The recent rise of red tide harmful algal blooms has induced ecosystem degradation, economic losses, and aquaculture damage, yet little is known on prevention and mitigation of red tides. Actual control methods involve physical, chemical, and biological processes, with varying success. Here, we review physical, chemical, and biological control methods applicable to red tide species in marine and estuarine

Worldwide contamination of waters by metals, metalloids, and organometallic pollutants is a major health issue. In particular, the occurrence of the selenium metalloid at rather high concentrations in the environment, especially in the water compartment, is of increasing concern, notably in developing countries. Selenium is difficult to remove from groundwater and industrial effluents because selenium

Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases causing deaths of millions of people worldwide. Since actual cancer treatments are rarely efficient and often toxic, there is a demand for innocuous and more effective anticancer drugs. For instance, metal/metal oxide nanoparticles allow controlled drug release and drug delivery to specific targets. In particular, medicinal plant-based metal nanoparticles appear

Chloramphenicol is a broad-spectrum bacterial antibiotic used against conjunctivitis, meningitis, plague, cholera, and typhoid fever. As a consequence, chloramphenicol ends up polluting the aquatic environment, wastewater treatment plants, and hospital wastewaters, thus disrupting ecosystems and inducing microbial resistance. Here, we review the occurrence, toxicity, and removal of chloramphenicol

Because many engineered nanoparticles are toxic, there is a need for methods to fabricate safe nanoparticles such as plant-based nanoparticles. Indeed, plant extracts contain flavonoids, amino acids, proteins, polysaccharides, enzymes, polyphenols, steroids, and reducing sugars that facilitate the reduction, formation, and stabilization of nanoparticles. Moreover, synthesizing nanoparticles from plant

Environmental and ecological degradation can be monitored by biological indicators such as plants, yet little research has been done using subterranean organisms such as collembola, especially in cities. Collembola, a soil fauna group, can be used to assess soil quality and to decipher assembly rules of soil organisms in cities. Here, we review 75 articles on soil collembola in an urban context. We

Biosensors are gaining interest in biomedical and environmental sciences. In particular, graphene-based biosensors are promising due to the unique properties of graphene. Here we review the synthesis, characterization, and applications of graphene in enzymatic sensors, immunosensors, DNA sensors, and wearable sensors. Graphene displays advantages such as biocompatibility and oxygenated functional groups

Rising energy needs and the exhaustion of fossil fuels are calling for renewable fuels such as dihydrogen (H2), commonly named 'hydrogen.' Biomass treatment produces glycerol, which can be further used to generate dihydrogen or syngas. Here, actual challenges comprise the design of efficient and economically viable catalysts for attaining high hydrogen yield and minimizing coke deposition. Here, we

Developing high-efficiency and stable photocatalysts able to accomplish spontaneous overall water splitting, without using sacrificial agents, is the ultimate goal of photocatalytic solar–hydrogen production. Metal-free polymeric carbon nitride (CN) has emerged as a promising alternative for photocatalytic water splitting, owing to its excellent physicochemical properties. In the past decade, various

Accurate measurements of pesticide levels in the environment are necessary to set policies, yet actual analytical methods are limited by the use of toxic solvents and tedious procedures. Here, we used a thermo-switchable deep eutectic solvent, a mixture of oleic acid and lidocaine in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction to improve the extraction of four organophosphorus pesticides and five pyrethroids

Wastewater treatment generates increasing amounts of unwanted sewage sludges, calling for advanced recycling methods. Here, we transformed sewage sludge into activated carbon by molten salt synthesis with ZnCl2. We analyzed the structure and specific surface area of sludge-derived activated carbon by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. Results show that the

Black-odorous waters are an increasingly common phenomenon characterized by excessive levels of nutrients, the formation of metal sufide precipitates, volatile sulfurous compounds, low dissolved oxygen and high chemical oxygen demand. Black-odorous waters frequently occur in lake and river systems where inputs have restricted circulation. The key remediation issue is the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus

A major issue of the pharmaceutical industry is the poor solubility, permeability, and bioavailability of most active ingredients. These properties also induce the accumulation of pharmaceuticals in groundwater, surface water, wastewater, soils and biota. Therefore, enhancing the solubility and bioavailability of pharmaceuticals could allow the prescription of lower doses, and could reduce environmental

Climate change is predicted to cause severe loss in agricultural production by increasing disease epidemics and intensifying abiotic stresses. Therefore, there is a need for sustainable methods to alleviate plant stress, such as non-thermal plasma. Here we review the role of non-thermal plasma for plant treatment, with focus on the control of viruses, bacteria, fungi and other diseases. We present

Lipids are high energy, complex biomolecular compounds essential for cellular and organellar membrane formation. Accumulation of circulatory lipids is however associated with pathophysiological conditions including cardiometabolic disorders, diabetic dyslipidemia and obesity. Epidemiological studies have correlated heavy-metal exposure with dyslipidemias and metabolic syndrome. Here, we review the

Wastewater pollution is a major issue requiring advanced treatment methods such as nanotechnologies. In particular, nanocelluloses appear promising as adsorbents due to their elevated surface area, which can be functionalized. Here we review cellulose-based beads with focus on preparation, properties, kinetics, adsorption isotherm modeling and application for wastewater treatment, especially for the

About 1.6 billion tons of food are wasted worldwide annually, calling for advanced methods to recycle food waste into energy and materials. Anaerobic digestion of kitchen waste allows the efficient recovery of energy, and induces low-carbon emissions. Nonetheless, digestion stability and biogas production are variables, due to dietary habits and seasonal diet variations that modify the components of kitchen