Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted extensive attention owing to their outstanding catalytic performance and nearly complete atom utilization efficiency. However, the environmental sustainability of SACs across their full life cycle has not yet been systematically investigated. This review emphasizes the necessity of integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) into SACs to support their sustainable development. By analyzing the structural characteristics, synthesis strategies, and representative application fields, this study examines how LCA principles can be employed to reveal the hidden environmental burdens associated with raw material extraction, synthesis processes, usage stages, and end-of-life management. Based on existing LCA case studies of catalytic materials, this review identifies the key challenges in the SACs field and proposes a preliminary framework for sustainable SAC design with LCA as a guiding approach. Finally, the review summarizes the current challenges and future perspectives, emphasizing that developing more specific evaluation standards, improving database construction, and adopting dynamic assessment methods are essential to shift LCA from a passive evaluation tool to an active design strategy that drives the green development of next-generation SACs.

The effects of groundwater table fluctuation (GTF) on the remediation of a petrochemically polluted riverside using soil vapor extraction (SVE) were investigated. The migration and transformation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (BTEX) in cases of natural attenuation, SVE without GTF, and SVE with GTF were simulated using the TMVOC model. The results showed that the optimized extraction well pressure and influencing radius of the target site were 0.90 atm and 8 m, respectively. The removal rates of BTEX in cases of natural attenuation, SVE without GTF, and SVE with GTF were 11.49%, 85.16%, and 97.33%, respectively. The removal rate of BTEX was maximized in the case of SVE with a GTF amplitude of 0.5 m to 1 m. The removal rates of benzene (99.99%), toluene (99.74%), ethylbenzene (96.37%), and o-xylene (94.72%) were maximized in the case of SVE with GTF. For the cases of SVE without GTF and SVE with GTF, mass losses of BTEX in gaseous (0.05 kg, 0.05 kg, respectively) and aqueous phases (5.46 kg, 5.87 kg, respectively) were consistent. However, the mass loss of BTEX in the non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) phase in the case of SVE with GTF (155.13 kg) exceeded that in the case of SVE without GTF (135.41 kg). This is because GTF positively affected both the solubility and volatility of BTEX in the NAPL phase. With the groundwater table decreasing, flows of gas and gaseous pollutants increased by 25% along the vertical section. At this stage, the removal rates of volatile organic compounds can be further improved by increasing the flow of the extraction well.

Membrane separation has become a key technology for advanced water purification and control of emerging contaminants because of its high separation efficiency, low chemical demand, and ease of integration. However, organic membrane fouling induced by the coupling of dissolved organic matter and coexisting metal ions remains a major obstacle to stable and efficient membrane operation. This review focuses on metal ion-mediated formation of organic aggregates in the bulk solution and their governing role in membrane fouling behavior. The review summarizes how metal ions regulate organic aggregate formation through distinct dominant mechanisms. Na⁺ mainly screens electrostatic repulsion, Ca²⁺ promotes ion bridging and cross-linking, and Mg²⁺ often induces weaker bridging or hydration-mediated effects due to its stable hydration shell. The review further discusses the dual effects of mixed foulants and dynamic fouling layers on the rejection of emerging contaminants. In addition, current control strategies, including pre-coagulation, pre-oxidation, and catalytic functional membranes, are evaluated from the perspective of regulating aggregate structures and interrupting interfacial deposition. Finally, future research should shift from membrane-interface-centered analysis to bulk-phase aggregation, establish quantitative structure–effect relationships between aggregate properties and fouling behavior, and promote fouling-control strategies from mechanistic effectiveness toward engineering practicality.