Current research trends on microplastic pollution from wastewater systems: a critical review

Microplastics have been widely considered as contaminants for the environment and biota. Till now, most previous studies have focused on the identification and characterization of microplastics in freshwater, sea water, and the terrestrial environment. Although microplastics have been extensively detected in the wastewater, research in this area is still lacking and not thoroughly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, the current review article covers the analytical methods of microplastics originating from wastewater streams and describes their sources and occurrences in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Studies indicated that microplastic pollution caused by domestic washing of synthetic fibers could be detected in the effluent; however, most microplastics from personal care and cosmetic products (PCCPs) can be efficiently removed during wastewater treatment. Moreover, various techniques for sampling and analyzing microplastics from wastewater systems are reviewed; while, the implementation of standardized protocols for microplastics is required. Finally, the fate of microplastics during wastewater treatments and the environmental contamination of effluent to environment are presented. Previous studies reported that the advanced wastewater treatment (e.g., membrane bioreactor) is needed for improving the removal efficiency of small-sized microplastics (<?100 µm). Although the role of microplastics as transport vectors for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is still under debate, they have demonstrated abilities to absorb harmful agents like pharmaceuticals.

     

Targeting and non-targeting effects of nanomaterials on DNA: challenges and perspectives

Due to their large-scale manufacture and widespread application, there have been a number of studies related to toxicological assessment of nanomaterials (NMs) over the past decade. Although there has been extensive research on the cytotoxicity of NMs, concerns have been raised about their possible genotoxicity. The genome is constantly exposed to genotoxic insults that can lead to DNA damage, which in turn can have consequences for health, such as the induction of carcinogenesis. This comprehensive review focuses on the direct and indirect interactions of NMs with DNA. Factors influencing the genotoxicity of NMs, such as their physicochemical characteristics, are also discussed. The mechanisms involved in the direct and indirect interactions of NMs with DNA are also reviewed. Many studies have shown that ENMs have genotoxic effects, such as chromosomal fragmentation, DNA strand breaks, point mutations, oxidative DNA adducts, apoptosis, hypoxic responses, mitochondrial dysfunction, and epigenetic modifications. As the data reported to date are inconsistent, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions regarding the features of NMs that promote genotoxicity. Therefore, challenges and future research perspectives are discussed. This review provides insights into the genotoxic effects of NMs and their consequences for human health.

     

Patterned Wettability Surface for Competition‐Driving Large‐Grained Perovskite Solar Cells

Novel photovoltaic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with high‐efficient photovoltaic property are largely in thrall to the uncertain perovskite grain size and inevitable defects. Here, inspired by the competitive growth between tree and grass in the forest system, a competitive perovskite grain growth approach via micro‐contact print (MicroCP) method (CD disk as templates) for printing wettability‐patterned substrate is proposed, aiming to achieve large‐grained perovskite and avoid discontinuous perovskite films caused by the low wettability of substrates. A MicroCP process is employed to construct a patterned wettability surface for the perovskite competitive growth mechanism on the electrode surface. This approach modifies the substrates quickly, ensures the uniform coverage of perovskite due to the function of ‐NH₂ and Pb²⁺ bonds, and converts the perovskite films composed of small grains and pinholes into high‐quality perovskite films, free from pinholes and made up of large grains, resulting in efficiencies over 20% for the MicroCP PSCs.     

Pb‐Reduced CsPb0.9Zn0.1I2Br Thin Films for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Fabrication of efficient Pb reduced inorganic CsPbI₂Br perovskite solar cells (PSC) are an important part of environment‐friendly perovskite technology. In this work, 10% Pb reduction in CsPb_0.9Zn_0.1I₂Br promotes the efficiency of PSCs to 13.6% (AM1.5, 1sun), much higher than the 11.8% of the pure CsPbI₂Br solar cell. Zn²⁺ has stronger interaction with the anions to manipulate crystal growth, resulting in size‐enlarged crystallite with enhanced growth orientation. Moreover, the grain boundaries (GBs) are passivated by the Cs‐Zn‐I/Br compound. The high quality CsPb_0.9Zn_0.1I₂Br greatly diminishes the GB trap states and facilitates the charge transport. Furthermore, the Zn4s‐I5p states slightly reduce the energy bandgap, accounting for the wider solar spectrum absorption. Both the crystalline morphology and energy state change benefit the device performance. This work highlights a nontoxic and stable Pb reduction method to achieve efficient inorganic PSCs.     

A high-throughput screening method for improved R-2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)propionic acid biosynthesis

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - R-2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)propionic acid (R-HPPA) is a key intermediate of the enantiomerically pure phenoxypropionic acid herbicides. R-HPPA could be...     

Interfacial Solar‐to‐Heat Conversion for Desalination

Solar desalination is a promising and sustainable solution for water shortages in the future. Interfacial solar‐to‐heat conversion for desalination has attracted increasing attention in the past decades, due to the heat localization induced high thermal efficiency, simple structure, and low cost. In this review, the authors summarize and analyze the critical processes involved in such a solar desalination system, including the thermal conversion and transport, salt dissipation, and vapor manipulation. Mathematical models of heat transfer and salt dissipation are also built for quantitative analysis of systematic performance relative to properties of employed materials and system designs. Recent efforts devoted to improving the overall thermal efficiency, salt rejection, and water yield are then summarized. Based on the analysis and previous results, opportunities for further interfacial solar desalination development are highlighted.     

Identification of Prolificacy‐Related Differentially Expressed Proteins from Sheep (Ovis aries) Hypothalamus by Comparative Proteomics

Reproduction, as a physiologically complex process, can significantly affect the development of the sheep industry. However, a lack of overall understanding to sheep fecundity has long blocked the progress in sheep breeding and husbandry. In the present study, the aim is to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) from hypothalamus in sheep without FecB mutation in two comparison groups: polytocous (PF) versus monotocous (MF) sheep at follicular phase and polytocous (PL) versus monotocous (ML) sheep at luteal phase. Totally 5058 proteins are identified in sheep hypothalamus, where 22 in PF versus MF, and 39 proteins in PL versus ML are differentially expressed, respectively. A functional analysis is then conducted including Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis to reveal the potential roles of these DEPs. The proteins ENSOARP00000020097, ENSOARP00000006714, growth hormone (GH), histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), and 5′‐3′ exoribonuclease 2 (XRN2) in PF versus MF, and bcl‐2‐associated athanogene 4 (BAG4), insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor (IGF1R), hydroxysteroid 11‐beta dehydrogenase 1 (HSD11B1), and transthyretin (TTR) in PL versus ML appear to modulate reproduction, presumably by influencing the activities of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH). This study provides an alternative method to identify DEPs associated with sheep prolificacy from the hypothalamus. The mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD013822.     

Immobilization of laccase onto modified PU/RC nanofiber via atom transfer radical polymerization method and application in removal of bisphenol A

In this study, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was used as the monomers for surface grafting on electrospun PU/RC nanofiber membrane via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method, and the PU/RC‐poly(HEMA) nanofiber membrane was investigated as a carrier for LAC. Free and immobilized LAC was characterized, and efficiency of bisphenol A (BPA) removal was determined. The results indicated that the PU/RC‐poly(HEMA)‐LAC showed relatively higher pH stability, temperature stability, and storage stability than free and PU/RC‐LAC; moreover, more than 60% of the PU/RC‐poly(HEMA)‐LAC activity was retained after 10 cycles of ABTS treatment. Notably, the BPA removal efficiency of PU/RC‐poly(HEMA)‐LAC membrane generally ranged from 87.3 to 75.4% for the five cycles. Therefore, the PU/RC‐poly(HEMA) nanofiber membrane has great potential as a carrier for the LAC immobilization for various industrial applications and bioremediation.