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":"10.1007/s10311-025-01875-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><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></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"24 1","pages":"173 - 199"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10311-025-01875-y.pdf","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":"OA","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":"10.1007/s10311-025-01877-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><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></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"24 1","pages":"251 - 274"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10311-025-01877-w.pdf","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":"OA","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":"10.1007/s10311-025-01874-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><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></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 6","pages":"1877 - 1894"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"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":"10.1007/s10311-025-01873-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><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></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"24 1","pages":"5 - 12"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"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}
Mira Abou Rjeily, Cédric Gennequin, Jaona Harifidy Randrianalisoa
{"title":"Biomass pyrolysis to produce hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oil and char: a review","authors":"Mira Abou Rjeily, Cédric Gennequin, Jaona Harifidy Randrianalisoa","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01867-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10311-025-01867-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Carbon neutral energies and fine chemicals are urgently needed in the context of the accelerating global warming and associated extreme weather events. Here we review the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemical compounds with focus on biomass properties, mechanisms of biomass thermal decomposition, bio-oil composition and generation, reactor types, pyrolytic classifications, pyrolysis of pure biomass components, and pyrolysis of wood. The main biomass components, namely cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, are determined by the Van Soest protocol. Biomass decomposition can be explained by the one-step global mechanism, independent competitive or parallel reactions, the multi-component mechanism, the Broido-Shafizadeh scheme, the secondary tar cracking model and the Ranzi scheme. Pyrolysis can be classified into slow, intermediate, fast, and flash pyrolysis. Reactors comprise fixed bed-, fluidized bed- and multistage reactors.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 6","pages":"1473 - 1541"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145374853","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}
Ramesh Kumar, Kung-Won Choi, Moonis Ali Khan, Goutam Biswas, SoonHo Cho, Sankha Chakrabortty, Suraj K. Tripathy, Kyoung-Yeol Kim, Byong-Hun Jeon
{"title":"Sustainable lithium extraction from liquid ores using membrane-based technologies: a review","authors":"Ramesh Kumar, Kung-Won Choi, Moonis Ali Khan, Goutam Biswas, SoonHo Cho, Sankha Chakrabortty, Suraj K. Tripathy, Kyoung-Yeol Kim, Byong-Hun Jeon","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01871-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10311-025-01871-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lithium is becoming a critical element for the economy due to the rising production of lithium-ion batteries, yet conventional extraction methods are slow, energy-intensive, and environmentally harmful. Recently, these issues have been solved partly by integrating advanced membranes in the extraction process. Here we review methods for lithium extraction with emphasis on conventional methods, membrane-based methods, multi-stage membrane-integrated systems, demonstration projects, techno-economical and life cycle assessment. Conventional methods include solar evaporation, precipitation, ion sieve adsorption, ion exchange, and electrochemical and solvent extraction. Membrane-based methods comprise reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, membrane distillation, membrane crystallization, forward osmosis and electrochemical membrane systems, ion-imprinted and ion sieve membranes, and liquid membranes. Liquid ores such as salt lakes and brines are a major source of lithium extraction and account for 2/3 of the global lithium production. Natural salt lakes and geothermal brines contain small lithium concentrations of 7.5–150 mg/L and high total dissolved solids, of 150–330 g/L. Nanofiltration allows about 85% lithium recovery with magnesium-to-lithium-ion selectivity of 0.4–0.75 and energy consumption of 35–48 kWh/kg. Electrodialysis reduces by 88% the magnesium-to-lithium ion ratio at a lower energy use of 10–38 kWh/kg of lithium. Supported liquid and ion-imprinted membranes are more energy-efficient, of 6–21 kWh/kg, but remain limited to laboratory-scale studies. We observed that the integration of membrane systems with conventional direct lithium extraction methods enhances the upstream lithium enrichment, followed by downstream recovery for more efficient overall lithium extraction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 6","pages":"1569 - 1660"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145374859","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":"Cognitive impairment and dementia by pollutant exposure: a review","authors":"Liehai Hu, Dongmei Li","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01870-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10311-025-01870-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There are about 10 million new cases of cognitive impairment diseases yearly, affecting 50 million people worldwide. Cognitive impairment is partly explained by pollutant exposure, with air pollution as one of the risk factor for dementia. Here we review the relationships between cognitive impairment and pollutant exposure, with focus on pollutant types, the entry of pollutants into the brain, symptoms and therapeutical drugs. Pollutants comprise solid and particulate compounds, organic and inorganic pollutants, bacteria, biotoxins and viruses. Symptoms include oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, aberrant cell death, and effects on the gut-brain axis. Cognitive impairment could be cured and prevented with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, inhibitors and activators, probiotics, and a healthy lifestyle. We present epidemiological evidence linking pollutants to cognitive impairment, and underlying neurotoxicity mechanisms. The olfactory mucosa and olfactory bulb pathway appears as the major route for pollutants entry into the brain parenchyma, which explains the strong epidemiological link between airborne pollutants and cognitive impairment. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation trigger aberrant programmed cell death, including autophagy, apoptosis, and ferroptosis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 6","pages":"1801 - 1835"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145374976","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":"Cyclodextrins for the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: a review","authors":"Dario Lacalamita, Chiara Mongioví, Grégorio Crini, Nadia Morin-Crini","doi":"10.1007/s10311-025-01868-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10311-025-01868-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as ‘forever pollutants’ due to their very high stability in ecosystems, are industrial contaminants of emerging health concern commonly found in water. Remediation is particularly challenging because existing water and wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove these pollutants. Here we review methods for the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, with focus on the use of cyclodextrins, the cage molecules that can capture smaller substances. We present classical methods and adsorbents such as granular activated carbons, ion exchange resins, advanced oxidation processes, electrochemical degradation, metal–organic frameworks, and membrane filtration. Cyclodextrin-based materials include cross-linked compounds, molecularly imprinted polymers, covalent organic frameworks, and silica hybrids. We describe the complex formed by inclusion of a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance into a cyclodextrin. We compare the use of cyclodextrins with other removal methods. Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides used to prepare polyfunctional materials by cross-linking, immobilization, coating, or self-assembly. Cyclodextrins-based materials are much more efficient for the remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, because these cage molecules can be designed to recognize specifically pollutants. As a consequence, cyclodextrins-based materials display much higher adsorption coefficients, in the range of 10<sup>4</sup>—10<sup>6</sup> L per Kg, compared to less than 10<sup>4</sup> L per Kg for activated carbon.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":541,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry Letters","volume":"23 6","pages":"1713 - 1743"},"PeriodicalIF":20.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10311-025-01868-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145374975","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}