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“Building a Beautiful China”—this theme deeply reflects China’s profound attention to ecological civilization construction and its firm resolution for environmental protection. While promoting economic development, we should place even greater emphasis on the environment protection, adhere to the concept of green development, and strive to realize the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. For this grand blueprint, everyone should take active steps, participate in the g [Detail] ...
Download coverAnaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste (OW) for methane production is generally inefficient. Supplementation of AD systems with traditional materials (e.g., electroconductive materials) is a current focus of research and has been reported to assist methanogenesis by enhancing the productivity of microbial metabolism among syntrophic anaerobes. Unlike in the AD of organic wastewater, in which microbial cells come into direct contact with the dissolved substrate, in the complex multi-phase AD system of OW, low substrate bioavailability is an inevitable obstacle to microbial syntrophism for methanogenesis. Accordingly, we propose that improving substrate bioavailability and microbial syntrophism is a powerful strategy for ensuring material-assisted efficient AD of OW. Based on the above considerations, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), with their exceptionally high porosity, outstanding multi-functionality, and tuneable structures, have excellent potential for application in multi-phase anaerobic systems of OW to integrate substrate bioavailability and microbial syntrophism and drive efficient AD. In addition, MOFs with designable and tuneable natures have great potential for use in identifying suitable materials for anaerobic systems for different types of OW via machine-learning technologies, thereby effectively enhancing methanogenesis from OW. However, the sustainable application of MOFs in AD and the corresponding environmental risks warrant further investigation.
Soils are not exempt from anthropogenic pollution, which can eventually cause disturbance of the microbial communities and areas without any kind of productivity. Among soil microbiota, bacteria play an important role in pollutant degradation, enabling them to thrive in contaminated sites. Given this, several techniques have been used to increase the number of pollutant-degrading bacteria in situ or for subsequent addition. Additionally, bacteriophages exhibit a high tolerance to pollutants and enhance bacterial metabolic activity through phage-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), thereby augmenting their skills for nutrient assimilation, resistance to phage infection, antibiotic resistance, heavy metal resistance, and degradation of pesticides and xenobiotics, among others. Several phage-encoded AMGs have been described during the last few years, but their diversity, distribution, and function have not been extensively explored, warranting further studies. Here, we highlight soil microbiome interactions, especially bacterium and phage interactions to understand this unexplored world with a high potential for restoring polluted soils.
● The compliance status of 488 BATs was investigated in the Turkish textile sector. ● Full-scale BAT implementation ratios (IR) were evaluated under 17 headings. ● It was found that 37% of the BATs was already implemented full-scale. ● 63% of BATs was potentially to be implemented and not projected to be implemented. ● It was found that 60 BATs had lower IR values (0%–43%).
The draft Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regulation mandates compliance with best available techniques (BATs) for textile manufacturers. A study in Turkish textile facilities, covering 56 units across four sub-sectors, assessed the status of 488 BATs through on-site visits and surveys. The aim was to gauge the sector’s adherence to BATs. The findings revealed that 37% of surveyed BATs were fully implemented, rising to 88% when considering potential future implementations. This suggests a strong industry inclination toward adopting BATs for cleaner production and competitiveness. The study highlighted significant BAT-related investments in the textile sector, driven by environmental concerns, regulations, customer demands, resource efficiency, competition, and cost-benefit considerations. However, the study results also indicated that there is still much work to do for the implementation of some BATs. It was found that 60 BATs had lower implementation ratios (IR: 0%–43%). Lower IR values for these BATs are mainly due to factors like specificity, high costs, long payback periods, operational difficulties, limited expertise, space constraints, customer requirements, quality concerns, operational issues, and sector-specific challenges. The study recommends similar assessments in other European industrial sectors to evaluate compliance with mandatory BATs outlined in the Industrial Emissions Directive. The insights from this study on the Turkish textile sector can serve as a valuable guide for future evaluations.
● From 2005 to 2020, GEP in the Chaobai River’s upper reaches increased by 58%. ● GEP changes in the Chaobai River’s upper reaches exhibited spatial differentiation. ● POP, GDP, and LD were the main driving force factors. ● The interactions between different factors had higher impact than single factor.
The Chaobai River Basin, which is a crucial ecological barrier and primary water source area within the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, possesses substantial ecological significance. The gross ecosystem product (GEP) in the Chaobai River Basin is a reflection of ecosystem conditions and quantifies nature’s contributions to humanity, which provides a basis for basin ecosystem service management and decision-making. This study investigated the spatiotemporal evolution of GEP in the upper Chaobai River Basin and explored the driving factors influencing GEP spatial differentiation. Ecosystem patterns from 2005 to 2020 were analyzed, and GEP was calculated for 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The driving factors influencing GEP spatial differentiation were identified using the optimal parameter-based geographical detector (OPGD) model. The key findings are as follows: (1) From 2005 to 2020, the main ecosystem types were forest, grassland, and agriculture. Urban areas experienced significant changes, and conversions mainly occurred among urban, water, grassland and agricultural ecosystems. (2) Temporally, the GEP in the basin increased from 2005 to 2020, with regulation services dominating. At the county (district) scale, GEP exhibited a north-west-high and south-east-low pattern, showing spatial differences between per-unit-area GEP and county (district) GEP, while the spatial variations in per capita GEP and county (district) GEP were similar. (3) Differences in the spatial distribution of GEP were influenced by regional natural geographical and socioeconomic factors. Among these factors, gross domestic product, population density, and land-use degree density contributed significantly. Interactions among different driving forces noticeably impacted GEP spatial differentiation. These findings underscore the necessity of incorporating factors such as population density and the intensity of land-use development into ecosystem management decision-making processes in the upper reaches of the Chaobai River Basin. Future policies should be devised to regulate human activities, thereby ensuring the stability and enhancement of GEP.
● Aerobic granular sludge could withstand long-term saline stresses. ● Aerobic granular sludge maintained strength under low-salinity condition. ● Aerobic granular sludge was dominated by halophiles at 50 g/L salinity.
Saline wastewater is regarded as a challenge for wastewater treatment plants because high-salinity conditions negatively affect on traditional biological technologies. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) has gained attention as a promising technology for saline wastewater treatment because of its compact structure and the ability to withstand toxic loadings. Therefore, this study investigated the salt-resistance performance, sludge properties and microbial community of AGS under low-salinity and high-salinity conditions, with the saline concentrations ranging from 0 to 50 g/L. The results showed that AGS could withstand long-term saline stresses, and the maximum salinity reached 50 g/L within 113 d. Under salinities of 10, 30, and 50 g/L, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies were 90.3%, 88.0% and 78.0%, respectively. AGS also its maintained strength and aggregation at salinities of 10 and 30 g/L. Overproduction of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by non-halophilic bacteria that enhanced sludge aggregation. The compact structure that ensured the microorganisms bioactivity helped to remove organic matters under salinities of 10 and 30 g/L. At a salinity of 50 g/L, moderately halophilic bacteria, including Salinicola, Thioclava, Idiomarina and Albirhodobacter, prevailed in the reactor. The dominant microbial communities shifted to moderately halophilic bacteria, which could maintain aerobic granular stabilization and remove organic matters under 50 g/L salinity. These results in this study provide a further explanation for the long-term operation of AGS for treating saline wastewater at different salinities. It is hoped that this work could bring some clues for the mystery of salt- resistance mechanisms.
● A new method was developed for simultaneous quantification of multiple NOCs. ● The final steps in the photo-ammonification of NOCs were elucidated. ● This method is less susceptible to organic interference.
The mechanisms underlying the photo-ammonification of nitrogenous organic compounds (NOCs) remain unclear, partly due to the analytical challenges of small NOC intermediates. This study introduced a simple methodology for accurately and simultaneously quantifying multiple small NOCs during ammonification processes. The developed method employed phenyl isothiocyanate as derivatization reagents, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis to measure primary and secondary amines, amides, as well as NH4+ over variable photo-ammonification conditions. In our experimental setup, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation serves as the controlled reaction environment to simulate harsh photo-ammonification environment. Representative NOCs, including pyridine, N,N-dimethylformamide, and acrylonitrile, were chosen due to their structural diversity and environmental relevance as model NOCs. This method was able to achieve excellent nitrogen mass balance, and revealed that the last steps of photo-ammonification involved oxidation of nitrogen-adjacent carbon to amide followed by the cleavage of N–C bond. This novel method may also help quantitative investigation of nitrogen transformations in different environmental contexts.
● Develop a one-step unary KOH molten salt carbon nitride synthesis method. ● Enhance light absorption and separation efficiency of electron-hole pair of K-CN-80. ● Improve photocatalytic activity and kinetics of U(VI) extraction onto K-CN-80. ● Separated U(VI) from wastewater as metastudtite by the photocatalytic extraction.
Photocatalysis-assisted removal of uranium has been proven as an effective method for the elimination of radioactive pollution from wastewater. In this work, carbon nitride materials were synthesized in potassium hydroxide (KOH) molten salt and applied to photocatalytic uranyl extraction. Obtained materials were confirmed to possess the triazine-s-heptazine structure by NMR, XPS and UV-Vis characterization, and exhibited a wider visible light absorption than graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). The photocatalytic activity of the carbon nitride materials was tailored by varying the precursor mass fractions. The carbon nitride obtained at 80% melamine as precursor (K-CN-80) exhibited the highest photocatalytic extraction ability and its photocatalytic reaction rate is 6.6 times faster than that of g-C3N4. The influence of sacrificial agents was studied and the results showed that triethanolamine inhibited U(VI) photoreduction, but methanol can accelerate U(VI) photoreduction by consuming photogenerated holes. This unary KOH molten salt synthesis method has exceptional potential applications in the preparation of carbon nitrides, and the obtained products showed potential in extracting U(VI) from aqueous solutions for use in nuclear fuel industry and for U(VI) environmental pollution cleanup.
● A continuous wastewater-based monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 was conducted. ● Positive correlation between RNA concentrations and reported cases was observed. ● Similar genetic diversity patterns in wastewater and patient source were observed. ● Wastewater-based surveillance aided the early warning of the COVID-19 pandemic. ● Wastewater-based surveillance in the post-pandemic era was evaluated.
Wastewater-based surveillance serves as a supplementary approach to clinical surveillance of COVID-19 during the epidemic. This study aimed to track the prevalence of the disease and the viral genetic variability through wastewater-based surveillance in the post-epidemic era. Between January to December 2023, samples were collected from the influent lines of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), concentrated using PEG8000, and subjected to detection of the target genes ORF 1ab and N of SARS-CoV-2 via reverse transcriptional quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). For next-generation sequencing (NGS), high-quality samples from both wastewater and clinical patients were selected. Weekly analysis were performed using R software to evaluate the correlation between the SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater and positive rate of reported cases, indicating a positive correlation. Genetic diversity patterns of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater resembled those in the patient source based on Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) with three clusters for different stages. The rise of RNA concentration in wastewater indicates the growth of cases and the emergence of new variants, serving as an early warning of potential viral mutations, disease outbreaks even possible epidemics. Furthermore, the genomic surveillance of wastewater could help identify new variants that may not be captured through population monitoring, especially when sample sizes are insufficient. Consequently, surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater has emerged as a reliable, early-warning monitoring system for COVID-19 in the post-epidemic era.
● CBD consumption used during the Dynamic COVID Zero Strategy was quantified. ● An ALICE model to quantify weekly CBD consumption was proposed. ● The total CBD consumption could be reduced by 1.2% with a stricter strategy. ● A stricter and precise control strategy could reduce 16.9% and 37.7% CBD consumption within the close-off and lockdown area.
Chlorine-based disinfectants (CBDs) have been widely used to prevent and control the spread of the COVID-19, which may lead to the formation of carcinogenic hazards. In China, strict disinfection strategies by local governments/communities or volunteering by residents have been implemented to meet the Dynamic COVID Zero (DCZ) Strategy. However, the amount of CBDs used has not been estimated. The author proposed an urban-scale disinfectant consumption estimation (ALICE) model to quantify weekly CBD consumption. The results show that the CBD consumption for the urban region of Beijing during the DCZ strategy was 3704.0 t (0.43 kg/(cap∙yr)), equivalent to a monthly increase of 15 g/cap (70.5%) in CBD consumption compared with that in pre-pandemic. According to the scenario analysis, a stricter strategy with a shorter response time toward new cases will decrease the total CBD consumption by 1.2% compared with the baseline estimation. A more precise prevention strategy with a smaller delineation of risk area and a less stringent strategy with a longer response time will lower the total CBD consumption by 0.42% and 0.35%, respectively. Specifically, the more precise prevention strategy will reduce CBD consumption of close off and lockdown area (COLD area) by 16.9%, and the stricter strategy will reduce this consumption by 37.7%. This study highlights the impact of pandemic prevention and control strategies on chlorine-based disinfectant consumption and some implications for future environmental pollution and risk assessments.
● Establish an automatic water toxicity determination system with a high technical maturity. ● Provide a systematic and basic database of heavy metal toxicity determination with EAB. ● More than two-month surface water quality monitoring with EAB was realized. ● Testify the feasibility of the on-site early warning of heavy metal pollution with EAB.
Water toxicity determination with electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) shows promise for providing early warnings for heavy metal pollution in water. However, thus far, only idealized tests with a few types of heavy metals have been conducted. In this study, an automatic water-toxicity-determination system with high technical maturity was established, and the toxicological properties of common heavy metals were systematically assessed. The results demonstrated that the common heavy metals linearly inhibited EAB currents in the range of 0.1 mg/L to 0.5 mg/L. The toxicity ranking of the tested heavy metals was Pb2+ > Tl3+ > Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Zn2+ > Ni2+ > Hg2+ > As3+. The toxicity interaction mainly exhibited an antagonistic effect in binary heavy metal mixtures. The system can accurately determine surface water toxicity and rapidly monitor heavy metal pollution, with good repeatability and a long lifetime. Overall, this study demonstrates that EAB are capable of long-term (> 60 d) surface water quality monitoring and on-site early warning of heavy metal pollution.
● MM/MD = 3:1 could achieve CO2 loading of 0.617 mol CO2/mol amine. ● MM/MD = 3:1 achieved a heat of CO2 desorption of 61.45 kJ/mol CO2. ● Regeneration energy of MM/MD = 3:1 was 47.20% lower than that of 30 wt.% MEA. ● The carbon enrichment rate of MM/MD = 3:1 still maintained above 95%.
This study focused on enhancing the efficiency of methane upgrading and reducing energy consumption in the biogas upgrading process through the use of biphasic solvents. An aqueous-based biphasic solvent, comprising methyl monoethanolamine (MMEA), N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (ItFB), was meticulously prepared. The biogas upgrading effect, regeneration efficiency, regeneration energy consumption, economic viability, selectivity, and phase separation characteristics of this absorbent were systematically analyzed. Various parameters, including different inlet flow rates, stirring rate, methane inlet concentrations, reaction temperatures, and amine mixing ratios, were adjusted to investigate their impact. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted on the biogas upgrading effect and substance migration trends of the biphasic solvent. Optimal process parameters were determined, demonstrating the favorable impact of the biphasic solvent on biogas upgrading. The upgraded gas achieved a methane purity exceeding 96%, and the regeneration energy consumption decreased by 44.27% compared to 30 wt.% MEA, resulting in a more than 50% improvement in economic efficiency. The interaction between the ionic liquid and carbamate facilitated the phase separation process, with carbon enrichment after separation exceeding 95%. This enhancement significantly contributed to the improvement of regeneration energy consumption. The study thus concludes that biphasic solvents, exemplified by the described aqueous-based solution, offer a promising avenue for effective biogas upgrading with notable advancements in economic and energy efficiency.
● DOM concentration increased with heating temperature (below 100 °C) and duration. ● Molecular weight, function groups and aromaticity of DOM decreased during heating. ● EEM results indicated higher DOM hydrophobicity after heating. ● DOM binding ability declined due to the loss of polar and aromatic function groups.
The impact of thermal remediation on soil function has drawn increasing attention. So far, as the most active fraction of soil organic matter, the evolution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) during the thermal remediation lacks in-depth investigation, especially for the temperatures value below 100 °C. In this study, a series of soil thermal treatment experiments was conducted at 30, 60, and 90 °C during a 90-d period, where soil DOM concentration increased with heating temperature and duration. The molecular weight, functional groups content and aromaticity of DOM all decreased during the thermal treatment. The excitation-emission matrices (EEM) results suggested that humic acid-like substances transformed into fulvic acid-like substances (FIII/FV increased from 0.27 to 0.44) during the heating process, and five DOM components were further identified by EEM-PARAFAC. The change of DOM structures and components indicated the decline of DOM stability and hydrophilicity, and can potentially change the bioavailability and mobility. Elevated temperature also resulted in the decline of DOM complexation ability, which may be caused by the loss of binding sites due to the decrease of polar function groups, aromatic structures and hydrophilic components. This study provides valuable information about the evolution of DOM during thermal remediation, which would potentially change the fate of metal ions and the effectiveness of the post-treatment technologies in the treated region.
● The numerical realization method of the membrane permeation process is summarized. ● Biofouling, scaling and colloidal particle fouling models are detailed presented. ● Representative CFD-aided simulations of anti-fouling strategies are described.
Pressure-driven membrane filtration systems are widely utilized in wastewater treatment, desalination, and water reclamation and have received extensive attention from researchers. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) offers a convenient approach for conducting mechanistic studies of flow and mass transfer characteristics in pressure-driven systems. As a signature phenomenon in membrane systems, the concentration polarization that accompanies the permeation process is a key factor in membrane performance degradation and membrane fouling intensification. Multiple fouling models (scaling, biofouling and colloidal particle fouling) based on CFD theory have been constructed, and considerable research has been conducted. Several representative antifouling strategies with special simulation methods, including patterned membranes, vibration membranes, rotation membranes, and pulsatile flows, have also been discussed. Future studies should focus on refining fouling models while considering local hydrodynamic characteristics; experimental observation tools focusing on the internal structure of inhomogeneous fouling layers; techno-economic model of antifouling strategies such as vibrational, rotational and pulsatile flows; and unfavorable hydraulic phenomena induced by rapidly changing flows in simulations.
