Decoding the Interactions Between Antibiotics and Microplastics- Chemistry, Environmental Impacts, and Mitigation Approaches- A State-of-the-Art Review.

The coexistence of antibiotics (AB) and microplastics (MP) in the environment has led to the formation of AB-MP complexes, posing several ecological and public health challenges. This review explores the mechanisms driving AB adsorption onto MPs, including diverse interactions (hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, and ionic exchange) and their role in maintaining the persistence and mobility of the complexes. These complexes have been reported to serve as reservoirs/vectors for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), disrupt microbial communities, and enhance the bioavailability of ABs, thus posing various threats affecting biodiversity health and ecosystem stability.

Molecular insights into cobalt homeostasis in estuarine microphytobenthos: A meta-transcriptomics and biogeochemical approach.

Meta-transcriptomics data supported by biofilm physico-chemical parameters unravelled the molecular and biochemical processes utilized by multicomponent intertidal biofilms to endure cobalt toxicity. Findings indicated activation of influx (BtuB, ABC-type transporters) and efflux pumps (RND, CZC) to maintain metal ion homeostasis. Enhanced specific activity of antioxidant enzymes namely catalases and peroxidases (KatG, SodA) mitigated oxidative damage.

Source apportionment and emission projections of heavy metals from traffic sources in India: Insights from elemental and Pb isotopic compositions.

The study investigates the sources of metals in urban road dusts using elemental concentration and Pb isotopic ratios. The elemental concentrations are also utilized to determine the present heavy metal emissions as well as projected emissions till 2045. Bayesian mixing model for source apportionment highlights the significant contributions of both exhaust and non-exhaust sources to the metal-enriched urban road dusts, with each contributing approximately 40 %.

Entrapment of atmospheric particle bound heavy metals by ferns as evidenced by lead (Pb) isotope and MixSIAR: Implications for improving air quality.

Plant metal uptake can occur through both soil-root and atmospheric transfer from leaves. The latter holds potential implications for development of biofiltration systems. To explore this potential, it is crucial to understand entrapment capacity and metal sources within plants.

Foam control in lakes and sewage receiving water bodies: A pre-emptive approach using decentralized inline water treatment design.

Hideous and persistent foams on surface water bodies are global issues with far-reaching environmental consequences. This study examines Bellandur Lake (Bengaluru, India) plagued by foam since 2005 due to surfactant-laden untreated sewage ingress. Bellandur Lake receives 258 million liters of inadequately treated sewage daily, constituting 47% of its total volume.

Unveiling the origin, fate, and remedial approaches for surfactants in sewage-fed foaming urban (Bellandur) Lake.

Foam formation in surface water bodies has become a global phenomenon, but the solutions to this crisis are often insufficient. Foam formation in water bodies is attributed to surfactants and requires a comprehensive assessment of various sources of surfactants to evolve mitigation strategies. The study is focused on thoroughly analyzing surfactants in the water and foam fractions of a large waterbody in Bangalore (India) spanning around 1000 acres (400 ha), which has been foaming for two decades.

Unravelling the reason for seasonality of foaming in sewage-fed urban lakes.

Foaming surface waters are a global phenomenon but are understudied. Bellandur lake in India has gained international attention due to its foaming events, which occur seasonally after rainfall. This study investigates the seasonality of foaming and the sorption/desorption of surfactants onto sediment and suspended solids (SS).

Socio-economic impact assessment of large-scale recycling of treated municipal wastewater for indirect groundwater recharge.

Reusing treated wastewater is an emerging solution to address freshwater scarcity, and surface water contamination faced worldwide. A unique large-scale wastewater recycling project was implemented to replenish groundwater by filling secondary treated wastewater (STW) into existing irrigation tanks in severely drought-hit areas of the Kolar districts of Southern India. This study quantifies the socio-economic impacts of this large-scale indirect groundwater recharge scheme.

Study towards understanding foaming and foam stability in urban lakes.

Foaming water bodies have become a matter of great concern globally. Foam disrupts aquatic ecosystems, emits an offensive smell, disrupts the day-to-day activities in neighbouring localities, and is visually unpleasant. The downstream water bodies are also exposed to the risk of foaming.

Seasonal variation of atmospheric Pb sources in Singapore - Elemental and lead isotopic compositions of PM as source tracer.

Southeast Asia has become a hotspot of anthropogenic particulate matter (PM) emissions due to increased coal combustion, high-temperature industrial operations, vehicular traffic, and agricultural biomass burning. Lead (Pb), a criteria pollutant, bound to such PM can be hazardous when inhaled, even at extremely low concentrations. Precise and accurate source apportionment of atmospheric Pb is thus, critical in order to minimize its exposure.

Genomic regions associated with heat stress tolerance in tropical maize (Zea mays L.).

With progressive climate change and the associated increase in mean temperature, heat stress tolerance has emerged as one of the key traits in the product profile of the maize breeding pipeline for lowland tropics. The present study aims to identify the genomic regions associated with heat stress tolerance in tropical maize. An association mapping panel, called the heat tolerant association mapping (HTAM) panel, was constituted by involving a total of 543 tropical maize inbred lines from diverse genetic backgrounds, test-crossed and phenotyped across nine locations in South Asia under natural heat stress.

Role of intertidal microbial communities in carbon dioxide sequestration and pollutant removal: A review.

Intertidal microbial communities occur as biofilms or microphytobenthos (MPB) which are sediment-attached assemblages of bacteria, protozoa, fungi, algae, diatoms embedded in extracellular polymeric substances. Despite their global occurrence, they have not been reviewed in light of their structural and functional characteristics. This paper reviews the importance of such microbial communities and their importance in carbon dioxide sequestration as well as pollutant bioremediation.

Assessing the effect of herbicide diuron on river biofilm: A statistical model.

River biofilm communities are the first ones to be exposed to all toxic discharges received via run off from agricultural fields. Hence, changes in river biofilm community structure and growth pattern are considered as indicator of overall health of lotic ecosystem. Toxicants have effect on biofilm biomass, photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll a concentrations.

Health risk assessment of construction workers from trace metals in PM from Kolkata, India.

Construction activities have long been recognized as a pertinent source of PM though limited information exists regarding chemical characteristics of aerosols generated during building demolition/construction. A comprehensive investigation was carried out to assess the physical (SEM analysis) and chemical (ICP MS analysis) properties of PM in a building demolition and construction site and compared with background. Average concentrations of PM at both the sites exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Flow of arsenic between rice grain and water: Its interaction, accumulation and distribution in different fractions of cooked rice.

Arsenic (As) contaminated water is a major threat to human health when used for drinking, cooking and irrigational purposes. Rice being consumed by 50% of the world's population, supplies considerable amount of As to the human body. Our study provides a detailed understanding of As distribution in each fraction of rice while cooking (viz.

Personal level exposure and hazard potential of particulate matter during haze and non-haze periods in Singapore.

Severe haze episodes originating from biomass burning are common in Southeast Asia. However, there is a paucity of data on the personal exposure and characteristics of Particulate Matter (PM) present in ambient air during haze and non-haze periods. Aims of this study were to monitor 24 h ambulatory exposure to PM among school children in Singapore; characterize haze and non-haze PM for their physicochemical properties, cytotoxicity and inflammatory potential, using bronchial epithelial cell culture model (BEAS-2B).

Provenance and fate of trace and rare earth elements in the sediment-aquifers systems of Majuli River Island, India.

In this work we present a completely new dataset of Rare Earth Element (REE) distribution and fractionation in the groundwater and sediments of the world's largest populated river island-Majuli, located in the Brahmaputra River, India. Groundwater (n = 9) and borehole sediments (n = 23) of different depths were collected randomly and analyzed for REEs using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Multivariate statistical techniques were applied to determine interrelationships among different REEs.

Arsenic accumulation in paddy plants at different phases of pre-monsoon cultivation.

Geogenic arsenic (As) contamination in Bengal Delta Plain is a growing environmental and research concern. Cultivation of staple crops like paddy on these contaminated fields is one of the major routes for human dietary exposure. The present study investigates changes of arsenic concentrations in paddy plant parts, root soil and surface soil throughout the various phases of pre-monsoon (boro) cultivation.

Anthropogenic platinum group element (Pt, Pd, Rh) concentrations in PM10 and PM2.5 from Kolkata, India.

This study investigates platinum group elements (PGEs) in the breathable (PM10) and respirable (PM2.5) fractions of air particulates from a heavily polluted Indian metro city. The samples were collected from traffic junctions at the heart of the city and industrial sites in the suburbs during winter and monsoon seasons of 2013-2014.

A novel melt stable and high tensile strength biopolymer (polyhydroxyalkanoates) from Bacillus megaterium (MTCC10086) and its characterization.

In the present investigation, we have defined a novel biopolymer from Bacillus megaterium strain with novel melt stability, high tensile strength, and elongation to break properties higher to polypropylene and similar to polyethylene the polymers available commercially. The polymer was characterized with FTIR and XRD. The percent crystalinity was found to 44.

Environmental arsenic contamination and its health effects in a historic gold mining area of the Mangalur greenstone belt of Northeastern Karnataka, India.

This report summarizes recent findings of environmental arsenic (As) contamination and the consequent health effects in a community located near historic gold mining activities in the Mangalur greenstone belt of Karnataka, India. Arsenic contents in water, hair, nail, soil and food were measured by FI-HG-AAS. Elemental analyses of soils were determined by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry).