Water Sources Research Articles

Remarks on sustainable disposal and potential reuse of greywater in an informal urban settlement, Cape Town, South Africa

Background The disposal of greywater is a challenge for informal urban settlements that do not have a reticulation system to collect the wastewater they generate. Greywater, which includes domestic wastewater, represents a potential resource that can alleviate water stress if efficiently managed. This study aimed to provide sustainable disposal and potential reuse of greywater produced using informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa. Greywater has the potential to contribute significantly to food security in such settlements by providing a source of both irrigation water and toilet flushing. Methods A combination of desktop research and interviews was employed to gather and analyze the data. A total of 69 questionnaires were administered in the study, and greywater management practices were investigated. Results The findings showed deficiencies in the sustainable disposal of greywater from households. To understand the volumes of greywater generated from a household, a model has been proposed in the study, as there has been a lack of focus on making predictions that quantify the volume of greywater recovered from these households. Conclusions In the context of sustainable development, water management, and considering the scarcity of water resources, particularly in semi-arid regions, the use of treated greywater is an alternative method that can reduce the burden of withdrawals. The study has demonstrated that socio-economic status and education level has reciprocal outcomes on the communities’ understanding of environmental issues. Eliminating inappropriate disposal and providing means to sustainable reuse of greywater effluent is the key.

Hutan Nagari Simancuang: Pengelolaan Hutan Skema Perhutanan Sosial di Kabupaten Solok Selatan

The aim of this research is to describe and explain social forestry scheme forest management in Jorong Simancuang, South Solok Regency, West Sumatra Province. The research method uses a descriptive approach with data collection through interviews. The Infoman consists of the Nagari Forest Management Institute (LPHN), the Social Forestry Business Group (KUPS), community leaders, companions of the Indonesian Conservation Group (KKI) Warsi and the Farmers' Group. The results of this research show that social forestry is present in the Jorong Simancuang Village community, strengthening the legitimacy of the community's desire to protect their forests as a source of water for agriculture and forests as a source of farming economy.

The Relationship of Hand Washing Behavior and Type of Latrine with Stunting Incident

Stunting is a linear growth disorder in which a child's body is very short based on height-for-age with a Z-score threshold of < -2 SD. Silalahi sub-district has a stunting prevalence above 30%. Multi-dimensional factors, including environmental factors, cause stunted. Environmental factors that cause stunting are the mother's personal hygiene, sanitation, clean water, and drinking water sources. This study aimed to determine the relationship between washing hands with soap and latrine ownership with stunting in toddlers. Observational study with a case-control design in Silalahisabungan District, Dairi Regency. All stunted toddlers were taken as cases (78), and 78 toddlers were selected as controls, which were selected using systematic random sampling. The study results showed that there were stunting toddlers, namely 84 6% with the behavior of washing hands with soap did not meet the requirements, and 44.9% of toddlers suffering from stunting were in the age range of 21-40 months. Bivariate analysis using the chi-square test showed an effect of Handwashing with Soap (p=0.002, OR=2.727) and Latrine Ownership (p=0.001, OR=3.048) on the incidence of stunting in toddlers. Management of stunting events requires good coordination and collaboration between health workers, the government, and the community in reducing risk factors.

Investigating Taste and Odour Characteristics in a Drinking Water Source: A Comprehensive 3-Year Monitoring Study.

The monitoring of drinking water quality is a vital public health concern together with taste and odour (T&O) episodes, an emerging global problem causing a loss of public trust to the quality of water. Our objective was to monitor water quality of an important drinking water source and also the production dynamics of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) which cause taste and odour problems in the lake. The trophic status of the lake was classified as mesotrophic. 2-MIB was positively correlated temperature while geosmin was positively correlated with depth. Other physicochemical parameters related with water quality did not show significant correlation with geosmin and 2-MIB. The highest 2-MIB and geosmin concentrations were detected during the thermal stratification period in 2016 and 2018 by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Cyanobacteria and Actinobacteria were detected in geosmin & 2-MIB detected samples as potential taste and odour producers by PCR. Selected samples were analysed with metabarcoding and Planktothrix, Pseudanabaena, Cyanobium, Streptomyces, and Nocardioides were detected as potential geosmin & 2-MIB producers. Micrococcus, Rhodococcus, Acinetobacter, Comamonas, Novosphingobium, Sphingopyxis, Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Stenotrophomonas and Flavobacterium were identified as potential geosmin & 2-MIB degraders. The results highlighted the significant role of the autochthonous bacterial community, temperature and thermal stratification in the taste and odour dynamics of a drinking water source.

Assessment of radioactivity levels and dose metrics in coastal drinking water sources of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, India

Assessment of radioactivity levels and dose metrics in coastal drinking water sources of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, India

Exploring the experiences of the overburden of water collection responsibility of rural women in Ghana

ABSTRACT Despite evidence emphasizing women's responsibility for collecting water in sub-Saharan Africa, more needs to be known about the gender-specific consequences of this obligation, especially in rural Ghana, where water inaccessibility is a persistent issue. Employing a community-based case study, this research aimed to explore the gendered consequences of women's water collection responsibility, using a coupled systems framework. Data were gathered from surveys and focus groups and analysed statistically and thematically, respectively. Key findings highlighted intersecting influences in women's water access and collection difficulties, including distance to water sources, poverty, and health issues. Results revealed that over 50% of women experienced multiple consequences, including physical and psychological injuries (>80%), animal attacks (≤12%), spousal violence (>40%), nutritional challenges (>30%), hygiene problems (>40%), and socioeconomic issues (>50%). Over half faced three to seven intersecting water-related consequences, which intensified their difficulty in accessing and collecting water. Differences were observed across sub-communities. Interestingly, not all men had knowledge of these consequences, highlighting the crucial need to broaden their understanding as part of the solution to ease women's burdens. Addressing sociocultural norms and the various factors influencing access through effective and gendered water management and planning is imperative to alleviate women's burdens and improve equitable access.

EXISTENCE AND HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS OF AEDES SPP. LARVAE IN TAMAMAUNG VILLAGE, MAKASSAR CITY

Tamamaung Village is one of the endemic areas for Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever(DHF) in Makassar City. The research was aimed to analyze the existence and characterize of the breeding habitat for Aedes spp.,larvae. This research uses an exploratory descriptive method with a cross sectional design. The population in the study were artificial and natural containers located inside and outside of 100 houses in Tamamaung Village. Samples were taken using a simple random sampling method. Collection of Aedes spp. larvae using the singlelarvae method. Univariate analysis results showed that the types of Aedes spp.,larvae found at the research location were Aedes aegyptias many as 55 (76.4%), and A.albopictusas many as 17 (23.6%), and the House Index(HI), Container Index(CI)and Breteau Index(BI)values in Tamamaung sub-district were 52% (DF=7), 27.38% (DF=6) and 72 (DF=6) respectively. This situation falls intothe high density category. The results of bivariate analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between type (p=0.025), location (p=0.003), water storage container material (p=0.000), water source (p=0.000), water volume (p=0.000), and lighting (p=0.001) with the presence of Aedes spp.,larvae, in Tamamaung Village, Makassar City. The existence of Aedesspp.,larvae. in a habitat is related to the type, location, materials, water source, water volume and lighting insidethe water storage containers. It is hoped that the results of this research can provide new data for community health centers in providingmore intensive information to the community so that people know the existence and characteristics of breeding places for the A.aegyptimosquito, especially in water storage containers both inside and outside the house so that they do not have the potential to become nesting places. Aedes aegyptimosquitoes and the density of A.aegyptimosquitoes can be reduced.

Nafion/graphite-bismuth nanoplate with a vibration unit for portable heavy metal ion detection

Contamination of natural resources, particularly water sources, by heavy metal ions, even at low concentrations, poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health, underscoring the importance of developing sensors with point-of-use (POU) applications. To that end, a vibration-unit-equipped portable electrochemical system (vPES) capable of extremely sensitive detection of Pb2+ and Cd2+ in water is reported herein. The vibration unit enhances sensitivity by facilitating sample diffusion, and its compactness makes it suitable for point-of-use applications through mobile phone connectivity. The system also integrates Nafion and a graphite/bismuth-nanoplate-functionalized screen-printed carbon electrode to detect heavy metals efficiently. The approach implemented in this study and validated through experiments and simulations suggests that vibration-based mixing leads to 540 % and 511 % higher Pb2+ and Cd2+ detection efficiencies, respectively, than those in the absence of vibration. Additionally, the sensor exhibits the limits of detection of 0.98 and 1.65 nM for Pb2+ and Cd2+, respectively, in laboratory environments. Samples collected from the Nakdong River in Korea and real environmental specimens—freshwater, soil, and serum—validate the detection performance. Overall, this study highlights the potential of vPES as a rapid, sensitive POU sensor for heavy metal detection, thereby bolstering environmental and public health monitoring efforts.

Biogenic fabrication of spinel nickel ferrite imprinted on Bifurcaria bifurcata Macro-Alga activated carbon for the adsorption of ciprofloxacin and metronidazole

The rise in globalization and industrialization has led to an increase in population, increasing improperly treated discharge containing dyes, pharmaceuticals, pesticides etc in the water bodies. This has led to the need to remove these contaminants from water sources. The NiFe@BBAL adsorbent was developed and analyzed using various techniques such as FTIR, XRD, SEM, and XPS. The effectiveness of the NiFe@BBAL in adsorbing Ciprofloxacin (CIP) and metronidazole (MET) in water was tested. The adsorption of CIP and MET, both individually and in mixtures, was studied. The kinetic sorption experiments showed that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model, with a higher R2 of 0.9934 for MET compared to 0.9916 for CIP. This suggests that the rate-limiting step is chemisorption. The primary adsorption mechanisms for both CIP and MET were hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic interactions, while CIP also involved electrostatic and metal complexation interactions. The NiFe@BBAL effluent showed no toxic effects on bacteria, indicating that no harmful material was leached in the effluent. The NiFe@BBAL demonstrated excellent performance and stability in removing 97.64% CIP and 97.62% MET in single contaminant experiments, and 57.33% CIP and 70.69% MET in cocktail mixture experiments. This can be attributed to the smaller structure of MET compared to CIP, allowing it better access to the active site, leading to higher adsorption. Furthermore, the repeated use of the adsorbent proved to be stable in the removal of CIP and MET over five cycles, demonstrating that the material is sustainable and suitable for large-scale experiments.

Exploring the photocatalytic breakdown of organic pollutants using intercalated ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites

The increasing prevalence of organic pollutants in water sources necessitates the development of efficient and cost-effective photocatalysts for their degradation. ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely studied for their photocatalytic properties; however, their application is hindered by low photocatalytic efficiency and high recombination rates of photogenerated carriers. This manuscript explores the enhanced photocatalytic performance of intercalated ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites (NCs), synthesized through a combination of co-precipitation and Stöber methods, as a solution to these challenges. A comprehensive analysis of the structural, optical elemental and Morphological properties of both ZnO NPs and ZnO/SiO2 NCs was conducted using various characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–Vis spectrometry and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Through, XRD analysis, the calculated crystallite sizes of ZnO NPs and ZnO/SiO₂ NCs were found to be 36 nm and 39 nm respectively. TEM images illustrated that the ZnO NPs and ZnO/SiO₂ NCs have crystallized in elongated spherical morphology. XPS and FTIR analyses provided the signature band details the presence of Cu and Si in their Zn2⁺ and Si⁴⁺ oxidation states. The optical bandgap energies were calculated to be 3.38 eV for ZnO NPs and 3.22 eV for ZnO/SiO₂ NCs. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of the ZnO/SiO2 NCs achieved an impressive degradation rate of 92 % for Rhodamine B (RhB), compared to a relatively lower rate of 81 % for pure ZnO NPs for the degradation of RhB under visible light due to its lower bandgap, high surface area, and lower electron-hole recombination rate. BET surface area measurements revealed that ZnO nanoparticles have a surface area of 11.234 m2/g, while ZnO/SiO₂ NCs show 57.118 m2/g, highlighting SiO₂'s enhancement. The NCs demonstrated exceptional reusability for degradation, sustaining high efficiency across multiple cycles. Its ability to scavenge superoxide radicals highlighted the effectiveness of the ZnO/SiO₂ NCs in environmental remediation, especially for wastewater treatment.

Iman Peoples Water Sovereignty: Extractive Industries in Central Queensland

The coal seam gas (CSG) industry has rapidly expanded in the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) over the past two decades, significantly impacting groundwater ecosystems and Indigenous communities that rely on these water sources for cultural, spiritual, and practical purposes. This article examines the intersection of Water Sovereignty, extractive industries, and key issues such as Social License to Operate (SLO), Indigenous Peoples' rights, informed consent, and the legal doctrine of Aqua Nullius. Through an Indigenous perspective, this research illuminates the multifaceted dimensions of water governance and the complexities that arise from the interactions between Indigenous stakeholders, industries, and regulatory frameworks. Through interviews with Elders of the Iman Peoples in central Queensland, the research highlights how current SLO frameworks neglect Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and fail to uphold ethical standards necessary for protecting Indigenous cultural continuity. Water security is a primary concern, with Traditional Owners emphasizing the need to safeguard surface and groundwater for future generations. This research informs policy at local and national levels while contributing to global discussions on Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and cultural heritage protection. It calls for integrating Indigenous knowledge and rights into water governance, promoting respect, equity, and sustainability in managing natural resources.

Ecotoxicological effects of pharmaceutical preparations and the possibility of removing them through phytoremediation: A review

From several decades, there was a significant increase in the production of pharmaceuticals due to their widespread use for both animal and human health. However, these pharmaceuticals also release large amounts of waste into the water environment, where they have been found at levels of ng/l to mg/l in wastewater and surface water. Additionally, because pharmaceuticals initially have biological effects such endocrine disruption, they may have a multitude of adverse effects. Hospitals are indicated or thought to be a significant and extremely variable source that is typically released into sewers immediately, without any kind of preparation. even if they only make up a minor portion of the influents of sewage treatment plants' overall effluent volume. One of the primary sources of pharmaceuticals that are present in every area of the environment is the hospitals. These medications were transferred to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which lack the necessary equipment to effectively handle these kinds of substances. Pharmaceutical contamination of water is regarded as a growing pollution issue in developed nations as these pollutants and micropollutants have been introduced into drinking water sources. In order to raise awareness among physicians, patients, and pharmaceutical manufacturers that pharmaceutical materials may have side effects outside of the patient, certain countries have implemented a classification system for pharmaceutical drugs based on their propensity to accumulate in surface water and interfere with aquatic life. This program is assessed by yearly tests of pharmaceuticals in sewage treatment effluents. The results indicate the presence of numerous types of medicines, including trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, and metronidazole, in all analyzed sewer treatment plant effluents. The manufacturing and consumption of pharmaceuticals appear to have an impact on their presence in wastewater.

Effects of different surface water flow frequencies on water use characteristics of Tamarix ramosissima in the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert

Tamarix ramosissima is a dominant species in desert ecosystems and an ecological barrier species in arid areas, playing a crucial role in stabilizing dunes and preventing desertification. In this study, river water, groundwater, soil water, and T. ramosissima individual samples were collected from three sites in July and October 2023 at the Daliyaboyi Oasis located at the tail of the Kriya River in the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert. The three sites are referred to as the center (SE), west (SW), and north (SN) sites within the Daliyaboyi Oasis, and each experienced different flood frequencies. The SE site experienced flooding in July and October, the SW site experienced flooding only in July, and the SN site experienced no flooding in July or October. The spatial and temporal variation in hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes and line-conditional excess (lc-excess) in water and plant samples were analyzed, and the potential changes in water use of T. ramosissima were analyzed by the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope and MixSIAR model. The findings indicated that the slope of SWL at the SE, SW, and SN sites was higher in July (6.77, 6.42, and 3.05, respectively) than in October (7.37, 3.30, and 2.14, respectively). The lc-excess value of the SE site did not exhibit seasonal changes; only the lc-excess values of soil water in SW and SN sites showed seasonal changes. MixSIAR results indicated frequent flood events at the SE site, with relatively constant proportions of water source utilization by T. ramosissima in July and October. In addition, shallow soil water (0–60 cm) and deeper soil water (60–80 cm) were the main water sources of T. ramosissima at SE. The SN site was slightly influenced by surface water, resulting in statistically non-significant changes in the water source utilization by T. ramosissima. Indeed, deep soil water (60–200 cm) and groundwater were the sources of water for T. ramosissima at this site. In contrast with October, the SW site experienced flood events in July, resulting in the utilization of water by T. ramosissima from the shallow soil (0–60 cm) and deep soil (60–280 cm) in July and October, respectively. Different surface water flow patterns led to different water use characteristics of T. ramosissima, which further demonstrated that T. ramosissima has high resilience and ecological plasticity. This work provides a useful reference for the implementation of effective ecological water transport measures in the Daliyaboyi Oasis and similar arid habitats.

Strategi Pemasaran Air Minum dalam Kemasan di Pondok Pesantren Riyadhus Samawi

In general, some of the community's drinking water needs can be sourced from well water and water that has been treated by the Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM). However, the increasing demand for drinking water sometimes cannot be met by well water sources or water that has been treated by PDAM. Along with technological advances, accompanied by increasingly busy community activities today tend to choose a more practical way at a relatively low cost in meeting drinking water needs. One of the alternative ways to fulfill drinking water needs is by using mineral water products. Marketing is a process of preparing integrated communication that aims to provide information about goods or services in relation to human needs. The marketing carried out at the Riayadus Samawi Islamic Boarding School is still very simple, namely from word of mouth to the congregation. So that Yarisa Drinking Water has not been sold widely like bottled drinking water in general because the majority of consumers are still worshipers and the neighborhood around the cottage. The purpose of this community service is to contribute thoughts and training, especially to the manager of Yarisa drinking water regarding the importance of analyzing marketing strategies for a company in an effort to market its products so that these products can be accepted by the public and distributed widely. The PKM process carried out at the Riyadus Samawi Ludoyo Blitar Islamic Boarding School consists of three stages, including: first, problem identification with a study carried out by the PKM team, Yarisa drinking water managers, cottage administrators, cottage caregivers, and cottage owners to find out the quality and development of Yarisa drinking water marketing strategies. The second stage is the implementation of PKM by holding a seminar with the theme “Marketing Strategy for Bottled Drinking Water at Riyadus Samawi Islamic Boarding School” and attended by Yarisa drinking water managers and students and board members. The third stage is monitoring and evaluation of whether the bottled drinking water marketing strategy delivered by the PKM team has been implemented in Yarisa drinking water. The results of this PKM are socialization and assistance regarding bottled drinking water marketing strategies and making several marketing and motivational programs so that in the future Yarisa drinking water owned by Riyadus Samawi Islamic Boarding School can be marketed widely.

Navigating the definition of urban flooding: a conceptual and systematic review of the literature

ABSTRACT Urban flooding is a significant global challenge, posing risks to urban planners, policymakers, and communities. This paper reviews the literature to analyze how urban flooding is defined across scientific disciplines. Our objectives are to uncover the elements used to define urban flooding and evaluate how these elements can impact future research and practice. A key difficulty is the lack of a consistent, comprehensive definition that captures both physical and social dimensions of urban flooding. Current definitions often focus solely on physical aspects (e.g., rainfall, infrastructure) or social impacts, rarely integrating both. This fragmentation hinders effective flood risk management and interdisciplinary collaboration. Our contribution is a multifaceted definition incorporating spatial and social concerns, including water origins, built environment characteristics, and local community aspects. We introduce the "Urban Water Transect" concept to illustrate the continuum of flood risk across urban zones, addressing a gap in the literature. The analysis reveals that many papers discuss flooding causes without providing an explicit definition. Urban flooding is predominantly defined based on water source, imperviousness, and drainage infrastructure. Future research should adopt an interdisciplinary perspective considering both physical and social aspects, potentially transforming urban flood risk management.

Testing tree-ring cellulose δ18O with water isotopes for Holocene lake δ18O interpretations in the central Rocky Mountains USA

Stable isotopes of water preserved in geologic archives, primarily as oxygen (δ18O), have proven critical for documenting Earth’s climatic and hydrologic systems past and present. However, timescale differences of water isotope inputs to proxy systems and the signal embedded in long paleorecords often confound translation to observed hydroclimatic metrics. Here, a unique 20-year dataset of meteorology, hydrology, and the isotopic composition of weekly meteoric and surface water samples (δ18O, δ2H) are combined with paleoclimate δ18O data from tree-ring cellulose and lake carbonate to better understand proxy signals of Upper Colorado river basin drought. Annual tree-ring cellulose δ18O from Picea engelmannii growing within a glacier-fed creek and a spring discharge area were used to derive annual source water δ18O using a cellulose source-water isotope model. Comparisons with the monitoring record indicates that tree-ring cellulose δ18O tracks variations in wet and dry hydroclimatic extremes. Source water isotopes are shown to reflect the hydroclimate of the current year and some number of previous years as an effective moisture-discharge proxy rather than a precipitation isotope proxy. Results contextualize Holocene lake carbonate δ18O data. The contemporary-to-paleo comparison identifies changes in seasonal precipitation extremes during recent millennia and several earlier arid and monsoon-dominated Holocene periods that exceed the arid maximum of the calibration period.

ERMƏNİSTANIN AZƏRBAYCANA QARŞI EKOLOJİ TERRORU

Since 1988, 20% of Azerbaijan's lands have been occupied as a result of the war waged by Armenia to pursue its territorial claims against Azerbaijan. After a long occupation, during the 44-day Patriotic War and 24-hour local anti-terrorist operations, our lands, which had been in the hands of the enemy for almost 30 years, were liberated by our brave Army. However, in the territories we liberated from occupation, the enemy left behind ruins and an environmental disaster. For almost 30 years, Armenia deliberately tried to destroy our nature, carried out environmental terrorism against Azerbaijan, spontaneously exploited natural resources, including our occupied territories, polluted drinking water reservoirs with industrial waste, and disrupted the ecological balance of the environment. During the occupation, the enemy committed the great¬est acts of vandalism on our lands; the occupying forces destroyed forests, national parks, nature reserves, valuable trees and other rare examples of biodiversity. The rivers that are the source of Azerbaijan's drinking water are contaminated with chemical, biologi¬cal and other radioactive waste flowing from the territory of Armenia. Over the past years, contamination of water sources flowing from the occupied territories has led to the death of valuable fish species and the depletion of fish stocks. 7 ecologically important relic lakes and 10 reservoirs in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan were subject to serious anthropogenic impact from the occupying Armenia.

Recent Advances (2018–2023) and Research Opportunities in the Study of Groundwater in Cold Regions

ABSTRACTIncreasing greenhouse gas levels drive extensive changes in Arctic and cold‐dominated environments, leading to a warmer, more humid, and variable climate. Associated permafrost thaw creates new groundwater flow paths in cold regions that are causing unprecedented environmental changes. This review of recent advances in groundwater research in cold environments has revealed that a new paradigm is emerging where groundwater is at the center of these changes. Groundwater flow and associated heat and solute transport are now used as a basis to understand hydrological changes, permafrost dynamics, water quality, integrity of infrastructure along with ecological impacts. Although major advances have been achieved in cold regions' cryohydrogeological research, the remaining knowledge gaps are numerous. For example, groundwater as a drinking water source is poorly documented despite its social importance. Lateral transport processes for carbon and contaminants are still inadequately understood. Numerical models are improving, but the highly complex physical‐ecological changes occurring in the arctic involve coupled thermal, hydrological, hydrogeological, mechanical, and geochemical processes that are difficult to represent and hamper quantitative analysis and limit predictive capacity. Systematic long‐term observatories where measurements involving groundwater are considered central are needed to help resolve these research gaps. Innovative transdisciplinary research will be critical to comprehend and predict these complex transformations.

Effect of Fluoride Contamination in Public Drinking Water Sources in villages of Arasikere taluk, Hassan District, Karnataka, India

Effect of Fluoride Contamination in Public Drinking Water Sources in villages of Arasikere taluk, Hassan District, Karnataka, India

Nanoarchitectonics of Nickel Nitride‐V2CTX Mxene: An Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Alkaline Water/Seawater Applications

AbstractSeawater, being the most plentiful natural water source worldwide, is a highly abundant and cost‐efficient medium for producing hydrogen by alkaline water electrolysis. However, the advancement of seawater electrolysis is hindered by notable impediments caused by chloride corrosion at the anode and the simultaneous chlorine evolution process. Only a limited number of non‐noble electrocatalysts demonstrate noteworthy bifunctional catalytic efficacy and long‐term durability. In this regard, Nickel Nitride tailored V2CTX Mxene nanostructures is reported as a bifunctional catalyst for overall water/seawater applications. The optimized sample Ni3N@3000‐V2CTx exhibits low overpotential values of 90 and 300 mV in acidic and alkaline + seawater solutions respectively at 10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution reaction. Similarly, this catalyst shows 70 and 240 mV overpotential values in alkaline water and alkaline + seawater solutions respectively at the same current density for oxygen evolution reaction. Synergetic effects of Multiple Vanadium and Nickel valency along with compelling nitrogen bonds creates elevated density of exposed functional sites for electrocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the notable electrochemical active surface area and mass activity suggest an enhanced and significant presence of abundant active sites. Additionally, the high stability and significantly decreased charge transfer resistance expedited the overall water/seawater‐splitting reaction rate.