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        <title>Frontiers in Environmental Engineering | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-engineering</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Frontiers in Environmental Engineering | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
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        <pubDate>2026-07-08T14:49:21.508+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
        <item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1867033</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1867033</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Small organic molecules through biomass valorization: sustainable routes and applications]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-07-07T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Sushmita Bhatia</author><author>Shruti Rai Bhardwaj</author><author>Ram Singh</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Historically, the process of preparing complex organic compounds has relied on non-sustainable, petroleum-based raw materials. The present review aims to explore the trend towards using biomass feedstocks, such as lignocellulose, carbohydrates, and bio-waste, as sustainable sources for the synthesis of organic molecules. These biomasses are used to generate platform compounds such as furfural, levulinic acid, glycerol, succinic acid, and sorbitol, etc. Furthermore, these platform molecules are used as building blocks to produce various value-added products. Recent developments in catalytic reactions and greener methods of activation, such as photocatalysis, microwave-assisted synthesis, and grindstone chemistry, to use platform molecules, have also been discussed. Such advancements have enabled the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients and other heterocyclic compounds. The use of biomass valorization contributed in minimization of waste, wastewater, effluents, and hazardous emissions compared to petroleum-based raw materials. These achievements will contribute to implementing the transition towards circular economy approaches, to produce bulk chemicals from biomass.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1890725</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1890725</link>
        <title><![CDATA[From biowaste to biochar: sustainable pathways for waste valorization, environmental benefits, and practical uses]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-07-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Yogesh Kumar</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Biowaste generation has increased rapidly due to urbanization, industrialization, population growth, and agricultural activities. Large amounts of agricultural residues, food waste, forestry waste, animal manure, and municipal organic waste are produced worldwide, creating serious environmental and public health problems. Traditional disposal methods, such as landfilling and open burning, release greenhouse gases, toxic pollutants, and harmful leachates that contribute to climate change and environmental degradation. Sustainable waste valorization has therefore gained significant attention as an eco-friendly approach for converting waste into useful products such as biofuels, bioenergy, fertilizers, and biochar. Among these, biochar has emerged as an important carbon-rich material produced through thermochemical conversion of biomass under limited oxygen conditions. Biochar possesses high porosity, large surface area, and excellent adsorption capacity, making it useful for soil improvement, carbon sequestration, wastewater treatment, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Biomass composition and pyrolysis conditions strongly influence biochar properties and performance. Biochar also supports circular bioeconomy principles by promoting waste recycling, renewable energy generation, and sustainable resource management. Overall, biochar production from biomass waste offers a sustainable solution for environmental protection, climate resilience, and long-term agricultural and industrial development. Future biochar systems integrating artificial intelligence, advanced pyrolysis, circular bioeconomy principles, and carbon markets could enable scalable carbon-negative technologies, transforming waste into valuable resources while accelerating global climate neutrality and sustainability goals.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1873258</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1873258</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Exploring water hardness removal potential of halotolerant bacteria isolated and characterized from brine lemon pickle]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-07-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Shivani Chauhan</author><author>Simranpreet Kaur</author><author>Sundeep Kaur</author><author>Sumer Singh Meena</author><author>Anee Mohanty</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionHalotolerant microorganisms capable of thriving in high salt concentrations are of significant interest due to their ecological roles and potential industrial applications. This study aimed to isolate and characterize a halotolerant bacterial strain from a traditional fermented food source.MethodsA bacterial strain designated SS1 was isolated from brine lemon pickle. The isolate was characterized using morphological and biochemical tests, antibiotic susceptibility profiling, and 16S rDNA sequencing. Growth was assessed across varying NaCl concentrations, and biofilm formation was evaluated under high-salt conditions. The strain’s potential application in hard water treatment was also examined.ResultsThe isolate was Gram-positive, coccoid, and showed remarkable tolerance to salt, growing at NaCl concentrations up to 20%, with optimal growth between 0% and 10% (doubling time 25–35 min). The colonies on agar were cream-coloured, circular, glistering, and entire-edged. Based on morphological attributes and biochemical characterization, the isolate exhibited characteristics consistent with those of the Staphylococcus genus. Partial sequencing of 16s rDNA also revealed that strain SS1 was similar to Staphylococcus gallinarum. The strain exhibited susceptibility to all tested antibiotics except cefonicid and cloxacillin. Biofilm formation was observed only at a high NaCl concentration (20%). The isolated strain treated hard water and showed a 45% hardness removal efficiency on the 15th day.DiscussionWith its unique halotolerant and biochemical profile, strain SS1 presents promising potential for future exploration and application in environmental remediation, hard water treatment, and other industries.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1908453</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1908453</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Environmental engineering perspectives on ocean-based carbon dioxide removal]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-07-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Michael B. Fong</author><author>Maribel I. García-Ibáñez</author><author>Xinyu Li</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1866629</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1866629</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Comparative performance of activated alumina and iron gravel media for phosphorus removal at the bench and prototype scales]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-06-30T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Brief Research Report</category>
        <author>Michael A. Holly</author><author>Andrew Votis</author><author>Beth Kondro</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Phosphorus removal structures rely on reactive filter media to reduce dissolved phosphorus export from agricultural runoff, yet uncertainty remains regarding how media type, hydraulic orientation, and scale influence treatment persistence and cost. Activated alumina (AA400G) and an iron/gravel blend (8% zero-valent iron by weight) were evaluated across laboratory columns and prototype-scale box and column systems operated under bottom-up and top-down flow. Laboratory columns demonstrated substantially greater cumulative phosphorus removal for activated alumina (3,756 to 3,835 mg P kg-1 at the 20% endpoint) than for iron/gravel (33 mg P kg-1 at 10-min retention), reflecting strong contact-time dependence for iron-based media. Prototype-scale testing (n = 1) revealed pronounced scale and orientation effects: activated alumina prototypes exhausted at 20% removal after 493 to 1,190 mg P kg-1, representing an observed 3 to 8-fold reduction relative to laboratory columns (n = 3) due to hydraulic non-idealities and clogging, whereas the bottom-up iron/gravel prototype column sustained 53%–71% removal through 95 mg P kg-1 (limited loading window; truncated run). A media-only screening cost analysis using prototype performance yielded estimated costs of approximately $3,720 kg-1 P removed for activated alumina and $800 kg-1 P removed for iron/gravel when cumulative removal was evaluated to a conservative 20% instantaneous removal cutoff. Results demonstrate that media selection and hydraulic design jointly control treatment resilience, cost, and predictability, with activated alumina favoring compact, regenerable systems and iron/gravel favoring larger footprints with replaceable media.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1872048</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1872048</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Antibiotic residues in aquatic environment: ecological disruption, and biotechnological solutions for environmental safety]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-06-19T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Mahipal Singh Sankhla</author><author> Negaa</author><author>Vaibhav Sharma</author><author>Rajeev Kumar</author><author>Garima Awasthi</author><author>Raj Shukla</author><author>Baljeet Yadav</author><author>Kumud Kant Awasthi</author>
        <description><![CDATA[World Health Organization reported on antibiotic resistance trends, antibiotic residue is one of the emerging pharmaceutical microcontaminants entering the aquatic ecosystem from various point and non-point sources, due to their continuous usage in human and veterinary medicine, and agriculture. The lack of proper wastewater treatment process gives rise to the contaminants entering the drinking and ground water. The constant input of the trace levels of residues over a period leads to long-term effects on both aquatic and terrestrial life due to their bioactivity, which will lead to the development and the spread of the Antibiotic Resistant- Bacteria (ARB) and Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) that leads to the disruption of the microbial communities. Due to their wide occurrence various treatment methods have been studied for their complete removal from the aquatic system. Numerous papers have been published on the occurrence of the antibiotic residue levels in various compartments of the aquatic system. This study aims to provide an insight on the recent occurrence trends (2004–2025) in various water bodies globally. The study briefly introduces the sources of various antibiotics followed by a compilation of occurrence of antibiotics in the aquatic system around the world in the past 2 decades. The study revealed that Quinolones, Macrolides, Tetracycline and Sulfonamides are the most abundantly found antibiotics in the aquatic system; with concentrations ranging from few ng/L to hundreds of µg/L.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1847347</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1847347</link>
        <title><![CDATA[From conventional treatment to light-driven remediation: a review of strategies for treatment of dye-contaminated wastewater]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-25T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author> Aayushi</author><author>Shivam Pandey</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Wastewater from textile and allied sectors offers nearly 15%–20% of global industrial water pollution, with dye concentrations generally ranging from 10 to 200 mg/L, making it a considerable environmental concern. Synthetic dyes are hazardous, prolonged, and toxic in nature. Conventional treatment procedures, such as physical, chemical, and biological processes, sometimes have issues, including being non-biodegradable, leading to secondary pollution such as sludge generation, production of toxic by-products, partial mineralization, and being cost-intensive. Photocatalysis has recently developed as an efficient advanced oxidation technique for dye degradation, employing semiconductor photocatalysts such as TiO2, ZnO, and graphitic carbon nitride that are commonly used under light irradiation to produce reactive oxygen species that mineralize dyes into non-toxic byproducts. In comparison with conventional AOPs such as Fenton and ozonation, photocatalysis provides significant benefits, including lower chemical consumption, reduced sludge generation, catalyst reusability, and potential for solar-driven operation. The present review focuses on catalytic strategies, specifically on photocatalytic degradation of dyes, as a sustainable way for improving the environmental efficiency of textile processes. Major operational factors such as pH, catalyst loading, light intensity, and initial dye concentration are discussed in detail. The review highlights that advanced composite and immobilized photocatalysts demonstrate significantly upgraded degradation efficiency, enhanced charge separation, and better reusability as compared to single-component systems. Moreover, a comparative analysis of conventional and advanced treatment methods is presented, demonstrating that photocatalysis provides higher mineralization efficiency with reduced secondary pollution, making it a viable strategy for wastewater treatment.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1722898</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1722898</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Waste plastic bottle strips as biofilter media for a sustainable onsite sanitation system]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ugyen Dorji</author><author>Abdulaziz Almuntashiri</author><author>Yeshi Choden</author><author>Hokyong Shon</author><author>Sherub Phuntsho</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study explores the use of waste plastic bottle strips as biofilter media for improved urban on-site sanitation systems. Initially, Synthetic wastewater was treated in column reactors packed with plastic strips of varying sizes (3 mm, 5 mm, and 7 mm) as biofilter (BF) media. The biofilter system demonstrated a reduction in hydrolysed and acidified fractions, alongside elevated oxidation-reduction potential values (exceeding −250 mV) under both winter and summer conditions. The non-woven plastic matrices provided effective support for biofilm formation and biosolid retention, while simultaneously addressing plastic waste problems. Over a 150-day ambient laboratory-scale study, the striped BF achieved average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates of 72%, 71%, and 70% for 3 mm, 5 mm, and 7 mm sizes, respectively, under an optimum hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12 h. The UASB + BF onsite treatment system can produce a much-improved effluent quality compared to a conventional onsite sanitation system using a septic tank. These findings underscore the potential of waste plastic bottle strips as a cost-effective, sustainable biofilter medium for decentralised sanitation, offering dual benefits of wastewater treatment and plastic waste reuse.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1760490</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1760490</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Impact of new technologies on the sustainable reuse of treated wastewater within metropolitan and urban areas]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-10T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>George Tchobanoglous</author><author>Harold Leverenz</author><author>Onder T. Caliskaner</author><author>Petros Gikas</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Today, because of population growth, the impacts of climate change, and the unequal distribution of fresh water in the world, the need for the sustainable use of water resources is well understood. The beneficial reuse of treated wastewater is an important element of water sustainability, especially in metropolitan and urban areas. Historically, centralized wastewater treatment facilities, located in relatively remote locations near water bodies used for the dispersal of treated effluent, have served the needs of organized societies since the mid-1800s. Unfortunately, the reuse of treated wastewater is often inhibited by infrastructure costs for storing, construction costs for pipelines, and pumping cost for transporting treated wastewater (reclaimed water) to the points of reuse (i.e., typically away from the centralized treatment plant location). Use of distributed (satellite and decentralized) wastewater treatment facilities within the collection system is often the most effective way to overcome the location limitations of centralized wastewater infrastructure. Subjects considered in this paper include reuse opportunities within metropolitan and urban areas; the types and examples of satellite treatment systems that have been used; an expanded discussion of the new advanced primary and secondary treatment technologies; and the impact of new technologies on the implementation of satellite facilities in metropolitan and urban areas. Challenges for implementation of satellite treatment are also discussed.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1785394</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1785394</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A nanotechnology roadmap for circular wastewater management]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-11T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Matthew Chidozie Ogwu</author><author>Fredrick Ojija</author><author>Olugbemiga Ojo Aliu</author><author>Rehema Ulimboka</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Circular wastewater management is increasingly recognized as a critical lever for climate resilience, water security, and the recovery of nutrients, energy, and strategic materials. Yet conventional treatment infrastructures remain constrained by limited selectivity, high energy demand, operational inflexibility, and weak coupling between treatment performance and resource valorization. Although nanotechnology has demonstrated substantial potential to address these bottlenecks, real-world deployment remains fragmented due to fouling, regeneration burdens, scale-up uncertainty, and unresolved safety and governance challenges. This review advances a roadmap that moves beyond material-centric assessments toward a decision-oriented, scale-aware framework for integrating nanotechnology into circular wastewater systems. Drawing on recent laboratory advances, pilot studies, and early demonstrations across municipal, industrial, and agro-food contexts, we situate nano-enabled adsorbents, catalysts, membranes, bio–nano hybrids, and nanosensors within integrated treatment–recovery–reuse platforms, rather than isolated unit operations. Techno-economic and life-cycle evidence is synthesized to identify conditions under which nano-enabled process trains deliver net circular value relative to incumbent technologies. The roadmap explicitly couples nanotechnology with digital intelligence, including nanosensing, AI-enabled monitoring, digital twins, and adaptive control, to translate nanoscale functionality into robust system-level performance under variable influent conditions. To support actionable decision-making, we introduce a pollutant-to-valorization decision matrix, a readiness–impact scorecard, and a 2030 research and standards agenda emphasizing safe-by-design materials, scalable regeneration, antifouling interfaces, hybrid bio–nano reactors, and harmonized risk assessment. By integrating materials science, digital process control, and governance, this roadmap positions nanotechnology as a systems enabler for circular wastewater infrastructure rather than a standalone fix.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1812162</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1812162</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Celebrating 1 year of Frontiers in Environmental Engineering]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-26T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Shujuan Zhang</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1757216</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1757216</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Valuing decentralized wastewater technologies: a stated preference analysis of advanced and cluster septic systems]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-24T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Kyra Selina Hagge</author><author>Gregory Howard</author><author>Poonam Arora</author><author>Stephen Moysey</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Decentralized wastewater treatment systems are key to safe and reliable water access and climate resilience. They provide people with important infrastructure in areas where centralized sewerage is not feasible. While the technology behind traditional septic systems is mature, it has significant flaws leading to nutrient and pathogen release, especially when exposed to changing environmental conditions. Alternatives to traditional septic systems that are more effective at removing nutrients from wastewater have seen limited uptake. Some of these systems, advanced treatment systems, include an additional treatment step for increased treatment efficiency, so do cluster septic systems, which additionally serve multiple homes at once. Using the contingent valuation method, this paper contributes to existing literature by examining individual homeowner preferences and willingness to invest in an alternative onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) in the United States, focusing on advanced septic and cluster septic systems. Study respondents positively value both technologies. Specifically, valuation of advanced septic systems is significantly higher than for cluster septic systems. However, respondents asked to contemplate a new house purchase are willing to pay more than people who are asked to replace their existing system. This difference is statistically significant for advanced, but not for cluster septic systems. Our results can aid the development of policies to reduce nutrient inputs from existing and new OWTS by pointing wastewater professionals and policymakers towards areas where investment is most effective.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1766573</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1766573</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A structured forensic framework for PFAS source differentiation under target-only analytical constraints]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Jenny E. Zenobio</author><author>Faezeh Pazoki</author><author>Adam Forsberg</author><author>Sheau-Yun Dora Chiang</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Differentiating overlapping sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remains a central challenge in environmental forensics, particularly where investigations rely on targeted analytical datasets. Here, we present a tiered PFAS fingerprinting framework designed to extract source, process, and transport information using only target analytes. The framework integrates multiple, complementary lines of evidence, including compound-level concentrations, class- and carbon-number-resolved composition, diagnostic ratios, isomer distributions, precursor-product relationships, multivariate clustering, and geospatial pattern analysis, to support defensible source differentiation under data-limited conditions. The framework is demonstrated using groundwater datasets collected at two time points (2018 and 2024) from a complex industrial setting with overlapping PFAS inputs. Application of the framework resolves distinct PFAS mixture archetypes that reflect differences in manufacturing era, formulation chemistry, and hydrologic context. Identified profiles include sulfonate-rich mixtures consistent with electrochemical fluorination-era inputs, telomer-associated industrial mixtures characterized by fluorotelomer sulfonates and carboxylates, and short-chain-enriched profiles influenced by wastewater-related transport and mixing. Temporal evaluation shows changes in precursor abundance and terminal perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, between sampling events, while diagnostic ratios and isomer patterns provide additional temporal context where quantifiable. Unsupervised clustering independently corroborates compositional similarity and hydraulic connectivity among site domains. Together, these results indicate that target-only PFAS datasets can support forensic interpretation when multiple, complementary analytical metrics are evaluated in a structured framework. The approach outlines an analytical structure that could assist PFAS investigations where source histories are complex and compound coverage is limited.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1667285</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1667285</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Contrasting effects of osmolytes on nitrifying biofilms under salinity stress]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-04T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Brief Research Report</category>
        <author>Sharada Navada</author><author>Michele Laureni</author><author>Olav Vadstein</author><author>Mark van Loosdrecht</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Several industries produce high or variable salinity effluents. This can be challenging for the microorganisms involved in the biological water treatment of these effluents, especially the nitrifying microorganisms. Some microorganisms can adapt to a salinity increase through the uptake of certain molecules called osmolytes (or osmoprotectants) from the environment. This salinity acclimation strategy has been effective over a range of microorganisms. Thus, osmolyte addition could be a sustainable strategy for osmoregulation, but it has never been investigated in nitrifying biofilms. In this study, we investigated the impact of adding an osmolyte cocktail (1 mM each of trehalose, sucrose, glycine betaine, proline, carnitine, and ectoine) on the functionality of nitrifying biofilms undergoing a salinity increase from freshwater to seawater. The experiment was conducted on moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR) operated in a sequencing batch mode. The osmoprotectants did not improve the nitrification activity on the first day after seawater transfer. Moreover, after 2 days in seawater, the treatment with osmolytes showed a severe reduction in the nitrification activity. This was accompanied by the growth of heterotrophic microorganisms in the medium facilitated by the uptake of osmolytes as substrate. Thus, the reduction in nitrification activity was likely due to competition between the heterotrophs and nitrifiers for resources (such as oxygen) and/or osmolytes. This study highlights the complex effects of the addition of osmoprotectants on biofilms undergoing a salinity change. Future studies should investigate the impact of individual osmoprotectants, as their potential as growth substrate and as osmoregulators may vary.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1719988</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2026.1719988</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A routine method for the semi-quantitative determination of porous carbonaceous material in wastewater matrices]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Methods</category>
        <author>C. Margreiter</author><author>A. Hofmann</author><author>A. O. Wagner</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The EU directive 2024/1990/EU mandates a fourth treatment stage for micropollutant removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Porous carbonaceous materials (PCMs) such as powdered activated carbon (PAC) and biochar are effective but require monitoring. This study presents a semi-quantitative, low-cost method for PCM determination in wastewater matrices using total carbon (TC) analysis. Calibration curves were established for activated sludge (AS), excess sludge (ES) and anaerobic digestion sludge (ADS) matrices, yielding high linearity (R2 > 0.99). Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.10 to 0.25 gPCM/gDM. Recovery rates exceeded 95% for AS and ES matrices, with relative standard deviations below 5%, demonstrating excellent precision. Comparison with chemical oxygen demand (COD)-based estimates showed strong correlation, validating the approach. The method enables routine PCM monitoring in WWTPs lacking sophisticated analytical equipment, supporting regulatory compliance and process optimization. While native organic carbon cannot be excluded and the relatively high LOD reduces sensitivity, the method still delivers robust semi-quantitative estimates for basic routine PCM monitoring.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1677492</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1677492</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Sustainability impact assessment tools and frameworks]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-21T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Catherine N. Mulligan</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Global challenges are increasing for the design of sustainable infrastructure and buildings for engineers. These include resource constraints and limited availability of water. Climate change from increasing greenhouse gas emissions is changing precipitation patterns, putting further constraints on resources. Incorporating sustainable practices into infrastructure projects is becoming increasingly important. However, there are many challenges related to this. Tools and frameworks for sustainability impact assessments have been developed to assist in the decision-making process. Environmental and economic indicators are well developed but social aspects are more difficult to quantify. This paper examines selected tools and frameworks and the requirement for future developments. Sustainability in engineering design is essential for working towards the UN Sustainability Development Goals.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1658313</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1658313</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Bioprocesses for the treatment and valorisation of gas emissions, odours, volatile compounds and greenhouse gases]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-12T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Cecilia Naveira-Pazos</author><author>María C. Veiga</author><author>Christian Kennes</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Different bioprocesses for the treatment as well as the valorisation of waste gases and greenhouse gases are briefly reviewed. Biotreatment technologies are based on the use of bioreactors for waste gas treatment, e.g., biofilter, biotrickling filter, bioscrubber, suspended growth bioreactor with gas diffusion. Aspects related to waste gas (bio)valorisation address the potential of aerobic knallgas bacteria (e.g., C. necator), microalgae, as well as anaerobic acetogenic bacteria aiming at obtaining a range of biofuels and bioproducts mainly through bioconversion of one carbon gases (e.g., CO2, CO). Valorisation of waste gases appears to be a promising innovative, cost-effective, sustainable alternative to conventional treatment technologies.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1721805</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1721805</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Mini-review of capillary-gas-treating bioreactors: opportunities and challenges]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Norbertus J. R. Kraakman</author><author>Andrés F. Torres</author><author>Bruna Sampaio</author><author>Sergio Bordel</author><author>Raquel Lebrero</author><author>Raúl Muñoz</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Mass transfer in gas–liquid contactors requires energy input (e.g., mixing or pressure drop) and is a critical parameter for the design and application of process equipment. Efforts in the engineering of less energy-intensive reactors to enhance mass transfer rate are key in biological gas-liquid reactors that treat hydrophobic gaseous compounds. Mass transfer coefficients (KLa) in capillary reactors may be between one or two orders of magnitude higher than in conventional gas–liquid contactors. In this context, environmental abatement processes typically implemented in bioscrubbers or biotrickling filters, as well as industrial fermentation processes using airlift or stirred tank bioreactors containing cell cultures that are mass-transfer limited, could benefit from a capillary gas bioreactor configuration using a macro-channel (>1 mm internal diameter). This review discusses capillary reactors which can combine good mass transfer with relatively low pressure drop—two important factors affecting the cost-effectiveness of many industrial applications of biological gas treatment/processing systems.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1673461</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1673461</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Enzyme catalyzed oxidative humification reactions (ECOHRs): PFAS remediation and thatch management]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-10-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Mini Review</category>
        <author>Umar Munir</author><author>Yifei Wang</author><author>Qingguo Huang</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Enzyme-Catalyzed Oxidative Humification Reactions (ECOHRs) are primarily recognized for their involvement in the degradation of lignin. Lignolytic fungi produce extracellular enzymes under nutrient-deficient conditions, which can act directly or indirectly through small-molecule mediators to modify a range of compounds in the environment. The enzymes mediating ECOHRs mainly include laccases, lignin peroxidases (LiP), and manganese peroxidases (MnP), whose properties and catalysis mechanisms are summarized and compared in this review. As an example showcasing the possible environmental application of ECOHRs, the effects of ECOHRs in mediating the transformation of two key per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), were discussed. Reports have shown their significant concentration reduction (40%–59%) in systems with ECOHRs induced by amendments with laccases and mediators. Nontarget products identification using high-resolution mass spectrometry suggests that PFOA and PFOS degraded in ECOHR systems primarily through free-radical chain reactions. Reports on the use of laccase to reduce and manage the thatch layer on turf grass are also discussed in this review as another example of ECOHRs application. Laccase application at a rate of 2 U/cm2 once per month was found to be as effective as traditional thatch management methods, with the ECOHR effects leading to a reduction in the thatch thickness by 18%–22% in bermudagrass and 21%–30% in zoysiagrass. Overall, this review addresses the concept of ECOHRs, with the major enzymes and systems introduced, and highlights their possible environmental applications exemplified by PFAS remediation and thatch management.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1641277</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenve.2025.1641277</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Novel field trial for ocean alkalinity enhancement using electrochemically derived aqueous alkalinity]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-09-19T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Allison M. Savoie</author><author>Mallory Ringham</author><author>Carolina Torres Sanchez</author><author>Brendan R. Carter</author><author>Sean Dougherty</author><author>Richard A. Feely</author><author>Dave Hegeman</author><author>Julian Herndon</author><author>Tarang Khangaonkar</author><author>Jeremy Loretz</author><author>Tyson Minck</author><author>Todd Pelman</author><author>Lakshitha Premathilake</author><author>Chinmayee Subban</author><author>Jesse Vance</author><author>Nicholas D. Ward</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a proposed method of marine carbon dioxide removal that enhances the ocean’s uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and converts it to dissolved bicarbonate for long-term ocean storage. This method of marine carbon dioxide removal has been gaining attention for its potential to durably (10,000+ years) store large amounts of CO2 (Gt + where 1 Gt = 1 × 109 tons), while potentially ameliorating acidification in the vicinity of the alkalinity release. This study focuses on a novel release of electrochemically derived aqueous alkalinity into Sequim Bay, WA, through a previously established wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). This research was made possible through the collaboration of industry, academic, and federal partners, which enabled the establishment of an Ebb Carbon electrochemical mCDR system at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Sequim, WA, for ocean alkalinity enhancement field trials. During these field trials, pH was measured across the WWTP system from the initial alkalinity dosing, throughout the WWTP, and at the outfall. We use the NBS scale for pH throughout this study as it is the scale used in discharge permit limits specified for WWTP and NPDES regulation and compliance monitoring. The background pHNBS of Sequim Bay seawater was between 7.5 and 7.7 for the November and February field tests. The mixing tank’s pHNBS was raised to the maximum value permitted for the WWTP (9.0) and maintained across the system (±0.2) during the outfall releases. At the outfall, the elevated pH and alkalinity was quickly diluted, such that the region with a measurable signal was limited to within ∼2.5 m of the discharge pipe. We were able to successfully monitor an increase in pHNBS across all four pulses of alkalinity-enhanced seawater discharge during the February 2025 field trial, with peak pHNBS values of 8.3 or 8.1, as recorded by outfall-adjacent YSI Exo 2 sonde and SAMI-pH sensors, respectively. The alkalinity-enhanced seawater did not measurably alter the surrounding waters’ temperature, salinity, turbidity, or oxygen. This study provides proof-of-concept for a conservative small-scale release of electrochemically generated alkalinity-enhanced seawater from a coastal outfall.]]></description>
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