Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as persistent pollutants in marine and freshwater systems. Their small size, widespread distribution, and ability to adsorb chemical contaminants raise concerns about ecological impacts and human exposure through aquatic food webs. In parallel, marine polysaccharides such as alginate, chitosan, and carrageenan have drawn interest as natural biopolymers with the capacity to interact with MPs. These interactions occur via electrostatic forces, hydrophobic effects, hydrogen bonding, and physical entrapment, influencing the fate and mobility of MPs in aquatic environments. This review critically examines the current state of knowledge on the binding mechanisms between MPs and marine-derived polysaccharides, emphasizing their role in modulating the transport, aggregation, and bioavailability of plastic particles. Recent efforts to modify these biopolymers for improved performance in sorption and stabilization applications are also discussed. Furthermore, analytical strategies for investigating MP–polysaccharide systems are outlined, and the practical limitations associated with scaling up these approaches are considered. The potential use of such materials in environmentally sustainable remediation technologies is explored, along with future research needs related to safety evaluation, lifecycle impact, and feasibility in real-world conditions.

Biological wastewater treatment using trickle bed reactors is a commonly known and used solution. One of the key elements of the proper operation of the trickle bed bioreactor is the appropriate selection of biofilm support elements. The respective properties of the bioreactor packing media used can influence, among other things, the efficiency of the treatment process. In this study, the possibility of polyester waste material usage for the preparation of the biofilm support elements was tested. The following properties were checked: adsorption capacity, swelling, surface morphology, microbicidal properties, as well as the possibility of their use in biological wastewater treatment. The tested elements did not adsorb copper nor showed microbicidal properties for bacterial strains Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as well as fungal strains Aspergillus niger and Chaetomium globosum. The hydrophilic and rough nature of the element surface was found to provide a friendly support for biofilm formation. The durability of the elements before and after their application in the biological treatment process was confirmed by performing tests such as compressive strength, FTIR analysis, hardness analysis and specific surface area measurement. The research confirmed the applicability of the packing elements based on polyester textile waste to the treatment of textile wastewater. The treatment efficiency of the model wastewater stream was above 90%, while in the case of a stream containing 60% actual industrial wastewater it was above 80%. The proposed solution enables the simultaneous management of textile waste and wastewater treatment, which is consistent with the principles of a circular economy. The selected waste raw material is a cheap and easily available material, and the use of the developed packing elements will reduce the amount of polyester materials ending up in landfills.

Heavy metals are major toxic anthropogenic contaminants released into the environment mainly through wastewater discharges. Adsorption is one of the most effective and widely applied methods for their removal from aqueous systems. However, although activated carbon is commonly used, its high cost and limited regenerability motivate the search for cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives. In this study, selected natural and waste-derived materials were evaluated for Cu²⁺ removal from both model solutions and atypical textile wastewater. Coffee grounds, chestnut seeds, acorns, potato peels, eggshells, marine shells, and poultry bones were tested and compared with commercial activated carbon. Their structural and functional properties were characterised using specific surface area measurements, optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, and FTIR analyses. Two adsorption isotherm models (Langmuir and Freundlich) were used to analyse the experimental data for the selected adsorbents, and model parameters were determined by linear regression. Based on model solution tests, two materials showed the highest Cu²⁺ sorption potential: coarse poultry bones (97.0% at 24 h) and fine cockle shells (96.2% at 24 h). When applied to real textile wastewater, the bone-derived material achieved the highest Cu²⁺ removal efficiency (79.4%). Although this efficiency is lower than typical values obtained in laboratory solutions, it demonstrates the feasibility of waste-derived materials as low-cost adsorbents and suggests that further optimisation could further improve their performance.

The possibility of hydrogen (H₂) production from sizing waste, specifically starch-based substrates, was investigated through dark fermentation. Modified starch substrates produced less (up to 54% without heating and 18% after heating) H₂ than natural ones. However, heating modified starch samples led to 18% higher H₂ production than unheated ones, suggesting that high temperatures activate more favorable metabolic pathways. The highest H₂ production (215 mL/g_{TVS_substrate}) was observed with unheated natural starch, where the classic butyric–acetic fermentation pathway predominated. This variant also generated the highest CO₂ levels (250 mL/g_{TVS_substrate}), confirming the correlation between H₂ and CO₂ production in these pathways. Modified starch substrates shifted fermentation towards fatty acid chain elongation, reducing CO₂ production. The proportion of CO₂ in the fermentation gases correlated strongly with H₂ production across all variants. A decrease in total volatile solids (TVS) indicated effective organic matter conversion, while varying dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels suggested different degradation rates. Nitrogen analysis (TN) revealed that the differences between variants were due to varying nitrogen processing mechanisms by microorganisms. These results highlight the potential of sizing waste as a substrate for bioH₂ production and offer insights for optimizing the process and developing industrial technologies for bioH₂ and other valuable products.

This research investigates the biochemical and microbiological characteristics of a composite comprising poly(lactide) (PLA) combined with polyethersulfone (PESf) and copper-complexed cellulose phosphate (CelP-Cu). The material was produced using the pneumothermic melt-blown method and then modified with polyethersulfone and cellulose phosphate, followed by complexation with copper ions using the dip-coating technique. Comprehensive physicochemical and biological evaluations were conducted to characterize the composite. The physicochemical assessments involved elemental analysis (C, O, Cu) and morphology examination. The biological evaluations encompassed microbiological testing and biochemical–hematological analysis, including activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT). Antimicrobial activity was assessed according to the EN ISO 20645:2006 and EN 14119:2005 standards, by placing material specimens on agar plates inoculated with representative microorganisms. The results revealed that the composites exhibited significant antimicrobial effects against model microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus atrophaeus, Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus niger, Chaetomium globosum. This study highlights the potential of PLA/PESf/CelP-Cu composites for novel biomedical applications, demonstrating their biocompatibility and their influence on hemostatic processes and antimicrobial properties.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemical compounds used widely in industrial and consumer products. The exceptional stability of terminal perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs)—including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)—stems from strong carbon–fluorine bonds, which render these compounds highly resistant to environmental degradation. Polyfluoroalkyl precursors, by contrast, retain at least one non-fluorinated carbon and are capable of undergoing stepwise environmental transformation, ultimately yielding the same persistent PFAAs as terminal products. This longevity has led to widespread contamination of surface waters, groundwater, soils, and drinking water globally. In 2024, the U.S. EPA established enforceable standards for six PFAS, with limits as low as 4 ng/L for PFOA and PFOS, reflecting health concerns at trace concentrations. Legacy compounds continue to persist despite regulatory phase-outs. Short-chain alternatives and polyfluoroalkyl precursors transform into stable perfluoroalkyl acids, sustaining environmental burdens. We examine PFAS chemistry, environmental fate, and management technologies across the product life cycle-from manufacturing to disposal. Transport through interconnected environmental compartments receives particular attention, with soils and sediments functioning as long-term secondary sources. Toxicity in aquatic organisms and human health implications are reviewed, with emphasis on chronic low-dose exposure and mixture effects. Analytical approaches span targeted methods, suspect screening, and fluorine mass-balance techniques. Management technologies are evaluated with a distinction between separation and destruction processes, including verification requirements. Knowledge gaps in emerging PFAS, precursor transformation, and analytical harmonization point toward the need for improved monitoring and risk-reduction strategies. Key conclusions of this synthesis are: (a) soils and sediments act as long-term PFAS reservoirs introducing multi-year lags between emission controls and exposure reductions; (b) targeted analytical methods capture only a fraction of total organofluorine burden, requiring tiered frameworks combining TOP assay and fluorine mass-balance metrics; (c) human exposure is inherently mixture-driven and demands compound-group rather than substance-by-substance risk assessment; and (d) treatment technologies must demonstrate verified destruction rather than mere phase transfer of PFAS.