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Occurrence and fate of eight kinds of selected endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in three sewage treatment plants (STPs) of Beijing, China was investigated. These EDCs, composed of 4-octylphenol (4-OP), 4-n-nonylphenol (4-n-NP), bisphenol A (BPA), estrone (E1), 17alpha-estradiol (17alpha-E2), 17beta-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), in every step of STPs, were simultaneously analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after derivatisation. All the EDCs were detected in the influents of three STPs, and BPA was the most abundant compound. The concentrations of EDCs ranged from 36.6 ng/l of 17alpha-E2 (STP C) to 1342.3 ng/l of BPA (STP B) in the influent sewages and from below limits of detection of E2 and E3 (STP C) to 142.5 ng/l of E1 (STP B) in the effluent sewages. The STPs could not remove alkylphenols effectively from the aqueous phase with less than 40% reduction. BPA decreased over 90%, and steroid estrogens achieved considerable reductions from 64.8% of E2 to 94.9% of E3. Generally, biological treatment was more effective in removing alkylphenols, BPA and natural estrogens from the aqueous phase than primary treatment. However, the synthetic estrogen, EE2, was mostly removed by the primary treatment with about 63.5% reduction. It is the first time that the concentration of 17alpha-E2 in the sewage of China was reported in this paper. The compound might have a bearing with the waste effluents of dairy farms around urban area of Beijing.

Twelve selected pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, analgesics, antiepileptics and lipid regulators were analysed and detected in water samples collected from 18 sampling sections along the three main urban rivers in Yangpu District of Shanghai, China during four sampling campaigns. Besides, algal growth inhibition test was conducted to preliminarily assess the eco-toxicology induced by the target pharmaceuticals in the rivers. Mean levels for most of target compounds were generally below 100 ng/L at sampling sections, with the exception of caffeine and paracetamol presenting considerably high concentration. The detected pharmaceuticals in the urban rivers ranged from

Copper (Cu) is the only known material that can efficiently electrocatalyze CO 2 to value-added multicarbon products. Owing to the instability of the Cu δ+ state and microscopic structure in reactions, Cu catalysts are still facing big challenges with low selectivity and poor durability, particularly at high current densities. Herein, we report a rational one-step surface coordination approach for the synthesis of Cu dendrites with an ultrastable Cu δ+ state and hydrophobicity (Cu CF), even after exposure to air for over 6 months. As a result, Cu CF exhibited a C 2 FE of 90.6% at a partial current density of 453.3 mA cm −2 in a flow cell. A 400 h stable electrolysis at 800 mA and even a ground-breaking stable operation at a large industrial current of 10 A were achieved in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) form. We further demonstrated a continuous production of C 2 H 5 OH solution with 90% relative purity at 600 mA over 50 h in a solid-electrolyte reactor. Spectroscopy and computation results suggested that Cu(II) carboxylate coordination species formed on the surface of Cu CF, which ensured the stability of the Cu δ+ state and hydrophobicity. As a result, rich active sites and a stable three-phase interface on the catalyst surface were achieved, along with the optimized *CO adsorption strength and adsorption configuration. The mixed *CO adsorption configurations on Cu CF made the *CO dimerization process easier, which promoted the conversion of CO 2 to C 2 products. This work provides a promising paradigm for the design and development of Cu-based catalysts with ultrahigh stability under industrial current densities.

The occurrence of nine different types of pharmaceuticals and caffeine were analyzed in various units of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their receiving rivers in Beijing, China. Analyte concentrations were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatograph‐tandem quadruple mass spectrometers (UPLC‐MS/MS) and multiple‐reaction monitoring. The studied pharmaceuticals and caffeine were found in all the WWTPs and receiving rivers. Their concentrations in the WWTP influents varied from 38 ng/L of sulpiride to 89.5 µg/L of caffeine, and those in the effluents ranged from 27 ng/L of sulpiride to 2.7 µg/L of erythromycin. Typically, the biological treatment appeared more effective in the removal of pharmaceuticals and caffeine than primary treatment in a WWTP. For an individual compound, the overall removal efficiency varied from one WWTP to the next. Mean values ranged from no removal of carbamazepine to 99.8% removal of caffeine. Most of the compounds in the receiving rivers were present at similar or higher concentrations compared to those in the WWTP effluents. The data set for this study does not include variations in concentrations along receiving waters because there were other point and nonpoint sources discharging to these rivers. The preliminary aquatic environmental risk assessment showed that carbamazepine, erythromycin, and trimethoprim is a potential chronic environmental risk in water bodies in Beijing, China, and is worth further investigation.

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The variation and fate of four endocrine‐disrupting compounds (EDCs) composed of 4‐n‐nonylphenol (4‐n‐NP), bisphenol A (BPA), 17β‐estradiol (E2) and 17α‐ethinylestradiol (EE2) were investigated along treatment units in a sewage treatment plant (STP), China with anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic activated sludge processes. The mean concentrations were 64.8 ng/L (E2), 115.3 ng/L (4‐n‐NP), 171.5 ng/L (EE2), and 920.7 ng/L (BPA) in the influents, and 22.8 ng/L (E2), 50.9 ng/L (4‐n‐NP), 49.9 ng/L (EE2), and 84.3 ng/L (BPA) in the effluents. The biological treatment was more effective in removing NP, BPA and E2 from the aqueous phase than the primary treatment, while the latter could effectively remove EE2. Their possible removal mechanisms during the biological treatment with activated sludge were further explored through spiked batch experiments under three oxygen‐supplying conditions (anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic). The batch experiments showed that 4‐n‐NP, E2 and BPA were removed from the aqueous phase through biodegradation. The combination of sludge sorption and biodegradation accounted for the removal of EE2. Anoxic activated sludge showed the most rapid degradation of 4‐n‐NP, while E2 could be removed most effectively by aerobic activated sludge, and sludge sorption had a remarkable effect on its removal within the initial 15 min of the experiments under three oxygen‐supplying conditions.

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