Numerous initiatives have been undertaken to circumvent the problem of antibiotic resistance, including the development of new antibiotics, the use of narrow spectrum antibiotics, and the reduction of inappropriate antibiotic use. We propose an alternative but complimentary approach to reduce antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) by implementing more stringent technologies for treating municipal ...

The effect of operating conditions during molinate degradation by the defined mixed bacterial culture DC, previously described as able to mineralize molinate, was evaluated in a batch reactor. Parameters such as the rate of molinate degradation, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) consumption and the accumulation of molinate degradation products were monitored along the culture growth. The effec...

h this paper we derive optimal state feedback laws for end-point optimization of a dynamic system where the final time is free and the system has a scalar inequality constraint. The existence of a singular region as well as the nuture of the state feedback law (static or dynamic) is completely characterized in terms of the system dynamics. Explicit synthesis formulae for the state feedback laws...

The use of quantitative image analysis techniques, together with physiological information might be used to monitor and detect operational problems in advance to reactor performance failure. Industrial organic solvents, such as White Spirit, are potentially harmful to granular sludge. In preliminary batch assays, 33 mg L(-1) of solvent caused 50% relative biomass activity loss. In an expanded g...

Biofiltration of hydrophobic volatile pollutants is intrinsically limited by poor transfer of the pollutants from the gaseous to the liquid biotic phase, where biodegradation occurs. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of silicone oil for enhancing the transport and subsequent biodegradation of hexane by the fungus Fusarium solani in various bioreactor configurations. Silicone oi...

The long-term performance of a submerged membrane fungi reactor was observed while a synthetic textile wastewater containing either or both of the two structurally different azo dyes was continuously fed. Compared to the Acid Orange II dye (simpler structure), higher biosorption but slower biodegradation of the polymeric dye (Poly S119) was observed in sterile batch tests. In the membrane biore...

This paper investigates denitrification of brines originating from membrane treatment of groundwater in an upflow sludge blanket (USB) reactor, a biofilm reactor without carrier. A simulated brine wastewater was prepared from tap water and contained a nitrate concentration of 125 mg/l as N and a total salt concentration of about 1%. In order to select for a suitable energy source for denitrific...

The microbial degradation of thiodiglycol, the primary hydrolysis product of sulfur mustard, by a pure culture of Alcaligenes xylosoxydans ssp. xylosoxydans (SH91) was accomplished in laboratory scale stirred tank reactors. This is a major component of the overall biodegradation process proposed for the complete mineralization of sulfur mustard. Several configurations were evaluated for degrada...

A novel strategy is proposed to minimize the operation time of batch and semi-batch processes. The proposed on-line strategy is based on linear regression models and employs a cascade control structure in which the primary controller calculates an optimal operation profile for the secondary controller to follow. A special feature of the proposed on-line strategy is that it conducts runwise info...

The kinetics of cellulose hydrolysis under extremely low acid (ELA) conditions (0.07 wt%) and at temperatures >200°C was investigated using batch reactors and bed-shrinking flow-through (BSFT) reactors. The maximum yield of glucose obtained from batch reactor experiments was about 60% for α-cellulose, which occurred at 205 and 220°C. The maximum glucose yields from yellow poplar feedstocks were...