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Publications from the year 2024

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  • Rebuilding Bailey Bridge to Bridge With Bascule Span – A Case Study
    • Andrzej Ambroziak
    • Maciej Malinowski
    • Mirosław Wałęga
    2024 Full text Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering

    The structural analysis of a road foldable prefabricated steel Bailey- type bridge located over the Tuga River in Żelichowo, Poland is performed in this paper. Interesting and untypical bridge redevelopment performed made it possible to lift the middle foldable bridge span by approximately 4.0 m concerning the existing state. The paper begins with a survey of literature carried out on the investigations of foldable Bailey-type bridge subject matter. A description of the numerical modelling of foldable prefabricated bridges is performed. The comparison of the proof load test results with the FEM numerical model results has shown very good compatibility. This paper can provide scientists, engineers, and designers the basis for structural analysis in the field of foldable Bailey-type bridge constructions and numerical simulations.

  • Recent advances in hydrogen production from biomass waste with a focus on pyrolysis and gasification
    • Van Giao Nguyen
    • Thanh Xuan Nguyen-Thi
    • Phuoc Quy Phong Nguyen
    • Viet Dung Tran
    • Ümit Ağbulut
    • Lan Huong Nguyen
    • Dhinesh Balasubramanian
    • Wiesław Tarełko
    • Suhaib A. Bandh
    • Nguyen Dang Khoa Pham
    2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY

    This paper presents the results research on the optimal fuel compositions and the control parameters of the spark ignition engine fueled with syngas-biogas-hydrogen for the purpose of setting up a flexible electronic control unit for the engine working in a solar-biomass hybrid renewable energy system. In syngas-biogas-hydrogen mixture, the optimal content of hydrogen and biogas is 20% and 30%, respectively. Exceeding these thresholds, the improvement of engine performance is moderate, but the pollution emission increases strongly. The optimal advanced ignition angle is 38CA, 24CA, and 18CA for syngas, biogas, and hydrogen, respectively. With the same content of hydrogen or biogas in the mixture with syngas, the advanced ignition angle of the hydrogen-syngas blend is less than that of the syngas-biogas blend by about 4CA at the engine speed of 3000 rpm. The derating power of the engine is 30% and 23% as switching from the hydrogen and biogas fueling mode to the syngas fueling mode, respectively. However, NOx emission of the engine increase from 200 ppm (for syngas) to 2800 ppm (for biogas) and to over 6000 ppm (for hydrogen). The optimal advanced ignition angle, the optimal equivalence ratio of the syngas-biogas-hydrogen fuel mixture vary within the limits of the respective values for syngas and hydrogen. To improve the engine efficiency and reduce pollutant emissions, the loading control system of the engine should prioritize the adjustment of the fuel flow and then the adjustment of the air-fuel mixture flow.

  • Recent Advances in Polymer Nanocomposites: Unveiling the Frontier of Shape Memory and Self-Healing Properties—A Comprehensive Review
    • Huma Jamil
    • Muhammad Faizan
    • Muhammad Adeel Ahmad
    • Teofil Jesionowski
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Aldona Balčiūnaitė
    2024 Full text MOLECULES

    Shape memory and self-healing polymer nanocomposites have attracted considerable attention due to their modifiable properties and promising applications. The incorporation of nanomaterials (polypyrrole, carboxyl methyl cellulose, carbon nanotubes, titania nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, mesoporous silica) into these polymers has significantly enhanced their performance, opening up new avenues for diverse applications. The self-healing capability in polymer nanocomposites depends on several factors, including heat, quadruple hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking, Diels–Alder reactions, and metal–ligand coordination, which collectively govern the interactions within the composite materials. Among possible interactions, only quadruple hydrogen bonding between composite constituents has been shown to be effective in facilitating self-healing at approximately room temperature. Conversely, thermo-responsive self-healing and shape memory polymer nanocomposites require elevated temperatures to initiate the healing and recovery processes. Thermo-responsive (TRSMPs), light-actuated, magnetically actuated, and Electrically actuated Shape Memory Polymer Nanocomposite are discussed. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the different types of interactions involved in SMP and SHP nanocomposites and examines their behavior at both room temperature and elevated temperature conditions, along with their biomedical applications. Among many applications of SMPs, special attention has been given to biomedical (drug delivery, orthodontics, tissue engineering, orthopedics, endovascular surgery), aerospace (hinges, space deployable structures, morphing aircrafts), textile (breathable fabrics, reinforced fabrics, self-healing electromagnetic interference shielding fabrics), sensor, electrical (triboelectric nanogenerators, information energy storage devices), electronic, paint and self-healing coating, and construction material (polymer cement composites) applications.

  • Recent advances in reinforced bioplastics for food packaging – A critical review
    • Shahida Anusha Siddiqui
    • Xi Yang
    • Ram Kumar Deshmukh
    • Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad
    • Nur Alim Bahmid
    • Roberto Castro Munoz
    2024 Full text INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES

    Recently, diversifying the material, method, and application in food packaging has been massively developed to find more environment-friendly materials. However, the mechanical and barrier properties of the bioplastics are major hurdles to expansion in commercial realization. The compositional variation with the inclusion of different fillers could resolve the lacking performance of the bioplastic. This review summarizes the various reinforcement fillers and their effect on bioplastic development. In this review, we first discussed the status of bioplastics and their definition, advantages, and limitations regarding their performance in the food packaging application. Further, the overview of different fillers and development methods has been discussed thoroughly. The application of reinforced bioplastic for food packaging and its effect on food quality and shelf life are highlighted. The environmental issues, health concerns, and future perspectives of the reinforced bioplastic are also discussed at the end of the manuscript. Adding different fillers into the bioplastic improves physical, mechanical, barrier, and active properties, which render the required protective functions to replace conventional plastic for food packaging applications. Various fillers, such as natural and chemically synthesized, could be incorporated into the bioplastic, and their overall properties improve significantly for the food packaging application.

  • Recent advances on magnetic carbon-related materials in advanced oxidation processes of emerging pollutants degradation
    • Elvana Çako
    • Kumaravel Dinesh Gunasekaran
    • Saravanan Rajendran
    • Anna Zielińska-Jurek
    2024 Full text Water Resources and Industry

    Recently, carbon-related materials have been proposed to improve the charge separation of the photogenerated carriers in the semiconductor matrices’ and surface properties. Carbon-related materials may act as co-catalysts, enhancing the pollutants adsorption on the surface, improving the charge carriers separation and photocatalyst stability and providing more active centres for photocatalytic reactions. This review summarizes recent advances in the preparation and environmental application of carbon-related materials. The focus was set on preparation of carbon-related materials and magnetic carbon-related photocatalytic materials with the property of easy separation after the purification process in an external magnetic field and their application for degradation of emerging pollutants not susceptible to biodegradation. The present studies identify four main groups of water pollutants: pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals. Among them, pharmaceuticals and phenolic compounds represent a significant group of persistent organic pollutants. Some of the commonly used pharmaceuticals for human health, as well as disinfectants, are found in wastewater influents and effluents (after the puri- fication process) almost in the unchanged form. Their detection in trace amounts (of about a few micrograms to hundreds of nanograms per litre) and removal become difficult but important because they put at risk the reuse of treated wastewater and the sustainability of water cycle management. Concerning levels of concentrations, these compounds are classified as hazardous due to possibilities of bioaccumulation, biomagnification and toxic impact on living organisms, even in trace amounts. Up to now, various methods have been reported in the removal of pharmaceuticals and phenolic compounds from aqueous systems. This review provides coherent information for future studies in the application of carbon-related materials and magnetic carbon-related materials for the removal of active pharmaceutical ingredients and phenolic compounds. Insights on pharmaceutical and phenolic compounds photodegradation in the presence of carbon-based materials. The effect of various parameters such as water matrice, pH, natural organic matter presence, and temperature were also discussed. Finally, the economic feasibility and consideration of photocatalyst recovery capability completed the concept and discussion on magnetic carbon-related materials.

  • Recent Issues and Challenges in the Study of Inland Waters
    • Ryszard Staniszewski
    • Beata Messyasz
    • Piotr Dąbrowski
    • Paweł Burdziakowski
    • Marcin Spychała
    2024 Full text Water

    This paper addresses several important problems and methods related to studies of inland waters based on the existing scientific literature. The use of UAVs in freshwater monitoring is described, including recent contact and non-contact solutions. Due to a decline in biological diversity in many parts of the globe, the main threats are described together with a modern method for algae and cyanobacteria monitoring utilizing chlorophyll a fluorescence. Observed disturbances in the functioning of river biocenoses related to mine waters’ discharge, causing changes in the physicochemical parameters of waters and sediments, give rise to the need to develop more accurate methods for the assessment of this phenomenon. Important problems occurring in the context of microplastic detection, including the lack of unification, standardization and repeatability of the methods used, were described. In conclusion, accurate results in the monitoring of water quality parameters of inland waters can be achieved by combining modern methods and using non-contact solutions.

  • Receptor for advanced glycation end‐products: Biological significance and imaging applications
    • Iwona T. Dobrucki
    • Angelo Miskalis
    • Michael B. Nelappana
    • Catherine C. Applegate
    • Marcin Woźniak
    • Andrzej Czerwinski
    • Leszek Kalinowski
    • Lawrence W. Dobrucki
    2024 Full text Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology

    The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE or AGER) is a transmembrane, immunoglobulin-like receptor that, due to its multiple isoform structures, binds to a diverse range of endo- and exogenous ligands. RAGE activation caused by the ligand binding initiates a cascade of complex pathways associated with producing free radicals, such as reactive nitric oxide and oxygen species, cell proliferation, and immunoinflammatory processes. The involvement of RAGE in the pathogenesis of disorders such as diabetes, inflammation, tumor progression, and endothelial dysfunction is dictated by the accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) at pathologic states leading to sustained RAGE upregulation. The involvement of RAGE and its ligands in numerous pathologies and diseases makes RAGE an interesting target for therapy focused on the modulation of both RAGE expression or acti-vation and the production or exogenous administration of AGEs. Despite the known role that the RAGE/AGE axis plays in multiple disease states, there remains an urgent need to develop noninvasive, molecular imaging approaches that can accurately quantify RAGE levels in vivo that will aid in the validation of RAGE and its ligands as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing

  • Reconfigurable Antennas for Trustable Things
    • Mateusz Groth
    • Mateusz Rzymowski
    • Krzysztof Nyka
    • Łukasz Kulas
    2024

    In modern applications, the Internet of Things plays a significant role in increasing the productivity, effectiveness or safety and security of people and assets. Additionally, the reliability of Internet of Things components is crucial from the application point of view, where a resilient and low-latency network is needed. This can be achieved by utilizing reconfigurable antennas to enhance the capabilities of the wireless sensor network (WSN). Additionally, reconfigurable antennas can provide extended functionalities to the Internet of Things. One such aspect of wireless sensing is localization, where objects can be identified and positioned using radio frequency (RF) signals. For this purpose, analysis of spatial diversification of signals can be used by utilizing reconfigurable antennas. This work presents a design of a reconfigurable antenna that is applicable to Internet of Things WSNs and algorithms that utilize the antenna to provide additional localization functionalities

  • Recycled rubber wastes-based polymer composites with flame retardancy and electrical conductivity: Rational design, modeling and optimization
    • Paulina Wiśniewska
    • Natalia Wójcik
    • Paulina Kosmela
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Henri Vahabi
    • Alireza Shadman
    • Krzysztof Formela
    • Mohammad Saeb
    2024 COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

    Polymer recycling techniques experience a maturity period of design and application. Rubbers comprise a high proportion of polymer wastes, highly flammable and impossible to re-melt. Polymer composites based on ground tire rubber (GTR) and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) containing carbon black (CB) (1–50 phr), with variable EVA/GTR weight composition (10/90, 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 and 90/10), and processing temperature (Low: 100 °C and High: 200 °C) were designed applying Design of Experiments (DOE) approach of Optimal Design. The properties and performance features were experimentally evaluated. The tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EB) were optimized using Desirability Function (DF) approach. A wide fluidity window (Labeled POOR, GOOD, and EXCELLENT) and mechanical properties were observed. Overall, higher values of EB were assigned to samples processed at 200 °C. Cubic regression modeling and DF optimization of TS and EB indicated unlikely that one expect a TS ≥ 3 MPa, while EB values more than 500% were likely regardless of CB content for EVA-rich composites. The electrical properties of CB/EVA/GTR samples were examined by impedance spectroscopy technique. An interesting relationship was observed between the DC conductivity and the EVA/GTR ratio and processing temperature. GTR-rich samples showed much higher conductivity than EVA-dominated samples, attributed to the presence of CB in the rubber waste, which, together with the added CB, was able to create conduction paths for the transported electrons. Higher processing temperature of 200 °C improved dispersion of the added CB, i.e. a more even distribution of the conductive phase in the matrix. The uniform and evenly dispersed domains of particles were detected by SEM images for highly CB loaded composites. Surprisingly, 50/50 EVA/GTR composites were resilient against flame, while thermally stable ones in TGA measurements were highly CB loaded ones.

  • Recycling of Industrial Waste as Soil Binding Additives—Effects on Soil Mechanical and Hydraulic Properties during Its Stabilisation before Road Construction
    • Witold Waciński
    • Ksawery Kuligowski
    • Małgorzata Olejarczyk
    • Marek Zając
    • Włodzimierz Urbaniak
    • Waldemar Cyske
    • Paweł Kazimierski
    • Robert Tylingo
    • Szymon Mania
    • Adam Cenian
    2024 Full text Materials

    To improve the in situ soil stabilization, different chemical additives are used (ion exchange compounds, additives based on H2SO4 or vinyl polymers, and organic additives using lignosul- fonates). One interesting alternative is the production of additives from various waste materials. The extensive testing of waste-based blends with soil was performed; the mechanical (unconfined compressive strength (UCS)) and hydraulic (capillary rise, water absorption, and frost resistance (FR)) soil properties were measured. The optimization process led to obtaining additive compositions ensuring high strength and sealing properties: by-pass ash from the ceramics industry, waste H2SO4, pyrolytic waxes/oils from waste mixed plastics, waste tires and HDPE, and emulsion from chewing gum waste. For sandy soil, the following additives were the most promising: emulsion from pyrolytic wax (EPW) from waste PE foil (WPEF) with the addition of waste H2SO4, pyrolytic-oil emulsion from waste tires, EPW from waste mixed plastics with the addition of “by-pass” waste ash and NaOH, EPW from WPEF with the addition of NaOH, and EPW from WPEF reaching up to 93% FR, a 79.6% 7-day UCS increase, and a 27.6% of 28-day UCS increase. For clay: EPW from WPEF with the addition of NaOH, EPW from WPEF with the addition of waste H2SO4, and solely EPW from WPEF reaching up to 7.5% FR, an 80.7% 7-day UCS increase, and a 119.1% 28-day UCS increase.

  • REDUCING HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS WITH THE USE OF ARCHITECTURAL MEASURES
    • Rafał Janowicz
    2024 Full text

    Healthcare facilities are architectural objects designed under the strong influence of sanitary and hygienic requirements and guidelines of medical technology. During the process of planning future healthcare facilities and modernising already existing units, the need to provide safety to all their users comes as a significant aspect. In medical objects, it depends on the standard factors observed in public utility buildings. The proper architectural organisation of a medical facility, its design process and its implementation come as a way to minimise the possibility of epidemiological risk occurrence. Properly designed and implemented, a functional and spatial layout supported with advanced systems of technical installations, such as mechanical ventilation, tele-technical systems and efficient decontamination, can ensure effective functioning and sanitary and hygienic conditions that will be safe for all users.

  • Reducing income inequalities through government expenditures on education. Evidence for European countries Piotr PłatkowskiORCID Icon &Ewa LechmanORCID Icon
    • Ewa Lechman
    • Piotr Płatkowski
    2024 APPLIED ECONOMICS LETTERS

    This study examines the role of government spending on education in mitigating income inequalities. The study uses dynamic panel regressions to assess the evolution of education expenditures and income inequality in the sample of 30 European countries between 1995 and 2018. Our findings show that increases in government spending on education positively affect income inequality reduction. The impact was more substantial in case of less developed economies and countries with initially higher level of income inequalities, which stands for total expenditures on education, but also expenditures allocated to secondary and tertiary education.

  • Reflective practice as a basis for building a sustainable public space: the case of Kartuzy
    • Justyna Martyniuk-Pęczek
    • Grzegorz Pęczek
    2024 Urban Design International

    Recent decades have been characterized by dynamic changes in the urban design process in post-transition countries such as Poland. Numerous activities have focused on upgrading the urban environment. The transformation that drives change also requires some new skills, which are described in the theory of reflective practice: observation, experience, and reflection. The goal of this paper is to build a descriptive scheme of the urban design process based on the reflective practice approach. The case of Kartuzy was chosen as the authors of this paper actively participated in this town’s 10-year redevelopment process, which can be seen as an experimental approach. The experience gathered allowed them to generate results on the issue of reflective practice, both in the sphere of practical skills and the theoretical results of research. One of the main conclusions is that knowledge exchange, observing the influence of actions of participants, and experiencing various types of interactions in the process of spatial development all drive reflection, which is a crucial element for taking another step in improving the quality of the urban design process. This paper contributes to a discussion on using reflective practice in the context of the development of public spaces towards making them more sustainable.

  • Regenarative tourism – between theory and practice
    • Anna Dziadkiewicz
    • Ewelina Sokołowska
    • Justyna Borawska-Dziadkiewicz
    2024 Full text Zeszyty Naukowe. Organizacja i Zarządzanie / Politechnika Śląska

    Purpose: The aim of this article is to present a shift in thinking in terms of implementing the systems and practices needed to transition to a regenerative approach in tourism. The article aims to provide concrete ways to change thinking and move towards a regenerative paradigm in the tourism industry. Design/methodology/approach: This viewpoint paper defines regenerative tourism and explores its principles and the possibilities for driving transformational change in tourism. It outlines what a conscious approach to regenerative tourism entails and outlines working principles for regenerative tourism. The article concludes with a discussion of new regenerative thinking and practices. Findings: Transitioning towards regenerative tourism requires a change in systems, thinking and practice. Regenerative tourism requires a change in socio-ecological awareness in terms of both awareness of the financial benefits to the tourist destination, local society, and the owners of tourist facilities. Tourism must be managed as a complex adaptive system and overcome the challenges of polarisation, which is even more acute in times of economic, political, and social crises. Regenerative tourism requires a deeply committed bottom-up approach that is destination-based, community-centred and environmentally focused. Research limitations and implications: The article presents a point of view; it is not a typical research article. Nevertheless, it provides a rich field for future research in the implementation of of regenerative tourism activities. Practical and social implications: After indicating the scientific basis of regenerative tourism, the article provides recommendations and courses of action that can be used by tourism entrepreneurs. It can also be confidently used by entrepreneurs in other industries. Originality/value: This paper is based on both the literature on the subject and the reflections and recommendations of female researchers who share their long experience from different perspectives—economics, environment, and biotechnology—both academically and from business practice. As a result, the study identifies not only recommendations but also good practices that tourism entrepreneurs can apply to run their business in a regenerative way, while taking care of society, the economy, and the environment.

  • Rekurencyjny algorytm detekcji sygnału
    • Bartosz Bossy
    • Grzegorz Fotyga
    • Aleksander Nowak
    • Paweł Żykowski
    2024 Przegląd Telekomunikacyjny + Wiadomości Telekomunikacyjne

    W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono nowy rekurencyjny algorytm detekcji sygnału, bazując na analizie częstotliwościowo czasowej. Algorytm przetestowano dla szerokiej gamy rzeczywistych sygnałów zarejestrowanych z wykorzystaniem stanowiska pomiarowego. Wyniki pokazują, że zaproponowany algorytm bardzo dobrze wykrywa sygnał użyteczny, a w dodatku jest skalowany. Ponadto w obecnej postaci detekcja zajmuje dwukrotność czasu trwania sygnału, a możliwe jest zmniejszenie jej czasu poprzez m.in. zrównoleglenie obliczeń.

  • Relationship between GIX, SIDX, and ROTI ionospheric indices and GNSS precise positioning results under geomagnetic storms
    • Grzegorz Nykiel
    • Juan Andrés Cahuasquí
    • Mohammed Mainul Hoque
    • Norbert Jakowski
    2024 Full text GPS SOLUTIONS

    Ionospheric indices give information about ionospheric perturbations, which may cause absorption, diffraction, refraction, and scattering of radio signals, including those from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). Therefore, there may be a relationship between index values and GNSS positioning results. A thorough understanding of ionospheric indices and their relationship to positioning results can help monitor and forecast the reliability and accuracy of GNSS positioning and support the precision and safety of life applications. In this study, we present the relationship between three indices: Gradient Ionosphere indeX (GIX), Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance indeX (SIDX), and Rate of Total electron content Index (ROTI) in relation to precise positioning results. We used two approaches: precise point positioning (PPP) and relative positioning for long baselines. We focus on GNSS stations located in Europe for two selected geomagnetic storms: March 17, 2015, and May 22, 2015. Our results show that in the case of PPP, positioning degradation occurred mainly at high latitudes and was mostly caused by rapid small-scale changes in ionospheric electron content represented by SIDX and ROTI. We also showed a significant correlation between cycle slips of GNSS signals and ROTI (0.88). The most significant degradations for relative positioning for low and medium latitudes were associated with large spatial gradients reflected by the GIX.

  • Removal of nitrogen from wastewater: Unsolved problems and possible solutions with partial denitrification/anammox systems
    • Joanna Majtacz
    • Hussein Al-Hazmi
    • Xianbao Xu
    • Grzegorz Piechota
    • Xiang Li
    • Gopalakrishnan Kumar
    • Tejraj M. Aminabhavi
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Michael Badawi
    • Jacek Mąkinia
    2024 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

    Abstract Nitrate (NO3−) is more stable than ammonia (NH4+) and nitrite (NO2−) among the majority of emerging pollutants in wastewater that can harm the ecosystem by depleting oxygen and water quality, thereby posing environmental and human health risks. Despite anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) being a common method for nitrogen (N) removal from wastewater, it leaves behind residual NO3− of around 11 %. Maintaining the stability of N removal in the mainstream of wastewater (50–60 mg/L) is challenging due to the lack of intrinsic factors that suppress nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and the accumulation of NO3−. Recently, partial denitrification/anammox (PD/A) has been recognized as a useful approach to eliminate NO3− and NH4+ from the sidestream (≥500 mg/L of N) and mainstream wastewater simultaneously. This review explores the complexities of sustaining stability in PD/A systems, including managing fluctuating NH4 + and NO3– levels while keeping a COD/N ratio of ≤ 3 to facilitate optimal NO2− production for the anammox. This review discusses the significance of temperature, pH, free ammonia, and free nitrous acid levels for optimal total N removal efficiency and PD/A stability in the long term. Strategies used for initiating and restoring the PD/A systems include optimized inoculum selection, granular sludge seeding, stepwise acclimation, bioaugmentation, unique substance incorporation, and innovative system design. Additionally, various strategies aim to enhance the stability by modifying the substance composition, introducing inorganic carbon and NO3−, incorporating heavy metals, embedding the biomass in gel carriers, adding microalgae, and adjusting hydraulic and solids retention time. These solutions aim to address the challenges to improve stability in the PD/A process. Future research roadmaps and supporting portfolios should address advancements and emerging technologies tackling the ongoing challenges in PD/A systems. These developments emphasize the significance of wastewater treatment for sustainable water availability to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (UN SDG 6) established in 2015.

  • Removal of phenolic inhibitor compounds from hydrolysates and post-fermentation broths by using a Hydrophobic Magnetic Deep Eutectic Solvent
    • Zhila Honarmandrad
    • Karolina Kucharska
    • Massoud Kaykhaii
    • Jacek Gębicki
    2024 Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

    Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), furfural (FF), hydroquinone (HQ), and vanillin (VAN) are among the main inhibitors generated during most of biomass pre-treatments prior to fermentation processes. They are recognized as toxic to several fermentative microorganisms and therefore cause a decrease in biohydrogen or biofuel production (after hydrolysis). Moreover, if they are released into aqueous solutions (after fermentation), they can be detrimental to the ecosystem. In this research, a new method for removing these inhibitor compounds from the broth after hydrolysis and fermentation is proposed. A hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent (HMDES), based on menthol: nonanoic acid in a mole ratio of 2:1 was prepared and magnetized with Fe3O4 nanoparticles and applied for effective sorption and removal of these inhibitors from the broth after fermentation and for biomass hydrolysates. Parameters affecting sorption, such as pH, volume of the inhibitors, initial concentration of inhibitors, volume of HMDES, temperature, stirring speed, and contact time, were studied and optimized. Under optimum conditions, the removal efficiency for HQ, HMF, FF, and VAN was obtained as 92.97, 86.72, 82.86 and 95.12% for the model samples. In addition, the removal efficiency of real samples after hydrolysis and fermentation for HQ, HMF, FF and VAN were higher than 83.3, 71.42, 69.99 and 76.80%, respectively. The studies on HMDES regeneration revealed that the removal efficiency remained constant even after undergoing 13 cycles of regeneration. The mechanism of inhibitor removal suggests that hydrogen bonding or van der Waals interactions may serve as the predominant factor influencing the extraction process.

  • Removal of selected sulfonamides and sulfonamide resistance genes from wastewater in full-scale constructed wetlands
    • Ewa Felis
    • Adam Sochacki
    • Sylwia Bajkacz
    • Aneta Łuczkiewicz
    • Krzysztof Józwiakowski
    • Joan García
    • Jan Vymazal
    2024 SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

    Sulfonamides are high-consumption antibiotics that reach the aquatic environment. The threat related to their presence in wastewater and the environment is not only associated with their antibacterial properties, but also with risk of the spread of drug resistance in bacteria. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the occurrence of eight commonly used sulfonamides, sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1–3) and integrase genes intI1–3 in five full-scale constructed wetlands (CWs) differing in design (including hybrid systems) and in the source of wastewater (agricultural drainage, domestic sewage/surface runoff, and animal runs runoff in a zoo). The CWs were located in low-urbanized areas in Poland and in Czechia. No sulfonamides were detected in the CW treating agricultural tile drainage water. In the other four systems, four sulfonamide compounds were detected. Sulfamethoxazole exhibited the highest concentration in those four CWs and its highest was 12,603.23 ± 1000.66 ng/L in a CW treating a mixture of domestic sewage and surface runoff. Despite the high removal efficiencies of sulfamethoxazole in the tested CWs (86 %–99 %), it was still detected in the treated wastewater. The sul1 genes occurred in all samples of raw and treated wastewater and their abundance did not change significantly after the treatment process and it was, predominantly, at the level 105 gene copies numbers/mL. Noteworthy, sul2 genes were only found in the influents, and sul3 were not detected. The sulfonamides can be removed in CWs, but their elimination is not complete. However, hybrid CWs treating sewage were superior in decreasing the relative abundance of genes and the concentration of SMX. CWs may play a role in the dissemination of sulfonamide resistance genes of the sul1 type and other determinants of drug resistance, such as the intI1 gene, in the environment, however, the magnitude of this phenomenon is a matter of further research.

  • Reply to Comment on ‘Nanodiamond incorporated human liver mimicking phantoms: prospective calibration medium of magnetic resonance imaging’
    • Paweł Wierzba
    • Anna Sękowska-Namiotko
    • Agnieszka Sabisz
    • Monika Kosowska
    • Lina Jing
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Małgorzata Szczerska
    2024 MAGNETIC RESONANCE MATERIALS IN PHYSICS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE

    Dependence of the spin–lattice (T1) relaxation times on the nanodiamond concentration in human liver phantoms is discussed. Factors affecting stability and and reproducibility of these phantoms are presented. The need for comparative measurements on multiple MRI scanners for better understanding of potential variations in the obtained imaging data is emphasised.