http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/25456 https://www.brunel.ac.uk/people/iehs Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:21:38 GMT 2026-04-20T03:21:38Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32309 Title: Environmental impact assessment of multifunctional desalination systems Authors: Ribeiro, JM; Tsalidis, GA; Nika, E; Vasilaki, V; Xevgenos, D; Jouhara, H; Katsou, E Abstract: The desalination sector adopts Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) systems to become more circular, reduce brine discharge and enhance water recovery, which transforms them to multifunctional systems. This multifunctionality requires a methodologically consistent and goal-aligned approach to environmental impact assessment that recognises how different modelling choices are connected with specific decision contexts. A criterion LCA-based framework aligned with the ISO 14044 hierarchy and tailored specifically to desalination has been developed. It guides the selection of allocation approaches based on system characteristics, integration level, and assessment objectives and is applied to assess an MLD system which co-produces desalinated water, sodium chloride, magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, sodium sulphate and hydrochloric acid. Multifunctionality was handled with system expansion and partitioning (physical and economic) approaches, resulting in different functional units. For physical and economic partitioning, the MLD system is modelled from a process and system perspective. The results indicate that the MLD system has larger environmental benefits than the reference system with system expansion. When physical and economic partitioning under different perspectives are applied, they result in different environmental burdens per co-product. The MLD system performs better than the reference system (0.005 kg CO2/kg desalinated water) only when process economic partitioning (0.003 kg CO2/kg desalinated water) is applied. Whereas, the rest co-products perform better than reference products for all partitioning approaches applied. Our results highlight the potential of brine as a secondary source of products. This study underscores the importance of selecting appropriate allocation approaches, contributing to sustainable practices in the desalination sector. Description: Data availability: Data will be made available on request.; Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789425000741?via%3Dihub#appsec1 . Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32309 2025-09-19T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32211 Title: Adapting the engineering design process to develop a business model for service-oriented living labs: a case study of PISCES Authors: Majumder, A; Fahrisa, TR; Gerassimidou, S; Yudoko, G; Jobling, S; Iacovidou, E; Singh, V; Chakrabarti, A Abstract: This paper focuses on the development of a viable business model for the PISCES Living Lab, which seeks to address plastic pollution in Indonesia. The overarching aim is to transition it from a project-based initiative to a self-sustaining service enterprise. The paper introduces a new modified engineering design process as a workshop template to guide an interdisciplinary team in creating a business model for a service-oriented living lab. A four-day workshop was conducted in Banyuwangi, Indonesia, involving a diverse group of stakeholders from the project, and the final outcome was the creation of a Business Model Canvas outlining the core components of the PISCES Living Lab’s business model. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating the engineering design process with business model innovation, offering a structured yet flexible approach to developing self-sustaining Living Labs. Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32211 2025-08-27T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/31920 Title: Meta-analysis of the spatial distribution and composition of plastic macro-debris in Indonesia Authors: Kelly, MR; Cordova, MR; Jobling, S; Thompson, RC Abstract: Plastic pollution is recognised as a global environmental problem with Indonesia identified as a major contributing source. However, a comprehensive understanding of pollution patterns remains hindered by fragmented data and methodological inconsistencies across studies. This study synthesises data from 44 peer-reviewed publications, spanning 68 field locations and 328 individual study sites across 19 provinces, to map the spatial distribution and composition of plastic macro-debris in Indonesia. We identified plastic bags, plastic food packaging, and plastic bottles as the three most prevalent item types, occurring as top three ranked items in 65 %, 63 %, and 40 % of field locations, respectively. Items were recorded across seven different environment types: beach (n = 43 field locations); river (n = 16); mangroves (n = 3); seabed (n = 2); coral reef (n = 2); sea surface (n = 1) and inland areas (n = 1), with research effort concentrated in Java, accounting for 40 % of all field locations. Despite Indonesia’s environmental and regional diversity, multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in litter composition between environment types or provinces, indicating that common plastic items dominate pollution across Indonesia. These findings underscore the need for coordinated national action targeting high-prevalence items and highlight the value of widespread beach litter monitoring as a proxy for broader environmental pollution patterns. Description: Data availability: All data are provided within the main text or supplementary data.; Supplementary material is available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352485525004517#sec0070 . Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/31920 2025-08-29T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/31787 Title: hInGeTox: a human-based in vitro platform to evaluate lentivirus/host interactions that contribute to genotoxicity Authors: Suleman, S; Alhaque, S; Guo, A; Zhang, H; Payne, A; Zahn, M; Fawaz, S; Khalifa, MS; Jobling, S; Hay, D; Franco, M; Fronza, R; Wang, W; Strobel-Freidekind, O; Deichmann, A; Takeuchi, Y; Gil-Farina, I; Klapwijk, J; Perera, S; Schmidt, M; Themis, M Abstract: Lentivirus vectors are effective for treatment of genetic disease. However, safety associated with vector related genotoxicity is of concern and currently available models are not reliably predictive of safety in humans. We have developed hInGeTox as the first human in vitro platform that uses induced pluripotent stem cells and their hepatocyte like cell derivatives to better understand vector-host interactions that relate vectors to their potential genotoxicity. Using lentiviral vectors carrying the eGFP expression cassette under SFFV promoter activity, that only differ by their LTR and SIN configuration, we characterised vector host interactions potentially implicated in genotoxicity. To do this, lentiviral infected cells were subjected to an array of assays and data from these was used for multi-omics analyses of vector effects on cells at early and late harvest time points. Data on the integration sites of lentiviral vectors in cancer genes and differential expression levels of these genes, showed that both vector configurations are capable of activating cancer genes. Through IS tracking in bulk infected cell populations, we also saw an increase in the viral sequence count in cancer genes present over time which were differentially regulated. RNASeq also showed each vector had potential to generate fusion transcripts with the human genome suggestive of gene splicing or vector mediated readthrough from the internal SFFV promoter. Initially, after infection, both vector configurations were associated with differential expression of genes associated cytokine production, however, after culturing over time there were differences in differential expression in cells infected by each LV. This was marked in particular by the expression of genes involved in the response to DNA damage in cells transduced by the SIN vector, suggesting effects likely to prevent tumour development, in contrast to the expression of genes involved in methylation, characteristic of tumour development, in cells transduced by the LTR vector. Both sets of lentiviral infected cells were also found associated with differential expression of MECOM and LMO2 genes known to be associated with clonal dominance, supporting their potential genotoxicity. Alignment of transcriptomic signatures from iPSC and HLC infected cultures with known cancer gene signatures showed the LTR vector with a higher cancer score than the SIN vector over time in iPSC and also in HLC, which further suggests higher genotoxic potential by the LTR configuration lentivirus. By application of hInGeTox to cells infected with LV at the pre-clinical stage of development, we hope that hInGeTox can act as a useful pre-clinical tool to identify lentivirus-host interactions that may be considered contributory to genotoxicity to improve safer lentiviral vector design for gene therapy. Description: Data availability: Raw data are available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.; Supplementary information is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41434-025-00550-9#Sec39 . Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/31787 2025-07-15T00:00:00Z