The increasing urgency to mitigate plastic pollution has accelerated the shift from linear manufacturing toward circular systems. This review synthesizes current advances in mechanical, chemical, biological, and upcycling pathways, emphasizing how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping decision-making, performance prediction, and system-level optimization. Intelligent sensing technologies—such as FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, and LIBS—combined with Machine Learning (ML) classifiers have improved material identification, reduced reject rates, and enhanced sorting precision. AI-assisted kinetic modeling, catalyst performance prediction, and enzyme design tools have improved process intensification for pyrolysis, solvolysis, depolymerization, and biocatalysis. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-integrated datasets reveal that environmental benefits depend strongly on functional-unit selection, energy decarbonization, and substitution factors rather than mass-based comparisons alone. Case studies across Europe, Latin America, and Asia show that digital traceability, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and full-system costing are pivotal to robust circular outcomes. Upcycling strategies increasingly generate high-value materials and composites, supported by digital twins and surrogate models. Collectively, evidence indicates that AI moves from supportive instrumentation to a structural enabler of transparency, performance assurance, and predictive environmental planning. The convergence of AI-based design, standardized LCA frameworks, and inclusive governance emerges as a necessary foundation for scaling circular plastic systems sustainably.

The repeated application of synthetic insecticides has the potential to induce insecticide resistance. Plant extracts are a good source of bioinsecticides, as these extracts often have several bioactive compounds, thus reducing the occurrence of resistance. The genus Trichilia (Meliaceae) is distributed widely in Mexico and it is a sustainable source of bioactive compounds because their bark is shed annually and may be collected without harming the tree. This research evaluated the effect on mortality, weight, larval and pupal duration, fecundity, and fertility of Copitarsia decolora Guenée (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) when fed with a diet supplemented with different concentrations of hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, and aqueous extracts of the Trichilia americana Sessé & Moc., Trichilia hirta L., and Trichilia havanensis Jacq. (Meliaceae) bark. All the extracts provoked a dose-response effect on the variables evaluated. The hexane extract of the 3 species was lethal to the larval stage, wit... Resumen La aplicación repetida de insecticidas sintéticos tiene el potencial de inducir resistencia a los insecticidad. Los extractos de plantas son una buena fuente de bioinsecticidas, ya que estos extractos a menudo tienen varios compuestos bioactivos, lo que reduce la apariencia de resistencia. El género Trichilia (Meliaceae) está ampliamente distribuido en México y es una fuente sustentable de compuestos bioactivos ya que su corteza se desprende anualmente y puede recolectarse sin dañar el árbol. Este trabajo evaluó el efecto sobre la mortalidad, peso, duración de larvas y pupas, fecundidad y fertilidad de Copitarsia decolora Guenée (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) al ser alimentadas con una dieta suplementada a diferentes concentraciones de extracto hexánico, acetato de etilo, acetónico, metanólico y acuoso de corteza de Trichilia americana Sessé & Moc., Trichilia hirta L., y Trichilia havanensis Jacq. (Meliaceae). Todos los extractos provocaron un efecto de dosis respuesta sobre las variables evaluadas. El ...

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted unevenly across nations and population groups. Older adults were considered a high-risk group because of their high susceptibility to infection and potential for clinical complications and death. Long periods of home confinement and social distancing foster changes in daily life that impact the mobility, health and quality of life of older adults. This study aims to assess the quality of life of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to prevention measures, self-perceived impaired mobility, relating to others, daily activities, eating habits and constipation-patterns. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a mixed approach was implemented, with 114 participants completing an online survey. Findings: The participants with poorer quality of life had older age, had less schooling, were unemployed, had no partner, were ill and experienced chronic functional constipation. The intimacy dimension had the lowest score. Mobility, relating to others and activities of daily living were rated by most participants as strongly affected by the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the quality of life of older adults by fostering social isolation and physical inactivity. To ameliorate this, public health interventions are needed.

Indigenous and Western communities are faced with increasing issues of sustainability compromising their natural resources and cultural heritage, for example, a cross-pollination/complementary approach in relation to their current knowledge systems and discourses on sustainability. There is a need for methods that integrate different discourses relating to sustainability to identify the most pressing needs in terms of sustainability. Sustainability assessments are a type of impact assessment that focus on enhanced sustainability both now and in the future; however, the literature on indigenous sustainability assessment methods, is scarce. To address this gap, we have developed a novel Sustainability Assessment method for Indigenous Communities (SAIC). The SAIC method combines Western and indigenous sustainability objectives and principles, in order to extend the range of options for action to address sustainability. The SAIC method consists of two sections (i) values and considerations and (ii) procedure. The “values and considerations” section establishes the fundamental participatory and ethical considerations for conducting sustainability assessments in indigenous communities, and the “procedure” section establishes a set of 55 indicators in eight categories. The method was tested in a Zapotec, indigenous community in México. Results show that this community was rated highly in all eight categories. However, indicators for family planning and access to health services were rated poorly. The identified issues can be used as guidelines for decision making in future regional projects and development plans. The results reveal further areas for improvement, such as strengthening the links to national or international networks and increasing the use of renewable energies. The method presented in this paper provides an assessment approach based on Western and indigenous sustainability discourses, which is suitable for assessing indigenous communities.

This study investigates the historical variability in annual average precipitation in the northwest region of Mexico, aiming to evaluate the cumulative impact of precipitation on soil degradation and associated risks posed by rainfall. Despite being known as “The Agricultural Heart of Mexico”, the region’s soil has experienced significant damage to its granulometric structure due to unpredictable rainfall patterns attributed to climate change. Sixteen historical series of average annual rainfall were analyzed as stationary stochastic processes for spectral analysis. The results revealed exponential decay curves in each radial spectrum, indicating a linear relationship between frequency and amplitude. These curves identified initial impulses correlated with moments of severity for structural damages caused by rainfall-induced degradation. The degradation process, exacerbated by water stress, accelerates, as evidenced by maps illustrating approximately 75% soil damage. In the context of climate change and the uncertainty surrounding soil responses to extreme meteorological events, understanding this phenomenon becomes crucial. Recognizing the dynamic nature of soil responses to environmental stressors is essential for effective soil management. Emphasizing the need to employ numerical processes tailored to new environmental considerations related to observed soil damages is crucial for sustainable soil management practices in any region.