npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-25DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00471-5
Md Abdullah Al Masud, Hasara Samaraweera, Md. Mahmudul Hassan Mondol, Ardie Septian, Rakesh Kumar, Leigh G. Terry
{"title":"Iron biochar synergy in aquatic systems through surface functionalities electron transfer and reactive species dynamics","authors":"Md Abdullah Al Masud, Hasara Samaraweera, Md. Mahmudul Hassan Mondol, Ardie Septian, Rakesh Kumar, Leigh G. Terry","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00471-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00471-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The removal of organic pollutants from water by advanced oxidation has been successfully achieved using iron–biochar (Fe–BC)-based material. By embedding iron particles on the biochar, the resulting Fe–BC composite possesses enhanced surface functionalities that promote electron transfer and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Characterizations using various analytical techniques confirm the successful formation of the Fe-based biochar and its improved catalytic features. Batch degradation experiments have demonstrated that Fe–BC exhibits significantly higher performance than unmodified biochar in the breakdown of organic contaminants, primarily through advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) facilitated by iron-induced radical (SO<sub>4</sub><sup>•−</sup>, <sup>•</sup>OH, O<sub>2</sub><sup>•−</sup>) formation, non-radical ROS (<sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>), and electron transfer pathways. Finally, the advantages of Fe-BC in the catalytic degradation of organic pollutants are summarized, highlighting potential limitations and prompting further research to optimize Fe–BC performance and expand Fe–BC applicability.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144137028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-24DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00456-4
Chenyu Luo, Tao Zhang, Muhammad Farooq Mustafa, Muyu Li, Sai Xu
{"title":"Removal efficiency of ARGs in different wastewater treatment plants and their potential risks in effluent","authors":"Chenyu Luo, Tao Zhang, Muhammad Farooq Mustafa, Muyu Li, Sai Xu","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00456-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00456-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have shown to be effective in reducing the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), serving as a crucial barrier to the transmission of ARGs through wastewater. However, the risk of those ARGs remaining in the effluent requires further investigation. In this study, influent and effluent samples from WWTPs with different process configurations were collected for metagenomic sequencing. A total of 1331 ARG subtypes were detected in influent, with total abundance ranged from 0.46 to 3.89 copies/cell, which was higher than global level. The total abundance of ARGs was effectively reduced in effluent with removal efficiency 63.2–94.2%, resulting in a relatively low level when compared with other cities worldwide. Despite the effectiveness in reducing the abundance of ARGs, 4.38% ARGs remaining in effluent were identified as Rank I by arg_ranker with <i>APH(3”)-Ib</i>, <i>ere</i>(A), and <i>sul1</i> as the most abundant subtypes. Further, metagenomic assembly showed that these high-risky ARGs co-occurred with mobile genetic elements (transposase, recombinase, relaxase, and integrase) and were primarily carried by WHO priority pathogens (<i>Salmonella enterica</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>), indicating their high-risky potentials. Taken together, these results indicated that even though WWTPs effectively reduced the abundance of ARGs, the potential risks of remaining ARGs still cannot be neglected. These results might be helpful for controlling the spread of ARGs from WWTPs into neighboring ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144133593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-22DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00478-y
Haya Nassrullah, Sandra Aristizabal, Jamaliah Aburabie, Nidal Hilal, Raed Hashaikeh
{"title":"Dynamic modulation of separation performance in electrically conductive polyamide membranes with scalable fabrication potential","authors":"Haya Nassrullah, Sandra Aristizabal, Jamaliah Aburabie, Nidal Hilal, Raed Hashaikeh","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00478-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00478-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Polyamide is the most commonly used selective layer in nanofiltration membranes at an industrial scale. However, polyamide membranes lack flexibility, as their performance in terms of rejection and flux becomes fixed once the membrane is formed. Although several studies have explored during- and post-fabrication modifications of polyamide membranes, these approaches result in irreversible changes to membrane properties. Herein, we developed an electrically conductive polyamide membrane with dynamically tunable salt rejection performance by applying external positive or negative potentials. The observed changes in membrane performance were reversible, indicating that the chemical and structural integrity of the membrane is maintained. Furthermore, unlike findings from previous studies, the salt rejection performance of this membrane remains uncompromised even at voltages that induce electrochemical reactions. These results highlight the potential of this membrane for adaptive filtration systems and applications requiring electrochemical reactions without sacrificing separation efficiency.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144123094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-21DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00473-3
Di Tian, Xinfeng Zhao, Lei Gao, Tao Jiang, Zuobing Liang, Zaizhi Yang, Pengcheng Zhang, Qirui Wu, Kun Ren, Chenchen Yang, Rui Li, Shaoheng Li, Yingjie Cao, Yingxue Xuan, Jianyao Chen, Aiping Zhu
{"title":"A framework for tracing the sources of nitrate in surface water through remote sensing data coupled with machine learning","authors":"Di Tian, Xinfeng Zhao, Lei Gao, Tao Jiang, Zuobing Liang, Zaizhi Yang, Pengcheng Zhang, Qirui Wu, Kun Ren, Chenchen Yang, Rui Li, Shaoheng Li, Yingjie Cao, Yingxue Xuan, Jianyao Chen, Aiping Zhu","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00473-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00473-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As an integral component of the global nitrogen cycle, nitrate are readily transferred from urban sewage discharge, agricultural activities, and atmospheric sedimentation to surface water. This paper introduces an innovative framework that combines multi-source remote sensing technology with stable nitrate nitrogen (δ<sup>15</sup>N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>) and oxygen (δ<sup>18</sup>O-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>) isotopes mixing model, to identify nitrate sources quantitatively in surface water for the first time (R<sup>2</sup> range from 0.50 to 0.99, RMSE range from 0.05‰ to 2.31‰, MAE range from 0.03‰ to 1.35‰). By reconstructing the historical nitrate isotopes from 2006 to 2023, we found that manure and sewage were the main contributing sources, followed by soil nitrogen, fertilizer and atmospheric deposition (contribution ratio of 3.5:2.5:2.5:1.5), wastewater discharge and fertilizer application in Xijiang river had a significant impact on this. This framework fills a gap in the research pertaining to remote sensing technology’s identification of surface nitrate sources, facilitating straightforward and user-friendly forecasting of nitrate source spatio-temporal sequences.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144113913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-20DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00476-0
Dongmei Ma, Jin Zhang, Wei Li, Jinxing Ma, Kuanchang He, Kui Yang, Jianghu Cui, Qian Liu, Sihao Lv, Min Zhang, Faliang Cheng, Defeng Xing
{"title":"FeIII-driven self-cycled Fenton via contact-electro-catalysis for water purification","authors":"Dongmei Ma, Jin Zhang, Wei Li, Jinxing Ma, Kuanchang He, Kui Yang, Jianghu Cui, Qian Liu, Sihao Lv, Min Zhang, Faliang Cheng, Defeng Xing","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00476-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00476-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While self-cycled Fenton (SC-Fenton) systems represent an innovative advancement in water purification technologies, their practical implementation remains constrained by inefficient in situ H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> generation. To address this limitation, we developed a mechano-driven contact-electro-catalysis (CEC) platform employing fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) as a triboelectric catalyst. Under ultrasound irradiation, this system achieves an exceptional H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> generation rate of 7.67 mmol·g<sub>cat</sub><sup>–1</sup>·h<sup>–1</sup>, outperforming conventional piezo-catalysis systems. Mechanistic studies reveal that a built interfacial electric field generated on the FEP surface effectively reduces the free energy for the indirect 2e<sup>–</sup> water oxidation pathway. This unique characteristic promotes the generation of interfacial hydroxyl radical (<sup>*</sup>OH) and enhances its subsequent recombination into H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. The strategic integration of Fe<sup>III</sup> as a catalytic initiator with the CEC system enables the establishment of SC-Fenton reaction (Fe<sup>III</sup>/FEP/CEC). Notably, the contact-electrification electrons accumulated on the FEP interface drive efficient Fe<sup>III</sup>/Fe<sup>II</sup> redox cycling, achieving a remarkable degradation rate for sulfadiazine at 0.125 min<sup>–1</sup>. This enhanced catalytic performance stems from Fe<sup>III</sup>-mediated amplification of dissociative hydroxyl radical (<sup>•</sup>OH) generation. This study provides fundamental insights into the underlying mechanisms of CEC-mediated Fe<sup>III</sup>-initiated SC-Fenton reaction, offering new possibilities for sustainable water purification processes.</p><figure></figure>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144097678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00457-3
C. S. Tshangana, S. T. Nhlengethwa, S. Glass, S. Denison, A. T. Kuvarega, T. T. I. Nkambule, B. B. Mamba, Pedro J. J. Alvarez, A. A. Muleja
{"title":"Technology status to treat PFAS-contaminated water and limiting factors for their effective full-scale application","authors":"C. S. Tshangana, S. T. Nhlengethwa, S. Glass, S. Denison, A. T. Kuvarega, T. T. I. Nkambule, B. B. Mamba, Pedro J. J. Alvarez, A. A. Muleja","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00457-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00457-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic chemicals that are highly resistant to degradation because of the strong C-F bond and their unique physico-chemical properties. Several techniques, both destructive and non-destructive, have been explored for removing PFAS from contaminated water. However, the most desirable techniques, ideally capable of effective separation and complete PFAS destruction and mineralization, have not progressed beyond bench-scale testing. This paper provides an overview of the existing treatment techniques demonstrated at laboratory, pilot, and industrial scales, and their associated treatment mechanisms. Insufficient data on pilot-scale and full-scale applications for PFAS remediation has limited the optimization and advancement of these systems at a large scale. Most research related to PFAS-remediation is based on laboratory-scale studies under ideal conditions that do not represent the complexity of PFAS-contaminated media. Factors such as inhibition by competing background compounds and secondary water or air pollution limit the application of some PFAS removal techniques at full-scale. Additionally, high energy intensity, cost, and inappropriate reactor design restrict the scalability of some proposed innovations. Here, we propose integrated systems and treatment trains as potential approaches to effectively remove and destroy PFAS from contaminated waters. This review also offers and contextualizes implementation barriers and scalable approaches for PFAS treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144066222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00453-7
Yubo Liu, Min Yao, Zhihao Jin, Yun Zhang
{"title":"Simultaneous adsorption of organic phosphonate and orthophosphate from municipal sewage on nanoparticle Fe3O4 with molecular simulation","authors":"Yubo Liu, Min Yao, Zhihao Jin, Yun Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00453-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00453-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Organic and inorganic phosphonates often co-exist in municipal sewage, and it is a challenge to remove them simultaneously. Nanoparticle Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> NPs) has attracted significant attention due to its high adsorption activity, low cost, environmental friendliness, and magnetic separation. Herein, the adsorption performance and mechanism of hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid (HEDP) and orthophosphate (PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup>) onto Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> NPs were systematically investigated. When the dosages were 0.4 g/L, the removal efficiencies of HEDP and PO₄³<sup>−</sup> reached 96.3% and 95.1%, respectively. pH had no significant impact on the adsorption, whereas the presence of HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>/CO<sub>3</sub><sup>2−</sup> markedly suppressed the removal of HEDP and PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup>. The adsorption of HEDP and PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup> onto Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> NPs conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models in single and binary P systems. HEDP consistently inhibited the removal of PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup> in the binary P system. The adsorption mechanisms were primarily driven by the combined effect of electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and coordination complexation. DFT molecular simulation showed higher adsorption energy between HEDP and Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> NPs, and the simulation outcomes were in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Although the adsorption of HEDP and PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup> was competitive, total phosphorus in the effluent of municipal sewage could still meet the discharge standard.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143945682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced remediation of actual dye wastewater by hydrogenated bimetallic MOF derivative with active peracetic acid","authors":"Shengmei Tan, Liuwei Zhang, Zhiliang Cheng, Yuxin Peng, Jinshan Tang, Hongrui Zhu, Facheng Qiu","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00465-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00465-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study introduces a hydrogenated FeCo-MOF derivative catalyst (HC-FeCo@C<sub>350</sub>) to activate peracetic acid (PAA) for efficient degradation dye wastewater. Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model pollutant, the HC-FeCo@C<sub>350</sub>/PAA achieved a 99.33% removal efficiency within 20 min, with a rate constant 18 times higher than the non-hydrogenated system. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and the toxicity evaluation software (T.E.S.T.) confirmed reduced intermediate toxicity. Quenching experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) tests, and density functional theory (DFT) calculation show that HC-FeCo@C<sub>350</sub> can effectively activate PAA to produce <sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>3</sub>C(O)O•, and CH<sub>3</sub>C(O)OO•. The magnetically recoverable catalyst maintained over 80% efficiency after 4 cycles. In actual dye wastewater treatment, the <i>RE</i> of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH<sub>3</sub>-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) could reach approximately 53.57%, 53.23%, 29.25%, 19.2%, respectively, with reduced toxicity validated by mungbean germination experiment. This technology offers a promising approach for refractory dye wastewater treatment and reuse.</p><figure></figure>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"123 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143933518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-10DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00472-4
Qing Qin, Weijun He, Liang Yuan, Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu, Thomas Stephen Ramsey
{"title":"Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China","authors":"Qing Qin, Weijun He, Liang Yuan, Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu, Thomas Stephen Ramsey","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00472-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00472-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, a pivotal economic hub in China, relies on water, energy, food, ecology, land, for its prosperity development. Therefore, evaluating their coupling and coordination aids the YRD’s sustainable development. This study integrated ecology and land into the water-energy-food system to form a water-energy-food-ecology-land system (WEFEFS), and the entropy weight model, comprehensive evaluation index model and coupling coordination degree models were used to assess the WEFELS in the YRD (2005-2022), and identified key influencing factors through an obstacle model. The results demonstrate that the comprehensive evaluation index of WEFELS in the YRD rose slowly, with the food system contributing the most (22.15%) and the water system contributed the least (18.25%). The degree of coupling coordination (DCC) of WEFELS in the YRD improved from 0.561 to 0.653, exhibiting spatiotemporal heterogeneity, with Anhui Province leading spatially. The main obstacle factors were Per land GDP and Energy self-sufficiency rate.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"46 34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
npj Clean WaterPub Date : 2025-05-10DOI: 10.1038/s41545-025-00468-0
Hyun Woong Kwon, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Pengfei Zhang, Bowen Li, Kwang Seop Im, Jun Ho Park, Tae Kyung Lee, Hideto Matsuyama, Sang Yong Nam
{"title":"Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure","authors":"Hyun Woong Kwon, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Pengfei Zhang, Bowen Li, Kwang Seop Im, Jun Ho Park, Tae Kyung Lee, Hideto Matsuyama, Sang Yong Nam","doi":"10.1038/s41545-025-00468-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00468-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Hollow fiber membranes were fabricated using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) via the thermally induced phase separation method for oil-water separation. By introducing glycerol triacetate (GTA) or propylene carbonate as an extruded solvent, membrane porosity and pore size were controlled, significantly enhancing water permeance. The highest porosity and permeance were achieved with GTA as the co-extruded solvent. To further improve separation performance, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating was applied, forming a superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membrane composite. The coated membranes exhibited complete water absorption (0° contact angle) while repelling oil, preventing droplet adhesion. Antifouling performance was significantly improved, with flux recovery ratios exceeding 90% compared to 2–26% for uncoated membranes. The best-performing membrane achieved a high oil-in-water emulsion permeance of 3551 LMH/bar and 99.2% soybean oil removal efficiency. These findings demonstrate the potential of superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membranes with controlled porosity for efficient oil-water separation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19375,"journal":{"name":"npj Clean Water","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}