Limin Ma

Neonicotinoid pesticides are persistent in aquatic environments, posing ecological risks. To address the limited removal efficiency of conventional soil infiltration systems, this study developed an electrochemically enhanced modular ecological infiltration system (MEIS) integrating iron–carbon micro-electrolysis to synergistically remove conventional pollutants (COD, NH₃-N, TN, TP) and two typical neonicotinoids (NNs): imidacloprid (IMI) and imidaclothiz (IMIZ). Under optimized hydraulic loading (1.2 m³/(m²·d)), C/N ratio (3:1), and current density (0.016 mA/cm²), the system achieved high removal efficiencies for conventional pollutants (COD > 99%, NH₃ N 99.8%, TN 81.7%, TP 85.4%). Notably, electrochemical enhancement significantly improved the removal of IMI and IMIZ to 78.1% and 69.1%, respectively, outperforming the non-electrified control. Adsorption kinetics indicated that the filler designed for autotrophic denitrification exhibited the highest adsorption capacity for both pesticides, with a chemisorption-dominated mechanism. Electrochemical enhancement likely enhanced the performance of MEIS by facilitating the release of anodic Fe²⁺ and the generation of reactive species, thereby achieving higher removal efficiencies for conventional pollutants and pesticides. This study presents an efficient and promising ecological technology for the treatment of pesticide-contaminated water, demonstrating strong initial performance and offering substantial potential for further optimization in terms of long-term stability.

Organobrominated contaminants pose significant environmental risks due to their persistence, toxicity, and involve complex migration and transformation pathways, which can be differentiated by compound-specific isotope analysis.

The sustainable valorization of lignocellulosic biomass into high-value platform chemicals presents a crucial pathway for reducing reliance on fossil resources. Gamma (γ)-valerolactone (GVL) has gained recognition as a versatile bio-derived compound with broad applications in renewable energy systems and green chemical synthesis. While conventional GVL production strategies from carbohydrate biomass typically depend on noble metal catalysts paired with high-pressure hydrogen gas, these approaches face substantial technical barriers including catalyst costs, hydrogen storage requirements, and operational safety concerns in large-scale applications. This work develops an innovative catalytic system utilizing earth-abundant iron for in situ hydrogen generation through water splitting, integrated with Raney Ni as the hydrogenation catalyst. The designed two-stage process enables direct conversion of cellulose—first through acid hydrolysis to levulinic acid (LA) followed by catalytic hydrogenation to GVL without intermediate purification. Through systematic parameter optimization, a remarkable 61.9% overall GVL yield from cellulose feedstock was achieved. Furthermore, the methodology’s versatility was demonstrated through wheat straw conversion experiments, yielding 24.6% GVL. This integrated methodology explores a technically feasible pathway for direct cellulose-to-GVL conversion utilizing abundant water as the hydrogen source, effectively overcoming the critical limitations associated with conventional hydrogenation technologies regarding hydrogen infrastructure and process safety.

In this study, an electrochemically coupled micro-electrolytic technology–enhanced soil infiltration system (E-ME-SIS) was proposed to address the problem of the high cost of traditional soil infiltration system (SIS) and the difficulty of removing imidacloprid (IMI) wastewater efficiently by a single treatment process. Micro-electrolytic ceramic substrates (MECS) were prepared from iron, activated carbon, aluminum, and fly ash and combined with an external power source to optimize the electrochemical and micro-electrolytic synergy and investigate their effectiveness in treating IMI wastewater. The results showed that MECS had a rough surface with a specific surface area of 2.682 m²/g, combining strong adsorption capacity (maximum adsorption of 1.149 mg/g) and wear resistance (24 h wear rate of 6.4%). The removal of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and IMI by E-ME-SIS was stabilized at 99%, 98%, and 98%, respectively, at a current density (CD) of 0.625 mA/cm² and influent C/N (COD/N) = 5. This study significantly enhanced the removal of difficult-to-degrade pollutants by SIS through an electrochemically enhanced micro-electrolysis reaction, which provides an energy-saving and stable technical reference for the efficient treatment of IMI wastewater with a potential for engineering applications.