Synthesis and subsequent polymerization of renewable 1,3-cyclohexadiene (1,3-CHD) from plant oils is reported via metathesis and isomerization reactions. The metathesis reaction required no plant oil purification, minimal catalyst loading, no organic solvents, and simple product recovery by distillation. After treating soybean oil with a ruthenium metathesis catalyst, the resulting 1,4-cyclohexadiene (1,4-CHD) was isomerized with RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3. The isomerization reaction was conducted for 1 h in neat 1,4-CHD with [1,4-CHD]/[RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3] ratios as high as 5000. The isomerization and subsequent polymerization of the renewable 1,3-CHD was examined as a two-step sequence and as a one-step cascade reaction. The polymerization was catalyzed with nickel(II)acetylacetonate/methaluminoxane in neat monomer, hydrogenated d-limonene, and toluene. The resulting polymers were characterized by FTIR, DSC, and TGA.

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1 2 3 4 The white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor reduces the estrogenic activity of a mixture of emerging 5 contaminants in wastewater treatment plant effluent 6 7 Abstract 57 58This study investigated the removal of common emerging contaminants (ECs) and related estrogenic activity from 59 wastewater effluent by a strain of the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor with previously unreported 60 bioremediation potential. T. versicolor NRRL 66313 was grown in carbon-amended sterile secondary wastewater 61 treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. Aerated batch reactors containing sterile, glucose-amended (5 g l -1 ) wastewater 62 were inoculated, incubated for eight days, and then spiked with either 5 mg l -1 of 17β-estradiol (E2), or a mixture of 63 E2, atrazine (ATZ), bisphenol A (BPA), carbamazepine (CBZ), N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), estrone 64 (E1), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), oxybenzone (OBZ), and triclosan (TCS) to a final concentration of 350 µg l -1 65 each. Abiotic and heat-killed fungus controls were also prepared. EC and metabolite concentrations were measured 66 over time using HPLC and Gas Chromatography coupled with Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (GC-TOFMS). 67Estrogenic activity was measured on the same samples using the Yeast Estrogen Screen. In less than 5 hours, active 68 fungi decreased the concentration of E2 from 5 mg l -1 to below detection, producing E1 as a metabolite and 69 subsequently removing it from solution. Acting on the mixture of ECs, fungi removed BPA, E1, E2, and EE2 to a 70 significant degree (62-100%) vs. controls (0-28%) in only 3.5 hours, reducing the estrogenic activity of the mixture 71 by 77% (vs. 4-8% for controls). After 12 hours, the total reduction of estrogenic activity was greater than 98% (vs. 72 24-42% for controls). These results show that T. versicolor NRRL 66313 can reduce the estrogenic activity of 73 mixtures of estrogens and BPA, which are typically the most significant contributors to the hormone disrupting 74 activity of domestic WWTP effluent. 75 76 77

BackgroundDuckweeds (Lemnaceae) are efficient aquatic plants for wastewater treatment due to their high nutrient-uptake capabilities and resilience to severe environmental conditions. Combined with their rapid growth rates, high starch, and low lignin contents, duckweeds have also gained popularity as a biofuel feedstock for thermochemical conversion and alcohol fermentation. However, studies on the acidogenic anaerobic digestion of duckweed into carboxylic acids, another group of chemicals which are precursors of higher-value chemicals and biofuels, are lacking. In this study, a series of laboratory batch experiments were performed to determine the favorable operating conditions (i.e., temperature and pH) to maximize carboxylic acid production from wastewater-derived duckweed during acidogenic digestion. Batch reactors with 25 g/l solid loading were operated anaerobically for 21 days under mesophilic (35 °C) or thermophilic (55 °C) conditions at an acidic (5.3) or basic (9.2) pH. At the conclusion of the experiment, the dominant microbial communities under various operating conditions were assessed using high-throughput sequencing.ResultsThe highest duckweed–carboxylic acid conversion of 388 ± 28 mg acetic acid equivalent per gram volatile solids was observed under mesophilic and basic conditions, with an average production rate of 0.59 g/l/day. This result is comparable to those reported for acidogenic digestion of other organics such as food waste. The superior performance observed under these conditions was attributed to both chemical treatment and microbial bioconversion. Hydrogen recovery was only observed under acidic thermophilic conditions, as 23.5 ± 0.5 ml/g of duckweed volatile solids added. More than temperature, pH controlled the overall structure of the microbial communities. For instance, differentially abundant enrichments of Veillonellaceae acidaminococcus were observed in acidic samples, whereas enrichments of Clostridiaceae alkaliphilus were found in the basic samples. Acidic mesophilic conditions were found to enrich acetoclastic methanogenic populations over processing times longer than 10 days.ConclusionsOperating conditions have a significant effect on the yield and composition of the end products resulting from acidogenic digestion of duckweed. Wastewater-derived duckweed is a technically feasible alternative feedstock for the production of advanced biofuel precursors; however, techno-economic analysis is needed to determine integrated full-scale system feasibility and economic viability.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13068-018-1278-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance was leveraged as a powerful tool for monitoring community-scale health. Further, the well-known persistence of some pharmaceuticals through wastewater treatment plants spurred concerns that increased usage of pharmaceuticals during the pandemic would increase the concentrations in wastewater treatment plant effluent. We collected weekly influent and effluent samples from May 2020 through May 2021 from two wastewater treatment plants in central Pennsylvania, the Penn State Water Reclamation Facility and the University Area Joint Authority, that provide effluent for beneficial reuse, including for irrigation. Samples were analyzed for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (influent only), two over-the-counter medicines (acetaminophen and naproxen), five antibiotics (ampicillin, doxycycline, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim), two therapeutic agents (remdesivir and dexamethasone), Abbreviations: EC 50 , effective concentration at which 50% of a population is affected; LC 50 , lethal concentration at which 50% of a population is affected; MEC