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Dr. Bipro Dhar
Environmental Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta 9211-116 Street NW, Edmonton T6G 1H9, Alberta, Canada

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Anaerobic Digestion
0 Bioenergy
0 Microbial Fermentation
0 Anaerobic biotechnologies
0 Microbial electrochemical technologies

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Anaerobic Digestion
Bioenergy
Microbial electrochemical technologies

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Data article
Published: 25 August 2021 in Data in Brief
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Here, we report data of the principal component analysis (PCA) assessment and clustering analysis related to low-temperature thermal hydrolysis process (THP) for enhancing the anaerobic digestion (AD) of sludge in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with primary sludge fermentation (Mirsoleimani et al. [1]). The PCA was examined to pinpoint the influence of different THP schemes on the variations of macromolecular compounds solubilization after low-temperature THP and the relative performances in enhancing methane potential in AD. We established 2 experimental setups with a total of 18 treatment conditions (3 exposure times, 30, 60, and 90 min at three temperature levels 50, 70 and 90°C) in comparison to the untreated control samples. Scheme-1 comprises the THP of a mixture of (1:1 volume ratio) fermented primary sludge (FPS) and thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS); while scheme-2 comprised the THP of TWAS only. The factors employed in the assessment of the PCA encompassed the variations in the macromolecular compounds and other solubilization metrics. This included the variations in the levels of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and solubilization of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile suspended solids (VSS). Furthermore, the evaluation considered the changes of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) with respect to time and temperature. The assessment of PCA classified the THP based on their differences and alterations that occurred after the treatment. The indices of the PCA assessments differed based on the factors of concern and the focus of each individual PCA assessment. In every individual PCA assessment, the respective contribution to the total variance in PCA analysis was calculated and manifested by the highest distribution of the principal components (PCs) axis PC1 and PC2. The differences in distributions of PCs after various PCA examinations can describe the relative influence of THP schemes and the most significant variables that can trigger major differences among THP conditions. The comparative differences demonstrated by PCA support the potential investigations of the efficiency of THPs conditions and their performance categories.

ACS Style

Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Wafa Dastyar; Rasha Maal-Bared; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Low-temperature thermal hydrolysis of sludge prior to anaerobic digestion: principal component analysis (PCA) of experimental data. Data in Brief 2021, 107323 .

AMA Style

Mohamed N.A. Meshref, Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi, Wafa Dastyar, Rasha Maal-Bared, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Low-temperature thermal hydrolysis of sludge prior to anaerobic digestion: principal component analysis (PCA) of experimental data. Data in Brief. 2021; ():107323.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Wafa Dastyar; Rasha Maal-Bared; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "Low-temperature thermal hydrolysis of sludge prior to anaerobic digestion: principal component analysis (PCA) of experimental data." Data in Brief , no. : 107323.

Journal article
Published: 13 August 2021 in Bioresource Technology
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Conductive materials amendment in anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising strategy for boosting the methanogenesis process. Despite mixing is a critical parameter, the behavior of digesters amended with conductive additives upon different mixing conditions has rarely been investigated. This study investigated continuous mixing, intermittent mixing (10 min in every 12 h), and non-mixing conditions for digesters amended with granular activated carbon (GAC) and powdered activated carbon (PAC). The non-mixed GAC digester provided the highest methane yield (318 ± 28 mL/g COD) from synthetic blackwater, while intermittently mixed GAC and control exhibited similar methane yields (290–294 mL/g COD). For non-mixed systems, microbial richness and diversity increased with GAC and PAC amendment. In contrast, continuous and intermittent mixing increased microbial diversity and richness in control reactors while reduced the same in GAC and PAC amended reactors. Overall, various mixing conditions distinctly changed the degree of enrichment/retention of microbes and consequently influenced methane recovery.

ACS Style

Raj Shekhar Bose; Bappi Chowdhury; Basem S. Zakaria; Manoj Kumar Tiwari; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Significance of different mixing conditions on performance and microbial communities in anaerobic digester amended with granular and powdered activated carbon. Bioresource Technology 2021, 341, 125768 .

AMA Style

Raj Shekhar Bose, Bappi Chowdhury, Basem S. Zakaria, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Significance of different mixing conditions on performance and microbial communities in anaerobic digester amended with granular and powdered activated carbon. Bioresource Technology. 2021; 341 ():125768.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Raj Shekhar Bose; Bappi Chowdhury; Basem S. Zakaria; Manoj Kumar Tiwari; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "Significance of different mixing conditions on performance and microbial communities in anaerobic digester amended with granular and powdered activated carbon." Bioresource Technology 341, no. : 125768.

Review
Published: 05 July 2021 in Biosensors and Bioelectronics
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The development of low-cost analytical devices for on-site water quality monitoring is a critical need, especially for developing countries and remote communities in developed countries with limited resources. Microbial electrochemical cell-based (MXC) biosensors have been quite promising for quantitative and semi-quantitative (often qualitative) measurements of various water quality parameters due to their low cost and simplicity compared to traditional analytical methods. However, conventional MXC biosensors often encounter challenges, such as the slow establishment of biofilms, low sensitivity, and poor recoverability, making them unable to be applied for practical cases. In response, MXC biosensors assembled with paper-based materials demonstrated tremendous potentials to enhance sensitivity and field applicability. Furthermore, the paper-based platforms offer many prominent features, including autonomous liquid transport, rapid bacterial adhesion, lowered resistance, low fabrication cost (<$1 in USD), and eco-friendliness. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the current trend and applications of paper-based MXC biosensors, along with critical discussions on their field applicability. Moreover, future advancements of paper-based MXC biosensors, such as developing a novel paper-based biobatteries, increasing the system performance using an unique biocatalyst, such as yeast, and integrating the biosensor system with other advanced tools, such as machine learning and 3D printing, are highlighted.

ACS Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Paper-based platforms for microbial electrochemical cell-based biosensors: A review. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 2021, 192, 113485 .

AMA Style

Tae Hyun Chung, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Paper-based platforms for microbial electrochemical cell-based biosensors: A review. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 2021; 192 ():113485.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "Paper-based platforms for microbial electrochemical cell-based biosensors: A review." Biosensors and Bioelectronics 192, no. : 113485.

Journal article
Published: 28 May 2021 in Bioresource Technology
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The effects of feedstock to inoculum (F:I) ratio and percolate recirculation time (PRT) were studied for the high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Six mesophilic HSAD systems were operated at different F:I ratios (1 to 3 kg VS/kg VS; PRT=2.5 h/d) and PRTs (1.5 to 3.5 h/d; F:I=2 kg VS/kg VS). The F:I ratio of 1 provided up to 86% of the theoretical methane potential of OFMSW. In contrast, F:I ratio of 3 provided only 34% methane recovery due to volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulation and pH drop. Despite F:I ratio of 2 could provide 70% methane recovery, it could enable almost 45% higher organics processing capacity (VS basis) and lower solids washout during percolate recirculation, as compared to the F:I ratio of 1. However, different examined PRTs showed marginal impacts on methane yields with comparable changes in profiles of percolate characteristics.

ACS Style

Wafa Dastyar; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Mayank Dhadwal; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. High-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste: Effects of feedstock to inoculum ratio and percolate recirculation time. Bioresource Technology 2021, 337, 125335 .

AMA Style

Wafa Dastyar, Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi, Mayank Dhadwal, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. High-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste: Effects of feedstock to inoculum ratio and percolate recirculation time. Bioresource Technology. 2021; 337 ():125335.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wafa Dastyar; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Mayank Dhadwal; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "High-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste: Effects of feedstock to inoculum ratio and percolate recirculation time." Bioresource Technology 337, no. : 125335.

Journal article
Published: 25 May 2021 in Chemical Engineering Journal
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Primary sludge (PS) fermentation prior to anaerobic digestion (AD) is becoming more common in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for the production and utilization of volatile fatty acids-rich sludge liquor in biological nutrient removal processes. However, the thermal hydrolysis process (THP) for enhancing AD of sludge in WWTPs with PS fermentation has rarely been investigated. This study examined low-temperature THP (50-90°C, 30-90 min) for enhancing co-digestion of fermented primary sludge (FPS) and thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS). The experiments were conducted under two schemes: scheme-1 (THP of TWAS+FPS) and scheme-2 (THP of TWAS only). Scheme-2 was more effective in solubilizing COD (up to 20.4% increase in SCOD) and various macromolecular compounds (e.g., proteins and carbohydrates). In contrast, scheme-1 was more efficient in VSS solubilization (up to 26.12%). Scheme-1 also resulted in a greater enhancement in methane production over the control (scheme-1: 56.28% at 90°C, 90 min vs. scheme-2: 43.4% at 90°C, 60 min). Thus, these results suggested that low-temperature THP of TWAS alone (scheme-2) would result in solubilization of refractory macromolecular compounds, leading to a relatively lower positive impact on methane yields than scheme-1. The preliminary economic assessment considering THP operating cost, enhancement in energy recovery, and saving in biosolids handling costs indicated that THP at 90°C (90 min) under scheme-1 could provide the highest net saving of $79.55/dry tonne solids compared to the control (AD without THP). These results will provide technical guidance in adopting THP in WWTPs with PS fermentation.

ACS Style

Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Wafa Dastyar; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Rasha Maal-Bared; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Low-temperature thermal hydrolysis for anaerobic digestion facility in wastewater treatment plant with primary sludge fermentation. Chemical Engineering Journal 2021, 426, 130485 .

AMA Style

Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi, Wafa Dastyar, Mohamed N.A. Meshref, Rasha Maal-Bared, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Low-temperature thermal hydrolysis for anaerobic digestion facility in wastewater treatment plant with primary sludge fermentation. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2021; 426 ():130485.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Wafa Dastyar; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Rasha Maal-Bared; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "Low-temperature thermal hydrolysis for anaerobic digestion facility in wastewater treatment plant with primary sludge fermentation." Chemical Engineering Journal 426, no. : 130485.

Review
Published: 21 May 2021 in Frontiers in Energy Research
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For the past two decades, many successful applications of microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), such as bioenergy generation, environmental monitoring, resource recovery, and platform chemicals production, have been demonstrated. Despite these tremendous potentials, the scaling-up and commercialization of METs are still quite challenging. Depending on target applications, common challenges may include expensive and tedious fabrication processes, prolonged start-up times, complex design requirements and their scalability for large-scale systems. Incorporating the three-dimensional printing (3DP) technologies have recently emerged as an effective and highly promising method for fabricating METs to demonstrate power generation and biosensing at the bench scale. Notably, low-cost and rapid fabrication of complex and miniaturized designs of METs was achieved, which is not feasible using the traditional methods. Utilizing 3DP showed tremendous potentials to aid the optimization of functional large-scale METs, which are essential for scaling-up purposes. Moreover, 3D-printed bioanode could provide rapid start-up in the current generation from METs without any time lags. Despite numerous review articles published on different scientific and applied aspects of METs, as per the authors’ knowledge, no published review articles explicitly highlighted the applicability and potential of 3DP for developing METs. Hence, this review targets to provide a current overview and status of 3DP applications for advancing METs and their future outlook.

ACS Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. A Mini-Review on Applications of 3D Printing for Microbial Electrochemical Technologies. Frontiers in Energy Research 2021, 9, 1 .

AMA Style

Tae Hyun Chung, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. A Mini-Review on Applications of 3D Printing for Microbial Electrochemical Technologies. Frontiers in Energy Research. 2021; 9 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "A Mini-Review on Applications of 3D Printing for Microbial Electrochemical Technologies." Frontiers in Energy Research 9, no. : 1.

Review
Published: 10 May 2021 in Chemical Engineering Journal
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The environmental monitoring of recalcitrant contaminants, such as aromatic compounds in water samples, became globally essential as they pose significant threats to the ecosystem and public health. More importantly, commonly-used lab-based analytical techniques, such as mass-spectrometry- and chromatography-based methods, are laborious, expensive, and time-consuming, which may not be suitable for continuous and field monitoring of these recalcitrant contaminants. As an alternative, microbial electrochemical cell-based (MXC) biosensors demonstrated tremendous potentials for the rapid detection and monitoring of various recalcitrant contaminants by overcoming the challenges of the aforementioned analytical methods. In general, MXC biosensors can perform a low-cost, simple, and on-site quantification of target analytes. Despite their advantages, studies have reported several challenges and drawbacks, such as selecting optimal MXC type and sensing element (anode vs. cathode), procedures to enhance sensitivity and selectivity, and field applicability, which may limit their applications to recalcitrant contaminants. Up to date, no review articles have been published to focus on MXC biosensors for the environmental monitoring of recalcitrant contaminants. Therefore, this review paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of recent advances in optimizing MXC biosensors in terms of configurations, sizes, electrochemical operating modes, sensing biofilms, and other operating parameters to aid the MXC biosensor's applications to recalcitrant contaminants. It also further highlights the current and future opportunities to incorporate 3D printing and machine learning to develop advanced MXC biosensors. Ultimately, this report summarizes prospects and proposed a roadmap for developing MXC biosensors for recalcitrant contaminants, emphasizing aromatic compounds and their derivatives.

ACS Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. A review and roadmap for developing microbial electrochemical cell-based biosensors for recalcitrant environmental contaminants, emphasis on aromatic compounds. Chemical Engineering Journal 2021, 424, 130245 .

AMA Style

Tae Hyun Chung, Mohamed N.A. Meshref, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. A review and roadmap for developing microbial electrochemical cell-based biosensors for recalcitrant environmental contaminants, emphasis on aromatic compounds. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2021; 424 ():130245.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "A review and roadmap for developing microbial electrochemical cell-based biosensors for recalcitrant environmental contaminants, emphasis on aromatic compounds." Chemical Engineering Journal 424, no. : 130245.

Journal article
Published: 25 April 2021 in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
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Despite many studies recently investigated the addition of conductive materials for enhancing biomethane recovery in anaerobic digestion, there have been limited efforts to adopt this strategy in high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) with percolate recirculation. In this study, two identical lab-scale mesophilic (36 °C) HSAD systems were operated with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) under similar operating conditions, including food to microorganism ratio and daily percolate recirculation rate. The percolate tank of the test HSAD system was amended with 15 g/L of powdered activated carbon (PAC). After 30 days of operation, the cumulative biomethane yield for the test reactor was 17 % higher than the control reactor (109 vs. 93 L CH4/kg VS). Furthermore, PAC addition showed additional benefits by lowering free ammonia nitrogen (FAN) and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentrations that can inhibit anaerobic digestion. Nonetheless, the preliminary economic analysis suggested that the HSAD amended with PAC is practically challenging and will only be economically feasible if PAC can be recycled and reused for the long-term operation or several cycles.

ACS Style

Wafa Dastyar; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Mohamed Nouh Ahmed Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Powdered activated carbon amendment in percolate tank enhances high-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Process Safety and Environmental Protection 2021, 151, 63 -70.

AMA Style

Wafa Dastyar, Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi, Mohamed Nouh Ahmed Meshref, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Powdered activated carbon amendment in percolate tank enhances high-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Process Safety and Environmental Protection. 2021; 151 ():63-70.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wafa Dastyar; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Mohamed Nouh Ahmed Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "Powdered activated carbon amendment in percolate tank enhances high-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste." Process Safety and Environmental Protection 151, no. : 63-70.

Journal article
Published: 12 April 2021 in Scientific Reports
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The microbial electrolysis cell assisted anaerobic digestion holds great promises over conventional anaerobic digestion. This article reports an experimental investigation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the expression of genes associated with extracellular electron transfer (EET) in methanogenic biocathodes. The MEC-AD systems were examined using two cathode materials: carbon fibers and stainless-steel mesh. A higher abundance of hydrogenotrophic Methanobacterium sp. and homoacetogenic Acetobacterium sp. appeared to play a major role in superior methanogenesis from stainless steel biocathode than carbon fibers. Moreover, the higher secretion of EPS accompanied by the lower ROS level in stainless steel biocathode indicated that higher EPS perhaps protected cells from harsh metabolic conditions (possibly unfavorable local pH) induced by faster catalysis of hydrogen evolution reaction. In contrast, EET-associated gene expression patterns were comparable in both biocathodes. Thus, these results indicated hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is the key mechanism, while cathodic EET has a trivial role in distinguishing performances between two cathode electrodes. These results provide new insights into the efficient methanogenic biocathode development.

ACS Style

Basem S. Zakaria; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Characterization and significance of extracellular polymeric substances, reactive oxygen species, and extracellular electron transfer in methanogenic biocathode. Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 1 -13.

AMA Style

Basem S. Zakaria, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Characterization and significance of extracellular polymeric substances, reactive oxygen species, and extracellular electron transfer in methanogenic biocathode. Scientific Reports. 2021; 11 (1):1-13.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Basem S. Zakaria; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "Characterization and significance of extracellular polymeric substances, reactive oxygen species, and extracellular electron transfer in methanogenic biocathode." Scientific Reports 11, no. 1: 1-13.

Journal article
Published: 26 March 2021 in Bioresource Technology
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Septic tanks have been widely used for blackwater treatment in developing countries, while high-rate septic tanks with improved methane recovery are yet to be achieved. This study investigated biosolids-derived biochar (synthesized at 300℃, 425℃, and 550℃) as an additive for developing high-rate septic tanks. The experiments were conducted with anaerobic bioreactors operated with synthetic blackwater under septic tank conditions. All biochar amended reactors demonstrated a steady increase in daily methane production for increasing OLR from 0.08 to 3 g COD/L/d. The control reactor showed significant process disturbances at OLRs ≥ 2 g COD/L/d with an accumulation of volatile fatty acids followed by pH drop. At OLR of 3 g COD/L/d, the daily methane production from biochar amended reactors was ~ 4.3 times higher than the control (300 vs. 70 mL per day). Biochar addition established a robust microbiome consisted of a higher abundance of hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methanogens and hydrogen-producing fermentative bacteria.

ACS Style

Raj Shekhar Bose; Basem S. Zakaria; Manoj Kumar Tiwari; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. High-rate blackwater anaerobic digestion under septic tank conditions with the amendment of biosolids-derived biochar synthesized at different temperatures. Bioresource Technology 2021, 331, 125052 .

AMA Style

Raj Shekhar Bose, Basem S. Zakaria, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. High-rate blackwater anaerobic digestion under septic tank conditions with the amendment of biosolids-derived biochar synthesized at different temperatures. Bioresource Technology. 2021; 331 ():125052.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Raj Shekhar Bose; Basem S. Zakaria; Manoj Kumar Tiwari; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "High-rate blackwater anaerobic digestion under septic tank conditions with the amendment of biosolids-derived biochar synthesized at different temperatures." Bioresource Technology 331, no. : 125052.

Review
Published: 25 February 2021 in Bioresource Technology
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The presence of (nano)microplastics in domestic wastewater and their subsequent release to the aquatic environment via the discharge of treated sewage has raised significant concerns. Previous studies have also identified their excessive accumulation in sewage sludge. Anaerobic digestion is one of the most used sludge stabilization methods in wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, understanding the potential effects of (nano)microplastics on anaerobic digestion has been receiving increasing attention from researchers. This article provides a comprehensive review of mechanisms underlying the impacts of (nano)microplastics on anaerobic digestion. Notably, this review covers mechanisms of inhibition/enhancement of anaerobic digestion by (nano)microplastics and their potential impacts on biochemical pathways, key enzymes, functional genes, and microbial communities investigated to date. Moreover, potential environmental risks of biosolids contaminated with (nano)microplastics were highlighted. Finally, knowledge gaps and future research needs were outlined. This review will guide more standardized studies in the future, covering both fundamental and engineering aspects.

ACS Style

Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Faisal I. Hai; Wenjing Lu; Abdullah Al-Mamun; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. A review of mechanisms underlying the impacts of (nano)microplastics on anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology 2021, 329, 124894 .

AMA Style

Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi, Faisal I. Hai, Wenjing Lu, Abdullah Al-Mamun, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. A review of mechanisms underlying the impacts of (nano)microplastics on anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology. 2021; 329 ():124894.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Faisal I. Hai; Wenjing Lu; Abdullah Al-Mamun; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "A review of mechanisms underlying the impacts of (nano)microplastics on anaerobic digestion." Bioresource Technology 329, no. : 124894.

Journal article
Published: 02 February 2021 in Processes
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Reclamation and reuse of wastewater are increasingly viewed as a pragmatic tool for water conservation. Greywater, which includes water from baths, washing machines, dishwashers, and kitchen sinks, is a dilute wastewater stream, making it an attractive stream for extraction of non-potable water. However, most previous studies primarily focused on passively aerated biological and physicochemical treatment processes for greywater treatment. Here, we investigated an integrated process of a microbial electrochemical cell (MEC) followed by granular activated carbon (GAC) biofilter for greywater treatment. The integrated system could achieve 99.3% removal of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and 98.7% removal of the anionic surfactants (linear alkylbenzene sulphonates) from synthetic greywater at a total hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 25 h (1 day for MEC and 1 h for GAC biofilter). For one-day HRT, the maximum peak volumetric current density from MEC was 0.65 A/m3, which was comparable to that achieved at four-day HRT (0.66 A/m3). The adsorption by GAC was identified as a key mechanism for the removal of organics and surfactants. In addition, recirculation of liquid within the GAC biofilter was identified as a critical factor in achieving high-rate treatment. Although results indicated that GAC biofilter could be a standalone process for greywater, MEC can provide an opportunity for potential energy recovery from greywater. However, further studies should focus on developing high-rate MECs with higher energy recovery potential for practical operation.

ACS Style

Mayank Dhadwal; Yang Liu; Bipro Dhar. Coupling Microbial Electrolysis Cell and Activated Carbon Biofilter for Source-Separated Greywater Treatment. Processes 2021, 9, 281 .

AMA Style

Mayank Dhadwal, Yang Liu, Bipro Dhar. Coupling Microbial Electrolysis Cell and Activated Carbon Biofilter for Source-Separated Greywater Treatment. Processes. 2021; 9 (2):281.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mayank Dhadwal; Yang Liu; Bipro Dhar. 2021. "Coupling Microbial Electrolysis Cell and Activated Carbon Biofilter for Source-Separated Greywater Treatment." Processes 9, no. 2: 281.

Review
Published: 20 January 2021 in Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
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Face masks became a part of our daily life amid the global COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Most of the face masks are made for single-use and primarily disposed of in garbage bins with other non-recyclable wastes. To date, little is known about how disposable face masks in municipal solid waste (MSW) would interfere with high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) in waste management facilities. Here, we first report preliminary results from a lab experiment conducted with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) amended with used disposable face masks. The lab-scale HSAD systems were operated with percolate recirculation comparable to commercial HSAD systems typically used for full-scale processing of OFMSW. The results suggested that the presence of face masks in OFMSW could negatively affect methane productivity and kinetics. In the digesters amended with face masks, total cumulative methane production decreased by up to 18%, along with a 12–29% decrease in maximum methane production rates than the control digester (without face masks). Moreover, lag phases increased by 7–14%. The results also suggested that the type of polymeric materials used in face masks would be more critical than their total number/loading in the digester, which warrants further investigation. The visual inspection of digestate showed that the face masks were mostly undegraded after 40 days of operation. Much remains unknown about how the undegraded face masks will affect the digestate management practices, such as composting, land application, and landfilling. However, the review of existing literature suggested that they can be a potential source of plastic and microplastic pollution and amplify transmission of antibiotic resistance genes to the ecosystem. In summary, this study underscores the importance of developing safe and reliable disposal guidelines and management plans for single-use face masks.

ACS Style

Felipe Pereira de Albuquerque; Mayank Dhadwal; Wafa Dastyar; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Ibrahim Karidio; Hamid Zaman; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Fate of disposable face masks in high-solids anaerobic digestion: Experimental observations and review of potential environmental implications. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 2021, 3, 100082 -100082.

AMA Style

Felipe Pereira de Albuquerque, Mayank Dhadwal, Wafa Dastyar, Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi, Ibrahim Karidio, Hamid Zaman, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Fate of disposable face masks in high-solids anaerobic digestion: Experimental observations and review of potential environmental implications. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. 2021; 3 ():100082-100082.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Felipe Pereira de Albuquerque; Mayank Dhadwal; Wafa Dastyar; Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi; Ibrahim Karidio; Hamid Zaman; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2021. "Fate of disposable face masks in high-solids anaerobic digestion: Experimental observations and review of potential environmental implications." Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 3, no. : 100082-100082.

Journal article
Published: 11 December 2020 in Bioresource Technology
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Many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) adopted primary sludge fermentation to produce sludge liquor for the biological denitrification process. The fermented primary sludge (FPS) is usually co-digested with thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS) in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. To date, there has been limited information on how the sludge thermal hydrolysis process (THP) could be retrofitted for enhancing AD in WWTPs with the existing primary sludge fermentation process. This study assessed two THP retrofitting schemes, (FPS + TWAS and TWAS alone) combining different exposure times (15, 30, and 60 min) and temperatures (140, 160, and 180 °C). The results suggested that temperature had more impact on sludge solubilization than exposure times. Notably, 180 °C was the most effective for sludge solubilization under both schemes. However, a higher degree of solubilization did not necessarily lead to higher methane yields. The THP of FPS + TWAS attained considerably higher methane yield than the pretreatment of TWAS alone.

ACS Style

Peijun Zhou; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Optimization of thermal hydrolysis process for enhancing anaerobic digestion in a wastewater treatment plant with existing primary sludge fermentation. Bioresource Technology 2020, 321, 124498 .

AMA Style

Peijun Zhou, Mohamed N.A. Meshref, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Optimization of thermal hydrolysis process for enhancing anaerobic digestion in a wastewater treatment plant with existing primary sludge fermentation. Bioresource Technology. 2020; 321 ():124498.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peijun Zhou; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2020. "Optimization of thermal hydrolysis process for enhancing anaerobic digestion in a wastewater treatment plant with existing primary sludge fermentation." Bioresource Technology 321, no. : 124498.

Preprint content
Published: 14 November 2020
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The microbial electrolysis cell assisted anaerobic digestion (MEC-AD) holds great promises over conventional anaerobic digestion. This article reports an experimental investigation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the expression of genes associated with extracellular electron transfer (EET) in methanogenic biocathodes. The MEC-AD systems were examined using two cathode materials: carbon fibers and stainless-steel mesh. A higher abundance of hydrogenotrophic Methanobacterium sp. and homoacetogenic Acetobacterium sp. appeared to play a major role in superior methanogenesis from stainless steel biocathode than carbon fibers. Moreover, the higher secretion of EPS accompanied by the lower ROS level in stainless steel biocathode indicated that higher EPS perhaps protected cells from harsh metabolic conditions (possibly unfavorable local pH) induced by faster catalysis of hydrogen evolution reaction. In contrast, EET-associated gene expression patterns were comparable in both biocathodes. Thus, these results indicated hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is the key mechanism, while cathodic EET has a trivial role in distinguishing performances between two cathode electrodes. These results provide new insights into the efficient methanogenic biocathode development.

ACS Style

Basem S. Zakaria; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Characterization and significance of extracellular polymeric substances, reactive oxygen species, and extracellular electron transfer in methanogenic biocathode. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Basem S. Zakaria, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Characterization and significance of extracellular polymeric substances, reactive oxygen species, and extracellular electron transfer in methanogenic biocathode. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Basem S. Zakaria; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2020. "Characterization and significance of extracellular polymeric substances, reactive oxygen species, and extracellular electron transfer in methanogenic biocathode." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 12 September 2020 in Bioresource Technology
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From the perspective of energy saving in the operation of microbial electrolysis cell assisted anaerobic digester (MEC-AD), this study focused on developing an intermittent power supply scheme. The applied potential was switched off for 12 and 6 hours/day during the operation of a laboratory-scale MEC-AD system fed with glucose. The results from the operation under continuous applied potential served as the control. The overall biomethane generation and net energy income from the process were unaffected when the applied potential turned off for 6 hrs/day. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of microbial communities suggested that a balanced microbiome could be maintained under short-term switching-off the applied potential. However, performance substantially deteriorated when the applied potential turned off for 12 hrs/day. Overall, the results of this study suggest that MEC-AD operation does not need a continuous power supply, and higher energy efficiency can be effectively achieved by intermittently powering the reactor.

ACS Style

Basem S. Zakaria; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. An intermittent power supply scheme to minimize electrical energy input in a microbial electrolysis cell assisted anaerobic digester. Bioresource Technology 2020, 319, 124109 .

AMA Style

Basem S. Zakaria, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. An intermittent power supply scheme to minimize electrical energy input in a microbial electrolysis cell assisted anaerobic digester. Bioresource Technology. 2020; 319 ():124109.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Basem S. Zakaria; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2020. "An intermittent power supply scheme to minimize electrical energy input in a microbial electrolysis cell assisted anaerobic digester." Bioresource Technology 319, no. : 124109.

Editorial
Published: 18 August 2020 in Processes
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The increasing quantity of biowaste generation and the requirements governing their ultimate

ACS Style

Elsayed Elbeshbishy; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Processes for Bioenergy and Resources Recovery from Biowaste. Processes 2020, 8, 1005 .

AMA Style

Elsayed Elbeshbishy, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Processes for Bioenergy and Resources Recovery from Biowaste. Processes. 2020; 8 (8):1005.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elsayed Elbeshbishy; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2020. "Processes for Bioenergy and Resources Recovery from Biowaste." Processes 8, no. 8: 1005.

Journal article
Published: 03 August 2020 in Bioresource Technology
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This study presents a microbiological diagnosis of a mesophilic high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) system with percolate recirculation. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in microbial diversity in both the solid digestate and the liquid percolate. Also, the digestate from the top and middle sections of the digester had similar diversity, whereas the digestate from the bottom of the tank had a slightly lower diversity. These results suggest that despite percolate recirculation, substrate gradients might have developed across the system. Archaeal communities showed shifts towards known hydrogenotrophic and ammonia-tolerant methanogens (genera Methanocelleus, Methanolinea, Methanosarcina, vadin CA11, etc.), which was a consequence of decreased volatile fatty acids and increased ammonia-nitrogen levels over time. Compared to initial solid and liquid inoculum, the relative abundances of some bacteria (phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes) and archaea of the genus Methanosarcina changed between two phases in the opposite direction, indicating a shift of microbes between two phases.

ACS Style

Hok Nam Joey Ting; Long Lin; Raul Bello Cruz; Bappi Chowdhury; Ibrahim Karidio; Hamid Zaman; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Transitions of microbial communities in the solid and liquid phases during high-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Bioresource Technology 2020, 317, 123951 .

AMA Style

Hok Nam Joey Ting, Long Lin, Raul Bello Cruz, Bappi Chowdhury, Ibrahim Karidio, Hamid Zaman, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Transitions of microbial communities in the solid and liquid phases during high-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Bioresource Technology. 2020; 317 ():123951.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hok Nam Joey Ting; Long Lin; Raul Bello Cruz; Bappi Chowdhury; Ibrahim Karidio; Hamid Zaman; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2020. "Transitions of microbial communities in the solid and liquid phases during high-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste." Bioresource Technology 317, no. : 123951.

Short communication
Published: 08 July 2020 in Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry
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In processed water generated from oil sands operations, naphthenic acids (NAs) are identified as one of the primary sources of acute toxicity and were assessed for their endocrine-disrupting potentials. Hence, the monitoring of NAs in aqueous environmental matrices is crucial for oil sands and crude oil production industries. Commonly used analytical methods for NAs include Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography. However, these methods are time-consuming, expensive, and samples must be sent to an analytical lab for analysis. In this study, we first demonstrated microbial electrochemical cell (MXC)-based biosensor for the rapid detection of a model NA compound (cyclohexane carboxylic acid) in water samples. Under the continuous closed-circuit operation of MXC biosensor, electrical responses (peak currents) were fairly proportional (R2 = 0.64) to the model NA concentrations ranging from 50 to 250 mg COD/L. However, the charging-discharging operation of biosensor significantly increased the peak currents by 90–124 folds higher than that observed for continuous closed-circuit operation. Besides, a linear relationship between model NA concentrations and the peak currents (R2 = 0.96) was observed. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the biosensor would be sensitive to salinity levels and temperature changes; however, once calibrated it can be used for measurement of model NA concentrations. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that with further development, MXC biosensor could be used as a simple bioanalytical tool for monitoring NA concentrations in oil sands process-affected water.

ACS Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Microbial electrochemical biosensor for rapid detection of naphthenic acid in aqueous solution. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 2020, 873, 114405 .

AMA Style

Tae Hyun Chung, Mohamed N.A. Meshref, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Microbial electrochemical biosensor for rapid detection of naphthenic acid in aqueous solution. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry. 2020; 873 ():114405.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2020. "Microbial electrochemical biosensor for rapid detection of naphthenic acid in aqueous solution." Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 873, no. : 114405.

Review
Published: 26 June 2020 in Bioresource Technology
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Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an industrial chemical that has been widely adopted for various industrial applications, including water and wastewater treatment. Currently, the majority of H2O2 is being produced through the anthraquinone oxidation process, which is disadvantageous due to the requirement of toxic raw materials and high energy input. Recently, microbial electrochemical cells (MXCs), such as microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells, have demonstrated great potential for effective H2O2 production via cathodic oxygen-reduction reaction. Previous studies have specified key operational parameters for scaling-up of H2O2-producing MXCs, where improvements in production rate, conversion efficiency, product concentration and stability are attainable. Moreover, various systems have demonstrated their value proposition in the contaminant removal aspects through direct removal of various environmental pollutants, water disinfection, and many more. This review is intended to highlight promising ways of H2O2 production with MXCs and on-site environmental applications of bioelectrochemically-produced H2O2.

ACS Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Faisal I. Hai; Abdullah Al-Mamun; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Microbial electrochemical systems for hydrogen peroxide synthesis: Critical review of process optimization, prospective environmental applications, and challenges. Bioresource Technology 2020, 313, 123727 .

AMA Style

Tae Hyun Chung, Mohamed N.A. Meshref, Faisal I. Hai, Abdullah Al-Mamun, Bipro Ranjan Dhar. Microbial electrochemical systems for hydrogen peroxide synthesis: Critical review of process optimization, prospective environmental applications, and challenges. Bioresource Technology. 2020; 313 ():123727.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tae Hyun Chung; Mohamed N.A. Meshref; Faisal I. Hai; Abdullah Al-Mamun; Bipro Ranjan Dhar. 2020. "Microbial electrochemical systems for hydrogen peroxide synthesis: Critical review of process optimization, prospective environmental applications, and challenges." Bioresource Technology 313, no. : 123727.