Beyond the Bench: Contextualizing the Impacts of Char Redox Properties on Biogeochemical Cycling and Microbial Ecosystem Services.

The electrochemical properties of chars have been recently described, positioning chars as active participants in microbial redox processes through functional groups, aromatic structures, redox-active metals, and radicals. While bench-scale studies have advanced mechanistic understanding of char's behavior and potential effects, translating these findings to complex ecosystems remains challenging. This is mainly due to the complexities of microbial communities and the unique properties of various ecosystems.

Support work-function dependent Fenton-like catalytic activity of Co single atoms for selective cobalt(IV)=O generation.

In Fenton-like reactions, high-valent cobalt-oxo (Co=O) has attracted increasing interests due to high redox potential, long lifetime, and anti-interference properties, but its generation is hindered by the electron repulsion between the electron rich oxo- and cobalt centers. Here, we demonstrate Co=O generation from peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation over cobalt single-atom catalysts (Co-SACs) using in-situ Co K-edge X-ray absorption spectra, and discern that Co=O generation is dependent on the support work-function (W) due to the strong electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI). Supports with a high W value like anatase-TiO facilitate the binding of PMS-terminal oxo-ligand to Co sites by extracting Co-d electrons, thus decreasing the generation barrier for the critical intermediate (Co-OOSO).

Simultaneous Reduction and Methylation of Nanoparticulate Mercury: The Critical Role of Extracellular Electron Transfer.

Mercury nanoparticles are abundant in natural environments. Yet, understanding their contribution to global biogeochemical cycling of mercury remains elusive. Here, we show that microbial transformation of nanoparticulate divalent mercury can be an important source of elemental and methylmercury.

Sulfur-Intercalated Layered Double Hydroxides Minimize Microbial Mercury Methylation: Implications for Remediation of Mercury-Contaminated Sites.

Conventional approaches for in situ remediation of mercury (Hg)-contaminated soils and sediments rely mostly on precipitation or adsorption. However, this can generate Hg-rich surfaces that facilitate microbial production of methylmercury (MeHg), a potent, bioaccumulative neurotoxin. Herein, we prove the concept that the risk of mercury methylation can be effectively minimized by adding sulfur-intercalated layered double hydroxide (S-LDH) to Hg-contaminated soils.

Phage-based biocontrol of through indirect targeting.

Unlabelled: Bacteriophages offer an opportunity for chemical-free, precise control of problematic bacteria, but this approach can be limited when lytic phages are difficult to obtain for the target host. In such cases, phage-based targeting of cooperating or cross-feeding bacteria (e.g.

Intrinsic Peroxidase-like Activity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics Mediates Oxidative Stress.

Nanoplastics represent a global environmental concern due to their ubiquitous presence and potential adverse impacts on public and environmental health. There is a growing need to advance the mechanistic understanding of their reactivity as they interact with biological and environmental systems. Herein, for the first time, we report that polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) have intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and are able to mediate oxidative stress.

Isolation and Characterization of Six Novel Phages.

Introduction: , a human and animal pathogen, is the primary etiologic agent of bovine liver abscesses and a driving factor for prophylactic antibiotic use in the fed cattle industry. Considering calls to reduce agricultural antibiotic use, we isolated phages capable of killing as an alternative or complementary biocontrol strategy.

Methods: Six novel phages (φFN37, φRTG5, φKSUM, φHugo, φPaco, and φBB) were isolated from rumen fluid or ruminal isolates and subjected to host range testing on both subspecies.

Mechanistic Implications of the Varying Susceptibility of PAHs to Pyro-Catalytic Treatment as a Function of Their Ionization Potential and Hydrophobicity.

Transition metal catalysts in soil constituents (e.g., clays) can significantly decrease the pyrolytic treatment temperature and energy requirements for efficient removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and, thus, lead to more sustainable remediation of contaminated soils.

Crystalline Phase Regulates Microbial Methylation Potential of Mercury Bound to MoS Nanosheets: Implications for Safe Design of Mercury Removal Materials.

Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have shown great promise as selective and high-capacity sorbents for Hg(II) removal from water. Yet, their design should consider safe disposal of spent materials, particularly the subsequent formation of methylmercury (MeHg), a highly potent and bioaccumulative neurotoxin. Here, we show that microbial methylation of mercury bound to MoS nanosheets (a representative TMD material) is significant under anoxic conditions commonly encountered in landfills.

Single-Atom Iron Can Steer Atomic Hydrogen toward Selective Reductive Dechlorination: Implications for Remediation of Chlorinated Solvents-Impacted Groundwater.

Atomic hydrogen (H*) is a powerful and versatile reductant and has tremendous potential in the degradation of oxidized pollutants (e.g., chlorinated solvents).

Nano-sized polystyrene and magnetite collectively promote biofilm stability and resistance due to enhanced oxidative stress response.

Despite the growing prevalence of nanoplastics in drinking water distribution systems, the collective influence of nanoplastics and background nanoparticles on biofilm formation and microbial risks remains largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that nano-sized polystyrene modified with carboxyl groups (nPS) and background magnetite (nFeO) nanoparticles at environmentally relevant concentrations can collectively stimulate biofilm formation and prompt antibiotic resistance. Combined exposure of nPS and nFeO by P.

Multi-Emission Carbon Dots Combining Turn-On Sensing and Fluorescence Quenching Exhibit Ultrahigh Selectivity for Mercury in Real Water Samples.

Mercury is a ubiquitous heavy-metal pollutant and poses serious ecological and human-health risks. There is an ever-growing demand for rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of mercury in natural waters, particularly for regions lacking infrastructure specialized for mercury analysis. Here, we show that a sensor based on multi-emission carbon dots (M-CDs) exhibits ultrahigh sensing selectivity toward Hg(II) in complex environmental matrices, tested in the presence of a range of environmentally relevant metal/metalloid ions as well as natural and artificial ligands, using various real water samples.

Cr(VI) Reduction and Sequestration by FeS Nanoparticles Formed in situ as Aquifer Material Coating to Create a Regenerable Reactive Zone.

Remediation of large and dilute plumes of groundwater contaminated by oxidized pollutants such as chromate is a common and difficult challenge. Herein, we show that in situ formation of FeS nanoparticles (using dissolved Fe(II), S(-II), and natural organic matter as a nucleating template) results in uniform coating of aquifer material to create a regenerable reactive zone that mitigates Cr(VI) migration. Flow-through columns packed with quartz sand are amended first with an Fe solution and then with a HS solution to form a nano-FeS coating on the sand, which does not hinder permeability.

Heteroatom substitution enhances generation and reactivity of surface-activated peroxydisulfate complexes for catalytic fenton-like reactions.

Peroxydisulfate (PDS)-based Fenton-like reactions are promising advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to degrade recalcitrant organic water pollutants. Current research predominantly focuses on augmenting the generation of reactive species (e.g.

The Future of Municipal Wastewater Reuse Concentrate Management: Drivers, Challenges, and Opportunities.

Water reuse is rapidly becoming an integral feature of resilient water systems, where municipal wastewater undergoes advanced treatment, typically involving a sequence of ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), and an advanced oxidation process (AOP). When RO is used, a concentrated waste stream is produced that is elevated in not only total dissolved solids but also metals, nutrients, and micropollutants that have passed through conventional wastewater treatment. Management of this RO concentrate─dubbed municipal wastewater reuse concentrate (MWRC)─will be critical to address, especially as water reuse practices become more widespread.

Molecular signature of soil organic matter under different land uses in the Lake Chaohu Basin.

The concentration and molecular composition of soil organic matter (SOM) are important factors in mitigation against climate change as well as providing other ecosystem services. Our quantitative understanding of how land use influences SOM molecular composition and associated turnover dynamics is limited, which underscores the need for high-throughput analytical approaches and molecular marker signatures to clarify this etiology. Combining a high-throughput untargeted mass spectrometry screening and molecular markers, we show that forest, farmland and urban land uses result in distinct molecular signatures of SOM in the Lake Chaohu Basin.

Enhanced Bacterium-Phage Symbiosis in Attached Microbial Aggregates on a Membrane Surface Facing Elevated Hydraulic Stress.

Phages are increasingly recognized for their importance in microbial aggregates, including their influence on microbial ecosystem services and biotechnology applications. However, the adaptive strategies and ecological functions of phages in different aggregates remain largely unexplored. Herein, we used membrane bioreactors to investigate bacterium-phage interactions and related microbial functions within suspended and attached microbial aggregates (SMA vs AMA).

Pyro-Catalytic Degradation of Pyrene by Bentonite-Supported Transition Metals: Mechanistic Insights and Trade-Offs with Low Pyrolysis Temperature.

Transition metal catalysts can significantly enhance the pyrolytic remediation of soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Significantly higher pyrene removal efficiency was observed after the pyrolytic treatment of Fe-enriched bentonite (1.8% wt ion-exchanged content) relative to natural bentonite or soil (i.

Simultaneous antibiotic removal and mitigation of resistance induction by manganese bio-oxidation process.

Microbial degradation to remove residual antibiotics in wastewater is of growing interest. However, biological treatment of antibiotics may cause resistance dissemination by mutations and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, a Mn(Ⅱ)-oxidizing bacterium (MnOB), Pseudomonas aeruginosa MQ2, simultaneously degraded antibiotics, decreased HGT, and mitigated antibiotic resistance mutation.

Merits and Limitations of Radical vs. Nonradical Pathways in Persulfate-Based Advanced Oxidation Processes.

Urbanization and industrialization have exerted significant adverse effects on water quality, resulting in a growing need for reliable and eco-friendly treatment technologies. Persulfate (PS)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are emerging as viable technologies to treat challenging industrial wastewaters or remediate groundwater impacted by hazardous wastes. While the generated reactive species can degrade a variety of priority organic contaminants through radical and nonradical pathways, there is a lack of systematic and in-depth comparison of these pathways for practical implementation in different treatment scenarios.

Intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of dissolved black carbon released from biochar.

Dissolved black carbon (DBC) is an important constituent of the natural organic carbon pool, influencing the global carbon cycling and the fate processes of many pollutants. In this work, we discovered that DBC released from biochar has intrinsic peroxidase-like activity. DBC samples were derived from four biomass stocks, including corn, peanut, rice, and sorghum straws.

Toward a Universal Unit for Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Environmental Samples.

Surveillance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has been increasingly conducted in environmental sectors to complement the surveys in human and animal sectors under the "One-Health" framework. However, there are substantial challenges in comparing and synthesizing the results of multiple studies that employ different test methods and approaches in bioinformatic analysis. In this article, we consider the commonly used quantification units (ARG copy per cell, ARG copy per genome, ARG density, ARG copy per 16S rRNA gene, RPKM, coverage, PPM, etc.

The association of prokaryotic antiviral systems and symbiotic phage communities in drinking water microbiomes.

Prokaryotic antiviral systems are important mediators for prokaryote-phage interactions, which have significant implications for the survival of prokaryotic community. However, the prokaryotic antiviral systems under environmental stress are poorly understood, limiting the understanding of microbial adaptability. Here, we systematically investigated the profile of the prokaryotic antiviral systems at the community level and prokaryote-phage interactions in the drinking water microbiome.