The transition away from chemical flocculants: Commercially viable harvesting of Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Butler, Thomas O.; Acurio, Karen; Mukherjee, Joy; Dangasuk, Miriam M.; Corona, Omar; Vaidyanathan, Seetharaman

doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2020.117733

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…All statistics were conducted as detailed elsewhere (Butler et al, 2021), unless stated otherwise. Statistical analysis of the experimental data was conducted using SPSS statistical software (SPSS Statistics 28, IBM).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Phaeodactylum tricornutum biorefinery in an outdoor UK environment

Butler

Padmaperuma

Lizzul³

et al. 2022

Bioresource Technology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Phaeodactylum tricornutum biorefinery in an outdoor UK environment

Butler

Padmaperuma

Lizzul³

et al. 2022

Bioresource Technology

Self Cite

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“…For example, the resulting alum sludge is a source of toxic aluminum that is harmful to both human and marine life. Aluminium may be associated with Alzheimer's disease, and its toxicity towards fish has previously been reported [7,52]. However, obtaining an exact estimation of the toxic sludge produced in a region is difficult as various factors may control its production (the polymer type, water characteristics, sludge characteristics, the process used, etc.)…”

Section: Chemical Flocculants For Improving Sludge Dewatering: Effici...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, due to their nonbiodegradability, metal salts and organic polymer residues may accumulate in the treated sludge and thus hinder its usage. Further, if valorized in agriculture, those residues may leach out into soil and groundwater, endangering fauna, flora, and human health [7]. Likewise, it is accepted that severe diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and neurotoxic and carcinogenic illnesses have been ascribed to the extensive application of these chemicals in wastewater treatment and sludge dewatering [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Could Plant-Based Flocculants Substitute the Conventional Synthetic Chemicals in the Sludge Dewatering Process?

Hadj Mansour,

Othmani,

Ben Rebah

et al. 2023

Water

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Due its high water content, sewage sludge dewatering is not just a simple operation; rather, it is a challenging process and a costly management task. Its final handling is usually preceded by several dewatering steps, and among them is the conditioning process known as the flocculation stage, which is carried out using synthetic chemical reagents. Despite the abilities of these additives to reduce sludge volume and extract its bound waters, they are suspected to cause serious environmental and health threats. Their substitution by natural and efficient additives originating from plant extracts could thus be a safe and an eco-friendly alternative, overcoming ecosystem damages. It is within this context that the present review paper critically investigates the efficacy and feasibility of plant-based flocculants, aiming to enhance sludge dewatering and dispense with environmental burdens. To do so, the types of the conventional chemical flocculants, their drawbacks, and their impacts on the ecosystem and human health were addressed. In parallel, the potential dewatering efficiency of plant extracts toward sludge treatment was compiled, and their mechanistic dewatering paths performances were thoroughly discussed. The challenges associated with dewatered sludge and its potential exploitation were also highlighted to motivate scientific communities to further explore green resources for sludge processing. It is suggested that green resources such as Moringa, Cactus, Aloe, and Okra could be used as green flocculants instead of chemical ones, which would provide a promising and eco-sustainable approach to sludge dewatering and might represent a path towards an environmentally friendly and clean technology.

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“…Large-scale cultivation of microalgae for renewable oil production has been motivated by high potential yields but somewhat limited by techno-economic challenges (Day et al, 2012;Georgianna and Mayfield, 2012;Greenwell et al, 2010;Mata et al, 2010;Slocombe et al, 2016;Stephens et al, 2010;Wijffels and Barbosa, 2010;Williamsle and Laurens, 2010). Some of the problems now seem tractable, for instance, the high costs of harvesting and dewatering of biomass using flocculation or filtration have decreased (Butler et al, 2021;Danquah et al, 2009;Goswami et al, 2019) or could be bypassed (Tseng et al, 2019). Fertilizer costs can be diminished by medium recycling and by using wastewater inputs (Benemann, 2013;Park et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%