This study aims to clarify the mechanisms governing the granulation of algal-bacterial granular sludge (ABGS) and its enhanced pollutant removal under the anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic (AOA) operational mode. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and activated sludge (AS) were used as inocula to establish ABGS systems, with the effects of different inocula investigated. Results showed that ABGS inoculated with AGS granulated in 20 days, which was shorter than the 35 days for AS-inoculated ABGS. AGS-inoculated ABGS achieved high removal efficiencies for COD, PO43- -P, and TN, reaching 95.11 f 1.05 %, 91.92 f 1.09 %, and 81.66 f 1.38 %, while AS-inoculated ABGS showed a higher NH4+-N removal efficiency (99.52 f 0.52 %). Under both strategies, the extensive secretion of protein-dominated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) facilitated the initial adhesion of algalbacterial aggregates. Subsequently, the increased tryptophan-like substances and alpha-helix structures contributed to the enhanced hydrophobicity and compactness of ABGS. However, AGS inoculation strengthened ABGS nuclei by secreting aromatic proteins in tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) and enhancing N-H vibration in amide II. Whereas AS inoculation promoted microbial aggregation through the synchronous massive secretion of aromatic proteins in both TB-EPS and loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS), coupled with enhanced C--O vibration in amide I. In all mature ABGS systems, whether inoculated with AGS or AS, the increased abundances of nitrifiers, denitrifiers, phosphorus-accumulating organisms, and their metabolic functional enzymes (e.g., EC: 1.14.18.3, 1.7.2.1, 2.7.4.1) enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Furthermore, higher abundances of TCA cycle-related enzymes (e.g., EC: 6.2.1.1, 1.8.1.4) in mature ABGS ensured the ATP supply for microbial metabolism.

Traditional inert porcelain implants often have significant drawbacks that may affect their long-term clinical performance. These include insufficient osseointegration, colonization by microorganisms, biofilm formation, and implant-related infections. This work developed a multifaceted microporous alumina scaffold with antibiotic and osteogenic properties. A synthetic calcium phosphorus (Cap) coating and an ultrathin metallic film were applied to the scaffold surface to improve bioactivity and provide antibiotic protection the microporous oxide scaffolds were made by powder metallurgy, followed by biomimetic weathering and surface modification via direct-current magnetic sputtering. An atomic force microscope (AFM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDS), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to thoroughly analyze the surface topography, morphology, and elemental composition of the coatings. In vitro bioactivity studies were performed in Synthetic Body Fluid (SBF) to evaluate the bone-conductive capability of the covered scaffolds. Evidenced by greater apatite production and a greater Ca/P ratio following SBF immersion, the findings revealed that the Caparo coating displayed better bioactivity compared to the Cap-Ag coating. The enhanced performance was due to the Cap-Ago-modified scaffold's positive surface abrasion and surface free energy, which increased its bonding potential by promoting higher apatite nucleation and growth. Furthermore, the Caparo coating effectively prevented bacterial colonization, as shown by its markedly enhanced antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus. In conclusion, the multifunctional coating strategy that was developed effectively integrated antimicrobial and osteogenic properties into a single system. This provides a potential method for enhancing the bodily performance and durability of inert ceramic implants used in dentistry and orthopedics.

Centralized drinking-water sources in China exhibit strong regional disparities in inorganic salts and emerging contaminants (ECs), yet how these contrasting source-water chemistries dictate nanofiltration (NF) system performance and NF concentrate (NFC) management remains poorly characterized at full scale. This two-season study compared treatment trains (conventional → ultrafiltration → three-stage NF) at two plants with divergent raw waters. At the Yangtze River-sourced ZJG plant, NF achieved effective removal of antibiotics (74.4–74.8%), pesticides (74.6–88.9%), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs, 82.8–88.5%), but the resulting NFC carried a high ECs burden (antibiotics: 132–470 ng L⁻¹; pesticides: 378–1012 ng L⁻¹; PFASs: 390–511 ng L⁻¹). At the groundwater-sourced ZN plant, NF reduced sulfate and calcium hardness in the finished water by 31% and 26%, respectively, but severe inorganic scaling driven by carbonate–gibbsite co-precipitation on residual aluminum nuclei elevated terminal-stage transmembrane pressure and cleaning frequency. Multi-technique characterization coupled with Phreeqc modeling revealed two distinct fouling mechanisms: an organic gel formed through humic acid–Ca²⁺ bridging at ZJG versus carbonate–gibbsite composite scaling seeded by coagulant carryover at ZN. This study demonstrates that NF system design and NFC management must be source-adaptive: the dominant fouling pathway and the optimal NFC treatment strategy are influenced by raw-water chemistry rather than by membrane selection alone. For the contrasting cases examined, UV-based advanced oxidation was proposed as a promising strategy for the ECs-laden NFC characteristic of surface waters, induced crystallization appeared well suited for the high-salinity NFC of groundwater sources.

Tire microplastics (TMs), as a prominent environmental source of microplastic pollution, are aged and accumulated during their migration through drainage systems and sewage treatment facilities, most of which trapped in excess sludge. Consequently, this study systematically examines the concentration-dependent effects of TMs and aged TMs (ATMs) on anaerobic fermentation of excess sludge. Results showed that TMs and ATMs negatively affected acidogenic fermentation and organic matter hydrolysis. Low TMs concentration (0.002 g/g-VSS) and high ATMs concentration (0.2 g/g-VSS) resulted in concentration reductions of volatile fatty acids, soluble chemical oxygen demand, proteins, and polysaccharides ranged from 16.28 % to 40.40 % relative to the control group. In general, the detrimental effect demonstrated a positive correlation with ATM concentration. Conversely, low TMs concentration exerted a ‌significant inhibitory impact compared with high concentration, which contradicted the hormetic effect. In response to TMs/ATMs stress, the microorganisms employed extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion as a defense mechanism, with pronounced‌ variations examined in protein content within tightly bound EPS and polysaccharide content in loosely bound EPS. Comprehensive mechanistic analysis revealed that although the incorporation of TMs/ATMs into fermentation system improved electron transfer efficiency through elevating electron transport system activity and sludge conductivity, TMs demonstrated superior interspecies electron transfer (IET) enhancement compared to ATMs, coupled with material-dependent suppression of hydrolytic and acidogenic bacterial consortia, which potentially altering the acid generation and microbial dynamics. Overall, our study provides critical insights for optimizing TMs control in sludge treatment by leveraging their differential profiles toward IET and bacterial consortia.

Nanofiltration (NF) is increasingly adopted in drinking water treatment to remove hardness and emerging contaminants (ECs), but it generates a concentrate stream (NFC) whose management remains a critical bottleneck. The mechanistic chain linking raw water matrix, fouling regime, and NFC risk profile has not been established at full scale. Here, we systematically characterized inorganic salts and 233 ECs, including antibiotics, pesticides, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), in paired raw water and NFC samples from eight full-scale NF plants spanning distinct hydrogeochemical regions of China, and evaluated NFC ecotoxicity using a green algal model. In plants treating saline, low-natural organic matter (NOM) groundwater, calcium scaling dominated. This layer tightened the membrane's effective pore size, paradoxically boosting rejection of small, hydrophilic antibiotics (e.g., sulfamethoxazole, enrichment factor up to 3.9). Yet, at several plants, the resulting NFC exceeded 2000 mg/L total dissolved solids and, at ZN, induced a 76.2% increase in algal 8-OHdG despite low co-occurring ECs. In the two surface-water plants, a composite fouling layer formed through calcium–NOM–ECs co-deposition, intensifying Donnan exclusion and preferentially retaining charged and hydrophobic species, notably short-chain PFASs. At ZJG, the resulting NFC carried aggregate ECs concentrations exceeding 2 μg/L and induced pronounced algal cell membrane stress (28.9% increase in Ca2+/Mg2+-ATPase activity). These findings demonstrate that the raw water matrix dictates the dominant fouling pathway, imprinting systematic contaminant enrichment patterns on the NFC. This supports a shift from uniform disposal toward signature-tailored treatment, with crystallization for salinity-dominated NFC and advanced oxidation for ECs-driven NFC.

This study employs molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the thermophoretic transport and evaporation characteristics of nanodroplets on graphene under electric field. The results indicate that an in-plane electric field can induce the elongation of droplets on graphene and increase their contact area, which promotes thermophoretic transport but also influences evaporation; while a perpendicular field can reduce contact area and weaken thermophoretic driving forces. A relatively weak in-plane field of 0.1V/Å, enhances evaporation, while stronger fields suppress it by inducing ordered arrangements of water molecules. At high heat-source temperature, Th=1000K, which is far above the boiling point of water, the droplets migrate very rapidly owing to substantial thermophoretic force; especially under strong electric fields normal to thermophoretic direction, the evaporation amount of water molecules is only about 30%. Additionally, the electric field induces molecular ordering, reflected in increased dipole moments and altered hydrogen-bonding structures, while high temperatures disrupt arrangement of water molecules. At E>0.5V/Å, the dipole moment increases slowly with the electric field. The critical field strength for the hydrogen-bonding number increases with the temperature gradient, approximately 0.1V/Å at Th=400K and 0.5V/Å at Th=1000K. While previous studies have focused separately on thermophoresis or electrowetting of nanodroplets on planar substrates, the coupled effects of thermal gradients and electric fields – particularly regarding simultaneous transport and evaporation on graphene – remain largely unexplored. This work reveals the synergistic and competing mechanisms of thermal and electric fields, providing new insights for nanofluidic manipulation on two-dimensional materials.

Algal-bacterial symbiosis systems (ABS) are promising for sustainable wastewater treatment, yet their nitrogen removal performance is often compromised under low carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratios commonly encountered in practical applications. In this study, a low dissolved oxygen aeration strategy was developed to construct a functional "microalgae-bacteria" network centered on nitrogen transformation. Three ABS were operated under low, medium, and high aeration intensities (10, 100, and 400 mL·min-1·L-1, designated as l-ABS, M-ABS, and H-ABS, respectively). The l-ABS achieved significantly higher total inorganic nitrogen removal than M-ABS and H-ABS, with improvements of 12.1%-13.6% (p < 0.05). Low‑intensity aeration alleviated growth constraints on Chlorella sorokiniana, promoted stable and synergistic algal-bacterial interactions, and enriched functional genes associated with nitrogen transport, electron transfer, and energy supply. Overall, this study provides a feasible and energy-efficient strategy for treating low C/N wastewater, reducing reliance on external carbon sources and intensive aeration while improving system robustness.

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) offers compact footprint and process stability but is often limited in mainstream wastewater treatment. Here, we proposed a new application paradigm: operating AGS to simultaneously achieve pollutants removal and stably supply NO2--N as substrates for downstream anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox). The system was operated for 110 days, with average NH4+-N and COD removal efficiency reaching 98.09 % and 89.18 % respectively. The average accumulated concentration of NO2--N reached 17.75 mg/L, and the nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) was 73.49 %. Intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoates storage supported endogenous partial denitrification during the anoxic phase. Microbial analysis revealed a distinct enrichment of AOB (1.03 %), GAO (7.96 %), and partial denitrification functional bacteria (20.74 %). Batch tests demonstrated that the medium-sized granules (800-1250 mu m) achieved the highest NAR (81.14 %) due to optimal stratification, substrate diffusion, and higher nitrate reductase gene abundance over nitrite reductase. FISH confirmed spatial separation of AOB, NOB, and denitrifying bacteria within granules. Two strategies were proposed for integrating AGS with Anammox, enhancing nitrogen removal and reducing carbon footprint. These results provide significant insights into sustainable wastewater treatment and mainstream AGS promotion under low-strength and low C/N conditions.

Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is an alternative to conventional sludge treatment process with great energy-recovery potential. However, hydrolysis is considered as a rate-limiting step in MEC. In this study, ozone (O3) pretreatment was successfully applied to disintegrate sludge matrix and accelerate microbial electrolysis. At 100-250 mg·g-1 (O3/SS), rapid SCOD increment and SS reduction rates were observed with increased O3 dosage. Afterwards, the mass transfer from gas to liquid was inhibited and oxidation reactions between O3 and organics occurred, which resulted in a declining disintegration rate. At favorable dosage of 250 mg·g-1 (O3/SS), the degree of disintegration was 17 % and SS reduction reached 44.9 %. A lab-scale MEC experiment was performed by feeding ozonated sludge. Results showed that O3 pretreatment yielded 8.3-times increment in biogas production rate. In addition, O3 pretreatment improved the organics removal and bioelectrochemical efficiency during microbial electrolysis, achieving 74.50 % of VSS removal rate and 77.56 % of TCOD removal rate, with gas yield increased by 7.5 times and cathodic hydrogen recovery increased by 7.40 %. The FT-IR spectra indicated negligible difference between influent extracellular biological organic matter (EBOM) and effluent EBOM, which suggested the function of O3 pretreatment was to accelerate microbial electrolysis reactions due to sludge disintegration. Furthermore, the ozonation pretreatment facilitated the enrichment of exoelectrogens and collaborative bacteria in MEC, collectively enhancing MEC performance. This study provides a theoretical reference for enhanced bioelectrochemical treatment of complex heterogeneous mixture with soluble/insoluble organic matters.

This study systematically evaluated the quality variations of Rheum spp. from different botanical origins through an integrated approach combining chemical characterization and biological validation. Chemometric analysis of chromatographic profiles effectively categorized the samples into two distinct groups, successfully differentiating Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf. from Rheum officinale Baill., and Rheum palmatum L., though the latter two species showed overlapping chemical characteristics. In the zebrafish acute toxicity test, the half-death rate of R. tanguticum was much lower than that of R. officinale and R. palmatum, further indicating that the classification was reasonable and reliable. Based on chemometrics and toxicity test results of zebrafish, four components of sennoside B, sennoside A, aloe-emodin 8-O-glucoside, and chrysophanol were selected as potential toxicity markers of rhubarb. Our findings suggest that rhubarb-induced hepatotoxicity likely results from multicomponent/multi-target synergistic interactions, particularly through modulation of PI3K-AKT/mTOR signaling, matrix remodeling, and stress response modulation. Molecular docking confirmed differential binding affinities, with chrysophanol and aloe-emodin 8-O-glucoside demonstrating strong target engagement. This integrated approach not only establishes a reliable quality assessment protocol for rhubarb species differentiation but also provides mechanistic insights into the complex toxicological profile of these medicinal plants, advancing our understanding of their pharmacotoxicological characteristics.

In this research, a composite catalyst of MoS2-modified CoMoO4 (MoS2/CoMoO4) was effectively synthesized and utilized to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in water. It was found that the MoS2/CoMoO4/PMS system possessed a greater ability to eliminate TCH compared with CoMoO4/PMS system. The experimental results demonstrated that the 0.6-MoS2/CoMoO4/PMS system eliminated 92.1% TCH (15 mg/L) and removed 50.3% TOC within 30 min under the conditions of 40 mg/L 0.6-MoS2/CoMoO4 and 0.5 mM PMS. The main active substances produced by MoS2/CoMoO4 activated PMS were sulfate radicals (SO4•-), hydroxyl radicals (•OH), singlet oxygen (1O2), and superoxide radicals (O2•-), as determined by scavenging experiments and EPR analyses. Probable catalytic mechanism of 0.6-MoS2/CoMoO4 for activating PMS was proposed from two aspects: one is the synergy of Co3+/Co2+ and Mo6+/Mo4+ cycles in 0.6-MoS2/CoMoO4/PMS system; on the other hand, the low valence molybdenum and sulfur promoted the Co3+/Co2+ redox recycle during PMS activation. After four reuses, the removal performance of TCH still reached 85.1%, and the crystal structure and the element compositions of the catalyst did not alter, implying that 0.6-MoS2/CoMoO4 composite had good reusability. Thus,0.6-MoS2/CoMoO4 composite has broad application prospects in removing organic contaminants.

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) are among the most widely-used insecticides, although their threat to non-target organisms has attracted attention in recent years. In this study, a diffusive gradient in thin-films (DGT) passive sampling technique was developed for in situ monitoring of time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of NNIs in groundwater and wastewater. Systematic studies demonstrated that DGT with HLB as binding gels (HLB-DGT) is suitable for quantitative sampling of NNIs under a wide range of conditions, independent of pH (5-9.5), ionic strength (0.001-0.5 M) and dissolved organic matter (0-10 mg/L). The HLB-DGT performance was also independent of the typical groundwater ionic environments. The thicknesses of in-situ measured diffusive boundary layer were 0.35 and 0.25 mm in the groundwater and effluent, respectively. HLB-DGT can provide TWA concentrations over 14-18 days' deployment with linear uptake in both groundwater and wastewater. Concentrations and occurrence patterns of NNIs obtained by HLB-DGT were consistent with those measured from grab samples. The median TWA concentration of NNIs was 4.42 ng/L in water from the largest urban lake of China (the Tangxun Lake) in winter, with wastewater discharge being the main potential source. The reliability and stability of the HLB-DGT for measuring NNIs in the groundwater and surface water were confirmed and can be used to improve understanding of the occurrence and fate of NNIs in aquatic environment.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), key components of aerobic granular sludge (AGS), play a significant role in membrane fouling within AGS-membrane bioreactors (AGMBRs). This study dissected the contributions of soluble EPS (SEPS), loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS), and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) to membrane fouling in AGMBRs, and assessed the effectiveness of an aluminum sulfate/modified microbial flocculant (AS/MMF) precoagulation system in mitigating their respective contributions to membrane fouling. The results indicated that the TB-EPS, with its higher protein content, plugged the membrane pores and led to a large accumulation of foulants on the membrane surface, thereby reducing the membrane's roughness and exhibiting the highest fouling resistance. In contrast, the cake layer formed by SEPS was relatively loose, showing the lowest fouling propensity. Cake filtration was the predominant fouling model. By utilizing the synergistic mechanisms of electrostatic neutralization and adsorption bridging, pre-coagulation significantly increased the zeta potential, inhibited the development of dense cake layers, and reduced both reversible and irreversible resistances. The extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory further corroborated the effectiveness of precoagulation in decreasing the affinity between foulants and the membrane, demonstrating that precoagulation could effectively restore the normalized flux, thus providing a new approach for sustainable wastewater management.

Oxytetracycline (OTC), an emerging "low-concentration, high-toxicity" contaminant, presents considerable hurdles to wastewater treatment processes. This study systematically evaluated for the first time the impacts of OTC on the operational performance, sludge characteristics, and microbial metabolic activity across three treatment systems: microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS), aerobic granular sludge (AGS), and activated sludge (AS). Results demonstrated that MBGS exhibited superior treatment efficiency, maintaining stable removal of 500 μg/L OTC at 88.06 ± 1.45 % (p < 0.05). MBGS adapted to OTC exposure by increasing ATP content and reducing lactate dehydrogenase release. Acclimated MBGS primarily removed OTC through biodegradation. Moreover, multiple OTC transformation products with reduced toxic potential were detected, signifying that MBGS systems achieve efficient microbial degradation. Metagenomic analyses revealed that Pseudomonadota in MBGS displayed high adaptability under OTC exposure. Additionally, OTC exposure upregulated carbohydrate and energy metabolism in MBGS, thereby enhancing overall microbial metabolic activity. Alphaproteobacteria contributed most significantly to key functional genes, underscoring their critical role in contaminant removal in the MBGS. Redundancy analysis highlights a robust association between Alphaproteobacteria and the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes. This study confirms the MBGS's resilience to OTC-contaminated wastewater, highlighting its potential for efficient antibiotic wastewater treatment.

Solar-driven membrane distillation (SDMD) opens up promising opportunities to solve freshwater supply predicament in remote and off-grid locations. However, such technology suffers from low permeability and poor resistance to wetting, which impedes its extensive application. Herein, we provided a novel MXene-coating photothermal layer design protocol by inducing dual-spacing channels between their nanosheets through a hydrazine-induced way. For one thing, the hierarchical MXene layer structure possessed unique merits in lightheat management, including improved light adsorption, high light-heat conversion efficiency, and inert heat dispersion, which facilitated vapor generation. For another, the dual-spacing channels relieved the resistance for vapor transportation by the wide region, while the high surface hydrophobicity and narrow region of the channels performed as double barriers to prevent sault invasion to resist wetting. Based on the synergistic effect, a preeminent photothermal efficiency of 94% with a vapor permeance of 1.66 kg/m(2)h under 1 sun illumination for 3.5% salinity solution was achieved, which was 1.4 times higher than that of pure MXene membrane. Meanwhile, the MXene foam membrane could fulfill a stable freshwater intake of 10.6 L m(-2) .day(-1) for a household under natural sunlight illumination using Huanghai seawater. This research provides a delicate one-stone-two-birds strategy in constructing high permeability and anti-wetting SDMD membrane for potable water production.

Considering the advantages of circulating fluidized bed in industrial-scale processing production. A new biofilm reactor, anaerobic circulating fluidized bed reactor (ACFBr), was initially proposed, and the hydrogen production of the reactor were completed by dark fermentation from synthetic wastewater. In this study, Escherichia coli and Polyamide 6-carrier were used to evaluate the effects of reactor fluidization velocity and particle circulation rate (Gs) on hydrogen production. The experiments were conducted across a range of fluidization velocities:1.1Ut,1.2Ut,1.3Ut and 1.4Ut(Ut:terminal velocity), combined with the Gs of 0.320, 0.415 and 0.510 kg/ m2 center dot s) in a crossover experimental design. The system operated with synthetic wastewater of 2 g-glucose/L and hydraulic retention time of 4 h. The results indicated that: When the fluidization velocity reached 1.2Ut, the ACFBr showed better performance, and the hydrogen production effect improved with the increase of Gs. Peak hydrogen yield and hydrogen production rate of the system was obtained under operating conditions of 1.2Ut and 0.510 kg/m2 center dot s, reaching 0.447 mol-H2/mol-glucose and 26.23 ml-H2/L center dot h, respectively. Maximum COD removal efficiency attained 35.75% under operating conditions of 1.2Utand 0.415 kg/m2 center dot s. The predominant metabolites included acetic acid (341.65-392.08 mg/L), propionic acid (60.41-74.28 mg/L), butyric acid (98.26-121.12 mg/L) and ethanol (83.73-101.25 mg/L). Obtained results proved the feasibility and stability of ACFBr for long-term production of biohydrogen and chemical substances via dark fermentation.

While solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is known to impact zooplankton, little has been documented on its impacts under elevated pCO(2). Here, we show that exposure to UVR decreased the feeding and survival rates of the copepod Acartia spinicauda, that artificial UV-B of 2.25 Wm(-2) for 4 h resulted in a 52 % inhibition of its grazing rates and a 45 % reduction in survival rates compared to visible light alone. On the other hand, an increase in pCO(2) to 1000 mu atm (pH drop of 0.4) immediately and significantly increased the UVR-induced inhibition of feeding. Subsequently, the combination of the high pCO(2) (1000 mu atm) and UVR resulted in about 65 % lethal impact, with UV-A contributing 21 % and UV-B 44 % compared to the visible light alone and ambient pCO(2) conditions. While the copepod was shown to be able to sense and escape from UV-exposed areas, these findings suggest that UVR impacts on the copepod can be exacerbated with progressive ocean acidification or in high CO2 waters, including upwelled regions.

Constructing a photocatalytic in-situ Fenton system (PISFs) is a promising strategy to address the need for continuous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) addition and the low efficiency of H2O2 activation for hydroxyl radical generation in the traditional Fenton reaction. In this study, we constructed a photocatalytic in-situ Fenton system using anthraquinone-modified carbon nitride (AQ-C3N4) for efficient pollutant degradation. The resultant AQ-C3N4 not only enhanced the production of H2O2 but also increased the generation of hydroxyl radical (·OH). Experimental results demonstrated that, the apparent rate constant for the degradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) by AQ-C3N4-PISFs was 0.145 min-1, which is 2.74 times higher than that of C3N4 under visible light. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that AQ modification promotes electron-hole separation while increasing the adsorption energy of O2. Independent gradient model (IGM) analysis based on Hirshfeld Partition revealed that van der Waals interactions between AQ-C3N4 and 2,4-DCP promoted the degradation process. This work provides new ideas to overcome the problems of continuous addition of H2O2 and low utilization of ·OH that exist in conventional Fenton system.

Theoretical calculation based on the DFT Fukui index.