In addition to the direct ecological effects of antibiotics, residuals in the environment contribute significantly to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance, a critical issue that traditional ecological risk assessment frameworks, such as the persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity (P–B–T) criteria, fail to address comprehensively. We propose a novel 3M (microflora–microcosm–modeling) framework designed specifically to assess the risk of antibiotics in promoting bacterial resistance within environmental bacterial communities. Our research shows that aquatic microflora in natural water environments exhibit unexpectedly high levels of antibiotic resistance, often comparable to levels found in clinical settings, even though the ambient concentrations of antibiotics are orders of magnitude lower. This finding underscores the importance of considering bacterial resistance as a central indicator in antibiotic risk assessments. Building upon previous studies of microflora in controlled laboratory media, we developed an integrated microflora-based microcosm model, which is combined with advanced ecological and pharmacodynamic modeling to create the innovative 3M framework. This new framework provides more realistic risk thresholds than traditional ecological risk assessment criteria, offering a more accurate reflection of environmental risks. When applied to the Yangtze River, Asia’s largest river, the 3M framework identified moderate to high antibiotic resistance risks at 21.7%, 30.6%, and 47.3% of sampling sites in the upper, middle, and lower reaches, respectively. This study presents an adaptable, evidence-based complement to traditional ecological risk assessments, aligning with evolving regulatory requirements for environmental antibiotic risk management.

Urban air pollution, particularly particulate matter (PM), poses significant health risks in metropolitan areas like Seoul. Understanding heavy metal distribution across different particle sizes is crucial for source identification and pollution control strategies. This study investigated heavy metal concentrations in PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 . Samples were collected 4-5 times monthly from January 2024 to April 2025 at an air monitoring station in Guui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Mass concentrations were determined using gravimetric methods, and 11 heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, As, Al, Ca, Mg) were analyzed using ICP-MS and ICP-OES. Data were classified into normal days, yellow dust, and PM2.5 advisory periods.

Results revealed distinct patterns under different atmospheric conditions compared to normal days. Yellow dust events showed strong PM10-PM2.5 correlations for soil-derived elements but weak PM10-PM2.5 correlations for anthropogenic metals, while PM2.5 advisories exhibited the opposite pattern with enhanced PM10-PM2.5 correlations for anthropogenic metals but reduced PM10-PM2.5 correlations for soil-derived elements. The study demonstrates that meteorological conditions significantly influence particle size-specific heavy metal distribution patterns. Comprehensive analysis of both PM10 and PM2.5 is essential for effective air quality management and suggests that both particle sizes should be considered when applying machine learning techniques. This research provides foundational data for future policy development in urban environments.

The use of waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentative short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as the excellent carbon source of wastewater biological nutrient removal has drawn much attention recently as it can reuse WAS organics and reduce WAS production. This study developed a novel, efficient, and environmental-friendly approach combining atmospheric pressure plasma jet with microbubbles (plasma/MBs) for WAS pretreatment.
Batch experiments were conducted using waste activated sludge (WAS). The novel pretreatment combined an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (500 W, 3 min) with a microbubble generator (7.9 mg/L DO). Following pretreatment, anaerobic fermentation was performed in parallel reactors at 35°C for 25 days. Key parameters including SCOD, proteins, polysaccharides, and SCFAs were quantified. The synergistic mechanisms were investigated using radical scavengers and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) to identify reactive species (e.g., •OH, ONOO-). Microbial community dynamics and metabolic pathways were analyzed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing and Tax4Fun.
Compared with the control, plasma/MBs pretreatment enhanced SCFA generation by 92% and acetic acid proportion by 21% with plasma discharge power at 500 W and MBs dosage at 7.9 mg/L dissolved oxygen. The plasma/MBs combination motivated the reaction of various reactive species (such as O3, NOx, ONOO-, •OH, e-, 1O2, and •O2-) and enhanced the activity of physical energies (such as light and heat). This synergy promoted sludge cell lysis and biodegradable substance release, significantly boosting acetic acid-enriched SCFA generation from fermentation. Moreover, plasma/MBs pretreatment increased the expression of key genes for SCFA production during fermentation, which also contributed to the production of SCFAs. Besides, plasma/MBs pretreatment favored WAS dewatering, heavy metal removal, and organic pollutant degradation, providing a new approach to advancing WAS resource recovery through innocuous management.

A U.S. program director in energy research funding agency once said that if you don’t commercialize the technology, you won’t save any energy. That statement holds true for carbon neutrality, circular economy, and most research areas. Across Asia there are many great universities that are surpassing the West’s ability to conduct groundbreaking research. Traditionally the U.S. has had a leadership role in translating that research into start-up companies and later into commercial technologies that save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and promote a circular economy. In 2025 the U.S. is experiencing uncertainty in the support of university research, loss of attraction of the most talented international students, restrictions of funding to support early-stage deployment, and sunsetting incentives to transition to a clean and low-carbon economy. This opens an opportunity for the mega cities in Asia to take a world leadership position in both university research and deploying the world’s best clean technologies. The author is a long-term researcher in clean energy technologies, and now an advisor and investor in clean energy and climate technologies. We present opportunities for Asia to take a leadership role in the transition to carbon neutrality. This will happen by supporting top research, identifying the most promising technologies and then fostering the early career scientists and engineers to launch start-up companies to commercialize the technologies from their graduate research. We will provide several case studies to achieve success.

Bacoor City in Cavite, Philippines, lies within a flood-prone landscape where lowland communities experience recurrent inundation due to rainfall, poor drainage, and the convergence of waterways at the city’s lowest points. Urban sprawl, land use conversion, and high-density residential development further exacerbate flooding, limiting open spaces for natural absorption and complicating conventional engineering solutions. As waterways inevitably flow toward the lowest points, Bacoor’s lowland settlements bear the greatest flood burden. These communities face compounding vulnerabilities that threaten both livelihoods and long-term resilience. However, existing flood management strategies remain largely reactive and infrastructure-driven, often overlooking the spatial and ecological dimensions of the lowland environment.

This research uses Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) to analyze the city’s lowland floodscapes. By mapping landscape character units and integrating land use patterns, hydrological features, and settlement dynamics, LCA provides a framework for understanding the relationship between landscape character and flood vulnerability. Data collection includes spatial analysis, desk review, community inputs, and hazard mapping to identify opportunities for adaptive interventions. The study also suggests the exploration of adaptive landscape strategies such as multifunctional drainage corridors, retention ponds, rain gardens, bioswales, urban greenways, and integrated landscape-based design. By examining Bacoor’s floodscapes through LCA, this study demonstrates how landscape-sensitive planning can inform a more adaptive and sustainable flood management plan. The findings contribute to shaping resilient lowland communities and provide insights applicable to other Philippine cities with similar conditions.

The photovoltaic-alkaline water (PV-AW) electrolysis system offers an appealing approach for large-scale green hydrogen generation. However, current PV-AW systems suffer from low solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiencies (e.g. <20%) at practical current densities (e.g. >100 mA cm^-2), rendering the produced H₂ not economical.^[1] Here, we designed and developed a highly efficient PV-AW system that mainly consists of a customized, state-of-the-art AW electrolyzer and concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) receiver. The highly efficient anodic oxygen evolving catalyst, consisting of an iron oxide/nickel (oxy)hydroxide (Fe₂O₃-NiO_xH_y) composite, enables the customized AW electrolyzer with unprecedented catalytic performance (e.g. 1 A cm^-2 at 1.8 V, 0.37 kgH₂/m^-2h^-1 at 48 kWh/kgH₂). Benefiting from the superior water electrolysis performance and the efficient heat management between CPV and AW devices, the integrated CPV-AW electrolyzer system reaches a very high STH efficiency of up to 29.1% (refer to 30.3% if the lead resistance losses are excluded) at large current densities, which surpasses all previously reported PV-electrolysis systems.^[2]

References

[1] Holmes-Gentle, I., Saurabh, Tembhurne, S., Suter, C., Haussener, S., 2023. Kilowatt-scale solar hydrogen production system using a concentrated integrated photoelectrochemical device. Nat Energy 8, 586–596.

[2] Zhang, Q., Shan, Y., Pan, J., Kumar, P., Keevers, M. J., Lasich, J., Kour, G., Daiyan, R., Perez-Wurf, I., Thomsen, L., Cheong, S., Jiang, J., Wu, K., Chiang, C., Grayson K., Green, M. A., Amal, R., Lu, X., 2025. A Photovoltaic-Electrolysis System with High Solar-to-Hydrogen Efficiency under Practical Current Densities. Sci. Adv., in press.

Hypersaline lakes on the Tibetan Plateau are significant carbon reservoirs, yet the molecular-level processes governing their dissolved organic matter (DOM) remain poorly understood. This study leverages the hydrologically dichotomous Zabuye Salt Lake as a natural laboratory, comparing the 'pulse-driven' North basin with the 'buffered-stable' South basin using ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The study uniquely integrates ecological assembly theory with thermodynamic analysis to reveal how hydrological regimes drive divergent biogeochemical pathways of DOM. Results show that the successional patterns of the two DOM pools are starkly different: the North basin exhibits a pronounced 'winter preservation-summer loss' regime, where core molecules shared across all four seasons constitute only 31% of the total pool, while winter-exclusive molecules are as high as 38%, and its DOM assembly displays a seasonal succession from stochastic to deterministic processes. In contrast, the South basin is dominated by strong, year-round deterministic selection, forming a highly stable DOM pool with season-exclusive molecules accounting for less than 3%. This continuous selective pressure leads to the accumulation of thermodynamically recalcitrant (low nominal oxidation state of carbon, NOSC) yet high-energy molecules. Thermodynamic analysis confirms that the buffered-stable South basin acts as a "thermodynamic sieve," selectively enriching for more energy-rich (ΔG_Cox ≈ -65 to -60 kJ mol C⁻¹) DOM molecules year-round, whereas the energy landscape of the pulse-driven North basin shows significant seasonal fluctuations. A random forest model indicates that salinity and dissolved oxygen are the primary drivers controlling DOM molecular structure, explaining ~38% of the variation in molecular composition. This study provides direct molecular evidence, deeply elucidating the intrinsic mechanism by which hydrological stability, as a master variable, regulates the ecological assembly, thermodynamic state, and persistence of DOM in extreme environments, which is of great significance for predicting high-altitude carbon cycling under climate change.

Mega-cities like Seoul face complex health and environmental challenges driven by high population density, mobility and diverse citizens’ needs. The presentation outlines the key research achievements and strategic initiatives of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Health and Environment on health and environmental issues in Seoul. Focusing on critical urban challenges, our work encompasses environmental monitoring, including air and water quality, as well as public health issues such as infectious disease control and food safety concerns. We present our data-driven findings supporting relevant policies and discuss future research directions designed to address evolving environmental and health challenges in this Asian mega-city. These efforts are integral to the broader metropolitan governance aimed at improving Seoul citizens’ well-being. We also propose directions for future research, which are vital for a sustainable mega-city. Our future strategy includes Seoul's proactive research-based approach to climate change, focusing on developing a resilient "Climate Crisis Safe Special City" and conducting surveillance and prevention for climate-sensitive health issues like mosquito-borne diseases. Additionally, we also show our research expanding into emerging health risks such as micro-plastics in ambient air and drinking water and interdisciplinary field of One Health, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health. Here, we welcome international joint research, mirroring efforts to strengthen global cooperation as well.

Long-term glacier recession is closely linked to post-glacial geomorphic evolution, resulting in distinct landscape types—such as Holocene raised beaches formed through isostatic rebound and exposed slopes or hilltops revealed by glacier recession in highland regions. To determine whether the temporal succession of soil microbial community differs between these geomorphic contexts, we assessed bacterial and fungal community changes along the chronosequences of two typical post-glacial landscapes in Antarctica: Ardley Island (AI), featuring soils ranging from 200 to 7,200 years, and the Barton and Weaver Peninsulas (BP), with soils spanning 1,000 to 15,500 years in age. Although both regions exhibited clear temporal gradients in soil development, microbial successional trajectories differed significantly across geomorphic backgrounds. On Ardley Island, bacterial communities showed distinct, directional shifts in diversity and composition over time, whereas no clear temporal trends were observed in the Barton Peninsula. Fungal communities in both regions displayed no significant temporal changes. At both sites, elevation emerged as a stronger predictor of microbial community variation rather than soil age. The assemblies of microbial communities at both sites were consistently dominated by stochastic processes, with their relative contributions remaining stable over time. Yet, as pedogenesis processes, species interactions within microbial communities became increasingly complex—except for fungal communities in BP—and microbial functional profiles exhibited predictable changes with advancing soil age across both glacier retreat areas. Our findings highlight the role of geomorphic differences in shaping the patterns and mechanisms underlying microbial community succession in post-glacial landscapes, providing a new perspective for understanding microbial dynamics across diverse glacial landforms.

Ammonium (NH₄⁺​) in aquatic environments is recognized as a major contributor to eutrophication and air pollution, while concurrently constituting a valuable recoverable resource as a hydrogen carrier. This dual role underscores the importance of technologies capable of both NH₄⁺​ removal and resource recovery. Prussian Blue Analogues (PBAs), known for their selective cation exchange capability, are promising NH₄⁺​ adsorbents. Previous studies showed that powdered Cobalt Prussian Blue (CoPBA) has excellent performance; however, powder adsorbents exhibit limitations in process application due to recovery difficulty and contamination risk. Therefore, to overcome these limitations, this study aimed to develop a novel adsorbent by utilizing additive manufacturing to create a structurally uniform 3D-printed PLA support and coating CoPBA onto its surface (CoPBA@PLA).

To achieve successful coating on the PLA surface, a surface modification process was conducted to impart physical roughness and crucial functional groups (-COOH, -OH). The CoPBA@PLA composite was then synthesized using a layer-by-layer method. Successful formation and integrity were evaluated by characteristic analysis (SEM-EDS, FT-IR, XRD). Furthermore, continuous column experiments were performed to simulate actual process conditions and quantitatively analyze adsorption-desorption behavior and concentration properties. Subsequently, the structural and chemical stability of the CoPBA@PLA was comprehensively evaluated after long-term column operation.

In conclusion, CoPBA@PLA demonstrated a maximum adsorption capacity of 4.95 mg/g and maintained high selectivity toward NH₄⁺​ against competing cations (Na⁺, K⁺). Its uniform 3D structure is expected to enable stable operation in continuous processes. Crucially, the CoPBA@PLA maintained stable adsorption performance over five regeneration cycles. When applied to a column system, the adsorbents achieved an ammonium concentration factor (CF) of 2.66 during long-term operation. These findings indicate CoPBA@PLA possesses both structural stability and high reusability, supporting its potential as a sustainable solution for ammonium recovery.