{"title":"Future-proofing CO2 mitigation towards a circular economy: A systematic review on process integration and advanced tools","authors":"Divya Baskaran , Hun-Soo Byun","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mitigating carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) emissions, which are a principal contributor to global warming, necessitates prompt and proactive measures. This systematic review evaluates advanced process integration and optimization tools, highlighting the need for a circular economy paired with efficient waste management to achieve effective CO<sub>2</sub> reduction. We systematically examine, for the first time, the applications and limitations of pinch analysis, Process-graph (P-graph), artificial intelligence (AI), computer-aided sustainable design (CASD), Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensor networks, and hierarchical blockchain frameworks. AI alone could save 2.6–5.3 gigatonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> by 2030, and its integration with CASD and IoT enables more sophisticated mitigation strategies. We recommend comprehensive carbon-offset frameworks and green-finance mechanisms to strengthen carbon-trading systems. Circular-economy measures for waste-driven CO<sub>2</sub> reduction remain under-represented in national climate policies owing to cross-sectoral complexity. Future work should advance interdisciplinary tools data science, system modeling, and decision-support frameworks and expand economic-feasibility studies of optimization strategies. Ensuring rigorous data quality, variability accounting, integration, transparency, and replicability is essential. Lastly, sustained collaboration among engineers, scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders is critical for developing scalable, sustainable solutions to climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 100587"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144262550","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}
Yan Zhang , Zhiguo Su , Xuyang Qiu , He Liu , Donghui Wen , Lyujun Chen
{"title":"Distinct ARG profiles associated with class 1 integrons in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants","authors":"Yan Zhang , Zhiguo Su , Xuyang Qiu , He Liu , Donghui Wen , Lyujun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100586","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100586","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Class 1 integrons facilitate horizontal gene transfer, significantly influencing antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination within microbial communities. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are critical reservoirs of ARGs and integrons, yet the integron-mediated dynamics of ARG transfer across different WWTP types remain poorly understood. Here we show distinct ARG profiles associated with class 1 integrons in municipal and industrial WWTPs using a novel approach combining nested-like high-throughput qPCR and PacBio sequencing. Although industrial WWTPs contained higher absolute integron abundances, their relative ARG content was lower (1.27 × 10<sup>7</sup>–9.59 × 10<sup>7</sup> copies/ng integron) compared to municipal WWTPs (3.72 × 10<sup>7</sup>–1.98 × 10<sup>8</sup> copies/ng integron). Of the 132,084 coding sequences detected from integrons, 56.8 % encoded antibiotic resistance, with industrial plants showing lower ARG proportions, reduced ARG array diversity, and greater incorporation of non-ARG sequences. These findings suggest industrial WWTP integrons integrate a broader array of exogenous genes, reflecting adaptation to complex wastewater compositions. This work enhances our understanding of integron-driven ARG dynamics in wastewater and offers a robust strategy for environmental integron analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 100586"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144231668","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}
Zixiang He , Rupeng Wang , Jifeng Wang , Honglin Chen , Shiyu Zhang , Ke Wang , Junjiang Lai , Nanqi Ren , Shih-Hsin Ho
{"title":"Water conservation strategies reduce greenhouse gas emission from wastewater treatment plants: A domino effect","authors":"Zixiang He , Rupeng Wang , Jifeng Wang , Honglin Chen , Shiyu Zhang , Ke Wang , Junjiang Lai , Nanqi Ren , Shih-Hsin Ho","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) enable urban water reclamation but are significant sources of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Because GHG output scales with the volume and pollutant load of influent sewage, city-wide water-use patterns offer a direct yet under-examined lever for decarbonizing WWTP operations. The feedbacks linking demand-side water conservation to plant emissions remain poorly understood, obscuring important mitigation co-benefits. Here we show a domino-effect feedback between urban water-use patterns with WWTP carbon emissions. Our analysis demonstrates that optimized water management can improve average WWTP eco-efficiency by up to 189 %, leading to an annual reduction in water consumption of 48.3 billion m<sup>3</sup> and a decrease in GHG emissions by 1.67 million tons CO<sub>2</sub>-equivalent. Under this synergistic water-carbon management scenario, the wastewater sector could achieve carbon neutrality by 2037, seven years ahead of schedules based solely on technological advancements. Our findings present a novel and replicable framework that simultaneously addresses water scarcity and climate change. Unlike costly and slow-to-implement technological innovations, leveraging cross-sectoral synergies in water-intensive industries such as agriculture and manufacturing offers a pragmatic pathway to meeting critical carbon-reduction targets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 100574"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185306","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}
Dongyu Cui , Yike Kang , Beidou Xi , Ying Yuan , Qiao Liu , Wenbing Tan
{"title":"Compost-enhanced humification of organic pollutants: Mechanisms, challenges, and opportunities","authors":"Dongyu Cui , Yike Kang , Beidou Xi , Ying Yuan , Qiao Liu , Wenbing Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organic pollutants remain a persistent threat to ecosystems and human health. In soils, humification gradually converts these compounds into stable humic substances and attenuates their toxicity, but the transformation can take decades—far too slow to match current pollution loads. In this Perspective, we argue that mature compost offers a pragmatic means to accelerate this process: it delivers partially humified intermediates that can “seed” soil humification and shorten its timescale from decades to seasons. Spectroscopic evidence shows that compost-derived humus is enriched in aromatic backbones and reactive functional groups (–COOH, –OH) that both catalyze further condensation of organic matter and immobilise pollutants through π–π stacking, hydrogen bonding and covalent coupling. By merging these catalytic and sorptive functions, compost amendments provide a scalable, low-cost route to the long-term stabilization of organic contaminants. We outline the key mechanistic questions that now need resolution—particularly the reactivity of specific intermediates in situ—to guide field trials and unlock the full potential of compost-driven accelerated humification as an environmental remediation platform.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 100575"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144189957","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}
Wei Zhan , Yedong Gao , Haoran Zhang , Yu Tian , Yanan Zou , Xiang Li , Huihang Sun , Lipin Li , Yaruo Jin , Jiaxin Cao , Yiming Liu , Nanqi Ren
{"title":"Shifting regional development scenarios amplify legacy phosphorus threats to water quality","authors":"Wei Zhan , Yedong Gao , Haoran Zhang , Yu Tian , Yanan Zou , Xiang Li , Huihang Sun , Lipin Li , Yaruo Jin , Jiaxin Cao , Yiming Liu , Nanqi Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Legacy phosphorus, accumulated from past anthropogenic activities, poses persistent and complex threats to global water quality. Despite extensive efforts to control phosphorus inputs, legacy phosphorus can persist for decades and undermine restoration goals. Emerging evidence suggests that shifts in regional development patterns profoundly reshape the dynamics and environmental risks of legacy phosphorus accumulation and mobilization. However, the mechanisms by which development pattern shifts reshape legacy phosphorus trajectories remain poorly understood. Here we show the complex pathways linking development-driven land-use changes, biogeochemical buffering capacities, and legacy phosphorus mobilization through an integrative modeling framework that couples developmental shift coefficients, anthropogenic phosphorus inventories, and riverine time-lag modeling to diagnose and predict long-term legacy phosphorus risks. Using the Songhua River as a case study, our results reveal that shifts from industrial to agricultural dominance significantly amplify legacy phosphorus accumulation by 86 times. Consequently, legacy phosphorus accounts for 65.4 %–69.9 %, surpassing current-year inputs and becoming the primary driver of riverine pollution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that development shifts systematically alter the dominant controlling factors, from fossil fuel emissions and drainage infrastructure to soil retention characteristics and agricultural practices, reshaping mitigation priorities. Our framework provides a generalizable methodology for quantifying legacy phosphorus risks under dynamic development patterns, offering immediate applications for water quality management. More broadly, this framework offers critical insights that can guide sustainable management strategies for linking evolving regional development patterns with long-term ecological restoration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 100569"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942365","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}
Shiqi Tian , Wei Wu , Shaofeng Chen , Zhe Li , Kai Li
{"title":"Global mismatch between ecosystem service supply and demand driven by climate change and human activity","authors":"Shiqi Tian , Wei Wu , Shaofeng Chen , Zhe Li , Kai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100573","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100573","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assessing the balance between ecosystem service supply and demand (ESSD) relationship and identifying its driving factors is essential for addressing ecosystem degradation. While previous local-scale studies have highlighted climate change and human activities as critical influences, their roles at a global scale remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze the global dynamics of supply–demand relationships for four key ecosystem services—food production, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and water yield—over the period 2000–2020. We find that ESSD relationships generally exhibit spatially high supply-low demand and quantitatively surplus characteristics. Climate change and human activity influence ESSD relationships in dual-directional pathways. Specifically, they positively affect food production and soil conservation in 80.69 % and 72.50 % of global regions respectively; while negatively influencing carbon sequestration and water yield in 76.74 % and 62.44 % of global regions respectively. Human activity primarily shapes the ESSD relationships for food production and carbon sequestration, with mean contribution rates of 66.54 % and 60.80 % respectively; whereas climate change exerts greater control over soil conservation and water yield, with mean contribution rates of 54.62 % and 55.41 % respectively. Our findings clarify the direction (positive or negative), mode (individual or combined), contribution rates, and geographic distribution of these impacts. This research closes a critical gap in understanding global ESSD relationships and provides essential insights to inform sustainable ecosystem management from local to global scales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 100573"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143931758","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}
Bingshuang Yan , Fuyang Huang , Jiaolong Ying , Dafang Zhou , Samira Norouzi , Xianming Zhang , Bin Wang , Fei Liu
{"title":"Global antibiotic hotspots and risks: A One Health assessment","authors":"Bingshuang Yan , Fuyang Huang , Jiaolong Ying , Dafang Zhou , Samira Norouzi , Xianming Zhang , Bin Wang , Fei Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Antibiotics are increasingly prevalent in global environments, driving antimicrobial resistance and disrupting microbial cycling. These impacts pose threats to human, animal, and environmental health. Therefore, addressing this emergent issue necessitates a One Health framework that integrates these interconnected dimensions. Here we systematically review 137 antibiotics across diverse global environmental compartments. We find that sulfonamides, macrolides, quinolones, and tetracyclines are globally ubiquitous, particularly prevalent in Asia and Africa, whereas β-lactams dominates in Europe. Hierarchical clustering revealed ten priority antibiotics in liquid phases and eight in solid phases requiring urgent attention. Regional analysis indicated the highest antibiotic concentrations within wastewater treatment plant liquids in the Americas and surface waters in Africa, with generally lower levels detected in Asia and Europe. Utilizing a One Health assessment framework, we integrated Predicted No-Effect Concentrations for antibiotic resistance selection (PNEC<sub>RS</sub>) relevant to human and animal health with Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) affecting microbial nitrogen cycling processes. Risk assessment highlighted wastewater treatment plant liquids (20 % average exceedance) and animal manure (44 % average exceedance) as the most critical compartments. Africa exhibited the highest overall risk, averaging a 53 % exceedance rate. Notably, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin in liquid phases, as well as enrofloxacin and norfloxacin in solid phases, emerged as antibiotics posing significant One Health risks. This study advances our understanding of antibiotic distribution globally, offering a foundation for targeted interventions to mitigate antibiotic-related risks across human, animal, and environmental health sectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 100564"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143923023","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}
Li Zhang , Mingyu Li , Zhe Zhang , Linyan Li , Jin Yuan , Shuying Zhu , Huili Wang , Min Jia , Jianhui Ruan , Lingyun Pang , Yingying Gu , Shu Ye , Xiaojun Chen , Lirong Zhang , Bofeng Cai , Jinnan Wang
{"title":"Aligning regional carbon neutrality pathways with national climate goals: An integrated analytical framework","authors":"Li Zhang , Mingyu Li , Zhe Zhang , Linyan Li , Jin Yuan , Shuying Zhu , Huili Wang , Min Jia , Jianhui Ruan , Lingyun Pang , Yingying Gu , Shu Ye , Xiaojun Chen , Lirong Zhang , Bofeng Cai , Jinnan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Under national carbon neutrality targets, energy-producing regions hold significant responsibilities for reducing emissions. Given the diverse economic, industrial, and resource profiles of these regions, tailored strategies are essential for designing regional emission pathways. Currently, a systematic analysis that simultaneously integrates broader national climate objectives and regional heterogeneity is lacking, hindering the formulation of localized roadmaps. To address this gap, we propose an integrated analytical framework combing top-down and bottom-up approaches. It considers macro-level constraints (socio-economic development) and micro-level feasibility (renewable energy potential and forest carbon sinks), incorporating diverse regional characteristics such as resource endowment, energy consumption patterns, and industrial structures. We apply this approach to an energy-producing region in central China. Our analysis highlights the need for a clean energy transition that maintains energy security and meets growing electricity demands. By 2060, wind and solar power are projected to account for 87 % of electricity generation, representing a substantial shift from the current fossil-fuel-dependent structure. Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved by optimizing the energy structure, enforcing production controls, and deploying advanced technologies across industry, transportation, and buildings. Additionally, enhancing carbon removal strategies will further support emission reduction targets. This framework demonstrates the feasibility of achieving climate objectives in fossil-fuel-dependent regions, providing strategic guidance for integrating regional traits into national decarbonization plans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 100571"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143934642","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}
Yingxin Shang , Kaishan Song , Zhidan Wen , Fengfa Lai , Ge Liu , Hui Tao , Xiangfei Yu
{"title":"Machine learning reveals distinct aquatic organic matter patterns driven by soil erosion types","authors":"Yingxin Shang , Kaishan Song , Zhidan Wen , Fengfa Lai , Ge Liu , Hui Tao , Xiangfei Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100570","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ese.2025.100570","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), characterized by unique optical properties, is an essential indicator for understanding aquatic organic matter dynamics within global carbon cycles. Soil erosion, a major source of CDOM received by lakes, transports terrestrial organic matter to water bodies, altering sources, bioavailability and molecular complexity of CDOM significantly. Yet, the spatial patterns of CDOM in lakes from different soil erosion regions are still unknown. Here, we developed a robust machine learning framework (RMSE<sub>calibration</sub> = 0.87 m<sup>-1</sup>) to estimate CDOM concentrations in lakes by integrating over 1300 <em>in situ</em> water samples with Landsat 8 OLI surface reflectance data. We then applied this model to map the spatial distribution of CDOM across lakes larger than 0.1 km<sup>2</sup> in 2020. Our analysis revealed distinct spatial patterns, with mean CDOM absorption coefficients at 355 nm of 3.73 m<sup>-1</sup> in freeze-thaw erosion regions, 6.31 m<sup>-1</sup> in wind erosion regions, and 3.72 m<sup>-1</sup> in hydraulic erosion regions, reflecting significant variations driven by erosion intensity. Two axes of PCA analysis explained over 48 % variations of CDOM for different soil erosion types. Chemical characterization indicated that polycyclic aromatic predominated in wind and hydraulic erosion regions, whereas freeze-thaw erosion regions exhibited higher proportions of peptides and unsaturated aliphatic compounds. This study highlights the crucial connection between terrestrial soil erosion processes and aquatic DOM composition, providing vital insights for evaluating global carbon cycling and carbon storage within inland ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 100570"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144071757","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}