Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2024113001
Anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria (APB) are a phylogenetically diverse group of prokaryotes that perform photosynthesis without oxygen evolution. They possess versatile metabolic capabilities, including anaerobic photophosphorylation, carbon fixation, multi-substrate metabolism, and metal oxidation-reduction, enabling them to thrive in diverse environments such as lakes, rivers, soils, salt lakes, and hot springs. APB play a pivotal role in biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and metals. This review systematically summarizes the metabolic diversity of APB, emphasizing their ability to utilize organic and inorganic compounds as electron donors and carbon sources. We highlight recent advances in understanding extracellular electron transfer (EET) mediated by exogenous electron shuttles and conductive materials, which expand the electron sources available for energy generation and reducing power. In environmental engineering, APB show promise in carbon sequestration, pollutant degradation (including azo dyes and heavy metals), biohydrogen production, and microbial fuel cells. For instance, Rhodopseudomonas palustris can fix CO2 under dark anoxic conditions via syntrophic interspecies electron transfer, achieving enhanced carbon fixation. Additionally, APB-based biohybrid systems incorporating CdS nanoparticles demonstrate light-driven degradation of azo dyes without external electron donors. Challenges remain in scaling up these technologies, optimizing reactor conditions, and understanding metabolic regulation. Future research should focus on genetic engineering to enhance APB performance and integrating APB into circular bioeconomy frameworks.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202507094
To address land waste and poor bearing capacity from sludge landfill, this study developed a composite solidifying agent using loess, fly ash, desulfurized gypsum, and cement. Orthogonal experiments combined strength testing, SEM/XRD microanalysis, permeability and heavy metal leaching tests, and cost accounting. Results show that cement significantly enhances early and mid-term strength, while loess dominates later strength development. Optimal fly ash and desulfurized gypsum content is 12% each. The optimal mix ratio (loess:fly ash:desulfurized gypsum:cement:sludge) is 0.1:0.12:0.12:0.08:1. The solidified matrix forms dense structures via C-S-H gel and ettringite (Aft), effectively controlling heavy metal leaching at low cost. This work enables solid waste resource utilization and provides robust support for sludge solidification engineering.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2026031202
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are a novel class of organic compounds primarily used in the manufacturing of electronic devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs). LCMs can enter the environment and organisms through various pathways, and due to their persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity, they pose significant threats to ecosystems and human health, emerging as a concerning category of organic pollutants. Current research focuses on developing standardized, high-throughput, and highly sensitive analytical methods based on chromatography-mass spectrometry for quantifying LCMs across multiple environmental media. By integrating exposomics and long-term dynamic monitoring, exposure mapping is used to identify characteristic LCMs in different regions. Through screening LCM-exposed biomarkers and integrating human metabolic kinetic models, the assessment methodology is transitioning from environmental concentration-based external exposure estimation to biologically effect-based internal exposure risk evaluation. This research provides a scientific foundation for improving exposure monitoring systems and control measures for LCMs.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607005
To optimize municipal sludge incineration and enhance disposal efficiency, sludge from the First Sewage Treatment Plant in Chengdu was analyzed via synchronous thermal analysis (TG-DTG-DSC) in air at 20 K/min. The combustion process comprised four stages: moisture evaporation (35–150 °C), volatile combustion (150–400 °C), fixed carbon combustion (400–600 °C), and burnout (600–1000 °C). Ignition and burnout temperatures were 220.7 °C and 605.9 °C, respectively, with a comprehensive combustion characteristic index of 6.32×10⁻⁸ %²/(min²·K³), indicating good stability. Kinetic analysis using Coats-Redfern (CR) integral and Achar-Brindley-Sharp (ABS) differential methods showed deviations below 15%, confirming CR reliability. Moisture evaporation and volatile combustion followed first-order models (F1) with activation energies of 52.24 and 48.81 kJ/mol, while fixed carbon combustion and burnout followed second-order models (F2) with activation energies of 192.38 and 102.27 kJ/mol. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔH: 49.06, 43.59, 185.94, 95.00 kJ/mol; ΔS: -148.36, -211.63, -30.74, -201.38 J/mol·K; ΔG: 105.76, 176.52, 209.74, 271.04 kJ/mol) revealed negative entropy and positive Gibbs free energy across all stages, indicating external energy dependence, with the highest demand in the burnout stage. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing incineration process parameters and energy recovery.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3510-0
The activity and stability of single-atom catalysts (SACs) are intimately associated with the structure of supports. Herein, by employing a van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure support, we construct a highly active and durable Pt SAC for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The unique support consists of monolayer MoS2 attaching on hierarchical N-doped carbon nanocages (hNCNC), on which Pt presents as individual single atoms on the hNCNC and as island-like single-atom layers on the MoS2. The optimized Pt1-MoS2/hNCNC demonstrates low overpotential (11 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and high mass activity (5.6 A mgPt−1 at −20 mV) in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, outperforming commercial Pt/C. Impressively, the Pt1-MoS2/hNCNC exhibits improved long-term stability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer relative to commercial Pt/C. The excellent HER performance is attributed to the regulated electronic structure, robust interaction of Pt atoms with MoS2/hNCNC and facilitated charge transfer. This study establishes an innovative strategy to develop a highly active and durable Pt SAC using vdW heterostructure supports.