Insights into the electron transfer mechanisms of permanganate activation by carbon nanotube membrane for enhanced micropollutants degradation

● A CNT filter enabled effective KMnO₄ activation via facilitated electron transfer. ● Ultra-fast degradation of micropollutants were achieved in KMnO₄/CNT system. ● CNT mediated electron transfer process from electron-rich molecules to KMnO₄. ● Electron transfer dominated organic degradation. Numerous reagents have been proposed as electron sacrificers to induce the decomposition of permanganate (KMnO₄) by producing highly reactive Mn species for micropollutants degradation. However, this strategy can lead to low KMnO₄ utilization efficiency due to limitations associated with poor mass transport and high energy consumption. In the present study, we rationally designed a catalytic carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane for KMnO₄ activation toward enhanced degradation of micropollutants. The proposed flow-through system outperformed conventional batch reactor owing to the improved mass transfer via convection. Under optimal conditionals, a > 70% removal (equivalent to an oxidation flux of 2.43 mmol/(h·m²)) of 80 μmol/L sulfamethoxazole (SMX) solution can be achieved at single-pass mode. The experimental analysis and DFT studies verified that CNT could mediate direct electron transfer from organic molecules to KMnO₄, resulting in a high utilization efficiency of KMnO₄. Furthermore, the KMnO₄/CNT system had outstanding reusability and CNT could maintain a long-lasting reactivity, which served as a green strategy for the remediation of micropollutants in a sustainable manner. This study provides new insights into the electron transfer mechanisms and unveils the advantages of effective KMnO₄ utilization in the KMnO₄/CNT system for environmental remediation.     

Environmental effects and risk control of antibiotic resistance genes in the organic solid waste aerobic composting system: A review

• ARGs were detected in livestock manure, sludge, food waste and fermentation dregs. • The succession of microbial community is an important factor affecting ARGs. • Horizontal transfer mechanism of ARGs during composting should be further studied. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been diffusely detected in several kinds of organic solid waste, such as livestock manure, sludge, antibiotic fermentation residues, and food waste, thus attracting great attention. Aerobic composting, which is an effective, harmless treatment method for organic solid waste to promote recycling, has been identified to also aid in ARG reduction. However, the effect of composting in removing ARGs from organic solid waste has recently become controversial. Thus, this article summarizes and reviews the research on ARGs in relation to composting in the past 5 years. ARGs in organic solid waste could spread in different environmental media, including soil and the atmosphere, which could widen environmental risks. However, the conventional composting technology had limited effect on ARGs removal from organic solid waste. Improved composting processes, such as hyperthermophilic temperature composting, could effectively remove ARGs, and the HGT of ARGs and the microbial communities are identified as vital influencing factors. Currently, during the composting process, ARGs were mainly affected by three response pathways, (I) “Microenvironment-ARGs”; (II) “Microenvironment-microorganisms-ARGs”; (III) “Microorganisms-horizontal gene transfer-ARGs”, respectively. Response pathway II had been studied the most which was believed that microbial community was an important factor affecting ARGs. In response pathway III, mainly believed that MGEs played an important role and paid less attention to eARGs. Further research on the role and impact of eARGs in ARGs may be considered in the future. It aims to provide support for further research on environmental risk control of ARGs in organic solid waste.