Irgarol, originally aimed as antifouling biocide for marine environments, has become a contaminant of emerging concern due to its environmental persistence and widespread dissemination. The prevailing approach to assessment has centered on environmental prevalence and immediate toxicological repercussions, with insufficient attention paid to the dynamic mechanisms that dictate biological effects across ecological and human domains. We introduce a novel Exposure-Transformation-Response (ETR) framework, which advances the concept that Irgarol toxicity is a function of environmental persistence, biotic and abiotic transformation pathways, ecosystem transfer dynamics, and organism-specific biological responses, in addition to environmental concentrations. Through a synthesis of evidence spanning environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, endocrine disruption research, and exposure science, we delineate the capacity of transformation products to manifest independent toxicological characteristics and illustrate how chronic, low-dose exposures can induce novel biological effects at various trophic levels. Our analysis extends to the potential for ecological disruptions to propagate through aquatic food webs, thereby contributing to previously unacknowledged human exposure pathways. The ETR framework augments existing fate-and-effects paradigms by moving towards systems toxicology, thereby providing mechanistic foundation for predictive risk assessment, pioneering sustainable antifouling solutions, and enabling next-generation regulatory strategies that address chemical persistence, transformation, and biological vulnerability within integrated environmental systems.

This study evaluated the effects of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil (EO), applied as a conventional bulk extract or a nanosized nanoemulsion at inclusion levels of 0, 15, 30, and 45 µL/g dry matter (DM), on in vitro ruminal gas production kinetics, methane and carbon dioxide emissions, nutrient degradability, and fermentation end-products. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified thymol (33.15%), 1,3,8-p-menthatriene (22.65%), and γ-terpinene (12.8%) as the dominant volatile constituents, classifying the extract within the thymol chemotype. The nanoemulsion showed a unimodal droplet size distribution peaking near 244.3 nm by dynamic light scattering. Inclusion level significantly affected all measured fermentation variables except pH (P < 0.05), and droplet size form significantly influenced several gas production and greenhouse gas parameters. Gas production and nutrient degradability were greatest at 15 µL/g DM for both forms. Asymptotic gas production (b) was maximized at 15 µL/g DM for both forms (+ 15.6 and + 24.1% over the control for the bulk and nanoemulsion forms, respectively) before declining at higher doses. Methane (CH4) as a percentage of total gas decreased linearly with increasing inclusion level (P < 0.001), reaching a 37.9% reduction at the highest nanoemulsion dose (N45). Dry matter degradability and total volatile fatty acid concentrations followed a similar pattern, peaking at 15 µL/g DM (55.9 and 57.1% for the bulk and nanoemulsion forms, respectively) before declining at higher doses, while ammonia nitrogen decreased linearly with EO inclusion for both forms (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that 15 µL/g DM was the best-performing inclusion level for balancing fermentation efficiency with CH4 mitigation, and that nanoformulation conferred modest rather than consistently superior benefits over the bulk form. Further in vivo validation is warranted before field application.

The study evaluated four household food waste composting systems using replicated trials (n = 3 per device) with standardized feedstock loads to compare temperature dynamics, physicochemical parameters, compost maturity, and microbiological safety. Although electric units automated mixing and heating, they did not achieve faster overall stabilization, and all devices produced semistabilized material requiring extended curing. Economic and environmental assessments indicated trade‑offs between operational costs, energy use, and waste diversion potential. Screening of culturable isolates did not reveal antibiotic‑resistant strains, though this does not exclude their presence in uncultured microbial fractions. The results highlight the need for additional maturation steps and context‑specific adoption strategies for decentralized circular waste management.

Plastic waste is a non-biodegradable material which is extensively used in many applications, creating a critical environmental challenge of its disposal. Therefore, its utilization in large quantities as a recycled product in road infrastructure will mitigate ill effects occurring because of its dumping. The aim of this study was to analyze the impacts of adding recycled plastic waste aggregate (RPWA) in hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixes using a wide range of variables by employing the Marshall mix design procedure in the context of Pakistan. A data-driven framework is employed with a novel multivariate performance score function. Incorporation of RPWA, sourced from LDPE polyethylene bags, at the content of 2.5% by weight (~ 6% by volume) was found to provide the best strength while fulfilling criteria of other key parameters. The mix performance degrades steeply and significantly beyond 2.5% but remains under acceptable design ranges till 10%. Based on these results, RPWA can be used to enhance pavement performance with strict quality control on batching. The findings of this study pave the way towards a sustainable pathway for high-volume disposal of low-value plastic film waste with applications in low to medium-traffic roads. Investigations with smaller increments in RPWA content, field testing, and lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) are recommended for future research directions. The findings of this study highlight the impacts of using RPWA in road infrastructure providing ways to reduce plastic pollution through optimum design of pavements. However, they are based on Marshall laboratory testing and require validation through durability, moisture, rutting, fatigue, and field studies before implementation.

The Matanza-Riachuelo river basin (MRB) is considered one of the most polluted sites in the world, with very high levels of heavy metal(loid)s (HMs). However, as in almost all urban basins, studies on biological indicators of soil health are limited. In this work, we sampled soil and roots of mycorrhizal plants in three regions of the MRB (upper, middle, and lower basins) with the aim of exploring the potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) richness, based on spore morphology, plant mycorrhizal status, and glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP) concentration as bioindicators of soil health. The highest concentrations of HMs were detected in the lower basin (degree of contamination mean value: 44.55), because it is exposed to a high input of pollutants and anthropogenic impact. AMF community composition was compared across the different soil samples. The Glomeraceae family was the most represented in the MRB (54.55% of species), and Rhizoglomus intraradices was the only AMF species detected at every sampled site. This work constitutes the first report of 8 of the 16 AMF species described so far in the MRB. GRSP differences were related to the lower basin of the MRB and to HMs concentrations, particularly Cu and Cr. Regarding the potential use of the studied AMF-related variables as bioindicators of soil health, GRSP concentrations increased with soil toxicity while AMF richness decreased with soil disturbance. These results suggest that these variables could serve as reliable biological indicators of soil health in future studies.

The transition toward sustainable road construction has led to increased research on replacing conventional asphalt binders with bio-based and waste-derived alternatives. Bio-bitumen derived from lignocellulosic biomass and binders modified using domestic and industrial waste have shown significant potential in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80%. Life cycle assessments have reported net-negative emissions for certain biomass-based binders. However, these alternative binders may alter the chemical and molecular compositions of the base bitumen, thereby affecting its physical characteristics and overall performance. Pyrolysis of biomass and non-recyclable waste is emerging as a promising alternative due to its chemical similarity to fossil fuel-based oils. Despite its potential, the performance of pyrolyzed oils is highly dependent on feedstock type and process parameters. This study investigates the chemical, thermal, and rheological properties of binders produced from lignocellulosic sources (pine needles, sawdust, and rice straw) and a waste source (municipal solid waste). Five percent pyrolyzed oil from each source was added to the base bitumen (VG 40 in this study) for laboratory investigation. Results show that pyrolysis oils are chemically compatible with bitumen, but the variations in molecular composition and their quantitative presence affect the binder characteristics. Among all the samples, pine needle (PN) feedstock and PN bio-oil exhibited a balanced chemical profile with lower polarity, contributing to improved compatibility with petroleum binders. PN bio-bitumen demonstrated the closest similarity to the base bitumen in terms of molecular structure, thermal stability, rheological and aging response. The study concludes that the performance of bio-bitumen is strongly influenced by the source of pyrolysis oil, with PN bio-bitumen showing comparatively promising results for further development.

This study evaluated hyperspectral imaging (HSI)-based prediction of nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in three agricultural soils from Lebanon, classified as clayey, silty, and sandy, and developed machine learning (partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector regression (SVR)) and deep learning (neural networks (NN) and convolutional neural networks (CNN)) models to predict soil contamination levels. The tested soil groups exhibited distinct absorption features, reflectance intensities, and spectral shapes. Among the developed prediction models, SVR and CNN achieved the highest performance. Using SVR, the prediction performances (R 2) for Ni contamination were 0.850, 0.830, and 0.790 for clayey, silty, and sandy soils, respectively, while the corresponding R 2 for Cd were 0.930, 0.931, and 0.945. For the CNN models, R 2 values in silty soil reached 0.899 for Ni and 0.944 for Cd, whereas in sandy soils, they were 0.872 and 0.938, respectively. Clayey soils exhibited the highest prediction performance with the NN-based model, achieving R 2 of 0.930 for Ni and 0.950 for Cd. SVR and CNN models were validated with newly contaminated soil samples and demonstrated a good fit (R 2 > 0.790) across all tested soils. Both SVR and CNN showed poor transferability across the different tested soil types (R 2 ranged from 0.107 to 0.242 for SVR models and from 0.110 to 0.260 for CNN models), demonstrating limited model transferability among the tested soil groups and emphasizing the need for soil-specific or matrix-informed calibration models. However, because only three soils with multiple differing physicochemical properties were investigated and detailed mineralogical characterization was not performed, the specific contribution of individual soil characteristics to model transferability could not be isolated.

Environmental contamination by dye containing waste water poses significant water treatment challenges. Removal of the dye necessitates the development of nanomaterial for water remediation. In the current study, a magnetic iron oxide-activated carbon nanocomposite was synthesized using aqueous Mucuna bracteata extracts, and its Methylene Blue dye removal mechanism was investigated along with phytotoxicity of the treated dye. SEM analysis exhibited the formation of nanosized magnetic iron oxide particles deposited with activated carbon, size ranging from 94.18 to 152.0 nm. The UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis of Mucuna bracteata leaf extracts indicated the presence of phytochemicals. XRD analysis endorses the crystalline magnetic iron oxide in the nanocomposite, with diffraction peak at 2θ = 35.5°. FTIR analysis revealed the adsorption mechanism of dye removal. The effect of temperature, pH, dosage, concentration, and contact time on the adsorption of Methylene Blue dye on the surface of the magnetic iron oxide-activated carbon nanocomposite was studied. The column studies were also carried out in a packed bed column. The maximum capacity of Methylene Blue adsorption was 109.89 mg/g. The isotherm and kinetic studies of Methylene Blue adsorption exhibited good agreement with the Freundlich (R[2] = 0.9591) and pseudo-second-order models (R[2] = 0.9749), respectively. The germination results using Trigonella foenum graecum demonstrated 90% of seed germination and improved seedling development due to the reduced phytotoxicity in the eluate. These findings demonstrated that the nanocomposite is an efficient and sustainable adsorbent for the dye contaminated waste water treatment.

Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for infants, providing essential nutrients and supporting immune development during early life. However, in addition to beneficial components, breast milk may contain environmental contaminants, which may pose potential health risks to the infants based on exposure levels. This study evaluated nitrate and nitrite exposure and associated health risks in exclusively breastfed infants during the first 6 months of life. Breast milk samples were collected from 93 lactating mothers with infants aged 0-6 months in Hamadan, Iran. Infants were categorized into three age groups 0-2, 2-4, and 4-6 months. Infant age, body weight, and daily milk consumption were obtained by interviewing with the lactating mothers. Nitrate and nitrite concentrations were determined using ion chromatography. Estimated daily intake was calculated, and health risk was characterized using Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Nitrate and nitrite were detected in all breast milk samples but estimated exposure levels for infants remained lower than the acceptable thresholds across all age groups. Maternal body mass index, age, and educational level showed no significant association with nitrate or nitrite concentrations in breast milk. Considering their role as precursors of nitric oxide, the detected concentrations may contribute to physiological processes without posing measurable health risks. These findings support the safety of breastfeeding with respect to nitrate and nitrite exposure in 93 breastfeeding infants in Hamadan city and provide new evidence on early-life exposure assessment. Further biomonitoring studies by considering vast geography and more sample size are recommended to better characterize exposure pathways and long-term health implications.

Sitagliptin is commonly treated as a low-concern pharmaceutical in conventional aquatic risk assessment of the parent compound. That conclusion is useful, but it becomes incomplete when treated wastewater, biosolids, dissolved organic matter (DOM), co-occurring antidiabetic drugs, and transformation products (TPs) reshape exposure pathways. This focused critical narrative review uses sitagliptin as a model compound for testing the limits of predicted environmental concentration/predicted no-effect concentration (PEC/PNEC) framing in wastewater-impacted and water-reuse agroecosystems. The evidence base combines direct sitagliptin studies with mechanistic literature on pharmaceutical occurrence, soil sorption, reclaimed-water irrigation, crop uptake, mixture behavior, treatment transformation, hyporheic attenuation, and regulatory assessment. Direct soil evidence shows that sitagliptin retention is strongly matrix-dependent: sorption varies with soil organic matter and pH, whereas co-exposure to biosolids, sewage effluent, and metformin can reduce sorption under the tested conditions, plausibly increasing mobility. Field-scale reclaimed-water studies support soil exposure and accumulation, but they do not demonstrate edible-crop contamination or food-chain risk. Treatment and hyporheic studies further show that parent-compound attenuation often reflects transformation rather than complete risk closure, making TP identity, persistence, mobility, and toxicity central to interpretation. The review therefore does not reclassify sitagliptin as a proven high-risk contaminant. Instead, it identifies sitagliptin as a useful sentinel for a wider assessment problem: low aquatic parent-compound risk should not automatically close environmental evaluation when land application, DOM, mixtures, and TPs shape fate.

This study investigates a hybrid treatment process for highly polluted tannery effluents from the unhairing-liming stage, which are characterized by elevated sulfide and chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels, posing significant risks to human health and the environment. The process integrates chemical precipitation with ferric chloride (FeCl3) and biological treatment in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). At an optimal FeCl3 concentration of 1.2 mol·L[-][1] and pH 8.5, the chemical stage achieved 90.11% sulfide removal and 88.33% COD removal through sulfide precipitation and organic matter coagulation but failed to meet Moroccan discharge standards. Subsequent SBR treatment, operating at a high organic load (1.5 kg COD·d[-][1]·m[-][3]), improved removal efficiencies to 99.97% for sulfides and 99.60% for COD, ensuring full regulatory compliance. One-way ANOVA confirmed the statistical significance of the combined process (p < 0.001). XRD, SEM, and FTIR analyses identified gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) as the primary precipitate, which exhibited favorable morphology for sludge management. The FeCl3-SBR system provides a robust, sustainable solution for small- and medium-scale tanneries, particularly in developing countries.

Riparian ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots but are also highly vulnerable to biological invasions due to strong hydrological connectivity, recurrent disturbance and exposure to nutrient inputs. This study examined patterns of invasive alien plant species (IAS) occurrence along two lowland rivers in eastern Poland (the Biala Lada and Czarna Lada). Vegetation was surveyed at ten sites representing different land-use contexts using 150 phytosociological plots. Floristic diversity metrics, Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs), and a vegetation-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) were used to characterise vegetation composition and ecological conditions. Logistic regression based on species-level Ellenberg indicator classes showed that invasive species differed significantly from non-invasive taxa in their ecological preferences. Species belonging to higher nitrogen and temperature indicator classes were more likely to be classified as invasive, indicating a stronger representation of eutrophic and thermophilous taxa within the invasive species pool. In contrast, soil reaction showed only a marginal relationship with invasion status. Sites with greater IAS occurrence were characterised by reduced evenness, increased dominance of ruderal taxa and stronger floristic homogenisation. The vegetation-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) reflected variation in ecological quality across the studied riparian sites. The results suggest that invasive species in the studied river valleys are associated with distinct ecological preference profiles, particularly with respect to nutrient availability and temperature requirements. Field-based Ellenberg indicators and the vegetation-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) describe variation in habitat conditions among the studied sites, while the species-level Ellenberg classes describe the ecological attributes of the local invasive versus non-invasive species pool; together these indicators provide complementary tools for characterising riparian vegetation and invasion-related patterns.

The global prevalence of mental disorders has increased considerably in recent decades. This evidence, associated with population growth and the expansion of access to medications, favors the growing global consumption of psychotropic drugs. Consequently, an increasing load of these substances is introduced into the environment, especially into water bodies, characterizing them as emerging contaminants. This scoping review study aimed to integrate data and provide a global overview of the occurrence of widely used psychotropic drugs (diazepam, fluoxetine, and haloperidol) in drinking water. The search for studies was conducted across 7 databases, with no language or publication year restrictions. We included only original studies in this review and synthesized data from the included studies for water sampled, sampling location, year of sampling, analytical method used, psychotropic drug found, and concentration found. Our review identified 13 studies published between 2000 and 2024 on the occurrence of diazepam and fluoxetine in tap water, drinking water, bottled water, and drinking well water from 7 countries, with concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 300 ng/L. No studies on the occurrence of haloperidol in drinking water were found. Our data highlight that the occurrence of psychotropic drugs in drinking water is a growing global reality and also show a significant lack of research dedicated to the topic. Furthermore, the results of this scoping review reinforce the need to expand water quality monitoring, improve analytical techniques, invest in advanced water treatment technologies, and implement public policies on the proper disposal of medication and the control of drug pollution.

This study investigates the competitive removal of three co-existing estrogens, estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), from aqueous matrices via batch adsorption. Pre- and post-carbonized materials synthesized from industrial almond shell and cork residues were evaluated under multicomponent conditions. Thermal activation via carbonization proved ineffective, whereas raw cork ("in natura," CiN) exhibited the optimal performance. At 25 °C and an adsorbent dosage of 1.0 g/L, CiN achieved a cumulative mean estrogen removal efficiency of 66.1%. The maximum experimental uptake capacities for E1, E2, and EE2 were 3.82, 3.75, and 7.23 mg/g, respectively, yielding a notable combined capacity of 14.79 mg/g. Kinetic profiles were accurately described by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model, which predicted an equilibrium time of 440 min at 25 °C. The multicomponent Sheindorf-Rebuhn-Sheintuch (SRS) isotherm model successfully simulated the competitive equilibrium data. Operational parameters showed that highly alkaline media (pH ≥ 12) led to a significant decline in uptake capacity due to electrostatic repulsion. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed that the sequestration process is spontaneous (Δ G 0 < 0), exothermic (Δ H 0 < 0), and entropically favorable (Δ S 0 > 0) at the solid-liquid interface. Comprehensive mechanistic evaluation identified a synergistic interplay between physisorption via pore filling and chemisorption governed by p-electron donor-acceptor interactions and hydrogen bonding networks. The superior competitive affinity of the synthetic estrogen (EE2) was successfully rationalized by its higher hydrophobicity and lower activation energy barrier. Overall, this work highlights the viability of sustainable raw cork residues for environmental remediation, demonstrating that surface chemistry can play a more decisive role than texturized porosity in sequestering endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of sewage sludge (SS) and food waste (FW) is often constrained by the slow hydrolysis of SS and rapid acidification of FW. This study evaluated a combined nano zero-valent iron/sodium percarbonate (nZVI/SPC) pretreatment for improving substrate disintegration, methane recovery, process stability, and biogas quality. nZVI/SPC increased the initial soluble chemical oxygen demand to 22,483.6 mg/L, compared with 8493.7 mg/L in the control, and markedly promoted the release of soluble proteins and polysaccharides. The cumulative methane yield reached 412.5 mL/g volatile solids (VS), 55.2% higher than the control, while the maximum methane production rate increased to 48.6 mL/(g VS·day) and the lag phase decreased to 0.52 day. Although volatile fatty acids peaked at 8124.6 mg/L on day 7, the pH remained between 6.99 and 7.41, indicating effective buffering by SPC-derived carbonate. The maximum CH4 content reached 71.2%, whereas the H2S peak decreased by 49.6%. Microbial analysis showed enrichment of hydrolytic and syntrophic bacteria, including Clostridium, Syntrophomonas, and Syntrophobacter, together with Methanosaeta and Methanobacterium. Overall, nZVI/SPC enhanced AcoD by promoting organic matter solubilization, stabilizing acidification, accelerating methanogenic conversion, and reducing H2S release. This work offers a feasible strategy for efficient resource recovery from multiple organic wastes.