Nature water最新文献

Unlocking sludge co-firing synergies between thermal power and wastewater treatment plants 释放污泥共烧在火力发电厂和污水处理厂之间的协同效应

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-08-14 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00697-8

Jin Lin, Qi Zhou, Linyuan Hu, YuChen Hu, Yunlei She, Yifan Song, Qiang Huang, Jiaqi Jing, Xiuya Wang, Shen Qu

{"title":"Unlocking sludge co-firing synergies between thermal power and wastewater treatment plants","authors":"Jin Lin, Qi Zhou, Linyuan Hu, YuChen Hu, Yunlei She, Yifan Song, Qiang Huang, Jiaqi Jing, Xiuya Wang, Shen Qu","doi":"10.1038/s44221-026-00697-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-026-00697-8","url":null,"abstract":"Co-firing municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP) sludge in thermal-fired power plants (TFPPs) offers a low-carbon circular strategy. However, its adoption is constrained by spatio-temporal supply–demand mismatches and economic feasibility. Here we show that an optimized, plant-level monthly allocation framework can overcome these barriers, powered by a high-resolution database of 5,218 MWWTPs and 1,990 TFPPs across China. We find that surplus sludge from 3,735 MWWTPs (~87% capacity) can stably substitute coal on a monthly basis across 421 qualified TFPPs. This symbiotic network reduces total sludge volume by 79% (95% CI 55–88%) and mitigates 15.25 (10.53–17.39) MtCO2eq annually (50% of MWWTP emissions), while yielding median incremental profits of 369.41 (4.18–1,250.46) million CNY yr‒1. Scenario analysis reveals that rising fuel prices can amplify environmental and economic benefits by 11% and 135%. Crucially, despite a shrinking coal-power sector under future energy transitions, long-term co-firing network resilience is sustained through a 35–67% expansion in collaborative TFPPs. These insights provide a scalable framework for implementing cross-sectoral circular strategies tailored to regional sustainability. An optimized nationwide sludge-to-coal co-firing network in China could convert wastewater sludge into energy, reducing sludge volume by 79% and avoiding about 15.25 Mt of CO2 emissions annually.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"4 8","pages":"979-991"},"PeriodicalIF":30.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754321","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}

引用次数: 0

Differences in PFAS drinking water limits create barriers to cost-effective risk reduction PFAS饮用水限量的差异对降低成本效益造成障碍

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-31 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00680-3

Alison L. Ling

引用次数: 0

Implementation of the Drinking Water Directive limit values for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Europe 在欧洲实施《饮用水指令》中全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质限量值

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-31 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00670-5

Steffen Foss Hansen, Rune Hjorth, Anders Baun, Hans-Jørgen Albrechtsen

{"title":"Implementation of the Drinking Water Directive limit values for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Europe","authors":"Steffen Foss Hansen, Rune Hjorth, Anders Baun, Hans-Jørgen Albrechtsen","doi":"10.1038/s44221-026-00670-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-026-00670-5","url":null,"abstract":"The European Union Drinking Water Directive (DWD) established limit values for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) owing to health concerns. Here we examine how European Union member states have implemented the DWD limit values, which went into effect in January 2026. All but one member state have adopted the sum of PFAS limit of 0.1 µg l−1. Several member states have also adopted the PFAS total limit of 0.5 µg l−1 in combination with the sum of PFAS limit, whereas no one has adopted the PFAS total parameter in isolation. Member states often go beyond DWD requirements and nine have implemented the sum of four PFASs — that is, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS). These limit values have been implemented faster but also more sporadically resulting in different levels of protection. The division between monitoring water quality and legal oversight may counteract, for instance, effective mitigation and institutional collaboration. Finally, supplying clean drinking water in compliance with the DWD can be challenging if trifluoroacetic acid is considered a toxicological relevant pesticide metabolite. The European Union Drinking Water Directive set new limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) due to health concerns, prompting varied implementation across member states. An analysis of these implementations reveals that while most adopt the sum of PFAS substances limit, diverse approaches may hinder consistent protection and challenge compliance, especially regarding trifluoroacetic acid.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"4 8","pages":"1045-1054"},"PeriodicalIF":30.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754330","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}

引用次数: 0

Simultaneous desalination and selective metal recovery enabled by potential-regulated electrochemical ion pumping 同时脱盐和选择性金属回收实现电位调节电化学离子泵

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-30 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00679-w

Longqian Xu, Oluwatosin A. Bello, Shawon Sk Md Ali Zaker, Bing Zhao, Shihong Lin

{"title":"Simultaneous desalination and selective metal recovery enabled by potential-regulated electrochemical ion pumping","authors":"Longqian Xu, Oluwatosin A. Bello, Shawon Sk Md Ali Zaker, Bing Zhao, Shihong Lin","doi":"10.1038/s44221-026-00679-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-026-00679-w","url":null,"abstract":"Highly saline industrial wastewaters containing heavy metals are common, yet no existing process can achieve both desalination and metal recovery in an integrated technology platform. Conventional desalination processes do not distinguish between heavy metals and background electrolyte and generate toxic brines with heavy metals, missing opportunities for resource recovery. Here we show that electrochemical ion pumping (EIP) has the unique capability to promote simultaneous desalination and metal recovery through programmable control of the electrode potential. As EIP transfers only a small amount of ions per half cycle via high-frequency circuit switching, the electrode potential can be maintained within a narrow window throughout operation, which allows redox reactions to be selectively activated or suppressed without interrupting continuous ion transport. At potentials above the Cu2+/Cu0 reduction threshold, the system desalinates only capacitively, with no metal deposition. Shifting the potential window to below this threshold triggers selective copper electrodeposition on the electrode while still performing desalination. In an asymmetric five-electrode EIP stack fed with a mixture of Cu2+, Ni2+ and Na+, positioning the potential window between the reduction potentials of Cu2+ and Ni2+ yielded selective Cu2+ capture on the electrode. These findings establish the electrode potential as a controllable operation parameter in EIP, providing an integrated platform for coupled water recycling and selective resource recovery from complex industrial brines. Electrochemical ion pumping enables tunable, simultaneous desalination and selective heavy-metal recovery from complex industrial brines by precisely controlling the electrode potential to couple capacitive ion removal with targeted metal electrodeposition.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"4 8","pages":"1033-1044"},"PeriodicalIF":30.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754328","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}

引用次数: 0

Programming electrochemical separations for metal recovery 金属回收的电化学分离编程

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-30 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00689-8

Xiangtong Kong, Jinxing Ma

引用次数: 0

Quorum sensing-driven metabolic altruism of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria fuels nitritation 亚硝酸盐氧化细菌群体感应驱动的代谢利他行为为亚硝化提供燃料

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-29 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00677-y

Xuliang Zhuang, Xu Wang, Cancan Jiang, Danhua Wang, Shengjun Xu, Lei Wang, Shanghua Wu, Ye Deng, Guibing Zhu, Aamer Ali Shah, Jian Xu

{"title":"Quorum sensing-driven metabolic altruism of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria fuels nitritation","authors":"Xuliang Zhuang, Xu Wang, Cancan Jiang, Danhua Wang, Shengjun Xu, Lei Wang, Shanghua Wu, Ye Deng, Guibing Zhu, Aamer Ali Shah, Jian Xu","doi":"10.1038/s44221-026-00677-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-026-00677-y","url":null,"abstract":"Nitritation, the conversion of ammonia to nitrite without further oxidation, offers an energy-efficient route for nitrogen removal, but its application is limited by the difficulty of selectively suppressing nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). The underlying biological mechanisms that enable such suppression remain poorly understood. Here we show that quorum sensing (QS), a cell–cell communication system, enables nitritation by regulating NOB behaviour. Using multi-omics and single-cell Raman spectroscopy, we demonstrate that QS signalling induces the overexpression of nirB in the dominant NOB genus Nitrospira, triggering an altruistic nitrite reduction causing self-inactivation. In contrast, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria refrain from this altruistic metabolism, gaining a decisive competitive advantage and directing nitrification flux towards nitritation. QS manipulation confirms that active QS is required to maintain nitritation, and single-cell analysis reveals that QS drives a stress-tolerant Nitrospira cell into a susceptible state, markedly reducing survival. These findings uncover an unknown social behaviour in the nitrifier community and offer new insights for nitritation stabilization. Nitritation is limited by the difficulty of suppressing nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, the mechanisms of which are clear. This study shows that quorum sensing drives altruistic self-inactivation in Nitrospira, favouring ammonia oxidizers and stabilizing nitritation.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"4 8","pages":"992-1006"},"PeriodicalIF":30.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754316","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}

引用次数: 0

Unequal costs of community stress responses 社区压力反应的不平等成本

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-29 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00686-x

Hyungmin Choi, Satoshi Okabe, Mamoru Oshiki

引用次数: 0

Human health risk from manganese in groundwater 地下水中锰对人类健康的危害

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-29 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00691-0

Katherine Knierim

引用次数: 0

Redox mediator-based bacterial cooperation for anammox extracellular electron transfer 基于氧化还原介质的厌氧氨氧化菌胞外电子转移细菌合作

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-24 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00683-0

Ru Zheng, Baiyizhuo Chen, Lingrui Kong, Ziyi Sun, Jiangwei Wang, Jingqi Sun, Qile Zhu, Sitong Liu

{"title":"Redox mediator-based bacterial cooperation for anammox extracellular electron transfer","authors":"Ru Zheng, Baiyizhuo Chen, Lingrui Kong, Ziyi Sun, Jiangwei Wang, Jingqi Sun, Qile Zhu, Sitong Liu","doi":"10.1038/s44221-026-00683-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-026-00683-0","url":null,"abstract":"Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) plays a crucial role in efficient, low-carbon and sustainable nitrogen removal. Here we show that anammox bacteria, in cooperation with symbiotic bacteria and without a complete cytochrome c conduit, oxidize ammonium via extracellular electron transfer (EET) in the absence of nitrite through redox mediators embedded in extracellular polymeric substances. γ-Proteobacteria (Zeimonas sp.) and Actinobacteria (Candidatus ATN2) produce quinones and Planctomycetes (Candidatus CAADGN01) synthesize phenazines as electron shuttles. The anammox bacteria couple ammonium oxidation and EET by upregulating hydroxylamine oxidase, oxidoreductases and intracellular multi-haem cytochrome c. In return, they secrete essential vitamins and amino acids to support the growth of symbiotic bacteria. Global metagenomic analysis of 7,412 samples verified the widespread co-occurrence of anammox bacteria and redox mediator-producing symbiotic bacteria mainly in artificial ecosystems, such as bioreactors and wastewater treatment plants. This study reveals redox mediator-based cooperation for anammox with EET and the results imply a feasible strategy of redox mediator-enhanced EET in wastewater treatment. Anammox is a key low-carbon nitrogen removal process. Here anammox bacteria are found to couple ammonium oxidation to extracellular electron transfer with symbiotic bacteria via redox mediators within extracellular polymeric substances.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"4 8","pages":"1007-1017"},"PeriodicalIF":30.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754322","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}

引用次数: 0

From antibiotics to after-products 从抗生素到副产品

IF 30.7

Nature water Pub Date : 2026-07-20 DOI: 10.1038/s44221-026-00678-x

Steven P. Djordjevic, Veronica M. Jarocki

引用次数: 0