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. However, because of the enormous amount of scientific information available, it may be difficult for ERCs to determine the complexity of this environmental issue. This mini-review aims to provide a quick and updated overview of the essential insights of microplastic pollution to ERCs to help them acquire the background needed to develop highly innovative physical, chemical, and biological remediation technologies, as well as valorization proposals and environmental education and awareness campaigns. Moreover, the recommendations for the development of holistic microplastic pollution remediation strategies presented here can help ERCs propose technologies considering the environmental, social, and practical dimensions of microplastic pollution while fulfilling the current government policies to manage this plastic waste.

Low environmental impact remediation of microplastics: Visible-light photocatalytic degradation of PET microplastics using bio-inspired C,N-TiO2/SiO2 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. Of all the AOPs, photocatalysis has been proven a clean technology to overcome microplastic pollution. This work proposes novel C,N-TiO2/SiO2 photocatalysts with proper visible-active properties to degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MPs. Photocatalysis was performed in an aqueous medium and at room temperature, evaluating the influence of two pH values (pH 6 and 8). The results demonstrated that the degradation of the PET MPs by C,N-TiO2/SiO2 semiconductors is possible, achieving mass losses between 9.35 and 16.22 %.

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. These emerging technologies, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), localised SPR (LSPR), and fibre-optic SPR (FO-SPR) systems, overcome many of the drawbacks of conventional analytical tools in terms of portability, reagent and solvent use, and the simplicity of sample pre-treatments, which would benefit a more sustainable and profitable aquaculture. To highlight the current progress made in these technologies that would allow them to be transferred for implementation in the field, along with the lag with respect to the most cutting-edge plasmonic sensing, this review provides a variety of information on recent advances in these emerging methodologies that can be used to comprehensively monitor the various operations involving the different commercial stages of farmed aquaculture. For example, to detect environmental hazards, track fish health through biochemical indicators, and monitor disease and biosecurity of fish meat products. Furthermore, it highlights the critical issues associated with these technologies, how to integrate them into farming facilities, and the challenges and prospects of developing plasmonic-based sensors for aquaculture.

The Role of the Reactive Species Involved in the Photocatalytic Degradation of HDPE Microplastics Using C,N-TiO2 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). As photocatalysis involves the formation of reactive species such as holes (h+), electrons (e-), hydroxyl (OH●), and superoxide ion (O2●-) radicals, it is imperative to determine the role of those species in the degradation process to design an effective photocatalytic system. However, for MPs, this information is limited in the literature. Therefore, we present such reactive species' role in the degradation of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) MPs using C,N-TiO2. Tert-butanol, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), Tiron, and Cu(NO3)2 were confirmed as adequate OH●, h+, O2●- and e- scavengers. These results revealed for the first time that the formation of free OH● through the pathways involving the photogenerated e- plays an essential role in the MPs' degradation. Furthermore, the degradation behaviors observed when h+ and O2●- were removed from the reaction system suggest that these species can also perform the initiating step of degradation.

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 thin-film gold electrode modified by the immobilized laccase was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The detection method's electrochemical parameters were established, obtaining a linear range of 5 t 50 µM, the limit of detection, and quantification of 0.061 and 2.02 µM, respectively. The proposed biosensor's analytical performance meets the concentration of pyrethroids detected in natural environments, reflecting its potential as an alternative analytical tool for monitoring the pyrethroid insecticide's presence.

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. The biosensor chip was obtained by covalent immobilization of the laccase on a gold-coated surface through carbodiimide esters. The analytical parameters accomplished resulted in a limit of detection and quantification of 0.33 mg/L and 1.10 mg/L, respectively, fulfilling the concentrations that have already been detected in environmental samples. During the natural river's measurements, no significant matrix effects were observed, obtaining a recovery percentage of 109.21% ± 7.08, which suggested that the method was suitable for the fast and straightforward analysis of this contaminant. Finally, the SPR measurements were validated with an HPLC method, which demonstrated no significant difference in terms of precision and accuracy, leading to the conclusion that the biosensor reflects its potential as an alternative analytical tool for the monitoring of chlorophene in aquatic environments.

Microplastic pollution reduction by a carbon and nitrogen-doped TiO2: 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. An essential issue of MPs is their disposal. Due to their size, the disposal methods commonly used for plastic items are not suited for MPs. Here, photocatalysis in an aqueous medium is proposed as an alternative to fight MPs pollution. Although the photocatalysis of MPs has been reported, the effect of operating variables in the process has not been investigated. To fill this gap, the impact of pH and temperature on the degradation process of HDPE MPs was investigated using C,N-TiO2 and visible light. Degradation was followed by mass loss, carbonyl index calculation and microscopy. It was found that photocatalysis at low temperature (0 °C) increases MPs' surface area by fragmentation, and low pH value (pH 3) favours hydroperoxide formation during photooxidation. By using the design of experiments tool, it was demonstrated that there is a combined effect of pH and temperature in the photocatalysis of HDPE MPs.

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. marcescens 11E cultured individually with glucose, acetate, and glycerol as electron donors along with the soluble electron acceptor iron (Fe) (III) citrate offered a large reduction extent (45.3 %, 31.4 %, and 13.5 %, respectively). On the other hand, when iron oxide (Fe2O3) is used as electron acceptor, the pigmented strain produced a null reduction extent. Surprisingly, the absence of prodigiosin on the bacterial surface (non-pigmented strain) resulted in a large reduction extent of the non-soluble iron form (20-49%). All these extents were comparable and, in some cases, superior to those presented in the literature. Additionally, in the present study, it was found that anthraquinone sulfonate (AQS) stimulated Fe(III) reduction of soluble and non-soluble Fe species only with pigmented S. marcescens. In contrast, in the culture media with the non-pigmented strain, the presence of AQS did not stimulate the Fe(III) reduction. These results suggest that the pigmented phenotype of S. marcescens 11E may perform non-soluble Fe(III) reduction by electron shuttling. In contrast, for the non-pigmented phenotype of this bacterium, non-soluble Fe(III) reduction seems to proceed by direct contact. Our study demonstrates that this bacterium may be used in bioreduction process of heavy metals or as a biocatalyst in bioelectrochemical devices.

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. To date, the biological conversion of glyphosate into polyphosphate has not been reported. However, given the importance of this biopolymer in the survival of microorganisms, it can be expected that this process could represent an important ecological advantage for the adaptation of this strain to an ecological niche exposed to this herbicide. The polyphosphate production yield was calculated as 4 mg l-1, while the glyphosate biodegradation kinetic constant was calculated on 0.003 h-1 using the modified Hockey-Stick first-order kinetic model, with a half-life of 279 h. Our results suggest that B. cereus 6 P is a potential candidate for the generation of an innovative biotechnological process to produce polyphosphate through the biodegradation of the herbicide glyphosate.

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

Black Sigatoka is a disease that occurs in banana plantations worldwide. This disease is caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Pseudocercospora fijiensis, 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. To achieve this, a highly sensitive SPR immunosensor was developed to detect P. fijiensis in real samples of leaf extracts in early stages of the disease. A polyclonal antibody (anti-HF1), produced against HF1 (cell wall protein of P. fijiensis) was covalently immobilized on a gold-coated chip via a mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of alkanethiols using the EDC/NHS method. The analytical parameters of the biosensor were established, obtaining a limit of detection of 11.7 µg mL-1, a sensitivity of 0.0021 units of reflectance per ng mL-1 and a linear response range for the antigen from 39.1 to 122 µg mL-1. No matrix effects were observed during the measurements of real leaf banana extracts by the immunosensor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research into the development of an SPR biosensor for the detection of P. fijiensis, which demonstrates its potential as an alternative analytical tool for in-field monitoring of black Sigatoka disease.

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. cladosporioides biomass for removal of Cr(VI), reaching a reduction capacity of 492.85 mg g-1, a significantly higher value compared to other biomass reported. Cr(VI) removal kinetic rates followed a pseudo-second order model, like other fungal biomass reported previously. The apparent adsorption process was described well by the Freundlich isothermal model. However, determination of total chromium indicated that adsorption of Cr(VI) was followed by a redox reaction that released proportional quantities of Cr(III) into the experimental supernatant, suggesting a parallel adsorption-reduction process. Comparison of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra of C. cladosporioides biomass before and after the reduction process demonstrated the involvement of positively charged amino groups in the Cr(VI) adsorption-reduction process.

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. Although these xenobiotics degrade under natural condition, their residues have been detected in soil, sediments, and water due to their non-regulated usage practice. The over-reliance on pesticides has not only threatened our environment but contaminations of organophosphate residues have been also detected in certain agricultural products like tea, sugars, vegetables, and fruits throughout India. This paper highlights many of the cases where different organophosphates have been detected exceeding their respective MRL values. Some organophosphates detected are so hazardous that even WHO has listed them in class 1a and class 1b hazardous group. Presence of their residues in blood, milk, honey, and tissues of human and animals revealed their excessive use and bioaccumulating capabilities. Their intentional or unintentional uptake is causing thousands of deaths and severity each year. Most of the toxicity cases presented here are due to their uptake during a suicidal attempt. This shows how easily these harmful substances are available in the market.

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 results in this work demonstrated that heavy metal-resistant Rhodotorula mucilaginosa strain UANL-001L isolated from the northeast region of Mexico produce an exopolysaccharide (EPS), during growth, which has colorant adsorption potential. The EPS produced was purified by precipitation and dialysis and was then physically and chemically characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and chemical elemental analysis. Here, the ability of the purified EPS produced to adsorb methylene blue (MB), which served as a model colorant, is studied. MB adsorption by the EPS is found to follow Langmuir Adsorption Isotherm kinetics at 25°C. Further, by calculating the Langmuir constant the adsorption capabilities of the EPS produced by the Rhodotorula mucilaginosa strain UANL-001L is compared to that of other adsorbents, both, microbially produced and from agroindustrial waste. The total adsorption capacity of the EPS, from the Rhodotorula mucilaginosa strain UANL-001L, was found to be two-fold greater than the best bioadsorbents reported in the literature. Finally, apart from determining which heavy metals stimulated EPS production in the strain, the optimal conditions of pH, heavy metal concentration, and rate of agitation of the growing culture for EPS production, was determined. The EPS reported here has the potential of aiding in the efficient removal of colorants both in water treatment plants and in situ in natural water streams.