Per- and poly fluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are emerging contaminants and raising great concern due to their pervasive presence in water resources. Among various treatment techniques, adsorption is the most promising treatment solution for PFASs removal. Herein, we developed a β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-based polymer (β-CD-TriPod) crosslinked with tripodal amine to demonstrate the synergetic effects in superior adsorption of both short- and long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Kinetics studies showed rapid adsorption (~100% for nine PFASs at 1 µg L^-1, except PFBA, and >86% at 200 µg L^-1 individually) within two minutes. Isotherm results showed exceptional adsorption affinity and capacity, with K_L = 0.310 ± 0.180 L mg^-1, q_m = 246.20 ±14.80 mg g^-1 for PFBS, and K_L = 0.980 ± 0.260 L mg^-1, q_m = 587.10 ± 54.50 mg g^-1 for PFOS, significantly outperforming traditional activated carbons (ACs) and resins. The adsorbent also exhibited excellent regeneration and reusability, maintaining stable performance (>94%) over five consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. Additionally, it performed effectively in PFASs-spiked real industrial wastewater with 55-100% removal efficiencies, regardless of the presence of co-contaminants. The adsorption mechanism confirmed the combined role of hydrophobic inclusion within β-CD cavities and electrostatic interactions with amines groups using elemental mapping, composition and FTIR techniques. Overall, this work demonstrates advanced molecular design strategies for rapid PFASs removal, establishing β-CD-TriPod as a highly regenerable and promising adsorbent for the rapid and efficient treatment of PFASs-contaminated water and industrial wastewater.

Radon is one of the naturally occurring radionuclide materials (NORM) that emanate from the radioactive decay of its parent radium. It occurs naturally in the environment and is the main source of exposure to ionizing radiation for many people. It is the most significant cause of lung cancer after smoking. However, radon is also applied for the therapy of inflammatory and degenerative diseases in galleries and spas to many thousands of patients a year. In either case, chronic environmental exposure or therapy, its effect on the organism exposed needs to be investigated. This study was set to review the therapeutic effects and investigate exposure to internal organs from groundwater ingestion in the Federal Capital, Abuja. A Rad7 alpha spectroscopy radon detector was used to measure groundwater radon concentration. Radon therapies are medicinal applications of radon, which include radon galleries, radon baths, radon air baths, radon steam baths, and radon waters. All these can increase the patient’s exposure; the prescribing doctor must weigh up the benefits, i.e., pain alleviation, and the risk, i.e., cancer risk for patients, when prescribing the therapies. Radon applications are not advised as spa treatments. Radon activity concentration ranges from 609.00 ± 3.04 to 92,500.00 ± 63.4 Bqm⁻³ with mean of 16,628.19 ± 60.0 Bqm⁻³. Annual effective dose due to ingestion and inhalation was found to be in the range from 0.13 to 19.43 mSv year⁻¹ and 0.002 to 0.23 mSv year^−1, with an average value of 3.49 and 0.04 mSv year^−1, respectively. Total annual effective dose ranges from 0.13 to 19.66 mSv year^−1, with an average value of 3.53 mSv year^−1. Approximately 48.15% of the samples had radon levels exceeding the maximum contaminant limit (MCL) of 11.1 BqL-1 recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Compared to the Nigerian standard, all samples had radon greater than the MCL of 0.1 BqL⁻¹. All the samples had a total annual effective dose greater than 0.1 mSv year^−1, recommended by the World Health Organization and the European Commission.

The concurrent goals of achieving high-efficiency nitrogen removal and minimizing excess sludge production represent a significant challenge in urban wastewater treatment, directly impacting the sustainability and circularity of urban water cycles. This study investigates the underlying mechanisms of an encapsulated biofiller Anaerobic-Anoxic-Oxic-Anoxic (EB-AAOA) system that successfully decouples these two traditionally linked processes. We reveal a multi-layered synergistic mechanism, rooted in both process-level engineering and microbial-level metabolic shifts, that enables a paradigm shift from a proliferation-driven to a maintenance-driven treatment model.

The foundation of this decoupling lies in a strategic carbon flow redirection. The system’s front-end was engineered as an “endogenous carbon factory,” where encapsulated hydrolytic-acidifying bacteria efficiently converted influent complex organics into volatile fatty acids (VFAs). These VFAs were subsequently consumed in a low-yield anoxic process, effectively intercepting the carbon source before it could fuel the growth of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (AHB)—the major source of sludge in conventional systems. This design created a severe carbon-starvation environment in the oxic zone, which was found to be the critical prerequisite for both sludge suppression and the establishment of an energy-efficient partial nitrification pathway.

Within this engineered oligotrophic and high-SRT environment, the microbial community demonstrated a profound metabolic adaptation toward self-consumption. The encapsulation technology provided critical niche stabilization, creating a mature ecosystem where internal biomass recycling became the dominant metabolic strategy. This “self-consumption loop” was characterized by three key processes: endogenous respiration, cell lysis followed by cryptic growth, and predation by higher trophic-level organisms. This active, in-situ biomass reduction mechanism explains the net decrease of the system’s existing biomass inventory.

The EB-AAOA system maintained >99% nitrogen removal while achieving an exceptionally low observed sludge yield (Y_obs) of 0.052 g SS/g COD. This represents a reduction of over 85% compared to conventional activated sludge (CAS) processes, demonstrating a fundamental breakthrough in biomass control. Multi-omics analyses provided a complete chain of evidence, validating the genetic blueprint for the engineered low-yield pathways and the functional reality of the self-consumption response.

In conclusion, by synergistically combining process-level carbon management with the promotion of a microbial self-consumption economy, this system offers a scientifically validated pathway to transform WWTPs. It moves beyond incremental improvements, presenting a robust strategy to fundamentally address the sludge burden, thereby contributing significantly to the goals of developing more sustainable and resource-efficient cities.

Nanoplastics (NPs) in aquatic ecosystems pose serious environmental and public health problems due to their origin of toxicity and persistent ability attracting various adsorbable contaminants on their surfaces. This study evaluated a hybrid coagulation-adsorption process in series for the removal of amidine-functionalized polystyrene (PS) NPs in water. Coagulation was first performed using Ferric Chloride, removing the PS NPs. An art from, adsorption test was conducted at varying PS concentrations demonstrating that PS NPs undergo chemical adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC), as evidenced by pseudo-second-order kinetics (R² = 0.991-0.999), showing that intra-particle diffusion was not the only rate-limiting step. Other rate-limiting steps include boundary layer diffusion and surface adsorption, both of which contribute significantly to the overall adsorption process. The process was better fit by the Langmuir isotherm model (R² = 0.985) than by the Freundlich model (R² = 0.927), indicating that monolayer adsorption might be predominated on a homogeneous surface. Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) showed that coagulation, adsorption, and the combined of two removed them at 30.0%, 98.0%, and 99.4%, respectively. Turbidity and total organic carbon (TOC) revealed that they were removed in a similar manner as shown in those of NTA. The combined treatment process could achieve the highest removal rate. It demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating coagulation and adsorption in series for PS NP removal in water treatment which highlight properly arraying unit treatment process optimally to maximize the removal efficiency.

Considering the remarkable oxidation capacity of hypervalent iron (Fe(IV)) and Fe(V)) species, the exploration of pathways for the activation or catalysis of Fe(VI) has been further advanced. This is achieved through the utilization of external energy such as ultraviolet(UV). In recent studies, we have found that some scholars believe that UV can accelerate the degradation of pollutants by promoting the self-decay of Fe(VI) to generate hypervalent iron and hydroxyl radicals . This mainstream view has persisted until now. Although recent studies have shown that UV can effectively promote the generation of hypervalent iron, the UV system has ignored the characteristic that hypervalent iron is extremely unstable under UV irradiation.

Herein, we investigated the stability of Fe(VI) after light exposure through DFT and UV-Vis spectroscopy experiments, and the results showed that Fe(VI) is more prone to decay upon light irradiation. Using methyl phenyl sulfoxide (PMSO) as a probe, we cleverly designed experiments on PMSO degradation and (methyl phenyl sulfone) PMSO₂ generation under UV irradiation and non-UV irradiation conditions. It was found that in 1.0 M borate buffer (pH = 9.2), more PMSO was degraded under the combined conditions of UV and Fe(VI) than with Fe(VI) alone (4.58~22.09%), depending on the molar ratio of PMSO to Fe(VI). However, the production of PMSO₂ after 10 minutes was less than that in the Fe(VI) alone group, and this gap became more obvious at the end of the 30-minute reaction (about 5.5 μM less PMSO₂). What promoted the degradation of PMSO? The study revealed that 50 μM PMSO can be effectively oxidized by ·OH under the condition of 1 mM H₂O₂ with UV (100% oxidation) and can also be efficiently oxidized by ~90.92% in the 200 μM Fe³⁺ with UV system. In the UV and Fe(VI) system, PMSO is degraded with extremely high efficiency by ·OH rather than by Fe(VI) itself. If that is the case, why not use the photo-Fenton system instead of consuming a lot of energy in the Fe(VI) and UV system? Because in terms of effect, there is not much difference between the two, but the cost of the photo-Fenton system is lower.

Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens pose a major global threat, underscoring the need for plant-derived alternatives. Azadirachta indica (Neem), rich in azadirachtin and nimbolide, offers untapped antibacterial potential.

Methods: Shade-dried Neem leaves were extracted with 80% ethanol (1:10 w/v, Soxhlet, 60 °C, 6 h; yield 14.7%). HPLC (acetonitrile–water 70:30, 1.0 mL/min) identified azadirachtin (1.82 mg/g, Rt 8.3 min) and nimbolide (2.36 mg/g, Rt 11.7 min). Antibacterial activity was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300, Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 using broth microdilution (16–1024 µg/mL). Biofilm inhibition was quantified by crystal violet assay, and synergy with ciprofloxacin by checkerboard/FICI. In vivo efficacy was tested in BALB/c mice (n = 48) with MRSA-infected excisional wounds (8 mm, 1×10⁷ CFU), treated with ciprofloxacin (20 mg/kg), Neem extract (100 mg/kg), or both. Environmental assays examined water decontamination and biofilm removal from stainless steel.

Results: MICs were 64 µg/mL (S. aureus), 128 µg/mL (E. coli), and 128 µg/mL (P. aeruginosa), with MBCs 2-fold higher. Neem inhibited biofilm formation by 78%, 62%, and 59% in the respective strains, and eradicated up to 66% of mature biofilms at 2×MIC. Synergy with ciprofloxacin yielded FICI values of 0.38–0.44. In vivo, Neem accelerated wound closure (76% by day 10, complete by day 14) with a 3.1 log₁₀ reduction in MRSA load, while the combination group achieved 90% closure by day 10 and 4.2 log₁₀ bacterial reduction (p < 0.05 vs ciprofloxacin alone). Environmental assays showed >99% bacterial reduction in contaminated water within 2 h (500 µg/mL) and 72% biofilm removal from stainless steel.

Conclusion: A. indica ethanol extract exhibits strong antibacterial, antibiofilm, and synergistic effects against MDR pathogens, confirmed by in vivo wound healing and environmental assays. Neem represents a promising scaffold for plant-derived antibacterial therapeutics and infection-control strategies.

Global energy constraints demand a clearer understanding of how energy-efficient greenhouse food systems can adapt to future climate change. We analyse multi-year bell-pepper production in a high-tech glasshouse (Sydney, Australia) equipped with pad–fan evaporative cooling and hot-water heating, using 5-minute operational data captured by a Priva control system across four trials. Seasonal heating and cooling demands varied by more than an order of magnitude, driving large swings in energy intensity. Elastic-net regression (with bootstrapping) identified internal/external temperature (and their difference) and solar irradiance as the strongest, season-dependent predictors of energy use, highlighting opportunities for demand-side management (e.g., strategic pre-heating during off-peak tariffs).

We model five cropping windows to test seasonally adaptive strategies: skipping spring, summer, autumn, or winter, and year-round production. Skipping winter minimised energy input (3.92 kWh·kg^-1), whereas year-round production maximised total output and economic potential (AUD 26.73 million) for a representative 50,000 m² facility with a dedicated nursery and packing shed. Labour plus energy comprised over half of annual operating costs, underscoring the dual mitigation and cost-control leverage of energy-efficient scheduling. To demonstrate applicability to Asian mega-cities, we benchmarked economic potential for a comparable facility in Shanghai, China.

Finally, by integrating trial-season regression with CMIP6/IPCC Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (2025-2050), we forecast a general decline in energy per unit yield driven by reduced winter heating demand. Collectively, these results show that seasonally adaptive cropping calendars and targeted energy strategies can enhance the sustainability, carbon efficiency, and resilience of pad–fan greenhouses in a warming climate, while supporting reliable urban fresh-produce supply.

To assess the health risks posed by heavy metals in atmospheric PM_2.5 to the population in Tianshan District and Midong District of Urumqi in 2023, this study referred to the Ambient Air Quality Standards (GB3095-2012) and relevant sections of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Screening Levels (RSL) General Table for ambient air. Toxicological parameters of heavy metals via inhalation were summarized. A benchmark excess cancer risk of 1×10⁻⁶ and a hazard quotient of 1 were used to calculate screening concentrations and determine whether further assessment was required. Exposure concentrations were computed using relevant formulas, and both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were evaluated based on the excess cancer risk and hazard quotient formulas. The results showed that the annual average concentrations of 12 heavy metals in PM_2.5 in both districts followed the order: aluminum > lead > manganese > arsenic > selenium > antimony > chromium > nickel > cadmium > thallium > beryllium > mercury. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in the distribution of seven heavy metals (antimony, aluminum, arsenic, beryllium, lead, nickel, and thallium) between the two districts. The annual average concentrations of lead, cadmium, and mercury did not exceed the national standards. Health risk characterization indicated that the excess cancer risks of arsenic and chromium exceeded 1×10⁻⁴. The lifetime excess cancer risks at the 95th percentile in Midong District were 1.43×10⁻⁴ for arsenic and 1.17×10⁻⁴ for chromium, while in Tianshan District, they were 1.04×10⁻⁴ for arsenic and 4.83×10⁻⁵ for chromium. These levels indicate significant carcinogenic risks to the population, necessitating targeted prevention and control measures to mitigate health risks.

[Background] Perchlorate, thiocyanate and nitrate are widely found in food, water and the natural environment. The three salt ions act as endocrine disruptors, inhibiting the body's ability to take up iodine and causing abnormal levels of thyroid hormones, which are essential for fetal development.

[Objective] A study of the correlation between exposure to the water-soluble inorganic salt ions perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate and thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women.

[Methods] Healthy women before the 28th week of pregnancy who had been in labor and delivery at local medical institutions for a long time were invited to participate in this study in Midong District and Bole City, Urumqi City, from March to August 2023. Whole blood and urine samples of pregnant women who signed informed consent were collected, and the 5 items of thyroid function, urinary creatinine level, and urinary levels of perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate were tested for each study participant. Association between perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate levels in pregnant women's urine and pregnant women's thyroid hormone levels analyzed by generalized linear modeling and weighted quantile and regression.

[Results] In this study, 157 pregnant women were included in Midong District, Urumqi City, and 145 pregnant women were included in Bole City. There was no difference in perchlorate, thiocyanate and nitrate levels in the urine of pregnant women in the two areas. In single ion exposure, the perchlorate content in urine of pregnant women as a whole showed a positive correlation trend with the FT3 and FT4 levels, and the nitrate content in urine showed a positive correlation trend with the FT4 level; the perchlorate content in urine of pregnant women in Bole City showed a negative correlation trend with the TSH level. In the combined exposure of perchlorate, thiocyanate and nitrate, the overall pregnant women's urine content of the three ions in the combined exposure showed a negative correlation trend with the FT3 level, of which perchlorate had the highest weight (0.497); the same negative correlation trend with the FT4 level but thiocyanate had the highest weight (0.442); the Bole pregnant women's urine content of the three ions in the combined exposure showed a negative correlation trend with the FT3 level, of which perchlorate had the highest weight (0.943), and also negatively correlated with TSH level but thiocyanate had the highest weight (0.495). There was no correlation between single ion exposure and combined exposure and maternal thyroid hormone levels in the urine of pregnant women in Midong District.

[Conclusion] Single exposure to perchlorate and combined exposure to perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate are both risk factors for abnormal thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women. Relevant departments should continuously increase their attention to the issue of exposure to water-soluble inorganic salt ions, strengthen monitoring and prevention efforts, and ensure the health of pregnant women and their offspring.

The cumulative accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in the environment poses major threats to ecosystems. In the present study, we assessed the effect of sophorolipids (SLs) biosurfactant in biodegradation of microplastics (PE, PS, PP, PET, and PVC present together) incubating Brevibacillus parabrevis. Two different concentrations of sophorolipids (SLs) were added to the shake flasks at 80 mg/L and 160 mg/L, after which six different incubation tests were underwent for 30 days as: (i) CTr (MPs without inoculum), (ii) BTr (MPs with inoculum), (iii) SL₈₀CTr (MPs+SLs at 80 mg/L without inoculum), (iv) SL₈₀BTr (MPs+SLs at 80 mg/L with inoculum), (v) SL₁₆₀CTr (MPs+SLs at 160 mg/L without inoculum), (vi) SL₁₆₀BTr (MPs+SLs at 160 mg/L with inoculum). The degree of their biodegradation between before and after incubation was determined by weighing their difference, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). There was the highest weight loss of MPs observed for SL₁₆₀BTr (8.9%). FTIR revealed the reduced peaks of functional groups, such as aromatic C-H stretching peaks (3025 cm^-1), C=O stretching (1740 cm^-1), and C-O stretching (1100-1200 cm^-1), which signifies oxidation degradation and chain scission taken place in BTr, SL₈₀BTr and SL₁₆₀BTr. TGA profile demonstrated that initial decomposition temperature for SLs could decompose microplastics by shifting the temperature 5-20 °C lower than the initial temperature, indicating that their thermal stability and polymer chain integrity have been slightly deteriorated. It was clearly emphasized that the addition of sophorolipids could significantly play a role in accelerating the degradation of microplastics in the presence of such bacteria in the environment.