Browsing by Author "Almeida, Adelaide"
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- Development and validation of an experimental life support system for assessing the effects of global climate change and environmental contamination on estuarine and coastal marine benthic communitiesPublication . Coelho, Francisco J. R. C.; Rocha, Rui J. M.; Pires, Ana C. C.; Ladeiro, Bruno; Castanheira, Jose M.; Costa, Rodrigo; Almeida, Adelaide; Cunha, Angela; Lillebo, Ana Isabel; Ribeiro, Rui; Pereira, Ruth; Lopes, Isabel; Marques, Catarina; Moreira-Santos, Matilde; Calado, Ricardo; Cleary, Daniel F. R.; Gomes, Newton C. M.An experimental life support system (ELSS) was constructed to study the interactive effects of multiple stressors on coastal and estuarine benthic communities, specifically perturbations driven by global climate change and anthropogenic environmental contamination. The ELSS allows researchers to control salinity, pH, temperature, ultraviolet radiation (UVR), tidal rhythms and exposure to selected contaminants. Unlike most microcosms previously described, our system enables true independent replication (including randomization). In addition to this, it can be assembled using commercially available materials and equipment, thereby facilitating the replication of identical experimental setups in different geographical locations. Here, we validate the reproducibility and environmental quality of the system by comparing chemical and biological parameters recorded in our ELSS with those prevalent in the natural environment. Water, sediment microbial community and ragworm (the polychaete Hediste diversicolor) samples were obtained from four microcosms after 57days of operation. In general, average concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (NO3-; NH4+ and PO4-3) in the water column of the ELSS experimental control units were within the range of concentrations recorded in the natural environment. While some shifts in bacterial community composition were observed between in situ and ELSS sediment samples, the relative abundance of most metabolically active bacterial taxa appeared to be stable. In addition, ELSS operation did not significantly affect survival, oxidative stress and neurological biomarkers of the model organism Hediste diversicolor. The validation data indicate that this system can be used to assess independent or interactive effects of climate change and environmental contamination on benthic communities. Researchers will be able to simulate the effects of these stressors on processes driven by microbial communities, sediment and seawater chemistry and to evaluate potential consequences to sediment toxicity using model organisms such as Hediste diversicolor.
- Immediate one-step lime precipitation and atmospheric carbonation as pretreatment for low biodegradable and high nitrogen wastewaters: A case study of explosives industryPublication . Madeira, Luis; Almeida, Adelaide; Ribau Teixeira, Margarida; Prazeres, Ana; Chaves, Humberto; Carvalho, Fatima; Madeira, Luís Miguel SimãoThe treatment of some industrial wastewaters is complex, since they usually contain complex non-biodegradable organic compounds or toxic compounds which are not easily treatable. These compounds are not removed by biological treatment in wastewater treatment plants and they may affect the removal of ammonium, nitrate, organic nitrogen by these treatment systems. Therefore, this research proposes a new and innovative low-cost and easy-to-apply pre-treatment to treat low biodegradable and high nitrogen wastewaters, using explosive wastewaters as case study. The pre-treatment is composed by immediate one-step lime precipitation (IOSLM) and atmospheric CO2 carbonation (AC) processes. The novelty of the proposed pre-treatment is based firstly on the use of one reactant (hydrated lime) at high concentrations, added in one step, that produces immediately an abundant and insoluble precipitate able to sweep the organic matter and other contaminants from wastewater in a short time and ensure conditions (pH and Ca2+) for the AC process. Secondly, the AC process uses the sludge produced in IOSLM to keep pH high for longer, allowing ammonia removal while simultaneously the pH is reduced by spontaneous reactions with atmospheric CO2. IOSLM results showed 92.1 %, 98.2 % and 100 % of organic matter, oils and fats, and organic nitrogen removals, respectively, for the optimal hydrated lime dose (7.76 g L-1). In AC process 61 % of ammonium nitrogen was removed and pH reduced to 8.1 in 10 days.
- Insight into the efficiency of microalgae’ lipidic extracts as photosensitizers for Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy against Staphylococcus aureusPublication . Mendonça, Inês; Silva, Daniela; Conde, Tiago; Maurício, Tatiana; Cardoso, Helena; Pereira, Hugo; Bartolomeu, Maria; Vieira, Cátia; Domingues, M. Rosário; Almeida, AdelaideAntibacterial resistance causes around 1.27 million deaths annually around the globe and has been recognized as a top 3 priority health threat. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is considered a promising alternative to conventional antibiotic treatments. Algal lipid extracts have shown antibacterial effects when used as photosensitizers (PSs) in aPDT. In this work we assessed the photodynamic efficiency of lipidic extracts of microalgae belonging to different phyla (Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanobacteria, Haptophyta, Ochrophyta and Rhodophyta). All the extracts (at 1 mg mL−1) demonstrated a reduction of Staphylococcus aureus >3 log10 (CFU mL−1), exhibiting bactericidal activity. Bacillariophyta and Haptophyta extracts were the top-performing phyla against S. aureus, achieving a reduction >6 log10 (CFU mL−1) with light doses of 60 J cm−2 (Bacillariophyta) and 90 J cm−2 (Haptophyta). The photodynamic properties of the Bacillariophyta Phaeodactylum tricornutum and the Haptophyta Tisochrysis lutea, the best effective microalgae lipid extracts, were also assessed at lower concentrations (75 μg mL−1, 7.5 μg mL−1, and 3.75 μg mL−1), reaching, in general, inactivation rates higher than those obtained with the widely used PSs, such as Methylene Blue and Chlorine e6, at lower concentration and light dose. The presence of chlorophyll c, which can absorb a greater amount of energy than chlorophylls a and b; rich content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and fucoxanthin, which can also produce ROS, e.g. singlet oxygen (1O2), when photo-energized; a lack of photoprotective carotenoids such as β-carotene, and low content of tocopherol, were associated with the algal extracts with higher antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. The bactericidal activity exhibited by the extracts seems to result from the photooxidation of microalgae PUFAs by the 1O2 and/or other ROS produced by irradiated chlorophylls/carotenoids, which eventually led to bacterial lipid peroxidation and cell death, but further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis. These results revealed the potential of an unexplored source of natural photosensitizers (microalgae lipid extracts) that can be used as PSs in aPDT as an alternative to conventional antibiotic treatments, and even to conventional PSs, to combat antibacterial resistance.
- Integrated process of immediate one-step lime precipitation, atmospheric carbonation, constructed wetlands, or adsorption for industrial wastewater treatment: A reviewPublication . Simão Madeira, Luís Miguel; Carvalho, Fátima; Almeida, Adelaide; Ribau Teixeira, MargaridaThe transition from the linear economy paradigm to the circular economy in industrial wastewater treatment systems is on the global agenda. The search for new simple, eco-innovative, and low-cost processes for treating industrial wastewater, which can also be used by small and medium-sized industries, has been a constant challenge especially when environmental sustainability is considered. So, a new integrated industrial wastewater treatment system has been developed that includes the immediate one-step lime precipitation process (IOSLM) and atmospheric carbonation (AC), followed by constructed wetlands (CWs) or adsorption. The current review provides an overview of industrial wastewater treatment strategies for high- and low-biodegradable wastewater. A background on functionality, applicability, advantages and disadvantages, operating variables, removal mechanisms, main challenges, and recent advances are carried out for each process that makes up the IOSLM+AC+CW/adsorption integrated system. The prospects of the IOSLM+AC+CW/adsorption integrated system are also discussed. Not neglecting the improvements that still need to be made in the integrated treatment system as well as its application to various types of industrial wastewater, this review highlights that this treatment system is promising in industrial wastewater treatment and consequent by-product recovery. The IOSLM+AC integrated system showed that it can remove high amounts of organic matter, total suspended solids, oils and fats, phosphorus, and ammonium nitrogen from industrial effluents. On the other hand, constructed wetlands/adsorption can be alternatives for refining effluents still containing organic matter and nitrogen that were not possible to remove in the previous steps.
- Optimization of atmospheric carbonation in the integrated treatment immediate one-step lime precipitation and atmospheric carbonation. The case study of slaughterhouse effluentsPublication . Madeira, Luís Miguel; Carvalho, Fátima; Almeida, Adelaide; Ribau Teixeira, MargaridaLong carbonation time has been a common feature in the integrated process composed by immediate one-step lime precipitation and atmospheric carbonation. This work aims to understand how carbonation time can be influenced by reaction pH, as well as how reactor area/volume ratio affects carbonation time and ammonia removal, using slaughterhouse wastewater due to its variable characteristics. In the integrated immediate one-step lime precipitation and atmospheric carbonation process, the immediate one-step lime precipitation re-sults showed that the reaction pH and the type of slaughterhouse wastewater influenced the removal, however, removals were the highest at reaction pH 12. In atmospheric carbonation process, the carbonation time required to reach pH 8 was independent of the reaction pH used. Additionally, at reaction pH 12, the reactor area/volume ratios applied (from 0 to 155.4 m2/m3) showed that higher reactor area/volume ratios caused lower carbonation time, but ammonia removal was not affected. For reactor area/volume ratios of 5 and 155.4 m2/m3, 15 and 1 days were spent to reduce the pH from 11.9 to 8.2, with removals of 71 and 82.6% for NH4+ and 10 and 79.1% for calcium, respectively. High removals of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (>= 71%), biological oxygen demand (>= 80%), ammonium nitrogen (>= 52%), total phosphorus (98%), total suspended solids (>= 52%), turbidity (>= 62%), absorbance at 254 nm (>= 87%), absorbance at 410 nm (>= 83%) and oils & fats (>= 47%) were obtained using immediate one-step lime precipitation and atmospheric carbonation integrated process to treatment slaughter-house wastewater, indicating that the these process is an efficient pretreatment for slaughterhouse wastewaters.
- Tunning processes for organic matter removal from slaughterhouse wastewater treated by immediate one-step lime precipitation and atmospheric carbonationPublication . Simão Madeira, Luís Miguel; Almeida, Adelaide; Rosa Da Costa, Ana; Mestre, Ana S.; Carvalho, Fátima; Ribau Teixeira, MargaridaAdsorption using unmodified/modified commercial activated carbons and constructed wetlands (CW) planted with Vetiveria zizanioides were evaluated as tuning processes for lowering chemical oxygen demand (COD) from slaughterhouse wastewater pretreated by the integrated process of immediate one-step lime precipitation and atmospheric carbonation. Powdered and granular activated carbons (PAC and GAC), and PAC and GAC incorporated with iron oxide nanoparticles (PACMAG and GACMAG) were used. COD removal using different adsorbent separation methods (i.e., sedimentation, filtration, or magnetic separation) was also evaluated. The adsorption results indicated that the best adsorbent doses and contact times of the studied adsorbents were 70 g L-1 and 5 min for PAC and PACMAG, and 60 g L-1 and 60 min for GAC and GACMAG. Under optimized conditions, GAC (75.7 +/- 1.0%) and GACMAG (73.5 +/- 2.1%) were more efficient than PAC (59.7 +/- 1.0%) and PACMAG (59.0 +/- 0.0%) in removing COD. The incorporation of iron oxide nanoparticles in GAC and PAC did not affect the adsorption of COD. The Temkin model was the best isotherm model found for PAC and PACMAG, while for GAC and GACMAG was the BET model. Pseudo-order n kinetic model was the best kinetic model found for all the adsorbents tested. There were no significant differences in the removal of COD between filtration and magnetic separations. Phytoremediation results indicated that increased COD removal efficiency occurred when the applied COD mass load decreased or when the bed depth was increased. Maximum COD removals of around 89.9-95.0% were achieved. Vetiveria zizanioides showed no signs of toxicity throughout the trials.
- Vertical flow constructed wetland as a green solution for low biodegradable and high nitrogen wastewater: A case study of explosives industryPublication . Madeira, Luís Miguel; Carvalho, Fatima; Teixeira, Margarida Ribau; Ribeiro, Carlos; Almeida, AdelaideThe removal of nitrogen compounds from a pretreated explosives wastewater in vertical flow constructed wetland planted with Vetiveria zizanioides (0.24 m(2) x 0.70 m), filled with light expanded clay aggregates (Leca (R) NR 10/20), was studied. Experiments under constant hydraulic load, 50 +/- 4 Lm(-2) d(-1) and 83 +/- 5 L m(-2) d(-1) without and with flooding level (25%), respectively, were made at different ammonium (3-48 mg NH4+-N L-1), nitrate (56-160 mg NO3--N L-1) and nitrite (0.3-1.1 mg NO2--N L-1) concentrations. Results indicate that without flooding level (unsaturated) the removal efficiencies obtained were 30 +/- 9, 7 +/- 1 and 96 +/- 2%, respectively to NH4+-N, NO3--N and NO2--N. When using flooding level and an external carbon source (C/N ratio from 1.3 +/- 0.19 to 2.5 +/- 0.20), the organic matter (COD) removal efficiencies were above 90%, 75% for NH4+-N and 55% to NO3--N. Increasing the C/N ratio from 2.9 +/- 0.21 to 4 +/- 0.22 did not contributed to upgrade the efficiencies of COD, NH4+-N and NO3--N removal. The denitrification process was occurred in aerobic conditions and nitrite production have ben occurred, probably due to the presence of aerobic conditions that inhibited partially denitrification. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.