in a [OMIM][PF₆] phase at respective concentrations of 148.1, 507.1 and 486.1 μg mL⁻¹. The method exhibited potential applicability with other medicinal products.     

Effects of ultrasound-assisted low-concentration chlorine washing on ready-to-eat winter jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao): Cross-contamination prevention,decontamination efficacy,and fruit quality

Wash water is circulated for use in the minimal processing industry, and inefficient disinfection methods can lead to pathogen cross-contamination. Moreover, few disinfection strategies are available for ready-to-eat fruits that do not need to be cut. In this study, the use of chlorine and ultrasound, two low-cost disinfection methods, were evaluated to disinfect winter jujube, a delicious, nutritious, and widely sold fruit in China. Ultrasound treatment (28 kHz) alone could not decrease the cross-contamination incidence of Escherichia coli O157:H7, non-O157 E. coli, and Salmonella Typhimurium, and free chlorine treatment at 10 ppm decreased the incidence from 55.00% to 5.00% for E. coli O157:H7, 65.00% to 6.67% for non-157 E. coli, and 70.00% to 6.67% for S. Typhimurium. The cross-contamination incidence was completely reduced (pathogens were not detected in sample) when the treatments were combined. The counts of aerobic mesophiles, aerobic psychrophiles, molds, yeasts, and three pathogens in the group subjected to combination treatment (28 kHz ultrasound + 10 ppm free chlorine) were significantly lower than those in the control, chlorine-treated, and ultrasound-treated groups during storage (0–7 d at 4 °C). Analysis of weight loss, sensory quality (crispness, color, and flavor), instrument color (a*/b*), soluble matter contents (total soluble solids, reducing sugar, total soluble sugar, and titratable acid), and nutritional properties (ascorbic acid and polyphenolic contents) indicated that treatment with ultrasound, chlorine, and their combination did not lead to additional quality loss compared with properties of the control. Additionally, the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenol oxidase were not significantly increased in the treatment group, consistent with the quality analysis results. These findings provide insights into disinfection of uncut ready-to-eat fruits using a minimum dose of disinfectant for cross-contamination prevention under ultrasonication. The use of ultrasound alone to decontaminate fresh produce is accompanied by a high risk of pathogen contamination, and the use of sanitizers to decrease cross-contamination incidence is recommended.     

Development of sheared and ultra-pure DNA thin films prepared by ultrasonication and purification

DNA solutions were prepared by ultrasonication and purification to compare the characteristics between DNA solutions different in size, purity, or both. Ultrasonication effectively minimized the size variation in native DNA, while purification enhanced the transparency of fabricated DNA thin film. Each DNA solution was used to fabricate water-soluble or organic-soluble thin film. According to the electrical measurement of DNA and CTMA-modified DNA thin films and the fluorescence measurement of PicoGreen-embedded DNA thin films, ultrasonication and purification affect the electrical characteristics and intercalating efficiency of DNA thin films. The electrical properties of the water-soluble thin film and the organic-dissolved thin film were predominantly affected by purification, but opposite tendencies were observed. The highest resistance was observed in water-soluble DNA thin film fabricated from ultra-pure DNA, whereas organic-soluble DNA thin film from ultra-pure DNA showed the lowest resistance. Ultrasonication showed a synergistic effect on PicoGreen-DNA insertion, whereas purification suppressed the fluorescence signal.     

Ultrasound-assisted surface treatment of ZrO2 with BSA and incorporating in PVC to improve the properties of the obtained nanocomposites: Fabrication and characterization

This paper describes the preparation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) nanocomposites (NCs) reinforced with modified zirconia (ZrO₂) nanoparticles (NPs). The ZrO₂ NPs were defined as efficient filler for PVC NCs. For achieving the best dispersion and improvement of properties, the surface of ZrO₂ NPs was modified by Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). Carboxylic acids and amines are important functional groups of BSA which handle the grafting BSA on the surface of ZrO₂ NPs. The PVC/ZrO₂-BSA NCs were fabricated by incorporation of various amounts of the ZrO₂-BSA NPs (3, 6 and 9 wt%) into PVC matrix. All the above processes were accomplished by ultrasonication as a green and environmentally-friendly method. Also, the magnetic and mechanical stirrer was used for the preparation of samples but the results are not suitable and the aggregation was observed which indicated the use of ultrasonic irradiation is the best method for the preparation of NC. The products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Thermogravimetric analysis, Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, wettability, and mechanical tests. The achieved PVC/ZrO₂-BSA NCs showed high thermal stability, good mechanical, optical and wettability properties compared to the pure PVC. In addition, among the obtained NCs, the PVC/ZrO₂-BSA NC 6 wt% showed the best improvement.     

Degradation of chlortetracycline in wastewater sludge by ultrasonication,Fenton oxidation,and ferro-sonication

Residual emerging contaminants in wastewater sludge remain an obstacle for its wide and safe applications such as landfilling and bio-fertilizer. In this study, the feasibility of individual ultrasonication (UlS) and Fenton oxidation (FO) and combined, Ferro-sonication processes (FO) on the degradation of chlortetracycline (CTC) in wastewater sludge was investigated. UlS parameters such as amplitude and sonication time were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) for further optimization of FS process. Generation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals in FO and FS processes were compared to evaluate the degradation efficiency of CTC. Increasing in the ratio of hydrogen peroxide and iron concentration showed increased CTC degradation in FO process; whereas in FS, an increase in iron concentration did not show any significant effect (p > 0.05) on CTC degradation in sludge. The estimated iron concentration in sludge (115 mg/kg) was enough to degrade CTC without the addition of external iron. The only adjustment of sludge pH to 3 was enough to generate in-situ hydroxyl radicals by utilizing iron which is already present in the sludge. This observation was further supported by hydroxyl radical estimation with adjustment of water pH to 3 and with and without the addition of iron. The optimum operating UlS conditions were found to be 60% amplitude for 106 min by using RSM. Compared to standalone UlS and FO at 1:1 ratio, FS showed 15% and 8% increased CTC degradation respectively. In addition, UlS of sludge increased estrogenic activity 1.5 times higher compared to FO. FS treated samples did not show any estrogenic activity.     

Synthesis of carbon loaded γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite and their applicability for the selective removal of binary mixture of dyes by ultrasonic adsorption based on response surface methodology

The contemporary problems concerning water purification could be resolved by using nanosorbents. The present studies emphasis on the synthesis of γ-Fe₂O₃-activated carbon nanocomposites (γ-Fe₂O₃-NP-AC) by sol-gel method. The composition and surface morphology of them were studied by FTIR, EDS, SEM and XRD techniques. Moreover they were employed for the selective removal of binary mixture of dyes including reactive red 223 dye (RR) and Malachite Green dye (MG) by ultrasonic assisted adsorption method. Sonication is the act of applying sound energy to agitate particles in the sample. The ultrasonic frequencies (>20 kHz) were used to agitate experimental solutions in current studies. The response surface methodology based on 5 factorial central composite design (CCD) was employed to investigate the optimum parameters of adsorption. The optimum operating parameters (OOP) including sonication time, solution pH, amount of adsorbent, concentration of RR and MG were estimated for the selective removal of mixture of dyes. On OOP conditions of RR, the % removal of RR and MG were observed to be 92.12% and 10.05% respectively. While at OOP of MG, the % removal of MG and RR were observed to be 85.32% and 32.13% from the mixture respectively. Moreover the mechanisms of adsorption of RR and MG on the γ-Fe₂O₃-NP-AC were also illustrated. The significance of the RR-γ-Fe₂O₃-NP-AC and MG-γ-Fe₂O₃-NP-AC adsorption models was affirmed by ANOVA test. The Pareto plots for the selective removal of the RR and MG from the binary mixture also confirm the significance of the factors. Isothermal studies were performed and RR adsorption was observed to follow Langmuir isotherm model whereas MG adsorption was observed to follow Freundlich model. Thermodynamic studies were conducted and the outcomes suggested the spontaneous nature of adsorption processes. The kinetic models were employed to study the kinetics of the process. It was observed that the system followed pseudo second order, intra-particle diffusion and Elovich models as represented by the R² values of the respective models. The comparative study from the previously studies revealed that the proposed method is amongst them is the most efficient method to eliminate RR and MG dyes from the aqueous medium. Therefore the current study will be useful in reducing the toxicity of RR and MG contaminated effluent.     

Enhanced boron adsorption onto synthesized MgO nanosheets by ultrasonic method

MgO nanosheets with high adsorption performance were fabricated by an ultrasonic method. It was revealed that, nest-like MgO was formed from the magnesium salt solution precipitation and further calcination. Then the nest-like MgO was exfoliated by ultrasonic waves to obtain MgO nanosheets with approximately a lateral of 200–600 nm and a thickness of 10 nm. Adjusting the ultrasonic time and power, the specific surface areas of MgO nanosheets could be tuned in a range of 79–168 m²/g. The synthesized MgO nanosheets were used as adsorbents to remove boron from aqueous solution, and the maximum boron adsorption capacity of these MgO nanosheets reached 87 mg g⁻¹. The high uptake capability of the MgO nanosheets makes it potentially adsorbent for the removal of boron from wastewaters.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on the molecular weight of carboxymethylated chitin–glucan complex from Aspergillus niger

Different factors affecting the efficiency of the ultrasonic depolymerization of the high-molecular-weight carboxymethylated chitin–glucan prepared from the fungal mycelium of Aspergillus niger have been investigated. The influence of the following parameters was examined: concentration of the chitin–glucan complex, duration of ultrasonic irradiation, reaction temperature and volume of the ultrasonicated solution. The optimized conditions for the efficient ultrasonic depolymerization include: polysaccharide concentration – 0.2 mg ml⁻¹; volume of the sonicated solution – 25 ml; duration of the sonication – 10 min; and constant cooling of the sonicated sample in an ice–water bath.