Enhanced nitrogen prediction and mechanistic process analysis in high-salinity wastewater treatment using interpretable machine learning approach.

This study introduces an interpretable machine learning framework to predict nitrogen removal in membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating high-salinity wastewater. By integrating Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) with Categorical Boosting (CatBoost), we address the critical gap in linking predictive accuracy to operational decision-making for saline systems. CatBoost achieved the best performance, with an coefficient of determination (R) of 0.

PM concentration prediction using a whale optimization algorithm based hybrid deep learning model in Beijing, China.

PM is a significant global atmospheric pollutant impacting visibility, climate, and public health. Accurate prediction of PM concentrations is critical for assessing air pollution risks and providing early warnings for effective management. This study proposes a novel hybrid machine learning model that combines the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) with a convolutional neural network (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and an attention mechanism (AM) to predict daily PM concentrations.

Significant role of sludge-derived organic matter in enhancing Cr (III) immobilization by jarosite: Insights from molecular selective adsorption and co-precipitation.

The high mobility of chromium (Cr) caused by acid mine drainage (AMD) poses a serious threat to the aquatic environment. Weakly crystalline minerals can passivate Cr and modify its environmental behavior. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays an important role in synergizing the in-situ immobilization of Cr by minerals.

Emerging applications of fluorescence excitation-emission matrix with machine learning for water quality monitoring: A systematic review.

Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (FEEM) spectroscopy is increasingly utilized in water quality monitoring due to its rapid, sensitive, and non-destructive measurement capabilities. The integration of machine learning (ML) techniques with FEEM offers a powerful approach to enhance data interpretation and improve monitoring efficiency. This review systematically examines the application of ML-FEEM in urban water systems across three primary tasks of ML: classification, regression, and pattern recognition.

Carbon nanomaterials for co-removal of antibiotics and heavy metals from water systems: An overview.

Pollution resulting from the combination of antibiotics and heavy metals (HMs) poses a significant threat to human health and the natural environment. Adsorption is a promising technique for removing antibiotics and HMs owing to its low cost, simple procedures, and high adsorption capacity. In recent years, various novel carbon nanomaterials have been developed, demonstrating outstanding performance in simultaneously removing antibiotics and HMs.

Microscopic mechanism of organic carbon sequestration and redox properties influenced by iron (Oxyhydr)oxides.

Iron and organic carbon (OC) biogeochemical cycling is highly correlated, and dissolved organic matter (DOM), a highly reactive component of soil and water environments, is the main OC source. However, the micro-mechanism of the molecular fractionation of DOM, the spatial OC distribution on iron (oxyhydr)oxides, and how these factors further affect their redox properties remain to be fully understood. Therefore, this study investigated the DOM adsorption properties of iron (oxyhydr)oxides with different crystallinities at the molecular level through the Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and transmission electron microscopy/electron energy loss spectroscopy (TEM-EELS) analyses of the liquid-solid phases.

Exploring the degradation of ofloxacin in sewer overflows by Fe(Ⅵ)/PMS, Fe(Ⅵ)/PDS, and Fe(Ⅵ)/SPC: Overlooked synergistic effect of oxidation and in-situ coagulation.

Sewer overflows are a potential source of emerging contaminants to urban waters, posing a threat to ecosystems and human health. Herein, the performance and mechanism of ferrate(Ⅵ) (Fe(Ⅵ))/peroxymonosulfate (PMS), Fe(Ⅵ)/peroxydisulfate (PDS), and Fe(Ⅵ)/percarbonate (SPC) for the degradation of ofloxacin (OFL) in overflows were comparatively investigated. These systems achieved efficient degradation of OFL and the removal of conventional pollutants.

The discharge of chlorinated effluent from wastewater treatment plants enhances dissolved oxygen in the receiving river: From laboratory study to practical application.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is essential for the health of aquatic ecosystems, supporting biogeochemical cycles and the decomposition of organic matter. However, continuous untreated external inputs from illicit discharges or sewer overflows, coupled with inadequate ecological base flow, have led to widespread river deoxygenation and serious ecological crises. This study demonstrates that chlorinated wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent can significantly enhance DO levels in downstream rivers, particularly in areas with high pollution loads or poor ecological base flow.

A probabilistic deep learning approach to enhance the prediction of wastewater treatment plant effluent quality under shocking load events.

Sudden shocking load events featuring significant increases in inflow quantities or concentrations of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), are a major threat to the attainment of treated effluents to discharge quality standards. To aid in real-time decision-making for stable WWTP operations, this study developed a probabilistic deep learning model that comprises encoder-decoder long short-term memory (LSTM) networks with added capacity of producing probability predictions, to enhance the robustness of real-time WWTP effluent quality prediction under such events. The developed probabilistic encoder-decoder LSTM (P-ED-LSTM) model was tested in an actual WWTP, where bihourly effluent quality prediction of total nitrogen was performed and compared with classical deep learning models, including LSTM, gated recurrent unit (GRU) and Transformer.

Co-occurrence of cadmium and ciprofloxacin in environmental media decreases ciprofloxacin degradation by biogenic manganese oxides.

The coexistence of antibiotics with heavy metals is detrimental to humans and the environment. In urban water environments, Cadmium (Cd) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) frequently co-occur. Biogenic manganese oxides (BMOs) are a promising environmental bioremediation material due to their remarkable adsorption and oxidation properties.

Advancements in atmospheric water harvesting: toward continuous operation through mass transfer optimization.

Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) offers a promising solution to global water scarcity. However, practical implementation is limited by discontinuities in the mass transfer process inside sorbents. This perspective reviews current SAWH technologies and introduces a new concept, mass transfer of SAWH (MT-SAWH), which ensures continuous water collection by facilitating the movement of water molecules within a fixed sorbent bed.

Develop Reusable Carbon Sub-Micrometer Composites with Record-High Cd(II) Removal Capacity.

Cd(II)-induced pollution across diverse water bodies severely threatens ecosystems and human health. Nevertheless, achieving ultra-efficient and cost-effective treatment of trace amounts of heavy metals remains a major challenge. Herein, the novel carbon sub-micrometer composites (CSMCs) supported Fe@γ-FeO core-shell clusters nanostructures are designed and synthesized through a series of universally applicable methods.

Mechanism of stabilized sludge-driven remediation in saline-alkali soil: New insights from salt-discharge capacity and microbially mediated carbon/nitrogen cycles.

Stabilized sludge products (SSP) are promising conditioners for saline-alkali soils, capable of enhancing soil physicochemical properties and stimulating microbial communities. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the effects of SSP on soil salt-discharge capacity and carbon/nitrogen cycles. Here, a six-month incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate SSP (0 % ~ 60 %) on saline-alkali soil properties, salt leaching, and microbial functions.

Urban stormwater discharge contributes more micropollutants to surface water in humid regions of China: Comparison with treated wastewater.

Micropollutants have raised increasing concern due to their adverse effect on ecosystems and human health. So far, the effects of micropollutants in urban stormwater discharge on surface water quality or ecosystem health remains unclear. In this study, target and non-target screening methods were used to quantify and identify micropollutants in urban stormwater, wastewater, and surface water in humid regions of China.

Synergistic removal of bio-recalcitrant organic compounds and nitrate: Coupling photocatalysis and biodegradation to enhance the bioavailability of electron donors.

Nitrate pollution poses significant threats to both aquatic ecosystems and human well-being, particularly due to eutrophication and increased risks of methemoglobinemia. Conventional treatment for nitrate-contaminated wastewater face challenges stemming from limited availability of carbon sources and the adverse impacts of toxins on denitrification processes. This study introduces an innovative Intimately Coupled Photocatalysis and Biodegradation (ICPB) system, which utilizes AgPO/BiTiO, denitrifying sludge, and polyurethane sponge within an anoxic environment.

Enhanced Cu and Cd removal by a novel co-pyrolysis biochar derived from sewage sludge and phosphorus tailings: adsorption performance and mechanisms.

The reutilization of municipal wastes has always been one of the hottest subjects of sustainable development study. In this study, a novel biochar co-pyrolyzed from municipal sewage sludge and phosphorus tailings was produced to enhance the adsorption performance of the composite on Cu and Cd. The maximum Cu and Cd adsorption capacity of SSB-PT were 44.

Optimizing the placement of medical wastewater outlets in sewer systems to reduce chemical consumption at wastewater treatment plants.

The severely low influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has become a critical issue. A key factor is the excessive biodegradation of organic matter by microbial communities within sewer systems. Intense disinfection commonly adopted for medical wastewater leads to abundant residual chlorine entering sewers, likely causing significant changes in microbial communities and sewage quality in sewers, yet our understanding is limited.

A novelty strategy for AMD prevention by biogas slurry: Acetate acid inhibition effect on chalcopyrite biooxidation and leachate.

With the widespread application of anaerobic digestion technology, biogas slurry become the main source of organic amendments in practice. Comprehensive studies into the inhibitory effects of low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids, essential components in biogas slurry, on the sulfide minerals biooxidation and its bioleaching (AMD) have been lacking. In this study, acetic acid (AA) served as a representative of LMW organic acids in biogas slurry to investigate its impact on the inhibition of chalcopyrite biooxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A.

Widespread Antioxidants during Storm Events Could Serve as Precursors of Regulated, Priority, and New Disinfection Byproducts.

Widely used antioxidants can enter the environment via urban stormwater systems and form disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during chlorination in downstream drinking water processes. Herein, we comprehensively investigated the occurrence of 39 antioxidants from stormwater runoff to surface water. After a storm event, the concentrations of the antioxidants in surface water increased by 1.

Microbial community succession and responses to internal environmental drivers throughout the operation of constructed wetlands.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been widely used to ensure effective domestic wastewater treatment. Microorganisms-derived CWs have received extensive attention as they play a crucial role. However, research on the succession patterns of microbial communities and the influencing mechanisms of internal environmental factors throughout entire CW operations remains limited.

Advancing illicit connection diagnosis of urban stormwater pipes: Comprehensive analysis with EEM fluorescence spectroscopy.

Urban drainage systems are significant contributors to the issue of black-odorous water bodies. The current application of stormwater pipe inspection technologies faces substantial limitations, especially in industrial areas with diverse wastewater. This study introduced an innovative approach using excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy for rapid and accurate diagnosis, providing a new perspective for diagnosing illicit connections.

Competitive adsorption of heavy metals onto xanthate-modified sludge hydrochar and its solidification as secondary minerals.

In this study, a sulfur-modified magnetic hydrochar was synthesized by grafting thiol-containing groups onto the sludge-derived hydrochar. The modified hydrochar exhibited effective adsorption of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd over a wide pH range and in the presence of coexisting ions, and showed almost no secondary leaching in three acidic solutions. In the mult-metal ion system, the modified hydrochar exhibited maximum adsorption capacities were 39.

Occurrence, fate, and ecological risk of antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants in China: A review.

This review offers a comprehensive overview of the occurrence, fate, and ecological risk associated with six major categories of antibiotics found in influent, effluent, and sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China. Further exploration includes examining the correlation between antibiotic residual rates in the effluents and process parameters of urban WWTPs across the country. Lastly, a nationwide and urban cluster-specific evaluation of the ecological risk posed by antibiotics in WWTPs is conducted.