Algae are without doubt the most productive photosynthetic organisms on Earth; they are highly efficient in converting CO2 and nutrients into biomass. These abilities can be exploited by culturing microalgae from wastewater and flue gases for effective wastewater reclamation. Algae are known to remove nitrogen and phosphorus as well as several organic contaminants including pharmaceuticals from...

In many situations in various countries wastewater is simply too valuable to waste. The Mediterranean countries are characterized by a severe water imbalance, mainly in the summer months, especially those located in the North Africa and Middle East region. This imbalance in water demand versus supply is due mainly to the relatively and uneven distribution of precipitation, high temperatures, in...

Water reclamation can be one of the solutions when trying to solve the global water shortage. In the dry region Beaufort West, South Africa is a water reclamation plant supplying the inhabitants with drinking water, treated from wastewater. It is, however, important to evaluate the risks connected to this technology. The aim of this study was to conduct a chemical risk assessment in order to id...

Membrane BioReactor (MBR) in which membrane separation process is combined with biological processes is an efficient alternative for wastewater treatment and reuse. However, the major process problem with MBRs remains the membrane fouling due to the physicochemical interactions between the membrane material and the components in the mixed liquor. Along with the fouling, membrane permeability de...

A new hybrid, air-biocathode microbial fuel cell-membrane bioreactor (MFC-MBR) system was developed to achieve simultaneous wastewater treatment and ultrafiltration to produce water for direct reclamation. The combined advantages of this system were achieved by using an electrically conductive ultrafiltration membrane as both the cathode and the membrane for wastewater filtration. The MFC-MBR u...

Dechlorinating agents and pH adjustment are often used to preserve wastewater samples for cyanide analysis. The effects of four approved preservation protocols on the results of the total cyanide analysis of effluents from four water reclamation plants were examined. The results differed widely, and a clear pattern emerged. Immediate analysis without pH adjustment generally gave total cyanide c...

Macroalgal blooms of Hypnea musciformis and Ulva fasciata in coastal waters of Maui only occur in areas of substantial anthropogenic nutrient input, sources of which include wastewater effluent via injection wells, leaking cesspools and agricultural fertilizers. Algal dN signatures were used to map anthropogenic nitrogen through coastal surveys (island-wide and fine-scale) and algal deployments...

In the relentless pursuit of Moore’s Law, Intel’s Technology Development cycle results in a new semiconductor production process every two years. As this continuous cycle of new products moves from conception to market, so do the innovative environmental solutions designed to meet Intel’s philosophy of environmental excellence. Intel’s success in design-forenvironment (DFE) is widely recognized...

Four commercially available membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems were operated at the pilot scale, to investigate performance during the reclamation of municipal wastewater. The MBR performance was evaluated under a variety of operating conditions, including two types of feed wastewater (raw and advanced primary effluent), hydraulic retention times (HRTs) ranging from 2 to 6 hours, and permeate fl...