Themed collection Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology Recent HOT Articles

Amino acid modified graphene nanosheets adsorb emerging contaminants from tap water outperforming unmodified precursors and activated carbon for carbamazepine, bisphenol A and benzophenone 4. Structure–adsorption relationships are unraveled.

Water pollution caused by the frequent use of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) has been attracting increased media and political coverage in England as in other places in the world.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater solids have resulted in bans on land application of biosolids, causing utilities to explore thermal treatment options.

Novel adsorbents produced from β-lactoglobulin, a low-cost milk protein, have shown a high affinity to inorganic As(III) and As(V).

Although nitrifying microorganisms play an important role in TOrC biotransformation, ammonia-rich environments appear to hinder important cometabolic processes, whereas low-dose monochloramine has minimal impact on biofilter performance.

This is the first study reporting the use of pharmaceutical and illicit drugs by profiling wastewater in Lagos, Nigeria.

Sludge based biochar granules were prepared and modified with lanthanum for effective phosphate recovery from wastewater and anaerobic digestion liquid.

During the piezoelectric catalytic process, highly reactive species might be generated and contribute to the effective degradation of the target organic pollutants.

Sulfidated nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) was applied in the treatment of pentachlorophenol (PCP)-polluted water to explore the reaction pathways and the effects of water chemistry on PCP adsorption and transformation.

The use of treated activated carbon (AC) is investigated to eliminate cationic dye malachite green (MG) using modelled dye solution.

QSDsan is an open-source platform that integrates the design, simulation, and sustainability characterization of sanitation and resource recovery systems.

An innovative electroactive membrane was designed with polyelectrolyte modification for electro-PMS activation and degradation of refractory organic contaminants in a flow-through filtration model.

Higher initial DO concentrations could enhance the nitrification reaction and purification process of the raw water.

Sulfonamides (SAs) have been proved to damage organisms if the contact time last over the long term.

The sub-cellular mechanisms by which residual free chlorine (FC) inactivates E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the absence of organic matter was investigated.

rGO–Fe₂O₃ NPs incorporated PVAc based mixed matrix membrane for efficient removal of Pb²⁺ from anti-corrosive paint industrial wastewater.

Elucidation of the galvanic mechanism of selenate reduction by nZVI leads to >99.95% removal and record electron efficiency by suppressing H₂ evolution via in situ Se doping.

A mathematical model for autotrophic biocathodic denitrification of groundwater has been developed. The model predictions captured current demand and energy consumption related to reduction of N-forms.

A new monitoring method has been developed for the rapid assessment of low levels of 137-Cs and its effective concentration and quantification in Fukushima seawater, directly using KCuHCF slurry ink with a 137-Cs recovery exceeding 99% within 30 min.

The presence of sulfate in sewage treatment has obvious impacts on biological nitrogen removal.

The influence of WWTP treatment standard on contaminant breakthrough is explored for 293 compounds.

Recent applications of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) have demonstrated its ability to track the spread and dynamics of COVID-19 at the community level.

Role of reactive species in the solar/chlorine process for elimination of diuron and risk of NDMA formation.

Increasing hydraulic residence time (HRT) along a chain of interconnected reservoirs enhances the formation potential of carbonaceous disinfection by-products (DBPs) and reduces the formation potential of nitrogenous DBPs, particularly N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).

Strong-acid functionalized cathode is pH stable and sulfonic groups are stable to charge–discharge cycling.

Spatiotemporal development of anaerobic seed sludge in a new ABR after transfer from a long-running ABR treating low-temperature domestic wastewater.

This study analysed the spatial and temporal occurrence of 29 disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed by chlorination and chloramination.

We compared SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in primary settled solids and raw wastewater samples matched in date to investigate the relationship between the two matrices.

This study implicated stoichiometric limitation of influent organic carbon, unique microbial community enrichment, and differential nitrate and nitrite reduction kinetics as determinant factors in glycerol-driven denitratation.

Daytime-only and continuously mixed HRAPs had equivalent disinfection performance, compliant with reuse guidelines. Daytime-only mixing reduces energy demand and capital cost of wastewater treatment, promoting adoption of HRAPs in rural communities.

Electrode kinetics, gaseous CO₂ dissolution, mass transfer, and equilibrium of pH buffer and bicarbonate are considered to illustrate the bioelectrochemical behaviors of an MES.

Based on coordination chemistry, the removal of Hg²⁺ and the recovery of Ag⁺ are achieved simultaneously by selecting the 4,4′-azo-1,2,4-triazole (Atrz) as an organic ligand only through simple mixing, agitation and filtration.

Novel linear free energy relationships were determined between experimentally measured rate constants of solvated electrons and theoretically calculated one electron reduction potential for the elucidation of reductive reaction mechanisms.

Application of plasma oxidation for removal of pharmaceuticals in urine was assessed and compared to a traditional advanced oxidation process.

Waste streams continuously introduce active and inactive microbial populations that can influence assembly of microbial communities in chain elongation systems.

Sustainable HRT of 3–4 h achieved for MABR effluent with carbon and nitrogen meeting the discharge standard of level I class A in China for synthetic municipal wastewater treatment.

Dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria greatly increased the production of vivianite. Phosphate promoted the dissimilatory reduction of iron minerals and a high Fe/P ratio (2–4) is conducive for phosphorus recovery as vivianite.

Unique pilot design and innovative control strategies enabled mainstream nitrogen removal with a low COD to N removal ratio at both summer and winter conditions.

In the present study we coupled nontarget analyses data and predictive models in order to estimate the formation potential of NDMA, a nitrogenous disinfection by-product that has been included in drinking water regulations worldwide.

GenX is a major per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) of environmental concern. Redox-copolymers are explored as selective adsorbents for the electrochemically-mediated separation and remediation of GenX from water.

Potential inhibitors in the groundwater matrix that affect bone char (BC) mediated dechlorination of chlorinated ethylenes by green rust (GR).

A linear UV dose response is demonstrated using an ELISA assay that measures thymine dimers formed in the genomic DNA extracted from the mixed species of microorganisms filtered from UV treated pre-disinfection drinking water.

UV photolysis is an effective process to remove nitrosamines from contaminated water resources.

Environmental water quality data from England are used to establish the excess heat in sewage effluent discharges to rivers and subsequently estimate the national scale heat recovery potential of wastewater.

The trash-excluding attachment (Excluder) can be connected to a custom vacuum (such as the Flexcrevator), a vacuum truck, or a sludge pump. The system allows the mechanized emptying of pit latrines with high levels of trash without manual “fishing”.

A ZnO–[Zn(CPAMN)] complex-composite acts as a piezo-photocatalyst for the degradation of dyes pollutants and industry wastewater under ultrasonication and visible light irradiation due to the low rate of electron–hole pair recombination.

The photodegradation of an emerging pollutant, ammonium ionic liquid, is thoroughly investigated by using an advanced oxidation technique.

In this study, the removal of dyes by NSMD and NSFH was investigated, and two high-quality QSAR models for these adsorbents were established using multiple linear regression (MLR). Finally, the dye removal mechanisms of the two adsorbents were studied and compared.

Better chemical removal in waste stabilisation ponds was linked to the presence of a maturation pond, higher solar irradiation, and warmer temperatures.

The electron-transfer process is the main pathway occurring in the BC800/PDS system and the singlet oxygen pathway is determined to have little contribution to the oxidation of SMX.

This study used a molecular dynamics simulation approach to predict and evaluate the coagulation of organic pollutants around the Moringa oleifera 2S albumin protein extracted from the seed.

A potentially scalable configuration of a H₂-based MBfR was developed in this study to test the feasibility of treating real secondary effluent.

Ion exchange (IX) removes hexavalent chromium from water, but waste brine disposal makes implementation cost-prohibitive in many communities. Nanofiltration treats waste brine for reuse in the next regeneration cycle.

A Janus biomass carbon/sponge (JBCS) solar-driven desalination system is composed of carbonized original leaf particles and commercial melamine sponge seamlessly integrated with each other by a simple “soak-dip” method.

RO enables the recovery of clean water and ammonium in anaerobic membrane bioreactor effluent. pH governs the ammonia speciation and membrane surface charge and is the key operational factor that affects the total ammonia rejection efficiency of RO.

3D graphene anchored zerovalent metal aerogel as an alternative route for the efficient removal of organic pollutants from wastewater.

Sodium silicate has been used to control lead levels in drinking water, but there is little theoretical support for this practice. We find that sodium silicate is not effective in controlling lead release from lead(II) carbonate.

The reproducibility and sensitivity of 36 methods for quantifying the genetic signal of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater was evaluated in a nationwide interlaboratory assessment in the U.S.

This study for the first time investigated the turnover of dissolved organic nitrogen in lab-scale thermal hydrolysis pretreatment at different temperatures with and without mesophilic anaerobic digestion at a solids retention time of 15 days.

Peracetic acid (PAA) is being considered as a disinfectant in membrane-based wastewater reuse systems. This study shows that PAA is overall compatible with polyamide membranes and proposes PAA-polyamide reaction mechanisms.