Nature water最新文献

{"title":"Highly efficient metal-free nitrate reduction enabled by electrified membrane filtration","authors":"Yingzheng Fan, Xiaoxiong Wang, Claire Butler, Amma Kankam, Abdessamad Belgada, Julia Simon, Yuanzuo Gao, Eric Chen, Lea R. Winter","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00278-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00278-7","url":null,"abstract":"Current methods for electrocatalytic destruction of nitrate in drinking water require metal catalysts to achieve sufficient nitrate removal. However, metal-based catalysts involve complicated synthesis, increase treatment costs and can lead to leaching of metals into treated water. Here we achieved nitrate reduction performance comparable to that of metal-based catalysts via electrofiltration through a metal-free nanoporous electrified membrane (EM) containing unmodified pristine carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Experimental results coupled with computational fluid dynamics simulations elucidated how the decreased diffusion boundary layer in the flow-through CNT-EM mitigates diffusion limitations to enhance overall nitrate reaction activity. Furthermore, defects in CNTs were identified as the catalytic active sites by comparing the activity of EMs containing acid-treated metal-free CNTs and CNTs with added defects. Through density functional theory and molecular dynamics calculations, we demonstrated enhanced *NO2 and *NO adsorption energies at intrinsic defect sites, which are present in most commercial CNTs and become more accessible to nitrate ions under flow-through operation. Finally, the long-term stability, tolerance of environmental interferences, and sufficient nitrate removal and scalability to meet drinking water standards were demonstrated in real surface water, exhibiting the outstanding performance of the metal-free CNT-EM for practical applications. By elucidating how nanoporous electrofiltration enables dynamic matching of reaction and transport rates, this study demonstrates a new strategy to drastically improve electrocatalytic reaction performance without complex catalyst materials innovation, bridging existing gaps for nitrate removal in drinking water treatment related to the use of metal-based catalysts. Current methods for electrocatalytic destruction of nitrate in drinking water require metal catalysts to achieve sufficient nitrate removal. Electrified membranes containing pristine carbon nanotubes operated under flow-through mode provide an alternative approach for efficient nitrate reduction without the use of metals.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 7","pages":"684-696"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141549774","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":"Rising food and water insecurity among US children","authors":"J. Tom Mueller","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00267-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00267-w","url":null,"abstract":"Concurrent food and water insecurity doubled among children from 2005 to 2020, with minoritized children facing far more insecurity than their white counterparts.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 7","pages":"618-619"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141507496","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":"Electro-driven cycling Fenton catalysis through two-dimensional electroresponsive metal–organic frameworks for water purification","authors":"Chao Yang, Shanshan Shang, Lin Lin, Pei Wang, Zhihong Ye, Yixuan Wang, Kaimin Shih, Lianpeng Sun, Xiao-yan Li","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00262-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00262-1","url":null,"abstract":"The electro-Fenton process is a promising technology for eliminating emerging organic pollutants from water. However, its potential is hindered by the lack of cathode materials with the essential cycling catalytic functionality for sustained Fenton reactions. In this study, we developed an innovative catalytic cathode comprising a two-dimensional electroresponsive ferrocene metal–organic framework (ER-Fc-MOF) for effective H2O2 activation in a reagent-free dual-cathode electro-Fenton process. The ER-Fc-MOF cathode also enables the electro-driven regeneration of the Fe(II) sites through direct electron transfer within the ferrocene sandwich structure, achieving continuous cycling of the Fc+-Fe(III)/Fc-Fe(II) species for Fenton reactions. Electron paramagnetic resonance and quenching tests confirmed that the ER-Fc-MOF catalytic cathode generates both radical (HO·) and non-radical (1O2) species for highly efficient degradation of organic pollutants across a broad pH range in diverse water matrices. This novel electroresponsive cycling catalyst for the electro-Fenton process presents a promising route towards the development of green and sustainable oxidation technologies for water purification and wastewater treatment. Electro-Fenton treatment holds great promise as an advanced oxidation process for removing emerging organic pollutants, but achieving sustained Fenton reactions remains a challenge. An electroresponsive ferrocene metal–organic framework cathode now enables continuous cycling of the catalytic species for Fenton reactions and achieves efficient water purification.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 8","pages":"793-802"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141517794","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":"Accelerating Antarctic research amid rapid changes","authors":"Lettie A. Roach","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00266-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00266-x","url":null,"abstract":"We must prioritize diversity, scientific communication and team-based science to keep up with rapid Antarctic ice and climate change.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 7","pages":"604-605"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141517795","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":"MnO2-modified activated carbon and granular nano-TiO2 in tandem succeed in treating domestic well water arsenic at point of use","authors":"Yanhua Duan, Yuqin Sun, Alejandro Palomo, Zengyi Li, Baoling Yang, Qiantao Shi, Derek Z. Zhang, Qiang Yang, Xiaoguang Meng, Yan Zheng","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00268-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00268-9","url":null,"abstract":"Globally, millions of rural households that use groundwater for drinking are exposed to inorganic arsenic, frequently as arsenite (As(III)). Crucial for health protection, adsorption-based treatment works well for arsenate (As(V)) but not for slower-adsorbing As(III). Liquid oxidants, though impractical for point of use, are widely used to pre-oxidize As(III) to As(V) in point-of-entry treatment for better performance and cost saving. Here MnO2-modified activated carbon, a solid oxidant, was integrated into a point-of-use system with granular nano-TiO2 as the main adsorbent for two real-world tests, supplying As-safe water at less than US$0.01 l−1. One 4-month deployment treated 4,200 bed volumes (~2.1 m3) of groundwater with 69 ± 16 μg l−1 As (78 ± 5% As(III)). Another 28-month deployment treated 10,000 bed volumes (~5.0 m3) of groundwater with 42 ± 21 μg l−1 As (33 ± 21% As(III)). Interactions between the groundwater matrix and filter media affect performance, highlighting the need to verify household As removal technologies through long-term deployments. Drinking well water with unsafe levels of arsenic is a considerable public health concern, and conventional point-of-use (POU) treatment often falls short in real-world household utilizations. Integrating a solid oxidant into the POU system has proven to be a successful strategy through long-term field deployment, ensuring drinking-water safety.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 7","pages":"674-683"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141507497","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":"Taking selectivity to a new high","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00271-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00271-0","url":null,"abstract":"The ideal sharp cutoff of solutes by a porous membrane is not achievable yet. Prolonging the interactions between solutes and pores in isoporous membranes pushes the precise separation abilities further.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 6","pages":"499-499"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-024-00271-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141439776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pushing the limits of size selectivity in nanoscale solute separations","authors":"Feng Gao, Wen Chen, Jamila G. Eatman, Ruben Z. Waldman, Nestor J. Zaluzec, Ruilin Dong, Paul F. Nealey, Seth B. Darling","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00252-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00252-3","url":null,"abstract":"Transport of a spherical solute through a cylindrical pore has been modelled for decades using well-established hindered transport theory, predicting solutes with a size smaller than the pore to be rejected nonetheless because of convective and diffusive hindrance; this rejection mechanism prevents extremely sharp solute separations by a membrane. Whereas the model has been historically verified, solute transport through near-perfect isoporous membranes may finally overcome this limitation. Here encouraging solute rejections are achieved using nanofabricated, defect-free silicon nitride isoporous membranes. The membrane is challenged by a recirculated feed to increase the opportunity for interactions between solutes and the pore array. Results show the membrane completely reject solutes with greater size than the pore size while effectively allowing smaller solutes to permeate through. With effectively increasing the number of interactions, we propose that a steeper size-selective rejection curve may be achieved. With this traditional hurdle overcome, there is new promise for unprecedented membrane separations through judicious process design and extremely tight pore-size distributions. Membrane separations are foundational to water treatment processes, and the traditional solute transport theory is limited in predicting the sharp separation of solutes by a membrane. By the proper design of the porous membranes and filtration processes, a sharp rejection curve may be achieved using isoporous membranes with an infinite number of interactions between solutes and membranes.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 6","pages":"521-530"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141439758","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":"Perfecting size-selective membrane separations","authors":"Anthony P. Straub","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00260-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00260-3","url":null,"abstract":"Porous membranes struggle to achieve tight size exclusion. Membranes with uniform pore sizes and flow regimes that maximize interactions offer a path to unprecedented selectivity.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 6","pages":"509-510"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141439753","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":"Viral metagenome reveals microbial hosts and the associated antibiotic resistome on microplastics","authors":"Ruilong Li, Xin-Li An, Yijin Wang, Zhugen Yang, Jian-Qiang Su, Jonathan Cooper, Yong-Guan Zhu","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00249-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00249-y","url":null,"abstract":"Microplastics provide a unique niche for viruses, promoting viral interactions with hosts and accelerating the rapid ‘horizontal’ spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Currently, however, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the main drivers for viral distribution on microplastics and on the resulting patterns of viral biogeographic distributions and the spread of the associated ARGs. Here we performed metagenomic and virus enrichment-based viromic sequencings on both polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics along a river. Experimental results show that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria were the potential hosts of viruses on microplastics, but only approximately 4.1% of viral variations were associated with a bacterial community. Notably, two shared ARGs and six metal resistance genes were identified in both viral and their host bacterial genomes, indicating the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer between viruses and bacteria. Furthermore, microplastics introduce more distinctive elements to viral ecology, fostering viral diversification and virus–host linkage while refraining from an escalated level of horizontal gene transfer of ARGs in contrast to natural matrixes. Our study provides comprehensive profiles of viral communities, virus-related ARGs and their driving factors on microplastics, highlighting how these anthropogenic niches provide unique interfaces that comprise highly defined viral ecological features in the environment. The combination of metagenome and virus-enriched virome sequencing provides comprehensive profiles of viral communities and their associated antibiotic resistance genes and reveals the factors driving changes in the plastisphere.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 6","pages":"553-565"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141340338","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":"Microplastics, microfibres and marine snows","authors":"Tamara S. Galloway, Adam Porter","doi":"10.1038/s44221-024-00263-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-024-00263-0","url":null,"abstract":"A digital method of studying the dynamic behaviours of marine and lake snows in the water column will help to speed up investigations of their behaviour and of the ecological impact of microplastics and microfibres in water bodies.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"2 6","pages":"507-508"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141346443","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}