This comprehensive review examines hydrogen’s potential as a pivotal clean energy carrier, focusing on its role in replacing fossil fuels across various industries. This study also examines recent advancements in hydrogen production technologies, including electrolysis, steam methane reforming, and biomass gasification, emphasizing their economic and environmental impacts. Special attention is given to hydrogen produced from renewable sources like solar and wind energy, emphasizing its benefits in reducing carbon emissions and contributing to a sustainable energy future. The review discusses technological challenges, cost factors, and the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen production and storage, particularly in relation to achieving global energy transition goals. Furthermore, the study stresses the importance of government policies and international collaboration to drive the adoption of hydrogen technologies. The study concludes by outlining the transformative potential of hydrogen in decarbonizing key sectors such as transportation and heavy industry. It demonstrates the significant contribution of hydrogen to a low-carbon global energy system and provides valuable insights into its role in improving grid stability, energy security, and supporting sustainable industrial practices.

Global environmental pollutants are becoming intense because of the increasing human population, urbanisation, and industrialisation. Human health and the ecosystem are affected by soil and water contamination. Therefore, creating strategies is essential to tackle this persistent issue. In the process, the health and environmental risk associated with these pollutants can be signifi-cantly reduced. Previously, traditional remediation techniques have been employed in combating these environmental pollutants, proving ineffective. Mycoremediation, which uses fungi or their compounds to remediate environmental pollutants, has shown to be a cost-efficient, environmen-tally friendly, and effective method of environmental remediation that includes organic, inorganic, and emerging contaminants (antibiotics, pharmaceuticals). This review provides an overview of various mycoremediation approaches through fungi for biosorption, precipitation, biotransfor-mation, and sequestration of environmental pollutants. In addition, the removal of metals, persis-tent organic pollutants, and other emerging contaminants by mycoremediation was highlighted. For example, fungi such as Pleurotusdryinus, Trameteshirsuta MK640786, and Aspergillusniger shows 91%, 94%, and 98.4% degradation of pollutants ranging from pesticides to azo dyes, respectively. Furthermore, prospects of mycoremediation to remove heavy metals and emerging pollutants from waters and soils were discussed. It was elucidated that fungi have great potential for the mycoremediation of emerging pollutants such as heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, and weedicides. The findings suggested a knowledge gap exists to enhance the rate of the mycoremediation process. Therefore, a possible framework of mycoremediation was proposed to facilitate this promising technology for rectifying global environmental problems. For mycoremediation procedures to be as effective as possible, further studies are needed on fungal enzymes’ role, activities, and regulation.

The commercial Calcium oxide was successfully embedded on activated carbon surfaces to increase the reactive surface area of a composite catalyst material CaO/AC. The composite catalyst material was also successfully packed in the tubular titanium dioxide/Aluminum dioxide ceramic membrane reactor used to separate the biodiesel produced. Virgin soybean oil was used as precursor feedstock for the reaction. Using a central composite approach, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to obtain the optimum conditions for producing biodiesel from soybean oil. A total of four process factors were examined (2⁴ experimental designs). 30 experiments were derived and run to investigate the effects of temperature, reaction time, methanol to oil molar ratio, and catalyst concentration (calcium oxide attached on activated carbon). 96.9 percent of soybean oil methyl ester (SOME/biodiesel) was produced at 65 °C temperature, 90 min of reaction time, 4.2:1 molar ratio of methanol to oil, and 3.0 wt.% catalyst concentration. The measured yield and expected biodiesel production values were correlated in a linear sequence. The fuel qualities of SOME/biodiesel were tested, including kinematic viscosity, density, flash point, copper corrosion, calorific value, cloud point, pour point, ash content, and carbon residue.

During the 2013 and 2014 harvest seasons, field and laboratory experiments were conducted in Nigeria’s inferred agroecological zone. The nutritive value of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) leaves was evaluated by measuring the levels of carbohydrate, protein, fat, ash, dietary fiber, and moisture content in Telfairia occidentalis using the standard analytical methods. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and repeated four times. Three separate applications of paraquat herbicide (non-selective) at rates of 100, 150, and 200 L ha⁻¹ were applied to the treated plots. Comparative studies of the nutritive value of T. occidentalis were observed in the treatment and control plots. The effects of herbicides showed that the proximate composition of the T. occidentalis leaves of the treated plot was 70% carbohydrate, 29% protein, 1.8% fat, 1.7% dietary fiber, 7.9% ash, and 8.7% moisture. In contrast, the values of the control plots were 6.5% carbohydrate, 1.9% protein, 1.5% fat, 1.2% dietary fiber, 7.0% ash, and 7.9% moisture. The results show that paraquat herbicide spray increased moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate, ash, and vegetable yields in the treated plot and that T. occidentalis leaves are rich in lipids, fiber, and protein. As a result, the control plot’s fiber, carbohydrate, protein, ash, and moisture content decreased drastically without using paraquat. These results demonstrate that herbicides can affect the nutritional yield of T. occidentalis by eliminating weeds alongside the main crops (T. occidentalis) in the agroecological zone of south-eastern Nigeria. Therefore, if consumed in sufficient quantities, the studied leafy vegetables will significantly contribute to the nutritional needs of human health and the Nigerian population’s food security.