Martin Nyanzi Mawejje, Jon Pocock, Santiago Septien^*

Energy Engineering, Vol.122, No.8, pp. 3177-3199, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ee.2025.063898 - 24 July 2025

Abstract Onsite sanitation offers a sustainable alternative to centralized wastewater treatment; however, effective faecal sludge management is crucial for safe disposal and resource recovery. Among emerging treatment solutions, solar thermal drying holds significant promise to reduce sludge moisture content and enhance handling. Despite this potential, its application remains limited, with important knowledge gaps, particularly concerning the drying kinetics under different environmental and operational conditions. This study aims to fill these gaps by investigating the solar thermal drying behaviour of faecal sludge from ventilated improved pit latrines (VIPs) and urine-diverting dry toilets (UDs), with a specific focus… More >

Enas Hassan¹, Wafaa Abou-Elseoud^1,2, Samar El-Mekkawi³, Mohammad Hassan^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.13, No.6, pp. 1169-1187, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2025.02024-0030 - 23 June 2025

Abstract Saccharification of lignocellulosic wastes is the bottleneck of different bio-based chemical industries. Using enzymes for saccharification of lignocellulosic materials has several advantages over using chemicals. In the current work, the application of the Maximyze^® enzyme system, which is industrially used in papermaking, was investigated in the saccharification of paper sludge and fiber dust wastes from the tissue paper industry. For optimizing the saccharification process, the effects of the consistency %, enzyme loading, and incubation time were studied and optimized using the Response Surface Methodology. The effect of these factors on the weight loss of paper sludge… More > Graphic Abstract

Yu Huang^1,3, Tingting Dong¹, Xing Zhang¹, Shasha Xu², Xiaoyu Song², Zhaojun Wang², Mingyan Qin¹, Liwei Deng¹, Yalin Li^1,2,*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 151-172, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2025.060699 - 27 March 2025

Abstract The rapid urbanization underscores the urgency of efficient treatment and resource utilization of municipal sludge for environmental conservation. To address this, a novel pH-responsive dual network polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate sludge hydrogel was devised by integrating municipal sludge with acrylic acid monomers, ammonium persulphate initiator, N, N’-methylene bisacrylamide crosslinking agent, reinforced by polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate through free radical cross-linking polymerization. The hydrogel’s optimal formulation was identified by adjusting the monomer, crosslinking agent, and initiator dosage while assessing its swelling behavior across various pH environments. Results revealed excellent swelling capacity, notably exhibiting a remarkable swelling More > Graphic Abstract

Abderrahim Boutasknit^1,2,3, Mohamed Anli³, Rachid Lahlali^4,*, Abdelilah Meddich^2,3,5,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.9, pp. 2227-2249, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.055629 - 30 September 2024

Abstract Applying organic waste and inorganic additives during composting can be an effective and easy-to-control strategy for optimizing humification, maturation, and the availability of essential mineral elements in compost. In this respect, this study aims to evaluate the effect of organic (olive-mill waste and horse manure) and inorganic (phosphogypsum) additives on the evolution of maturity indices, aromatic compounds, and nutrient availability during composting. Four mixtures [horse manure + green waste (M1), olive-mill + green waste (M2), sewage-sludge + phos-phogypsum + green waste (M3), and green waste (M4)] were carried out. Physicochemical (temperature, pH, phosphorus, nitrogen, and… More >

Samar El-Mekkawi¹, Wafaa Abou-Elseoud², Shaimaa Fadel², Enas Hassan², Mohammad Hassan^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.9, pp. 1573-1591, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.053589 - 25 September 2024

Abstract Recycling of paper sludge waste is crucial for establishing a sustainable green industry. This waste contains valuable sugars that can be converted into important chemicals such as ethanol, poly hydroxybutyrate, and lactic acid. However, the main challenge in obtaining sugars in high yield from paper sludge is the high crystallinity of cellulose, which hinders hydrolysis. To address this, pretreatment using phosphoric acid was optimized using response surface methodology to facilitate cellulose hydrolysis with minimal energy and chemicals. The created prediction model using the response surface method considered factors such as acid concentration (ranging from 60%… More > Graphic Abstract

Xulei Wu¹, Hailong Yu^1,*, Panrong Wu¹, Chaoqian Wang¹, Haiqun Chen¹, Yunlan Sun¹, He Zheng²

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.20, No.7, pp. 1481-1498, 2024, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2024.047092 - 23 July 2024

Abstract The development of more environment-friendly ways to dispose of oil sludge is currently regarded as a hot topic. In this context, gasification technologies are generally seen as a promising way to combine oil sludge with coal–water slurry (CWS) and generate resourceful fuel. In this study, a novel five-nozzle gasifier reactor was analyzed by means of a CFD (Computational fluid dynamic) method. Among several influential factors, special attention was paid to the height-to-diameter ratio of the gasifier and the mixing ratio of oil sludge, which are known to have a significant impact on the flow field, More >

Maoxia Chen^1,2,*, Qixuan Zhou¹, Jiayue Zhang¹, Jiaoyang Li¹, Wei Zhang¹, Huan Liu¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.10, pp. 3711-3723, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.027826 - 10 August 2023

Abstract Thermal alkaline hydrolysis is a common pretreatment method for the utilization of excess activated sludge (EAS). Owing to strict environment laws and need for better energy utilization, new methods were developed in this study to improve the efficiency of pretreatment method. Direct thermal hydrolysis (TH), pasteurized thermal hydrolysis (PTH), and alkaline pasteurized thermal hydrolysis (PTH + CaO and PTH + NaOH) methods were used to treat EAS. Each method was compared and analyzed in terms of dissolution in ammonium nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺ -N) and soluble COD (SCOD) in EAS. Furthermore, the removal of tetracycline resistance genes… More >

Qifen Li, Xiaoxiao Yan^*, Yongwen Yang, Liting Zhang, Yuanbo Hou

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.7, pp. 3177-3191, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.027749 - 05 June 2023

Abstract Microbial Electrolytic Cell (MEC) is an electrochemical reaction device that uses electrical energy as an energy input and microorganisms as catalysts to produce fuels and chemicals. The regenerative electrochemical system is a MEC improvement system for methane gas produced by biological carbon sequestration technology using renewable energy sources to provide a voltage environment. In response to the influence of fluctuating disturbances of renewable electricity and the long system start-up time, this paper analyzes the characteristics of two strategies, regulating voltage parameter changes and activated sludge pretreatment, on the methane production efficiency of the renewable gas… More >

Jialin Tong^1,2, Yan Zhang², Ruikang Wu¹, Xiaojuan Qi¹, Xuemin Ye^2,*

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.19, No.4, pp. 1027-1041, 2023, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2022.022303 - 02 November 2022

Abstract A 600 MW coal-fired boiler with a four-corner tangential combustion mode is considered here to study the combustion features and pollutant emissions at different loads for large-percentages of blending dried sludges. The influence of the over-fired air (OFA) coefficient is examined and the impact of the blending ratio on the boiler operation is explored. The results show that for low blending ratios, a slight increase in the blending ratio can improve the combustion of bituminite, whereas a further increase leads to the deterioration of the combustion of blended fuels and thus reduces the boiler efficiency. Enhancing… More > Graphic Abstract

Yalin Li^1,2,*, Yu Huang², Lei Liu¹, Haozhao Liu¹, Haiyang He¹, Dongxue Lu¹, Tingting Dong¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.3, pp. 1237-1253, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.022972 - 31 October 2022

Abstract

In this study, hydrogels were prepared from municipal sludge to recycle and realize the value-added utilization of the carbon components in this abundant waste material. The carbon sources were extracted from the municipal sludge using synthesised nano CaO₂ as an oxidant, and the carbon sources were graft copolymerised with acrylic acid monomer using N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinking agent and ammonium persulfate as an initiator. The factors influencing the hydrogel preparation were investigated by single-factor experiments. Based on the results of the single-factor experiments, a hydrogel with a swelling ratio of up to 19768.4% at 12

… More > Graphic Abstract