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A comprehensive review of anaerobic digestion of organic solid wastes in relation to microbial community and enhancement process
Get PDFOrganic solid wastes (OSWs) should be regarded as valuable resources rather than dead-end landfill waste that causes public health and odor concerns. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an ideal approach for managing organic solid waste issues and involves using a group of anaerobic microorganisms to transformOSWs into useful products. In this review, over 100 publications related toADofOSWs have been compiled, discussed, and analyzed.Acomprehensive analysis of the environmental and safety impacts of AD, its key environmental factors, co-digestion, and pretreatment, as well as the AD of OSWs by various anaerobic microbes uncovered by high throughput sequencing-based approaches, is presented. The purpose of this review is to provide an outline of the current knowledge of AD processes froma multi-angle perspective. A comprehensive understanding of AD of OSWs and genome-enabled biology development could be helpful for providing up-to-date knowledge of AD, developing it, overcoming its drawbacks and, ultimately, improving global waste control for more efficient environmental management. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industr
Nb(Ta)-based solid acid modified Pt/CNTs catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived compounds
No full textEfficient upgrading of lignin bio-oils into oxygen-free liquid alkane fuels is a challenging task owing to the incompatibility of the phenolic feedstock with conventional fuels and the availability of effective hydrotreating catalysts based on the current refinery infrastructure. In this work, a series of solid acid nanosheets (HNbWO6, HNbMoO6, HTaWO6) modified Pt/CNTs bifunctional catalysts were evaluated in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin-derived compounds. The effects of types of nanosheets and the synergistic effect between metal sites and acid sites were discussed via HDO of diphenyl ether. Pt/HNbWO6/CNTs catalyst exhibited the most efficient performance for the HDO of diphenyl ether to cyclohexane (conversion: 99.7%, selectivity: 96.4%) at 200 °C, 3.0 MPa. Several lignin aromatic model compounds including phenol, anisole, 2-phenylethyl phenyl ether and guaiacol were also investigated over Pt/HNbWO6/CNTs catalyst. Due to the different bond-dissociation energies of CO bond and steric hindrance effect, guaiacol and phenol are more difficult to be converted than diphenyl ether and anisole based on the yield of cyclohexane. It was found that the Pt/HNbWO6/CNTs catalyst exhibited favorable stability. These results validated that it is desirable to utilize this catalyst in the HDO of actual lignin macromolecules into hydrocarbon fuels
Evaluating the impact of the Belt and road initiative for textile and clothing companies in Asia
No full textThe global identity of the Textile and Clothing (T&C) industry, particularly in T&C manufacturing, can be viewed as no longer being dominated by countries such as China, but shared with developing countries in the ASEAN region as T&C manufacturing moves across borders. The movement of T&C manufacturing from China to ASEAN countries along the Belt and Road (B&R) provides challenges, but also opportunities at both the macro and micro levels. The purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunities that can enhance the mutual supportiveness of trade, and the challenges for progress among B&R countries for T&C trade. The study asks the following questions: what are the challenges and opportunities faced by T&C companies establishing or relocating production to B&R countries, and what tangible actions have already been taken? In-depth interviews were carried out with ten industry professionals from Hong Kong based companies and government institutions involved with T&C trade in B&R counties in Asia. The findings of this study reveals economic development and infrastructure provide opportunities for mutual supportiveness of T&C trade, whilst social factors were identified as the key challenges for T&C manufacturing in ASEAN countries
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in the sustainable built environment –from a tertiary education perspective in Hong Kong
No full textEducating for Future Skills (Catalyst case-Study and panel)
No full textThe Worldwide Educating for the Future Index (2017) created by The Economist Intelligence Unit evaluated the extent to which education systems are preparing students for the demands of work and inculcate ‘future skills’ in the 15-24 age band across 35 economies. Hear representatives from across the top three economies talk about their home country education systems and provide responses to the Catalyst Cast Study sharing of current education practices by the English Schools Foundation (Hong Kong)
