Com o avanço da tecnologia aplicada em aparelhos celulares, são lançados no mercado modelos menores, mais leves e com maior rapidez em seu sistema operacional. Tudo isso atrai muito os consumidores, que por sua vez, trocam seus antigos aparelhos celulares por novos e modernos. Essas adesões e trocas freqüentes de aparelhos celulares geram um descarte significativo de todos os seus componentes e dentre eles a bateria. Assim, pelo fato do cobalto estar presente nesse tipo bateria e ser um metal com alto valor agregado, ele faz parte do estudo do presente trabalho. Este trabalho tem por objetivos estudar as etapas de condicionamento físico e de lixiviação como fases iniciais do processo de reciclagem de baterias de íons de lítio. Para a caracterização das baterias, as mesmas foram desmanteladas manualmente para a separação dos componentes. Os eletrodos foram caracterizados por espectrofotometria de absorção atômica, difração de raios-X e microscopia eletrônica de varredura com analise de microrregiões. Os ensaios de lixiviação foram feitos usando-se os seguintes parâmetros: pH entre 3 e 5, temperaturas de 25 e 50ºC, relação sólido/líquido de 1/5, tempos de 1 a 4h. Foram utilizados como meio lixiviante soluções de acido sulfúrico, clorídrico e nítrico. Peróxido de hidrogênio foi adicionado ao acido sulfúrico como agente oxidante. Os resultados alcançados mostraram que entre os moinhos de martelos, de facas e de bolas o que apresentou o melhor desempenho para a moagem de baterias de íons de lítio foi o moinho de facas. O bombardeamento com ultra-som faz com que haja a liberação do material ativo dos eletrodos que fica aderido aos suportes de cobre e alumínio mesmo apos moagem. A diminuição do pH de 5 para 3 e o aumento da temperatura de 25 para 50ºC causam o aumento da velocidade de lixiviação em meio sulfúrico do oxido de cobalto. A presença de agente oxidante na lixiviação acida faz com que diminua o tempo de lixiviação do oxido de cobalto. A lixiviação com acido nítrico e com acido sulfúrico com adições de peróxido de hidrogênio são os melhores meios de lixiviação quando comparados ao acido clorídrico e ao acido sulfúrico sem oxidante para as mesmas condições de pH e de temperatura. Nas etapas de extração liquido-liquido e reextração foram utilizados os seguintes parâmetros: relação orgânico-aquoso de 1/1, temperatura de 50ºC, pH 4 e tempo de 5 minutos na etapa de extração e como solução aquosa na fase da reextração o acido sulfúrico 2M. Nas duas etapas foi utilizado como extratante o Cyanex 272 diluído em querosene. Os resultados alcançados mostraram que nos primeiros dois contatos das fases orgânicas e aquosas já se obtém as melhores porcentagens de extração e reextração. A eficiência global dos quatro contatos na etapa de extração foi de 94% e na etapa de reextracao foi de 98%. / The fast changes in technologies applied to mobile phones causes an incredible appearance of new and even better models each day. As a consequence, each year increase the amounts of waste of electronic and electric equipments including batteries that should be disposed of. The goal of the present work is to study methods of physical conditioning and acid leaching of Li-ion batteries. Hand disassembling Li-ion batteries was performed to identify and characterize the components of scrap Li-ion batteries. Materials extracted form the electrodes were characterized using X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy coupled with EDS micro-probe. Leaching tests were carried out using the following parameters: pH (3 - 5), temperature (25 and 50ºC), solid/liquid ratio equal to 1/5, leaching time (1 to 4h). Sulfuric acid, chloridric acid and nitric acid were tested as leaching media. Hydrogen peroxide was tested as an oxidizing agent during leaching tests using sulfuric acid. The results obtained showed that knives mill presented better results to grind the scraps in comparison to hammer and balls mills. Ultrasonic treatment was effective to release the active cell materials from copper and aluminum. Decreasing pH from 5 to 3, and increasing the temperature from 25 to 50ºC cause the increasing of the leaching rate of cobalt oxide. Oxidizing conditions also increase the rate of cobalt oxide leaching. Nitric acid and sulfuric acid plus hydrogen peroxide leaching results in better leaching rates compared to chloridric acid and sulfuric acid.

O avanço da tecnologia de aparelhos eletro-eletrônicos favorece a troca constante dos equipamentos. O freqüente descarte de aparelhos obsoletos se torna um problema de sustentabilidade e também um problema ambiental devido ao seu acúmulo em aterros. A solução para minimizar estes impactos é a reciclagem de seus componentes. Por esta razão, o principal objetivo deste trabalho é estudar o processamento das placas de circuito impresso de telefones celulares através de operações unitárias de Tratamento de Minérios e hidrometalurgia a fim de se recuperar o cobre contido nas placas. Para isso, inicialmente, placas de circuito impresso foram processadas em moinho de martelos, a fim de liberar os materiais, em seguida foi feita a separação magnética do material cominuído. Com a fração não magnética foi feita a separação eletrostática e o material foi separado em: fração condutora, mista e não condutora, com cada fração foi feita a classificação granulométrica e, posteriormente, realizaram-se ensaios de caracterização como pirólise, digestão em água régia e análise química de espectroscopia de emissão óptica por indução de plasma. Os processos hidrometalúrgico aplicados para a recuperação de cobre nas placas de circuito impresso de aparelhos celulares obsoletos envolvem etapas lixiviação com ácido sulfúrico na ausência e na presença de peróxido de hidrogênio. Os resultados da caracterização mostraram que as placas de circuito impresso de celulares após a moagem possuem 24% de cerâmicas; 12,7% de polímeros e 63,3% de metais. Além disso, após a classificação granulométrica e a separação eletrostática os materiais não se concentraram em nenhuma fração especifica, portanto o processamento mecânico visando a recuperação de metais deve contemplar a moagem e a separação magnética. / The technology advancement of electro-electronics devices favors the constant equipment exchange. The frequent disposal of obsolete equipment becomes a sustainability problem and also an environmental problem due to their accumulation in landfills. One possible solution to minimize these impacts is the recycling of their components. For this reason the aim goal of this study is processing of printed circuit boards of mobile phones utilizing unit operation of ore treatment and hydrometallurgy to recover the copper contained in the printed. Therefore, initially printed circuit boards were processed on a hammer mill to release the materials, then it was made magnetic separation of comminuted material. With the non-magnetic fraction was made electrostatic separation in which the material was separated into: conductive, mixed and non-conductive fraction, with each fraction was made grain sized classification and then assays were performed analysis of characterize as pyrolysis, digestion in aqua regia and chemical analysis of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Hydrometallurgical processes applied to the cooper recovery in printed circuit boards of obsolete mobile phones, involve steps leaching with sulfuric acid in the absence and presence of hydrogen peroxide. The characterization results showed that the printed circuit boards of mobile phones after grinding have ceramics 24%, polymers 12.7% and metals 63.3%. Moreover, after grain sized classification and electrostatic separation the materials didn\'t concentrate in no specific fraction, therefore the mechanical processing in order to recover metals should include grinding and magnetic separation.

As telas de cristal líquido (LCD) são usadas em TVs, calculadoras, telefones celulares, computadores (laptop e palm), vídeo games e agendas eletrônicas. O aumento e a rápida obsolescência tecnológica desses dispositivos eletrônicos causa o descarte excessivo de LCDs usados, diminuindo a vida útil de aterros. Por isso é necessário o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia de reciclagem de LCDs, que deve ser iniciada pela caracterização de LCDs, seguida do processamento das telas com objetivo de separar os materiais, utilizando algumas técnicas de Tratamento de Minérios. Os ensaios realizados para caracterização dos componentes da tela foram: solubilização em solvente; chama; infravermelho; DSC; MEV com EDS; difração de raios-X; e perda ao fogo. A seqüência identificada dos materiais de fora para dentro foi: triacetato de celulose, poli (álcool) vinil dopado com iodo, triacetato de celulose, cristal líquido, vidro com ITO, triacetato de celulose, poli (álcool) vinil dopado com iodo, triacetato de celulose, polímero não identificado com mica. Após a caracterização foi realizada a etapa de liberação de materiais, utilizando-se de moinhos de rolos, de disco, de martelos, de bolas, separação por álcool, imersão em nitrogênio líquido, e solubilização em água, para separação dos materiais recicláveis. A operação de Tratamento de Minérios que apresentou cerca de 98% de separação dos materiais foi com o moinho de martelos. Este material pode ser usado eventualmente como substituto da areia. Para viabilizar a separação dos materiais existe a necessidade de alteração no projeto das LCDs. / Liquid crystal displays (LCD) are used in TVs, calculators, mobiles, computers (laptop and palm), video games and electronic agendas. The increasing and fast technological obsolescence of these electronic devices causes their extreme discard, decreasing the landfills useful life. Therefore it is necessary the development of a LCD recycling methodology which must be started by the LCDs characterization, followed by the displays processing with the objective of separating materials, using some Ore Treatment techniques. The characterization tests of the LDC components: solvent solubilization, flame, infrarred, DSC, MEV with coupled EDS, X-ray diffraction and loss on fire. The sequence of the identified materials were: celulose triacetate, poly vinyl alcohol with iodine, cellulose triacetate, liquid cristal, ITO glass, cellulose triacetate, poly vinyl alcohol with iodine, cellulose triacetate, polymer with muscovite. Following the characterization, the materials releasing step was performed. Firstly the LCDs were grinded using different kinds of mills, then the grinded materials were passed through several separation tests: separation on alcohol, immersion in liquid nitrogen and solubilization in water. Hammer milling present the best results. The project of the LCDs should be improved in order to allow the materials separation.

A maioria dos processos de fabricação de um produto geram resíduos. Quando não se dispõem de uma tecnologia para o seu reaproveitamento, certamente este material será depositado na natureza e poderá ocasionar inúmeros problemas ambientais. Este trabalho trata da reutilização dos resíduos de concreto como agregado, para dosagens de concreto estrutural. Na maioria das vezes, os agregados provenientes de resíduos são considerados materiais de baixa qualidade, isso ocorre pelo desconhecimento de suas propriedades e da tecnologia para seu emprego. Fazendo uma pesquisa bibliográfica, teórica e experimental, o objetivo deste estudo foi de uma maneira informativa, contribuir para o entendimento do material, caracterizando algumas propriedades do agregado e do concreto reciclado. / Most of making process of a product produces residue. When there isn\'t a technology to use it again, certainly this material will be deposited in nature and it can bring about countless environmental problems. This work presents the reuse of concrete residues as aggregate, for dosage of structural concrete. Most of times, the aggregates provenient from the residues are considered low quality materials, it occurs due to the lack of knowledge of its properties and technology for its use. Doing a bibliographical, theorical and experimental research, the objective of this study was, on an informative way, to contribute for understanding of the material, characterizing some properties of aggregate and the recycled concrete.

Orientadores: Marcelo de Castro Takeda, Rosa Cristina Cecche Lintz / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Tecnologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T23:05:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bittencourt_SarahFerreira_M.pdf: 3766625 bytes, checksum: 20e7a58224ab90630c3326210d86bc6d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Neste trabalho procurou-se desenvolver um paver utilizando em sua composição agregados reciclados (brita e areia), provenientes de Resíduos de Construção e Demolição (RCD), e também foi testado areia de fundição na sua composição. Foram elaborados diversos traços com diferentes porcentagens de substituição do agregado natural pelo agregado reciclado. Com o intuito de diminuir o descarte de RCD no meio ambiente, neste trabalho procurou-se estudar a viabilidade desta incorporação aos pavers analisando-os mecanicamente e fisicamente.Os agregados reciclados podem apresentar composições diversas em função das características locais, obtendo assim valores, como os de resistência, diferenciados conforme sua composição. A areia de fundição pode apresentar composição distinta em função do processo de produção, pois sua composição química é diretamente modificada. Isso justifica o estudo da aplicação desses materiais em função de possíveis diferenças de comportamento. Visando a sua comercialização este estudo ensaiou pavers produzidos em fábricas de blocos e não corpos-deprova, que poderiam apresentar valores que não correspondem a realidade do produto comercializado. Os estudos mostraram que, de maneira geral, o aumento na proporção de substituição produz uma redução na resistência à compressão dos pavers. A substituição por areia reciclada na proporção de 20% não alterou as significativamente as propriedades mecânicas dos pavers. Já a substituição por 40% de areia reciclada e 20 e 40% de brita reciclada e areia de fundição alteraram o comportamento mecânico dos pavers promovendo a redução da resistência à compressão / Abstract: In this study we sought to develop a paver in its composition using recycled aggregates (gravel and sand) from Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW), and was also tested foundry sand in its composition. Several traits have been developed with different percentages of replacement of natural aggregate by recycled aggregate. In order to reduce the disposal of CDW in the environment, this study sought to investigate the feasibility of incorporating the pavers analyzing them mechanically and physically. The aggregates may have different compositions depending on local characteristics, thus obtaining values such as strength, differentiated according to their composition. The foundry sand can have different compositions depending on the production process, because its composition is modified directly. This justifies consideration of the application of these materials due to possible differences in behavior. In order to be marketed this study tested pavers block manufactured in factories and not bodies-of-proof, which could have values that do not match the reality of the marketed product. Studies have shown that, in general, the increase in the proportion of substitution causes a reduction in the compressive strength of pavers. Substitution of recycled sand in proportions of 20% did not change significantly the mechanical properties of pavers. Since the replacement of 40% recycled sand and 20 and 40% of gravel and recycled sand casting alter the mechanical behavior of pavers promoting the reduction in compressive strength / Mestrado / Tecnologia e Inovação / Mestre em Tecnologia

Orientador : Wesley Jorge Freire / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agricola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T02:41:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Milani_AnaPauladaSilva_M.pdf: 1388298 bytes, checksum: 29b07ee608ddbe854bae23bf9715ab1a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: No Brasil existem sérios problemas ambientais no que se refere à extração indiscriminada de recursos naturais e à constante geração de resíduos agroindustriais. Buscando soluções que minimizem esta degradação ambiental, o presente trabalho pesquisou misturas de solo + aglomerante mineral + resíduo agroindustrial, sendo utilizado, como recurso natural, a terra; como estabilizante, o cimento e a cal; e, como resíduo agroindustrial, a casca de arroz. O principal objetivo da pesquisa foi estudar os efeitos da adição de combinações de cimentocasca de arroz e de cal-casca de arroz nas propriedades físico-mecânicas de um solo predominantemente arenoso e outro solo predominantemente argiloso, bem como avaliar a viabilidade técnica da confecção de tijolos de solo-cimento-casca de arroz e solo-cal-casca de arroz. Para tal, foram realizados o fracionamento, peneiramento e pré-tratamento (em solução de cal) da casca de arroz; estudo de dosagem das misturas de solo-aglomerante-casca de arroz através de ensaios de compactação normal de Proctor e ensaio de compressão simples. A partir deste estudo preliminar, as misturas de solo-aglomerante-casca de arroz que melhores resultados apresentaram em termos de desempenho mecânico foram utilizadas para a confecção de corpos-de-prova e tijolos para posterior caracterização físico-mecânica. A avaliação dos corpo-de-prova de solo-aglomerante-casca de arroz consistiu na aplicação dos ensaios de compressão simples, de tração na compressão diametral, aos 7 e 28 dias, de absorção d¿água e de ultra-som. Já os tijolos de solo-aglomerante-casca de arroz foram submetidos aos ensaios de compressão simples aos 7, 28 e 60 dias, de absorção de água e de ultra-som. Depois de determinadas e estatisticamente analisadas as principais características físicas e mecânicas das misturas de solo-aglomerante-casca de arroz, pôde-se concluir que o solo arenoso, adicionado de 12% de combinações de cimento-casca de arroz, apresentou-se como promissor material para utilização na fabricação de tijolos prensados a serem utilizados em construções e instalações rurais / Abstract: The environmental concern related to the indiscriminate extraction of Brazilian natural resources and the ceaseless agricultural and industrial waste generation became a serious problem demanding for a quick solution. So this work was done in order to minimize the environment degradation by using rice husk added to mixtures of soil and cement or lime aiming at the obtainment of an alternative construction material. For this purpose, two different types of soil, a sandy soil and a clayey one, were treated with different amounts of cement, lime and rice husk before being submitted to physical and mechanical tests. The rice husk preparation consisted of grinding, sieving, and pre-treatment with lime solution followed by physical analysis in laboratory conditions. The different mixtures of soil, cement, lime and rice husk were tested for compaction and unconfined compression. The specimens molded according to the treatments applied to the mixtures were subsequently submitted to compression testing at 7 and 28 days old as well as to water absorption and to ultrasonic pulse velocity tests. The soil-cement/lime-rice husk mixtures presenting the best results in terms of mechanical strength were utilized for specimen molding and brick manufacturing, the specimens being tested for both the compression and the splitting tensile strength at 7 and 28 days old as well as to water absorption and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests. On the other hand, the bricks were tested to compression at 7, 28 and 60 days old, to water absorption and to ultrasonic pulse velocity. The obtained data were then statically analyzed and the results showed that the sandy soil added of 12% of the cement and rice husk combination was the best treatment in terms of physical and mechanical properties, pointing out its promising use as an alternative material for brick manufacture to be used in rural construction / Mestrado / Construções Rurais e Ambiencia / Mestre em Engenharia Agrícola

Ph.D. (Chemistry) / South Africa has a background in which the regulatory system has major limitations, especially with reference to an integrated approach to waste and pollution. The situation has been rectified with the promulgation of new legislation that will approach pollution and waste in an integrated and holistic manner. This new approach also emphasizes that waste should be minimised at all levels, including the household level. The aim of this study has been to determine the influence of waste recovery and organic recycling, at household level, on the waste stream within an urban area in South Africa. The following research aims set for this study were: • To discuss the development of waste minimisation, with specific reference to the South African situation and legislative framework. • To investigate waste recovery and organic recycling as a waste management strategy by reviewing literature. • To investigate a waste recovery and organic recycling strategy within a local transitional council by making use of an empirical study. The most important conclusions gained from reviewing the literature are the following: • South Africa has adopted the Integrated Waste Management Approach, which includes recovery and recycling at source as well as organic recycling. • International case studies, incorporating both developed and developing countries, indicate that organic recycling and waste recovery programmes could be implemented successfully in South Africa with resulting benefits for the communities, service providers and the environment. The aim of the empirical component was to determine the following: • The effect of implementation of organic recycling and waste recovery measures on the waste stream at households level. • The comparative effect of organic recycling and waste recovery rates between a training and non-training group. • The respondent's experiences of the organic recycling.

Nanokomposit innehållande högdensitetspolyeten och kolnanorör återvanns och analyseradesför att undersöka hur materialets egenskaper påverkas av återvinning. Kompositenproducerades med 3 viktprocent kolnanorör och återvanns tio gånger genom att extrudera ochmala ner materialet. Analyser gjordes efter varje cykel av extrudering. Dessutom utfördessimulerade tester med kontinuerlig extrudering i 20, 100 och 200 minuter motsvarande 10, 50och 100 cykler. Därav kunde nedbrytningen av kompositen efter längre tids bearbetninganalyseras. I projektet studerades ett referensmaterial bestående av den rena polymeren för attkunna jämföra resultat. Karaktärisering av materialen för att bestämma mekaniska egenskapergjordes med dragprovning, böjningstest och slagprovning. För att undersöka termiskaegenskaper användes Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) och Gel PermeationChromatography (GPC) användes för att hitta molekylviktsändringar. Fourier TransformInfrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) utfördes för att identifiera materialet. Resultaten visade ingenstörre skillnad i egenskaper efter tio återvinningscykler, vilket indikerade att materialet harförmåga att behålla sina egenskaper vid återvinning. I de simulerade cyklerna minskade denoxidativa induktionstiden efter 50 och 100 cykler, vilket berodde på att antioxidanterkonsumerats under bearbetningen. Efter 50 simulerade cykler hade molekylvikten börjat sjunkaoch efter 100 cykler kunde en signifikant minskning obseveras, vilket tydde på attpolymerkedjorna förkortats under bearbetningen. För kompositen däremot var molekylviktenstabil, på grund av att kolnanorören skyddade polymeren vid nedbrytning. / Nanocomposite containing High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs)was reprocessed and characterised to investigate the effect on properties during recycling. Thecomposite was prepared with 3 wt-% CNTs and was recycled ten times by alternatereprocessing and grinding and thereafter the material was characterised. Furthermore, simulatedcycles with continuous processing at 20, 100 and 200 minutes were conducted, representing 10,50 and 100 cycles respectively, in order to investigate the degradation after longer time ofprocessing. In both trials, a reference material containing neat HDPE was studied. Thecharacterisation of the materials produced was conducted using tensile, flexural and charpyimpact testing for investigation of mechanical properties. Differential Scanning Calorimetry(DSC) was used for determining the thermal behaviour and Gel Permeation Chromatography(GPC) to find molecular weight changes. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) wasused for identification of the material. The results showed no major difference in propertiesafter ten recycling steps, which indicated that the material had the ability to retain its propertiesduring recycling. In the simulated cycles, the oxidative induction time was decreased after 50and 100 cycles, meaning that antioxidants had been consumed during processing. After 50cycles the molecular weight for the reference material was slightly decreased and after 100cycles significantly decreased, indicating chain scission of the polymer chains. For thecomposite the molecular weight was stable, due to that the carbon nanotubes protect thepolymer matrix during degradation.

Electrical and electronic equipment waste (e-waste) is growing fast. Due to its potential economic value as well as its possible negative impacts on the environment, tracing e-waste flow is a major concern for stakeholders of e-waste management. Especially, whether or not adequate amounts of electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE) flow into the designed recycling systems is a fundamental issue for sustainable operations. In this paper, we analyze how technical, market, and legislative factors influence the total amount of e-waste that is collected, recycled, exported and (legally and illegally) disposed off. We formulate the e-waste network flow model as a variational inequality problem. The results of the numerical examples highlight the importance of considering the interaction between the supply and the demand side for precious materials in policy-decisions. Low collection rates of e-waste lead to low profits for stakeholders and make it difficult to establish sustainable recycling operations. Increasing WEEE collection rates increases recyclers' profits; however, it only increases smelters' profits up to a certain limit, after which smelters cannot benefit further due to limited demand for precious materials. Furthermore, the results emphasize the importance of establishing international control regimes for WEEE flows and reveal possible negative consequences of the recent trend of dematerialization. More precisely, product dematerialization tends to decrease recyles' and smelters' profits as well as to increase the outflow of e-waste from the designated recycling system. (authors' abstract)

Urbanization has led to rapid and uncontrolled growth of informal housing settlements in many developing countries. As most slum growth is unplanned, these areas tend to lack basic infrastructure including sanitation. The high user rates, lack of water and electricity infrastructure, space limitations, and scant financial resources make sanitation provision a major challenge in slums. As most decentralized sanitation technologies fail when applied in these environments, better technologies need to be developed that cater to the specific needs of slum dwellers. One promising technology, the membrane bioreactor (MBR) is routinely used in developed countries when a compact and resilient treatment system is required. However, the energy requirement of existing MBRs is high, as most are aerobic systems which require aeration. Anaerobic MBRs (AnMBR), which do not require aeration, have led to an improvement of the energy profile of MBRs. As research into the technology is still in its infancy, little is known regarding its applicability in high-density urban environments. This body of research is aimed at understanding the AnMBR’s treatment performance and overall reliability in challenging circumstances similar to those encountered in slums. The appropriateness of an AnMBR was investigated with pilot and full-scale systems treating real wastewater in field conditions. The first investigation, discussed in Chapter 3, was used to determine the resilience of AnMBR treatment when subjected to periods of disuse and high fluctuations in incoming feed strengths. Decentralized systems often see much higher variations in feed composition than centralized systems as they lack large collection systems which homogenize the influent wastewater. Depending on the application, periods of low and no flow are also possible. During this long-term study it was observed that the membrane served an important role in controlling the effluent quality, especially when environmental conditions and feed characteristics varied so significantly as to upset biological stability. The system achieved an average COD removal efficiency of 88.2% throughout the study. It was also observed during this study that the system had higher removal efficiencies when treating higher COD concentrations. Higher strength wastewaters can routinely be found in decentralized applications where dilution water is minimal. These locations include water-efficient buildings, direct coupling to public toilets, and fecal sludge treatment plants. It was also found that the AnMBR was capable of rapidly recovering from extended periods of disuse. This ensures that the AnMBR can be applied to areas, such as schools and hotels that experience large seasonal variations and periods of disuse. The second investigation, described in Chapter 4, examined how fluctuations in ambient temperatures affect fouling resistance. In small decentralized applications, operating the reactor at ambient temperatures is the most likely scenario, as controlling the reactor temperature would incur a high energy demand. Operating at ambient temperatures means that variations can be high, and that temperatures can drop below ideal ranges. Temperature is known to affect biological treatment and to a lesser extent membrane filtration, but the interactions between the two are not fully understood. To determine the effect of temperature on operation, a pilot scale AnMBR was used to treat wastewater with fluctuating ambient temperatures. Three trials were conducted during summer and winter conditions, as well an artificially heated period. It was found that membrane permeability can be greatly affected by operating temperature but its effect varied depending on the fouling state of the membrane. Virgin, or recently cleaned membranes were not affected by low temperatures, while the permeability of slightly fouled membranes was negatively correlated to changes in temperature. When slightly fouled, a membrane TMP could increase by 2.4 times with a 10oC drop in temperature. The magnitude of the TMP increase could not be explained by changes in water viscosity alone. The effect of temperature on TMP decreased when fouling became severe and normal operating pressures were high. These results suggest that seasonal adjustments to AnMBR operation would be necessary to prevent sharp and excessive increases in operational TMP during cold spells. Chapter 5 investigated the feasibility of recovering water, nutrients, and energy in an off-grid and decentralized AnMBR. This investigation performed an energy, nutrient, and mass balance for a theoretical AnMBR treating water from a public toilet in a high density setting. What was concluded from this study is that complete water recycling can be accomplished in such an environment. Onsite water recycling would allow the system to be applied in arid urban areas as well as places lacking regular water provision. The study also concluded that the energy content of wastewater in a high density area would be sufficient to power an AnMBR and electronic toilet. For areas where low wastewater strengths would be expected, food waste addition to the wastewater would improve the energy profile of the system. As many urban areas of developing countries struggle with solid waste management, there is the opportunity to link food waste management with wastewater treatment. This study also highlighted the potential problems that ammonia and salinity buildup could have on a system that achieves complete water recycling. Once the system specifically designed for urban areas was deemed theoretically feasible, a full-scale, solar-powered, prototypical system was constructed in Florida and tested in India (Chapter 6). This system, which was applied in Kerala, India, was investigated for its treatment and membrane performance as well as energy consumption. During the first four months of operation, the system was able to produce high quality product water that could be used for toilet flushing. This was achieved despite the low strength of the incoming feed water and higher than anticipated wastewater production rates. The wastewater strength was low due to the system’s application in a school setting and high levels of dilution water. The reliance on multiple anti-fouling mechanisms allowed the system to operate for 4 months without a significant change in TMP. The average energy consumption per unit of produced water depended on the amount of water treated per day. On average the energy consumption was 1.52 kWh/m3, but that value dropped to 0.83 kWh/m3 when volumes greater than 200 liters were treated per day. The lowest value measured during this trial was 0.16 kWh/m3 when 1,394 liters were produced. All of the energy used by the system was produced by onsite photovoltaics, with minimal carbon footprint. While the system was capable of meeting the water demand of the toilet system, further improvements in the energy demand of the system will be necessary to make the system more cost-effective, robust and reliable. These results suggest that AnMBRs can be applied in high density urban areas for the dual objectives of wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Their reliable treatment in the face of large fluctuations in feed concentration, volume, and temperature suggests they are appropriate for decentralized applications. Membrane filtration allows water to be reliably recycled onsite with minimal operator oversight. The low energy requirements of the system allow for onsite renewable energy sourced, such as photovoltaics to be used to power the system. AnMBRs are able to address many of the challenges that traditional sanitation technologies cannot, which makes them a promising technology to address the problems encountered in slum sanitation.