Papers

Tracing microplastics in environmental sources and migratory shorebirds along the Central Asian Flyway

Researchers tracked microplastic contamination along migratory bird routes in central Asia, testing mudflats, mangroves, and the birds themselves. They found microplastics in both the environment and the digestive tracts of shorebirds, showing that these pollutants are moving through coastal food webs and may be carried across continents by migrating birds.

Waste plastic management: Recycling and the environmental health nexus

Researchers reviewed plastic recycling methods and their health and environmental trade-offs, finding that mechanical recycling releases microplastics that can enter the body through inhalation and ingestion, and calling for smarter waste management systems and reduced use of toxic plastic additives.

Sources, Fate, and Detection of Dust-Associated Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): A Review

This review examines how PFAS, persistent industrial chemicals sometimes called forever chemicals, can attach to dust and sand particles and spread across large regions through dust storms. PFAS accumulate in living organisms and have been linked to harmful effects in animal studies. The paper highlights a less-studied route of human PFAS exposure and discusses analytical methods for detecting these chemicals in environmental dust.

Tackling the dust-microplastic nexus: Sources, fate, and detection

This review explores the connection between dust storms and microplastic pollution, showing how wind events can transport microplastics from sources like roads and landfills across long distances. Microplastics in dust can also absorb and carry other harmful chemicals, potentially increasing their health impact when inhaled. While early cell studies suggest possible cancer-related effects, the long-term health consequences of breathing in dust-borne microplastics are still not well understood and need more research.

Review of the Potential Effects and Remediation Strategies of Microplastic Pollutants in Drinking Water Sources

The threat of microplastics: Exploring pollution in coastal ecosystems and migratory shorebirds along the west coast of India

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination across ten coastal sites on India's west coast, testing water, sediment, invertebrate prey, and shorebird droppings. Microplastics, mostly fibers, were found in all sample types, with water identified as the primary pathway for spreading plastics through the food chain. The study demonstrates how microplastics move from water through prey animals to top predators, illustrating the food chain transfer that ultimately could affect human seafood consumption.

Decoding the molecular concerto: Toxicotranscriptomic evaluation of microplastic and nanoplastic impacts on aquatic organisms

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect gene activity in aquatic organisms including fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. The studies show that these tiny particles disrupt genes involved in immune defense, stress response, reproduction, and metabolism. Understanding these molecular-level changes is important because they reveal how microplastics could cause long-term health problems in animals that enter the human food chain.

Shorebird droppings analysis: Microplastics and heavy metals in a key conservation reserve and adjoining sand beaches in the west coast of India

Researchers analyzed droppings from ten migratory shorebird species at a conservation reserve on India's west coast and found microplastics and heavy metals in samples from all species. The contamination levels varied by species and season, reflecting differences in diet and habitat use. Since shorebirds are top predators in coastal food webs, their contamination indicates widespread microplastic and heavy metal pollution throughout the coastal ecosystem.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) disposal during COVID-19: An emerging source of microplastic and microfiber pollution in the environment

This review examines how discarded personal protective equipment from the COVID-19 pandemic has become a new source of microplastic and microfiber pollution. Researchers found that single-use masks, gloves, and other PPE break down into tiny plastic particles that contaminate water, soil, and air. The study highlights the environmental trade-off of pandemic safety measures and calls for better waste management strategies for healthcare materials.

MXenes as Emerging Materials: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

This review covers MXenes, a family of two-dimensional materials with unique layered structures that show promise for energy and environmental applications. Researchers examined how MXenes can be synthesized and modified to enhance their properties for uses including photocatalysis, gas sensing, and water treatment. The materials' ability to be tuned through changes in composition and surface chemistry makes them potential candidates for addressing environmental contamination challenges.

Microplastics in Saudi Arabia: Environmental occurrence, research gaps, and challenges in extreme conditions

This review surveyed microplastic research in Saudi Arabia and found contamination across seawater, sediments, dust, food, and beverages, with polyethylene being the most commonly detected polymer. Evidence suggests that plastics have been accumulating in coastal sediments since the 1930s, and human exposure through household dust and food consumption is an emerging health concern, particularly for young children.

Magnetic polymeric composites: potential for separating and degrading micro/nano plastics

Researchers reviewed how magnetic composite materials can be used to attract, capture, and chemically break down microplastics and nanoplastics in wastewater, finding that combining magnetic separation with advanced oxidation or photocatalysis offers one of the most promising approaches for removing these persistent plastic pollutants from water.

Micro(nano)plastics as Emerging Pollutants in Global Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Bibliometric Analysis

This bibliometric analysis mapped the global landscape of micro- and nanoplastic research in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems using data from major scientific databases. Researchers identified key research trends, leading countries, and the most active institutions contributing to the field. The study reveals that while research output has surged in recent years, significant knowledge gaps remain around nanoplastics and their long-term ecological effects.

Microplastics and Co-pollutants in soil and marine environments: Sorption and desorption dynamics in unveiling invisible danger and key to ecotoxicological risk assessment

This review examines how microplastics act as invisible carriers of other pollutants in soil and marine environments, concentrating and transporting harmful chemicals. Researchers analyzed the sorption and desorption dynamics that determine when pollutants attach to or release from microplastic surfaces. The study emphasizes that understanding these dynamics is essential for accurately assessing the combined ecological risks of microplastics and their co-pollutants.

Environmental fate, toxicological impact, and advanced treatment approaches: Atrazine degradation and emphasises on circular economy strategy

Researchers reviewed how atrazine — a widely used weedkiller that persists long in soil and water — harms aquatic ecosystems, disrupts hormones in animals, and poses cancer risks to humans, while examining chemical, biological, and microbial methods for breaking it down. The study highlights circular economy approaches and life cycle analysis as promising frameworks for reducing atrazine's long-term environmental footprint.

Comparative Review of Different Adsorption Techniques Used in Heavy Metals Removal in Water

This review compares different adsorption techniques for removing heavy metals from water, including the use of metal oxides, graphene, zeolites, and carbon-based composites. Researchers found that these materials offer high surface area and efficient pollutant removal capabilities. The study provides an overview of the economic feasibility of various adsorbents for addressing heavy metal contamination in water resources.

Harnessing bio and (Photo)catalysts for microplastics degradation and remediation in soil environment

This review examined biological and photocatalytic approaches for breaking down microplastics in soil, an area that has received far less attention than water-based solutions. The study highlights promising enzymes and light-activated catalysts that could degrade soil microplastics, and calls for more research using computational modeling to design better cleanup strategies for contaminated land.

Assessment of secondary microplastics trapped in mangrove ecosystem of a highly populated tropical megacity, India

Researchers quantified microplastic contamination in Mumbai's mangrove ecosystem across six zones and 30 sampling sites. They found an average of 6,730 microplastic particles per kilogram of dry sediment, dominated by fibers and polyethylene, with concentrations decreasing at greater sediment depths, highlighting the need for management policies to protect coastal environments.

Wastewater Treatment Using Constructed Wetland: Current Trends and Future Potential

This review covers constructed wetland technology for wastewater treatment, examining various wetland types, contaminant removal mechanisms, and recent innovations in microbiology that enhance pollutant degradation across municipal, agricultural, and industrial applications.

Nanomaterials-based adsorbents for remediation of microplastics and nanoplastics in aqueous media: A review

Microplastics in agroecosystems: Soil-plant dynamics and effective remediation approaches

This review examines how microplastic pollution from sources like plastic mulch films and waste degradation affects crops in agricultural ecosystems. Researchers identified five key mechanisms of harm, including interference with root systems and nutrient uptake, induction of oxidative stress, and alteration of soil microbial communities. The study also evaluates remediation approaches and highlights that microplastics acting as carriers for other pollutants may create compounding toxicological effects on food crops.

Microplastics in fishes of commercial and ecological importance from the Western Arabian Gulf

Researchers examined microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of nine commercial fish species from the Saudi EEZ of the Arabian Gulf across coastal, pelagic, and reef habitats, finding a relatively low overall contamination rate (0.057 items per fish) but with variation by species and habitat.

A facile approach for oil-water separation using superhydrophobic polystyrene-silica coated stainless steel mesh bucket

Researchers fabricated a superhydrophobic stainless steel mesh bucket using polystyrene and silica nanoparticle coatings that achieved over 99% oil-water separation efficiency, and demonstrated it could simultaneously lift microplastic pollutants from water surfaces while withstanding repeated mechanical, thermal, and chemical stress.

Geospatial distribution and anthropogenic litter impact on coastal mangrove ecosystems from the Saudi Arabia coast of the Gulf

Researchers surveyed plastic litter in Saudi Arabian mangrove ecosystems along the Gulf coast, finding that plastic made up 80% of debris on the mangrove floor, with single-use plastics dominating. Pollution was heaviest near urban areas, highlighting how coastal mangroves act as unintended traps for plastic waste from land-based human activities.