Ballast water is essential for maintaining the balance and integrity of a ship. However, exchanging ballast water resulted in discharging water of different origins in vessel recipient ports, and this may have caused ecosystem disturbance or aquatic pollution. The ballast water management (BWM) system is essential for the purification and disinfection of the ballast water that is taken up. Because current BWM systems widely use biocides for the treatment of aquatic organisms, the biocides may result in unintended toxicity of the discharged ballast water. In this study, we suggested thymol and carvacrol as chemical biocides for BWM systems and investigated their effectiveness using Artemia salina and Escherichia coli. Thymol and carvacrol showed biocidal effects in our study. A combination of these substances showed a synergistic increase in the biocidal effects. Moreover, carvacrol naturally degrades after disinfection, which indicates that natural substances may be promising candidates to increase the efficacy and reduce unwanted side effects of the BWM system.

Organic compounds were evaluated in March 2010 at 22 stations in Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island Canada and at 66 locations in Puget Sound. Of 37 compounds, 15 were xenobiotics, 8 were determined to have an anthropogenic imprint over natural sources, and 13 were presumed to be of natural or mixed origin. The three most frequently detected compounds were salicyclic acid, vanillin and thymol. The three most abundant compounds were diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), ethyl vanillin and benzaldehyde (∼600ngL⁻¹ on average). Concentrations of xenobiotics were 10–100 times higher in Puget Sound relative to Barkley Sound. Three compound couplets are used to illustrate the influence of human activity on marine waters; vanillin and ethyl vanillin, salicylic acid and acetylsalicylic acid, and cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid. Ratios indicate that anthropogenic activities are the predominant source of these chemicals in Puget Sound.

Medicinal and aromatic plants represent an outstanding source of green active ingredients for a broad range of real-world applications. In the present study, we investigated the insecticidal potential of the essential oils obtained from three medicinal and aromatic plants of economic importance in Algeria, Artemisia campestris, Pulicaria arabica, and Saccocalyx satureioides. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to study the essential oil chemical compositions. The three essential oils were tested against a mosquito vectoring filariasis and arboviruses, i.e., Culex quinquefasciatus, a fly pest acting also as pathogens vector, Musca domestica, and an agricultural moth pest, i.e., Spodoptera littoralis, using WHO and topical application methods, respectively. The essential oil from A. campestris, containing β-pinene (15.2%), α-pinene (11.2%), myrcene (10.3%), germacrene D (9.0%) (Z)-β-ocimene (8.1%) and γ-curcumene (6.4%), showed remarkable toxicity against C. quinquefasciatus (LC₅₀ of 45.8 mg L⁻¹) and moderate effects (LD₅₀ of 99.8 μg adult⁻¹) against M. domestica. Those from P. arabica and S. satureioides, containing epi-α-cadinol (23.9%), δ-cadinene (21.1%), α-cadinol (19.8%) and germacrene D-4-ol (8.4%), and thymol (25.6%), α-terpineol (24.6%), borneol (17.4%) and p-cymene (11.4%), respectively, were more active on S. littoralis showing LD₅₀ values of 68.9 and 61.2 μg larva⁻¹, respectively. Based on our results, the essential oil from A. campestris may be further considered a candidate ingredient for developing botanical larvicides.

Aedes aegypti is the main vector of yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika, and dengue worldwide and is managed by using chemical insecticides. Though effective, their indiscriminate use brings in associated problems on safety to non-target and the environment. This supports the use of plant-based essential oil (EO) formulations as they are safe to use with limited effect on non-target organisms. Quick volatility and degradation of EO are a hurdle in its use; the present study attempts to develop nanoemulsions (NE) of Trachyspermum ammi EO and its constituent thymol using Tween 80 as surfactant by ultrasonication method. The NE of EO had droplet size ranging from 65 ± 0.7 to 83 ± 0.09 nm and a poly dispersity index (PDI) value of 0.18 ± 0.003 to 0.20 ± 0.07 from 1 to 60 days of storage. The NE of thymol showed a droplet size ranging from 167 ± 1 to 230 ± 1 nm and PDI value of 0.30 ± 0.03 to 0.40 ± 0.008 from 1 to 60 days of storage. The droplet shape of both NEs appeared spherical under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The larvicidal effect of NEs of EO and thymol was better than BEs (Bulk emulsion) of EO and thymol against Ae. aegypti. Among the NEs, thymol (LC₅₀ 34.89 ppm) had better larvicidal action than EO (LC₅₀ 46.73 ppm). Exposure to NEs of EO and thymol causes the shrinkage of the larval cuticle and inhibited the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in Ae. aegypti. Our findings show the enhanced effect of NEs over BEs which facilitate its use as an alternative control measure for Ae. aegypti.

Although the green synthesis of nanometals is eco-friendly, the toxicity or safety of these biosynthesized nanoparticles in living organisms is not fully studied. This study aimed to evaluate the potential protective role of encapsulated thyme oil (ETO) against zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). ETO was prepared using a mixture of whey protein isolate, maltodextrin, and gum Arabic, and ZnO-NPs were synthesized using parsley extract. Six groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated orally for 21 days which included the control group, ZnO-NP-treated group (25 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)), ETO-treated groups at low or high dose (50, 100 mg/kg b.w.), and the groups that received ZnO-NPs plus ETO at the two tested doses. Blood and tissue samples were collected for different assays. The results showed that carvacrol and thymol were the major components in ETO among 13 compounds isolated by GC-MS. ZnO-NPs were nearly spherical and ETOs were round in shape with an average size of 38 and 311.8 nm, respectively. Administration of ZnO-NPs induced oxidative stress, DNA damage, biochemical, ctyogentical, and histological changes in rats. ETO at the tested doses alleviated these disturbances and showed protective effects against the hazards of ZnO-NPs. It could be concluded that encapsulation of thyme oil using whey protein isolate, maltodextrin, and gum Arabic improved the antioxidant properties of ETO, probably possess synergistic effects, and can be used as a promising tool in pharmaceutical and food applications.

The essential oil (EO) of Thymus serpyllum and thymol were evaluated for their insecticidal activity against the housefly (Musca domestica) larvae and pupae. Contact toxicity and fumigation bioassays were used. Chemical composition analysis of T. serpyllum EO by gas chromatographic mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed that thymol (41.6%), p-cymene (21.9%), and γ-terpinene (19.2%) were the major components. For larval assays, the LC₅₀ value of T. serpyllum EO was 0.4 μl/cm² for contact toxicity and 20.9 μl/l for fumigation toxicity. For thymol, the contact toxicity LC₅₀ value was 0.035 μl/cm² and the fumigation LC₅₀ value was 2.0 μl/l. For the pupal assay, T. serpyllum EO had a percentage inhibition rate (PIR) value of 100% for both contact toxicity (1.0 μl/cm²) and fumigation toxicity assay (25 μl/l), whereas thymol had a PIR of 100% for contact toxicity (0.1 μl/cm²) and fumigation assay (5 μl/l). This study shows that T. serpyllum EO and thymol are toxic to housefly larvae and pupae and have the potential for use in the population control of this species.

Adsorptive water purification methods were studied for the removal of phenol-type compounds (such as phenol/thymol) and humic acid applying sodium bentonite modified by cationic surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB). The effect of humic acid on adsorption of phenols was examined in pure and model thermal water. It was found that the efficiency of the removal of individual pollutants can be highly influenced if another pollutant is present. The main reason for the increased efficiency was identified by the means of infrared spectroscopy which proved that each pollutant modifies decisively the organophilicity of the clay surface. Furthermore, the studies performed in model thermal waters revealed that the presence of specific cations could further increase the removability of these pollutants.

The leafminer Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most important pests of tomato, reducing crop yields by up to 100% in greenhouses and fields, in several countries globally. Because synthetic insecticides lead to resistance and have adverse effects on natural enemies and the health of producers, alternative control methods are needed. In this study, we assessed the oviposition-deterring effect of basil plants, Ocimum gratissimum L. and O. basilicum L. (Lamiaceae), using dual-choice behavioural assays performed in flight tunnels. We found that both plants significantly reduced T. absoluta oviposition behaviour on a tomato plant located nearby. To evaluate the potential effect of basil volatile organic compounds, we formulated essential oils of both plant species in paraffin oil, and observed a similar oviposition-deterring effect. Gas chromatography analyses detected 18 constituents in these essential oils which the major constituents included thymol (33.3%), p-cymene (20.4%), γ-terpinene (16.9%), myrcene (3.9%) in O. gratissimum and estragol (73.8%), linalool (8.6%), β-elemene (2.9%) and E-β-ocimene (2.6%) in O. basilicum. Twenty and 33 compounds were identified of the volatiles collected on O. gratissimum and O. basilicum plants, respectively. The main components include the following: p-cymene (33.5%), γ-terpinene (23.6%), α-terpinene (7.2%), α-thujene (6.7%) and E-α-bergamotene (38.9%) in O. gratissimum, and methyl eugenol (26.1%), E-β-ocimene (17.7%), and linalool (9.4%) in O. basilicum. Four compounds (α-pinene, β-pinene, Myrcene, Limonene) were common in essential oils and plants. Our results suggest the valuable potential of basil and associated essential oils as a component of integrated management strategies against the tomato leafminer.

Strong-smelling plant extracts, such as essential oils, have a variety of feeding effects on mammals. Considering current concerns over long-term health issues and environmental effects of chemicals, plant-based products with repellent or antifungal activities may represent good solutions for improvement of rodent pest control programs. The present study was therefore focused on examining the effects of bergamot, lavender, and thyme essential oils as additional bait components on daily intakes of cereal-based baits by wild house mice. Lavender essential oil, containing linalool and linalyl acetate as main components, and thyme essential oil with a prevailing thymol component had no effects on house mice diet. Bergamot essential oil, whose main components were linalool, limonene, and linalyl acetate, showed a repellent effect on house mouse diet.

Thymol is a natural substance increasingly used as an alternative to pesticides in the fight against the Varroa destructor mite. Despite the effectiveness of this phenolic monoterpene against Varroa, few articles have covered the negative or side effects of thymol on bees. In a previous study, we have found an impairment of phototaxis in honeybees following application of sublethal doses of thymol—lower or equal to 100 ng/bee—under laboratory conditions. The present work shows the same behavioral effects on bees from hives treated with Apilife Var®, a veterinary drug containing 74 % thymol, with a decrease in phototactic behavior observed 1 day after treatment. Thus, thymol causes disruption of bee phototactic behavior both under laboratory conditions as well as in beehives. The bee exposure dose in treated hives was quantified using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS), giving a median value of 4.3 μg per body 24 h after treatment, with 11 ng in the brain. The thymol level in 20 organic waxes from hives treated with Apilife Var® was also measured and showed that it persists in waxes (around 10 mg/kg) 1 year after treatment. Thus, in the light of (1) behavioral data obtained under laboratory conditions and in beehives, (2) the persistence of thymol in waxes, and (3) the high load on bees, it would appear important to study the long-term effects of thymol in beehives.