ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-04DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00625
Ningning Li, Xushen Han*, Yongqi Yang and Jianguo Yu,
{"title":"Performance of Aerobic Sludge Granulation in the Treatment of High-Strength N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) Wastewater","authors":"Ningning Li, Xushen Han*, Yongqi Yang and Jianguo Yu, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00625","url":null,"abstract":"<p >NMP is a typical N-heterocyclic compound and has been widely used in several industries, such as the lithium battery industries. High-strength NMP wastewater was difficult to treat due to its strong toxicity to microorganisms. Since aerobic granular sludge (AGS) had a unique layered structure and exhibited high tolerance to organic loading rate (OLR), herein, AGS was directly cultivated with the influent NMP of 10,000 mg/L (OLR of ∼5.8 kg COD/(m<sup>3</sup> d)) in a sequencing batch reactor with the inoculum of activated sludge. Granulation was successfully completed in 20 days with a <i>D</i><sub>50</sub> of 520 μm, SVI<sub>30</sub> of 53.1 mL/g, and SVI<sub>30</sub>/SVI<sub>5</sub> of 0.9. COD and TN removal ratio were maintained at >97.2% and 28.3%–46.5% during the long-term operation, in which genera <i>Methylobacillus</i>, <i>Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium</i>, and <i>Arenimonas</i> were the main bacteria. The relatively low TN removal was similar to other biological treatment processes, which was primarily due to the evident stepwise carbon removal and nitrogen release, as well as the suppression of nitrifying bacteria. Furthermore, an up-to-standard AGS-two-stage-A/O process was developed using Aspen Plus V10. To our knowledge; this study first developed the AGS system for high-strength NMP wastewater treatment, and it showed the highest NMP-stress tolerance in various NMP biodegradation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5575–5584"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036655","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-04DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00502
Yan Xing, Xiaoyan Qi, Yayun Ma, Chao Feng, Lingjie Meng and Haihan Zhang*,
{"title":"Occurrence of Typical Organophosphate Esters in the Largest Tributary of the Yellow River with Water Supply and Irrigation Functions: Spatiotemporal Variation, Potential Sources, and Risk Assessment","authors":"Yan Xing, Xiaoyan Qi, Yayun Ma, Chao Feng, Lingjie Meng and Haihan Zhang*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00502","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00502","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are extensively present in aquatic environments and are ecologically hazardous. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal variation, potential sources, and ecological risk of seven typical OPEs in water samples collected from the largest tributary of the Yellow River during the wet, dry, and normal seasons. All target OPEs were detected; triethyl phosphate (TEP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) were the most commonly detected target compounds (100%). The results indicated that the total concentration of OPEs ranged from 0.73 to 2023.62 ng/L in water. Concentrations of OPEs were significantly higher in the normal season (12526.27 ng/L) and wet season (12047.81 ng/L) than in the dry season (7886.37 ng/L). The spatial distribution was dominated by Cl-OPEs and Aryl-OPEs, which were mainly concentrated in the central and lower sections with frequent urban activities. Principal component analysis and Spearman’s correlation analysis demonstrated that urban wastewater discharge, industrial production, and atmospheric wet deposition were potential sources of OPEs. The species sensitivity distribution and assessment factor were used for the ecological risk assessment of OPEs. The OPEs presented low ecological risk (RQ < 0.01) at different periods. However, tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP) and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) posed relatively higher ecological risks.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5405–5415"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036653","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-02DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00659
Wenshan Chen, Xiurui Cui, Junhui Li, Zhiyuan Zhang, Shu Tao and Dongqiang Zhu*,
{"title":"Mechanisms Governing the Oxidation of Leachate Organic Matter from Tire Wear Particles Coupled with Reductive Dissolution of Manganese (Hydr)oxides","authors":"Wenshan Chen, Xiurui Cui, Junhui Li, Zhiyuan Zhang, Shu Tao and Dongqiang Zhu*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00659","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Transformation pathways of leachate organic matter from tire wear particles (TWPs) in the environment remain elusive. Herein, we studied the oxidation of a TWP leachate (85 mg C/L) by three common manganese (Mn) (hydr)oxides (β-MnO<sub>2</sub>, δ-MnO<sub>2</sub>, and γ-MnO<sub>2</sub>) (500 mg/L) in aqueous suspensions at varying pH (3, 4, and 5). The released amount of Mn<sup>2+</sup> positively correlated with the TOC loss of leachate, indicating the coupled oxidation of leachate with reductive dissolution of Mn (hydr)oxides. The strongest reduction shown for β-MnO<sub>2</sub> at pH 3 was accounted for by the intensified leachate adsorption assisted by acidic dissolution. This was further verified by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) analysis to in situ monitor changes of mass and redox potential at the surface of electrodeposited Mn (hydr)oxide by comparison with inert polystyrene nanoparticles. Fluorescence analysis showed that new quinone compounds were formed after reacting with β-MnO<sub>2</sub>, whereas some quinone compounds were mineralized or structurally altered after reacting with δ-MnO<sub>2</sub>. Compared with pristine TWP leachate, only the leachate reacted with δ-MnO<sub>2</sub> at pH 3 exhibited enhanced luminescent bacterial toxicity (by 96.2%) attributable to oxidized quinone compounds and lower-molecular-weight compounds produced from oxidation desulfurization, as revealed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5661–5671"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036648","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-02DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00474
Ting Li, Xiqing Wang, Xin Du, Murong Wang, Jianru Liang and Lixiang Zhou*,
{"title":"Integration of Iron Phosphide with Schwertmannite to Enhance Heterogeneous Fenton Catalysis by Accelerating Fe(III) Reduction and Forming Acidic Environment","authors":"Ting Li, Xiqing Wang, Xin Du, Murong Wang, Jianru Liang and Lixiang Zhou*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00474","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00474","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The widespread application of Fe-based heterogeneous Fenton in water treatment is hindered by two main challenges: the inefficiency of the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox cycle and the requirement of acidic conditions. In this study, combining schwertmannite with iron phosphide (Sch/FeP) via pre-adding FeP in the formation process of Sch could enhance the Fe(II)/Fe(III) conversion and self-producing acidic environment by SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2–</sup> substitution. Specifically, the inclusion of FeP in the Sch/FeP composite markedly increased the content of ≡Fe(II) species, thereby improving the activation of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> to produce substantial quantities of •OH and •O<sub>2</sub><sup>–</sup> radicals. Sch/FeP-driven heterogeneous Fenton exhibited high total organic carbon (TOC) removal (∼60%) and utilization efficiency of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (100%) after 20 min. Furthermore, Sch/FeP exhibited excellent degradation performance across a broad pH range (2–10), which could be attributed to the SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2–</sup> substitution reaction. This study not only addresses critical challenges in heterogeneous Fenton processes but also provides a novel strategy for modifying sulfate minerals to enhance their environmental applicability.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5387–5394"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036649","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00435
Yanqi Zhao, Xinxin Xue, Ying Yang*, Zhen Yang and Geng Cao,
{"title":"Multidimensional Evaluation and Driving Mechanism of Water Resource Carrying Capacity in China’s Central Plains Urban Agglomeration","authors":"Yanqi Zhao, Xinxin Xue, Ying Yang*, Zhen Yang and Geng Cao, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00435","url":null,"abstract":"<p >It is vital for regional development planning to accurately analyze the spatiotemporal evolution and the major influencing factors of the water resource carrying capacity (WRCC). We established a triaxial WRCC evaluation framework (“pressure–support”, “destructiveness–resistance”, “degradation–promotion”) for the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration (CPUA), evaluated the CPUA’s WRCC through the efficient Fourier amplitude sensitivity test and gray relational analysis-TOPSIS model, and quantified its spatial–temporal patterns by the standard deviation ellipse trajectory analysis. The dominant obstacles to WRCC enhancement were diagnosed using the obstacle degree model, while the spatial validity of the indicator system was rigorously verified through multiscale geographic-weighted regression with bandwidth optimization. The study found the following: (1) high-WRCC cities predominantly cluster along major transportation corridors and the Yellow River basin. Meanwhile, post-2014 completion of the South-North Water Diversion Project significantly enhanced WRCC in beneficiary cities. (2) Intercity WRCC disparities in CPUA are gradually narrowing, correlating strongly with CPUA’s coordinated development initiatives. (3) The WRCC gravity center exhibits a distinct counterclockwise migration trajectory over two decades that aligns temporally with both China’s Western Development Strategy phases and key water diversion milestones. (4) The precipitation per unit area and water supply investment are the primary WRCC determinants in CPUA.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5339–5353"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036315","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00266
Usha Sri Peddibhotla*, Sobin C C* and Randhir Kumar*,
{"title":"Secured Smart Water Resource Management: An Incentive-Based Blockchain Use Case","authors":"Usha Sri Peddibhotla*, Sobin C C* and Randhir Kumar*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00266","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Water usage serves as a key factor in boosting groundwater levels, alleviating water scarcity, and enhancing sustainable farming practices. Yet, ineffective oversight and accountability among stakeholders often undermine water resource management (WRM). To address this issue, we introduce a framework called S2WRM, which integrates a dual strategy: a game theory-based method and a blockchain-based system. In the game theory component, we apply a Stackelberg game, positioning the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA) as the leader and industrialists and farmers as followers. Through this sequential game, dynamic pricing is determined as the leader establishes pricing strategies across various scenarios, analyzing usage trends to boost WRMA revenue. In addition, a blockchain incentive system is implemented, using ERC-20 contracts to mint and distribute tokens as rewards. This blockchain framework is built on the Ethereum platform, with Stackelberg simulations coded in Python. Analysis of different scenarios reveals key insights: first, blockchain-based incentives improve consumption oversight, fostering transparency in stakeholder supply chains second, WRMA revenue rises as blockchain reduces overhead costs tied to dynamic pricing and third, sustainability is advanced through token limits and penalties.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5134–5144"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036317","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00343
Marko Pranić*, Kaiyuan Zhou, P. M. Biesheuvel, Albert van der Wal and Jouke E. Dykstra*,
{"title":"Temperature impacts PFAS Adsorption on Activated Carbon","authors":"Marko Pranić*, Kaiyuan Zhou, P. M. Biesheuvel, Albert van der Wal and Jouke E. Dykstra*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00343","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00343","url":null,"abstract":"<p >While PFAS adsorption on activated carbon has been widely studied, the effect of temperature at environmentally relevant concentrations remains unclear. This study investigated the adsorption of eight PFAS at 10, 20, and 30 °C. Short-chain PFAS adsorption decreased up to 4-fold with a temperature increase from 10 to 30 °C, whereas long-chain PFAS were minimally affected. The Freundlich isotherm described all equilibrium adsorption data with a single parameter value of <i>n</i> = 0.5. The Langmuir model provided a good fit for all short-chain PFAS but failed to yield a consistent maximum adsorption capacity (<i>q</i><sub>max</sub>) at different temperatures. Extending Langmuir to the Frumkin isotherm provided a constant <i>q</i><sub>max</sub> and revealed that reduced short-chain PFAS adsorption at higher temperatures is due to increased lateral interactions between adsorbed molecules. Kinetic analysis showed that intraparticle diffusion coefficients increased with temperature, with stronger effects for short-chain PFAS. Using isotherm and kinetic parameters, breakthrough curve predictions showed that for short-chain PFAS, an increase in temperature from 10 to 30 °C reduced the number of treated bed volumes before breakthrough by a factor of 3, whereas long-chain PFAS remained unaffected. These findings highlight the importance of considering temperature effects in PFAS removal using activated carbon.</p><p >This study investigated the adsorption of eight PFAS at 10, 20, and 30 °C. Short-chain PFAS adsorption decreased up to 4-fold with a temperature increase from 10 to 30 °C, whereas long-chain PFAS were minimally affected</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5233–5242"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00343","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036319","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00054
Nematollah Omidikia*, Helge Niemann, Hanne Ødegaard Notø and Rupert Holzinger,
{"title":"Detecting Polystyrene Nanoparticles in Environmental Samples: A Comprehensive Quantitative Approach Based on TD-PTR-MS and Multivariate Standard Addition","authors":"Nematollah Omidikia*, Helge Niemann, Hanne Ødegaard Notø and Rupert Holzinger, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00054","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Submicrometer-sized plastic particles (nanoplastic; NP) have been detected in a large variety of different ecosystems. They occur in small quantities within a complex organic matrix comprising a plethora of compounds. A robust quantification of the NP concentration thus requires the development of a comprehensive analytical workflow to handle potential interferents. Thermal desorption–proton-transfer reaction–mass spectrometry (TD-PTR-MS) creates the necessary chemical selectivity to distinguish NP signals from the organic matrix. Nevertheless, the recorded raw mass spectra are too complex for direct interpretation, and further signal clustering/scoring is required for a more in-depth analysis. Here, we resolved this problem in a novel workflow, which combines non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) and multivariate standard addition (MSA). This allows us to mathematically separate the NP’s signature from the mixture, as showcased for polystyrene nanoparticles. The method produces an unequivocal and matrix-corrected NP fingerprint for identification and quantification. MSA and NMF enabled us to quantify polystyrene NP in different environmental samples in the lower nanogram range. The mass concentration of polystyrene NP in Waal River water sampled close to Nijmegen, the Netherlands, was 4.7 ± 0.65 ng/mL and 39 ± 0.70 ng/g in sand samples from the river’s shore. A sand sample from a local playground in Nijmegen exhibited a higher concentration of 129 ± 1.1 ng/g.</p><p >The proposed novel workflow is built on sensitive mass spectrometry and a machine learning approach to data interpretation that enables identification and precise quantification of nanoplastic concentrations in complex environmental samples. This method will allow a deeper understanding of nanoplastic contamination in the environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5037–5044"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00054","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036321","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-07-31DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.4c01082
Pongsathorn Thunyawatcharakul, Kyung Hwa Cho and Srilert Chotpantarat*,
{"title":"Predicting Arsenic Speciation in Coastal Aquifers Using Machine Learning: A Case Study of the Chonburi and Rayong Groundwater Basins, Thailand","authors":"Pongsathorn Thunyawatcharakul, Kyung Hwa Cho and Srilert Chotpantarat*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.4c01082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.4c01082","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This study developed machine learning models to predict arsenic speciation, focusing on As(III), in contaminated groundwater systems. Two input sets were considered: a full set containing comprehensive hydrochemical variables for high-accuracy prediction and a reduced on-site set including only field-measurable parameters and total arsenic, designed for rapid and cost-effective screening. Due to limited As(III) data, models were trained to estimate As(V) instead. Three algorithms: random forest (RF), support vector regression (SVR), and artificial neural network (ANN), were evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation. RF achieved the highest accuracy under the full set, while SVR showed the most robust performance across both input sets. ANN underperformed due to overfitting caused by a scarcity of high-concentration samples. Margin-based learning of SVR allowed the model to maintain stability despite fewer inputs, and outliers were included, suggesting its suitability for fast screening monitoring. The proposed SVR model can reduce arsenic speciation analysis costs by minimizing laboratory requirements while maintaining reliable accuracy, with only total As concentration required. These findings support the integration of SVR-based models into groundwater monitoring frameworks and public health policies, particularly in arsenic-affected regions with limited resources, contributing to more accessible and efficient arsenic risk assessment.</p><p >Machine learning models predict arsenic speciation in groundwater using both annual hydrochemical datasets and limited on-site field measurements.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5011–5024"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsestwater.4c01082","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036352","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}
ACS ES&T waterPub Date : 2025-07-31DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.5c00256
Alberto Celma*, Geeta Mandava, Karin Wiberg and Johan Lundqvist*,
{"title":"Effect-Based Assessment of Runoff Water Streams in Stormwater Manufactured Barriers","authors":"Alberto Celma*, Geeta Mandava, Karin Wiberg and Johan Lundqvist*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsestwater.5c00256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00256","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Stormwater and urban runoff have been identified as one of the major sources of chemical pollution in the aquatic environment. Although traditionally treated with man-made stormwater ponds to prevent flooding as well as to foster the remediation of some pollutants, the biological activities and removal efficiencies of toxic micropollutants are largely unknown. In this study, two stormwater ponds were studied during different hydrological conditions by means of a battery (<i>n</i> = 6) of cell-based bioassays, whereby the toxic pressure of the inlet and outlet water could be assessed. While no activities were observed for the oxidative stress reporter gene or androgenic activation or inhibition, clear agonistic and antagonistic estrogenic as well as aryl hydrocarbon activation responses were observed. Our observations further indicate that the efficiency of the ponds’ ability to lower this bioactivity from inlet to outlet was highly variable, with several cases where higher activity was observed in the outgoing water than in the ingoing water, indicating poor management of the stormwater and the need for improved treatment approaches before the stormwater is discharged into recipient water bodies.</p><p >Stormwater ponds show inconsistent pollution reduction, with some increasing toxicity, emphasizing the need for improved stormwater treatment strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":93847,"journal":{"name":"ACS ES&T water","volume":"5 9","pages":"5112–5121"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00256","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145036354","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}