Pub Date : 2026-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143879
Soo-Jin Park,Lya Lugon,Youngseob Kim,Alexia Baudic,Amandine Rosso,Jeroen Kuenen,Marya el Malki,Karine Sartelet
{"title":"Reconciling mass and number emissions through particle size: Implications for urban ultrafine particle modelling","authors":"Soo-Jin Park,Lya Lugon,Youngseob Kim,Alexia Baudic,Amandine Rosso,Jeroen Kuenen,Marya el Malki,Karine Sartelet","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143879","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143879","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"37 1","pages":"143879"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149210049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
In advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), electron-rich contaminants are generally susceptible to oxidation by reactive species. Herein, an unusual substrate-selective degradation was observed in sulfite (Na2SO3) based AOPs with the Mn(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) complex. The strong electron-rich phenolics were hardly degraded, whereas electron-deficient phenols were efficiently removed. An asymmetric volcano-shaped correlation between the degradation rates and Hammett constants σ+ was established via quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis and can be expanded to antibiotics and dyes with anodic peak potential as a descriptor. Mechanistic investigations demonstrate that electron-rich phenolics complex with Mn(II)-NTA, suppressing O2-driven Mn(III)-NTA formation and thus limiting Mn(V)-NTA accumulation, with a slow radical chain reaction for Na2SO3 oxidation. In contrast, electron-deficient substrates promote Mn(III)-NTA generation, fast Na2SO3 oxidation and transformation to peroxymonosulfate (PMS), and subsequent Mn(V)-NTA formation. Consequently, radical pathways participate in the degradation of electron-rich pollutants, whereas Mn(V)-NTA governs the oxidation of electron-deficient ones. The low-cost Na2SO3 system shows comparable or superior performance to PMS-based systems for electron-deficient pollutants, highlighting its economic viability. These findings underscore the importance of pollutant-catalyst interactions in AOPs and provide mechanistic insights for targeted contaminant remediation.
{"title":"Abnormal electron-donation-dependent sulfite activation in the Mn(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid system: QSAR and mechanistic insights","authors":"Yanchanjuan Yang, Xinglian Qin, Pengli Zhang, Jiayu Wu, Shuaiqi Zhao, Xiuying Liu, Aihua Xu, Xiaoxia Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144070","url":null,"abstract":"In advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), electron-rich contaminants are generally susceptible to oxidation by reactive species. Herein, an unusual substrate-selective degradation was observed in sulfite (Na<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>SO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>) based AOPs with the Mn(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) complex. The strong electron-rich phenolics were hardly degraded, whereas electron-deficient phenols were efficiently removed. An asymmetric volcano-shaped correlation between the degradation rates and Hammett constants σ<ce:sup loc=\"post\">+</ce:sup> was established via quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis and can be expanded to antibiotics and dyes with anodic peak potential as a descriptor. Mechanistic investigations demonstrate that electron-rich phenolics complex with Mn(II)-NTA, suppressing O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>-driven Mn(III)-NTA formation and thus limiting Mn(V)-NTA accumulation, with a slow radical chain reaction for Na<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>SO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf> oxidation. In contrast, electron-deficient substrates promote Mn(III)-NTA generation, fast Na<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>SO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf> oxidation and transformation to peroxymonosulfate (PMS), and subsequent Mn(V)-NTA formation. Consequently, radical pathways participate in the degradation of electron-rich pollutants, whereas Mn(V)-NTA governs the oxidation of electron-deficient ones. The low-cost Na<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>SO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf> system shows comparable or superior performance to PMS-based systems for electron-deficient pollutants, highlighting its economic viability. These findings underscore the importance of pollutant-catalyst interactions in AOPs and provide mechanistic insights for targeted contaminant remediation.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"141 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2026-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144075
Aishu Li, Lin Yu, Shuyan Mi, Zhongqiang Hu, Qi Liao, Weichun Yang, Qingzhu Li, Mengying Si, Nan Hu, Guangyue Li, Zhihui Yang
A novel promising environmentally friendly remediation method by As(III)-oxidizing bacteria has been demonstrated to facilitate the synergistic biomineralization for Uranium (U), Arsenic (As) and Cadmium (Cd). However, the underlying remediation mechanism remains unclear. Herein, the process of synergistic mineralization of U, As, and Cd and the metabolic response of Brevundimonas spp. were revealed. Brevundimonas spp. enhanced the synergistic removal efficiencies of 27.54, 18.17 and 19.93 times for U, As and Cd comparing with the chemical methods, respectively. Precipitates were formed initially on the bacterial cell surface, and gradually released into the extracellular matrix concomitant with a transformation from amorphous precursors to crystalline phases. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) results revealed that the proteins involved in the As(III) oxidation phase primarily mediated the interactions among electron transfer-related proteins. The addition of U and Cd further strengthened the link of electron transfer with the Na+/H+ transporter, ATPase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The expression differences in oxidative phosphorylation reflect the self-regulatory capacity of Brevundimonas spp. in response to heavy metal oxidation and synergistic mineralization. Our study provides a molecular insight by which As(III)-oxidizing bacteria enhance to simultaneously remove U, As and Cd in the mining wastewater.
{"title":"Molecular insight of U-As-Cd synergistic mineralization and metabolic responses mediated by Brevundimonas spp.","authors":"Aishu Li, Lin Yu, Shuyan Mi, Zhongqiang Hu, Qi Liao, Weichun Yang, Qingzhu Li, Mengying Si, Nan Hu, Guangyue Li, Zhihui Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144075","url":null,"abstract":"A novel promising environmentally friendly remediation method by As(III)-oxidizing bacteria has been demonstrated to facilitate the synergistic biomineralization for Uranium (U), Arsenic (As) and Cadmium (Cd). However, the underlying remediation mechanism remains unclear. Herein, the process of synergistic mineralization of U, As, and Cd and the metabolic response of <ce:italic>Brevundimonas</ce:italic> spp. were revealed. <ce:italic>Brevundimonas</ce:italic> spp. enhanced the synergistic removal efficiencies of 27.54, 18.17 and 19.93 times for U, As and Cd comparing with the chemical methods, respectively. Precipitates were formed initially on the bacterial cell surface, and gradually released into the extracellular matrix concomitant with a transformation from amorphous precursors to crystalline phases. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) results revealed that the proteins involved in the As(III) oxidation phase primarily mediated the interactions among electron transfer-related proteins. The addition of U and Cd further strengthened the link of electron transfer with the Na<ce:sup loc=\"post\">+</ce:sup>/H<ce:sup loc=\"post\">+</ce:sup> transporter, ATPase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The expression differences in oxidative phosphorylation reflect the self-regulatory capacity of <ce:italic>Brevundimonas spp</ce:italic>. in response to heavy metal oxidation and synergistic mineralization. Our study provides a molecular insight by which As(III)-oxidizing bacteria enhance to simultaneously remove U, As and Cd in the mining wastewater.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Microplastic contamination in agroecosystems is increasing, yet the field-scale effects of biodegradable microplastics on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions remain unclear. We conducted a wheat–maize rotation field experiment to compare conventional polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics (PLA-MPs) at three application levels. Measurements included N2O fluxes, soil physicochemical properties, N-transformation enzyme activities, potential nitrification and denitrification rates, functional gene abundances, N2O/(N2O+N2) product ratios, 15N-18O-based N2O production pathways. Two-way ANOVA showed that microplastic type was the most consistent determinant of key responses, whereas concentration and interaction effects varied among indicators and seasons. PE-MPs caused weak and variable changes in soil N cycling and cumulative N2O emissions. In contrast, PLA-MPs increased cumulative N2O emissions by 38.9-61.1%, increased dissolved organic carbon, lowered pH, suppressed ammonia monooxygenase activity and nitrification, and stimulated nitrite reductase activity, potential denitrification, and nirK/nirS abundances. Increased N2O/(N2O+N2) and (nirK+nirS)/nosZ ratios indicated a stronger imbalance between N2O production and nosZ-mediated reduction. Dual-isotope tracing further showed that microplastics reduced nitrifier nitrification and shifted N2O production toward nitrifier denitrification, coupled nitrification–denitrification, and heterotrophic denitrification, with the strongest shift under PLA-MPs. These results demonstrate PLA-MPs pose greater N2O emission risks than PE-MPs, biodegradability does not necessarily imply environmental safety.
{"title":"Biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics pose greater field nitrous oxide emission risks than conventional polyethylene by reshaping microbial production-reduction pathways in a wheat-maize rotation system","authors":"Chuan Wang, Rui He, Lisha Wang, Yuan Li, Rui Li, Yiting Dai, Xiaoli He, Binghan Wang, Meng Yang, Xubo Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144068","url":null,"abstract":"Microplastic contamination in agroecosystems is increasing, yet the field-scale effects of biodegradable microplastics on soil nitrous oxide (N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O) emissions remain unclear. We conducted a wheat–maize rotation field experiment to compare conventional polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics (PLA-MPs) at three application levels. Measurements included N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O fluxes, soil physicochemical properties, N-transformation enzyme activities, potential nitrification and denitrification rates, functional gene abundances, N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O/(N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O+N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>) product ratios, <ce:sup loc=\"post\">15</ce:sup>N-<ce:sup loc=\"post\">18</ce:sup>O-based N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O production pathways. Two-way ANOVA showed that microplastic type was the most consistent determinant of key responses, whereas concentration and interaction effects varied among indicators and seasons. PE-MPs caused weak and variable changes in soil N cycling and cumulative N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O emissions. In contrast, PLA-MPs increased cumulative N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O emissions by 38.9-61.1%, increased dissolved organic carbon, lowered pH, suppressed ammonia monooxygenase activity and nitrification, and stimulated nitrite reductase activity, potential denitrification, and <ce:italic>nirK</ce:italic>/<ce:italic>nirS</ce:italic> abundances. Increased N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O/(N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O+N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>) and (<ce:italic>nirK</ce:italic>+<ce:italic>nirS</ce:italic>)/<ce:italic>nosZ</ce:italic> ratios indicated a stronger imbalance between N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O production and <ce:italic>nosZ</ce:italic>-mediated reduction. Dual-isotope tracing further showed that microplastics reduced nitrifier nitrification and shifted N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O production toward nitrifier denitrification, coupled nitrification–denitrification, and heterotrophic denitrification, with the strongest shift under PLA-MPs. These results demonstrate PLA-MPs pose greater N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O emission risks than PE-MPs, biodegradability does not necessarily imply environmental safety.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are indispensable for removing hazardous contaminants such as dyes and salts from industrial wastewater, yet their performance is often bottlenecked by the inherent permeability–selectivity trade-off and membrane fouling. Zwitterionic surface modification offers a means to overcome these limitations by promoting hydrophilicity and introducing charge-mediated transport. Here we synthesized a pre-formed zwitterionic piperazine (ZW-PIP) via a one-pot ring-opening of piperazine with 1,3-propanesultone, and directly grafted it onto polyamide films through residual acyl chloride groups. Combined low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations demonstrated that the grafted zwitterionic moieties stabilized a hydration layer and facilitated water and chloride-ion diffusion (>90%), while sterically excluding sulfate. The resulting membrane exhibited a pure water permeance of 29.2L∙m-2∙h-1∙bar-1. Crucially, this enhanced permeability was achieved while maintaining the exceptional salt-rejection performance for Na2SO4 (>97.0%). This high selectivity persisted even under challenging conditions of elevated salt concentration (8.0g/L) and operating pressure (8.0bar). The membrane exhibited robust rejection of various dyes (>96%), sustained stability, and potent antifouling (BSA, FRR 89%) and antibacterial (>99.97%) properties. Collectively, this work offers a mechanistic basis for designing zwitterionic NF membranes with high permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance for treating complex hazardous wastewater.
{"title":"Tailored nanofiltration membrane for enhanced performance by surface modification using zwitterionic piperazine","authors":"Jincheng Ding, Chunyu Feng, Zongtang Liu, Zhihao Si, Qieyuan Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144045","url":null,"abstract":"Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are indispensable for removing hazardous contaminants such as dyes and salts from industrial wastewater, yet their performance is often bottlenecked by the inherent permeability–selectivity trade-off and membrane fouling. Zwitterionic surface modification offers a means to overcome these limitations by promoting hydrophilicity and introducing charge-mediated transport. Here we synthesized a pre-formed zwitterionic piperazine (ZW-PIP) via a one-pot ring-opening of piperazine with 1,3-propanesultone, and directly grafted it onto polyamide films through residual acyl chloride groups. Combined low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations demonstrated that the grafted zwitterionic moieties stabilized a hydration layer and facilitated water and chloride-ion diffusion (>90%), while sterically excluding sulfate. The resulting membrane exhibited a pure water permeance of 29.2<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>L∙m<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup>∙h<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup>∙bar<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup>. Crucially, this enhanced permeability was achieved while maintaining the exceptional salt-rejection performance for Na<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>SO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> (>97.0%). This high selectivity persisted even under challenging conditions of elevated salt concentration (8.0<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>g/L) and operating pressure (8.0<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>bar). The membrane exhibited robust rejection of various dyes (>96%), sustained stability, and potent antifouling (BSA, FRR 89%) and antibacterial (>99.97%) properties. Collectively, this work offers a mechanistic basis for designing zwitterionic NF membranes with high permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance for treating complex hazardous wastewater.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2026-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144072
Tao Zhang, Yanping Zhu, Pengjin Zhu, Junxiang Yang, Kaili Li, Yajuan Li, Yongle Yu, Cun Jiang, Guangpeng Wang, Xiuping Zhan, Chunhuo Zhou, Xin Yin, Guorong Ni, Naiqin Zhong, Pan Zhao, Shihu Shu, Dongfang Wang, Dongqing Cai
Global livestock/poultry manure output (approximately 13 billion tons/year) poses a major sustainability challenge. Conventional recycling via composting and anaerobic digestion after solid-liquid separation is slow (20-60 d) and inefficient at removing pollutants (i.e. pathogens, antibiotics, and heavy metals). This study develops a minute-scale, one-step process using microwave and FeSO₄ to activate persulfate, generating radicals that rapidly convert chicken manure into a fertilizer rich in fulvic-like acids (41.7wt% on a dry-product basis) and nutrients, including K (a primary nutrient) and Fe (a micronutrient). It simultaneously inactivates culturable bacteria, achieves approximately 99% removal of the parent antibiotics, reduces the combined acid-extractable and reducible fractions of Cd, Cu, and As by approximately 90%, and reduces odors (>97%). Carbon and nitrogen losses, calculated on an absolute-mass basis, were 15.6% and 12.6%, respectively. In a 21-day pot experiment, the fertilizer increased the fresh biomass of pak choi seedlings by 214.3% compared with the unamended soil control (Blank), while increasing soil total potassium and available nitrogen and potassium. This process shows cost (201 RMB/t wet CMPFM) advantage compared with composting, offering an efficient green alternative for manure recycling and circular agriculture.
{"title":"From manure to fertilizer in minutes: radical induced humification and decontamination","authors":"Tao Zhang, Yanping Zhu, Pengjin Zhu, Junxiang Yang, Kaili Li, Yajuan Li, Yongle Yu, Cun Jiang, Guangpeng Wang, Xiuping Zhan, Chunhuo Zhou, Xin Yin, Guorong Ni, Naiqin Zhong, Pan Zhao, Shihu Shu, Dongfang Wang, Dongqing Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144072","url":null,"abstract":"Global livestock/poultry manure output (approximately 13 billion tons/year) poses a major sustainability challenge. Conventional recycling via composting and anaerobic digestion after solid-liquid separation is slow (20-60 d) and inefficient at removing pollutants (i.e. pathogens, antibiotics, and heavy metals). This study develops a minute-scale, one-step process using microwave and FeSO₄ to activate persulfate, generating radicals that rapidly convert chicken manure into a fertilizer rich in fulvic-like acids (41.7<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>wt% on a dry-product basis) and nutrients, including K (a primary nutrient) and Fe (a micronutrient). It simultaneously inactivates culturable bacteria, achieves approximately 99% removal of the parent antibiotics, reduces the combined acid-extractable and reducible fractions of Cd, Cu, and As by approximately 90%, and reduces odors (>97%). Carbon and nitrogen losses, calculated on an absolute-mass basis, were 15.6% and 12.6%, respectively. In a 21-day pot experiment, the fertilizer increased the fresh biomass of pak choi seedlings by 214.3% compared with the unamended soil control (Blank), while increasing soil total potassium and available nitrogen and potassium. This process shows cost (201 RMB/t wet CMPFM) advantage compared with composting, offering an efficient green alternative for manure recycling and circular agriculture.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"8 3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
The global dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) via plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer severely compromises the efficacy of last-resort antibiotics. Inhibiting this horizontal gene transfer represents a promising strategy to treat multidrug-resistant infections. In this study, we identified the FDA-approved antifungal agent Econazole (Econ) as a potent conjugation inhibitor. Conjugation assays with clinically relevant plasmids carrying mcr, blaNDM, blaKPC-2, tet(X4), or tmexCD1-toprJ1 showed that Econ inhibited transfer at 4–128μg/ml without affecting bacterial growth, reducing mcr-1 plasmid conjugation by approximately 33-fold at 128μg/ml. Mechanistically, membrane potential, ATP, and qRT-PCR analyses revealed that Econ dissipates the proton motive force and depletes ATP levels, impairing the energy-dependent type IV secretion system, with virB11 downregulated by 3- to 25-fold in the donor. Concurrently, Econ interferes with plasmid processing and attenuates the accumulation of single-stranded DNA, which consequently suppresses the SOS response in the recipient strain. Collectively, these findings elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the broad-spectrum inhibitory effect of Econ on conjugation, highlighting its translational potential for combating the dissemination of ARGs.
{"title":"Econazole prevents the conjugative transfer of plasmid-borne last-line antibiotic resistance genes","authors":"Hongye Hu, Ning Dong, Chunli Li, Guangfen Zhang, Yuanyuan Li, Yunbing Li, Xiaofan Li, Xiangkun Zeng, Jiayi You, Lili Huang, Ruichao Li, Mi Zhou, Sheng Chen, Shuyan Wu, Chen Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144069","url":null,"abstract":"The global dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) via plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer severely compromises the efficacy of last-resort antibiotics. Inhibiting this horizontal gene transfer represents a promising strategy to treat multidrug-resistant infections. In this study, we identified the FDA-approved antifungal agent Econazole (Econ) as a potent conjugation inhibitor. Conjugation assays with clinically relevant plasmids carrying <ce:italic>mcr</ce:italic>, <ce:italic>bla</ce:italic><ce:inf loc=\"post\">NDM</ce:inf>, <ce:italic>bla</ce:italic><ce:inf loc=\"post\">KPC-2</ce:inf>, <ce:italic>tet</ce:italic>(X4), or <ce:italic>tmexCD1-toprJ1</ce:italic> showed that Econ inhibited transfer at 4–128<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>μg/ml without affecting bacterial growth, reducing mcr-1 plasmid conjugation by approximately 33-fold at 128<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>μg/ml. Mechanistically, membrane potential, ATP, and qRT-PCR analyses revealed that Econ dissipates the proton motive force and depletes ATP levels, impairing the energy-dependent type IV secretion system, with <ce:italic>virB11</ce:italic> downregulated by 3- to 25-fold in the donor. Concurrently, Econ interferes with plasmid processing and attenuates the accumulation of single-stranded DNA, which consequently suppresses the SOS response in the recipient strain. Collectively, these findings elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the broad-spectrum inhibitory effect of Econ on conjugation, highlighting its translational potential for combating the dissemination of ARGs.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2026-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144074
Yanyan Yang, Ronghao Qiao, Chao Chang, Songqi Yang, Ming Li
Algal raceway ponds (ARPs) are considered one of the most promising technologies for the advanced treatment of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. In this study, three parallel pilot-scale open ARPs, each assigned to one hydraulic retention time (HRT, 2, 3, or 4 d), were continuously operated for 52 d to assess nutrient and PAH removal, PAH partitioning, and microbial community succession. The 3-d system provided the most favorable observed balance between pond biomass accumulation and pollutant removal, with the highest mean pond biomass concentration (704mgL-1 (dw)) and mean removal efficiencies of 86.52%, 95.18%, 67.74%, 91.81%, and 73.68% for TN, TP, NH4+-N, NO3−-N, and Σ16PAH, respectively. Daily biomass harvesting was highest at 2 d (14.9gm-2 d-1 (dw)). At the 3-d HRT, the mean removal efficiencies of low-molecular-weight (LMW) and high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs were 74.39% and 69.61%, respectively. Distinct microbial assemblages developed in the ARPs, with Golenkinia predominating among microalgal genera, Pseudomonadota among bacterial phyla, and Cercozoa among protozoan phyla. Exploratory association analyses revealed that LMW-PAH removal showed positive directional relationships with OD680 and microalgal diversity, whereas HMW-PAH removal showed predominantly negative relationships with physiological, nutrient-removal, and community indicators. Phase-distribution analysis further showed that HMW-PAHs were enriched in harvested biomass and that logKd increased with logKow. Aqueous BaP-equivalent concentrations were lower in the effluents than in the influent, and incremental lifetime cancer risk estimates for harvested biomass were below 10-6 under the specified adult incidental-ingestion scenario. These findings support the engineering application of open ARP systems for advanced treatment of WWTP effluent.
{"title":"Simultaneous nutrient and PAH removal from municipal secondary effluent in pilot-scale open algal raceway ponds: Effects of hydraulic retention time and multi-trophic microbial succession","authors":"Yanyan Yang, Ronghao Qiao, Chao Chang, Songqi Yang, Ming Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144074","url":null,"abstract":"Algal raceway ponds (ARPs) are considered one of the most promising technologies for the advanced treatment of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. In this study, three parallel pilot-scale open ARPs, each assigned to one hydraulic retention time (HRT, 2, 3, or 4 d), were continuously operated for 52 d to assess nutrient and PAH removal, PAH partitioning, and microbial community succession. The 3-d system provided the most favorable observed balance between pond biomass accumulation and pollutant removal, with the highest mean pond biomass concentration (704<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>mg<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>L<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup> (dw)) and mean removal efficiencies of 86.52%, 95.18%, 67.74%, 91.81%, and 73.68% for TN, TP, NH<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf><ce:sup loc=\"post\">+</ce:sup>-N, NO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf><ce:sup loc=\"post\">−</ce:sup>-N, and Σ<ce:inf loc=\"post\">16</ce:inf>PAH, respectively. Daily biomass harvesting was highest at 2 d (14.9<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>g<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>m<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup> d<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup> (dw)). At the 3-d HRT, the mean removal efficiencies of low-molecular-weight (LMW) and high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs were 74.39% and 69.61%, respectively. Distinct microbial assemblages developed in the ARPs, with <ce:italic>Golenkinia</ce:italic> predominating among microalgal genera, Pseudomonadota among bacterial phyla, and Cercozoa among protozoan phyla. Exploratory association analyses revealed that LMW-PAH removal showed positive directional relationships with OD<ce:inf loc=\"post\">680</ce:inf> and microalgal diversity, whereas HMW-PAH removal showed predominantly negative relationships with physiological, nutrient-removal, and community indicators. Phase-distribution analysis further showed that HMW-PAHs were enriched in harvested biomass and that logK<ce:inf loc=\"post\">d</ce:inf> increased with logK<ce:inf loc=\"post\">ow</ce:inf>. Aqueous BaP-equivalent concentrations were lower in the effluents than in the influent, and incremental lifetime cancer risk estimates for harvested biomass were below 10<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-6</ce:sup> under the specified adult incidental-ingestion scenario. These findings support the engineering application of open ARP systems for advanced treatment of WWTP effluent.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"493 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
This study presented a comprehensive protein engineering strategy to enhance the catalytic efficiency and environmental adaptability of FAST-PETase for PET plastic degradation. Through systematic site-directed mutagenesis of key basic residues (Arg84, Arg117, and Lys227) surrounding the active site, we identified R84D as the optimal single mutant, exhibiting 2.1-fold higher activity than FAST-PETase. Iterative saturation mutagenesis at 19 targeted positions yielded the quadruple mutant R84D/A203T/S230K/E198Q, demonstrating superior kinetic parameters: 3.3-fold higher catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km = 10.8L·mmol-1·min-1) and significantly improved substrate affinity (Km = 72.6mM) at acidic conditions. Structural characterization revealed this mutant’s optimized active site geometry, featuring enhanced hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. It exhibited broad pH adaptability (maintaining >80% activity at pH 7.59.0) with a 0.5-unit acidic shift in optimal pH (7.5 vs wild-type’s 8.0), while retaining thermal stability up to 50°C. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the mutant’s enhanced structural rigidity, with 3050% lower RMSD values compared to FAST-PETase. When tested in a two-module reactor system, the quintuple mutant R84D/A203T/S230K/E198Q/S239V enabled efficient PET conversion to TPA, achieving a space-time conversion rate of 3.51g·(L·h)-1. These results demonstrated its practical potential for industrial application. It established an effective framework for engineering plastic-degrading enzymes with enhanced performance under industrially relevant conditions.
{"title":"Engineering FAST-PETase with Enhanced Catalytic Efficiency and Acidic Adaptability for Sustainable PET Waste Recycling","authors":"Haiquan Yang, Yiru Liu, Zhixing Shen, Yu Cao, Wei Shen, Yuanyuan Xia, Li Zhou, Xianzhong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144073","url":null,"abstract":"This study presented a comprehensive protein engineering strategy to enhance the catalytic efficiency and environmental adaptability of FAST-PETase for PET plastic degradation. Through systematic site-directed mutagenesis of key basic residues (Arg84, Arg117, and Lys227) surrounding the active site, we identified R84D as the optimal single mutant, exhibiting 2.1-fold higher activity than FAST-PETase. Iterative saturation mutagenesis at 19 targeted positions yielded the quadruple mutant R84D/A203T/S230K/E198Q, demonstrating superior kinetic parameters: 3.3-fold higher catalytic efficiency (<ce:italic>k</ce:italic><ce:inf loc=\"post\">cat</ce:inf>/<ce:italic>K</ce:italic><ce:inf loc=\"post\">m</ce:inf> = 10.8<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>L·mmol<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup>·min<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup>) and significantly improved substrate affinity (<ce:italic>K</ce:italic><ce:inf loc=\"post\">m</ce:inf> = 72.6<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>mM) at acidic conditions. Structural characterization revealed this mutant’s optimized active site geometry, featuring enhanced hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. It exhibited broad pH adaptability (maintaining >80% activity at pH 7.5<ce:glyph name=\"sbnd\"></ce:glyph>9.0) with a 0.5-unit acidic shift in optimal pH (7.5 vs wild-type’s 8.0), while retaining thermal stability up to 50°C. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the mutant’s enhanced structural rigidity, with 30<ce:glyph name=\"sbnd\"></ce:glyph>50% lower RMSD values compared to FAST-PETase. When tested in a two-module reactor system, the quintuple mutant R84D/A203T/S230K/E198Q/S239V enabled efficient PET conversion to TPA, achieving a space-time conversion rate of 3.51<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>g·(L·h)<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup>. These results demonstrated its practical potential for industrial application. It established an effective framework for engineering plastic-degrading enzymes with enhanced performance under industrially relevant conditions.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Cadmium (Cd), a heavy metal pollutant, impairs male reproductive health by disrupting the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and inducing testicular injury in mammals. Collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) and its bioactive fragments are essential for maintaining BTB integrity and seminiferous tubule structure. However, whether COL1A1 and its bioactive fragments can modulate Cd-induced BTB injury remains largely unknown. In this study, proteomic analysis showed that downregulated proteins including COL1A1 were mainly enriched in collagen-containing extracellular matrix pathway in boars with low quality semen. COL1A1 generates an approximately 25kDa bioactive fragment termed C1158/59. Overexpression of C1158/59 in primary mouse Sertoli cells and testes mitigated Cd-induced BTB damage by restoring the expression and localization of BTB-associated proteins, as well as the organization of F-actin and α-tubulin cytoskeletons in Sertoli cells. Mechanistically, C1158/59 competitively inhibited the binding of latent TGFβ to ITGB1, suppressing Cd-induced activation of the TGFβ-SMAD2/3 signaling pathway and subsequent MMP9 upregulation, ultimately preventing BTB structural degradation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a critical protective role of the COL1A1-derived fragment C1158/59 against Cd-induced structural and functional impairment of the testicular BTB, providing new insights into the regulatory functions of bioactive fragments in preserving BTB structural integrity against environmental toxicant-induced testicular injury.
{"title":"The C-terminal Fragment of COL1A1 Protects Mammalian Testicular BTB Integrity by Competitively Inhibiting Cd-Induced Activation of the TGFβ-SMAD2/3-MMP9 Pathway","authors":"Hao Xiong, Jialian Li, Anna Wu, Xinpeng Yang, Wenning Xu, Shang Wu, Shiqin Zhou, Gaogui Chen, Dake Chen, Jinhua Tang, Fenge Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.144054","url":null,"abstract":"Cadmium (Cd), a heavy metal pollutant, impairs male reproductive health by disrupting the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and inducing testicular injury in mammals. Collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) and its bioactive fragments are essential for maintaining BTB integrity and seminiferous tubule structure. However, whether COL1A1 and its bioactive fragments can modulate Cd-induced BTB injury remains largely unknown. In this study, proteomic analysis showed that downregulated proteins including COL1A1 were mainly enriched in collagen-containing extracellular matrix pathway in boars with low quality semen. COL1A1 generates an approximately 25<ce:hsp sp=\"0.25\"></ce:hsp>kDa bioactive fragment termed C1158/59. Overexpression of C1158/59 in primary mouse Sertoli cells and testes mitigated Cd-induced BTB damage by restoring the expression and localization of BTB-associated proteins, as well as the organization of F-actin and α-tubulin cytoskeletons in Sertoli cells. Mechanistically, C1158/59 competitively inhibited the binding of latent TGFβ to ITGB1, suppressing Cd-induced activation of the TGFβ-SMAD2/3 signaling pathway and subsequent MMP9 upregulation, ultimately preventing BTB structural degradation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a critical protective role of the COL1A1-derived fragment C1158/59 against Cd-induced structural and functional impairment of the testicular BTB, providing new insights into the regulatory functions of bioactive fragments in preserving BTB structural integrity against environmental toxicant-induced testicular injury.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
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