Evidence of the health impact of air pollution in Morocco is scarce. We aimed to test our hypothesis that exposure to air pollutants has a significant impact on the health of Moroccans. For this systematic review, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, LILACS, and ProQuest databases, Google Scholar, and forward and backward citations for studies published between the database inception and August 16, 2022. All studies and reports that measure air quality in Morocco and its health impact were included, without language restrictions. This study is registered on PROSPERO under number CRD42020163948. Studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria rather than their methods. The data was extracted, coded, and prepared for future examination. After that, descriptive and thematic analyses were carried out. Of 1230 records identified, 31 were eligible, all of which had annual air pollutant concentrations in excess of WHO Air Quality Guidelines. The health impact was demonstrated in five studies. The most studied pathologies were asthma, respiratory and cardiac infections in children under 12 years and adults. In addition to heavy metals, the most investigated pollutants were PM10, O3, SO2, and NOx. The significant association between exposure to air pollutants and health in the Moroccan population has been demonstrated, even if it is not causal. Future research should quantify the health impact of pollution in other Moroccan cities.

Improper management of wet waste in cities located in temperate, humid regions with abundant rainfall leads to the production and spread of leachate across ecosystems. This not only pollutes soil and surface water but also contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, negatively impacting both ecosystem and human health. Effective waste management can transform these wastes into valuable products, such as fertilizer and biogas, while also preventing environmental damage. In this study, we focus on a region with moderate weather conditions, which offers the potential for efficient waste management at a reasonable cost. By evaluating various technologies and methods, as well as considering global implementation approaches, anaerobic digestion emerges as a more suitable solution for waste management compared to conventional methods like burying and burning. Apart from waste reduction, anaerobic digestion offers several advantages, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, prevention of soil, air, and water pollution, decreased toxicity and heavy metal contamination, and eradication of pathogenic organisms. Numerous types of digesters have been developed to date, and factors such as geographical location, substrate availability, construction materials, climatic conditions, cost and capital requirements, and energy consumption influence the design of these digesters. In this study, we estimate the design, construction, and management of a small-scale digester for a town with a population of 2000 people. By providing reliable information, this research aims to assist executive officials of towns and villages in establishing such units within their communities, promoting sustainable rural development.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi establish a mutualistic symbiosis with most land plants. AM fungi regulate plant copper (Cu) acquisition both in Cu deficient and polluted soils. Here, we report characterization of RiCRD1, a Rhizophagus irregularis gene putatively encoding a Cu transporting ATPase. Based on its sequence analysis, RiCRD1 was identified as a plasma membrane Cu (+) efflux protein of the P(1B1)-ATPase subfamily. As revealed by heterologous complementation assays in yeast, RiCRD1 encodes a functional protein capable of conferring increased tolerance against Cu. In the extraradical mycelium, RiCRD1 expression was highly up-regulated in response to high concentrations of Cu in the medium. Comparison of the expression patterns of different players of metal tolerance in R. irregularis under high Cu levels suggests that this fungus could mainly use a metal efflux based-strategy to cope with Cu toxicity. RiCRD1 was also expressed in the intraradical fungal structures and, more specifically, in the arbuscules, which suggests a role for RiCRD1 in Cu release from the fungus to the symbiotic interface. Overall, our results show that RiCRD1 encodes a protein which could have a pivotal dual role in Cu homeostasis in R. irregularis, playing a role in Cu detoxification in the extraradical mycelium and in Cu transfer to the apoplast of the symbiotic interface in the arbuscules.

Multirotor drones can be efficiently used to monitor macro-litter in coastal and riverine environments. Litter on beaches, dunes and riverbanks, along with floating litter on coastal and river waters, can be spotted and mapped from aerial drone images. Items detection and classification are prone to image resolution, which is expressed in terms of Ground Sampling Distance (GSD). The GSD is determined by drone flight altitude and camera properties. This paper investigates what is a suitable GSD value for litter survey. Drone flight altitude and camera setup should be chosen to obtain a GSD between 0.5 cm/px and 1.25 cm/px. Within this range, the lowest GSD allows litter categorization and classification, whereas the highest value should be adopted for a coarser litter census. In the vision of drawing up a global protocol for drone-based litter surveys, this work sets the ground for homogenizing data collection and litter assessments.

Multirotor drones can be efficiently used to monitor macro-litter in coastal and riverine environments. Litter on beaches, dunes and riverbanks, along with floating litter on coastal and river waters, can be spotted and mapped from aerial drone images. Items detection and classification are prone to image resolution, which is expressed in terms of Ground Sampling Distance (GSD). The GSD is determined by drone flight altitude and camera properties. This paper investigates what is a suitable GSD value for litter survey. Drone flight altitude and camera setup should be chosen to obtain a GSD between 0.5 cm/px and 1.25 cm/px. Within this range, the lowest GSD allows litter categorization and classification, whereas the highest value should be adopted for a coarser litter census. In the vision of drawing up a global protocol for drone-based litter surveys, this work sets the ground for homogenizing data collection and litter assessments.

Plastics are the most rapidly growing materials in terms of production and consumption. The durability, inertness, light weight, flexibility, and low cost are the key characteristics that make plastic suitable for application in various fields, including the construction, automotive, electronics, and packaging industries. Due to widespread usage in daily life and many industrial processes and operations, more than 300 million tons of plastic waste are produced globally annually. Indiscriminate use of plastics such as polyethylene causes environmental pollution and impacts human health due to irreversible changes in the ecological cycle. Due to its low biodegradability, polyethylene accumulation has recently emerged as a momentous environmental concern. The conventional methods, such as recycling or disposing of polyethylene, are exorbitant, and incineration results in the emission of toxic chemical compounds. Therefore, the most recent research progressively focused on the biodegradation of polyethylene with the application of bacteria as novel approaches to counteract plastic waste. This review summarizes the type of polyethylene and the environmental issues. It also briefly discussed the genes and enzymes of bacteria involved in the degradation of polyethylene. In addition, it attempts to address factors influencing degradation and techniques used for monitoring degradation.