A broad range of artificial or naturally occurring chemicals known as emerging contaminants (ECs) are increasingly found in landfill leachate and provide serious dangers to human health and the environment. This critical analysis investigates the origin, dispersion, and effects of ECs in relation to landfill settings. Landfills serve as EC reservoirs because of the diverse mix of e-waste, industrial compounds, pharmaceuticals, personal care items, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Factors including landfill design, waste type, and environmental conditions affect the mobility and permanence of these toxins as they seep into nearby soils, groundwater, and surface water through leachate. ECs have been found in trace amounts in the landfill leachate, and are polar substances having a brief half-life. Concerns over the consequences of newly discovered contaminants on the environment and human health have grown because of their increased detection in the landfill leachate. Additionally, they increase the hazards to human populations by having the ability to pollute agricultural soils and sources of drinking water. The significant finding is that the ECs in landfill leachate can be generated from various sites whether it is from municipal solid wastes, agricultural runoffs, or industrial wastes which become persistent in nature increasing risk to human health and environment. The study identifies important knowledge gaps regarding the development of harmful transformation products, the collective effects of EC combinations, and the inadequacy of traditional treatment techniques in reducing EC pollution. By this it can be concluded that advanced analytical methods, creative leachate treatment approaches, and strong regulatory frameworks are needed to address these issues and successfully stop EC discharge and control its negative effects on the environment and human health. In order to reduce the hazards caused by newly discovered pollutants in landfill leachate and to support environmentally friendly waste management techniques, this analysis emphasizes the necessity of both international and regional initiatives. © 2025 The Author(s)

Water pollution from Heavy metal (HM) contamination poses a critical threat to environmental sustainability and public health. Industrial activities have increased the presence of HMs in wastewater, necessitating effective remediation strategies. Conventional methods like chemical precipitation, ion exchange, adsorption, and membrane filtration are widely used but possess various limitations. These include high costs, environmental impacts, and the potential for generating secondary pollutants, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives. Phytoremediation, enhanced by microbial interactions, offers an eco-friendly solution to this issue. The unique physiological and biochemical traits of plants, combined with microbial metabolic capabilities, enable efficient uptake and detoxification of HMs. Microbial enzymes play a crucial role in these processes by breaking down complex compounds, enhancing HM bioavailability, and facilitating their conversion into less toxic forms. Synergistic interactions between root-associated microbes and plants further improves metal absorption and stabilization, boosting phytoremediation efficiency. However, challenges remain, including the limited bioavailability of contaminants and plant resilience in highly polluted environments. Recent advancements focus on improving microbial-assisted phytoremediation through mechanisms like bioavailability facilitation, phytoextraction, and phytostabilization. Genetic engineering facilitates the altering of genes that control plant immune responses and growth which improves the ability of plants to interact beneficially with microbes to thrive in HM rich environments while efficiently cleaning contaminated wastewater. This review examines these strategies and highlights future research directions to enhance wastewater remediation using phytoremediation technologies. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Jharkhand is a mineral-rich state and there are many possibilities in pisciculture. Fish is the staple food of Jharkhand because of its nutritional values. In the present study, water, sediment, and the most favorite fish species (Labeo rohita, Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala, Cyprinus carpio, and Ctenopharyngodon idella) were collected from the lentic reservoirs and analyzed for assessing the ecological and human health risk assessment. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn in water samples varied within the ranges of 0.001–0.004 mg/L, 0.02–0.04 mg/L, 0.004–0.007 mg/L, 0.023–0.081 mg/L, and 0.003–0.12 mg/L, respectively. In sediment samples, the metal concentrations were recorded within the following ranges: 109.15–411.48 mg/kg for Zn, 0.79–22.87 mg/kg for Cd, 22.71–34.79 mg/kg for Pb, 93.44–581.38 mg/kg for Cr, and 19.61–129.09 mg/kg for Cu. The average concentrations of metals in fish were observed as follows: 82.98 − 91.81 mg/kg of Zn, 20.91 − 31 mg/kg of Cd, 81.48 − 91.81 mg/kg of Pb, 442.68 − 482.50 mg/kg of Cr, and 35.91 − 68.57 mg/kg of Cu. Ecological health assessment based on sediment indices shows the prevalence of Cd in the lentic ecosystems and their bioaccumulation (biota-sediment accumulation factor > 2) in fish species. Among the four reservoirs, HD is the most contaminated site. Local population, especially, children of Ranchi district, consuming fish species are prone to health risk due to the metal contamination. Conclusively, this study provides valuable data on metal concentrations in fish species, supporting future ecotoxicology research and policymaking for any mineral-rich state. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.

Climate change and environmental degradation require computational environmental engineering. To simulate and optimize complex environmental processes, advanced computer models, big data analytics, and machine learning are used. A holistic assessment of environmental consequences and the design of interdisciplinary solutions that take into account socioeconomic, environmental, and environmental variables can be possible with the creation of integrated modeling frameworks that reflect the interconnected nature of environmental systems. Increasingly high-resolution remote sensing data and sensor networks enable real-time monitoring and decision-making about the environment. The use of these data streams in conjunction with computational models improves environmental predictions, allowing better management of natural resources and risk reduction. The most challenging aspects are improving model validation and uncertainty quantification, developing robust optimization algorithms, and ensuring accessibility for stakeholders of varying backgrounds. Lastly, computational environmental engineering offers significant promise for addressing future environmental problems by incorporating interdisciplinary approaches, using emerging technologies, and addressing important issues. Previous Chapter. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Akhilesh Kumar Yadav; individual chapters, the contributors.

In order to achieve sustainable waste management solutions, we must integrate computational approaches to meet the challenges posed by escalating waste generation. Waste management and recycling are explored comprehensively in this book chapter with a focus on various computational tools and analyses. This chapter addresses a technologically driven approach to problem-solving based on diverse disciplines, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), optimization models, life cycle assessments, artificial intelligence, and sensor technology. This chapter examines GIS applications and explores how spatial analysis and mapping contribute to site selection for waste disposal facilities and route optimization for waste collection. Following this, it discusses optimization models, demonstrating mathematical methodologies used to improve decision-making processes, including linear programming and network optimization. Simulators are discussed in the context of predicting and understanding waste management processes, elucidating their role in this process. Various waste treatment methods are evaluated in detail in relation to the impact of life cycle assessment on the environment, highlighting the importance of this tool in evaluating environmental impacts. In addition, artificial intelligence and machine learning are discussed as tools to analyze data, recognize patterns, and optimize waste management processes. An overview of computational approaches shaping waste management and recycling is presented in this book chapter. It seeks to provide academics, practitioners, and policymakers with a basis for using technology breakthroughs for the creation of sustainable and effective waste management systems by clarifying the uses and advantages of these instruments. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Akhilesh Kumar Yadav; individual chapters, the contributors.

The continuous release of heavy metals (HMs) from nearby industries leads to the contamination of surrounding agricultural areas. This study employed an integrated approach, combining contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) for pollution assessment, alongside source apportionment using principal component analysis (PCA) and Geographic Information System (GIS)-based positive matrix factorization (PMF), to evaluate HM contamination in agricultural soils of the northeast Guntur district, India. The mean concentrations of HMs, Cu, Cr, Zn, Ni, Cd and Pb exceeded the Indian natural background soil values by 2.59, 1.21, 2.24, 2.09, 1.15 and 1.4 respectively. Pollution indices revealed high contamination for Ni (CF = 2.21) and Cr (CF = 2.05), with Cr showing moderate enrichment (EF ≈ 1.5) and contamination (Igeo = 0.75). PCA identified three components explaining 78.37% of the total variation while GIS-based PMF identified industrial discharges, waste incineration, agriculture and vehicular and industrial emissions as pollution sources. Ni, Cu and Cr were identified as the primary contaminants, with industrial emissions, vehicular traffic and agricultural activities as key contributors to HM pollution. Cr accounted for ~ 80% of the total hazard index, posing significant non-carcinogenic risks for children via ingestion. Carcinogenic risks through ingestion of Ni and Cr were 2.8 and 1.9 times higher than acceptable levels for adults and 3.9 and 2.6 times higher than acceptable levels for children. Additionally, the high bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Lantana viburnoides (Forssk.) with a BCF of 18.29 for Cd suggests a potential environmental hazard. It is imperative to monitor emissions rigorously to safeguard soil quality and optimize industry standards in this region. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

The qualitative and quantitative assessment of groundwater is one of the important aspects for determining the suitability of potable water. Therefore, the present study has been performed to evaluate the groundwater quality for Achhnera block in the city of Taj, Agra, India, where groundwater is an important water resource. The groundwater samples, 50 in number were collected and analyzed for major ions along with some important trace element. This study has further investigated for the applicability of groundwater quality index (GWQI), and the principal component analysis (PCA) to mark out the major geochemical solutes responsible for origin and release of geochemical solutes into the groundwater. The results confirm that, majority of the collected groundwater samples were alkaline in nature. The variation of concentration of anions in collected groundwater samples were varied in the sequence as, HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > F− while in contrast the sequence of cations in the groundwater as Na > Ca > Mg > K. The Piper diagram demonstrated the major hydro chemical facies which were found in groundwater (sodium bicarbonate or calcium chloride type). The plot of Schoellar diagram reconfirmed that the major cations were Na+ and CK2+ ions, while in contrast; major anions were bicarbonates and chloride. The results showed water quality index mostly ranged between 105 and 185, hence, the study area fell in the category of unsuitable for drinking purpose category. The PCA showed pH, Na+, CK2+, HCO3− and fluoride with strong loading, which pointed out geogenic source of fluoride contamination. Therefore, it was inferred that the groundwater of the contaminated areas must be treated and made potable before consumption. The outcomes of the present study will be helpful for the regulatory boards and policymaker for defining the actual impact and remediation goal. © The Author(s) 2024.

Water pollution is an inextricable problem that stems from natural and human-related factors. Unfortunately, with rapid industrialization, the problem has escalated to alarming levels. The pollutants that contribute to water pollution include heavy metals (HMs), chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and other industrial byproducts. Numerous methods are used for treating HMs in wastewater, like ion exchange, membrane filtration, chemical precipitation, adsorption, and electrochemical treatment. But the remediation through the plant, i.e., phytoremediation is the most sustainable approach to remove the contaminants from wastewater. Aquatic plants illustrate the capacity to absorb excess pollutants including organic and inorganic compounds, HMs, and pharmaceutical residues present in agricultural, residential, and industrial discharges. The extensive exploitation of these hyperaccumulator plants can be attributed to their abundance, invasive mechanisms, potential for bioaccumulation, and biomass production. Post-phytoremediation, plant biomass can be toxic to both water bodies and soil. Therefore, the circular bioeconomy approach can be applied to reuse and repurpose the toxic plant biomass into different circular bioeconomy byproducts such as biochar, biogas, bioethanol, and biodiesel is essential. In this regard, the current review highlights the potential strategies for the phytoremediation of HMs in wastewater and various strategies to efficiently reuse metal-enriched biomass material and produce commercially valuable products. The implementation of circular bioeconomy practices can help overcome significant obstacles and build a new platform for an eco-friendlier lifestyle. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

The article focuses on the abundance of microplastics (MPs) in various environmental matrices, such as sediment and water, and their potential impacts. MPs can be considered as plastic particles that are less than 5 mm in dimension. The article presents an overview of the methods used for detecting and quantifying MPs in environmental samples, including spectroscopic techniques, microscopy, and chemical digestion. It also summarizes the current understanding of the distribution and abundance of MPs in various environmental compartments highlighting their importance in different environmental compartments. This article further discusses the potential impacts of MPs on different biota, such as marine organisms and terrestrial animals, and their ability to act as carriers for pollutants and other harmful substances. The review emphasizes the need for further research to better understand the impacts of MPs and to develop effective management strategies to mitigate their environmental effects. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

Plastic is ubiquitously present in the environment due to its low biodegradability. Microplastics (MPs) are the degraded form of plastic having a diameter ranging from 0.1 µm to 5 mm. The present review aims to sum up the MP pollution in aquatic ecosystems of India to assess the probable effects of the MPs in organisms, and to find out the possible remedies to remove MPs. In India, MP concentrations were found maximum in the surface sediment of the estuarine ecosystem and water sample of the Hooghly River. Maximum MPs-based works focused on the ocean, sea, and estuarine aquatic systems of the southern states of India. Once entering the soil and sediment, MPs cause detrimental health effects on living beings. Generally, combined MP remediation methods exhibited better removal efficiency. Some microbial bioremediators are effectively being used for MP removal from aquatic systems. This study will be useful in making precise decisions regarding strengthening the law to control MP pollution, promoting the regular monitoring of MPs in Indian aquatic systems, and implementing a better MP removal process. It will not only save our environment from MP exposure but also improve the living standards and health status of people in developing countries. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Extraction of coal through opencast mining leads to the buildup of heaps of overburden (OB) material, which poses a significant risk to production safety and environmental stability. A systematic bibliometric analysis to identify research trends and gaps, and evaluate the impact of studies and authors in the field related to coal OB phytostabilization was conducted. Key issues associated with coal extraction include land degradation, surface and groundwater contamination, slope instability, erosion and biodiversity loss. Handling coal OB material intensifies such issues, initiating additional environmental and physical challenges. The conventional approach such as topsoiling for OB restoration fails to restore essential soil properties crucial for sustainable vegetation cover. Phytostabilization approach involves establishing a self-sustaining plant cover over OB dump surfaces emerges as a viable strategy for OB restoration. This method enhanced by the supplement of organic amendments boosts the restoration of OB dumps by improving rhizosphere properties conducive to plant growth and contaminant uptake. Criteria essential for plant selection in phytostabilization are critically evaluated. Native plant species adapted to local climatic and ecological conditions are identified as key agents in stabilizing contaminants, reducing soil erosion, and enhancing ecosystem functions. Applicable case studies of successful phytostabilization of coal mines using native plants, offering practical recommendations for species selection in coal mine reclamation projects are provided. This review contributes to sustainable approaches for mitigating the environmental consequences of coal mining and facilitates the ecological recovery of degraded landscapes. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

Microplastics, small sized plastic particles having size <5 mm are formed through primary process including production of beauty products, microbeads and microfibres as well as secondary process including mechanical weathering, friction, aberration and fragmentation of large plastics. The major sources of microplastics are land-based and ocean-based sources. Microplastic pollution is a serious concern due to the persistent, low biodegradability and bio-accumulative behaviour. Microplastics can bioaccumulate in the food chain and can cause ecological and human health risk. Hence, it is important to remove from the aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics are removed from aquatic systems and wastewater through a series of processes such as physical, chemical and biological treatments. In the present articles, >250 articles are reviewed to collect the information regarding the various physical, chemical and biological methods for the removal of microplastics. Also, the probable control strategies to combat with plastic pollution were assessed. It was concluded that recent water treatment methods are efficient in removing microplastic pollution. The efficiencies to remove microplastic from the water ranged between 74 %-99.2 %, 65 %-99.20 % and 77 %-100 % for physical, chemical and biological treatment methods, respectively. Among the three treatment methods, physical methods especially the filtration of water from biochar is the most efficient way (efficiency up to 100 %) to remove microplastics. It was also concluded that creating public awareness, promoting reusing, recycling and reducing, and application of bioplastics can control the production of microplastics from plastic wastes. This review will be useful to add current knowledge regarding the abatement of microplastic pollution, and finding novel solution to control microplastics. This review will also help the policymakers to implement most effective and cost-efficient method to remove microplastics, and to find out new methods to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic wastes. © 2024

Drinking water sources with groundwater arsenic (As) contamination face multifaceted challenges in the removal and supply of fresh drinking water resources. To eradicate this problem, bioremediation has evolved to become more effective than other chemical and physical removal processes in its cost-effectiveness, high removal efficiency, and lesser production of secondary by-products or waste. Thus, this study aimed to treat As from aqueous media and to detoxify highly toxic forms of As by the isolated bacteria from As-affected areas. We isolated two new Gram-positive bacteria, which are reported here (Bacillus sp. and Bacillus cereus), with As5+ minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 4500 mg/L for the Bacillus sp. and 1000 mg/L for Bacillus cereus; meanwhile, for As3+, the MICs are 600 mg/L for both isolates. Bacillus sp. and Bacillus cereus can also effectively convert the highly toxic and easily mobile As3+ to As5+ in aqueous media. This study also demonstrates that these bacteria can remove a significant proportion of As3+ and As5+ (averaging 50% for both) from aqueous media. These As-resistant bacteria from the As-affected area can be used and upscaled for the treatment of As for a safer drinking water supply. © 2024 by the authors.

Microplastics (MPs) are the contaminants of growing concern due to their persistent properties in the environment. This review compares the global data on MPs concentration in soil, sediment, salt, sand, biosolids, and water. Previous studies have also developed various methods to estimate MPs for different environmental matrices, which were generally based on salt-based density separation, physical (microscopy), chemical characterization (spectroscopy), and visual counting for extraction, identification, and quantification, respectively. In most of the existing field-based studies, MPs are usually identified and detected by microscopic observation and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, which maximize the probability of error in the estimation process. A combination of thermogravimetric analysis-FTIR spectroscopy, Raman microspectroscopy, optical photothermal infrared, and pyrolysis/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry are used for the identification, recognition, and quantification of MPs in the heterogeneous solid and liquid matrices for minimizing the interference and misinterpretation of the other constituents (organic matter) present in the samples, especially soil, sediments, and biosolids. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Microplastics (MPs) have already been detected in various environmental matrices like soil, sediment, and surface water, and recently in groundwater also. The occurrence of MPs in groundwater depends up on the transportation through recharge and may controlled by source and local hydrogeology, and partly on the process of surface water-groundwater interaction (SW-GW). Based on the available studies, we intended to establish a hypothetical overview on the source and process-dependent occurrence of MPs in groundwater across terrestrial and coastal aquifers. Groundwater recharge from agricultural stagnant water, losing streams near dumping sites and agricultural fields, effluents from wastewater treatment plants, septic system failure etc. are the potential sources of MPs in groundwater. The factors like sea level rise and tidal pumping are among the major factors which may control the migration of MPs in coastal aquifer along with the physical and chemical properties of the aquifer media. These MPs have another ecological concern as they can adsorb persistent organic pollutants as well as heavy metals and transfer them to animal tissues through food chain. Studies are being conducted mainly focusing the MP contamination in surface water, marine environment and soil, and very limited studies are available to address the source of MPs in groundwater. However, no such study has been done on the existence, profusion, or environmental factors that contribute to MP pollution in the groundwater in relation to the present climate change scenario. Understanding the extent of MP contamination in groundwater systems is necessary for developing effective management strategies and minimizing their impact on the environment and human health. This study focusses on the source along with the controlling factors of the migration of MPs towards groundwater including the effect of climate change. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

This paper reviews research on phytoremediation (2002–2021), particularly for the estimation of plant efficiency and soil pollution indices, examining the extraction of metals from soil and plants growing under both artificial (spiked with specific metal) and natural conditions. From the analysis of >200 published experimental results, it was found that contamination factor and geo-accumulation index as well as translocation and bioconcentration factors are the most important soil pollution and plant efficiency metrices, respectively, which are gaining importance to assess the level of metal pollution and its transfer from soil to plant to find a better metal clean-up strategy for phytoremediation. To access the metal concentration, it was found that the most widely accepted extractants to dissolve and extract the metals from the soil and plant were HNO3 and HClO4 (mainly in 5:1; v/v or 4:1; v/v), which are used both in natural and artificial metal contamination studies. Moreover, plants such as Pteris vittata, Monochoria korsakowi, Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis, Ricinus communis, and Siegesbeckia orientalis can act as hyperaccumulators under both natural and artificial experiments and can be directly implemented into the fields without checking their further efficiency in phytoremediation. © 2022 by the authors.