Pub Date : 2024-08-26DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00293-8
Jiamin Wan, Tetsu K. Tokunaga, Curtis A. Beutler, Alexander W. Newman, Wenming Dong, Markus Bill, Wendy S. Brown, Amanda N. Henderson, Anh Phuong Tran, Kenneth H. Williams
Shale bedrocks hold Earth’s largest carbon inventory. Although water is recognized for cycling elements through terrestrial environments, understanding how hydrology controls ancient rock carbon (Crock) release is limited. Here we measured depth- and season-dependent subsurface water fluxes and pore-water and pore-gas geochemistry (including radiocarbon) over five vastly different water years along a hillslope. The data reveal that the maximum depth of annual water table oscillations determines the weathering depth. Seasonally varying subsurface water fluxes determine the export forms and rates of weathered Crock. Eighty percent of released Crock is emitted as CO2 to the atmosphere primarily during warmer and lower water table seasons and 20% of released Crock as bicarbonate exports mostly during months of snowmelt to the hydrosphere. Thus, the rates and forms of Crock weathering and export are clearly controlled by climate via hydrologic regulation of oxygen availability and subsurface flow. The approaches developed here can be applied to other environments. This study shows that climate-driven hydrology primarily controls subsurface rock carbon weathering, with the groundwater table regulating the weathering depth and subsurface water fluxes determining the transported forms and rates of carbon released from rocks, based on measurements in the East River watershed, Rocky Mountains, United States.
{"title":"Hydrological control of rock carbon fluxes from shale weathering","authors":"Jiamin Wan, Tetsu K. Tokunaga, Curtis A. Beutler, Alexander W. Newman, Wenming Dong, Markus Bill, Wendy S. Brown, Amanda N. Henderson, Anh Phuong Tran, Kenneth H. Williams","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00293-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00293-8","url":null,"abstract":"Shale bedrocks hold Earth’s largest carbon inventory. Although water is recognized for cycling elements through terrestrial environments, understanding how hydrology controls ancient rock carbon (Crock) release is limited. Here we measured depth- and season-dependent subsurface water fluxes and pore-water and pore-gas geochemistry (including radiocarbon) over five vastly different water years along a hillslope. The data reveal that the maximum depth of annual water table oscillations determines the weathering depth. Seasonally varying subsurface water fluxes determine the export forms and rates of weathered Crock. Eighty percent of released Crock is emitted as CO2 to the atmosphere primarily during warmer and lower water table seasons and 20% of released Crock as bicarbonate exports mostly during months of snowmelt to the hydrosphere. Thus, the rates and forms of Crock weathering and export are clearly controlled by climate via hydrologic regulation of oxygen availability and subsurface flow. The approaches developed here can be applied to other environments. This study shows that climate-driven hydrology primarily controls subsurface rock carbon weathering, with the groundwater table regulating the weathering depth and subsurface water fluxes determining the transported forms and rates of carbon released from rocks, based on measurements in the East River watershed, Rocky Mountains, United States.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-024-00293-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142205366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-21DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00302-w
Among several international prizes for work aimed at solving problems related to water, the Stockholm Water Prize is the most prestigious. We celebrate the latest laureates and highlight the inspirational nature of such an award.
{"title":"The prize of water","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00302-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00302-w","url":null,"abstract":"Among several international prizes for work aimed at solving problems related to water, the Stockholm Water Prize is the most prestigious. We celebrate the latest laureates and highlight the inspirational nature of such an award.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-024-00302-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142021828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Afforestation can influence evapotranspiration (E) and precipitation (P), thereby altering water availability (known as P − E) on land. However, such effects on P − E have rarely been examined in the context of seasonal and spatial variations in background P − E conditions. Here we show the impacts of global tree restoration on P − E under spatiotemporally varying P − E conditions. Afforestation amplifies seasonal contrasts in P − E, resulting in higher P − E in the high P − E season and/or lower P − E in the low P − E season, over approximately two-thirds of the land area. Afforestation also amplifies spatial contrasts in P − E, leading to higher P − E in the high P − E regions but lower P − E in the low P − E regions. This study underscores the importance of considering background P − E conditions when evaluating the hydrological effects of afforestation, with important implications for both forestry and water management. This study investigates the potential impacts of afforestation on land precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (E) and water availability (P − E) at global and country scales, finding that afforestation amplifies seasonal and spatial contrasts in P − E.
植树造林可以影响蒸散量（E）和降水量（P），从而改变陆地上的水供应量（称为 P-E）。然而，这种对 P - E 的影响很少在背景 P - E 条件的季节和空间变化背景下进行研究。在这里，我们展示了在时空变化的 P - E 条件下，全球植树造林对 P - E 的影响。植树造林扩大了 P - E 的季节对比，导致约三分之二的陆地面积在高 P - E 季节出现较高的 P - E 和/或在低 P - E 季节出现较低的 P - E。植树造林也扩大了 P - E 的空间对比，导致高 P - E 地区 P - E 较高，而低 P - E 地区 P - E 较低。这项研究强调了在评估植树造林的水文效应时考虑背景 P - E 条件的重要性，这对林业和水资源管理都具有重要意义。
{"title":"Spatiotemporal inequality in land water availability amplified by global tree restoration","authors":"Beilei Zan, Jun Ge, Mengyuan Mu, Qiaohong Sun, Xing Luo, Jiangfeng Wei","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00296-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00296-5","url":null,"abstract":"Afforestation can influence evapotranspiration (E) and precipitation (P), thereby altering water availability (known as P − E) on land. However, such effects on P − E have rarely been examined in the context of seasonal and spatial variations in background P − E conditions. Here we show the impacts of global tree restoration on P − E under spatiotemporally varying P − E conditions. Afforestation amplifies seasonal contrasts in P − E, resulting in higher P − E in the high P − E season and/or lower P − E in the low P − E season, over approximately two-thirds of the land area. Afforestation also amplifies spatial contrasts in P − E, leading to higher P − E in the high P − E regions but lower P − E in the low P − E regions. This study underscores the importance of considering background P − E conditions when evaluating the hydrological effects of afforestation, with important implications for both forestry and water management. This study investigates the potential impacts of afforestation on land precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (E) and water availability (P − E) at global and country scales, finding that afforestation amplifies seasonal and spatial contrasts in P − E.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142205367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-19DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00289-4
Yang Li, Syed A. Hashsham, Fei-Fei Chen, Hong Sun, Qiang Tang, Han-Qing Yu, James M. Tiedje
The rising challenge of antibiotic resistance, accelerated by mobile genetic elements carrying antibiotic resistance genes, necessitates effective and environmentally friendly control strategies. Here we present an approach employing Shewanella oneidensis, transformed into an efficient whole-cell DNA scavenger by expressing a highly active nuclease. This approach aimed at enzymatically eliminating cell-free mobile genetic elements in wastewater treatment plants. The DNA scavenger demonstrated high efficiency and ultrafast degradation with a model multiple antibiotic resistance plasmid. Experiments across various dosages and hydraulic retention times showed substantial antibiotic resistance gene reduction, even at minimal dosages. Effectiveness was confirmed in practical scenarios involving return activated sludge and secondary clarifier effluent, where a low dose of 0.08 U ml−1 achieved over 99.92% removal in 4 h and almost complete inactivation in 6 h. Simulations showed consistent, high efficiency across various wastewater treatment plant reactors. These findings establish enzymatic scavenging as a new strategy for managing the antibiotic resistance spread. The development of antibiotic resistance in wastewater is accelerated by the wide presence of mobile genetic elements. An engineered DNA scavenger based on Shewanella oneidensis is shown to be an efficient tool for eliminating mobile genetic elements in wastewater treatment plants, thus decreasing the rise and dissemination of antibiotic resistance.
携带抗生素耐药性基因的移动遗传因子加速了抗生素耐药性的产生，而抗生素耐药性这一日益严峻的挑战需要有效且环保的控制策略。在此，我们介绍一种利用一龄雪旺菌（Shewanella oneidensis）的方法，通过表达高活性核酸酶，将其转化为高效的全细胞 DNA 清除剂。这种方法旨在酶解污水处理厂中的无细胞移动遗传因子。这种 DNA 清除剂对一种具有多种抗生素抗性的质粒进行了高效、超快的降解。各种剂量和水力停留时间的实验表明，即使在最小剂量下，抗生素抗性基因也会大量减少。在涉及回流活性污泥和二级澄清器出水的实际应用中，0.08 U ml-1 的低剂量在 4 小时内达到 99.92% 以上的去除率，在 6 小时内几乎完全失活。这些研究结果表明，酶清除技术是控制抗生素耐药性扩散的一种新策略。移动遗传因子的广泛存在加速了废水中抗生素耐药性的发展。研究表明，一种基于Shewanella oneidensis的工程DNA清除剂是消除污水处理厂中移动遗传因子的有效工具，从而减少抗生素耐药性的产生和传播。
{"title":"Engineered DNA scavenger for mitigating antibiotic resistance proliferation in wastewater treatment","authors":"Yang Li, Syed A. Hashsham, Fei-Fei Chen, Hong Sun, Qiang Tang, Han-Qing Yu, James M. Tiedje","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00289-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00289-4","url":null,"abstract":"The rising challenge of antibiotic resistance, accelerated by mobile genetic elements carrying antibiotic resistance genes, necessitates effective and environmentally friendly control strategies. Here we present an approach employing Shewanella oneidensis, transformed into an efficient whole-cell DNA scavenger by expressing a highly active nuclease. This approach aimed at enzymatically eliminating cell-free mobile genetic elements in wastewater treatment plants. The DNA scavenger demonstrated high efficiency and ultrafast degradation with a model multiple antibiotic resistance plasmid. Experiments across various dosages and hydraulic retention times showed substantial antibiotic resistance gene reduction, even at minimal dosages. Effectiveness was confirmed in practical scenarios involving return activated sludge and secondary clarifier effluent, where a low dose of 0.08 U ml−1 achieved over 99.92% removal in 4 h and almost complete inactivation in 6 h. Simulations showed consistent, high efficiency across various wastewater treatment plant reactors. These findings establish enzymatic scavenging as a new strategy for managing the antibiotic resistance spread. The development of antibiotic resistance in wastewater is accelerated by the wide presence of mobile genetic elements. An engineered DNA scavenger based on Shewanella oneidensis is shown to be an efficient tool for eliminating mobile genetic elements in wastewater treatment plants, thus decreasing the rise and dissemination of antibiotic resistance.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142021824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-19DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00288-5
Benno H. ter Kuile
A DNA scavenger that can locate and destroy mobile genetic elements is demonstrated to be an effective way to reduce the horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance.
事实证明，能够定位和破坏移动遗传元素的 DNA 清除剂是减少抗菌素抗药性水平转移的有效方法。
{"title":"Destruction of mobile genetic elements","authors":"Benno H. ter Kuile","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00288-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00288-5","url":null,"abstract":"A DNA scavenger that can locate and destroy mobile genetic elements is demonstrated to be an effective way to reduce the horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142021800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-16DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00284-9
Ming Chen, J. Paul Chen
The electro-Fenton process offers great potential for the treatment of contaminated water, but its industrial applications are limited due to a lack of electrocatalysts with effective cycling functionality. The electro-responsive catalyst enables continuous cycling of Fe(III)/Fe(II) species for electro-driven regeneration of the Fe(II) catalyst, leading to stable and efficient degradation of organic pollutants.
{"title":"Achieving cycling catalysis of electro-Fenton treatment","authors":"Ming Chen, J. Paul Chen","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00284-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00284-9","url":null,"abstract":"The electro-Fenton process offers great potential for the treatment of contaminated water, but its industrial applications are limited due to a lack of electrocatalysts with effective cycling functionality. The electro-responsive catalyst enables continuous cycling of Fe(III)/Fe(II) species for electro-driven regeneration of the Fe(II) catalyst, leading to stable and efficient degradation of organic pollutants.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142021819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-14DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00286-7
Ashkan Zolfaghari, Joel Gehman, Andrew J. Kondash, Kurt O. Konhauser, Yong Sik Ok, Avner Vengosh, Daniel S. Alessi
Hydrocarbon recovery from conventional and unconventional wells, such as those using hydraulic fracturing (HF), generates substantial volumes of highly saline wastewater, known as flowback and produced water (FPW). Traditional evaluations of FPW management have focused on volume and chemical additives in HF fluids, neglecting variations in FPW volumetric production and salinity. Here we introduce two parameters to better assess the environmental impact of FPW: total produced salts (TPS), which accounts for both volume and salinity, and produced salts intensity, the ratio of TPS to the energy content of recovered hydrocarbons. Analysing a database of over 620,000 HF and conventional wells in North America, we found that more than 355 billion tonnes of salts were produced from 2005 to 2019, with HF wells contributing over 85%. Projections indicate that more than 1.5 trillion tonnes of salts will be produced by wells drilled between 2019 and 2050, predominantly from HF wells. TPS and produced salts intensity are crucial for assessing environmental risks, treatment costs and resource extraction potential, providing valuable metrics for regulators and planners. Recovering hydrocarbons from oil and gas wells results in highly saline wastewater, also known as flowback and produced water. The introduction of two parameters to estimate the environmental impact of these by-products, relative to energy produced, provides an important tool for assessing the risks associated with the planning and use of wells.
{"title":"Wastewater production footprint of conventional and unconventional oil and gas wells in North America","authors":"Ashkan Zolfaghari, Joel Gehman, Andrew J. Kondash, Kurt O. Konhauser, Yong Sik Ok, Avner Vengosh, Daniel S. Alessi","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00286-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00286-7","url":null,"abstract":"Hydrocarbon recovery from conventional and unconventional wells, such as those using hydraulic fracturing (HF), generates substantial volumes of highly saline wastewater, known as flowback and produced water (FPW). Traditional evaluations of FPW management have focused on volume and chemical additives in HF fluids, neglecting variations in FPW volumetric production and salinity. Here we introduce two parameters to better assess the environmental impact of FPW: total produced salts (TPS), which accounts for both volume and salinity, and produced salts intensity, the ratio of TPS to the energy content of recovered hydrocarbons. Analysing a database of over 620,000 HF and conventional wells in North America, we found that more than 355 billion tonnes of salts were produced from 2005 to 2019, with HF wells contributing over 85%. Projections indicate that more than 1.5 trillion tonnes of salts will be produced by wells drilled between 2019 and 2050, predominantly from HF wells. TPS and produced salts intensity are crucial for assessing environmental risks, treatment costs and resource extraction potential, providing valuable metrics for regulators and planners. Recovering hydrocarbons from oil and gas wells results in highly saline wastewater, also known as flowback and produced water. The introduction of two parameters to estimate the environmental impact of these by-products, relative to energy produced, provides an important tool for assessing the risks associated with the planning and use of wells.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142021827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-09DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00282-x
Junjie Wang, Alexander F. Bouwman, Lauriane Vilmin, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Wim J. van Hoek, Xiaochen Liu, Jack J. Middelburg
Inland waters are an important component of the global nitrogen (N) cycle, functioning not only as land-to-sea transporters but also as active biogeochemical reactors. However, the latter role is not well understood regarding mechanisms, quantities or on a global scale. It remains unclear whether, when, how and why global inland-water biogeochemical N cycling has changed. Here we analyse the dynamic global inland-water N cycling processes in the Anthropocene by quantifying the long-term changes in different N forms, including their inputs to inland waters, transformation pathways, retention within inland waters, and river export to oceans. Using a spatially explicit, mechanistic, coupled hydrology and biogeochemistry model, we show that, during 1900–2010, the increase in total nitrogen (TN) river loading (from 27 to 68 Tg yr−1) resulted in an increase in TN export to oceans (from 20 to 42 Tg yr−1), despite an increase in inland-water retention (from 25% to 39%) primarily due to gaseous loss and burial. Moreover, the relative contributions of ammonium (NH4+), nitrate/nitrite (NOx−) and organic nitrogen (ON) changed because of threefold increases in global inland-water mineralization (transforming ON to NH4+) and N burial in sediments, a fourfold increase in nitrification (transforming NH4+ to NOx−) and a sixfold increase in denitrification (transforming NOx− to mainly N2). This Article presents a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic global inland-water N cycling processes using a coupled model of hydrology, nutrient loading and biogeochemical transformation, showing that N export increased more slowly than loading due to increased inland-water retention via enhanced transformation and burial.
{"title":"Global inland-water nitrogen cycling has accelerated in the Anthropocene","authors":"Junjie Wang, Alexander F. Bouwman, Lauriane Vilmin, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Wim J. van Hoek, Xiaochen Liu, Jack J. Middelburg","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00282-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00282-x","url":null,"abstract":"Inland waters are an important component of the global nitrogen (N) cycle, functioning not only as land-to-sea transporters but also as active biogeochemical reactors. However, the latter role is not well understood regarding mechanisms, quantities or on a global scale. It remains unclear whether, when, how and why global inland-water biogeochemical N cycling has changed. Here we analyse the dynamic global inland-water N cycling processes in the Anthropocene by quantifying the long-term changes in different N forms, including their inputs to inland waters, transformation pathways, retention within inland waters, and river export to oceans. Using a spatially explicit, mechanistic, coupled hydrology and biogeochemistry model, we show that, during 1900–2010, the increase in total nitrogen (TN) river loading (from 27 to 68 Tg yr−1) resulted in an increase in TN export to oceans (from 20 to 42 Tg yr−1), despite an increase in inland-water retention (from 25% to 39%) primarily due to gaseous loss and burial. Moreover, the relative contributions of ammonium (NH4+), nitrate/nitrite (NOx−) and organic nitrogen (ON) changed because of threefold increases in global inland-water mineralization (transforming ON to NH4+) and N burial in sediments, a fourfold increase in nitrification (transforming NH4+ to NOx−) and a sixfold increase in denitrification (transforming NOx− to mainly N2). This Article presents a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic global inland-water N cycling processes using a coupled model of hydrology, nutrient loading and biogeochemical transformation, showing that N export increased more slowly than loading due to increased inland-water retention via enhanced transformation and burial.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141922132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-09DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00294-7
Jamie C. DeWitt
Despite positive signs regarding the decreasing presence of specific PFAS in the blood of sampled humans, we do not know enough about this broad class of substances to justify stopping research on their toxicity.
{"title":"It’s too soon to stop studying the potential effects of PFAS on human health","authors":"Jamie C. DeWitt","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00294-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00294-7","url":null,"abstract":"Despite positive signs regarding the decreasing presence of specific PFAS in the blood of sampled humans, we do not know enough about this broad class of substances to justify stopping research on their toxicity.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141922864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-08DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00279-6
Camille Violet, Akash Ball, Mohammad Heiranian, Luis Francisco Villalobos, Junwei Zhang, Betul Uralcan, Heather Kulik, Amir Haji-Akbari, Menachem Elimelech
A new class of membranes that can separate ions of similar size and charge is highly desired for resource recovery, water reuse and energy storage technologies. These separations require membrane nanochannels with simultaneous ångström-scale confinement and ion-selective binding sites. Conventional membrane material design uses continuous, volume-averaged properties that cannot account for discrete chemical interactions between ions and binding sites. In this Perspective, we present a design framework for ultraselective membranes by describing how to select and incorporate ion-specific binding sites into membrane nanochannels. We begin by discussing how the chemical features of ions, functional groups and solvents impact ion-binding energy. We then describe the role of binding energy in selective ion transport through nanochannels and discuss the critical importance of intersite spacing. Subsequently, we draw inspiration from machine learning methods used for drug discovery and suggest a similar approach to identify functional groups with optimal ion-binding affinity. We conclude by outlining synthetic methods to incorporate ion-specific binding sites into prevalent nanostructured materials such as covalent organic frameworks, metal–organic frameworks, two-dimensional materials and polymers. This Perspective proposes a way to design membranes to separate ions of similar size and charge with a view to their use in resource recovery, water reuse and energy storage technologies.
{"title":"Designing membranes with specific binding sites for selective ion separations","authors":"Camille Violet, Akash Ball, Mohammad Heiranian, Luis Francisco Villalobos, Junwei Zhang, Betul Uralcan, Heather Kulik, Amir Haji-Akbari, Menachem Elimelech","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00279-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00279-6","url":null,"abstract":"A new class of membranes that can separate ions of similar size and charge is highly desired for resource recovery, water reuse and energy storage technologies. These separations require membrane nanochannels with simultaneous ångström-scale confinement and ion-selective binding sites. Conventional membrane material design uses continuous, volume-averaged properties that cannot account for discrete chemical interactions between ions and binding sites. In this Perspective, we present a design framework for ultraselective membranes by describing how to select and incorporate ion-specific binding sites into membrane nanochannels. We begin by discussing how the chemical features of ions, functional groups and solvents impact ion-binding energy. We then describe the role of binding energy in selective ion transport through nanochannels and discuss the critical importance of intersite spacing. Subsequently, we draw inspiration from machine learning methods used for drug discovery and suggest a similar approach to identify functional groups with optimal ion-binding affinity. We conclude by outlining synthetic methods to incorporate ion-specific binding sites into prevalent nanostructured materials such as covalent organic frameworks, metal–organic frameworks, two-dimensional materials and polymers. This Perspective proposes a way to design membranes to separate ions of similar size and charge with a view to their use in resource recovery, water reuse and energy storage technologies.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141942265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：