Water Analysis – News and Features

Steroid hormones, harmful aquatic micropollutants, are degraded effectively using carbon nanotube membranes in electrochemical reactors. These advanced systems enable rapid adsorption and efficient mass transfer, breaking down pollutants.

A mass die-off of African elephants in Botswana in 2020 has been linked to toxic algae in watering holes in a new study.

Rice University researchers developed durable halide perovskite nanocrystals (HPNCs) coated with two silicon dioxide layers, maintaining antimicrobial efficacy and stability. Under visible light, these HPNCs eliminated 90% of E. coli in six hours.

Lithium mining is unlikely to contaminate water with pollutants like arsenic and lead but it does leach other metals into the water supply.

Chemists have illustrated how an LED light-based photocatalytic system can break the carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS at room temperature.

A CSU-led study mapped microbiomes in rivers covering 90% of U.S. watersheds, showing microbes’ roles in nutrient flow and contaminant processing. Findings support the River Continuum Concept and reveal predictable microbial behaviors.

Study shows wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics and some PFAS from water, but these contaminants accumulate in biosolids, which are often spread on farmland. Researchers highlight the need to stop producing microplastics and PFAS.

Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States.

Researchers found that a chlorine-based paste effectively contained stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) without the environmental risks associated with antibiotics. Though slightly less effective than antibiotics, the paste biodegrades quickly.

A study from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences shows that microplastic biofilms in wastewater treatment plants can harbor pathogens like E. coli and norovirus, even after treatment. These biofilms protect pathogens from removal processes.