Exploring Innovative Approaches for the Analysis of Micro- and Nanoplastics: Breakthroughs in (Bio)Sensing Techniques.

Plastic pollution, particularly from microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), has become a critical environmental and health concern due to their widespread distribution, persistence, and potential toxicity. MPs and NPs originate from primary sources, such as cosmetic microspheres or synthetic fibers, and secondary fragmentation of larger plastics through environmental degradation. These particles, typically less than 5 mm, are found globally, from deep seabeds to human tissues, and are known to adsorb and release harmful pollutants, exacerbating ecological and health risks.

Use of Laccase Enzymes as Bio-Receptors for the Organic Dye Methylene Blue in a Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor.

Methylene blue is a cationic organic dye commonly found in wastewater, groundwater, and surface water due to industrial discharge into the environment. This emerging pollutant is notably persistent and can pose risks to both human health and the environment. In this study, we developed a Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor employing a BK7 prism coated with 3 nm chromium and 50 nm of gold in the Kretschmann configuration, specifically for the detection of methylene blue.

Are you drowned in microplastic pollution? A brief insight on the current knowledge for early career researchers developing novel remediation strategies.

Microplastics (MPs) composed of different polymers with various shapes, within a vast granulometric distribution (1 μm - 5 mm) and with a wide variety of physicochemical surface and bulk characteristics spiral around the globe, with different atmospheric, oceanic, cryospheric, and terrestrial residence times, while interacting with other pollutants and biota. The challenges of microplastic pollution are related to the complex relationships between the microplastic generation mechanisms (physical, chemical, and biological), their physicochemical properties, their interactions with other pollutants and microorganisms, the changes in their properties with aging, and their small sizes that facilitate their diffusion and transportation between the air, water, land, and biota, thereby promoting their ubiquity. Early career researchers (ERCs) constitute an essential part of the scientific community committed to overcoming the challenges of microplastic pollution with their new ideas and innovative scientific perspectives for the development of remediation technologies.

Low environmental impact remediation of microplastics: Visible-light photocatalytic degradation of PET microplastics using bio-inspired C,N-TiO/SiO photocatalysts.

Microplastics (MPs) are plastic particles with sizes between 1 μm and 5 mm with a ubiquitous presence in aquatic ecosystems. MPs harm marine life and can cause severe health problems for humans. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) that involve the in-situ generation of highly oxidant hydroxyl radicals can be an alternative to fight MPs pollution.

Progress in Plasmonic Sensors as Monitoring Tools for Aquaculture Quality Control.

Aquaculture is an expanding economic sector that nourishes the world's growing population due to its nutritional significance over the years as a source of high-quality proteins. However, it has faced severe challenges due to significant cases of environmental pollution, pathogen outbreaks, and the lack of traceability that guarantees the quality assurance of its products. Such context has prompted many researchers to work on the development of novel, affordable, and reliable technologies, many based on nanophotonic sensing methodologies.

The Potential Use of a Thin Film Gold Electrode Modified with Laccases for the Electrochemical Detection of Pyrethroid Metabolite 3-Phenoxybenzaldehyde.

There is increasing interest in developing portable technologies to detect human health threats through hybrid materials that integrate specific bioreceptors. This work proposes an electrochemical approach for detecting 3-Phenoxybenzaldehyde (3-PBD), a biomarker for monitoring human exposure to pyrethroid pesticides. The biosensor uses laccase enzymes as an alternative recognition element by direct oxidation of 3-PBD catalysts by the enzyme onto thin-film gold electrodes.

The Role of the Reactive Species Involved in the Photocatalytic Degradation of HDPE Microplastics Using C,N-TiO Powders.

Microplastics (MPs) are distributed in a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems throughout the planet. They are known to adsorb hazardous substances and can transfer them across the trophic web. To eliminate MPs pollution in an environmentally friendly process, we propose using a photocatalytic process that can easily be implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

A Novel Enzyme-Based SPR Strategy for Detection of the Antimicrobial Agent Chlorophene.

Chlorophene is an important antimicrobial agent present in disinfectant products which has been related to health and environmental effects, and its detection has been limited to chromatographic techniques. Thus, there is a lack of research that attempts to develop new analytical tools, such as biosensors, that address the detection of this emerging pollutant. Therefore, a new biosensor for the direct detection of chlorophene in real water is presented, based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and using a laccase enzyme as a recognition element.

Microplastic pollution reduction by a carbon and nitrogen-doped TiO: Effect of pH and temperature in the photocatalytic degradation process.

Microplastics (MPs) are pollutants formed by plastics ≤ 5 mm and are present in marine and terrestrial environments. Due to their large surface to volume ratio and chemical surface properties, MPs adsorb hazardous chemicals from their surrounding environment. When MPs are consumed by fauna, they transfer those substances through the trophic chain.

Dissimilatory reduction of Fe(III) by a novel Serratia marcescens strain with special insight into the influence of prodigiosin.

A novel pigmented bacterium, initially identified as 11E, was isolated from a site historically known to have various iron-related ores. Phylogenetic analysis of this bacterial strain showed that it belongs to Serratia marcescens. This pigmented S.

Pollution status and bioremediation of chlorpyrifos in environmental matrices by the application of bacterial communities: A review.

Pesticides currently play a significant role in enhancing agricultural production and offer economic assistance to our farmers. However, their indiscriminate and injudicious application has caused environmental problems and public health concerns. Chlorpyrifos, a pesticide of organophosphate category is used globally as an insecticide, acaricide, and termiticide in households, public health, and agriculture against pests of a wide range.

Polyphosphate recovery by a native Bacillus cereus strain as a direct effect of glyphosate uptake.

Seven bacterial strains isolated from a glyphosate-exposed orange plantation site were exposed to 1 mM N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine supplied as a phosphorus source. While some exhibited good biodegradation profiles, the strain 6 P, identified as Bacillus cereus, was the only strain capable of releasing inorganic phosphate to the culture supernatant, while accumulating polyphosphate intracellularly along the experimentation time. The composition and purity of the intracellular polyphosphate accumulated by the strain 6 P were confirmed by FTIR analysis.

Early Detection of the Fungal Banana Black Sigatoka Pathogen by an SPR Immunosensor Method.

Black Sigatoka is a disease that occurs in banana plantations worldwide. This disease is caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus , whose infection results in a significant reduction in both product quality and yield. Therefore, detection and identification in the early stages of this pathogen in plants could help minimize losses, as well as prevent the spread of the disease to neighboring cultures.

Reduction of chromium (VI) from aqueous solution by biomass of Cladosporium cladosporioides.

The capacity of Cladosporium cladosporioides biomass for removal of Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions was evaluated. A 2 × 2 factorial experiment design was used to study the effects of pH and biomass doses. Lower pH values and larger biomass doses increased the capacity of C.

Polishing of municipal secondary effluent using native microalgae consortia.

This work evaluates the use of native microalgae consortia for a dual role: polishing treatment of municipal wastewater effluents and microalgae biomass feedstock potential for biodiesel or biofertilizer production. An initial screening was undertaken to test N and P removal from secondary effluents and biomass production by 12 consortia. A subsequent treatment was performed by selected consortia (01 and 12) under three operational conditions: stirring (S), S + 12 h of daily aeration (S + A) and S + A enriched with CO (S + AC).

Scenario of organophosphate pollution and toxicity in India: A review.

The present study on organophosphate deals with the reports on pollution and toxicity cases throughout India. The use of pesticides was introduced in India during the 1960s which are now being used on a large scale and represents the common feature of Indian agriculture. Use of organophosphates as a pesticide came as an alternative to chlorinated hydrocarbons due to their easy degradability.

Metal-Induced Production of a Novel Bioadsorbent Exopolysaccharide in a Native Rhodotorula mucilaginosa from the Mexican Northeastern Region.

There is a current need to develop low-cost strategies to degrade and eliminate industrially used colorants discharged into the environment. Colorants discharged into natural water streams pose various threats, including: toxicity, degradation of aesthetics and inhibiting sunlight penetration into aquatic ecosystems. Dyes and colorants usually have complex aromatic molecular structures, which make them very stable and difficult to degrade and eliminate by conventional water treatment systems.

The genes and enzymes of phosphonate metabolism by bacteria, and their distribution in the marine environment.

Phosphonates are compounds that contain the chemically stable carbon-phosphorus (C-P) bond. They are widely distributed amongst more primitive life forms including many marine invertebrates and constitute a significant component of the dissolved organic phosphorus reservoir in the oceans. Virtually all biogenic C-P compounds are synthesized by a pathway in which the key step is the intramolecular rearrangement of phosphoenolpyruvate to phosphonopyruvate.

Expression of the phosphonoalanine-degradative gene cluster from Variovorax sp. Pal2 is induced by growth on phosphonoalanine and phosphonopyruvate.

The phosphonopyruvate hydrolase (PalA) found in Variovorax sp., Pal2, is a novel carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage enzyme, which is expressed even in the presence of high levels of phosphate, thus permitting phosphonopyruvate to be used as the sole carbon and energy source. Analysis of the regions adjacent to the palA gene revealed the presence of the five structural genes that constitute the 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid (phosphonoalanine)-degradative operon.