ABSTRACT
Technologies to treat wastewater in decentralized systems are critical for sustainable development. Bioreactors are suitable for low-energy removal of inorganic and organic compounds, particularly for non-potable applications where a small footprint is required. One of the main problems associated with bioreactor use is sporadic spikes of chemical toxins, including nanoparticles. Here, we describe the development of DIYBOT (Digital Proxy of a Bio-Reactor), which enables remote monitoring of bioreactors and uses the data to inform decisions related to systems management. To test DIYBOT, a household-scale membrane aerated bioreactor with real-time water quality sensors was used to treat household greywater simulant. After reaching steady-state, silver nanoparticles (AgNP) representative of the mixture found in laundry wastewater were injected into the system to represent a chemical contamination. Measurements of carbon metabolism, effluent water quality, biofilm sloughing rate, and microbial diversity were characterized after nanoparticle exposure. Real-time sensor data were analyzed to reconstruct phase-space dynamics and extrapolate a phenomenological digital proxy to evaluate system performance. The management implication of the stable-focus dynamics, reconstructed from observed data, is that the bioreactor self-corrects in response to contamination spikes at AgNP levels below 2.0 mg/L. DIYBOT may help reduce the frequency of human-in-the-loop corrective management actions for wastewater processing.
ABSTRACT
Correction for 'Polyoxometalate-coupled MXene nanohybrid via poly(ionic liquid) linkers and its electrode for enhanced supercapacitive performance' by Shu Chen et al., Nanoscale, 2018, DOI: 10.1039/c8nr05760e.
ABSTRACT
Nanobiotechnology is a growing area of research, primarily due to the potentially numerous applications of new synthetic nanomaterials in engineering/science. Although various definitions have been given for the word 'nanomaterials' by many different experts, the commonly accepted one refers to nanomaterials as those materials which possess grains, particles, fibres, or other constituent components that have one dimension specifically less than 100 nm. In biological applications, most of the research to date has focused on the interactions between mammalian cells and synthetic nanophase surfaces for the creation of better tissue engineering materials. Although mammalian cells have shown a definite positive response to nanophase materials, information on bacterial interactions with nanophase materials remains elusive. For this reason, this study was designed to assess the adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens on nanophase compared to conventional grain size alumina substrates. Results provide the first evidence of increased adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens on alumina with nanometre compared to conventional grain sizes. To understand more about the process, polymer (specifically, poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid or PLGA) casts were made of the conventional and nanostructured alumina surfaces. Results showed similar increased Pseudomonas fluorescens capture on PLGA casts of nanostructured compared to conventional alumina as on the alumina itself. For these reasons, a key material property shown to enhance bacterial adhesion was elucidated in this study for both polymers and ceramics: nanostructured surface features.
