Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141353
Chan Li, Weifeng Du, Mengyi Chen, Kang Luo, Chengxiang Xu, Xiaohang Xu, Md. Habibullah-Al-Mamun, Lisha Lei, Longchao Liang, Guangle Qiu
Karst cave ecosystems, characterized by their isolation, absence of light, and limited food resources, represent unique environments where mercury (Hg) accumulation and biomagnification remain largely unknown. This study investigates the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) within aquatic food webs of karst cave stream ecosystems in Southwest China. The results indicated significantly elevated Hg concentrations in cave-dwelling organisms, with THg levels ranging from 104 to 1732 ng g-1 and MeHg levels ranging from 22.0 to 624 ng g-1. Notably, basal species, such as mayfly larvae, displayed concentrations of THg and MeHg that were 1.5 to 12.3 times greater than those found in surface freshwater ecosystems. Paradoxically, the biomagnification of Hg was less efficient, with trophic magnification slope (TMS) and trophic magnification factor (TMF) values being up to 20.7 and 3.69 times lower, respectively, compared to surface freshwater ecosystems. The high Hg accumulation and low trophic transfer efficiency in cave organisms may be attributed to the unique characteristics of karst caves, including low light, low dissolved oxygen, low temperature, food web structures, physiological and ecological traits of cave-dwelling organisms, and high baseline Hg levels. These findings provide unique insights into Hg cycling in subterranean ecosystems, revealing cryptic Hg reservoirs with critical implications for implementing of the Minamata Convention regarding Hg inventory completeness in karst terrains.
喀斯特洞穴生态系统的特点是与世隔绝、缺乏光照和食物资源有限，是汞积累和生物放大在很大程度上仍然未知的独特环境。本文研究了西南岩溶溶洞溪流生态系统中总汞（THg）和甲基汞（MeHg）在水生食物网中的生物富集和生物放大作用。结果表明，穴居生物体内汞浓度显著升高，THg水平为104 ~ 1732 ng g-1， MeHg水平为22.0 ~ 624 ng g-1。值得注意的是，基础物种，如蜉蝣幼虫，其THg和MeHg的浓度是地表淡水生态系统中THg和MeHg的1.5至12.3倍。与表层淡水生态系统相比，汞的生物放大效率较低，其营养放大斜率（TMS）和营养放大因子（TMF）分别低20.7倍和3.69倍。低光照、低溶解氧、低温、食物网结构、穴居生物生理生态特性和高基线汞水平是造成洞穴生物高汞积累和低营养转移效率的主要原因。这些发现为地下生态系统中的汞循环提供了独特的见解，揭示了潜在的汞储层，对实施《水俣公约》关于喀斯特地形中汞库存完整性的重要意义。
{"title":"Elevated Mercury Accumulation and Inefficient Biomagnification in Subterranean Streams: Insights from Karst Cave Ecosystems","authors":"Chan Li, Weifeng Du, Mengyi Chen, Kang Luo, Chengxiang Xu, Xiaohang Xu, Md. Habibullah-Al-Mamun, Lisha Lei, Longchao Liang, Guangle Qiu","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141353","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141353","url":null,"abstract":"Karst cave ecosystems, characterized by their isolation, absence of light, and limited food resources, represent unique environments where mercury (Hg) accumulation and biomagnification remain largely unknown. This study investigates the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) within aquatic food webs of karst cave stream ecosystems in Southwest China. The results indicated significantly elevated Hg concentrations in cave-dwelling organisms, with THg levels ranging from 104 to 1732<!-- --> <!-- -->ng<!-- --> <!-- -->g<sup>-1</sup> and MeHg levels ranging from 22.0 to 624<!-- --> <!-- -->ng<!-- --> <!-- -->g<sup>-1</sup>. Notably, basal species, such as mayfly larvae, displayed concentrations of THg and MeHg that were 1.5 to 12.3 times greater than those found in surface freshwater ecosystems. Paradoxically, the biomagnification of Hg was less efficient, with trophic magnification slope (TMS) and trophic magnification factor (TMF) values being up to 20.7 and 3.69 times lower, respectively, compared to surface freshwater ecosystems. The high Hg accumulation and low trophic transfer efficiency in cave organisms may be attributed to the unique characteristics of karst caves, including low light, low dissolved oxygen, low temperature, food web structures, physiological and ecological traits of cave-dwelling organisms, and high baseline Hg levels. These findings provide unique insights into Hg cycling in subterranean ecosystems, revealing cryptic Hg reservoirs with critical implications for implementing of the Minamata Convention regarding Hg inventory completeness in karst terrains.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) persistently challenge conventional water treatment technologies, particularly for short-chain species. This study develops an innovative electro-nanofiltration (E-NF) process that synergistically couples a direct current electric field with nanofiltration to enhance PFAS removal. Systematic investigation reveals that a forward-aligned electric field reduces PFOA permeation flux by 75.2% compared to conventional NF, primarily via electrophoretic migration. Under optimal conditions (11.1-13.3 V·cm⁻¹), the process achieves high rejection of PFOA (90.4%) and PFBS (83.9%) with competitive energy consumption below 1.92 kWh·m⁻³ under optimal conditions. We identify a critical hydraulic threshold at 0.8 MPa, beyond which concentration polarization dominates and leads to chain length-dependent rejection collapse. A modified solution-diffusion-electromigration model quantitatively decouples the transport mechanisms, determining higher apparent electrophoretic mobility for PFBS than for PFOA. The E-NF system demonstrates excellent reversibility and stability, confirming its potential as a robust and energy-efficient solution for mitigating PFAS contamination.
{"title":"Enhanced removal of anionic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by electrically assisted nanofiltration: Operational parameter optimization and mechanistic insights","authors":"YuTing Hua, Yu Li, Peng-Fei Li, BeiBei Chai, ZhiXuan Zhou, JingYi Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141395","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141395","url":null,"abstract":"Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) persistently challenge conventional water treatment technologies, particularly for short-chain species. This study develops an innovative electro-nanofiltration (E-NF) process that synergistically couples a direct current electric field with nanofiltration to enhance PFAS removal. Systematic investigation reveals that a forward-aligned electric field reduces PFOA permeation flux by 75.2% compared to conventional NF, primarily via electrophoretic migration. Under optimal conditions (11.1-13.3<!-- --> <!-- -->V·cm⁻¹), the process achieves high rejection of PFOA (90.4%) and PFBS (83.9%) with competitive energy consumption below 1.92 kWh·m⁻³ under optimal conditions. We identify a critical hydraulic threshold at 0.8<!-- --> <!-- -->MPa, beyond which concentration polarization dominates and leads to chain length-dependent rejection collapse. A modified solution-diffusion-electromigration model quantitatively decouples the transport mechanisms, determining higher apparent electrophoretic mobility for PFBS than for PFOA. The E-NF system demonstrates excellent reversibility and stability, confirming its potential as a robust and energy-efficient solution for mitigating PFAS contamination.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141401
Yan Lyu, Jiahong Zheng, Ying Han, Peisong Luo, Danni Wu, Zhentao Wu, Xiaobing Pang
{"title":"Characterization of secondary formation of wintertime PM2.5 in eastern China: The role of relative humidity","authors":"Yan Lyu, Jiahong Zheng, Ying Han, Peisong Luo, Danni Wu, Zhentao Wu, Xiaobing Pang","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141401","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141401","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141399
Changai Fu, Yonglan Xu, Yan Chen, Xu Wang, Xiaoyi Ma, Xiaoyu Wang, Li Li
Aromatics contamination has posed a significant threat to global ecosystems. During bioremediation, transcriptional regulation of aromatics catabolic genes serves as a subtle switch for controlling functional organisms, particularly in engineering synthetic microbes. LysR-type transcriptional regulators and the quorum sensing LuxR family regulators LuxR solos, are prevalent in bacteria, participating in regulating metabolism and physiological activities. However, their coordination for catabolic genes regulation remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the relationship between LysR and LuxR solo and the underlying mechanisms for transcriptional regulation of dibenzofuran-catabolic genes in Rhodococcus sp. strain p52, which harbors distinct dioxins-catabolic gene clusters on plasmids pDF01 and pDF02. Our results demonstrated that the self-regulatory LysR encoded on pDF02 repressed the expression of catabolic genes on the same plasmid through binding to the dbfA promoter, and dibenzofuran relieved the inhibition of LysR. Additionally, the LysR inhibited the expression of the luxR solo located on pDF01, which regulates the catabolic genes on that plasmid. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed that the LysR acted as a master switch for metabolism regulation, influencing central metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, besides dibenzofuran peripheral pathway degradation. This study broadens our understanding of bacterial transcriptional regulatory hierarchies during aromatics biodegradation.
{"title":"The LysR orchestrates expression of dibenzofuran catabolic genes in a dioxins-degrader Rhodococcus sp. by direct handling and coordinating with LuxR solo","authors":"Changai Fu, Yonglan Xu, Yan Chen, Xu Wang, Xiaoyi Ma, Xiaoyu Wang, Li Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141399","url":null,"abstract":"Aromatics contamination has posed a significant threat to global ecosystems. During bioremediation, transcriptional regulation of aromatics catabolic genes serves as a subtle switch for controlling functional organisms, particularly in engineering synthetic microbes. LysR-type transcriptional regulators and the quorum sensing LuxR family regulators LuxR solos, are prevalent in bacteria, participating in regulating metabolism and physiological activities. However, their coordination for catabolic genes regulation remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the relationship between LysR and LuxR solo and the underlying mechanisms for transcriptional regulation of dibenzofuran-catabolic genes in <em>Rhodococcus</em> sp. strain p52, which harbors distinct dioxins-catabolic gene clusters on plasmids pDF01 and pDF02. Our results demonstrated that the self-regulatory LysR encoded on pDF02 repressed the expression of catabolic genes on the same plasmid through binding to the <em>dbfA</em> promoter, and dibenzofuran relieved the inhibition of LysR. Additionally, the LysR inhibited the expression of the <em>luxR</em> solo located on pDF01, which regulates the catabolic genes on that plasmid. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed that the LysR acted as a master switch for metabolism regulation, influencing central metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, besides dibenzofuran peripheral pathway degradation. This study broadens our understanding of bacterial transcriptional regulatory hierarchies during aromatics biodegradation.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141284
Jiajie Zhou, Shaohong Wang, Yan Tian, Yingqi Wang, Guohong Liu, Da Li, Tongtong Liu, Dahong Chen, Yujie Feng
Conventional Fenton-like systems for in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) face significant challenges, including non-productive consumption of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inefficient Fe(III)/Fe(II) circulation. This study developed a novel Fenton-like system for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remediation employing potassium peroxoborate (PPB) as oxidant coupled with iron nitrilotriacetic acid (Fe(III)/NTA). The proposed PPB/Fe(III)/NTA system achieved 6.34-folds higher degradation efficiency of pyrene comparing with the H2O2/Fe(III)/NTA system. Sustainable H2O2 generation from PPB reduced the non-productive loss of ROS. Crucially, this system generated superoxide radicals (•O2−) at a rate 7 orders of magnitude greater than the H2O2 counterpart. Integrated analysis via electron paramagnetic resonance, isotopic tracing (18O-labeling), and density functional theory calculations revealed that •O2− originates from PPB's water-mediated O-O bond cleavage, with oxygen atoms derived exclusively from PPB. Endogenous •O2− accelerated Fe(III) reduction to Fe(II), bypassing the rate-limiting step in traditional Fenton-like system. Moreover, actual contaminated soil remediation experiments verified the feasibility of PPB/Fe(III)/NTA in a real polluted site, in which total PAHs removed by 66 %, outperforming the H2O2/Fe(III)/NTA system (29 % removal). These findings highlight PPB’s dual function as a ROS reservoir and endogenous activator, expanding the understanding of the activation mechanisms of Fenton-like reactions and presenting a promising strategy for efficient ISCO remediation.
{"title":"Unlocking inherent superoxide production from potassium peroxoborate for efficient PAHs degradation","authors":"Jiajie Zhou, Shaohong Wang, Yan Tian, Yingqi Wang, Guohong Liu, Da Li, Tongtong Liu, Dahong Chen, Yujie Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141284","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141284","url":null,"abstract":"Conventional Fenton-like systems for in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) face significant challenges, including non-productive consumption of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inefficient Fe(III)/Fe(II) circulation. This study developed a novel Fenton-like system for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remediation employing potassium peroxoborate (PPB) as oxidant coupled with iron nitrilotriacetic acid (Fe(III)/NTA). The proposed PPB/Fe(III)/NTA system achieved 6.34-folds higher degradation efficiency of pyrene comparing with the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/Fe(III)/NTA system. Sustainable H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> generation from PPB reduced the non-productive loss of ROS. Crucially, this system generated superoxide radicals (•O<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup>) at a rate 7 orders of magnitude greater than the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> counterpart. Integrated analysis via electron paramagnetic resonance, isotopic tracing (<sup>18</sup>O-labeling), and density functional theory calculations revealed that •O<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup> originates from PPB's water-mediated O-O bond cleavage, with oxygen atoms derived exclusively from PPB. Endogenous •O<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup> accelerated Fe(III) reduction to Fe(II), bypassing the rate-limiting step in traditional Fenton-like system. Moreover, actual contaminated soil remediation experiments verified the feasibility of PPB/Fe(III)/NTA in a real polluted site, in which total PAHs removed by 66 %, outperforming the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/Fe(III)/NTA system (29 % removal). These findings highlight PPB’s dual function as a ROS reservoir and endogenous activator, expanding the understanding of the activation mechanisms of Fenton-like reactions and presenting a promising strategy for efficient ISCO remediation.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141357
Aleksandra Repić, Dragana Vukelić, Vera Lukić, Olivera Savić, Ivan Potić, Milena Andjelković, Stefan Mandić-Rajčević, Biljana Antonijević, Aleksandra Buha Djordjević, Petar Bulat, Zorica Bulat
{"title":"The influence of sociodemographic factors on blood lead levels in healthy adults living in Belgrade, Serbia","authors":"Aleksandra Repić, Dragana Vukelić, Vera Lukić, Olivera Savić, Ivan Potić, Milena Andjelković, Stefan Mandić-Rajčević, Biljana Antonijević, Aleksandra Buha Djordjević, Petar Bulat, Zorica Bulat","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141357","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141357","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141398
Xiaoxi Kang, Ze Zhao, Xinyu Zhu, Feng Ju
Plasticizers are widely used additives that leach from plastic products and accumulate in landfills, yet the microbial functions supporting their degradation remain poorly resolved. Here, we combined curated functional annotation, substrate-driven enrichment, and isolate-level validation to dissect plasticizer degradation in landfill microbiomes. A plasticizer-degrading enzyme (PzDE) hidden Markov model database (PzDE-HMM) was assembled from 49 experimentally validated enzyme families. It was applied to metagenomes from five landfill niches, identifying 2,219 candidate plasticizer-degrading genes, which is 3.6- and 19-fold more than those identified by KofamScan- and BLASTp-based annotation methods, respectively. Enrichment with three legacy phthalates (DEHP, DIDP, DBP) and three non-phthalate plasticizers (DOTP, DOA, ATBC) drove pronounced shifts in landfill microbial communities and functional gene repertoires, revealing coexisting broad-spectrum and substrate-specific degraders. Culture-based isolation from enriched media yielded 51 strains, and three representative isolates showed concordance between PzDE-HMM-predicted gene repertoires, substrate breadth, and degradation ability. Synthetic consortia assembled from these strains exhibited complementary degradation capacities and achieved higher removal of several plasticizers than the best single strains, illustrating how complementary gene sets can be combined to enhance multi-substrate degradation. Together, PzDE-HMM annotation workflow and this multilevel prediction–enrichment–isolate–consortium framework uncover the plasticizer-degrading and bioremediation potential of landfill microbiomes and provide a reusable resource and workflow for future plasticizer-focused microbiome studies.
{"title":"Uncovering Plasticizer-Degrading Potential in Landfill Microbiomes with Curated PzDE-HMM Database and Multi-Scale Validation from Isolates to Synthetic Consortia","authors":"Xiaoxi Kang, Ze Zhao, Xinyu Zhu, Feng Ju","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141398","url":null,"abstract":"Plasticizers are widely used additives that leach from plastic products and accumulate in landfills, yet the microbial functions supporting their degradation remain poorly resolved. Here, we combined curated functional annotation, substrate-driven enrichment, and isolate-level validation to dissect plasticizer degradation in landfill microbiomes. A plasticizer-degrading enzyme (PzDE) hidden Markov model database (PzDE-HMM) was assembled from 49 experimentally validated enzyme families. It was applied to metagenomes from five landfill niches, identifying 2,219 candidate plasticizer-degrading genes, which is 3.6- and 19-fold more than those identified by KofamScan- and BLASTp-based annotation methods, respectively. Enrichment with three legacy phthalates (DEHP, DIDP, DBP) and three non-phthalate plasticizers (DOTP, DOA, ATBC) drove pronounced shifts in landfill microbial communities and functional gene repertoires, revealing coexisting broad-spectrum and substrate-specific degraders. Culture-based isolation from enriched media yielded 51 strains, and three representative isolates showed concordance between PzDE-HMM-predicted gene repertoires, substrate breadth, and degradation ability. Synthetic consortia assembled from these strains exhibited complementary degradation capacities and achieved higher removal of several plasticizers than the best single strains, illustrating how complementary gene sets can be combined to enhance multi-substrate degradation. Together, PzDE-HMM annotation workflow and this multilevel prediction–enrichment–isolate–consortium framework uncover the plasticizer-degrading and bioremediation potential of landfill microbiomes and provide a reusable resource and workflow for future plasticizer-focused microbiome studies.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"110 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146121956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141402
H.H. Zhang, A.C.K. Lai
Localized air disinfection is an effective strategy for reducing airborne pathogen transmission, though combining methods may yield only additive effects or, in some cases, synergistic efficacy. This study experimentally examined the single-pass disinfection efficiency of individual and combined Far-UVC and negative ionizers in a custom-built portable disinfection unit. Several influencing factors were comprehensively investigated: light-redistribution, number of ionizers, Far-UVC lamp arrangement, flow rate, and microbial type. Four microorganisms, including two common bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and two bacteriophages representing viruses (MS2 and P22), were tested at various airflow rates ranging from 81 to 144 m3/h. The results showed that light‑redistribution by enhancing wall reflection increased disinfection efficiency by 20% to 110% compared to the control condition without light‑redistribution. Microbial susceptibility was evaluated for Far-UVC light, and sensitivity to negative ions was also determined. The results demonstrated that airborne E. coli was the most susceptible to Far-UVC. In contrast to the bacteria, the airborne viruses MS2 and P22 were more sensitive to negative ions. The results revealed that the combination of Far-UVC and ionizers exhibited a synergistic effect for those tested bacteria, producing a disinfection efficiency greater than the sum of their individual contributions. Furthermore, a horizontal arrangement of two Far-UVC lamps provided better disinfection than a vertical arrangement. The findings from this work offer valuable insights into strategies to enhance air disinfection performance, facilitating the development of novel portable devices that effectively disinfect bioaerosols.
{"title":"Synergistic Air Disinfection by Far-UVC and Negative Air Ions in a Portable Device","authors":"H.H. Zhang, A.C.K. Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141402","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141402","url":null,"abstract":"Localized air disinfection is an effective strategy for reducing airborne pathogen transmission, though combining methods may yield only additive effects or, in some cases, synergistic efficacy. This study experimentally examined the single-pass disinfection efficiency of individual and combined Far-UVC and negative ionizers in a custom-built portable disinfection unit. Several influencing factors were comprehensively investigated: light-redistribution, number of ionizers, Far-UVC lamp arrangement, flow rate, and microbial type. Four microorganisms, including two common bacteria (<em>Escherichia coli</em> and <em>Staphylococcus epidermidis</em>) and two bacteriophages representing viruses (MS2 and P22), were tested at various airflow rates ranging from 81 to 144 m<sup>3</sup>/h. The results showed that light‑redistribution by enhancing wall reflection increased disinfection efficiency by 20% to 110% compared to the control condition without light‑redistribution. Microbial susceptibility was evaluated for Far-UVC light, and sensitivity to negative ions was also determined. The results demonstrated that airborne <em>E. coli</em> was the most susceptible to Far-UVC. In contrast to the bacteria, the airborne viruses MS2 and P22 were more sensitive to negative ions. The results revealed that the combination of Far-UVC and ionizers exhibited a synergistic effect for those tested bacteria, producing a disinfection efficiency greater than the sum of their individual contributions. Furthermore, a horizontal arrangement of two Far-UVC lamps provided better disinfection than a vertical arrangement. The findings from this work offer valuable insights into strategies to enhance air disinfection performance, facilitating the development of novel portable devices that effectively disinfect bioaerosols.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"176 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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