Synergistic contact-electro-catalysis using independent plastic types for emerging contaminants removal and resource valorization

The rise of MXenes in water purification and environmental remediation is a remarkable leap forward in tackling various emerging pollutants. With their unique 2D designs and flexible surface characteristics, MXenes have shown excellent efficiency in eliminating various emerging contaminants such as metals, pharmaceutical residues, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics, and emerging pathogens. Their high conductivity and multifunctionality provide them an increased surface area, promoting robust physical and electrostatic interactions that enhance the adsorption of contaminants. Furthermore, the versatile utility of MXenes in a range of water treatment systems highlights their promising role in advancing methods for purification. This review addresses MXene-based materials' effectiveness in removing emerging contaminants via several innovative techniques including adsorption, membrane separation, disinfection, and photocatalysis. Additionally, it discusses the techno-economic and MXene feasibility in emerging contaminants removal at the industrial scale. This review aims to shed light on the great potential of MXenes and their composites as disruptive agents in emerging contaminants removal and offer guidance for future research endeavors leveraging their capabilities in addressing emerging challenges related to water pollutants.

The amino acid sequence around the reactive serine in alkaline phosphatase

Interfacial electron redistribution on Fe/Mn composite electrode for enhanced S(IV) activation and emerging contaminants removal

A critical review on microalgae-driven wastewater treatment: Dual focus on high-value bioproducts recovery and emerging contaminants removal

Ozone has demonstrated high efficacy in depredating emerging contaminants (ECs) during drinking water treatment. However, traditional quantitative structure-activation relationship (QSAR) models often fall short in effectively normalizing and characterizing diverse molecular structures, thereby limiting their predictive accuracy for the removal of various ECs. This study uses embedded molecular structure vectors generated by a graph neural network (GNN), combined with functional group prompts, as inputs to a feedforward neural network. A data set of 28 ECs and 542 data points, representing diverse molecular structures and physiochemical properties, was built to predict the residual rate of ECs (REC) in ozonation oxidation. Compared to traditional QSAR models, the GNN-based molecular structure embedded methods significantly improve prediction accuracy. The resulting KANO-EC model achieved an R2 of 0.97 for REC, demonstrating its ability to capture complex structural features. Moreover, KANO-EC maintains exceptional interpretability, elucidating key functional groups (e.g., carbonyls, hydroxyls, aromatic rings, and amines) involved in the oxidation mechanism. This study presents the KANO-EC model as a novel approach for predicting the ozonation removal efficiency of current and potential ECs. The model also provides valuable insights for developing efficient control strategies for ensuring the long-term safety and sustainability of drinking water supplies.

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 JWPE 3-Minute pitch "My Life in Water" event, a global initiative dedicated to celebrating outstanding PhD research in water processing and engineering. This initiative aimed to support emerging researchers by providing a platform within the Journal of Water Process Engineering for them to showcase their work. Participants faced the challenge of distilling their research into a compelling three-minute presentation, using language accessible to a non-specialist audience. We have asked our winners to each deliver a short presentation on their projects to give them the opportunity to elaborate during this webinar. Congratulations to all our winners: 1st place: Yasmina Alseksek, Khalifa University of Science and Technology for her presentation on Photocatalytic membranes for emerging contaminants removal and degradation. Joint 2nd place: Olga El Kik, IMT Mines Alès Institut Européen des Membranes for her presentation on Biology + electricity = the ultimate treatment; and Ebrahim Alosta, Khalifa University of Science and Technology for his presentation on Synthesis of hybrid nanocomposites for sustainable photocatalytic applications. 3rd place: Rajashree Yalamanchili, University of Girona for her presentation on Advancing safe water through efficient reuse and low-energy desalination. Photocatalytic membranes for emerging contaminants removal and degradation. Photocatalytic membranes have emerged as a promising multifunctional platform for the simultaneous removal and degradation of emerging contaminants in water treatment systems. In this work, advanced photocatalytic mixed-matrix membranes were developed by integrating photoactive nanomaterials within a polymeric membrane matrix, enabling coupled separation and in situ catalytic degradation under light irradiation. The membranes exhibited enhanced hydrophilicity, surface charge, and antifouling behavior, leading to improved water permeability and high rejection of representative emerging contaminants. Upon light exposure, the embedded photocatalysts generated reactive species that facilitated the degradation of retained pollutants, mitigating fouling accumulation and reducing secondary waste generation. The synergistic combination of membrane filtration and photocatalysis resulted in superior contaminant removal efficiency and operational stability compared to conventional membranes. This study highlights the potential of photocatalytic membranes as an energy-efficient and sustainable solution for advanced wastewater treatment and the mitigation of persistent emerging contaminants. Synthesis of hybrid nanocomposites for sustainable photocatalytic applications. The increasing presence of emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, dyes, and personal care products, in aquatic environments poses a serious challenge to conventional wastewater treatment technologies. Photocatalysis has emerged as a sustainable and energy-efficient alternative, particularly when driven by solar or visible light; however, the practical performance of many single-component photocatalysts remains limited by poor charge separation, narrow light absorption ranges, and long-term instability. This work focuses on the synthesis of hybrid nanocomposites engineered to overcome these limitations through rational material design. By integrating semiconductors with complementary band structures, surface functionalities, and redox properties, the developed hybrid systems promote enhanced light harvesting, efficient charge carrier separation, and increased availability of reactive surface sites. These synergistic effects significantly improve photocatalytic degradation efficiency toward representative organic pollutants while maintaining structural stability and reusability. Beyond performance enhancement, the proposed approach emphasizes sustainability, employing low-cost synthesis routes and aiming for scalability suitable for real wastewater treatment applications. This research contributes to advancing photocatalytic material design and offers a promising pathway toward environmentally friendly and resilient solutions for water purification in a resource-constrained future. Advancing safe water through efficient reuse and low-energy desalination. Water scarcity is intensifying the need for alternative sources such as seawater desalination and wastewater reuse. Reverse osmosis (RO) has become the cornerstone of desalination, providing a reliable barrier against salts and most contaminants. However, the high energy demand of seawater desalination remains a key limitation, while ensuring safe reuse and public acceptance continues to challenge the wider implementation of wastewater reuse. Integrating water reuse with desalination offers a pathway to address both challenges. Forward osmosis (FO) enables the dilution of seawater using purified wastewater, harnessing the natural osmotic pressure difference to reduce the energy required in downstream RO. This approach combines safe wastewater reuse with energy-efficient desalination, reducing overall costs and improving sustainability. Within the FORWARD-FACTORY project, this FO–RO hybrid design demonstrates the potential to lower desalination energy consumption to <1 kWh/m³ while achieving up to 90% wastewater recovery. Additionally, concentrating nutrients such as organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the wastewater stream creates new opportunities for valorization, further enhancing the environmental and economic benefits of the system.

Emerging contaminant degradation and removal in algal wastewater treatment ponds: Identifying the research gaps

Mechanisms of emerging contaminants removal by novel neem chip biochar

Titanium dioxide is the most used photocatalyst in wastewater treatment; its semiconductor capacity allows the indirect production of reactive oxidative species. The main drawback of the application of TiO2 is related to its high band-gap energy. The nonmetal that is most often used as the doping element is nitrogen, which is due to its capacity to reduce the band-gap energy at low preparation costs. There are multiple and assorted methods of preparation. The main advantages and disadvantages of a wide range of preparation methods were discussed in this paper. Different sources of N were also analyzed, and their individual impact on the characteristics of N–TiO2 was assessed. The core of this paper was focused on the large spectrum of analytical techniques to detect modifications in the TiO2 structure from the incorporation of N. The effect of N–TiO2 co-doping was also analyzed, as well as the main characteristics that are relevant to the performance of the catalyst, such as its particle size, surface area, quantum size effect, crystalline phases, and the hydrophilicity of the catalyst surface. Powder is the most used form of N–TiO2, but the economic benefits and applications involving continuous reactors were also analyzed with supported N–TiO2. Moreover, the degradation of contaminants emerging from water and wastewater using N–TiO2 and co-doped TiO2 was also discussed.

Immobilizing cobalt-iron bimetal on Al2O3 by electroless plating-calcination for peroxymonosulfate activation: Performance, mechanistic and practicality

Ibuprofen and caffeine removal in vertical flow and free-floating macrophyte constructed wetlands with Heliconia rostrata and Eichornia crassipes

Chitosan-based materials for emerging contaminants removal: Bibliometric analysis, research progress, and directions