{"title":"Pioneer phytoremediation of highly acidic mineral soil: O-glycoside components of rhizosphere exudates inhibit Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans","authors":"Xin Li, Zao Yang, Bin Dong, Zu-xin Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140150","url":null,"abstract":"Acid mine drainage (AMD) remains a critical environmental challenge worldwide, primarily driven by acidophilic microorganisms such as <em>Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</em>. Traditional remediation methods, including lime neutralization and topsoil covering, often have limited effectiveness. A 180-day incubation trial using highly acidic mineral soil and a subsequent 90-day plant cultivation experiment was conducted to investigate the inhibitory mechanisms of key root-secreted compounds against <em>A. ferrooxidans.</em> The results demonstrated that the compost–biogas slurry amendment significantly elevated soil pH, nutrient availability, and enzymatic activities in the highly acidic mineral soil. The introduction of <em>Hylotelephium erythrostictum</em> (Miq.) H. Ohba further improved soil physicochemical properties, leading to a marked reduction in acid-producing bacteria, particularly members of <em>A. ferrooxidans,</em> while concurrently promoting beneficial microbial communities. Moreover, the amendment enhanced the release of rhizosphere exudates, notably O-glycosides and terpenoids. Among them, arbutin—an O-glycoside compound—was identified through pure culture assays and microscopic observations as a potent inhibitor of <em>A. ferrooxidans</em>. Arbutin suppressed bacterial growth and Fe²⁺ oxidation activity and disrupted cellular integrity. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that arbutin binds to critical membrane-associated proteins of <em>A. ferrooxidans</em> (Cyc2B, Cyc2, and Omp40), resulting in significant reductions in α-helical content and destabilization of hydrophobic domains, thereby impairing catalytic functionality. These findings highlight O-glycosides as key antimicrobial constituents within the polyphenolic exudates of <em>Hylotelephium erythrostictum</em> (Miq.) H. Ohba. Overall, the combined use of compost–biogas slurry amendment and pioneer plant cultivation present an effective and sustainable strategy for the remediation of highly acidic mine soils, offering valuable insights for future ecological management of AMD-affected sites.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"93 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hydroxylation-mediated acesulfame degradation within a methane-fed biofilm: a novel and efficient biodegradation route","authors":"Wenkang Lu, Shengjie Sun, Qingqing Wang, Ziqi Wang, Yong-Ze Lu, Jianhua Guo, He-Ping Zhao, Chun-Yu Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140152","url":null,"abstract":"Acesulfame (ACE), a persistent organic pollutant, is frequently detected across diverse aquatic environments, yet its environmental remediation remains challenging due to the inherently slow biodegradation. Here, we unveil a highly efficient ACE removal strategy using a methane-fed biofilm, achieving degradation rates nearly six times higher than those of conventional activated sludge systems. Comprehensive analyses of transformation products (TPs) and toxicity profiles revealed that hydroxylation emerged as an important and effective biodegradation pathway, promoting deep ACE degradation. Microbial community analysis, methane interruption experiments and pure culture studies implicated aerobic methanotrophs <em>Methylococcus</em> sp. and <em>Methylomonas</em> sp. as key players in ACE degradation. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses demonstrated that these methanotrophs exhibited high expression levels of particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP450) genes within the biofilm community. Enzyme inhibition assays, combined with TP profiling, confirmed that pMMO and CYP450 catalyze the hydroxylation-driven degradation of ACE. Scavenging experiments further suggested that hydroxyl radicals (•OH) generated through the catalytic activity of pMMO and CYP450 are crucial mediators in the ACE hydroxylation pathway. These findings provide the first evidence of hydroxylation-mediated ACE degradation in a methane-fed biofilm system, offering a promising and sustainable approach for the removal of recalcitrant organic contaminants from wastewater.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"198 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pollen Exposure and Mild Allergy: A Multi-City Study in China","authors":"Shihan Zhen, Zhouxin Yin, Jiahao Duan, Qian Li, Haolong Pei, Qingyao Wu, Qian Li, Yanhui Zhang, Haijian Zhang, Naiyue Chen, Fengchao Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140122","url":null,"abstract":"Pollen exposure is a key trigger for allergic diseases, yet limited monitoring and mild symptoms hinder conventional surveillance from capturing its immediate impact. This study used social media data to explore real-time links between pollen exposure and allergy-related posts in 25 mainland Chinese cities from May 2022 to December 2023. Pollen levels were obtained from monitoring data, and daily allergy-related posts on Weibo were collected via a two-stage crawling method and classified with machine learning. City-specific effects were estimated using generalized linear models, and pooled via meta-regression. The average daily pollen concentration was 127.66 grains/10³ mm². Each 10 grains/10³ mm² increase in pollen was associated with a 0.3% (RR: 1.003; 95% CI: 1.002, 1.004) higher risk of allergies. The strongest associations were observed for upper respiratory tract symptoms (RR: 1.010; 95% CI: 1.007, 1.014), followed by lower respiratory tract symptoms (RR: 1.004; 95% CI: 0.999, 1.009) and dermatologic symptoms (RR: 1.001; 95% CI: 1.000, 1.002). Effects declined over longer lag periods and were strongest in northern cities and during autumn peaks. By integrating social media and environmental data, this study provides timely evidence of pollen’s short-term impacts, highlighting the need for region- and season-specific public health strategies.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"102 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145314821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reducing nitrate into ammonium by Fe0-phenolic network with spatiotemporal proton delivery for food sustainability","authors":"Tingting Gou, Xiu He, Junyong Pan, Mingyao Wang, Yajing Zhang, Yue Wu, Xiaoling Wang, Junling Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140153","url":null,"abstract":"The excessive discharge of nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>) from agricultural and industrial activities disrupts global nitrogen cycles and threatens environmental security, yet conventional remediation methods often fail to reconcile efficient NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> removal with sustainable resource recovery. Herein, we design a Fe<sup>0</sup>-phenolic network anchored on wood fibers (GaFe<sup>0</sup>-WF) to convert NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> into agriculturally valuable ammonium (NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>) in fixed-bed column. For the GaFe<sup>0</sup>-WF, the natural polyphenol is introduced to stabilize zero-valent iron (Fe<sup>0</sup>) nanoparticles on the surface of residual wood fibers, and spatiotemporally control H<sup>+</sup> ions release for driving 8-electron reduction of NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> into NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>. Meanwhile, the hierarchical architecture of wood fiber ensures efficient mass transfer. Thus, the GaFe<sup>0</sup>-WF achieves complete NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>-N removal (concentration ≤10 mg L<sup>–1</sup>) with high NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-N selectivity (>70 %), outperforming traditional nanoscale Fe<sup>0</sup> by suppressing intermediates formation. The removal performance for real-world water samples from the Yangtze River, Jialing River, Minjiang River, and Jinsha River confirms its potential in large scale processing systems. Moreover, barley irrigated with NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-containing water reduced by GaFe<sup>0</sup>-WF exhibits enhanced growth. This work advances sustainable development by synergizing wastewater transformation with fertilizer production, offering a critical closed-loop nutrient management for sustainable agroecosystems.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"101 1","pages":"140153"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145314822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Automated analysis of effluents from nuclear facilities for 55Fe and 63Ni","authors":"Kesheng Hu, Junqiang Yang, Haolin Zhou, Beijia Chang, Keliang Shi, Xiaolin Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140156","url":null,"abstract":"Anthropogenic <sup>55</sup>Fe and <sup>63</sup>Ni are key radionuclides in liquid effluents from nuclear facilities and are of great concern for environmental radiological impact assessment. While various analytical methods have been reported, they rely on manual operations, making them time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unsuitable for on-line or in-situ monitoring. This study presents a fully automated sequential-injection system that integrates precipitation pretreatment, dual-column chromatographic separation, and liquid scintillation detection, enabling rapid and in-situ analysis of <sup>55</sup>Fe and <sup>63</sup>Ni in nuclear effluents. The system incorporates programmable control algorithms to optimize parameters such as carrier volume, flow rate, and eluent concentration. It achieves high chemical yields—96% ± 3% for <sup>55</sup>Fe and 92% ± 4% for <sup>63</sup>Ni—with low analytical uncertainties (below 6% and 7%, 2σ). The system effectively eliminates matrix interferences, maintains robust performance under varied flow conditions, and enables fully automated processing of 1<!-- --> <!-- -->L samples within 50<!-- --> <!-- -->minutes. Compared to conventional manual methods, it significantly improves efficiency and reduces radiation exposure. This work demonstrates a promising platform for real-time radiological monitoring of effluents from nuclear facilities and is adaptable for other radionuclide analysis scenarios.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Potential Biosafety Risks of Synthetic Biology Microorganism Leakage in Industry Settings to Drinking Water: A Review","authors":"Xuejing Huang, Xiaohui Bai","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140169","url":null,"abstract":"The rapid development of synthetic biology has brought enormous economic benefits. Synthetic biology enterprises are globally distributed, with major hubs in the United States, Europe and China. The purpose of synthetic biology is to construct higher-yielding strains. Many well-characterized synthetic biology chassis are widely used in metabolic engineering and scaled for industrial production. However, high-concentration bioproducts exhibit microbial toxicity during production, inhibiting microbial growth and reducing productivity. To increase yields and titers, synthetic biology has been widely applied to enhance microbial tolerance to bioproducts through membrane engineering, stress response engineering and transcription factor engineering. However, like many emerging innovations, opportunities coexist with neglected risks. Synthetic biology microorganisms (SynBioMs) can enter natural water environments via wastewater discharge. Molecular engineering methods enhancing microbial tolerance to bioproducts may concurrently increase disinfectant resistance and enable evasion of water treatment processes, posing threats to drinking water biosafety. What’s more, the leaked industrial high-yield SynBioMs may exploit limited carbon sources in drinking water to produce bioproducts. Researchers are actively developing biocontainment strategies to prevent their dispersal in natural ecosystems, such as auxotrophy and genetic circuits. However, there are no relevant regulations mandating the addition of containment strategies for SynBioMs. Efforts to advance the synthetic biology economy and the development of leakage control strategies must proceed in tandem.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306172","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}
Shanyi Tian, Xun Wang, Joeri Kaal, Sihua Zhu, Jitao Lv, Yongguang Yin, Jiang Liu, Jianbo Shi, Dengjiang Li, Dehui Yu, Ronghuan Ye, Tao Jiang, Dingyong Wang
{"title":"Elevation-Dependent Soil Organic Matter Persistence and Molecular Traits Influence Mercury Storage in Timberline Ecotones","authors":"Shanyi Tian, Xun Wang, Joeri Kaal, Sihua Zhu, Jitao Lv, Yongguang Yin, Jiang Liu, Jianbo Shi, Dengjiang Li, Dehui Yu, Ronghuan Ye, Tao Jiang, Dingyong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140155","url":null,"abstract":"Alpine timberline ecotones are climatically sensitive transition zones, where small but persistent variations in temperature can markedly affect soil organic matter (SOM) composition, persistence, and the retention of pollutants such as mercury (Hg). While SOM-Hg interactions have been extensively studied in different ecosystems, the molecular-level mechanisms governing these relationships in high-elevation timberline ecotones remain unclear. Here, we investigated SOM molecular composition, persistence, and soil Hg content in the lower (LT) and upper (UT) timberline of Mt. Gongga, China. We applied pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py–GC–MS) to characterize SOM molecular components, calculated a persistence index (PI) using the multifunctionality method from 18 SOM persistence-related properties to quantify resistance to decomposition, and measured total Hg concentrations using cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The significantly higher carbohydrates and lignin at LT indicate higher incorporation of fresh plant inputs than at UT. In contrast, the predominance of aliphatic SOM at UT suggested enhanced microbial processing. The significantly higher PI at LT indicated greater SOM persistence in this zone. Interestingly, SOM-Hg coupling was stronger at UT, even though total Hg levels were higher at LT, suggesting less effective Hg retention at LT. These findings indicate that LT serves as a key zone for carbon and Hg storage, whereas UT exhibits stronger SOM-Hg associations. With projected upward timberline migration under global warming, alpine soils may sequester more carbon and Hg, but weakened SOM-Hg coupling could increase Hg mobilization risks. These findings advance the understanding of SOM-Hg interactions by integrating molecular composition and persistence metrics into natural climate gradient studies, providing a novel framework for predicting Hg mobility risks under timberline migration driven by global warming.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306140","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}
Ru Wang, Yang Song, Yinglin Guo, Nan Ge, Xiaomeng Wang, Lixiang Zhou, Guanyu Zheng
{"title":"Schwertmannite maintains effective stabilization of arsenic in flooded paddy soil: Insights from a two-season rice experiment and underlying mechanisms","authors":"Ru Wang, Yang Song, Yinglin Guo, Nan Ge, Xiaomeng Wang, Lixiang Zhou, Guanyu Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140154","url":null,"abstract":"Rice (<em>Oryza sativa</em> L.) tends to accumulate elevated levels of arsenic (As) in grain, threatening food safety and human health. Schwertmannite (Sch), with its high As adsorption capacity, has been suggested as a potential soil amendment to mitigate As accumulation in paddy soils. However, due to the metastable state of schwertmannite and the high iron reduction potential of paddy soil, it remains unclear whether schwertmannite can maintain a persistent stabilizing effect on As, as well as the underlying mechanisms of such stabilization. In this study, two-season pot experiments with rice were conducted to evaluate the potential of one-time application of schwertmannite for sustainable remediation of As-contaminated paddy soil, and the mechanism underlying its persistent retention of soil As was further investigated under laboratory conditions. It was found that, compared with the corresponding control, the application of 0.5-1% (w/w) schwertmannite reduced As accumulation in grains by 60.1–62.5% in the first growing season and by 27.0–28.9% in the second season. On the one hand, secondary minerals maintained a certain adsorption capacity for As (8.85-16.08<!-- --> <!-- -->mg/g), thus continuously immobilizing As. On the other hand, the formation of a considerable amount of residual As (90.0-98.8%) on schwertmannite or secondary minerals enhanced the ability of solid minerals to stably retain As, thereby reducing the risk of As re-release. In addition, secondary minerals did not undergo phase transformation in a reducing environment, which was beneficial for maintaining the mineral structure and the stable presence of residual As in the solid mineral structure. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms by which schwertmannite effectively immobilizes As in two-season rice cultivation, and hold important implications for its practical application in the remediation of arsenic-contaminated paddy soils.<h3>Data availability</h3>Data will be made available on request.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Artificial irrigation modulates heavy metal dynamics and risks in lowland agricultural ponds","authors":"Shan Luo, Haijian Bing, Jiacong Huang, Guangju Zhao, Yulai Ji, Jing Zhang, Ling Liu, Zehua Huang, Junfeng Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140159","url":null,"abstract":"Heavy metals (HMs) in aquatic ecosystems threaten environmental and public health, highlighting the urgent need for high-resolution, dynamic risk assessments. However, conventional methods are constrained by sparse monitoring data of HM concentrations and limited capacity to capture the cause-effect relationship between HM dynamics and environmental conditions. To address this gap, we developed a machine learning framework that integrates Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) analysis to describe daily dynamic of HM concentrations and risks, and to quantify environmental effects by incorporating dynamic coefficients. The framework was applied to a lowland agricultural pond during 2016-2019, and achieved robust performance (<em>R</em>²>0.69 during both training and testing periods) using random forest algorithm. Both simulated and observed data revealed an increasing trend during the study period, with seasonal peaks of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in summer or autumn. Our analysis revealed diverse thresholds and interaction patterns of environmental factors governing HM enrichment, ranging from unidirectional (positive/negative) to bidirectional (U-shaped/inverted U-shaped) relationships, with artificial irrigation as the key driver. Daily risk assessments showed substantial temporal variability, with risk levels of low, moderate, considerable, and high accounting for 19%, 50%, 29%, and 2% of the study period, respectively. Notably, overall HM risk was driven predominantly by human carcinogenic risks, which remained present even at levels compliant with water quality guidelines. This study demonstrated the value of the proposed framework in enabling fine-scale risk assessment and improving mechanistic understanding, thereby offering practical benefits for heavy metal (HM) risk control in water management.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"77 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306092","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}
Hongyu Tian, Jianwei Liu, Yunping Han, Shouliang Yi
{"title":"Adaptive Resistance and Defense Evolution in Microplastics-Mediated Biological Exposure Interfaces in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems","authors":"Hongyu Tian, Jianwei Liu, Yunping Han, Shouliang Yi","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140105","url":null,"abstract":"To test the hypothesis that microplastic (MP)-mediated BXI triggers quorum sensing (QS)-driven resistance evolution, we established a multilevel mechanism: interface biological exposure → structural/functional changes → functional gene enhancement → QS activation → resistance/defense evolution. The results confirm that three MP (PET, PE, and PP)-mediated biological exposures induce the overexpression of genes encoding extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), stabilize microbial aggregates (proteins/enzymes), and promote BXI formation while reducing catalase/superoxide dismutase inhibition. MP exposure correlated with altered microbial communities, enriched stress resistance genera (<em>Acinetobacter</em>, <em>Nitrospira</em>, and <em>Hyphomicrobium</em>), and resulted in the formation of robust co-occurrence networks (73.53–90.67% positive correlations). Enhanced QS signaling (AI-2, DSF, and c-di-GMP) upregulated autoinducer/transporter genes, accelerating EPS synthesis and energy metabolism. MP-mediated BXI strengthens microbial resilience and nitrogen/sulfur cycle equilibrium via organic carbon degradation, nitrification–denitrification enhancement, and sulfite/thiosulfate oxidation, whereas protein–enzyme synergy improves pollutant resilience. Through signal compensation and pathway adaptation, microbial communities stabilize BXI under MP stress. These findings provide novel insights into the in situ control of MP-driven pollutant migration in MWTS.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"198 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306175","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}