Synergy Factor Research Articles

Thermal coupling study during the co-processing of coal and biomass in the lab-scale adiabatic reactor

A lab-scale adiabatic reactor has been self-made to characterize the coupled properties of heat and reactions during the co-thermal-processing of coal and biomass with steam or steam/O2 gasification agents. Results showed that the synergistic effects caused by heat transfer between corncob and coal at different mixing ratios were heavily determined by coal rank and gasification agent. During steam co-processing, the heat transfer from corncob char to adjacent bituminous coal char promoted the water-gas reaction on coal char and contributed to synergistic effects; the heat transfer from anthracite char to adjacent corncob char reduced the kinetic rate of the water-gas reaction on coal char and contributed to inhibitory effects, and the inhibitory effect caused by heat transfer was greater than the promotion effects of biomass mass transfer. The introduction of O2 diminished the impact of inter-particle heat transfer and altered the intensity of synergy, decreasing the values of synergy factor of bituminous coal/corncob blends by 17% and increasing the value of synergy factor of anthracite/corncob blends by 142.5%. This study provides sufficient support for the process conditions selection for the production of syngas with specific H2/CO molar ratios and the desired level of gasification performance.

Polydopamine functionalized TiO2 with N doping, oxygen vacancies, and carbon layers for enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance.

The development of a photoelectrode featuring both excellent reusability and a simple preparation process remains exceptionally challenging for TiO2-based photoelectrocatalytic technology. Herein, a three-dimensional photoelectrode with N doping, oxygen vacancies (Ovs), and carbon layers (NTC) was prepared via the "carbothermal reduction-pressing-calcination" method. The photoelectrode degraded 97.94% of tetracycline (TC) within 60min. The first-order kinetic constant for this degradation was 27.3 times higher than that of TiO2-x, and the photoelectric synergy factor reached as high as 13.9. The photoelectrode also demonstrated outstanding anti-interference capability for pH, electrolyte concentration, anions, etc., and was suitable for different water matrixes and various antibiotics removal. In particular, the degradation efficiency of TC decreased by only 1.33% after 20 cycles, demonstrating the excellent reusability of NTC. Furthermore, photoexcited holes (h+) were the dominant active species, and singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide radicals (•O2-) played an auxiliary role in removing TC. Finally, possible degradation pathways for TC were proposed and demonstrated to be effective in reducing the toxicity of the pollutant by the Toxicity Evaluation Software Tool (T.E.S.T) and phytotoxicity experiments. This progress might bring new insights into the design and construction of TiO2-based photoelectrodes.

Unleashing the synergistic effect of promising fungicides: a breakthrough solution for combating powdery mildew in pea plants.

Pea powdery mildew, caused by Erysiphe pisi, is a major limitation to global pea production. The emergence of fungicide-resistant pathogen populations due to frequent and injudicious pesticide application highlights the importance of exploring the synergistic properties of fungicide combinations. This study investigated the efficacy of difenoconazole, thiophanate-methyl, and sulfur, both individually and in mixtures, against powdery mildew and assessed the interaction types between these fungicides. The results demonstrated that the combination of difenoconazole, thiophanate-methyl, and sulfur was the most effective in reducing, reducing disease severity to 6.10% and minimizing conidial production on foliage. Additionally, this fungicide combination reduced conidial germination by 89.26% in vitro and by 87.50% in a detached leaf assay compared to the control. The treatment also positively impacted leaf chlorophyll content (55.18), green pod yield (22.21 tons ha-1), seed yield (12.29 tons ha-1), and other yield-related parameters. Although statistically significant, this ternary fungicide combination was closely followed by the binary combination of thiophanate-methyl and sulfur, which was the only combination exhibiting synergism in both laboratory and field trials with a synergy factor (SF) > 1. In conclusion, this approach offers improved disease control as part of integrated disease management (IDM) while minimizing the risk of resistant pathogen strains.

Dynamic evolution and influencing factors of internal and external synergy in China's energy industry: From the perspective of industrial chain

The distortion of factors between the upstream and downstream of the energy industry, as well as the lack of collaborative models between it and the energy equipment manufacturing industry, impede the smooth achievement of the "dual-carbon" goal, and industrial synergy can better solve this problem. From the perspective of the industrial chain, this study measures for the first time the level of internal and external synergies in the energy industry based on industrial data from 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2022, and analyzes in depth the dynamic evolution of internal and external synergies in the energy industry and the factors influencing them. Using ArcMap 10.2 and the variance decomposition model, it is found that the upstream and downstream sectors of the energy industry have non-equilibrium in time and space, and their factor mismatch in resource-based regions is still more serious. Therefore, a state of synergy needs to be created between upstream and downstream sectors, between the energy industry and the energy equipment manufacturing industry. Using each of the status quo maps as well as the Kernel model, it was concluded that external synergies decrease and then increase, with a gradual decrease in the gap between regions. However, internal synergies show an upward and then downward trend. Meanwhile, the results of the GTWR model show that the effects of various influences on internal and external synergies are not only positively or negatively different, but also spatially more unbalanced. It should accelerate the promotion of policy guidance, actively cultivate the external environment, rationalize the layout of regional industries, and promote the synergistic development of the energy industry internally and externally.

Insight into the synergistic effect between plasma and oxygen vacancy in direct oxidation of CH4 to CH3OH by molecular O2 at mild condition

The direct conversion of methane into the value-added chemical methanol using molecular oxygen was investigated via plasma catalysis under mild condition. An efficient synergistic effect between plasma and catalyst was achieved using an oxygen vacancy-rich ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst. A high methanol selectivity of 48.5 % and a high synergy factor of 2.1 could be achieved simultaneously over ZnO/Al2O3 R300 catalyst. The presence of oxygen vacancies played a crucial role in methanol formation. A close relationship between oxygen vacancy content and methanol selectivity was established. In situ DRIFT and optical emission spectra were employed to identify key intermediates, and a plausible reaction mechanism was proposed. The CH3 and CH3O species were the key intermediates on the catalyst surface. The oxygen vacancy could efficiently adsorb the O radicals and accelerate the formation of CH3O species. This work offers insights into the rational engineering of efficient catalyst for plasma catalysis process.

Intrinsic metal ion dual-regulated fabrication of multifunctional nano-interfacial BiFeVO4/Fe-MOF for high photo-Fenton-like synergistic catalytic oxytetracycline removal

Great disparity in crystal size and incompatibility in crystal interface of catalysts lead to low catalytic activity, restricting its application for antibiotic degradation. Herein, a dual regulation strategy via intrinsic ion interpenetration was proposed to engineer multifunctional nano-interfacial BiFeVO4/NH2-MIL-88B(Fe-Bi) (BFV/NMFB) catalysts for efficient photo-Fenton-like catalytic degradation OTC. These multifunctional nano-interfaces (Fe-O-Bi) with abundant vacancy defects enhanced electrical conductivity, broadened light absorption and narrowed band gap. Furthermore, the strong interface bonds enhanced H2O2 adsorption and activation, accelerated photogenerated carrier separation/transfer and promoted Fe3+/Fe2+ redox activity. These properties gave an excellent synergistic effect of photo and Fenton-like catalysis (synergy factor up to 4.6) via changing photocurrent transfer pathway and interfacial adsorption-activation mechanism. Therefore, the designed BFV/NMFB exhibited superior photo-Fenton-like catalytic activity (ka = 189 mol‧mg−1‧min−1), about 3.6–58 times higher than these of reported catalysts. The proposed strategy provided a promising method for the design of MOFs composition for application of antibiotic degradation.

Sonocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride using SnO2 hollow-nanofiber decorated with UiO-66-NH2

In this study, a porous hollow nanofiber SnO2 was decorated with UiO-66-NH2 nanoparticles with straightforward solvothermal method and utilized for sonocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) by ultrasonic irradiation (USI). The prepared materials were characterized using different techniques such as SEM, EDS, FTIR, XRD, BET, XPS, UV-DRS, EIS, and zeta potential. SnO2 PHNF/UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposite offered the highest apparent rate constant of 0.0397 min−1 which was 6.3 and 3.1 times higher than those obtained for SnO2 PHNF and UiO-66-NH2, respectively. The integration of nanocomposite components revealed the synergy factor of 1.58, which can be due to the created heterojunctions resulted in efficiently charge carriers separation and retaining high redox ability. The effects of different affecting parameters such as TC initial concentration, pH of the solution, catalyst dosage, trapping agents, and coexisting anions on the catalytic performance were examined. The inhibitory effects of anions were confirmed to be decreased in the sequence of Cl− > NO3− > SO42−, while the sonocatalytic efficiency of the nanocomposite improved considerably in the presence of humic acid and bicarbonate. Also, the excellent performance of the catalyst was preserved during six successive cycles, suggesting the high stability of the prepared catalyst. In addition, based on the scavenger analysis, the created O2·−, OH·, and holes were contributed to the TC degradation. In conclusion, the creation heterojunction is an impressive methodology for improving the sonocatalytic activity of a catalyst, and SnO2 PHNF/UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposite was introduced as a satisfactory catalyst in sonocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants.

A Common Structure for Factors that Enhance Synergy in Contractor Project Teams: Executive and Practitioner Perspectives

Synergy in a contractor project team improves performance by integrating diverse knowledge and skills among team members, enabling the achievement of project objectives. However, according to a literature review, factors that enhance synergy among contractor project teams from the perspective of executives and practitioners have rarely been discovered, revealing a knowledge gap that needs to be filled. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify a common structure of such factors for executives and practitioners. Data collection involved a questionnaire survey targeting large contractors in Bangkok, Thailand. Then, we compared the mean importance and rank order of synergy factors, examined differences and similarities in synergy factors between executive and practitioner perspectives using the Mann–Whitney U test, and applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the data analysis. The differences and similarities show that executives and practitioners have similar perspectives on synergy factors. The CFA results validate a factor structure that enhances synergy. This synergy factor structure for executives and practitioners can be divided into five groups, with their standardized regression weights in parentheses: coordination (0.94), organizational structure (0.92), motivation (0.80), leadership (0.75), and planning and policy (0.69). These findings contribute to the body of knowledge and the state of practice by offering a practical framework to assist executives and practitioners in contractor organizations in identifying common measures and resource allocation based on the regression weights of synergy factors. This can improve synergy among contractor project teams, potentially resulting in better performance.

A double-edged sword: diverse interactions in hypergraphs

Abstract Interaction diversity and interaction identity, as two classic interaction patterns in real-world systems, are frequently employed to probe into the cooperative dilemmas among participants with diverse interaction identities within groups. Considering the influence of factors such as hyperlink configurations on the evolution of cooperation within complex networks, this study particularly focuses on the organic integration of hypergraphs and diverse interaction modes. Employing the public goods game model in uniformly stochastic hypergraphs, we explore the effects of synergy factors and diverse interacting individuals on the cooperation rate and strategy consistency within hyperlinks. We emphasize that the diverse interacting individuals are a double-edged sword, and the controlled number of such individuals is conducive to the evolution of cooperation. The findings of this study reveal the significance of these two typical interaction patterns and provide valuable insights for coordinating them to achieve social optimality in cooperation.

Synergy performance of hybrid fiber-reinforced ultra-high-performance cementitious composites with low fiber contents

This study aims to assess the synergistic tensile performance resulting from the hybridization of long and short fibers. Three types of long steel,fibers, i.e., twisted, hooked, and smooth fibers, along with two types of short fibers, i.e., smooth and polyamide fibers, were incorporated into ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) at a total volume content of 1.5%. To predict the tensile resistance of the hybridizations, various machine learning models, including artificial neural network (ANN), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM), were applied by utilizing a significant number of collected experimental results. Experimental findings demonstrated that the hybridization of long and short fibers effectively enhanced tensile resistance compared to mono fibers. These hybridizations exhibited negative synergy factors in post-cracking strength but positive synergy factors in both strain capacity and specific work to fracture. Predictions using machine learning models revealed that the RF model exhibited outstanding performance in predicting the tensile resistance of the hybridizations. Furthermore, the compressive strength of the matrix was found to be the most important factor affecting post-cracking strength, whereas fiber length had the most substantial impact on the strain capacity.

Enhanced photocatalysis by defect-engineered CeO2 with sulfite activation under visible light irradiation

Sulfite-based advanced oxidation processes (s-AOPs) have recently garnered significant attention due to their ability to generate highly oxidative sulfate radicals and eliminate contaminants from water. A state-of-the-art platform has been developed through the synergistic combination of s-AOP and photocatalysis under visible light as weak as ambient indoor daylight. This platform achieved an enhanced degradation efficiency for defect-engineered CeO2 nanocubes by using sodium sulfite instead of SO2, resulting in a synergy factor of up to 88%. The reaction pathways, intermediates, ion leaching and the possible influence of aqueous conditions during the methyl orange degradation have been investigated. The CeO2/Na2SO3/vis-light platform exhibits promising prospect as a system to enhance conventional s-AOP in wastewater treatment or disinfection. It demonstrates excellent performance in terms of pH sensitivity, anion influence, and resistance to leaching. This highlights its significant potential for practical applications and future process scale-up.

Association of frequent intake of trans fatty acids and saturated fatty acids in diets with increased susceptibility of atopic dermatitis exacerbation in young Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study in Singapore/Malaysia.

Numerous evidence has attributed diets with a high fatty acids (FAs) intake to be associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) development. Therefore, this study investigated the association between intake frequencies of five dietary FAs and AD exacerbations among young Chinese adults from Singapore and Malaysia. A validated International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was investigator-administered to 13,561 subjects to collect information on socioeconomic, anthropometric, dietary and lifestyles habits, and personal/family medical histories. Six novel dietary indices were derived to analyse the associations between total FAs, trans fatty acids (TFAs), saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acids, and alpha-linolenic acids in diets and AD exacerbation. Synergy factor (SF) analysis was used to identify interactions between the dietary FAs to influence disease susceptibility. In our multivariable model adjusted for age, gender, BMI, parental eczema, and lifestyle factors, a diet high in total estimated FAs was strongly associated with AD (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 1.227; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.054-1.429; adjusted p-value <0.01). Particularly, high estimated total TFAs and SFAs were significantly associated with AD exacerbations including chronic and current moderate-to-severe AD. The association between TFAs and AD remained strong even controlled for the total FAs in diets and false discovery rate corrected (AOR: 1.516; 95% CI: 1.094-2.097; adjusted p-value <0.05). Similarly, having a high SFAs in diets was associated with AD (AOR: 1.581; 95% CI: 1.106-2.256; adjusted p-value <0.05) independently on the total FAs in diets. FAs in diets do not interact to influence AD. Overall, these results highlighted an association between high dietary TFAs and SFAs and AD exacerbations in an Asian population.

Tailoring ethylenediamine functionalization on magnetic Zr-based metal-organic frameworks towards enhanced phosphate and tetracycline adsorption by synergy of Fe3O4 and amino functional groups

The development of efficient adsorbent for removing excessive nutrients (e.g. phosphorous – P) and antibiotics (e.g. tetracycline hydrochloride – TC) from livestock wastewater is necessary but challenging in practical application. In this study, magnetic Zr-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe3O4/UiO-66) with interfacial Fe-O-Zr bonds were synthesized and then modified with ethylenediamine (EDA) functional groups. The resultant optimized composite, namely Fe3O4/UiO-66-N2, showed promising removal of P and TC from both single and binary solution systems. It exhibited the maximum P and TC adsorption capacities of 90.0 mg P/g and 72.3 mg/g in the single component solution, respectively. In the binary solution with an initial P concentration of 5 mg P/L, the coexistence of TC posed a slight inhibition effect on the P adsorption over Fe3O4/UiO-66-N2. However, the TC adsorption was increased by raising the initial P concentration in solution from 5 mg P/L to 20 mg P/L. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles and EDA functional groups were suggested jointly improving the adsorption capacities of P and TC, with the synergy factors of 1.1 and 1.8, respectively. The effects of reaction time, water medium, initial pH and coexisting ions on the adsorption were investigated in detail. The mechanisms governing the adsorption of phosphate included electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, ligand exchange and complexation. Those contributing to the adsorption of TC included Lewis acid-base interaction and π-π electron-donor-acceptor interaction, in addition to electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding and complexation. This work designed novel functionalized magnetic MOF composite adsorbents targeting at efficient and simultaneous removal of P and TC from water, under the synergistic effect of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles and surface functional groups.

Altering Microbial Communities in Substrate to Stimulate the Growth of Healthy Button Mushrooms

Green mould, caused by Trichoderma aggressivum, is one of the major fungal diseases of button mushrooms. The main problems in chemical disease control include a lack of effective agents, the occurrence of pathogen resistance to pesticides, and the harmful impact on the environment. In an attempt to find a solution, the interaction between two beneficial microorganisms, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens B-241 (an antifungal agent) and Streptomyces flavovirens A06 (a yield stimulant), was investigated in vivo. The synergy factor (SF) was calculated as a ratio between the observed and expected impact on the yield or efficacy of disease suppression after artificial inoculation with T. aggressivum. The highest control of T. aggressivum was achieved by joint application of the two beneficial microorganisms. The additive interaction between microorganisms in efficacy against the pathogen was revealed. The largest yield was obtained in mushroom beds sprayed with the two beneficial microorganisms combined (B-241 80% and A06 20%). Regarding the impact on the yield, synergistic interaction between the two microorganisms was confirmed (SFs were 1.62 or 1.52). The introduction of optimized microbial combinations could create new possibilities for biorational edible mushroom protection, with improved yield and quality and reduced risks to human health and the environment.

Fabrication of MoS2 nanopetals on honeycomb-like biochar with enhanced sonocatalytic activity for degradation of acid blue 7 and pharmaceutical pollutants

Organic dyes constitute an integral part of industrial effluents. Advanced oxidation processes are efficient methods for the degradation of organic pollutants, one of the most promising of which is sonocatalysis. In this study, we aimed to immobilize MoS2 nanopetals on honeycomb-like biochar through a one-step hydrothermal method and evaluate its sonocatalytic performance in the degradation of acid blue 7 (AB7). The MoS2-Biochar composite demonstrated enhanced sonocatalytic activity, approved by its larger specific surface area (5.0 m2/g) and narrower bandgap (1.25 eV) compared with those of pure MoS2. Application of 1.5 g/L MoS2-Biochar (10:1) led to a 95 % decolorization of AB7 (20 mg/L) within 40 min of reaction time. Moreover, considerable degradation efficiencies were achieved for various organic pollutants, including hydroxychloroquine (96 %), levofloxacin (81 %), phenazopyridine (80 %), and tilmicosin (67 %) with initial concentration of 20 mg/L within 120 min of treatment. The synergy factor and degradation turnover value of the sonocatalytic process for decolorization of AB7 were calculated to be 4.88 and 27.37 µmol/h.gcat, respectively. Trapping experiments were conducted to determine the roles of various reactive species in the sonocatalytic degradation process, and holes were found to be the dominant species. Furthermore, the generated intermediates were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis, which suggested a possible mechanism for the degradation process. A stable structure and acceptable reusability with a 16 % reduction in the decolorization efficiency after four consecutive sonocatalytic runs were observed for the 10:1 composite, suggesting a promising perspective for the application of the studied system in the efficient treatment of organic pollutants.

Mapping Brain Synergy Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: Understanding Individual Differences and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms.

To elucidate the brain-wide information interactions that vary and contribute to individual differences in schizophrenia (SCZ), an information-resolved method is employed to construct individual synergistic and redundant interaction matrices based on regional pairwise BOLD time-series from 538 SCZ and 540 normal controls (NC). This analysis reveals a stable pattern of regionally-specific synergy dysfunction in SCZ. Furthermore, a hierarchical Bayesian model is applied to deconstruct the patterns of whole-brain synergy dysfunction into three latent factors that explain symptom heterogeneity in SCZ. Factor 1 exhibits a significant positive correlation with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive scores, while factor 3 demonstrates significant negative correlations with PANSS negative and general scores. By integrating the neuroimaging data with normative gene expression information, this study identifies that each of these three factors corresponded to a subset of the SCZ risk gene set. Finally, by combining data from NeuroSynth and open molecular imaging sources, along with a spatially heterogeneous mean-field model, this study delineates three SCZ synergy factors corresponding to distinct symptom profiles and implicating unique cognitive, neurodynamic, and neurobiological mechanisms.

Arctic puffin optimization: A bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithm for solving engineering design optimization

In this paper, we innovatively propose the Arctic Puffin Optimization (APO), a metaheuristic optimization algorithm inspired by the survival and predation behaviors of the Arctic puffin. The APO consists of an aerial flight (exploration) and an underwater foraging (exploitation) phase. In the exploration phase, the Levy flight and velocity factor mechanisms are introduced to enhance the algorithm's ability to jump out of local optima and improve the convergence speed. In the exploitation phase, strategies such as the synergy and adaptive change factors are used to ensure that the algorithm can effectively utilize the current best solution and guide the search direction. In addition, the dynamic transition between the exploration and development phases is realized through the behavioral conversion factor, which effectively balances global search and local development. In order to verify the advancement and applicability of the APO algorithm, it is compared with nine advanced optimization algorithms. In the three test sets of CEC2017, CEC2019, and CEC2022, the APO algorithm outperforms the other compared algorithms in 72%, 70%, and 75% of the cases, respectively. Meanwhile, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test results and Friedman rank-mean statistically prove the superiority of the APO algorithm. Furthermore, on thirteen real-world engineering problems, APO outperforms the other compared algorithms in 85% of the test cases, demonstrating its potential in solving complex real-world optimization problems. In summary, APO proves its practical value and advantages in solving various complex optimization problems by its excellent performance.

The role of reputation to reduce punishment costs in spatial public goods game

In the traditional spatial public goods game (SPGG), punishment mechanisms are considered an effective strategy to promote cooperation. However, in traditional punishment models, the high cost of punishment leads to ineffective cooperation promotion when the synergy factor is low. Therefore, this paper decides to establish a punishment model based on reputation to reduce the cost of punishment, to solve the above problems. Cooperation strategy can accumulate reputation as evolution progresses, where the high-reputation punishing group, acting as the 'main force' of law enforcement, can obtain stronger expulsion capabilities by reducing costs, and the decrease in the revenue difference with ordinary cooperators brings stronger survivability. The research compares the new punishment mechanism with traditional punishment mechanisms, finding that under low synergy factors, the reputation-based punishment model is more likely to achieve cooperation, and after introducing the reputation mechanism, it significantly enhances the promotive effect of punishers on system cooperation.

Assessing the Impact of M&amp;As’ Motives Influencing the M&amp;A Decision Making Process in the UAE Banking Sector

A number of review studies have been conducted to provide valuable insights into the M&amp;A decision-making process in the banking sector and factors that could have a positive and effective impact on it. This study systematically reviews and analyses the decision-making process for M&amp;A and its related factors in 15 interviews with experts related to 10 M&amp;A transaction in UAE banking sector from 2005 to 2021. The main findings contain that the most frequent factors affecting M&amp;A decision-making are Regulation, Globalization, Technology and Economics. In addition, most of the M&amp;A decision-making relevance is also affected by the internal factors of Synergy, Agency &amp; Management Motives, Hubris Motives. The findings of this review study provide an overview of current studies and analyses of the M&amp;A decision-making process in the banking sector and the factors that affect it.

Enhanced norfloxacin removal from sludge by dielectric barrier discharge plasma synthesis with Fe3O4/g-C3N4

The excess sludge adsorbed with antibiotics poses a huge threat to the ecological environment and human health, and the removal of antibiotics from sludge was focused on. The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) coupled with Fe3O4/g-C3N4 to degrade norfloxacin (NOR) in excess sludge of wastewater treatment plant was studied, where Fe3O4/g-C3N4 was prepared through high-temperature calcination. At an input voltage of 90 V and at a current of 0.5 A, NOR concentration of 100 mg/kg total suspended solids (TSS), Fe3O4/g-C3N4 dosing of 100 mg/g TSS, and pH 6.94, the NOR degradation efficiency was 89.2 %, the energy yield was 1.98 mg/kWh, and the synergy factor of DBD with Fe3O4/g-C3N4 was 1.85. In this system, •OH, •O2−, h+, H2O2 and O3 played an important role in the degradation of NOR in sludge, and Fe3O4/g-C3N4 induced Fenton-like reactions using H2O2 generated by DBD and facilitated photocatalytic reactions with ultraviolet and visible light. There was a positive correlation between the NOR degradation efficiency and the sludge disintegration, and the sludge disintegration process released NOR from the solid phase to the liquid phase. Three possible degradation pathways and the toxicity evaluation of the intermediates were proposed based on the results of DFT and HPLC-MS. Additionally, the DBD/Fe3O4/g-C3N4 system improved the sludge disintegration and dewatering performance effectively.