Abstract:Reliable access to clean and affordable water is prerequisite for human well being, but its provision in cities generates environmental externalities including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As policy-makers target opportunities to mitigate GHGs in line with the Paris Agreement, it remains vague how urban water management can contribute to the goal of limiting climate warming to 1.5 °C. This perspective guides policy-makers in the selection of innovative technologies and strategies for leveraging urban water … Show more
“…Currently, researchers investigating such hybrid patterned surfaces focus on material development by mimicking the surface chemistry and morphology of natural models. [ 12,20,27,28 ] As reviewed by Sun et al., [ 29 ] Wang et al., [ 30 ] and Yu et al., [ 31 ] several researchers have mimicked biosurfaces, such as spider silk, [ 32–34 ] cactus, [ 32,34–42 ] scallop shell, [ 43 ] or Namib desert beetle, [ 18,44–67 ] and multi‐bioinspired approaches have also been used. [ 13,20,68–72 ] As in the approach presented here, various artificial fog harvesting surfaces are inspired by the Namib beetle.…”
This study identifies important factors for designing an effective biomimetic paper‐based fog harvesting substrate by examining the harvesting properties of different surfaces, including glass, polyethylene, and superhydrophobic paper. In laboratory‐scale fogging tests, the wetting behavior of the substrates is characterized, and the importance of the tilt angle of the respective surface relative to the fog flow is elaborated. Because successful fog harvesting requires both efficient accumulation of water droplets on the surface (by condensation and collision) and sufficient but not excessive roll‐off of the liquid, the amount of water finally collected is clearly related to the pinning effect, which should prevent the smallest droplets from being carried away by the wind but must not lead to full and permanent wetting of the surface. Coalescence is identified as a major phenomenon to improve droplet roll‐off. In this context, superhydrophobic paper indicates to be a more effective water collector than glass or polyethylene, especially when oriented vertically, since it allows the droplets to roll off very efficiently. Finally, the addition of glass particles to the superhydrophobic coating is proposed as a means of enhancing pinning and improving the fog harvesting efficiency.
“…Currently, researchers investigating such hybrid patterned surfaces focus on material development by mimicking the surface chemistry and morphology of natural models. [ 12,20,27,28 ] As reviewed by Sun et al., [ 29 ] Wang et al., [ 30 ] and Yu et al., [ 31 ] several researchers have mimicked biosurfaces, such as spider silk, [ 32–34 ] cactus, [ 32,34–42 ] scallop shell, [ 43 ] or Namib desert beetle, [ 18,44–67 ] and multi‐bioinspired approaches have also been used. [ 13,20,68–72 ] As in the approach presented here, various artificial fog harvesting surfaces are inspired by the Namib beetle.…”
This study identifies important factors for designing an effective biomimetic paper‐based fog harvesting substrate by examining the harvesting properties of different surfaces, including glass, polyethylene, and superhydrophobic paper. In laboratory‐scale fogging tests, the wetting behavior of the substrates is characterized, and the importance of the tilt angle of the respective surface relative to the fog flow is elaborated. Because successful fog harvesting requires both efficient accumulation of water droplets on the surface (by condensation and collision) and sufficient but not excessive roll‐off of the liquid, the amount of water finally collected is clearly related to the pinning effect, which should prevent the smallest droplets from being carried away by the wind but must not lead to full and permanent wetting of the surface. Coalescence is identified as a major phenomenon to improve droplet roll‐off. In this context, superhydrophobic paper indicates to be a more effective water collector than glass or polyethylene, especially when oriented vertically, since it allows the droplets to roll off very efficiently. Finally, the addition of glass particles to the superhydrophobic coating is proposed as a means of enhancing pinning and improving the fog harvesting efficiency.
“…6 The increased urban population density severely challenges the maintenance of a robust, safe, and sustainable water cycle system. 6,7 Thus, effective monitoring and treatment of various water pollutants in urban water systems are highly desired. 8 One category of water pollutants of particular concern is antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).…”
Section: ■ Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It is intertwined with the water supply for urban residents, and the treatment and discharge of wastewater generated during daily life and production . The increased urban population density severely challenges the maintenance of a robust, safe, and sustainable water cycle system. , Thus, effective monitoring and treatment of various water pollutants in urban water systems are highly desired …”
Dissemination
of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in urban water
bodies has become a significant environmental and health concern.
Many approaches based on real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) have been
developed to offer rapid and highly specific detection of ARGs in
water environments, but the complicated and time-consuming procedures
have hindered their widespread use. Herein, we developed a facile
one-step approach for rapid detection of ARGs by leveraging the trans-cleavage activity of Cas12a and recombinase polymerase
amplification (RPA). This efficient method matches the sensitivity
and specificity of qPCR and requires no complex equipment. The results
show a strong correlation between the prevalence of four ARG markers
(ARGs: sul1, qnrA-1, mcr-1, and class 1 integrons: intl1) in tap water, human
urine, farm wastewater, hospital wastewater, municipal wastewater
treatment plants (WWTPs), and proximate natural aquatic ecosystems,
indicating the circulation of ARGs within the urban water cycle. Through
monitoring the ARG markers in 18 WWTPs in 9 cities across China during
both peak and declining stages of the COVID epidemic, we found an
increased detection frequency of mcr-1 and qnrA-1 in wastewater during peak periods. The ARG detection
method developed in this work may offer a useful tool for promoting
a sustainable urban water cycle.
“…However, it is noteworthy that around 30% of ongoing or planned P2H projects are located in regions where populations facing water scarcity are projected to increase up to 154% by 2050 10 . These issues pose a potential constraint on the wide application of the P2H strategy 11 . Fig.…”
Recent advancements in membrane-assisted seawater electrolysis powered by renewable energy offer a sustainable path to green hydrogen production. However, its large-scale implementation faces challenges due to slow power-to-hydrogen (P2H) conversion rates. Here we report a modular forward osmosis-water splitting (FOWS) system that integrates a thin-film composite FO membrane for water extraction with alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), denoted as FOWSAWE. This system generates high-purity hydrogen directly from wastewater at a rate of 448 Nm3 day−1 m−2 of membrane area, over 14 times faster than the state-of-the-art practice, with specific energy consumption as low as 3.96 kWh Nm−3. The rapid hydrogen production rate results from the utilisation of 1 M potassium hydroxide as a draw solution to extract water from wastewater, and as the electrolyte of AWE to split water and produce hydrogen. The current system enables this through the use of a potassium hydroxide-tolerant and hydrophilic FO membrane. The established water-hydrogen balance model can be applied to design modular FO and AWE units to meet demands at various scales, from households to cities, and from different water sources. The FOWSAWE system is a sustainable and an economical approach for producing hydrogen at a record-high rate directly from wastewater, marking a significant leap in P2H practice.
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