Bioresource Technology最新文献

Anaerobic conversion of lignite to methane is hindered by its aromatic structure and phenolic toxicity. Applying an alternating-current (AC) electric field (1.0 V_rms/cm, 500 kHz) with biostimulants markedly enhanced methane production by stimulating microbial redox pathways. Food waste yielded 294.7 mL CH₄/g COD_r (123.3 mL CH₄/g lignite), 3.2 times higher than control (94.2 mL CH₄/g COD_r), while maintaining stable pH and alkalinity. Pig manure achieved 228.3 mL CH₄/g COD_r, underscoring the importance of complex substrates. Electrochemical analyses revealed stronger redox currents and ∼ 28 % lower charge-transfer resistance, indicating more efficient electron transfer. Spectroscopic analyses showed depletion of humic-like compounds and emergence of aliphatic and quinone groups. Microbial profiling demonstrated enrichment of Clostridium, Bellilinea, and Methanothrix, while functional inference suggested genes associated with extracellular electron transfer, electron bifurcation, and cometabolism. Overall, AC field stimulation with complex biostimulants represents a promising strategy for methane production from lignite and supports scalable bioelectrochemical energy recovery.

Lignin nanofibers (LNFs) have emerged as promising materials for various environmental applications due to their unique properties, abundance, and sustainability. This review examines recent advances in LNF synthesis and their environmental applications, lignin types are discussed in relation to nanofiber production. Synthesis techniques are evaluated, with electrospinning emerging as a versatile method for producing LNFs with diameters typically in the nanometer range. The intrinsic properties including molecular weight, polydispersity, and glass transition temperature, significantly influence nanofiber formation and performance. Environmental applications of LNFs are extensively reviewed, highlighting their potential in adsorption of pollutants, air filtration, energy storage devices, and as catalyst supports. Despite significant progress, challenges remain in large-scale production, consistency of properties, and economic viability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of LNFs technology, addressing both opportunities and challenges in leveraging this sustainable material for environmental solutions.

As the generation of waste activated sludge (WAS) increases and the problem of resource scarcity worsens, the demand for sustainable sludge disposal and resource recovery technologies is growing rapidly. In this study, a novel combined enzymatic-thermal hydrolysis process was assessed for enhancing mass reduction and resource recovery from WAS. Heating temperature, as the key parameter was optimized. With combined enzymatic-thermal hydrolysis, a maximum SCOD concentration of 48,619 mg/L was achieved in combined hydrolysis liquid (CHL) under an optimum temperature of 165 ℃ (CHL₁₆₅). The concentration of PS and PN in CHL₁₆₅ were 4.4 % and 11.1 % higher than that in thermal hydrolysis liquid (THL) at 165 ℃ (THL₁₆₅). Meanwhile, the contents of heavy metals (Hg, As, Cd, and Cr) in CHL were all below 0.5 mg/L, indicating that the application posed an extremely low risk to the ecological environment and human health. Comparing with raw WAS, the mass reduction rate of up to 28.3 % was achieved. Moreover, the utilization of CHL₁₆₅ as a carbon source to facilitate nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) removal in wastewater treatment resulted in the efficiency reaching 94.0 % of that achieved with commercial sodium acetate. Accordingly, the CHL₁₆₅ played a prominent role as a carbon source with slow-release effect for denitrification in reducing the cost of NO₃^--N removal. The above research will provide a new direction for the advanced resource utilization of WAS.

In this study, heterogeneous biochar catalysts derived from spent coffee grounds (HCBCs) and walnut shells (HWBCs) were synthesized at three pyrolysis temperatures (500 °C (HCBC500, HWBC500), 650 °C (HCBC650, HWBC650), and 800 °C (HCBC800, HWBC800)) to elucidate effects of changes in the aromatization degree determining electron exchange capacity (EEC) of heterogeneous biochar catalysts on the degradation of naproxen (NPX) via the electron transfer-mediated activation of peroxydisulfate (PDS). The greater EEC values of highly aromatic HCBCs and HWBCs produced at higher pyrolysis temperatures led to increased degradation efficiencies of NPX by the HCBCs/PDS and HWBCs/PDS systems. The HCBC800/PDS system achieved the highest degradation efficiency of NPX, at 80.9%, compared to 16.4-48.1% for other systems. These observations highlight that the EEC relying on the aromatization degree of heterogeneous biochar catalysts is a key factor governing the degradation of NPX via the electron transfer-mediated activation of PDS. In the HCBC800/PDS system, electrophilic decarboxylation induced by superoxide-derived singlet oxygen was mainly responsible for the degradation of NPX rather than hydroxyl radical-driven electrophilic hydroxylation. Moreover, the HCBC800/PDS system exhibited excellent reuse efficiency (≥73.2%) for the degradation of NPX over four consecutive cycles. Although increases in bioaccumulation potential and mutagenicity were detected for some degradation intermediates of NPX produced via the HCBC800/PDS system, most of them were less harmful to aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, HCBC800 could be a promising option as a carbonaceous material-based heterogeneous catalyst to activate PDS via the electron transfer for eliminating NPX.