Current Pollution Reports最新文献

Purpose of Review

Aquaculture has grown rapidly over the years and Asia–Pacific is leading the World in aquaculture production. But poor water quality has serious impacts on farmed animals leading to stunted growth, low quality produce, high mortality rates and ultimately economic failure of aquaculture businesses. Many countries have set water quality standards (WQS) to protect aquaculture and assure the quality of its produce. However, WQS differ from country to country, while the market for aquaculture produce is global. This leads to inconsistencies that affect aquaculture producers and the environment.

Recent Findings

Key parameters for animal health include dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, ammonia, heavy metals, pesticides and pathogens. On the other hand, bioaccumulation of heavy metals, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, microbial contamination, drug residues and antimicrobial resistance are health risks for consumers of aquaculture produce and require careful control strategies. Considering Thailand as an example, the WQS set by the Thai Government are stringent compared with other Asian countries, but the literature review illustrates that for a few parameters coastal water quality in central Thailand regularly exceeds the set limits.

Summary

Practically speaking, setting strict WQS can make it challenging for small-scale producers with limited resources to meet these requirements, which discourages compliance. Therefore, a global approach is needed not just via food safety standards, but also for surface water quality protection, to assure fair competition in an increasingly globalized aquaculture market.

Purpose of Review

High temperature (HT) and heat waves (HWs) are escalating meteorological phenomena, with profound impacts on public health. This review aims to investigate the characteristics, regional heterogeneity, and health impacts of HT and HWs in China, with a focus on vulnerable populations and co-exposure risks. It addresses how HT/HW-related mortality and morbidity vary across regions, while evaluating the compounded effects of air pollution (e.g., ozone (O₃)) under extreme heat.

Recent Findings

Recent studies underscore that HT and HWs significantly increase all-cause, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, and respiratory mortality and morbidity in China, particularly under co-exposure to pollutants like O₃. Vulnerable groups, including older adults, females, and children, exhibit heightened sensitivity. Climate projections warn of escalating burdens heat-related deaths could rise in the future. Standardizing HT and HWs definitions are essential to ensure consistent health impact assessments in vulnerability and exposure risks. Time series analysis was the most commonly used.

Summary

This review concludes that HT/HW-related health impacts exhibit significant heterogeneity in China, with older adults, females, and children facing heightened vulnerability to mortality. HT/HW increased the morbidity risk. The findings underscore the urgent need for standardized HT/HW definitions, multidisciplinary research integrating climate and health data, and expanded monitoring of long-term exposure effects. Appropriate health policies will be critical for mitigating risks and addressing disparities in heat wave adaptation across diverse climatic zones.

Graphical Abstract

Purpose of Review

Micro/nanoplastics (MNPs), as emerging pollutants, have attracted increasing attention due to their potential adverse effects on human health, ecosystems, and climate. The rapid, turbulent, and large-scale nature of atmospheric transport facilitates both horizontal and vertical movement of MNPs over long distances within a short time, largely independent of topographical constraints, thereby accelerating their global cycle and exacerbating their impacts. Despite growing interest, our understanding of the atmospheric lifecycle of MNPs remains limited. This review aims to synthesise recent advances in understanding the atmospheric lifecycle of MNPs, including their emission sources, long-range transport characteristics, and driving mechanisms. It also evaluates the key sources of uncertainty—particularly those related to emission flux estimates—and provides corresponding recommendations for future research.

Recent Findings

Current research on the atmospheric processes of MNPs primarily relies on a combination of observational data and numerical modelling. Two major uncertainties in atmospheric micro/nanoplastic (AMNP) emissions persist: the wide variability in marine emission estimates, which span four orders of magnitude, and the unresolved question of whether terrestrial or marine sources are the dominant contributors to AMNP emissions. Furthermore, this review highlights critical factors driving these uncertainties, including limited data availability, inconsistencies in observational methodologies, oversimplified simulations, and gaps in understanding atmospheric cycling mechanisms. Additionally, variations in the particle size ranges targeted by different observational and modelling studies hinder cross-comparisons and model evaluations, representing another important source of uncertainty.

Summary

AMNP research is constrained by multiple uncertainties that hinder a comprehensive understanding of their emissions, transport, and fate. To address these issues, we call for establishing a global network of standardised observations, improving sampling and simulation practices, and incorporating artificial intelligence. These strategies will enhance our understanding of the complete atmospheric cycle of MNPs, paving the way for more effective environmental management and better-informed policy decisions.

Purpose of Review

The palm oil industry, as the largest producer of edible oil in the world, generates considerable volumes of biomass waste, including oil palm fronds, trunks, empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fibers, palm kernel shells, and palm oil fuel ash. Improper disposal of these residues contributes to environmental pollution and resource management challenges. This review aims to critically evaluate recent developments in transforming oil palm biomass waste (OPW) into low-cost, high-performance adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater, while aligning with zero-waste and circular economy goals.

Recent Findings

Recent studies have demonstrated that OPW-derived adsorbents, when subjected to particle size reduction and surface functionalization, exhibit significantly enhanced adsorption capacity and recovery efficiency. Notably, activated carbon nanoparticles derived from empty fruit bunch via KOH activation have demonstrated adsorption capacities exceeding 1000 mg/g for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺, attributed to their ultrafine size and high surface reactivity. These materials also show strong reusability, with over 80% adsorption efficiency retained after multiple regeneration cycles. Integration of OPW adsorbents into dynamic systems such as fixed-bed columns, adsorption-membrane hybrids, magnetic composites, and gel matrices have been explored to improve operational stability, pollutant removal, and ease of recovery.

Summary

This review underscores the potential of OPW-derived adsorbents as sustainable and cost-effective alternatives for industrial wastewater treatment. The incorporation of OPW-based materials into engineered systems and the evaluation of post-treatment strategies (e.g., regeneration, reuse, safe disposal) demonstrate their applicability for real-world continuous processes. By promoting the valorization of agricultural waste and addressing current pollution control needs, these materials contribute to improved wastewater management, sustainable resource management, and industrial circularity in palm oil–producing regions. The findings offer valuable insights for environmental managers, policymakers, and industries in adopting circular economy practices and eco-friendly pollution control solutions.

Purpose of Review

Geogenic As enrichment occurs in alpine riverine systems worldwide, while the understanding of the facilitation of DOM transformation on As enrichment remains unclear. This review aims to summarize the typical occurrence of As anomaly and the principal components of DOM in global alpine river systems, and evaluate the critical pathways of DOM participating in As mobilization under different geochemical scenarios.

Recent Findings

DOM constitutions in alpine riverine systems were distinct from downstream urbanized river basins due to the glacier degradation, atmosphere pollution, and permafrost thawing, etc. Notably, the diverse functional groups in DOM could potentially affect As mobility through triggering the As-bearing mineral transformation, changing As redox species, competitive adsorption, and the formation of surface complex species. The formation of the ternary DOM-Fe-As complex is also critical for controlling the As mobility in the water–sediment interface.

Summary

Future study should focus on the long-term and high-resolution monitoring of spatial-temporal variations in the concurrent transformations in DOM and As in alpine riverine systems, and it is urgent to utilize comprehensive characterization technologies in combination with state-of-the-art statistical analysis for quantitatively refining our understanding on the detailed mechanism accounting for the facilitation of DOM transformation on As enrichment in alpine riverine system, which is fundamental for developing remediation technologies for geogenic As enrichment and securing the safe drinking water supply in headwater regions globally.

Purpose of review

This review focuses on improving the understanding of the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on cloud processes, precipitation, radiation, climate, associated feedback mechanisms, and Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI), with a particular emphasis on literature published after the IPCC AR6.

Recent findings

EarthCARE, an epoch-making satellite mission, has just been launched in 2024. Global climate models (GCMs) have become sophisticated, particularly with respect to the treatment of precipitation, and novel GCMs have been developed for the upcoming Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). Satellite simulators have been used to incorporate new diagnostics to facilitate an apples-to-apples comparison between the models and observations established in the recent studies.

Summary

To reduce the key uncertainties at fundamental process levels, we focus on: (1) assessing model-observation discrepancies, (2) improving the existing models, and (3) examining the linkage between effective radiative forcing, cloud feedback, and the recent EEI trends.

Purpose of Review

This review provides a critical analysis of current and emerging methods for identifying and quantifying microplastic fibres (MPF) in wastewater, covering all key steps of sample collection, pretreatment, and analytical analysis. There are currently no universally accepted standards for collecting and analysing MPF. This review aims to provide new insights to develop appropriate processes for collecting and analysing MPF in wastewater through a critical analysis of the literature.

Recent Findings

Previous studies have used non-selective grab sampling and stacked sieving apparatuses to collect and/or sort microplastics, but very few have been specifically applied to MPF. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) digestion is the most widely used for sample preparation prior to MPF analysis. MPF quantification by manual counting under an optical microscope is possible but is inefficient and unable to meet the required level of accuracy. Either micro–Fourier Transport Infrared (µFTIR) or µ-Raman is suitable for polymer identification. They each have distinctive reported strengths and weaknesses, and µFTIR is more appropriate for MPF analysis.

Summary

Fast and scalable analysis can be achieved with grab sampling for collection, H₂O₂ digestion for pretreatment, filtration using glass fibre or alumina oxide membranes, and then microscopic imaging with fluorene tagging for automated counting. Transmittance μFTIR is the most appropriate tool for polymer identification. Density separation, extensive sample digestion, manual counting, and Raman spectroscopy are not required or incompatible for MPF analysis.

Purpose of Review

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), used extensively in liquid crystal displays (LCDs), have emerged as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic organic pollutants. A network analysis of SCOPUS data revealed significant knowledge gaps, especially concerning the fate of LCMs in WWTPs. The available literature highlights that influent LCM concentrations vary widely, with elevated levels linked to industrial and e-waste recycling activities. This review examines the occurrence, fate, and treatment of LCMs, particularly fluorinated LCMs (F-LCMs), in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

Recent Findings

Conventional WWTP processes achieve moderate removal efficiencies (~ 84%) for LCMs, but F-LCMs often persist. Advanced treatment techniques such as UV/peroxydisulfate (UV/PDS) showed removal rates of 77–84% for LCMs with biphenyl and ethoxy groups. These groups alter electron distribution, making the molecules more susceptible to oxidative attack by reactive species such as hydroxyl and sulfate radicals. Degradation pathways include cleavage of biphenyl, ethoxy, and C-F bonds, producing less toxic by-products such as oxalic acid and cyclohexane. However, some degradation intermediates formed are toxic, necessitating further research of the treatment processes.

Summary

This review underscores the need for systematic monitoring of LCMs in wastewater and their transformation products in treated wastewater and sludge, alongside advancements in treatment technologies to mitigate environmental and health risks. This review highlights the urgency of improving wastewater management strategies for LCMs and the need for future research to address the critical knowledge gaps.

Purpose of Review

Rivers serve as primary pathways for sediment transport from land to ocean, transporting large amounts of sediment annually to nearshore areas. However, in recent decades, many global rivers have been obstructed by dams for water resource management, forming unique distribution pattern and causing ecological impacts, which have been extensively studied. This review utilizes CiteSpace to investigate studies on reservoir sediment distribution and its ecological impacts, summarizing existing research progress and proposing suggestions for future studies.

Recent Findings

We found that (i) this topic has received sustained attention, with an increasing number of publications annually. Between 2005 and 2025, there is a total of 6093 publications. (ii) Longitudinally, in a cascade reservoir system, the first reservoir, or one that has long functioned as the first, usually shows the highest sediment accumulation, with grain size gradually decreasing downstream. Within an individual reservoir, both sediment volume and particle size generally decline from the reservoir tail to the dam. (iii) Vertically, sediment concentration is higher near the reservoir bottom. Coarser particles settle quickly and accumulate at the bottom, while finer particles remain suspended in the upper layers for extended periods. (iv) Sediment distribution influences biogeochemical cycling in river ecosystems, resulting in a series of ecological impacts such as changes in nutrient regime in the water, greenhouse gas emissions, and heavy metal toxicity.

Summary

This review summarizes the progress related to reservoir sediment distribution and their ecological impacts, suggesting future research should focus on the biochemical characteristics of sediment particles and three-dimensional simulation of sediment transport in reservoirs. These studies will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of sediment distribution, ecological impacts, and potential mitigation measures in dammed rivers.