Carbon dioxide electroreduction (CO 2 RR) is a sustainable way of producing carbon-neutral fuels. Product selectivity in CO 2 RR is regulated by the adsorption energy of reaction-intermediates. Here, we employ differential phase contrast-scanning transmission electron microscopy (DPC-STEM) to demonstrate that Sn heteroatoms on a Ag catalyst generate very strong and atomically localized electric fields. In situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) results verified that the localized electric field enhances the adsorption of *COOH, thus favoring the production of CO during CO 2 RR. The Ag/Sn catalyst exhibits an approximately 100 % CO selectivity at a very wide range of potentials (from À 0.5 to À 1.1 V, versus reversible hydrogen electrode), and with a remarkably high energy efficiency (EE) of 76.1 %.

Nitrogen pollution created severe environmental problems and increasingly has become an important issue in China. Since the first discovery of ANAMMOX in the early 1990s, this related technology has become a promising as well as sustainable bioprocess for treating strong nitrogenous wastewater. Many Chinese research groups have concentrated their efforts on the ANAMMOX research including bacteria, process development, and application during the past 20 years. A series of new and outstanding outcomes including the discovery of new ANAMMOX bacterial species (Brocadia sinica), sulfate-dependent ANAMMOX bacteria (Anammoxoglobus sulfate and Bacillus benzoevorans), and the highest nitrogen removal performance (74.3–76.7 kg-N/m3/d) in lab scale granule-based UASB reactors around the world were achieved. The characteristics, structure, packing pattern and floatation mechanism of the high-rate ANAMMOX granules in ANAMMOX reactors were also carefully illustrated by native researchers. Nowadays, some pilot and full-scale ANAMMOX reactors were constructed to treat different types of ammonium-rich wastewater including monosodium glutamate wastewater, pharmaceutical wastewater, and leachate. The prime objective of the present review is to elucidate the ongoing ANAMMOX research in China from lab scale to full scale applications, comparative analysis, and evaluation of significant findings and to set a design to usher ANAMMOX research in culmination.

Microplastics (MPs) are one of the emerging contaminants in environmental media, and they have raised great concern because they are resistant to degradation and persist in ecosystems. Although numerous advanced technologies have been developed, suitable technologies are still lacking for degradation of widespread MPs in the natural environment. We have discovered that MPs can be degraded exceptionally rapidly in frozen environments. Taking polystyrene (PS) as an example, its degradation rate in ice (À 20 °C) is surprisingly competitive to most artificial technologies. PS particles are trapped and squeezed to achieve excited state ( 3 PS*) in the narrow space of the liquid layer between ice crystals, which further react with the highly concentrated dioxygen to selectively produce singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ). The 1 O 2 boosts PS oxidation in the liquid layer thus further causing accelerated degradation at freezing temperature. This finding offers a highly efficient pathway for degradation of MPs and it sheds light on an unusual MPs disposal mechanisms in nature.

Aluminum production process emits carbon tetrafluoride (CF4) directly into atmosphere, which is a powerful greenhouse gas (6500 times of CO2) and exhibits serious global warming potential. As the most feasible...