J. Applied Membrane Science & Technology, Vol. 27, No.

3, December 2023, 119-123

© Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Book Review
Advanced Technologies for Solid, Liquid, and
Gas Waste Treatment

Editors: Yeek-Chia Ho, Woei Jye Lau, Sudip Chakraborty, N. Rajamohan,

Saleh Al Arni

Y. Yurekli

Bioengineering Department, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Sehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan
Varank Kampusu, 45140, Yunusemre, Manisa, Turkiye

Submitted: 22/8/2023. Revised edition: 12/10/2023. Accepted: 13/10/2023. Available online: 20/11/2023

ABSTRACT

There is an urgent need to develop effective ways to efficiently recycle the world's
limited resources in the solid, liquid and gaseous phases to achieve sustainability. This
could be achieved in accordance with allowable effluent standards, economic
considerations and long service life through either single units or hybrid (integrated)
units. In this regard, this book is a valuable resource for both academic and industrial
researchers, bringing together the latest developments in compost, advanced oxidation,
reactive membrane, adsorptive, electrocoagulative, and pyrolytic processes for the
treatment of solid wastes, wastewater, and toxic gases. The strengths and weaknesses
of the technologies are compared throughout the 15 chapters with extensive tabulated
data from the literature and well-illustrated figures. Recommendations for the future
and challenges are provided at the end of each section.

BOOK SUMMARY

Chapter 1 describes the entire chain of the composting process, followed by the
composting process itself and its subsequent applications (i.e., soil amendment,
bioremediation, and landfill cover) on the basis of the contents. Chapter 2 focuses on
the integrated management of the electronic and electric waste by means of artificial
intelligence. Chapter 3 identifies methods for the thermal conversion of solid waste into
energy. The processes and technologies for the recycling of the waste tires including
thermochemical conversions into useful energy are presented in Chapter 4. Removal of
organic compounds from municipal wastewater by means of electro-fenton,
electrocoagulation, anodic oxidation, and combined processes are discussed in Chapter
5.
Chapter 6 focuses on the recent advances in photocatalytic membranes for the
treatment of Emerging Pollutants (EPs). The mechanism of photocatalysis is briefly
explained. The photocatalyst and the membrane are then combined to form a
photocatalytic membrane reactor (PMR) and their synergistic effects are exploited in
two birds with one stone approach to the elimination of particle agglomeration and
membrane fouling. Two different routes for the preparation of PMRs as shown in
Figure 1, are extensively reviewed with their own advantageous/disadvantageous

* Corresponding to: Y. Yurekli (email: [email protected])

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11113/amst.v27n3.277
120 Y. Yurekli

properties during fabrication and application. For example, cephalexin is reported to be

observed in the order of removal rate from high to low using the spin coating method,
interfacial polymerization method, graft polymerization method and blending method,
respectively. Readers can find significant inferences within the chapter, such as
blending membrane has high flux, the interfacial polymerization membrane has high
fouling resistance, the graft polymerization membrane has high photocatalytic
degradation and the spin coating membrane has high separation properties. In addition,
superior removal efficiencies of the hybrid membranes containing different
nanomaterials for pesticides, antibiotics, and dyes are highlighted. The photocatalytic
degradation of semi-volatile organic compounds (s-VOCs), including nitrobenzene, in
aqueous solution by membrane distillation is also pointed out. At the end of the chapter,
the challenges faced by PMRs in the treatment of EPs are highlighted for the importance
of the manufacturing process, including the use of natural materials for sustainability,
well-dispersed photocatalysts without agglomeration in the membrane matrix,
photocatalysts that do not leak from the membrane matrix during application, and
membranes that allow high light penetration. PMRs provide active cleaning during
filtration that eventually extends the long lasting of the membranes. Comparison of the
initial activity with the activity obtained in subsequent uses is important for the stability
of the catalyst can be interesting if discussed.

Figure 1 Fabrication methods of PMRs

In Chapter 7, advanced oxidation processes (AOP), alone or in combination with O3,

ultraviolet (UV), H2O2, ultrasound and photocatalysts for their degrading efficiencies
against persistent pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) by comparing
their reaction rate constants are discussed. The use of •OH scavengers are also
recommended to increase the degradation efficiency of the targeted molecules. Types
of the photocatalytic membrane reactors (Figure 2) including photocatalysts in
suspension form in the feed reservoir, photocatalysts deposited on a membrane surface,
or embedded in membrane pores, with UV irradiation are well summarized. The cost
of the UV/TiO2 suspension system in water and wastewater treatment in terms of
electricity consumption is found to be higher than the other systems including UV/H2O2
and O3/H2O2, requires further investigation into the selectivity, activity, and durability
of the photocatalytic membrane reactors consisting of visible light responsive
photocatalysts by combining auxiliary catalysts and transition metals via N-doping or
other techniques.
 Book Review Advanced Technologies for Solid, Liquid 121

Figure 2 PMR utilizing photocatalyst in suspension: (a) irradiation of the membrane module;
(b) irradiation of the feed tank; (c) irradiation of the additional reservoir (photoreactor) located
between the feed tank and membrane module. PMR utilizing photocatalyst immobilized (d) on
a membrane and (e) within a membrane structure

Chapter 8 focuses on membrane bioreactor (MBR) technologies and discusses their

feasibility, configurations, and performance in various types of wastewater treatment.
Classifications on the basis of removal mechanisms and membrane materials and
modules are extensively described. The advantages and major limitations of
conventional and novel MBR configurations shown in Figure 3 are well documented
and tabulated in Table 1. The impact of carbon/nitrogen ratio, feed composition and
flow rate on operational control, high costs, membrane fouling and the changing nature
of wastewater discharges are summarized as challenges to be addressed.

Figure 3 Conventional and novel MBR configurations for wastewater treatment (a) two-
chamber MBR; (b) single chamber MBR for nitrogen removal; (c) moving-bed biofilm MBR;
(d) membrane aerated biofilm reactor; e) microalgae MBR; (f) anaerobic MBR; and (g) bio-
electrochemical MBR.
122 Y. Yurekli

Table 1 A Summary of MBRs Used in Wastewater Treatment Processes

Type of Membrane
Scale Advantages Major limitations
MBR module
Two- Easy to upgrade from May need external
chamber Lab/pilot/full Flat sheet conventional activated carbon and internal
MBR sludge system sludge recycle
Small footprint May need external
Hollow carbon and intermittent
S-MBR Lab/pilot/full
fiber aeration for nutrients
removal
Retain high biomass, Membrane fouling may
higher treatment be more severe than
MBB- Hollow reliability and ease of conventional MBRs
Lab/pilot
MBR fiber operation with flexible
loading, no requirement
for recycling
Improved oxygen Biofilm management is
utilization efficiency, critical to maintain high
Efficient nitrogen flux and nutrients
Hollow
MABR Lab/pilot removal at low carbon to removal performance
fiber
nitrogen ratios, potential
to be integrated with
AnMBRs
Decouples HRT and SRT, Difficult to maintain the
which enables higher system at steady state
Flat sheet
microalgae due to the complexity of
MMBR Lab/pilot Hollow
concentrations for the intraspecies
fiber
harvesting relationship among
algae and bacteria
Potential electricity High cost of the
Electrically
production, potential membrane, energy
conductive
BEC-MBR Lab lower energy cost, demand for aeration.
UF/MF
potential lower
membranes
membrane fouling
Lower energy Hard to achieve steady
requirement, less biomass performance when
production, potential to treating real
Hollow
AnMBR Lab decrease membrane wastewater, most of
fiber
fouling, ideal to grow studies are lab-scale
AnAOB, potential to be
integrated with MABR

Advanced oxidation, including ozonation and Fenton processes, prior to the

anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent (POME) is discussed in Chapter 9 to
improve the biogas yield. Chapter 10 reviews electrocoagulation processes, including
Peroxi-electrocoagulation, Photo-electrocoagulation, and Sono-electrocoagulation,
with their applications in food wastewater treatment. Opportunities and challenges
regarding economic, environmental and technical aspects are emphasized. Chapter 11
provides an insight in the technologies similar to those in Chapter 7 for the degradation
of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous environments.
Photocatalytic degradation of oily wastewater with metal oxides is presented in Chapter
 Book Review Advanced Technologies for Solid, Liquid 123

12. In Chapter 13, the conventional technologies used in air cleaning and recycling are
comparatively examined in terms of energy and cleaning efficiencies towards
sustainability and climate protection. Recent advances in automotive De-NOx SCR
processes are presented in Chapter 14, through catalyst development and process
design. The final chapter discusses air pollutants emission, treatments and controls, and
describes the latest technologies used to clean syngas.

FINAL REMARKS

The valuable nutrient and energy content of waste streams motivates sectors to pursue
research into robust materials and effective processes. The human perspective on the
sources of waste has now shifted to that of a recoverable resource rather than a pollutant
that needs to be disposed of. In this regard, this book presents various types of processes
for the removal of contaminants that are present in solid, liquid, and gaseous
environments. It could be the vital references for the academicians, researchers,
students, and practitioners. Photocatalytic membranes and membrane bioreactors are
the two robust units that are well presented here, with their basic principles and
performances collected from recent articles. Membrane processes have potential to
provide greater processing efficiencies and improved outcomes. In PMR, the
membrane acts as a restraint for the photocatalytic powder in the reacting suspension,
a selective barrier for the separation of the photoreaction products and/or a support for
the photocatalyst. The focus of recent studies has been on visible light-sensitive
photocatalysts, which will increase the selectivity of the catalysts, and the use of
sunlight by the catalysts will reduce the cost of the process. On the other hand, advanced
membrane bioreactors offer promising solutions for the conversion of wastewater into
a resource of water, nutrients and energy, if the operational control obstacles caused by
the variation of feed composition and flow rate in real wastewater could be overcome.
The high cost of MBR due to installation, maintenance, extensive pre-treatment and
increased automation will be the subject of research through the selection of
environmentally friendly materials, the development of a model to take into account
process variables that affect performance, and new advances in data analytics and
artificial intelligence.

REFERENCE

[1] Yeek-Chia Ho, Woei Jye Lau, Sudip Chakraborty, N. Rajamohan, Saleh Al
Arni. 2023. Advanced Technologies for Solid, Liquid, and Gas Waste
Treatment. CRC Press.