Food packaging systems are continually impacted by the growing demand for minimally processed foods, changing eating habits, and food safety risks. Minimally processed foods are prone to the growth of harmful microbes, compromising quality and safety. As a result, the need for improved food shelf life and protection against foodborne diseases alongside consumer preference for minimally processed foods with no or lesser synthetic additives foster the development of innovative technologies such as antimicrobial packaging. It is a form of active packaging that can release antimicrobial substances to suppress the activities of specific microorganisms, thereby improving food quality and safety during long-term storage. However, antimicrobial packaging continues to be a very challenging technology. This study highlights antimicrobial packaging concepts, providing different antimicrobial substances used in food packaging. We review various types of antimicrobial systems. Emphasis is given to the effectiveness of antimicrobial packaging in various food applications, including fresh and minimally processed fruit and vegetables and meat and dairy products. For the development of antimicrobial packaging, several approaches have been used, including the use of antimicrobial sachets inside packaging, packaging films, and coatings incorporating active antimicrobial agents. Due to their antimicrobial activity and capacity to extend food shelf life, regulate or inhibit the growth of microorganisms and ultimately reduce the potential risk of health hazards, natural antimicrobial agents are gaining significant importance and attention in developing antimicrobial packaging systems. Selecting the best antimicrobial packaging system for a particular product depends on its nature, desired shelf life, storage requirements, and legal considerations. The current review is expected to contribute to research on the potential of antimicrobial packaging to extend the shelf life of food and also serves as a good reference for food innovation information.

The discovery of antibiotics, which was once regarded as a timely medical intervention now leaves a bitter aftertaste: antimicrobial resistance (AMR), due to the unregulated use of these compounds and the poor management receiving wastewaters before discharge into pristine environments or the recycling of such treated waters. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been regarded a central sink for the mostly unmetabolized or partially metabolised antibiotics and is also pivotal to the incidence of antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARBs) and their resistance genes (ARGs), which consistently contribute to the global disease burden and deteriorating prophylaxis. In this regard, we highlighted WWTP-antibiotics consumption-ARBs-ARGs nexus, which might be critical to understanding the epidemiology of AMR and also guide the precise prevention and remediation of such occurrences. We also discovered the unsophistication of conventional WWTPs and treatment techniques for adequate treatment of antibiotics, ARBs and ARGs, due to their lack of compliance with environmental sustainability, then ultimately assessed the prospects of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). Herein, we observed that CAP technologies not only has the capability to disinfect wastewater polluted with copious amounts of chemicals and biologicals, but also have a potential to augment bioelectricity generation, when integrated into bio electrochemical modules, which future WWTPs should be retrofitted to accommodate. Therefore, further research should be conducted to unveil more of the unknowns, which only a snippet has been highlighted in this study.

Corrosion inhibitors are generally used in reducing metallic corrosive effects. Nevertheless, most inhibitory compounds have harmful effects on the environment, as well as being expensive and toxic. Therefore, there is growing awareness of the need to replace petroleum inhibitors with eco-friendly inhibitors. Eggshell agro-industrial waste (ESAW) is a compound with high inhibitive activity and its utilization is desirable to minimize the quantity of agricultural waste generated. Hence, this study aims to demonstrate the inhibition efficiency of eggshell extract, a waste compound, on mild steel (material frequently utilized in the oil and gas sector) in one molar hydrochloric acid solution accessed via weight loss and electrochemical methods. Potentiodynamic polarization results shows that the current densities of mild steel corrosion significantly decreased using eggshell agro-industrial waste. Similarly, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results suggest that eggshell agro-industrial waste enhances the mild steel polarization resistance significantly. The inhibitor performance increases with increasing eggshell agro-industrial waste concentration, with optimum efficiency of 97.17%. The inhibition was due to the adsorption and adhesion of the eggshell agro-industrial waste constituents on the surface of the mild steel; the adsorption obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Compared with various reported corrosion inhibitors in the literature, eggshell agro-industrial waste is very effective. Therefore, eggshell agro-industrial waste can be recommended as a potential inhibitor in the oil and gas sector.

The synthesis of a GO/BiVO ₄ /Ag ₂ CrO ₄ nanocomposite for degradation of ciprofloxacin.

Chlorination, ozonation and non-thermal plasma water purification technologies were compared in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency, capital and operating costs, energy yield and chemical demand. Retrofitting plasma technology to chlorination plants offered the lowest capital cost (ZAR 14,000 or USD 253,376 based on the current South African Reserve Bank rate of ZAR/USD of 18.0983) and the most effective contaminant removal (of the three possible combinations). How- ever, this combination yielded the highest operating costs (ZAR 586,000 per annum or USD 10.6 million) and the lowest energy efficiency. It was concluded that retrofitting chlorination plants with plasma technology is feasible. However, plasma generators should be redesigned to consume less energy or to operate using renewable energy. Furthermore, research should be performed on contaminants of emerging concern to establish a deadline after which their concentration must not exceed a specified limit. This will accelerate the implementation of plasma technology and secure the health of our posterity.