Collaborative control of fine particles and ozone required in China for health benefit

● Increased DAAO offsets 3/4 of the decrease of DAAP in 2013–2020. ● DAAO increases are mainly due to O₃ concentration increase and population aging. ● Health benefit from PM_2.5 reduction after 2017 is larger than that before 2017. ● Reducing PM_2.5 concentration by 1% results in 0.6% reduction of DAAP. ● Reducing O₃ concentration by 1% results in 2% reduction of DAAO. PM_2.5 concentration declined significantly nationwide, while O₃ concentration increased in most regions in China in 2013–2020. Recent evidences proved that peak season O₃ is related to increased death risk from non-accidental and respiratory diseases. Based on these new evidences, we estimate excess deaths associated with long-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5 and O₃ in China following the counterfactual analytic framework from Global Burden Disease. Excess deaths from non-accidental diseases associated with long-term exposure to ambient O₃ in China reaches to 579 (95% confidential interval (CI): 93, 990) thousand in 2020, which has been significantly underestimated in previous studies. In addition, the increased excess deaths associated with long-term O₃ exposure (234 (95% CI: 177, 282) thousand) in 2013–2020 offset three quarters of the avoided excess deaths (302 (95% CI: 244, 366) thousand) mainly due to PM_2.5 exposure reduction. In key regions (the North China Plain, the Yangtze River Delta and the Fen-Wei Plain), the former is even larger than the latter, particularly in 2017–2020. Health benefit of PM_2.5 concentration reduction offsets the adverse effects of population growth and aging on excess deaths attributed to PM_2.5 exposure. Increase of excess deaths associated with O₃ exposure is mainly due to the strong increase of O₃ concentration, followed by population aging. Considering the faster population aging process in the future, collaborative control, and faster reduction of PM_2.5 and O₃ are needed to reduce the associated excess deaths.     

PM2.5 concentration declining saves health expenditure in China

● Monthly hospitalization expenses are sensitive to increases in PM_2.5 exposure. ● The increased PM_2.5 causes patients with CHD and LRI to stay longer in the hospital. ● The impact of PM_2.5 on total expenses for stroke is greater in southern China. ● Males may be more sensitive to air pollution than females. Air pollution has been a severe issue in China. Exposure to PM_2.5 has adverse health effects and causes economic losses. This study investigated the economic impact of exposure to PM_2.5 pollution using monthly city-level data covering 88.5 million urban employees in 2016 and 2017. This study mainly focused on three expenditure indicators to measure the economic impact considering lower respiratory infections (LRIs), coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke. The results show that a 10 µg/m³ increase in PM_2.5 would cause total monthly expenses of LRIs, CHD, and stroke to increase by 0.226%, 0.237%, and 0.374%, respectively. We also found that LRI, CHD, and stroke hospital admissions increased significantly by 10%, 8.42%, and 5.64%, respectively. Furthermore, the total hospital stays of LRIs, CHDs, and strokes increased by 2.49%, 2. 51%, and 1.64%, respectively. Our findings also suggest heterogeneous impacts of PM_2.5 exposures by sex and across regions, but no statistical evidence shows significant differences between the older and younger adult subgroups. Our results provide several policy implications for reducing unequal public health expenditures in overpolluted countries.     

Effect of Cu-ZSM-5 catalysts with different CuO particle size on selective catalytic oxidation of N,N-Dimethylformamide

● A series of Cu-ZSM-5 catalysts were tested for DMF selective catalytic oxidation. ● Cu-6 nm samples showed the best catalytic activity and N₂ selectivity. ● Redox properties and chemisorbed oxygen impact on DMF catalytic oxidation. ● Isolated Cu²⁺ species and weak acidity have effects on the generation of N₂. N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF), a nitrogen-containing volatile organic compound (NVOC) with high emissions from the spray industry, has attracted increasing attention. In this study, Cu-ZSM-5 catalysts with different CuO particle sizes of 3, 6, 9 and 12 nm were synthesized and tested for DMF selective catalytic oxidation. The crystal structure and physicochemical properties of the catalyst were studied by various characterization methods. The catalytic activity increases with increasing CuO particle size, and complete conversion can be achieved at 300–350 °C. The Cu-12 nm catalyst has the highest catalytic activity and can achieve complete conversion at 300 °C. The Cu-6 nm sample has the highest N₂ selectivity at lower temperatures, reaching 95% at 300 °C. The activity of the catalysts is determined by the surface CuO cluster species, the bulk CuO species and the chemisorbed surface oxygen species. The high N₂ selectivity of the catalyst is attributed to the ratio of isolated Cu²⁺ and bulk CuO species, and weak acidity is beneficial to the formation of N₂. The results in this work will provide a new design of NVOC catalytic oxidation catalysts.     

Target the neglected VOCs emission from iron and steel industry in China for air quality improvement

● Haze formation in China is highly correlated with iron and steel industry. ● VOCs generated in sinter process were neglected under current emission standard. ● Co-elimination removal of sinter flue gas complex pollutants are timely needed. Recent years have witnessed significant improvement in China’s air quality. Strict environmental protection measures have led to significant decreases in sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), and particulate matter (PM) emissions since 2013. But there is no denying that the air quality in 135 cities is inferior to reaching the Ambient Air Quality Standards (GB 3095–2012) in 2020. In terms of temporal, geographic, and historical aspects, we have analyzed the potential connections between China’s air quality and the iron and steel industry. The non-target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from iron and steel industry, especially from the iron ore sinter process, may be an underappreciated index imposing a negative effect on the surrounding areas of China. Therefore, we appeal the authorities to pay more attention on VOCs emission from the iron and steel industry and establish new environmental standards. And different iron steel flue gas pollutants will be eliminated concurrently with the promotion and application of new technology.     

Homogeneous and heterogeneous photolysis of nitrate in the atmosphere: state of the science,current research needs,and future prospects

● Recent advances in the photolysis of nitrate/HNO₃ are reviewed. ● Mechanisms and key factors affecting the photolysis of nitrate/HNO₃ are summarized. ● Atmospheric implications and future research recommendations are provided. Nitrate is an important component of atmospheric particulate matter and affects air quality, climate, human health, and the ecosystem. Nitrate was previously considered a permanent sink for nitrogen oxides (NO_x). However, this viewpoint has been challenged in recent years because growing research evidence has shown the transformation of nitrate into NO_x (i.e., renoxification). The photolysis of nitrate/HNO₃, especially in the particulate phase or adsorbed on particles, can be a significant renoxification process in the atmosphere. The formation and photolysis of nitrate in aerosol not only change the diurnal variation of NO_x, but also provide long-distance transport of NO_x in the form of nitrate, which affects local and regional atmospheric chemistry and air quality. This review summarizes recent advances in the fundamental understanding of the photolysis of nitrate/HNO₃ under various atmospheric conditions, with a focus on mechanisms and key factors affecting the process. The atmospheric implications are discussed and future research is recommended.     

Enrichment and transfer of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through dust aerosol generation from soil to the air

● Compositional patterns of PAHs in dust aerosol vary from soil during dust generation. ● The EF of PAH in dust aerosol is affected by soil texture and soil PAH concentration. ● The sizes of dust aerosol play an important role in the enrichment of HMW-PAHs. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major organic pollutants in soil. It is known that they are released to the atmosphere by wind via dust aerosol generation. However, it remains unclear how these pollutants are transferred through the air/soil interface. In this study, dust aerosols were generated in the laboratory using soils (sandy loam and loam) with various physicochemical properties. The PAH concentrations of these soils and their generated dust aerosol were measured, showing that the enrichment factors (EFs) of PAHs were affected by soil texture, PAH contamination level, molecular weight of PAH species and aerosol sizes. The PAHs with higher EFs (6.24–123.35 in dust PM_2.5; 7.02–47.65 in dust PM₁₀) usually had high molecular weights with more than four aromatic rings. In addition, the positive correlation between EFs of PAHs and the total OC_aerosol content of dust aerosol in different particle sizes was also statistically significant (r = 0.440, P < 0.05). This work provides insights into the relationship between atmospheric PAHs and the contaminated soils and the transfer process of PAHs through the soil-air interface.     

Response of organic aerosol characteristics to emission reduction in Yangtze River Delta region

● The emission reduction causes significant change in organic aerosol composition. ● The atmospheric oxidizing capacity improved during emission reduction. ● The mixed oxygenated organic aerosol contributed higher during emission reduction. Organic aerosol (OA) is a major component of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) with complex composition and formation processes influenced by various factors. Emission reduction can alter both precursors and oxidants which further affects secondary OA formation. Here we provide an observational analysis of secondary OA (SOA) variation properties in Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of eastern China in response to large scale of emission reduction during Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays from 2015 to 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic period from January to March, 2020. We found a 17% increase of SOA proportion during the COVID lockdown. The relative enrichment of SOA is also found during multi-year CNY holidays with dramatic reduction of anthropogenic emissions. Two types of oxygenated OA (OOA) influenced by mixed emissions and SOA formation were found to be the dominant components during the lockdown in YRD region. Our results highlight that these emission-reduction-induced changes in organic aerosol need to be considered in the future to optimize air pollution control measures.     

Frontier science and challenges on offshore carbon storage

● The main direct seal up carbon options and challenges are reviewed. ● Ocean-based CO₂ replacement for CH₄/oil exploitation is presented. ● Scale-advantage of offshore CCS hub is discussed. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is an imperative, strategic, and constitutive method to considerably reduce anthropogenic CO₂ emissions and alleviate climate change issues. The ocean is the largest active carbon bank and an essential energy source on the Earth’s surface. Compared to oceanic nature-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR), carbon capture from point sources with ocean storage is more appropriate for solving short-term climate change problems. This review focuses on the recent state-of-the-art developments in offshore carbon storage. It first discusses the current status and development prospects of CCS, associated with the challenges and uncertainties of oceanic nature-based CDR. The second section outlines the mechanisms, sites, advantages, and ecologic hazards of direct offshore CO₂ injection. The third section emphasizes the mechanisms, schemes, influencing factors, and recovery efficiency of ocean-based CO₂-CH₄ replacement and CO₂-enhanced oil recovery are reviewed. In addition, this review discusses the economic aspects of offshore CCS and the preponderance of offshore CCS hubs. Finally, the upsides, limitations, and prospects for further investigation of offshore CO₂ storage are presented.     

A new prediction method of industrial atmospheric pollutant emission intensity based on pollutant emission standard quantification

● Established a quantification method of pollutant emission standard. ● Predicted the SO₂ emission intensity of single coking enterprises in China. ● Evaluated the influence of pollutant discharge standard on prediction accuracy. ● Analyzed the SO₂ emissions of Chinese provincial and municipal coking enterprises. Industrial emissions are the main source of atmospheric pollutants in China. Accurate and reasonable prediction of the emission of atmospheric pollutants from single enterprise can determine the exact source of atmospheric pollutants and control atmospheric pollution precisely. Based on China’s coking enterprises in 2020, we proposed a quantitative method for pollutant emission standards and introduced the quantification results of pollutant emission standards (QRPES) into the construction of support vector regression (SVR) and random forest regression (RFR) prediction methods for SO₂ emission of coking enterprises in China. The results show that, affected by the types of coke ovens and regions, China’s current coking enterprises have implemented a total of 21 emission standards, with marked differences. After adding QRPES, it was found that the root mean squared error (RMSE) of SVR and RFR decreased from 0.055 kt/a and 0.059 kt/a to 0.045 kt/a and 0.039 kt/a, and theR² increased from 0.890 and 0.881 to 0.926 and 0.945, respectively. This shows that the QRPES can greatly improve the prediction accuracy, and the SO₂ emissions of each enterprise are highly correlated with the strictness of standards. The predicted result shows that 45% of SO₂ emissions from Chinese coking enterprises are concentrated in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei provinces in central China. The method created in this paper fills in the blank of forecasting method of air pollutant emission intensity of single enterprise and is of great help to the accurate control of air pollutants.     

Win-Win: Anthropogenic circularity for metal criticality and carbon neutrality

● Anthropogenic circularity science is an emerging interdisciplinary field. ● Anthropogenic circularity was one effective strategy against metal criticality. ● Carbon neutrality is becoming the new industry paradigm around the world. ● Growing circularity could potentially minimize the CO₂ emission. Resource depletion and environmental degradation have fueled a burgeoning discipline of anthropogenic circularity since the 2010s. It generally consists of waste reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and recovery. Circular economy and “zero-waste” cities are sweeping the globe in their current practices to address the world’s grand concerns linked to resources, the environment, and industry. Meanwhile, metal criticality and carbon neutrality, which have become increasingly popular in recent years, denote the material's feature and state, respectively. The goal of this article is to determine how circularity, criticality, and neutrality are related. Upscale anthropogenic circularity has the potential to expand the metal supply and, as a result, reduce metal criticality. China barely accomplished 15 % of its potential emission reduction by recycling iron, copper, and aluminum. Anthropogenic circularity has a lot of room to achieve a win-win objective, which is to reduce metal criticality while also achieving carbon neutrality in a near closed-loop cycle. Major barriers or challenges for conducting anthropogenic circularity are deriving from the inadequacy of life-cycle insight governance and the emergence of anthropogenic circularity discipline. Material flow analysis and life cycle assessment are the central methodologies to identify the hidden problems. Mineral processing and smelting, as well as end-of-life management, are indicated as critical priority areas for enhancing anthropogenic circularity.     

Recent advances in special morphologic photocatalysts for NOx removal

● Systematic information of recent progress in photocatalytic NO _x removal is provided. ● The photocatalysts with special morphologies are reviewed and discussed. ● The morphology and photocatalytic NO _x removal performance is related. The significant increase of NO_x concentration causes severe damages to environment and human health. Light-driven photocatalytic technique affords an ideal solution for the removal of NO_x at ambient conditions. To enhance the performance of NO_x removal, 1D, 2D and 3D photocatalysts have been constructed as the light absorption and the separation of charge carriers can be manipulated through controlling the morphology of the photocatalyst. Related works mainly focused on the construction and modification of special morphologic photocatalyst, including element doping, heterostructure constructing, crystal facet exposing, defect sites introducing and so on. Moreover, the excellent performance of the photocatalytic NO_x removal creates great awareness of the application, which has promising practical applications in NO_x removal by paint (removing NO_x indoor and outdoor) and pavement (degrading vehicle exhausts). For these considerations, recent advances in special morphologic photocatalysts for NO_x removal was summarized and commented in this review. The purpose is to provide insights into understanding the relationship between morphology and photocatalytic performance, meanwhile, to promote the application of photocatalytic technology in NO_x degradation.     

Characterization and variation of dissolved organic matter in composting: a critical review

● Effect of composting approaches on dissolved organic matter (DOM). ● Effect of composting conditions on the properties of DOM. ● Character indexes of DOM varied in composting. ● The size, hydrophobicity, humification, and electron transfer capacity increased. ● The hydrophilicity, protein-like materials, and aliphatic components reduced. As the most motive organic fraction in composting, dissolved organic matter (DOM) can contribute to the transfer and dispersal of pollutants and facilitate the global carbon cycle in aquatic ecosystems. However, it is still unclear how composting approaches and conditions influence the properties of compost-derived DOM. Further details on the shift of DOM character indexes are required. In this study, the change in properties of compost-derived DOM at different composting approaches and the effect of composting conditions on the DOM characteristics are summarized. Thereafter, the change in DOM character indexes’ in composting was comprehensively reviewed. Along with composting, the elements and spectral properties (chromophoric DOM (CDOM) and fluorescent DOM (FDOM)) were altered, size and hydrophobicity increased, and aromatic-C and electron transfer capacity were promoted. Finally, some prospects to improve this study were put forward. This paper should facilitate the people who have an interest in tracing the fate of DOM in composting.     

Methanation and chemolitrophic nitrogen removal by an anaerobic membrane bioreactor coupled partial nitrification and Anammox

● Efficient carbon methanation and nitrogen removal was achieved in AnMBR-PN/A system. ● AOB outcompeted NOB in PN section by limiting aeration and shortening SRT. ● The moderate residual organic matter of PN section triggered PD in anammox unit. ● AnAOB located at the bottom of UASB played an important role in nitrogen removal. An AnMBR-PN/A system was developed for mainstream sewage treatment. To verify the efficient methanation and subsequent chemolitrophic nitrogen removal, a long-term experiment and analysis of microbial activity were carried out. AnMBR performance was less affected by the change of hydraulic retention time (HRT), which could provide a stable influent for subsequent PN/A units. The COD removal efficiency of AnMBR was > 93% during the experiment, 85.5% of COD could be recovered in form of CH₄. With the HRT of PN/A being shortened from 10 to 6 h, nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) of PN/A increased from 60.5% to 80.4%, but decreased to 68.8% when the HRT_PN/A further decreased to 4 h. Microbial analysis revealed that the highest specific ammonia oxidation activity (SAOA) and the ratio of SAOA to specific nitrate oxidation activity (SNOA) provide stable NO₂⁻-N/NH₄⁺-N for anammox, and anammox bacteria (mainly identified as Candidatus Brocadia) enriched at the bottom of Anammox-UASB might play an important role in nitrogen removal. In addition, the decrease of COD in Anammox-UASB indicated partial denitrification occurred, which jointly promoted nitrogen removal with anammox.     

Property-performance relationship of core-shell structured black TiO2 photocatalyst for environmental remediation

● Properties and performance relationship of CSBT photocatalyst were investigated. ● Properties of CSBT were controlled by simply manipulating glycerol content. ● Performance was linked to semiconducting and physicochemical properties. ● CSBT (W:G ratio 9:1) had better performance with lower energy consumption. ● Phenols were reduced by 48.30% at a cost of $2.4127 per unit volume of effluent. Understanding the relationship between the properties and performance of black titanium dioxide with core-shell structure (CSBT) for environmental remediation is crucial for improving its prospects in practical applications. In this study, CSBT was synthesized using a glycerol-assisted sol-gel approach. The effect of different water-to-glycerol ratios (W:G = 1:0, 9:1, 2:1, and 1:1) on the semiconducting and physicochemical properties of CSBT was investigated. The effectiveness of CSBT in removing phenolic compounds (PHCs) from real agro-industrial wastewater was studied. The CSBT synthesized with a W:G ratio of 9:1 has optimized properties for enhanced removal of PHCs. It has a distinct core-shell structure and an appropriate amount of Ti³⁺ cations (11.18%), which play a crucial role in enhancing the performance of CSBT. When exposed to visible light, the CSBT performed better: 48.30% of PHCs were removed after 180 min, compared to only 21.95% for TiO₂ without core-shell structure. The CSBT consumed only 45.5235 kWh/m³ of electrical energy per order of magnitude and cost $2.4127 per unit volume of treated agro-industrial wastewater. Under the conditions tested, the CSBT demonstrated exceptional stability and reusability. The CSBT showed promising results in the treatment of phenols-containing agro-industrial wastewater.     

Electrocatalytic biofilm reactor for effective and energy-efficient azo dye degradation: the synergistic effect of MnOx/Ti flow-through anode and biofilm on the cathode

● MnO _x /Ti flow-through anode was coupled with the biofilm-attached cathode in ECBR. ● ECBR was able to enhance the azo dye removal and reduce the energy consumption. ● Mn^IV=O generated on the electrified MnO _x /Ti anode catalyzed the azo dye oxidation. ● Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria on the cathode degraded azo dye intermediate products. ● Biodegradation of intermediate products was stimulated under the electric field. Dyeing wastewater treatment remains a challenge. Although effective, the in-series process using electrochemical oxidation as the pre- or post-treatment of biodegradation is long. This study proposes a compact dual-chamber electrocatalytic biofilm reactor (ECBR) to complete azo dye decolorization and mineralization in a single unit via anodic oxidation on a MnO_x/Ti flow-through anode followed by cathodic biodegradation on carbon felts. Compared with the electrocatalytic reactor with a stainless-steel cathode (ECR-SS) and the biofilm reactor (BR), the ECBR increased the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency by 24 % and 31 % (600 mg/L Acid Orange 7 as the feed, current of 6 mA), respectively. The COD removal efficiency of the ECBR was even higher than the sum of those of ECR-SS and BR. The ECBR also reduced the energy consumption (3.07 kWh/kg COD) by approximately half compared with ECR-SS. The advantages of the ECBR in azo dye removal were attributed to the synergistic effect of the MnO_x/Ti flow-through anode and cathodic biofilms. Catalyzed by Mn^IV=O generated on the MnO_x/Ti anode under a low applied current, azo dyes were oxidized and decolored. The intermediate products with improved biodegradability were further mineralized by the cathodic aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (non-electrochemically active) under the stimulation of the applied current. Taking advantage of the mutual interactions among the electricity, anode, and bacteria, this study provides a novel and compact process for the effective and energy-efficient treatment of azo dye wastewater.     

Low-temperature caproate production,microbial diversity,and metabolic pathway in xylose anaerobic fermentation

● Converting xylose to caproate under a low temperature of 20 °C by MCF was verified. ● Final concentration of caproate from xylose in a batch reactor reached 1.6 g/L. ● Changing the substrate to ethanol did not notably increase the caproate production. ● Four genera, including Bifidobacterium , were revealed as caproate producers. ● The FAB pathway and incomplete RBO pathway were revealed via metagenomic analysis. Mixed culture fermentation (MCF) is challenged by the unqualified activity of enriched bacteria and unwanted methane dissolution under low temperatures. In this work, caproate production from xylose was investigated by MCF at a low temperature (20 °C). The results showed that a 9 d long hydraulic retention time (HRT) in a continuously stirred tank reactor was necessary for caproate production (~0.3 g/L, equal to 0.6 g COD/L) from xylose (10 g/L). The caproate concentration in the batch mode was further increased to 1.6 g/L. However, changing the substrate to ethanol did not promote caproate production, resulting in ~1.0 g/L after 45 d of operation. Four genera, Bifidobacterium, Caproiciproducens, Actinomyces, and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_12, were identified as the enriched caproate-producing bacteria. The enzymes in the fatty acid biosynthesis (FAB) pathway for caproate production were identified via metagenomic analysis. The enzymes for the conversion of (C_n+2)-2,3-Dehydroxyacyl-CoA to (C_n+2)-Acyl-CoA (i.e., EC 1.3.1.8 and EC 1.3.1.38) in the reverse β-oxidation (RBO) pathway were not identified. These results could extend the understanding of low-temperature caproate production.     

Catalytic urea hydrolysis by composite metal oxide catalyst towards efficient urea-based SCR process: performance evaluation and mechanism investigation

● Bimetallic oxide composite catalyst was designed for the urea-based SCR process. ● Surface chemical state and typical microstructure of catalyst was determined. ● Reaction route was improved based on intermediates and active site identification. ● TiO₂@Al₂O₃ presents an obvious promotion for urea hydrolysis. As a promising option to provide gaseous NH₃ for SCR system, catalytic urea hydrolysis has aroused great attention, and improving surface area and activity of catalysis are the crucial issues to be solved for efficient urea hydrolysis. Therefore, a composite metal oxide (TiO₂@Al₂O₃) catalyst was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method, with mesoporous alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) as substrate. The results verify the mesoporous structure and submicron cluster of TiO₂@Al₂O₃, with exposed crystal faces of (101) and (400) for TiO₂ and γ-Al₂O₃, respectively. The electronegativity difference of Ti⁴⁺ and Al³⁺ changes the charge distribution scheme around the interface, which provides abundant acid/base sites to boost the urea hydrolysis. Consequently, for an optimal proportioning with nano TiO₂ content at 10 wt.%, the hydrolysis efficiency can reach up to 35.2 % at 100 °C in 2 h, increasing by ~7.1 % than that of the blank experiment. ¹³C NMR spectrum measurements provide the impossible intermediate species during urea hydrolysis. Theoretical calculations are performed to clarify the efficient H₂O decomposition at the interface of TiO₂@Al₂O₃. The result offers a favorable technology for energy-efficiency urea hydrolysis.     

Evaluating the impact of sulfamethoxazole on hydrogen production during dark anaerobic sludge fermentation

● SMX promotes hydrogen production from dark anaerobic sludge fermentation. ● SMX significantly enhances the hydrolysis and acidification processes. ● SMX suppresses the methanogenesis process in order to reduce hydrogen consumption. ● SMX enhances the relative abundance of hydrogen-VFAs producers. ● SMX brings possible environmental risks due to the enrichment of ARGs. The impact of antibiotics on the environmental protection and sludge treatment fields has been widely studied. The recovery of hydrogen from waste activated sludge (WAS) has become an issue of great interest. Nevertheless, few studies have focused on the impact of antibiotics present in WAS on hydrogen production during dark anaerobic fermentation. To explore the mechanisms, sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was chosen as a representative antibiotic to evaluate how SMX influenced hydrogen production during dark anaerobic fermentation of WAS. The results demonstrated SMX promoted hydrogen production. With increasing additions of SMX from 0 to 500 mg/kg TSS, the cumulative hydrogen production elevated from 8.07 ± 0.37 to 11.89 ± 0.19 mL/g VSS. A modified Gompertz model further verified that both the maximum potential of hydrogen production (P_m) and the maximum rate of hydrogen production (R_m) were promoted. SMX did not affected sludge solubilization, but promoted hydrolysis and acidification processes to produce more hydrogen. Moreover, the methanogenesis process was inhibited so that hydrogen consumption was reduced. Microbial community analysis further demonstrated that the introduction of SMX improved the abundance of hydrolysis bacteria and hydrogen-volatile fatty acids (VFAs) producers. SMX synergistically influenced hydrolysis, acidification and acetogenesis to facilitate the hydrogen production.     

Effect of ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nicotine on the structure of Aβ42 protein

● B[a]P, nicotine and phenanthrene molecules altered the secondary structure of Aβ₄₂. ● β-content of the peptide was significantly enhanced in the presence of the PAHs. ● Nicotine made stable cluster with Aβ₄₂ peptide via hydrogen bonds. ● Phenanthrene due to its small size, interfered with the Aβ₄₂ monomer more strongly. Recent studies have correlated the chronic impact of ambient environmental pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with the progression of neurodegenerative disorders, either by using statistical data from various cities, or via tracking biomarkers during in-vivo experiments. Among different neurodegenerative disorders, PAHs are known to cause increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, related to the development of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide oligomers. However, the complex molecular interactions between peptide monomers and organic pollutants remains obscured. In this work, we performed an atomistic molecular dynamics study via GROMACS to investigate the structure of Aβ₄₂ peptide monomer in the presence of benzo[a]pyrene, nicotine, and phenanthrene. Interestingly the results revealed strong hydrophobic, and hydrogen-bond based interactions between Aβ peptides and these environmental pollutants that resulted in the formation of stable intermolecular clusters. The strong interactions affected the secondary structure of the Aβ₄₂ peptide in the presence of the organic pollutants, with almost 50 % decrease in the α-helix and 2 %–10 % increase in the β-sheets of the peptide. Overall, the undergoing changes in the secondary structure of the peptide monomer in the presence of the pollutants under the study indicates an enhanced formation of Aβ peptide oligomers, and consequent progression of Alzheimer’s disease.     

Technologies for pollutant removal and resource recovery from blackwater: a review

● Blackwater is the main source of organics and nutrients in domestic wastewater. ● Various treatment methods can be applied for resource recovery from blackwater. ● Blackwater treatment systems of high integration and efficiency are the future trend. ● More research is needed for the practical use of blackwater treatment systems. Blackwater (BW), consisting of feces, urine, flushing water and toilet paper, makes up an important portion of domestic wastewater. The improper disposal of BW may lead to environmental pollution and disease transmission, threatening the sustainable development of the world. Rich in nutrients and organic matter, BW could be treated for resource recovery and reuse through various approaches. Aimed at providing guidance for the future development of BW treatment and resource recovery, this paper presented a literature review of BWs produced in different countries and types of toilets, including their physiochemical characteristics, and current treatment and resource recovery strategies. The degradation and utilization of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) within BW are underlined. The performance of different systems was classified and summarized. Among all the treating systems, biological and ecological systems have been long and widely applied for BW treatment, showing their universality and operability in nutrients and energy recovery, but they are either slow or ineffective in removal of some refractory pollutants. Novel processes, especially advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), are becoming increasingly extensively studied in BW treatment because of their high efficiency, especially for the removal of micropollutants and pathogens. This review could serve as an instructive guidance for the design and optimization of BW treatment technologies, aiming to help in the fulfilment of sustainable human excreta management.