Activated sludge process is the biotic conversion of organic matter of wastewater to CO2 and biomass. The biological conversion of organic compounds in activated sludge relies on the efficient transfer of dissolved oxygen. Oxygen mass transfer from the gas phase to the liquid phase and microbial oxygen consumption are critical for effectively removing...

The Caribbean region is considered a coral disease hotspot, with over 20 documented diseases and syndromes affecting over 20 species of corals. One motile marine pathogen family, Vibrionaceae, which is responsible for 50% of coral diseases, is strongly thermodependent, thus warming sea-surface temperatures, driven by pollution and global climate change,...

Background Polyurethane (PU) is a widely used plastic material that has excellent physical and mechanical properties. However, PU is difficult to recycle due to its complex chemical structure, making the effective disposal of PU waste a pressing issue. Current methods for PU disposal include incineration, which can release harmful toxins into the environment,...

Background Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a wide group of organic compounds that have been extensively used in several applications due to their unique properties, including thermal stability, chemical stability, surfactant applications, and hydrophobicity. However, PFAS have been found to have detrimental effects on environment and...

Background Photoelectrocatalytic processes (PECs) combine photocatalysis and electrochemical principles to enhance charge carrier generation and stability within nanomaterials (NMs). Nano-enabled PECs can be used for water purification or hydrogen production applications. Current PEC designs face challenges due to low energy efficiencies, because most...

Background Access to clean water resources has accelerated research in the direction of membrane-based separation processes, like reverse osmosis (RO), that are often perplexed by acute saline feeds and pervasive membrane fouling. The properties of the polymeric membranes deployed in these operations play a critical role in understanding their degradation...

Background Plastic waste presents an acute environmental challenge to nearly all freshwater and marine ecosystems. The long degradation time of plastic requires effective methods of disposal to avoid adding additional plastic waste to aquatic environments. The end-of-life waste from wind turbine blades (WTBs) is also a pressing issue, as WTB waste...

Background Negative emission technologies, including direct air capture (DAC), are a critical solution needed to reduce carbon emissions and lead to a net-zero scenario. DAC solutions are a viable solution that present many advantages, but generate increased demand for low-cost CO2 sorbents, due to greater amounts of material needed to effectively...

A consistent environmental challenge presented at mining sites worldwide is the formation of mining-influenced water (MIW). Characterized by alterations in water chemistry due to mining or mineral processing, MIW streams are typically acidic and often contain elevated concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids, which may pose a threat to human health,...

Background Adsorption is the main water treatment technology that is commercially used to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water. These substances are in thousands of everyday products due to their high stability and chemical resistance, but are non-biodegradable and can pose risks to human health. Current adsorption techniques...