Multimetal oxide with asymmetric atomic sites offers potential solutions for Fenton-like reactions, while their pilot-scale synthesis remains challenging. Herein, we develop a continuous flash Joule heating method using a programmable logic controller with robotic arms to accomplish proof-of-concept of scalable production. The pilot-scale product (178.3 kg h-1 m-2 electrode) of fusion ternary metal oxides was achieved for flow-through water treatment. Integrating multiple reaction electrodes with respective independent power further outlined an increased production path. Experiments and density functional theory calculations proved that fusion CuVFeO structure achieved the dual functionality of organics adsorption on Cu sites and peroxydisulfate activation on Fe sites. The synergistic reaction can be strengthened by V doping endowed with a d band center, leading to an increased Fe Bader charge. Therefore, triple site effects shorten the reaction distance between free radicals (SO4 center dot- and center dot OH) and organics, enhancing free radicals' utilization and production efficiency. CuVFe secures superior performance during long-term operations (1455 min) in a continuous flow-through device. flash Joule heating characterization determined multi transition metals (CuVFe, CoVFe, and MgVFe) can be generally synthesized with a superior catalytic performance. Undoubtedly, continuous flash Joule heating sheds light on developing advanced oxidation materials for pilot-scale wastewater treatment. (c) 2025 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Engineered biochar with enhanced photochemical properties holds great potential for environmental remediation. However, natural humic substances, crucial players in environmental redox processes, are structurally complex and slow-forming, hindering mechanistic insights and practical applications. Here, we propose a co-engineering strategy that combines biochar with artificial humic substances synthesized from pine sawdust via controlled hydrothermal humification (180–340 °C). Modulating the hydrothermal temperature can yield artificial humic substances with diverse degradation degrees of lignin, yielding tailored phenolic architectures and electron-donating capacities (EDC). Using Ag⁺ photoreduction as a model reaction, we demonstrate that artificial humic substances produced at 340 °C exhibit optimal phenol content and the strongest reducing capacity (19.2-fold greater than that of substances synthesized at 180 °C). Notably, higher molecular weight fractions (> 5 kDa) of artificial humic substances were found to dominate Ag⁺ photoreduction due to their enriched phenolic content and superior EDC. Mechanistic investigations reveal that photo-excited phenolic groups generate superoxide radical (O2•−), initiating Ag⁺ reduction via a ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) pathway. Moreover, we discovered a previously overlooked phenomenon: hydrochar undergoes photo-induced dissolution, further enhancing photoreduction. This work provides new insights into the temperature-dependent lignin transformation into redox-active artificial humic substances and highlights the dynamic photochemical behavior of engineered biochar (hydrochar) under solar irradiation.

The rapid development of new energy sources has produced large quantities of battery-derived spent LiFePO4 cathodes (SLICs), whose recycling has attracted growing attention in recent years. Previous SLICs recycling approaches have focused on the recovery of Li resources, neglecting the Fe-enriched residues obtained after Li recovery. Generally, Fe-enriched residues cannot be effectively converted to active Fe species using traditional methods, thereby limiting their upgrading. This study uses the emerging flash Joule heating (FJH) technology to upgrade Fe-enriched residues, and its performance was independent of Li leaching pathways. Common Li leaching protocols were initially applied to extract Li and produce residues enriched with FeC2O4, FeO(OH), FePO4, and Fe3O4. Subsequently, ultrahigh temperature and electrical stripping were performed by FJH treatment, promoting Fe-O bond breakage within the various Fe phases and generating low-coordinated Fe-0 nanoparticles, as confirmed by extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. The unique low-coordinated Fe-0 nanoparticles present in the FJH-derived composites promoted the enhanced catalytic degradation of chloramphenicol following peroxydisulfate activation, in relation to that achieved through traditional pyrolysis-derived composites. Furthermore, the developed continuous FJH process demonstrated the potential for the large-scale recycling of Fe-enriched residues and promoted the conversion of Fe-enriched residues after Li recovery.

Global food security faces immense pressure from population growth and climate change, demanding sustainable agricultural intensification. While biochar offers promise for soil enhancement and carbon sequestration, its large-scale application requires significant biomass feedstock and energy-intensive production, raising economic and carbon footprint concerns. Nano-enabled foliar feeding is gaining momentum, but practical, eco-efficient field use from lab to farm remains challenging. Bridging this gap is essential for realizing nano-enabled agriculture without exacerbating environmental burdens. Here, we demonstrate on-site conversion of ecologically safe flash graphene via flash joule heating. Spraying 18 g/hectare of this graphene, produced from 75 g (<0.001%) of crop residues per hectare, on multi-crops over two seasons increased yields by 9.1%-27.3% through enhanced photosynthesis and alleviated oxidative stress. Compared to biochar, this approach reduces farmers' inputs by 86%-91% and lowers life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 10,000-fold. We offered a self-sufficient, scalable, and climate-smart circular foliar feeding pathway to advance food security sustainably.

The robust electron-donating capacity of zerovalent iron (Fe-0)-based nanomaterials is crucial for environmental remediation, yet their effectiveness has been limited by persistent oxide shell formation. In this study, the electron-donating capacity of Fe-0-based nanomaterials is significantly enhanced by rebirthing a highly aromatic carbon layer to substitute the oxide shell via a novel carbon-assisted flash Joule heating method. This process induced ultrahigh temperatures (>3000 K) that promote the formation of reducing iron components (Fe-0) and subsequent rapid self-quenching (similar to 100 K/ms) and preferentially deposits a highly aromatic carbon layer and inhibits iron oxide shell formation. Undoubtedly, shell-rebirthed Fe-0-based nanomaterials demonstrated accelerated electron transport toward pollutants, evidenced by more negative free corrosion potential and enhanced electron-donating capacity. Using As(III) reduction as a model reaction, the Joule heating-derived Fe-0-based nanomaterials demonstrated a 17-fold increase in donated electrons compared to traditional NaBH4 reduction-derived samples, achieving record-high electron donation and As(III) reduction capacity. This enhanced reduction performance stems from improved electron-donating capacity rather than the commonly emphasized electron selectivity. This work advances the mechanistic understanding of Fe-0-mediated pollutant reduction and provides a transformative strategy for optimizing environmental remediation materials.

Palladium (Pd) hydrogenation reduction is a promising technique to remove bromate (BrO3 -), an emerging contaminant frequently detected in an aqueous environment. However, continuous atomic hydrogen (H*) production remains a challenge because of weak Pd-support interactions and subsequent inactivation. In this study, the N-doped graphene-coordinated Pd could achieve an almost 100% BrO3 - conversion rate during the continuous treatment of groundwater containing environmentally contaminated concentrations. The reduction performance experiments showed that N-doped graphene-coordinated Pd supported a higher turnover frequency value (12.4 min-1) than most of the reported Pd-based catalysts. Thin sheets with defects and uniform N doping in graphene were able to induce the formation of Pd nanoparticles (Pd NPs) and Pd single atoms (Pd-N4), respectively. In addition, doping N in graphene enables the catalyst to exhibit a higher catalytic activity. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance tests further confirmed that the N-doped graphene-coordinated Pd had a high activity to produce more H* for BrO3 - reduction. Therefore, the customized Pd coordination supported a highly effective continuous hydrogenation reduction of BrO3 - in real groundwater treatment, making it a promising candidate for large-scale environmental applications.

Lignocellulose-derived humic substances play a pivotal role in modulating soil environments, such as constituting a significant carbon reservoir and influencing microbial adaptations. However, the impact of lignocellulose-derived humic substances remains poorly understood. Humic substances were synthesized by hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass at different temperatures, and then added to the soil to simulate the natural humification process. Results show that humic substances from higher temperatures (270 and 330 °C) acted as a carbon source and contributed to the enriched CAZyme genes (glycoside hydrolases) for hydrolysis and rearrangement of glycosidic bonds. Importantly, the abundance of enriched antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) increased and was correlated with the higher concentration of phenols from lignin at 270 and 330 °C, suggesting a noteworthy phenomenon for ARG enrichment during the natural humification process. Viral auxiliary metabolism also increased host environmental adaptability through the 'Piggyback the Winner' strategy, such as enriching genes for glycoside hydrolases and glycosyl transferases at higher temperatures. Therefore, soil microorganisms can adapt to environmental changes by modulating their metabolic pathways in response to organic matter composition. This study provides critical insights into ecological shifts during humification processes in natural environments.

Waste nanomaterials pose environmental and human health concerns and they need to be urgently and efficiently managed. In this study, a fungal biotemplate was used to accumulate and recover nano-Fe2O3 materials from an aqueous solution. Then, recovered nano-Fe2O3 materials were activated to form a high-performance magnetic porous carbon composite (FePC) for energy storage and organic pollutant removal. The results indicate that high concentrations (500 mg/L) of 50 nm Fe2O3 particles can be completely recovered using a cross-linked Neurospora crassa fungus (NC), primarily because of its encapsulation function. In addition, the surface area, degree of graphitization, and heteroatom content of the FePC materials can be boosted by the catalytic effects of the incorporated Fe atoms. The developed FePC materials exhibit potential as high electrical double-layer capacitors as well as strong retention capabilities, excellent stability, and efficient adsorption of triclosan (TCS, ~526 mg/g). Additionally, these FePC materials exhibit superior capacities for energy storage and pollutant reduction compared to commercial and reported carbon materials. These results reveal a sustainable route for the recovery and reutilization of nanomaterials.

Nano-Mg-0 composite has unlocked new avenues for organic contaminant removal and virus inactivation due to active magnesium in earth-abundance and eco-friendliness. However, the pyrolysis synthesis hinders the chemical activity of the as-prepared nano-Mg composite. Herein, we report instantaneous flash Joule heating (FJH) to introduce active Mg-0 to form a nano-Mg-0/MgO composite for active oxidation and antiviral performance. Mg-0 could be formed by FJH in milliseconds through Mg-O bond fracturing and thin aromatic-carbon layer deposition due to the rapid heating/cooling rate for blocking Mg-0 oxidation. It was found that the Mg-0 content was enhanced with an increasing pulsing voltage in preparation of the nano-Mg composite, finally improving both its oxidation and antiviral capabilities. Density functional theory calculations indicate that Mg-0 increases the binding affinity for an oxidant, thereby enhancing the oxidation capacity. A plaque reduction assay indicated that the nano-Mg-0/MgO composite directly inactivated herpes simplex virus type 2. Moreover, toward a large-scale production, we developed a continuous FJH automation apparatus to manufacture the nano-Mg-0/MgO composite, which offers a highly efficient platform for scale-up fabrication and wide applications.

Fe-0-based materials exhibit great power in removing heavy metals, but their passivation issues remain a challenge. Guided by the synergistic effects within bimetallic modifications, a novel reductive FeMg bimetallic nanocomposite (FeMg/NC) was constructed using flash Joule heating technology. The ultrafast heating and quenching process achieved a phase-fusional structure comprising Fe-0 and Mg-0 encapsulated in the resulting aromatic-carbon layer. Incorporation of highly reductive Mg-0 into Fe-0-based material led to an approximately 2-3 times enhancement in pollutant removal efficiency compared to monometallic nanocomposites. Experiments and theoretical calculations revealed that this augmented removal efficiency arose from the FeMg dual-site synergistic effect, facilitating the interaction between FeMg/NC and the targeted pollutants. That is, adsorption led to the directional inward diffusion of pollutants, and the outward release of electrons from this formed phase-fusion structure was accelerated via the electron delocalization effect. Therefore, FeMg/NC exhibited excellent removal capacities for typical heavy metals (including Cr(VI), Sb(V), Ni(II), and Cu(II)). This study demonstrates the flexibility of Joule heating technology for constructing bimetallic nanocomposite, which can effectively address heavy metal pollution and opens up endless possibilities for developing more impactful environmental remediation materials.

Fe0-based nanomaterials are extensively applied in environmental remediation, but their passivated oxide shell restricts deep application. However, efforts aimed at revitalizing Fe-oxide shells have shown limited success. Here, we report a “faster win fast” approach by preferential carbon layer deposition in milliseconds to block Fe-oxide shell growth via carbon-assisted flash Joule heating (C-FJH) reaction. C-FJH induced ultra-high temperature and electric shock promoted reductive Fe formation and subsequently melted to a phase-fusional heterostructure (Fe0/FeCl2). Therefore, theoretical calculation confirmed that electron delocalization effect of derived heterostructure promoted electron transfer. Synchronously, rapid self-heating/quenching rate (∼102 K/ms) realized a thin aromatic-carbon layer deposition to sustain both high stability and activity of reductive Fe. The channels of thin aromatic-carbon layer favored inward diffusion of pollutants, which facilitated the subsequent reduction. Accordingly, derived heterostructure and carbon layer jointly contributed to the boosted removal of multiple pollutants (including metal oxyanions, perfluorinated compounds, and disinfection by-products).

Fenton-like catalysts are important materials for degrading refractory organic pollutants, however, they still suffer from limited oxidizing ability. Although single atoms and nanoparticles with high-index facets are commonly used in catalysis, their high surface energy hinders controllable synthesis. Here, we construct an iron-based material containing both isolated single atoms and high-index faceted nanoparticles by carbon-assisted Flash Joule heating for organic pollutant remediation. The current-induced thermal shock benefits the excitation of iron atoms and subsequent trapping by graphene defects. At ultrahigh temperatures, the thermodynamic limitations are overcome, leading to nanoparticles with high-index facets. Density functional theory calculations indicate that hydroxyl radical production can be enhanced by self-relay catalysis via the ensemble effect between single atoms and high-index facet nanoparticles. The derived materials exhibit dramatically improved performance in terms of antibiotic removal and medical micropolluted water. Thus, this method presents an effective strategy for designing smart materials for organic wastewater purification.

Statically immobilized Pd active sites leads to suboptimal hydrogenation efficacy even under harsh reaction conditions, and dynamic catalysis for individual requirements of H-2 dissociation and substrate activation is devoid. Here, we have developed an innovative All-in-one system that employs dynamic Pd catalysis assisted by porous graphene, enabling hydrogenation to be conducted under mild conditions. The conversion of vanillin at 30 degrees C is 99% and the yield of 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol is >95%, significantly exceeding the reported records. The uniformly distributed N-doping and thin sheets of porous graphene induce Pd single-atom (PdN4) formation, and inhibit rapid agglomeration to nanoparticles (Pd NPs) for assisting dynamic catalysis. High-pressure process analysis and theoretical calculations reveal that excellent activity comes from the synergistic effects of PdN4 and Pd NPs. Importantly, All-in-one system is applicable for complex bio-oil hydrogenation and for a broad spectrum of unsaturated substrates.

AbstractFlash Joule heating (FJH) is an emerging and profitable technology for converting inexhaustible biomass into flash graphene (FG). However, it is challenging to produce biomass FG continuously due to the lack of an integrated device. Furthermore, the high-carbon footprint induced by both excessive energy allocation for massive pyrolytic volatiles release and carbon black utilization in alternating current-FJH (AC-FJH) reaction exacerbates this challenge. Here, we create an integrated automatic system with energy requirement-oriented allocation to achieve continuous biomass FG production with a much lower carbon footprint. The programmable logic controller flexibly coordinated the FJH modular components to realize the turnover of biomass FG production. Furthermore, we propose pyrolysis-FJH nexus to achieve biomass FG production. Initially, we utilize pyrolysis to release biomass pyrolytic volatiles, and subsequently carry out the FJH reaction to focus on optimizing the FG structure. Importantly, biochar with appropriate resistance is self-sufficient to initiate the FJH reaction. Accordingly, the medium-temperature biochar-based FG production without carbon black utilization exhibited low carbon emission (1.9 g CO2-eq g−1 graphene), equivalent to a reduction of up to ~86.1% compared to biomass-based FG production. Undoubtedly, this integrated automatic system assisted by pyrolysis-FJH nexus can facilitate biomass FG into a broad spectrum of applications.

Iron-based catalysts are promising candidates for advanced oxidation process-based wastewater remediation. However, the preparation of these materials often involves complex and energy intensive syntheses. Further, due to the inherent limitations of the preparation conditions, it is challenging to realise the full potential of the catalyst. Herein, we develop an iron-based nanomaterial catalyst via soft carbon assisted flash joule heating (FJH). FJH involves rapid temperature increase, electric shock, and cooling, the process simultaneously transforms a low-grade iron mineral (FeS) and soft carbon into an electron rich nano Fe0/FeS heterostructure embedded in thin-bedded graphene. The process is energy efficient and consumes 34 times less energy than conventional pyrolysis. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the electron delocalization of the FJH-derived heterostructure improves its binding ability with peroxydisulfate via bidentate binuclear model, thereby enhancing ·OH yield for organics mineralization. The Fe-based nanomaterial catalyst exhibits strong catalytic performance over a wide pH range. Similar catalysts can be prepared using other commonly available iron precursors. Finally, we also present a strategy for continuous and automated production of the iron-based nanomaterial catalysts.

Biomass‐derived pyrogenic carbon is attractive for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs); however, its amorphous structure limits its activation efficiency. Graphene with highly conjugated π structure possesses superior electron transport ability and thus high usefulness. However, bygone strategies are scarcely effective for reforming pyrogenic carbon to graphene. Herein, for the first time, a state‐of‐the‐art flash Joule heating (FJH) technique is showcased for reforming pyrogenic carbon to 2–5‐layer graphene. FJH current‐induced ultrahigh temperature and stress field realize instantaneous (≈10 s) regeneration of pyrogenic carbon via synchronization actions of carbonization, graphitization, and exfoliation. Meanwhile, volatilization of doped N atoms accelerates graphitization but has less of an effect on graphene configuration. Accordingly, tuned oxygen groups at the graphene edge boost peroxydisulfate (PDS) adsorption for finer initiating activation. Subsequently, 2D graphene with excellent electron utilization rate strengthens hydroxyl radical and direct electron transfer pathways in activating PDS for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation. Impressively, the SMX degradation efficiency by fabricated graphene raises ≈8.9‐fold as compared with pristine pyrogenic carbon. Additionally, fabricated graphene is more efficient in PDS activation than commercial metal catalysts. Undoubtedly, this study realizes effective transformation of pyrogenic carbon to graphene for highly efficient metal‐free carbocatalyst.

Quinoline is a refractory substance found in industrial wastewater. The biodegradation of quinoline by the novel Achromobacter sp. strain JWJ-09 in an inorganic salt medium was investigated over a wide range of initial quinoline concentrations (100-700 mg center dot l- 1), with methanol as the co-metabolic substrate. Nearly complete degradation of 300 mg center dot l- 1 quinoline was achieved at 32 h accompanied by bacterial growth when 100 mg center dot l- 1 methanol was added to the quinoline-containing solution. Strain JWJ-09 showed strong quinoline degradability. Quinoline degradation was demonstrated through the 8-hydroxycoumarin metabolic pathway. The cell growth kinetics was evaluated by using the Haldane model. Both the maximum specific growth rate (mu max = 0.67 h-1) and the substrate inhibition coefficient (Ki = 795.02 mg center dot l- 1) were higher than those observed by other researchers. This indicated that strain JWJ-09 grew faster and could tolerate higher quinoline concentrations. Furthermore, under methanol co-metabolizing, strain JWJ-09 together with the activated sludge was used to treat the real coking wastewater, quinolone could be degraded in only 24 h and TOC (total organic carbon) removal efficiency reached 90.75 %. High-throughput sequencing analysis showed that the biological enhancement effect of strain JWJ-09 and methanol was obvious, which could increase the abundance of the dominant bacteria in the activated sludge. The results confirmed that strain JWJ-09 could be used to treat the quinoline-containing wastewater.

Metal salt laden are frequently used to enhance the heavy metal adsorption capacity of biochar. The present study indicates that CaS loading biochar can be modified from the carbothermal reduction reaction between CaSO3 (modification agent) and carbon matrix. The CaS transformation ratio as indicated by XPS spectra was significantly improved by the CaSO3 loading content. The coprecipitation reaction induced by the CaS in biochar can significantly enhance the adsorption capacity of heavy metals (Cd). And, the Cd adsorption capacity can be enhanced up to >100 mg/g and increases with increasing CaS ratio in the biochar. In addition, the adsorption process was rapid and could be balanced within several minutes (~ 5 min). Furthermore, the interaction reaction between the modification agent and the inherent metal in the biomass was examined in the biochar pyrolysis preparation process. Interestingly, MgCl2 inherent metal salt can combine with the original CaSO3 to produce a new mineral, resulting in a decrease in CaS. However, KCl, a more thermally stable biomass-derived metal salt, exhibited a weak combination ability with the modification agent. Accordingly, this type of secondary reaction reduces the Cd adsorption capacity owing to the decrease in the number of adsorption sites (CaS).

The free radicals released from the advanced oxidation processes can enhance microplastics degradation, however, the existence of microbes acting synergistically in this process is still uncertain. In this study, magnetic biochar was used to initiate the advanced oxidation process in flooded soil. paddy soil was contaminated with polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics in a long-term incubation experiment, and subsequently subjected to bioremediation with biochar or magnetic biochar. After incubation, the total organic matter present in the samples containing polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene, and treated with magnetic biochar, significantly increased compared to the control. In the same samples there was an accumulation of "UVA humic" and "protein/phenol-like" substances. The integrated metagenomic investigation revealed that the relative abundance of some key genes involved in fatty acids degradation and in dehalogenation changed in different treatments. Results from genome-centric investigation suggest that a Nocardioides species can cooperate with magnetic biochar in the degradation of microplastics. In addition, a species assigned to the Rhizobium taxon was identified as a candidate in the dehalogenation and in the benzoate metabolism. Overall, our results suggest that cooperation between magnetic biochar and some microbial species involved in microplastic degradation is relevant in determining the fate of microplastics in soil.