Initial Ammonia Concentration Research Articles

Effect of initial ammonium concentration on a one-stage partial nitrification/anammox biofilm system: Nitrogen removal performance and the microbial community

One-stage partial nitrification coupled with anammox (PN/A) technology effectively reduces the energy consumption of a biological nitrogen removal system. Inhibiting nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) is essential for this technology to maintain efficient nitrogen removal performance. Initial ammonium concentration (IAC) affects the degree of inhibited NOB. In this study, the effect of the IAC on a PN/A biofilm was investigated in a moving bed biofilm reactor. The results showed that nitrogen removal efficiency decreased from 82.49% ± 1.90% to 64.57% ± 3.96% after the IAC was reduced from 60 to 20 mg N/L, while the nitrate production ratio increased from 13.87% ± 0.90% to 26.50% ± 3.76%. NOB activity increased to 1,133.86 mg N/m2/day after the IAC decreased, approximately 4-fold, indicating that the IAC plays an important inhibitory role in NOB. The rate-limiting step in the mature biofilm of the PN/A system is the nitritation process and is not shifted by the IAC. The analysis of the microbial community structure in the biofilm indicates that the IAC was the dominant factor in changes in community structure. Ca. Brocadia and Ca. Jettenia were the main anammox bacteria, and Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira were the main AOB and NOB, respectively. IAC did not affect the difference in growth between Ca. Brocadia and Ca. Jettenia. Thus, modulating the IAC promoted the PN/A process with efficient nitrogen removal performance at medium to low ammonium concentrations.

The response of structure and nitrogen removal function of the biofilm on submerged macrophytes to high ammonium in constructed wetlands

The ammonium exceedance discharge from sewage treatment plants has a great risk to the stable operation of subsequent constructed wetlands (CWs). The effects of high ammonium shocks on submerged macrophytes and epiphytic biofilms on the leaves of submerged macrophytes in CWs were rarely mentioned in previous studies. In this paper, the 16S rRNA sequencing method was used to investigate the variation of the microbial communities in biofilms on the leaves of Vallisneria natans plants while the growth characteristics of V. natans plants were measured at different initial ammonium concentrations. The results demonstrated that the total chlorophyll and soluble sugar synthesis of V. natans plants decreased by 51.45% and 57.16%, respectively, and malondialdehyde content increased threefold after 8 days if the initial NH4+-N concentration was more than 5 mg/L. Algal density, bacterial quantity, dissolved oxygen, and pH increased with high ammonium shocks. The average removal efficiencies of total nitrogen and NH4+-N reached 73.26% and 83.94%, respectively. The heat map and relative abundance analysis represented that the relative abundances of phyla Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes increased. The numbers of autotrophic nitrifiers and heterotrophic nitrification aerobic denitrification (HNAD) bacteria expanded in biofilms. In particular, HNAD bacteria of Flavobacterium, Hydrogenophaga, Acidovorax, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Azospira had higher abundances than autotrophic nitrifiers because there were organic matters secreted from declining leaves of V. natans plants. The analysis of the nitrogen metabolic pathway showed aerobic denitrification was the main nitrogen removal pathway. Thus, the nitrification and denitrification bacterial communities increased in epiphytic biofilms on submerged macrophytes in constructed wetlands while submerged macrophytes declined under ammonium shock loading.

Natural zeolite pretreatment of anaerobic digestate as efficient and promising detoxification strategy to improve microalgae biomass production

This work describes a new detoxification approach for the valorization of anaerobic digestate through microalgal cultivation. In this context, adsorption columns packed with different doses of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) were used to pretreat liquid digestate and remove recalcitrant compounds such as ammonium nitrogen. After 24 h of treatment with 100 g/L of zeolite, the initial ammonium concentration was successfully reduced from 163.2 to 37.5 mg NH4-N/L, achieving 77.0 % of NH4-N removal efficiency and 1.3 mg NH4-N/g of adsorption capacity. As opposed to the untreated digestate, the zeolite pretreatment showed a significant positive effect on Tetradesmus obliquus microalgae consortium growth, with an average specific growth rate of 0.16 d−1 combined with the removal of 99.1 and 73.3 % of NH4-N and PO4-P, respectively. The experimental findings of this study have the potential to unlock the development of microalgae-based processes for the bioremediation of liquid digestate with the concomitant production of valuable algal biomass.

From black water to flushing water: potential applications of chlorine-mediated indirect electrooxidation for ammonia removal

Removing ammonia from black water is one of the most urgent issues before it can be recycled as flushing water. In this study, an electrochemical oxidation (EO) process with commercial Ti/IrO2-RuO2 anodes to treat black water could remove 100% of different concentrations of ammonia by adjusting the dosage of chloride. Through the relationship between ammonia, chloride, and corresponding the pseudo-first-order degradation rate constant (Kobs), we could determine the chloride dosage and predict the kinetics of ammonia oxidation based on initial ammonia concentration in black water. The optimal N/Cl molar ratio was 1:1.8. The difference between black water and the model solution in terms of ammonia removal efficiency and oxidation products was explored. A higher chloride dosage was beneficial for removing ammonia and shortening the treatment cycle, but it also led to the generation of toxic by-products. Especially HClO and ClO3- generated in black water were 1.2 and 1.5 times more than the synthesized model solution under 40mAcm-2. Through SEM characterization of electrodes and repeated experiments, the electrodes always maintained a high treatment efficiency. These results demonstrated the potential of the electrochemical process as a treatment method for black water.

Nutrient Recovery from Poultry Wastewater by Modified Biochar: An Optimization Study

In this work, we proposed and tested a method for utilizing agricultural waste and alum sludge as an effective adsorbent to treat poultry wastewater. The product was also targeted to be used as fertilizer for agriculture. Modified biochar was produced from crop residues, sludge from a water treatment plant, and magnesium salt. The produced biochar was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, and X-ray diffraction. The adsorption of ammonia and phosphate in both synthetic and actual poultry wastewater by the produced biochar was conducted. The effect of experimental conditions such as N to P ratio, initial concentrations of ammonium and phosphate, pH, and the amount of biochar on the adsorption capacity for ammonia and phosphate were also investigated. The results from the experiment showed that the best adsorption capacities were 60.64 mgNH4+-N/g and 66.24 mgPO43--P/g, which were produced at the optimum conditions of N to P ratio of 1.25, initial concentration of 90 mg/L, pH 6, and biochar mass of 0.105 g. These results create an opportunity for the effective production of slow-release fertilizer from crop residues and alum sludge for ecological agriculture in the future.

Innovative technology for ammonia abatement from livestock buildings using advanced oxidation processes

The feasibility of using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for abatement of ammonia from livestock buildings was examined in a series of pilot plant experiments. In this study, all the experiments were conducted in a two-step unit containing a dry photolytic reactor (UV185/UV254/O3) and a photochemical scrubber (UV254/H2O2). The unit efficiency was tested for two initial ammonia concentrations (20 and 35 ppmv) and three different air flows (150, 300 and 450 m3·h−1). While the first step removes mainly organic pollutants that are often present together with ammonia in the air and ammonia only partially, the second step removes around 90% of ammonia emissions even at the highest flow rate of 450 m3·h−1. Absorbed ammonia in the aqueous phase can be effectively removed without adjusting the pH (i.e. without the addition of other additives) using UV and ozone. Complete removal of ammonia was achieved after 15 h of irradiation. In order to assess the price efficiency of the suggested technology and to be able to compare it with other methods the figures-of-merit were determined. The price needed for lowering ammonia emission by one order of magnitude is 0.002 € per cubic meter of treated air at the highest flow rate of 450 m3·h−1 and for initial ammonia concentrations of 20 ppmv. These findings demonstrate that AOPs are a promising method for ammonia abatement from livestock buildings which are rarely using any waste air treatment method.

Selective removal of ammonia from wastewater using Cu(II)-loaded Amberlite IR-120 resin and its catalytic application for removal of dyes

Cationic ligand exchange is one of the most predominant mechanisms for the removal of ammonia from wastewater through complex formation. The complexation technique occurs between the metal ions loaded on the surface of Amberlite IR-120 and ammonia which is present in the medium. Cu(II)-loaded Amberlite IR-120 (R-Cu2+) was prepared and described using FT-IR, TGA, SEM, and EDX techniques. The prepared R-Cu2+ was applied for the elimination of ammonia from an aqueous solution. Different cations such as Co2+ and Ni2+ were loaded onto Amberlite IR-120 to study the impact of counter cation on the removal efficiency of ammonia. The ammonia removal percentage followed the order; R-Cu2+ > R-Ni2+ > R-Co2+. The effects of contact time, pH, initial concentration, temperature, and coexisting ions on the removal of ammonia from wastewater by R-Cu2+ were investigated. The equilibrium adsorbed amount of ammonia was found to be 200 mg/g at pH = 8.6 and 303 K within 60 min using 0.1 g R-Cu2+ and an initial concentration of ammonia of 1060 mg/L. The removal of ammonia using R-Cu2+ obeyed the non-linear plot of both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. According to the thermodynamic parameters, the adsorption of ammonia onto R-Cu2+ was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The time-adsorption data followed the pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models. Moreover, the resulting product (R-Cu(II)-amine composite) from the adsorption process exhibited high catalytic activity and could be low-cost material for the elimination of dyes such as aniline blue (AB), methyl green (MG), and methyl violet 2B (MV2B) from wastewater.Graphical

Amorphous aluminosilicates as efficient ion exchangers for ammonium cation removal from aqueous solutions

The efficient removal of ammonium cation, one of the main causes of the eutrophication of water sources, has been achieved by using amorphous aluminosilicates as low-cost ion exchangers. The materials with a Si/Al ratio that varied from 1 to 5 were prepared by the coprecipitation method just by mixing an acidic aluminium sulphate solution with a basic sodium silicate solution, and the products were characterized by XRD, SEM and 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopy. All the amorphous solids presented a higher cation exchange capacity (CEC) than a synthetic mordenite (Si/Al = 9.5) and a natural zeolite (Si/Al = 4.6). The ammonium uptake was investigated as a function of contact time and initial ammonium concentration; additionally, the presence of Na+ and K+ as coexisting cations in the solutions was also evaluated. Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe the data obtained in the ammonium exchange isotherms. The amorphous aluminosilicate with Si/Al = 3 was regenerated with a KCl aqueous solution and was reused 5 times keeping a stable removal efficiency. The reusability of the amorphous aluminosilicate combined with the superior cation exchange capacity manifests the promising use of this type of materials as ion exchangers to remove ammonium cations from wastewater.

Effect of spray operation conditions on Nox emission control in a power station

Adequately mixing of reactants is an important factor for efficient deNOx process in power station NOx emission control system. In this study, an experimental validated CFD simulation is conducted to investigate the effect of spray operation conditions on the mixing uniformity of reactant ammonia vapor in deNOx process occurring in a power station’s furnace. According to the CFD simulation results, it is found that spray momentum ratio, initial droplet size and initial ammonia concentration all affect the mixing uniformity of ammonia vapor. Overall, a larger spray momentum ratio, larger initial droplet size and lower ammonia concentration contributes positively to the mixing uniformity. By comparing the same spray momentum ratio but different nozzle inlet velocity and furnace inlet velocity, it is found that the impact of spray momentum ratio mainly comes from furnace inlet velocity not nozzle inlet velocity. In addition, gravity should not be neglected. In the end, the method described in this study could provide a systematic way to study the effects of nozzle operation conditions on deNOx process.

A diazotrophy-ammoniotrophy dual growth model for the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris var. Hildenborough

Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) comprise one of the few prokaryotic groups in which biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is common. Recent studies have highlighted SRB roles in N cycling, particularly in oligotrophic coastal and benthic environments where they could contribute significantly to N input. Most studies of SRB have focused on sulfur cycling and SRB growth models have primarily aimed at understanding the effects of electron sources, with N usually provided as fixed-N (nitrate, ammonium). Mechanistic links between SRB nitrogen-fixing metabolism and growth are not well understood, particularly in environments where fixed-N fluctuates. Here, we investigate diazotrophic growth of the model sulfate reducer Desulfovibrio vulgaris var. Hildenborough under anaerobic heterotrophic conditions and contrasting N availabilities using a simple cellular model with dual ammoniotrophic and diazotrophic modes. The model was calibrated using batch culture experiments with varying initial ammonium concentrations (0–3000 µM) and acetylene reduction assays of BNF activity. The model confirmed the preferential usage of ammonium over BNF for growth and successfully reproduces experimental data, with notably clear bi-phasic growth curves showing an initial ammoniotrophic phase followed by onset of BNF. Our model enables quantification of the energetic cost of each N acquisition strategy and indicates the existence of a BNF-specific limiting phenomenon, not directly linked to micronutrient (Mo, Fe, Ni) concentrations, by-products (hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide), or fundamental model metabolic parameters (death rate, electron acceptor stoichiometry). By providing quantitative predictions of environment and metabolism, this study contributes to a better understanding of anaerobic heterotrophic diazotrophs in environments with fluctuating N conditions.

Temperature and concentration dependence of ammonium migration in bentonite-clay mixtures: A case study in Hanoi, Vietnam

Groundwater in southern Hanoi, Vietnam has been recently detected to possess high concentration of ammonium ion (NH4+). Otherwise, one of the abundant sources of NH4+ comes from municipal solid waste landfills. Bentonite-clay mixtures (BCMs) widely utilized as landfill bottom barriers in various countries, but limited in Vietnam should perform well to isolate NH4+ from groundwater. This study is to evaluate combined effects of temperature and initial ammonium concentration on adsorption, diffusion, and permeability through mixtures of indigenous clay with 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 % bentonite. The results indicated more effective NH4+ adsorption capacity for low initial concentration than high initial concentration in all temperatures (20, 35, and 50 °C). The temperature dependency showed an increase in adsorption coefficient from 20 °C to 35 °C and a decrease in the range of 35 °C and 50 °C. Whereas diffusion coefficient and hydraulic conductivity for all cases keep increasing gradually in both temperature ranges. The reasonable mass of bentonite content of 15 % should be added into local clay for landfill bottom liners in such conditions of elevated temperature at 50 °C and interaction of ammonium solution 1000 mg/L. The micro-structures via SEM images of these materials provided the proofs of both improvement of hydraulic barrier properties for indigenous clay owing to bentonite presence and NH4+ effects on their micro-structures.

Column Adsorption Studies for the Removal of Ammonium Using Na-Zeolite-Based Geopolymers

The aim of this study was to examine the removal of ammonium ions from a synthetic model solution by using Na-zeolite-based geopolymers. Na-zeolite (=analcime) is a residue from mining industry. Three adsorbents were prepared from Na-zeolite using different production steps and metakaolin as a blending agent. These novel adsorbents were investigated in a fixed-bed column system where the effects of different flow rates with the initial ammonium concentration of 40 mg/L were studied. The Thomas, Bohart–Adams and Yoon–Nelson breakthrough curve models fitted well with the experimental data with a high R2 value. After adsorption experiments, adsorbents were regenerated using a mixture of 0.2 M NaCl and 0.1 M NaOH as a regeneration agent; after that, adsorbents were reutilised for ammonium ion adsorption for three adsorption–regeneration cycles. The results of the experiment indicate that all the prepared analcime-based geopolymers are suitable adsorbents for the removal of ammonium ions and that capacity remains nearly constant for two of them during two adsorption–regeneration cycles.

Iron-containing carriers stimulate nitrogen conversions in one-stage reactors treating N-rich digester supernatant

Iron incorporation in biomass carriers (0%, 1%, 5%, and 10% of carrier weight) at nitrogen loading rates (NLR) from 0.08 to 0.30 g/(g MLVSS·d) was tested during the treatment of nitrogen-rich digester supernatant in one-stage reactors, in which hybrid biomass (suspended/attached) was inhabited by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, Anammox bacteria, and denitrifiers. The Anammox process dominated at the highest NLR and increased the volumetric nitrogen removal rate to about 500 g/(m3·d). Total microbial composition was most strongly affected by NLR, however, Anammox bacteria abundance was also affected by the iron content. These bacteria predominated in reactors with 5%-iron carriers, which ensured the highest nitrogen removal efficiency (up to 75%) and kinetics: the average ammonium removal rate was at least 40% higher than in the reactor without iron. The presence of 10%-iron carriers in the reactor inhibited the ammonium oxidation rate; an increase in ammonium removal rate with increasing initial ammonium concentration was the lowest. The contribution of Anammox to nitrogen removal was demonstrated by the simultaneous increase in biomass heme c content to about 0.1 µmol/mg protein along with increasing iron content to 5% and NLR. The incorporation of iron into the carrier structure allowed for a long-term release of mostly ferrous iron to the supernatant, thus accelerating its treatment.

Ammonia Removal by Simultaneous Nitrification and Denitrification in a Single Dual-Chamber Microbial Electrolysis Cell

Ammonia removal from wastewater was successfully achieved by simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) in a double-chamber microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). The MEC operations at different applied voltages (0.7 to 1.5 V) and initial ammonia concentrations (30 to 150 mg/L) were conducted in order to evaluate their effects on MEC performance in batch mode. The maximum nitrification efficiency of 96.8% was obtained in the anode at 1.5 V, followed by 94.11% at 1.0 V and 87.05% at 0.7. At 1.5 V, the initial ammonia concentration considerably affected the nitrification rate, and the highest nitrification rate constant of 0.1601/h was determined from a first-order linear regression at 30 mg/L ammonium nitrogen. The overall total nitrogen removal efficiency was noted to be 85% via the SND in the MEC operated at an initial ammonium concentration of 50 mg/L and an applied cell voltage of 1.5 V. The MEC operation in continuous mode could remove ammonia (50 mg/L) in a series of anode and cathode chambers at the nitrogen removal rate of 170 g-N/m3.d at an HRT of 15. This study suggests that a standalone dual-chamber MEC can efficiently remove ammonia via the SND process without needing additional organic substrate and aeration, which makes this system viable for field applications.

Ammonium removal by alkaline‐activated coconut coir from synthetic and ground waters

AbstractHigh ammonium concentration in groundwater in Viet Nam is a threaten consequence to Vietnamese people in suburban and rural areas. Coconut coir is an economic waste of Viet Nam's agriculture with million tons generated every year. In this work, NaOH treatment of raw coconut coir (RCC) was implemented to obtain activated biomaterial (NaACC) for evaluation of ammonium adsorption from synthetic and ground waters. First, the effects of adsorbent dosage, initial ammonium concentration, reaction time, temperature on adsorption performance, adsorption isotherm, and kinetics for ammonium‐contained synthetic water were investigated. Second, the ammonium adsorption performance of NaACC from a natural groundwater was also evaluated. The removal efficiencies of ammonium were 49.5, 60.6, and 66.7% with maximum adsorption capacities of 0.51, 0.67, and 0.74 mg/g at temperatures of 30, 40, and 50°C, respectively, at pH 7.0, NaACC dose 40 g/L, initial ammonium concentration 40 mg/L, and reaction time 144 h. The NaACC displayed the best ammonium adsorption following Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.9990) and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model (R2 = 0.9989). The NaACC also exhibited a good ammonium adsorption in natural groundwater with removal efficiency and adsorption capacity of 82.6% and 0.77 mg/g, respectively. Particularly, NaACC can be regenerated up to three cycles for consecutive adsorption of ammonium in groundwater without loss of its adsorptive performance. Therefore, NaACC derived from agricultural wastes was a potential biomaterial for cleaning ammonium from contaminated groundwater.

Development of Microalgae-Bacteria Aerobic Granular Sludge for Landfill Leachate Treatment

Over the past few decades, aerobic granular sludge has become favorable biotechnology in wastewater treatment. Combining the AGS process with microalgae technology is desired to achieve higher treatment efficiency, especially for high-strength wastewater. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of microalgae-bacteria AGS in treating landfill leachate. The photo-sequencing batch reactor, inoculated with Acutodesmus obliquus, was fed with old synthetic leachate, and run for 30days. The result showed that chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal up to 96%. The initial ammonia concentration was 130mg/L and achieved an efficiency of up to 80.77%. At the same time, the average removal of the phosphorus was 19.5mg/L, equal to 48.68%. The result of microalgae-bacteria AGS can produce the fast-settling properties of the granules throughout the experiment.

Preparation of a Z-Type g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 Composite Catalyst and Its Mechanism for Degradation of Gaseous and Liquid Ammonia.

In this study, an (A-R)TiO2 catalyst (ART) was prepared via the sol-gel method, and g-C3N4 (CN) was used as an amendment to prepare the g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 composite catalyst (ARTCN). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption curves (BET), UV-Vis diffuse absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and fluorescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to evaluate the structure, morphology, specific surface area, optical properties, and photocarrier separation ability of the catalysts. The results showed that when the modifier CN content was 0.5 g, the dispersion of the ARTCN composite catalyst was better, with stronger light absorption performance, and the forbidden band width was smaller. Moreover, the photogenerated electrons in the conduction band of ART transferred to the valence band of CN and combined with the holes in the valence band of CN, forming Z-type heterostructures that significantly improved the efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole migration and separation, thus increasing the reaction rate. Gaseous and liquid ammonia were used as the target pollutants to investigate the activity of the prepared catalysts, and the results showed that the air wetness and initial concentration of ammonia had a great influence on the degradation of gaseous ammonia. When the initial concentration of ammonia was 50 mg/m3 and the flow rate of the moist air was 0.9 mL/min, the degradation rate of gaseous ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 reached 88.86%, and it had good repeatability. When the catalytic dose was 50 mg and the initial concentration of NH4+ was 100 mg/L, the degradation rate of liquid ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 was 71.60% after 3 h of reaction, and small amounts of NO3- and NO2- were generated. The superoxide anion radical (·O2-) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) were the main active components in the photocatalytic reaction process.

Optimization of Ammonia Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal Performance and Analysis of Microbial Community Structure in Microbial Fuel Cells

In order to study the effects of operating conditions on the performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) for treating ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) and phosphate and the changes in the microbial community under optimized conditions, in this study, the response surface method (RSM) and central composite design (CCD) were used to carry out experiments and construct a model of the system to analyze the influence of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and initial influent ammonia concentration on NH4+-N and the total phosphorus (TP) removal performance of the MFC, and the changes in the microbial community structure were analyzed. The results showed that: (1) the initial influent ammonia concentration had a greater impact than the HRT; (2) after optimizing the reaction conditions, the actual removal rates of NH4+-N and TP of the system were 94.88% and 59.39% (the predicted values were 90.18% and 56.25%), respectively; and (3) the total number of species in the optimization group decreased, and the richness of the microbial community decreased. The system conducted the orthoselection of the microbial community and optimized the structure of the microbial community. After the optimization, the dominant strains for ammonia and phosphorus removal on the cathode reactor of each system were strengthened at the phylum and genus levels. Under the coaction of the dominant strains, the efficiencies of nitrogen removal and phosphorus removal in the reactor were significantly improved. The performance optimization of and microbial community change in NH4+-N and TP removal in the MFC system were studied using RSM, which was helpful to improve the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

Predicting the disease severity in male individuals with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTC-D) is an X-linked metabolic disease and the most common urea cycle disorder. Due to high phenotypic heterogeneity, ranging from lethal neonatal hyperammonemic events to moderate symptoms and even asymptomatic individuals, the prediction of the disease course at an early disease stage is very important to individually adjust therapies such as medical treatment or liver transplantation. In this translational study, we developed a severity-adjusted classification system based on invitro residual enzymatic OTC activity. Applying a cell-based expression system, residual enzymatic OTC activities of 71 pathogenic OTC variants were spectrophotometrically determined and subsequently correlated with clinical and biochemical outcome parameters of 119 male individuals with OTC-D (mOTC-D) as reported in the UCDC and E-IMD registries. Integration of multiple data sources enabled the establishment of a robust disease prediction model for mOTC-D. Residual enzymatic OTC activity not only correlates with age at first symptoms, initial peak plasma ammonium concentration and frequency of metabolic decompensations but also predicts mortality. The critical threshold of 4.3% residual enzymatic activity distinguishes a severe from an attenuated phenotype. Residual enzymatic OTC activity reliably predicts the disease severity in mOTC-D and could thus serve as a tool for severity-adjusted evaluation of therapeutic strategies and counselling patients and parents.

Ammonia crossover in thermally regenerative ammonia-based batteries for low-grade waste heat recovery

Ammonia crossover usually occurs in thermally regenerative ammonia-based batteries (TRABs) and significantly deteriorates the performance. In this study, the effect of ammonia crossover on the performance of TRABs and its influencing factors are studied. In addition, an ammonia-breathing thermally regenerative ammonia-based battery with an ammonia gas chamber (ATRB) is constructed by regulating the structure of the gas diffusion layer to control ammonia transfer in the anode. The results show that the cathode performance remarkably decreases with the increase of ammonia content in the cathode, and the amount of ammonia crossover increase with the rise of initial ammonia concentration, discharging current, and temperature. The visualization results show that TRAB with the ammonia diffusion layer can effectively alleviate the ammonia crossover by regulating ammonia transfer. The content of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in the gas diffusion layer significantly influences ammonia transfer to the porous anode and the cathode. The battery performance increases firstly and decreases later with the PTFE content, and an optimal PTFE content is 20%.