The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of utilizing sodium alginate biopolymer as animmobilization carrier for laccase in the removal of indigo carmine (IC), an anionic dye. The main goal of this work was to optimize the decolourization process by selecting the appropriate immobilized enzyme dose per 1 mg of dye, as well as the process temperature. The effective immobilization of laccase using sodium alginate as a carrier was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. An analysis of the size and geometric parameters of the alginate beads was also carried out. Tests of IC decolourization using alginate-laccase beads were conducted. Applying the most effective dose of the enzyme (320 mg of enzyme/1 mg of IC) made it possible to remove 92.5% of the dye over 40 days. The optimal temperature for the IC decolourization process, using laccase immobilized on sodium alginate, was established at 30-40ºC. The obtained results indicate that laccase from Trametes versicolor immobilized on sodium alginate was capable of decolourizing the tested dye primarily based on mechanism of biocatalysis.

In Poland, in recent years, there has been a rapid accumulation of sewage sludge – a by-product in the treatment of urban wastewater. This has come about as a result of infrastructure renewal, specifically, the construction of modern sewage treatment plants. The more stringent regulations and strategic goals adopted for modern sewage management have necessitated the application of modern engineering methodology for the disposal of sewage sludge. One approach is incineration. As a consequence, the amount of fly ash resulting from the thermal treatment of municipal sewage sludge has grown significantly. Hence, intensive work is in progress for environmentally safe management of this type of waste. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the possibility of using the fly ash that results from municipal sewage sludge thermal treatment (SSTT) as an additive to hardening slurries. The article presents the technological and functional parameters of hardening slurries with an addition of fly ash obtained by SSTT. Moreover, the usefulness of these slurries is analyzed on the basis of their basic properties, i.e., density, contractual viscosity, water separation, structural strength, volumetric density, hydraulic conductivity, compressive and tensile strength. The research on technological and functional properties was carried out, the aim of which was to determine the practical usefulness of the hardening slurries used in the experiment. Subsequently, leaching tests were performed for heavy metals in the components, the structure of the hardening slurries. An experiment showed leaching of hazardous compounds at a level allowing their practical application. The article presents the potential uses of fly ash from SSTT in hardening slurry technology.

Geopolymers are a new class of materials that can be synthesized using natural minerals, and waste materials. Among these substrates, the use of fly ash is desirable as it involves the conversion of a copious waste material into a useful product. The aim of the research was geopolymers synthesis from coal fly ash and biomass ash. Concentrated sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions were used as activators in geopolymerisation reaction. The results show that both coal fly ash and biomass ash can be utilized as source materials for the production of geopolymers. The surface morphology and chemical composition analysis were examined for the obtained geopolymers and ashes from coal and biomass combustion by SEM-EDS methods. It was found almost total disappearance of spherical forms of grains and reduction the porosity of structure for geopolymer based on fly ash from coal combustion. While the structure of the geopolymer based ash from biomass combustion is more porous. The UV-VIS-NIR spectra were performed on the coal fly ash, biomass ash and geopolymers. They showed that the obtained geopolymers possess optical and photocatalytic properties. The similarity of the geopolymer network and the zeolite framework in relation to ion exchange and accommodation of metal ions open questions on possibilities for the application of geopolymer materials as amorphous analogues of zeolite. The FT-IR spectra analyses were used on the geopolymers before and after metals sorption. It was found that geopolymer based on ash from biomass combustion has better sorption properties compared to geopolymer based on ash from coal combustion.

Celem pracy było określenie wpływu hydraulicznego czasu zatrzymania (H RT) i wydajności cyrkulacji wewnętrznej (Gel na różnorodność mikroorganizmów w biomasie unieruchomionej w porowatym nośniku ceramicznym. Bioreaktor, wykorzystywany do usuwania związków organicznych ze ścieków komunalnych, był eksploatowany przy HRT 70 i 60 min oraz qc w zakresie 20-70 drn"h'. Różnorodność mikroorganizmów była określana na podstawie wzorów RISA przy użyciu indeksu Shannona-Wienera (1-1'). Przy HRT równym 70 min, H' obniżył się z 2,48 ± 0,14 do 2,13 ± 0,23 ze wzrostem Ge z 20 do 60 drn+h'. Przy HRT 60 min. zwiększenie qc z 40 do 70 drnvh' spowodowało spadek 1-1' z 2,41 ± O, 13 do 2,08 ± O, 19. Przy każdej wartości HRT, najwyższą efektywność usuwania związków organicznych uzyskano przy najniższej wartości qc i najwyższej bioróżnorodności.

The decolourization of Turquoise Blue HFG by immobilized cells of Lysinibacillus fusiformis B26 was investigated. Cells of L. fusiformis B26 were immobilized by entrapment in agar and calcium alginate matrices and attached in pumice particles. The effects of operational conditions (e.g., agar concentrations, cell concentrations, temperature, and inoculum amount) on microbial decolourization by immobilized cells were investigated. The results revealed that alginate was proven to be the best as exhibiting maximum decolourization (69.62%), followed by agar (55.55%) at 40°C. Pumice particles were the poorest. Optimum conditions for agar matrix were found: concentration was 3%, cell amount was 0.5 g and temperature was 40°C (55.55%). Ca-alginate beads were loaded with 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g of wet cell pellets and the highest colour removal activity was observed with 2.0 g of cell pellet at 40°C for alginate beads. Also, 0.5 and 1.0 g of pumice particles that were loaded with 0.25 and 0.5 g of cell pellets respectively were used and the results were found very similar to each other.

Two different porous ceramic carriers with immobilized activated sludge comprised a stationary filling of the reactors. Municipal wastewater was treated at hydraulic retention times from 15 to 70 min and internal circulation capacity of 20, 40 and 60 drn':h'. Depending on hydraulic retention time, the sludge yield ranged from 0.138 to 0.066 g TSS·g COD·' in reactor I and from 0.175 to 0.107 g TSS·g COD·' in reactor li. An increase in volumetric loading rate and internal circulation capacity caused a reduction in sludge yield. A decrease in the sludge yield corresponded to an increase in the ratio of endogenous to substrate respiration by the immobilized biomass

The present study is aimed to access the growth rates, biomass productivity and nutrient removal in different concentrations of microalgae Botryococcus sp. beads using kitchen wastewater as a media. Verhulst logistic kinetic model was used to measure the optimal concentrations of microalgae Botryococcus sp. in kitchen wastewater in terms of cell growth rate kinetics and biomass productivity. The study verified that the maximum productivity was recorded with 1×106 cell/ml of the initial concentration of Botryococcus sp. with 42.64 mg/l/day and the highest removal of tp and ammonia was obtained (78.14% and 60.53% respectively). The highest specific growth rate of biomass at 0.2896 μmax/d compare to other concentrations, while the lowest occurred at concentrations of 105 cells/ml at 0.0412 μmax/d. The present study shows the different concentrations of Botryococcus sp. in alginate beads culturing in kitchen wastewater influence the cells growth of biomass and nutrient uptake with optimum concentration (106 cells/ml) of Botryococcus sp. which is suggested for wastewater treatment purposes. The result of scanning electron microscopy (sem) shows differences in morphology in terms of surface; smoother and cleaner (before the experiment), cracks and rough surface with black/white spots (after the experiment). These findings seemly can be applied efficiently in kitchen wastewater treatment as well as a production medium for microalgae biomass.

The removal of organic dyes from industrial wastewater remains a problem, both technically and

economically. In this study, Yarrowia lipolytica yeast cells were isolated from poultry meat and immobilized using

alginate. The immobilized Yarrowia lipolytica yeast was used as biosorbent to remove methylene blue (MB) dye

from synthetic effl uent water. The results show that maximum adsorption capacity under optimum conditions was

66.67 mg∙g-1. The equilibrium adsorption data fi tted well onto the Freundlich adsorption isotherms with R2

>0.99.

Adsorption kinetics was of pseudo-second order process suggesting that the adsorption was a chemisorption. FTIR

spectra identifi ed typical absorption bands of a biosorbent. Sorption of MB dye on Yarrowia lipolytica yeast cells

was exothermic with weak sorption interaction.

The presented work introduces a simple modification of coal fl y ash (FA) with 30% solution of H ₂0 ₂, used as a new efficient sorbent for the removal of organic dye crystal violet (CV) in the presence of Cu(II) ions in single- and bi-component systems Cu(II)-CV. FT-IR, TG, SEM-EDS, and XRD suggested that the mechanism of Cu(II) and CV sorption onto FA-H ₂O ₂ includes ion-exchange and surface adsorption process. Comparing the values of the reduced chi-square test (χ ²/DoF) and the determination coefficient R ² obtained for CV of the considered isotherms, the fitting degree follows the sequence: Jovanović > Langmuir > Elovich > Freundlich > Redlich-Peterson (R-P) > Tóth > Halsey > BET. Sorption of Cu(II) ions in a single system by means of FA-H ₂O ₂ was well fi tted by the Langmuir and R-P model. The studies of equilibrium in a bi-component system by means of extended Langmuir (EL), extended Langmuir-Freundlich (ELF), and Jain-Snoeyink (JS) models were analysed. The estimation of parameters of sorption isotherms in a bi-component system Cu(II)-CV has shown that the best of fi t calculated values of experimental data for both sorbates have been the EL model and the JS model, but only in the case of a CV dye. The sorption kinetic of Cu(II) and CV onto FA-H ₂O ₂ was discussed by means of the PFO, PSO, and intra-particle diff usion models.

This study aims at the immobilization and characterization of thermoalkalophilic lipases produced recombinantly from Bacillus thermocatenulatus BTL2 and Bacillus pumilus MBB03. For this purpose, immobilization of the produced enzymes in calcium-alginate@gelatin (Ca–Alg@gelatin) hydrogel beads, immobilization optimization and characterization measurements of the immobilized-enzyme hydrogels were conducted. Optimum temperature and pH values were determined for B. thermocatenulatus and B. pumilus MBB03 immobilized-enzyme hydrogels (60–70 °C, 55 °C and pH 9.5, pH 8.5). Thermal stability was determined between 65 °C and 60 °C of B. thermocatenulatus and B. pumilus MBB03 immobilized enzymes, respectively. The pH stability was determined between pH 7.0–11.0 at +4°C and pH 8.0–10.0 at +4 °C, respectively.
In conclusion, the entrapment technique provided controlled production of small diameter hydrogel beads (~ 0:19 and ~ 0:29) with negligible loss of enzyme. These beads retained high lipase activity at high pH and temperature. The activity of Ca–Alg@gelatin-immobilized lipase remained relatively stable for up to three cycles and then markedly decreased. With this enzyme immobilization, it may have a potential for use in esterification and transesterification reactions carried out in organic solvent environments. We can conclude that it is one of the most promising techniques for highly efficient and economically competent biotechnological processes in the field of biotransformation, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, food and detergent industries.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of vitamin E on mouse adrenal glands in immobilization stress. Twenty-eight male, 10-week-old, BALB/C mice weighing 30-45 grams were divided into four groups. Mice were placed in a cage where no movement was allowed 6 hours/day for 7 days for immobilization stress. 10 ml/kg vitamin E was administered orogastrically 1 hour before immobilization stress in the vitamin E and stress+vitamin E group. At the end of the 7th day, all the animals were subjected to elevated-plus maze (anxiety) and forced swimming (depression) tests. Left adrenal glands were dissected for routine paraffin tissue embedding protocol. Adrenal sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Azan. Malonaldehyde (MDA) levels were also measured in the adrenal tissues. Anxiety level (0.023), depression level (p=0.042) and MDA values (p=0.01) were significantly increased in the stress group. Histological sections of the stress group showed cortical atrophy, medullary hypertrophy, vascular dilation and hemorrhage. Azan staining revealed a thinned capsule and corticomedullary fibrosis in the stress group. Pathologies induced by immobilization stress were mostly reversed after vitamin E administration. The results suggested that vitamin E alleviates adverse effects of immobilization stress (oxidative, behavioral and histopathologic changes) in mice.

Cut-off walls built using self-hardening slurries are an important tool for modern engineering pursuing Sustainable Development Goals. Much like cement concrete, this material is affected by the challenges posed by the increasing human pressure on the environment, although it is used significantly less widely than concrete; for this reason, relatively little comprehensive literature data is available describing the interaction of self-hardening slurries with the environment. This article provides a review that complements the current state of knowledge on self-hardening slurries in this area, with a particular focus on the durability of the material and its pollutant immobilization capabilities. To provide context, the material’s operating conditions, properties and components are briefly characterized. The resistance of self-hardening slurries to environmental aggression is described extensively, as it is a key factor in ensuring the durability of the material. A sample analysis of the material’s carbon footprint in several representative composition variants is presented. The subject of pollutant immobilization by self-hardening slurries is outlined. Lines of further research are proposed to fill gaps in the available knowledge.

The growing number of municipal sewage treatment plants in Poland raises the problem of managing more and more sludge. The thermal treatment of municipal sewage sludge (TTMSS), which significantly reduces the volume of waste, results in an increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the fly ashes – the final products of the process. The search for methods of utilization of fly ash from TTMSS resulted in attempts to use it in hardening slurries widely used in hydro-engineering. Due to the nature of the application of this material in the cut-off walls (exposure to groundwater flow) one of the key issues is the degree of heavy metal immobilization. The paper attempted to determine the degree of leaching of selected heavy metals from the hardened hardening slurry, composed of fly ash from TTMSS. For this purpose, the eluates were prepared from samples, after various periods of curing, using a dynamic short-term method called "Batch test". The liquid used for leaching was: distilled water and 0.1 molar EDTA solution – to determine the amount of potentially mobile heavy metal forms. The results show the possibility of the safe usage of fly ash from TTMSS as an additive for hardening slurries.