International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology最新文献

{"title":"Harnessing solar photocatalysis in a continuous-flow BiOBr/GO system for sustainable pharmaceutical wastewater treatment","authors":"D. Shankar,&nbsp;D. Sivakumar,&nbsp;R. Anand,&nbsp;A. A. S. Al Alawi","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07422-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07422-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study evaluates a bismuth oxybromide/graphene oxide nanocomposite-based continuous-flow photocatalytic reactor for treating pharmaceutical wastewater by assessing key physicochemical parameters and pharmaceutical compounds under laboratory irradiation and natural solar conditions. Catalyst characterization using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis, Ultraviolet–Visible spectrophotometry diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, zeta potential, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed crystalline tetragonal bismuth oxybromide uniformly anchored on graphene oxide, with a surface area of 120 m²/g, mesoporosity, visible-light activity with a band gap of 2.7 eV, and positive surface charge of + 25 mV. Box–Behnken optimization identified an optimum hydraulic retention time of 4 h, a flow rate of 1.0 L/h, and a reactor inclination of 20°. Under indoor irradiation at 1000 W/m², removal efficiencies reached 99.0% for chemical oxygen demand, 97.0% for biochemical oxygen demand, 95.0% for total dissolved solids, and 99.8, 99.4, 98.5, 99.2, and 92.0% for ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, paracetamol, diclofenac, and carbamazepine, respectively. Outdoor solar operation achieved chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand reductions of 96.5 and 94.2%, with pharmaceutical removal above 91%. Total organic carbon mineralization exceeded 97%, toxicity units were below 0.05, and bismuth-ion leaching remained negligible over five cycles. Statistical analysis confirmed significant effects of hydraulic retention time, flow rate, and reactor inclination on removal efficiency (p &lt; 0.05) with strong model fitness (R² &gt; 0.95). These findings demonstrate that the synergistic interaction between bismuth oxybromide and graphene oxide enhances visible-light photocatalytic performance, supporting environmentally compliant and sustainable pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148871672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Photocatalytic caffeine degradation and toxicity reduction using reduced graphene oxide-modified zinc telluride","authors":"A. J. Vilvert,&nbsp;P. D. Macruz,&nbsp;R. P. Nippes,&nbsp;H. C. L. Geraldino,&nbsp;L. V. de Castro-Hoshino,&nbsp;I. R. Bautitz,&nbsp;J. C. G. Moraes","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07403-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07403-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The occurrence of emerging pollutants in aquatic matrices has raised environmental concern because of their persistence and potential toxicity. This study assessed caffeine degradation and toxicity reduction using zinc telluride functionalized with reduced graphene oxide as heterogeneous photocatalyst. The catalysts were synthesized by the wet impregnation method with excess solvent, and characterized by physicochemical and optical techniques. The results indicated zinc telluride nanoparticles distributed on the surface of reduced graphene oxide sheets, together with changes in textural and optical properties, including a lower band gap for the composites. Photocatalytic tests were performed using a mercury vapor lamp emitting ultraviolet–visible radiation, with the main emission at 365 nm. The effects of reduced graphene oxide content, catalyst loading, initial caffeine concentration, and pH variation were evaluated. Under the tested experimental conditions, the composite containing 1.0% reduced graphene oxide showed the highest degradation performance, reaching 93% caffeine degradation in 85 min. The degradation profile was best described by the half-order kinetic model. The reduced photoluminescence intensity suggests lower electron–hole recombination, although direct confirmation of reactive species requires complementary analyses. Toxicity tests indicated lower <i>Artemia salina</i> mortality and improved <i>Lactuca sativa</i> germination after treatment with the 1.0% reduced graphene oxide-modified zinc telluride catalyst. The results indicate that reduced graphene oxide incorporation can improve caffeine photodegradation and reduce toxicity under the evaluated conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13762-026-07403-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrological regime alteration and progressive degradation of Anzali Wetland in response to Caspian Sea level decline","authors":"M. Khoshravesh,&nbsp;A. Yousefi Kebriya,&nbsp;M. Nadi","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07402-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07402-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Wetlands are among the most sensitive coastal ecosystems, where water level variations rapidly induce structural and qualitative changes. This study investigated changes in water surface area, water level, and water quality of the Anzali Wetland during 2000–2025 using multi-source remote sensing data, including MODIS, Landsat 8, Jason-2, and Sentinel-6. Statistical relationships between wetland area, Caspian Sea Water Level (CWL), Tm, and Rainfall were analyzed using linear, rank-based, nonlinear, and K-means clustering approaches. The results showed that CWL declined by more than 2 m over the study period, decreasing from − 26.5 in 2000 to − 28.6 m in 2025. Concurrently, the water surface area of the Anzali Wetland decreased sharply from 38.26 to 8.27 km², indicating a loss exceeding 78% of the open water area. The most pronounced decline occurred between 2019 and 2025, coinciding with the rapid Caspian Sea level drop. A very strong statistical relationship was observed between CWL and wetland area (P = 0.97, R² = 0.94, Dc = 0.97, MI = 1.07), confirming sea-level variability as the dominant controlling factor. Tm exhibited a significant negative relationship with wetland area (P = − 0.78, R² = 0.61), whereas annual precipitation showed no meaningful influence (R² = 0.001). K-means clustering identified three hydrological regimes, demonstrating that each 0.5–1 m decline in CWL shifted the wetland from stable to critical conditions. Qualitative analysis revealed that water surface temperature increased after 2020, while turbidity and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) became widespread, indicating a severe decline in ecosystem resilience.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Photocatalytic degradation of thiamethoxam using green-synthesized zinc and nickel oxide nanoparticles","authors":"A. Iqbal,&nbsp;A. U. Haq,&nbsp;A. Alum,&nbsp;S. A. R. Naqvi,&nbsp;A. F. Zahoor","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07409-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07409-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thiamethoxam (TMX) is a widely used nicotinic pesticide. Owing to their significant leaching potential, its residues persist in the environment, causing palpitation, gastrointestinal poisoning, acute kidney injury, liver tumors, and even death. Thus, it is essential to identify effective and eco-friendly methods to degrade it. In this context, zinc oxide and nickel oxide nanoparticles were prepared using <i>Bauhinia variegata</i> leaf extract and used as cost-effective photocatalysts to degrade TMX. The impact of different input variables on their ability to optimally degrade the pesticide was evaluated using a response surface methodology–central composite design (RSM-CCD) by drawing 3D surface plots. For this purpose, 17 designed runs under dissimilar experimental conditions were generated. These experimental conditions and their corresponding response values were best fitted to a quadratic model equation. Under the optimum experimental conditions (photocatalyst dose = 20 mgL⁻¹, TMX = 50 mgL⁻¹, pH = 7 and irradiation time = 60 min) 95% and 97% TMX was degraded by zinc oxide and nickel oxide nanoparticles respectively. Overall, the present study demonstrates the effectiveness of RSM-CCD as a valuable technique for the evaluation of photocatalytic degradation of TMX pesticide.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Monitoring and prediction of LULCC through a combined MLPNN and Markov chain model in a mediterranean catchment","authors":"S. Chniba,&nbsp;M. Mosbahi,&nbsp;S. Benabdallah,&nbsp;M. Vanclooster","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07387-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07387-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Mediterranean land use and land cover (LULC) systems are highly dynamic, reflecting continuous transformations driven by anthropogenic pressures and environmental gradients. Changes in LULC represent a key indicator of environmental conditions across spatial and temporal scales. This study aims to simulate future LULC dynamics in the Mediterranean Rmel watershed located in northeastern Tunisia by integrating a multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) with a Markov chain (MC) model within the TerrSet environment. LULC maps for 2001, 2014, and 2022 were generated from Landsat imagery using supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification, yielding high Kappa coefficients (0.81, 0.85, and 0.87 respectively). Model validation, based on the comparison between the predicted 2022 map and the observed reference map, confirmed the robustness of the modeling framework (Kstandard = 0.85, Klocation = 0.93, Kno = 0.87, and quantity disagreement = 0.06), supported by class level ROC/AUC values. Future projections were developed under three scenarios: (i) a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario reflecting historical trends, (ii) a conservation scenario emphasizing cereal expansion and stabilization of olive groves, and (iii) a reforestation scenario prioritizing forest and scrubland expansion. Although subject to increasing uncertainty over time, simulated trajectories for the 2040–2070 horizon suggest that changes will affect all classes, with significant variability observed mainly in olive groves, cereal crops, forest cover, and built-up areas. While these long-term simulations represent exploratory scenarios rather than deterministic forecasts, they provide valuable decision support insights for land use planning and sustainable watershed management in the Rmel catchment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Adsorption of phenol derivatives over carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane nano-hybrid adsorbent systems for water purification: molecular dynamics simulation studies","authors":"R. M. Nodoushan,&nbsp;Z. Shariatinia,&nbsp;S. Alavi","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07397-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07397-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Phenolic compounds released from petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and dye-related industries are hazardous water pollutants due to their toxicity, persistence, and resistance to conventional treatment processes. Although carbon nanotube (CNT)-based polymer hybrid adsorbent systems have been proposed for water purification, the molecular-level role of CNT functionalization in controlling the adsorption behavior of phenolic compounds within polymer matrices such as PDMS remains insufficiently understood. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate the adsorption affinity of phenol, 2-nitrophenol, and 2,4-dinitrophenol onto the CNT/PDMS hybrid adsorbent systems containing pristine and functionalized CNTs. Effects of CNT functional groups, CNT number, water content, pollutant loading, and adsorbate structure were systematically examined using the COMPASS force field in Materials Studio package. Adsorption behavior was analyzed through varied analyses such as interaction energies, radial distribution function, mean square displacement, radius of gyration, and solubility parameters. The CNT functionalization, particularly by COOH groups, significantly enhanced pollutant–nanohybrid interactions by introducing additional polar interaction sites and hydrogen-bonding capability. The system containing two COOH-functionalized CNTs, one PDMS chain, 300 water molecules, and 10 pollutant molecules exhibited the strongest adsorption affinity under the present simulation conditions. Nitro-substituted phenols, especially 2,4-dinitrophenol, showed stronger interactions with the functionalized CNT/PDMS systems than phenol due to their higher polarity and ability to form more stable noncovalent interactions. These findings provide molecular-level insights into the design of functionalized CNT/PDMS hybrid adsorbent systems and highlight the potential of COOH-functionalized CNTs for improving the adsorption tendency of polymer-supported nanomaterials for phenolic contaminant removal from aqueous environments.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Efficient mitigation of azithromycin from aqueous media using thoroughly characterized Ni/Sr-ZnO@sodium-bentonite nanocomposite","authors":"U. T. Wusqa,&nbsp;A. Anwar,&nbsp;A. Iqbal,&nbsp;M. Imran,&nbsp;S. Hussain,&nbsp;M. Tariq,&nbsp;F. A. Khan","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07382-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07382-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the present work, the co-precipitation method was used to synthesize ZnO NPs, ZnO@Sodium-Bentonite (Na-BNT), and Ni/Sr co-doped ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposites. Their applicability as adsorbents was studied to mitigate a model- antibiotic based pollutant, Azithromycin (AZM), from aqueous media. The large surface and layered structure of BNT play a crucial role in minimizing nanoparticle agglomeration while enhancing adsorption efficiency. It exhibits several advantages in sorbent applications, including affordability, high ion-exchange potential, structural expandability and easy availability. Numerous reactions were conducted to optimize the reaction conditions to study the impact of different operational parameters such as contact time, catalyst dose, pH, drug dose, and temperature on the adsorption performance of adsorbents. Ni<b>/</b>Sr co-doped ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposite (130.890 mg/g) showed higher adsorption capacity as compared to ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposite (123.915 mg/g) and ZnO NPs (118.624 mg/g). The Raman peak intensity of Ni/Sr-ZnO@Na-BNT was higher than that of ZnO@Na-BNT, suggesting that there are more defect sites in Ni/Sr-ZnO@Na-BNT. More defect sites in adsorbents contribute to more removal of AZM from aqueous medium. Adsorption of AZM was found to be consistent with both the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model. By thermodynamics study of adsorption, spontaneous and exothermic adsorption of AZM on ZnO NPs, ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposite, and Ni<b>/</b>Sr co-doped ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposite at low temperature has been demonstrated. Mechanism of adsorption revealed that Ni<b>/</b>Sr co-doped ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposite’s surface has higher negative charges and large surface area, which showed high adsorptive removal of AZM due to BNT support and co-doping. Ni<b>/</b>Sr co-doped ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposite was promising adsorbent for mitigation of AZM from aqueous media, due to superior adsorption capability and affordable price of adsorbent, with high removal efficiency of 99.56% as compared to ZnO@Na-BNT nanocomposite (95.40%) and ZnO NPs (86.66%) at 150 min, pH = 12, temperature 298 K, catalyst dose 40 mg/L and drug dose 5 mg/L.</p><h3>Graphic abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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 review of passive and active water extraction technologies with emphasis on hydrogels","authors":"J. Estrella- Nuñez,&nbsp;J. E. E. González- Duran,&nbsp;J. M. Olivares- Ramírez,&nbsp;J. Rodríguez- Reséndiz","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07404-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07404-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is vital for addressing global water scarcity. However, existing literature lacks a unified framework that benchmarks mechanical condensation, passive collection, and advanced sorbents, failing to explain why material-level performance often decouples from system-level yield. This review addresses this critical gap by systematically analyzing studies across condensation systems–including vapor compression refrigeration (VCR), thermoelectric cooling (TEC), and radiative sky cooling (RSC)–fog collection, emerging hybrid configurations, and sorbents like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), porous materials, hygroscopic salts, and hydrogels. Our synthesis establishes key quantitative metrics: while condensation systems maximize production rates, sorption technologies thrive under a wide range of relative humidity levels. Crucially, hydrogels exhibit adsorption capacities ranging from (0.13 to 8.5 <span>(text {g g}^{-1})</span>) and high water productivities of more than 80 <span>(text {L m}^{-2}text { d}^{-1})</span>. The analysis demonstrates that high adsorption capacity does not necessarily translate into high water productivity, identifying desorption kinetics as the primary operational bottleneck. Special attention is given to hydrogel-based systems due to their tunable structures, low-temperature thermal regeneration, reduced salt leakage, and solar-driven compatibility. Finally, future research priorities are identified, including standardized testing protocols, outdoor validation, scalability assessment, and integrated water–energy–economic optimization.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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 of using iron oxides for removal of micro and nanoplastics","authors":"K. M. L. de Oliveira,&nbsp;F. H. A. Benini,&nbsp;L. S. Neiva","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07388-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07388-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Micro and nanoplastics are emerging as critical environmental pollutants amid concerns about global climate change, which, in turn, are linked to demands from international environmental protection agencies for the implementation of carbon reduction policies. In this scenario, nanoplastics represent an even greater risk due to their small size, resulting in high surface reactivity with the potential to penetrate living tissues, thus being considered a latent propagation medium for various public health problems, in addition to widespread and ubiquitous environmental pollution. In this context, this review aims to conduct a bibliographic survey on the main mitigation techniques that have been employed to mitigate this environmental problem, according to the literature, emphasizing the advantages of the magnetic nanoparticle adsorption technique based on iron oxides compared to other techniques mentioned in the literature. According to the consulted bibliography, iron oxides have stood out as promising materials for the removal of micro and nanoplastics dispersed mainly in bodies of water due to their magnetic and hydrophobic properties. Furthermore, advantages such as low production and application costs, as well as undeniable potential for industrial scalability, have sparked the interest of the scientific community in this material.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13762-026-07388-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Solar/visible lights assisted photocatalyst TiO2/ZnO/CQD: detection and degradation of levofloxacin","authors":"C.-B. Palacios-Cabrera,&nbsp;A.-J. Santiago-Cuevas,&nbsp;E.-D. Tecuapa-Flores,&nbsp;J. Narayanan,&nbsp;I. I. Padilla-Martinez,&nbsp;F. Güell,&nbsp;I. Moreno-Andrade,&nbsp;C.-A. Huerta-Aguilar,&nbsp;P. Thangarasu","doi":"10.1007/s13762-026-07362-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13762-026-07362-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Effective remediation of pollutants is challenging; although TiO₂ and ZnO have unique photocatalytic properties, large band gaps/high recombination of electron–hole pairs limit the practical use. ZnO/TiO₂ increases electron mobility, improving the above limitations. The addition of biomass CQDs increases the specific surface area and surface oxygen vacancies due to their up-conversion properties, and is expected to further enhance photocatalytic activity. So, TiO₂/ZnO-CQDs, which were prepared by dispersing TiO₂/ZnO NPs in ethanol, to which CQDs were added, were characterized using various analytical techniques. In TEM for TiO₂/ZnO/CQDs (~ 112 nm), CQDs on the TiO₂/ZnO surface form a heterojunction between ZnO (d = 3.5 Å) and TiO₂ (d = 2.81 Å). Photoluminescence intensities of TiO₂/ZnO (361–447 nm) correspond to interfacial defects that create deep oxygen vacancies and reduce radiative recombination. Thus, TiO₂/ZnO/CQDs exhibit low-intensity emissions, confirming the h⁺/e⁻ separation and consistent with electrochemical impedance, where a smaller Nyquist semicircle for TiO₂/ZnO/CQDs results, giving lower interfacial resistance as TiO₂/ZnO (2689 Ω) than for TiO₂/ZnO/CQDs (2358 Ω). The greater LEVO adsorption (k = 5.0788 × 10⁻⁵ mol/g) for TiO₂/ZnO/CQDs, as compared to individual metal oxides; so, TiO₂/ZnO/CQDs (0.5 g/L) oxidized LEVO efficiently (k = 1.30 × 10^–2 mM/s, 78.32% under sunlight; k = 6.00 × 10^–3 mM/s, 52.06% under visible light). The sample was recyclable over 10 cycles. The intermediates from LEVO oxidation were analyzed using 2D HPLC, agreeing with LC–MS and DFT. TiO₂/ZnO/CQDs against S. aureus (22.7%) and E. coli (21%) indicate their non-toxicity. This biomass-derived CQDs impacts the electronic properties of TiO₂/ZnO, offering a sustainable environmental strategy.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":589,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13762-026-07362-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}