Recovery and reuse of floc sludge for high-performance capacitors

• The feasibility of facile fabrication of capacitor from floc sludge is discussed. • The porous carbon composites are obtained by acidification and KOH activation. • The as-prepared 3D structure has large surface area and optimal pore size. • Admirable specific capacitance and outstanding cycling stability are obtained. In this paper, floc sludge was transformed into porous carbon matrix composites by acidification and KOH activation at high temperature and used as an electrode material for application in capacitors. The effects of different treatment processes on the electrochemical properties of sludge materials were compared. The results of electrochemical tests showed that the sludge electrode exhibited excellent energy storage performance after HNO₃ acidification and KOH activation with a mass ratio of 3:1 (KOH/C). The specific capacitance of the sludge electrode reached 287 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g. In addition, the sludge electrode material showed excellent cycle stability (specific capacity retained at 93.4% after 5000 cycles at 5 A/g). Based on XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and BET surface analysis, the morphology of sludge electrode materials can be effectively regulated by chemical pretreatment. The best-performing material showed a 3D porous morphology with a large specific surface area (2588 m²/g) and optimal pore size distribution, improving ion channels and charge conductivity. According to the life cycle assessment of floc sludge utilization, it reduced the resource consumption and toxicity risk by more than 90% compared with ordinary sludge disposal processes. This work provided a cost-effective and eco-friendly sludge reuse method and demonstrated the application potential of sludge-based materials in high-performance supercapacitors.     

Inactivation and risk control of pathogenic microorganisms in municipal sludge treatment: A review

• Diversity and detection methods of pathogenic microorganisms in sludge. • Control performance of sludge treatment processes on pathogenic microorganisms. • Risk of pathogen exposure in sludge treatment and land application. The rapid global spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has promoted concern over human pathogens and their significant threats to public health security. The monitoring and control of human pathogens in public sanitation and health facilities are of great importance. Excessive sludge is an inevitable byproduct of sewage that contains human and animal feces in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). It is an important sink of different pollutants and pathogens, and the proper treatment and disposal of sludge are important to minimize potential risks to the environment and public health. However, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis of the diversity, exposure risks, assessment methods and inactivation techniques of pathogenic microorganisms in sludge. Based on this consideration, this review summarizes the control performance of pathogenic microorganisms such as enterovirus, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli by different sludge treatment technologies, including composting, anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, and microwave irradiation, and the mechanisms of pathogenic microorganism inactivation in sludge treatment processes are discussed. Additionally, this study reviews the diversity, detection methods, and exposure risks of pathogenic microorganisms in sludge. This review advances the quantitative assessment of pathogenic microorganism risks involved in sludge reuse and is practically valuable to optimize the treatment and disposal of sludge for pathogenic microorganism control.     

Bacteriophages in water pollution control: Advantages and limitations

•Phages can be better indicators of enteric viruses than fecal indicator bacteria. •Multiple phages should be added to the microbial source tracking toolbox. •Engineered phage or phage cocktail can effectively target resistant bacteria. •In phage use, phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer cannot be ignored. •More schemes are needed to prevent phage concentration from decreasing. Wastewater is a breeding ground for many pathogens, which may pose a threat to human health through various water transmission pathways. Therefore, a simple and effective method is urgently required to monitor and treat wastewater. As bacterial viruses, bacteriophages (phages) are the most widely distributed and abundant organisms in the biosphere. Owing to their capacity to specifically infect bacterial hosts, they have recently been used as novel tools in water pollution control. The purpose of this review is to summarize and evaluate the roles of phages in monitoring pathogens, tracking pollution sources, treating pathogenic bacteria, infecting bloom-forming cyanobacteria, and controlling bulking sludge and biofilm pollution in wastewater treatment systems. We also discuss the limitations of phage usage in water pollution control, including phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer, the evolution of bacterial resistance, and phage concentration decrease. This review provides an integrated outlook on the use of phages in water pollution control.     

Research progress and prospects of complete ammonia oxidizing bacteria in wastewater treatment

• Comammox bacteria have unique physiological characteristics. • Comammox bacteria are widely distributed in natural and artificial systems. • Comammox bacteria have the potential to reduce N₂O emissions. • Coupling comammox bacteria with DEAMOX can be promoted in wastewater treatment. • Comammox bacteria have significant potential for enhancing total nitrogen removal. Complete ammonia oxidizing bacteria, or comammox bacteria (CAOB), can oxidize ammonium to nitrate on its own. Its discovery revolutionized our understanding of biological nitrification, and its distribution in both natural and artificial systems has enabled a reevaluation of the relative contribution of microorganisms to the nitrogen cycle. Its wide distribution, adaptation to oligotrophic medium, and diverse metabolic pathways, means extensive research on CAOB and its application in water treatment can be promoted. Furthermore, the energy-saving characteristics of high oxygen affinity and low sludge production may also become frontier directions for wastewater treatment. This paper provides an overview of the discovery and environmental distribution of CAOB, as well as the physiological characteristics of the microorganisms, such as nutrient medium, environmental factors, enzymes, and metabolism, focusing on future research and the application of CAOB in wastewater treatment. Further research should be carried out on the physiological characteristics of CAOB, to analyze its ecological niche and impact factors, and explore its application potential in wastewater treatment nitrogen cycle improvement.     

A “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach for capacitive biochar production via the alkaline and alkaline earth metals activation

• Capacitive biochar was produced from sewage sludge. • Seawater was proved to be an alternative activation agent. • Minerals vaporization increased the surface area of biochar. • Molten salts acted as natural templates for the development of porous structure. Sewage sludge is a potential precursor for biochar production, but its effective utilization involves costly activation steps. To modify biochar properties while ensuring cost-effectiveness, we examined the feasibility of using seawater as an agent to activate biochar produced from sewage sludge. In our proof-of-concept study, seawater was proven to be an effective activation agent for biochar production, achieving a surface area of 480.3 m²/g with hierarchical porosity distribution. Benefited from our design, the catalytic effect of seawater increased not only the surface area but also the graphitization degree of biochar when comparing the pyrolysis of sewage sludge without seawater. This leads to seawater activated biochar electrodes with lower resistance, higher capacitance of 113.9 F/g comparing with control groups without seawater. Leveraging the global increase in the salinity of groundwater, especially in coastal areas, these findings provide an opportunity for recovering a valuable carbon resource from sludge.     

Comparison of different valent iron on anaerobic sludge digestion: Focusing on oxidation reduction potential,dissolved organic nitrogen and microbial community

• ORP value from −278.71 to −379.80 mV showed indiscernible effects on methane yield. • Fe(II) and Fe(III) promoted more degradation of proteins and amino acids than Fe⁰. • The highest enrichment of Geobacter was noted in samples added with Fe⁰. • Cysteine was accumulated during iron enhanced anaerobic sludge digestion. • Both iron content and valence were important for methane production. This study compared effects of three different valent iron (Fe⁰, Fe(II) and Fe(III)) on enhanced anaerobic sludge digestion, focusing on the changes of oxidation reduction potential (ORP), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and microbial community. Under the same iron dose in range of 0−160 mg/L after an incubation period of 30 days (d), the maximum methane production rate of sludge samples dosed with respective Fe⁰, Fe(II) and Fe(III) at the same concentration showed indiscernible differences at each iron dose, regardless of the different iron valence. Moreover, their behavior in changes of ORP, DON and microbial community was different: (1) the addition of Fe⁰ made the ORP of sludge more negative, and the addition of Fe(II) and Fe(III) made the ORP of sludge less negative. However, whether being more or less negative, the changes of ORP may show unobservable effects on methane yield when it ranged from −278.71 to −379.80 mV; (2) the degradation of dissolved organic nitrogen, particularly proteins, was less efficient in sludge samples dosed with Fe⁰ compared with those dosed with Fe(II) and Fe(III) after an incubation period of 30 d. At the same dose of 160 mg/L iron, more cysteine was noted in sludge samples dosed with Fe(II) (30.74 mg/L) and Fe(III) (27.92 mg/L) compared with that dosed with Fe⁰ (21.75 mg/L); (3) Fe⁰ particularly promoted the enrichment of Geobacter, and it was 6 times higher than those in sludge samples dosed with Fe(II) and Fe(III) at the same dose of 160 mg/L iron.     

Integrated energy view of wastewater treatment: A potential of electrochemical biodegradation

• Energy is needed to accelerate the biological wastewater treatment. • Electrical energy input in traditional technology is indirect and inefficient. • Direct injection of electricity can be a game changer to maximize energy efficiency. • Microbial electrochemical unit for decentralized wastewater treatment is proposed. It has been more than one century since the activated sludge process was invented. Despite its proven stability and reliability, the energy (especially the electrical energy) use in wastewater treatment should evolve to meet the increasingly urgent demand of energy efficiency. This paper discusses how the energy utilized in conventional biological wastewater treatment can be altered by switching the indirect energy input to a direct electricity injection, which is achieved by the electrode integration providing extra thermodynamic driving force to biodegradation. By using electrodes instead of oxygen as terminal electron acceptors, the electrical energy can be utilized more efficiently, and the key of direct use of electrical energy in biodegradation is the development of highly active electroactive biofilm and the increase of electron transfer between microbes and the electrode. Furthermore, the synergy of different microbial electrochemical units has additional benefit in energy and resource recovery, making wastewater treatment more sustainable.     

Application of heterogeneous catalysis to biodiesel synthesis using microalgae oil

• Microalgae oil application for biodiesel synthesis is discussed. • Catalytic effectiveness of ferment preparations and chemical catalyst is disputed. • Application of heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel synthesis is reviewed. • Possibilities of catalyst regeneration is shown. Recently, there is a growing interest in the use of microalga in various fields. Microalgae have properties such as rapid reproduction and high biomass accumulation, and under certain conditions, some are able to accumulate a large amount of oil. However, microalgae oil often contains more free fatty acids than the vegetable oil and is therefore unsuitable for biodiesel synthesis using alkaline catalysts. For this reason, some authors suggest the application of heterogeneous catalysis. A particular interest in the use of immobilized enzymes has developed. Other solid substances can also be used as heterogeneous catalysts are usually metal oxides, carbonates or zeolites. The use of these catalysts results in simpler biodiesel synthesis, especially purification processes, a cleaner end product and a less polluted environment. The molar ratio of alcohol to oil is lower during enzymatic transesterification, and more than 90% ester yield is obtained using a molar ratio of alcohol to oil of 3:1 to 4.5:1. The alcohols do not have a negative effect on the effectiveness of chemical catalysts, so it is possible to use alcohols in molar ratio from 4:1 to 12:1. The optimal temperature of enzymatic process is 30℃‒50℃. An ester yield of more than 95% was obtained in 12‒48 h. Using chemical catalysts, greater than a 95% yield of esters was obtained at higher temperatures in a shorter time. Material costs of enzymatic catalysis can be reduced by reusing the catalysts directly or after regeneration.     

Anaerobic digestion of sludge by different pretreatments: Changes of amino acids and microbial community

•Tryptophan protein, and aromatic protein I/II were the key identified proteins. •Cysteine was more correlated with methane production than other amino acids. •The presence of cysteine can promote methane production and degradation of VFAs. •The presence of cysteine can lower ORP and increase biomass activity. •Predominant Tissierella and Proteiniphilum were noted in pretreated sludge samples. Many studies have investigated the effects of different pretreatments on the performance of anaerobic digestion of sludge. However, the detailed changes of dissolved organic nitrogen, particularly the release behavior of proteins and the byproducts of protein hydrolysis-amino acids, are rarely known during anaerobic digestion of sludge by different pretreatments. Here we quantified the changes of three types of proteins and 17 types of amino acids in sludge samples solubilized by ultrasonic, thermal, and acid/alkaline pretreatments and their transformation during anaerobic digestion of sludge. Tryptophan protein, aromatic protein I, aromatic protein II, and cysteine were identified as the key dissolved organic nitrogen responsible for methane production during anaerobic digestion of sludge, regardless of the different pretreatment methods. Different from the depletion of other amino acids, cysteine was resistant to degradation after an incubation period of 30 days in all sludge samples. Meanwhile, the “cysteine and methionine metabolism (K00270)” was absent in all sludge samples by identifying 6755 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes assignments of genes hits. Cysteine contributed to the generation of methane and the degradation of acetic, propionic, and n-butyric acids through decreasing oxidation-reduction potential and enhancing biomass activity. This study provided an alternative strategy to enhance anaerobic digestion of sludge through in situ production of cysteine.     

Significant increase of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) levels in MBR effluents followed by coagulation,ozonation and combined treatments: Implications for biostability control of reclaimed water

• Annual AOCs in MBR effluents were stable with small increase in warmer seasons. • Significant increase in AOC levels of tertiary effluents were observed. • Coagulation in prior to ozonation can reduce AOC formation in tertiary treatment. • ∆UV₂₅₄ and SUVA can be surrogates to predict the AOC changes during ozonation. As water reuse development has increased, biological stability issues associated with reclaimed water have gained attention. This study evaluated assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in effluents from a full-scale membrane biological reactor (MBR) plant and found that they were generally stable over one year (125–216 µg/L), with slight increases in warmer seasons. After additional tertiary treatments, the largest increases in absolute and specific AOCs were detected during ozonation, followed by coagulation-ozonation and coagulation. Moreover, UV₂₅₄ absorbance is known to be an effective surrogate to predict the AOC changes during ozonation. Applying coagulation prior to ozonation of MBR effluents for removal of large molecules was found to reduce the AOC formation compared with ozonation treatment alone. Finally, the results revealed that attention should be paid to seasonal variations in influent and organic fraction changes during treatment to enable sustainable water reuse.     

Enhanced hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis through strategies of carbon recovery from alkaline/thermal treated sludge

• High hydrogen yield is recovered from thermal-alkaline pretreated sludge. • Separating SFL by centrifugation is better than filtration for hydrogen recovery. • The cascaded bioconversion of complex substrates in MECs are studied. • Energy and electron efficiency related to substrate conversion are evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate the biohydrogen production from thermal (T), alkaline (A) or thermal-alkaline (TA) pretreated sludge fermentation liquid (SFL) in a microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) without buffer addition. Highest hydrogen yield of 36.87±4.36 mgH₂/gVSS (0.026 m³/kg COD) was achieved in TA pretreated SFL separated by centrifugation, which was 5.12, 2.35 and 43.25 times higher than that of individual alkaline, thermal pretreatment and raw sludge, respectively. Separating SFL from sludge by centrifugation eliminated the negative effects of particulate matters, was more conducive for hydrogen production than filtration. The accumulated short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) after pretreatments were the main substrates for MEC hydrogen production. The maximum utilization ratio of acetic acid, propionic acid and n-butyric acid was 93.69%, 90.72% and 91.85%, respectively. These results revealed that pretreated WAS was highly efficient to stimulate the accumulation of SCFAs. And the characteristics and cascade bioconversion of complex substrates were the main factor that determined the energy efficiency and hydrogen conversion rate of MECs.     

Enhanced carbon tetrachloride degradation by hydroxylamine in ferrous ion activated calcium peroxide in the presence of formic acid

• Complete CT degradation was achieved by employing HA to CP/Fe(II)/FA process. • Quantitative detection of Fe(II) regeneration and HO• production was investigated. • Benzoic acid outcompeted FA for the reaction with HO•. • CO₂•⁻ was the dominant reductive radical for CT removal. • Effects of solution matrix on CT removal were conducted. Hydroxyl radicals (HO•) show low reactivity with perchlorinated hydrocarbons, such as carbon tetrachloride (CT), in conventional Fenton reactions, therefore, the generation of reductive radicals has attracted increasing attention. This study investigated the enhancement of CT degradation by the synergistic effects of hydroxylamine (HA) and formic acid (FA) (initial [CT] = 0.13 mmol/L) in a Fe(II) activated calcium peroxide (CP) Fenton process. CT degradation increased from 56.6% to 99.9% with the addition of 0.78 mmol/L HA to the CP/Fe(II)/FA/CT process in a molar ratio of 12/6/12/1. The results also showed that the presence of HA enhanced the regeneration of Fe(II) from Fe(III), and the production of HO• increased one-fold when employing benzoic acid as the HO• probe. Additionally, FA slightly improves the production of HO•. A study of the mechanism confirmed that the carbon dioxide radical (CO₂•⁻), a strong reductant generated by the reaction between FA and HO•, was the dominant radical responsible for CT degradation. Almost complete CT dechlorination was achieved in the process. The presence of humic acid and chloride ion slightly decreased CT removal, while high doses of bicarbonate and high pH inhibited CT degradation. This study helps us to better understand the synergistic roles of FA and HA for HO• and CO₂•⁻ generation and the removal of perchlorinated hydrocarbons in modified Fenton systems.     

Water resource conservation promotes synergy between economy and environment in China’s northern drylands

•Considering evenness provides a more accurate assessment of sustainable development. •Water resource conservation drives industrial transformation. •Synergy between economic development and environmental protection is achieved. •Regional collaboration over water could promote sustainable development in drylands. Water resource availability is the major limiting factor for sustainable development in drylands. Climate change intensifies the conflicting water demands between people and the environment and highlights the importance of effective water resource management for achieving a balance between economic development and environmental protection. In 2008, Inner Mongolia, typical dryland in northern China, proposed strict regulations on water exploitation and utilization aimed at achieving sustainable development. Our study is the first to investigate the effectiveness and performance of these long-standing water conservation regulations. Our analyses found that the regulations drove industrial transformation, evidenced by the decreasing proportion of environmentally harmful industries such as coal and steel, and the increasing proportion of tertiary industries (especially tourism). Following industrial transformation, economic development decoupled from industrial water consumption and subsequently led to reduced negative environmental impacts. Based on these results, adaptive strategies were developed for 12 cities by revealing and integrating their development pathways and relative status in achieving sustainable development. Integration and cooperation between cities were proposed, e.g., a water trade agreement between eastern Inner Mongolia (an economically underdeveloped region with relatively abundant water resources) and central Inner Mongolia (an economically developed region with high water stress). Such an agreement may enable the holistic achievement of sustainable development across regions. By integrating the findings of our research, our study presents a reproducible framework for water-management-based sustainable development strategies in drylands.     

Fate of microplastics in a coastal wastewater treatment plant: Microfibers could partially break through the integrated membrane system

• Fate of microplastics in integrated membrane system for water reuse was investigated. • Integrated membrane system has high removal efficiency (>98%) for microplastics. • Microplastics (>93%) were mainly removed through membrane bioreactor treatment. • Small scale fiber plastics (<200 μm) could break through reverse osmosis (RO) system. • The flux of microplastics maintained at 2.7 × 10¹¹ MPs/d after the RO treatment. Rare information on the fate of microplastics in the integrated membrane system (IMS) system in full-scale wastewater treatment plant was available. The fate of microplastics in IMS in a coastal reclaimed water plant was investigated. The removal rate of microplastics in the IMS system reached 93.2% after membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment while that further increased to 98.0% after the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process. The flux of microplastics in MBR effluent was reduced from 1.5 × 10¹³ MPs/d to 10.2 × 10¹¹ MPs/d while that of the RO treatment decreased to 2.7 × 10¹¹ MPs/d. Small scale fiber plastics (<200 μm) could break through RO system according to the size distribution analysis. The application of the IMS system in the reclaimed water plant could prevent most of the microplastics from being discharged in the coastal water. These findings suggested that the IMS system was more efficient than conventional activated sludge system (CAS) for the removal of microplastics, while the discharge of small scale fiber plastics through the IMS system should also not be neglected because small scale fiber plastics (<200 μm) could break through IMS system equipped with the RO system.     

Bioaerosolization behavior along sewage sludge biostabilization

• Aerosolization behavior during a lab-scale sludge biostabilization was determined. • Many pathogenic species were identified to be preferentially aerosolized. • Bioaerosol concentration along the biostabilization ranged from 160 to 1440 cell/m³. • Sludge aerosolization behavior was different with that of other biowaste. Biostabilization is a cost-effective method for the beneficial utilization of sewage sludge. However, during the operation of sludge biostabilization, some microbial species could be released into the atmospheric environment from the solid-phase of sludge easily and present a high risk to human health. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of bioaerosol during sludge biostabilization. We found a total of nine bacterial phyla, one archaeal phylum, and two fungal phyla in the bioaerosol samples. Among them, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Ascomycota were the dominant phyla. In addition, the bioaerosolization indexes (BI) of prokaryotic phyla and fungal phyla ranged 0–45 and 0–487, respectively. Massilia, Pseudarthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Tremellales spp., and Fusarium were the preferentially aerosolized microbial genera with maximum bioaerosolization indexes of 19962, 10360, 1802, 3055, and 7398. The bioaerosol concentration during the biostabilization ranged from 160 to 1440 cell/m³, and we identified species such as Stenotrophomonas rhizophila and Fusarium graminerum with high bioaerosolization indexes that could be threats to human health. Euryachaeota, which belongs to archaeal phyla, had the highest biostabilization index in our study. We also found that Pseudarthrobacter was the easiest to aerosolize during the sludge biostabilization process.     

Bioinspired cellulose-based membranes in oily wastewater treatment

• Cellulose-based membrane separates oily wastewater mimicking the living things. • The three central surface mechanisms were reviewed. • Preparation, performance, and mechanism are critically evaluated. • First review of wettability based cellulose membrane as major material. • The current and future importance of the research are discussed. It is challenging to purify oily wastewater, which affects water-energy-food production. One promising method is membrane-based separation. This paper reviews the current research trend of applying cellulose as a membrane material that mimics one of three typical biostructures: superhydrophobic, underwater superoleophobic, and Janus surfaces. Nature has provided efficient and effective structures through the evolutionary process. This has inspired many researchers to create technologies that mimic nature’s structures or the fabrication process. Lotus leaves, fish scales, and Namib beetles are three representative structures with distinct functional and surface properties: superhydrophobic, underwater superoleophobic, and Janus surfaces. The characteristics of these structures have been widely studied and applied to membrane materials to improve their performance. One attractive membrane material is cellulose, which has been studied from the perspective of its biodegradability and sustainability. In this review, the principles, mechanisms, fabrication processes, and membrane performances are summarized and compared. The theory of wettability is also described to build a comprehensive understanding of the concept. Finally, future outlook is discussed to challenge the gap between laboratory and industrial applications.     

Size and shape effects of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles as catalysts for reductive degradation of dye pollutants

• Size and shape-dependent MnFe₂O₄ NPs were prepared via a facile method. • Ligand-exchange chemistry was used to prepare the hydrophilic MnFe₂O₄ NPs. • The catalytic properties of MnFe₂O₄ NPs toward dye degradation were fully studied. • The catalytic activities of MnFe₂O₄ NPs followed Michaelis–Menten behavior. • All the MnFe₂O₄ NPs exhibit selective degradation to different dyes. The magnetic nanoparticles that are easy to recycle have tremendous potential as a suitable catalyst for environmental toxic dye pollutant degradation. Rationally engineering shapes and tailoring the size of nanocatalysts are regarded as an effective manner for enhancing performances. Herein, we successfully synthesized three kinds of MnFe₂O₄ NPs with distinctive sizes and shapes as catalysts for reductive degradation of methylene blue, rhodamine 6G, rhodamine B, and methylene orange. It was found that the catalytic activities were dependent on the size and shape of the MnFe₂O₄ NPs and highly related to the surface-to-volume ratio and atom arrangements. Besides, all these nanocatalysts exhibit selectivity to different organic dyes, which is beneficial for their practical application in dye pollutant treatment. Furthermore, the MnFe₂O₄ NPs could be readily recovered by a magnet and reused more than ten times without appreciable loss of activity. The size and shape effects of MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles demonstrated in this work not only accelerate further understanding the nature of nanocatalysts but also contribute to the precise design of nanoparticles catalyst for pollutant degradation.     

Dual-reaction-center catalytic process continues Fenton’s story

• Dual-reaction-center (DRC) system breaks through bottleneck of Fenton reaction. • Utilization of intrinsic electrons of pollutants is realized in DRC system. • DRC catalytic process well continues Fenton’s story. Triggered by global water quality safety issues, the research on wastewater treatment and water purification technology has been greatly developed in recent years. The Fenton technology is particularly powerful due to the rapid attack on pollutants by the generated hydroxyl radicals (•OH). However, both heterogeneous and homogeneous Fenton/Fenton-like technologies follow the classical reaction mechanism, which depends on the oxidation and reduction of the transition metal ions at single sites. So even after a century of development, this reaction still suffers from its inherent bottlenecks in practical application. In recent years, our group has been focusing on studying a novel heterogeneous Fenton catalytic process, and we developed the dual-reaction-center (DRC) system for the first time. In the DRC system, H₂O₂ and O₂ can be efficiently reduced to reactive oxygen species (ROS) in electron-rich centers, while pollutants are captured and oxidized by the electron-deficient centers. The obtained electrons from pollutants are diverted to the electron-rich centers through bonding bridges. This process breaks through the classic Fenton mechanism, and improves the performance and efficiency of pollutant removal in a wide pH range. Here, we provide a brief overview of Fenton’s story and focus on combing the discovery and development of the DRC technology and mechanism in recent years. The construction of the DRC and its performance in the pollutant degradation and interfacial reaction process are described in detail. We look forward to bringing a new perspective to continue Fenton’s story through research and development of DRC technology.     

Aerosol exposure assessment during reclaimed water utilization in China and risk evaluation in case of Legionella

• The Chinese population exposure habits were surveyed. • The risks of three scenarios of reclaimed water utilization were evaluated by QMRA. • The risks were markedly higher than the threshold (10⁻⁴ pppy) recommended by WHO. • The risks were age-, educational background-, region- and gender-specific. Reclaimed water utilization provides an effective way to alleviate water shortage. However, the residual pathogens in the recycled water like Legionella, could be spread into the air as aerosols through water-to-air transmission process. Inhaling the aerosols by the people nearby increases their susceptibility to diseases. For estimating the health risks associated with the potential exposure of airborne Legionella emitted from the urban use of reclaimed water in China, nationwide questionnaire was designed to investigate the exposure habits of Chinese population in different scenarios. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) served as the suitable explanatory tool to estimate the risk. The results indicated that annual infection probability of populations exposed to Legionella for three scenarios, 0.0764 (95% CI: 0.0032–0.6880) for road cleaning, 1.0000 (95% CI: 0.1883–1.0000) for greenfield irrigation, 0.9981 (95% CI: 0.0784–1.0000) for landscape fountain, were markedly higher than the threshold recommended by WHO (10⁻⁴ per person per year (pppy)) according to the concentration distribution of Legionella in the reclaimed water. An age-, educational background-, region- and gender-specific data in annual infection probability also showed different tendencies for some subpopulations. This study provides some detailed information on the health risks from the water reuse in China and will be useful to promote the safe application of reclaimed water in water-deficient areas.     

High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: achievements and perspectives

• High-solid anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) of sewage sludge (SS) is overviewed. • Factors affecting process stability and performance in HS-AD of SS are revealed. • HS effect and knowledge gaps of current research on the HS-AD of SS are identified. • Future efforts on addressing knowledge gaps and improving HS-AD of SS are proposed. High-solid anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) has been applied extensively during the last few decades for treating various organic wastes, such as agricultural wastes, organic fractions of municipal solid wastes, and kitchen wastes. However, the application of HS-AD to the processing of sewage sludge (SS) remains limited, which is largely attributable to its poor process stability and performance. Extensive research has been conducted to attempt to surmount these limitations. In this review, the main factors affecting process stability and performance in the HS-AD of SS are comprehensively reviewed, and the improved methods in current use, such as HS sludge pre-treatment and anaerobic co-digestion with other organic wastes, are summarised. Besides, this paper also discusses the characteristics of substance transformation in the HS-AD of SS with and without thermal pre-treatment. Research has shown that the HS effect is due to the presence of high concentrations of substances that may inhibit the function of anaerobic microorganisms, and that it also results in poor mass transfer, a low diffusion coefficient, and high viscosity. Finally, knowledge gaps in the current research on HS-AD of SS are identified. Based on these, it proposes that future efforts should be devoted to standardising the definition of HS sludge, revealing the law of migration and transformation of pollutants, describing the metabolic pathways by which specific substances are degraded, and establishing accurate mathematical models. Moreover, developing green sludge dewatering agents, obtaining high value-added products, and revealing effects of the above two on HS-AD of SS can also be considered in future.