{"title":"Starch-based biocomposite films and coatings in paper-based food packaging: a review","authors":"Afreen Sultana","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01862-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01862-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Many fossil fuel-derived plastic polymers are causing environmental pollution by microplastics, and are accelerating global warming because they are carbon positive, calling urgently for alternatives such as biopolymers made from modern biomass. Here, I review starch-based biocomposites with emphasis on natural components, applications for paper coating, challenges, and manufacturing. Natural components include polysaccharides, proteins, clay, and metals. Challenges comprise biodegradability, production cost, printing and labeling, policies, the lack of homogeneity and of life cycle assessment, and mismatched expectations of academia and industry. In particular, starch-based packaging has drawbacks that make it unsuitable for food packaging, including poor thermal resistance, barrier properties, and mechanical properties. I observe that the ratio of amylose and amylopectin impacts the barrier and mechanical properties of starch-based films.</p>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145002782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Quan Wan, Miaoyue Zhang, Man Zhao, Erwin Klumpp, Roland Bol, Kengbo Ding, Zhuobiao Ni, Jingjing Li, Chao Jin, Rongliang Qiu
{"title":"Metal nanoparticles transport in the subsurface: a review","authors":"Quan Wan, Miaoyue Zhang, Man Zhao, Erwin Klumpp, Roland Bol, Kengbo Ding, Zhuobiao Ni, Jingjing Li, Chao Jin, Rongliang Qiu","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01879-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01879-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The increasing use of metal nanoparticles in industrial products has induced a global pollution, yet their fate in ecosystems is not fully understood. Here, we review the transport and transformation of metal nanoparticles in the subsurface with emphasis on mechanisms, research techniques, and numerical modeling. Transport can be explained by the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory, the colloid filtration theory, advection–dispersion, Brownian diffusion, interception, gravitational sedimentation, attachment–detachment, straining, blocking and ripening, colloid-facilitated transport, hetero-aggregation, and competitive blocking. Transport research techniques include columns, lysimeters, quartz crystal microbalance, and parallel plate and atomic force microscopy. Metal nanoparticle transformation is characterized by diffuse gradient in thin films and combined microscopy and spectrometry. There are transformation, transport, co-transport, and coupling models. Metal nanoparticles are commonly retained in porous media with small grain sizes, rough surfaces, and surface charges opposite to that of the metal nanoparticles. Transport of metal nanoparticles is favored by colloids and competitive blocking during co-transport. The transformation of metal nanoparticles significantly changes the properties and transport characteristics, which limits the predictions of models.</p>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144987541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. F. A. Rahman, Agus Arsad, Dai-Viet N. Vo, M. B. Bahari
{"title":"Nano-silica to reduce of surfactant adsorption in oil recovery: A review","authors":"A. F. A. Rahman, Agus Arsad, Dai-Viet N. Vo, M. B. Bahari","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01875-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01875-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Oil recovery in geological reservoirs can be enhanced by surfactant flooding, yet this technique is limited by surfactant adsorption on rocks. Here we review the use of nano-silica to decrease surfactant adsorption and to recover more oil, with a focus on surfactant flooding and adsorption, nano-silica properties and development, strategies to reduce surfactant adsorption, and the use of other nanoparticles such as zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, and titanium dioxide. During classical waterflooding, more than 60% of the oil remains trapped in reservoirs due to adsorption of surfactants onto reservoir rocks, which can reach up to 2.84 mg/g. The use of nano-silica reduces surfactant adsorption by 43%, lowers the adsorption density to 1.61 mg/g, and, in turn, improves oil recovery from 4.43 to 9.11%.</p>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144931187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maksim M. Donets, Aleksandra D. Borovkova, Maksim A. Belanov, Tatyana V. Boychenko, Vasiliy Yu. Tsygankov
{"title":"Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bivalves from the Black Sea","authors":"Maksim M. Donets, Aleksandra D. Borovkova, Maksim A. Belanov, Tatyana V. Boychenko, Vasiliy Yu. Tsygankov","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01877-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01877-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are ubiquitous occurring in the environment, they originate from various sources such as fossil fuels and combustion products, and some of them display toxic effects. Here, we review polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with emphasis on their sources and fate, environmental parameters based on their ratios, toxicity, socioeconomic impact of marine pollution, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bivalves of the Back Sea, including Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Russia. We observe that petrogenic pollution dominates in most regions, with phenanthrene being the predominant compound. Elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels were observed near major shipping routes, ports, and industrial zones, particularly along Turkey’s coast, the Constanța area in Romania, and Odessa in Ukraine. Lower contamination levels were recorded in less industrialized areas such as Bulgaria. Seasonal variations indicate higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations during warmer months, likely influenced by increased recreational and shipping activities. Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons accounted for a substantial proportion of total pollutants in some areas, posing risks to marine biota and human health. While western and southern regions exhibit moderate to severe contamination, the eastern Black Sea remains understudied.</p>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144924310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Methods to monitor the defects of the drainage pipe network: a review","authors":"Boyuan Xue, Eric Lichtfouse, Xiaohong Zhou","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01874-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01874-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wastewater transport and recycling are major issues in the context of global pollution and climate change. In particular, drainage pipe networks are critical urban infrastructures for sewage transportation and flood drainage, yet these pipes are susceptible to structural and functional defects that compromise their integrity and efficiency. Failure in drainage pipelines can lead to catastrophic consequences, including urban flooding, soil contamination, sinkholes, and significant economic losses. Here, we review advanced methods to monitor structural and functional defects of drainage pipe networks. We present common defects of drainage pipe networks. Defect detection methods include software-based methods, acoustic methods, infrared thermography, smart ball systems, ground-penetrating radar, and distributed fiber-optic sensing. We found that integrating multi-sensor fusion, software-hardware synergy, and artificial intelligence significantly improves defect detection accuracy and predictive maintenance. We provide insights for selecting optimal monitoring strategies by comparing the principles, applications, and performance of the detection methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144924311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microplastic entry into the ocular surface through eye drops usage","authors":"Yi Wang, Binbin Zhang, Minhu Li, Jiaolong Huang, Meijuan Zhu, Weicheng Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01873-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01873-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microplastics can enter the human body through various pathways, but their entry into the eyes remains unproven. Since commercial eye drops contain large amounts of microplastics, we hypothesized that microplastics could enter the eyes when applying eye drops. We analyzed 5 samples of eye drops, and ocular surface lavage fluid from 14 volunteers. Then we studied the migration of microplastics and their ocular damage in in vivo rat experiments. Results show a widespread occurrence of microplastics in eye drops and on human ocular surface. We also found that microplastics can even enter the bloodstream via ocular surface. Overall, commercial eye drops appear as an overlooked pathway for microplastic deposition on the human ocular surface. As a consequence, microplastics could elevate ocular oxidative stress, and trigger ocular inflammation.</p>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144924309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jean-Claude Bollinger, Eder C. Lima, Lotfi Mouni, Stefano Salvestrini, Hai Nguyen Tran
{"title":"Molecular properties of methylene blue, a common probe in sorption and degradation studies: a review","authors":"Jean-Claude Bollinger, Eder C. Lima, Lotfi Mouni, Stefano Salvestrini, Hai Nguyen Tran","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01856-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10311-025-01856-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Methylene blue is a textile dye widely used as a reference probe in laboratory studies to set optimal removal conditions, yet reported physical properties of methylene blue are often erroneous. Here we review methylene blue properties with emphasis on erroneous or confusing literature data. We present molecular, biological, water solubility, spectroscopic, physicochemical and degradation properties, with focus on medicinal effects, lipophilicity, sorption, X-Ray diffraction, computed molecular structure, specific surface area, ultraviolet–visible, molar absorptivity, solvatochromism, pH, infrared, self-association, acid/base and redox behaviours, photocatalytic degradation, oxidative degradation, and biodegradation. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 5","pages":"1403 - 1424"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10311-025-01856-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145143104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ajay Kumar, Arti Sharma, Piyali Majumder, Vikram Vishal, Arnab Dutta
{"title":"Chemical and microalgal conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels and materials: a review","authors":"Ajay Kumar, Arti Sharma, Piyali Majumder, Vikram Vishal, Arnab Dutta","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01855-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10311-025-01855-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The rapid climate warming caused partly by rising carbon dioxide levels calls for efficient methods to capture and convert carbon dioxide into energy and chemicals. Here, we review microalgal carbon dioxide capture with focus on photosynthesis, chemical adsorbents and catalysts, factors controlling carbon sequestration, cultivation systems, artificial intelligence and modeling, and applications. Carbon sequestration is controlled by feed gas composition and flow rate, temperature, pH, light, humidity, dissolved oxygen, shear stress, nutrients, and species, e.g., green algae and cyanobacteria. Microalgal biomass can be converted into biofuels, pharmaceuticals, biopolymers, and food.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 5","pages":"1209 - 1229"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rajiv Ranjan Srivastava, Nimra Ilyas, Siti Khodijah Chaerun, Fredrik Engström, Andreas Lennartsson, Lena Sundqvist Öqvist, Sadia Ilyas
{"title":"Biological recycling of critical metals from spent hydrodesulfurization catalysts: a review","authors":"Rajiv Ranjan Srivastava, Nimra Ilyas, Siti Khodijah Chaerun, Fredrik Engström, Andreas Lennartsson, Lena Sundqvist Öqvist, Sadia Ilyas","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01849-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10311-025-01849-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Large quantities of spent catalysts containing strategic metals such as molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, and vanadium, are lost after hydrodesulfurization of petroleum. Here, we review the recycling of those metals using bacteria and fungi. We analyze bioleaching approaches, utilizing both chemoautotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms, and examine how various operational parameters influence the extraction process. The formation of soluble species in the metabolic lixiviant derived from high-sulfur feedstocks creates optimal conditions for the activity of sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms, such as <i>Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans</i>. In contrast, bioleaching with <i>Penicillium simplicissimum</i> at a pH range of 4–7 promotes the formation of stable anionic molybdate, which is advantageous for the subsequent recovery process.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 5","pages":"1381 - 1402"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10311-025-01849-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}