Enhanced biogas production from anaerobic co-digestion of pig slurry and horse manure with mechanical pre-treatment. In this study, co-digestion of horse manure and pig slurry was investigated in a continuously stirred tank reactor, with a mechanical pre-treatment. Experiments were conducted at 37°C, with hydraulic retention times of 23 days and increasing shares of horse manure, corresponding to different horse manure to pig slurry ratios (HM:PS) equal to 0:100, 10:90, 13:87 and 20:80, in terms of percentage of inlet volatile solids (%VS inlet). The results show that the best synergetic effect between the microbial consortia of pig slurry and the high Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (C/N) of horse manure is obtained for the mixture of 20:80%VS inlet, yielding the highest specific methane production (SMP = 142.6 L kg) and the highest soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) reduction (68.5%), due to the high volatile dissolved solids content and soluble chemical oxygen demand to total chemical oxygen demand ratio (SCOD/TCOD). Thus, co-digestion of horse manure and pig slurry is shown to be a promising approach for biogas production and as a waste treatment solution. Furthermore, the analysis provides a methodology for the pre-treatment of these substrates and to investigate into the best combination for improved biogas production.

Currently available hemodialysis (HD) membranes are unable to safely remove protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs), especially those bonded to human serum albumin (HSA). To overcome this issue, the prior administration of high doses of HSA competitive binders, such as ibuprofen (IBF), has been proposed as a complementary clinical protocol to increase HD efficiency. In this work, we designed and prepared novel hybrid membranes conjugated with IBF, thus avoiding its administration to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Two novel silicon precursors containing IBF were synthesized and, by the combination of a sol-gel reaction and the phase inversion technique, three integral asymmetric monophasic hybrid cellulose acetate/silica/IBF membranes in which silicon precursors are covalently bonded to the cellulose acetate polymer were produced. To prove IBF incorporation, methyl red dye was used as a model, thus allowing simple visual color control of the membrane fabrication and stability. These smart membranes may display a competitive behavior towards HSA, allowing the local displacement of PBUTs in future hemodialyzers.