Developing adsorptive materials with high removal efficiency is essential for treating heavy metals in water systems and mitigating their severe environmental and health impacts. This study synthesised three-dimensional resorcinol–formaldehyde hollow spheres (RF-HSs) with micro- and sub-100-nm particle sizes for the adsorptive removal of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The materials were prepared via an extended Stöber method and a water-in-oil microemulsion method to produce micrometre- and nanometre-sized spheres, respectively. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to determine optimal operating conditions, yielding an adsorbent dose of 2 mg, a contact time of 10 min, and a solution pH of 5.5. The nano-sized RF-HSs exhibited significantly higher removal performance for Cd and Pb than their micro-sized counterparts. Maximum adsorption capacities of 90 mg/g (Cd) and 271 mg/g (Pb) were achieved within a 20 min contact time. In complex real-water matrices, RF-HS nanoparticles achieved removal efficiencies of 85–97%. Furthermore, the nanospheres could be regenerated and reused for up to 10 cycles without any measurable loss in removal efficiency, thereby reducing the adsorption costs to $6.12 USD/g for Cd and $2.03 USD/g for Pb. Overall, the results indicate that RF-HS nanoparticles are a sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance adsorbent for removing heavy metals from contaminated water systems.
{"title":"Sub-100 nm resorcinol-formaldehyde hollow spheres to remove heavy metals from water","authors":"Mthokozisi Mnguni, Siphosethu Hobongwana, Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00552-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00552-5","url":null,"abstract":"Developing adsorptive materials with high removal efficiency is essential for treating heavy metals in water systems and mitigating their severe environmental and health impacts. This study synthesised three-dimensional resorcinol–formaldehyde hollow spheres (RF-HSs) with micro- and sub-100-nm particle sizes for the adsorptive removal of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The materials were prepared via an extended Stöber method and a water-in-oil microemulsion method to produce micrometre- and nanometre-sized spheres, respectively. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to determine optimal operating conditions, yielding an adsorbent dose of 2 mg, a contact time of 10 min, and a solution pH of 5.5. The nano-sized RF-HSs exhibited significantly higher removal performance for Cd and Pb than their micro-sized counterparts. Maximum adsorption capacities of 90 mg/g (Cd) and 271 mg/g (Pb) were achieved within a 20 min contact time. In complex real-water matrices, RF-HS nanoparticles achieved removal efficiencies of 85–97%. Furthermore, the nanospheres could be regenerated and reused for up to 10 cycles without any measurable loss in removal efficiency, thereby reducing the adsorption costs to $6.12 USD/g for Cd and $2.03 USD/g for Pb. Overall, the results indicate that RF-HS nanoparticles are a sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance adsorbent for removing heavy metals from contaminated water systems.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00536-5
Lena Campostrini, Katalin Demeter, Rita Linke, Anna Pölz, Margaret E. Stevenson, Julia Derx, Stefan Jakwerth, Gerhard Lindner, Adrian Shajkofci, Luigino Grasso, Sandra Peer, Matthias Zessner, Alexander K. T. Kirschner, Andreas H. Farnleitner
This study presents the first rigorous, multi-parameter evaluation of near-real-time flow cytometry (FCM) for automated on-site monitoring at a model alpine karst spring used as a drinking water resource. We tested automated FCM for its capacity to indicate microbial cell inputs from the catchment surface (SRI) and to indirectly indicate diffuse faecal contamination (DFC). A nested 10-year study design combined low-frequency monitoring with high-frequency event sampling. The instruments tested in the study performed well under challenging field conditions and reliably quantified microbial cells, as validated against established methods. FCM parameters robustly detected SRI and, indirectly, DFC, in a catchment with diffuse animal faecal contamination sources. The same performance was observed for the online physico-chemical parameters UV254 and turbidity. The combination of these biotic and abiotic indicators outperformed single parameters in early warning analyses, demonstrating their potential for water safety planning by enabling timely and specific responses. The various aspects of the automated on-site monitoring devices used are discussed in detail. While automated FCM already supports the indirect detection of diffuse faecal pollution, further technical advances are necessary to extend its scope toward the specific and sensitive detection of faecal contamination.
{"title":"Performance of on-site flow cytometry for near-real-time microbiological analysis of alpine karst drinking water resources","authors":"Lena Campostrini, Katalin Demeter, Rita Linke, Anna Pölz, Margaret E. Stevenson, Julia Derx, Stefan Jakwerth, Gerhard Lindner, Adrian Shajkofci, Luigino Grasso, Sandra Peer, Matthias Zessner, Alexander K. T. Kirschner, Andreas H. Farnleitner","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00536-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00536-5","url":null,"abstract":"This study presents the first rigorous, multi-parameter evaluation of near-real-time flow cytometry (FCM) for automated on-site monitoring at a model alpine karst spring used as a drinking water resource. We tested automated FCM for its capacity to indicate microbial cell inputs from the catchment surface (SRI) and to indirectly indicate diffuse faecal contamination (DFC). A nested 10-year study design combined low-frequency monitoring with high-frequency event sampling. The instruments tested in the study performed well under challenging field conditions and reliably quantified microbial cells, as validated against established methods. FCM parameters robustly detected SRI and, indirectly, DFC, in a catchment with diffuse animal faecal contamination sources. The same performance was observed for the online physico-chemical parameters UV254 and turbidity. The combination of these biotic and abiotic indicators outperformed single parameters in early warning analyses, demonstrating their potential for water safety planning by enabling timely and specific responses. The various aspects of the automated on-site monitoring devices used are discussed in detail. While automated FCM already supports the indirect detection of diffuse faecal pollution, further technical advances are necessary to extend its scope toward the specific and sensitive detection of faecal contamination.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00550-7
Hyunsoo Choi, Su-Mi Shin, Sungju Jung, Sung-Hun Lee, Taeho Kim
Land-based aquaculture requires scalable treatment systems capable of anticipating and mitigating pathogenic risks under changing environmental conditions. In this study, we collected meteorological and bacterial data and performed correlation analyses to identify key relationships, which guided the development of an integrated, predictive treatment system. This system combines a modular total suspended solids–pathogen removal system (TSS–PRS), composed of sediment filtration, UV disinfection, and oxygen dissolution, with a deep learning-based multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model to improve water quality and forecast pathogen dynamics. The TSS–PRS effectively reduced TAN (41.1%), bacterial activity (BQV, 74.5%), and turbidity (72.8%). It also successfully eliminated hazardous fish pathogens, including Photobacterium damselae, Tenacibaculum maritimum, Vibrio harveyi, and Enteromyxum leei. The MLP model further indicated that bacterial activity markedly increased under optimal conditions of turbidity (100 NTU), pH (7.97), and water temperature (27.5 °C).
{"title":"Scalable predictive framework for environmental pathogen control in land-based aquaculture","authors":"Hyunsoo Choi, Su-Mi Shin, Sungju Jung, Sung-Hun Lee, Taeho Kim","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00550-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00550-7","url":null,"abstract":"Land-based aquaculture requires scalable treatment systems capable of anticipating and mitigating pathogenic risks under changing environmental conditions. In this study, we collected meteorological and bacterial data and performed correlation analyses to identify key relationships, which guided the development of an integrated, predictive treatment system. This system combines a modular total suspended solids–pathogen removal system (TSS–PRS), composed of sediment filtration, UV disinfection, and oxygen dissolution, with a deep learning-based multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model to improve water quality and forecast pathogen dynamics. The TSS–PRS effectively reduced TAN (41.1%), bacterial activity (BQV, 74.5%), and turbidity (72.8%). It also successfully eliminated hazardous fish pathogens, including Photobacterium damselae, Tenacibaculum maritimum, Vibrio harveyi, and Enteromyxum leei. The MLP model further indicated that bacterial activity markedly increased under optimal conditions of turbidity (100 NTU), pH (7.97), and water temperature (27.5 °C).","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145908426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-03DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00538-3
Nadeem Baig, Tauqir Ahmad, Ali Sufyan, Muhammad Bilal Asif, Kawthar Alqudaihi, Balqees Alrwaily, Md. Sabbir Ahmed, Md. Maniruzzaman, Arshad Hussain, Syed Shaheen Shah, J. Andreas Larsson, Md. Abdul Aziz
Oily wastewater presents a serious environmental challenge, demanding sustainable and regenerative membrane technologies. Here, we report a green and scalable method for fabricating skin-replaceable cellulose membranes (SRC-M) from jute agro-waste, using a NaOH/urea activation route and argon-pressurized deposition onto ceramic supports. The resulting Cellulose II-based asymmetric membranes exhibit high water flux (~470 L m⁻²h⁻¹) and >98% oil rejection across various emulsions. Notably, the membrane’s surface can be fully renewed via ultrasonication, restoring >99% of the original flux after 16 fouling cycles. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm the thermodynamic stability (ΔG = -0.162 eV) and low kinetic barrier (0.46 eV) of urea adsorption on cellulose, supporting the dissolution mechanism and regeneration behavior. This biodegradable, self-renewable membrane system offers a robust, circular solution for long-term oily wastewater remediation and aligns with green chemistry principles.
含油废水对环境提出了严峻的挑战，需要可持续和再生膜技术。在这里，我们报告了一种绿色且可扩展的方法，利用NaOH/尿素活化路线和氩气加压沉积在陶瓷支架上，从黄麻农业废弃物中制备皮肤可替代纤维素膜（SRC-M）。所得到的纤维素ii基不对称膜具有高的水通量（~470 L m⁻²h⁻¹）和高达98%的阻油率。值得注意的是，通过超声波，膜的表面可以完全更新，经过16次污染循环后，恢复了原来99%的通量。密度泛函理论（DFT）计算证实了尿素在纤维素上吸附的热力学稳定性（ΔG = -0.162 eV）和低动力学势层（0.46 eV），支持了纤维素的溶解机理和再生行为。这种可生物降解、可自我再生的膜系统为含油废水的长期修复提供了一个强大的、循环的解决方案，并符合绿色化学原则。
{"title":"Skin-replaceable antifouling cellulose ceramic membranes from jute agro-waste for sustainable and efficient oily wastewater treatment","authors":"Nadeem Baig, Tauqir Ahmad, Ali Sufyan, Muhammad Bilal Asif, Kawthar Alqudaihi, Balqees Alrwaily, Md. Sabbir Ahmed, Md. Maniruzzaman, Arshad Hussain, Syed Shaheen Shah, J. Andreas Larsson, Md. Abdul Aziz","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00538-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00538-3","url":null,"abstract":"Oily wastewater presents a serious environmental challenge, demanding sustainable and regenerative membrane technologies. Here, we report a green and scalable method for fabricating skin-replaceable cellulose membranes (SRC-M) from jute agro-waste, using a NaOH/urea activation route and argon-pressurized deposition onto ceramic supports. The resulting Cellulose II-based asymmetric membranes exhibit high water flux (~470 L m⁻²h⁻¹) and >98% oil rejection across various emulsions. Notably, the membrane’s surface can be fully renewed via ultrasonication, restoring >99% of the original flux after 16 fouling cycles. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm the thermodynamic stability (ΔG = -0.162 eV) and low kinetic barrier (0.46 eV) of urea adsorption on cellulose, supporting the dissolution mechanism and regeneration behavior. This biodegradable, self-renewable membrane system offers a robust, circular solution for long-term oily wastewater remediation and aligns with green chemistry principles.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145894489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00546-3
Claude Kiki, Qian Sun
Bacterial granular sludge (BGS) efficiently removes antibiotics but acts as a hotspot for the enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). To decouple removal from resistance, we integrated Microcystis aeruginosa with BGS to form a cyanobacterial–bacterial granular sludge (CBGS) system. During 120-day operation under multi-class antibiotic stress (0–500 µg L⁻¹), CBGS demonstrated enhanced structural stability, pollutant removal, and a higher antibiotic elimination capacity (93.71–671.93 vs. 93.38–499.63 µg L⁻¹ d⁻¹ in BGS). Simultaneously, the system achieved suppression of endogenous microcystin-LR (a cyanotoxin variant containing Leucine and Arginine) release. Metagenomic, network, and transformation product analyses revealed that cyanobacterial integration induced a functional decoupling within the community, promoting oxidative biodegradation pathways and reducing selective pressure on ARG hosts. Mobility gene analysis further indicated restricted horizontal gene transfer, limiting ARG exchange between biomass and effluent. Consequently, ARG abundance decreased in effluents for 13 of 20 types in CBGS but increased for 16 of 20 in BGS. This study deepens our understanding of how microbial consortia can be engineered to separate antibiotic degradation from resistance propagation, offering a promising biologically contained strategy to mitigate resistance risks in wastewater treatment.
细菌颗粒污泥（BGS）能有效去除抗生素，但也是抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）富集的热点。为了将去除与耐药性分离，我们将铜绿微囊藻与BGS结合，形成蓝藻-细菌颗粒污泥（CBGS）系统。在120天的多种抗生素压力下（0-500µg L -⁻¹），CBGS表现出更强的结构稳定性，去除污染物和更高的抗生素消除能力（93.71-671.93µg L -⁻¹vs. BGS的93.38-499.63µg L -⁻¹）。同时，该系统还抑制了内源性微囊藻毒素lr（一种含有亮氨酸和精氨酸的蓝藻毒素变体）的释放。宏基因组、网络和转化产物分析表明，蓝藻整合诱导了群落内的功能解耦，促进了氧化生物降解途径，减少了对ARG宿主的选择压力。移动性基因分析进一步表明，水平基因转移受限，限制了生物质与出水间ARG的交换。因此，在CBGS的20种类型中，有13种出水中ARG丰度下降，而在BGS的20种类型中，有16种出水中ARG丰度增加。这项研究加深了我们对微生物联合体如何被设计来分离抗生素降解和耐药性繁殖的理解，为减轻废水处理中的耐药性风险提供了一种有前途的生物控制策略。
{"title":"Decoupling antibiotic degradation from resistance development: photogranules act as a biocontainment for ARGs in wastewater","authors":"Claude Kiki, Qian Sun","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00546-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00546-3","url":null,"abstract":"Bacterial granular sludge (BGS) efficiently removes antibiotics but acts as a hotspot for the enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). To decouple removal from resistance, we integrated Microcystis aeruginosa with BGS to form a cyanobacterial–bacterial granular sludge (CBGS) system. During 120-day operation under multi-class antibiotic stress (0–500 µg L⁻¹), CBGS demonstrated enhanced structural stability, pollutant removal, and a higher antibiotic elimination capacity (93.71–671.93 vs. 93.38–499.63 µg L⁻¹ d⁻¹ in BGS). Simultaneously, the system achieved suppression of endogenous microcystin-LR (a cyanotoxin variant containing Leucine and Arginine) release. Metagenomic, network, and transformation product analyses revealed that cyanobacterial integration induced a functional decoupling within the community, promoting oxidative biodegradation pathways and reducing selective pressure on ARG hosts. Mobility gene analysis further indicated restricted horizontal gene transfer, limiting ARG exchange between biomass and effluent. Consequently, ARG abundance decreased in effluents for 13 of 20 types in CBGS but increased for 16 of 20 in BGS. This study deepens our understanding of how microbial consortia can be engineered to separate antibiotic degradation from resistance propagation, offering a promising biologically contained strategy to mitigate resistance risks in wastewater treatment.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145894499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00547-2
Changjian Ma, Enkai Cao, Bowen Li, Ning Shi, Zeqiang Sun, Yan Li, Peng Hou, Yang Xiao
Biogas slurry, a liquid by-product of anaerobic digestion, is increasingly reused in agriculture, but its low phosphorus content often requires external supplementation. When phosphorus is introduced into slurry fertigation, it interacts with Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, bicarbonates, and organic matter, creating conditions that can accelerate pipeline clogging. In this study, we combined a 60-day accelerated pipeline experiment with mineralogical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and high-throughput sequencing to examine how wastewater–phosphorus coupling influences fouling. Slurry alone caused little short-term clogging, but the addition of phosphorus led to sharp increases in fouling mass (up to 130%) and flow reduction (up to 90%). Mineralogical analyses identified secondary phosphate precipitates such as brushite, baricite, and apatite, while microbial community profiling showed greater diversity, persistence, and biofilm-forming capacity under phosphorus conditions. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling demonstrated that precipitates provided scaffolds for biofilm growth, particulates enhanced microbial attachment, and biofilms linked physical and chemical processes to hydraulic decline. These results show that pipeline fouling under wastewater–phosphorus coupling arises from the synergy of biofilms, minerals, and particulates, and they offer mechanistic guidance for designing fouling control systems that support sustainable reuse of livestock wastewater.
{"title":"Wastewater–phosphorus coupling accelerates biofilm–mineral–particulate interactions in irrigation pipelines","authors":"Changjian Ma, Enkai Cao, Bowen Li, Ning Shi, Zeqiang Sun, Yan Li, Peng Hou, Yang Xiao","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00547-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00547-2","url":null,"abstract":"Biogas slurry, a liquid by-product of anaerobic digestion, is increasingly reused in agriculture, but its low phosphorus content often requires external supplementation. When phosphorus is introduced into slurry fertigation, it interacts with Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, bicarbonates, and organic matter, creating conditions that can accelerate pipeline clogging. In this study, we combined a 60-day accelerated pipeline experiment with mineralogical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and high-throughput sequencing to examine how wastewater–phosphorus coupling influences fouling. Slurry alone caused little short-term clogging, but the addition of phosphorus led to sharp increases in fouling mass (up to 130%) and flow reduction (up to 90%). Mineralogical analyses identified secondary phosphate precipitates such as brushite, baricite, and apatite, while microbial community profiling showed greater diversity, persistence, and biofilm-forming capacity under phosphorus conditions. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling demonstrated that precipitates provided scaffolds for biofilm growth, particulates enhanced microbial attachment, and biofilms linked physical and chemical processes to hydraulic decline. These results show that pipeline fouling under wastewater–phosphorus coupling arises from the synergy of biofilms, minerals, and particulates, and they offer mechanistic guidance for designing fouling control systems that support sustainable reuse of livestock wastewater.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145894503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-23DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00542-7
Sung-Hyo Jung, Sung-Hak Hong, Youn-Jun Lee, Seong-Jik Park, Eun Hea Jho, Chang-Gu Lee
Azo is a synthetic organic dye that has attracted considerable attention because of its recalcitrance to degradation and toxicity. An upgraded ozonation process must be developed that integrates decolorization, mineralization, and toxicity reduction to manage the residual azo dye in the effluent from the dyeing industry and reduce its associated aquatic environmental risks. In this study, an ozonation system using Meretrix lusoria (ML) shell-waste-derived biomass (ML800) that uses simple calcination was developed. The ML800/O3 system almost completely decolorized ( > 99.0%) and highly mineralized (53.6 ± 1.7%) Congo red (CR) during (CR = 100 mg∙L–1, ML800 = 0.5 g ∙ L–1), surpassing the performance of the other tested systems (single ozonation and single ML800). Moreover, the ML800/O3 system reduced the acute toxicity of CR to the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, whereas single ozonation showed temporarily increased the toxicity of CR. The FE-SEM/EDS, FTIR, and XRD analyses verified that Ca(OH)2 was the main calcium species in ML800, which catalyzed the decomposition of O3 into highly reactive •OH. The system was successfully applied to various azo dyes and was robust with water matrix constituents. These findings highlight the potential of marine shell waste for use as a sustainable and ecofriendly additive for ozonation, increasing azo dye removal from wastewater in practical applications.
{"title":"Enhancing ozonation using Meretrix lusoria shell waste biomass: sustainable decontamination of azo dye wastewater via decolorization, mineralization, and detoxification","authors":"Sung-Hyo Jung, Sung-Hak Hong, Youn-Jun Lee, Seong-Jik Park, Eun Hea Jho, Chang-Gu Lee","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00542-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00542-7","url":null,"abstract":"Azo is a synthetic organic dye that has attracted considerable attention because of its recalcitrance to degradation and toxicity. An upgraded ozonation process must be developed that integrates decolorization, mineralization, and toxicity reduction to manage the residual azo dye in the effluent from the dyeing industry and reduce its associated aquatic environmental risks. In this study, an ozonation system using Meretrix lusoria (ML) shell-waste-derived biomass (ML800) that uses simple calcination was developed. The ML800/O3 system almost completely decolorized ( > 99.0%) and highly mineralized (53.6 ± 1.7%) Congo red (CR) during (CR = 100 mg∙L–1, ML800 = 0.5 g ∙ L–1), surpassing the performance of the other tested systems (single ozonation and single ML800). Moreover, the ML800/O3 system reduced the acute toxicity of CR to the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, whereas single ozonation showed temporarily increased the toxicity of CR. The FE-SEM/EDS, FTIR, and XRD analyses verified that Ca(OH)2 was the main calcium species in ML800, which catalyzed the decomposition of O3 into highly reactive •OH. The system was successfully applied to various azo dyes and was robust with water matrix constituents. These findings highlight the potential of marine shell waste for use as a sustainable and ecofriendly additive for ozonation, increasing azo dye removal from wastewater in practical applications.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145808170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00540-9
Tianxiang Wang, Guangyu Su, Simiao Wang, Yuxin Fan, Jin-Yu Terence Yang, Xinhan Xu, Zixiong Wang, Jian Wu, Qiuhua Liang, Yin Su, Jingjing Zhan, Lifen Liu, George Arhonditsis
The diminution of the benefits of domestic pollution control by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has received considerable attention. Emission factors related to the construction and operation of wastewater treatment systems have been well characterized in urban settings but far less so in rural areas. To address this gap, we developed an integrative modeling framework that quantifies the entire chain of rural domestic pollution processes together with the associated GHG emissions. Our analysis suggests that the control of China’s rural domestic pollution has realized a threefold increase over the past decade, resulting in a decline of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) discharge to surface waters by 1158 Gg, 316 Gg, and 43 Gg, respectively. However, GHG emissions have also discernibly increased from 26.7 Tg to 31.4 Tg. Even though over 70% of China’s rural domestic pollution is still being discharged untreated, GHG emissions from wastewater treatment systems have become prevalent and currently account for more than 60% of total GHG emissions from rural areas. Considering the on-going construction of numerous new wastewater treatment systems in rural areas, enhancing wastewater treatment capacity, strengthening resource recovery, optimizing dietary patterns of the public, and promoting the use of clean energy are recommended to balance the trade-offs between environmental pollution abatement and climate change mitigation.
{"title":"China’s enhanced wastewater treatment capacity may accelerate greenhouse gas emissions from rural domestic pollution","authors":"Tianxiang Wang, Guangyu Su, Simiao Wang, Yuxin Fan, Jin-Yu Terence Yang, Xinhan Xu, Zixiong Wang, Jian Wu, Qiuhua Liang, Yin Su, Jingjing Zhan, Lifen Liu, George Arhonditsis","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00540-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00540-9","url":null,"abstract":"The diminution of the benefits of domestic pollution control by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has received considerable attention. Emission factors related to the construction and operation of wastewater treatment systems have been well characterized in urban settings but far less so in rural areas. To address this gap, we developed an integrative modeling framework that quantifies the entire chain of rural domestic pollution processes together with the associated GHG emissions. Our analysis suggests that the control of China’s rural domestic pollution has realized a threefold increase over the past decade, resulting in a decline of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) discharge to surface waters by 1158 Gg, 316 Gg, and 43 Gg, respectively. However, GHG emissions have also discernibly increased from 26.7 Tg to 31.4 Tg. Even though over 70% of China’s rural domestic pollution is still being discharged untreated, GHG emissions from wastewater treatment systems have become prevalent and currently account for more than 60% of total GHG emissions from rural areas. Considering the on-going construction of numerous new wastewater treatment systems in rural areas, enhancing wastewater treatment capacity, strengthening resource recovery, optimizing dietary patterns of the public, and promoting the use of clean energy are recommended to balance the trade-offs between environmental pollution abatement and climate change mitigation.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145796456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00532-9
Weiyi Zhang, Weijie Chen, Jiwei Wang, Yang Xiao, Yunkai Li
Composite fouling, arising from microbial and inorganic interactions, compromises the reliability of reclaimed-water distribution systems. We evaluated permanent magnetic fields (PMF; 300–800 mT) and electromagnetic fields (EMF; AC and pulsed DC) in a full-scale reclaimed-water distribution loop. Under the tested conditions, EMF—particularly pulsed DC—reduced total foulant mass by up to 51.7% ( p < 0.05) and was associated with lower biofilm biomass, mineral scaling, and particulate accumulation. 16S rRNA profiling indicated co-occurring declines in community diversity and simpler co-occurrence networks under EMF. X-ray diffraction indicated a relative enrichment of aragonite (vs. calcite) and decreases in dolomite and quartz within deposits across all magnetic-field treatments. Field-induced oxidative conditions and interfacial changes were consistent with processes that may hinder microbial attachment and crystal nucleation. Collectively, the results suggest that EMF can outperform PMF for composite-fouling control in reclaimed-water systems and motivate optimization of field strength and waveform and validation across additional water qualities and hydraulics.
{"title":"Magnetic field mitigation of composite fouling through microbial and interfacial disruption","authors":"Weiyi Zhang, Weijie Chen, Jiwei Wang, Yang Xiao, Yunkai Li","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00532-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00532-9","url":null,"abstract":"Composite fouling, arising from microbial and inorganic interactions, compromises the reliability of reclaimed-water distribution systems. We evaluated permanent magnetic fields (PMF; 300–800 mT) and electromagnetic fields (EMF; AC and pulsed DC) in a full-scale reclaimed-water distribution loop. Under the tested conditions, EMF—particularly pulsed DC—reduced total foulant mass by up to 51.7% ( <jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.05) and was associated with lower biofilm biomass, mineral scaling, and particulate accumulation. 16S rRNA profiling indicated co-occurring declines in community diversity and simpler co-occurrence networks under EMF. X-ray diffraction indicated a relative enrichment of aragonite (vs. calcite) and decreases in dolomite and quartz within deposits across all magnetic-field treatments. Field-induced oxidative conditions and interfacial changes were consistent with processes that may hinder microbial attachment and crystal nucleation. Collectively, the results suggest that EMF can outperform PMF for composite-fouling control in reclaimed-water systems and motivate optimization of field strength and waveform and validation across additional water qualities and hydraulics.","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145770815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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