Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd. (APACSCI) specializes in international journal publishing. APACSCI adopts the open access publishing model and provides an important communication bridge for academic groups whose interest fields include engineering, technology, medicine, computer, mathematics, agriculture and forestry, and environment.
The (partial) replacement of synthetic polymers with bioplastics is due to increased production of conventional packaging plastics causing for severe environmental pollution with plastics waste. The bioplastics, however, represent complex mixtures of known and unknown (bio)polymers, fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, flame retardant, pigments, antioxidants, hydrophobic polymers such as poly(lactic acid), polyethylene, polyesters, glycol, or poly(butylene succinate), and little is known of their chemical safety for both the environment and the human health. Polymerization reactions of bioplastics can produce no intentionally added chemicals to the bulk material, which could be toxic, as well. When polymers are used to food packing, then the latter chemicals could also migrate from the polymer to food. This fact compromises the safety for consumers, as well. The scarce data on chemical safety of bioplastics makes a gap in knowledge of their toxicity to humans and environment. Thus, development of exact analytical protocols for determining chemicals of bioplastics in environmental and food samples as well as packing polymers can only provide warrant for reliable conclusive evidence of their safety for both the human health and the environment. The task is compulsory according to legislation Directives valid to environmental protection, food control, and assessment of the risk to human health. The quantitative and structural determination of analytes is primary research task of analysis of polymers. The methods of mass spectrometry are fruitfully used for these purposes. Methodological development of exact analytical mass spectrometric tools for reliable structural analysis of bioplastics only guarantees their safety, efficacy, and quality to both humans and environment. This study, first, highlights innovative stochastic dynamics equations processing exactly mass spectrometric measurands and, thus, producing exact analyte quantification and 3D molecular and electronic structural analyses. There are determined synthetic polymers such as poly(ethylenglycol), poly(propylene glycol), and polyisoprene as well as biopolymers in bags for foodstuffs made from renewable cellulose and starch, and containing, in total within the 20,416–17,495 chemicals per sample of the composite biopolymers. Advantages of complementary employment in mass spectrometric methods and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is highlighted. The study utilizes ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic data on biodegradable plastics bags for foodstuffs; high accuracy quantum chemical static methods, molecular dynamics; and chemometrics. There is achieved method performance |r| = 0.99981 determining poly(propylene glycol) in bag for foodstuff containing 20,416 species and using stochastic dynamics mass spectrometric formulas. The results highlight their great capability and applicability to the analytical science as well as relevance to both the fundamental research and to the industry.
Study of waste management treatment facilities using advanced Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) technology
Vol 6, Issue 2, 2025
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Abstract
Sewage treatment plays a crucial role in sustainable urban and industrial development. This study focuses on the generation and treatment of sewage from residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial sources, distinguishing between grey water and black water. While grey water is relatively easier to treat, conventional practices in India merge both streams for processing. This research evaluates the application of advanced Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) technology in a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at an industrial township in Andhra Pradesh, India, to achieve Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD). The study demonstrates the significant efficiency of MBR technology in removing contaminants, with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) reduced from 350 mg/L to 20 mg/L, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) from 650 mg/L to 50 mg/L, and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) from 150 mg/L to 4 mg/L. Additionally, oil and grease levels decreased from 19 mg/L to 4 mg/L, and total nitrogen dropped from 45 mg/L to 10 mg/L. These results affirm the effectiveness of MBR in producing high-quality treated water suitable for irrigation and toilet flushing. The research involved systematic sampling of influent and effluent wastewater over a set period, employing analytical methods like spectrophotometry and chromatography. Key operational parameters such as flux rate, transmembrane pressure (TMP), sludge retention time (SRT), and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were monitored to optimize efficiency. Comparative analysis with conventional treatment methods highlights MBR’s advantages, including superior pollutant removal, reduced footprint, and lower energy consumption. Real-time sensors and lab-scale MBR setups were used for continuous data collection and statistical analysis, confirming MBR’s effectiveness in sustainable wastewater treatment.
Keywords
References
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