Cellulose-based sorbents are promising materials for wastewater treatment due to their environmental friendliness, biodegradability, and high sorption capacity. This paper presents an overview of cellulose modification methods, including carboxylation, amination, oxidation, graphene, and plasma treatments, as well as combined approaches. Their effect on key physicochemical properties, such as porosity, morphology, and chemical stability, is considered. Examples from the literature confirm the effectiveness of modified cellulose sorbents in removing heavy metal ions and organic pollutants from wastewater. The analysis shows that combined methods allow for creating materials with improved characteristics that are resistant to extreme operating conditions. The main advantages and disadvantages of cellulose sorbents, as well as challenges associated with their scalability and cost-effectiveness, are discussed. The paper emphasizes the importance of further research to advance these materials as a key element of sustainable water treatment technologies.

This review presents a comprehensive review of cellulose–chitosan-based biocomposites that have high potential as sustainable alternatives to synthetic polymers. These biocomposites, due to biocompatibility, biodegradability, and antimicrobial properties, attract attention for wide application in various industries. This review includes modern methods for producing cellulose–chitosan composites aimed at improving their mechanical and chemical properties, such as strength, flexibility, and water resistance. Particular attention is paid to the use of composites in packaging materials, where they provide protection and durability of products, and help reduce the environmental footprint. In medicine, such composites are used for drug delivery and tissue engineering, providing controlled release of active substances and tissue regeneration. In addition, their advantages in wastewater treatment are discussed, where the composites effectively remove heavy metal ions and organic pollutants due to their high sorption capacity. This study focuses on the wide potential of cellulose–chitosan biocomposites and their role in solving environmental problems.

The growing demand for sustainable and renewable materials has intensified interest in agro-industrial waste as an alternative source of cellulose. This review critically examines current approaches to cellulose production from major agro-industrial residues, including cereal straw, corn residues, rice waste, sugarcane bagasse, and oilseed by-products. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between feedstock composition and extraction efficiency, highlighting how lignin distribution, hemicellulose content, and mineral impurities influence pretreatment severity, cellulose yield, and process sustainability. The review systematically analyzes chemical, enzymatic, and mechanical processing routes, with particular attention being paid to pretreatment strategies, fibrillation intensity, and yield variability. Beyond cellulose recovery, key sustainability indicators—such as energy demand, water and chemical consumption, waste generation, and chemical recovery—are evaluated to provide a system-level perspective on process efficiency. The analysis demonstrates that cellulose yield alone is an insufficient criterion for sustainable process design and must be considered alongside environmental and techno-economic metrics. Advanced applications of agro-waste-derived cellulose are discussed using a feedstock-driven approach, showing that high functional performance can often be achieved with moderately processed cellulose tailored to specific end uses. Finally, the review addresses challenges related to feedstock heterogeneity, mineral management, standardization, and industrial scale-up, underscoring the importance of biorefinery integration, closed-loop resource management, and harmonized quality descriptors. These insights provide a foundation for the development of scalable and sustainable cellulose production pathways based on agro-industrial waste.

The growing demand for sustainable and high-performance materials has positioned cellulose as a key biopolymer for next-generation functional systems. Beyond its traditional use, cellulose undergoes a qualitative transformation at the nanoscale, where increased surface area, interfacial dominance, and tunable chemistry enable functions unattainable in bulk form. This review provides a critical and integrative analysis of functionalization strategies governing the transition from structural modification to application-specific performance in cellulose and nanocellulose-based materials. A unified structure–property–function–process (SPFP) framework is introduced to systematically connect modification approaches with resulting structural features, physicochemical properties, and functional outcomes. Chemical, physical, and surface/interface modification strategies are comparatively evaluated with respect to their efficiency, scalability, and environmental trade-offs. Rather than cataloguing methods, the review emphasizes cross-domain synthesis and identifies key limitations, including high energy demand, reagent consumption, structural instability, and challenges in large-scale implementation. Particular attention is given to applications in biomedicine, environmental remediation, and energy technologies, where performance is governed by surface reactivity, accessibility, and hierarchical organization. The analysis highlights that no single modification strategy is universally optimal, and that effective material design requires balancing performance, sustainability, and process feasibility. By integrating conceptual frameworks, comparative analysis, and emerging design principles, this review provides a forward-looking perspective on the development of cellulose-based functional materials, supporting their transition from laboratory-scale demonstrations to application-ready technologies.

The integration of STEM technologies into chemistry education is increasingly viewed as a powerful driver of transformation, capable of enhancing traditional teaching and supporting the development of critical thinking, innovative problem-solving, and practical skills. This review focuses on the pedagogical integration of STEM-related technologies in chemistry education, particularly virtual laboratories, simulations, molecular visualization systems, and mathematical modeling tools, and analyzes their role in supporting conceptual understanding, inquiry-based learning, and interdisciplinary competencies. A narrative review approach was applied to analyze recent studies on the implementation of virtual laboratories, digital simulations, molecular visualization tools, and mathematical modeling platforms in chemistry teaching, with attention to their pedagogical functions and learning outcomes. The synthesis of evidence demonstrates that STEM-based technologies improve accessibility, support practical and inquiry-based learning, enhance teamwork, and facilitate the understanding of abstract chemical concepts through interactive and visual tools. However, several challenges remain, including a shortage of qualified teachers, high financial costs, uneven technological infrastructure, and students’ difficulties adapting to technology-rich environments. The review concludes that effective integration of STEM technologies in chemistry education requires targeted professional development, strategic investment in infrastructure, curriculum refinement, and closer collaboration between educational institutions and industry.