Wind energy deployment is integral to achieving a low-carbon transition; however, the rapid proliferation of wind turbines raises concerns regarding the extraction of critical mineral resources and associated environmental impacts. This study evaluates the technological advancements in wind turbine design, mineral resource requirements, grid infrastructure demands, and decommissioning processes from 2000 to 2050. We also identify significant challenging dependencies on critical metals, categorized into extreme risk (V, Dy, Tb, Nd, Pr, Nb, Mo, Cu), high risk (steel, Ni), and moderate-to-low risk (Al, Cr, B, Pb). The expansion of grid integration is projected to further increase mineral consumption, with aluminum and copper demands expected to escalate by approximately 34-50% and 41-62%, respectively, potentially leading to resource shortages within the next decade. Extending turbine operational lifespans by 5-10 years could mitigate material use, reduce energy consumption, water requirements, and CO2 emissions by 8.8-16.2%. Moreover, turbine recycling initiatives could decrease mineral dependency by 17-33%, and when combined with lifespan extension strategies, overall resource savings might reach 33-53%. These findings underscore the necessity for strategic resource management, supportive policies, and circular economy practices to ensure sustainable growth of wind energy infrastructure.

With the rapid expansion of the bottled beverage industry, the escalating consumption of single-use plastic containers has intensified the challenge of plastic pollution. Deposit-refund system (DRS) has emerged as a viable strategy for mitigating this issue, garnering growing interest from both public and private sectors. Taking Macao city as a typical case, this study constructs a comprehensive cognitive analysis of consumers' intention, willingness to pay (WTP), and the key determinants of DRS using the extended theory of planned behavior and the contingent valuation method. The findings reveal that behavioral intention is significantly shaped primarily by attitude (effect value = 0.512), followed by green perceived value (effect value = 0.351). Moreover, attitude is substantially driven by environmental concern and environmental emotion, with path coefficients of 0.554 and 0.508, respectively. Notably, 82.3% of respondents expressed WTP for DRS, with a mean value of 1.26 Macanese pataca (MOP). The main reasons for consumers' reluctance to receive DRS are uncertainty about the popularity, convenience and accessibility of recycling locations (67.10%). This study offers a conceptual paradigm for elucidating consumer preferences toward DRS within the broader context of environmental sustainability.

This study introduces mechanochemical activation-instantaneous carbon thermal shock (CTS) as a synergistic strategy for the high-value utilization of all components in retired crystalline-Si photovoltaic (PV) modules, addressing recycling bottlenecks such as limited metal recovery, high chemical consumption, and low-value treatment of Si. Mechanochemical ball milling effectively disrupts the Ag-Si interface and glassy interlayers, increasing the specific surface area and inducing lattice distortions. This lowers the reaction activation energy, enabling high leaching efficiencies for Ag (99.5%) and Al (94%) while markedly reducing the required nitric acid dosage. Subsequent CTS, with its ultrafast heating, overcomes the kinetic limitations of silica reduction, rapidly converting the acid-leached Si residue into high-purity, highly crystalline SiC. The synthesized SiC is well suited for high-temperature electronic devices and thermal management applications due to its excellent thermal stability, high thermal conductivity, and semiconducting properties. Life cycle and economic analyses indicate that, compared with conventional hydrometallurgical methods, the proposed process reduces the environmental footprint by 88.19% and lowers material treatment costs, offering an economically viable pathway for green, closed-loop recycling of PV waste.

Integrating water washing with alkali activation is a promising strategy for the safe reutilization of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA); however, the environmental and ecological safety levels of the resulting materials remain poorly understood. In this study, high-performance alkali-activated materials (WFA-AAMs) were synthesized from water-washed MSWIFA (WFA), coal fly ash, silica fume, and sodium silicate, achieving a 28-day compressive strength of 32.17 MPa through the optimization of the C-(A)-S-H/N-A-S-H gel network. Their environmental safety levels were systematically evaluated using short-term, long-term static, and semi-dynamic leaching tests combined with ecological risk assessments and ecotoxicity bioassays across four trophic levels. The results revealed that compared with WFA, WFA-AAMs reduced Pb and Zn leaching by more than 99%, with acute hazard quotients (HQs) consistently being less than 1. Ecotoxicity tests on bacteria, algae, crustaceans, and fish confirmed negligible toxicity from WFA-AAM leachates, whereas WFA leachates caused substantial adverse effects. Principal component analysis revealed Pb as the dominant toxicity driver, with Cl⁻ exerting synergistic effects. Through this study, the first comprehensive chemical-ecological-toxicological framework for evaluating the safety of WFA-AAMs was established, providing scientific guidance for their sustainable application.

Urban mining of end-of-life vehicles can help secure critical metals for automotive electrification, but future contributions depend on fleet transitions and recycling performance. Existing studies provide limited quantitative evidence on how contrasting electrification pathways reshape automotive urban minerals (AUMs) across countries. Here, we integrate urban-metabolism accounting, scenario analysis, and industrial circularity metrics to quantify the formation of 33 AUMs, metal circularity, and re-supply potential for passenger vehicle production in China and Japan in 2010-2050. Our analysis shows strong divergence in AUM dynamics: total AUM mass increases to about 47 Mt in China by 2050, while Japan remains near 4.8 Mt, driven by different market trajectories and electrification pathways. Under current collection and recovery efficiencies, practical recycling is concentrated in 13 metals; circularity generally improves in China but becomes demand-constrained for some metals in Japan as powertrain composition shifts. The re-supply assessment for 2030 highlights persistent bottlenecks in electrification-relevant metals, especially Li, Co, Ni, and magnet/catalyst metals, whose available secondary stocks can cover only a limited number of years of new-vehicle demand without substantial upgrades. Advancing collection governance and metal-specific, quality-oriented recycling for batteries, motors, and catalysts is essential to translate AUM potential into a reliable circular supply.

The vehicle industry is significantly improving our quality of life and promoting economic development. However, the large number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) deserves more attention since many valuable resources are embodied in them. This work predicts ELV generation for both commercial vehicles and passenger cars in 144 countries. Our results show that while typical developed countries like Japan, Germany, and France peaked their ELV generation in the 2010s, China has experienced a dramatic increase, with nearly a 45-fold increase from 2000 to 2025, and since 2020 become the largest generator of ELVs over the US. With the rapid transition toward electric vehicles, its recycling through a circular economy is facing a new challenge and therefore requires more specific efforts. Key findings call for global efforts to improve the ELV circular economy through the full implementation of a circular economy so that both resource concerns and associated environmental impacts from ELVs can be mitigated.

Knowledge on chemicals, waste, and pollution is shaped by geographical, financial, and disciplinary biases, which can cause blind spots for key emerging issues, including those relevant to low income countries and vulnerable communities. Scientists, practitioners, affected communities, and policy makers working in the areas of the newly established Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution (ISP-CWP) have interest in identifying issues of potential and emerging relevance that currently escape their attention. Horizon scanning offers a critical tool to identify such issues. Here, we provide guidance on aligning horizon scanning approaches with differing objectives, audiences, and thematic scopes. We structure this guidance around three core dimensions: the topics addressed ("what"), the actors involved ("who"), and the methods applied ("how"). Drawing on existing horizon scanning efforts and foresight practices, we outline inclusive and transparent approaches suitable for prospective assessments across diverse contexts. Emphasis is placed on correcting epistemic asymmetries, integrating local and indigenous knowledge, and ensuring legitimacy for global governance processes. Strategically designed horizon scanning can support anticipatory policy, promote equity, and help steer collective action toward a livable planet for all.

Reporting should consider data harmonization, supply chain metrics, and pollution hotspot identification.

Vehicle industry is significantly improving our life quality and promoting economic development. However, the large number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) deserves more attention since many valuable resources are embodied in them. This work predicts ELVs generation for both commercial vehicles and passenger cars in 144 countries. Our results show that while typical developed countries such as the U.S., Japan, Germany, and France peaked their ELVs generation in the 2010s, China has experienced a dramatic increase in generation, with nearly 50 times increase from 2000 to 2020 and since 2020 become the largest generator of ELVs over Japan and the U.S. With the vehicle transition toward electric vehicles, its recycling through a circular economy is facing a new challenge since these ELVs contain different materials and therefore require more specific efforts. Key findings call for global efforts to improve ELVs circular economy through the full implementation of circular economy so that both resource concerns and associated environmental impacts from ELVs can be mitigated.

Conventional mixing-then-separating recycling processes struggle with emerging urban minerals containing chemically akin metals because the resulting high-entropy mixtures become kinetically trapped against separation. This work introduces an atomic-scale low-entropy-increasing strategy for selective gallium (Ga) recovery from end-of-life Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) photovoltaics. The process integrates mechanochemical molten-salt extraction with water leaching, delivering 96.08% Ga recovery with a Ga/indium (In) separation factor of 88.89, which is similar to 35 times higher than existing metallurgical benchmarks. Mechanistic investigations reveal that mechanochemical polarization selectively cleaves Ga-selenium (Se) bonds (3.01 eV) over copper (Cu)-Se (4.33 eV) and In-Se (4.47 eV), dissolving Ga as Ga(OH)4-complexes while retaining CuInSe2 solids with intact CIGS configuration. Compared with other CIGS recycling methods, this entropy-minimizing lattice-topology-conversion strategy slashes carbon emissions, water consumption, and fossil fuel demand by 70.32%- 86.94%, 87.72%-92.00%, and 62.91%-81.45%, respectively. Overall, we establish a scalable metallurgical design for critical metal recovery in urban mining, advancing the circular economy.

The expanding application of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries in energy storage systems and electric vehicles necessitates efficient recycling strategies for spent LiFePO4 (SLFP) batteries to address environmental concerns and promote circular resource utilization. This study presents an innovative and environmentally friendly recycling method that employs sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8, SPS)-assisted roasting thermal treatment coupled with water leaching. The proposed technique enables simultaneous lithium-iron separation, cathode material liberation, and current collector recovery through a precisely controlled oxidative roasting process. Through systematic optimization of key parameters, the process achieves 93.47% stripping efficiency and 99.5% lithium recovery. Notably, the process eliminates acidic effluent generation, aligning with the principles of green chemistry. This environmentally benign strategy exhibits superior efficiency in the recovery of critical metals while minimizing energy consumption, thus offering a sustainable paradigm for lithium-ion battery recycling infrastructure.

The authors regret that the published version of this article contained several errors and omissions,which are described and corrected below. 1.Text and numerical corrections A systematic unit conversion error was identified in the published article.During the revision of the manuscript,a key sentence clarifying the conversion between the Chinese unit"10,000 t"(104 t)and the international unit"million tonnes(Mt)"(106 t)was unintentionally deleted.

The global transition to a circular economy increasingly relies on the safe reintegration of waste-derived materials into consumer and industrial applications. However, hazardous substances present in recycled products can re-enter human and environmental exposure pathways. This review synthesizes Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) findings for recycled products derived from typical major waste streams and the results suggested that risk profiles vary markedly across product categories. Recycled tire and synthetic turf granulates frequently contain PAHs in the range of 5-50 mg/kg, exceeding the 20 mg/kg REACH consumer product limit in the EU. BDE-209 concentrations in recycled WEEE plastics commonly range from 200 to 500 mg/kg, approaching or surpassing staged EU POPs thresholds. In contrast, properly washed or geopolymer-stabilized fly ash and certain slag-based binders exhibit metal leaching well below groundwater quality criteria, demonstrating that controlled processing can substantially reduce hazard potential. Across all categories, recurrent contaminants include heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, Ni) and persistent organic pollutants (PBDEs, PAHs, PFAS), with hazard levels strongly influenced by material composition, treatment history, and intended use. A major barrier identified is the lack of harmonization in ERA methodologies, including differences in leaching protocols (e.g., WAC L/S10 vs. TCLP), bioaccessibility testing, and exposure indices, limiting robust cross-material comparison. Differing from previous works that focus on individual waste streams, this study systematically compares ERA outcomes across all major recycled product categories using a unified risk-intensity framework. To support safe circular material flows, we recommend standardized leaching tests, harmonized exposure models, and long-term field validation of recycled products.

In recent years, a group of emerging contaminants (ECs) that have not been fully covered by traditional environmental management systems has been highlighted. These contaminants are often characterized by their concealment, persistence, bioaccumulation, low concentrations, high toxicity, and significant treatment challenges. Among different strategies, photocatalytic technology exhibits the advantages of mild reaction conditions, low secondary pollution and low cost, therefore shows great potential in the degradation of ECs. However, the photoactivity deeply relies on catalysts, making the selection of efficient catalysts crucial. As an advanced material, hollow nanocatalysts have the advantages of large specific surface area, high photon scattering utilization, short carrier transport distance, and easy modification, and have been widely used in photocatalytic degradation of ECs. However, a comprehensive review focusing specifically on this topic is still lacking. This review begins by outlining the classification, hazards, and governance challenges of ECs, followed by an elucidation of the basic principles of photocatalysis. Then, the classification, synthesis methods, and modification strategies of hollow nanomaterials were summarized in detail. Subsequently, the current progress and promotion mechanism of hollow nanomaterials in photodegradation of typical ECs such as tetracycline, sulfonamide antibiotics, and per-polyfluoroalkyl substances were systematically analyzed. Finally, the shortcomings of hollow nanomaterials and future development directions were discussed. We hope that this article can provide insights and references for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of ECs in water using hollow nanomaterials in the future.

Gold (Au) has garnered significant attention due to its crucial applications in various fields, yet its green and sustainable recovery remains challenging. While cyanide has been the preferred leaching agent for over a century, its high toxicity and unsuitability for carbonaceous and high-copper ores limit its use. Thiosulfate shows potential for treating refractory gold ores, but its high consumption and low oxidation kinetics are obstacles. This study introduces a photocatalytic process that directly oxidizes gold by generating highly reactive free radicals via photocatalysis, while also oxidizing mineral sulfur to produce thiosulfate in situ. This enhances gold dissolution efficiency and reduces thiosulfate consumption. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate the oxidation processes of Au and S by •OH and O2•-. Additionally, •OH directly participates in the cathodic reaction, significantly lowering the oxidation energy barrier of Au. The entire leaching process avoids strong acids, toxic compounds, and volatile reagents, enabling the direct extraction of insoluble gold ore by wet methods and offering a novel path for the green and sustainable development of precious metals.

Driven by global energy transition, critical metal supply-demand imbalance in China's photovoltaic industry is intensifying. End-of-life PV modules are key "urban mining" resources, yet existing studies separately assess resource potential and economic feasibility, leading to biased circularity estimates. An integrated framework coupling dynamic material flow analysis with discounted cash flow analysis is developed, using 2025 as the benchmark year, to simulate six critical metals (Ag, Cu, In, Ga, Te, Cd) in China's PV modules (2000-2060) under three scenarios: technology lock-in, baseline, and technology diversification. Results identify 2030-2050 as the critical recovery window, aligning with the 25-40-year service life of early-installed modules and peak secondary resource release. Under the baseline scenario, cumulative secondary resources reach 0.38 million tonnes against over 50 million tonnes of demand, with a long-term supply-demand ratio below 25%. Economic viability ranges from market-driven (Ag, Cu) to complete market failure (Te, Cd). This study reveals a systemic divergence between resource potential and economic feasibility, providing a quantitative basis for differentiated, pathwayaligned PV circular economy policies.

The valorization of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is of great significance for reducing plastic waste and mitigating carbon emissions. In this study, PET-derived metal-organic framework compounds (MIL-53(Al)) were synthesized via a microwave-assisted one-pot method using waste PET as the organic ligand-based precursor and Al(NO3)3·9H2O as the metal source. The effects of Al/PET molar ratio, microwave reaction temperature, and reaction time on the fundamental performances and CO2 adsorption performance were systematically investigated. The results indicate that the Al/PET molar ratio and microwave reaction conditions strongly influence the formation, phase composition, and pore structure of PET-derived MIL-53(Al). The optimal preparation conditions are Al/PET molar ratio of 2:2, reaction temperature of 200 °C, and reaction time of 2 h, which exhibits high crystallinity, a relatively intact framework, and a well-developed porous structure. The optimized MIL-53(Al) showed a specific surface area of 529.75 m2·g−1 and a total pore volume of 0.56 cm3·g−1, with a CO2 uptake of 1.74 mmol·g−1 at 298 K and 1 bar. CO2 adsorption results show that MIL-53(Al) displays rapid adsorption in the low-pressure region, and its CO2 uptake is significantly higher than that of N2. The 0.46–0.48 nm micropores, together with the developed microporous structure and hierarchical pore characteristics, are beneficial for CO2 adsorption. After ten adsorption–desorption cycles, the adsorption capacity remained nearly stable, demonstrating good cycling stability and regenerability.

The large-scale development of wind power is a critical pathway for achieving China's carbon neutrality goals. However, its rapid expansion faces multiple challenges, including constraints in material supply and end-of-life (EoL) management. This study develops a top-down dynamic material flow analysis (dMFA) model and systematically assesses the intensity of material demand, the spatial and temporal distribution of EoL wind turbines, and supply risks by integrating multiple energy and technology scenarios. Our study reveals that the primary barriers lie in the heavy reliance on rare earth elements (REEs) and EoL management in the North, Northwest, and East China. By 2050, the cumulative REEs demand would be 155.1-246.8 kt, with dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb) facing high risks. Recycling EoL turbines in key regions could mitigate material shortages by contributing 28 %, 22 %, and 18 % of national secondary supply by 2050. This reduces the supply pressure for Dy from 55.6 % to 49.6 %, although a shortfall remains for Tb. To ensure long-term material security, it is imperative to further expand REEs recycling or explore recovery through urban mining.

Polyethylene mulching films (PEM) are widely used in agriculture to improve water-use efficiency, regulate soil temperature, and enhance crop yields, but their poor degradability leads to persistent soil residues and high recovery costs. Biodegradable mulching films (BDM) offer a promising alternative by mitigating long-term plastic pollution, yet their adoption remains limited due to higher costs and uncertain field performance. To explore the key drivers of farmers’ decisions, we developed an evolutionary game-theoretic model coupled with system dynamics to simulate farmer–government interactions under varying economic and agronomic conditions. Results indicate that farmers prefer PEM under current parameters, but several tipping points can shift this equilibrium. BDM adoption becomes favorable when the price gap with PEM narrows to USD 210/ha, when crop revenues exceed USD 4400/ha, when yield losses from PEM residues reach 50

Sustainable plastic waste management is a crucial solution to achieving net-zero ambitions, encompassing both zero waste and zero emissions. To achieve this target, quantitative estimation of future plastic waste generation and its carbon emissions pathways are requisite for policy design. Applied to Macao, an important city in the Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Great Bay Area (GBA), this paper aims to find the sustainable pathways of plastic waste management from the perspective of synergistic waste management in GBA. This study developed the Plastics Decent Living Standards Waste Management (DLS-WM) framework to quantitatively estimate the past to future plastic consumption and waste management based on dynamic material flow analysis (DMFA). Additionally, carbon emissions pathways from sustainable plastic waste management scenarios were assessed by the life cycle assessment (LCA). The results showed that plastic waste was 113.9 thousand tonnes while carbon emissions from plastic waste management reached 671.7 thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) in 2023. To align with the plastic DLS requirement, it is projected that carbon emissions from plastic waste management will be 111.5 thousand tonnes CO2eq in 2060. Under the integrated policies scenario combining ambitious synergistic plastic waste management and source reduction strategies, carbon emissions of plastic waste management will decrease to only 31.2 thousand tonnes CO2eq by 2060. This study offers valuable insights into plastic demand under DLS and outlines carbon mitigation pathways tailored to Macao's local context, contributing to the broader net-zero vision across the GBA.