Nature Sustainability最新文献_第2页

Ensuring consistency between biogeochemical planetary boundaries 确保生物地球化学行星边界的一致性

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-16 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01770-6

Paul Wolfram, Hassan Niazi, Page Kyle, Haewon McJeon

引用次数: 0

Resource requirements and consequences of large-scale hydrogen use in Europe 欧洲大规模使用氢的资源需求和后果

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-12 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01771-5

Joel Löfving, Selma Brynolf, Maria Grahn, Simon Öberg, Maria Taljegard

{"title":"Resource requirements and consequences of large-scale hydrogen use in Europe","authors":"Joel Löfving, Selma Brynolf, Maria Grahn, Simon Öberg, Maria Taljegard","doi":"10.1038/s41893-026-01771-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-026-01771-5","url":null,"abstract":"As European countries transition to fuels with lower climate change impact, distinct challenges may arise. Electrolytic hydrogen is central to planned developments in transportation and industry, but large-scale hydrogen production could have energy and environmental consequences. Here we simulate site-specific hydrogen demand distribution for Europe in 2050, to assess possible effects on local water use risks, regional electricity generation composition and cost, and total land use. Results show that around 20% of annual water use for hydrogen production is simulated to happen in areas with ‘extremely high’ projected risk of water stress, and local water stress caused by hydrogen production could become severe. Widespread electrolytic hydrogen use requires large investments in electricity generation, but the impacts on the marginal electricity cost to consumers could be small. The electricity generation system required for producing hydrogen or e-fuels would require less land than cultivating biomass for biofuels. The findings highlight the need for coordinated policy action to ensure that hydrogen deployment aligns with local water availability, regional electricity system development, land constraints and broader sustainability goals. Europe’s shift to low-carbon fuels raises concerns about water, land and energy pressures from large-scale hydrogen use. A study now finds that future hydrogen production could overlap with resource and infrastructure constraints, with consequences for the success of a sustainable transition.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"9 4","pages":"614-625"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-026-01771-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147735090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}

引用次数: 0

Electrosynthesis of ethylene from syngas 从合成气中电合成乙烯

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-10 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01764-w

Feng Li, Zunmin Guo, Yu Yan, Qiyou Wang, Yongxiang Liang, Lian Duan, Loann Bonnenfant, Zahra Azimi Dijvejin, Min Liu, Yurou Celine Xiao, Ziyu Zhao, Jieyuan Liu, Andrija Stepanovic, Yuxuan Gao, Qian Sun, Hafiz Ghulam Abbas, Mengyang Fan, Jianan Erick Huang, Sungjin Park, Stuart M. Holmes, Yong Zhao, Yi Xu, Cao-Thang Dinh, Ziyun Wang, Rui Kai Miao, David Sinton

{"title":"Electrosynthesis of ethylene from syngas","authors":"Feng Li, Zunmin Guo, Yu Yan, Qiyou Wang, Yongxiang Liang, Lian Duan, Loann Bonnenfant, Zahra Azimi Dijvejin, Min Liu, Yurou Celine Xiao, Ziyu Zhao, Jieyuan Liu, Andrija Stepanovic, Yuxuan Gao, Qian Sun, Hafiz Ghulam Abbas, Mengyang Fan, Jianan Erick Huang, Sungjin Park, Stuart M. Holmes, Yong Zhao, Yi Xu, Cao-Thang Dinh, Ziyun Wang, Rui Kai Miao, David Sinton","doi":"10.1038/s41893-025-01764-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-025-01764-w","url":null,"abstract":"The electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction (COR) reaction offers a carbon- and energy-efficient pathway to ethylene. However, present systems typically rely on pure CO, making the process costly and difficult to scale. An economically feasible alternative is to use syngas—the predominant industrial CO source—produced globally at quantities approximately 250 times higher than pure CO, but containing hydrogen and other components. Therefore, for a syngas-based COR system, achieving high single-pass conversion efficiency (SPCE) is essential, as high gas flow rates introduce excess hydrogen, complicating and increasing the cost of downstream product separation. Nevertheless, optimizing SPCE leads to hydrogen dilution and insufficient CO transport to the copper cathode, which in turn decreases ethylene Faradaic efficiency (FE). To overcome this trade-off, guided by Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory, here we develop a COOH-functionalized active carbon material which captures CO from syngas, strengthens CO adsorption on the copper cathode and thereby enhances ethylene FE even under CO-diluted conditions. This design enables an ethylene FE of 72% alongside a CO SPCE of 73% in a simulated syngas containing an H2/CO ratio of 2/1—outperforming reported systems operated with pure CO feed and offering a more scalable, resource-efficient route to sustainable ethylene. Producing valuable hydrocarbons electrochemically from carbon monoxide (CO) is an energy-efficient pathway, but reliance on costly pure CO as a feedstock limits its economic viability. This article shows that abundant CO-rich syngas can be directly used to synthesize ethylene.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"9 4","pages":"585-594"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147735138","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}

引用次数: 0

Intelligent fouling monitoring in membrane-based wastewater treatment 膜基污水处理中的智能污染监测

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-09 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01766-2

Yizhe Lai, Kang Xiao, Yichen Tian, Meng Xing, Haojie Ding, Jihua Tan, Jinsong Zhang, Zanguo Peng, Yu Fan, Xianwei Lu, Shuai Liang, Wenchao Xue, Xia Huang

{"title":"Intelligent fouling monitoring in membrane-based wastewater treatment","authors":"Yizhe Lai, Kang Xiao, Yichen Tian, Meng Xing, Haojie Ding, Jihua Tan, Jinsong Zhang, Zanguo Peng, Yu Fan, Xianwei Lu, Shuai Liang, Wenchao Xue, Xia Huang","doi":"10.1038/s41893-026-01766-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-026-01766-2","url":null,"abstract":"Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are widely implemented in many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), contributing to a sustainable urban water cycle. However, they are often challenged by the problem of membrane fouling. Developing tools capable of monitoring and providing early warning of fouling events is therefore essential to maintain the operational stability of MBRs. Here we propose a spectral sensing empowered machine learning strategy for prediction and providing early warning of fouling events and validate it in a full-scale MBR during long-term operation. Specifically, integrated with ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectral fingerprints that can sensibly profile the key molecular structures responsible for fouling, a data–knowledge codriven machine learning model was established. The model can accurately (R2 > 0.80) predict fouling tendency within the next 5‒7 days, which is superior to purely data-driven learning. Spectral fingerprints contributed 17‒30% of interpretability across models, and process conditions and other membrane/foulant material descriptors explained the rest. By exploring the spectral fingerprints of specific processes, our strategy could also be generalized to various WWTPs, offering an intelligent solution (for example, with the aid of spectral early warning) to achieve stable operation of WWTPs and ultimately contribute to a cleaner environment. Membrane bioreactors play a pivotal role in protecting the water environment and achieving a sustainable urban water cycle, but their operational stability faces great challenges due to membrane fouling. A study now provides an intelligent strategy to enable early warning of fouling events.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"9 4","pages":"533-543"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147735088","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}

引用次数: 0

The roles of women in cookstove intervention studies 妇女在炉灶干预研究中的作用

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-09 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01769-z

Annelise Gill-Wiehl, Isha Ray

{"title":"The roles of women in cookstove intervention studies","authors":"Annelise Gill-Wiehl, Isha Ray","doi":"10.1038/s41893-026-01769-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-026-01769-z","url":null,"abstract":"Clean cooking fuel interventions can substantially advance Sustainable Development Goals related to health, poverty, gender equality and (possibly) climate change. Here we systematically review gender roles within cookstove randomized control trials (RCTs) with respect to (1) health and exposure; (2) time, labour, finance and behaviour; (3) climate; and (4) the research activities. We focus on RCTs because public health scholarship considers RCTs, despite limitations, to provide the highest-quality evidence to guide policy and widescale programming. Across our 123 included studies, women are frequently targeted but then not acknowledged in time, labour, finances and even health outcomes. Acknowledgement of gender norms is scarce. Using WHO gender-responsiveness categories, we find that 37% of studies were gender-unequal or gender-unaware. Women are often monitored only as proxies for their unborn children, our category of gender-unaware but sex-aware (26%). Twenty-nine percent are gender-sensitive, with only 6% gender-specific and two gender-transformative studies. We present recommendations for the field to shift to more gender-sensitive research designs, without which the field risks leaning into existing inequalities and basing future interventions on spuriously gender-neutral premises. This systematic review explores the gender dimensions of cookstove randomized control trials in low- and middle-income countries, published between 2000 and 2024, and highlights the importance of shifting towards more gender-sensitive research designs.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"9 4","pages":"604-613"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147735139","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}

引用次数: 0

Pretreating spent lithium-ion batteries 预处理废旧锂离子电池

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-06 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01760-0

Xi Chen

引用次数: 0

Blue carbon ecosystems and coral reefs as coupled nature-based climate solutions 蓝碳生态系统和珊瑚礁是基于自然的耦合气候解决方案

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-06 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01768-0

Mojtaba Fakhraee

引用次数: 0

Impacts of pretreatment routes on spent lithium-ion batteries recycling 预处理路线对废锂离子电池回收的影响

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-06 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01767-1

Ben Liu, Jin Zhou, Linyan Yang, Xingdong Wang, Ziying Sun, Weiduo Gan, Victor W.-C. Chang

{"title":"Impacts of pretreatment routes on spent lithium-ion batteries recycling","authors":"Ben Liu, Jin Zhou, Linyan Yang, Xingdong Wang, Ziying Sun, Weiduo Gan, Victor W.-C. Chang","doi":"10.1038/s41893-026-01767-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-026-01767-1","url":null,"abstract":"The massive production and consumption of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) necessitate the development of end-of-life (EoL) recycling strategies to shape a sustainable LIBs life cycle. Pretreatment, which converts spent LIBs into black mass, represents a foundational stage in the recycling processes. However, our understanding of the impacts of pretreatment on the overall recycling performance and associated environmental footprint is limited. Here we develop operational unit-level models to evaluate the impacts of different pretreatment routes on industrial-scale LIB recycling. The pretreatment routes covered here include mechanical, thermal and chemical routes. We identify the mechanisms driving variability in materials recovery and environmental impacts across different pretreatment routes, cathode chemistries and regional contexts. Our high-resolution analysis reveals that pretreatment accounts for most materials losses and contributes to 16–38% of the environmental impact of LIBs recycling. By identifying key impact contributors, we further propose strategies for targeted process upgrade that could halve environmental impacts during the pretreatment stage. Additionally, this research provides comprehensive process inventories and bills of materials, facilitating further research initiatives, policy design and technology advancement in EoL LIB management, contributing to achieving circular economy in the LIBs sector. Pretreatment is a prerequisite to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and advance resource circularity, but its impacts on the overall performance and environmental footprint of LIBs recycling are poorly understood. This study develops unit-level models to address this knowledge gap.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"9 4","pages":"626-638"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147735089","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}

引用次数: 0

Race out to eco-friendly peptide synthesis 向生态友好型肽合成竞赛

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-03 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01758-8

Beatriz G. de la Torre, Fernando Albericio

引用次数: 0

Water-based coupling of amino acids for sustainable solid-phase peptide synthesis 氨基酸的水基偶联可持续固相肽合成

IF 27.1 1区环境科学与生态学

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2026-02-03 DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01761-z

Donald A. Wellings, Joshua Greenwood, Ian Thomas, Colin Hughes, Wenyi Li, Feng Lin, Mohammed Akhter Hossain, Arianna Lanza, Morten Meldal, John D. Wade

{"title":"Water-based coupling of amino acids for sustainable solid-phase peptide synthesis","authors":"Donald A. Wellings, Joshua Greenwood, Ian Thomas, Colin Hughes, Wenyi Li, Feng Lin, Mohammed Akhter Hossain, Arianna Lanza, Morten Meldal, John D. Wade","doi":"10.1038/s41893-025-01761-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41893-025-01761-z","url":null,"abstract":"Solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) is a primary source of peptides for structure–function studies in development of potential clinical, agricultural, veterinary or cosmetic applications. Despite its efficiency and scalability, SPPS produces unsustainable volumes of toxic waste and non-degradable solid supports. With regulatory changes now in effect to reduce solvent use, there is a pressing need for sustainable, water-based synthesis methods. Due to the aqueous insolubility of the commonly employed Nα-Fmoc-amino acids—the primary building blocks in SPPS—establishing water-based peptide synthesis protocols is extremely challenging. Here we show that amine salts of, for example, N-methylmorpholine or N,N,N-triethanolamine and Nα-Fmoc protected amino acids are water soluble at high concentrations. Activation with a pre-formed water-soluble activating agent enables high quality SPPS on a hydrophilic and biodegradable poly-ε-lysine-based solid support in aqueous solution without characteristic side reactions. The presented methodology provides a simple avenue to sustainable, scalable water-based chemical synthesis of peptides. The growing market demand for peptides is drawing more attention to their industrial synthetic procedures, which rely on large amounts of toxic solvents. Here the authors suggest practical steps that bring fully water-based peptide synthesis closer to reality.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"9 4","pages":"565-574"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147735087","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}

引用次数: 0