Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVs) as an emerging contaminant of concern: a review.

Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVs) are a group of industrial chemicals used in various consumer products and industrial applications. Due to its large-scale production and use, BUVs have been detected in all environmental matrices. Humans are exposed to BUVs from environmental media, food, personal care products (PCPs), and consumer products.

Occurrence, spatio-temporal variation and ecological risk assessment of benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVs) in water and sediment of rivers in central India.

Occurrence of benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVs) in different environmental matrices has attracted researchers and regulatory agencies worldwide due to its persistency, bioaccumulative and toxic properties. Environmental occurrence of BUVs in Indian freshwater is lacking. The present study analyzed six targeted BUVs in surface water and sediments of three rivers of Central India.

Microplastic properties and their interaction with hydrophobic organic contaminants: a review.

Microplastics (MPs) have been defined as particles of size < 5 mm and are characterized by hydrophobicity and large surface areas. MPs interact with co-occurring hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) via sorption-desorption processes in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Ingestion of MPs by living organisms may increase exposure to HOC levels.

Biomedical waste generation and management during COVID-19 pandemic in India: challenges and possible management strategies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the massive generation of biomedical waste (BMW) and plastic waste (PW). This sudden spike in BMW and PW has created challenges to the existing waste management infrastructure, especially in developing countries. Safe disposal of PW and BMW is essential; otherwise, this virus will lead to a waste pandemic.

Leaching characteristics and hazard evaluation of bottom ash generated from common biomedical waste incinerators.

India has more than 202 biomedical waste incinerators, however, knowledge on the chemical characteristics of incinerator ash is lacking. The objective of this study was to evaluate the lecahablility characteristics of bottom ash and to study the levels of incineration by-products polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Bottom ash samples from 13 common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBMWTF) were colleted and subjected to leachig test, sequential extraction procedure (SEP) and PAHs and PCBs analysis.

Pretreatment of garden biomass by alkali-assisted ultrasonication: effects on enzymatic hydrolysis and ultrastructural changes.

The present investigation aims at studying the effectiveness of alkali-assisted ultrasonication on pretreatment of garden biomass (GB). Dry and powdered GB suspended in 1% NaOH was ultrasonicated for 15, 30 and 60 minutes at a frequency of 25 KHZ. The mode of action and effectiveness of alkali-assisted ultrasonication on GB was established through microscopic, scanning electron microscopic and X-ray diffraction studies.

Pretreatment of banana agricultural waste for bio-ethanol production: individual and interactive effects of acid and alkali pretreatments with autoclaving, microwave heating and ultrasonication.

Banana agricultural waste is one of the potential lignocellulosic substrates which are mostly un-utilized but sufficiently available in many parts of the world. In the present study, suitability of banana waste for biofuel production with respect to pretreatment and reducing sugar yield was assessed. The effectiveness of both acid and alkali pretreatments along with autoclaving, microwave heating and ultrasonication on different morphological parts of banana (BMPs) was studied.