Anthropogenic debris as nest material in three swift species: New insights into the interactions of atmospheric pollution with wildlife.

Plastic pollution has become a global concern, affecting many species around the world. While well-documented for marine ecosystems, the impact of plastic pollution on terrestrial ecosystems is comparatively limited. In fact, only recently have some studies begun to explore the occurrence, pathways, and impacts of plastic in the atmosphere and on terrestrial species. Here, we assess the presence of synthetic material in nests of three swift species breeding in the Western Palearctic: the common swift (Apus apus), the pallid swift (Apus pallidus), and the alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba). Using data from 487 nests spanning 25 colonies and seven European countries, we show that 36.5 % of the examined nests contained anthropogenic materials, mainly plastic debris. Notably, Pallid swifts' nests, with 85 % of the total nests examined with plastic, rank among birds with the highest plastic content in nests. We also demonstrate that the probability of finding plastic in the nest increased substantially with the human footprint of the landscape. Last, we recorded four cases of swifts entangled in their own nest, a low proportion compared to other species studied previously. Our study provides compelling evidence that plastic pollution may also be considered a concern for other terrestrial species, particularly for birds with highly aerial lifestyles, such as other swifts. The correlation with the human footprint suggests that areas with higher human activity contribute more significantly. Moreover, the entanglement cases, although low, indicate a threat to bird health and welfare. To our knowledge, our study is the first to report a direct interaction between floating plastic debris in the atmosphere and any species. Understanding this interaction is key, not only due to the lack of research on the topic, but also because it highlights that plastic pollution is a multifaceted environmental issue affecting various ecosystem categories, and the broader implications of atmospheric plastic circulation on wildlife and ecosystems health.

Anthropogenic debris pollution in yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis atlantis) nests in biosphere reserves of the Canary Islands.

Anthropogenic debris, particularly plastic pollution, has emerged as a significant environmental threat to biodiversity. Given that seabirds interact with artificial debris through ingestion, entanglement, and nest incorporation, it is particularly important to quantify the quantity, origins, and chemical composition of these debris items. In this work, it was evaluated for the first time the occurrence of anthropogenic debris in nests of yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis atlantis) in biosphere reserves of the Canary Islands (Spain). A total of 48 abandoned nests were collected from five remote and hardly accessible sampling areas, revealing that 81.3 % contained anthropogenic waste, with plastic accounting for 34.7 % of the debris, followed by metal (33.6 %) and paper (19.6 %). On average, 32.8 ± 40.9 items were found per nest. Regarding the origin, food packagings (47.8 %), personal hygiene products (21.7 %), and textiles (15.8 %) were identified as the predominant sources. Furthermore, the polymer composition of the plastics was characterised by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, being polyester the most abundant (38.2 %), followed by polyethylene (25.6 %) and rayon (10.3 %). The incorporation of anthropogenic debris into nest construction may result from outdoor human activities carried out far from nesting areas.

An equilibrium criterion for plastic debris fate in wave-driven transport.

The nearshore zone turns out to be the area with the higher concentration of plastic debris and, for this reason, it is important to know the processes that affect the transport and the fate of this type of litter. This study focuses on investigating the dynamics of various plastic types under several hydrodynamic conditions primarily induced by waves. 2D tests were carried out at the Hydraulic Laboratory of the University of Messina reproducing the main phenomena that occurred during the wave propagation on a planar beach. More than 200 different conditions were tested changing the wave characteristics, the water depth, the plastic debris characteristics (density and shape), and the roughness of the fixed bottom. In general, it can be observed that the reduction in particle displacement occurs due to: i) a decrease in wave steepness; ii) an increase in depth; iii) an increase in particle size; iv) an increase in plastic density. However, the experimental investigation shows that some plastic characteristics and bed roughness, even when hydraulically smooth, can alter these results. The experimental data analysis identified a criterion for predicting the short-term fate of plastic debris under wave action. This criterion to determine equilibrium conditions, based on an empirical relationship, takes into account the wave characteristics, the bed roughness and slope, and the weight of the debris.

Coconut husk waste products valorization for fabrication of luminescent titanium dioxide NPs as powerful tool for photodecomposition and food born infection: A sustainable strategy.

Fabricating metal oxide nanoparticles has garnered much attention lately because creating safe chemicals, sustainable materials, economic processes, and renewable resources is becoming increasingly important. This research shows how TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) could be generated in an ecologically responsible way using waste coconut husk with the help of tender coconut. This extract functions as both a reducing agent and a sealing agent. The investigation of TiO2 NPs exploited ultraviolet (UV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) methods. The germicidal properties of TiO2 NPs against food-borne pathogenic strains were studied using the agar well method. Employing Congo red pigment, the photodecomposition behavior was investigated. The TiO2 NPs produced had a crystallite size measuring 16.2 nm. The average grain size of the sample, as measured by FE-SEM inspection, falls within the range of 15 to 25 nm. Impressive anti-germ effects against food-borne germs like Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes), Gram-negative (Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli) bacteria, and fungi (Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger) have been proved by the sustainable fabrication of TiO2 NPs. The catalytic effectiveness of Congo red decreased by 88% after 90 min. The findings suggest that sustainable synthesis of TiO2 NPs is an effective tool for food-borne germicides and photodecomposition behaviors.

Characterisation of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) shell waste as a potential biomass for different bio-based products.

Efforts are ongoing to utilise agricultural waste to achieve a full resource use approach. Bambara groundnut is an important crop widely grown in the sub-Saharan Africa with potential future importance because of its resilience to thrive under heightened weather uncertainty and widespread droughts that have challenged food security. After harvesting, the edible nuts are separated from the shells which are discarded as waste. Therefore, this research is aimed at characterising the chemical composition and the structural properties of Bambara groundnut shells (BGS) in view of their potential application as a biomass for different bio-products. The chemical composition of BGS was found to be 42.4% cellulose, 27.8% hemicellulose, 13% lignin and 16.8% extractives. Proximate analysis showed a high amount of volatile matter (69.1%) and low moisture (4.4%). XRD analysis confirmed crystallinity of cellulose I polymer and FTIR analysis observed functional groups of lignocellulosic compounds. Thermal stability, maximum degradation temperature and activation energy were found to be 178.5 °C, 305.7 °C and 49.4 kJ/mol, respectively. Compared to other nutshells, BGS were found to have a relatively high amount of cellulose and crystallinity that may result in biocomposites with improved mechanical properties.

Converting biomass waste into valuable biomaterials and bioactive compounds: an overview of antimicrobial activities in the pursuit of global sustainability and health.

The escalating global population poses formidable challenges to addressing pressing environmental concerns, hindering progress towards sustainable development goals. Unregulated human activities, particularly the excessive reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainable agricultural practices, contribute to pollution, climate change, and resource depletion. Inadequate waste management systems exacerbate environmental degradation and pose risks to public health. Leveraging biological resources and urban/industrial waste emerges as a promising solution. Various waste materials, such as food waste and agro-industrial by-products, have been efficiently repurposed into valuable bio-based products. This review explores the diverse applications of agricultural and food waste repurposing, including microbial production of biopolymers and biosurfactants, as well as the extraction of biologically active compounds for potential antimicrobial drugs.

Nutritional and sensory parameters of amazake from the recycling of stale bread.

Stale bread is a waste product with a potential to be recycled. One way to manage this waste material is to process it by fermentation for the purpose of food production. This paper proposes the use of stale wheat and rye bread as ingredients in amazake, a liquid dessert traditionally obtained from rice by fermentation with the koji mould Aspergillus oryzae, followed by liquefaction by the action of fungal enzymes. The stale bread was introduced instead of rice at both the koji stage (wheat bread) and the liquefaction stage (wheat and rye bread). The resulting products had an extended volatile compound profile, from 5 to 15 compounds identified, and modified sensory parameters, compared to the traditional version. Amazake containing bread had an increased protein content, from 1.10 to 6.4 g/100 g, and were more abundant in dietary fibre (up to a maximum of 1.8 g/100 g), additionally enriched with a soluble fraction. The proposed procedure of obtaining of new formula amazake can be directly applied in households to reduce the amount of discarded bread. Due to its simplicity, it also has the potential for further modification in terms of production scale and product parameters.

Polysaccharides from fruit and vegetable wastes and their food applications: A review.

Fruit and vegetables are a great source of nutrients and have numerous health benefits. The fruit and vegetable industry produces enormous amounts of waste such as peels, seeds, and stems. The amount of this waste production has increased, causing economic and environmental problems. Fruit and vegetable wastes (FVWs) have the potential to be recovered and used to produce high-value goods. Furthermore, FVWs have a large variety and quantity of polysaccharides, which makes them interesting to study for potential industrial use. Currently, the investigations on extracting polysaccharides from FVWs and examining how they affect human health are increasing. The present review focuses on polysaccharides from FVWs such as starch, pectin, cellulose, and inulin, and their various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial. Additionally, applications as packaging material, gelling agent, emulsifier, prebiotic, and fat replacer of polysaccharides from FVWs in the food industry have been viewed in detail. As a result, FVWs can be reused as the source of polysaccharides, reducing environmental pollution and enabling sustainable green development. Further investigation of the biological activities of polysaccharides from FVWs on human health is of great importance for using these polysaccharides in food applications.

Frontal processes as drivers of floating marine debris in coastal areas.

The influence of floating marine debris (FMD) on coastal and marine communities and ecosystems is undeniable, and attention is increasingly focused on ecologically and biologically important coastal areas. To protect marine life and valuable resources from FMD pollution, identifying FMD accumulation zones is recognized as a priority. One of the coastal ocean processes found governing the distribution of FMD is water convergence (frontal zones). These fronts are driven by various oceanographical factors. To date, the transport and accumulation of FMD in relation to fronts in coastal areas is poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we reviewed various types of ocean fronts as well as FMD accumulation along frontal zones in coastal areas defined as the region between the coastline and the shelf break. Frontogenesis (physical processes related to frontal formation) were reviewed alongside studies on FMD accumulation in frontal zones to identify physical factors that drive the pathways and accumulation in these areas. This review will contribute to our understanding of accumulation hotspots of FMD within ocean fronts and identify gaps for further research on developing a proxy for FMD hotspot identification in ecologically important coastal areas.

From riverbank to the sea: An initial assessment of plastic pollution along the Ciliwung River, Indonesia.

This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of anthropogenic debris on the riverbanks of the Ciliwung River, covering upstream to downstream areas. The mean of debris found in each measurement was 32.79 ± 15.38 items/m2 with a weight of 106.00 ± 50.23 g/m2. Plastic debris accounted for over 50 % of all litter items identified and represents 55 % by weight, signifying a significantly high prevalence compared to global studies examining litter along riverbanks. The majority of the plastics found originated from Single-use applications and were predominantly made from Styrofoam. This investigation demonstrated the importance of actions to reduce single use applications and to improve waste management strategies. This can be achieved through proactive initiatives coupled with adaptable approaches, such as implementing effective urban planning and enhancing waste collection capacity.

Predictive modelling reveals Australian continental risk hotspots for marine debris interactions with key threatened species.

Anthropogenic debris is a global threat that impacts threatened species through various lethal and sub-lethal consequences, as well as overall ecosystem health. This study used a database of over 24,000 beach surveys of marine debris collated by the Australian Marine Debris Initiative from 2012 to 2021, with two key objectives: (1) identify variables that most influence the occurrence of debris hotspots on a continental scale and (2) use these findings to identify likely hotspots of interaction between threatened species and marine debris. The number of particles found in each beach survey was modelled alongside fifteen biological, social, and physical spatial variables including land use, physical oceanography, population, rainfall, distance to waste facilities, ports, and mangroves to identify the significant drivers of debris deposition. The model of best fit for predicting debris particle abundance was calculated using a generalized additive model. Overall, debris was more abundant at sites near catchments with high annual rainfall (mm), intensive land use (km2), and that were nearer to ports (km) and mangroves (km). These results support previous studies which state that mangroves are a significant sink for marine debris, and that large ports and urbanized catchments are significant sources for marine debris. We illustrate the applicability of these models by quantifying significant overlap between debris hotspots and the distributions for four internationally listed threatened species that exhibit debris interactions; green turtle (26,868 km2), dugong (16,164 km2), Australian sea lion (2903 km2) and Flesh-footed Shearwater (2413 km2). This equates to less than 1% (Flesh-footed Shearwater, Australian sea lion), over 2% (green sea turtle) and over 5% (dugong) of their habitat being identified as areas of high risk for marine debris interactions. The results of this study hold practical value, informing decision-making processes, managing debris pollution at continental scales, as well as identifying gaps in species monitoring.

Composing functional food from agro-forest wastes: Selectively extracting bioactive compounds using supercritical fluid extraction.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) employing carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) is an efficient method to extract bioactive compounds from agro-forest wastes. These compounds maintain and/or improve food nutrition, safety, freshness, taste, and health and are employed as natural functional food components. To highlight the potential of this technology, we focus on the following current advances: (I) parameters affecting solubility in SFE (pressure, temperature, SC-CO2 flow rate, extraction time, and co-solvents); (II) extraction spectra and yield obtained according to proportion and composition of co-solvents; (III) extract bioactivity for functional food production. Fatty acids, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenoids, and low-polarity phenolic acids and triterpenoids were extracted using SFE without a co-solvent. High-polarity phenolic acids and flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, and alkaloids were only extracted with the help of co-solvents. Using a co-solvent significantly improved the triterpenoid, flavonoid, and phenolic acid yield with a medium polarity.

Fishing plastic waste: Knowns and known unknowns.

Plastics entering the marine environment primarily originate from land-based sources, prompting significant attention on single-use plastic packaging. However, fishing plastic waste also contributes substantially to marine plastic pollution, though it is often overlooked in the literature due to the challenges in pinpointing pollution sources. This study addresses this key knowledge gap by synthesizing existing literature to explore and document the knowns and known unknowns surrounding fishing plastic waste's environmental, health, and socio-economic impacts. Through the development of a causal loop diagram, the study offers a preliminary understanding of the issue, serving as a foundation for a deeper exploration of the complexities within the fishing industry's plastic waste dynamics. Finally, the study highlights that short-sighted views and approaches are likely to lead to systemic failures. Therefore, it advocates for strategic and meaningful measures to tackle marine plastic pollution, emphasizing the critical importance of a holistic and integrated understanding of the various plastic waste streams infiltrating and polluting our oceans.

Assessing the scale and ecological impact of derelict and discarded fishing gear across Thailand via the MARsCI citizen science protocol.

South-East Asia is among the least studied regions for the growing issue of marine debris pollution, despite being a major contributor towards global marine debris. In the present study, we provide the preliminary results from the MARsCI project, a survey protocol designed to utilise citizen science to facilitate data collection on the ecological impact of discarded fishing gear (DFG) in Thailand. Over a three-year period, 103 surveys were carried out across Thailand, resulting in impact assessment of 606 pieces of DFG. Our findings indicate corals are regularly impacted by DFG in Thai waters and that isolated marine habitats may be more severely impacted than near-shore sites. We further identify crabs, muricid snails, and demersal fish to be among the most regularly entangled animals. We discuss our findings in the context of earlier work from Thailand, and conduct a critical review of the protocol itself, identifying improvements for future efforts.

Prevalence of plastic debris in nests of two cormorant species in Peru.

The guanay cormorant (Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum) and red-legged cormorant (Poikilocarbo gaimardi) are known for their prolific nest-building behavior, utilizing a diverse array of materials, including anthropogenic debris, thereby serving as valuable indicators of ocean plastic pollution. To elucidate inter-specific variations in nest plastic occurrence between these two cormorant species, we conducted a comprehensive examination of nests at 12 colonies along the Peruvian coast in 2018-2019. Our findings revealed a significantly higher occurrence of plastic in red-legged cormorant nests (mean 50 ± 27 %, N = 100 nests in 7 colonies) compared to guanay cormorant nests (mean 10 ± 20 %, 3497 nests in 8 colonies). Furthermore, the prevalence of plastic waste varied across colonies within both species. Off-white/clear plastic bags were the predominant color and type of debris found in both cormorant nests. This study is a baseline of plastic marine pollution occurrence along the Peruvian coast.

Marine litter on the coasts of Eilat (Israel) in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea.

The Gulf of Aqaba-Eilat, the home of the northernmost coral reefs in the world, is threatened by anthropogenic pressure such as tourism and manmade pollutions, including the recently growing problem of marine litter. In a study conducted between November 2020 and February 2023, marine litter was monitored at each of the local authorities along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, to understand its composition and sources. The density of litter in Eilat was 6.37 ± 1.5 items per 100m2 which is lower than in other studies in the Red Sea. More than half of the marine litter found in Eilat were Cigarette butts, which indicates that Eilat's beaches are not cleaned thoroughly. With prevailing northern winds in the Gulf of Aqaba, ML is more likely to arrive from land to the sea, and 'transboundary ML' washed ashore will be blown back to the sea.

Green Methods to Recover Bioactive Compounds from Food Industry Waste: A Sustainable Practice from the Perspective of the Circular Economy.

The worrying and constant increase in the quantities of food and beverage industry by-products and wastes is one of the main factors contributing to global environmental pollution. Since this is a direct consequence of continuous population growth, it is imperative to reduce waste production and keep it under control. Re-purposing agro-industrial wastes, giving them new life and new directions of use, is a good first step in this direction, and, in global food production, vegetables and fruits account for a significant percentage. In this paper, brewery waste, cocoa bean shells, banana and citrus peels and pineapple wastes are examined. These are sources of bioactive molecules such as polyphenols, whose regular intake in the human diet is related to the prevention of various diseases linked to oxidative stress. In order to recover such bioactive compounds using more sustainable methods than conventional extraction, innovative solutions have been evaluated in the past decades. Of particular interest is the use of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and compressed solvents, associated with green techniques such as microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and pulsed-electric-field-assisted extraction (PEF). These novel techniques are gaining importance because, in most cases, they allow for optimizing the extraction yield, quality, costs and time.

Interannual variability in marine debris accumulation on Hawaiian shores: The role of North Pacific Ocean basin-scale dynamics.

Community-based marine debris removal efforts on the Hawaiian Islands of Kaua'i and Hawai'i, spanning 2013-2022, provided large datasets and documented remarkable variations in annual amounts of debris, mainly from abandoned, lost and derelict fishing gear. To test the hypothesis that the influx of marine debris on Hawaiian shores is determined by the proximity of the North Pacific garbage patch, whose pattern changes under the control of large-scale ocean dynamics, we compared these observational data with the output of an oceanographic drift model. The high correlations between the total mass of debris collected and the model, ranging between r = 0.81 and r = 0.84, validate the attribution of the strong interannual signal to significant migrations of the garbage patch reproduced in the model experiments. Synchronous variations in marine debris fluxes on the two islands, separated by >500 km, confirm the large scale of the interannual changes in the North Pacific marine debris system.

Generation of Eroded Nanoplastics from Domestic Wastes and Their Impact on Macrophage Cell Viability and Gene Expression.

This study reports an innovative approach for producing nanoplastics (NP) from various types of domestic waste plastics without the use of chemicals. The plastic materials used included water bottles, styrofoam plates, milk bottles, centrifuge tubes, to-go food boxes, and plastic bags, comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and Poly (Ethylene-co-Methacrylic Acid) (PEMA). The chemical composition of these plastics was confirmed using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, and they were found to have irregular shapes. The resulting NP particles ranged from 50 to 400 nm in size and demonstrated relative stability when suspended in water. To assess their impact, the study investigated the effects of these NP particulates on cell viability and the expression of genes involved in inflammation and oxidative stress using a macrophage cell line. The findings revealed that all types of NP reduced cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Notably, PS, HDPE, and PP induced significant reductions in cell viability at lower concentrations, compared to PEMA and PET. Moreover, exposure to NP led to differential alterations in the expression of inflammatory genes in the macrophage cell line. Overall, this study presents a viable method for producing NP from waste materials that closely resemble real-world NP. Furthermore, the toxicity studies demonstrated distinct cellular responses based on the composition of the NP, shedding light on the potential environmental and health impacts of these particles.

Tomato pomace food waste from different variants as a high antioxidant potential resource.

Pomaces obtained from three San Marzano tomato genotypes including the wild type (WT), Sun Black (SB), and colorless fruit epidermis (CL) were dried at 50 °C and analyzed for nutritional composition, total polyphenol (TPC), flavonoid (TFC) content, polyphenol qualitative profile, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and antimicrobial activity. Commercial dried tomato powder (CTRP) was included as a control. No differences were detected nutritionally, in TPC and antimicrobial activity, but significant changes were observed for TFC and TAC, underlying variation in the phenolic profile. SB pomace (SBP) had the highest TFC and TAC. LC-HRMS analysis showed a flavonoid-enriched profile in SBP besides the exclusive presence of anthocyanins, with petanin and negretein as the most abundant. Among flavonoids, quercetin-hexose-deoxyhexose-pentose, naringenin, and rutin were the major. Overall, we showed the potential of dried tomato pomace, especially SBP, as an extremely valuable waste product to be transformed into a functional ingredient, reducing the food industry waste.