Pub Date : 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00492-x
Junhui Huang, Mu Yuan, Yanqiu Zhang, Jing Guo, Luqiao Feng, Shan Qiu, Cher Hon Lau, Lu Shao, Huanting Wang
Nanofiltration membranes with confined nanopores are vital for energy-efficient molecular and ionic sieving towards sustainable ecosystems. However, the production of contemporary nanofiltration membranes still relies on hazardous petrochemical-based chemicals, raising serious water contamination concerns and complicating after-usage disposal. This phenomenon contradicts the sustainability of membranes derived from green chemistry principles, emphasizing not only their eco-friendly application but also their preparation and end of life. Here we report the synthesis of a sustainable nanofiltration membrane (SNFM) with superior performance for water treatment and an inherent natural soil degradation mechanism through a safer approach utilizing integrated low-hazard chemicals. Experiments and simulations confirmed that our SNFM can be fabricated in an environmentally friendly manner and decomposed by natural soil microorganisms, contributing to its distinctive eco-friendliness. Notably, the SNFM demonstrated both exceptional water permeance and molecular and ionic sieving capability, outperforming commercial and state-of-the-art membranes. This approach establishes a new paradigm for next-generation water recycling and sustainable chemical processes. The fabrication of nanofiltration membranes involves hazardous chemicals that raise water contamination concerns. The use of low-hazard monomers, solvents and supports now enables the realization of sustainable nanofiltration membranes with high performance for water treatment.
{"title":"Sustainable nanofiltration membranes enable ultrafast water purification","authors":"Junhui Huang, Mu Yuan, Yanqiu Zhang, Jing Guo, Luqiao Feng, Shan Qiu, Cher Hon Lau, Lu Shao, Huanting Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00492-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00492-x","url":null,"abstract":"Nanofiltration membranes with confined nanopores are vital for energy-efficient molecular and ionic sieving towards sustainable ecosystems. However, the production of contemporary nanofiltration membranes still relies on hazardous petrochemical-based chemicals, raising serious water contamination concerns and complicating after-usage disposal. This phenomenon contradicts the sustainability of membranes derived from green chemistry principles, emphasizing not only their eco-friendly application but also their preparation and end of life. Here we report the synthesis of a sustainable nanofiltration membrane (SNFM) with superior performance for water treatment and an inherent natural soil degradation mechanism through a safer approach utilizing integrated low-hazard chemicals. Experiments and simulations confirmed that our SNFM can be fabricated in an environmentally friendly manner and decomposed by natural soil microorganisms, contributing to its distinctive eco-friendliness. Notably, the SNFM demonstrated both exceptional water permeance and molecular and ionic sieving capability, outperforming commercial and state-of-the-art membranes. This approach establishes a new paradigm for next-generation water recycling and sustainable chemical processes. The fabrication of nanofiltration membranes involves hazardous chemicals that raise water contamination concerns. The use of low-hazard monomers, solvents and supports now enables the realization of sustainable nanofiltration membranes with high performance for water treatment.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"1048-1056"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00492-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123257","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}
The valorization of chlorinated organic pollutants in water, such as 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), into value-added products, such as ethylene, offers a sustainable remediation strategy but is limited by low efficiency and selectivity. Here we present a bioinspired system, consisting of cobalamin (vitamin B12) cofactor and microscale zero-valent iron (mZVI), that dechlorinates 1,2-DCA to ethylene with a rate constant of 0.066 h−1 and near-100% selectivity. mZVI creates a moderately reducing environment that reduces cob(III)alamin (the original B12 species) to cob(II)alamin, which forms an organocobalt–1,2-DCA complex and drives proton-independent dihaloelimination, avoiding unwanted hydrogenation and ethylene over-reduction. The strategy is effective for various chlorinated alkanes, alkenes and aromatics, high concentrations of 1,2-DCA in wastewater and mixed pollutants in groundwater. Mechanochemically anchoring B12 onto mZVI enables assembly in a column reactor for continuous 1,2-DCA removal, achieving a more than tenfold reduction in costs compared with conventional redox processes. This work demonstrates a cost-effective approach to pollutant remediation and resource recovery through the rational modulation of B12 redox chemistry. A bioinspired system combining cobalamin with microscale zero-valent iron achieves near-complete conversion of 1,2-dichloroethane to ethylene, offering a cost-effective and sustainable approach to pollutant remediation and resource recovery.
{"title":"Efficient and selective dechlorination of chlorinated organic pollutants by cob(II)alamin and zero-valent iron","authors":"Huaqing Wang, Cheng Cheng, Bo Zhao, Banghai Liu, Zhenyu Cao, Shichao Cai, Minda Yu, Ying Zhao, Baohua Gu, Zhenyu Wang, Beidou Xi, Feng He","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00499-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00499-4","url":null,"abstract":"The valorization of chlorinated organic pollutants in water, such as 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), into value-added products, such as ethylene, offers a sustainable remediation strategy but is limited by low efficiency and selectivity. Here we present a bioinspired system, consisting of cobalamin (vitamin B12) cofactor and microscale zero-valent iron (mZVI), that dechlorinates 1,2-DCA to ethylene with a rate constant of 0.066 h−1 and near-100% selectivity. mZVI creates a moderately reducing environment that reduces cob(III)alamin (the original B12 species) to cob(II)alamin, which forms an organocobalt–1,2-DCA complex and drives proton-independent dihaloelimination, avoiding unwanted hydrogenation and ethylene over-reduction. The strategy is effective for various chlorinated alkanes, alkenes and aromatics, high concentrations of 1,2-DCA in wastewater and mixed pollutants in groundwater. Mechanochemically anchoring B12 onto mZVI enables assembly in a column reactor for continuous 1,2-DCA removal, achieving a more than tenfold reduction in costs compared with conventional redox processes. This work demonstrates a cost-effective approach to pollutant remediation and resource recovery through the rational modulation of B12 redox chemistry. A bioinspired system combining cobalamin with microscale zero-valent iron achieves near-complete conversion of 1,2-dichloroethane to ethylene, offering a cost-effective and sustainable approach to pollutant remediation and resource recovery.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 10","pages":"1208-1218"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145317898","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}
Access to microbiologically safe water remains a pressing global issue, especially in resource-limited and disaster-affected regions. This study introduces a self-floating photocatalytic film that achieves >4.3-log bacterial inactivation in 10 litres of highly contaminated water within 40 min under low natural sunlight intensity (13–18 mW cm−2), where conventional photocatalysts (for example, TiO2, g-C3N4 and so on) are nearly ineffective. The remarkable performance is attributed to reactive oxygen species, especially oxygen-centred organic radicals, an unconventional active species with ultralong lifetimes—several orders of magnitude longer than typical reactive oxygen species. Their persistence allows accumulation under weak illumination, sustaining disinfection efficiency despite limited photon input. Moreover, oxygen-centred organic radicals can avoid attacking the catalyst, conferring excellent film stability (reusable ≥50 times), thereby ensuring cost-effectiveness and sustainability. With low energy demand, high robustness and operational simplicity, this photocatalytic film is particularly suitable for resource-limited regions and is promising for real-world applications in global water safety. A self-floating photocatalytic film enables rapid bacterial inactivation under weak natural sunlight.
{"title":"Reusable photocatalytic film for efficient water disinfection under low light intensity","authors":"Yuyan Huang, Xiaojun Li, Huijie Yan, Jianqiao Xu, Fang Zhu, Yu-Xin Ye, Gangfeng Ouyang","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00500-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00500-0","url":null,"abstract":"Access to microbiologically safe water remains a pressing global issue, especially in resource-limited and disaster-affected regions. This study introduces a self-floating photocatalytic film that achieves >4.3-log bacterial inactivation in 10 litres of highly contaminated water within 40 min under low natural sunlight intensity (13–18 mW cm−2), where conventional photocatalysts (for example, TiO2, g-C3N4 and so on) are nearly ineffective. The remarkable performance is attributed to reactive oxygen species, especially oxygen-centred organic radicals, an unconventional active species with ultralong lifetimes—several orders of magnitude longer than typical reactive oxygen species. Their persistence allows accumulation under weak illumination, sustaining disinfection efficiency despite limited photon input. Moreover, oxygen-centred organic radicals can avoid attacking the catalyst, conferring excellent film stability (reusable ≥50 times), thereby ensuring cost-effectiveness and sustainability. With low energy demand, high robustness and operational simplicity, this photocatalytic film is particularly suitable for resource-limited regions and is promising for real-world applications in global water safety. A self-floating photocatalytic film enables rapid bacterial inactivation under weak natural sunlight.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"1003-1016"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123137","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00498-5
Dan Lu, Mi Huang, Chi Zhang, Guangle Bu, Ge Li, Yifang Geng, Shiying Xu, Xinchen Xiang, Yukun Qian, Jiancong Lu, Zhikan Yao, Lei Jiao, Lin Zhang, Rong Wang
Ion-selective membranes, crucial for diverse applications such as water purification, brine disposal and resource recovery, rely heavily on the pore architecture and surface charge. Narrowing the pore size distribution (PSD) of the membrane is generally acknowledged to be essential for achieving higher ion selectivity. Here we challenge the conventional emphasis on PSD by introducing an alternative determinant—surface charge homogeneity—drawing inspiration from a counterintuitive relationship between PSD and ion selectivity observed in both commercial and laboratory-made polyamide nanofiltration membranes. By integrating multimodal atomic force microscopy technologies, we visually extracted nanoscale charge maps from three dimensions: surface potential, phase and functional groups. The metrological analysis methodology was originally developed to quantitatively describe the spatial charge distribution. It is demonstrated that nanoscale spatial charge homogeneity plays a crucial role in governing ion selectivity, surpassing the influence of PSD. Based on this perception, we devised the high-selective nanofiltration membranes and modules for the lithium–magnesium mixture separation by using a polyethyleneimine multivariate strategy to program polyamide membranes with stepwise-enhanced homogeneous distribution of electropositive-amine moieties. Our work unveils a unique charge homogeneity-dominated selectivity mechanism and demonstrates the feasibility of developing highly ion-selective membranes by facile nanocharge manipulation, surpassing the need for precise PSD control. The conventional focus on pore size distribution overlooks the role of surface charge homogeneity in ion separation by polymeric membranes. This study proposes a surface charge engineering strategy for fabricating highly ion-selective membranes.
{"title":"Impact of charge homogeneity on ion selectivity in polyamide membranes","authors":"Dan Lu, Mi Huang, Chi Zhang, Guangle Bu, Ge Li, Yifang Geng, Shiying Xu, Xinchen Xiang, Yukun Qian, Jiancong Lu, Zhikan Yao, Lei Jiao, Lin Zhang, Rong Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00498-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00498-5","url":null,"abstract":"Ion-selective membranes, crucial for diverse applications such as water purification, brine disposal and resource recovery, rely heavily on the pore architecture and surface charge. Narrowing the pore size distribution (PSD) of the membrane is generally acknowledged to be essential for achieving higher ion selectivity. Here we challenge the conventional emphasis on PSD by introducing an alternative determinant—surface charge homogeneity—drawing inspiration from a counterintuitive relationship between PSD and ion selectivity observed in both commercial and laboratory-made polyamide nanofiltration membranes. By integrating multimodal atomic force microscopy technologies, we visually extracted nanoscale charge maps from three dimensions: surface potential, phase and functional groups. The metrological analysis methodology was originally developed to quantitatively describe the spatial charge distribution. It is demonstrated that nanoscale spatial charge homogeneity plays a crucial role in governing ion selectivity, surpassing the influence of PSD. Based on this perception, we devised the high-selective nanofiltration membranes and modules for the lithium–magnesium mixture separation by using a polyethyleneimine multivariate strategy to program polyamide membranes with stepwise-enhanced homogeneous distribution of electropositive-amine moieties. Our work unveils a unique charge homogeneity-dominated selectivity mechanism and demonstrates the feasibility of developing highly ion-selective membranes by facile nanocharge manipulation, surpassing the need for precise PSD control. The conventional focus on pore size distribution overlooks the role of surface charge homogeneity in ion separation by polymeric membranes. This study proposes a surface charge engineering strategy for fabricating highly ion-selective membranes.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"978-991"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123136","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 : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00480-1
Weifan Liu, Jouke E. Dykstra, P. M. Biesheuvel, Longqian Xu, Shihong Lin
Electrochemical ion pumping (EIP) enables unidirectional ion transport, like electrodialysis, but operates via capacitive ion storage, as in capacitive deionization. This functionality is achieved through circuit switching, which dynamically alternates the connections of each ion-shuttling electrode with its neighbouring electrodes. Here we present a mathematical model that captures the spatiotemporal ion transport dynamics in EIP by coupling the Nernst–Planck equation for ion transport through ion-exchange polymers with an extended Donnan model for ion storage in porous electrodes. Simulations reveal unique ion transport behaviours not observed in conventional capacitive deionization or electrodialysis. The model is validated by experiments using EIP cells with single and multiple ion-shuttling electrodes. This work provides a theoretical foundation for EIP, enabling future advances in system design, operational optimization and selective ion separation. Electrochemical ion pumping combines the advantages of conventional capacitive deionization and electrodialysis for effective ion separation. A mathematical model of the technique reveals aspects of ion transport that show fundamental differences from conventional capacitive deionization or electrodialysis.
{"title":"Theory for dynamic ion transport in ion-shuttling electrodes for electrochemical ion pumping","authors":"Weifan Liu, Jouke E. Dykstra, P. M. Biesheuvel, Longqian Xu, Shihong Lin","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00480-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00480-1","url":null,"abstract":"Electrochemical ion pumping (EIP) enables unidirectional ion transport, like electrodialysis, but operates via capacitive ion storage, as in capacitive deionization. This functionality is achieved through circuit switching, which dynamically alternates the connections of each ion-shuttling electrode with its neighbouring electrodes. Here we present a mathematical model that captures the spatiotemporal ion transport dynamics in EIP by coupling the Nernst–Planck equation for ion transport through ion-exchange polymers with an extended Donnan model for ion storage in porous electrodes. Simulations reveal unique ion transport behaviours not observed in conventional capacitive deionization or electrodialysis. The model is validated by experiments using EIP cells with single and multiple ion-shuttling electrodes. This work provides a theoretical foundation for EIP, enabling future advances in system design, operational optimization and selective ion separation. Electrochemical ion pumping combines the advantages of conventional capacitive deionization and electrodialysis for effective ion separation. A mathematical model of the technique reveals aspects of ion transport that show fundamental differences from conventional capacitive deionization or electrodialysis.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"1025-1037"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00480-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123135","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 : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00493-w
Min-Chen Wu, Yu-Hui Kao, Chia-Hung Hou
A theoretical framework for electrode ion pumping has been developed, accurately capturing the dynamics of ion migration, the distribution of electric potential, and the behaviour of Donnan equilibrium within the system.
{"title":"Ion pumping for pseudo-continuous desalination in theory","authors":"Min-Chen Wu, Yu-Hui Kao, Chia-Hung Hou","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00493-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00493-w","url":null,"abstract":"A theoretical framework for electrode ion pumping has been developed, accurately capturing the dynamics of ion migration, the distribution of electric potential, and the behaviour of Donnan equilibrium within the system.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"972-973"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123096","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 : 2025-09-11DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00501-z
Haojin Peng, Qingran Zhang, Yu Su, Shuai Wang, Yinguang Chen
Conventional biodenitrification for water with a low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) demands exogenous carbon, exacerbating carbon consumption and emissions. Here we propose a metabolic reprogramming strategy leveraging Mo(VI)–Fe(III)–Cu(II) synergy to redirect carbon flux through the glyoxylate shunt (GS), enhancing tricarboxylic acid cycle anaplerosis for efficient denitrification and reduced greenhouse gases during low-C/N wastewater treatment. At a C/N of 3, Mo(VI)–Fe(III)–Cu(II) promoted carbon metabolism by the tricarboxylic acid cycle in Paracoccus denitrificans, elevating reducing power (electron carriers) production and electron transporter activity. This increased total nitrogen removal by 196.2% compared with the blank control and by approximately 32.0–146.6% compared with single- or dual-metal-supplemented controls, while reducing nitrous oxide emissions by 51.3% and approximately 26.2–85.6%, respectively. This effect originated from the inhibition of isocitrate dehydrogenase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase by Mo(VI)–Fe(III)–Cu(II), causing isocitrate accumulation that activates isocitrate lyase of the glyoxylate shunt and prioritizes GS-driven anaplerosis. Finally, activated sludge validation increased 31.7% total nitrogen removal efficiency, highlighting the approach’s practical potential. This carbon-metabolism reprogramming strategy reduces organic carbon demand in denitrification, enhancing energy efficiency and advancing carbon-neutral wastewater treatment. This study proposes a strategy for enhancing denitrification in low-C/N wastewater by redirecting carbon flux through glyoxylate shunt regulation.
{"title":"Efficient denitrification and N2O mitigation in low-C/N wastewater treatment by promoting TCA cycle anaplerosis via glyoxylate shunt regulation","authors":"Haojin Peng, Qingran Zhang, Yu Su, Shuai Wang, Yinguang Chen","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00501-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00501-z","url":null,"abstract":"Conventional biodenitrification for water with a low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) demands exogenous carbon, exacerbating carbon consumption and emissions. Here we propose a metabolic reprogramming strategy leveraging Mo(VI)–Fe(III)–Cu(II) synergy to redirect carbon flux through the glyoxylate shunt (GS), enhancing tricarboxylic acid cycle anaplerosis for efficient denitrification and reduced greenhouse gases during low-C/N wastewater treatment. At a C/N of 3, Mo(VI)–Fe(III)–Cu(II) promoted carbon metabolism by the tricarboxylic acid cycle in Paracoccus denitrificans, elevating reducing power (electron carriers) production and electron transporter activity. This increased total nitrogen removal by 196.2% compared with the blank control and by approximately 32.0–146.6% compared with single- or dual-metal-supplemented controls, while reducing nitrous oxide emissions by 51.3% and approximately 26.2–85.6%, respectively. This effect originated from the inhibition of isocitrate dehydrogenase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase by Mo(VI)–Fe(III)–Cu(II), causing isocitrate accumulation that activates isocitrate lyase of the glyoxylate shunt and prioritizes GS-driven anaplerosis. Finally, activated sludge validation increased 31.7% total nitrogen removal efficiency, highlighting the approach’s practical potential. This carbon-metabolism reprogramming strategy reduces organic carbon demand in denitrification, enhancing energy efficiency and advancing carbon-neutral wastewater treatment. This study proposes a strategy for enhancing denitrification in low-C/N wastewater by redirecting carbon flux through glyoxylate shunt regulation.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"992-1002"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123259","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 : 2025-09-10DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00487-8
Laibao Liu, Mathias Hauser, Michael Windisch, Sonia I. Seneviratne
Agroecological droughts are expected to increase with climate change, becoming one of the greatest threats to ecosystems and human society. To mitigate climate change and the growing risk of agroecological droughts, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is increasingly recognized as unavoidable. However, it remains unclear whether the increase of agroecological drought due to atmospheric CO2 emissions will be symmetrically reversed by an equivalent atmospheric CDR. Here we investigate this question by utilizing an idealized atmospheric CO2 emission and removal experiment from the CDR Model Intercomparison Project, involving eight Earth system models, and develop a new methodology to quantify climate hysteresis and reversibility. We find that drought increases in hotspot regions cannot be symmetrically reversed by an equivalent CDR: drought severity under the CDR pathway is 65% ± 30% greater than under the emission pathway; drought frequency increases are only partially reversed by 73% ± 18% when CO2 emissions are balanced by equivalent CDR. Drought hysteresis and irreversibility are most pronounced in the Mediterranean, northern Central America, west and east southern Africa and southern Australia. Our findings imply irreversible drought impacts associated with CDR, highlighting the need for planning long-term drought adaptations. Using an idealized multi-model experiment and a new hysteresis quantification method, this study shows that equivalent carbon dioxide removal fails to symmetrically reverse CO2-emissions-induced agroecological droughts, revealing irreversible impacts in hotspots in the Mediterranean, northern Central America, southern Africa and southern Australia, necessitating urgent adaptation planning.
{"title":"Hysteresis and reversibility of agroecological droughts in response to carbon dioxide removal","authors":"Laibao Liu, Mathias Hauser, Michael Windisch, Sonia I. Seneviratne","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00487-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00487-8","url":null,"abstract":"Agroecological droughts are expected to increase with climate change, becoming one of the greatest threats to ecosystems and human society. To mitigate climate change and the growing risk of agroecological droughts, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is increasingly recognized as unavoidable. However, it remains unclear whether the increase of agroecological drought due to atmospheric CO2 emissions will be symmetrically reversed by an equivalent atmospheric CDR. Here we investigate this question by utilizing an idealized atmospheric CO2 emission and removal experiment from the CDR Model Intercomparison Project, involving eight Earth system models, and develop a new methodology to quantify climate hysteresis and reversibility. We find that drought increases in hotspot regions cannot be symmetrically reversed by an equivalent CDR: drought severity under the CDR pathway is 65% ± 30% greater than under the emission pathway; drought frequency increases are only partially reversed by 73% ± 18% when CO2 emissions are balanced by equivalent CDR. Drought hysteresis and irreversibility are most pronounced in the Mediterranean, northern Central America, west and east southern Africa and southern Australia. Our findings imply irreversible drought impacts associated with CDR, highlighting the need for planning long-term drought adaptations. Using an idealized multi-model experiment and a new hysteresis quantification method, this study shows that equivalent carbon dioxide removal fails to symmetrically reverse CO2-emissions-induced agroecological droughts, revealing irreversible impacts in hotspots in the Mediterranean, northern Central America, southern Africa and southern Australia, necessitating urgent adaptation planning.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"1017-1024"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00487-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123256","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 : 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00483-y
Hao Zhang, Yanghua Duan, Menachem Elimelech, Yunkun Wang
Commercial nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are inherently inefficient at removing small, neutral organic contaminants. In this study, we biomimetically designed a catalytic nanofiltration membrane that synergizes advanced oxidation with nanofiltration to achieve near-complete removal of contaminants, ranging from salts to small organic contaminants, addressing a key deficiency of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes and marking a breakthrough in membrane technology. The developed catalytic nanofiltration membrane amplifies the rate of peroxymonosulfate activation reactions by enriching its concentration near the membrane surface by a factor of 6.9 through concentration polarization. Confinement of the catalyst within the nanometre-scale pores greatly enhances the reactivity of the catalyst. Furthermore, the small pore size (<1.2 nm) effectively rejects natural organic matter (NOM) and the salts formed during the catalytic processes, thereby minimizing the interference of NOM within the active layer and preventing secondary contamination from salts, minimizing their interference in oxidative contaminant transformation. The optimized catalytic nanofiltration membrane demonstrated exceptional contaminant removal efficiency, maintaining close to 100% efficiency over 500 hours of continuous cross-flow filtration, and its fabrication was scaled up to the industrial scale through a roll-to-roll process, highlighting its practical viability for real-world applications. A catalytic nanofiltration membrane achieves the simultaneous removal of salts and small, neutral organic pollutants via oxidant enrichment at the membrane surface and confinement of the catalyst within nanometre-scale pores.
{"title":"Scalable catalytic nanofiltration membranes for advanced water treatment","authors":"Hao Zhang, Yanghua Duan, Menachem Elimelech, Yunkun Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00483-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00483-y","url":null,"abstract":"Commercial nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are inherently inefficient at removing small, neutral organic contaminants. In this study, we biomimetically designed a catalytic nanofiltration membrane that synergizes advanced oxidation with nanofiltration to achieve near-complete removal of contaminants, ranging from salts to small organic contaminants, addressing a key deficiency of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes and marking a breakthrough in membrane technology. The developed catalytic nanofiltration membrane amplifies the rate of peroxymonosulfate activation reactions by enriching its concentration near the membrane surface by a factor of 6.9 through concentration polarization. Confinement of the catalyst within the nanometre-scale pores greatly enhances the reactivity of the catalyst. Furthermore, the small pore size (<1.2 nm) effectively rejects natural organic matter (NOM) and the salts formed during the catalytic processes, thereby minimizing the interference of NOM within the active layer and preventing secondary contamination from salts, minimizing their interference in oxidative contaminant transformation. The optimized catalytic nanofiltration membrane demonstrated exceptional contaminant removal efficiency, maintaining close to 100% efficiency over 500 hours of continuous cross-flow filtration, and its fabrication was scaled up to the industrial scale through a roll-to-roll process, highlighting its practical viability for real-world applications. A catalytic nanofiltration membrane achieves the simultaneous removal of salts and small, neutral organic pollutants via oxidant enrichment at the membrane surface and confinement of the catalyst within nanometre-scale pores.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"1038-1047"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123134","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}
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