In this study, expired fruit juices (EFJ) were evaluated as substrate for biohydrogen production via dark fermentation (DF), exploiting the indigenous microbial load of the waste under mesophilic continuous operation. A continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) was employed, and its performance was assessed through three independent start-ups. Each start-up was operated initially in batch mode for 24 h and subsequently transitioned to continuous flow, at a defined initial HRT (36, 24, or 12 h). Thereafter, the HRT was decreased within each experimental run, allowing structured evaluation of system behaviour as a function of the initial start-up HRT. Changes in hydrogen yields, metabolite distribution, and microbial community structure were comparatively analysed during the three start-ups followed by stepwise HRT reductions under controlled continuous CSTR operation. Results showed that both start-up and operational HRTs significantly affected reactor performance. The highest hydrogen yield (1.32 mol H2/mol carbohydrates) was obtained at HRT 12 h when used as the initial start-up HRT. Starting from higher HRTs and then reducing to 12 h resulted in lower yields, despite identical operational conditions. VFA distribution also varied, with butyrate dominating at low HRTs, while higher HRTs favoured caproate and propionate production. Microbial analysis revealed that start-up HRT strongly shaped the microbial consortia, with long stat-up HRT (36 h) fostering diverse, facultative and chain-elongating taxa, short start-up HRT (12 h) enriching fast-growing Clostridia, and intermediate start-up HRT (24 h) yielding more heterogeneous communities including both Clostridia and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These results highlight priority effects and alternative stable states, where start-up history dictates the balance between hydrogenogenic and lactogenic pathways. The study underlines the critical role of initial HRT selection in shaping reactor efficiency and microbial ecology during DF, providing insights for optimizing continuous biohydrogen production from EFJ.

Fermentative hydrogen production from food waste (FW) offers a dual benefit of waste reduction and renewable energy generation. However, its large-scale application is constrained by the high volumes of freshwater required for substrate dilution, increasing both operational costs and environmental footprint. This study hypothesizes that municipal wastewater (MW) can effectively substitute freshwater as a dilution medium without compromising process stability, thereby improving the sustainability of dark fermentation. To test this, long-term continuous hydrogen production from household FW was investigated in two identical lab-scale CSTRs, using the liquid fraction obtained after centrifuging dried and shredded FW (FORBI). In CSTR1, dilution was performed with freshwater, while in CSTR2, MW was used. Both reactors were operated at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 24, 12, 8, and 4 h. The highest hydrogen yields were obtained at 24 h HRT (8.14 +/- 1.01 L H2/kg FORBI in CSTR1 and 6.73 +/- 1.66 L H2/kg FORBI in CSTR2), while stable operation was maintained across all conditions, despite the variability of MW. To maximize resource recovery, the solid residues were further valorized via biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays, yielding up to 486.47 +/- 27.91 L CH4/kg. Overall, the combined H2 and CH4 production approach reduces freshwater demand, enhances energy recovery, and supports the development of more resource-efficient and economically viable biohydrogen systems.

In this chapterPlastic pollution mitigation, anPlastics integrated approach to the combined treatment and exploitation of wastewater is presented, focusing on the concurrent production of biohydrogenBiohydrogen (BioH2) and polyhydroxyalkanoatesPolyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) through microbiological processes. The principles and microbiology of BioH2 production via dark fermentation are examined in detail, with particular emphasis on the key reactions responsible for generating volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which play a crucial role in controlling the efficiency of BioH2 production and serve as essential precursors for PHAPolyhydroxyalkanoates biosynthesis. The fundamentals of PHA biosynthesis by both pure and mixed microbial cultures are further explored, along with a discussion of the current advancements and limitations in industrial PHA production. Special attention is given to the advantages of utilizing acidogenic effluents as substrates for PHA production, addressing the current state of research, identifying existing challenges, and exploring the opportunities offered by this integrated strategy. The presented approach aligns with EU objectives for a circular economyCircular economy, sustainableSustainable energySustainable energy, andEnergy eco-friendly plasticPlastics production, providing a promising pathway for waste valorizationValorization and environmental protection.

Global population growth, combined with the energy-intensive demands of modern lifestyles, has led to a significant increase in energy demand, accompanied by the ongoing environmental burden due to the dependence on fossil fuels [...]

Olive tree pruning (OTP), a widely available agricultural residue in Mediterranean countries, represents a promising lignocellulosic feedstock for anaerobic digestion. However, its recalcitrant structure limits its biodegradability and methane yields, necessitating effective pretreatment approaches. In this context, hydrogen peroxide in combination with ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UV/H2O2) at ambient temperature was used as a pretreatment method for enhancing methane production from OTP. Three concentrations of H2O2 (0, 1, and 3% w/w) alone or in combination with UV radiation, at different retention times (8, 14, and 20 h), were evaluated to enhance OTP depolymerization and methane generation. In addition, the combination of UV/H2O2 with alkali (UV/H2O2/NaOH) was compared with the typical alkaline pretreatment (NaOH) in terms of lignocellulosic biomass fractionation and biochemical methane potential (BMP). Results showed that increasing H2O2 concentration during UV/H2O2 pretreatment enhanced hemicellulose solubilization. Both NaOH and UV/H2O2/NaOH pretreatment promoted lignin reduction (37.3% and 37.8%), resulting in enhanced BMP values of 330.5 and 337.9 L CH4/kg TS, respectively. Considering operational energy requirements (heating at 80 °C and irradiance for 20 h) and methane energy recovery, net energy balances of 45.52 kJ and 66.65 kJ were obtained for NaOH and UV/H2O2/NaOH, respectively.

The lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1) is one of the six cognate G protein-coupled receptors of the bioactive, growth factor-like phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPAR1 is widely expressed in different cell types and mediates many LPA effects. LPAR1 has been implicated in several chronic inflammatory diseases, and especially pulmonary fibrosis, where it has been established as a promising therapeutic target. Herein, we present the generation of several Lpar1 mouse strains through genetic recombination. These strains include an initial versatile Lpar1 strain (tm1a) from which three other strains derive: an Lpar1 reporter knockout strain (tm1b) where LacZ has replaced exon 3 of Lpar1; a "floxed" Lpar1 strain (tm1c), where exon 3 is flanked by two loxP sites allowing conditional, cell-specific Lpar1 inactivation; and a complete KO strain of Lpar1 (tm1d), where exon 3 has been deleted. The generated strains are novel genetic tools, that can have various applications in studying LPA-LPAR1 signaling and its role in normal physiology and disease.

Forum selling is a legal term used to describe the practices of courts and judges, geared towards attracting cases, such as increasing the predictability of judgments or speeding up trials. However, do courts also go beyond forum selling to attract cases? Taking international commercial courts as its focus, this article explores how these courts market themselves to attract cases and coins the term 'forum marketing'. It demonstrates that the courts' recent establishment, coupled with their voluntary jurisdiction, creates a compelling context, which encourages them to engage in forum marketing. The article argues that forum marketing is not merely a byproduct of the competition in commercial dispute resolution, but a powerful mechanism with deeply persuasive, normative and, effectively, structuring properties. Forum marketing is central to disseminating and reinforcing a pro-business approach in civil justice, consequently setting the stage for procedural inequality and a one per cent procedure.

The scope of the current study was to investigate the efficiency of a two-stage anaerobic-aerobic process for the simultaneous treatment and valorization of selective wastewater streams from a confectionary industry. The specific wastewater (confectionary industry wastewater, CIW) was a mixture of the rinsing eluting during washing of the cauldrons in which jellies and syrups were produced, and contained mainly readily fermentable sugars, being thus of high organic load. The first stage of the process was the dark fermentation (DF) of the CIW in continuous, attached-biomass systems, in which the effect on hydrogen yields and distribution of metabolites were studied for different packing materials (ceramic or plastic), hydraulic retention times, HRTs (12 h-30 h) and feed substrate concentration (20 g COD/L- 50 g COD/L). In the second stage, the effectiveness of the aerobic treatment of the DF effluents was evaluated in terms of the reduction of the organic load and the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) through an enriched mixed microbial culture (MMC). The MMC was developed in a continuous draw and fill system, in which the accumulation potential of PHAs was studied. It was shown that the hydrogen production rates decreased for increasing substrate concentration and HRTs, with a maximum of 12.70 ± 0.35 m3 H2/m3 initial CIW achieved for the lowest HRT and feed concentration and using ceramic beads as packing material. Butyrate, acetate and lactate were the main metabolites generated in all cases, in different ratios. The distribution of metabolites during DF was shown to highly affect the efficiency of the second process in terms of both the reduction of organic load and the PHAs yields. The highest removal of organic load achieved after 48 h of aerobic treatment was 84.0 ± 0.9 %, whereas the maximum PHAs yield was 21.46 ± 0.13 kg PHAs/m3 initial CIW.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a kind of cellular biopolymers, and a renewable alternative to conventional plastics. To promote low-cost PHA production, this study developed a simple and scalable process to recover this polymer from a phenol-fed mixed culture. Cultures containing >50 % PHA were first acidified then treated with NaClO, leading to digestion of cellular materials by HClO. NaClO dosage, HCl/NaClO ratio, and treatment time were tested for their effects on product Purity and Recovery rate. Compared with NaClO alone which obtained 55-74 % Purity and 57-73 % Recovery, acidification improved the extraction efficiency to 62-83 % Purity and 75-97 % Recovery of cellular PHA. Statistical analysis was performed on dosage, ratio and treatment time. The chemical cost of obtaining 1 kg pure PHA ranged $7-10, but can be greatly reduced by applying a denser culture. However, HClO reduced the molecular weight of the PHA products, which needs to be addressed in future

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable intracellular polymers, and a renewable alternative to conventional plastics. To reduce PHA's cost, this study combined an unconventional carbon source, i.e. a toxic aromatics phenol, with an acclimated consortium, to develop a scalable PHA production process. The resultant process performance was systematically compared across three operational modes: batch, fed-batch, and continuous. Phenol toxicity caused inhibition in the batch mode, reducing the PHA synthesis rate but resulting in a high PHA content in cells (PHA% > 50 %). Fed-batch feeding alleviated such inhibition, facilitating a high PHA titer and yield from the substrate. Interestingly, a higher feeding rate in the fed-batch reactor improved its performance, probably by providing a suitable food-to-microbe ratio for the biomass. Using a continuous mode also reduced phenol toxicity, but resulted in more synthesis of non-PHA cellular materials (NPCM). The difference might have been caused by different metabolic states and the presence of intermediates in the reactors. Comparing all 14 conditions under the three modes, feeding phenol more gradually tended to channel substrate away from PHA to NPCM synthesis. The volumetric productivity generally ranged from 3 to 12 mg L-1 min(-1), while the biomass productivity was between 2 and 11 mg g initial CDW-1 min(-1). A 3-stage, production-harvest and starvation-production process was then designed to simulate real industrialized manufacturing, where the operational modes had a long-term effect on biomass' productivity. Fed-batch mode performed the best, as it fixed 1/3 of phenol's organic carbon in PHA product, suggesting high potential for future application.

The focus on wastewater treatment is a growing trend in the pharmaceutical industry, since pharmaceutical wastewater (PWW) contains a significant load of organic material, nutrients and toxic compounds. In this study, the biotreatment of raw PWW was studied (with different initial concentrations of Dissolved Chemical Oxygen Demand (d-COD), 600-6300 mg d-COD L-1), using a cyanobacteria-based cultivation system (under batch, semi batch and continuous mode operation) with Leptolyngbya sp. The aim was to develop an effective treatment process (evaluated in terms of Dissolved Chemical Oxygen Demand (d-COD) and nutrient removal efficiency) without adding external mechanical aeration, capable of generating simultaneously valuable biomass. In batch and semi-batch bioreactors high d-COD, NO3- -N and PO4-3 removal rates were achieved (up to about 71 %, 96 % and 86 %, respectively) with maximum biomass productivities between 55 and 234.8 mg L-1 d-1, while pH adjustment was not necessary. In continuous mode operation (using HRT of 5 and 2.5 d), d-COD, NO3- -N and PO4- 3 removal was also significant (61 %, 90 %, and 62 %, respectively, for the feed concentration of 1550 mg dCOD L-1), while toxicity tests of the specific untreated and treated PWW revealed a significant attenuation of the toxic potential. The biomass produced also contained high carbohydrates, proteins, lipids chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin, up to 33.78 %, 41.40 %, 11.75 %, 10.33 +/- 0.03 mg g DW-1 and 42.17 +/- 3.56 mg g DW-1, respectively, with a methane yield of 479.19 +/- 16.52 mLCH4 g TS-1.

This study focuses on investigating sugar recovery from spoiled date fruits (SDF) for sustainable ethanol production using newly isolated yeasts. Upon their isolation from different food products, yeast strains were identified through PCR amplification of the D1/D2 region and subsequent comparison with the GenBank database, confirming isolates KKU30, KKU32, and KKU33 as Saccharomyces cerevisiae; KKU21 as Zygosaccharomyces rouxii; and KKU35m as Meyerozyma guilliermondii. Optimization of sugar extraction from SDF pulp employed response surface methodology (RSM), varying solid loading (20–40%), temperature (20–40 °C), and extraction time (10–30 min). Linear models for sugar concentration (R1) and extraction efficiency (R2) showed relatively high R2 values, indicating a good model fit. Statistical analysis revealed significant effects of temperature and extraction time on extraction efficiency. The results of batch ethanol production from SDF extracts using mono-cultures indicated varying consumption rates of sugars, biomass production, and ethanol yields among strains. Notably, S. cerevisiae strains exhibited rapid sugar consumption and high ethanol productivity, outperforming Z. rouxii and M. guilliermondii, and they were selected for scaling up the process at fed-batch mode in a co-culture. Co-cultivation resulted in complete sugar consumption and higher ethanol yields compared to mono-cultures, whereas the ethanol titer reached 46.8 ± 0.2 g/L.

The treatment and biotechnological exploitation of expired fruit juices (EFJ) towards biohydrogen, poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and lipids production was investigated. The EFJ were initially fermented via an acidogenic consortium, during which the effect of the organic loading rate (OLR, 20-40 g sugars/L.d) on the sugars uptake and the yields of metabolites i.e. hydrogen, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and lactate, was studied. The increase of the OLR resulted to lower bioconversion of sugars and metabolic shift to lactate production, whereas the highest hydrogen yield, 10.83 +/- 0.41 L H2/m3 EFJ, was obtained for the OLR 30 g sugars/L.d. The acidogenic effluents were then utilized for the production of PHAs and microbial lipids, via bacterial heterotrophic and cyanobacterial consortia, respectively. The PHAs produced were in all cases copolymers, and the highest yield, 20.69 +/- 1.01 kg PHAs/m3 EFJ was achieved from the effluent with the highest VFAs content. Microbial lipids were also successfully produced from all effluents. The results revealed that low VFAs and high sugars con-centration, allowed cyanobacterial growth of up to 373.5 mg /L.d and maximum lipid content of up to 11.7 % d. w. (5.47 +/- 0.49 kg biolipids/m3 EFJ), as well as significant substrate degradation (dissolved oxygen demand -d -COD, total nitrogen-tau N, orthophosphates-PO43- , total sugars up to about 93 %, 95 %, 67 % and 96 %, respectively).

PHAs are a form of cellular storage polymers with diverse structural and material properties, and their biodegradable and renewable nature makes them a potential green alternative to fossil fuel-based plastics. PHAs are obtained through extraction via various mechanical, physical and chemical processes after their intracellular synthesis. Most studies have until now focused on pure cultures, while information on mixed microbial cultures (MMC) remains limited. In this study, ultrasonic (US) disruption and alkaline digestion by NaOH were applied individually and in combination to obtain PHAs products from an acclimated MMC using phenol as the carbon source. Various parameters were tested, including ultrasonic sound energy density, NaOH concentration, treatment time and temperature, and biomass density. US alone caused limited cell lysis and resulted in high energy consumption and low efficiency. NaOH of 0.05-0.2 M was more efficient in cell disruption, but led to PHAs degradation under elevated temperature and prolonged treatment. Combining US and NaOH significantly improved the overall process efficiency, which could reduce energy consumption by 2/3rds with only minimal PHAs degradation. The most significant factor was identified to be NaOH dosage and treatment time, with US sound energy density playing a minor role. Under the semi-optimized condition (0.2 M NaOH, 1300 W L-1, 10 min), over 70% recovery and 80% purity were achieved from a 3 g L-1 MMC slurry of approximately 50% PHAs fraction. The material and thermal properties of the products were analyzed, and the polymers obtained from US + NaOH treatments showed comparable or higher molecular weight to previously reported results. The products also exhibited good thermal stability and rheological properties, compared to the commercial standard. In conclusion, the combined US and NaOH method has the potential in real application as an efficient process to obtain high quality PHAs from MMC, and cost-effectiveness can be further optimized.

BACKGROUNDFruit juices are an exceptional source of nutrients; however, due to their short shelf-life and vulnerability to microbial degradation, large volumes of juice are regularly discarded worldwide. As a wastewater, discarded fruit juices (DFJ) possess high organic loads with significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, making them a suitable substrate for microbial growth and to produce natural bioactive compounds.RESULTSDiscarded fruit juices (DFJ) were treated and simultaneously valorized (producing microbial lipids) using a microbial consortium dominated by the photosynthetic cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. The effects of N:P and C:N ratios on growth and lipid production were examined, along with the ability of the consortium to biotreat DFJ in laboratory-scale (LS) reactors. Using the optimum nutrient ratios (N:P 5:1, C:N 50.2:1), scaled-up reactors (aquariums) were then tested under suspended and attached growth conditions. The biomass produced was further exploited for lipid production and the results revealed that Leptolyngbya sp. was able to produce up to 19% d.w. lipids and simultaneously efficiently treat DFJ. High dissolved-chemical oxygen demand (d-COD), total nitrogen, and PO43- removal rates (85.0% and 93.9%, 93.4% and 95.2%, 84.6% and 83.9%, respectively) were achieved in both the suspended and attached growth systems, along with high biomass productivities (316.3, 340.0 mg L-1 day(-1), respectively).CONCLUSIONThe biological approach used in this study demonstrated that is possible to exploit DFJ and achieve satisfactory lipid contents (up to 19% d.w.) using a cyanobacterial-based consortium. (c) 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

As an easily obtained organic waste, by-product acetic acid could be an appropriate co-substrate with blue algae wastes (increase C/N ratio of substrates) for co-fermentation of PHA production. However, there are still acrylic acid and other chemicals in by-product acetic acid, which could cause severe inhibition for fermenting microorganisms during PHA production process. The current study represented that alkali pretreatment (pH level of 12) is a more favorable method compared with thermal pretreatment (80 ℃ for 30 min) for breaking cell walls of blue algae. It seemed that there was no synergistic effect of the combination of thermal and alkali pretreatment methods (temperature of 80 ℃ and pH level of 12). Optimal parameters during electro-fenton process for removal of inhibitors in by-product acetic acid were under current of 0.5 A, pH level of 3 and reaction time of 120 min. Both the highest dry weight of PHA and PHA concentration were achieved by applying blue algae and by-product acetic acid (after pretreatment) as co-substrates (mixed ratio of 3:1, stirring speed of 200 r/min, 24 h), indicating that using by-product acetic acid (after pretreatment) as co-substrate could increase C/N ratio and promote PHA production successfully. The current study could offer new insights for improving PHA production by co-fermentation.

The present study focuses on the use of two different agricultural residues of lignocellulosic origin, i.e. willow sawdust (WS) and date palm fibers (DPF), as substrates for batch methane and hydrogen production. Prior to use for biofuels production, the substrates were pretreated using dilute solutions of sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide or combinations of the above. The results showed that in almost all cases the pretreatment enhanced biofuels production, leading to remarkably high yields compared with the untreated substrates. Specifically, WS optimal yields were 200.40 & PLUSMN; 13.49 L CH4/kg of raw TS (94% increase) and 102.43 & PLUSMN; 12.25 L H2 per kg of raw TS (345% increase) and they were observed after the addition of the mixture of the two chemical agents for 24 h at 80 & DEG;C. Also, DPF optimal yields were 211.55 & PLUSMN; 16.18 L CH4/kg raw TS (62% increase) and 110.50 & PLUSMN; 7.97 L H2/kg of raw TS (310% increase) while they were achieved when hydrogen peroxide was added to the substrate first for 24 h at 80 & DEG;C and then sodium hydroxide for another 24 h at 80 & DEG;C.

A starchy food waste containing mainly cooked wasted rice (WR) was exploited for bioethanol production using novel yeast strains was investigated. Different pretreatment schemes of the waste at solids loading 10%-30% TS WR (w/v) i.e. enzymatic, thermochemical and combined thermochemical/enzymatic pretreatment, were eval-uated aiming to the maximum liberation of fermentable carbohydrates and their subsequent bioconversion to ethanol. Fermentation tests of the whole pretreated slurries were initially performed with the yeasts strains that were identified as Kluyveromyces marxianus isolate V3-19, Pichia kudriavzevii strain YF1702 and K. marxianus strain TTG-428, and their fermentation efficiencies (FE) were comparatively assessed. It was shown that the combined pretreatment led to the maximum saccharification, whereas FEs were higher for K. marxianus, V3-19, exceeding 90% of the theoretical maximum. In the case of the highest organic loading of WR, though, up to 25% of soluble carbohydrates remained unexploitable after 72 h of fermentation, indicating that kinetic restrictions occurred in the process. Further experiments with the hydrolysates that were recovered after combined pre-treatment, revealed that the removal of solids enhances the consumption of sugars and leads to complete uptake for the loading 20% TS WR (w/v).

International commercial arbitration is the most preferred dispute resolution method in cross-border commercial disputes. It has been, however, claimed that arbitration has lost its flexibility by becoming increasingly formal and by incorporating litigation practices. In academic literature, this trend has been termed the ‘judicialization’ of international commercial arbitration. This article argues that while arbitration is becoming progressively judicialized, international commercial courts evidence an opposite, less studied trend; namely, the ‘arbitralization’ of courts. Through a comparative analysis of different international commercial courts, the article explores how the competition with arbitration has prompted the establishment of these courts, and how arbitration has served as the inspiration for some of their most innovative features. The article concludes that while the incorporation of arbitration features could improve court proceedings, some of international commercial courts’ arbitration features undermine procedural justice and the role of courts as public institutions and therefore hit the limits of arbitralization.