Themed collection Chemical waste and pollution

This article emphasizes the crucial role of metrology, the science of measurement, in modern life.

Traditional aquatic biomonitoring has limitations in resolution and understanding ecosystem dynamics. Next-generation sequencing methods offer a more comprehensive assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, overcoming these constraints.

This paper considers elements of the dynamic process of production dispersal and monitoring of persistent organic pollutants in the environment that has unfolded over the past 100 years.

The 12 principles of green membrane materials and processes are formulated. Their contributions to the 3 pillars of sustainability and the UN-SDGs are explained. Research priorities are set. A membrane waste management hierarchy is introduced.

We developed a Technology Roadmap for emissions intensive and trade exposed (EITE) sectors to help policymakers and firms formulate a climate change mitigation strategy employing innovative technologies for large industrial emitters.

Europe's energy crisis has made green routes for ammonia and methanol synthesis economically competitive. This presents an opportunity for Europe to lead the grand transition towards a sustainable chemical industry.

We need a paradigm shift towards prevention-based risk governance of chemicals and advanced materials via a transition towards SSbD. Defining SSbD metrics and trade-offs should be a co-creative process and can benefit from applying digital tools.

This paper summarizes recent groundbreaking research and regulations for microplastics and provides critical recommendations to overcome additional barriers.

Chemical pollution poses a threat to biodiversity on a global scale.

Bridging the gap between academia and industry in plastic recycling will accelerate innovation and deployment toward solving the global challenge of plastic waste management and establishing net zero carbon society.

The growing plastic pollution crisis demands novel approaches, with innovative materials that mimic robotic behaviors emerging as a promising solution.

This review analyzes key recycling and regeneration methods for spent cathodes, emphasizing scientific advances and their significance. It discusses challenges, future directions, and scalable solutions for industrial implementation.

The use of walnut shells for energy storage offers a sustainable, innovative approach, enhancing energy density and cost efficiency. While it presents environmental benefits, challenges remain in scalability and optimization.

The waste management industry uses an increasing number of mathematical prediction models to accurately forecast the behavior of organic pollutants during catalytic degradation.

Green amine synthesis is assessed using the CHEM21 green metrics toolkit, offering a step-by-step guide for sustainability evaluation and promoting environmentally conscious transformations.

This review aims to introduce the rich applications of chemical toxicological data for environmental risk assessment and green chemical design by illustrating referable examples or cases. Further, we present a comprehensive toxicology databank.

Integrating Circular Economy (CE) principles with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to promote equitable, sustainable and proactive materials design of consumer durable goods.

Governance of CEAC in the Arctic spans global, regional, and national levels. Strengthening coordination across levels is key to addressing CEAC risks and protecting Arctic ecosystems.

The chemical industry plays a pivotal role in modern society, providing essential products like plastics, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, speciality and agricultural chemicals.

Amongst all synthetic polymers used in the clothing industry, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most widely used polyester, its fibres representing half the total PET global market (in comparison bottle PET being less than a third).

CPs are extensively existed in human samples with increased M/S ratio. Dietary intake is the main source. The reported upper bound of EDIs may be close or exceed TDIs, thus further risk assessments are required.

A review and analysis of opportunities for long-term carbon dioxide removal and storage in biomass-derived products.

Detailed economic, environmental, and sensitivity analysis reveals decarbonization potential for ethane-based ethylene production plants.

Wastewater outlet in Sisimiut (photo by Jakob Strand). Flushed wet wipes in addition to other macrolitter items can be observed on the nearby rocks and on the seafloor.

The conversion of nitrate (NO₃⁻) contaminants into ammonia (NH₃) through electrochemical reduction presents a viable strategy for the dual purposes of wastewater purification and ammonia production.

This study investigates heavy metals and phthalates in water and sediments of the Palm Islands Reserve, revealing persistent contamination, with cadmium exceeding limits. The findings underscore pollution control and environmental monitoring.

Open dumping and burning of solid waste are widely practiced in underserved communities lacking access to solid waste management facilities. The generation of microplastics from these sites has been overlooked.

Our approach revalorizes H₂S captured by the SU-101 MOF as a cathode material in lithium–sulfur batteries.

We describe an exploratory approach to a concept of safer and more sustainable by design in biocatalytic amide bond synthesis.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is a major issue in aquatic environments.

This study contributes insights into the air quality challenges faced by two rapidly urbanising cities in Uganda and lays the groundwork for informed decision-making to protect public health and promote a sustainable environment.

This work presents a novel pathway for methanolysis of PET waste using Co–SiO₂ as catalyst.

This paper argues that current trade realities require a rethink of legislation addressing environmental risks through corporation's supply chains.

A scatter plot of the data points using the values of two ARKA descriptors can potentially identify activity cliffs, less confident data points, and less modelable data points.

The adsorption of ciprofloxacin (CIP), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and tetracycline (TC) on disposable face mask (nano-)microplastics occurs in the order SMX > CIP > TC, which correlates with the octanol–water partition coefficient of antibiotics.

The toxicity prediction for newly designed or untested pesticides will reduce unnecessary chemical synthesis and animal testing, and contribute to the design of “greener and safer” pesticide chemicals.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) catalyzes various energy and environmental applications. Evaluating physicochemical properties and sustainability metrics presents valuable insights into designing minimally impactful, high-performing g-CN materials.

Sustainable chemistry is the development and application of chemicals, chemical processes, and products that benefit current and future generations without harmful impacts to humans or ecosystems.

The utility of the emission fractions approach is explored in the context of the Stockholm Convention on POPs.

This work provides for the first time simple metrics and a decision tree to predict the degradability of contaminants during UV/NO₃⁻ groundwater treatment.

Environmental footprint evaluation of representative fragrance ingredients combining 2 complementary methodologies in the aim of providing a new method to eco-design fragrances, which are materials found in many commercialized daily-life products.

Integrated life cycle assessment and chemical process development was conducted. The recycling process delivers material with primary-like properties and reduced environmental impact.