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•Electrodialysis (ED) is an emerging method to remove and recover metals.•Selective ED is key to recover metals from matrice and mixtures.•Combination with ED maximizes advantages of ...different methods for metal recovery.•Perspectives and potential of ED are provided for metal removal and recovery.
Electrodialysis (ED) is a multipurpose technology that can be used for treating acidic effluents containing metal species. Its continuous operation capacity, scalability, and easy operation can solve most of the drawbacks of current technologies, and the direct reuse of concentrated metal streams can avoid the need for chemical addition and precipitation. Hence, ED emerges as a promising technology with a huge growth potential to concentrate, separate, and selectively recover metals from acidic effluents. This critical review aims to (I) review and discuss the types of ED processes and their state-of-the-art, (II) provide an insight on the most important parameters behind the ED technology, and (III) evaluate the limitations, perspectives, and future research trends in this field. Typical problems including precipitation in the setup, waste management, and scale-up of the system are discussed and solutions are suggested. In addition, insights on materials development on both membrane and electrode are provided for further advancing the ED technology in metal recovery. We hope the review can shed light on the ED development for metal resources recovery from industrial and municipal wastewaters moving one step further towards circular water treatments.
“Concentrate-and-degrade” is an effective strategy to promote mass transfer and degradation of pollutants in photocatalytic systems, yet suitable and cost-effective photocatalysts are required to ...practice the new concept. In this study, we doped a post-transition metal of Indium (In) on a novel composite adsorptive photocatalyst, activated carbon-supported titanate nanotubes (TNTs@AC), to effectively degrade perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). In/TNTs@AC exhibited both excellent PFOA adsorption (>99% in 30 min) and photodegradation (>99% in 4 h) under optimal conditions (25 °C, pH 7, 1 atm, 1 g/L catalyst, 0.1 mg/L PFOA, 254 nm). The heterojunction structure of the composite facilitated a cooperative adsorption mode of PFOA, i.e., binding of the carboxylic head group of PFOA to the metal oxide and attachment of the hydrophobic tail to AC. The resulting side-on adsorption mode facilitates the electron (e‒) transfer from the carboxylic head to the photogenerated hole (h+), which was the major oxidant verified by scavenger tests. Furthermore, the presence of In enables direct electron transfer and facilitates the subsequent stepwise defluorination. Finally, In/TNTs@AC was amenable to repeated uses in four consecutive adsorption-photodegradation runs. The findings showed that adsorptive photocatalysts can be prepared by hybridization of carbon and photoactive semiconductors and the enabled “concentrate-and-degrade” strategy is promising for the removal and degradation of trace levels of PFOA from polluted waters.
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•Adsorptive photocatalyst (In/TNT@AC) was prepared to concentrate-and-degrade PFOA.•In/TNT@AC can adsorb PFOA from water and degrade it under UV irradiation.•2% Indium dopant enhanced adsorption and subsequent solid-phase degradation of PFOA.•In promotes direct electron transfer from PFOA to the photogenerated hole (h+).•The photodegradation also regenerates In/TNT@AC, allowing for repeated uses.
Removal and destruction of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are challenging due to its extreme persistence and dilute concentrations. This study investigated dual-function adsorptive-photocatalytic ...zeolite materials to selectively adsorb and degrade PFOA via tuning pore structures and doping transition metals. It is found that the pore opening is critical in the size-selective trapping of PFOA, while the iron doped zeolites present excellent adsorption of PFOA (>80 mg g−1) combining hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The formation of PFOA-iron complexes has reduced bond dissociation energy of C−F, calculated from density functional theory, for favorable stepwise defluorination (over 60% defluorination in 4 hours) by superoxide radicals and ligand-to-metal charge transfer. This mechanistic investigation extends the potential of the concentrate-and-degrade concept to remove PFOA selectively and effectively from contaminated water.
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•Zeolites with comparable pore opening to PFOA favor its adsorption and degradation.•PFOA adsorption on Fe-BEA is driven by hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.•PFOA molecule activation by Fe complexes decreases the decarboxylation energy.•Ligand-to-metal charge transfer and superoxide radical contribute to PFOA degradation.
The effect of process and composition parameters of inorganic aluminosilicate gels on the particle size of zeolite LTA were studied. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning ...electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The crystallization domain of zeolite LTA around synthesis gel with composition 1.8 SiO2:1 Al2O3:12 Na2O:214 H2O was found to be narrow, with slight changes in composition leading to the crystallization of other zeolite phases, without a significant decrease in LTA particle size. Slightly increasing the Si/Al ratio of the synthesis gel results in the crystallization of a second population of nanosized crystals (down to 50 nm), which were revealed to be mostly FAU/EMT crystals from transmission electron microscopy imaging. FAU/EMT was found to exist as separate crystals or intergrown with LTA in the same particle, providing the first evidence of FAU/EMT and LTA intergrowth at this scale. Based on structural study using high resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging and comparison to simulations, we propose that the connection at the interface between LTA and Faujasite could be either by inversion or mirror symmetries across double six-membered rings, and both cases have been observed.
The consensus of removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the environment is widely recognized and enlightened by the near-zero standards released from the U.S. Environmental ...Protection Agency in 2023. The only way to achieve the goal of zero fluoro-pollution is to fully defluorinate or mineralize PFAS, but current technologies only partially defluorinate a limited number of PFAS, which can lead to the creation of potentially more toxic short-chain intermediates. Therefore, we discuss herein the need to broaden the scope of tested PFAS, summarize the state-of-the-art degradation technologies, and provide perspectives to achieve complete defluorination. Besides fundamental knowledge gaps in defluorination reactions, technological gaps in the aspects of water matrix effects, pilot tests, and cost analysis also limit the application and comparison of different treatment technologies. This work would shed light on further research to find solutions in the complete defluorination of PFAS.
Given that most bone marrow cells are short-lived, the accumulation of multiple leukemogenic mutations in a single clonal lineage has been difficult to explain. We propose that serial acquisition of ...mutations occurs in self-renewing hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We investigated this model through genomic analysis of HSCs from six patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Using exome sequencing, we identified mutations present in individual AML patients harboring the FLT3-ITD (internal tandem duplication) mutation. We then screened the residual HSCs and detected some of these mutations including mutations in the NPM1, TET2, and SMC1A genes. Finally, through single-cell analysis, we determined that a clonal progression of multiple mutations occurred in the HSCs of some AML patients. These preleukemic HSCs suggest the clonal evolution of AML genomes from founder mutations, revealing a potential mechanism contributing to relapse. Such preleukemic HSCs may constitute a cellular reservoir that should be targeted therapeutically for more durable remissions.
Cell-based therapies are emerging as effective agents against cancer and other diseases. As autonomous "living drugs," these therapies lack precise control. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells ...effectively target hematologic malignancies but can proliferate rapidly and cause toxicity. We developed ON and OFF switches for CAR T cells using the clinically approved drug lenalidomide, which mediates the proteasomal degradation of several target proteins by inducing interactions between the CRL4
E3 ubiquitin ligase and a C2H2 zinc finger degron motif. We performed a systematic screen to identify "super-degron" tags with enhanced sensitivity to lenalidomide-induced degradation and used these degradable tags to generate OFF-switch degradable CARs. To create an ON switch, we engineered a lenalidomide-inducible dimerization system and developed split CARs that required both lenalidomide and target antigen for activation. Subtherapeutic lenalidomide concentrations controlled the effector functions of ON- and OFF-switch CAR T cells. In vivo, ON-switch split CARs demonstrated lenalidomide-dependent antitumor activity, and OFF-switch degradable CARs were depleted by drug treatment to limit inflammatory cytokine production while retaining antitumor efficacy. Together, the data showed that these lenalidomide-gated switches are rapid, reversible, and clinically suitable systems to control transgene function in diverse gene- and cell-based therapies.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a toxic and recalcitrant perfluoroalkyl substance commonly detected in the environment. Its low concentration challenges the development of effective degradation ...techniques, which demands intensive chemical and energy consumption. The recent stringent health advisories and the upgrowth and advances in photocatalytic technologies claim the need to evaluate and compare the state-of-the-art. Among these systems, chemical-free photocatalysis emerges as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for PFOA degradation and potentially other perfluorinated carboxylic acids. This review (I) classifies the state-of-the-art of chemical-free photocatalysts for PFOA degradation in families of materials (Ti, Fe, In, Ga, Bi, Si, and BN), (II) describes the evolution of catalysts, identifies and discusses the strategies to enhance their performance, (III) proposes a simplified cost evaluation tool for simple techno-economical analysis of the materials; (IV) compares the features of the catalysts expanding the classic degradation focus to other essential parameters, and (V) identifies current research gaps and future research opportunities to enhance the photocatalyst performance. We aim that this critical review will assist researchers and practitioners to develop rational photocatalyst designs and identify research gaps for green and effective PFAS degradation.
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•State-of-the-art of chemical-free photocatalysts families for PFOA degradation•Evaluation of the performance and practical limitations of the photocatalysts•Discussion of the strategies to enhance the material’s performance•A cost evaluation tool estimates the material cost and compares the performance•Identification of current research gaps and future research opportunities.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common pediatric malignancy and constitutes 15% of adult leukemias. Although overall prognosis for pediatric ALL is favorable, high-risk pediatric ...patients and most adult patients have significantly worse outcomes. Multiagent chemotherapy is standard of care for both pediatric and adult ALL, but is associated with systemic toxicity and long-term side effects and is relatively ineffective against certain ALL subtypes. Recent efforts have focused on the development of targeted therapies for ALL including monoclonal antibodies. Here, we report the identification of CD47, a protein that inhibits phagocytosis, as an antibody target in standard and high-risk ALL. CD47 was found to be more highly expressed on a subset of human ALL patient samples compared with normal cell counterparts and to be an independent predictor of survival and disease refractoriness in several ALL patient cohorts. In addition, a blocking monoclonal antibody against CD47 enabled phagocytosis of ALL cells by macrophages in vitro and inhibited tumor engraftment in vivo. Significantly, anti-CD47 antibody eliminated ALL in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, spleen, and liver of mice engrafted with primary human ALL. These data provide preclinical support for the development of an anti-CD47 antibody therapy for treatment of human ALL.
Unbiased genetic studies have uncovered surprising molecular mechanisms in human cellular immunity and autoimmunity. We performed whole-exome sequencing and targeted sequencing in five families with ...an apparent mendelian syndrome of autoimmunity characterized by high-titer autoantibodies, inflammatory arthritis and interstitial lung disease. We identified four unique deleterious variants in the COPA gene (encoding coatomer subunit α) affecting the same functional domain. Hypothesizing that mutant COPA leads to defective intracellular transport via coat protein complex I (COPI), we show that COPA variants impair binding to proteins targeted for retrograde Golgi-to-ER transport. Additionally, expression of mutant COPA results in ER stress and the upregulation of cytokines priming for a T helper type 17 (TH17) response. Patient-derived CD4(+) T cells also demonstrate significant skewing toward a TH17 phenotype that is implicated in autoimmunity. Our findings uncover an unexpected molecular link between a vesicular transport protein and a syndrome of autoimmunity manifested by lung and joint disease.
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