Siewhui Chong

The performance enhancements of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors for domestic sludge treatment – A State-of-the-art review

Nowadays, carbon emission and therefore carbon footprint of water utilities is an important issue. In this respect, we should consider the opportunities to reduce carbon footprint for small and large wastewater treatment plants. The use of anaerobic rather than aerobic treatment processes would achieve this aim because no aeration is required and the generation of methane can be used within the plant. High-rate anaerobic digesters receive great interests due to their high loading capacity and low sludge production. Among them, the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors have been most widely used. However, there are still unresolved issues inhibiting the widespread of this technology in developing countries or countries with climate temperature fluctuations (such as subtropical regions). A large number of studies have been carried out in order to enhance the performance of UASB reactors but there is a lack of updated documentation. In face of the existing limitations and the increasing importance of this technology, the authors present an up-to-date review on the performance enhancements of UASB reactors over the last decade. The important aspects of this article are: (i) enhancing the start-up and granulation in UASB reactors, (ii) coupling with post-treatment unit to overcome the temperature constraint, and (iii) improving the removal efficiencies of the organic matter, nutrients and pathogens in the final effluent. Finally the authors have highlighted future research direction based on their critical analysis.

Physical Characterization and Pre-assessment of Recycled High-Density Polyethylene as 3D Printing Material

Abstract3D printing has received lots of attention due to its limitless potential and advantages in comparison to traditional manufacturing processes. This study focuses on the most popular type of home 3D printers, namely fused filament fabrication (FFF) printers, which use plastic filaments as the feedstock. The rather high material cost and large amount of plastic waste generated by FFF 3D printers have driven the need for plastic filaments produced from recycled plastic waste. This study evaluates, in terms of physical characterization, the feasibility of using recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE), one of the most commonly used plastics, as the feedstock for 3D printers, in comparison with the common acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic pellets. In-house extrusion using recycled HDPE pellets and flakes is possible. The diameter consistency and extrusion rate results, along with other physical characterization results, including differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and water absorption, suggest that making filaments from recycled HDPE pellets is a viable option, as the obtained filament has favorable water rejection and comparable extrusion rate and thermal stability. Existing methods for overcoming the warping and adhesion problems in 3D printing with HDPE were also reviewed. In order to increase the market competitiveness of waste-derived filaments, optimization of the extrusion process, studies on the mechanical and aging properties, and development of a standard characterization methodology and database are crucial.

Surface Modification of Amorphous SiO2 Nanoparticles by Oxygen-Plasma and Nitrogen-Plasma Treatments

In this study, amorphous silica gels were synthesized and treated by oxygen plasma and nitrogen plasma at a radio frequency power of 60 W, at heating temperature of 300°C, and a treatment period of 400 s. The silica gels were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, and thermal conductivity analyzers. The characterization results show that oxygen-plasma treatment has remarkably reduced the surface hydroxyl groups in silica gels, whereas nitrogen-plasma treatment has less effects. The reduction of the hydroxyl groups is a key factor contributing to reduced particle size from 30 nm to 15 nm, thus resulting in an increased specific surface area from 124 to 420 m2/g. In addition, the reduced particle size has drastically lowered the thermal conductivity of silica gels, from 0.14220 to 0.00014 W/mK. Therefore, oxygen-plasma treatment is a feasible method to enhance the thermal insulating properties of silica gels.

Dewaterability of Anaerobic Digested Sludge with Cations and Chitosan as Dual Conditioners

Anaerobic digested sludge dewatering is very important in sludge management and disposal. In this study, flocculation and dewatering behaviour of anaerobic digested sludge were investigated using metal cations (sodium, magnesium, calcium, ferric and aluminium salts) and chitosan as dual conditioners. The trivalent ferric and aluminium ions were found to be more effective than the monovalent and divalent cations in improving sludge dewaterability as measured by capillary suction time (CST). Post-addition of chitosan into the sludge pre-coagulated with metal cations further enhanced the sludge dewaterability. This study suggests that pre-destabilisation of sludge by coagulation with metal cations followed by chitosan addition as polymeric flocculant may improve the dewaterability of anaerobic digested sludge.

Electrodeposited Porous Mn1.5Co1.5O4/Ni Composite Electrodes for High-Voltage Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Mesoporous Mn1.5Co1.5O4 (MCO) spinel films were prepared directly on a conductive nickel (Ni) foam substrate via electrodeposition and an annealing treatment as supercapacitor electrodes. The electrodeposition time markedly influenced the surface morphological, textural, and supercapacitive properties of MCO/Ni electrodes. The (MCO/Ni)-15 min electrode (electrodeposition time: 15 min) exhibited the highest capacitance among three electrodes (electrodeposition times of 7.5, 15, and 30 min, respectively). Further, an asymmetric supercapacitor that utilizes (MCO/Ni)-15 min as a positive electrode, a plasma-treated activated carbon (PAC)/Ni electrode as a negative electrode, and carboxymethyl cellulose-lithium nitrate (LiNO3) gel electrolyte (denoted as (PAC/Ni)//(MCO/Ni)-15 min) was fabricated. In a stable operation window of 2.0 V, the device exhibited an energy density of 27.6 Wh·kg−1 and a power density of 1.01 kW·kg−1 at 1 A·g−1. After 5000 cycles, the specific energy density retention and power density retention were 96% and 92%, respectively, demonstrating exceptional cycling stability. The good supercapacitive performance and excellent stability of the (PAC/Ni)//(MCO/Ni)-15 min device can be ascribed to the hierarchical structure and high surface area of the (MCO/Ni)-15 min electrode, which facilitate lithium ion intercalation and deintercalation at the electrode/electrolyte interface and mitigate volume change during long-term charge/discharge cycling.

Parametric Studies of Titania-Supported Gold-Catalyzed Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide

This paper remarks the general correlations of the shape and crystallinity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) support on gold deposition and carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. It was found that due to the larger rutile TiO2 particles and thus the pore volume, the deposited gold particles tended to agglomerate, resulting in smaller catalyst surface area and limited gold loading, whilst anatase TiO2 enabled better gold deposition. Those properties directly related to gold particle size and thus the number of low coordinated atoms play dominant roles in enhancing CO oxidation activity. Gold deposited on anatase spheroidal TiO2 at photo-deposition wavelength of 410 nm for 5 min resulted in the highest CO oxidation activity of 0.0617 mmol CO/s.gAu (89.5% conversion) due to the comparatively highest catalyst surface area (114.4 m2/g), smallest gold particle size (2.8 nm), highest gold loading (7.2%), and highest Au0 content (68 mg/g catalyst). CO oxidation activity was also found to be directly proportional to the Au0 content. Based on diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, we postulate that anatase TiO2-supported Au undergoes rapid direct oxidation whilst CO oxidation on rutile TiO2-supported Au could be inhibited by co-adsorption of oxygen.

Removal of VOCs from gas streams with double perovskite-type catalysts

Double perovskite-type catalysts including La2CoMnO6 and La2CuMnO6 are first evaluated for the effectiveness in removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and single perovskites (LaCoO3, LaMnO3, and LaCuO3) are also tested for comparison. All perovskites are tested with the gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 30,000hr-1, and the temperature range of 100-600°C for C7H8 removal. Experimental results indicate that double perovskites have better activity if compared with single perovskites. Especially, toluene (C7H8) can be completely oxidized to CO2 at 300°C as La2CoMnO6 is applied. Characterization of catalysts indicates that double perovskites own unique surface properties and are of higher amounts of lattice oxygen, leading to higher activity. Additionally, apparent activation energy of 68kJ/mol is calculated using Mars-van Krevelen model for C7H8 oxidation with La2CoMnO6 as catalyst. For durability test, both La2CoMnO6 and La2CuMnO6 maintain high C7H8 removal efficiencies of 100% and 98%, respectively, at 300°C and 30,000hr-1, and they also show good resistance to CO2 (5%) and H2O(g) (5%) of the gas streams tested. For various VOCs including isopropyl alcohol (C3H8O), ethanal (C2H4O), and ethylene (C2H4) tested, as high as 100% efficiency could be achieved with double perovskite-type catalysts operated at 300-350°C, indicating that double perovskites are promising catalysts for VOCs removal.

Simulation of Recycle Streams

Recycle system is commonly found in a process flowsheet. However, it is one of the systems that are difficult to achieve convergence, especially for novice in process simulation. In this chapter, strategies to converge recycle systems will be covered. Emphasis is placed on sequential modular (SM) approach, which is commonly used in commercial process simulation software. Chapter 1 discussed how SM approach is used to simulate recycle stream simulation briefly. More tips on recycle stream convergence are given in this chapter.

Optimization of the photo-deposition parameters for carbon monoxide oxidation over gold–titania

ABSTRACT In this study, gold–titania catalyst was prepared by photo-deposition method for oxidizing carbon monoxide (CO) to carbon dioxide (CO2). Characterization and activity tests were conducted to investigate the effects of a number of control factors on CO oxidation efficiency, including the precursor pH value, the illumination mode and condition, as well as the reaction temperature. Among these, the precursor pH value was the most profound factor, followed by its interaction effect with the illumination duration. Using controlled periodic illumination mode for photo-deposition resulted in approximately 3–6% performance enhancement compared to using continuous illumination mode due to the formation of smaller gold particle sizes. Regardless the illumination modes, CO oxidation efficiency increased with the reaction temperature up to about 60°C; further increase had not guaranteed any improvement. The same trend was observed for the illumination duration factor (where there existed an optimum value). DRIFTS (Diffuse Reflectance for Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy) results showed the limited reaction of chemisorbed CO with lattice oxygen of the titania support and that purging with oxygen failed to repel the reaction intermediates. Based on the design of experiments–analysis of variance analyses, the estimated best photo-deposition parameters were found to be a precursor pH value of 9, under periodic illumination mode with a frequency of 1,000 Hz and duty cycle of 0.2, for an illumination duration of 6.2 min.

Process Simulation for VCM Production

In this chapter, the application of Aspen HYSYS is demonstrated for an industrial case study on the production of vinyl chloride monomer. Some advanced simulation skills, e.g., kinetic reaction, heterogeneous catalytic reaction, rigorous distillation, and logical operation tools, are also demonstrated. Solving guide is provided to aid users in converging the simulation.