The Water Status in China and an Adaptive Governance Frame for Water Management

Enzyme hybrid nanoflowers and enzyme@metal-organic frameworks composites: fascinating hybrid nanobiocatalysts

Hybrid nanomaterials have recently emerged as a new interface of nanobiocatalysis, serving as a host platform for enzyme immobilization. Enzyme immobilization in inorganic crystal nanoflowers and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has sparked the bulk of scientific interest due to their superior performances. Many breakthroughs have been achieved recently in the preparation of various types of enzyme@MOF and enzyme-hybrid nanoflower composites. However, it is unfortunate that there are few reviews in the literature related to enzyme@MOF and enzyme-hybrid nanoflower composites and their improved synthesis strategies and their applications in biotechnology. In this review, innovative synthetic strategies for enzyme@MOF composites and enzyme-hybrid nanoflower composites are discussed. Enzyme@MOF composites and enzyme-hybrid nanoflower composites are reviewed in terms of biotechnological applications and potential research directions. We are convinced that a fundamental study and application of enzyme@MOF composites and enzyme-hybrid nanoflower composites will be understood by the reader as a result of this work. The summary of different synthetic strategies for enzyme@MOF composites and enzyme-hybrid nanoflower composites and the improvement of their synthetic strategies will also benefit the readers and provide ideas and thoughts in the future research process.

Interfacial Solar Evaporation: From Fundamental Research to Applications

In the last decade, interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG), powered by natural sunlight garnered significant attention due to its great potential for low-cost and environmentally friendly clean water production in alignment with the global decarbonization efforts. This review aims to share the knowledge and engage with a broader readership about the current progress of ISSG technology and the facing challenges to promote further advancements toward practical applications. The first part of this review assesses the current strategies for enhancing the energy efficiency of ISSG systems, including optimizing light absorption, reducing energy losses, harvesting additional energy, and lowering evaporation enthalpy. Subsequently, the current challenges faced by ISSG technologies, notably salt accumulation and bio-fouling issues in practical applications, are elucidated and contemporary methods are discussed to overcome these challenges. In the end, potential applications of ISSG, ranging from initial seawater desalination and industrial wastewater purification to power generation, sterilization, soil remediation, and innovative concept of solar sea farm, are introduced, highlighting the promising potential of ISSG technology in contributing to sustainable and environmentally conscious practices. Based on the review and in-depth understanding of these aspects, the future research focuses are proposed to address potential issues in both fundamental research and practical applications.

Effects of different colors of film mulch on soil temperature and rice growth in a non-flooded condition

BACKGROUND

Rice cultivation under film mulching with no flooding is widely used as an effective water-saving technology. Different colors of film mulch have different effects on the soil hydrothermal environment and crop growth because of their different optical properties. However, the effects of different colors of film mulch on soil temperature and rice physiological growth are not clearly understood.

RESULTS

Field experiments were conducted in 2019 and 2020 to investigate the effects of different color mulches on soil temperature and rice growth in a non-flooded condition. Transparent film (TM), black film (BM), two-color film (BWM, silver on the front and black on the back), and no film (NM) in a non-flooded condition were designed. Soil temperature variation at different soil depths of 0-0.25 m and rice plant height, stem thickness, dry matter, yield and quality were monitored. The results showed that compared to no mulching, the mulching treatment effectively increased the average soil temperature during the whole rice growth stage with the soil temperature ranked TM > BM > BWM. Compared with NM, the BM and BWM treatments increased rice yield by 12.1-17.7% and 6.4-14.4% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The BWM had 18.2% and 6.8% greater gel consistency than NM in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Transparent film should be applied with care because of the high soil temperature stress. Black film and two-color film (silver on the front and black on the back) could be better option for rice yield, increasing and quality improving in a non-flooded condition. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Eichmann Lake Wetland in Aksu River Basin and Its Response to Ecological Water Supply

Timely understanding and quantitative analysis of the changing trend in natural ecosystems in arid and semi-arid areas and their response to the ecological water supply process are of great significance for maintaining the health of oasis ecosystems. Taking the Eichmann Lake wetland of the Aksu River Basin in Xinjiang as the research area, the temporal-spatial distribution characteristics of the lake and the response of ecological water in recent years were studied based on remote sensing images and monitoring data. The results show that: (1) The water surface area of Eichmann Lake is shrinking, from 61.57 km² in 1996 to 27.76 km² in 2020. The changes in water surface area have experienced three stages: rapid decline, slow decline, and slow recovery. After the ecological water supply, the water surface area has obvious seasonal changes with hysteresis; (2) In areas with a low average water level, the ecological water supply has a significant impact on the groundwater level. The higher the water supply is, the higher the groundwater level will be. There is a significant lag effect between the change in the groundwater level and the response of the ecological water supply, which is 1-2 months; (3) The response characteristics of different natural vegetation to the ecological water supply were different in interannual, seasonal, and spatial contexts. The response of Populus euphratica to the ecological water supply is obvious, and its growth is the best within the range of 100-500 m from the water supply outlet. This research can provide the basis for the rational allocation of the Aksu River Basin's water resources, and also act as a valuable reference for the restoration and reconstruction of surrounding vegetation in the Aksu River irrigation area.

Virtuous Cycle: An Idea of Water Resources Management and Top-Level Planning

Facing the conflict between human activities and the ecological environment, this study proposes a “Virtuous Cycle” concept of water resource management and top-level planning. By analyzing and summarizing typical experiences from both macro-policy and micro-practice, the characteristics and mechanisms of the Virtuous Cycle are discussed. According to the analysis method of “Problem-Attribution-Goal-Task-Measures” (PAGTM), taking the “Five Water Governance” water management project in Zhejiang Province of China as a case study, the specific measures and technical framework of the Virtuous Cycle are explored. This study hopes to provide a reference for the top-level planning and path design of harmonious and sustainable natural-social water resources management.

Risk Assessment of China’s Water-Saving Contract Projects

In order to alleviate the problem of water shortage, the Ministry of Water Resources of China proposed a Water-Saving Contract (WSC) project management model in 2014, which is similar to the Energy Performance Contract (EPC). In this context, this research aims to explore the applicability of China’s WSC projects by risk assessment, and to help promote WSC projects in China. Different from traditional risk assessment, this paper takes into account the uncertainty of the EPC project’s risks, and adopts the multielement connection degree set pair analysis to evaluate both the level and trend of the risks. The results show: (1) the overall risk of China’s WSC projects is low, so WSC projects are very suitable for promotion in China. However, the overall risk shows a trend of decelerated ascent, which shows that there are some potential high-risk factors in China’s WSC projects; (2) among the many risks of the WSC projects, audit risk, financing risk, and payment risk are at a high-risk level; market competition risk is at a medium-risk level; the remaining risks are at a low-risk level; (3) among the medium and high risks, audit risk, financing risk, and market competition risk have a trend of accelerated ascent, while payment risk has a trend of decelerated decline; in low risks, inflation risk has a trend of decelerated ascent, while the remaining risks have a trend of accelerated decline.