Beyond the cradle - Amidst microplastics and the ongoing peril during pregnancy and neonatal stages: A holistic review.

Advancements in research concerning the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in human blood, sputum, urine, and breast milk samples have piqued the interest of the scientific community, prompting further investigation. MPs present in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and meconium raise concerns about interference with embryonic development, leading to preeclampsia, stillbirth, preterm birth, and spontaneous abortion. The challenges posed by MPs extend beyond pregnancy, affecting the digestive, reproductive, circulatory, immune, and central nervous systems. This has spurred scientists to examine the origins of MPs in distinct environmental layers, including air, water, and soil. These risks continue after birth, as neonates are continuously exposed to MPs through everyday items such as breast milk, cow milk and infant milk powder, as well as plastic-based products like feeding bottles and breast milk storage bags. It is the need of the hour to strike a balance amidst lifestyle changes, alternative choices to traditional plastic products, raising awareness about plastic-related health risks, and fostering collaboration between the scientific community and policymakers. This review aims to provide fresh insights into potential sources of MP pollution, with a specific focus on pregnancy and neonates. It is the first compilation of its kind so far that includes critical studies on recently reported discoveries.

Sustainable management of tea wastes: resource recovery and conversion techniques.

As the demand for tea (Camellia sinensis) has grown across the world, the amount of biomass waste that has been produced during the harvesting process has also increased. Tea consumption was estimated at about 6.3 million tonnes in 2020 and is anticipated to reach 7.4 million tonnes by 2025. The generation of tea waste (TW) after use has also increased concurrently with rising tea consumption. TW includes clipped stems, wasted tea leaves, and buds. Many TW-derived products have proven benefits in various applications, including energy generation, energy storage, wastewater treatment, and pharmaceuticals. TW is widely used in environmental and energy-related applications. Energy recovery from low- and medium-calorific value fuels may be accomplished in a highly efficient manner using pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and gasification. TW-made biochar and activated carbon are also promising adsorbents for use in environmental applications. Another area where TW shows promise is in the synthesis of phytochemicals. This review offers an overview of the conversion procedures for TW into value-added products. Further, the improvements in their applications for energy generation, energy storage, removal of different contaminants, and extraction of phytochemicals have been reviewed. A comprehensive assessment of the sustainable use of TWs as environmentally acceptable renewable resources is compiled in this review.

Environmental remediation by tea waste and its derivative products: A review on present status and technological advancements.

The rising consumption of the popular non-alcoholic beverage tea and its derivative products caused massive growth in worldwide tea production in the last decade, leading to the generation of huge quantities of waste tea residues every year. Most of these wastes are usually burnt or disposed in landfills without proper treatment which results in serious environmental issues by polluting water, air and soil. In the recent times, 'waste to wealth' is a fast-growing concept for environment friendly sustainable development. Utilization of the large amount of tea wastes for the production of low-cost adsorbents to reduce the expenses of water and wastewater treatment can be a sustainable way of management of these wastes which at the same time will improve circular economy also. This review endeavours to evaluate the potential of both raw and modified tea wastes towards the adsorption of pollutants from wastewater. The production of various adsorptive materials such as biochar, activated carbon, nanocomposites, hydrogels, nanoparticles from tea wastes are summarized. The advancements in their applications for the removal of different emerging contaminants from wastewater as well as potable water, air and soil are exhaustively reviewed. The outcome of the present review reveals that tea waste and its derivatives are appropriate candidates to be used as adsorbents that show tremendous effectiveness in cleaning the environment. This article will provide the readers with an in-depth knowledge on the sustainable utilization of tea waste as adsorbent materials and will assist them to explore this abundant cheap waste biomass for environmental remediation.