Valorization of Purple Phototrophic Bacteria Biomass Resulting from Photo Fermentation Aimed at Biohydrogen Production.

This study evaluated the feasibility of contextually producing hydrogen, microbial proteins, and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) using a mixed culture of purple phototrophic bacteria biomass under photo fermentative conditions. To this end, three consecutive batch tests were conducted to analyze the biomass growth curve and to explore the potential for optimizing the production process. Experimental findings indicated that inoculating reactors with microorganisms from the exponential growth phase reduced the duration of the process. Furthermore, the most effective approach for simultaneous hydrogen production and the valorization of microbial biomass was found when conducting the process during the exponential growth phase of the biomass. At this stage, achieved after 3 days of fermentation, the productivities of hydrogen, PHB, and microbial proteins were measured at 63.63 L/m3 d, 0.049 kg/m3 d, and 0.045 kg/m3 d, respectively. The biomass composition comprised a total intracellular compound percentage of 56%, with 27% representing PHB and 29% representing proteins. Under these conditions, the estimated daily revenue was maximized, amounting to 0.6 $/m3 d.

Implementing a sustainable process for the recovery of palladium from spent catalysts at industrial scale: A LCA approach.

Due to its unique physicochemical properties, palladium is widely used in several industry applications (e.g., vehicle emission control). In view of the circular economy, it is essential to explore secondary sources of palladium, such as urban mines. Current technologies for effective palladium recovery involve high energy consumption and severe environmental impact. More recently, a novel green method for recovering palladium from spent catalysts through a combination of mild acidic leaching and photodeposition on ZnO nanoparticles was proposed on a laboratory scale. In the present study, the environmental impacts of this recovery method, properly upscaled and modelled, was assessed by employing the LCA approach. Specifically, a comparative LCA was carried out for the process with as well as without recycling key components, such as Cu (II) and NaCl for the leaching solution and ZnO. The outcomes identified critical areas and drove the investigation of alternative process configurations to reduce its environmental footprint, such as the use of carbon dioxide in the photodeposition process with the aim of decreasing the resulting terrestrial ecotoxicity. This study marks a significant step forward in advancing research toward industrial-scale implementation of palladium recovery. It provides valuable insights for researchers in the field of green physicochemical processes for metal recovery, thus offering guidance for future decision-making towards more sustainable practices.

Selecting for a high lipid accumulating microalgae culture by dual growth limitation in a continuous bioreactor.

A dual-growth-limited continuous operated bioreactor (chemostat) was used to enhance lipid accumulation in an enrichment culture of microalgae. The light intensity and nitrogen concentration where both limiting factors resulting in high lipid accumulation in the mixed culture. Both conditions of light and nitrogen excess and deficiency were tested. Strategies to selectively enrich for a phototrophic lipid-storing community, based on the use of different nitrogen sources (ammonium vs. nitrate) and vitamin B supplementation in the growth medium, were evaluated. The dual limitation of both nitrogen and light enhanced the accumulation of storage compounds. Ammoniacal nitrogen was the preferred nitrogen source. Vitamin B supplementation led to a doubling of the lipid productivity. The availability of vitamins played a key role in selecting an efficient lipid-storing community, primarily consisting of Trebouxiophyceae (with an 82 % relative abundance among eukaryotic microorganisms). The obtained lipid volumetric productivity (387 mg L-1 d-1) was among the highest reported in literature for microalgae bioreactors. Lipid production by the microalgae enrichment surpassed the efficiencies reported for continuous microalgae pure cultures, highlighting the benefits of mixed-culture photo-biotechnologies for fuels and food ingredients in the circular economy.

A mechanistic mathematical model for photo fermentative hydrogen and polyhydroxybutyrate production.

An original mathematical model describing the photo fermentation process is proposed. The model represents the first attempt to describe the photo fermentative hydrogen production and polyhydroxybutyrate accumulation, simultaneously. The mathematical model is derived from mass balance principles and consists of a system of ordinary differential equations describing the biomass growth, the nitrogen and the substrate degradation, the hydrogen and other catabolites production, and the polyhydroxybutyrate accumulation in photo fermentation systems. Moreover, the model takes into account important inhibiting phenomena, such as the self-shading and the substrate inhibition, which can occur during the evolution of the process. The calibration was performed using a real experimental data set and it was supported by the results of a sensitivity analysis study. The results showed that the most sensitive parameters for both hydrogen and PHB production were the hydrogen yield on substrate, the catabolites yield on substrate, and the biomass yield. Successively, a different experimental data set was used to validate the model. Performance indicators showed that the model could efficiently be used to simulate the photo fermentative hydrogen and polyhydroxybutyrate production by Rhodopseudomonas palustris. For instance, the index of agreement of 0.95 was observed for the validated hydrogen production trend. Moreover, the model well predicted the maximum PHB accumulation in bacterial cells. Indeed, the predicted and observed accumulated PHB were 4.5 and 4.8%, respectively. Further numerical simulations demonstrated the model consistency in describing process inhibiting phenomena. Numerical simulations showed that the acetate and nitrogen inhibition phenomena take place when concentrations are higher than 12.44 g L-1 and lower than 4.76 mg L-1, respectively. Finally, the potential long term hydrogen production from accumulated polyhydroxybutyrate in bacterial cells was studied via a fast-slow analysis technique.

Composting of Organic Solid Waste of Municipal Origin: The Role of Research in Enhancing Its Sustainability.

The organic solid waste of municipal origin stands as one of the residual streams of greatest concern: the great amounts continuously produced over time as well as its biochemical and physical characteristics require its proper handling via biological processes, pursuing the recovery of material and/or the generation of energy. At the European level, most of the industrial plants treating the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) rely on composting, which is a well-established and reliable process that is easy to operate in different socio-economic contexts. Nevertheless, when regarded in a life cycle perspective as well as in the view of the principles of circular economy underlying waste management, several issues (e.g., the presence of toxic substances in compost) can be recognized as technical challenges, requiring further studies to identify possible sustainable solutions. This work aims at discussing these challenges and figuring out the state of the art of composting in a circular perspective. Firstly, the main mentioned issues affecting compost quality and process sustainability are briefly reviewed. Next, to promote the effective use of composting in light of the circular economy principles, research experiences are critically presented to highlight the current technical challenges concerning the environmental and health impact reduction and possible scientific perspectives to overcome issues affecting the compost quality. Based on the critical analysis of reviewed studies, it emerged that further research should be aimed at unveiling the hazard potential of emerging contaminants as well as to address the understanding of the mechanisms underlying their potential removal during composting. Moreover, the adoption of a multidisciplinary perspective in the design of research studies may play a key role towards the definition of cost-effective and environmentally friendly strategies to overcome the technical issues affecting the process.

A preliminary study on a novel bioaugmentation technique enhancing lactic acid production by mixed cultures fermentation.

The paper is a preliminary study on the selection of lactic acid producing microorganisms from a mixed microbial population via bioaugmentation. The bioaugmentation technique is based on pH sudden variations occurring in sequential batch steps of a dark fermentation process applied to simple substrates. Different conditions are tested and compared. The structure of microbial communities and concentrations of metabolic intermediates are analyzed to study the possible substrate conversion routes. Obtained results indicate that the initial mixed culture produced a lactic acid percentage of 5% in terms of CODLA/CODPRODUCTS. In the most favourable conditions, the selected culture produced a lactic acid percentage of 59%. The analysis of the composition of microbial communities before and after the bioaugmentation processes, indicates that lactic acid production mainly results from the population change to bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus. Indeed, the relative abundance of Bacilli increased from 0.67%, to 8.40% during the bioaugmentation cycle.

Carbon catabolite repression occurrence in photo fermentation of ethanol-rich substrates.

The paper investigates the phenomenon of Carbon Catabolite Repression occurring during photo fermentation of ethanol-rich effluents, which usually contain ethanol as main carbon source, and glycerol as secondary one. The study was conducted using mixed phototrophic cultures, adopting, as substrate, the effluent produced by the alcoholic fermentation of sugar cane bagasse. In order to elucidate the phenomenon, experimental tests were carried out using two different ethanol to glycerol ratios. Results were compared with those resulting from pure ethanol and glycerol conversion. According to the obtained data, as a result of Carbon Catabolite Repression occurrence, the presence of glycerol negatively affects hydrogen production. Indeed, part of the ethanol source is converted to biomass and polyhydroxybutyrate rather than to hydrogen. In more details, the presence of glycerol determines a drop of the hydrogen production, which goes from 12 % to 32 %, according to the ethanol/glycerol ratio, compared to the production obtained from fermentation of ethanol alone. Therefore, to promote the hydrogen production, it is advisable to apply strategies to produce low glycerol concentrations in the ethanol production stage.

A comprehensive review of mathematical models of photo fermentation.

This work aims at analyzing and comparing the different modeling approaches used to date to simulate, design and control photo fermentation processes for hydrogen production and/or wastewater treatment. The study is directed to researchers who approach the problem of photo fermentation mathematical modeling. It is a useful tool to address future research in this specific field in order to overcome the difficulty of modeling a complex, not totally elucidate process. We report a preliminary identification of the environmental and biological parameters, included in the models, which affect photo fermentation. Based on model features, we distinguish three different approaches, i.e. kinetic, parametric and non-ideal reactors. We explore the characteristics of each approach, reporting and comparing the obtained results and underlining the differences between models, together with the advantages and the limitations of each of them. The analysis of the approaches indicates that Kinetic models are useful to describe the process from a biochemical point of view, without considering bio-reactor hydrodynamics and the spatial variations that Parametric Models can be utilized to study the influence and the interactions between the operational conditions. They do not take into account the biochemical process mechanism and the influence of reactor hydrodynamics. Quite the opposite, non-ideal reactors models focus on the reactor configuration. Otherwise, the biochemical description of purple non-sulfur bacteria activities is usually simplified. This review indicates that there still is a lack of models that fully describe photo fermentation processes.

Biohydrogen and poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate production by winery wastewater photofermentation: Effect of substrate concentration and nitrogen source.

The applicability and convenience of biohydrogen and poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate production through single-stage photofermentation of winery wastewater is demonstrated in the present study. Experiments are conducted using a purple non-sulfur bacteria mixed consortium, subject to variable nutrient conditions, to analyze the effect of initial chemical oxygen demand and the available nitrogen source on the metabolic response. Results show that winery wastewater is a promising substrate for photofermentation processes, despite the presence of inhibiting compounds such as phenolics. Nonetheless, the initial chemical oxygen demand must be carefully controlled to maximize hydrogen production. Up to 468 mL L-1 of hydrogen and 203 mg L-1 of poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate can be produced starting from an initial chemical oxygen demand of 1500 mg L-1. The used nitrogen source may direct substrate transformation through different metabolic pathways. Interestingly, the maximum production of both hydrogen and poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate occurred when glutamate was used as the nitrogen source.