Water, Air, & Soil Pollution最新文献

{"title":"PEG-CuO/GO Nanocomposites with Versatile Functionality Through Two Independently Evaluated Applications: Dye Degradation and pH-Responsive Anticancer Drug Delivery","authors":"Bindu Dhuva,&nbsp;Sangeeta Obrai","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10048-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10048-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current research addresses two critical global challenges: environmental pollution and therapeutic drug delivery by developing a multifunctional nanocomposite. A novel polyethylene glycol modified copper oxide/graphene oxide (PEG-CuO/GO) nanocomposite was synthesised via a bottom-up approach and comprehensively characterised using XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, FT-IR, XPS, ICP-MS and TGA. The PEG-CuO/GO exhibited outstanding photocatalytic performance, achieving 98% degradation of crystal violet (CV) under visible light within 180 min at neutral pH and retained excellent stability over three successive cycles, understanding its reusability and robustness. The degradation followed first-order kinetics (R² = 0.9913), and radical trapping experiments confirmed the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as the primary oxidising agents in the photocatalytic mechanism. Beyond environment remediation, the PEG-CuO/GO nanocomposite also functioned as an efficient nanocarrier for the anticancer drug rutin, demonstrating high loading capacity and pH-responsive release behaviour. The release kinetics fitted well to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, indicating diffusion-controlled release under acidic conditions. The biological safety and metal leaching characterisation of the nanocomposite were evaluated using cytotoxicity and ICP-MS experiments. Overall, the PEG-CuO/GO nanocomposite showcases exceptional dual functionality, offering a sustainable and versatile platform for simultaneous dye degradation and drug delivery applications.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176775","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":"Magnetic Flocculants for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Material Design, Removal Mechanisms, and Engineering Challenges","authors":"Hongmei Cui,&nbsp;Jian Huang,&nbsp;Ying Zhang,&nbsp;Qiao Liu,&nbsp;Ying Xu","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10084-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10084-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conventional coagulation–flocculation is widely used in water and wastewater treatment, but slow settling, incomplete solid–liquid separation, and poor recovery of added materials can remain important limitations in highly dispersed or multiphase systems. To address these limitations, magnetic flocculants combine flocculation-active components with magnetic phases, allowing pollutant destabilization and floc formation to be followed by magnetic separation. This review examines recent developments in material design, removal mechanisms, applications, and engineering limitations. To avoid overlap between broad “polymer-based” and “bio-based” groupings, the materials are discussed as synthetic polymer-based, chitosan-based, plant-based, and inorganic or hybrid systems. Magnetic flocculants are also distinguished from magnetic coagulants, magnetic seeds, and magnetic adsorbents according to their composition, dominant function, removal mechanism, and separation mode. Their performance still relies largely on conventional coagulation–flocculation processes, including charge neutralization, electrical double-layer compression, adsorption bridging, and sweep flocculation, while surface complexation, hydrophobic association, and magnetic interactions become important in specific systems. Reported removal efficiencies are difficult to compare directly because dosage, pH, pollutant concentration or turbidity, water-matrix composition, mixing conditions, separation time, and magnetic-field conditions vary among studies. Mechanistic evidence is also uneven: some studies combine zeta-potential, spectroscopic, microscopic, floc-structure, or interaction-energy analyses, whereas others infer mechanisms mainly from material composition and removal behavior. Overall, magnetic flocculants have produced encouraging laboratory-scale results for oily wastewater, microalgae, heavy metals, dyes, and turbidity removal, but evidence for engineering-scale application remains limited. More consistent reporting of magnetic parameters, longer reuse tests, material leaching and sludge assessment, continuous-flow studies, and techno-economic and life-cycle evaluation are still needed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176815","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":"Synthesis and Characterization of a Peptide‑based Nanofilter Derived from Dairy Waste for COD and BOD Removal from Dairy Wastewater","authors":"Saeedeh Rastgar,&nbsp;Parichehr Hanachi,&nbsp;Tony R. Walker","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10034-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10034-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Organic-rich industrial wastewater is an important source of environmental pollution. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are the main parameters used to evaluate organic contamination. This study reports the preparation of a biobased nanostructured hybrid filter using peptides recovered from dairy sludge, a low-cost waste-derived precursor. This developed filter differs from other bio-based filters derived from waste biomaterials reported previously and offers a combination of (i) simultaneous valorization of dairy waste, (ii) retention of proteinaceous and mineral-rich characteristics of sludge and (iii) tunability of surface chemistry through peptide self-assembly, contributing to high removal performance and reusability<b>.</b> Produced filters were characterized using FESEM, EDX mapping, FTIR, XRD, BET surface area analysis and TGA/DTG. Results showed a porous structure with a surface area of 52.386 m²/g, a total pore volume of 0.1497 cm³/g and an average pore diameter of 11.43 nm. The process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) in Design-Expert software. The optimal conditions were found to be pH 6.5, a nanofilter dosage of 300 mg/L, an initial concentration of 67.5 mg/L and <b>a</b> 35 min. contact time, achieving removal efficiencies of 98.21% for COD and 97.82% for BOD, with R² values of 0.9525 and 0.9555, respectively. The recovery trials showed that the nanofilter retained COD and BOD removal efficiencies of 89.4% and 88.5%, respectively, after five consecutive regeneration cycles. Overall, results indicate that dairy sludge-derived peptides have potential as a low-cost and waste-derived precursor for nanostructured filters for organic pollutant removal from dairy wastewater.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176389","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":"Enhanced Electrocatalytic Treatment of Coking Reverse Osmosis Concentrate Using a Porous Ti/TiO2-ENTA-SnO2-Sb2O3-La Anode in a Multistage Flow-through Reactor","authors":"Xinrui Fu,&nbsp;Liang Wang,&nbsp;Yinghui Mo,&nbsp;Zhaohui Zhang,&nbsp;Bin Zhao","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10067-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10067-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To enhance the treatment of refractory organic pollutants in coking reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC), a porous La-doped SnO₂-Sb₂O₃ filtration anode incorporating an enhanced TiO₂ nanotube array (ENTA) interlayer was developed and coupled with a multistage flow-through electrochemical reactor. The electrode properties and treatment performance were evaluated using actual coking ROC, and the effects of La doping, anode pore size, reactor configuration, initial pH, current density, and flow rate were systematically investigated. The results showed that La doping increased the oxygen evolution potential from 2.17 to 2.33 V (vs. SCE) and enhanced the electrocatalytic performance of the filtration anode. The optimal system consisted of a 1.6% La-doped filtration anode with a pore size of 20 μm and a two-stage flow-through reactor. Under the optimized conditions of an initial pH of 6, a current density of 15 mA/cm², and a flow rate of 48 mL/min, the COD and TOC removal efficiencies reached 71.6% and 63.18%, respectively, after 240 min, with an energy consumption of 21.8 kWh/m³. Radical-scavenging experiments indicated the involvement of ·OH and ·O₂⁻ in the oxidation process, with ·OH showing a stronger apparent influence under the tested conditions. The COD removal efficiency decreased by only 2.0 percentage points over six consecutive cycles and remained at 60.5% after 40 cycles. These results demonstrate that the developed La-doped filtration anode coupled with the multistage flow-through reactor provides a promising approach for the advanced treatment of refractory industrial wastewater.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176813","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":"Chlorpyrifos-Ethyl Contamination in Agricultural Soils and Earthworms: Field Monitoring, Complementary QSAR-Based Prediction, Bioaccumulation, and Ecological Risk Assessment in Intensive Potato Agroecosystems of Larache Province, Northern Morocco","authors":"Hicham El Bourki,&nbsp;Ahlem Hamdache,&nbsp;Ibrahim Maattallaoui,&nbsp;Ahmed Bagayou,&nbsp;Yassine Diane,&nbsp;Mohammed Ezziyyani","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10081-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10081-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chlorpyrifos-ethyl remains one of the most extensively used organophosphate insecticides worldwide despite increasing concerns regarding its environmental persistence and ecological toxicity. However, information on its occurrence in agricultural soils, transfer to soil biota, and environmental behavior under field conditions remains limited for North African agroecosystems. This study investigated chlorpyrifos-ethyl contamination in intensive potato-growing systems of Larache Province through an integrated experimental and computational approach. Soil and earthworm samples collected from ten agricultural fields were analyzed by GC–ECD following QuEChERS extraction, while quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) models implemented in the VEGA platform were used to obtain descriptive estimates of physicochemical properties, environmental fate, bioaccumulation potential, and earthworm toxicity. Chlorpyrifos-ethyl was detected in soils at concentrations ranging from not detected to 0.0965 mg kg⁻¹ and in earthworms from 0.0078 to 0.0440 mg kg⁻¹, indicating exposure of soil organisms at the sampled fields. Bioaccumulation factors ranged from 0.18 to 2.65, indicating variable field accumulation among sampling sites. Among the ten investigated fields, seven exhibited risk quotients (RQ) above 1, suggesting potential ecological concern under the specific conditions and dates sampled; given the single-composite sampling design and the limited number of fields, this observation should be regarded as a preliminary field-level indication rather than a regional risk characterization. QSAR predictions consistently characterized chlorpyrifos-ethyl as a highly hydrophobic compound (LogKow = 5.32) with strong soil sorption (logKOC = 3.62), low water solubility (1.26 mg L⁻¹), moderate soil persistence (half-life = 13 days), limited biodegradability, and considerable bioaccumulation potential (logBCF ≈ 3). This intrinsic bioconcentration potential contrasts with the generally low field-derived BAF values, a pattern that likely reflects the distinction between standardized, intrinsic bioconcentration (BCF) and realized, bioavailability-limited field accumulation (BAF), rather than a direct inconsistency between the two lines of evidence. Overall, integrating field monitoring with QSAR-based environmental prediction provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating pesticide behavior and ecological risk and supports the development of sustainable pesticide management strategies in intensive agricultural systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176388","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":"Spatial Distribution and Source Analysis of Heavy Metals in Typical Oasis Soils: a Case Study of Suzhou District, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, China","authors":"Yuze Bai,&nbsp;Ning zhang,&nbsp;Yi Liu,&nbsp;Miao Liu,&nbsp;Jiaxing Sun,&nbsp;Kairan Xu,&nbsp;Manman Lin","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10079-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10079-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Oasis cities in arid Northwest China face soil pollution risks due to rapid development. This study investigated the spatial distribution, sources, and ecological risks of heavy metals (HMs: Cd, Pb, Cr, As, Hg, Ni, Cu, Zn) in soils of Suzhou District, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, China. We collected 73 surface soil samples and applied an integrated approach including geostatistics, correlation analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate HM levels but widespread enrichment compared to background values. Cadmium and mercury showed the highest coefficients of variation (45% and 57%, respectively), indicating strong anthropogenic influence. Spatial analysis revealed high concentrations of Cr and Ni in southern mountainous areas (natural origin), while Cd and Hg hotspots were associated with industrial and agricultural zones. The potential ecological risk was generally low, but Cd and Hg were the primary risk contributors, with 33.8% and 47.0% of samples posing moderate ecological risk, respectively. The PMF model quantified four primary sources: natural sources (57.0%), natural-agricultural mixed sources (18.3%), industrial-traffic sources (12.9%), and agricultural-industrial mixed sources (11.7%). Results demonstrate that soil HMs in Suzhou District exhibit multi-source characteristics, with anthropogenic activities significantly superimposing on the natural background, necessitating targeted source-specific control strategies in this vulnerable oasis ecosystem.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176814","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 Cadmium and Lead From Aqueous Solutions by Biosulfur-modified Rice Husk Biochar: Adsorption Characteristics and Mechanisms","authors":"Youngkyu Hong,&nbsp;Jinwook Kim,&nbsp;Dongju Lee,&nbsp;Sungchul Kim","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10050-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10050-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Biological desulfurization of landfill gas generates biosulfur (BS) as a by-product, highlighting the need for effective resource-recovery strategies. In this study, BS was incorporated into rice husk biochar (BC) to produce biosulfur-modified biochar (BCBS), and its adsorption behavior toward Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in aqueous solution was compared with that of unmodified BC. The optimal BCBS preparation condition was mixing BC with BS in deionized water for 1 h, resulting in a sulfur content of 48.6%. Elemental analysis, SEM–EDS, FTIR, XRD, and XPS were used to characterize BCBS and investigate the adsorption mechanisms before and after metal uptake. Both metals exhibited rapid initial adsorption, and the kinetic data were better described by the pseudo-second-order model, suggesting the importance of surface-mediated interactions without confirming a single chemisorption mechanism. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities of BCBS were 13.9 mg g⁻¹ for Cd²⁺ and 102.0 mg g⁻¹ for Pb²⁺, approximately 5.0 and 15.5 times higher, respectively, than those of BC. FTIR and XPS analyses indicated that sulfur-containing surface components, including sulfide- and sulfate-related species, contributed to metal binding, whereas XRD revealed no detectable crystalline Cd- or Pb-bearing precipitates. These findings demonstrate that biologically recovered sulfur can be effectively recycled as a biochar-modifying material through a simple water-based process, producing a promising adsorbent for Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ removal from aqueous systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176816","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 Threats: Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Virulence Factors in Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary- A Metagenomic Approach","authors":"Kanchan Mukesh,&nbsp;Arunmozhi Bharathi Achudhan,&nbsp;Lilly M. Saleena","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10068-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10068-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Migratory birds are a major source of antibiotic resistance around many bird sanctuaries and lakes. Their contribution to the spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance in the ecosystem and the extent of their environmental impact are unresolved. Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is one of the important spots for migratory birds in southern India. This research article investigated antibiotic resistance genes in the environment using the shotgun metagenomics approach. The raw reads were assembled into 9,23,889 contigs using the Megahit tool. The antimicrobial resistance profile was assessed using the ABRicate tool, which identified 110 unique antibiotic resistance genes distributed across 1,481 contig hits. The most abundant ARG subtype was <i>rpoB2, CpxR</i> and <i>mexN</i>, indicating dominance of multidrug and rifamycin resistance. On taxonomical tags of these contigs, 89 contigs were identified at the genus level, and 4 contigs at the species level, and the major bacterial species detected were <i>Aeromonas veronii</i><i>, </i><i>Aeromonas salmonicida</i> and <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>. Further total contigs were screened for virulence factors, and about 133 unique virulence factors were identified using the VFDB database with the 1124 contig hits. On taxonomical tags, 19 AMR genes and 66 virulence factors were identified from bacteria that are pathogenic to humans as well as birds, along with their virulence factors. The pathogenicity was screened to understand the mitigation of AMR genes and virulence genes to help in taking preventive measures and raise awareness among the public surrounding the sanctuary who rely on the water source. This is the first study to examine the antibiotic-resistant profile from the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 23","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189198","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":"Chicken Manure Application Alters Soil Heavy-Metal Bioavailability and Bacterial Community Structure in Pakchoi Fields","authors":"Zhipeng Hu,&nbsp;Ke Li,&nbsp;Yuyao Liu,&nbsp;Fa Li,&nbsp;Jianwei Chang,&nbsp;Huijuan Yu,&nbsp;Yuebing Sun","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10078-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10078-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chicken manure is widely used in vegetable production, yet its concurrent effects on soil nutrient status, heavy-metal behavior, and soil bacterial communities remain insufficiently understood. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate five chicken-manure application rates (0, 7.5, 15, 30, and 60 t ha⁻¹) in a pakchoi production system. Bacterial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Compared with the control, chicken manure significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus, whereas the two highest rates significantly decreased soil pH (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Only the highest rate significantly increased pakchoi aboveground fresh weight, whereas soluble sugar content increased significantly at 15–60 t ha⁻¹ (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Chicken manure significantly increased total soil Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn concentrations (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05), with application-rate-dependent increases in their TCLP-extractable fractions (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05 or <i>P</i> &lt; 0.01), whereas Pb remained unchanged (<i>P</i> &gt; 0.05). In edible tissues, the two highest rates significantly increased Cd and Zn concentrations, and the highest rate increased Cr and Cu concentrations (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05), although all concentrations remained below the applicable food-safety limits. Bacterial richness and diversity increased significantly under selected treatments (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Community analyses identified TN, Zn, and Cd as major environmental drivers, with heavy metals explaining more variation in bacterial communities than soil nutrients. These findings reveal a rate-dependent trade-off between improved soil fertility and increased heavy-metal accumulation, emphasizing the need to control application rates for the sustainable and safe recycling of manure.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 23","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189146","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":"Comparative Phenol Adsorption by KOH-modified Biochar and Hydrochar: Synthetic Water, Real HTC Liquid, and Multi-criteria Assessment","authors":"Afshin Maleki,&nbsp;Nader Marzban,&nbsp;Nader Amini,&nbsp;Hee-Jeong Choi,&nbsp;Serveh Fathi,&nbsp;Zakaria Vahabzadeh,&nbsp;Shadi Kohzadi,&nbsp;Kazem Godini","doi":"10.1007/s11270-026-10046-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11270-026-10046-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) produces an aqueous by-product containing dissolved organic matter, including phenolic and aromatic constituents, that must be managed before discharge or reuse. In this study, biochar (BC), hydrochar (HC), and their KOH-modified forms (BC–KOH and HC–KOH) were compared for phenol removal from synthetic solutions and for apparent phenol-response reduction in real HTC process liquid. After an initial screening step, the modified materials were examined with respect to solution pH, adsorbent dose, adsorption kinetics, equilibrium behavior, temperature response, co-existing ion effects, real-matrix treatment, and regeneration. A supplementary multi-criteria decision-support framework based on TOPSIS, VIKOR, and Pareto screening was used to summarize the most application-relevant performance indicators. BC–KOH was identified as the most effective adsorbent under the tested conditions. Under baseline screening conditions, phenol removal reached 89.7% for BC–KOH and 81.5% for HC–KOH. In real HTC process liquid, BC–KOH achieved 75.7% apparent phenol-response reduction and 38.7% COD reduction, compared with 66.6% and 32.1%, respectively, for HC–KOH. The kinetic data were best described by the pseudo-second-order model, while Weber–Morris and Boyd analyses indicated contributions from both film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. Freundlich gave the lowest AICc for both equilibrium datasets; this preference was clear for BC–KOH, whereas Langmuir and D–R remained within ΔAICc &lt; 2 of Freundlich for HC–KOH. The equilibrium evidence therefore supports non-uniform surface affinity most strongly for BC–KOH and more cautiously for HC–KOH. K_d-based apparent temperature-response indicators showed that phenol uptake increased moderately with temperature, and regeneration tests showed better adsorption-performance retention under alkaline desorption than under acidic desorption. Overall, BC–KOH was identified as the more promising adsorbent for phenol removal in synthetic water and for selective apparent phenol-response reduction in HTC-derived aqueous streams. However, the real-matrix results should be interpreted as standard-method-based apparent phenol response rather than compound-specific phenol quantification, and adsorption should be considered as part of an integrated treatment strategy rather than a stand-alone solution for complete COD removal.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"237 23","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189209","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}