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[Display omitted] • The ultrathin Ni-phyllosilicate was successfully synthesized by ball milling method. • H 2 O 2 played a crucial role of pore-forming reagent to create defects in Ni-phyllosilicate. • Nickel acetylacetonate was the optimal nickel salt precursor to form Ni-phyllosilicate. • Metal utilization rate was significantly improved owing to the ultrathin defect-rich structure. • The optimum catalyst exhibited enhanced low-temperature activity for CO 2 methanation. To address the problems of low metal utilization rate and poor low-temperature activity of the nickel phyllosilicate catalysts for CO 2 methanation, this work prepared ultrathin defect-rich Ni-phyllosilicate through ball milling method in the presence of H 2 O 2 modifier, which simultaneously created active sites with more quantity and higher quality. The instantaneous temperature and high pressure derived from the collision and friction of grinding balls provided driving force for the Ni-phyllosilicate synthesis, and the shear force destroyed the interlayer forces to construct the ultrathin layers. H 2 O 2 molecule could insert the layers and dissociate to O 2 bubbles, whose cavitation effect created holes and defects in the nickel phyllosilicate nanosheets and SiO 2 spheres. H 2 O 2 amount was crucial for the defect construction and the optimum Ni-AA-1H catalyst possessed the ultrathin nanosheet of 0.68 nm and high Ni dispersion of 15.6 %, whose TOF CO2 reached 3.76 × 10−2 s−1 at 160 °C. The in-situ DRIFTS results confirmed the enhanced low-temperature activity and the HCOO− reaction pathway over Ni-AA-1H for CO 2 methanation. Nickel precursor effect was also investigated, and nickel acetylacetonate was determined as the optimal one compared with nickel acetate and nickel chloride, owing to the high steric effect of CH 3 COCHCOCH 3 − group and strong basicity environment during ball milling process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An anaerobic–aerobic-coupled upflow bioelectrochemical reactor was constructed. • Intermittent electrical stimulation mode promoted phenolics degradation. • Aerobic cathodic chamber showed high contribution to the phenolics removal. • Specific microbes were enriched in the cathodic and anodic chambers of the system. Phenolics were widespread in the effluents of coal gasification plants and oil refineries processes, while the impact of electrical stimulation on phenolics degradation in the combined biological processes remained unclear. Here, a novel anaerobic–aerobic–coupled upflow bioelectrochemical reactor (AO-UBER) was used to treat phenol-containing synthetic wastewater and simulated phenolic wastewater. The AO-UBER could treat phenolic compounds effectively via electrical stimulation. Phenol and total phenol removal efficiencies in the intermittently electrically stimulated system with a hydraulic retention time of 6 h were about 22.6% and 31.1%, respectively, higher than that in the biological system not exposed to voltage. The contribution of the aerobic cathodic chamber to the removal of phenolic compounds was higher than that of the anaerobic anodic chamber under the intermittent voltage application mode. High-throughput sequencing analysis indicated that electrical stimulation selectively enriched Acinetobacter , Cloacibacterium , Acidovorax, and Zoogloea in the phenol-containing synthetic wastewater treatment process, and Rhodococcus , Achromobacter , Chryseobacterium, and PSB-M-3 in the simulated phenolic wastewater treatment process. These results demonstrate that the AO-UBER under intermittent voltage application mode holds good potential for efficient phenolic wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An anaerobic–aerobic-coupled upflow bioelectrochemical reactor was constructed. • Intermittent electrical stimulation mode promoted phenolics degradation. • Aerobic cathodic chamber showed high contribution to the phenolics removal. • Specific microbes were enriched in the cathodic and anodic chambers of the system. Phenolics were widespread in the effluents of coal gasification plants and oil refineries processes, while the impact of electrical stimulation on phenolics degradation in the combined biological processes remained unclear. Here, a novel anaerobic–aerobic–coupled upflow bioelectrochemical reactor (AO-UBER) was used to treat phenol-containing synthetic wastewater and simulated phenolic wastewater. The AO-UBER could treat phenolic compounds effectively via electrical stimulation. Phenol and total phenol removal efficiencies in the intermittently electrically stimulated system with a hydraulic retention time of 6 h were about 22.6% and 31.1%, respectively, higher than that in the biological system not exposed to voltage. The contribution of the aerobic cathodic chamber to the removal of phenolic compounds was higher than that of the anaerobic anodic chamber under the intermittent voltage application mode. High-throughput sequencing analysis indicated that electrical stimulation selectively enriched Acinetobacter , Cloacibacterium , Acidovorax, and Zoogloea in the phenol-containing synthetic wastewater treatment process, and Rhodococcus , Achromobacter , Chryseobacterium, and PSB-M-3 in the simulated phenolic wastewater treatment process. These results demonstrate that the AO-UBER under intermittent voltage application mode holds good potential for efficient phenolic wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A facile method was developed to synthesize regenerable and H 2 O resistance sorbent for Hg0 removal. • The Ag nanoparticles were successively confined inside the mesoporous channels of MCM-41 molecule sieve. • The nanoconfinement effect is conducive to excellent Hg0 removal performance and regeneration ability. • The high hydrophobicity of Ag/MCM-41 is beneficial for the resistance to H 2 O. Abstract A facile passivation treatment and amino functionalized method was developed for controllable synthesis of effective and water-resistant Ag/MCM-41 composite sorbent for Hg0 removal in natural gas. The Ag nanoparticles were successively confined inside the mesoporous channels of MCM-41 molecule sieve with an average diameter of 3 nm. The synthesized sorbent was found to achieve a complete removal of Hg0 at high space velocity of 50,000 h−1 in ambient temperature. At 5% breakthrough, the Hg0 capture capacity of 1% (wt%) silver loaded Ag/MCM-41 was as high as 6.64 mg·g−1, which is much higher than the sample of Ag loaded outside of the pore channels (S-Ag/MCM-41) and other existing commercial sorbents. The H 2 O has negligible inhibitory effect on Hg0 removal performance of Ag/MCM-41. In addition, the spent Ag/MCM-41 could be easily regenerated without significant performance degradation over five cycles. We considered the high Hg0 capture efficiency, large adsorption capacity and excellent regeneration performance of Ag/MCM-41 are contributed to the nanoconfinement effect of mesoporous channels of MCM-41 molecule sieve which effectively prevented the growth and agglomeration of Ag nanoparticles. The good hydrophobicity of Ag/MCM-41 is beneficial for the high resistance to H 2 O. This work represents a giant step toward the preparation of effective sorbent for practical applications of Hg0 removal in natural gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous CeO 2 catalysts (CeO 2 -MOF) were synthesized by pyrolysis of Ce-MOF precursor (Ce-(1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid) (H 2 O) 6 ). Physicochemical properties of the samples were investigated by means of various techniques including XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, Raman, XPS, H 2 -TPR, O 2 -TPD and NH 3 -TPD, and their catalytic performance were evaluated by toluene combustion compared with commercial CeO 2 (CeO 2 -C) and CeO 2 prepared by precipitation method (CeO 2 -P). The results show that CeO 2 -MOF/350 catalyst (pyrolyzed at 350 °C) presents enhanced catalytic activity for toluene oxidation with the conversion of T 10% , T 50% and T 90% at 180, 211, and 223 °C, respectively (SV = 20,000 mL/(g h), toluene concentration = 1000 ppm). Especially for high-temperature region, CeO 2 -MOF/350 catalyst displays much superior ability to rapidly reach to 100% conversion compared to CeO 2 -C and CeO 2 -P catalysts which usually result in a much broader temperature region to achieve complete conversion of toluene. The high catalytic performance of CeO 2 -MOF/350 can be reasonably ascribed to a series of better properties, such as three-dimensional penetrating mesoporous channels, larger specific surface area, smaller average grain size, higher relative percentages of Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ and O Sur /O Latt , higher oxygen storage capacity, higher oxygen vacancy concentration, better low temperature reducibility, more active oxygen species and more acid sites. Furthermore, CeO 2 -MOF/350 catalyst presented excellent resistance to H 2 O deactivation and temperature change, and in situ DRIFTs study on CeO 2 -MOF/350 catalyst suggests that toluene degradation is proceeded in consecutive steps via rapid transformation to aldehydic and benzoate species to finally form CO 2 and H 2 O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost-effective cobalt oxides were synthesized at mild condition as alternatives to platinum catalyst for oxygen reduction in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The catalysts were prepared by heating Co(NO 3 ) 2 above its decomposition temperature together with carbon black (CB). At a catalyst loading of 5 mg/cm 2 , cobalt oxide cathodes with a Co(NO 3 ) 2 to CB ratio of 0.732:1 produced a maximum power density of 1220 mW/m 2 , which was slightly lower than that of Pt/C cathodes (1360 mW/m 2 ). Further increase in the loading of cobalt oxides resulted in an increase in performance. The maximum power densities produced by cobalt oxide cathodes increased to 1400 mW/m 2 at a catalyst loading of 20 mg/cm 2 and 1540 mW/m 2 at 30 mg/cm 2 , which outperformed the Pt/C control. The durability of cobalt oxide catalysts was comparable to that of Pt/C in single-chamber MFCs with biological contamination. The costs of cobalt oxide catalysts were much lower than that of Pt/C catalyst, even when the loading of cobalt oxides was several times higher than Pt/C catalyst. These findings show that the facilely synthesized cobalt oxides were cost-effective catalysts for oxygen reduction in air-cathode MFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater containing abundant organics and nutrient resources requires large energy input in conventional treatment technologies to reach the discharge standard and/or to recover nutrient resources. This study presents a self-sustaining advanced wastewater purification and in situ nutrient recovery process accomplished by a newly designed 10-liter-scale bioelectrochemical system containing membrane stack configuration, which was called an advanced microbial nutrient recovery cell (AMNRC). After subsequent treatments in the AMNRC’s anode, cathode and stacked desalination chambers, all the removals of organics and nutrient in the domestic wastewater were achieved higher than 95%, which represented <24.9 mg/L of chemical oxygen demand, <14.2 mg/L of total nitrogen (TN), <6.5 mg/L of ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 + -N), and <0.49 mg/L of total phosphorus (TP) were left in the final effluent. Three sequential treatment processes including anaerobic microbial degradation, aerobic microbial treatment, and electrical ion migration comprehensively facilitated the above removals. Meanwhile TN, NH 4 + -N and TP were concentrated in the recovery solution by 260%, 150%, and 490%, respectively. Ammonium and phosphate were then recovered as struvite during crystallization. The AMNRC was proved as an energy neutral approach to efficiently purify wastewater and simultaneously recover nutrient, the treatment processes were driven by the energy extracted from wastewater itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fixed-bed reactor was used to study the effect of water vapor on the efficiency of Hg 0 removal over CeO 2 -modified semi-coke. Adsorption experiments showed that the oxidation activity, and therefore, the mercury adsorption efficiency decreased with increasing water vapor concentrations. Hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H 2 -TPR) indicated that the oxidation activity of CeO 2 decreased after water vapor treatment. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) studies revealed that CeO 2 -H 2 O showed new bending vibration peaks at 1110 cm −1 ascribed to Ce–OH groups. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that the content of Ce–OH increased from 20.85% to 39.99%, while the lattice oxygen content decreased from 68.21% to 45.83% after water vapor treatment. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that H 2 O can be dissociated on clean and oxygen-defective CeO 2 (1 1 1) surfaces to form H atoms and OH fragments. The H atoms associated with the adjacent oxygen atoms of CeO 2 , and the OH fragments were bound directly with Ce atoms to form Ce–OH for the clean CeO 2 surface; or occupied the oxygen vacancies and were surrounded by three Ce atoms via van der Waals forces, without additional bond formation for the oxygen-defective CeO 2 surface. Thus, the formation of Ce–OH groups and the consumption of lattice oxygens reduced the Hg 0 removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Strong coupling was established between NiCo-DH and OAC by oxidation modification. • NiCo-DH@OAC exhibited excellent electrochemical performance for synergistic effects. • ASCs were demonstrated effective in solar panel integrated supercapacitors. NiCo double hydroxide (NiCo-DH) and oxidized activated carbon (OAC) were used to synthesize a three-dimensional (3D) NiCo-DH@OAC via hydrothermal method. OAC acts as the support for in-situ growth of NiCo-DH nanowires, and oxygen-containing groups on the surface of OAC are crucial for the uniform loading of NiCo-DH and keeping structural stability of the composites. Due to the synergistic effect between NiCo-DH and OAC, NiCo-DH@OAC presents an excellent specific capacitance (1990 F g−1 at 1 A g−1). The asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is assembled with NiCo-DH@OAC as the positive electrode and OAC as the negative electrode, and exhibits a superior energy density (46.5 Wh kg−1 at 800 W kg−1) and a cycling stability (90.7% after 10,000 cycles). Furthermore, ASC has been demonstrated effective in solar panel integrated supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen exists in municipal wastewater in the form of ammonia/ammonium which is a recoverable resource. Recovering nitrogen to improve nitrogen-use efficiency should be carefully considered to promote global environmental sustainability. However, ammonia/ammonium is always not well recovered but removed as one of the main pathways for nitrogen release into the environment, which is due to ineffective ammonia capture. In this study, a new method of ion-exchange resin ammonium recovery combined with membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI + IE process) pretreatment is proposed. Selective ion removal by MCDI is demonstrated and ammonium ratio to the total prior ion (K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ) in outflow of MCDI cell is respectively increased from ∼15% to over 30% and 45% after 3 and 5 MCDI cycles. The MCDI + IE process could deal with 2.48 and 3.89 times of inflow, respectively, compared with the single IE process after 3 and 5 MCDI charge–discharge cycles and recover more than 65% of ammonium in a resin regeneration cycle after 3 MCDI cycles. It ascribes to MCDI desalination eliminating the negative effects of divalent cations, such as Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ , on the IE absorb–desorb process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low-voltage electro-membrane bioreactor (e-MBR) for fouling alleviation was designed using stainless steel anodes and a membrane module containing titanium cathodes (Fe-MBR). The electric field was applied intermittently once the suction pump was stopped. Compared with another e-MBR with titanium anodes (Ti-MBR) and with one MBR without an electric field, the Fe-MBR had lower transmembrane pressure (TMP), less irreversible fouling and higher pollutant removals under an intermittent voltage of 2.72 V and current of 0.1 A. Coagulation was not obvious because no significant changes were observed in either particle size or zeta potential. The electric field induced backwash was confirmed, by the Ti-MBR, to be effective to suppress fouling. The electric field force might prevent the tight precipitation of foulant on the membrane’s surface and make the fouling layers looser and easier to be removed by aeration. Besides, a strong positive correlation was obtained between fouling indexes and total organic carbon of soluble microbial products (SMPs), suggesting that the reduction of SMPs in the Fe-MBR could have resulted in the fouling depression, and was related to the release of iron. Thus, the joint effects of the electric field force and the release of iron deducted foulant and irreversible fouling, and ultimately lessened the overall fouling. The energy consumption estimation showed 10% more electricity was consumed to make TMP reduce by 30%, indicating the Fe-MBR would be promising in application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel sorbent was prepared for simultaneous removal of H 2 S and Hg0 in natural gas. • H 2 S and Hg0 capacities of 1Cu1Zn/SBA-15 were 296.78 mg·g−1 and 12.75 mg·g−1 at 10% breakthrough. • The 1Cu1Zn/SBA-15 sorbent exhibited excellent the regeneration performance over 5 cycles. • the S n 2− formed by chemisorption of H 2 S are the active sites for Hg0 capture. Inspired by the fact that H 2 S can easily decompose on some metal oxides to form sulfur species and the resulting products are usually used as Hg0 removal active sites, a novel Cu-Zn mixed oxide supported SBA-15 zeolite was controllably synthesized for simultaneous removal of Hg0 and H 2 S. The Cu-Zn nanoparticles with a particle size range of 4.4–5.0 nm were successfully confined and uniformly dispersed in the two-dimensional mesopores of SBA-15. The obtained 1Cu1Zn/SBA-15 adsorbent presented an outstanding H 2 S and Hg0 removal efficiencies at 30 °C and 30,000 h−1, and the H 2 S and Hg0 capture capacities reached to 296.78 mg·g−1 and 12.75 mg·g−1 at a 10% breakthrough. In addition, the spent adsorbent could be regenerated in a 5% O 2 and 95% N 2 atmosphere at 600 °C without obvious degradation of adsorption capacities over five cycles. We considered that the doping effects of Cu-Zn oxides were beneficial for its excellent H 2 S and Hg0 removal performance at low temperatures, and the nano-confinement effect of SBA-15 was conducive to prevent the oxides nanoparticles from agglomeration in the regeneration process, thus achieving the outstanding regeneration performance. Furthermore, the polysulfide polymer formed by chemisorption of H 2 S on the Cu-Zn oxides surface was confirmed to be the Hg0 active sites, which could react with gaseous mercury to form HgS. This work provided an effective way for simultaneous removal of H 2 S and Hg0 in natural gas by confining nano-sized active metal oxides into the mesopores of zeolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Applying electric field suppressed membrane fouling rate of AnMBR. • Applying electric field decreased the deposition of organic foulants on membrane. • Contribution of electrophoresis to membrane fouling suppression was quantified. • Applying electric field improved mixed liquor filterability of AnMBR. • Mechanism of mixed liquor filterability improvement was analyzed. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is a promising technology for wastewater treatment. However, membrane fouling as an inevitable challenge restricts its application. Recently novel membrane fouling control technology by applying electric field in AnMBR showed its economics and effectiveness. Nevertheless, the mechanism of fouling suppression is still unclear, limiting the development of this technology. In this study, electro-AnMBR was constructed. Long-term running showed that applying electric field of 0.5 V suppressed the membrane fouling evolution rate by nearly 23% and reduced the organic foulants on membrane by nearly 10%. To clarify the mechanism of fouling suppression, the contribution of electrophoresis to membrane fouling suppression was quantified by theoretical calculation for the first time. Results showed that electrophoresis was approximately equivalent to backwash with a flux of 0.56 L/(m2·h). Besides, impact of electric field on mixed liquor filterability of AnMBR was first investigated by dead-end filtration. Results presented that electric field reduced the filtration resistance of mixed liquor by nearly 77%. Then mixed liquor properties analysis, electrochemical oxidation simulation tests and metagenomic analysis revealed that electric field might improve mixed liquor filterability by bioelectrochemical oxidation. Finally, novel mechanism of electric field suppressed membrane fouling was elucidated, including electrophoresis to drive off the foulants and mixed liquor filterability improvement. This study might contribute to better understanding for membrane fouling control by applying electric field in AnMBR, and was meaningful for technical development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Summary of cutting-edge researches on microbial electrochemical sensor. • Discussion versatility and limitations of the traditional bioanode sensing element. • Highlight to explore spatial structure and interfacial electrochemical characteristics. • Suggestions for improving the bioavailability of toxic agents. • Potential challenges in field test for water biotoxicity monitoring. The development of low cost, convenient, and efficient biosensors is critical for water biotoxicity monitoring. Microbial electrochemical sensors employ electrode-biofilm as the sensing element, and detect biotoxicity by tracking the electron transfer between electroactive microorganisms and electrodes under toxic stress. Use of such biosensors in the aquatic environment can provide an early warning for the presence of various toxicants. In this paper, cutting-edge studies on strategies to create high performance microbial electrochemical biosensors are reviewed, which have mainly focused on different sensing elements. Bioanode sensing element-based microbial electrochemical sensors have been successfully applied in the laboratory to detect various toxicants, and to diagnose typical anaerobic wastewater treatment processes. The abiotic cathode sensing element is also included, which is mainly based on the electrochemical reduction of target analytes or its inhibition of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The biocathode sensing element successfully solves the problems of low sensitivity and high false-negative rate, and recent advances and future perspectives in this field are highlighted. The limitations and potential solutions associated with the practical application of microbial electrochemical sensors for water biotoxicity monitoring are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A simple amorphous TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 composite photocatalyst was fabricated. • This photocatalyst has the excellent specific surface area and narrow band gap. • XPS and XAFS results suggest that Re(VII) should be mainly reduced to Re(IV). • It exhibits the extremely slow re-dissolution of Re(IV) when compared with P25. • This photocatalyst containing amorphous TiO 2 can be used for Tc elimination. Although effective photocatalytic removal for aqueous ReO 4 − (as a chemical analogue of TcO 4 −) have been established, photocatalysts are not satisfactory for further applications in term of low light harvesting efficiency and fast re-dissolution of ReO 2 · n H 2 O. Herein, the amorphous TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 composites are fabricated by a simple hydrolysis approach, producing the amorphous TiO 2 /30 wt% g-C 3 N 4 (TCN-3) composite with larger specific surface area (~456 m2 g−1), narrow band gap (~2.67 eV) and excellent light-capturing ability when compared with commercial P25. Lower recombination efficiency of photo-generated electron-hole based on the Z-scheme mechanism between amorphous TiO 2 and g-C 3 N 4 was demonstrated by electron paramagnetic resonance and photoelectrochemical analysis. In addition, the as-synthesized TCN-3 exhibits an excellent photocatalytic reduction of Re(VII) in ambient air with the highest removal percentage of ~90% as compared with crystalline TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 , and can be regenerated even after eight recycles. X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirmed that the extremely slow re-dissolution of Re(IV) resulted from both shortening of ReO 2 · n H 2 O chains (decrease in coordination number of Re-Re) and association of Re(IV) with amorphous TiO 2 in TCN-3 (formation of Re-Ti bond). The overall results further facilitate the photocatalytic reduction and elimination for rhenium/technetium, and open the wide-range applications for photocatalysis in the disposal of some radioactive elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ZVI showed its versatility for improving the performances of AnMBR. • Applying ZVI enhanced COD and TP removal, H 2 S removal. • Applying ZVI without electric field suppressed membrane fouling. • The occurrences of the iron ions in AnMBR were studied. • Iron ions releasing rate of ZVI is vital parameter for enhanced performances. Comprehensive insight into the long-term impact of applying zero valent iron (ZVI) in anaerobic membrane reactor (AnMBR) was conducted here. ZVI showed its versatility for enhancing the performances of AnMBR including COD and TP removal, H 2 S removal and membrane fouling suppression in this study, and the iron ions releasing rate of ZVI had great influence on the enhancing performances. Two iron ions releasing states were used including "with electric field" and "without electric field". Applying electric field could boost iron ions releasing rate by 12 times here. COD removal rate increased by 3% via coagulation effect with and without electric field. H 2 S in biogas was decreased from >500 ppm to <60 ppm via the formation of FeS precipitation with and without electric field. Applying ZVI with electric field increased the removal rate of TP by 50% via the formation of Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 , but applying ZVI without electric field did not change the TP removal due to the insufficient iron ions. Utilizing ZVI without electric field suppressed the membrane fouling rate by 20% via the improvement of mixed liquor filterability, however utilizing ZVI with electric field accelerated the membrane fouling rate by 17 times due to the formation of dense Fe-enriched fouling layer with server inorganic and organic fouling. This study provided a novel approach to improve the performances of AnMBR by utilizing versatile ZVI. Meanwhile, this study enclosed that the iron ions releasing rate of ZVI is vital technical parameter for its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A regenerable and H 2 S resistance Hg0 removal sorbent was synthesized using fulvic acid. • The Ag nanoparticles were confined and embedded in the carbon nanosheets. • The special core-shell structure of Ag/Fvs is beneficial for the tolerance to H 2 S. • The nanoconfinement of carbon layer is conducive to regeneration performance. The migration and agglomeration of Ag nanoparticles during high temperature regeneration processes were generally considered the key contributor for the decreasing of Hg0 removal performance over Ag-based sorbents. In this work, a complexation pathway was developed for controllable synthesis of Ag loaded carbon nanosheet (Ag/Fvs) using fulvic acid as template and carbon source. The elemental Ag nanoparticles were highly dispersed and embedded in the carbon nanosheet with an average diameter of 7.12 nm and formed a special core-shell structure. The synthesized sorbent achieved a complete Hg0 removal in H 2 S containing natural gas at ambient temperature. At 1% breakthrough, the Hg0 capture capacity of Ag/Fvs was as high as 1.36 mg·g−1, which is much higher than the sample prepared by traditional impregnation method (I-Ag/Fvs, 0.98 mg·g−1) and other existing commercial sorbents. More importantly, the spent Ag/Fvs could be easily regenerated by thermal treating process, its Hg0 capture capacity only slightly decreased by 5.8% after 4 cycles. We considered the carbon layer prevented Ag nanoparticles from poisoning by H 2 S, and more active sulfur sites for Hg0 capture could be formed on porous carbon nanosheets by chemical adsorption of H 2 S, which is beneficial for the strong tolerance to H 2 S. The excellent regeneration performance of Ag/Fvs mainly attributed to the nanoconfinement of carbon layer, which is conducive to prevent the agglomeration of Ag nanoparticles during high temperature regeneration processes. This work represented a practical and efficient pathway to utilize the cheap fulvic acid for applications of Hg0 removal in H 2 S containing natural gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]