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Here, we demonstrate an integrated fluidic sequential electrochemical system for effective water decontamination. The system consists of a Ti mesh anode deposited with nanoscale IrO 2 and a CNT filter functionalized with nanoconfined Fe 2 O 3. By conducting anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and 2e– oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) sequential electrolysis, our system enables sustainable O 2 generation at the anode, followed by transformation of O 2 into H 2 O 2 at the cathode, which then led to the production of 1O 2 in the presence of nanoconfined Fe 2 O 3. No chemical inputs were needed nor side products occurred during the whole sequential electrochemical processes. The effectiveness of the system was evaluated using tetracycline as a model emerging contaminant. Recirculating at 3 mL min–1, the system exhibited negligible iron and iridium leaching (≤0.01 mg L–1) and high tetracycline degradation efficiency (≥95%). Such excellent efficacy can be maintained across a wide pH range and in complicated water matrices. [Display omitted] • An "O 2 self-feeding" fluidic bipolar electrochemical system was designed. • The system combines oxygen/water (O 2 /H 2 O) redox couple. • The system shows negligible Fe and Ir loss and high organic degradation efficiency. • The essential role of 1O 2 was identified toward selective organic degradation. • No chemical inputs were needed nor side products occurred during the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen vacancies (OVs)-rich α-Ni 0.2 Fe 1.8 O 3 with dual metal sites was synthesized by Ni2+ isomorphously substituted α-Fe 2 O 3 to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for aceclofenac (ACF) degradation. A novel insight was proposed for the overlooked role of H 2 O in the surface-complexed process between PMS and unsaturated metal sites induced by OVs. The surface-bond SO 4 ∙- and ∙OH were demonstrated as the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS). In situ ATR and Raman spectra revealed the reaction of HSO 5 - with the surface metal sites by replacing the surface-bonded -OH. The DFT study revealed the spontaneous formation of hydrolyzed -OH on OVs (∆G=−1.45 eV), which was further replaced by HSO 5 - to complex with metal sites (∆G=−3.58 eV). The O Ⅰ of the H-O Ⅰ -O Ⅱ -SO 3 - was more readily bonded with the Ni or Fe sites around OVs, causing the O-O cleavage for SO 4 ∙- generation. This study proposed a brand-new perspective for the interfacial behavior of PMS activation. [Display omitted] • The α-Ni 0.2 Fe 1.8 O 3 with rich oxygen vacancies can excellently activate PMS. • The surface-bond SO 4 ∙- and ∙OH played a major role in the degradation of ACF. • HSO 5 - was mainly bonded to metal sites by replacing surface -OH groups. • The interfacial mechanism for PMS activation by α-Ni 0.2 Fe 1.8 O 3 was proposed. • The degradation pathway of ACF by α-Ni 0.2 Fe 1.8 O 3 /PMS system was deduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singlet oxygen (1O 2) plays a crucial role in Fenton-like reactions due to its high efficiency and selectivity in removing trace organic pollutants from complex water matrices. Defect engineering, which allows the efficient exposure of active sites and optimization of electronic structures, has rapidly emerged as a fundamental strategy for enhancing 1O 2 yield. Herein, we introduce tunable sulfur vacancy (V S) density into Co 9 S 8 catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The modulation of the octahedral Co (CoS 6) and tetrahedral Co (CoS 4) electronic structures by V S triggers the unexpected selective generation of 1O 2. The V S /PMS system exhibits excellent resistance to interference and highly selective degradation of electron-donating organic pollutants. Experimental and theoretical calculations revealed a new evolutionary route for 1O 2 involving two phases (Phase I: HSO 5 − → *O, Phase II: *O + HSO 5 − →*OO → 1O 2). This study provides a molecular-level understanding of V S -mediated catalytic selectivity for high-efficient decontamination applications. [Display omitted] • Co 9 S 8 catalysts with tunable V S was fabricated to PMS activation for contaminants degradation. • The optimized V S /PMS system achieved 1O 2 -dominated degradation mechanism. • Regulation d-band center of Co-3d orbital boosted the process of HSO 5 − adsorption and activation. • Combining experiment and DFT results revealed a new evolutionary route of 1O 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anode graphite was recovered from a spent lithium ion battery (LIB) and reutilized as a carbon precursor to obtain graphene-based materials. Characterization results revealed that impurities were removed from the obtained graphite powder by cleansing processes. The as-synthesized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) from the purified graphite (LIB-rGO) demonstrated excellent catalytic ozonation activity against organic pollutants removal. To probe potential catalytic active sites, LIB-rGOs with different defective levels but similar oxygen contents were synthesized. Catalytic ozonation tests revealed that a higher defective level resulted in a greater catalytic activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation further demonstrated that ozone molecules could spontaneously decompose into active oxygen species on graphene structural vacancies and edges, which consolidated the role of defective structure in catalytic ozonation activity. Meanwhile, we discovered the pollutant-structure-dependent behavior of dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the aid of radical scavenging tests and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. For phenolic pollutants vulnerable to direct ozone attacking, superoxide radicals (O 2 − ) and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) were found to be responsible ROS, whereas hydroxyl radicals ( OH) were identified as the principle ROS for aliphatic organic pollutants destruction. This study not only put forward a possible way for reutilization of waste LIB anode, but also stepped further for investigating the catalytic ozonation mechanism towards the graphene-based materials including the active sites and the generation of ROS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing catalysts with high efficiency and excellent interference tolerance for practical application remains a challenge in catalytic ozonation process. Herein, the surface Vo-rich catalyst was successfully prepared by lattice-doping Co into zinc ferrite spinel, which exhibited efficient mineralization of recalcitrant organic pollutants. The contaminants removal was mainly attributed to the nonradical-based oxygen species of surface atomic oxygen (*O) rather than traditional hydroxyl radical (· OH). The experiments and DFT calculation results revealed that Vo was the main active sites for adsorption of ozone and production of *O. The O-O in ozone was dissociated at Vo, trigging the formation of *O. In addition, the Vo-driven nonradical catalysis showed high resistance to the coexisting ions (200 mM Cl-, SO 4 2- and NO 3 -) and exhibited excellent performance for actual wastewater treatment. This work provides a novel strategy to regulate the oxidation pathways in catalytic ozonation process for efficient mineralization of pollutants in complicated water matrices. [Display omitted] • The oxidation pathway can be regulated by the introduction of Vo. • Vo acted as the main active sites for the adsorption and activation of ozone. • The nonradical species of *O played major role in pollutants removal. • The catalyst with enriched Vo exhibited efficient mineralization of ibuprofen. • Vo-driven nonradical catalysis showed high resistance to the coexisting ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palladium recycling offers a sustainable and economic approach to meet the rising global demand of this precious yet naturally scarce metal. Here, we demonstrate a new recovery concept that utilizes a bipyridine-based adsorptive membrane (AM) based on covalent organic frameworks (COFs). This approach enables selective recovery of palladium via local coordination and electrostatic interaction, followed by in situ reduction to form a palladium nanolayer within the COF AM. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that palladium nanoparticles with narrow size distributions were evenly enriched and localized within the continuous, 33-nm-thick COF nanofilm. This palladium enrichment step further provided high catalytic activity (99.9 % conversion of 4-nitrophenol) to the nanofilms, which maintained an ultrahigh water permeability (226.0 L m−2 h−1 bar−1). These multifunctional properties outperform state-of-the-art catalytic membranes. This study opens new directions in recovering and repurposing palladium waste into catalytic membranes, using COF membranes that efficiently decontaminate water. [Display omitted] • The COF-based adsorptive membrane enabled selective capture of precious palladium. • Theoretical calculations showed an annular Pd distribution along the COF pore wall. • Palladium NPs were evenly localized within the continuous, 33-nm-thick COF nanofilm. • The COF-based catalytic membrane exhibited unprecedented catalytic performance. • These catalytic membranes show superior antibacterial activity against E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A perovskite LaCoO 3 functionalized Ti 4 O 7 reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) was developed for electro-enhanced peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation (E-REM-PMS), addressing limitations in wastewater treatment efficiency, reusability, and interference resistance. It achieved 100% carbamazepine (CBZ) removal at a rate constant of 39.69 min−1, 233 and 23 times of electro-REM (E-REM) system without PMS and REM-PMS system without electricity. In-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) highlighted the promotion of electro-activation on PMS, while density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidated mechanism differences under three adsorption configurations. 1O 2 (2.97×10−9 M), SO 4 • − (2.09×10−11 M) and •OH (7.36×10−12 M) dominated the E-REM-PMS system, consistent with sequence of reactive species by DFT results. Continuous treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater confirmed 100% CBZ removal and 60%-70% TOC mineralization at ultrahigh water flux (642.86 L/m2·h) with minimal energy consumption (0.01 kWh/m3·order). This work proposed a high-performance and anti-fouling REM, offering an efficient and economical solution for wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • LaCoO 3 /T 4 O 7 REM achieved ultrafast CBZ removal in 10.6 s (100 %, k = 39.69 min−1). • ROS quantification and DFT calculation revealed the main role of 1O 2 , SO 4 • − and •OH. • In-situ FTIR proved synergistic effect of LaCoO 3 /T 4 O 7 REM, electric field and PMS. • This work showed high water flux (636.62 L/m2·h) with minimal energy consumption. • Long-term test in pharmaceutical wastewater clarified its practical applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfate radicals (SO 4 •-) reactivity against gram-negative (E. coli) and gram-positive (E. faecalis) bacteria and Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) (Diclofenac-DCF, Sulfamethoxazole-SMX and Trimethoprim-TMP) was investigated through laser flash photolysis (LFP) technique. Analysis of the lifetime of SO 4 •- in presence of cell-wall compounds of bacteria and CECs allowed determining reactivity of SO 4 •- towards these compounds. Results showed that SO 4 •- reacts with common cell-wall components through H-abstraction mechanism (k SO4•− < 108 M-1s-1). By contrast, k SO4•− > 109 M-1s-1 were found using aromatic amino acids (AAA) only present in Porins of the gram-negative outer-membrane. The intermediates detected from the reaction of SO 4 •- with the AAA confirmed the involvement of electron transfer processes. Moreover, k SO4•− values determined for DCF, TMP and SMX also agreed with an electron transfer mechanism. Interestingly, bacteria and CECs removal at pilot plant scale by UV-C/SO 4 •- is in accordance with the k SO4•− obtained using the LFP: E. coli > E. faecalis and DCF > TMP ≅ SMX. [Display omitted] • LFP as a tool to investigate SO 4 •- reactivity towards biological and chemical targets. • SO 4 •- reacts through H abstraction with the cell wall constituents with k SO4•−,Q of 107 M-1s-1. • SO 4 •- reacts by e- transfers with amino acids, making gram negative bacteria more susceptible to SR-AOP. • CECs quickly reacted with SO 4 •-, showing k SO4•− of 109 M-1s-1 through e- transfer mechanism. • UVC/PS results at pilot plant scale confirm feasibility of SR-AOP to decontaminate and disinfect water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a critical review on the application of magnetite-based catalysts to industrial wastewater decontamination by heterogeneous Fenton oxidation. The use of magnetic materials in this field started only around 2008 and continues growing increasingly year by year. The potential of these materials derives from their higher ability for degradation of recalcitrant pollutants compared to the conventional iron-supported catalysts due to the presence of both Fe(II) and Fe(III) species. In addition, their magnetic properties allow their easy, fast and inexpensive separation from the reaction medium. The magnetic materials applied up to now can be classified in three general groups: magnetic natural minerals, in-situ -produced magnetic materials and ferromagnetic nanoparticles. A survey of the catalysts investigated so far is presented paying attention to their nature and competitive features in terms of activity and durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report an integrated reduced graphene oxide/polypyrrole hybrid aerogel with highly efficient photodegradation performance and ultrahigh solar-powered water evaporation for simultaneous freshwater production and decontamination from complex wastewater. The nanohybrids were successfully fabricated by the combined hydrothermal reduction and freeze-drying process. The π-π interactions between two components not only prevent the stacking of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets to endow aerogels with abundant water transport channels and ideal mechanical stability, but also facilitate the interactions with organic molecules to realize high removal efficiency toward volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The wide-spectrum light harvesting, photothermal effect and solar-driven photocatalysis in the hybrid aerogel are beneficial for the synergistically enhanced thermal-assisted photodegradation toward VOC-contaminated water with a water evaporation rate of 2.08 kg m−2 h−1 and a phenol removal efficiency of 94.8%. Our findings may help the development of novel functional nanostructures for applications in environmental remediation and solar steam generation. [Display omitted] • An integrated graphene/polypyrrole hybrid aerogel was successfully fabricated. • π-π conjugation prevents the self-stacking of graphene and endows high rigidity. • The aerogel demonstrates high efficiency for pollutant degradation and water evaporation. • The superior activity is ascribed to the synergy of photocatalysis and photothermal effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Thin silica sheathed iron nanoparticles were synthesized in a Mg-aminoclay solution. [•] An iron-to-aminoclay ratio of 7.5 in synthesis yielded optimal surface coatings. [•] Coated iron nanoparticles were smaller and non-aggregating compared to uncoated. [•] Coated iron nanoparticles reduced nitrate 350-fold faster than uncoated. [•] Coated nanoparticles appeared more suitable for groundwater remediation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Anchoring cobalt on sandwich-like 2D MXene shows synergistic effect on PAA activation. • Highly efficient degradation of 2,4-DCP is observed at neutral condition. • Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene substrate accelerates recycling of ≡ Co(III)/≡ Co(II). • Acetylperoxyl radical is primarily responsible for contaminant degradation. • The Co@MXenes/PAA process was unaffected by water matrices. A novel Co@MXenes catalyst with unique structure was prepared through randomly anchoring cobalt on 2D sandwich-like MXenes to activate peracetic acid (PAA) for water decontamination. Compared to the conventional Co 3 O 4 nanomaterial, the Co@MXenes catalyst exhibits superior performance for PAA activation under neutral condition. In-depth investigation revealed that the Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene substrate triggered the ≡ Co(III)/≡ Co(II) cycle, which greatly enhanced the activation of PAA. The XPS and ICP techniques further demonstrated that Co@MXenes was highly stable with extremely low cobalt ion leaching and hence a superior reusability was obtained. Moreover, acetylperoxyl radical (CH 3 CO 3 ) was identified as the primary radical species responsible for organic micropollutants degradation, exhibiting high selectivity towards contaminants containing electron-rich groups. The novel technology exhibited a high tolerance of Cl− and good performance in real wastewater treatment. This work provides a promising effective catalyst for PAA activation and will facilitate PAA application in wastewater decontamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) Au/CeO2-Co3O4 catalysts were created via a precursor thermal decomposition-assisted colloidal crystal templating method. The 3DOM Au/CeO2-Co3O4 catalysts possessed well-defined 3DOM structures with adjustable pore sizes, and their compositions, phase structures, and surface elemental valence states can be well controlled by solely adjusting the Ce/Co molar ratio. Moreover, the nanoporous walls with pore sizes around ∼3–4nm were created in 3DOM Au/CeO2-Co3O4 catalysts through the thermal decomposition of Co and Ce oxalate precursors during the preparation. The 3DOM Au/CeO2-Co3O4 catalysts exhibited superior catalytic activity for formaldehyde (HCHO) catalytic oxidation into CO2 and H2O with a 100% conversion rate at temperatures as low as ∼39°C. A catalytic mechanism of the synergistic effect between CeO2 and Co3O4 supports, which greatly accelerates the surface active oxygen migration and activates the Au species, was proposed for explaining the enhanced HCHO catalytic oxidation over 3DOM Au/CeO2-Co3O4 catalysts. The well-controlled method for creation of 3DOM Au/CeO2-Co3O4 catalysts with nanoporous walls could be adopted for generation of other catalytic materials with mixed macroporous and mesoporous structures. The superior catalytic activity of 3DOM Au/CeO2-Co3O4 catalysts makes them potentially applicable to indoor HCHO decontamination and industrial catalysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Macrocyclic porphyrin-like compounds known as phthalocyanines (Pcs) have been shown to produce singlet oxygen species upon illumination with light of an appropriate wavelength. Singlet oxygen is an effective agent for complete oxidation of common water-soluble pollutants including chlorinated phenols. The most active are, in this respect, phthalocyanines bearing Al, Zn and Si central atoms. Although these compounds were proofed to be virtually non-toxic, the presence of the Al3+ and Zn2+ ions may contradict this. On the other hand e.g. iron phthalocyanine (FePc) does not represent any danger from this point of view. However, due to the specific coordination of its central metal ion and also because of the number of electrons occupying its valence orbitals, the FePc cannot be effectively activated by the photon flux. Here we report on an alternative system in the dark. It is based on the initial catalytic decomposition of various peroxo substances by metal Pc, producing oxidising species which can decompose chlorinated phenols. A series of Pcs and peroxo substances were compared and the reaction system optimised. It was shown that the highest activity was revealed for the system comprising of FePc and tert-butylhydroperoxide. Iron phthalocyanine was also successfully immobilised on an Al2O3 solid matrix, and this heterogeneous system was tested analogously to the homogeneous one. Virtually zero leaching of the anchored complex was detected and the activity was found to be comfortably high. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A high concentration (1.5×106 cm−3) TiO2 aerosol of the average particle size 0.5μm was generated by a sonic method inside 0.1m3 Plexiglas chamber and applied for the adsorptive and adsorptive-photocatalytic purification of air from vapors of acetone and chemical agents’ model dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP). The adsorptive capture of acetone over the TiO2 aerosol results in establishing equilibrium adsorption state and is limited by the rate of the aerosol admission into the chamber. A model derived from the Langmuir isotherm describes well the acetone concentration vs. aerosol mass curve and allows obtaining the adsorption constant and monolayer coverage of acetone in a 10min experiment. The UV irradiation of TiO2 aerosol accelerates dramatically the purification from acetone at the high relative humidity (RH) of the air. Increased RH of air decreases the rate of the acetone adsorption but has a little positive effect on the rate of photocatalytic oxidation of acetone over aerosol particles. The DMMP adsorption over TiO2 aerosol is accompanied by the immediate (τ <10s) and irreversible hydrolysis of DMMP with the formation of gas phase methanol and adsorbed methyl methylphosphonic acid. The irreversible reactive adsorption results in the very fast air purification (τ =20–40s) due to very small diffusion distances of substrate to the TiO2 surface in aerosol. The increase of the air RH from 4 to 37% (296K) decreases the rate of adsorption but accelerates significantly the rate of photocatalytic oxidation. The complete air purification from organic compounds within 10min is possible only with the photocatalytic oxidation because the adsorption alone does not remove methanol. The time needed for the air purification over the nanosized TiO2 aerosol is directly determined by the rate of the aerosol generation which allows a further optimization of the TiO2 aerosol air purification. The obtained results approve experimentally a suggestion that the photocatalytic oxidation over solid atmospheric aerosols actually takes part in the Earth atmosphere and serves as an important sink for airborne organics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A combined solar photo-Fenton and biological treatment is proposed for the decontamination of a mixture of five commercial pesticides commonly used in intensive agriculture Vydate (10% Oxamyl), Metomur (20% Methomyl), Couraze (20% Imidacloprid), Ditimur-40 (40% Dimethoate) and Scala (40% Pyrimethanil). Photo-Fenton experiments were conducted in a solar pilot reactor consisting of four compound parabolic collectors in which the pesticide mixture was treated at an original dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of 200mg/L in the presence of Fe2+ or Fe3+ concentration of 5, 20 and 55mg/L. Ferrous ions were marginally more active than ferric in terms of active ingredient degradation, which followed zero order kinetics, more so in the early reaction stages. Photo-Fenton was also far more effective (by at least two orders of magnitude) than the respective dark reaction under identical experimental conditions. Irradiation for 50–100min (normalized at 30W/m2 light intensity) at 20mg/L Fe2+ was able to completely eliminate the active ingredients, and reduce DOC by about 15–50% and COD by 40–70%, respectively. At these conditions, ecotoxicity to the marine bacteria V. fischeri was substantially lessened, while aerobic biodegradability in tests with activated sludge was enhanced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A highly reactive and permeability lossless N-rGO-Ceramic membrane is fabricated. • Interface catalytic mechanism is derived by clustering effect of free electrons. • Self-cleaning behavior of N-rGO-CM is in situ removal of surface membrane fouling. • N-rGO-CM obtained superior and long-lasting performance for purify effluent water. An efficient permeability lossless catalytic ceramic membrane (N-rGO-CM) fabricated from nanoporous nitrogen-doped reduced-graphene-oxide (N-rGO) with tunable interface properties was designed, in which homogeneously embedded highly active doped N gathers free electrons from membrane interface to produce more OH. The resulting degradation rate constant (k obs) toward p -chlorobenzoic-acid/benzotriazole in N-rGO-CM with ozone was 3.95/3.22 times that of the CM with ozone. Results showed that main self-cleaning behavior of N-rGO-CM was in-situ degradation of surface membrane fouling. Increasing thickness and roughness of skin layer synergistically enhanced interfacial catalytic performance of N-rGO-CM, but decreased self-cleaning performance. Increasing hydrophobicity enhanced N-rGO-CM performance, but was correlated with target compound polarity. The designed N-rGO-CM overcame the inhibiting eff ;ect of reactions between radicals and impurities in effluent of WWTPs, and demonstrated exceptional efficiency in removal of ketoaldehydes, the precursors of halogenated hydrocarbons and haloacetic acids. This study will aid the development of carbon-based catalytic membranes for water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Electrochemical wastewater and soil treatments are exciting set of technologies. • These approaches can be largely improved if powered by renewable energy sources. • Details of renewable energy driven electrochemical technologies is presented. • Use of renewable energy can facilitate the commercialization of these technologies • These approaches can also provide portable water for rural communities. Electrochemical wastewater and soil treatments are exciting set of technologies that has been well-studied over the recent years as one of the most-effective remediation techniques for the removal of hazardous pollutants from liquids effluents and soil. The main requirement of these technologies is electricity and their sustainability can be largely improved if they are powered by renewable energy sources. Likewise, this green energy powering can help to apply these technologies in remote areas, such as rural communities in developing countries, where no electricity grid is available. This review presents a comprehensive discussion on fundamental concepts and applications of renewable energy driven electrochemical technologies for treating hazardous pollutants in wastewater and contaminated soils. In the first section, the fundamentals of different electrochemical remediation technologies are presented, whereas the next two sections focused on the most applied technologies for powering these electrochemical devices: the solar photovoltaic (PV) (Section 3) and the wind turbines (Section 4). After that, the non-near future is faced with the study of the principles of biomass energy production and how bioelectrochemical systems are starting to be evaluated for powering electrochemical technologies (Section 5). Then, new approaches in the renewable energy driven electrochemical technologies such as triboelectric nanogenerators and photocatalytic fuel cells are described in Section 6. The last section focused on the challenges expected for the near future, describing the most promising storage system and evaluating the scale-up, environmental and economic concerns of the technologies studied in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel membrane was constructed for the first time. • Efficient and simultaneous water evaporation and decontamination were achieved. • Synergic actions towards the high performances were identified. • Insights into the in-situ photodriven obtaining of clean water were approached. Construction of semiconductor-based membranes accommodates new routes for photothermal conversion and in-situ decomposing of pollutants in solar light-driven evaporation. In this work, a novel photocatalyst composed of MoO 3- x , BiOCl, and carbon nanotubes was surficial deposited on cellulose acetate membrane. High capillary pressure (∼600 kPa) guaranteed an effective capillary rise of water from hydrophilic membrane matrix. The water was extruded into ultra-fine droplets with a saturation vapor pressure as high as ∼1.75 × 105 Pa and a heat flux as much as ∼2.11 × 10−3 W mm−2. Moreover, the top-surficial film can harvest sufficient solar photons to generate charge carries, and the surface temperature of membrane can quickly increase to higher than 50 °C by thermalization through carriers relaxation, transference, and recombination on specific sites. Simultaneously, pollutants in water are efficiently decomposed by effectively separated charge carriers on designed spots. Synergistically, a steam generation rate of ∼7.75 kg m−2 h−1 was acquired and an almost complete removal of RhB and toluene was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]