Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology最新文献

{"title":"Comparison of 1-propanol and propane as auxiliary substrates on 1,4-dioxane biodegradation via bioaugmentation with Azoarcus sp. DD4 at a landfill site†","authors":"Devi Kumari Dhakal Gaudel, Jose Manuel Diaz Antunes, Junchul Kim and Mengyan Li","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00091B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00091B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >1,4-Dioxane (dioxane) is a persistent contaminant of concern due to its high mobility and stability in aquatic environments, posing significant environmental and public health risks. <em>Azoarcus</em> sp. DD4, a novel propanotrophic bacterium, has demonstrated an enhanced ability to cometabolize and degrade dioxane using propane or 1-propanol as the carbon source. In this study, we evaluated DD4's efficiency in dioxane degradation in groundwater samples from a landfill site at site-specific concentrations (41.7 ± 0.5 μg L<small>⁻¹</small> in MW-A and 12.3 ± 0.2 μg L<small>⁻¹</small> in MW-B). Bioaugmentation with DD4 reduced dioxane concentrations below the detection limit (0.13 μg L<small>⁻¹</small>) in both propane and 1-propanol treatments. Dioxane degradation rates were 2.23 and 0.72 μg L<small>⁻¹</small> per day in propane-amended treatments for MW-A and MW-B, respectively, and 1.94 and 0.57 μg L<small>⁻¹</small> per day in 1-propanol-amended treatments. While propane showed slightly higher degradation rates, the differences were not statistically significant. Parallel treatments mimicking natural attenuation and biostimulation with propane or 1-propanol showed minimal dioxane removal compared to abiotic losses. Although total biomass remained constant before and after DD4 bioaugmentation, DD4 proliferation was evident during incubation with both propane and 1-propanol. Microbial community analysis revealed that <em>Azoarcus</em> was abundant in bioaugmented samples, accounting for 5.6% to 45.4% of the overall biomass, highlighting substantial shifts in response to the auxiliary substrate used. These findings were supported by <em>tmoA</em> biomarker analysis specific to DD4 <em>via</em> qPCR. Overall, our results demonstrated the feasibility of 1-propanol as an auxiliary substrate alternative for propane for supporting dioxane cometabolic biodegradation by DD4 in complex landfill environments with trace levels of dioxane.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 7","pages":" 1787-1796"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144482003","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":"Emerging investigator series: are we undervaluing septage? Rethinking septage management for nutrient recovery and environmental protection","authors":"Kevin D. Orner, Lewis S. Rowles, Sara Heger and Ben Howard","doi":"10.1039/D4EW00998C","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW00998C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >An estimated 20–25% percent of households in the US rely on on-site sanitation <em>via</em> septic tanks to manage their wastewater. Septage management strategies such as land application, treatment at wastewater treatment plants, and treatment at independent septage treatment plants are common regulated and protective processes for managing septage. There can, however, be potentially negative environmental impacts such as groundwater contamination if septic systems are failing or improperly designed. In this perspective, we reimagine septage management at each step of the septage value chain, identify barriers to change, and propose solutions to overcome these existing barriers. Reimagined septage management can take both high-level and context-specific approaches, including upgrading or retrofitting older septic takes to be impermeable and promoting proper tank pumping intervals, short transport distances, resource recovery, and safe reuse. These solutions could improve economic, environmental, and social sustainability over the status quo. Barriers such as lack of comprehensive data, aspects of decentralized regulation and management, public perception, and impacts of climate change can be overcome <em>via</em> policy best practices, increased stakeholder engagement, improved data collection, integration of machine learning, and climate change adaptation.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 7","pages":" 1621-1628"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/ew/d4ew00998c?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481987","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":"Advancements in understanding the occurrence and photodegradation mechanisms of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments","authors":"Erjie Huang, Juzheng Liu, Shoushu Liu, Qiting Zuo, Wei Zhang, Lin Gong and Shaojie Ren","doi":"10.1039/D4EW00926F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW00926F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Emerging contaminants in aquatic environments have increased threats to human health in the last decade. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have received significant attention owing to their persistence, diverse sources, and concealed risks. Factors such as abundance, transformation, and treatment technology all affect the final fate of PPCPs. Herein, we investigate the sources of PPCPs in aquatic environments, analyze their distribution across various water bodies, and elucidate their photodegradation mechanisms under complex environmental factors. Our study provides crucial insights that facilitate the prediction of the occurrence and ultimate fate of PPCPs in aquatic systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 7","pages":" 1608-1620"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481986","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":"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":"Exploring the effect of water chemistry regulation on the ultrafiltration performance of a new membrane with multi-walled carbon nanotube modification: based on real source water tests†","authors":"Zhenxun Yu, Xinyi Wang, Nian Liu, Zhengbin Nie, Honglei Xie, Xinhua Yang, Yibo Wu and Cheng Cen","doi":"10.1039/D4EW00952E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW00952E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Membrane fouling hinders ultrafiltration applications of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Besides membrane modification, water regulation is another promising strategy. However, limited information is available on regulating water quality from actual field water with specific organic compositions, especially when using a modified membrane. We explored the influence of pH values, ionic strength (Na<small>⁺</small>), and water hardness (Ca<small>²⁺</small>) on filtration performance, including the removal of dissolved organic matter and anti-fouling ability. Alkaline conditions hindered hydrophilic removal of organic matter and led to severe fouling in the nascent membrane. In contrast, the modified membrane demonstrated effective hydrophilic organic removal and improved fouling mitigation under the same conditions. The nascent membrane exhibited reduced organic removal and experienced severe fouling as ionic strength increased, particularly at 3 and 100 mM; the negative influence of increased ionic strength (3 mM) can be partially counteracted for the modified membrane. An increase in water hardness promoted organic removal at 1–10 mM, while aggregated macromolecules induced by Ca<small>²⁺</small> ions caused severe fouling in the nascent membrane; such fouling was alleviated by the modified membrane, with the highest residual flux at 3 mM. According to the fluorescence results, pH values barely affected organic properties in the feed water, but organic properties mattered a lot for Na<small>⁺</small> and Ca<small>²⁺</small> ions. This study provides a comprehensive basis for improving filtration performance by regulating water chemistry conditions with a modified membrane as an efficient, low-energy method.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 7","pages":" 1720-1732"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481996","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":"Seasonal variation and removal efficiency of microplastics in wastewater treatment: a year-long study across three municipal water reclamation plants†","authors":"Sirajum Monira, Linhua Fan, Will McCance, Rajeev Roychand, Muhammed Ali Bhuiyan, Kalpit Shah, Michael Thomas and Biplob Kumar Pramanik","doi":"10.1039/D4EW00924J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW00924J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serve as major recipients of microplastics (MPs) before these contaminants are discharged into local waterbodies. However, detailed investigations into MP pollution from wastewater in Australia remain limited. Therefore, understanding the occurrence and fate of MPs in WWTPs is crucial for developing effective control strategies. To address this gap, a year-long study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of MPs, seasonal trends, their removal efficiency, and the potential ecological risks posed by MPs from three water reclamation plants (WRPs) in Victoria, Australia. Nile red staining, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to detect and validate MPs in all wastewater samples. Results revealed that synthetic fibers were the dominant shape, accounting for 52–57% of all MPs. The influent predominantly contained MPs &gt;500 μm, while effluent MPs were mostly sized between 300–100 μm. Five major polymers were identified: polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene. The MPs load in wastewater ranged from 25–37 MPs per L in the influent to 0–2 MPs per L in the effluent, demonstrating removal efficiencies ranging from 92% to 100% across the primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment processes. Notably, over 60% of MPs were removed during the primary treatment phase alone. Despite this high removal efficiency, between 3.63 × 10<small>⁶</small> and 1.7 × 10<small>⁸</small> MPs per day were released through WRP effluent, posing a low to medium ecological risk to the surrounding environment. Overall, this study underscores the effectiveness of current wastewater treatment processes in removing MPs and highlights the importance of long-term monitoring and sampling for managing MP pollution.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 7","pages":" 1745-1757"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481998","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":"Treatment of wastewater from the petrochemical industry by a solar-powered electrocoagulation process: optimization of crucial operating parameters using response surface methodology†","authors":"Reyidan Abuduaini, Ghizlane Achagri, Ying-Lin He, Zhuo Chen, Dilixiati Aini, Ümüt Halik, Anand Parkash, Rimeh Ismail, Peng-Cheng Ma and Abudukeremu Kadier","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00037H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00037H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Electrocoagulation (EC) technology is an emerging and clean process in treating oily wastewater due to its high treatment efficiency, reduced sludge generation, and shorter treatment times. The primary objective of the present work is to treat low-concentration petrochemical wastewater by utilizing an aluminum plate as an anode and a stainless-steel mesh (SSM 304) as a cathode in a solar-powered electrocoagulation (SPEC) process. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was investigated as the primary performance indicator of the SPEC. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box–Behnken design (BBD) model was employed to evaluate treatment efficiency and understand the synergistic effects of major operating parameters. The experimental results demonstrated that under optimal operating conditions (an applied voltage of 35 V, a working time of 30 minutes, an electrode distance of 1.2 cm, and a stirring rate of 249 rpm), the COD removal efficiency reached 52.9%. The generated models had high <em>R</em><small>²</small> values of 0.9802, indicating the model's effectiveness in predicting the removal rate of COD and optimizing operating conditions. The main properties of the flocs generated were examined using several physicochemical characterization techniques, and the mechanism of oil removal in the SPEC process was investigated in depth. Moreover, using SPEC reduced the cost of the whole process as the electricity fees were eliminated. Overall, the key findings of this study lay the foundation for developing an efficient and cost-effective EC treatment, offering environmental benefits, energy independence, long-term savings, and low maintenance, making it a sustainable industrial process for large-scale applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 7","pages":" 1704-1719"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481995","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 and Michiel H. S. Kraak","doi":"10.1039/D5EW00011D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EW00011D","url":null,"abstract":"<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<em>K</em><small>_a</small> 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":" 7","pages":" 1643-1656"},"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":"Evaluating the simultaneous retention of organic matter, organic contaminants, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in biochar-amended biofilters†","authors":"Johanna Jernberg, Tadele Haile and Bridget Ulrich","doi":"10.1039/D4EW01025F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EW01025F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Though organic contaminants and <em>Escherichia coli</em> (<em>E. coli</em>) are very different contaminants, both are ubiquitous in urban runoff, susceptible to passing through conventional biofilters, and interact with high-temperature biochars primarily <em>via</em> hydrophobic interactions. However, limited information is available regarding their simultaneous retention in biochar-amended filtration systems, which was evaluated here <em>via</em> intermittently dosed column tests. Columns amended with commercial biochar (ABC-biochar or WF-biochar) were compared to sand-only controls over treatment of 100 empty bed volumes (EBVs) of creek water, which was augmented with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and organic contaminants, as well as <em>E. coli</em> during three loading periods. While both biochars demonstrated similar DOC removal, effluents from ABC-biochar columns showed reduced specific ultraviolet absorption (SUVA) and improved organic contaminant retention relative to sand-only and WF-biochar columns. However, biochar-amended filters showed limited improvement in <em>E. coli</em> retention, as sand-only and biochar-amended columns demonstrated up to 1.0 ± 0.5 and 1.4 ± 0.4 log-removal of <em>E. coli</em>, respectively. <em>E. coli</em> log-removal for all columns was reduced to 0.5 ± 0.1 following a freeze–thaw cycle. Drainage rates for ABC-biochar columns were on average approximately 50% higher than the other columns, demonstrating the importance of considering hydraulic conditions when assessing overall filtration performance. Our findings warrant more rigorous validation of the effects of biochar amendment on filtration performance under environmentally relevant conditions and at the field scale.</p>","PeriodicalId":75,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology","volume":" 7","pages":" 1733-1744"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481997","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}