The global accumulation and improper disposal of industrial ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) waste present significant environmental and resource management challenges, including soil acidification, groundwater contamination, iron loss, and unrecovered sulfate sulfur. Existing disposal and recovery routes mainly produce low-value iron oxides, require intensive reagent input or high energy consumption, and generate additional waste burdens. Here, we propose a novel carbonyl sulfide (COS)-mediated gas-solid strategy for upcycling FeSO4 into a calculated pyrrhotite (Fe7S8) phase fraction of 96.6 wt.%, realizing high-value conversion of both iron and sulfur. Structural characterizations demonstrate a stepwise conversion from FeSO4 to Fe3O4, followed by controlled sulfidation to Fe7S8, during which the random stacking of newly formed Fe7S8 particles generates textural interparticle voids and reconstructs the pore structure. Density functional theory calculations show that COS exhibits the most negative adsorption Gibbs free energy (-9.58 eV) and, relative to S and H2S, the largest comparative sulfur-incorporation barrier under a common-final-state framework, indicating stronger interfacial stabilization and greater kinetic resistance to rapid sulfur transfer. Kinetic analysis indicates that COS governs the reaction (order = 1.10), whereas CO acts as a secondary promoter (order = 0.60), lowering the apparent activation energy from 188.9 to 129.6 kJ/mol. Practical evaluations with real FeSO4 waste validated the successful upcycling into Fe7S8, which exhibited efficient gaseous mercury removal performance from simulated flue gas. Life-cycle and preliminary cost analyses further indicate the potential environmental and resource-utilization advantages of this cross-industry FeSO4 valorization strategy under the adopted assumptions.

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) affects up to 30% of all pregnant women often causing symptoms including malaise and lethargy which can significantly impact daily life and well-being. Additionally, IDA is associated with serious complications, including an increased risk of bleeding, preterm birth, small for gestational age babies and rarely, but significantly, stillbirth. The most common current management approach reactively treats IDA once it is diagnosed, usually with an oral iron preparation such as ferrous sulphate or another ferrous salt. There have been calls to investigate a policy of prevention, to discover if outcomes can be improved. We therefore designed the primary prevention of maternal anaemia to prevent preterm delivery and other adverse outcomes trial, to assess whether the prevention of IDA during pregnancy, through routine iron supplementation from early pregnancy, will reduce the risks of significant adverse clinical outcomes for women and their babies.

Arsenic (As) contamination can threaten groundwater quality and human health, particularly where redox conditions fluctuate. Although iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) (hydr)oxides strongly adsorb arsenate under oxic conditions, flooding can promote As(V) reduction to more toxic and mobile As(III) and destabilize the Fe(III)-As(V) complexes. This study evaluated ferrous sulfate and aluminum sulfate as in-situ soil amendments to immobilize As and assess their stability under submergence. A batch, column leaching, and anaerobic incubation study was conducted to monitor redox potential (Eh), As speciation, and Fe/Al behavior. Results showed that both amendments reduced water-soluble and leachable As at pH 7-9. In batch tests, Fe and Al amendments lowered water-soluble As by 78.3% and 83.3%, respectively. Column tests showed that most As eluted within the first 10 pore volumes, with Fe and Al amendments reducing cumulative leachable As by 60.3% and 89.7%, respectively. During incubation, soil Eh declined to strongly reducing conditions (-259 mV). Around days 20-30 of incubation, the As(III)/total As ratio was >50%. Fe amendment showed substantial Fe(II) accumulation consistent with reductive dissolution and As remobilization. Although the Al amendment remained redox-stable and maintained lower dissolved As, strongly reducing conditions could still increase risk by shifting As(V) toward As(III). Overall, aluminum sulfate is preferred for flood-prone or redox-fluctuating soils because it remains effective under reducing conditions, whereas ferrous sulfate can be applied for persistently oxic sites to minimize redox-driven Fe(III)-As(V) destabilization.

Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency globally, affecting nearly 2 billion people. It may cause long-term neurocognitive impairments and behavioral deficits in premature and low-birthweight neonates. Reticulocyte hemoglobin (Ret-He) is a reliable, valid, low-cost, and minimally invasive phlebotomy laboratory test for assessing iron status and guiding iron dosing.

In plants and humans, adequate levels of iron (Fe) are essential for proper growth and development. Dietary deficiencies in Fe are particularly prevalent and can cause numerous physical and cognitive impairments in humans. Intervention strategies like agronomic biofortification can address these issues by utilizing fertilization to enhance the Fe content in a quick and straightforward manner in plant-based foods. Microgreens are nutritional powerhouses with low antinutrient levels, making them a promising candidate crop for agronomic Fe biofortification. Although Fe fertilization can increase Fe's abundance in the environment, Fe's availability is limited to plants in alkaline and oxidizing conditions. Therefore, selecting an efficient Fe fertilizer source is crucial for successful Fe enrichment. In this study, we investigated the effects of five alternative Fe fertilizers, including chelated Fe sources (Fe-EDDHA, Fe-EDTA), inorganic Fe salts (ferric sulfate, ferrous sulfate), and Fe-oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4), provided via fertigation at different concentrations (0, 15, 30, 45 mg/L), on the Fe enrichment, yield, and quality of radish and pea microgreens. Fe-EDTA was the most effective treatment for Fe enrichment, increasing Fe content by 3-5-fold in radish and 2-3-fold in pea microgreens, compared to the untreated control, with minimal trade-offs in yield and mineral composition. Fe-EDTA also ensured greater contributions to Fe's recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for adult males and females, compared to the other sources. These findings highlight the potential of Fe-EDTA in enriching microgreens that can serve as functional foods to combat Fe deficiencies at household and community scales.

Anemia prevalence in Indian pregnant women remains at 52.2% (The National Family Health Survey-5), necessitating rigorous comparison of standard versus newer iron formulations to optimize treatment in India. To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of oral and parenteral iron preparations in Indian pregnant women, focusing on hemoglobin and serum ferritin improvement. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) published up to 2024. Only RCTs from India were included. Data from 17 trials (N = 2,228) were synthesized using network meta-analysis to estimate mean differences (MDs) in hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels. Within oral formulations, newer salts significantly outperformed the standard of care; specifically, ferrous asparto glycinate demonstrated the highest hemoglobin improvement (MD: 1.21 g/dL; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-2.38) (hypothesis-generating; small sample), followed by ferrous bisglycinate and iron polymaltose complex, compared to ferrous sulfate. Among parenteral formulations, iron sucrose emerged as the superior agent (MD: 0.76 g/dL; 95% CI 0.52-1.00) for hemoglobin recovery. While the comparison between modes confirmed the known superiority of parenteral over oral iron (MD: 0.88 g/dL at 4 weeks), the network ranking highlights that newer oral molecules offer significantly better efficacy than the current standard, ferrous sulfate. Iron sucrose shows the highest efficacy for rapid hemoglobin correction. Among oral options, ferrous asparto glycinate, ferrous bisglycinate, and iron polymaltose complex provide better hemoglobin improvement than ferrous sulfate. These findings support a review of iron-molecule choices within the Anemia Mukt Bharat strategy. PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42024570537.

Iron supplementation strategies generally rely on either heme or nonheme iron, whereas systems capable of integrating both forms within a single carrier remain scarce. Here, Escherichia coli bacterioferritin (EcBFR), which naturally binds up to 12 heme molecules through Met52 at the 2-fold symmetry axis, was investigated as a dual-iron delivery platform. EcBFR exhibited excellent thermal stability, maintaining saturated heme binding, structural integrity, and oligomeric assembly after heat treatment. It accommodated up to approximately 800 Fe atoms per nanocage, forming a predominantly ferrihydrite mineral core without compromising its structural integrity. In a Caco-2 cell model, EcBFR-mediated iron delivery resulted in significantly greater cellular iron uptake than that of free heme or ferrous sulfate.

Natural dyes are emerging as sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to synthetic ones in many industries because of health, safety and ecological concerns. The textile sector, being a major producer of dye effluents, is significantly paying attention to eco-friendly organic dyes. This study aimed to extract, apply and characterize a natural dye from the fruit peel of a wild type of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) which is widely distributed in several ecological zones of Pakistan. The obtained dye was analyzed for phytochemical screening, UV vis-spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GCMS). Furthermore, the application of dye on cotton fabric was tested for color efficiencies in terms of fastness properties and CIE L* a* b* values. Three mordants alum, ferrous sulfate and gallnut powder were used for comparison with un-mordanted fabric dyeing. ATR-FTIR analysis was performed to confirm the interaction of dye compounds with cotton fabric with and without mordant. DPPH and MTT assays were employed to check the antioxidant potential and cytotoxicity of the dye. GCMS revealed the presence of 51 compounds with intense color yielding nature. FTIR analysis identifies O-H, C-H and C-O as major functional groups. This study is the first to characterize the Western Himalayan wild pomegranate fruit peel in Pakistan, revealing the high content of biochemical compounds dye potential and antioxidant activity. The overall results suggest that the peel extract of wild pomegranate is suitable for manufacturing ecofriendly dye for various industrial sectors including textiles, pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics, as a safer and sustainable alternative to non-biodegradable synthetic dyes.