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It is found that the biofuel produced from the torrefaction process was easy to store and deliver and had higher utilization efficiency. Among the existing thermochemical methods, the pyrolysis process was widely used for the complete conversion of algal biomass to bio-oil or char. This study also revealed that the gasification (supercritical) method was the most energy efficient process for conversion of wet algal biomass. The reactor used in the thermochemical process and its subprocess was also highlighted. This study revealed that the fixed bed reactor was suitable for small scale production whereas the fluidized bed reactor could be scaled up for industrial production. In addition to that environmental impacts of the products were also spotlighted. Finally, the perspectives and challenges of algal biomass to bioenergy conversion were addressed.Residual free chlorine is not monitored continuously at scale in drinking water distribution systems because existing real-time sensor technologies require frequent maintenance, cleaning, and calibration, which makes these products too costly to be used throughout a distribution system. As a result, current measurement approaches require manual sampling, which is not feasible for the consistent monitoring of free chlorine because chlorine concentrations vary significantly throughout pipeline distribution and over time and space. This research presents an alternative and cost-effective method of predicting free chlorine levels in drinking water using graphite electrodes coated with naturally grown microbial biofilms. This Microbial Potentiometric Sensor (MPS) array was installed in a Continuously Mixed Batch Reactor (CMBR), and drinking water containing variable free chlorine concentrations. The chlorine concentrations were introduced in a controlled manner, and the MPS signals were monitored over time. MPS sible measurements.Higher temperatures are associated with morbidity and mortality. Most epidemiological studies use outdoor temperature data, however, people spend most of their time indoors. Indoor temperatures and determinants of indoor temperatures have rarely been studied on a large scale. We measured living room and bedroom temperature in 113 homes of elderly subjects, as well as outdoor temperatures, in two cities in the Netherlands. Linear regression was used to determine the influence of building characteristics on indoor living room and bedroom temperatures in the warm episode. During the warm episode, indoor temperatures were higher during the night and lower during the day than outdoor temperatures. Indoor temperatures on average exceeded outdoor temperatures. The weekly average indoor temperature in living rooms varied between 23.1 and 30.2 °C. Dwellings that warmed up easily, also cooled down more easily. Outdoor and indoor temperatures were moderately correlated (R2 = 0.36 and 0.34 for living rooms and bedrooms, respectively). Building year before 1930 and rooms being located on the top floor were associated with higher indoor temperatures. Green in the vicinity was associated with lower temperatures in bedrooms. This study shows that indoor temperatures vary widely between dwellings, and are determined by outdoor temperatures and building characteristics. As most people, especially the elderly, spend most of the time indoor, indoor temperature is a more exact predictor of heat exposure than outdoor temperature. The importance of mitigating high indoor temperatures will be more important in the future because of higher temperatures due to climate change.Intertidal wetlands have historically been in decline and are increasingly at risk due to climate change, particularly sea level rise (SLR). Different intertidal wetland communities can adapt to SLR via lateral upslope retreat to higher ground, capture and accumulation of allochthonous sediment, and/or organic accretion. In this paper, a case study is presented to assess the impact of the overall sediment accretion rate (i.e. allochthonous and organic accumulation) versus possible SLR rates on wetland species composition. Initially, an eco-hydraulic calculation method is developed to estimate existing spatial and temporal tidal inundation statistics of saltmarsh species at a Ramsar listed wetland on the south-east coast of New South Wales, Australia. SLR and accretion scenarios were then tested using high resolution hydrodynamic models to predict future saltmarsh species composition based on the eco-hydraulic calculation method. Saltmarsh species composition and extents were found to persist if sea levels continue to rise at present-day rates, as observed rates of SLR are similar. SB290157 clinical trial However, if the SLR rate accelerates beyond the accretion ability of the wetland, a significant shift in species composition and an increase in open water coverage was predicted. These results indicate that the current rate of sediment capture by wetland species, and the subsequent rate of elevation change, will need to increase significantly to adapt with projected future rates of SLR.The dictyochophyte microalga Pseudochattonella verruculosa was responsible for the largest farmed fish mortality ever recorded in the world, with losses for the Chilean salmon industry amounting to US$ 800 M in austral summer 2016. Super-scale climatic anomalies resulted in strong vertical water column stratification that stimulated development of a dynamic P. verruculosa thin layer (up to 38 μg chl a L-1) for several weeks in Reloncaví Sound. Hydrodynamic modeling (MIKE 3D) indicated that the Sound had extremely low flushing rates (between 121 and 200 days) in summer 2016. Reported algal cell densities of 7000-20,000 cells mL-1 generated respiratory distress in fish that was unlikely due to low dissolved oxygen (permanently >4 mg L-1). Histological examination of salmon showed that gills were the most affected organ with significant tissue damage and circulatory disorders. It is possible that some of this damage was due to a diatom bloom that preceded the Pseudochattonella event, thereby rendering the fish m bloom. Multiple mitigation strategies were used by salmon farmers during the event, with only delayed seeding of juvenile fish into the cages and towing of cages to sanctuary sites being effective. Airlift pumping, used effectively against other fish-killing HABs in the US and Canada was not effective, perhaps because it brought subsurface layers of Pseudochattonella to the surface, or and it also may have lysed the fragile cells, rendering them more lethal. The present study highlights knowledge gaps and inefficiency of contingency plans by the fish farming industry to overcome future fish-killing algal blooms under future climate change scenarios. The use of new technologies based on molecular methods for species detection, good farm practices by fish farms, and possible mitigation strategies are discussed.