Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering最新文献

{"title":"A critical review on photocatalytic reductive conversion of uranium by CdS-based catalysts","authors":"Zhiren Guo ,&nbsp;Xiyan Xu ,&nbsp;Jinlei Song ,&nbsp;Dagang Li ,&nbsp;Xiao Zhang ,&nbsp;Kongqiu Hu ,&nbsp;Lei Mei ,&nbsp;Hansheng Li ,&nbsp;Jinying Li ,&nbsp;Dongxiang Zhang ,&nbsp;Weiqun Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117633","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117633","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The conversion of soluble hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) to insoluble tetravalent uranium (U(IV)) facilitates uranium recovery. However, current efficient uranium conversion technologies face challenges such as high energy consumption and/or limited selectivity. Photocatalytic technology has emerged as one of the most effective methods for U(VI)/U(IV) conversion, but the necessity of sacrificial agents restrains its real application. CdS has gained significant attention in recent years since CdS-based catalysts avoid sacrificial agent usage to some extent, benefiting from their advantageous conduction band position and narrow bandgap. However, their application remains debated due to potential photocorrosion during treatment processes. The current work conducts a critical review on photocatalytic reductive conversion of U(VI) by CdS-based catalysts. Properties and design strategies of CdS-based materials are discussed based on the structural and physicochemical properties of CdS, including element doping, defect engineering, hetero/homojunction, biohybrid and morphology control. The electron transfer mechanisms and their impact on U(VI) reduction is also elucidated, together with the analysis of intermediates. The effects of various factors, such as oxygen environment, coexisting metal ions, pH, biological contamination, electron sacrificial agents and photocorrosion on the reduction of U(VI) by CdS-based photocatalysts are highlighted. Then, available strategies to overcome complex environmental challenges are summarized. Finally, the challenges and prospects of CdS-based materials for its future applications are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117633"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A critical review of oxygen supply and control strategies in single-stage partial nitritation-anammox system for autotrophic nitrogen removal from wastewater","authors":"Sha Wu ,&nbsp;Fei Gao ,&nbsp;Chengcheng Lin ,&nbsp;Yijie Quan ,&nbsp;Yanxiao Wei ,&nbsp;Zhihua Liu ,&nbsp;Hanbo Yu ,&nbsp;Eli Hendrik Sanjaya ,&nbsp;Mohd Fadhil Md Din ,&nbsp;Hong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The single-stage partial nitritation and anerobic ammonium oxidation (PN/A) process stands out as a sustainable and energy-efficient approach for nitrogen removal from wastewater. While oxygen is essential for the metabolic activities of ammonium oxidizing bacteria, yet its concentration must be delicately balanced. This critical review provides an in-depth analysis of oxygen supply and control approaches in single-stage PN/A systems, focus on methods such as intermittent aeration and continuous low-rate aeration. It examines the interactions between oxygen availability and the microbial communities, and evaluates the operational effectiveness and impact on system performance. The review also introduces several strategies that have been employed to optimize oxygen supply, identifies gaps in current knowledge regarding oxygen's role in the PN/A process and proposes future research directions to address these issues. These include a deeper understanding of microbial ecology under varying oxygen regimes, the development of advanced monitoring and control technologies for real-time optimization of oxygen levels, and the exploration of novel reactor designs to enhance oxygen utilization efficiency and microbial synergy. This review underscores the importance of developing oxygen supply strategies in PN/A systems and calls for further research to refine these strategies, thereby enhancing the process's energy efficiency and nitrogen removal performance. By addressing these challenges, the innovative strategies discussed in this review pave the way for the practical implementation of Anammox technology, offering a sustainable solution for wastewater nitrogen removal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117613"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"State-of-the-art approaches in sago wastewater treatment and resource recovery: Towards a circular and sustainable industry","authors":"Jaga Sahsiny Jaganathan ,&nbsp;Siti Rozaimah Sheikh Abdullah ,&nbsp;Jarinah Mohd Ali ,&nbsp;Setyo Budi Kurniawan ,&nbsp;Suriya Vathi Subramaniam","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117617","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117617","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sago industry plays a crucial role in global food security, but its production generates wastewater rich in nutrients and organic matter, which pose serious environmental challenges. This study critically reviews recent advances in sago wastewater treatment technology and proposes a scalable, nature-based, integrated treatment framework that is in line with Malaysia’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6, SDG12, SDG14 and SDG15) and the principles of the circular economy. The proposed system combines anaerobic digestion, coagulation–flocculation, bioadsorption and phytoremediation. Scientific reports show that anaerobic digestion can reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 70 %–95 %, but residual total suspended solids (TSS ≥200 mg/L) and nutrients (nitrogen ≥100 mg/L, phosphorus ≥30 mg/L) still require further treatment. The coagulation–flocculation method using natural biocoagulants successfully removes up to 81.5 % of TSS, and bioadsorption using activated carbon achieves impressive removal efficiencies of 81.16 % for total dissolved solids, 87.58 % for TSS, 91.32 % for COD and 48.66 % for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in sago industry wastewater. Phytoremediation using <em>Scirpus grossus</em> and <em>Chlorella pyrenoidosa</em> improves effluent quality by reducing TSS by up to 98 %, COD by up to 90.2 % and BOD by up to 93 %. These findings confirm the feasibility of a cost-effective, phased, sustainable, nature-based effluent treatment model. Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is also conducted to assess the potential implementation and feasibility of this system in the context of a circular economy. This study provides a strategic plan for policymakers, industry players and researchers to accelerate the transition towards sustainable sago industry development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117617"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photocatalyst deactivation in gaseous VOCs photooxidation: Mechanisms, stability enhancement, and regeneration strategies","authors":"Asad Mahmood","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Air pollution from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has raised interest in photocatalytic oxidation for air cleaning. However, photocatalysts often lose activity under real conditions. Unlike laboratory settings, real air contains many organic compounds. These can cause competitive adsorption, form reactive byproducts, and poison the surface. As a result, photocatalytic performance drops over time. This review explains the main reasons for deactivation in gas-phase systems. These include the buildup of carbon residues, formation of byproducts with nitrogen or sulfur, coke deposits, and damage to the material’s structure. We also discuss how surface defects, crystal structure, and particle shape affect both activity and durability. Different methods to restore activity are reviewed. These include heating, chemical cleaning, and light-based recovery. We also highlight recent advances in material design. Examples include single-site catalysts and porous structures such as metal organic frameworks. These materials can improve selectivity and resist deactivation. Machine learning is also gaining attention. It can help predict stability and guide the design of better photocatalysts. Although deactivation is widely studied, few reports focus on gas-phase systems with a clear mechanistic view. This review fills that gap. It combines experiments with analysis to support the design of stable and reusable photocatalysts for clean air.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117569"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144297327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comprehensive review of polymers and their derivatives for enhanced oil recovery","authors":"Abhishek Tyagi ,&nbsp;Sugandha Mahajan ,&nbsp;Ganshyam Prajapat ,&nbsp;Bharat Shivnani ,&nbsp;Devesh M Sawant ,&nbsp;Akhil Agrawal","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117601","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117601","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The production of crude oil must be increased to fulfil the world energy demand. As the global need for energy is growing rapidly, oil will serve as the main energy source for next ∼30 years. This energy requirement can be attained through the application of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology into marginal wells or by exploring new oil fields. However, the world has reached to a point where the oil recovery from existing reservoirs is more economical than drilling new wells. As the traditional recovery methods are inefficient and less economically sustainable, EOR emerged as viable method to extract the residual oil (∼50 %) from existing mature reservoirs. Within EOR, biopolymers are gaining popularity in the oil industry because of their accessibility, cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, viscoelastic behaviour, and biodegradability. Biopolymers like Guar gum, Xanthan gum, Cellulose, Welan gum, Scleroglucan, Schizophyllan, and Gum tragacanth are expected to replace synthetic polymers. However, the main challenge for biopolymers are microbial deterioration and shear-stress stability. Factors like temperature, salinity, polymer concentration, and chemical functional groups significantly impact biopolymer efficiency. To improve these parameters several studies have been conducted for the development of modified polymers using methods like grafting copolymerization, esterification with acylants, nanocomposite functionalization, crosslinking, and hydrogel formation. Recently, chemo-selectively modified and thermo-viscosifying biopolymers have been developed to increase sweep efficiency under reservoir conditions. Modified polymers may enhance EOR performance by viscosity increment, wettability alteration and emulsification. This review discusses polymers used in laboratory and field studies, highlighting their application in EOR.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117601"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unlocking the potential of down-flow hanging sponge reactors for integrated nutrient management","authors":"Ankur Singh ,&nbsp;Yukino Soga ,&nbsp;Vinay Kumar Tyagi ,&nbsp;Rajesh Singh ,&nbsp;Kalzang Chhoden ,&nbsp;Takahiro Watari ,&nbsp;Tsutomu Okubo ,&nbsp;C.S.P. Ojha ,&nbsp;A.A. Kazmi ,&nbsp;S.K. Chauhan","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117591","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117591","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Downflow Hanging Sponge (DHS) reactor has emerged as a promising attached-growth process for sustainable wastewater treatment, offering energy-efficient and low-sludge solutions for organic carbon and nutrient removal. This review critically evaluates the applications of the DHS process for nitrogen and phosphorus management in both domestic and industrial wastewater. Emphasis is placed on recent advances that enhance nutrient removal efficiency, including bioaugmentation, integration with conventional activated sludge systems, and the use of complete ammonia oxidation (Comammox) microorganisms. Additional innovations involve the functionalization of sponge materials with catalytic or adsorptive properties and the design of redox-stratified reactor configuration to facilitate simultaneous nitrification-denitrification and phosphorus removal. Key challenges, such as treating high-strength wastewaters, adapting to seasonal variability, and advancing kinetic modeling, are critically assessed. Full-scale implementations like up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB)-DHS and anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR)-DHS demonstrate the system’s versatility under varying loading rates and environmental conditions. The DHS process has also shown potential in aquaculture applications by efficiently managing nitrogenous compounds and maintaining effluent quality. Despite its advantages, challenges remain in treating high-strength wastewaters, optimizing performance under seasonal variability, and developing predictive models for process control. This review outlines key research directions to advance DHS technology focusing on advancing material properties, refining operational designs, and developing robust models to establish DHS as a viable and scalable solution in sustainable wastewater management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117591"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144297340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of monovalent selective membranes and bipolar membranes in electrodialysis: A review","authors":"Nadira Salsabila,&nbsp;Yusuf Biçer","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review systematically examines electrodialysis (ED) technologies with an emphasis on advancements in monovalent selective and bipolar membranes. It highlights the fundamental mechanisms of ion transport and membrane selectivity, showing that modifications, such as polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings and the incorporation of nanomaterials into hybrid composite structures, can dramatically enhance permselectivity. For instance, modified monovalent cation exchange membranes have achieved K⁺/Mg²⁺ selectivity factors exceeding 1000, while similar enhancements yield Li⁺/Co²⁺ selectivity over 1000 and Li⁺/La³ ⁺ selectivity above 5000. Enhanced anion exchange membranes have improved Cl⁻/SO₄²⁻ selectivity from 0.66 in pristine membranes to as high as 47.04 after coating. These advanced membranes contribute to significantly improved energy efficiency and operational stability in selective electrodialysis (SED) and bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) systems. In water demineralization applications, especially for agriculture, monovalent selective electrodialysis (MSED) effectively reduces sodium concentrations by 3.6–4.6 times relative to divalent ions, preserving essential nutrients. Data from thermodynamic analyses and integrated renewable energy systems indicate that MSED can achieve recovery rates close to 90 % compared to conventional reverse osmosis while reducing waste production and extending membrane lifetimes. Moreover, selective configurations like anion exchange membrane (AEM)- monovalent selective membrane (MVM)- cation exchange membrane (CEM) stacks demonstrate high current efficiencies for resource recovery from complex mixtures. Looking ahead, the review outlines promising future perspectives that include the integration of renewable energy sources (e.g., photovoltaic, wind, and solar thermal energy) to power ED systems, the advancement of automation and control technologies to optimize process parameters, and continued material innovations to mitigate challenges such as membrane fouling and scaling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117504"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of key water quality factors on microbial community and biofilm formation in reclaimed water distribution systems","authors":"Peng Song ,&nbsp;Yang Xiao ,&nbsp;Tahir Muhammad ,&nbsp;Yunkai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117554","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117554","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biofilm formation in reclaimed water distribution systems poses significant operational challenges. While water quality is known to influence biofilm development, the relationships among water quality parameters, microbial community composition, and biofilm formation remain inadequately understood. This study investigated the effects of 14 water quality factors on microbial communities and biofilm development in agricultural systems using three types of reclaimed water. Microbial diversity was evaluated via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and microbial network analysis was conducted to investigate community interactions. The results identified four dominant water quality factors—chemical oxygen demand (COD), calcium (Ca^2 +), magnesium (Mg²⁺), and total phosphorus (TP)—as primary drivers of microbial community structure and biofilm formation. Higher concentrations of these parameters were associated with increased microbial diversity and more complex network structures. In particular, COD showed a strong positive correlation with microbial diversity indices, while Mg²⁺ and TP strongly influenced the abundance of key bacterial families such as <em>Sphingomonadaceae</em>, <em>Anaerolineaceae</em>, and <em>Methylotenera</em>. Network analysis revealed that systems with elevated levels of these factors supported more robust and interconnected microbial communities, suggesting enhanced interaction and stability. Additionally, the influence of water quality on microbial communities varied by region and water type, indicating that biofilm development is shaped not only by chemical composition but also by local environmental conditions. These findings highlight critical water quality parameters that govern microbial community dynamics and biofilm growth, providing valuable guidance for targeted water quality management and mitigation of biofilm-related issues in reclaimed water systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117554"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144297137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolic and enzymatic insights into n-hexane biodegradation by Rhodococcus qingshengii strain SCJ-1","authors":"Changjie Shi ,&nbsp;Zeyu Wang ,&nbsp;Sihan Hu ,&nbsp;Jiachao Yao ,&nbsp;Nan Li ,&nbsp;Dzmitry Hrynsphan ,&nbsp;Tatsiana Savitskaya ,&nbsp;Jun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117553","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117553","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>n</em>-Hexane, a neurotoxic volatile organic compound ubiquitously present in industrial emissions, poses environmental and health risks due to its recalcitrance to biodegradation stemming from its hydrophobic nature. The strain <em>Rhodococcus qingshengii</em> strain SCJ-1, isolated from pharmaceutical wastewater sludge through adaptive enrichment and identified via 16S rRNA sequencing, exhibited robust degradation capabilities. Whole-genome sequencing showed that the strain carries a wide array of genes related to alkane degradation. Following optimization using the Haldane growth model, under conditions of pH 7.0 and 30℃, the strain SCJ-1 degraded 82.3 % of <em>n</em>-hexane at a concentration of 200 mg·L⁻¹ within 48 h. Under these conditions, alkane hydroxylase (AlkB: 27.6 nmol·mg⁻¹ prot) catalyzed the initial hydroxylation of <em>n</em>-hexane, while alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH/ALDH: 37.3 nmol·mg⁻¹ protein) drove its sequential oxidation to aldehydes and carboxylic acids. Concurrently, superoxide dismutase (SOD: 10.9 mmol·mg⁻¹ protein), catalase (CAT: 34.5 mmol·mg⁻¹ protein), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC: 42.2 mmol·mg⁻¹ protein) collectively mitigated oxidative stress, enhancing enzyme stability. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected pentanoic acid and ethyl butyrate, indicating the presence of a Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenases (BVMO)-mediated degradation pathway. To investigate the metabolite selectivity of BVMO and the origin of pentanoic acid and ethyl butyrate, molecular docking confirmed its specificity for 2-hexanone (binding energy of −3.925 kcal·mol⁻¹). These results suggest that the strain SCJ-1 is an effective candidate for bioremediation, utilizing a novel BVMO-driven pathway for the sustainable control of <em>n</em>-hexane pollution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117553"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144297239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application and research progress of aerogel-based interfacial evaporation in solar desalination technology","authors":"Jiayu Xiao ,&nbsp;Tao Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhengrong Shi ,&nbsp;Siyu Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117490","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jece.2025.117490","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With regard to environmental problems, freshwater resources are becoming increasingly important. As a technology to obtain freshwater resources, solar desalination has been widely considered because of its superiority in being clean and efficient. The interfacial evaporation aims to focus heat on the water body at the evaporation surface, thereby reducing heat loss and improving evaporation efficiency. However, the performance of interfacial evaporation is highly dependent on photothermal materials. Aerogel with low thermal conductivity, lightweight, and high porosity can meet the needs of photothermal conversion in the process of interfacial evaporation of water, solar radiation absorption, and heat insulation, so it has become one of the ideal choices of photothermal materials. At present, the solar desalination technology based on aerogel is becoming a research hotspot, and there are certain core technologies that need to be broken, such as low water transfer rate, salt pollution precipitation, slow photothermal conversion, and short service life. Overcoming these questions could promote the improvement of the evaporation rate. Through the analysis of the process of photothermal conversion and the working principle, this paper systematically reviews and expounds on the research progress of related technologies in recent years. On this basis, the influence of surface structure design on evaporation rate is discussed, and the strategy selection of structural design factors based on the existing configuration is summarized. According to the different functions of the structure, the photothermal performance requirements of the corresponding materials are put forward. Finally, the future research direction in this field is prospected.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15759,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","volume":"13 5","pages":"Article 117490"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144297227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}