Yexiang Chen, Haihua Xu, M. Shahnawaz Khan, Shiqi Han, Sidi Zhu
{"title":"Recent advances in layered double hydroxides for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment: A critical review","authors":"Yexiang Chen, Haihua Xu, M. Shahnawaz Khan, Shiqi Han, Sidi Zhu","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2488808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2488808","url":null,"abstract":"In recent decades, pharmaceuticals, lauded for saving millions of lives, have surfaced as a new class of environmental contaminants. These compounds, originating primarily from hospital and industrial settings, often resist traditional treatment technologies and can persist in the environment for extended periods. The scarcity of water resources underscores the urgent need for innovative strategies for the effective management of pharmaceutical wastewater. Recently, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have garnered considerable attention for their application in the remediation of pharmaceutical wastewater. This review explores the recent advancements in LDH-based adsorbents and membranes for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. LDHs demonstrate superior adsorption capabilities due to their intercalation properties and structural versatility, effectively removing pharmaceutical contaminants such as antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Moreover, LDH-modified membranes enhance separation efficiency by improving permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance. Advanced analytical techniques, including machine learning and synchrotron radiation, have provided deeper insights into the LDH mechanisms. However, challenges such as metal leaching, low mechanical durability, and limited scalability remain critical hurdles. Future research should focus on optimizing LDH stability, integrating adsorption with membrane separation techniques, and exploring hybrid treatment strategies. The recovery of valuable pharmaceuticals through LDH-based systems also presents a sustainable approach to wastewater management. This review highlights the potential of LDHs in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment while identifying key points for further development to enhance their practicality and large-scale application.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"26 1 1","pages":"1097-1123"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144252380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Advancements of heavy metals control in the environment from detection to separation and recovery: Emerging microfluidics strategy","authors":"Xiaoyun Liu, Hongrui Xiang, Jiawei Li, Wenchao Zhang, Feiping Zhao, Qingwei Wang, Meiqing Shi, Yunyan Wang, Xu Yan, Liyuan Chai","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2483534","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2483534","url":null,"abstract":"Investigating the fate of heavy metals, especially natural environmental processes, requires innovation and precise technologies that can offer knowledge at the microscopic scale. Breakthrough of the microfluidics involved in heavy metals control has accelerated in recent years along with realization of the ubiquity, non-degradability, bioaccumulation, mobility and reactivity of heavy metals in the environment. This review explores recent advances in microfluidic applications for heavy metal control, spanning detection, separation, and recovery. Among microreactors, droplet-based systems demonstrate exceptional performance in detecting trace contaminants, achieving detection limits below 0.5 µg/L through enhanced mixing and reaction efficiency. For separation, liquid-liquid extraction microreactors stand out, with optimized interfaces yielding extraction efficiencies of up to 99.3% for cadmium (Cd) under specific flow and pH conditions. In the realm of recovery, electrochemical microreactors have shown potential for selective deposition, achieving high recovery rates at optimized current densities and tailored electrode materials. Future work will focus on the design and development of functional integration and scale-up of microfluidic systems/platforms, particularly in terms of the flexibility of microfluidic device design and assembly, as well as the efficiency of mass and heat transfer and reactions. The precise process control characteristics of microfluidic systems make them highly promising for applications in environmental monitoring, pollution control, and resource recovery.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"6 1","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144136781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Jiabin Zhang, Lei Zhao, Wei Wang, De-Feng Xing, Zhen-Xing Wang, Jun Ma, Aijie Wang, Nan-Qi Ren, Duu-Jong Lee, Chuan Chen
{"title":"New trend on chemical structure representation learning in toxicology: In reviews of machine learning model methodology","authors":"Jiabin Zhang, Lei Zhao, Wei Wang, De-Feng Xing, Zhen-Xing Wang, Jun Ma, Aijie Wang, Nan-Qi Ren, Duu-Jong Lee, Chuan Chen","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2469868","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2469868","url":null,"abstract":"Computer-assisted virtual screening using structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models is a surrogate method for reducing the need for costly animal experiments. However, traditional QSAR models face significant challenges, such as the ‘activity cliff’ phenomenon and small datasets, which limit their ability to generalize and predict toxicity. This review examines transistion of digital encodings form in molecules and its corresponding models, introducing from molecule descriptors to three advanced types of molecular representations based on deep learning techniques. We highlight the importance of deep learning models that can not only capture molecular similarity in chemical space to address the ‘activity cliff’ problem but also improve model performance through feature fusion. As alternative solutions to reduce reliance on feature engineering potentially, graph neural network, convolutional neural network and large lanuage model and their related training paradigm such as transfer learning could give another opportunity for toxicity model setting in terms of data insuffient dealing etc. This work could help potential deep learning modelers to build robust model, setting the stage for groundbreaking advancements in further development and application of toxicity prediction models.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"543 1","pages":"1-26"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144136735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Xin Yin, Wenqi Li, Meng Zhang, Rui Du, Chongjun Chen
{"title":"Advances in anammox process for municipal wastewater treatment plants: A review focusing on applied study and full-scale implementation cases","authors":"Xin Yin, Wenqi Li, Meng Zhang, Rui Du, Chongjun Chen","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2483522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2483522","url":null,"abstract":"Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) has become a prominent research topic in municipal wastewater treatment. It features significant advantages such as reduced organic carbon demand, decreased sludge generation, and realized energy-saving operations. This review summarizes the implementation situation of the anammox process in municipal wastewater treatment. First, the performance, process, and applied studies of the anammox process in sidestream and mainstream treatments are discussed. Additionally, full-scale implementation cases of the anammox process for treating municipal wastewater in various countries and regions were presented. Finally, future directions for anammox process in practical engineering were proposed to support energy self-sufficiency and carbon neutrality.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"24 1","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144136736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Vijay Kumar Aralappanavar, Binoy Sarkar, Casey L. Doolette, Leigh Donnellan, Sean Mason, Michael Rose, Peter Hoffmann, Hao Zhang, Enzo Lombi
{"title":"Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) for measuring potentially bioavailable pesticide residues in soil systems: Current challenges and perspectives","authors":"Vijay Kumar Aralappanavar, Binoy Sarkar, Casey L. Doolette, Leigh Donnellan, Sean Mason, Michael Rose, Peter Hoffmann, Hao Zhang, Enzo Lombi","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2520553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2520553","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144341462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Resuscitation of viable but nonculturable microorganisms: A highly promising strategy for enhanced bioremediation","authors":"Wenjie Yu, Faqian Sun, Chaofeng Shen, Xiaomei Su","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2463335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2463335","url":null,"abstract":"The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state is a common phenomenon through which microorganisms respond to stress to ensure long-term survival. To date, more than 100 microbial species have been reported to enter the VBNC state under various stressful conditions. In the VBNC state, cells undergo morphological, physiological, and genetic changes, with the mechanisms of VBNC state formation differing among microbial species and stressful conditions. Although the VBNC state has been extensively investigated in the fields of medicine and food safety, research on the VBNC state of pollutant-degrading microorganisms remains limited. Mounting evidence has confirmed the existence of the VBNC state in microorganisms capable of degrading polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and phenol. The resuscitation of VBNC microorganisms, which represent a significant portion of microbial resources, is crucial for the effective microbial remediation of polluted environments. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the formation, characteristics, and mechanisms of the VBNC state in microorganisms. It also outlines various methods for resuscitating VBNC bacteria, with a specific focus on resuscitation-promoting factors (Rpfs). Importantly, from the perspective of environmental bioremediation, this review highlights the potential of VBNC state bacteria, the application of Rpfs in resuscitating VBNC bacteria in polluted environments, and the feasibility of utilizing resuscitated strains as inoculants for environmental bioremediation.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"95 1","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143910012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"A review on the production of nutrient-enriched biochar: Insights from the evolution of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium","authors":"Xiaoqiang Cui, Xufeng Li, Junxia Wang, Xutong Wang, Fan Yu, Gaixiu Yang, Shiwei Xu, Zhanjun Cheng, Qianying Yang, Beibei Yan, Guanyi Chen","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2457991","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2457991","url":null,"abstract":"Biochar, a carbonaceous solid produced by thermochemical conversion of biomass, is commonly used for soil improvement. In comparison with the biochars derived from wood chips and grass, the biochar produced from nutrient-enriched feedstocks (e.g., sewage sludge, animal manure, microalgae, and wetland plants) contained higher contents of nutrients and showed greater potential for soil application. To achieve the efficient utilization of nutrients in biochar, the behavior of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) during pyrolysis of nutrient-enriched feedstock should be clarified. This study provides a systematic review of the migration and transformation of N, P, and K during the production of biochar derived from nutrient-enriched biomass, with special emphasis on the effects of nutrient-enriched biochar on soil available nutrients. Perspectives and challenges for agricultural applications of biochar are discussed as well. The migration and transformation of N, P, and K are affected by the pyrolysis temperature and the properties of the feedstock during the pyrolysis process. The application of nutrient-enriched biochar could provide additional nutrients, change the physicochemical properties of soil, and modify microbial community to elevate the content of soil available nutrients. Therefore, the production of nutrient-enriched biochar from N/P/K-enriched biomass wastes for soil applications is a promising scheme for sustainable agriculture.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"83 1","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Fundamental understanding of microbiologically influenced corrosion inhibition via biomineralization: A critical review","authors":"Meiying Lv, Min Du, Xingchuan Zhao, Yongxu Du","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2469860","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2469860","url":null,"abstract":"Corrosion is a pervasive issue that poses a significant risk across various industries, causing economic losses and safety hazards. Traditional corrosion control technologies may have some limitations in application, such as high cost, cumbersome construction, and even environmental pollution. Biomineralization, as an emerging anti-corrosion strategy, is effective and eco-friendly, demonstrating <i>in situ</i> self-healing activity. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in utilizing this novel strategy for corrosion inhibition and the mechanisms involved. Furthermore, the different types and functional properties of typical biominerals are discussed, as well as the potential applications of mineralized bacteria and species interactions. Lastly, this review outlines current challenges in this field, such as species selection, microscale manipulation, large-scale applications and biosafety, and proposes future directions for further research, offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of biomineralization technology in corrosion protection.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"1 1","pages":"1-23"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143910013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Rouf Ahmad Dar, To-Hung Tsui, Le Zhang, Adam Smoliński, Vanja Jurišić, Yen Wah Tong, Pruk Aggarangsi, Ronghou Liu
{"title":"Viruses in anaerobic digestion systems: Diversity, role and future prospects","authors":"Rouf Ahmad Dar, To-Hung Tsui, Le Zhang, Adam Smoliński, Vanja Jurišić, Yen Wah Tong, Pruk Aggarangsi, Ronghou Liu","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2457980","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2457980","url":null,"abstract":"Anaerobic digestion (AD) has received continuous attention over the past few decades as an efficient biological process for converting waste materials into biogas, biohydrogen, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Given the intricacy of the AD microbiome, it is important to explore the microorganisms carrying out the AD process, especially the viruses, which have received insufficient attention thus far. With the advent of novel molecular techniques and meta-omics approaches, it has become more accessible to ascertain the details of viral communities involved in AD systems. This is important as it could help us in monitoring and regulating the factors for improving AD process stability to achieve a selective bio-product like methane. This review highlights the distinctive viral communities in AD systems and their possible interactions with other microbial communities. It also highlights how these viral communities, particularly phages, are shaping the AD microbial communities. Furthermore, the role of auxiliary metabolic genes in AD viruses is discussed. Finally, the review provides insights into the effect of viruses on methanogenesis and highlights the challenges and future perspectives of studying viruses in AD.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"43 1","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143910011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Changtao Chen, Xuetong Yang, Chuanlong Ma, Junfeng Niu, Kristof Demeestere, Anton Nikiforov, Stijn W. H. Van Hulle
{"title":"Reactive species in nonthermal plasma-based advanced oxidation and reduction processes for micropollutants degradation: Generation, contribution and utilization","authors":"Changtao Chen, Xuetong Yang, Chuanlong Ma, Junfeng Niu, Kristof Demeestere, Anton Nikiforov, Stijn W. H. Van Hulle","doi":"10.1080/10643389.2025.2511673","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2025.2511673","url":null,"abstract":"Nonthermal plasma wastewater treatment technology, which combines the advantages of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and advanced reduction processes (ARPs), has attracted increasing attention for remediating micropollutant-contaminated wastewater over the past few decades. This review article compiles and organizes peer-reviewed scientific publications from the last several years on the application of nonthermal plasma technologies for (waste)water treatment. Special focus is put on an in-depth discussion of (i) the processes of oxidative and reductive species generated by discharge plasma, (ii) the role of reactive species in various micropollutants degradation, and (iii) the possibilities to improve the degradation of micropollutants by scale up the technology and combining plasma with other methods, including catalysis. The analysis reveals that enhancing the utilization of reactive species can be achieved through two main approaches: (i) enhancing the mass transfer of reactive species, and (ii) improving the generation of reactive species with strong redox potential (such as <sup>•</sup>OH and e<sub>aq</sub><sup>–</sup>). The maximum utilization of reactive species can reduce the energy consumption of nonthermal plasma technology and promote its industrial application. This review offers a comprehensive exploration of the generation, contribution and utilization of reactive species in plasma technology for micropollutant degradation, addressing gaps in existing literature by focusing on the scalability of nonthermal plasma in industrial applications.","PeriodicalId":10823,"journal":{"name":"Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144210785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}