ACS ES&T engineering最新文献

{"title":"Navigating the Carbon Landscape: The Economic and Environmental Footprint of Carbon Capture and Sequestration","authors":"Yogendra Kumar,&nbsp;Diksha Praveen Pathak,&nbsp;Jitendra Sangwai","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00002","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Carbon capture and storage (CCS) plays a critical rolein reducingCO₂ emissions from industry and the atmosphere, but conventionalcost and environmental assessments often overlook impacts across thefull life cycle, including capture, transportation, and sequestration.This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of CCS by integratingtechnical feasibility, environmental performance, and economic factors,including storage scenarios in both onshore and offshore contexts.This study highlights key metrics such as global warming potential(GWP) and energy return on investment (EROI), along with cost estimatesto assess overall effectiveness. The study finds that while some carboncapture technologies are already mature and widely deployed, carbonstorage remains at earlier stages of development, indicating the needfor further advancement to fully utilize CCS’s potential. Gashydrate-based carbon capture (HBCC) offers advantages in terms oflower cost, reduced energy consumption, and lower carbon footprint(global warming potential, GWP) compared to other capture technologies.However, its widespread adoption is currently limited by lower technologicalmaturity and challenges associated with continuous, large-scale implementation.Integrating HBCC with sequestration and combining multimodal transportsystems with circular economy principles can significantly improvethe efficiency of the CCS network and, eventually, its economic feasibility.By integrating life-cycle assessment with techno-economic and circularapproaches, methane production from natural gas hydrates (NGHs) usinghydrate-based carbon sequestration (HBCS) can reduce overall costswhile minimizing waste and enhancing resource efficiency. With advancementsin sustainable CO₂ separation, improved process efficiency,and increased technological maturity, HBCS is becoming more competitiveand can enable methane production from NGHs at economically viablecosts.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2722–2754"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149130649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy for Prediction of In Situ Phototrophic Biofilm Composition","authors":"Audrey E. Kocher,&nbsp;Maclaine K. Putney,&nbsp;Craig L. Just","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00233","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Biofilm-based algaecultivation is a compelling alternativetosuspended growth due to high productivity and a simplified harvestingprocess. However, process monitoring of attached growth systems presentsa challenge due to destructive, labor-intensive, and slow conventionalsampling and analysis. This study evaluated a potential approach toin situ monitoring: diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Visible-nearinfrared spectra were used to develop partial least squares regression(PLSR) models for the prediction of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME),volatile solids (VS), ash, and carbohydrate content in phototrophicbiofilms. Previous DRS algae studies typically used dried biomassand/or pure algal cultures, whereas this study collected spectraldata directly from wet, in situ biofilms grown on a demonstration-scalerevolving algal biofilm (RAB) system treating real wastewater. Despitethe challenging conditions of mixed-species, wet, in situ biofilms,the PLSR model for FAME achieved moderate predictive performance (NRMSE:10%; RPD: 2.3), demonstrating potential for resolving relative differencesin lipid content under similar operating conditions. Models predictingVS, ash, and carbohydrates did not achieve predictive performancesufficient for practical application (NRMSE: 13–14%; RPD: 1.1).When models were calibrated and validated using seasonally disparatedatasets (trained on summer and tested on fall, and vice versa) ratherthan the combined, mixed-season dataset, prediction accuracy declinedsharply, highlighting the influence of seasonal variability and theneed for larger, more diverse calibration datasets and periodic recalibration.These results suggest that DRS is a promising tool for non-destructivecompositional monitoring of FAME in wet phototrophic biofilms, butadditional model development and validation across broader operatingconditions are needed before reliable long-term field deployment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2804–2812"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Organic Fouling Behavior and Mitigation Strategies in Pressure-Driven Distillation","authors":"Kian P. Lopez,&nbsp;Hannah T. Cairney,&nbsp;Trisha R. Nickerson,&nbsp;Jacqueline Hall,&nbsp;Lewis C. Salveson,&nbsp;Elizabeth A. Hjelvik,&nbsp;Anthony P. Straub","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00500","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00500","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Pressure-driven distillation(PD) is a membrane-based water treatmentprocess that uses applied pressure to drive vapor transport througha porous hydrophobic membrane. PD offers potential advantages in selectivityand chemical resilience, but its performance with feedwaters containingfoulants remains poorly understood. In this study, we examine theorganic fouling behavior of PD, isolate the effect of pressure onflux decline, and explore potential fouling mitigation strategies.We find the severity of organic fouling is highly dependent on foulantproperties, with more hydrophobic humic acid causing the most severeflux decline and bovine serum albumin proteins causing moderate fouling.Sodium alginate, a hydrophilic gel-forming polysaccharide, showedthe least severe fouling despite higher surface coverage. Even aftersevere flux decline, PD membranes do not show signs of wetting ora loss of rejection. We find that the applied pressure in PD exacerbatesfouling by comparing performance in PD to osmotic distillation, anunpressurized analogous process. Finally, we evaluate two foulingmitigation strategies: cleaning with sodium hydroxide, which restoresnearly full flux, and continuous direct ozonation, which partiallysuppresses fouling. Overall, this work provides insights into organicfouling behavior in PD and demonstrates effective fouling mitigationstrategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2961–2969"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quality over Quantity: Number of Samples Required to Train Suspended Sediment Concentration Soft Sensor Models is Reduced Using Gaussian Variance Reduction via Orthogonal Matching Pursuit","authors":"Meagan M. Tobias,&nbsp;Branko Kerkez","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00220","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The deployment of soft sensors, which estimate difficult-to-measureparameters from surrogate data, is often hindered in environmentalmonitoring by the high cost of field samples and site-specific natureof model training. Even when trained at one location, scaling softsensor models to new sites requires extensive, additional retrainingefforts. This paper addresses this challenge by applying a methodologyto transfer knowledge from a transfer knowledge from a well-characterizedsoft sensor model at an existing location to guide efficient dataacquisition for suspended sediment soft sensor development at newlocations. Our approach leverages Gaussian process (GP) regression,using the information encoded in a site’s GP hyperparametersto inform sample selection. Specifically, we employ orthogonal matchingpursuit as an algorithmic mechanism for Gaussian variance reduction,selecting a minimal yet highly informative set of training samplesto maximize the new model’s performance. Evaluating this methodologyon acoustic and suspended sediment data at ten river locations usingone of two sensor types, we demonstrate its potential to reduce thenumber of samples required while achieving comparable model accuracyto regression models trained on larger data sets. We present a comparisonof active learning vs static transfer of knowledge between sites anda practical deployment implementation of this strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2792–2803"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metal (Oxy)nitride Interfaces for Environmental Gas Monitoring","authors":"Xichao Mo,&nbsp;Ji Li,&nbsp;Jiaxin Li,&nbsp;Shuming Ma,&nbsp;Minghui Yang","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00709","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00709","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Environmentalgas monitoring is moving beyond dry calibration chamberstoward measurements in humid exhaust, wastewater headspace, refrigeratedpackages, and exhaled breath. Existing sensor platforms often struggleto combine room-temperature operation, low power demand, sulfur resistance,and long-term response stability within a single device. This Perspectiveexamines metal nitride and oxynitride interfaces, which provide accessto mixed-anion coordination, tunable vacancy states, conductive nitrideframeworks, and strong metal–support interactions. Drawingon recent NO₂ and H₂S studies from our group,we trace how oxide nitridation, vacancy-engineered TiN and WN, redox-pairedTiN/SnO₂ electrodes, and Pt/nitride supports enable room-temperaturesensing while retaining functionality under high-humidity, sulfur-containing,or low-temperature conditions. These interfaces have been demonstratedin exhaust-related, wastewater, cold-chain, and breath-monitoringscenarios, highlighting the need to match interfacial chemistry withthe target matrix. We argue that metal (oxy)nitride interfaces maybecome difficult to replace in distributed sensing scenarios thatsimultaneously require room-temperature redox activity, efficientcharge transport, catalyst stabilization, and tolerance to humidity,sulfur, or low temperature.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2766–2774"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Trifluoromethanesulfonate and Sodium Percarbonate Pretreatment for Enhanced Medium-Chain Fatty Acid Recovery from Waste-Activated Sludge: Mechanisms and Microbial Insights","authors":"Ya Ji,&nbsp;Xiaofeng Luo,&nbsp;Qingyu Zhao,&nbsp;Yufen Wang,&nbsp;Tingting Zhu,&nbsp;Haiya Zhang,&nbsp;Liang Duan,&nbsp;Xueming Chen,&nbsp;Yiwen Liu","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00454","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00454","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) offer a sustainableroute forvalorizing waste-activated sludge (WAS) into higher-value products,yet their bioproduction is constrained by the rigid extracellularpolymeric substance (EPS) barrier and inefficient chain elongation(CE). Here, we develop a synergistic pretreatment strategy employing1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([Emim][OTf],a representative ionic liquid) and sodium percarbonate (SPC) to sequentiallyenhance sludge solubilization and targeted MCFA production. The maximumMCFA yield reaches 5910 mg COD/L in the combined group, 1.3-, 1.1-,and 0.7-fold higher than the control (2537 mg COD/L), [Emim][OTf]alone (2888 mg COD/L), and SPC alone (3409 mg COD/L) groups, respectively.Mechanistically, SPC acted as the primary oxidant to disrupt EPS andcell membranes, while [Emim][OTf] synergistically amplified this effect,as evidenced by enhanced protein solubilization and the progressivemineralization of organic nitrogen to ammonium. The combined pretreatmentenriched acidogens (e.g., <em>Proteiniclasticum</em>, 96.8-fold increase), CE-associated Bacillota and <em>Petrimonas</em> (1.1- and 24-fold increases), and MCFArelease-associated thioesterase-encoding genes (e.g., fluoroacetyl-CoAthioesterase, 0.5-fold increase). These findings demonstrate that[Emim][OTf] not only activates SPC-mediated sludge disintegrationbut also facilitates CE, as evidenced by a 1.7-fold increase in MCFAselectivity in model substrate tests, offering a dual-functional strategyfor the efficient recovery of MCFA from WAS.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2933–2946"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resolving N2O Dynamics in Low-DO BNR: Pilot-Scale Insights from Cyclic Aeration Operation","authors":"Bishav Bhattarai,&nbsp;Leah Pifer,&nbsp;McKenna Farmer,&nbsp;Mya de Leon,&nbsp;Leon Downing,&nbsp;Fabrizio Sabba","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00355","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00355","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Biologicalnutrient removal (BNR) processes are being increasinglydeployed to meet stringent nitrogen limits, yet energy-efficient operationcan create conditions (low dissolved oxygen and nitrite accumulation)that may elevate direct nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions.N₂O dynamics were investigated in a pilot-scale sequencingbatch reactor operated at the Hayward Water Pollution Control Facility(California) and fed with low-strength trickling filter effluent.The SBR was seeded with full-scale activated sludge and operated withcyclic aeration to promote partial nitritation–denitritation.The reactor was run through five operational phases that varied aerobicSRT (aeSRT) (4–8.2 d) and supplemental carbon dosing strategy(MicroC and synthetic fermentate). Online sensors provided high-resolutionmeasurements of dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, oxidation–reductionpotential (ORP), ammonium/nitrate (NH₄⁺/NO₃^–), and dissolved N₂O, whilegrab sampling resolved NH₄⁺, NO₂^–, and NO₃^– profiles acrossthe cycle. N₂O emission factors were inferred from dissolvedN₂O measurements rather than directly measured from off-gasemissions. Bench-scale batch assays evaluated nitrification activityunder controlled DO. Across all phases, stable nitrification was maintainedunder low-DO cyclic operation, while denitrification completenessdepended strongly on carbon availability. At a cycle-average COD:N3.6, denitrification was frequently incomplete, resulting in nitritecarryover and reduced total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal. IncreasingCOD:N to 7.9 enabled near-complete NO_<em>x</em> removal and substantially improved TIN removal. Dissolved N₂O exhibited a consistent cycle pattern: net accumulation duringanoxic stages and net depletion during aerated stages, consistentwith anoxic production/consumption coupled to loss during aeration.Carbon source, availability, and anoxic reaction time strongly influencedanoxic N₂O behavior: MicroC dosing promoted N₂O accumulation during anoxic intervals, whereas synthetic fermentatedrove rapid N₂O reduction and minimized net N₂O accumulation, particularly at higher COD:NO_<em>x</em>. While increased N₂O accumulation did occur withMicroC, higher dosing rates and/or longer anoxic hydraulic retentiontimes helped mitigate N₂O risk. These results highlightcarbon form and NO_<em>x</em>-responsive dosingas key levers to balance shortcut nitrogen removal performance withlow N₂O emissions under cyclic aeration.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2847–2858"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous Folate Supplementation Weakens Cross-Feeding and Enriches Marine Anammox Bacteria in Marine Wastewater Treatment","authors":"Hui Lv,&nbsp;Weichuan Kong,&nbsp;Yuhui Fang,&nbsp;Xiaocui Wang,&nbsp;Jin Li","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00525","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00525","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cross-feeding, defined as the exchange of metaboliteswithin themicrobiome, plays a critical role in the promotion of bacterial activityand growth. Marine anammox bacteria (MAB) possess natural advantagesfor the treatment of marine wastewater (MW). Herein, the folate-mediatedcross-feeding mechanism in MAB-based microbiome was first elucidatedunder salt stress. The total nitrogen removal rate notably reached5.2 kg/(m³·d) at the optimal exogenous folate concentration(1.1 mg/L). The stoichiometric ratios of marine anammox (ΔNO₂^––N/ΔNH₄⁺–N = 1.30, ΔNO₃^––N/ΔNH₄⁺–N = 0.24) ultimately stabilized aroundthe theoretical values with exogenous folate addition. Besides, exogenousfolate markedly enriched the relative abundance of MAB, achievinga remarkable 4.4-fold increase. A metabolic interaction network waselucidated among MAB and their symbionts. Based on metagenomic analysis,bacteria affiliated with <em>Pseudomonadota</em> and <em>Bacteroidota</em> possessed the geneticpotential to supply folate for MAB, which is involved in the Wood–Ljungdahlpathway for CO₂ fixation in anammox. In resource exchange,MAB secreted extracellular public goods to them. However, with exogenousfolate addition, this resource exchange was substantially weakened.MAB reduced the secretion of extracellular public goods for resourceexchange and reallocated more energy toward cellular growth duringthe metabolic exchange interactions. This weakened cross-feeding interactionwas further supported by a marked decrease in extracellular proteinconcentration. This work deepened the understanding of folate-mediatedcross-feeding between MAB and symbiotic bacteria and provided a promisingstrategy to improve the nitrogen removal through MAB in MW treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2979–2991"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149130626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced Rare Earth Element Recovery from NaOH-Roasted Coal Fly Ash by Citric Acid Leaching","authors":"Georgios Toupalas,&nbsp;Alexander Slocum,&nbsp;Timothy M. Swager","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.6c00503","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.6c00503","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Coal fly ash (CFA) represents a promisingsecondary sourceof rare-earthelements (REEs), yet their entrapment within the aluminosilicate glassmatrix makes extraction difficult. Herein, we introduce a strategythat combines NaOH roasting CFA pretreatment with subsequent citricacid leaching for high REE recovery under operationally benign conditions.NaOH roasting improves REE accessibility through partial aluminosilicatenetwork depolymerization, increasing surface area, generating mesoporosity,enhancing surface wettability, and creating active sites for sodiumaluminosilicate hydrate (N–A–S–H) gel formationduring acid leaching. Benchmarking against widely used mineral acids(H₂SO₄, HNO₃, HCl, H₃PO₄) revealed that roasting benefits are highly acid-dependent,with citric acid exhibiting the greatest synergy. Under optimizedconditions, 2 M citric acid achieved 83% aggregate REE extraction,more than double that of equimolar H₂SO₄ (39%),the next best lixiviant. Initial mechanistic investigations indicatethat this enhanced performance stems from the distinct advantagescitric acid confers on the underlying sol–gel reaction. Specifically,it produces a hierarchically meso-/microporous gel with a higher surfacearea that can facilitate lixiviant–substrate interactions.In combination with citric acid’s chelating capacity, thisdual benefit establishes a driving force for REE sequestration thatappears absent in mineral acids. Overall, this work highlights citricacid leaching as an effective route for REE recovery from NaOH-roastedCFA.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2970–2978"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149130648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functionalized Waste-Derived Cellulose for Simultaneous Phosphate and Nitrate Recovery from Secondary-Treated Wastewater and Its Repurposing as a Slow-Release Fertilizer","authors":"Priya E,&nbsp;Sudipta Sarkar,&nbsp;Pradip K. Maji","doi":"10.1021/acsestengg.5c01128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.5c01128","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Global population growth and urbanizationare driving the needfor higher agricultural productivity, which necessitates sustainableand efficient nutrient management. Integrating nutrient recovery fromwastewater with the reuse in agriculture can be a viable way to savethe environment from nutrient-induced eutrophication problems and,at the same time, would help maintain food security by ensuring easyavailability of quality nutrients. However, existing approaches haveso far not been successful because most focus only on nutrient removalrather than recovery and reuse, thereby creating a gap in the circularnutrient management. In this study, a sustainable solution addressingthese challenges was developed by synthesizing a biodegradable polymerichybrid adsorbent derived from cellulose, which would simultaneouslyrecover nitrate and phosphate from secondary-treated wastewater andthen act as a slow-release fertilizer. Waste biomass-derived cellulosenanofibers were cross-linked to form a structural network dispersedwith hydrated ferric oxide nanoparticles and functionalized with tributylaminegroups to selectively adsorb phosphate and nitrate, respectively.The adsorbent demonstrated adsorption capacities of 10 mg of NO<span><span>^–₃</span></span>–N/gfor nitrate and 4 mg of PO<span><span>^3–₄</span></span>–P/g for phosphate. When a nitrate-and phosphate-saturated adsorbent was applied as a fertilizer, itimproved seed germination and plant growth compared to conventionalfertilizers by providing a slow-release nutrient source.</p>","PeriodicalId":7008,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T engineering","volume":"6 10","pages":"2775–2791"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}