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Author Perreault, P.; Van Hoecke, L.; Pourfallah, H.; Kummamuru, N.B.; Boruntea, C.-R.; Preuster, P. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Critical challenges towards the commercial rollouts of a LOHC-based H2 economy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Current opinion in green and sustainable chemistry Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 41 Issue Pages 100836-100838  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract This short review discusses recent developments related to the storage and release of hydrogen from liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs). It focusses on three areas of recent literature: the application and development of novel, alternative LOHC systems, process development and process integration in the storage and release of hydrogen from LOHCs, and the electrochemical conversion of LOHCs. For the novel LOHC systems, we briefly focus on reaction enthalpy and storage capacity as main KPIs for the comparison of those systems and discuss the technical availability on a relevant scale. In the field of process- and reactor development our emphasis lies on the power density of the chemical conversion units. The LOHC technology still requires further development to reach the necessary energy efficiency, flexibility and overall research maturity for market competitivity and commercial impact.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001019180100001 Publication Date 2023-05-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2452-2236 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.3 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.3; 2023 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:196520 Serial 8845  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Perreault, P.; Preuster, P. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Editorial hydrogen production storage and use Type Editorial
  Year 2023 Publication Current opinion in green and sustainable chemistry Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 44 Issue Pages 100861-100863  
  Keywords Editorial; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract In the pursuit of clean and sustainable energy sources, hydrogen has emerged as a key contender, offering high energy density and the potential to serve as a carbon-neutral fuel. However, one of the major challenges associated with hydrogen is efficient and safe storage and transportation. In this Special Edition, we delve into the exciting developments in the upcoming hydrogen economy, from its sustainable production to chemical hydrogen storage. Some of our reviews focus on particular technologies namely on liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) and the utilization of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001079651000001 Publication Date 2023-08-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2452-2236 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 9.3 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.3; 2023 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198505 Serial 8853  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, L.; Shi, P.; Chen, L.; Gielis, J.; Niklas, K.J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Evidence that Chinese white olive (Canarium album(Lour.) DC.) fruits are solids of revolution Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Botany letters Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-7  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Although many fruit geometries resemble a solid of revolution, this assumption has rarely been rigorously examined. To test this assumption, 574 fruits of Canarium album (Lour.) DC. which appear to have an ellipsoidal shape, were examined to determine the validity of a general avian-based egg-shape equation, referred to as the explicit Preston equation (EPE). The assumption that the C. album fruit geometry is a solid of revolution is tested by applying the volume formula for a solid of revolution using the EPE. The goodness of fit of the EPE was assessed using the adjusted root-mean-square error (RMSEadj). The relationship between the observed volume (Vobs) of each fruit, as measured by water displacement in a graduated cylinder, and the predicted volumes (Vpre) based on the EPE was also evaluated using the equation Vpre = slope * Vobs. All the RMSEadj values were smaller than 0.05, which demonstrated the validity of the EPE based on C. album fruit profiles. The 95% confidence interval of the slope of Vpre vs. Vobs included 1.0, indicating that there was no significant difference between Vpre and Vobs. The data confirm that C. album fruits are solids of revolution. This study provides a new approach for calculating the volume and surface area of geometrically similar fruits, which can be extended to other species with similar fruit geometries to further explore the ontogeny and evolution of angiosperm reproductive organs.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001033135400001 Publication Date 2023-07-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2381-8107; 2381-8115 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.5 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 24.01.2024  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.5; 2023 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198001 Serial 8864  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zhu, W.; Van Tendeloo, M.; Alloul, A.; Vlaeminck, S.E. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Feasibility of a return-sludge nursery concept for mainstream anammox biostimulation : creating optimal conditions for anammox to recover and grow in a parallel tank Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Bioresource technology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 385 Issue Pages 129359-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract To overcome limiting anammox activity under sewage treatment conditions, a return-sludge nursery concept is proposed. This concept involves blending sludge reject water treated with partial nitritation with mainstream effluent to increase the temperature, N levels, and electrical conductivity (EC) of the anammox nursery reactor, which sludge periodically passes through the return sludge line of the mainstream system. Various nursery frequencies were tested in two 2.5 L reactors, including 0.5-2 days of nursery treatment per 3.5-14 days of the total operation. Bioreactor experiments showed that nursery increased nitrogen removal rates during mainstream operation by 33-38%. The increased anammox activity can be partly (35-60%) explained by higher temperatures. Elevated EC, higher nitrogen concentrations, and a putative synergy and/or unknown factor were responsible for 15-16%, 12-14%, and 10-36%, respectively. A relatively stable microbial community was observed, dominated by a “Candidatus Brocadia” member. This new concept boosted activity and sludge growth, which may facilitate mainstream anammox implementations based on partial nitritation/anammox or partial nitrification/denitratation/anammox.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001031586400001 Publication Date 2023-06-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0960-8524 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 11.4 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 11.4; 2023 IF: 5.651  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198259 Serial 8866  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Gielis, J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Fred Van Oystaeyen : Time hybrids: a new generic theory of reality Type Review
  Year 2023 Publication Symmetry, Culture and Science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 34 Issue 3 Pages 347-351  
  Keywords Review; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199538 Serial 8871  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Lian, M.; Shi, P.; Zhang, L.; Yao, W.; Gielis, J.; Niklas, K.J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A generalized performance equation and its application in measuring the Gini index of leaf size inequality Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Trees: structure and function Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 37 Issue Pages 1555-1565  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract The goal of this study is to provide a rigorous tool to quantify the inequality of the leaf size distribution of an individual plant, thereby serving as a reference trait for quantifying plant adaptations to local environmental conditions. The tool to be presented and tested employs three components: (1) a performance equation (PE), which can produce flexible asymmetrical and symmetrical bell-shaped curves, (2) the Lorenz curve (i.e., the cumulative proportion of leaf size vs. the cumulative proportion of number of leaves), which is the basis for calculating, and (3) the Gini index, which measures the inequality of leaf size distribution. We sampled 12 individual plants of a dwarf bamboo and measured the area and dry mass of each leaf of each plant. We then developed a generalized performance equation (GPE) of which the PE is a special case and fitted the Lorenz curve to leaf size distribution using the GPE and PE. The GPE performed better than the PE in fitting the Lorenz curve. We compared the Gini index of leaf area distribution with that of leaf dry mass distribution and found that there was a significant difference between the two indices that might emerge from the scaling relationship between leaf dry mass and area. Nevertheless, there was a strong correlation between the two Gini indices (r2 = 0.9846). This study provides a promising tool based on the GPE for quantifying the inequality of leaf size distributions across individual plants and can be used to quantify plant adaptations to local environmental conditions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001069570200001 Publication Date 2023-08-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0931-1890; 1432-2285 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.3 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 26.02.2024  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.3; 2023 IF: 1.842  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199562 Serial 8874  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wittner, N. url  openurl
  Title Improving and characterising solid-state fungal pretreatment by Phanerochaete chrysosporium for sugar production from poplar wood Type Doctoral thesis
  Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 206 p.  
  Keywords Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering (BioWaVE)  
  Abstract Pretreatment is a critical step in the conversion of lignocellulose into biofuels and biochemicals. During pretreatment, the recalcitrance of lignocellulose is reduced, e.g. by removing lignin, thereby making the carbohydrates more accessible for enzymatic saccharification. Fungal delignification by white-rot fungi is a biotechnological alternative to chemical/physicochemical methods, which is carried out in solid-state fermentation with mild reaction conditions and without the formation of microbial inhibitors. However, fungal pretreatment presents some challenges, such as long pretreatment time, non-selective and low delignification, low enzymatic digestibility and feedstock sterilisation requirement, making its commercial implementation challenging compared to conventional methods. This study investigates the possibility of improving and characterising the solid-state fungal pretreatment of poplar wood by Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The individual and combined effects of MnSO4 and CuSO4 supplements on the delignification of sterilised wood are investigated using response surface methodology to improve the degree and selectivity of fungal delignification. Spore-inoculated solid-state fermentations are carried out for 4 weeks in sterile vented bottles. The mechanism of the concerted action of the metal ions on lignin degradation is then elucidated by relating fungal growth and ligninolytic enzyme activities to lignocellulose degradation as a function of pretreatment time. The optimised metal-supplemented system is then applied to the pretreatment of non-sterilised wood using different inoculation techniques (spores and pre-colonised substrate), nutrients (metal ions with or without glucose and sodium nitrate) and cultivation environments (sterile aerated bottles and open trays). The fermentations are then characterised using infrared spectroscopy, in particular NIR and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, with the aim of developing rapid lignin quantification methods as an alternative to conventional wet chemical methods. Finally, the feasibility of producing fermentable sugars from sterilised and non-sterilised poplar wood using fungal pretreatment is evaluated through a techno-economic analysis. Supplementing the pretreatment system with 2.01 µmol CuSO4 and 0.77 µmol MnSO4 g-1 wood resulted in 1.9-fold higher lignin degradation, 2.3-fold higher delignification selectivity value and 2.9-fold higher glucose yield. The improved delignification could be explained by the concerted action of Mn2+ and Cu2+ ions, with Mn2+ ions inducing and Cu2+ prolonging manganese peroxidase production responsible for delignification. Fungal pretreatment at non-sterile conditions was obtained using trays in a simple solid-state fermentation set-up without sterile aeration. A 1:3 ratio of pre-colonised and untreated wood was applied for inoculation and only Cu2+, Mn2+ and sodium nitrate as supplements. Remarkably, this technology resulted in a comparably high glucose yield (28.51 ± 0.28%) to the traditional method using sterilised wood, sterile aeration and spores as inoculum, while reducing the amount of wood to be sterilised by 71.2%. Infrared spectroscopy-based methods with high coefficients of determination (R_CV  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197185 Serial 8883  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van Putte, N. url  openurl
  Title Improving groundwater dynamics : a key factor for successful tidal marsh restoration Type Doctoral thesis
  Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 166 p.  
  Keywords Doctoral thesis; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Ecosphere  
  Abstract Tidal marshes take up and release certain elements from and to the river water. Hence, they act as a filter, improving the estuarine water quality. This filtering function depends on the interaction between the marsh soil and water that infiltrates into the marsh platform at high tide and seeps out of the creek banks at low tide. In the past centuries, many tidal marshes disappeared due to large scale land reclamations, together with their associated ecosystem services. Nowadays, tidal marshes are increasingly restored on formerly embanked agricultural areas to regain these ecosystem services. Here, we studied the effect of historical agricultural land use on the contribution of restored tidal marshes to water quality improvement, and we investigated several solutions to stimulate the water quality improving function in newly restored tidal marshes. In restored tidal marshes, the soil is often compacted due to the historical agricultural land use, leading to a reduced organic matter content and micro- and macroporosity. In this compacted soil, groundwater flow is hindered, leading to a more waterlogged soil and reduced groundwater dynamics in the restored marsh as compared to a natural marsh. The depth of groundwater drainage and the groundwater flow velocity have important implications for the processes that contribute to water quality improvement, e.g. removal of nitrogen, phosphorus retention and silica cycling. Where groundwater drains deeper, i.e. in the vicinity of tidal creeks and in a more porous soil, these processes are promoted. We suggest that, in newly restored tidal marshes, the soil porosity can be increased by amending the soil (e.g. with organic matter), and the distance to the nearest tidal creek can be reduced by creek excavation. Numerical modelling showed that the largest gain in groundwater dynamics and seepage was attained when both measures were applied together. The effect of organic soil amendments on groundwater dynamics and nutrient cycling was further explored in a large scale in situ mesocosm experiment. Where the soil was amended, groundwater drained deeper and nitrogen removal increased. For new tidal marsh restoration projects, we advise to conduct an explorative soil study. When the soil is heavily compacted, design measures, such as creek initiation and organic soil amendments can be applied to jumpstart the contribution to water quality improvement of newly restored tidal marshes.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:196965 Serial 8884  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Huang, L.; Ratkowsky, D.A.; Hui, C.; Gielis, J.; Lian, M.; Shi, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Inequality measure of leaf area distribution for a drought-tolerant landscape plant Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Plants Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 12 Issue 17 Pages 3143-11  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Measuring the inequality of leaf area distribution per plant (ILAD) can provide a useful tool for quantifying the influences of intra- and interspecific competition, foraging behavior of herbivores, and environmental stress on plants’ above-ground architectural structures and survival strategies. Despite its importance, there has been limited research on this issue. This paper aims to fill this gap by comparing four inequality indices to measure ILAD, using indices for quantifying household income that are commonly used in economics, including the Gini index (which is based on the Lorenz curve), the coefficient of variation, the Theil index, and the mean log deviation index. We measured the area of all leaves for 240 individual plants of the species Shibataea chinensis Nakai, a drought-tolerant landscape plant found in southern China. A three-parameter performance equation was fitted to observations of the cumulative proportion of leaf area vs. the cumulative proportion of leaves per plant to calculate the Gini index for each individual specimen of S. chinensis. The performance equation was demonstrated to be valid in describing the rotated and right shifted Lorenz curve, given that >96% of root-mean-square error values were smaller than 0.004 for 240 individual plants. By examining the correlation between any of the six possible pairs of indices among the Gini index, the coefficient of variation, the Theil index, and the mean log deviation index, the data show that these indices are closely related and can be used interchangeably to quantify ILAD.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001065193100001 Publication Date 2023-08-31  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2223-7747 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199564 Serial 8886  
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Author Phuttaro, C.; Krishnan, S.; Saritpongteeraka, K.; Charnnok, B.; Diels, L.; Chaiprapat, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Integrated poultry waste management by co-digestion with perennial grass : effects of mixing ratio, pretreatments, reaction temperature, and effluent recycle on biomethanation yield Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Biochemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 196 Issue Pages 108937-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract This work aims to enhance the efficiency of integrated poultry waste management in bio-circular-green economy by maximizing the co-digestion of chicken manure and its digestate-grown biomass. In a series of batch assays, Napier grass (NG) was mixed with chicken manure (CM) at various proportions (100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 20:80 and 0:100) to identify co-substrate synergism, followed by physiochemical conditioning (size reduction and ultrasonication) of NG before co-digestion. Results indicated that NG mix of at least 80% was required to gain a full methanation potential of the individual substrates; no synergistic ratio above unity was found. However, the combined effect of size reduction and sonication was found to markedly improve the cosubstrate's biodegradability by 88.7%. The findings were then used to run continuous co-digestion at various operating regimes. In optimal continuous co-digestion condition, NG particle size of 0.6-2.4 mm combined with sonication intensity at 1111 kJ/kgTS improved biomethanation yield as high as 106.3%. Sub-thermophilic digestion at 45 degrees C was shown to give a higher and more stable CH4 yield than at 55 degrees C. Finally, it was also found that recycling liquid effluent at 40% to replace freshwater in feed, although showed no significant difference in CH4 yield (& alpha; = 0.05), noticeably increased system buffer capacity. This optimized biodegradation regime could give co-digestion waste management a higher overall plant efficiency and economic return.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001054826200001 Publication Date 2023-04-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1369-703x; 1873-295x ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 3.9 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.9; 2023 IF: 2.892  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199209 Serial 8887  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wittner, N.; Vasilakou, K.; Broos, W.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Nimmegeers, P.; Cornet, I. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Investigating the technical and economic potential of solid-state fungal pretreatment at nonsterile conditions for sugar production from poplar wood Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Industrial and engineering chemistry research Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-11  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Economics; Engineering sciences. Technology; Engineering Management (ENM); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering (BioWaVE); Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)  
  Abstract Pretreatment is crucial for the conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels. Unlike conventional chemical/physicochemical methods, fungal pretreatment uses white-rot fungi and mild reaction conditions. However, challenges, including substrate sterilization, long duration, and low sugar yields associated with this method, contribute to lower techno-economic performance, an aspect that has rarely been investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of fungal pretreatment of nonsterilized poplar wood. Various factors, including inoculum types, fermentation supplements, and cultivation methods, were investigated to optimize the process. A techno-economic assessment of the optimized processes was performed at a full biorefinery scale. The scenario using nonsterilized wood as a substrate, precolonized wood as an inoculum, and a 4 week pretreatment showed a 14.5% reduction in sugar production costs (€2.15/kg) compared to using sterilized wood. Although the evaluation of nonsterilized wood pretreatment showed promising cost reductions, fungal pretreatment remained more expensive than conventional methods due to the significant capital investment required.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001102138000001 Publication Date 2023-10-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0888-5885; 1520-5045 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 4.2 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 24.04.2024  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.2; 2023 IF: 2.843  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:200155 Serial 8891  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wagaarachchige, J.D.; Idris, Z.; Arstad, B.; Kummamuru, N.B.; Sætre, K.A.S.; Halstensen, M.; Jens, K.-J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Low-viscosity nonaqueous sulfolane–amine–methanol solvent blend for reversible CO2 capture Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Industrial and engineering chemistry research Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 61 Issue 17 Pages 5942-5951  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract In this work, the absorption–desorption performance of CO2 in six new solvent blends of amine (diisopropylamine (DPA), 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), diethanolamine (DEA), diisopropanolamine (DIPA), and ethanolamine (MEA)), sulfolane, and methanol has been monitored using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Additionally, NMR-based species confirmation and solvent viscosity analysis were done for DPA solvent samples. The identified CO2 capture products are monomethyl carbonate (MMC), carbamate, carbonate, and bicarbonate anions in different ratios. The DPA solvent formed MMC entirely with 0.88 molCO2/molamine capture capacity, 0.48 molCO2/molamine cyclic capacity, and 3.28 mPa·s CO2-loaded solvent viscosity. MEA, DEA, DIPA, and MDEA were shown to produce a low or a negligible amount of MMC while AMP occupied an intermediate position.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2022-04-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0888-5885; 1520-5045 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199111 Serial 8895  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Alvarado-Alvarado, A.A.; De Bock, A.; Ysebaert, T.; Belmans, B.; Denys, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Modeling the hygrothermal behavior of green walls in Comsol Multiphysics® : validation against measurements in a climate chamber Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Building and environment Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 238 Issue Pages 110377-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings  
  Abstract Green walls (GW) can diminish building's surface temperature through shading, insulation, and evapotranspiration mechanisms. These can be analyzed by computer models that account for heat and mass transfer phenomena. However, most previous models were one-dimensional thermal simulations in which boundary conditions (BC), like convective moisture transport, were not or only partly considered. The present work proposes a more comprehensive way to predict GW's hygrothermal behavior by integrating a 3D multiphysics model that couples heat and moisture transport in Comsol Multiphysics®. The air cavity that usually separates the GW from the building was also considered. Heat sink terms were added to represent plants' transpiration and substrates' evaporation, considering the leaf area density (LAD) and substrate's water saturation (Sr). The model was validated against experiments where four green wall-test panels (GW-TPs) were evaluated in a climate chamber under steady-state conditions. This provides a much sounder approach for validation than what currently exists (r = 0.97; RMSE = 0.33 °C). The four GW-TPs decreased the masonry's surface temperature in the range of 0.89–1.14 °C (0.97 ± 0.11 SD °C). The average contribution of the evapotranspiration effect was 30%, whereas the contribution of the air cavity was 60.7 ± 0.09%. The temperature at the substrate's rear was reduced on average by 0.57 ± 0.15 SD °C. When solar radiation was considered as a BC, the GW-TPs decreased the building's surface temperature by 10 °C. Lastly, high values of LAD and Sr translated into increased temperature reduction values.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001001412600001 Publication Date 2023-05-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0360-1323 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.4 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 7.4; 2023 IF: 4.053  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:196467 Serial 8899  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ysebaert, T. openurl 
  Title Modelling and experimental validation of deposition on vegetation to facilitate urban particulate matter mitigation Type Doctoral thesis
  Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages xxvi, 234 p.  
  Keywords Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Exposure to air pollution, such as particulate matter (PM), causes adverse health effects, particularly to the respiratory tract and cardiovascular system. PM is the collective name for all kinds of particles ranging from small particles and liquid droplets, which contain organic compounds, acids and metals, to soil or dust particles. One distinguishes PM10, PM2.5 and PM0.1, which have aerodynamic particle sizes smaller than 10, 2.5 and 0.1 µm, respectively. It is mainly the latter that is the most harmful, as PM0.1 penetrates deep into the respiratory system and carries relatively more toxic substances than the other PM fractions. Over a 15-year period, PM concentrations in European member states have fallen by about 30%. Nevertheless, the World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines, which became stricter in 2021, are exceeded in most places around the world. Particularly in cities, excessive levels of PM are measured and it is here that PM mitigation should be investigated. For this, the implementation of urban green infrastructure, including trees, shrubs, green roofs and green walls, is being looked at. Plants hinder airflow and remove PM from the air by deposition on their leaves and branches. This process is known as dry deposition. Plants can capture PM very efficiently, due to their complex structure of leaves and branches. Green walls offer significant advantages over other types of urban green infrastructure because they can grow on the huge available wall area and, because they do not hinder air circulation, as we sometimes see with trees. Green walls are believed to have a much greater, untapped potential to reduce PM pollution. However, a literature review showed that we do not know the quantitative impact of green walls and lack the tools and/or general methodology to do so. The objective of this thesis is therefore to develop a method for assessing PM removal by green walls, based on predictive models and based on relevant parameters that are experimentally determined. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a numerical method to simulate airflow in complex environments such as cities. These models can also simulate the vegetation-wind interaction in detail and are interesting tools to assess the effect of green walls on PM concentrations in real environments. It is important to first study the aerodynamic effect of green walls and parameterise it correctly in CFD models. Plants decrease the wind speed and create turbulence through a combination of viscous and form drag, which are determined by the permeability (K) and drag coefficient (Cd), respectively. Wind tunnel experiments were conducted with three commonly found climbers (Hedera helix, Parthenocissus tricuspidata and Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and the variation of leaf area density was investigated for two of them. It was observed that the air resistance depended on plant species, leaf area density and wind speed. The difference between the plant species was assigned to the functional leaf size (FLS), the ratio of the largest circle within the boundaries of the leaf to the total leaf area. FLS is likely associated with other morphological characteristics of plants that, when considered collectively, provide a more comprehensive representation of leaf complexity. The pressure and velocity measurements obtained were used to optimise the permeability and drag coefficient in a CFD model. At wind speeds below 0.6 m s-1, the resistance was mainly determined by viscous drag and a larger leaf size resulted in a higher viscous drag. At wind speeds above 1.5 m s-1, form drag was dominant and the parameterised Cd decreased with increasing wind speed due to the sheltering effect of successive plant elements. The leaf area density had a significant effect on K and Cd and, is therefore an important plant parameters in CFD models. The main conclusion here is that the common practice of using a constant Cd to model the influence of plants on the air flow leads to deviations from reality. Wind tunnels are highly suitable to study the impact of green walls on PM concentration under controlled environmental conditions. For this purpose, a new wind tunnel setup was built and great attention was paid to obtaining a uniform air flow. Thus, based on CFD models, appropriate flow controllers were chosen, consisting of honeycombs and screens with different mesh sizes. New PM generation devices and measuring equipment were installed and set up appropriately. Devices were available for generating and measuring ultrafine dust (<0.1 µm, i.e. PM0.1) and fine dust (<0.3 µm, i.e. PM0.3) consisting of soot particles, and, on the other hand, fine dust with particle sizes smaller than 2.5 (PM2.5) and 10 µm (PM10) consisting of 'Arizona fine test dust'. With the new wind tunnel setup, it was possible to measure the influence of Hedera helix (common ivy), grown in a planter against a climbing aid, on the PM concentration and this was expressed by a collection efficiency, i.e. the difference in concentration in front and behind the plants normalised for the incoming concentration. The collection efficiency of H. helix depended on the particle size of the PM and wind speed. The collection efficiency decreased when the particle size increased from 0.02 to 0.2 µm and increased again for particle sizes above 0.3 µm. The collection efficiency also increased with increasing wind speed, especially for particle sizes > 0.03 µm. On the other hand, relative humidity and the type of PM (soot or dust) did not significantly affect the collection efficiency. The main objective of this study was to obtain an optimised size-resolved deposition model. Dry deposition occurs through several mechanisms, in particular gravity, diffusion, impaction and interception, and the subsequent resuspension of deposited PM back to the environment. The modelling of these mechanisms was described by \citet{Zhang2001} and \citet{Petroff2010}. The data obtained from the wind tunnel experiments allowed validating these deposition models. It was for the first time that deposition of real PM on green walls was studied. The different PM deposition mechanisms were found to be strongly dependent on particle size and wind speed. The models of \citet{Zhang2001} and \citet{Petroff2010} each matched PM concentration measurements for only certain particle sizes. Therefore, a combination of the two models was investigated and the root mean square error was lower by on average 3.5% (PM < 0.03 µm) and 46% (PM > 0.03 µm) compared to the original models at wind speeds greater than 1.5 m s-1. For wind speeds less than 1.5 m s-1, the optimised model did not differ from the original models. The optimised model was able to meet the imposed criteria for air quality models, where a correct model exhibits low deviation from measurements ('normalised mean square error' < 1.5), low bias ('fractional bias' between -0.3 and 0.3) and high R2. In comparison, the R$2$ of the optimised model was 0.57, while that of Zhang et al. (2001) and Petroff et al. (2010) was 0.23 and 0.31, respectively. The optimised model was however characterised by a high scatter, with the fraction of modeled results located within a factor of two of the measurements being lower than 50. A model study with a green façade oriented parallel to the incoming airflow showed that deposition by interception and impaction reduced remarkably, but that the orientation had no effect on deposition by Brownian diffusion. A promising green wall form for PM mitigation is the living wall system (LWS). LWS consist of supporting structures with substrate to grow plants in and can be planted with a variety of plant species. This allows to select plant species with optimal characteristics to achieve PM deposition. These characteristics refer to the macro- and microstructure of the leaves, and research has been conducted mainly on these. On the other hand, the influence of the supporting structure and substrate on PM concentrations has rarely been studied. With the new wind tunnel setup, LWS from different manufacturers were tested for their ability to capture PM. The setups were subjected for three hours to an air flow with a low PM concentration (resuspension phase) and then for three hours to an air flow to which additional PM was added (deposition phase). Some setups were able to decrease the PM concentration during both phases, while others just caused the concentration to increase. Some systems were able to reduce particulate matter concentration during both phases, namely LWS consisting of planters (-2% and -4% for PM0.1 and PM2.5, respectively) and textile cloths (-23% and -5% for PM0.1 and PM2.5, respectively). While other systems actually resulted in an increase in concentration especially LWS existing textile fabrics consisting of geotextiles (+11% for both PM fractions) and with moss as substrate (+2% and +5% for PM0.1 and PM2.5, respectively). This highlights the importance of careful selection of suspension systems to reduce particulate matter concentrations. Further research is therefore needed on the materials used in these systems in relation to their particulate content, as well as on plant development in these systems. In addition to air measurements, measurements were taken of the amount of PM deposited on the leaves and suspension system of LWS. This allowed the difference in PM resuspension and deposition between plant species to be investigated. The amount of deposited particulate matter was determined based on 'saturation isothermal remanent magnetisation' (SIRM), a measure of magnetisable particulate matter. This was possible because the added 'Arizona fine test dust' contained iron oxide. However, no significant difference was observed between the SIRM values measured before the wind tunnel experiment, after resuspension and after deposition. This suggested that the iron oxide content in the Arizona fine test dust was too low to measure a significant difference in the SIRM values on leaves after three hours. The plant species did give rise to different SIRM values ranging between 5 and 260 µ A. In particular, SIRM values above 26 µ A were observed for the plant species that were grouped due to their significantly higher accumulation of PM. 'Specific leaf area' (SLA), specifically the ratio of the one-sided 'fresh' leaf area to its dry mass, was the significant leaf characteristic. SLA correlated with leaf complexity. In particular, plant species with elongated leaves were characterized by low SLA, high FLS and high complexity and showed significantly higher SIRM values. Finally, the optimised size-resolved deposition model was also tested in an urban model to get an idea of the impact of a green wall on PM concentrations in a so-called 'street canyon'. These are narrow streets with high buildings on both sides, making air pollution more persistent. To this end, an ideal scenario was tested in which a green wall was introduced along both sides of the street over a length of about 270 m. The model result showed a decrease in PM2.5 and PM10 of 46 ± 12% and 52 ± 14%. This result is of course for a very optimal scenario where the green wall covers the entire building façades. Since this is not feasible in reality, other ways of promoting contact between green walls and polluted air can be explored. The insights obtained illustrate that the use of climbing plants can be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to reduce PM concentrations. Moreover, the findings showed that models can be used to investigate the impact of green walls on PM levels. These findings fit within the broader context of designing healthy and sustainable urban environments and developing innovative solutions based on solid scientific knowledge.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199439 Serial 8900  
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Author Scandura, G.; Kumari, P.; Palmisano, G.; Karanikolos, G.N.; Orwa, J.; Dumee, L.F. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Nanoporous Dealloyed Metal Materials Processing and Applications?A Review Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Industrial and engineering chemistry research Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract The development of porous metal materials with pore geometries and sizes at the nanoscale offers promising opportunities for the development of smart responsive interfaces for separation and catalytic applications and as building blocks for complex composite materials. Dealloying is an innovative technique based on selective removal of a sacrificial metal from a metal alloy to engineer surface textures and pores across significant thicknesses. Dealloyed structures may be processed over large scales and for a range of source alloys, offering unprecedented manufacturing opportunities. This review presents the operations and challenges of dealloying routes and discusses avenues for process optimizations and improvements, aiming at the development of scalable nanoporous materials. The potential of dealloyed materials for catalytic and sensing applications is expanded and benchmarked against reference materials. Future prospects and applications of dealloyed materials toward surface reactivity control and pore architecture development are highlighted.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000918107700001 Publication Date 2023-01-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0888-5885; 1520-5045 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.2 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.2; 2023 IF: 2.843  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199419 Serial 8904  
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Author Alloul, A.; Moradvandi, A.; Puyol, D.; Molina, R.; Gardella, G.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; De Schutter, B.; Abraham, E.; Lindeboom, R.E.F.; Weissbrodt, D.G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A novel mechanistic modelling approach for microbial selection dynamics : towards improved design and control of raceway reactors for purple bacteria Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Bioresource technology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 390 Issue Pages 129844-129849  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) show an underexplored potential for resource recovery from wastewater. Raceway reactors offer a more affordable full-scale solution on wastewater and enable useful additional aerobic processes. Current mathematical models of PPB systems provide useful mechanistic insights, but do not represent the full metabolic versatility of PPB and thus require further advancement to simulate the process for technology development and control. In this study, a new modelling approach for PPB that integrates the photoheterotrophic, and both anaerobic and aerobic chemoheterotrophic metabolic pathways through an empirical parallel metabolic growth constant was proposed. It aimed the modelling of microbial selection dynamics in competition with aerobic and anaerobic microbial community under different operational scenarios. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify the most influential parameters within the model and calibrate them based on experimental data. Process perturbation scenarios were simulated, which showed a good performance of the model.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001094606700001 Publication Date 2023-10-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0960-8524 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 11.4 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 11.4; 2023 IF: 5.651  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:200035 Serial 8905  
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Author Faust, V.; Boon, N.; Ganigué, R.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Udert, K.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Optimizing control strategies for urine nitrification : narrow pH control band enhances process stability and reduces nitrous oxide emissions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Frontiers in environmental science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 11 Issue Pages 1275152-14  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Nitrification is well-suited for urine stabilization. No base dosage is required if the pH is controlled within an appropriate operating range by urine feeding, producing an ammonium-nitrate fertilizer. However, the process is highly dependent on the selected pH set-points and is susceptible to process failures such as nitrite accumulation or the growth of acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. To address the need for a robust and reliable process in decentralized applications, two different strategies were tested: operating a two-position pH controller (inflow on/off) with a narrow pH control band at 6.20/6.25 (∆pH = 0.05, narrow-pH) vs. a wider pH control band at 6.00/6.50 (∆pH = 0.50, wide-pH). These variations in pH also cause variations in the chemical speciation of ammonia and nitrite and, as shown, the microbial production of nitrite. It was hypothesized that the higher fluctuations would result in greater microbial diversity and, thus, a more robust process. The diversity of nitrifiers was higher in the wide-pH reactor, while the diversity of the entire microbiome was similar in both systems. However, the wide-pH reactor was more susceptible to tested process disturbances caused by increasing pH or temperature, decreasing dissolved oxygen, or an influent stop. In addition, with an emission factor of 0.47%, the nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the wide-pH reactor were twice as high as the N2O emissions from the narrow-pH reactor, most likely due to the nitrite fluctuations. Based on these results, a narrow control band is recommended for pH control in urine nitrification.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001087861500001 Publication Date 2023-10-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2296-665x ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199585 Serial 8909  
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Author Scandura, G.; Eid, S.; Alnajjar, A.A.; Paul, T.; Karanikolos, G.N.; Shetty, D.; Omer, K.; Alqerem, R.; Juma, A.; Wang, H.; Arafat, H.A.; Dumee, L.F. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Photo-responsive metal-organic frameworks – design strategies and emerging applications in photocatalysis and adsorption Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Materials Advances Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 4 Issue 5 Pages 1258-1285  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Stimuli-responsive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly versatile porous materials with the ability to respond to different external stimuli, including temperature, pressure, pH, and light. The MOF properties can switch reversibly under specific light irradiation, opening the doors to various applications. This review focuses on design strategies to obtain photo-responsive MOFs, namely (i) encapsulation of photo-switchable molecules as guests in MOF porous structures, (ii) fabrication of MOF composites, (iii) post-synthesis modification, and (iv) synthesis of MOFs with photo-responsive ligands. The most recent reports from the literature are herein reviewed and analyzed in terms of material chemistry and performance. Comparisons between the different strategies are performed and future challenges are discussed. The critical aspect of the fatigue of photo-responsive MOFs applied for prolonged cycling of irradiation is also discussed.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000938241000001 Publication Date 2023-02-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199418 Serial 8913  
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Author Borah, R.; Kumar, A.; Samantaray, M.; Desai, A.; Tseng, F.-G. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Photothermal heating of Au nanorods and nanospheres : temperature characteristics and strength of convective forces Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Plasmonics Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 18 Issue 4 Pages 1449-1465  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract The nanoscale photothermal effect and the optofluidic convection around plasmonic nanoparticles drive the application of such nanoparticles in micro-environment. In this work, heat transfer and fluid flow around Au nanospheres and nanorods in water medium under continuous and pulsed wave laser irradiance was investigated using an FEM based numerical framework. Au nanospheres of a wide range of diameter: 40 nm = Diameter (D) = 180 nm and relatively large nanorods (diameter: 50 nm) with varying aspect ratio (1 = Aspect ratio (A) = 5) and orientation (0 degrees = ? = 90 degrees, ? = 0 degrees, 90 degrees) with respect to the incident EM radiation were investigated for continuous wave (CW) and pulsed wave laser. It was found that although nanorods can attain much higher temperature than nanospheres, orientation of a nanorod is an important factor to be carefully considered in applications. In micro-scale spherical and hemispherical confinements (diameter < 14.4 p.m), the convective velocity fields around nanoparticles is in the order of 10-9 m/s, with only a weak effect of the slip or no-slip boundary condition on the confining walls. Importantly, the size of the confinement has a strong effect leading to an order of magnitude stronger convection for 14.4 p.m (diameter) spherical confinement as compared to 3.6 p.m confinement. Additionally close proximity of the nanoparticles to the confining walls strongly reduces (by an order of magnitude) the convective currents. The results reported herein provides important insights for the use of photothermal nanoparticles in microscale confined space (e.g. cellular environment) for applications such as optical tweezers, photoporation, etc.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000985445100001 Publication Date 2023-05-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1557-1955; 1557-1963 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3; 2023 IF: 2.139  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197380 Serial 8914  
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Author De Micco, V.; Amitrano, C.; Mastroleo, F.; Aronne, G.; Battistelli, A.; Carnero-Diaz, E.; De Pascale, S.; Detrell, G.; Dussap, C.-G.; Ganigué, R.; Jakobsen, Ø.M.; Poulet, L.; Van Houdt, R.; Verseux, C.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Willaert, R.; Leys, N. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plant and microbial science and technology as cornerstones to Bioregenerative Life Support Systems in space Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication NPJ microgravity Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 9 Issue 1 Pages 69-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Long-term human space exploration missions require environmental control and closed Life Support Systems (LSS) capable of producing and recycling resources, thus fulfilling all the essential metabolic needs for human survival in harsh space environments, both during travel and on orbital/planetary stations. This will become increasingly necessary as missions reach farther away from Earth, thereby limiting the technical and economic feasibility of resupplying resources from Earth. Further incorporation of biological elements into state-of-the-art (mostly abiotic) LSS, leading to bioregenerative LSS (BLSS), is needed for additional resource recovery, food production, and waste treatment solutions, and to enable more self-sustainable missions to the Moon and Mars. There is a whole suite of functions crucial to sustain human presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and successful settlement on Moon or Mars such as environmental control, air regeneration, waste management, water supply, food production, cabin/habitat pressurization, radiation protection, energy supply, and means for transportation, communication, and recreation. In this paper, we focus on air, water and food production, and waste management, and address some aspects of radiation protection and recreation. We briefly discuss existing knowledge, highlight open gaps, and propose possible future experiments in the short-, medium-, and long-term to achieve the targets of crewed space exploration also leading to possible benefits on Earth.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001093834300001 Publication Date 2023-08-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2373-8065 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199050 Serial 8916  
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Author Gielis, J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Simon Stevin as a central figure in the development of abstract algebra and generic programming Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Symmetry : culture and science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 34 Issue 2 Pages 155-168  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Simon Stevin (1548-1620) is mainly known for the decimal system and his Clootkrans proof. His influence is also profound in infinitesimal calculus, mechanics, and even in abstract algebra and today’s conception of polynomials, algorithms, and generic programming. Here we review his influence as assessed in generic programming. According to Dr. Stepanov, one of the most influential researchers in generic programming, Stevin’s work on polynomials can be regarded as the essence of generic programming: an algorithm from one domain can be applied in another similar domain.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001068714100003 Publication Date 2023-07-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0865-4824 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 08.02.2024  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198000 Serial 8929  
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Author Li, Q.; Niklas, K.J.J.; Niinemets, U.; Zhang, L.; Yu, K.; Gielis, J.; Gao, J.; Shi, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Stomatal shape described by a superellipse in four Magnoliaceae species Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Botany letters Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-9  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Stomata are essential for the exchange of water vapour and atmospheric gases between vascular plants and their external environments. The stomatal geometries of many plants appear to be elliptical. However, prior studies have not tested whether this is a mathematical reality, particularly since many natural shapes that appear to be ellipses are superellipses with greater or smaller edge curvature than predicted for an ellipse. Compared with the ellipse equation, the superellipse equation includes an additional parameter that allows generation of a larger range of shapes. We randomly selected 240 stomata from each of four Magnoliaceae species to test whether the stomatal geometries are superellipses or ellipses. The stomatal geometries for most stomata (943/960) were found to be described better using the superellipse equation. The traditional “elliptical stomata hypothesis” resulted in an underestimation of the area of stomata, whereas the superellipse equation accurately predicted stomatal area. This finding has important implications for the estimation of stomatal area in studies looking at stomatal shape, geometry, and function.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001024190300001 Publication Date 2023-07-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2381-8107; 2381-8115 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 1.5 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 12.01.2024  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.5; 2023 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197847 Serial 8935  
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Author Mescia, L.; Bia, P.; Gielis, J.; Caratelli, D. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Advanced particle swarm optimization methods for electromagnetics Type P1 Proceeding
  Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 109-122 T2 - Proceedings of the 1st International  
  Keywords P1 Proceeding; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Electromagnetic design problems involve optimizing multiple parameters that are nonlinearly related to objective functions. Traditional optimization techniques require significant computational resources that grow exponentially as the problem size increases. Therefore, a method that can produce good results with moderate memory and computational resources is desirable. Bioinspired optimization methods, such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), are known for their computational efficiency and are commonly used in various scientific and technological fields. In this article we explore the potential of advanced PSO-based algorithms to tackle challenging electromagnetic design and analysis problems faced in real-life applications. It provides a detailed comparison between conventional PSO and its quantum-inspired version regarding accuracy and computational costs. Additionally, theoretical insights on convergence issues and sensitivity analysis on parameters influencing the stochastic process are reported. The utilization of a novel quantum PSO-based algorithm in advanced scenarios, such as reconfigurable and shaped lens antenna synthesis, is illustrated. The hybrid modeling approach, based on the unified geometrical description enabled by the Gielis Transformation, is applied in combination with a suitable quantum PSO-based algorithm, along with a geometrical tube tracing and physical optics technique for solving the inverse problem aimed at identifying the geometrical parameters that yield optimal antenna performance.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2023-11-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 978-90-833839-0-3 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:201048 Serial 9002  
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Author Vingerhoets, R.; Brienza, C.; Sigurnjak, I.; Buysse, J.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Spiller, M.; Meers, E. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Ammonia stripping and scrubbing followed by nitrification and denitrification saves costs for manure treatment based on a calibrated model approach Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 477 Issue Pages 146984-14  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Resource-efficient nitrogen management is of high environmental and economic interest, and manure represents the major nutrient flow in livestock-intensive regions. Ammonia stripping/scrubbing (SS) is an appealing nitrogen recovery route from manure, yet its real-life implementation has been limited thus far. In nutrient surplus regions like Flanders, treatment of the liquid fraction (LF) of (co–)digested manure typically consists of nitrification/denitrification (NDN) removing most N as nitrogen gas. Integrating SS before NDN in existing plants would expand treatment capacity and recover N while maintaining low N effluent values, yet cost estimations of this novel approach after process optimisation are not yet available. A programming model was developed and calibrated to minimise the treatment costs of this approach and find the balance between N recovery versus N removal. Four crucial operational parameters (CO2 stripping time, NH3 stripping time, temperature and NaOH addition) were optimised for 18 scenarios which were different in terms of technical set-up, influent characteristics and scrubber acid. The model shows that SS before NDN can decrease the costs by 1 to 56% under optimal conditions compared to treatment with NDN only, with 1 to 8% reduction for the LF of manure (22–29% recovered of N treated), and 11 to 56% reduction for the LF of co-digested manure (42–67% recovered of N treated), primarily dependent on resource pricing. This study shows the power of modelling for minimum-cost design and operation of manure treatment yielding savings while producing useful N recovery products with SS followed by NDN.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001108935900001 Publication Date 2023-10-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947; 1873-3212 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:200649 Serial 9003  
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Author Gielis, J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Conquering Mount Improbable Type P1 Proceeding
  Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 153-173 T2 - Proceedings of the 1st International  
  Keywords P1 Proceeding; Economics; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Our scientific and technological worldviews are largely dominated by the concepts of entropy and complexity. Originating in 19th-century thermodynamics, the concept of entropy merged with information in the last century, leading to definitions of entropy and complexity by Kolmogorov, Shannon and others. In its simplest form, this worldview is an application of the normal rules of arithmetic. In this worldview, when tossing a coin, a million heads or tails in a row is theoretically possible, but impossible in practice and in real life. On this basis, the impossible (in the binary case, the outermost entries of Pascal's triangle xn and yn for large values of n) can be safely neglected, and one can concentrate fully on what is common and what conforms to the law of large numbers, in fields ranging from physics to sociology and everything in between. However, in recent decades it has been shown that what is most improbable tends to be the rule in nature. Indeed, if one combines the outermost entries xn and yn with the normal rules of arithmetic, either addition or multiplication, one obtains Lamé curves and power laws respectively. In this article, some of these correspondences are highlighted, leading to a double conclusion. First, Gabriel Lamé's geometric footprint in mathematics and the sciences is enormous. Second, conic sections are at the core once more. Whereas mathematics so far has been exclusively the language of patterns in the sciences, the door is opened for mathematics to also become the language of the individual. The probabilistic worldview and Lamé's footprint can be seen as dual methods. In this context, it is to be expected that the notions of information, complexity, simplicity and redundancy benefit from this different viewpoint.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2023-11-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 978-90-833839-0-3 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:201045 Serial 9014  
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Author Calogiuri, T.; Hagens, M.; Van Groenigen, J.W.; Corbett, T.; Hartmann, J.; Hendriksen, R.; Janssens, I.; Janssens, I.A.; Ledesma Dominguez, G.; Loescher, G.; Mortier, S.; Neubeck, A.; Niron, H.; Poetra, R.P.; Rieder, L.; Struyf, E.; Van Tendeloo, M.; De Schepper, T.; Verdonck, T.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Vicca, S.; Vidal, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Design and construction of an experimental setup to enhance mineral weathering through the activity of soil organisms Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Journal of visualized experiments Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 201 Pages e65563-30  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Internet Data Lab (IDLab); Applied mathematics; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) – Ecology in a time of change  
  Abstract Enhanced weathering (EW) is an emerging carbon dioxide (CO2) removal technology that can contribute to climate change mitigation. This technology relies on accelerating the natural process of mineral weathering in soils by manipulating the abiotic variables that govern this process, in particular mineral grain size and exposure to acids dissolved in water. EW mainly aims at reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations by enhancing inorganic carbon sequestration. Until now, knowledge of EW has been mainly gained through experiments that focused on the abiotic variables known for stimulating mineral weathering, thereby neglecting the potential influence of biotic components. While bacteria, fungi, and earthworms are known to increase mineral weathering rates, the use of soil organisms in the context of EW remains underexplored. This protocol describes the design and construction of an experimental setup developed to enhance mineral weathering rates through soil organisms while concurrently controlling abiotic conditions. The setup is designed to maximize weathering rates while maintaining soil organisms' activity. It consists of a large number of columns filled with rock powder and organic material, located in a climate chamber and with water applied via a downflow irrigation system. Columns are placed above a fridge containing jerrycans to collect the leachate. Representative results demonstrate that this setup is suitable to ensure the activity of soil organisms and quantify their effect on inorganic carbon sequestration. Challenges remain in minimizing leachate losses, ensuring homogeneous ventilation through the climate chamber, and avoiding flooding of the columns. With this setup, an innovative and promising approach is proposed to enhance mineral weathering rates through the activity of soil biota and disentangle the effect of biotic and abiotic factors as drivers of EW.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001127854400015 Publication Date 2023-11-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1940-087x ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 1.2 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.2; 2023 IF: 1.232  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:200770 Serial 9019  
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Author Alvarado-Alvarado, A.A.; Smets, W.; Irga, P.; Denys, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Engineering green wall botanical biofiltration to abate indoor volatile organic compounds : a review on mechanisms, phyllosphere bioaugmentation, and modeling Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2024 Publication Journal of hazardous materials Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 465 Issue Pages 133491-16  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Indoor air pollution affects the global population, especially in developed countries where people spend around 90% of their time indoors. The recent pandemic exacerbated the exposure by relying on indoor spaces and a teleworking lifestyle. VOCs are a group of indoor air pollutants with harmful effects on human health at low concentrations. It is widespread that plants can remove indoor VOCs. To this day, research has combined principles of phytoremediation, biofiltration, and bioremediation into a holistic and sustainable technology called botanical biofiltration. Overall, it is sustained that its main advantage is the capacity to break down and biodegrade pollutants using low energy input. This differs from traditional systems that transfer VOCs to another phase. Furthermore, it offers additional benefits like decreased indoor air health costs, enhanced work productivity, and well-being. However, many disparities exist within the field regarding the role of plants, substrate, and phyllosphere bacteria. Yet their role has been theorized; its stability is poorly known for an engineering approach. Previous research has not addressed the bioaugmentation of the phyllosphere to increase the performance, which could boost the system. Moreover, most experiments have studied passive potted plant systems at a lab scale using small chambers, making it difficult to extrapolate findings into tangible parameters to engineer the technology. Active systems are believed to be more efficient yet require more maintenance and knowledge expertise; besides, the impact of the active flow on the long term is not fully understood. Besides, modeling the system has been oversimplified, limiting the understanding and optimization. This review sheds light on the field’s gains and gaps, like concepts, experiments, and modeling. We believe that embracing a multidisciplinary approach encompassing experiments, multiphysics modeling, microbial community analysis, and coworking with the indoor air sector will enable the optimization of the technology and facilitate its adoption.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2024-01-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0304-3894 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor 13.6 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 13.6; 2024 IF: 6.065  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202311 Serial 9030  
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Author Wittner, N.; Gergely, S.; Slezsák, J.; Broos, W.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Cornet, I. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Follow-up of solid-state fungal wood pretreatment by a novel near-infrared spectroscopy-based lignin calibration model Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Journal of microbiological methods Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 208 Issue Pages 106725-106727  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering (BioWaVE)  
  Abstract Lignin removal plays a crucial role in the efficient bioconversion of lignocellulose to fermentable sugars. As a delignification process, fungal pretreatment has gained great interest due to its environmental friendliness and low energy consumption. In our previous study, a positive linear correlation between acid-insoluble lignin degradation and the achievable enzymatic saccharification yield has been found, hereby highlighting the importance of the close follow-up of lignin degradation during the solid-state fungal pretreatment process. However, the standard quantification of lignin, which relies on the two-step acid hydrolysis of the biomass, is highly laborious and time-consuming. Vibrational spectroscopy has been proven as a fast and easy alternative; however, it has not been extensively researched on lignocellulose subjected to solid-state fungal pretreatment. Therefore, the present study examined the suitability of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) for the rapid and easy assessment of lignin content in poplar wood pretreated with Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Furthermore, the predictive power of the obtained calibration model and the recently published ATR-FTIR spectroscopy-based model were compared for the first time using the same fungus-treated wood data set. PLSR was used to correlate the NIR spectra to the acid-insoluble lignin contents (19.9%-27.1%) of pretreated wood. After normalization and second derivation, a PLSR model with a good coefficient of determination (RCV2 = 0.89) and a low root mean square error (RMSECV = 0.55%) were obtained despite the heterogeneous nature of the fungal solid-state fermentation. The performance of this PLSR model was comparably good to the one obtained by ATR-FTIR (RCV2 = 0.87) while it required more extensive spectral pre-processing. In conclusion, both methods will be highly useful for the high-throughput and user-friendly monitoring of lignin degradation in a solid-state fungal pretreatment-based biorefinery concept.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000983287400001 Publication Date 2023-04-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0167-7012 ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 2.2 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.2; 2023 IF: 1.79  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:195814 Serial 9038  
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Author Gielis, J.; Tavkhelidze, I.; Ricci, P.E. url  openurl
  Title Generalized Möbius-Listing bodies and the heart Type A3 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Sn – 2247-689x Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 13 Issue 2 Pages 58-70  
  Keywords A3 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Generalized Möbius-Listing surfaces and bodies generalize Möbius bands, and this research was motivated originally by solutions of boundary value problems. Analogous to cutting of the original Möbius band, for this class of surfaces and bodies, results have been obtained when cutting such bodies or surfaces. The results can be applied in a wide range of fields in the natural science, and here we propose how they can serve as a model for the heart and the circulatory system.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos http://rjm-cs.ro/2023v13i2_7.pdf#page=1 Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record; http://rjm-cs.ro/2023v13i2_7.pdf#page=1  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:200773 Serial 9043  
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Author Faust, V.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Ganigué, R.; Udert, K.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Influence of pH on urine nitrification : community shifts of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2024 Publication ACS ES&T engineering Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 4 Issue 2 Pages 342-353  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Urine nitrification is pH-sensitive due to limited alkalinity and high residual ammonium concentrations. This study aimed to investigate how the pH affects nitrogen conversion and the microbial community of urine nitrification with a pH-based feeding strategy. First, kinetic parameters for NH3, HNO2, and NO2– limitation and inhibition were determined for nitrifiers from a urine nitrification reactor. The turning point for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), i.e., the substrate concentration at which a further increase would lead to a decrease in activity due to inhibitory effects, was at an NH3 concentration of 12 mg-N L–1, which was reached only at pH values above 7. The total nitrite turning point for nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was pH-dependent, e.g., 18 mg-N L–1 at pH 6.3. Second, four years of data from two 120 L reactors were analyzed, showing that stable nitrification with low nitrite was most likely between pH 5.8 and 6.7. And third, six 12 L urine nitrification reactors were operated at total nitrogen concentrations of 1300 and 3600 mg-N L–1 and pH values between 2.5 and 8.5. At pH 6, the AOB Nitrosomonas europaea was found, and the NOB belonged to the genus Nitrobacter. At pH 7, nitrite accumulated, and Nitrosomonas halophila was the dominant AOB. NOB were inhibited by HNO2 accumulation. At pH 8.5, the AOB Nitrosomonas stercoris became dominant, and NH3 inhibited NOB. Without influent, the pH dropped to 2.5 due to the growth of the acid-tolerant AOB “Candidatus Nitrosacidococcus urinae”. In conclusion, pH is a decisive process control parameter for urine nitrification by influencing the selection and kinetics of nitrifiers.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2023-11-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN (up) Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:203306 Serial 9048  
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