The Reduction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Concentration in the Presence of Sewer Biofilms

Wastewater surveillance has been widely used to track the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in communities. Although some studies have investigated the decay of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, understanding about its fate during wastewater transport in real sewers is still limited. This study aims to assess the impact of sewer biofilms on the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in naturally contaminated real wastewater (raw influent wastewater without extra SARS-CoV-2 virus/gene seeding) using a simulated laboratory-scale sewer system. The results indicated that, with the sewer biofilms, a 90% concentration reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA was observed within 2 h both in wastewater of gravity (GS, gravity-driven sewers) and rising main (RM, pressurized sewers) sewer reactors. In contrast, the 90% reduction time was 8–26 h in control reactors without biofilms. The concentration reduction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater was significantly more in the presence of sewer biofilms. In addition, an accumulation of c.a. 260 and 110 genome copies/cm2 of the SARS-CoV-2 E gene was observed in the sewer biofilm samples from RM and GS reactors within 12 h, respectively. These results confirmed that the in-sewer concentration reduction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater was likely caused by the partition to sewer biofilms. The need to investigate the in-sewer dynamic of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, such as the variation of RNA concentration in influent wastewater caused by biofilm attachment and detachment, was highlighted by the significantly enhanced reduction rate of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater of sewer biofilm reactors and the accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewer biofilms. Further research should be conducted to investigate the in-sewer transportation of SARS-CoV-2 and their RNA and evaluate the role of sewer biofilms in leading to underestimates of COVID-19 prevalence in communities.

Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Agricultural Residues Produced in Southern and Northern Greece

In Greece biomass is often being disposed of uncontrollably, resulting in significant environmental impacts. The aim of this study is the single-stage anaerobic co-digestion assessment, valorizing Northern and Southern Greece mixtures, resulting from previous literature reviews, experimental designs, and biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays. Regarding the methane yield maximization, in Northern Greece, the most suitable mixture was 10% corn silage, 80% cattle manure, and 10% malt;while in Southern Greece it was 10% corn silage, 57% cattle manure, 23% orange peels, and 10% olive pomace for fall/winter season. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) was set at 20 d and an initial organic loading rate (OLR) of 2 g COD/(L·d) was applied, with a view to gradually increase it. However, volatile fatty acids accumulation was observed, which led to OLR reduction to 1.5 g COD/(L·d) for both experiments. The Northern Greece reactor operated successfully for OLR 1.5–5 g COD/(L·d), while further increase led to system failure. On the other hand, the reactor of the Southern Greece mixture operated successfully at OLR 1.5–2 g COD/(L·d), but further operation indicated inadequacy, probably due to inhibitor (such as limonene) accumulation. Mixtures consisting of corn silage, cattle manure, and malt can be successfully valorized at high OLR. However, further investigation for mixtures with orange peels is suggested due to the presence of inhibitors.

Design and implementation of cloud platform for nuclear accident simulation

Introduction: To meet the multi-user, cross-time-and-space, cross-platform online demand of work, and professional training teaching in nuclear reactor safety analysis under the normalization of Coronavirus Disease 2019. Method: Taking the nuclear accident simulation software PCTRAN as an example, this study adopts cloud computing technology to build the NasCloud, a nuclear accident simulation cloud platform based on Browser/Server architecture, and successfully realizes multi-user, cross-time-and-space, cross-platform applications. Targeting the AP1000, a pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant, the simulation of cold-leg Small Break Loss of Coolant Accident and cold-leg Large Break Loss of Coolant Accident were carried out to verify the correctness of the NasCloud's accident simulation function. Results: The result shows that the simulation functions and results of the NasCloud in multi-terminal are consistent with the single version of PCTRAN. At the same time, the platform has high scalability, concurrency and security characteristics. Discussion: Therefore, the nuclear accident simulation cloud platform built in this study can provide solutions for the work and training of nuclear reactor safety analysis, and provide reference for other engineering design and simulation software cloud to computing transformation. Copyright © 2023 Chen, Chen, Xie, Xiong and Yu.

Model Evaluation of Secondary Chemistry due to Disinfection of Indoor Air with Germicidal Ultraviolet Lamps

Air disinfection using germicidal ultraviolet light (GUV) has received increasing attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. GUV uses UVC lamps to inactivate microorganisms, but it also initiates photochemistry in air. However, GUV's indoor-air-quality impact has not been investigated in detail. Here, we model the chemistry initiated by GUV at 254 ("GUV254") or 222 nm ("GUV222") in a typical indoor setting for different ventilation levels. Our analysis shows that GUV254, usually installed in the upper room, can significantly photolyze O3, generating OH radicals that oxidize indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into more oxidized VOCs. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is also formed as a VOC-oxidation product. GUV254-induced SOA formation is of the order of 0.1-1 mu g/m3 for the cases studied here. GUV222 (described by some as harmless to humans and thus applicable for the whole room) with the same effective virus-removal rate makes a smaller indoor-air-quality impact at mid-to-high ventilation rates. This is mainly because of the lower UV irradiance needed and also less efficient OH-generating O3 photolysis than GUV254. GUV222 has a higher impact than GUV254 under poor ventilation due to a small but significant photochemical production of O3 at 222 nm, which does not occur with GUV254.

Development of bioreactors: current scenario and future challenges

Bioreactors since their invention have eased the feasibility of lab-scale processes to the industrial-scale level. They have been an integral part of the downstream processes. Apart from the product development, they have also been part of sustainable environmental practices such as reduction of wastage, treatment of waste products, wastewater, detoxification. The chapter focuses on the recent scenario of reactor development in terms of waste management. As the onset of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic has changed the course of action the bioreactors do have a major role to play in the handling of COVID waste as well. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preface: 19th International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems (ICENES 2019)

This is an exclusively prepared special issue containing selected papers from well-established events, namely, International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems (ICENES) and some invited papers to enrich and broaden the novelty of nuclear energy technologies and its applications. The 19th International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems (ICENES 2019) is one of the international conference on scientific, engineering, education and other technical aspects of innovative nuclear reactor design, advanced nuclear technology, energy related technology and its applications.The conference was held in Holiday Inn, Bali, Indonesia (6-9 October 2019), organized by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The participants come from several 14 countries and from many institutions from universities, governments, companies, society and some other organizations that shared their ideas and research results on emerging nuclear energy technologies and applications, which covered by keynote speakers, invited and contributed oral talks and poster presentations. Some selected presented paper in the conference have been elected as selected papers after reviewing process to be submitted to the Institute of Physics (IoP), Journal of Physics: Conference Series.Nuclear energy recently is recognized as secure, sustain and green energy source as an ultimate energy resource to secure the future of the mankind and its civilization. Hence, considerable research activities and international collaboration are continuing on innovative nuclear energy systems, reactor physics, radiations and its application, nuclear computational system, including fusion energy technology, fusion-fission hybrids systems, GEN-IV reactors technology, small and modular reactor (MSR) technology, space nuclear reactors, and power systems and accelerator-driven systems technologies. Some related topics are also covered related to nuclear power production;nuclear hydrogen production;hydrogen energy, energy efficiency, and management;solar energy;wind energy;hydrogen production and storage;renewable energy;fuel cells;bio-energy, etc.Finally, on behalf of the organizer and advisory board, we would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all of authors during the conference and publication processes for their valuable contributions and to the members of the committee, reviewers, and advisors for their excellent works in preparing and finalizing this document. We apologize for any inconveniences for this long process of publication due to our conditions and some restrictions as well as some difficulties during COVID19 pandemicList of Organizer, Editorial Board are available in this Pdf.

Electricity Production and Consumption Perspectives in the Opinion of the Youth of South-Eastern Poland

In Poland, in 2021, an increase in demand for electricity was recorded, and hard coal and lignite power plants still had a dominant share in its production. Another source of electricity was renewable energy sources (RES), mainly wind farms. Young people in Poland are aware that electricity is not only its production, but also consumption in households. Therefore, it is also essential to properly educate young people, aiming at a cost-effective, sustainable lifestyle, in relation to electricity consumption. The article presents the current state of the electricity generation sector in Poland along with the proposed changes in this respect, in particular in terms of the development prospects for the use of renewable energy sources and the influence of government administration on the production and consumption of electricity. The aim of this research was to broaden the knowledge of young people’s opinions on energy production and consumption. The research results can be used to create long-term directions of energy policy and to build a social attitude of sustainable energy consumption in Poland. The research was non-probabilistic, based on questionnaires, using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) technique. The questionnaire was conducted in 2021, and the analysis was made on the basis of 741 correctly completed research questionnaires. The results of the research confirmed the research hypotheses—that the surveyed youth see the need to reduce consumption as a way to counteract climate change and excessive energy consumption. They also expect government support in the energy transformation in Poland, based on a diversified scenario, using both renewable energy sources (RES) and nuclear energy.

Direct Sunlight Driven In2S3 Thin Film Based Water Treatment Proto-Type

A multi-faceted energy intensive technology that can be used for water disinfection and synthesis of electrolysed water (EW) is the need of the hour to achieve a sustainable post COVID 19 water management strategy. Direct sunlight driven processes are legislatively green technologies and hold the key in environmental sustenance. The development of a laboratory proto type reactor powered by a photovoltaic module for the treatment open source river water is described in this paper. This paper reports on the efficacy of the developed proto type technology for multipurpose application namely: (1) the production of Electrolysed water (EW) in a cost efficient manner using direct sunlight and (2) the removal of organic impurity from water using direct sunlight without the use of any photo catalyst or membrane. The prototype reactor utilizes chemical spray pyrolysis deposited highly photo-conducting indium sulphide thin films grown on fluorine doped tin oxide (F:SnO2) substrate (coated using chemical spray pyrolysis technique in-house) as the photo electrode. Dissolved organic matter arising in river water has distinctive fluorescence properties, and this research has utilized it to identify dissolved organic substances in both random samples and treated water. The work proves that photovoltaic module powered electrolytic reactors consisting of In2S3 electrodes can be used for treatment of river water. A diaphragm free, energy intensive route for the production of electrolysed water with the use of non-hazardous NaCl as the electrolyte has been demonstrated here. We conclude that In2S3 electrodes can be used for non-photo catalytic reduction of humic-derived impurities in river water. These results are also encouraging on the prospects of treating Nitrates present in the river water. The likes of techniques as described in this report that do not use photo catalyst or membranes may pave way for real time photovoltaic module powered floating reactors that can decontaminate water bodies on a large scale. The technique used by us demonstrates that a chlorine free route can be optimized for the synthesis of EW eliminating the production of large amounts of wastewater with high levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD).

Design and Validation of Sample Splitting Protocol for Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Quantification in Wastewater

Evaluations of analytical performance through interlaboratory comparisons and proficiency tests are underway globally for biomolecular-based methods [e.g., reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)] used in the surveillance of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater. These evaluations often rely on sharing a common reference wastewater sample that is split among participating laboratories. A known quantity of recovery surrogates can be introduced to the wastewater matrix by the coordinating laboratory as an exogenous control in a spike-and-recovery approach;however, split-sample comparisons are increasingly performed to evaluate in situ quantities of SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal native to the sample due to the lack of a universally accepted recovery surrogate of SARS-CoV-2. A reproducible procedure that minimizes the variability of SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal among split wastewater aliquots is therefore necessary to facilitate the method comparisons, especially when a large number of aliquots are required. Emerging literature has suggested that SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal in wastewater is linked to the solids fraction. Accordingly, a protocol that allows for equal distribution of solids content evenly among wastewater aliquots was also likely to facilitate even distribution of the SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal. Based on this premise, we reviewed existing sample splitting apparatus and approaches used for solids-based parameters in environmental samples. A portable batch reactor was designed, comprised of readily accessible materials and equipment. This design was validated through splitting of real wastewater samples collected from a municipal wastewater treatment facility serving a population with reported cases of COVID-19. This work applies well-established solid-liquid mixing theory and concepts that are likely unfamiliar to molecular microbiologists and laboratory analysts, providing (1) a prototype adaptable for a range of sample quantities, aliquot sizes, microbial targets, and water matrices;and (2) a pragmatic demonstration of critical considerations for design and validation of a reproducible and effective sample splitting protocol.

Challenges and Lessons Learnt Operating During Covid19 Pandemic in Remote Location: A Success Story of Mauritania Deepwater Abandonment and Decommissioning Campaign

Operator's Wells Abandonment & Decommissioning campaign consists of 15 Deepwater subsea wells in Field "C" offshore West Africa. Discovered in 2001, the field is located approximately 80 km west of coastline and about 90 km from Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania. Field "C" is a deepwater field in water depth ranging from 730m to 830m. The field was developed using subsea wells, Hinged Over Subsea Templates (HOST), manifolds, flexible flowlines, umbilicals, and risers tied back to a permanently moored FPSO. In total, the field consists of nine (9) oil producer wells and five (5) water injection wells. During the development stage, one (1) gas injection well was drilled and completed at adjacent Field "B" about 17 km Northeast of Field "C". The water depth at this gas injection well location is approximately 280m. Field "C" reached maturity in 2016. Due to high operating costs, declining production coupled with declining oil prices, the decision was made to cease production, plug and abandon (P&A) and decommission the field. Two phases strategy was engaged by the Operator in order to complete the decommissioning and abandonment of Field "C". In Phase 1, which was executed back in the year of 2017-2018, all the 15 deep water subsea wells were temporarily suspended with two (2) barriers in place. The Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit was decommissioned and disconnected. In line with the strategy of dividing the project into two phases, the information on well integrity and conditions acquired during the Phase 1 Temporary Wells Suspension (TWS) was used by the Operator in planning for Phase 2 - Wells Plug and Abandonment (P&A). The operator made full use of temporary well suspension period between Phase 1 and Phase 2 for engineering, procurement, and operations preparation. The same drillship was utilized for the project in both phases. Multiple optimizations and modifications were done on the drillship based on lessons learned in Phase 1 and to cater for the subsea Xmas Tree and subsea structures retrieval in Phase 2. Due to the nature of the remote location and no existing oil & gas operations support base, all equipment required in this project was sent to Mauritania early. Equipment inspection and acceptance were carried out in Mauritania as part of the strategy in ensuring the availability of good quality equipment for offshore operations. The operations on Wells Plug & Abandonment commenced in December 2019. In March 2020, upon declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, operator was faced with difficulty of continuing operation as the Host Country activated border lockdown. The operator managed to continue operations for remaining well and demobilized drillship and personnel safely. Operator has successfully retrieved three (3) subsea Xmas Trees, P&A three (3) wells and intervened six (6) other wells for tubing cutting before operations was suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic. Operator used the suspension phase to devise a methodology to resume operation in the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation. The challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the steps taken for resumption are highlighted in this paper. It is expected that this paper will serve as guidance in highlighting challenges and efforts taken to resume operation in the event of unforeseen suspension due to any reasons. It is also hoped that the details shared in this paper can assist other Operators in better operation planning for remote locations. Copyright © 2021, Society of Petroleum Engineers

Challenges and Lessons Learnt on Waste Management and Disposal from Mauritania Deepwater Abandonment and Decommissioning Campaign

Abandonment and decommissioning activities of oil and gas assets had been on the increasing trend. As an activity of minimal to no economic value return, the investment into Abandonment and Decommissioning (A&D) should be properly strategized to ensure all objectives are met safely within available time and resources. This paper will discuss Operator's strategy in planning and handling waste from A&D activities of fifteen (15) deepwater subsea wells in Mauritania, West Africa. The approach of this A&D project at a remote location was done in two separate campaign instead of a single campaign based on technical and commercial evaluations performed by Operator. Subsea structures, Christmas trees, tubulars and others are expected to be retrieved and disposed according to local and international standard. In general, Operator are expecting two (2) type of waste which are nonhazardous waste and hazardous waste due to hydrocarbon or naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) contamination. Due to the limitation of capable hazardous waste handling and disposal in country, Operator decided to export waste to identified facilities outside of country at the end of the project via sea-freight. Operator appointed one contractor to provide a full-service related to the waste management and disposal that covers field services and onshore services that includes radiological monitoring to identify NORM waste, labelling, packaging at offshore, onshore storage, transportation and logistics that include Trans-Frontier Shipment (TFS). The strategy of appointing one contractor for full service of waste management and disposal has promoted a single - point accountability to the contractor and this has enabled the objective been delivered effectively. COVID-19 pandemic posed a great challenge on cross-border logistic planning due to additional measure been imposed by receiving country. Furthermore, the new development of United Kingdom exiting European Union (BREXIT) also posed some level of uncertainty to the contractor to obtain relevant approvals for waste export. To reduce the amount of waste to be export, Operator continuously looking for and successfully found a local recycling facility that able to handle the non-hazardous waste while meeting local regulation, Operator's and industrial standard. All outlined strategy was proven to be effective for waste management in remote location, uncertainty on cross-border waste export challenge, as well as capitalizing on the limited local resources available. Copyright © 2021, Society of Petroleum Engineers

A State-of-the-Art Review of Radioactive Decontamination Technologies: Facing the Upcoming Wave of Decommissioning and Dismantling of Nuclear Facilities

The average share of nuclear energy in electricity production is expected to increase under the background of the global pursuit towards carbon neutrality. Conjugating with its rapid development, the wave of decommissioning and dismantling (D&D) of nuclear facilities is coming. The surface decontamination is a prerequisite to D&D, which will make it easier and reduce the volume of radioactive wastes. However, there are no comprehensive studies on the decontamination methods, which is not helpful for the sustainable development of nuclear energy and environment protection. Therefore, in this work, the current status and future trends of global energy and nuclear energy are first analyzed. Then, various decontamination approaches are comparatively studied, including cleaning mechanisms, application subjects, and intrinsic advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the criteria and factors for selecting a decontamination process, the challenges, and future studies are directed. Among the mechanical methods, laser-based cleaning is high-speed, having automation ability, and thus is promising, although it creates a dust and airborne contaminant hazard. In further studies, factors such as selecting a proper laser facility, optimizing operating parameters, and designing a high-efficiency dust collection system could be studied. Regarding the chemical method, chemical gels are good for decontaminating complex shapes and vertical and overhead surfaces. In addition, they can enhance other decon agents’ efficiency by improving contact time. However, the formulation of colloidal gels is complex and no gel type is useful for all contaminants. Therefore, novel and versatile gels need be developed to enlarge their application field. Combining various decontamination methods will often have better results and thus a reasonable and effective combination of these decontamination methods has become the main direction.

Application of Machine Learning to Predict the Performance of an EMIPG Reactor Using Data from Numerical Simulations

Microwave-driven plasma gasification technology has the potential to produce clean energy from municipal and industrial solid wastes. It can generate temperatures above 2000 K (as high as 30,000 K) in a reactor, leading to complete combustion and reduction of toxic byproducts. Characterizing complex processes inside such a system is however challenging. In previous studies, simulations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) produced reproducible results, but the simulations are tedious and involve assumptions. In this study, we propose machine-learning models that can be used in tandem with CFD, to accelerate high-fidelity fluid simulation, improve turbulence modeling, and enhance reduced-order models. A two-dimensional microwave-driven plasma gasification reactor was developed in ANSYS (Ansys, Canonsburg, PA, USA) Fluent (a CFD tool), to create 644 (geometry and temperature) datasets for training six machine-learning (ML) models. When fed with just geometry datasets, these ML models were able to predict the proportion of the reactor area with temperature above 2000 K. This temperature level is considered a benchmark to prevent formation of undesirable byproducts. The ML model that achieved highest prediction accuracy was the feed forward neural network;the mean absolute error was 0.011. This novel machine-learning model can enable future optimization of experimental microwave plasma gasification systems for application in waste-to-energy.

Characterization and Optimization of a Conical Corona Reactor for Seed Treatment of Rapeseed

Plasma agriculture is a growing field that combines interdisciplinary areas with the aim of researching alternative solutions for increasing food production. In this field, plasma sources are used for the treatment of different agricultural goods in pre- and post-harvest. With the big variety of possible treatment targets, studied reactors must be carefully investigated and characterized for specific goals. Therefore, in the present study, a cone-shaped corona reactor working with argon was adapted for the treatment of small seeds, and its basic properties were investigated. The treatment of rapeseed using different voltage duty cycles led to an increase in surface wettability, possibly contributing to the accelerated germination (27% for 90% duty cycle). The discharge produced by the conical reactor was able to provide an environment abundant with reactive oxygen species that makes the process suitable for seeds treatment. However, operating in direct treatment configuration, large numbers of seeds placed in the reactor start impairing the discharge homogeneity.

Energy and Water Development: FY2021 Appropriations

The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill provides funding for civil works projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE);the Department of the Interiors Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and Central Utah Project (CUP);the Department of Energy (DOE);the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC);the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC);and several other independent agencies. DOE typically accounts for about 80% of the bills funding.

Evaluation of effluent post-treatment by slow filtration and adsorption with activated carbon produced from spent coffee grounds in surfactant removal in sewage treatment

Environmental pollution is a worldwide concern, especially when caused by sewage dumping into water bodies. Many substances are present in industrial or domestic wastewater, causing contamination in superficial water collection. Surfactants stand out for being widely used both industrially and domestically. The use of detergents and many types of surfactants was increased during the Covid-19 pandemic period, a fact observed in the levels in the effluent sample analysis from a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) - Vila City around 21 and 39 mg L-1 in this period. This work evaluated the surfactant concentrations in the primary and secondary treatment units of the Vila City STP, in the city of Paranavaí-PR.-Brazil. In addition, the use of a post-treatment by slow sand filtration and adsorption by activated carbon produced from spent coffee grounds in the complementary removal of surfactants was proposed. A mixed bed with sand and activated carbon columns was made on a pilot scale, and filtration/adsorption runs were performed simulating slow filtration with rates of approximately 15 m3 m-2 day-1. The parameters used for the efficiency removal evaluation in a pilot plant run were: turbidity (NTU) and surfactant concentrations. The removal of surfactant concentrations was about 9% and 7% in the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed reactors (UASB-RALF) and in the secondary treatment, respectively, at the STP - Vila City units. In the post-treatment proposed by filtration/adsorption, bed columns on a pilot scale plant obtained a reduction of approximately 94% in terms of turbidity (NTU) and 95% in terms of surfactant removal.Alternate :Poluiçâo ambiental é uma preocupaçâo mundial, especialmente causada por despejos de esgotos nos coleçâo hídrica. Diversas substancias compöem os despejos e residuos industriais e esgotos domésticos. Os surfactantes destacam-se por serem amplamente usados tanto industrialmente como domesticamente. O consumo de detergentes e diversos tipos de tensoativos foi incrementado durante o período de pandemia da Covid-19, fato observado nos teores de surfactantes no efluente das Estaçöes de Tratamento de Esgoto (ETE) - Vila City entre 21 e 39 mg L-1 neste período de tempo. Este trabalho avaliou as concentraçöes de surfactantes em diferentes etapas da ETE da Vila City, na cidade de Paranavaí, PR.- Brasil. Além disso, propôs-se a utilizaçao de um pós-tratamento por filtraçâo/adsorçâo por carvão ativado produzido a partir da borra de café na remoçao complementar dos surfactantes. Foram confeccionadas colunas de adsorçao com meio filtrante de areia e carvão em escala piloto e realizados ensaios de filtração/adsorção simulando filtração lenta com taxas de aproximadamente 15 m3 m-2 dia-1. Os parámetros utilizados na aval

IFMIF-DONES as Paradigm of Institutional Funding in the Way towards Sustainable Energy

Although actions promoting sustainable energy production and consumption have been widely approached in the literature, the management of the big scientific projects devoted to these actions have not been considered as a matter of study from the perspective of sustainable development, but almost exclusively from the scientific or technical ones. Experiences all over the world are increasingly demonstrating that the impact of the project phase is more critical than expected. In this sense, the joint international research on clean and more efficient nuclear power, especially fusion, is currently focused on two large projects: ITER and IFMIF-DONES. Although ITER is step by step advancing, IFMIF-DONES still has a long way before it is actually implemented and its main target (the evaluation of the materials to build the future nuclear fusion reactors) is achieved. In this work, the different steps focused on IFMIF-DONES funding and management planning up to date are analysed and, departing from them, some key points on the future development of the project are proposed.

SARS-CoV-2 in environmental perspective: Occurrence, persistence, surveillance, inactivation and challenges.

The unprecedented global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is depicting the distressing pandemic consequence on human health, economy as well as ecosystem services. So far novel coronavirus (CoV) outbreaks were associated with SARS-CoV-2 (2019), middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV, 2012), and SARS-CoV-1 (2003) events. CoV relates to the enveloped family of Betacoronavirus (ßCoV) with positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA). Knowing well the persistence, transmission, and spread of SARS-CoV-2 through proximity, the faecal-oral route is now emerging as a major environmental concern to community transmission. The replication and persistence of CoV in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and shedding through stools is indicating a potential transmission route to the environment settings. Despite of the evidence, based on fewer reports on SARS-CoV-2 occurrence and persistence in wastewater/sewage/water, the transmission of the infective virus to the community is yet to be established. In this realm, this communication attempted to review the possible influx route of the enteric enveloped viral transmission in the environmental settings with reference to its occurrence, persistence, detection, and inactivation based on the published literature so far. The possibilities of airborne transmission through enteric virus-laden aerosols, environmental factors that may influence the viral transmission, and disinfection methods (conventional and emerging) as well as the inactivation mechanism with reference to the enveloped virus were reviewed. The need for wastewater epidemiology (WBE) studies for surveillance as well as for early warning signal was elaborated. This communication will provide a basis to understand the SARS-CoV-2 as well as other viruses in the context of the environmental engineering perspective to design effective strategies to counter the enteric virus transmission and also serves as a working paper for researchers, policy makers and regulators.

Catalysis-in-a-Box: Robotic Screening of Catalytic Materials in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond.

This work describes the design and implementation of an automated device for catalytic materials testing by direct modifications to a gas chromatograph (GC). The setup can be operated as a plug-flow isothermal reactor and enables the control of relevant parameters such as reaction temperature and reactant partial pressures directly from the GC. High-quality kinetic data (including reaction rates, product distributions, and activation barriers) can be obtained at almost one-tenth of the fabrication cost of analogous commercial setups. With these key benefits including automation, low cost, and limited experimental equipment instrumentation, this implementation is intended as a high-throughput catalyst screening reactor that can be readily utilized by materials synthesis researchers to assess the catalytic properties of their synthesized structures in vapor-phase chemistries.