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Understanding the interactions between biofilm and cementitious materials in biogas production systems is an essential step toward the development of durable concrete for this expanding sector. Although the action of the liquid phase medium on the material has been the subject of several research studies, the possible impact of the material's properties on biofilm formation and composition has been little investigated, if at all. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the characteristics of the biofilm according to the surface properties of the materials. Four cementitious materials with different chemical and mineralogical compositions, and various topological surface characteristics (pastes of CEM I, CEM III/C and CAC, and CEM I paste treated with oxalic acid) were exposed to the liquid phase of a fermenting biowaste for 10 weeks. The steps of biofilm formation were observed using SEM. Even though all the cementitious material surfaces were intensely colonized at the end of the experiments, the establishment of the biofilm seems to have been delayed on the oxalate-treated CEM I and on CAC coupons. Roughness and surface pH effects were not of prime importance for the biofilm development. The analysis of bacterial population diversity using 16S rDNA sequencing showed a less diversified microbial flora in the biofilm than in the reaction medium.

Background: Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB; or sodium oxybate) is an endogenous GHB-/gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptor agonist. It is approved for application in narcolepsy and has been proposed for the potential treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, and depression, all of which involve neuro-immunological processes. Tryptophan catabolites (TRYCATs), the cortisol-awakening response (CAR), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been suggested as peripheral biomarkers of neuropsychiatric disorders. GHB has been shown to induce a delayed reduction of T helper and natural killer cell counts and alter basal cortisol levels, but GHB's effects on TRYCATs, CAR, and BDNF are unknown., Methods: Therefore, TRYCAT and BDNF serum levels, as well as CAR and the affective state (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule [PANAS]) were measured in the morning after a single nocturnal dose of GHB (50 mg/kg body weight) in 20 healthy male volunteers in a placebo-controlled, balanced, randomized, double-blind, cross-over design., Results: In the morning after nocturnal GHB administration, the TRYCATs indolelactic acid, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine, and quinolinic acid; the 3-hydroxykynurenine to kynurenic acid ratio; and the CAR were significantly reduced (P < 0.05-0.001, Benjamini-Hochberg corrected). The quinolinic acid to kynurenic acid ratio was reduced by trend. Serotonin, tryptophan, and BDNF levels, as well as PANAS scores in the morning, remained unchanged after a nocturnal GHB challenge., Conclusions: GHB has post-acute effects on peripheral biomarkers of neuropsychiatric disorders, which might be a model to explain some of its therapeutic effects in disorders involving neuro-immunological pathologies. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT02342366., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.)

Digesters produce biogas from organic wastes through anaerobic digestion processes. These digesters, often made of concrete, suffer severe premature deterioration caused mainly by the presence of fermentative microorganisms producing metabolites that are aggressive towards cementitious materials. To clarify the degradation mechanisms in an anaerobic digestion medium, ordinary Portland cement paste specimens were immersed in the liquid fraction of a running, lab-scale digester for 4weeks. The anaerobic digestion medium was a mixture of a biowaste substrate and sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plant used as a source of anaerobic bacteria. The chemical characteristics of the anaerobic digestion liquid phase were monitored over time using a pH metre, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ion chromatography (HPIC). An initial critical period of low pH in the bioreactors was observed before the pH stabilized around 8. Acetic, propionic and butyric acids were produced during the digestion with a maximum total organic acid concentration of 50mmolL(-1). The maximum ammonium content of the liquid phase was 40mmolL(-1), which was about seven times the upper limit of the highly aggressive chemical environment class (XA3) as defined by the European standard for the specification of concrete design in chemically aggressive environments (EN 206). The changes in the mineralogical, microstructural and chemical characteristics of the cement pastes exposed to the solid and liquid phase of the digesters were analysed at the end of the immersion period by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and electron-probe micro-analysis (EPMA). A 700-μm thick altered layer was identified in the cement paste specimens. The main biodeterioration patterns in the bioreactors' solid/liquid phase were calcium leaching and carbonation of the cement matrix., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)