In this study, thermodynamic and economic analysis of a photovoltaic electricity generation system (PVEGS) with and without self-cleaning panels is reported. In the first part, thermodynamic analyses are used to characterize the performance of the system. In the second part, the economic comparison of photovoltaic electricity generation with and without self-cleaning panels is carried out for a...

OBJECTIVE Studies have demonstrated frequent contamination of stethoscope and usefulness of different disinfectants. Albeit, studies on the precise mode of cleaning and frequency of cleaning are lacking. This study was carried out to determine efficacy of 66% ethyl alcohol as disinfectant, rate of recontamination without cleaning and benefits of daily versus immediate cleaning. METHODOLOGY Pr...

Bioelectrochemical systems can be used to energy-efficiently produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from wastewater. Organic compounds in the wastewater are oxidized by microorganisms using the anode as electron acceptor. H2O2 is produced by reduction of oxygen on the cathode. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time production of high concentrations of H2O2 production from real municipal was...

A submerged anaerobic MBR demonstration plant with two commercial hollow-fibre ultrafiltration systems (PURON®, Koch Membrane Systems, PUR-PSH31) was operated using municipal wastewater at high levels of mixed liquor total solids (MLTS) (above 22 g L(-1)). A modified flux-step method was applied to assess the critical flux (J(C)) at different gas sparging intensities. The results showed a linea...

The continued depletion of fresh drinking water resources throughout the world has increased the need for a variety of water treatment and recycling strategies. Conventional wastewater treatment processes rely on extensive chemical post-disinfection to comply with the stringent microbiological safety for water reuse. When well designed and operated, membrane bioreactors (MBRs) can consistently ...

The use of a crossflow membrane bioreactor (CF–MBR) in treating wastewater discharged by a petroleum refinery was investigated. The performance of the CF–MBR process was evaluated at MLSS concentrations of 5000 and 3000 mg/l. The process performance was measured in terms of the hydraulic efficiency as well as the COD removal efficiency. A laboratory-scale experimental set-up comprised mainly of...

A pilot plant using ceramic microfiltration membranes which could be regularly back-flushed with air for fouling control was evaluated for the treatment of spent cutting-oil. It was found that membrane fouling could be effectively controlled with regular air back-flushes (every 3 min for 1 s) and chemical cleaning using caustic soda. Permeate flux remained approximately constant and varied from...

Results of studies reported here show that adsorption could result in considerable accumulation of hormones on hydrophobic hollow fiber membrane surfaces during filtration of trace-hormone-containing feed solutions with a linear adsorption isotherm applicable over the majority of the estrone concentration range examined (2.6-154 ng/L). Models based on both diffusion and surface reaction limitat...

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have shown an association between cleaning work and asthma, but the risk factors are uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of asthma in women employed in domestic cleaning. METHODS A cross sectional study was conducted in 4521 women aged 30 to 65 years. Information on respiratory symptoms and cleaning work history was obtained using a posta...

Blooms of blue-green algae such as Microcystis aeruginosa in aquatic systems can result in substantial algal organic matter (AOM) entering downstream water treatment facilities. It has been demonstrated in a number of recent studies that AOM can cause severe fouling of low pressure membrane filtration systems [1, 2]. In this work the distribution of the foulant on a ceramic microfiltration memb...