Addressing water scarcity and pollution is imperative in tackling global environmental challenges, prompting the exploration of innovative techniques for effective water and wastewater treatment. Nanotechnology presents promising solutions through the customization of nanoparticles and nanocomposites specifically designed for water purification applications. This review delves into recent advancements in nanoparticle-based technologies for water treatment, with a particular focus on their synthesis methodologies, intrinsic properties, and versatile applications. A wide range of nanoparticles, ranging from metal nanoparticles to carbon-based nanomaterials, along with hybrid nanocomposites such as metal/metal oxide-based nanocomposites, polymer-based nanocomposites, and others, were emphasized for eliminating contaminants from water and wastewater matrices. Furthermore, this review elucidates the underlying mechanisms governing pollutant removal processes, encompassing adsorption, catalysis, and membrane filtration, facilitated by nanoparticles. Additionally, it explores the environmental implications and challenges associated with the widespread deployment of nanoparticle-based water-treatment technologies. By amalgamating existing research findings, this review provides valuable insights into the potential of nanoparticles and nanocomposites in mitigating water-related challenges and presents recommendations for future research trajectories and technological advancements in this domain.

Maintaining and enhancing agricultural productivity for food security while preserving the ecology and environment from the harmful effects of toxicants is the main challenge in modern monoculture farming systems. Microbial biological agents can be a promising substitute for traditional synthetic pesticides to manage plant diseases. Trichoderma spp. are soil-dwelling ascomycete fungi and are common biocontrol agents against diverse phytopathogens. Trichoderma-based biocontrol techniques can regulate and control soil-borne plant diseases through mechanisms such as mycoparasitism, the production of antibiotics and hydrolytic enzymes, rhizo-sphere competence, the effective competition for available resources, induction of plant resistance and facilitation of plant growth. Numerous secondary metabolites produced by Trichoderma spp. are reported to prevent the development of soil-borne plant disease. Thus, Trichoderma spp. may have direct and indirect biological impacts on the targeted plant pathogens. Furthermore, this review discusses the convenient implications and challenges of applying Trichoderma-based strategies in agricultural settings. Overall, the assessment underscores the potential of Trichoderma as a sustainable and effective tool for mitigating soil-borne pathogens, highlighting avenues for future research and applications.

Silkworms are meant for primary silk production. They can be domesticated and are economically important. In addition to silk production, silkworms find a lot of applications in biological and scientific research. Recently, silkworm Bombyx mori silk has caught attention owing to its natural enormous production, excellent biocompatibility and unique mechanical properties. Silk production from the silk worm is very important; it can be domesticated and used for a variety of applications. In order to use the silk material, the assessment of their various properties is imperative. The present review focuses on the type, structure, physical, chemical and mechanical properties and applications of silkworm in various constituents in science, research and in engineering domain (surgical meshes and fabrics, clinical trials, wound healing, tissue engineering, therapeutic applications, industrial and engineering materials, electricity and optical devices). In addition, this article discusses the properties, possible use and research on silk materials, and further applications of the silkworm such as sericin and fibroin that play a role in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medicinal usage.