Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101109
Sayed Kotb Ali , Mostafa M. Emara , Rabie Saad Farag , Moaz M. Abdou , Mahmoud F. Mubarak
The present study introduces a sustainable and bio-inspired strategy for converting Yucca elephantipes leaf waste into an efficient TiO2-based nanocomposite for green water purification applications. The Yucca-derived nanocomposites (YEL–TiO2) were fabricated via an eco-friendly synthesis route and comprehensively characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TGA to elucidate their chemical interactions, crystallinity, surface morphology, and thermal stability. The optimized nanocomposite, YEL–TiO2 (0.60), exhibited a balanced surface charge and highly dispersed anatase TiO2 nanoparticles, achieving outstanding turbidity removal efficiency of 86.5 % at pH 4.8, a dosage of 1.8 g L−1, and a 30 min. settling period. Mechanistic analyses revealed that the improved performance arises from synergistic interactions between the hydroxyl-rich biopolymer matrix and TiO2 nanoparticles, facilitating charge neutralization, polymer bridging, and sweep flocculation. Compared with conventional coagulants such as polyaluminum chloride and alum, the YEL–TiO2 (0.60) system demonstrated superior or comparable clarification efficiency while offering significant advantages in biodegradability, low residual Ti concentration (<0.05 mg L−1), and production cost (∼0.23 USD kg−1). These findings highlight the potential of Yucca-based TiO2 nanocomposites as a scalable, low-cost, and environmentally benign alternative for sustainable water and wastewater treatment, transforming agricultural waste into a value-added material aligned with circular economy principles.
{"title":"From waste to worth: A bio-inspired green route for the fabrication of yucca leaf–TiO2 nanocomposites toward efficient and sustainable water purification","authors":"Sayed Kotb Ali , Mostafa M. Emara , Rabie Saad Farag , Moaz M. Abdou , Mahmoud F. Mubarak","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study introduces a sustainable and bio-inspired strategy for converting Yucca elephantipes leaf waste into an efficient TiO<sub>2</sub>-based nanocomposite for green water purification applications. The Yucca-derived nanocomposites (YEL–TiO<sub>2</sub>) were fabricated via an eco-friendly synthesis route and comprehensively characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TGA to elucidate their chemical interactions, crystallinity, surface morphology, and thermal stability. The optimized nanocomposite, YEL–TiO<sub>2</sub> (0.60), exhibited a balanced surface charge and highly dispersed anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles, achieving outstanding turbidity removal efficiency of 86.5 % at pH 4.8, a dosage of 1.8 g L<sup>−1</sup>, and a 30 min. settling period. Mechanistic analyses revealed that the improved performance arises from synergistic interactions between the hydroxyl-rich biopolymer matrix and TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles, facilitating charge neutralization, polymer bridging, and sweep flocculation. Compared with conventional coagulants such as polyaluminum chloride and alum, the YEL–TiO<sub>2</sub> (0.60) system demonstrated superior or comparable clarification efficiency while offering significant advantages in biodegradability, low residual Ti concentration (<0.05 mg L<sup>−1</sup>), and production cost (∼0.23 USD kg<sup>−1</sup>). These findings highlight the potential of Yucca-based TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocomposites as a scalable, low-cost, and environmentally benign alternative for sustainable water and wastewater treatment, transforming agricultural waste into a value-added material aligned with circular economy principles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 101109"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145683930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101108
P. Ananthu , Pallavi Sulakiya , J. Manjanna , G. Nagaraju , H. Raja Naika
The growing challenge of water pollution caused by synthetic dyes and toxic heavy metals necessitates the development of efficient, eco-friendly remediation strategies. In this study, a CeO2-ZnO Nanocomposite (NC) was synthesised through a sustainable green synthesis method to address these concerns. The study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye using a CeO2-ZnO NC. This method employed zinc nitrate hexahydrate for Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and cerium nitrate hexahydrate as the precursor for Cerium Oxide (CeO2) nanoparticle synthesis. The green synthesis process also involved the use of Tridax procumbens (Linn.), a natural plant, which served as both a reducing agent and a fuel for the reaction. To fully assess the structural, chemical, and electrical characteristics of the synthesised composite, various analytical techniques were employed. The optical band gap of the composite was determined to be 2.95 eV based on the Tauc relation. The photocatalytic performance of the CeO2-ZnO NC was then evaluated for the degradation of MB dye under different experimental conditions. Key parameters such as the variation in catalyst concentration, dye concentration, and pH levels were tested, alongside scavenger tests to examine the mechanism of the photocatalytic process. The results revealed that the CeO2-ZnO NC was highly effective in degrading the dye, achieving more than 94 % degradation within 180 min under visible light exposure. Seed germination and plant growth activities are also carried out for Mustard seeds using dye water and dye-degraded water to compare the growth. Furthermore, the NC demonstrated significant potential in environmental applications, as it was capable of reducing Chromium (VI) by up to 67.7 %, converting it to the less toxic Chromium (III).
{"title":"Seed germination and plant growth response to treated dye effluent using Tridax procumbens-mediated CeO2-ZnO green NCs for wastewater treatment and chromium reduction","authors":"P. Ananthu , Pallavi Sulakiya , J. Manjanna , G. Nagaraju , H. Raja Naika","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101108","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101108","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing challenge of water pollution caused by synthetic dyes and toxic heavy metals necessitates the development of efficient, eco-friendly remediation strategies. In this study, a CeO<sub>2</sub>-ZnO Nanocomposite (NC) was synthesised through a sustainable green synthesis method to address these concerns. The study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye using a CeO<sub>2</sub>-ZnO NC. This method employed zinc nitrate hexahydrate for Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and cerium nitrate hexahydrate as the precursor for Cerium Oxide (CeO<sub>2</sub>) nanoparticle synthesis. The green synthesis process also involved the use of <em>Tridax procumbens</em> (Linn.), a natural plant, which served as both a reducing agent and a fuel for the reaction. To fully assess the structural, chemical, and electrical characteristics of the synthesised composite, various analytical techniques were employed. The optical band gap of the composite was determined to be 2.95 eV based on the Tauc relation. The photocatalytic performance of the CeO<sub>2</sub>-ZnO NC was then evaluated for the degradation of MB dye under different experimental conditions. Key parameters such as the variation in catalyst concentration, dye concentration, and pH levels were tested, alongside scavenger tests to examine the mechanism of the photocatalytic process. The results revealed that the CeO<sub>2</sub>-ZnO NC was highly effective in degrading the dye, achieving more than 94 % degradation within 180 min under visible light exposure. Seed germination and plant growth activities are also carried out for Mustard seeds using dye water and dye-degraded water to compare the growth. Furthermore, the NC demonstrated significant potential in environmental applications, as it was capable of reducing Chromium (VI) by up to 67.7 %, converting it to the less toxic Chromium (III).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 101108"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101106
Zainab Al Ansari , Maryam Al Shehhi , Linda Zou
A novel amphiphilic nanocomposite low-pressure membrane was fabricated by incorporating 2D nanomaterials MXene (Ti3C2Tx) and oleophilic MoS2 nanospheres into a cellulose polymer membrane substrate (CMN-MX), the hybrid nanocomposite membrane was used for oil droplets and toxic organic pollutant removal. The nanospheres of MoS2 and 2D layers of MXene were confirmed by SEM and EDX characterization. The membrane’s performance was evaluated using an oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by lecithin, simulating petroleum-derived oily wastewater. The addition of MXene significantly improved petroleum removal efficiency to 89.45% and contributed catalytic generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which further supported antifouling and partial degradation of dissolved organics. Further, the CMN-MX membrane was employed as a pre-treatment step before nanofiltration (NF). The coupled CMN-MX/NF system removed 95.79% of oil and 74.64% of toxic dichlorophenol (DCP), markedly higher than that by NF alone, and demonstrated 50% less flux decline, confirming the efficacy of this pretreatment strategy. This research offers a new pathway for using non-RO membranes to treat complex industrial wastewater. The coupled MXene-MoS2 Membrane/NF treatment offered adsorptive oil removal, catalytic decomposition and fouling mitigation, achieved efficient wastewater treatment.
{"title":"Coupled MXene-MoS2 membrane/NF treatment for oily wastewater","authors":"Zainab Al Ansari , Maryam Al Shehhi , Linda Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101106","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101106","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A novel amphiphilic nanocomposite low-pressure membrane was fabricated by incorporating 2D nanomaterials MXene (Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub>) and oleophilic MoS<sub>2</sub> nanospheres into a cellulose polymer membrane substrate (CMN-MX), the hybrid nanocomposite membrane was used for oil droplets and toxic organic pollutant removal. The nanospheres of MoS<sub>2</sub> and 2D layers of MXene were confirmed by SEM and EDX characterization. The membrane’s performance was evaluated using an oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by lecithin, simulating petroleum-derived oily wastewater. The addition of MXene significantly improved petroleum removal efficiency to 89.45% and contributed catalytic generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which further supported antifouling and partial degradation of dissolved organics. Further, the CMN-MX membrane was employed as a pre-treatment step before nanofiltration (NF). The coupled CMN-MX/NF system removed 95.79% of oil and 74.64% of toxic dichlorophenol (DCP), markedly higher than that by NF alone, and demonstrated 50% less flux decline, confirming the efficacy of this pretreatment strategy. This research offers a new pathway for using non-RO membranes to treat complex industrial wastewater. The coupled MXene-MoS<sub>2</sub> Membrane/NF treatment offered adsorptive oil removal, catalytic decomposition and fouling mitigation, achieved efficient wastewater treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101106"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The current research work focuses on the environmentally friendly synthesis of stable copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) using aqueous extract of Spirogyra species as a natural reducing and capping agent. Copper (II) sulphate (CuSO4) was used as the precursor, and the concentration of Spirogyra extract was evaluated from 5 % to 30 % (v/v), to identify the optimal condition for nanoparticles synthesis. The formation of CuO-NPs was confirmed using UV–visible spectrophotometry, based on the characteristic of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) within the 200–800 nm range. Moreover, particle size analysis performed through differential scanning calorimetry indicated that nanoparticles synthesized using 20 % Spirogyra extract had an average size of 12.86 nm. Additionally, functional group and structural characterization were performed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), respectively. Moreover, thermal analysis of CuO-NPs was performed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, the biosynthesized CuO-NPs exhibited significant antibacterial activity with inhibition zones of 20.8 mm against Listeria monocytogenes, 19.95 mm against Staphylococcus aureus, 19.8 mm against Streptococcus lactis, 19.5 mm against Salmonella typhimurium, 19.0 mm against Shigella dysenteriae, and 18.9 mm against Escherichia coli. Additionally, these nanoparticles demonstrated significant adsorptive removal efficiency (80–85 %) of toxic heavy metals, including Pb, As, Hg, and Cd. Photocatalytic performance tests demonstrated excellent degradation efficiencies of methylene blue and crystal violet of 90.31 % and 89.89 %, respectively, under UV irradiation in 80 min. These results indicate the potential use of Spirogyra-assisted CuO-NPs in antimicrobial applications, heavy metal remediation, and photodegradation of synthetic dyes relevant to food safety and environmental sustainability.
{"title":"Spirogyra derived CuO-NPs with antibacterial, heavy metal adsorption, and photocatalytic dye degradation: A sustainable approach in environmental remediation","authors":"Samriti Guleria , Aparajita Bhasin , Prince Chawla , Vinay Kumar Dhiman , Prashant Anil Pawase , Halis Simsek","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current research work focuses on the environmentally friendly synthesis of stable copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) using aqueous extract of <em>Spirogyra</em> species as a natural reducing and capping agent. Copper (II) sulphate (CuSO<sub>4</sub>) was used as the precursor, and the concentration of <em>Spirogyra</em> extract was evaluated from 5 % to 30 % (v/v), to identify the optimal condition for nanoparticles synthesis. The formation of CuO-NPs was confirmed using UV–visible spectrophotometry, based on the characteristic of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) within the 200–800 nm range. Moreover, particle size analysis performed through differential scanning calorimetry indicated that nanoparticles synthesized using 20 % Spirogyra extract had an average size of 12.86 nm. Additionally, functional group and structural characterization were performed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), respectively. Moreover, thermal analysis of CuO-NPs was performed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, the biosynthesized CuO-NPs exhibited significant antibacterial activity with inhibition zones of 20.8 mm against <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em>, 19.95 mm against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, 19.8 mm against <em>Streptococcus lactis</em>, 19.5 mm against <em>Salmonella typhimurium</em>, 19.0 mm against <em>Shigella dysenteriae</em>, and 18.9 mm against <em>Escherichia coli</em>. Additionally, these nanoparticles demonstrated significant adsorptive removal efficiency (80–85 %) of toxic heavy metals, including Pb, As, Hg, and Cd. Photocatalytic performance tests demonstrated excellent degradation efficiencies of methylene blue and crystal violet of 90.31 % and 89.89 %, respectively, under UV irradiation in 80 min. These results indicate the potential use of <em>Spirogyra-assisted</em> CuO-NPs in antimicrobial applications, heavy metal remediation, and photodegradation of synthetic dyes relevant to food safety and environmental sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101104"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101105
Victoria Bolos-Sánchez, Sergi Gregorio-Lozano, Lubertus Bijlsma, Elena Pitarch
Reclaimed wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation is promoted by policymakers to battle water scarcity. But persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) substances are often not effectively removed by current wastewater treatments and may end up in soil, drainage water and even receiving aquatic environment. This work forms a part of a broader project on using contaminated water for irrigation of escarole crops. An analytical methodology based on mixed-mode liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of eight PMTs (benzophenone-3, clarithromycin, imazalil, metformin, sulpiride, terbutryn, tiapride and tramadol) in soil and drainage water samples. Moreover, it has been considered of interest to validate the methodology for environmental water i.e., groundwater and surface water. Soil samples were treated using QuEChERS approach, while water samples were injected directly into the LC-MS/MS system. Isotopically labelled internal standards were used for matrix effect correction and extraction losses. The two methods have been validated satisfactorily (recoveries between 70–120 % and RSD < 20 %). The limits of quantification for all compounds were 5 ng·g−1 and 50 ng·L−1 in soil and water, respectively. Finally, the methodology has been applied to soil and drainage water samples collected from escarole crops irrigated with tap water fortified at 5 μg·L−1. In addition, the methodology was applied to real surface and groundwater samples to demonstrate its applicability. This fully validated methodology is a robust tool for determining the selected PMTs and may provide valuable insights into the environmental fate when performing future irrigation programs.
{"title":"Analytical approach for the determination of persistent, mobile and toxic substances in environmental soil and water samples","authors":"Victoria Bolos-Sánchez, Sergi Gregorio-Lozano, Lubertus Bijlsma, Elena Pitarch","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reclaimed wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation is promoted by policymakers to battle water scarcity. But persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) substances are often not effectively removed by current wastewater treatments and may end up in soil, drainage water and even receiving aquatic environment. This work forms a part of a broader project on using contaminated water for irrigation of escarole crops. An analytical methodology based on mixed-mode liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of eight PMTs (benzophenone-3, clarithromycin, imazalil, metformin, sulpiride, terbutryn, tiapride and tramadol) in soil and drainage water samples. Moreover, it has been considered of interest to validate the methodology for environmental water <em>i.e.</em>, groundwater and surface water. Soil samples were treated using QuEChERS approach, while water samples were injected directly into the LC-MS/MS system. Isotopically labelled internal standards were used for matrix effect correction and extraction losses. The two methods have been validated satisfactorily (recoveries between 70–120 % and RSD < 20 %). The limits of quantification for all compounds were 5 ng·g<sup>−1</sup> and 50 ng·L<sup>−1</sup> in soil and water, respectively. Finally, the methodology has been applied to soil and drainage water samples collected from escarole crops irrigated with tap water fortified at 5 μg·L<sup>−1</sup>. In addition, the methodology was applied to real surface and groundwater samples to demonstrate its applicability. This fully validated methodology is a robust tool for determining the selected PMTs and may provide valuable insights into the environmental fate when performing future irrigation programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-20DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101102
Ever Estrada-Cabrera , Alejandra Castro-Carranza , Jairo C. Nolasco , Jürgen Gutowski , Cynthia Armendariz-Arnez
At present, environmental damage caused by the production and use of hazardous and toxic agrochemicals remains a global concern. These compounds have contributed to the contamination of water, soil, and air worldwide. Their chronic impacts on the environment and human health are still not fully understood and are often difficult to quantify. Accordingly, it is essential to identify and quantify these phytosanitary products in the environment to reduce their occurrence and mitigate cumulative effects. A viable option for their adsorption and detection can be achieved using natural and sustainable raw materials, such as zeolites. In particular, natural zeolites are promising nanostructures for use in functional and sustainable detectors, and they may serve as low-cost adsorbent materials for hazardous agrochemical monitoring. This review compiles reported applications of natural, synthetic, and composite zeolites to improve the understanding of their potential for adsorption, and thus, detection of hazardous pesticides. Information is provided on their characteristics, and factors defining its adsorption properties with the main objective of evaluating their reliability for the development of sustainable electronic sensors. The reported sensor devices developed with natural zeolites, and their detection mechanisms are discussed.
{"title":"Zeolites for use in environmentally sustainable sensors for hazardous pesticides: A review on reliability and potential perspectives in nanotechnology","authors":"Ever Estrada-Cabrera , Alejandra Castro-Carranza , Jairo C. Nolasco , Jürgen Gutowski , Cynthia Armendariz-Arnez","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101102","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101102","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>At present, environmental damage caused by the production and use of hazardous and toxic agrochemicals remains a global concern. These compounds have contributed to the contamination of water, soil, and air worldwide. Their chronic impacts on the environment and human health are still not fully understood and are often difficult to quantify. Accordingly, it is essential to identify and quantify these phytosanitary products in the environment to reduce their occurrence and mitigate cumulative effects. A viable option for their adsorption and detection can be achieved using natural and sustainable raw materials, such as zeolites. In particular, natural zeolites are promising nanostructures for use in functional and sustainable detectors, and they may serve as low-cost adsorbent materials for hazardous agrochemical monitoring. This review compiles reported applications of natural, synthetic, and composite zeolites to improve the understanding of their potential for adsorption, and thus, detection of hazardous pesticides. Information is provided on their characteristics, and factors defining its adsorption properties with the main objective of evaluating their reliability for the development of sustainable electronic sensors. The reported sensor devices developed with natural zeolites, and their detection mechanisms are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101102"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145358111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polypropylene (PP) is widely used for food and beverage storage, yet its propensity to release microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) under routine use conditions remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate MP/NP release from PP infant feeding bottles and water bottles under controlled thermal and mechanical stresses. Using Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, high-resolution TEM, and AFM, we identified particles down to ∼ 60 nm, extending the detectable size range beyond most previous studies. Release rates correlated strongly with temperature and frequency of use, ranging from 3.9 × 106 to 10.3 × 106 L-1 for baby bottles and 5.3 × 106 to 9.1 × 106 L-1 for water bottles respectively. Particles were predominantly flake-like and irregular, with crystalline–amorphous transitions and multilayer breakdown observed. Baby bottles released more MPs under thermal stress, whereas surface and mechanical stresses predominated in water bottles. These results provide new mechanistic insights into PP degradation pathways and highlight the importance of advanced, multi-modal analytical approaches for future evaluation of nanoscale plastic release.
{"title":"Understanding the multiple characteristics of microplastics generated from polypropylene bottles","authors":"Rumana Hossain, Ayub Ali, Montajar Sarkar, Veena Sahajwalla","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polypropylene (PP) is widely used for food and beverage storage, yet its propensity to release microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) under routine use conditions remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate MP/NP release from PP infant feeding bottles and water bottles under controlled thermal and mechanical stresses. Using Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, high-resolution TEM, and AFM, we identified particles down to ∼ 60 nm, extending the detectable size range beyond most previous studies. Release rates correlated strongly with temperature and frequency of use, ranging from 3.9 × 10<sup>6</sup> to 10.3 × 10<sup>6</sup> L<sup>-1</sup> for baby bottles and 5.3 × 10<sup>6</sup> to 9.1 × 10<sup>6</sup> L<sup>-1</sup> for water bottles respectively. Particles were predominantly flake-like and irregular, with crystalline–amorphous transitions and multilayer breakdown observed. Baby bottles released more MPs under thermal stress, whereas surface and mechanical stresses predominated in water bottles. These results provide new mechanistic insights into PP degradation pathways and highlight the importance of advanced, multi-modal analytical approaches for future evaluation of nanoscale plastic release.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101103"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145358112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101101
Mosaab A. Elbager , Mohammad Al-Suwaiyan , Qusai M. Karrar , Mohammed A.A. Elgzoly , Maimuna U. Zarewa , Tawfik A. Saleh
This study introduces a novel adsorbent material green carbon fibers (GCF) synthesized from palm waste leaves for sustainable wastewater treatment, leveraging their high porosity, thermal stability, and surface functionality for effective lead (Pb2+) removal from aqueous media. The uniqueness of the material lies in its origin from agricultural waste and its retention of natural fibrous morphology and hierarchical pore structures, distinguishing it from conventional activated carbons. Experimental conditions included pH 5.5, temperatures (10–40) °C, adsorbent doses (25–75) mg, and lead ion concentrations (50–100) mg/L. Characterization using SEM, EDS, XRD, TGA, BET, FTIR, and zeta potential analyses confirmed a highly porous GCF structure and favorable surface chemistry. Adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order (PSO) model (R2 = 0.952), indicating chemisorption, with a maximum capacity of 74.961 mg/g. Freundlich isotherm modeling (R2 = 0.9646) suggested heterogeneous multilayer adsorption. The RSM model demonstrated high predictive reliability with Reduced 2FI model (R2 = 0.9652) and among machine learning models, the Decision Tree outperformed others with R2 = 0.9143 and MSE = 76.88, identifying adsorbent weight as the most critical factor. These findings highlight the viability of converting agricultural waste into high-performance adsorbents, offering an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for heavy metal remediation in wastewater.
{"title":"Efficient eco-friendly porous green carbon fiber derived from palm waste leaves for lead removal from wastewater: RSM, and advanced modeling of machine learning","authors":"Mosaab A. Elbager , Mohammad Al-Suwaiyan , Qusai M. Karrar , Mohammed A.A. Elgzoly , Maimuna U. Zarewa , Tawfik A. Saleh","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces a novel adsorbent material green carbon fibers (GCF) synthesized from palm waste leaves for sustainable wastewater treatment, leveraging their high porosity, thermal stability, and surface functionality for effective lead (Pb<sup>2+</sup>) removal from aqueous media. The uniqueness of the material lies in its origin from agricultural waste and its retention of natural fibrous morphology and hierarchical pore structures, distinguishing it from conventional activated carbons. Experimental conditions included pH 5.5, temperatures (10–40) °C, adsorbent doses (25–75) mg, and lead ion concentrations (50–100) mg/L. Characterization using SEM, EDS, XRD, TGA, BET, FTIR, and zeta potential analyses confirmed a highly porous GCF structure and favorable surface chemistry. Adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order (PSO) model (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.952), indicating chemisorption, with a maximum capacity of 74.961 mg/g. Freundlich isotherm modeling (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9646) suggested heterogeneous multilayer adsorption. The RSM model demonstrated high predictive reliability with Reduced 2FI model (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9652) and among machine learning models, the Decision Tree outperformed others with R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9143 and MSE = 76.88, identifying adsorbent weight as the most critical factor. These findings highlight the viability of converting agricultural waste into high-performance adsorbents, offering an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for heavy metal remediation in wastewater.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145332745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-14DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101100
Jamila Husain Kagdi , Vaibhavkumar N. Mehta , Sanjay Jha , Tae Jung Park , Suresh Kumar Kailasa
Excessive use of pesticides and heavy metals can pose serious risks to human health and ecological balance. These pollutants persist in soil and water and bioaccumulate in organisms, leading to metabolic disruption and environmental damage. In this situation, simple, quick and inexpensive sensing platforms are essentially required to assay both pesticide residues and metal ions in environmental samples at the same time. This work represents the development of a dual-responsive colorimetric sensing probe for the detection of thiram using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) modified with 2-mercapto-nicotinic acid (2-MNA) (AgNPs@2-MNA) and further AgNPs@2-MNA-thriam nanoaggregates were used for parallel detection Fe3+ and Cu2+ ion, respectively. The characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AgNPs@2-MNA was remarkably shifted upon the addition of thiram, thereby forming AgNPs@2-MNA-thiram nanoaggregates, which was further used for the detection of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions via complex-assisted sensing mechanism. The assay came out with good linear ranges and the lower limits of detection as calculated for thiram, Fe3+ and Cu2+ are 0.474, 0.411 and 0.487 µM, respectively. This colorimetric assay was successfully validated for the detection of thiram and two metal ions (Fe3+ and Cu2+) in real environmental samples, highlighting its potential for field-deployable environmental monitoring.
{"title":"Synthesis of 2-mercaptonicotinic acid capped silver nanoparticles for sensing of thiram and their nanoaggregates for detection of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions","authors":"Jamila Husain Kagdi , Vaibhavkumar N. Mehta , Sanjay Jha , Tae Jung Park , Suresh Kumar Kailasa","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excessive use of pesticides and heavy metals can pose serious risks to human health and ecological balance. These pollutants persist in soil and water and bioaccumulate in organisms, leading to metabolic disruption and environmental damage. In this situation, simple, quick and inexpensive sensing platforms are essentially required to assay both pesticide residues and metal ions in environmental samples at the same time. This work represents the development of a dual-responsive colorimetric sensing probe for the detection of thiram using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) modified with 2-mercapto-nicotinic acid (2-MNA) (AgNPs@2-MNA) and further AgNPs@2-MNA-thriam nanoaggregates were used for parallel detection Fe<sup>3+</sup> and Cu<sup>2+</sup> ion, respectively. The characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AgNPs@2-MNA was remarkably shifted upon the addition of thiram, thereby forming AgNPs@2-MNA-thiram nanoaggregates, which was further used for the detection of Fe<sup>3+</sup> and Cu<sup>2+</sup> ions via complex-assisted sensing mechanism. The assay came out with good linear ranges and the lower limits of detection as calculated for thiram, Fe<sup>3+</sup> and Cu<sup>2+</sup> are 0.474, 0.411 and 0.487 µM, respectively. This colorimetric assay was successfully validated for the detection of thiram and two metal ions (Fe<sup>3+</sup> and Cu<sup>2+</sup>) in real environmental samples, highlighting its potential for field-deployable environmental monitoring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101100"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145104872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The occurrence, sources, and spatial distribution of phthalate esters (PAEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and faecal stanols were simultaneously investigated in surface sediments from Manasbal Lake, NW Himalayas. The concentrations of Σ4PAEs ranged from 9.08 μg/g to 194.42 μg/g, while Σ16PAHs varied from non-detectable (n.d.) to 250.1 μg/g. Sewage markers such as coprostanol and epi-coprostanol were detected, with concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 0.4 µg/g (mean = 0.17 µg/g) and 0.05 to 1.18 µg/g (mean = 0.26 µg/g), respectively, indicating significant faecal pollution. Detected PAEs included diethyl phthalate, di-isobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate isomers, and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. The primary sources of PAEs in the sediments were domestic waste from nearby villages, garbage disposal from residential areas, and built-up regions. Three-factor modeling using positive matrix factorization identified fuel combustion as the most significant source of PAHs, contributing 40.4 % of the pollution, followed by biomass combustion, which accounted for approximately 33.1 %. The highest concentrations of Σ16PAEs, Σ4PAEs, and stanols compounds were observed in the eastern part near the inlet, suggesting that their distribution is strongly influenced by proximity to pollution sources. Conversely, there was no significant relationship between these organic contaminants and sediment characteristics (grain size and TOC content) or water depth. The significant correlation between Σ4PAEs and microplastic abundance indicates that PAEs can serve as effective markers for identifying plastic pollution in sediments. This study enhances the baseline characterization of emerging contaminants in Himalayan freshwater systems and contributes to a better understanding of the potential sources and controls on their distribution in aquatic systems globally.
{"title":"Occurrence, sources, and controlling factors of emerging organic pollutants in a freshwater lake system in the NW Himalayas","authors":"Sunil Kumar , Mehta Bulbul , Diptimayee Behera , Arshid Jehangir , Ambili Anoop","doi":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101099","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enmm.2025.101099","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The occurrence, sources, and spatial distribution of phthalate esters (PAEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and faecal stanols were simultaneously investigated in surface sediments from Manasbal Lake, NW Himalayas. The concentrations of Σ<sub>4</sub>PAEs ranged from 9.08 μg/g to 194.42 μg/g, while Σ<sub>16</sub>PAHs varied from non-detectable (n.d.) to 250.1 μg/g. Sewage markers such as coprostanol and epi-coprostanol were detected, with concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 0.4 µg/g (mean = 0.17 µg/g) and 0.05 to 1.18 µg/g (mean = 0.26 µg/g), respectively, indicating significant faecal pollution. Detected PAEs included diethyl phthalate, di-isobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate isomers, and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. The primary sources of PAEs in the sediments were domestic waste from nearby villages, garbage disposal from residential areas, and built-up regions. Three-factor modeling using positive matrix factorization identified fuel combustion as the most significant source of PAHs, contributing 40.4 % of the pollution, followed by biomass combustion, which accounted for approximately 33.1 %. The highest concentrations of Σ<sub>16</sub>PAEs, Σ<sub>4</sub>PAEs, and stanols compounds were observed in the eastern part near the inlet, suggesting that their distribution is strongly influenced by proximity to pollution sources. Conversely, there was no significant relationship between these organic contaminants and sediment characteristics (grain size and TOC content) or water depth. The significant correlation between Σ<sub>4</sub>PAEs and microplastic abundance indicates that PAEs can serve as effective markers for identifying plastic pollution in sediments. This study enhances the baseline characterization of emerging contaminants in Himalayan freshwater systems and contributes to a better understanding of the potential sources and controls on their distribution in aquatic systems globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11716,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101099"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145117852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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