Energy and material refineries of future: Wastewater treatment plants.

There have been many important milestones on humanity's long journey towards achieving environmental sanitation. In particular, the development of the activated sludge system can be claimed to be one of the most groundbreaking advances in the protection of both public health and the wider ecosystem. The first wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were developed over a century ago and were soon configured for use with activated sludge. However, despite their long history and service, conventional activated sludge (CAS) plants have become an unsustainable method of wastewater treatment. In addition, conventional WWTPs are intensive energy-consumers and at best allow only very limited material recovery. A paradigm shift to convert existing WWTPs into more sustainable facilities must therefore be considered necessary and to this end the wastewater biorefinery (WWBR) concept may be considered a solution that maximizes both energy and material recovery, in line with the circular economy approach.

Development of Anaerobic High-Rate Reactors, Focusing on Sludge Bed Technology.

In the last 40 years, anaerobic sludge bed reactor technology has evolved from localized laboratory-scale trials to worldwide successful implementations in a variety of industries. High-rate sludge bed reactors are characterized by a very small footprint and high applicable volumetric loading rates. Best performances are obtained when the sludge bed consists of highly active and well settleable granular sludge. Sludge granulation provides a rich microbial diversity, high biomass concentration, high solids retention time, good settling characteristics, reduction in both operation costs and reactor volume, and high tolerance to inhibitors and temperature changes. However, sludge granulation cannot be guaranteed on every type of industrial wastewater. Especially in the last two decades, various types of high-rate anaerobic reactor configurations have been developed that are less dependent on the presence of granular sludge, and many of them are currently successfully used for the treatment of various kinds of industrial wastewaters worldwide. This study discusses the evolution of anaerobic sludge bed technology for the treatment of industrial wastewaters in the last four decades, focusing on granular sludge bed systems.

Confectionery industry: a case study on treatability-based effluent characterization and treatment system performance.

Source-based wastewater characterization and stream segregation provide effective management of industrial wastewaters. The characterization of wastewater sources from a confectionery factory was presented and performance of the wastewater treatment plant was evaluated in this study. All of the wastewater sources in the factory, except the vacuum water line, can be characterized by high concentrations of soluble pollutants and low pH. High organic content of the wastewater generated from the confectionery industry promoted the application of anaerobic technology as a pre-treatment before the conventional aerobic treatment. The average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and biogas production for expanded granular sludge bed reactor were 88% and 1,730 Nm(3)/day, respectively. The effluent from the investigated facility can be used for irrigation provided that conductivity values are within acceptable limits.

Biomethane production as an alternative bioenergy source from codigesters treating municipal sludge and organic fraction of municipal solid wastes.

Energy recovery potential of a mesophilic co-digester treating OFMSW and primary sludge at an integrated biomethanization plant was investigated based on feasibility study results. Since landfilling is still the main solid waste disposal method in Turkey, land scarcity will become one of the most important obstacles. Restrictions for biodegradable waste disposal to sanitary landfills in EU Landfill Directive and uncontrolled long-term contamination with gas emissions and leachate necessitate alternative management strategies due to rapid increase in MSW production. Moreover, since energy contribution from renewable resources will be required more in the future with increasing oil prices and dwindling supplies of conventional energy sources, the significance of biogas as a renewable fuel has been increased in the last decade. Results indicated that almost 93% of annual total cost can be recovered if 100% renewable energy subsidy is implemented. Besides, considering the potential revenue when replacing transport fuels, about 26 heavy good vehicles or 549 cars may be powered per year by the biogas produced from the proposed biomethanization plant (PE = 100,000; X(PS) = 61 g TS/PE·day; X(SS-OFMSW) = 50 g TS/PE·day).

Multiple brain metastases from malignant thymoma.

A rare case of thymic carcinoma with multiple brain metastasis is reported. In our extensive review of the literature only six of 30 reports of intracranial thymoma metastasis describe multiple metastases. A 38-year-old man presented with signs of raised intracranial pressure that had began 15 days previously. Cranial MRI revealed over 70 cystic lesions in the supra and infratentorial regions. Stereotactic biopsy was planned. On the second day of his admission he deteriorated and died the following day. The autopsy revealed a mass in the mediastinum. In the brain parenchyma were multiple cystic lesions between 0.5 and 3 cm in diameter. Histopathologically they were diagnosed as metastases from the thymic carcinoma. The mean survival with a single brain metastasis is approximately 256 days, whereas with multiple brain metastases it is only 64 days, thus treatment of this tumor demands prompt surgery whenever possible and optimal adjuvant therapy.

Intra-suprasellar meningioma mimicking pituitary apoplexy.

The clinical and radiological features of an intra-suprasellar meningioma diagnosed as a pituitary macro-adenoma are presented. It is emphasized that this unusual tumour can mimic pituitary apoplexy. Differential diagnosis and surgical treatment of intrasellar meningioma versus pituitary adenoma are discussed with a review of the literature.