The present invention discloses stable composite membranes comprising a porous support having one or more thin selective layers coated on a top surface thereof, whereas at least one of said thin selective layers comprises a crosslinked fluorinated silicone polymer, and further wherein the total thickness of said one or more thin selective layers ranges between 0.1 to 10 microns. The use of these membranes in the process of olive oil wastewater treatment and the valorization of polyphenol-rich by-products, are also disclosed.

A single-unit biotechnology method simultaneously recovers polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and triacylglycerides (TAGs). A method produces biomass in the form of a mixed microbial culture containing PHAs and TAGs. More specifically, certain steps occur in a single discontinuous sequential reactor.

A mixed fluid separator apparatus includes an overload protection chamber that prevents a large and sudden influx of oil from fouling a coalescing separator. To prevent sudden influx of a large concentration of oil from overwhelming the coalescing separator, a separate overload protection chamber is connected to a main coalescing separator apparatus. The overload protection chamber includes a water drain (majority water with some oil) to the main coalescing separator apparatus and an oil overflow (majority oil with some water) to drain excess oil when necessary to prevent overfilling of the coalescing separator apparatus. The overload protection chamber functions to rapidly separate and remove heavy concentrations of oil, protecting the main coalescing separator apparatus.

A single step pretreatment of wastewater or recreational water is provided comprising treatment with nanocomposites consisting of an anchoring particle such as a clay mineral and one or more polymers.

A method of converting waste into energy is provided. The method includes the following steps: (a) providing a lipid-containing substrate to react with a biocatalyst to produce a surfactant molecular liquid; (b) pretreating an organic waste with the surfactant molecular liquid to produce a first organic liquid; (c) subjecting the first organic liquid to an ultrasonic treatment to produce a second organic liquid; and (d) subjecting the second organic liquid to an anaerobic biological treatment for conversion to methane. The biocatalyst includes at least one lipase. Moreover, the surfactant molecular liquid includes at least one of monoglyceride and diglyceride. A waste treatment system for converting waste into energy is also provided.

In a method for producing pyrolysis oil, pyrolysis gas and pyrolysis coke, a starting material substantially comprising biomass is supplied to the upper region of a pyrolysis reactor. The latter has a substantially vertically arranged reactor chamber, which is substantially tubular. The reaction chamber then contains a bed of bulk material that comprises the starting material to be pyrolyzed and, optionally, the pyrolysis coke. This bulk material is thermally treated in the pyrolysis reactor, where the pyrolysis coke, the pyrolysis gases and the pyrolysis vapors are formed from the starting material to be pyrolyzed, and where the bulk material, the pyrolysis gases and the pyrolysis vapors are guided through the reaction chamber from top to bottom. The movement of the bulk material is caused substantially by gravity and the movement of the pyrolysis gases and pyrolysis vapors by the gas pressure building up.

Disclosed herein is a method for treating aqueous effluents with organic content, particularly oil mill effluents, that includes: providing a flow of aqueous effluents with organic content, pressurizing the flow of aqueous effluents to a pressure value equal to or greater than the pressure value at the critical point of water, and heating the flow of aqueous effluents to a temperature value equal to or greater than the temperature value at the critical point of the water, processing the pressurized and heated flow of aqueous effluents by means of a supercritical water reactor, and subjecting the aqueous effluents processed by means of the supercritical water reactor to a catalytic hydrogenation treatment.