Insights into the Effects of CeO 2 Nanoparticles on Medium-Chain Carboxylates Production from Waste Activated Sludge

Huanqing Sun, Chao Liu (), Shanshan Ren, Kuijing Liang, Zhiqiang Zhang, Changqing Su, Sujian Pei and Muhammad Usman ()
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Huanqing Sun: Department of Biology, Hengshui Univerty, Hengshui 053000, China
Chao Liu: National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Shanshan Ren: Credit Card Center, Postal Savings Bank of China, Beijing 100029, China
Kuijing Liang: Department of Biology, Hengshui Univerty, Hengshui 053000, China
Zhiqiang Zhang: Department of Biology, Hengshui Univerty, Hengshui 053000, China
Changqing Su: Department of Biology, Hengshui Univerty, Hengshui 053000, China
Sujian Pei: Department of Biology, Hengshui Univerty, Hengshui 053000, China
Muhammad Usman: 7-351 Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: The synthesis of medium-chain carboxylates (MCCs) from waste-activated sludge (WAS) upgrading has received considerable attention. However, limited research has been conducted on the effects of CeO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) on this process. This study showed that 1 mg/g−TS of CeO 2 NPs improved the solubilization of WAS, resulting in higher production of MCCs. At 5 mg/g−TS, CeO 2 NPs weakly inhibited 3 biological steps. Despite this, there was an enhancement in WAS solubilization, thus the overall production of MCCs was similar to the control. However, doses of CeO 2 NPs ranging from 25–100 mg/g−TS were unable to offset biological inhibition, leading to a decrease in MCC production. The toxic mechanisms involved were not the generation of reactive oxygen species or Ce ions from CeO 2 NPs to anaerobic sludge, but instead the decline of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and destruction of the cell membrane through physical penetration. Microbial community analysis confirmed that 1 mg/g−TS of CeO 2 NPs increased the relative abundance of key bacteria involved in the anaerobic fermentation of WAS. The MCC microbe Clostridium sensu stricto was enriched in the control group, while the relative abundance of this genus was significantly reduced with 100 mg/g−TS CeO 2 NPs.

Keywords: medium-chain carboxylate; waste activated sludge; CeO 2 nanoparticles; physical penetration; MCC microbe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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