Highly Energy-Efficient 3D-Printed Solar Evaporator with Integrated Salt Self-Collection for Zero Liquid Discharge Desalination.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) has emerged as a promising technology for sustainable desalination and brine management. However, conventional SDIE systems have struggled to enhance evaporation efficiency while mitigating salt scaling. Here, we introduce an innovative 3D-printed photothermal stainless steel SDIE system designed to address these limitations.

An electrochemical anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor for enhanced sludge digestion: Unveiling molecular interactions and microbial mechanisms.

This study investigated the effects of stepwise external voltages on an electrochemical anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (EC-AnDMBR) for anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. Increasing the applied voltage greatly mitigated membrane fouling, reduced the transmembrane pressure increase rate and enhanced both volatile solids digestion and biogas production. The dynamic membrane structure became looser with fewer biofouling substances, attributed to a 42.

Enhancing the participation of water in the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge for highly efficient methanogenesis.

Water is widely present in sewage sludge, in which it constitutes the largest proportion; however, its participation in the methanogenesis of sludge has been overlooked. Here we revealed the mechanisms enhancing the participation of water in methanogenesis of sludge. Through stable isotope tracing experiments, we observed that isoelectric point pretreatment significantly enhanced the participation of water in CO-reduction methanogenesis.

Ancient DNA reveals a two-clanned matrilineal community in Neolithic China.

Studies of ancient DNA from cemeteries provide valuable insights into early human societies, and have strongly indicated patrilocality. Here, we analysed ancient DNA alongside archaeological contexts and multiple stable isotopic data from 60 individuals in 2 separate cemeteries at the Fujia archaeological site in eastern China, dating between 2750 and 2500 BCE. Our findings suggest the existence of an early-described matrilineal community in the Neolithic period, characterized by high endogamy and a population practicing millet agriculture near the coast.

Direct Quantification of Ion Partitioning and Diffusion Resistances in Reverse Osmosis Membranes via Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.

Polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are crucial for water desalination and purification, where salt ion transport is governed by partitioning and diffusion through the PA film. Despite extensive research, decoupling these two steps and quantifying their relative contributions remain challenging due to the lack of reliable characterization methods. Here, we develop a rapid, reproducible electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) protocol incorporating advanced electrical equivalent circuits to directly quantify partitioning and diffusion resistance.

Exposed redox-active iron enables electrochemically highly selective capture and conversion of arsenic from water.

Trace amounts of highly toxic arsenic, particularly arsenite (As(III)), in urban and agricultural water present a significant challenge to ensuring water safety. Existing separation processes have significant limitations, mainly due to poor selectivity and insufficient oxidation of As(III). In this study, we introduce a redox-active iron coordination electrode with exposed iron active sites (FePc-CNTS), designed for the selective electrochemical removal and oxidation of As(III) from water.

Membrane modification strategies for virus removal from water.

Membrane technology, through innovative approaches such as nanocomposite membranes, membrane bioreactors, and electrocatalytic membrane reactors, offers a synergistic platform for pathogen removal. This review examines recent advancements in membrane modifications aimed at optimizing virus removal efficiency. It outlines various mechanisms employed in these innovations, including size exclusion, electronic interactions, hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, and pathogen inactivation.

Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Strontium isotope (Sr/Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving Sr/Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the Sr/Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression.

Ferrocene-based metal-organic frameworks with dual synergistic active sites for selectively electrochemical removal of arsenic from contaminated water.

The effective removal of trace levels of the highly toxic arsenite (As(Ⅲ)) from groundwater is crucial to address the threat to drinking water supply. Herein, we developed an electrochemical separation system utilizing redox-active ferrocene-based metal-organic frameworks (termed Fe-DFc) for selective removal of As(III). This system leveraged 1,1'-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid as a ligand coordinated with iron, enabling the highly selective capture and conversion of As(III) from groundwater.

Strontium isotopes track female dispersal in Taï chimpanzees.

Objectives: Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are patrilocal, with males remaining in their natal community and females dispersing when they reach sexual maturity. However, the details of female chimpanzee dispersal, such as their possible origin, are difficult to assess, even in habituated communities. This study investigates the utility of Sr/Sr analysis for (1) assessing Sr baseline differences between chimpanzee territories and (2) identifying the status (immigrant or natal) of females of unknown origin within the territories of five neighboring communities in Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire).

Electrochemical oxidation of reverse osmosis concentrate using a pilot-scale reactive electrochemical membrane filtration system: Performance and mechanisms.

Scale-up treatment of real wastewater holds the key to promoting the practical application of electrochemical filtration technology. This work used a pilot-scale Ti/Pd reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) system (12 REM modules with a total REM area of 0.144 m) to treat high-salinity reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from a chemical industry park.

Anaerobic hydrolysis of recalcitrant tetramethylammonium from semiconductor wastewater: Performance and mechanisms.

The treatment of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH)-bearing wastewater, generated in the electronic and semiconductor industries, raises significant concerns due to the neurotoxic, recalcitrant, and bio-inhibiting effects of TMAH. In this study, we proposed the use of an anaerobic hydrolysis bioreactor (AHBR) for TMAH removal, achieving a high removal efficiency of approximately 85%, which greatly surpassed the performance of widely-used advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Density functional theory calculations indicated that the unexpectedly poor efficiency (5.

Preparation of a Molecularly Imprinted Silica Nanoparticles Embedded Microfiltration Membrane for Selective Separation of Tetrabromobisphenol A from Water.

The ubiquitous presence of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in aquatic environments has caused severe environmental and public health concerns; it is therefore of great significance to develop effective techniques to remove this compound from contaminated waters. Herein, a TBBPA imprinted membrane was successfully fabricated via incorporating imprinted silica nanoparticles (SiO NPs). The TBBPA imprinted layer was synthesized on the 3-(methacryloyloxy) propyltrimethoxysilane (KH-570) modified SiO NPs via surface imprinting.

Membrane fouling behaviors in a full-scale zero liquid discharge system for cold-rolling wastewater brine treatment: A comprehensive analysis on multiple membrane processes.

The challenge of water scarcity drives zero liquid discharge (ZLD) treatment to maximize reuse of industrial wastewater. Deciphering the characteristics and mechanisms of membrane fouling in the membrane-based ZLD system is crucial for the development of effective fouling control strategies. However, current studies only focused on the membrane fouling of single step, lacking in-depth understanding on the ZLD systems using multiple membrane processes.

Removal of -toluenesulfonic acid from wastewater using a filtration-enhanced electro-Fenton reactor.

Rapid global industrialization accompanies the discharge of industrial wastewater. -Toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA), a kind of aromatic sulfonate that belongs to the refractory organic pollutant, is one of the most widely used chemicals in pharmaceutical, dye, petrochemical and plastic industries. In this study, we developed a filtration-enhanced electro-Fenton (FEEF) reactor to remove PTSA from synthetic wastewater.

Study on the heterogeneity of China's agricultural economic growth in the context of temperature shocks.

Under the background of the new development concept, compared with the absolute impacts, the relative impacts of climate change on agricultural growth deserve more attention. Based on the data from China for years 1991 and 2018, this paper uses historical fluctuations in temperature within cities to identify the heterogeneous effects on aggregate agricultural outcomes during farming and fallow periods. The results show that: first, as temperature rises reduce the economic growth rate of each agricultural sector, and the areas that are relatively vulnerable (i.

Biofouling suppresses effluent toxicity in an electrochemical filtration system for remediation of sulfanilic acid-contaminated water.

Electrochemical filtration system (EFS) has received broad interest due to its high efficiency for organic contaminants removal. However, the porous nature of electrodes and flow-through operation mode make it susceptible to potential fouling. In this work, we systematically investigated the impacts of biofouling on sulfanilic acid (SA) removal and effluent toxicity in an EFS.

Mechanistic insights into CO pressure regulating microbial competition in a hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor for denitrification.

CO is a proven pH regulator in hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (H-MBfR) but how its pressure regulates microbial competition in this system remains unclear. This work evaluates the CO pressure dependent system performance, CO allocation, microbial structure and activity of CO source H-MBfR. The optimum system performance was reached at the CO pressure of 0.

Theoretical study on pentiptycene molecular brake: photoinduced isomerization and photoinduced electron transfer.

The isomerization of the double bond plays an important role in the braking and de-braking of the light-controlled molecular brake. Therefore, the pentiptycene-type (Pp-type) light-controlled molecular brake system ((E)- and (Z)-4'-pentiptycyl vinyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-carbonitrile) containing the C = C double bond was theoretically studied. Combining the 6-31G(d) basis set, the ωB97XD functional with dispersion correction was applied to implement the (E)-configuration and (Z)-configuration initial optimization.

Organic Persistent Luminescent Materials: Ultralong Room-Temperature Phosphorescence and Multicolor-Tunable Afterglow.

Organic persistent luminescent materials have attracted special attention due to their significant applications in optoelectronics, sensors, and security technology areas. In this work, a series of organic compounds (1-4) with twisted electron donor-acceptor structures are successfully designed and synthesized, and then the resultant compounds are dissolved in methyl methacrylate (MMA), and afterward, in situ polymerization realizes single-molecular organic room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials (P1-P4). All RTP materials show long lifetime, especially P2 exhibits ultralong lifetime of 1.

Self-Enhanced Decomplexation of Cu-Organic Complexes and Cu Recovery from Wastewaters Using an Electrochemical Membrane Filtration System.

Heavy metals in industrial wastewaters are typically present as stable metal-organic complexes with their cost-effective treatment remaining a significant challenge. Herein, a self-enhanced decomplexation scenario is developed using an electrochemical membrane filtration (EMF) system for efficient decomplexation and Cu recovery. Using Cu-EDTA as a model pollutant, the EMF system achieved 81.

An electrochemical membrane biofilm reactor for removing sulfonamides from wastewater and suppressing antibiotic resistance development: Performance and mechanisms.

Sulfonamides, such as sulfadiazine (SDZ), are frequently detected in water and wastewater with their toxic and persistent nature arousing much concern. In this work, a novel electrochemical membrane biofilm reactor (EMBfR) was constructed for the removal of SDZ whilst suppressing the development of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Results showed that the EMBfR achieved 94.

Theoretical study of switching characteristics of molecular tweezers based on bis(Zn-salphen).

A series of novel tweezers based on bis(Zn-salphen) complex is theoretically studied. Density functional theory (DFT) method is used to investigate the switchable properties of terpy/bis(Zn-salphen) complex (1, terpy=2,2':6',2″-terpyridine) and Br-phtpy/bis(Zn-salphen) complex (2, Br-phtpy=4'-bromophenyl-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine). In this study, the free tweezers 1 and 2 can be converted from a "W" open form to a "U" closed form upon Ru(III) coordination.