Water Research最新文献

{"title":"Cu(BTC)-(TMIB)-PAN membrane as an Innovative Method for Pathogen Disinfection and Pharmaceutical Degradation: study of viability in Flow Systems","authors":"Alba Giráldez, Aida M. Díez, Marta Pazos, M. Ángeles Sanromán","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124747","url":null,"abstract":"Nowadays, water quality is increasingly at risk due to human activities, climate change and the emergence of new pollutants, including pharmaceuticals and pathogens. Advanced oxidation processes, particularly those involving peroxymonosulphate (PMS) activation by heterogeneous catalyst have garnered significant attention from the scientific community. In this context, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have demonstrated considerable potential as catalysts for PMS activation. In this research, a copper-based MOF, Cu(BTC)-(TMIB), was successfully synthesized using 1,3,5-Tris(1H-imidazol-1-yl)methylbenzene (TMIB) and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) as ligands. Novel use of Cu(BTC)-(TMIB) as a PMS catalyst shows strong activity and efficient sulphate radical generation. To enhance stability and operational control in continuous water treatment processes, Cu(BTC)-(TMIB) was immobilized onto polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibre membranes via electrospinning. Membrane performance was validated in both batch and continuous flow systems. In batch experiments, the 3%Cu(BTC)-(TMIB)-9%PAN membrane achieved the required pathogen inactivation in 15 minutes, complete destruction of clozapine in less than 1 hour and complete antipyrine removal in less than 24 hours. Under continuous flow conditions, the system operated stably for 216 hours, performing 36 cycles with a constant and high-efficient pathogen and contaminant removal.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255021","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":"Interfacial electron redistribution allows advanced phosphate adsorption in Zn/La-loaded magnetic mesoporous nanospheres","authors":"Fanglin He, Ming Chang, Chaohai Wei, Feng Qian, Xuhan Deng, Guanglei Qiu","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124753","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124753","url":null,"abstract":"A core-shell structured Zn/La magnetic mesoporous silica (denoted as Zn/La-MMS) composite we successfully constructed via etching and co-deposition techniques, achieving exceptionally efficient adsorption of phosphate. At an optimized Zn/La ratio of 0.5 (i.e., Zn/La-0.5 MMS), the composite exhibited an ordered mesoporous structure and superior adsorption performance with a maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of 140.9 mg P/g (15-fold higher than the pristine MMS). High adsorption performance was achieved across a broad pH range of 3 to 11 and in the presence of substantial amounts of co-existing ions/substances (Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, HCO₃⁻, and humic acid at concentrations 20-50 times that of the PO₄³⁻-P concentration). After five adsorption-regeneration cycles, 79% adsorption capacity remained with material recovery rates >95% via magnetic separation. A bimetallic synergistic mechanism was revealed via X-ray absorption fine-structure characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The electronegativity difference between La and Zn induces interfacial electron redistribution, driving electron back-donation from the La/Zn-O hybridized orbitals to the O 2p antibonding orbitals of HPO₄²⁻, forming stable covalent coordination bonds (La-O-P/Zn-O-P), which allowed the exceptionally high and efficient adsorption of phosphate. This phenomenon is expected to have important implications for the development of novel adsorption materials for advanced removal of phosphate.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145247673","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":"Nanoscale zero-valent iron coupled with microorganisms enhances the removal of organochlorine pesticides in groundwater: Insights from the role of cascading effects and horizontal gene transfer","authors":"Yongxu Jin, Juan Ping, Xiaojuan Huang, Jianqi Dai, Xiang Wang, Shijie Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124745","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124745","url":null,"abstract":"Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVIs) represent a promising approach for the remediation of organic chlorine-contaminated groundwater. However, the interaction between nZVIs and indigenous dechlorinating microorganisms is complex, which may have unpredictable effects on the dechlorination of organic chlorine, necessitating further investigation. In this study, we investigated an abandoned pesticide factory in southwest China, combined with microcosm experiment to reconstruct the metabolic pathway of biological dechlorination, and quantified the functional contribution of dechlorination genes and microorganisms. The results showed that the combined treatment of nZVIs and microorganisms significantly enhanced the degradation efficiency of HCHs, DDTs, and their six isomers, achieving removal rates of up to 99% for HCHs and 87.73% for DDTs. The concentrations of Cl⁻ and Fe²⁺ had a direct positive effect on the enrichment of microbial communities harboring HCHs degradation genes. Haloalkane dehalogenase encoded by the <em>dhaA</em> gene was identified as a key enzyme in the degradation of β-HCH precursors, which not only promoted the growth of facultative dehalogenators (particularly <em>Acidovorax</em> and <em>Methyloversatilis</em>) but also enhanced overall dechlorination activity. Importantly, we successfully reconstructed 7 near-complete bacterial metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) carrying the <em>dhaA</em> gene, representing taxonomically diverse novel dechlorinating microorganisms. Additionally, nZVIs significantly increased the abundance of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), with 17 MGEs detected within scaffolds harboring <em>dhaA</em> in the 7 MAGs. Integrases and transposases were identified as key drivers facilitating the spread of <em>dhaA</em>. This finding was supported by the shift of <em>dhaA</em>-harboring hosts, and by the incongruent evolutionary patterns observed between the genome-based tree and the <em>dhaA</em> protein phylogenetic tree. To be specific, cascading effects and horizontal gene transfer synergistically promoted the proliferation of dechlorinating microbes, providing novel strategies for managing and remediating organic chlorine-contaminated ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"159 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255390","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":"Engineering self-rebound catalytic membranes for efficient high-viscosity oily wastewater purification and emerging contaminants removal","authors":"Haoyang Wang, Xinyu Wang, Yafei Yu, Bhekie B. Mamba, Xu Jiang, Xiaobin Yang, Lu Shao","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124750","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124750","url":null,"abstract":"Separation membranes with high antifouling and self-cleaning capabilities are vital for long-term operation during practical high-viscosity fluid purification. Herein, we report an oil-rebound catalytic self-cleaning membrane constructed via a synergistic in situ reduction–coordination synthesis strategy. A hydrogen-bonded hydrogel of tea polyphenol/polyvinylpyrrolidone reduces and coordinates silver ions into an ultrathin hydrated Ag nanocoating at the membrane interface, providing a facile and robust route for directional nanoparticle loading. The membrane exhibited ultrahigh permeance for isooctane-in-water emulsion (&gt;8800 L·m^-2·h^-1·bar^-1) and remarkable antifouling stability (&gt;99.9% rejection over multiple cycles, apart from ethanol and pH = 1 acid). When processing challenging emulsified high-viscosity oily wastewater, the engineered superwetting interface prevents oil adhesion due to a unique oil-rebound antifouling mechanism, maintaining consistently high permeance (&gt;1000 L·m^-2·h^-1·bar^-1 over 1 h). Notably, even under severe fouling conditions, the membrane maintains excellent regenerability, achieving 99.8% permeance recovery through efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-activated catalytic cleaning towards various contaminants. This work demonstrates a facile biomimetic design strategy for advanced membranes in challenging separation scenarios.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145247254","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":"Functional Microbial Communities in the Hydrolysis-Acidogenesis Stage Promote Sludge Viral Inactivation under Anaerobic Digestion","authors":"Jing Ai, Yuxi Zong, Xiaoyin Yang, Lanfeng Li, Hao Zhou, Sainan Peng, Hang He, Weijun Zhang, Chengzhi Hu, Qilin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124751","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124751","url":null,"abstract":"The sludge produced in biological wastewater treatment enriches enormous viruses, and the pathogens inactivation is vitally important for protecting public and ecosystem health. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an ideal bio-stabilization technology to reduce sludge volume and convert nutrients into valuable products, but the compositional variation and host-connections of viruses in sludge during AD process remains poorly explored. Herein, we reported differences in the viral and bacterial microbiomes of sludge subjected to three stages of hydrolysis, acidogenesis and methanogenesis in AD system. As results, the dominant identified viromes phylum associated with animal/plant as hosts were <em>Nucleocytoviricota, Pisuviricota</em> and <em>Preplasmiviricota</em> excepted for phages in AD system; and the metatranscriptome combined with key species-virus activity correlation analysis revealed these viral community inactivation was positively correlated to phyla of <em>Bacillota, Actinobacteria Bacteroidetes</em> and <em>Proteobacteria</em>. Thus, the enzymes of cellulase, proteases and lipases were possible key factors in viral inactivation, which would be increased by secreting of <em>Bacillota</em> and <em>Actinomycetota</em> in hydrolysis-acidogenesis stages, leading to higher virus inactivation via membrane proteins destruction; while enhanced activities of methanogens communities in methanogenesis stage completed and suppressed the <em>Bacillota</em> activities, resulted in viral genes replication and higher residual viral abundance in sludge. These findings gave more insights of relationships between functional microbiome and viral survival in sludge of AD process, and provided important scientific guidance in regulating microbial community structure of AD system to ensure the safe management of sludge in pandemic emergencies.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145247256","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":"Hydrochemical evolution and salinization dynamics in Lake Chaiwopu Basin (Arid NW China): Insights from multi-tracer and geochemical modeling","authors":"Qi Li, Aihua Long, Wei Luo, Yuchuan Guo, Yang Liu, Zhirui Wang, Haoxiang Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124742","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124742","url":null,"abstract":"Terminal lakes in arid northwestern China, such as Lake Chaiwopu, are facing increasing salinization driven by climate change and intensive groundwater exploitation. This study integrates hydrochemical observations, stable isotope analysis (δD, δ¹⁸O), and pH-Redox-Equilibrium-C (PHREEQC) modeling to investigate the mechanisms of salinity accumulation from 2008 to 2023. Total dissolved solids (TDS) in lake water increased from 4,475 mg/L in 2008 to 21,500 mg/L in 2023, with notable seasonal variation (e.g., TDS increased from 8.8 to 19.1 g/L in summer 2023). Groundwater TDS also rose significantly from 262 mg/L in 2008 to 568 mg/L in 2023, alongside substantial increases in Na⁺ (from 216.1 to 498.9 mg/L) and Cl⁻ (from 122.5 to 295.5 mg/L), with variation coefficients exceeding 200%. Isotopic enrichment in lake water (δ¹⁸O up to 1.6‰) and a reduced slope of the local meteoric water line (from 6.86 to 5.83) indicate intensified evaporation. From 2018 to 2022, groundwater abstraction increased nearly fourfold, lowering the water table by ∼3 m and reducing subsurface inflows, further exacerbating salinization. Geochemical modeling reveals that evaporite dissolution (gypsum: 6.71 mmol/L; halite: 4.02 mmol/L) and cation exchange (9.83 mmol/L Na⁺ released, 4.91 mmol/L Ca²⁺ adsorbed) are key processes, contributing to the shift from Ca-HCO₃ to Na-Cl/SO₄ hydrochemical facies. These findings highlight the combined role of hydroclimatic factors and human-induced flow path modifications in accelerating lake salinization. This study provides valuable insights for the development of basin-wide water management strategies aimed at mitigating salinization and preserving terminal lake ecosystems in arid regions.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"86 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145247255","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":"A novel flexible branch-pinecone nanostructured UiO-66-MCA composite nanofiber membrane with bacteriostatic property for effective removal of salicylic acid","authors":"Yue Li ,&nbsp;Jie Wang ,&nbsp;Ping Lin ,&nbsp;Shushu Jia ,&nbsp;Lijuan Li ,&nbsp;Yongxin Li ,&nbsp;Ce Wang ,&nbsp;Xiang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124740","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124740","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) pose significant ecological risks due to their widespread occurrence, persistence, and potential to disrupt microbial ecosystems. Conventional adsorbents often suffer from limited adsorption capacity, bacterial fouling, and poor reusability, necessitating the development of advanced multifunctional materials. Herein, we present a novel flexible branch-pinecone nanostructured UiO-66-MCA composite nanofiber membrane (UMNM) engineered through a combination of electrospinning and self-assembly process, where pinecone-like MCA structures grow on UiO-66 wrapped nanofibers. This distinctive hierarchical architecture synergistically enhances PPCPs adsorption and antibacterial properties. The UMNM demonstrates exceptional adsorption performance for salicylic acid (SA), achieving a capacity of 154.21 mg/g, with kinetics and isotherms following the pseudo-second-order and Freundlich models, respectively. Notably, the membrane maintains robust adsorption under complex wastewater conditions, exhibiting excellent regeneration and anti-interference capabilities. In dynamic filtration tests, the UMNM removes 80.89 % of SA from raw sewage while reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 149.17 mg/L to 48.48 mg/L, meeting wastewater discharge standards. Furthermore, the UMNM achieves bacteriostatic rates of 72.20 % against <em>Escherichia coli</em> (<em>E. coli</em>) and 84.58 % against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (<em>S. aureus</em>), mitigating biofouling risks. This study presents an innovative MOFs-HOFs composite membrane that integrates multifunctional PPCPs removal, bacteriostatic activity, and real-world wastewater applicability, offering a breakthrough solution for emerging aquatic contaminants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"288 ","pages":"Article 124740"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145234958","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":"Evaluation of response measures for water cutoffs using pressure driven analysis simulations","authors":"Stanley Madziyire ,&nbsp;Jacqueline Stagner ,&nbsp;Rupp Carriveau ,&nbsp;Nihar Biswas ,&nbsp;Katelynn Johnson ,&nbsp;Aaron Fisk","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124737","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124737","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water distribution network (WDN) research rarely explores the effects of response measure configurations for water cutoffs. Furthermore, the research that does explore cutoff response measures quantifies performance with resilience metrics that are often difficult for water utilities to apply in operation. These factors hinder the subsequent exploration of tools that water utilities can use to find solutions for resilient water networks. Failure to address resilience in a WDN can lead to prolonged periods of water supply emergencies after failure events such as source-water contamination. Water supply emergencies are critical problems because they affect the welfare of communities and commercial operations. Thus, it is important for water utilities to have response measures that maintain adequate supply while full operation of the WDN is restored. This study analyzes the network-wide impact of response measures on a benchmark WDN undergoing a water cutoff scenario. Simulation is performed until supply is exhausted to explore the effect of the measures under pressure deficient conditions. The findings in this paper present a methodology that can be used to analyze response measures and aid water utilities in mitigation planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"288 ","pages":"Article 124737"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145234957","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":"Vegetation cover affects the response of greenhouse gas emissions to microplastics in a coastal wetland","authors":"Feifei Yan, Zihao Wang, Caijie Zhang, Ling Zhang, Zhikai Wang, Chunguang Che, Yuchi Xia, Jing Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124743","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124743","url":null,"abstract":"Microplastics (MPs) pollution in coastal wetlands has become a major environmental concern. Most studies examining the effects of MPs on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in these ecosystems have been limited to laboratory-based incubations. Here, we conducted field-based in situ incubation experiments to explore spatiotemporal patterns of GHG emissions under varying levels of MPs and evaluate the regulatory effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM), microbial communities, and vegetation cover. MPs exposure significantly increased GHG emissions (global warming potential, GWP: +107.46%) by restructuring microbial networks, enriching key functional microbial taxa, and reducing the bioavailability of DOM while enhancing its electron transfer capacity (<em>p&lt;</em>0.05). Biodegradable MPs stimulated GHG emissions more than traditional MPs (GWP: 155.87% vs. 71.16%), primarily due to the additional organic carbon substrates they provide and their priming effect on microbial metabolism. Vegetation cover altered the direction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission responses, increased methane emissions, and affected the mechanistic pathways of nitrous oxide production. Moreover, MPs contributed up to 1.16 Tg of CO₂-equivalent carbon emissions annually in China’s coastal wetlands, potentially reducing their carbon sequestration capacity by as much as 15.32% (∼0.12% MPs scenarios). This poses a significant threat to the carbon sink function of blue carbon ecosystems. MPs altered GHG emissions by mediating interactions between DOM chemical diversity and microbial structure and function, and vegetation cover affected the response of GHG emissions to MPs. These findings clarify the effects of MPs pollution on GHG emissions in coastal wetland environments.","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145234956","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":"Source-specific quantification of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter in sludge liquor using δ13C-labeled sludge and isotopic fingerprinting under varying conditioning treatments","authors":"Zeshan Arshad ,&nbsp;Rabia Zafar ,&nbsp;Min-Seob Kim ,&nbsp;Yun Kyung Lee ,&nbsp;Hongping He ,&nbsp;Jin Hur","doi":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124735","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.watres.2025.124735","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as persistent pollutants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), accumulating in sludge and releasing microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter (MP-DOM) during sludge processing. This study presents the first source-specific quantification of MP-DOM in sludge liquor using ¹³C-labeled sludge and a stable carbon isotope tracing approach. Aerobic digestion experiments with ¹³C-labeled activated sludge, with and without polyethylene (PE) MPs, were conducted, followed by sludge conditioning treatments (Fenton oxidation, hydrothermal, and KMnO₄ oxidation). MP addition significantly increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release and shifted DOM quality toward more labile, protein-like fractions. Stable isotope analysis showed slower ¹³C depletion in the biomass and delayed ¹³C enrichment in the liquid phase of MP-amended systems compared to control, suggesting a possible retarding effect of MPs on microbial carbon turnover. Using a two-end-member isotope mixing model, MP-DOM was found to contribute 11.5 % of DOC in untreated sludge liquor, 19.4 % under Fenton oxidation, 13.5 % under KMnO₄ oxidation, and 5.6 % under hydrothermal treatment. These results suggest that oxidative treatments, particularly Fenton, promote MP-DOM mobilization, while hydrothermal treatment primarily enhances biomass-derived DOM release. Conventional techniques using optical and molecular weight measurements captured overall DOM transformation but lacked source specificity. This study demonstrates the utility of isotope-based source apportionment for identifying hidden contributions of MPs to sludge liquor DOM and underscores the implications for treatment performance, carbon cycling, and sludge reuse strategies in WWTPs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":443,"journal":{"name":"Water Research","volume":"288 ","pages":"Article 124735"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145229404","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}