环境•农林最新文献

{"title":"Covalent DNA–protein conjugates with defined stoichiometry toward environmental sensing","authors":"Erika Komiya,Daimei Miura,Kazunori Ikebukuro,Ryutaro Asano","doi":"10.1039/d6en00374e","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6en00374e","url":null,"abstract":"Rapid and accurate detection of environmental pollutants is essential for public health and environmental protection. Although conventional analytical techniques offer high sensitivity, they often require long analysis times, expensive instrumentation, and skilled personnel. Biosensors employing biomolecules offer a rapid, portable, and simple detection method. Antibodies and enzymes are widely used as biosensing elements because antibodies exhibit high affinity and specificity, whereas enzymes provide substrate-specific recognition and catalytic signal amplification. However, antibodies generally require external labeling for signal amplification, and such modification is labor-intensive, while enzymes recognize only limited targets. In contrast, DNA offers complementary advantages in chemical modifiability, compatibility with signal amplification, and versatile molecular recognition, including ions, chemical compounds, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Despite these advantages, the chemical diversity of DNA itself is limited, making it challenging to obtain high-affinity aptamers or highly active DNA-based catalysts. Accordingly, integrating functional proteins with DNA can generate biosensors with capabilities unattainable by either component alone. However, conventional DNA–protein conjugation methods, such as covalent chemical modification of protein surface residues, often result in heterogeneous conjugation and activity loss. Moreover, stoichiometric affinity-based assembly relying on non-covalent interactions may dissociate in environmental matrices. Therefore, this review overviews covalent DNA–protein conjugation strategies with defined stoichiometry, focusing on approaches based on site-specific chemical modification, enzymatic reactions, self-labeling proteins, and DNA-binding proteins. It discusses their advantages, limitations, sustainability considerations, and biosensing applications. Overall, this review provides a practical framework for selecting appropriate conjugation methods and highlights the potential of DNA–protein conjugates in environmental biosensing.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2026-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149304565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fe/Cu Bimetallic Particles for Trichloroacetaldehyde Dechlorination: From Parameter Effects to Reusable Catalysis with Mechanistic Insights","authors":"Runlong Chen,&nbsp;Lianhua Yuan,&nbsp;Jie Wang,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Shen,&nbsp;Yuexi Zhou,&nbsp;Yanyue Gu,&nbsp;Xuwen He","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10049-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10049-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Trichloroacetaldehyde (TCAL), a typical refractory chlorinated organic contaminant, is poorly removed by conventional water treatment processes. Zero-valent iron (ZVI)-based bimetallic systems offer an attractive route for its reductive dechlorination. In this study, Fe/Cu bimetallic composites were prepared via ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) chelation to regulate metal dispersion and improve surface uniformity for enhanced catalytic performance. To enhance the dechlorination efficacy, a series of batch tests were carried out to systematically evaluate key operational parameters, including EDTA/Cu molar ratio, bimetal dosage, copper loading, and initial pH. The Fe/Cu bimetallic composites were synthesized and applied under laboratory-scale optimized conditions (25 g/L Fe/Cu, EDTA/Cu molar ratio of 1:10, 1% Cu loading, initial pH 8). The materials were characterized before and after reaction using SEM-EDS, XRD, and XPS. Reaction intermediates were analyzed by gas chromatography with a micro electron capture detector (GC-μECD) to propose a degradation pathway. Under optimal conditions, a high TCAL removal efficiency of 98.18% and a dechlorination efficiency of 38.70% were achieved within 48 hours. Material characterization confirmed an iron-core structure with surface-deposited copper, which facilitated synergistic galvanic corrosion and improved surface reactivity. The degradation was attributed to surface-adsorbed atomic hydrogen (H*), the reducing power of Fe⁰ and in-situ generated Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺, and the adsorption by iron oxides (Fe₂O₃ and FeOOH). The Fe/Cu catalyst exhibited excellent recyclability over five cycles, and the degradation kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order model. This work reveals the parameter-dependent dechlorination behavior of EDTA-modified Fe/Cu materials and provides theoretical support for remediating TCAL-polluted water.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 25","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149310740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MoS42- anchored Ti3C2Tx MXene: A high-performance adsorbent with antibacterial activity for selective uranium(Ⅵ) removal and its underlying mechanism","authors":"Yifan Deng,Junsheng Ma,Changlun Chen,Xuemei Ren","doi":"10.1039/d6en00697c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6en00697c","url":null,"abstract":"The widespread application of uranium as fuel in the nuclear industry inevitably generates radioactive wastewater, causing a series of negative environmental impacts. To mitigate this issue, there is a pressing need to construct new MXene-based composites with excellent adsorption performance and antibacterial activity for radioactive wastewater remediation. Herein, a simple ion-exchange method was used to modify Ti3C2Tx with tetrathiomolybdate ions (MoS42-), and the uranium (U(Ⅵ)) adsorption behavior and antibacterial activity of MoS4/Ti3C2Tx composite were comprehensively studied. At pH 6.0 and 303.15 K, the Langmuir-fitted theoretical maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of MoS4/Ti3C2Tx for U(Ⅵ) was 269.93 mg·g-1, markedly higher than that of pristine Ti3C2Tx (116.17 mg·g-1). Critically, the incorporation of MoS42- endowed the composite with high selectivity towards U(Ⅵ). Moreover, MoS4/Ti3C2Tx also demonstrated excellent reusability, retaining over 87% of its initial adsorption capacity after five adsorption-desorption cycles. Antibacterial experiments demonstrated that MoS4/Ti3C2Tx exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects against E. coli and S. aureus. These findings highlight that the significant potential of MoS4/Ti3C2Tx as a highly efficient and selective adsorbent with antibacterial activity for the remediation of U(Ⅵ)-containing radioactive wastewater.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2026-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149303288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic Remediation of Copper-contaminated Soil by the HRCNFs-OA System: Synergistic Effects and Removal Mechanisms","authors":"Kexin Liu,&nbsp;Shuqin Zhang,&nbsp;Kening Zhang,&nbsp;Dajun Ren,&nbsp;Xiaoqing Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10111-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10111-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Combined leaching and adsorption has shown promise for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils; however, its synergistic mechanism and pollutant migration-transformation pathways remain insufficiently understood. In this study, a coupled oxalic acid (OA)-aminated cellulose nanofiber aerogels (HRCNFs) system was developed to remediate Cu-contaminated soil, and its synergistic effects and removal mechanism were investigated. The HRCNFs possessed a three-dimensional porous network for efficient mass transfer and abundant surface functional groups (-NH₂, -COOH, and -OH) that provided effective binding sites for Cu²⁺, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 167.21 mg/g. Batch experiments verified an HRCNFs-mediated “pull effect”, in which continuous sequestration of dissolved Cu promoted sustained desorption of Cu from the soil solid phase. Consequently, the Cu removal efficiency reached 75.1%, while the removal efficiencies of the acid-extractable (F1) and reducible (F2) fractions both exceeded 86%. The optimal stepwise leaching strategy, consisting of three cycles of 0.04 mol/L OA leaching with water rinsing between cycles, achieved high Cu removal with only a 0.6-unit decrease in soil pH. The integrated nutrient loss, based on the weighted reductions in available N, P, and K, was limited to 27.2%, whereas soil organic matter increased by 8.3%. These results reveal the pull effect-driven synergistic pathway involving desorption, complexation, adsorption, and immobilization, and demonstrate that the HRCNFs-OA system can simultaneously improve remediation efficiency and ecological safety. This work provides mechanistic insight and a feasible strategy for the sustainable remediation of Cu-contaminated soils.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 25","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149310648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable Reuse of Dairy Wastewater Treated in Constructed Wetlands for Radish Production","authors":"Laura Luís Castelo,&nbsp;Daiane Cecchin,&nbsp;Leonardo Duarte Batista da Silva,&nbsp;Dirlane de Fátima do Carmo,&nbsp;Flávio Castro da Silva,&nbsp;Elton de Oliveira,&nbsp;Alice Gonçalves Martins Gonzalez,&nbsp;Carlos Rodrigues Pereira,&nbsp;Leonardo da Silva Hamacher","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10105-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10105-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The reuse of treated dairy cattle wastewater represents a sustainable alternative for agriculture, reducing environmental impacts and promoting resource efficiency and circular nutrient use. In this context, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the production of radishes (<i>Raphanus sativus</i> L.) fertigated with different doses of treated dairy cattle wastewater (DWW) in comparison with conventional fertilization. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse located at Gragoatá – UFF, in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, during two seasons, winter and spring. Different doses of DWW treated in constructed wetlands cultivated with vetiver grass were used: 0%, 50%, 100%, and 200% of the crop nitrogen requirement, in addition to a treatment with nitrogen addition through conventional fertilization. The experimental design used was completely randomized. Morphological characteristics (plant height, bulb diameter and length, number of leaves) and productive characteristics (fresh and dry mass of leaves and bulbs) were evaluated. The results showed no statistically significant differences among treatments for most growth and productivity variables, indicating that treated DWW did not significantly reduce radish agronomic performance under the experimental conditions evaluates. Furthermore, the reuse of treated wastewater contributes to reducing freshwater demand and enhances nutrient recycling, supporting more sustainable agricultural practices. Microbiological analyses showed <i>E. coli</i> levels below the detection limit and the absence of <i>Salmonella</i> spp. in the analyzed samples, indicating compliance with the microbiological criteria evaluated under the experimental conditions. These findings highlight the potential of constructed wetlands as a nature-based solution for wastewater treatment and reinforce the feasibility of integrating treated effluents into sustainable agricultural systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 25","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11270-026-10105-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149310649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reactive oxygen species determined the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles to : Insights from regulated generation","authors":"Yao Li,Xiangrui Wang,Xiaolong Yang,Ying Wang,Wenhong Fan","doi":"10.1039/d6en00633g","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6en00633g","url":null,"abstract":"Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are extensively used in water treatment processes owing to their photocatalytic properties. However, their environmental stability and resistance to degradation result in significant release and accumulation in aquatic environments, where they pose potential toxicity and ecological risks to organisms and ecosystems. Numerous studies have indicated that oxidative damage mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by TiO2 NPs represented a key indicator of their biological toxicity. However, the specific mechanisms through which different types of ROS, such as hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and superoxide anion radicals (•O2‾), contribute to toxicity within organisms still remain poorly understood. Based on this, this study designed and synthesized TiO2 NPs and Au@TiO2 core-shell nanocomposites, enabling precise control over ROS generation capacity and facilitating a systematic investigation of the toxicity and underlying mechanisms of both TiO2 NPs. The results demonstrated that both types of TiO2 NPs accumulated significantly in Daphnia magna, elevating intracellular ROS levels, perturbing antioxidant enzyme activities, inducing biological membrane damage, and ultimately leading to oxidative damage. The toxicity was closely correlated with the generation capacity of ROS. Specifically, •O2‾ was primarily involved in eliciting antioxidant responses, whereas •OH contributed substantially to biological membrane damage. This study provides strong correlative evidence for the distinct toxic contributions of •O2‾ and •OH induced by TiO2 NPs, offering a scientific basis for assessing their ecological risks.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"495 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149281656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DCA-1 and DCA-2 proteins of Dromaius novaehollandiae are involved in regulating the chemical microenvironment during the nucleation and growth of CaCO₃ in eggshell formation","authors":"Ariadna Guadalupe Guardado-Urbina,&nbsp;René Loredo-Portales,&nbsp;María J. Rosales-Hoz,&nbsp;Abel Moreno,&nbsp;Mayra Cuéllar-Cruz","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02188-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02188-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bird eggshells are complex biomineralized materials composed of a mineral phase and an organic matrix that regulates crystal growth. In this study, we characterized the eggshell of <i>Dromaius novaehollandiae</i> using structural, chemical, proteomic, and in silico approaches to explore the role of intramineral proteins in biomineralization. Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that calcite is the predominant mineral phase; however, structural and chemical differences were identified compared to <i>Gallus gallus</i>, particularly in the organization of the internal fibrillar network and in components associated with the organic matrix. Proteomic analysis identified biomineralization-related proteins, including DCA-1 and DCA-2. Subsequently, microtitration and crystal growth assays showed that the protein fractions exhibit functional activity in Ca²⁺ and CO₃²⁻/HCO₃⁻ systems, suggesting differential affinities for Ca²⁺ and CO₃²⁻ species. Additionally, structural modeling using AlphaFold3 yielded the first three-dimensional models of DCA-1 and DCA-2 interacting with Ca²⁺ and CO₃²⁻. The models revealed distinct interaction patterns: DCA-1 exhibited a more distributed stabilization network for carbonate, whereas DCA-2 showed more concentrated regions associated with calcium and a more localized interaction with CO₃²⁻. Taken together, the results suggest that DCA-1 and DCA-2 participate complementarily in regulating the mineralizing microenvironment during shell formation made of calcite. This study provides new structural and functional evidence on intramineral proteins in paleognaths and contributes to understanding ancestral mechanisms of biomineralization.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149293781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advances in Heavy Metal Removal by Adsorption: A Review on the Adsorbent Types and Applications of Machine Learning","authors":"Xu He,&nbsp;Guoliang Zhang,&nbsp;Xu Lan,&nbsp;Zhuangbo Feng","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10117-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10117-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Extensive research has demonstrated that heavy metals (HM) in environmental media pose serious threats to human health. Adsorption is widely recognized as one of the most effective and economically feasible technologies for heavy metal remediation. Although various adsorbents have been developed, a comprehensive understanding of the relationships among heavy metal sources, environmental behavior, adsorption mechanisms, adsorbent design strategies, and emerging machine learning (ML)-assisted optimization remains limited. This review aims to: (1) summarize the sources, environmental transport and transformation, and associated hazards of heavy metals; (2) comparatively analyze the removal performance of different adsorbents and the key factors influencing their efficiency; (3) elucidate the microscopic mechanisms underlying heavy metal adsorption; and (4) discuss the applications of machine learning in adsorbent-based heavy metal removal. This review indicates that adsorption performance is governed by the synergistic effects of adsorbent type, surface physicochemical properties, and metal species. Moreover, machine learning enables data-driven discovery and optimization of high-performance adsorbents. The findings provide valuable guidance for the intelligent design and development of advanced adsorbents for environmental remediation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149339166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Electrochemical Precipitation of Struvite from Wastewater using a CoNi2O4 Spinel-Coated Carbon Cathode and Magnesium as Anode","authors":"Vasanthi Mani,&nbsp;H. Rajyashree,&nbsp;C. Sreelakshmi,&nbsp;Kiruthika Sathiasivan,&nbsp;Jeyalakshmi Ramaswamy","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10109-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10109-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The electrochemical method of recovering nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from wastewater as struvite (MgNH₄PO₄.6H₂O) is a sustainable alternative to nutrient recovery and fertilizer production. This study explores the efficiency of struvite precipitation using a sacrificial magnesium (Mg) anode and a CoNi₂O₄ spinel-coated carbon cathode, to drive the process by generating a strong pH at the cathode through electrochemical reduction of oxygen/water. The key parameters controlling the precipitation were investigated under different applied voltages (2 V, 4 V, 6 V) and electrolyte sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) concentrations (0.02%, 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1%). Results indicate that increasing voltage and electrolyte concentration enhance phosphate recovery, with the optimal conditions identified as 4 V and 0.1% Na₂SO₄. A significant advancement is the improved cathode efficiency achieved through Ni-Co spinel oxide, which elevates the local pH near the cathode, thereby promoting higher Mg²⁺ release from the anode for phosphate conversion into struvite. It also increasing the porosity of the graphite cathode for efficient nucleation and crystallization. The stability of the electrodes and N, P removal efficiency evaluated under optimized operating conditions demonstrated that catalyst coating enhances the efficiency to an extent of 90% compared to control as 70%. Overall, the results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating electrochemical cells into continuous N, P resource recovery systems for the generation of Struvite, a valuable fertilizer. The low cost, efficient electrocatalyst of CoNi₂O₄ spinel coating synergize the active sites of carbon electrode and boosting the reaction. The economic feasibility of sustainable nutrient recovery from waste water reduce the dependence on phosphate rock for agricultural fertilizer production.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149339417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanism of Ultrasonic-assisted Enzymatic Hydrolysis On Waste Activated Sludge Protein: Quantitative Assessment of Extracellular Polymeric Substances Barrier Reduction and Peptide Yield Optimization","authors":"Yixin Yan,&nbsp;Kaixin Wang,&nbsp;Yinling Wang,&nbsp;Wei Wang,&nbsp;Jie Dong,&nbsp;Lei Qin,&nbsp;Wenjing Ge","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-09876-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-09876-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Protein hydrolysate is essential for sludge protein recovery. Ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis (UEH) efficiently extracts and hydrolyzes sludge protein. Compared with enzymatic hydrolysis (EH), UEH enhanced protein extraction without hindering subsequent hydrolysis. Protein extraction followed first-order kinetics, with UEH exhibiting a rate constant (<i>k</i> = 1.63 h⁻¹) twice that of EH. Peptide formation—the key proteolysis intermediate—followed tandem reaction kinetics and depended strongly on enzyme dose, but not on ultrasonication. Ultrasonic pretreatment reduced the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) barrier by 50%, which facilitated intracellular protein release(2.5-fold higher than with EH)and thereby boosting peptide yield by alleviating the protein-deficiency bottleneck that previously limited peptide formation in tandem reactions.Therefore, UEH is particularly suitable for producing high-yield peptides and amino acids, enabling flexible sludge protein valorization toward either foaming agents or nutritional supplements.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149339312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}