Hua Lin

The valorization of biomass waste represents an important direction in green chemistry. This study successfully prepared blue fluorescent carbon dots (BP-CDs) from waste banana peels via a one-step hydrothermal method, establishing a dual-functional platform for both pollutant detection and cellular imaging. The resulting material exhibited uniform particle size (~2.05 nm), good water dispersibility, and strong fluorescence emission at 445 nm under 360 nm excitation. It maintained over 93% of its initial fluorescence intensity after 20 days, demonstrating excellent stability. Based on the inner filter effect, the probe enabled a highly selective detection of tetracycline with a detection limit of 0.191 µM and two wide linear ranges (0–15 µM, R² = 0.996; 15–95 µM, R² = 0.991). Cellular experiments confirmed the good biocompatibility of BP-CDs (cell viability > 84%) and their successful application in cell imaging. More importantly, the probe achieved visual observation and semi-quantitative analysis of the distribution and content of tetracycline in living cells, providing a direct tool for studying the cellular behavior of antibiotics. This work not only offers a new strategy for banana peel valorization but also develops a green fluorescence imaging platform suitable for tracking intracellular pollutants.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and para-chlorophenol (4-CP) are prevalent industrial wastewater contaminants that are recalcitrant to natural degradation and prone to migration in aquatic systems, thereby harming biological health and destabilizing ecosystems. Consequently, their removal is imperative. Compared to conventional chemical treatment methods, CW-MFC technology offers broader application potential. Leersia hexandra Swartz can enhance Cr (VI) and 4-CP absorption, thereby improving wastewater purification and electricity generation in CW-MFC systems. In this study, three CW-MFC reactors were designed with L. hexandra Swartz in distinct configurations, namely, stacked, multistage, and modular, to optimize the removal of Cr (VI) and 4-CP. By evaluating wastewater purification, electrochemical performance, and plant growth, the optimal influent hydraulic retention time (HRT) was determined. The results indicated that the modular configuration at an HRT of 5 days achieved superior removal rates and power generation. The modular configuration also supported the best growth of L. hexandra, with optimal photosynthetic parameters, and physiological and biochemical responses. These results underscore the potential of modular CW-MFC technology for effective detoxification of complex wastewater mixtures while concurrently generating electricity. Further research could significantly advance wastewater treatment and sustainable energy production, addressing water pollution, restoring aquatic ecosystems, and mitigating the hazards posed by Cr (VI) and 4-CP to water and human health.

In the present work, we assessed the photocatalytic performance of the new 3-D/3-D Z-scheme heterojunction composite for the degradation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP). The composite was composed by marimo-like Bi₂WO₆ and mammillaria-like ZnO which was named BWZ. The composite was successfully fabricated using a hydrothermal-precipitation method and analyzed via different characterization techniques. Under natural sunlight irradiation, the optimal composite with 20 wt% of Bi₂WO₆/ZnO (20-BWZ) exhibited a photodegradation rate constant of 0.0259 min⁻¹, which reached 2.3 and 5.9-folds greater than those of pure ZnO (0.0112 min⁻¹) and Bi₂WO₆ (0.0044 min⁻¹), respectively. That was predominantly attributed to the formation of a Z-scheme photocatalytic system in the as-synthesized composite reduced the charge carrier recombination and accelerated the photoactivity. Transient photocurrent response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses were performed to confirm this conclusion. The reusability test indicated that the 20-BWZ had no significant deactivation after four runs, which inferred good stability of the as-prepared composite. Furthermore, the quenching test demonstrated that the photogenerated hole, superoxide anion radical and hydroxyl radical were all involved in the photodegradation of DMP, among which •OH was the principal reactive species. This work revealed that the as-prepared BWZ composites have great potential applications for the degradation of refractory pollutants in the environmental remediation field.

The carboxylate-functionalized passion fruit peel (PFPCS) was an efficient and rapid biosorbent for wastewater treatment. The PFPCS exhibited excellent selectivity to the cationic dyes, where the maximum adsorption capacities for methylene blue (MB) and methyl violet (MV) were 1,775.76 mg g⁻¹ and 3,756.33 mg g⁻¹, respectively. And the adsorption process of MB and MV on PFPCS reached equilibrium within 20 min. Moreover, the adsorption conditions and mechanisms were investigated. The adsorption process was in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm models. The adsorption mechanism was also proposed to be electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bond. After six cycles of desorption-adsorption, the removal efficient of MB and MV could be kept above 95%. Thus, PFPCS was considered as a highly efficient absorbent for removing cationic dyes from polluted water due to excellent adsorption characteristics, low cost and environmental friendliness.

The back-diffusion of inactive gases severely inhibits the hydrogen (H₂) delivery rate of the close-end operated hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (H₂-based MBfR). Nevertheless, less is known about the response of microbial communities in H₂-based MBfR to the impact of the gases’ back-diffusion. In this research, the denitrification performance and microbial dynamics were studied in a H₂-based MBfR operated at close-end mode with a fixed H₂ pressure of 0.04 MPa and fed with nitrate (NO₃⁻) containing influent. Results of single-factor and microsensor measurement experiments indicate that the H₂ availability was the decisive factor that limits NO₃⁻ removal at the influent NO₃⁻ concentration of 30 mg N/L. High-throughput sequencing results revealed that (1) the increase of NO₃⁻ loading from 10 to 20–30 mg N/L resulted in the shift of dominant functional bacteria from Dechloromonas to Hydrogenophaga in the biofilm; (2) excessive NO₃⁻ loading led to the declined relative abundance of Hydrogenophaga and basic metabolic pathways as well as counts of most denitrifying enzyme genes; and (3) in most cases, the decreased quantity of N metabolism-related functional bacteria and genes with increasing distance from the H₂ supply end corroborates that the microbial community structure in H₂-based MBfR was significantly impacted by the gases’ back-diffusion.

Heavy metal pollution is extremely harmful to human beings. Looking for an efficient and environmentally friendly treatment method is the focus of current research. Using plants to treat contaminated water and soil has proven to be an effective and environmentally friendly method. Leersia hexandra Swartz is a chromium hyperaccumulator, and it can also enrich copper and nickel. Since the super enrichment characteristics of Leersia hexandra Swartz were discovered, many scholars have poured into the research on Leersia hexandra Swartz. This article will give an overview of the current application status of Leersia hexandra Swartz’s purification of polluted water and soil, analyze the methods and principles used, and discuss the future development direction of Leersia hexandra Swartz’s plant remediation technology.