Biochar removes PFAS from water: a study by University of Rome La Sapienza

🎉 Publication Alert! 📘 I’m delighted to share that our latest research article titled “Characterization of rice straw ash: microstructural, compositional, phase identification, and thermal analyses of waste generated from biomass-based power plant” has been published online in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Springer Nature. This study investigates the detailed physicochemical and thermal characteristics of rice straw ash generated from biomass-based power plants — providing valuable insights for its potential reuse in sustainable construction and environmental applications.  Well done Dr Rajwinder Singh. Keep working!!! Link to access the article https://rdcu.be/eKhRA #Research #Publication #Sustainability #EnvironmentalScience #Biomass #WasteUtilization #Teamwork #Springer #ESPResearch

One Contaminated Site, Many Contaminants? Not all microbial products are created equal. The reality of environmental remediation is rarely simple. You're often battling a complex cocktail of hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, and other compounds. Generic, "broad-spectrum" treatments frequently fall short, leaving persistent residuals that delay site closure. At Oppenheimer Biotechnology, our product philosophy is built on precision ecological engineering. Our Oppenheimer Formula products don't just contain one type of microbe. They are highly specialized, archaea-led consortia of diverse microbial strains. Each strain is selected for its unique ability to target and degrade specific contaminant molecules. This "contaminant specificity" ensures our products address the entire pollution cocktail, leading to: ✅ Complete Degradation: No more persistent residuals. ✅ Faster Remediation: Each contaminant is attacked simultaneously by a specialist. ✅ Predictable Results: Scientific precision, not guesswork. It’s how we empower remediation professionals with the right tools for the most challenging multi-contaminant sites. Do you agree that a multi-strain, consortia-based approach is the future of effective bioremediation? #Bioaugmentation #EnvironmentalRemediation #Sustainability #ContaminantCleanup #EnvironmentalEngineering

Designer bacteria clean wastewater and generate power–at the same time A new study shows that a genetically engineered strain of Escherichia coli can rapidly consume carbon-containing compounds, like those found in sewage, while producing substantial electricity. Researchers from Henan Normal University used genetic and nano-engineering techniques to enhance the bacteria's efficiency. By coating the bacteria with conductive polypyrrole and boosting their production of cytochrome c, they created a more powerful electric current than other microbial fuel cells. This breakthrough holds promise for sustainable wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation. Read the full article 👉 https://buff.ly/wSwH8gT #research #sustainability #climate #environment #innovation Follow 👉 Anthropocene Magazine for the latest articles on climate and sustainability science!

📄 Review Paper Published 🔓 I’m delighted to share that my review paper titled “Elevated Carbon Dioxide – A Hidden Ally Against Elevated Ozone Stress for Plant and Soil Ecosystem: A Review” has been published in Ozone: Science and Engineering- (Taylor & Francis). This review elucidates the mechanisms by which elevated CO2 mitigates the adverse impacts of elevated O3, emphasizing the intricate functional relationships within plant–soil systems. Grateful to my chairperson Dr. Dhevagi mam and respected co-authors who contributed to this work! 🙏 You can read the paper here: https://lnkd.in/gyEMxMC7 #Research #PlantScience #ClimateChange #EnvironmentalScience #Ozone #CO2

"Around 4.4 billion people worldwide still lack reliable access to safe drinking water. Newly designed, thin floating films that harness sunlight to eliminate over 99.99% of bacteria could help change that, turning contaminated water into a safe resource and offering a promising solution to this urgent global challenge. In a recent study, researchers from Sun Yat-sen University, China, presented a self-floating photocatalytic film composed of a specially designed conjugated polymer photocatalyst (Cz-AQ) that generates oxygen-centered organic radicals (OCORs) in water. These OCORs are efficiently formed due to the strong electron-donating and accepting groups incorporated into the polymer design, resulting in lifetimes orders of magnitude longer than those of conventional reactive oxygen species. With more time to act, the radicals enable the film to break down organic pollutants and suppress bacterial regrowth for at least five days." #water #drinkingwater #materialscience

🔬 New Paper Alert! 🔬 I'm excited to share groundbreaking research published in ACS Publications Journal of the American Chemical Society (September 2025): "A Macroporous Cyclodextrin Monolith for Continuous Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Water" by Zhi-Wei Lin Subeen Kim Yaryna Dyakiv Eden Gedangoni Aaron Packman Damian Helbling Gordon Getzinger and Will Dichtel This innovative study introduces a novel cyclodextrin-based monolith technology that could revolutionize how we remove harmful PFAS (forever chemicals) from our drinking water. With their unique porous structure, these monoliths demonstrate superior performance compared to conventional materials - removing PFAS more efficiently while being mechanically robust and regenerable! Key highlights: 🌊 Highly permeable structure allows for continuous water flow (similar to packed sand) 🔄 Regenerable through simple alcohol wash, maintaining effectiveness over multiple cycles ⚡ Outperforms leading benchmark materials under equivalent testing conditions ♻️ Successfully treats hundreds of liters of PFAS-contaminated water over extended periods As we continue facing global water contamination challenges, innovations like this provide promising solutions for protecting our most precious resource - clean water. What water treatment technologies are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments! #WaterTreatment #EnvironmentalScience #PFAS #CleanWater #SustainableTechnology #Research Northwestern University Department of Chemistry Cornell Engineering Loyola Chicago School of Environmental Sustainability

Huge if true: Biochar as a carbon breakthrough A new 2025 study reports that adding just 2% modified biochar to soil reduced CO₂ emissions by up to 91% over 60 days in lab trials. 🔍 How? Researchers used phosphoric acid and nano-iron treated biochar, which not only locked carbon in the soil but also suppressed microbial enzymes that normally release CO₂. 🔍 Why this matters? Most climate models assume biochar’s impact on soil carbon is modest. If these results hold up in the field, biochar could prove to be a much more powerful carbon sink than currently credited. At Residual, we see findings like this as both exciting but scientific breakthroughs in the lab must be validated and scaled in the real world. 👉 What do you think: are we looking at a game-changing pathway for carbon removal, or just another case of lab-scale optimism? See relevant links in the comments. #CarbonRemoval #Biochar #ClimateTech #SoilHealth

The technologies for the holistic valorization of hypersaline produced water exist in other fields. This new study published by Elsevier illustrates the use of electrodialysis to extract nutrients (ammonia and phosphate) from manure digestate. Jerri Pohl Zachary Stoll New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium Shane Walker Texas Produced Water Consortium Steve Coffee Rajendra Ghimire Michael Grossman Ben Samuels Jonna D Smoot Ivan Morales, MBA Steven Roeder Morris Hoagland Produced Water Society Kevin Schug Ramón Antonio Sánchez Rosario Medusa Analytical, LLC Christos Charisiadis Brine Consulting #water #energy #environment #brine #valorization "Nutrient recovery from wastewater is pivotal for sustainable development, particularly in mitigating resource scarcity and environmental pollution. This study investigated the potential of long-term electrodialysis (ED) for nutrient recovery from pig manure digestate with a focus on membrane fouling, which is often overlooked in short-term operations. ED reactors were operated over 1100 h using both heterogeneous and homogeneous ion exchange membranes (IEMs), with a treatment loading of 5000 L of digestate /m². The ED system demonstrated effective desalination, achieving over 80 % recovery of ammonium (NH₄⁺) and 90 % recovery of phosphate (PO₄³⁻), while maintaining high perm-selectivity (>95 %). Membrane analysis revealed significant color darkening and structural deterioration, particularly in heterogeneous anion exchange membranes (AM), which exhibited increased resistance and reduced ion exchange capacity (IEC) after a treatment loading of 3472 L/m². Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the accumulation of organic matter and the formation of hydrogen bonds on fouled membranes. Cation exchange membranes (CM) demonstrated greater stability and resistance to fouling than AM, with homogeneous CM outperforming their heterogeneous counterparts in maintaining IEC and structural integrity. Despite the increased membrane resistance, the ED system led to efficient nutrient recovery, highlighting the resilience of membrane perm-selectivity. This study highlights the potential of ED for resource recovery and emphasizes the critical role of effective fouling mitigation strategies in ensuring its long-term feasibility in nutrient recovery from high-solid wastewater streams, thereby providing a strong foundation for its practical application." https://lnkd.in/grxRQH4j

💧 Next-Generation Wastewater Treatment, Faster and Smarter Cenefom, in collaboration with 工業技術研究院, is advancing biological carrier technology to make wastewater treatment more efficient and reliable. Key benefits include: ✅ COD removal rate > 90% ✅ Ammonia nitrogen removal > 80% ✅ Fast start-up in less than 30 days ✅ Stable performance with reduced operating costs This innovation offers an effective solution for both industrial and municipal wastewater, delivering faster start-up, higher efficiency, and lower carbon and sludge footprints compared to conventional systems. 📢 Come see this breakthrough in action! Oct 29–31, 2025 Taiwan International Water Week (台灣國際水週) Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1, 4F — Booth L0322 In partnership with 工業技術研究院 #Cenefom #WastewaterTreatment #Innovation #BiologicalCarrier #Sustainability #ITRI #PVA #TaiwanInternationalWaterWeek

PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals”, have long plagued our environment and water systems. 🌍 Now, scientists have developed nanoscale scaffolds made with a ball mill technique that could trap and filter these pollutants more efficiently than ever before. . By harnessing the power of mechanochemistry and covalent organic frameworks, researchers are paving the way for greener, low-energy solutions to one of the toughest contamination challenges of our time. . 💧 Read the full article on Quantum Server Networks: 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekuNCy-G . #PFAS #ForeverChemicals #WaterFiltration #Mechanochemistry #CovalentOrganicFrameworks #Nanomaterials #GreenChemistry #EnvironmentalScience #SustainableMaterials #QuantumServerNetworks #AIinScience #PWmat #CleanWaterInnovation #PETRAIII #ScienceBreakthrough