Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology最新文献

{"title":"Effects of polysaccharides and proteins in EPSs on DBP formation during iron release†","authors":"Qiaojiao Mu, Hongtao Zhao, Yuan Zhuang, Yili Wang and Baoyou Shi","doi":"10.1039/D4EW01074D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW01074D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Corrosive iron pipes in drinking water distribution systems favor biofilm growth. A high protein-to-polysaccharide ratio could reduce the adhesion of biofilm on the pipe wall; however, the effects of the protein-to-polysaccharide ratio on disinfection by-product (DBP) formation are unclear. To investigate this issue, this study used bovine serum albumin (BSA) and sodium alginate (SA) to simulate proteins and polysaccharides in extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), respectively, and systematically examined the effects of different protein-to-polysaccharide ratios on the generation of DBPs during chlorination disinfection. BSA promoted the formation of regulated DBPs, including trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), as well as emerging DBPs such as haloacetonitriles (HANs), but SA did not obviously affect DBP formation. BSA also increased turbidity, enhanced particle dispersion, and led to the formation of a greater number of smaller iron particles. In contrast, SA promoted particle aggregation and sedimentation, resulting in reduced turbidity. Particle characterization further demonstrated that BSA exhibited stronger binding with iron particles than SA. Notably, from a toxicological perspective, BSA led to higher levels of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity due to the increased formation of DBPs. Thus, this study identified a new risk that a high protein-to-polysaccharide ratio increases the formation of DBPs promoted by the iron particle interface, besides the risk of microorganism release from pipe wall into bulk water.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1485-1493"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171166","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":"Chemical and electrochemical coagulation processes as a tertiary treatment for residual phosphate removal from domestic wastewater: effect of operating parameters and calculation of operating cost","authors":"Nawid Ahmad Akhtar, Mehmet Kobya and Erhan Gengec","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00047E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00047E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >In this study, we aimed to compare the treatment efficiency and techno-economic analysis of chemical coagulation (CC) and electrocoagulation (EC) processes for residual phosphate (PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P) removal from a secondary domestic wastewater treatment plant. The effect of two different coagulants (FeCl<small>₃</small> and alum) and different pH values was evaluated in the CC process. On the other hand, the effect of different metal scrap anodes (Fe, Al, and hybrid Fe + Al), applied current (<em>i</em> = 0.1–0.4 A), and charge loading (<em>q</em> = C L<small>⁻¹</small> or F m<small>⁻³</small>) were evaluated in the EC process. In the CC process, the highest removal efficiency of 99.7% PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P was obtained with 0.5 kg FeCl<small>₃</small> m<small>⁻³</small> and pH = 7.5. However, in the EC process, the highest removal efficiency of 99.9% PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P was obtained with Fe scrap anodes under optimum conditions (EC time = 15 min, <em>i</em> = 0.4 A, and <em>q</em> = 6 C L<small>⁻¹</small> or 3.73 F m<small>⁻³</small>). The removal capacity and metal/PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P molar ratios in the CC process were calculated as 85.7 mg PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P g<small>⁻¹</small> Fe and 19.8 mol mol<small>⁻¹</small> for FeCl<small>₃</small>, and 218.9 mg PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P g<small>⁻¹</small> Al and 7.7 mol mol<small>⁻¹</small> for alum, respectively. On the other hand, the EC process was calculated as 85.0 mg PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P g<small>⁻¹</small> Fe and 20.0 mol mol<small>⁻¹</small> for Fe scrap, 132.5 mg PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P g<small>⁻¹</small> Al and 26.6 mol mol<small>⁻¹</small> for Al scrap, and 84.1 mg PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P g<small>⁻¹</small> Fe + Al and 13.6 mol mol<small>⁻¹</small> for Fe + Al scrap, respectively. At the end of the study, total operating costs ($ per m<small>³</small> and $ per kg PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P) were calculated for both processes. The results of the study showed that using Fe scrap anodes with the EC process for PO<small>₄</small><small>³⁻</small>–P removal results in higher removal efficiencies and lower operating costs.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1554-1567"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171145","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":"Removal of psychopharmaceuticals from WWTP effluent by an algae-mussel trophic cascade: a potential nature-based solution?","authors":"Charlie J E Davey, Tom V van der Meer, Thomas L Ter Laak, Piet F M Verdonschot, Michiel H S Kraak","doi":"10.1039/d5ew00011d","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5ew00011d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychopharmaceuticals are an emerging group of hazardous contaminants that pose a risk to the aquatic environment. Yet, modern wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) do not remove them sufficiently to alleviate these risks. The present study aimed therefore to explore the effectiveness of an alternative nature-based tertiary treatment of WWTP effluent to remove psychopharmaceuticals. To this end, an algae-mussel trophic cascade setup was designed in which algae were grown in effluent over the course of 11 days and subsequently fed to mussels for a further 3 days. Removal of 30 psychopharmaceuticals for each of the treatments (algae, mussels, algae + mussels) was calculated relative to control samples, and removal efficiency was contextualised by performing an indicative risk assessment. Twelve psychopharmaceuticals were quantified during the experiment, with 11 encountered in all treatments. The compounds fell into 3 categories: positive removal (citalopram, lamotrigine, and venlafaxine), negative removal (carbamazepine, gabapentin, and pregabalin), and no significant changes in concentration (amitriptyline, quetiapine, tramadol, fluvoxamine, lidocaine, and ibuprofen). Both positive and negative removals were largely driven by the presence of the algae rather than that of the mussels. Compounds with a low p<i>K</i> _a showed negative removal due to the algal growth induced rise in pH, which was not negated by the mussels at the end of the cascade. Ibuprofen was not removed by any treatment and was also the only compound that represented a substantial risk. The cumulative risks indicated that the algal-mussel cascade actually increased the risk due to the negative removal of compounds present in high concentrations such as carbamazepine. Pregabalin and gabapentin also increased in risk, but did, however, not significantly change the overall risk from the analysed compounds due to their low concentrations. Since the presently designed nature-based treatment could not negate risk, it is not suitable for the removal of psychopharmaceuticals.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12096836/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144140968","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":"Recent innovations in nanocomposite beads for the removal of pollutants from water: a critical review","authors":"Abdullah, Zumra and Saeed Ahmed","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00215J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00215J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The escalating global water pollution crisis demands innovative and sustainable remediation strategies. This review critically assesses the application of nanocomposite beads as advanced adsorbents for efficiently removing diverse contaminants from aqueous environments. Nanocomposite beads, engineered with tailored physicochemical properties, offer significant advantages over conventional adsorbents due to their high specific surface area, tunable porosity, and adaptable surface functionalities. A comprehensive review summarises the nanocomposite bead-like layered double hydroxides (LDHs), metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), metal oxides, and carbonaceous materials. The review elucidates the structure–property relationships governing the adsorption performance of these nanocomposites. A detailed analysis of the underlying adsorption mechanisms is presented, encompassing physisorption (<em>e.g.</em>, van der Waals interactions), chemisorption (<em>e.g.</em>, covalent bonding, complexation), electrostatic interactions, ion exchange, and surface complexation. Furthermore, this review addresses the challenges of implementing nanocomposite beads in large-scale water treatment systems. Moreover, this study also provides a comprehensive roadmap for researchers working towards developing sustainable and cost-effective solutions for water purification using nanocomposite adsorbents.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1428-1445"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171163","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 case study of ethical bridges: wastewater-based epidemiology in the Rubbertown Air Toxics and Health Assessment (RATHA) project","authors":"Kathleen Clarke, Lauren B. Anderson, Arnita Gadson, Rochelle H. Holm, Avery Kolers and Ted Smith","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00234F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00234F","url":null,"abstract":"<p > <em>Background</em>: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a valuable tool for assessing community-wide exposure to environmental pollutants. The Rubbertown Air Toxics and Health Assessment (RATHA) project presents a novel approach to integrating community engagement, ethical safeguards, and policy-driven outcomes within a large-scale WBE initiative in Louisville, Kentucky. Particular strengths of this framework include: i) community-engaged development and reporting process, and ii) applicability based on well-established principles of medical and research ethics. This case study is a model to produce actionable public health insights through community-engaged scientific research. <em>Case</em>: The RATHA project is a collaboration between local governmental air pollution and public health agencies, community organizations, and academic researchers. It aims to quantify exposure to air toxics through ambient air monitoring and WBE near the Rubbertown area, a predominantly Black fenceline community that faces long-standing environmental health disparities due to industrial emissions. Given the lack of established formal ethical policies for WBE, the research team developed a bioethics-based framework to guide responsible data collection, privacy protection, and equitable benefit-sharing. This framework was then publicly vetted by community organizations. <em>Conclusions</em>: This case study underscores both the need for and the feasibility of ethical planning in environmental health research, particularly when using WBE in vulnerable communities. The RATHA project's ethical framework provides a model for realizing scientific innovation through community protection and trust with the intention of influencing policies to protect area residents. This approach helps ensure that outcomes contribute to environmental justice and public health improvements in the areas that need it most.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1363-1368"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/ew/d5ew00234f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171159","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":"Microbial dynamics at different stages of drinking water treatment systems","authors":"Zhenru Zhao, Wenjun Sun, Yanchu Ke, Yuanna Zhang and Xiaohui Wang","doi":"10.1039/D4EW00972J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW00972J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >As drinking water moves from its source through various treatment processes and distribution networks to the end users, its microbial communities are influenced by the effects of treatment processes, including source water type, treatment methods, and distribution system conditions. This review systematically explores the dynamic changes in microbial communities from the source to the tap and analyzes the key factors and positions that influence these changes. First, the roles of major treatment stages, such as coagulation–sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection, are reviewed, highlighting how these processes not only remove contaminants but also reshape the structure of microbial communities. Studies indicate significant differences between treatment stages in terms of pathogen removal and microbial community reconstruction. Ozone disinfection reduces microbial diversity and shifts community composition, often favoring ozone-resistant taxa such as <em>Mycobacterium</em> and <em>Legionella</em>. UV disinfection decreases overall microbial abundance and alters community structure, with a pronounced effect on Gram-negative bacteria and potential regrowth of UV-resistant species like Actinobacteria. The review then examines how physical, chemical, and biological factors impact microbial activity and microbial community composition, particularly in distribution systems with prolonged water retention times, where conditions may lead to microbial regrowth and biofilm formation. Additionally, advancements in modern technologies for monitoring microbial communities are discussed, which have greatly improved the ability to detect and characterize microbial dynamics. Finally, strategies for optimizing treatment processes and introducing innovative disinfection technologies to manage and control microbial communities in drinking water systems are proposed, ensuring the safety and stability of water supply systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1401-1427"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171162","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":"Protection and enrichment: how two different carbonaceous biofilm supports improve methane yield from encapsulated anaerobic microorganisms†","authors":"Annesh Borthakur, Mariah Dorner, Kendall Johnson, William A. Arnold and Paige J. Novak","doi":"10.1039/D4EW01043D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW01043D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Encapsulating anaerobic microorganisms allows for the separation of the solids retention time from the hydraulic retention time during anaerobic wastewater treatment. The harsh chemistries involved in the process of encapsulation can have adverse effects on microorganisms for anaerobic digestion, especially methanogens, and can lead to lower methane yields after encapsulation. Improving the survival and maintaining activity of anaerobic communities during encapsulation will likely be the key to improving methane yield. In this study, we investigated the encapsulation of biomass grown as biofilms on two carbonaceous materials, biochar and powdered activated carbon (PAC), to improve methane yield. Microorganisms grown as biofilms on biochar and PAC were encapsulated in polyethylene glycol (PEG) and incubated for 10 days. After 10 days, the unamended control capsules produced 81.6 ± 5.4 μmol of methane, while PAC-amended capsules produced 129.8 ± 1.9 μmol and biochar-amended capsules produced 432.96 ± 20.8 μmol methane, with the differences being statistically significant (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). In biochar, a higher relative abundance of methanogens led to increased methane production capacity. The ratio of the methyl coenzyme M reductase (<em>mcrA</em>) genes to total 16S rRNA genes in the encapsulated biochar-supported biofilms was significantly higher than that in the encapsulated unsupported (<em>p</em> = 4.9 × 10<small>⁻⁵</small>) and the PAC-supported biofilms (<em>p</em> = 0.012). Biochar-supported biofilms also had higher methane output per <em>mcrA</em> or 16S rRNA gene copy number. For the PAC, biofilms were protected from ammonium persulfate (APS), a powerful oxidant used in the encapsulation process. PAC removed 92% of dissolved APS, reducing exposure of the methanogens to this chemical. Unfortunately, this removal of APS compromised capsule stability, limiting the amount of PAC that could be added to the capsules. Thus, amendments that improve survival and activity of methanogens should be used in the capsules instead of those that protect methanogens by interfering with encapsulant polymerization chemistry.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1542-1553"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171144","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":"Insights into the degradation of carbamazepine using a continuous-flow non-thermal plasma: kinetics and comparison with UV-based systems","authors":"Samuel O. Babalola, Michael O. Daramola and Samuel A. Iwarere","doi":"10.1039/D4EW01042F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW01042F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The widespread presence of carbamazepine (CBZ) in the environment and its potential impacts on non-target organisms and ecosystem dynamics raise concerns globally. In this study the degradation of CBZ was studied using an atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The influence of different operating parameters such as the initial concentration of the pollutant, applied voltage, pH, and conductivity on the DBD performance was investigated based on CBZ degradation efficiency. At optimal conditions (10 mg L<small>⁻¹</small>, 6 kV, and 5 μS cm<small>⁻¹</small>), a 92% degradation efficiency for CBZ was achieved. The process was less effective in an acidic medium but enhanced in neutral and slightly alkaline conditions. This study also investigated the active role of reactive species like O<small>₃</small>, H<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small>, ·OH, and ·O<small>₂</small><small>⁻</small> produced during the treatment process. To evaluate the efficacy of the DBD system in real conditions, experiments were also performed in tap water and in final wastewater effluent within a 40 min treatment time. Lastly, the degradation efficiency of the DBD reactor, energy efficiency, and energy cost were compared with those of UV-only, UV/Fe<small>²⁺</small>, UV/H<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small>, and UV/H<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small>/Fe<small>²⁺</small> systems. For all the parameters investigated, the DBD plasma used in this work demonstrated superior performance to that of the UV-assisted systems, while the UV-only system gave the worst performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1568-1581"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/ew/d4ew01042f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171146","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":"Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants in southwest Ohio municipal wastewater†","authors":"Maitreyi Nagarkar, Scott P. Keely, Emily A. Wheaton, Chloe Hart, Michael A. Jahne, Jay L. Garland, Eunice Varughese and Nichole E. Brinkman","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00169B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00169B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Wastewater surveillance has proven to be a widely useful means for tracking the dynamics of COVID-19, particularly as the emphasis on clinical testing and reporting of case data continues to decline. Here we present wastewater monitoring data from a multi-year sampling campaign at 11 wastewater collection facilities in Ohio. We found strong correlations between flow-adjusted wastewater concentrations of the virus (as represented through quantification of N2 gene fragments) and reported cases and used sequencing to confirm the sequential arrival of several variants of concern (VOCs) between winter 2020 and spring 2022. We observed that the three main VOCs in our dataset, alpha, delta, and omicron, showed differing temporal dynamics like length of time from first detection to dominating the wastewater signal. We also found credible variation in the relationship between wastewater concentration and clinical cases during different periods within our time series (delineated based on the dominant VOC), indicating the possibility of differential fecal shedding by the three variants.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1494-1504"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171167","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":"Mechanistic insights into paracetamol adsorption from water using ZnO nanoparticle-immobilized chitosan-inulin composites: fractal kinetics, statistical physics, thermodynamic analysis, and application to real water samples†","authors":"Mohd Nasir, Daniya Shahid, Wajiha Khan, Atif Afroz, Mohammad Shahzad Samdani and Md. Abdur Rashid Mia","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00116A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00116A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A novel ZnO/chitosan-inulin (ZnO/CS-In) nanocomposite was prepared and evaluated for its potential to remove paracetamol (PCM) from aqueous solutions. Comprehensive characterization of the material was conducted using techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, TGA-DTA, SEM-EDX, BET, DLS, and UV-visible spectroscopy to assess its structural and functional attributes. RSM was employed to optimized the operational parameters to achieve highest elimination efficiency of PCM. At the ideal conditions (55 minutes of contact time, 10 mg adsorbent dose and 65 mg L<small>⁻¹</small> initial PCM concentration) 99.58% PCM was extracted. All experiments were performed at pH 7.2. The Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit for the adsorption data, with high R<small>²</small> values (0.9988–0.9996) and exhibited demonstrated a significant monolayer sorption capacity of 327.28 mg g<small>⁻¹</small> at 298 K. Statistical physics model-2 (M<small>₂</small>) provided the best fit (<em>R</em><small>²</small> &gt; 0.997) and revealed that PCM molecules bind to two distinct receptor sites (<em>n</em><small>₁</small> and <em>n</em><small>₂</small>). Furthermore, the values of <em>n</em><small>₁</small> and <em>n</em><small>₂</small> at all studied (<em>n</em><small>₁</small> &lt; 1 and <em>n</em><small>₂</small> &gt; 1) suggesting that adsorption mechanisms involved both multidocking and multimolecular interactions on the first and second receptor sites, respectively. Adsorption energies (<em>E</em><small>₁</small> = 28.35–35.36 kJ mol<small>⁻¹</small>; <em>E</em><small>₂</small> = 11.97–13.03 kJ mol<small>⁻¹</small>) along with isosteric heat of adsorption suggest that physical interactions primarily govern the adsorption of PCM onto the nanocomposite. Kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption process followed a fractal-like pseudo-first-order model (<em>R</em><small>²</small> &gt; 0.9952) and deduced that PCM anchored on an energetically heterogeneous surface of ZnO/Cs-In. Intra-particle diffusion analysis revealed that both film and particle mechanisms were found to contribute to the adsorption process. The material demonstrated high reusability, maintaining effective performance for up to 13 cycles, affirming its potential for repeated applications in removing PCM from aqueous systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 6","pages":" 1460-1484"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144171165","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}