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This study focused on the effect of hydrothermal (HT) treatment at 180 – 210 °C for holding 0 - 15 min on the solubilization of rice straw and the changes of HT residue. The optimum treatment conditions for the highest solubilization and solid reduction of rice straw was 210 °C for holding 0 min. Under this condition, the extraction yield and total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of the HT liquid part were the highest, about 44% and 7850 mg/L, respectively. The dry residue showed that the HT conditions above 200 °C for holding a short time were more efficient, which was confirmed by FT-IR and the changes of surface morphology under microscope. The reactor headspace could be an important factor because HT treatment with a lower headspace (HTp210-0(15)) yielded more soluble carbohydrate under the test conditions. Also, energy input calculated based on the 1 ton removed hemicellulose (extraction yield) in the headspace experiments proved this finding.

Photocatalysis technology is gaining interest as an alternative wastewater treatment due to its fast and complete pollutants removal advantages. It utilizes light energy and semiconductor catalysts to degrade organic pollutants such as paracetamol (PCM), a common household medication drug. Pharmaceutical wastewater may cause significant hazards to humans and the environment if no advanced treatment is applied. In this study, zinc oxide/silver (ZnO/Ag) nanocomposite was biosynthesized using banana peel extract (BPE) and low Ag content (1 mM and 3 mM) as biomaterial via sol-gel and precipitation for photocatalytic degradation of PCM. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) analysis showed a sharp peak of Zn-O band for all catalysts with the success of BPE incorporation. The band gap energy of ZnO/Ag was 3.281 eV, increasing with Ag content. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) images of ZnO/Ag exhibit a smaller size of 29.49 nm and a distinct spherical shape. The uniform shape of biosynthesized ZnO/Ag confirms the roles of BPE as stabilizing and capping agents. The highest photocatalytic degradation of PCM was 76% with a reaction constant of 0.0086 min-1 when ZnO/Ag was used as a catalyst, compared to the pristine ZnO was 70%. The as-prepared ZnO/Ag nanocomposite from organic solid waste has a high potential for being reutilized as an advanced catalyst for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.

Abstract The energy-consuming and carbon-intensive wastewater treatment plants could become significant energy producers and recycled organic and metallic material generators, thereby contributing to broad sustainable development goals, the circular economy, and the water-energy-sanitation-food-carbon nexus. This review provides an overview of the waste(water)-based energy-extracting technologies, their engineering performance, techno-economic feasibility, and environmental benefits. Here, we propose four crucial strategies to achieve net-zero carbon along with energy sufficiency in the water sector, including (1) improvement in process energy efficiency; (2) maximizing on-site renewable capacities and biogas upgrading; (3) harvesting energy from treated effluent; (4) a new paradigm for decentralized water-energy supply units.

Farmlands fertilized with livestock manure-derived amendments have become a hot topic in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Field ponding water connects rice paddies with surrounding water bodies, such as reservoirs, rivers, and lakes. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding whether and how manure-borne ARGs can be transferred from paddy soil into field ponding water. Our studies suggest that the manure-derived ARGs aadA1, bla1, catA1, cmlA1-01, cmx(A), ermB, mepA and tetPB-01 can easily be transferred into field ponding water from paddy soil. The bacterial phyla Crenarchaeota, Verrucomicrobia, Cyanobacteria, Choloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria are potential hosts of ARGs. Opportunistic pathogens detected in both paddy soil and field ponding water showed robust correlations with ARGs. Network co-occurrence analysis showed that mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were strongly correlated with ARGs. Our findings highlight that manure-borne ARGs and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in paddy fields can conveniently disseminate to the surrounding waterbodies through field ponding water, posing a threat to public health. This study provides a new perspective for comprehensively assessing the risk posed by ARGs in paddy ecosystems.

Given that long-term treated wastewater discharge may alter the microbial community of the recipient coast, it is important to evaluate whether and how the community's stability is impacted. We constructed microcosms using coastal sediments with (near-coast) and without (far-coast) a wastewater disposal history and compared the communities’ responses to p-chloroaniline (PCAN, a typical organic pollutant) in low (10 mg/L) and high (100 mg/L) concentrations. Compared to the far-coast community, the near-coast community drove faster PCAN attenuation and nitrate generation. More significant negative correlations were observed between the alpha-diversity indices and PCAN concentrations in the far-coast communities than the near-coast ones. The community turnover rate, represented by the slopes of the time–decay curves, was slower for the near-coast community (−0.187) than that for the far-coast community (−0.233), but only when the PCAN was added in low concentration. Our study revealed that the long-term wastewater disposal may cause the sediment bacterial community to be less sensitive and more stable in response to a future disturbance, demonstrating a significant historical effect of environmental context on the coastal microbial community's stability. HIGHLIGHTS Faster pollutant attenuation drove by microorganisms with a disturbance history.; Slower turnover rate of the microbial community affected by the disposal of the wastewater treatment plants.; Disturbance history slightly enhanced the microbial stability to future pollution.;

Antibiotic resistance genes can be spread via gene horizontal transfer (GHT). Chlorination and UV irradiation are common disinfection methods used in wastewater treatment plants before the discharge of treated wastewater. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of disinfection on the transformation of naked DNA in the aquatic environment. The pUC19 plasmid possessing ampicillin-resistant beta-lactamase and subjected to different dosages of chlorine or UV irradiation was used for transformation in Escherichia coli to estimate the transformation efficiency and GHT in the environment after disinfection. The results showed that doses > 0.5 mg-Cl2/L can effectively decrease transformation efficiency (1.21 to 8.83-log10) based on pUC19 as the positive control. UV irradiation can decrease the efficiency (2.37 to 3.39-log10) following 10–60 min of treatment. PCR and qPCR detection have limitations for determining transformation efficiency because they provide approximate estimates damaged DNAs. Overall, these results indicate that proper disinfection management using chlorine and/or UV for treated wastewater before discharge from wastewater treatment plants can prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes, by decreasing the efficiency of naturally occurring bacterial transformations in wastewater treatment plants.

Helicteres angustifolia L. (H. angustifolia) has been widely used as a remedy against various types of illness relating to immune response, such as inflammations and fever. In order to characterize the structure and identify the immunomodulatory activity of polysaccharide from H. angustifolia, a polysaccharide fraction (SPF3-1) was purified from H. angustifolia by using DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow and Sephacry S-400 chromatography, successively. Physicochemical analysis demonstrated that SPF3-1 is an acidic heteropolysaccharide with a molecular weight of about 13.36 kDa; in vitro immunomodulatory assay reflects that SPF3-1 could significantly (p

This study aims to investigate the effects of nanobubble water (NBW) on the process of obesity in mice under high-fat diet (HFD). In the experimental groups, HFD feeding mice were supplemented with nitrogen NBW (HFD-N2) or hydrogen NBW (HFD-H2), while the mice fed with standard diet (SD-C) or HFD (HFD-C) supplementation with deionized water were used as control groups. After ten weeks, the concentrations of total cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase and lipopolysaccharide in the mice serum of the HFD-N2 group were significantly lower than those in the HFD-C group. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis of the community structures of fecal flora showed that supplementation with N2-NBW to the HFD fed mice could decrease the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that supplementation with N2-NBW potentially alleviates the development of obesity in HFD fed mice.

Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate (CoHCF) was tested for the selective uptake of K from seawater and the electrochemical method was adopted for the desorption and regeneration of the material. Powder form CoHCF could adsorb about 6.5 mmol/g of K from the seawater. For the ease of the electrochemical desorption and regeneration, CoHCF thin film was coated onto the Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) glass to obtain a CoHCF electrode. K adsorption kinetics on CoHCF thin film was found to be well fitted with the intraparticle diffusion model, which was a two-step process. Five consecutive adsorption-desorption-regeneration cycles were carried out to know the gradual decrease in the adsorption capacity owing to changes in the redox states of two metals, Co and Fe, in the material. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) measurement results corresponded to the color change of CoHCF thin film, indicating the valence change of transition metals and the exchange of alkali metal cations happened on the CoHCF at different operation stages. In order to elucidate the reaction mechanism, composition of the material was analysis in the following steps: adsorption, desorption, and regeneration. It was proved that the system based on CoHCF thin film modified electrode had the potential of recovering potassium from seawater.

Cordyceps militaris possesses several compounds with medicinal properties, and is commonly used in traditional Chinese functional food and medicine for a variety of health benefits. Because of its rare occurrence in nature, the market demand for artificial C. militaris is on the rise. Furthermore, efforts to increase its bioactive ingredients have also been considered in research. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of fluoride on the growth and enrichment of bioactive compounds in C. militaris. A wide range of potassium fluoride concentrations (0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mM) were added to the culture media as a source of fluoride during the cultivation of C. militaris fruiting bodies. The contents of fluorine and bioactive substances of the fruiting bodies in normal (NM) and fluorine-supplemented (FM) media were measured and compared. C. militaris raised in the growth medium supplemented with 0.01 mM potassium fluoride led to a 44.86% (1.55 ± 0.14 g/bottle) increase in biomass and a 23.43% (3161.38 ± 35.71 µg/g) increase in total carotenoid content in the fruiting bodies. Furthermore, a remarkable increase in superoxide dismutase-like activity (84.75 U/mg) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 2.59 mg/mL) was recorded. In human cancer cell-based assays, C. militaris raised in FM caused stronger cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in human osteosarcoma cells. These results demonstrated that a low dose of fluoride could stimulate the growth of C. militaris fruiting bodies and enhance the production of bioactive ingredients that possess useful antioxidant and anticancer activities.

Helicteres angustifolia L. is a shrub that forms a common ingredient of several cancer treatment recipes in traditional medicine system both in China and Laos. In order to investigate molecular mechanisms of its anticancer activity, we prepared aqueous extract of Helicteres angustifolia L. Roots (AQHAR) and performed several in vitro assays using human normal fibroblasts (TIG-3) and osteosarcoma (U2OS). We found that AQHAR caused growth arrest/apoptosis of U2OS cells in a dose-dependent manner. It showed no cytotoxicity to TIG-3 cells at doses up to 50 μg/ml. Biochemical, imaging and cell cycle analyses revealed that it induces ROS signaling and DNA damage response selectively in cancer cells. The latter showed upregulation of p53, p21 and downregulation of Cyclin B1 and phospho-Rb. Furthermore, AQHAR-induced apoptosis was mediated by increase in pro-apoptotic proteins including cleaved PARP, caspases and Bax. Anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 showed decrease in AQHAR-treated U2OS cells. In vivo xenograft tumor assays in nude mice revealed dose-dependent suppression of tumor growth and lung metastasis with no toxicity to the animals suggesting that AQHAR could be a potent and safe natural drug for cancer treatment.

Intrinsic short hole diffusion length is a well-known problem for α-Fe2O3 as a visible-light photocatalytic material. In this paper, a nanodisk morphology was designed to remarkably enhance separation of electron-hole pairs of α-Fe2O3. As expected, α-Fe2O3 nanodisks presented superior photocatalytic activity toward methylene blue degradation: more than 90% of the dye could be photodegraded within 30 min in comparison with a degradation efficiency of 50% for conventional Fe2O3 powder. The unique multilayer structure is thought to play a key role in the remarkably improved photocatalytic performance. Further experiments involving mechanism investigations revealed that instead of high surface area, ·OH plays a crucial role in methylene blue degradation and that O·2− may also contribute effectively to the degradation process. This paper demonstrates a facile and energy-saving route to fabricating homogenous α-Fe2O3 nanodisks with superior photocatalytic activity that is suitable for the treatment of contaminated water and that meets the requirement of mass production.

Photocatalysis technology is gaining interest as an alternative wastewater treatment due to its fast and complete pollutants removal advantages. It utilizes light energy and semiconductor catalysts to degrade organic pollutants such as paracetamol (PCM), a common household medication drug. Pharmaceutical wastewater may cause significant hazards to humans and the environment if no advanced treatment is applied. In this study, zinc oxide/silver (ZnO/Ag) nanocomposite was biosynthesized using banana peel extract (BPE) and low Ag content (1 mM and 3 mM) as biomaterial via sol-gel and precipitation for photocatalytic degradation of PCM. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) analysis showed a sharp peak of Zn-O band for all catalysts with the success of BPE incorporation. The band gap energy of ZnO/Ag was 3.281 eV, increasing with Ag content. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) images of ZnO/Ag exhibit a smaller size of 29.49 nm and a distinct spherical shape. The uniform shape of biosynthesized ZnO/Ag confirms the roles of BPE as stabilizing and capping agents. The highest photocatalytic degradation of PCM was 76% with a reaction constant of 0.0086 min-1 when ZnO/Ag was used as a catalyst, compared to the pristine ZnO was 70%. The asprepared ZnO/Ag nanocomposite from organic solid waste has a high potential for being reutilized as an advanced catalyst for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]