Due to widespread industrialization, urbanization, and modern agricultural techniques, an enormous number of pollutants are released into the environment. The contaminants can pollute air and water, threatening the ecosystem. It is challenging to get rid of these harmful pollutants from the environment. Recently, bioremediation aided by nanotechnology is the most promising method for cleaning up harmful pollutants due to its economical and promising advantages. Nanoparticles and their composites have a high surface-to-volume ratio and have a quick capacity to interact with diverse particles, making them a desirable tool in a variety of applications. Chemically synthesized nanoparticles with enhanced properties, e. g., reactivity, catalysis, and adsorption, have been the subject of significant interest. Nanomaterials made of gold, aluminium, zinc, titanium, and cerium have been acknowledged for their effectiveness and safety in the environment. Microbe-mediated nanoparticle synthesis has recently gained attention as it exhibits exceptional properties to make sustainable nanocomposites. Bacteria, algae, fungi, viruses, actinomycetes, and their extracts have been utilized as catalysts to create non-toxic, pure, and environmentally safe nanoparticles for the reduction of metals. Nanoparticles that are mediated by both chemicals and microbes can effectively target pollutants for bioremediation with an emphasis on environmental clean-up. In this review, the significance, advantages, and applications of biogenic synthesized nanoparticles, as well as modified and optimized nanoparticles mediated by chemicals and metals, were thoroughly examined for the removal of heavy pollutants. The importance and sustainability of this new nanobioremediation approach was also discussed.

The unwanted discharge of oil from different types of reservoirs into sea water has brought many environmental and economic difficulties in the world. In the past, attempts have been made to remove the floating oil from water surface in the oceans using synthetic and natural adsorbents such as polypropylene, cotton, and wool fibers. In the present work, nonwoven fabrics made from the blend of solid and hollow polyester (PET) fibers (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% hollow fibers) were examined for oil retention and pickup capacities. Four types of oils were used in the experiments. The sorption capacity and oil retention capability of 100%-hollow fiber was found to be superior among the samples tested. The results showed that the replacement of solid fibers with the hollow fibers increased oil pickup capacity and prevent fibers from sinking into deep water. These advantages of hollow fibers are attributed to the higher specific surface area and larger apparent volume of this type of fibers.

Dear Editor: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health concern that involved more than 12 million people around the world [1]...

Mycotoxins are small, toxic chemical products produced as secondary metabolites by a few fungal spices that readily colonise crops and contaminate them with toxins in the field or after harvest. In this study a liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins (AFs) (B1, B2, G1, and G2), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA) toxins in wheat. For this purpose, a total of 231 wheat samples were analyzed. Mycotoxins were extracted and purified from the samples using immunoaffinity (IAC) columns. 2.67% and 2.21% of examined wheat samples contained AFB1 and OTA. The method was based on the extraction of AFs, OTA and ZEA finely ground wheat sample with 80% methanol and acetonitrile solution, respectively. 2.60% and 2.16% of examined wheat samples contained AFB1 and OTA. LOD was 0.27, 0.04, 0.23, 0.04, 1.18 and 21.56 for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, OTA and ZEA, respectively. Considering these results, these special products should not be a health concern for these collectives; however, special attention needs on foods distribution in retail shops.