ACS Environmental Au Best Paper Awards 2021–2022

S the first issue of ACS Environmental Au was published in November 2021, we have been delighted to publish many high-quality and impactful Articles, Letters, Reviews, and Perspectives in the journal. We are extremely grateful to our authors, reviewers, Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) members, and readers for their consistent support in developing this new, premier open access environmental science and technology journal. To recognize some of the outstanding publications published in 2021 and 2022, we are very pleased to share our first ACS Environmental Au Best Paper Awards. We, as Editors, nominated papers to be considered for the award, including all article types and research topics published in the last two years. We highlighted those that demonstrated key elements of quality, such as scientific rigor, novelty, significance, and impact on the community. From a shortlist of candidate papers, we invited all of our EAB members to select their top five choices that best reflected the journal’s outstanding publications in 2021−2022. We are delighted to highlight the awardees of our first ACS Environmental Au Best Paper Awards, 2021−2022. Tehya Stockman, Shelly L. Miller et al. Measurements and Simulations of Aerosol Released while Singing and Playing Wind Instruments. ACS Environ. Au 2021 1 (1), 71−84. DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00007. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed our lives in the last three years. Understanding the transmission of bioaerosols in the air is very important in designing effective measures to control infection risk in public places. The teams of Tehya Stockman and Shelly Miller conducted important research on aerosol generation and transport while singing and playing wind instruments in choir and theater environments. The study utilized flow visualization, aerosol and CO2 measurements, and computational fluid dynamics modeling to understand the different components that can lead to SARSCoV-2 transmission risks. The results showed that plumes from musical performances were highly directional, unsteady and varied considerably in time and space. Face and bell masks attenuated plume velocities and lengths and decreased aerosol concentrations. This research generated substantial public interest and was quoted in numerous news reports and social media posts. This is also a great example of how open access can support disseminating new, rigorous science to the public, stakeholders, and policymakers. Asha de Vos and Anna P. M. Michel et al. The M/V X-Press Pearl Nurdle Spill: Contamination of Burnt Plastic and Unburnt Nurdles along Sri Lanka’s Beaches. ACS Environ. Au 2022, 2 (2), 128−135. DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00031. An international team led by Asha de Vos and Anna P. M. Michel conducted a rapid response study on a massive plastic spill event off the west coast of Sri Lanka. The M/V XPress Pearl cargo ship caught fire in May 2021 and spilled 70−75 billion pellets of preproduction plastic material, known as nurdles, into the ocean and along the coastline. This spill of approximately 1500 tons of nurdles, many of which were burnt by the fire, threatens marine life and poses a complex cleanup challenge. The collaborative research team determined how the fire modified the physical and chemical properties of the nurdles and how it affected their transport and distribution along the coast. These actionable data aided the ongoing response to this unprecedented spill and efforts to assess the damage, and will inform effective responses to future potential spills. In addition, the results of this study provide muchneeded scientific evidence for local government agencies and environmental groups in cleanup strategies and remediation measures, and show the immediate real-world applications of this novel research. Tamar Barkay and Baohua Gu. Demethylation�The Other Side of the Mercury Methylation Coin: A Critical Review. ACS Environ. Au 2022, 2 (2), 77−97. DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00022. Mercury is a highly toxic metal pollutant. In this comprehensive Review, Tamar Barkay and Baohua Gu evaluated microbially mediated demethylation mechanisms, including a Hg resistance system (mer), which reductively breaks the carbon−mercury bond in resistant organisms, and mer-independent oxidative demethylation in some strains of anaerobic bacteria and aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria. The researchers further discussed the roles of reactive oxygen species, free radicals, and naturally dissolved organic matter in photochemical demethylation, as well as dark abiotic demethylation in natural environments. The Review provides brand-new insights for developing improved models of the pathways that lead to MeHg bioaccumulation, and could facilitate better control measures for this widely distributed metal pollutant in the environment. Amar K. Mohanty and Manjusri Misra et al. Impacts of COVID-19 Outbreak on the Municipal Solid Waste Manage-