Papers

Co-contaminant risks in water reuse and biosolids application for agriculture

This review highlights that treated wastewater and biosolids used in farming contain a complex mixture of pollutants including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that enter soil and can be taken up by crops. The combined effects of these pollutants may be greater than the sum of their individual risks, underscoring the need for better safety assessments of recycled water and waste used in food production.

Bottled Water: An Evidence-Based Overview of Economic Viability, Environmental Impact, and Social Equity

This review analyzes the bottled water industry through the lens of sustainability, examining its economic growth, environmental footprint, and social equity implications. Researchers found that bottled water production involves significant energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water waste, and generates substantial plastic packaging pollution including microplastic contamination. The study suggests that while the industry has made some voluntary sustainability commitments, the cumulative environmental and health costs of bottled water remain considerable compared to tap water alternatives.

A double‐edged sword: The complex interplay between engineered nanoparticles and platelets

This review explores how engineered nanoparticles interact with platelets in the bloodstream, which can lead to either beneficial or harmful effects. Researchers found that depending on their size, shape, and surface properties, nanoparticles can activate or inhibit platelet function. The study suggests that understanding these interactions is critical for the safe development of nanomedicine drug delivery systems.

Volatile Organic Compounds in Early Childhood Education Facilities: Simultaneous Indoor and Outdoor Measurements in the Haifa Bay Area

Researchers measured volatile organic compound levels simultaneously indoors and outdoors at three early childhood education facilities in the Haifa Bay area of Israel. While the study focuses primarily on air quality rather than microplastics, it contributes to the broader understanding of indoor environmental exposures that young children face. The findings emphasize the importance of monitoring indoor pollutant levels in settings where vulnerable populations spend significant time.

Beyond the Scale: Effects of Maternal Obesity on Embryo Morphokinetics and IVF Outcomes

A new study of over 2,000 women undergoing IVF found that being overweight or obese doesn't hurt your chances of getting pregnant through fertility treatments. However, obese women were twice as likely to need C-sections (52% vs. 25-28% for other weight groups) and showed signs of increased pregnancy complications. This suggests that while weight doesn't prevent IVF success, maintaining a healthy weight before pregnancy can lead to safer deliveries and better outcomes for both mom and baby.

Surface-selective growth of noble-metal-free nanodumbbells photocatalyst with spatially separated redox sites using in-situ ion exchange for simultaneous microplastics upcycling and H2 evolution

Microplastic Textile Fibers Accumulate in Sand and Are Potential Sources of Micro(nano)plastic Pollution

Polyester and nylon microfibers were studied for their long-term behavior in sandy agricultural soils, finding that fibers persisted, accumulated, and were not effectively degraded under field conditions over extended periods. The results indicate textile microfibers in soils represent a long-lived reservoir of microplastic contamination with potential effects on soil structure and organisms.

On the quest for novel bio-degradable plastics for agricultural field mulching

This review examined the challenge of developing biodegradable plastic mulch materials suitable for agricultural use, noting that plasticulture consumes about 6.7 million tons of plastic annually, most of which cannot be practically recycled. The authors assessed candidate biodegradable polymers based on their degradation rates in soil, mechanical performance, and cost.

Dynamic shear failure: The underlying physics

Negligible adsorption and toxicity of microplastic fibers in disinfected secondary effluents

Researchers tested the adsorption and toxicity of microplastic fibers to organisms in a soil system, finding negligible adsorption of co-contaminants onto fiber surfaces and low toxicity at environmentally relevant concentrations. The results suggest fiber-type microplastics may pose less chemical risk than previously assumed for certain organisms.

Pore-Scale Insights into Microplastic Fiber Transport and Retention in Porous Media

Pore-scale imaging and experiments revealed how microplastic fibers move through and get retained in soil and sediment pores, showing that fiber shape and size strongly influence transport distance and accumulation zones. Understanding these dynamics is key to predicting where microplastics accumulate in terrestrial and subsurface environments.

The Potential of Microbial Fuel Cells for Remediation of Heavy Metals from Soil and Water—Review of Application

This review examines microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a dual-purpose technology capable of generating electricity while simultaneously removing heavy metals such as copper, hexavalent chromium, and mercury from contaminated water and soil. The authors highlight how pH, electrode materials, and coupling MFCs with microbial electrolysis cells influence removal efficiency, and note that plant-MFC systems performed particularly well for soil remediation.

Technological application potential of polyethylene and polystyrene biodegradation by macro-organisms such as mealworms and wax moth larvae

Researchers tested polyethylene biodegradation by mealworms and wax moth larvae across multiple experimental setups, finding that while live larvae altered LDPE surface morphology, homogenized larval paste produced no detectable mass loss or ethylene glycol, suggesting a mechanism beyond gut microbiome action alone. Techno-economic and life cycle assessment analysis indicated that scaling this process as a plastic waste management technology is currently not feasible.

Full-field optical visualization techniques in “dilute” particle-laden flows

This review examines full-field optical visualization techniques — including both mature and emerging camera-based methods — for quantitatively imaging flow fields and dispersed particles in optically transparent 'dilute' particle-laden flows, covering applications relevant to environmental and industrial fluid dynamics.

When microplastics meet emerging pollutants: Key insights on mechanistic features for environmental remediations

Relocating shared automated vehicles under parking constraints: assessing the impact of different strategies for on-street parking

Researchers simulated large-scale deployment of shared automated vehicles in Amsterdam, finding that balancing vehicle supply with anticipated demand produced the best service efficiency and equity outcomes, while naive strategies performed surprisingly well when parking capacity was abundant.

Pathways towards a sustainable future envisioned by early‐career conservation researchers

A survey of early-career conservation researchers found strong support for systemic solutions to the environmental crisis, including addressing consumption patterns and corporate accountability. The next generation of scientists is pushing for bolder action on pollution, biodiversity loss, and sustainability.

Combined three-dimensional flow field measurements and motion tracking of freely moving spheres in a turbulent boundary layer

Researchers used time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry combined with refractive index matching and machine vision tracking to simultaneously measure the translational and rotational motion of nearly neutrally buoyant hydrogel spheres and the surrounding three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer flow field.

Climate variation during the Holocene influenced the skeletal properties of Chamelea gallina shells in the North Adriatic Sea (Italy)

This study examined how climate variation during the Holocene epoch affected shell properties of commercially important marine shellfish. Understanding how marine organisms respond to changing environmental conditions helps predict how ongoing pollution and climate change will affect shellfish health and the ecosystems that depend on them.