Enhancement of wastewater treatment performance using 3D printed structures: A major focus on material composition, performance, challenges, and sustainable assessment

3D printing for constructing biocarriers using sodium alginate/ε-poly-l-lysine ink: Enhancing microbial enrichment for efficient nitrogen removal in wastewater

The microbial enrichment of traditional biocarriers is limited due to the inadequate consideration of spatial structure and surface charging characteristics. Here, capitalizing on the ability of 3D printing technology to fabricate high-resolution materials, we further designed a positively charged sodium alginate/ε-poly-l-lysine (SA/ε-PL) printing ink, and the 3D printed biocarriers with ideal pore structure and rich positive charge were constructed to enhance the microbial enrichment. The rheological and mechanical tests confirmed that the developed SA/ε-PL ink could simultaneously satisfy the smooth extrusion for printing process and the maintenance of 3D structure. The utilization of the ε-PL secondary cross-linking strategy reinforced the 3D mechanical structure and imparted the requisite physical properties for its application as a biocarrier. Compared with traditional sponge carriers, 3D printed biocarrier had a faster initial attachment rate and a higher biomass of 14.58 ± 1.18 VS/cm3, and the nitrogen removal efficiency increased by 53.9 %. Besides, due to the superior electrochemical properties and biocompatibility, the 3D printed biocarriers effectively enriched the electroactive denitrifying bacteria genus Trichococcus, thus supporting its excellent denitrification performance. This study provided novel insights into the development of new functional biocarriers in the wastewater treatment, thereby providing scientific guidance for practical engineering.

Additive Manufacturing: A Paradigm Shift in Revolutionizing Catalysis with 3D Printed Photocatalysts and Electrocatalysts Toward Environmental Sustainability

Semiconductor-based materials utilized in photocatalysts and electrocatalysts present a sophisticated solution for efficient solar energy utilization and bias control, a field extensively explored for its potential in sustainable energy and environmental management. Recently, 3D printing has emerged as a transformative technology, offering rapid, cost-efficient, and highly customizable approaches to designing photocatalysts and electrocatalysts with precise structural control and tailored substrates. The adaptability and precision of printing facilitate seamless integration, loading, and blending of diverse photo(electro)catalytic materials during the printing process, significantly reducing material loss compared to traditional methods. Despite the evident advantages of 3D printing, a comprehensive compendium delineating its application in the realm of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis is conspicuously absent. This paper initiates by delving into the fundamental principles and mechanisms underpinning photocatalysts electrocatalysts and 3D printing. Subsequently, an exhaustive overview of the latest 3D printing techniques, underscoring their pivotal role in shaping the landscape of photocatalysts and electrocatalysts for energy and environmental applications. Furthermore, the paper examines various methodologies for seamlessly incorporating catalysts into 3D printed substrates, elucidating the consequential effects of catalyst deposition on catalytic properties. Finally, the paper thoroughly discusses the challenges that necessitate focused attention and resolution for future advancements in this domain.

3D-Printed Materials for Wastewater Treatment

The increasing levels of water pollution pose an imminent threat to human health and the environment. Current modalities of wastewater treatment necessitate expensive instrumentation and generate large amounts of waste, thus failing to provide ecofriendly and sustainable solutions for water purification. Over the years, novel additive manufacturing technology, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, has propelled remarkable innovation in different disciplines owing to its capability to fabricate customized geometric objects rapidly and cost-effectively with minimal byproducts and hence undoubtedly emerged as a promising alternative for wastewater treatment. Especially in membrane technology, 3D printing enables the designing of ultrathin membranes and membrane modules layer-by-layer with different morphologies, complex hierarchical structures, and a wide variety of materials otherwise unmet using conventional fabrication strategies. Extensive research has been dedicated to preparing membrane spacers with excellent surface properties, potentially improving the membrane filtration performance for water remediation. The revolutionary developments in membrane module fabrication have driven the utilization of 3D printing approaches toward manufacturing advanced membrane components, including biocarriers, sorbents, catalysts, and even whole membranes. This perspective highlights recent advances and essential outcomes in 3D printing technologies for wastewater treatment. First, different 3D printing techniques, such as material extrusion, selective laser sintering (SLS), and vat photopolymerization, emphasizing membrane fabrication, are briefly discussed. Importantly, in this Perspective, we focus on the unique 3D-printed membrane modules, namely, feed spacers, biocarriers, sorbents, and so on. The unparalleled advantages of 3D printed membrane components in surface area, geometry, and thickness and their influence on antifouling, removal efficiency, and overall membrane performance are underlined. Moreover, the salient applications of 3D printing technologies for water desalination, oil-water separation, heavy metal and organic pollutant removal, and nuclear decontamination are also outlined. This Perspective summarizes the recent works, current limitations, and future outlook of 3D-printed membrane technologies for wastewater treatment.

3D printing of cellulose/leaf-like zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (CelloZIF-L) for adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) and heavy metal ions

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have advanced several technologies. However, it is difficult to market MOFs without processing them into a commercialized structure, causing an unnecessary delay in the material's use. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) printing of cellulose/leaf-like zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-L), denoted as CelloZIF-L, is reported via direct ink writing (DIW, robocasting). Formulating CelloZIF-L into 3D objects can dramatically affect the material's properties and, consequently, its adsorption efficiency. The 3D printing process of CelloZIF-L is simple and can be applied via direct printing into a solution of calcium chloride. The synthesis procedure enables the formation of CelloZIF-L with a ZIF content of 84%. 3D printing enables the integration of macroscopic assembly with microscopic properties, i.e., the formation of the hierarchical structure of CelloZIF-L with different shapes, such as cubes and filaments, with 84% loading of ZIF-L. The materials adsorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) and heavy metals. 3D CelloZIF-L exhibited a CO₂ adsorption capacity of 0.64-1.15 mmol g^-1 at 1 bar (0 °C). The materials showed Cu²⁺ adsorption capacities of 389.8 ± 14-554.8 ± 15 mg g^-1. They displayed selectivities of 86.8%, 6.7%, 2.4%, 0.93%, 0.61%, and 0.19% toward Fe³⁺, Al³⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Na⁺, and Ca²⁺, respectively. The simple 3D printing procedure and the high adsorption efficiencies reveal the promising potential of our materials for industrial applications.

Elucidating the performance of integrated anoxic/oxic moving bed biofilm reactor: Assessment of organics and nutrients removal and optimization using feed forward back propagation neural network

A lab-scale integrated anoxic and oxic (A/O) moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was investigated for the removal of organics and nutrients by varying chemical oxygen demand (COD) to NH₄-N ratio (C/N ratio: 3.5, 6.75, and 10), hydraulic retention time (HRT: 6 h, 15 h, and 24 h), and recirculation ratio (R: 1, 2, and 3). The use of activated carbon coated carriers prepared from waste polyethylene material and polyurethane sponges attached to a cylindrical frame in the integrated A/O MBBR increased the attached growth biomass significantly. >95 % of COD removal was observed under the C/N ratio of 10 at an HRT of 24 h. While the low C/N ratio favored the removal of NH₄-N (∼98 %) and PO₄^3--P (∼90 %) with an optimal R of 1.75. Using the experimental dataset, to predict and forecast the performance of integrated A/O MBBR, a feed-forward-backpropagation-neural-network model was developed.

Characterization of Biofilm Microbiome Formation Developed on Novel 3D-Printed Zeolite Biocarriers during Aerobic and Anaerobic Digestion Processes

Background: Aerobic or anaerobic digestion is involved in treating agricultural and municipal waste, and the addition of biocarriers has been proven to improve them further. We synthesized novel biocarriers utilizing zeolites and different inorganic binders and compared their efficiency with commercially available biocarriers in aerobic and anaerobic digestion systems. Methods: We examined BMP and several physicochemical parameters to characterize the efficiency of novel biocarriers on both systems. We also determined the SMP and EPS content of synthesized biofilm and measured the adherence and size of the forming biofilm. Finally, we characterized the samples by 16S rRNA sequencing to determine the crucial microbial communities involved. Results: Evaluating BMP results, ZSM-5 zeolite with bentonite binder emerged, whereas ZSM-5 zeolite with halloysite nanotubes binder stood out in the wastewater treatment experiment. Twice the relative frequencies of archaea were found on novel biocarriers after being placed in AD batch reactors, and >50% frequencies of Proteobacteria after being placed in WWT reactors, compared to commercial ones. Conclusions: The newly synthesized biocarriers were not only equally efficient with the commercially available ones, but some were even superior as they greatly enhanced aerobic or anaerobic digestion and showed strong biofilm formation and unique microbiome signatures.

A 3D Printer in the Lab: Not Only a Toy

Although 3D printers are becoming more common in households, they are still under-represented in many laboratories worldwide and regarded as toys rather than as laboratory equipment. This short review wants to change this conservative point of view. This mini-review focuses on fused deposition modeling printers and what happens after acquiring your first 3D printer. In short, these printers melt plastic filament and deposit it layer by layer to create the final object. They are getting cheaper and easier to use, and nowadays it is not difficult to find good 3D printers for less than €500. At such a price, a 3D printer is one, if not the most, versatile piece of equipment you can have in a laboratory.

Advancements of sequencing batch reactor for industrial wastewater treatment: Major focus on modifications, critical operational parameters, and future perspectives

Industrial wastewater discharge has increased manifolds over the last few decades. Efficient industrial wastewater treatment is mandatory to meet stringent discharge regulations. Biological treatment systems, such as the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) are generally employed for domestic wastewater treatment. However, low infrastructure and energy requirements, as well as low footprint, make SBR a prominent technique to treat industrial wastewater. In the present review, the feasibility of SBR to treat wastewater generated from industries, such as textile, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, tannery, etc., has been discussed. The factors affecting the treatment efficacy of the SBR in terms of organics and nutrient removal have also been investigated. It has been observed that the SBR system is effective for industrial wastewater treatment as it is easy to operate, resistant to shock loads, and can retain high biomass concentrations. The modifications to the conventional SBR, such as sludge granulation, the addition of bio-film carriers, and the incorporation of adsorbents, salt-tolerant microbes, and coagulants have been discussed. Further, various novel combinations of SBR with the other advanced treatment technologies, such as Fenton, membrane-based process, and electrochemical process have shown enhanced removal of various conventional and recalcitrant pollutants. The current review also accentuates the sustainability aspects of SBR technology to treat industrial wastewater which may be beneficial for researchers and engineers working in this field.