Ryusei Ito

Photocatalytic decomposition of crotamiton over aqueous TiO2 suspensions: Determination of intermediates and the reaction pathway

The photocatalytic degradation of crotamiton in aqueous solution using TiO(2) was investigated. To investigate the effect of initial pH, the photodegradation behaviors of three types of pharmaceuticals were compared (crotamiton, clofibric acid, sulfamethoxazole). The degradation rates of crotamiton in the pH range 3-9 were nearly equal, but those of clofibric acid and sulfamethoxazole were affected by pH. At pH>6.5, TiO(2) particles, clofibric acid and sulfamethoxazole had negative charge, therefore, the repulsive force between TiO(2) particles and anionic pharmaceuticals occurred and a low reaction rate at high pH was observed. The effect of UV intensity and TiO(2) concentration on photodegradation efficiency was also investigated. Linear and logarithmical relationships between UV intensity, TiO(2) concentration and the reaction rate constant were confirmed. Furthermore, the structures of photodegradation intermediates formed concomitantly with the disappearance of crotamiton were estimated. Seven intermediates were characterized by LC/MS/MS analyses, and it was assumed that the photocatalytic degradation of crotamiton was initiated by the attack of electrophilic hydroxyl radicals on aromatic rings and alkyl chains.

Controlled release with coating layer of permeable particles

An enhanced method was proposed for controlled release of core material using a coating layer of fine permeable particles dispersed in an impermeable wax prepared by dry-based process. A mathematical model was constructed to describe in detail the core material release by diffusion through the connected permeable particles inside the coating layer. The effective diffusivity was simulated by a random walk method taking into account the structure of the coating layer. The released characteristics were measured for the urea core particle coated with the layer of the starch permeable particles dispersed in the paraffin wax. The calculated results were in a good quantitative agreement with experimental data in all range of coating conditions. As a result, the low release rate was proven to be obtained with thicker coating layer of lower volume fraction of permeable particles. Moreover, the application of permeable particles instead of soluble ones [J. Chem. Eng. Jpn. 35 (2002) 40] resulted in significant decrease in release rate.

Adsorptive removal of sulfonamide antibiotics in livestock urine using the high-silica zeolite HSZ-385

The adsorptive removal of seven sulfonamide antibiotics using the high-silica zeolite HSZ-385 from distilled water, synthetic urine and real porcine urine was investigated. The pH greatly affected the adsorption efficiency, and the amounts of all sulfonamide antibiotics adsorbed on HSZ-385 decreased at alkaline conditions compared with that at neutral conditions. During storage, the pH and ammonium-ion concentration increased with urea hydrolysis for porcine urine. We clarified that the adsorption efficiency of sulfonamides in synthetic urine was equivalent to that in distilled water, suggesting that adsorption behavior was not affected by coexistent ions. HSZ-385 could adsorb sulfonamide antibiotics in real porcine urine even though the non-purgeable organic carbon concentration of porcine urine was 4-7 g/L and was two orders of magnitude higher than those of sulfonamides (10 mg/L each). Moreover, the adsorption of sulfonamides reached equilibrium within 15 min, suggesting that HSZ-385 is a promising adsorbent for removing sulfonamides from porcine urine.

Production of slow-released nitrogen fertilizer from urine

Human excreta, especially urine is rich in nitrogen that can be utilized for agricultural purposes, while the slow-release fertilizer allows effective utilization of nutrients in agricultural production. The direct formation of slow-release fertilizer – methylene urea – from urine was being proposed in this study. The experiments were tried to prove formation of methylene urea from human urine, and to investigate the effect of pH and salt concentration on the reaction rate. The synthetic urine and real urine were used for the urea source of the reaction. As a result, the precipitates were prepared from synthetic urine, while the small molecule fractions generated then they grew into precipitate. The nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, element analyses showed the precipitates in synthetic urine were the same compound found in the urea solution, which was methylene urea. The reaction rate was high at low pH value. The reaction rate in the buffer solution was lower than the synthetic urine at the same pH, because some salts may work as a catalyst. The urea concentration reduction rate in real urine showed the same trend with synthetic urine at the same pH, while the precipitation was quite similar to methylene urea.

Rational design of an on‐site volume reduction system for source‐separated urine

Human urine contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which can be applied as fertilizer in agriculture, replacing commercial fertilizer. However, owing to the low nutrient content of the urine, huge quantities must be transported to farmland to meet the nutrient demand of crops. This highly increases the transportation cost for the farmers. To address the transportation issue, a new on‐site volume reduction system was tested at the laboratory scale based on water evaporation from vertical gauze sheets. A mathematical water transport model was proposed to evaluate the performance of the system. The mass transfer coefficient and the resistance of water flow through the sheet in the water transport model were obtained from the experiments. The results agreed with the simulated data, thereby confirming the proposed model. The model was then applied to the dry climate of southern Pakistan, having an air temperature of 30–40 °C and air humidity of 20–40%, for an 80% volume reduction of 10 L urine per day, which corresponds to a family of 10 members (average for a household in Pakistan). The findings revealed that the estimated size of the vertical sheet is 440–2060 cm2, which is only a small area for setting up the system at a household level.

Effect of post-treatment conditions on the inactivation of helminth eggs (Ascaris suum) after the composting process

ABSTRACT Safe and appropriate disposal of human waste is a basic requirement for sanitation and protection of public health. For proper sanitation and nutrient recovery, it is necessary to ensure effective treatment methods to complete pathogen destruction in excreta prior to reuse. Composting toilets convert faeces to a reusable resource such as fertilizer or humus for organic agriculture. A composting toilet for rural Burkina Faso was created by modifying a commercial model available in Japan to improve hygiene and increase food production. The toilet has shown to result in a degraded final product, but its effectiveness for pathogen destruction was unclear due to low temperatures generated from the toilet. This study aimed to sanitize compost withdrawn from the composting toilet for food production by setting post-treatment conditions. The inactivation kinetics of Ascaris suum eggs, selected as an indicator for helminth eggs, was determined during post-treatment at different temperatures (30°C, 40°C, 50°C and 60°C) with varying moisture contents (MC) (50%, 60% and 70%). The treatment of compost in a possible additional post-treatment after the composting process was tried in the laboratory test. Inactivation of A. suum eggs was fast with greater than two log reductions achieved within 2 h for temperature 50°C and 50% MC and greater than three log reductions for temperature 60°C and 50% MC within 3 h. Statistical analysis showed the significant impact of temperature and moisture on the inactivation rates of A. suum eggs. The post-treatment can efficiently increase helminth eggs destruction prior to reuse.

Formation of a sigmoidal release pattern of core particles coated with layers of soluble and permeable particles

Abstract A novel method was proposed for the sigmoidal release pattern of core material by dry-based coating of core particles with double layers of permeable particles over soluble particles dispersed in an impermeable wax. A mathematical model was constructed to describe the release curves. This model takes into account the variation of porous structure of the soluble-particle layer with release time due to the slow dissolution of soluble particles. As a result, the sigmoidal release curves were obtained experimentally and the model successfully described the release curves. The delay of release rate during the initial stage of release could be flexibly controlled to increase with a lower fraction of permeable particles in the outer layer, leading to slower dissolution of soluble particles due to the higher resistance to diffusion of soluble material in the permeable-particle layer.

Relationship between respiratory quotient, nitrification, and nitrous oxide emissions in a forced aerated composting process.

We assessed the relationship between respiratory quotient (RQ) and nitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in forced aerated composting using lab-scale reactors. Relatively high RQ values from degradation of readily degradable organics initially occurred. RQ then stabilized at slightly lower values, then decreased. Continuous emission of N2O was observed during the RQ decrease. Correlation between nitrification and N2O emission shows that the latter was triggered by nitrification. Mass balances demonstrated that the O2 consumption of nitrification (∼24.8mmol) was slightly higher than that of CO2 emission (∼20.0mmol), indicating that the RQ decrease was caused by the occurrence of nitrification. Results indicate that RQ is a useful index, which not only reflects the bioavailability of organics but also predicts the occurrence of nitrification and N2O emission in forced aerated composting.

Sulfonamide antibiotic removal and nitrogen recovery from synthetic urine by the combination of rotating advanced oxidation contactor and methylene urea synthesis process

The combination of nitrogen recovery and pharmaceutical removal processes for livestock urine treatment were investigated to suppress the discharge of pollutants and recover nitrogen as resources. We combined methylene urea synthesis from urea and adsorption and photocatalytic decomposition of sulfonamide antibiotic using rotating advanced oxidation contactor (RAOC) contained for obtaining both safe fertilizer and reclaimed water. The methylene urea synthesis could recover urea in synthetic urine, however, almost all sulfonamide antibiotic was also incorporated, which is unfavorable from a safety aspect if the methylene urea is to be used as fertilizer. Conversely, RAOC could remove sulfonamide antibiotic without consuming urea. It was also confirmed that the methylene urea could be synthesized from synthetic urine treated by RAOC. Thus, we concluded that RAOC should be inserted prior to the nitrogen recovery process for effective treatment of urine and safe use of methylene urea as fertilizer.

Fate of nitrogen during volume reduction of human urine using an on-site volume reduction system

This study was carried to assess the effect of a mixture of salts, urea and creatinine on water evaporation from urine using an on-site volume reduction system in long-term experiments. Subsequently, the fate of nitrogen during volume reduction of urine was also assessed. The water evaporation rate, salt accumulation in the gauze sheet, concentrations of urea and ammonia-N, and pH of urine were measured periodically. Based on the results, a mass balance of nitrogen in concentrated urine was calculated for a moderate evaporating condition. The results revealed that steady-state evaporation was observed throughout the experiment period without any inhibition due to salt accumulation. Salt concentration in the gauze sheet reached steady-state illustrating the possibility of salt falling back to the tank from the sheet. No significant reduction of urea was observed for a moderate evaporating condition, which indicates inhibition of urea hydrolysis by the high concentration of the mixture of salts, urea and creatinine in the urine. In contrast, for a low evaporating condition, the pH of the urine increased to 8.9, which indicates early urea hydrolysis, causing an offensive odour and ammonia loss to the air. In simple storage experiments, a mixture of salts, urea and creatinine amounting to 227–334 g L−1 in urine inhibited urea hydrolysis, even with faecal contamination, at 25°C, while urine samples containing a mixture of salts, urea and creatinine at less than 227 g L−1 did not provide strong inhibition of hydrolysis.