Incessant release of a large spectrum of agro-industrial pollutants into environmental matrices remains a serious concern due to their potential health risks to humans and aquatic animals. Existing remediation techniques are unable to remove these pollutants, necessitating the development of novel treatment approaches. Due to its unique structure, physicochemical properties, and broad application potential, graphene has attracted a lot of attention as a new type of two-dimensional nanostructure. Given its chemical stability, large surface area, electron mobility, superior thermal conductivity, and two-dimensional structure, tremendous research has been conducted on graphene and its derived composites for environmental remediation and pollution mitigation. Various methods for graphene functionalization have facilitated the development of different graphene derivatives such as graphene oxide (GO), functional reduced graphene oxide (frGO), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with novel attributes for multiple applications. This review provides a comprehensive read on the recent progress of multifunctional graphene-based nanocomposites and nanohybrids as a promising way of removing emerging contaminants from aqueous environments. First, a succinct overview of the fundamental structure, fabrication techniques, and features of graphene-based composites is presented. Following that, graphene and GO functionalization, i.e., covalent bonding, non-covalent, and elemental doping, are discussed. Finally, the environmental potentials of a plethora of graphene-based hybrid nanocomposites for the abatement of organic and inorganic contaminants are thoroughly covered.

In this work, we report on the synthesis and characterization of nanoporous bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (FeCo-BDC). Effects of synthesis time and temperature on the structures, morphology, and catalytic performance of FeCo-BDC were investigated. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) were used to reveal the morphological and textural characteristics. The crystal structure and chemical composition of FeCo-BDC were determined by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements. Interestingly, FeCo-BDC grew into the same crystal structure with different morphology in the temperature of 110–150 °C with 12–48 h. The heterogeneous catalytic activity of FeCo-BDC was tested to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for removal of methylene blue (MB). The results found that FeCo-BDC synthesized at 150 °C with 24 h exhibited the best catalytic performance for PMS and obtained 100% of MB removal within 15 min. The abundant unsaturated metal active sites of Fe(II) and Co(II) in the skeleton of FeCo-BDC made a great contribution to the generation of sulfate (▪) and hydroxyl radicals (OH), which resulted in the excellent performance for MB degradation.

Exposure to electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) has been related to a few adverse health effects. In this study, sediment samples from an e-waste recycling town in China were collected, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists in the samples were identified using an effect-directed analysis (EDA) strategy. The CBG2.8D cell line reporter gene bioassay was used as a toxicity test, while suspect screening against chemical databases was performed for potential AhR agonist identification where both gas chromatography- and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry analyses were run. When the original sample extract showed high AhR-mediated activity, sample fractionation was performed, and fractions exhibiting high bioactivity were chemically analyzed again to reveal the corresponding AhR agonists. In total, 23 AhR agonists were identified, including 14 commonly known ones and 9 new ones. Benzo [k]fluoranthene and 6-nitrochrysene were the dominant AhR agonists, covering 16–71% and 2.7–12%, respectively, of the AhR activation effects measured in the parent extracts. The newly identified AhR-active chemicals combined explained 0.13–0.20% of the parent extracts’ effects, with 7,12-dimethylbenz [a]anthracene and 8,9,11-trimethylbenz [a]anthracene being the major contributors. A diagnostic isomer ratio analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons suggested that the major source of AhR agonists identified in these e-waste related sediment samples were probably petroleum product combustion and biomass combustion. In the future, for a more comprehensive AhR agonist investigation, in-house chemical synthesis and purification, and, when necessary, a secondary sample fractionation, would be beneficial.

The large-scale use of conventional pesticides and fertilizers has put tremendous pressure on agriculture and the environment. In recent years, nanoparticles (NPs) have become the focus of many fields due to their cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness and high performance, especially in sustainable agriculture. Traditional NPs manufacturing methods are energy-intensive and harmful to environment. In contrast, synthesizing metal-based NPs using plants is similar to chemical synthesis, except the biological extracts replace the chemical reducing agent. This not only greatly reduces the used of traditional chemicals, but also produces NPs that are more economical, efficient, less toxic, and less polluting. Therefore, green synthesized metal nanoparticles (GS-MNPs) are widely used in agriculture to improve yields and quality. This review provides a comprehensive and detailed discussion of GS-MNPs for agriculture, highlights the importance of green synthesis, compares the performance of conventional NPs with GS-MNPs, and highlights the advantages of GS-MNPs in agriculture. The wide applications of these GS-MNPs in agriculture, including plant growth promotion, plant disease control, and heavy metal stress mitigation under various exposure pathways, are summarized. Finally, the shortcomings and prospects of GS-MNPs in agricultural applications are highlighted to provide guidance to nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture.

A new one-pot synthesis method optimized by a 2³ experimental design was developed to prepare a biosorbent, sugarcane bagasse cellulose succinate pyromellitate (SBSPy), for the removal of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from single-component aqueous solutions, in batch and continuous modes. The bi-functionalization of the biosorbent with ligands of different chemical structures increased its selectivity, improving its performance for removing pollutants from contaminated water. The succinate moiety favored Cu(II) adsorption, while the pyromellitate moiety favored Zn(II) adsorption. Sugarcane bagasse (SB) and SBSPy were characterized using several techniques. Analysis by ¹³C Multi-CP SS NMR and FTIR revealed the best order of addition of each anhydride that maximized the chemical modification of SB. The maximum adsorption capacities of SBSPy for Cu(II) and Zn(II), in batch mode, were 1.19 and 0.95 mmol g⁻¹, respectively. Homogeneous surface diffusion, intraparticle diffusion, and Boyd models were used to determine the steps involved in the adsorption process. Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to assess changes in enthalpy of adsorption as a function of SBSPy surface coverage. Fixed-bed column adsorption of Cu(II) and Zn(II) was performed in three cycles, showing that SBSPy has potential to be used in water treatment. Breakthrough curves were well fitted by the Thomas and Bohart-Adams models.

In this paper, nanosized titanium dioxide as catalysts for degrading dye wastewater was in situ synthesized on the surface of cotton fabrics used tetrabutyl titanate as precursor. The morphology and structure of prepared catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometer, and X-ray diffraction. The characterization results showed that anatase nanosized titanium dioxide was successfully synthesized in situ on cotton fabrics and had excellent dispersibility. Subsequently, the effects of irradiation time, catalyst dosage, dye concentration, initial pH value of dye, hydrogen peroxide dosage, and dye type on dye degradation rate were investigated one by one by a photocatalytic performance test. The test results indicated that the degradation rates of methylene blue, methyl orange, and rhodamine B were 90.4%, 81.4%, and 58.3%, separately, at catalyst dosage of 4.8 g/L, initial dye concentration of 10 mg/L, pH of 7, and hydrogen peroxide dosage of 0.24 mol/L, after 4 h of UV irradiation.

Manganese-rich MnSAPO-34 molecular sieves were prepared by one-pot synthesis method for NO ₓ abatement using the ammonia-selective catalytic reduction (NH₃-SCR) technology and characterized using ICP, BET, XRD, FE-SEM, H₂-TPR, NH₃-TPD, XPS, and DR UV-Vis analyses. The experimental results indicate that the Mn content and chemical state, as well as the surface acidity, of the MnSAPO-34 molecular sieves significantly enhance their DeNO ₓ efficiency at low temperatures (ca. 200–300 °C). The manganese-rich MnSAPO-34 was synthesized using a combination of triethylamine and diisopropylamine as the structural directing agents and high Mn loading (n(MnO)/n(P₂O₅) = 0.4). The resulting catalyst exhibits the highest activity among all of the samples with a NO ₓ conversion value of nearly 95% and a N₂ selectivity that is higher than 90% at 220–400 °C. In addition, this catalyst presents higher NO ₓ conversion than the conventional V₂O₅-WO₃/TiO₂ catalysts and other SAPO-based catalysts below 300 °C. Furthermore, the analytical results indicate that the manganese species in the catalyst are mainly in the form of a framework Mn(IV), which could play a significant role in the NH₃-SCR process as the specific active species. The results suggest that controlling the types and content of the organic amine templates and variations in the surface acidity of the catalysts may significantly enhance the SCR activity at lower temperatures.

The use of stabilizers can prevent the reactivity loss of nanoparticles due to aggregation. In this study, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was selected as the stabilizer to synthesize a highly stable CMC-stabilized Fe/Ni colloid (CMC-Fe/Ni) via pre-aggregation stabilization. The reactivity of CMC-Fe/Ni was evaluated via the reaction of chloroform (CF) degradation. The effect of background solution which composition was affected by the preparation of Fe/Ni (Fe/Ni precursors, NaBH₄ dosage) and the addition of solute (common ions, sulfur compounds) on the reactivity of CMC-Fe/Ni was also investigated. Additionally, the dried CMC-Fe/Ni was used for characterization in terms of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The experimental results indicated that CMC stabilization greatly improved the reactivity of Fe/Ni bimetal and CF (10 mg/L) could be completely degraded by CMC-Fe/Ni (0.1 g/L) within 45 min. The use of different Fe/Ni precursors resulting in the variations of background solution seemed to have no obvious influence on the reactivity of CMC-Fe/Ni, whereas the dosage of NaBH₄ in background solution showed a negative correlation with the reactivity of CMC-Fe/Ni. Besides, the individual addition of external solutes into background solution all had an adverse effect on the reactivity of CMC-Fe/Ni, of which the poisoning effect of sulfides (Na₂S, Na₂S₂O₄) was significant than common ions and sulfite.

Among the methods used in the literature for the synthesizing of nano zero valent iron (nZVI), borohydride is the most commonly used method; it is seen that different variables are used together. In this study, optimum nano zero valent iron (nZVI) synthesizing method using borohydride method has been modified by using multiple optimization method in terms of both particle size and zeta potential. Selected independent variables are selected as iron sulfate concentration, ethanol ratio, and flow rate of borohydride solution. With the optimum synthesis method determined, the lowest particle size was obtained as 70 nm only when the particle size was taken into consideration, whereas 88.2 nm nZVI could be produced when both the particle size and the zeta potential were taken into consideration. In addition, the removal of DDT, which is the most commonly used persistent organic pollutant pesticides in the world, was investigated by nZVI synthesized. Different initial DDT concentration was investigated by expressing oxidation reduction potential (ORP) difference, removal rates, and oxidation byproducts. When DDD and DDE concentrations are considered, it is found that DDT is more likely to oxidize in DDD in all studied initial DDT concentrations. Removal rate was higher than 80% with initial concentrations lower than 125 μg/L, which is a high concentration that could be found in surface waters.

One-pot synthesis of a new magnetic disinfectant was achieved through the polymerization of thiourea and formaldehyde in the presence of magnetite nanoparticles (MTUF). The obtained magnetic chelating resin was loaded with Ag(I) ions. This material was tested as a disinfectant for water pathogenic microorganism’s deactivation. The toxicity of MTUF before and after Ag(I) loading was estimated. The antimicrobial activity tests of MTUF-Ag were carried out against Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as examples of Gram-negative bacteria; Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus subtilis as examples of Gram-positive bacteria; and Candida albicans as representative for fungi. The results showed that the minimum inhibitory dosage (MID) of MTF-Ag against Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and mixed culture were 1.5, 2.0, 1.0, 1.5, and 1.5 mg/mL, respectively, after 40 min of contact time. While C. albicans was more resistant to the magnetic disinfectant, only three log reductions were done at 2.5 mg/mL. The studied MTUF-Ag was successfully tested for water and wastewater pathogenic microorganism’s deactivation. It can be concluded that MTUF-Ag could be a good candidate for water disinfection.