Valorization of Aloe barbadensis Miller. (Aloe vera) Processing Waste

Aloe vera plant is known worldwide for its medicinal properties and application in gel-based products such as shampoo,soap,and sunscreen.However,the demand for these gel-based products has led to a surplus production of Aloe vera processing waste.An Aloe vera gel processing facility could generate up to 4000 kg of Aloe vera waste per month.Currently the Aloe vera waste is being disposed to the landfill or used as fertilizer.A sustainable management system for the Aloe vera processing waste should be considered,due to the negative societal and environmental impacts of the currents waste disposal methods.Therefore,this review focuses on various approaches that can be used to valorize Aloe vera waste into value-added products,such as animal and aquaculture feeds,biosorbents,biofuel and natural polymers.Researchers have reported Aloe vera waste for environmental applications biosorbents used for wastewater treatment of various pollutants.Several studies have also reported on the valorization of Aloe vera waste for production of biofuels such as bioethanol,mixed alcohol fuels,biogas and syngas.Aloe vera waste could also be valorized through isolation and synthesis of natural polymers for application in wound dressing,tissue engineering and drug delivery systems.Aloe vera waste valorization was also reviewed through extraction of value-added bioactive compounds such as aloe-emodin,aloin and aloeresin.These value-added bioactive compounds have various applications in the cosmetics(non-steroidal anti-inflammatory,tyrosinase inhibitors)and pharmaceutical(anticancer agent and COVID 19 inhibitors)industry.

Quantification of Flavonoids in Brazilian Orange Peels and Industrial Orange Juice Processing Wastes

The flavonoid content in orange peels of different Brazilian citrus varieties such as bahia, lima, lima-of-persian, morcote, pera, ponkan, seleta, cravo, kinkan and pomelo was assessed. Industry processing juice wastes such as bagasse, bagasse residues, animal feeding bagasse, pulp WEUE and CORE-wash were also analyzed. The HPLC analysis indicates that the most abundant flavonoids found in these Brazilian citrus peels are hesperidin and naringin. The solvents used are selective for flavonoid extraction, and depending on their polarity, glycoside or aglycone flavonoids are extracted. The use of multivariate analysis shows that DMSO is the best solvent to extract glycosides flavanones while hexane displays high selectivity in the extraction of polymethoxylated flavones. The flavonoids present in the orange wastes, obtained at different stages of the industrial processing, are qualitative and quantitatively different. The identification and quantification of the flavonoid composition in each Brazilian citrus variety were evaluated and allowed the selection of the best solvent for the extraction of each specific class of flavonoids. These compounds were found to be more abundant in the fruit peels than in their juices, revealing their great industrial potential. The residual portion of the processing juices is also rich in flavonoids, depending on the processing step.

Coal waste management practices in the USA:an overview

This paper provides an overview of coal waste management practices with two case studies and an estimate of management cost in 2010 US dollars.Processing of as-mined coal typically results in considerable amount of coarse and fine coal processing wastes because of in-seam and out-of-seam dilution mining.Processing plant clean coal recovery values run typically 50%-80%.Trace metals and sulfur may be present in waste materials that may result in leachate water with corrosive characteristics.Water discharges may require special measures such as liner and collection systems,and treatment to neutralize acid drainage and/or water quality for trace elements.The potential for variations in coal waste production and quality depends upon mining or processing,plus the long-term methods of waste placement.The changes in waste generation rates and engineering properties of the coal waste during the life of the facility must be considered.Safe,economical and environmentally acceptable management of coal waste involves consideration of geology,soil and rock mechanics,hydrology,hydraulics,geochemistry,soil science,agronomy and environmental sciences.These support all aspects of the regulatory environment including the design and construction of earth and rock embankments and dams,as well as a wide variety of waste disposal structures.Development of impoundments is critical and require considerations of typical water-impounding dams and additional requirements of coal waste disposal impoundments.The primary purpose of a coal waste disposal facility is to dispose of unusable waste materials from mining.However,at some sites coal waste impoundments serve to provide water storage capacity for processing and flood attenuation.

Facultative-anaerobic microbial digestion of coal preparation waste and use of effluent solids to enhance plant growth in a sandy soil

Coal preparation solid waste,which is a major environmental issue for coal-producing areas in China,may be microbiologically digested and transformed into a product suitable as a soil amendment to increase soil organic matter content and prevent and enhance plant/crop growth.Coal preparation waste collected from a coal sorting plant in Inner Mongolia,China was digested in bioreactors inoculated with microbial enrichments prepared from activated sludge and cow manure.The effluent solids from the coal preparation waste bioreactors were analyzed for their suitability as organic soil amendments,which complied with China standards.Plant growth tests were conducted in sandy soil from a semi-arid region in Colorado,which was amended with the effluent solids.Kentucky bluegrass(Poa pratensis L.)and chives(Allium schoenoprasum)were used as the representative plants for the growth tests,where results indicated substantially higher yields of Kentucky bluegrass and chives for the sandy soils amended with the effluent solids when compared to a commercial organic fertilizer.The number and average length of Kentucky bluegrass shoots were 10 and 5.1 times higher,respectively,in soils amended with the effluent solids.Similarly,the number and average length of chives shoots were 10 and 1.7 times higher,respectively,in soils amended with the effluent solids.Overall,the microbial digestion of coal preparation waste for application as an organic soil amendment is a viable alternative and beneficial use of coal preparation solid waste.

THE EXERGETIC EFFICIENCY OF MSF PROCESS AND THE CONDITIONS OF DESALINATION BY WASTE HEAT

The exergy losses and thermodynamic efficiency of MSF plant with brine recirculation are discussed bymeans of temperature difference functions proposed by the auther.In a MSF plant,the irreversible losses are found mainly in irreversible heat-transfer and flash evaporationprocesses.However,the basic variables are the temperature drop from stage to stage and the temperaturedifferences between flashed vapor and cooling water.In this paper,the flash temperature difference func-tion,the heat transfer temperature difference function and the total temperature difference function are sug-gested.The proposed temperature difference functions of MSF plant provide a convenient tool to analyse theirreversible behavior and evaluate the exergetic efficiency of this system,because without such improvement thecalculation of the exergetic efficiency of a MSF plant according to the classical formula will be not onlyinconvenient but also insignificant.As a result of present analysis,the reasonable parameters based on theenergy consumption are easily chosen.The above-mentioned principles are confirmed by commercial plants and a pilot plant in Tianjin.

Negative-pressure pneumatic separator:a new solution for hard-coal beneficiation

Hard coal is an important source of energy worldwide.Owing to the imperfections of excavation technology,most run-of-mine coals must be processed before they can be utilised as fuel.In this study,tests on the dry separation process were performed with numerous different raw hard coal and coal waste material samples,using a newly designed and constructed negative-pressure pneumatic separator(NPPS).The experiments revealed the effects of the feed-material properties and material processing conditions.These experiments were preceded by additional tests for evaluating the influence of each device operating parameter on the process,to determine the optimal method of supplying the feed material.The calorific value of the processed materials was improved by 5%–40%,while a minimal output yield of products(60%–70%)was maintained.The trials indicated that in coal material processing,the developed NPPS can be used for not only raw coal enrichment but also coal recovery from materials stored at coal-waste dumps.The main advantages of the device are its mobility,low material processing cost,and lack of water consumption during operation.

Effect of Andalusite Addition on Properties of Chrome-corundum Bricks

In order to improve the thermal shock resistance of chrome-corundum bricks,different amounts of andalusite were added to the formulation of chrome-corundum bricks to replace the equivalent white fused corundum with the same particle size.After mixing,shaping,drying and firing,the density,the cold strength,the cold wear resistance,the hot modulus of rupture and the thermal shock resistance were tested.XRD,SEM and elemental surface scanning were used to characterize the specimens.The results show that:(1)the volume expansion of andalusite mullitization reduces the apparent porosity of chrome-corundum bricks;(2)the density and the hardness of mullite are lower than those of corundum so the decrease of the corundum content in brick leads to the decrease of the bulk density,the strength and the cold wear resistance;(3)the cross-distributed columnar mullite in the matrix can effectively improve the hot modulus of rupture and the thermal shock resistance of the specimens;(4)considering comprehensively,the andalusite addition shall not exceed 18%.

A new process to improve short-chain fatty acids and bio-methane generation from waste activated sludge

As an important intermediate product, short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） can be generated after hydrolysis and acidification from waste activated sludge, and then can be transformed to methane during anaerobic digestion process. In order to obtain more SCFA and methane,most studies in literatures were centered on enhancing the hydrolysis of sludge anaerobic digestion which was proved as un-efficient. Though the alkaline pretreatment in our previous study increased both the hydrolysis and acidification processes, it had a vast chemical cost which was considered uneconomical. In this paper, a low energy consumption pretreatment method, i.e. enhanced the whole three stages of the anaerobic fermentation processes at the same time, was reported, by which hydrolysis and acidification were both enhanced, and the SCFA and methane generation can be significantly improved with a small quantity of chemical input. Firstly, the effect of different pretreated temperatures and pretreatment time on sludge hydrolyzation was compared. It was found that sludge pretreated at 100°C for 60 min can achieve the maximal hydrolyzation. Further, effects of different initial p Hs on acidification of the thermal pretreated sludge were investigated and the highest SCFA was observed at initial p H 9.0with fermentation time of 6 d, the production of which was 348.63 mg COD/g VSS（6.8 times higher than the blank test） and the acetic acid was dominant acid. Then, the mechanisms for this new pretreatment significantly improving SCFA production were discussed. Finally,the effect of this low energy consumption pretreatment on methane generation was investigated.

Greenhouse gas emission and its potential mitigation process from the waste sector in a large-scale exhibition

As one of the largest human activities, World Expo is an important source of anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas emission（GHG）, and the GHG emission and other environmental impacts of the Expo Shanghai 2010, where around 59,397 tons of waste was generated during 184 Expo running days, were assessed by life cycle assessment（LCA）. Two scenarios, i.e., the actual and expected figures of the waste sector, were assessed and compared, and 124.01 kg CO2-equivalent（CO2-eq.）, 4.43 kg SO2-eq., 4.88 kg NO-3-eq., and 3509 m3 water per ton tourist waste were found to be released in terms of global warming（GW）, acidification（AC）,nutrient enrichment（NE） and spoiled groundwater resources（SGWR）, respectively. The total GHG emission was around 3499 ton CO2-eq. from the waste sector in Expo Park, among which 86.47% was generated during the waste landfilling at the rate of 107.24 kg CO2-eq.,and CH4, CO and other hydrocarbons（HC） were the main contributors. If the waste sorting process had been implemented according to the plan scenario, around 497 ton CO2-eq.savings could have been attained. Unlike municipal solid waste, with more organic matter content, an incineration plant is more suitable for tourist waste disposal due to its high heating value, from the GHG reduction perspective.

Optimization of Multi-energy Microgrids with Waste Process Capacity for Electricity-hydrogen Charging Services

The highway service area,with facilities for electricity-hydrogen charging,includes multi-energy load energy demands and domestic waste process demands.Based on these needs,a fully renewable energy based multi-energy microgrid with electricity-hydrogen charging services and waste process capacity is proposed.This paper studies the energy input and output characteristics of multi-energy conversion and storage devices,and establishes the model for electricity-hydrogen charging microgrid(EH-CMG).The multi-energy conversion,storage characteristics and multi-energy flow coordination in the EHCMG are then studied.An optimization model and its algorithm solution,based on constraints such as the charging time of vehicles,the reliability of multi-energy load energy supply and the available grid regulation performance in the EH-CMG,are established.The proposed optimization of EH-CMG is illustrated with the actual multi-energy operation data of a highway service area in northwest China.The results demonstrate that the proposed EH-CMG and its optimization method can achieve economic benefits for a multi-energy system with the ability of waste process,electricity-hydrogen charging,and also provide better regulation characteristics for the power grid.

A hydrometallurgical method of energy saving type for separation of rare earth elements from rare earth polishing powder wastes with middle fraction of ceria

This study described a hydrometallurgical method to investigate the separation of rare earth elements（REEs）from rare earth polishing powder wastes（REPPWs）containing large amounts of rare earth oxides with a major phase of CeO2 and minor phases of La2O3,Pr2O3,and Nd2O3 using a process devised by the authors.The suggested approach consisted of five processes：the synthesis of NaR E（SO4）2·xH2O from rare earth oxides in Na2SO4-H2SO4-H2 O solutions（Process 1）,the conversion of NaR E（SO4）2·xH2O into RE（OH）3 using NaO H（Process 2）,and the oxidation of Ce（OH）3 into Ce（OH）4 using air with O2 injection（Process 3）,followed by Processes 4 and 5 for separation of REEs by acid leaching using HCl and H2SO4,respectively.To confirm the high yield of NaR E（SO4）2·xH2O in Process 1,experiments were carried out under various Na2SO4 concentrations（0.4–2.5 mol/L）,sulfuric acid concentrations（6–14 mol/L）,and reaction temperatures（95–125 oC）.In addition,the effect of the pH value on the separation of Ce（OH）4 in HCl-H2 O solutions with Ce（OH）4,La-,Pr-,and Nd（OH）3 in Process 4 was also investigated.On the basis of above results,the possibility of effective separation of REEs from REPPWs could be confirmed.

Impact of undissociated volatile fatty acids on acidogenesis in a two-phase anaerobic system

This study investigated the degradation and production of volatile fatty acids（VFAs）in the acidogenic phase reactor of a two-phase anaerobic system.20 mmol/L bromoethanesulfonic acid（BESA）was used to inhibit acidogenic methanogens（which were present in the acidogenic phase reactor）from degrading VFAs.The impact of undissociated volatile fatty acids（un VFAs）on＂net＂VFAs production in the acidogenic phase reactor was then evaluated,with the exclusion of concurrent VFAs degradation.＂Net＂VFAs production from glucose degradation was partially inhibited at high un VFAs concentrations,with 59%,37% and 60% reduction in production rates at 2190 mg chemical oxygen demand（COD）/L undissociated acetic acid（un HAc）,2130 mg COD/L undissociated propionic acid（un HPr）and 2280 mg COD/L undissociated n-butyric acid（un HBu）,respectively.The profile of VFAs produced further indicated that while an un VFA can primarily affect its own formation,there were also un VFAs that affected the formation of other VFAs.