Water Research X最新文献

Improving river water quality by identifying risk paths and critical source areas of non-point source pollution at watershed scale 通过识别流域尺度非点源污染的风险路径和关键源区来改善河流水质

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100477

Bing Wan , Du’an Ye , Fujie Li , Lijuan Liu , Rongjia Wang , Xiangyu Tang , Xiaoyu Li

Optimizing landscape pattern is an effective way to improve river water quality at the watershed scale. Identifying the risk pathways and key source areas of pollutants entering rivers is essential for mitigating non-point source pollution (NPSP). This study used the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model to identify the risk of NPSP in a highly urbanized watershed. The results showed that the very high and high risk levels accounted for 64% of the watershed. The distribution range of the risk paths of different types of critical source areas (CSAs) was farmland > tea garden > residential land, and the pollution intensity was in the order of residential land > farmland > tea garden. The risk paths in farmland had the widest distribution, whereas those in residential land were the most likely to cause river pollution. The core control distance was 0.4–0.6 km in the mountainous areas and 1.2–1.4 km in the plain areas. Reducing human activities within the core control distance can effectively mitigate the pollutants. Best management practices for risk paths to reduce the possibility of pollutants entering the river were proposed. This study provides a comprehensive and practical framework for identifying and managing NPSP risk.

在流域尺度上，优化景观格局是改善河流水质的有效途径。确定污染物进入河流的风险路径和主要来源区域是减轻非点源污染的必要条件。本研究采用最小累积阻力（MCR）模型来识别高度城市化流域NPSP的风险。结果表明，极高和高风险区占流域总面积的64%。不同类型临界源区风险路径的分布范围为：农田+茶园+住宅用地，污染强度依次为：住宅用地+农田+茶园。农田风险路径分布最广，居住用地风险路径最容易造成河流污染。山区和平原区的核心控制距离分别为0.4 ~ 0.6 km和1.2 ~ 1.4 km。在核心控制距离内减少人类活动可有效缓解污染物。提出了风险路径的最佳管理实践，以减少污染物进入河流的可能性。本研究为NPSP风险的识别和管理提供了一个全面而实用的框架。

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引用次数: 0

Simulating phosphorus precipitation in the form of vivianite in wastewater treatment plant with full plant model 用全厂模型模拟污水处理厂中以橄榄石形式析出的磷

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100482

Jin Wang , Lobna Amin , Hélène Hauduc , Marina Graan , Sabrina Guerin , Anna Mikola , Mathieu Sperandio

Recovering vivianite (Fe₃(PO₄)₂·8H₂O) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has become a novel approach for phosphorus valorization. However, no modeling work has been conducted to study its formation process in full-scale WWTPs. This study investigated the influencing factors of vivianite precipitation within Viikinmäki WWTP by building a full plant model and evaluating the results with on-site measurements. Iron reduction rates were measured in sludge in different locations. The calibration process included the improvement of iron reduction and oxidation rates and the addition of a siderite (FeCO₃) precipitation model. The major parameters predicted for both the water line and sludge line agreed with measurements. Additionally, satisfactory results of important parameters were acquired for vivianite formation, namely pH, concentration of soluble sulfate, soluble phosphate, total phosphorus as well as vivianite quantities in sampling locations. Sensitivity analysis indicates that iron oxidation rate has a major influence on the effluent iron concentration while iron reduction rate and siderite precipitation constant are impactful for the vivianite quantity in the sludge line. The findings of this paper can be applied in the future to predict and improve vivianite recovery for WWTPs.

从污水处理厂（WWTPs）中回收钒铁矿（Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O）已成为一种新的磷增值方法。然而，目前还没有对全尺寸污水处理厂的形成过程进行建模研究。本研究通过建立全厂模型，并通过现场测量对Viikinmäki污水处理厂内薇薇石降水的影响因素进行了研究。测定了不同地点污泥中的铁还原率。校准过程包括铁还原和氧化速率的提高以及菱铁矿（FeCO3）沉淀模型的添加。预测的水线和污泥线主要参数与实测结果一致。此外，在采样点的pH、可溶性硫酸盐浓度、可溶性磷酸盐浓度、总磷浓度以及薇薇石数量等重要参数上也获得了令人满意的结果。敏感性分析表明，铁氧化速率对出水铁浓度有主要影响，铁还原速率和菱铁矿沉淀常数对污泥线上的绿铁矿数量有影响。本文的研究结果可用于预测和提高污水处理厂的活菌回收率。

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引用次数: 0

Advanced membrane-based technologies for eliminating emerging contaminants from medical wastewater: Principles and perspectives 消除医疗废水中新出现的污染物的先进膜技术：原理和观点

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2026.100491

Jinyan Mao , Miao Feng , Xin Mao , Bing Zhang , Bin Liu

Medical wastewater is a significant reservoir of emerging contaminants (ECs), posing serious potential environmental risks. In recent years, advanced membrane-based (AMB) technologies have been recognized as a viable and promising strategy for the deep treatment of medical wastewater due to their high efficiency in EC removal. However, there remains a deficiency of comprehensive and systematic reviews regarding the application of AMB technologies, particularly concerning technical principles, performance comparisons, innovative coupling processes, and application challenges. This paper summarizes the water quality characteristics of medical wastewater and the fate of ECs, focusing on the working principles, removal mechanisms, and application efficacy of pressure-driven, non-pressure-driven, and emerging membrane processes. Furthermore, this study systematically reviewed recent advancements in the utilization of AMB technology for treating ECs in medical wastewater, evaluating the applicability of various technologies across multiple dimensions, including technical performance, economic costs, and environmental sustainability. Looking ahead, the development of in-situ self-cleaning functional membranes, optimization of membrane integration systems, coupling of energy-saving membrane technologies, and the recommendation of resource recovery from concentrated effluents are anticipated to effectively address the challenges associated with AMB technology, such as membrane fouling, energy consumption, concentrated effluent treatment, and long-term operational stability. This comprehensive review aims to provide valuable insights and references for the efficient treatment of ECs wastewater.

医疗废水是新兴污染物（ECs）的重要蓄水池，具有严重的潜在环境风险。近年来，先进的膜基（AMB）技术因其高效去除EC而被认为是一种可行且有前景的医疗废水深度处理策略。然而，关于AMB技术的应用，特别是在技术原理、性能比较、创新耦合过程和应用挑战方面，仍然缺乏全面和系统的综述。本文综述了医疗废水的水质特点和ECs的命运，重点介绍了压力驱动、非压力驱动和新兴膜工艺的工作原理、去除机理和应用效果。此外，本研究系统回顾了AMB技术处理医疗废水中ECs的最新进展，从多个维度评估了各种技术的适用性，包括技术性能、经济成本和环境可持续性。展望未来，原位自清洁功能膜的开发、膜集成系统的优化、节能膜技术的耦合以及浓缩废水资源回收的推荐，有望有效解决膜污染、能耗、浓缩废水处理和长期运行稳定性等与AMB技术相关的挑战。本文旨在为ECs废水的高效处理提供有价值的见解和参考。

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引用次数: 0

Aluminum-phosphorus complex mediated anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge: Physicochemical reconfiguration, interfacial thermodynamics, and microbial mechanisms 铝磷复合物介导的废活性污泥厌氧消化：物理化学重构、界面热力学和微生物机制

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2026.100487

Wenqiang Qi , Yifeng Chen , Jinrui Guo , Feiyi Yuan , Dunjie Li , Rongrong Mo , Qian Ping , Lin Wang , Yongmei Li

Aluminum-phosphorus (Al-P) compounds are byproducts of chemical phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), resulting in their accumulation in waste activated sludge (WAS). However, their effects on the anaerobic digestion (AD) of WAS remain poorly understood. This study investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of Al-P on WAS anaerobic digestion. The results showed that Al-P enhanced methane production, with increases of 19.16% and 48.09% at dosages of 100 and 500 mg Al/g TS, respectively. Mechanism analysis indicated that Al-P reconfigured sludge physicochemical properties by binding with Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, releasing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), reducing sludge particle size, and increasing the proportion of internal water, thereby promoting sludge dispersion and floc disintegration. Interfacial thermodynamic analysis indicated that Al-P modified sludge surface properties by increasing acid-base interaction energy and the flocculation energy barrier. The total interaction energy of sludge particles rose from -15.26 mJ/m² in the control to 85.55 mJ/m² at an Al-P dose of 500 mg Al/g TS, which quantitatively confirmed sludge disintegration. Such structural and thermodynamic reconfiguration elevated the activities of key enzymes involved in hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and methanogenesis. Microbial analysis revealed that Al-P addition enriched both acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens, as well as syntrophic bacteria that support hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Analyses of functional genes and metabolic pathways further corroborated that Al-P promoted both acidogenesis and the methanogenesis. This study provides novel insights into the potential of Al-P as an effective interfacial regulator for enhancing methane production and promoting sustainable bioenergy recovery from WAS.

铝磷化合物是污水处理厂（WWTPs）化学除磷的副产物，导致其在废活性污泥（WAS）中积累。然而，它们对WAS厌氧消化（AD）的影响仍然知之甚少。本研究探讨了Al-P对WAS厌氧消化的影响及其机制。结果表明，Al- p能提高甲烷产量，100 mg Al/g TS和500 mg Al/g TS分别提高了19.16%和48.09%。机理分析表明，Al-P通过与Ca2+和Mg2+结合，释放胞外聚合物质（EPS），降低污泥粒径，增加内水比例，从而改变污泥的理化性质，促进污泥的分散和絮体解体。界面热力学分析表明，Al-P通过提高酸碱相互作用能和絮凝能垒来改变污泥的表面性质。当Al- p剂量为500 mg Al/g TS时，污泥颗粒的总相互作用能从对照组的-15.26 mJ/m2上升到85.55 mJ/m2，定量证实了污泥的解体。这种结构和热力学重构提高了参与水解、产酸和产甲烷的关键酶的活性。微生物分析表明，添加Al-P可使产氢甲烷菌和产氢甲烷菌以及支持产氢甲烷的合养菌富集。功能基因和代谢途径的分析进一步证实了Al-P促进酸生成和甲烷生成。这项研究为Al-P作为一种有效的界面调节剂的潜力提供了新的见解，该调节剂可以提高甲烷产量并促进WAS的可持续生物能源回收。

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引用次数: 0

qPCR-based prediction of low-level microcystin-LR using mcyE and passive sampling across multiple lakes and years 基于qpcr的低水平微囊藻毒素lr预测，采用mcyE和被动采样跨多个湖泊和年份

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100472

David J. Redden , Clarke Brown , Morgan Harasymchuk , Saksham Bafna , Justin Laforest , Nicole Taylor , Lindsay E. Anderson , Graham A. Gagnon

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a cyanobacterial hepatotoxin that poses health risks even at low concentrations. Because quantitative analysis of MC-LR is costly and time-consuming, water managers rely on early warning tools to determine when confirmatory testing is warranted. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting the mcy genes has emerged as one such tool, but its reliability across lakes and seasons — particularly at low toxin concentrations — remains unclear. In this study, we used passive sampling to detect low concentrations (< 1 µg L⁻¹) of MC-LR and paired this with qPCR monitoring of mcyE to assess whether mcyE alone can serve as a reliable indicator of low-level MC-LR presence over three years across ten lakes (total of n = 893 distinct samples). We developed location- and year-specific hierarchical Bayesian models to estimate the probability of MC-LR detection from mcyE concentrations. We also included environmental covariates to determine if their inclusion improved model performance. Although mcyE was the strongest overall predictor, its relationship with MC-LR varied substantially by location and year, and these hierarchical models were essential in capturing this variability. These findings highlight the promise of mcyE-based early warning systems for low-concentrations of MC-LR but emphasize that interpretation must be tailored to local ecological and seasonal conditions.

微囊藻毒素- lr （MC-LR）是一种蓝藻肝毒素，即使在低浓度下也会造成健康风险。由于MC-LR的定量分析既昂贵又耗时，水管理人员依靠早期预警工具来确定何时需要进行确认测试。针对mcy基因的定量PCR （qPCR）已经成为一种这样的工具，但是它在湖泊和季节之间的可靠性——特别是在低毒素浓度的情况下——仍然不清楚。在这项研究中，我们使用被动采样来检测低浓度（< 1 μ g L−1）的MC-LR，并将其与mcyE的qPCR监测配对，以评估mcyE是否可以作为10个湖泊（总共n = 893个不同样本）三年内低水平MC-LR存在的可靠指标。我们建立了特定地点和年份的分层贝叶斯模型来估计mcyE浓度检测MC-LR的概率。我们还纳入了环境协变量，以确定它们的纳入是否改善了模型的性能。虽然mcyE是最强的整体预测因子，但其与MC-LR的关系因地点和年份而有很大差异，这些分层模型对于捕获这种变异性至关重要。这些发现强调了基于mcye的低浓度MC-LR早期预警系统的前景，但强调解释必须根据当地的生态和季节条件进行调整。

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引用次数: 0

Integrating riparian landscape metrics into Bayesian mixed-effects model to explore river nitrogen concentration dynamics 将河岸景观指标纳入贝叶斯混合效应模型探讨河流氮浓度动态

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2026.100484

Haojie Han , Xing Yan , Xiaohan Li , Zelin Huang , Xiaoyuan Yan , Yongqiu Xia

Accurately modeling river nitrogen (N) concentration dynamics is crucial for pollution mitigation, yet statistical models often lack explanatory power while process-based models demand extensive data. This predictive gap often stems from a focus on landscape composition, neglecting the critical role of landscape configuration—the spatial arrangement of land uses—in governing nutrient transport. To address this gap, we developed a Bayesian mixed-effects model to capture spatiotemporal dependencies while integrating key landscape configuration metrics. In the Qinhuai River watershed, our new model (BME_CONFI) achieved high predictive performance (R²=66%−69%; RMSE=0.207–0.218), significantly outperforming models based on composition alone. Posterior distributions revealed that human activity intensity (NLI) and impervious surface aggregation (PLADJ_Impervious) positively influenced river N concentrations, while water landscape connectivity (IJI_Water) exerted a negative effect. This study provides a robust and interpretable framework that bridges the gap between oversimplified statistical approaches and complex process models, offering a practical tool for designing targeted, landscape-based N pollution mitigation strategies.

准确模拟河流氮(N)浓度动态对缓解污染至关重要，但统计模型往往缺乏解释力，而基于过程的模型需要大量数据。这种预测差距往往源于对景观组成的关注，而忽视了景观配置（土地利用的空间安排）在控制养分运输中的关键作用。为了解决这一差距，我们开发了一个贝叶斯混合效应模型来捕捉时空依赖性，同时整合关键的景观配置指标。在秦淮河流域，BME_CONFI模型（R2=66% ~ 69%， RMSE=0.207 ~ 0.218）取得了较好的预测效果，显著优于单纯基于成分的模型。后验分布表明，人类活动强度（NLI）和不透水面聚集（PLADJ_Impervious）正影响河流氮浓度，而水景观连通性（IJI_Water）负影响河流氮浓度。本研究提供了一个强大且可解释的框架，弥合了过度简化的统计方法和复杂过程模型之间的差距，为设计有针对性的、基于景观的氮污染缓解策略提供了实用工具。

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引用次数: 0

Time series foundation model chronos enhances nitrogen forecasting under data scarcity 时间序列基础模型chronos增强了数据稀缺条件下的氮预测能力

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100469

Kaifeng Zheng , Guotao Cui , Yi Xie , Yimei Liu , Xinzhong Du

Accurate water quality prediction is critical for water resource management, yet task-specific models are often limited by their reliance on extensive training data. The emergence of large time series foundation models presents a promising yet unexplored solution for water quality forecasting under data scarcity. This study evaluates Chronos, an advanced time series foundation model using the T5 large language model (LLM), against a suite of task-specific benchmark models (i.e., RF, MLP, LSTM, Transformer, XGBoost, LightGBM, KAN, PatchTST, and Crossformer). We evaluated their performances in predicting total nitrogen (TN) at 12 stations in the Huang-Huai-Hai River basin of China under varying data availability ratios (20%-100%) and different forecast ahead times (4-48 hours). Adapting the Chronos model with station-specific data (i.e., fine-tuning) yields superior performance compared to using the model’s general, pre-trained capabilities directly (i.e., zero-shot). Fine-tuned Chronos consistently outperformed benchmark models when trained on less than 60% of available data across all ahead times, though LSTM and PatchTST achieved comparable or superior performance with sufficient training data (≥80%), particularly for medium-to-low complexity sequences. The model showed its greatest performance advantage at high-complexity stations and during peak pollution events, maintaining superiority regardless of data availability. Through transfer learning, fine-tuned Chronos achieved cross-station generalization superior to other benchmark models, and we found this transferability is dictated by water-quality-data complexity. This study first evaluated the large time series foundation models as a powerful and data-efficient tool for environmental science, poised to remarkably improve pollution prediction and water resource management, especially in data-scarce regions.

准确的水质预测对水资源管理至关重要，但特定任务的模型往往由于依赖广泛的训练数据而受到限制。大时间序列基础模型的出现为数据稀缺下的水质预测提供了一个有前景但尚未探索的解决方案。本研究使用T5大型语言模型（LLM）对Chronos，一种先进的时间序列基础模型，与一套特定任务的基准模型（即RF， MLP， LSTM, Transformer, XGBoost, LightGBM， KAN， PatchTST和Crossformer）进行了评估。在不同数据可用比（20% ~ 100%）和不同预报提前时间（4 ~ 48 h）下，对黄淮海流域12个站点的总氮（TN）进行了预测。与直接使用模型的一般预训练功能（即零射击）相比，使用特定站点的数据（即微调）调整Chronos模型可以产生更好的性能。虽然LSTM和PatchTST在训练数据充足（≥80%）的情况下取得了相当或更好的性能，特别是在中低复杂度序列上，但经过微调的Chronos在训练数据不足60%的情况下始终优于基准模型。该模型在高复杂性台站和污染高峰期间表现出最大的性能优势，无论数据是否可用都保持优势。通过迁移学习，微调后的Chronos实现了优于其他基准模型的跨站泛化，我们发现这种可转移性是由水质数据的复杂性决定的。本研究首先评价了大时间序列基础模型作为一种强大的、数据高效的环境科学工具，有望显著改善污染预测和水资源管理，特别是在数据稀缺地区。

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引用次数: 0

Calcium silicate hydrate–embedded porous concrete for efficient phosphate removal and recovery in concentrated eluates 水合硅酸钙包埋多孔混凝土的高效磷酸盐去除和浓缩洗脱液的回收

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100473

Worawit Wongniramaikul , Aree Choodum , Pakorn Pasitsuparoad , Suparat Cotchim , Chanadda Phawachalotorn , Tarawee Taweekarn

Phosphate remediation and recovery from wastewater remain challenging due to limitations in adsorbent stability and real–world applicability. This study presents a sustainable porous concrete–calcium silicate hydrate (PC–CSH) column engineered for continuous–flow phosphate removal and resource recovery. Synthesized CSH nanoparticles were incorporated into a porous cement matrix, and comprehensive characterization confirmed the formation of calcium phosphate phases, including hydroxyapatite (HAP), CaHPO₄, and Ca(H₂PO₄)₂. The results indicate that surface-induced microprecipitation, driven by Ca²⁺ and OH⁻ released from both added and in situ–formed CSH, is the dominant removal mechanism. Externally added nanoparticles contributed 40.05% of total uptake, while the remainder originated from CSH generated during cement hydration. Breakthrough analysis showed that increasing column height enhanced longevity, whereas higher influent phosphate concentration and flow rate accelerated saturation. Under optimal conditions (7.5 cm column, 50 mg L⁻¹ phosphate, 10 mL min⁻¹ flow), the system achieved >99% removal with a total adsorption capacity of 3599.7 mg. The nonlinear Yoon–Nelson model best described the breakthrough behavior. Application to real municipal wastewater (initial phosphate 4.57 mg L⁻¹) achieved 99.3% removal with minimal influence from coexisting anions (SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, CO₃²⁻). Phosphate was efficiently recovered using 0.5 M HCl (100.4% desorption), and performance was restored by reloading fresh PC–CSH slurry. The column retained 73.9% phosphate removal efficiency after four adsorption–desorption cycles with real wastewater, demonstrating excellent reusability and practical potential. Overall, the PC–CSH column offers a robust, semi–regenerable platform for sustainable phosphate mitigation and recovery in wastewater treatment.

由于吸附剂稳定性和实际适用性的限制，废水中的磷酸盐修复和回收仍然具有挑战性。本研究提出了一种可持续多孔混凝土水合硅酸钙（PC-CSH）柱，用于连续流磷酸盐去除和资源回收。将合成的CSH纳米颗粒掺入多孔水泥基体中，综合表征证实形成了磷酸钙相，包括羟基磷灰石（HAP）、CaHPO₄和Ca（H₂PO₄）2。结果表明，Ca 2 +和OH⁻从添加的和原位形成的CSH中释放出来的驱动表面微沉淀是主要的去除机制。外部添加的纳米颗粒贡献了总吸收量的40.05%，其余部分来自水泥水化过程中产生的CSH。突破分析表明，柱高的增加延长了寿命，而进水磷酸盐浓度和流速的增加加速了饱和。在最佳条件下（7.5 cm柱，50 mg L⁻¹磷酸，10 mL min⁻¹流量），系统达到99%的去除率，总吸附量为3599.7 mg。非线性Yoon-Nelson模型最好地描述了突破行为。应用于实际的城市污水（初始磷酸盐4.57 mg L -⁻），去除99.3%，同时存在的阴离子（SO₄²⁻，NO₃⁻，CO₃²⁻）的影响最小。使用0.5 M HCl（解吸100.4%）有效回收磷酸盐，并通过重新加载新鲜PC-CSH浆料恢复性能。在实际废水中进行4次吸附-解吸后，该柱的除磷效率为73.9%，具有良好的可重复利用性和应用潜力。总体而言，PC-CSH柱为废水处理中的可持续磷酸盐缓解和回收提供了一个强大的半可再生平台。

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引用次数: 0

Bridging sanitary surveys and microbial evidence: Advancing recreational water risk assessment through community-based microbial source-tracking 连接卫生调查和微生物证据：通过社区微生物来源追踪推进休闲用水风险评估

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100481

Timothy J.Y. Lim , Johanna Engels , Muriel Lepesteur , Darren Cottam , Miriam Jones , Kelly Zuccala , Caroline Martino , Chris Garland , Anne Roiko , Alison Kemp , Fiona Lynch , Rebekah Henry

To evaluate the suitability of water environments for water-based recreation, water quality guidelines rely on a risk framework based on the quantification of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and sanitary surveys. The purpose of sanitary surveys is to identify the sources of faecal pollution and their likelihood to contaminate the water environment. In general, FIBs such as enterococci are assumed to be primarily human-derived; an assumption that can lead to a disconnect between measured FIB levels and the broader site context, particularly in environments with multiple faecal sources. As a result, the framework often struggles to accurately link microbial contamination to specific sources and risks. This study investigates the application of community-based microbial source tracking (MST) with adjustment of FIB concentrations, via metaMST, to generate source-specific FIB profiles for eight Australian beaches. Results demonstrated that metaMST source proportioning could attribute enterococci levels across multiple faecal sources, better reflecting the reality of mixed catchments inputs. MetaMST analysis also revealed dynamic relationships between enterococci and antecedent rainfall, varying by source and site. However, sanitary surveys, when not conducted concurrently with metaMST sampling, often failed to capture site-specific spatial and temporal variability. In combination it was demonstrated that through integration of metaMST, hazard identification becomes more precise, enabling better-informed risk assessments and mitigation strategies that can better inform long-term management of risks to recreational water quality, in addition to reduced public health alerts associated with faecal contamination in recreational waters.

为了评估水环境对水上娱乐的适宜性，水质指南依赖于基于粪便指示细菌（FIB）量化和卫生调查的风险框架。卫生调查的目的是确定粪便污染的来源及其污染水环境的可能性。一般来说，肠球菌等非传染性细菌被认为主要来自人类；这一假设可能导致FIB测量水平与更广泛的现场环境脱节，特别是在有多种粪便来源的环境中。因此，该框架往往难以准确地将微生物污染与特定来源和风险联系起来。本研究通过metaMST研究了社区微生物源追踪（MST）与FIB浓度调整的应用，以生成8个澳大利亚海滩的特定源FIB剖面。结果表明，metaMST来源比例可以确定多个粪便来源的肠球菌水平，更好地反映了混合汇水输入的现实。MetaMST分析还揭示了肠球菌与之前降雨之间的动态关系，这种关系因来源和地点而异。然而，卫生调查如果不与metaMST抽样同时进行，往往无法捕获特定地点的空间和时间变异性。综合来看，通过整合metaMST，危险识别变得更加精确，能够更好地进行知情的风险评估和缓解战略，从而更好地为娱乐水质风险的长期管理提供信息，并减少与娱乐水域粪便污染有关的公共卫生警报。

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引用次数: 0

The unexpected role of aged microplastics in inhibiting antibiotic resistance gene spread 老化微塑料在抑制抗生素耐药基因传播中的意外作用

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research X

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100464

Chaoran Li , Yelong He , Qifan Zhang , Lin Zhao , Zhonglai Zhou , Yuxiu Zhang , Pengpeng Yu , Min Xu

Microplastics (MPs) are known to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through biofilm formation, pollutant co-selection, and enhanced horizontal gene transfer (HGT). However, emerging evidence suggests that aged microplastics (A-MPs) may, under certain conditions, exert inhibitory effects via two coupled mechanisms: radical-mediated suppression of cellular and extracellular DNA, and plasmid-level interference with replication and transfer. Photo-oxidative aging introduces oxygen-containing functional groups and enables the surface generation of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially hydroxyl radicals (•OH). These reactive intermediates can damage cell membranes, inhibit biofilm formation, and fragment extracellular DNA, reducing conjugation and transformation frequencies. Meanwhile, nanoscale or highly concentrated A-MPs can suppress plasmid replication, particularly of low-copy plasmids, and hinder donor. recipient contact through aggregation and spatial hindrance, thereby decreasing HGT efficiency. A concentration–size–replication relationship reconciles the duality of observed effects: smaller or low-dose MPs may transiently enhance permeability and uptake, whereas higher radical fluxes and aggregation shift systems toward inhibition. This review consolidates current evidence and proposes that the oxidative microenvironments associated with aged microplastics may indirectly constrain ARG dissemination, providing a new hypothesis and research direction for understanding their ecological role in antibiotic resistance dynamics.

已知微塑料（MPs）通过生物膜形成、污染物共选择和增强水平基因转移（HGT）促进抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）的传播。然而，越来越多的证据表明，老化的微塑料（A-MPs）可能在一定条件下通过两种耦合机制发挥抑制作用：自由基介导的细胞和细胞外DNA的抑制，以及质粒水平对复制和转移的干扰。光氧化老化引入含氧官能团，使表面产生环境持久性自由基（EPFRs）和活性氧（ROS），特别是羟基自由基（•OH）。这些反应性中间体可以破坏细胞膜，抑制生物膜的形成，破坏细胞外DNA，降低偶联和转化频率。同时，纳米级或高浓度的A-MPs可以抑制质粒的复制，特别是低拷贝质粒的复制，并阻碍供体。受体通过聚集和空间阻碍接触，从而降低HGT效率。浓度-大小-复制关系调和了观察到的双重效应：较小或低剂量的MPs可能会暂时增强渗透性和摄取，而较高的自由基通量和聚集使系统转向抑制。本文综合现有证据，提出与老化微塑料相关的氧化微环境可能间接限制ARG的传播，为理解其在抗生素耐药动力学中的生态作用提供了新的假设和研究方向。

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