Flocculation is a widely utilized separation technique in colloid chemistry, the chemical industry, and wastewater treatment. However, its application in microalgal biomass production and downstream processing remains limited. Biomass harvesting represents a significant cost factor in large‐scale microalgae production, with the separation of biomass from the liquid medium accounting for up to one‐third of total production expenses. The use of flocculants as a pre‐treatment step has emerged as a promising approach to reducing these costs. Laboratory‐scale flocculation is commonly employed to optimize flocculant dosage and assess strain‐specific flocculation efficiencies. Meanwhile, pilot‐scale flocculation, when applied before centrifugation, provides critical insights into the applicability of specific flocculant–strain combinations and their impact on yield and biomass quality. Numerous studies have investigated the flocculation behavior of various microalgal strains using a wide range of chemically distinct flocculants at the laboratory scale. This review highlights recent advancements in microalgal flocculation as a pre‐centrifugation strategy and outlines future perspectives for achieving cost‐effective, large‐scale microalgal biomass production as a globally viable resource.

Corn (Zea mays L.) ranks among the most important cereal crops globally, extensively cultivated for food, animal feed, and industrial applications. Its large-scale production generates substantial amounts of agricultural residues such as cobs, husks, stalks, leaves and other, which are often underutilized, leading to environmental concerns. Due to their high carbon content, lignocellulosic structure, and abundant availability, these residues represent a sustainable and low-cost raw material for the synthesis of activated carbon. Corn waste-derived activated carbon has emerged as a promising material for the efficient removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Its high surface area, well-developed porosity, and adjustable surface chemistry, referring to the functional groups on the adsorbent surface that can be modified to enhance affinity toward metal ions, facilitate effective adsorption. This review provides a comprehensive overview of (1) the potential of corn waste biomass as a precursor for activated carbon production, (2) methods of carbonization and activation that influence the textural and chemical properties of the resulting adsorbents, (3) adsorption performance for heavy metal removal under varying experimental parameters such as pH, initial concentration, contact time, and adsorbent dosage, (4) adsorption mechanisms responsible for heavy metal uptake. Reported maximum adsorption capacities vary for different metals, ranging from 2.814–206 mg/g for lead, 0.21–87.72 mg/g for cadmium, 9.6246–175.44 mg/g for chromium, and 0.724–643.92 mg/g for copper. Utilizing corn waste not only provides an eco-friendly approach for managing agricultural residues but also supports the development of efficient adsorbents. Nevertheless, challenges such as scaling up production and evaluating adsorbent performance in real wastewater samples remain and require further investigation. Finally, the review highlights key challenges and knowledge gaps in current research and offers recommendations for future studies aimed at advancing the practical application of corn waste–based activated carbons in water treatment.

Green microalgae are widely used as model organisms in ecotoxicology due to their sensitivity to environmental stressors and their critical role in aquatic ecosystems as primary producers at the bottom of the food web. Pulse-Amplitude Modulated (PAM) chlorophyll fluorometry is a non-destructive, rapid and informative method for assessing photosynthetic efficiency and culture health, particularly through parameters such as the maximum photochemical activity of PSII (F_v/F_m) and effective PSII activity (Φ_PSII). Despite the growing number of studies utilizing PAM as an indicator rather than as a direct tool to evaluate microalgal stress responses, there remains a lack of standardized, accessible data for these key photosynthetic indicators. In this review, we analyze 38 sources, including 35 original research articles and 3 foundational references, to compile and compare reported values of F_v/F_m and Φ_PSII across various green microalgae species exposed to a wide range of chemical and environmental stressors. We highlight species-specific differences in sensitivity, identify underrepresented contaminants such as ionic liquids and artificial sweeteners, and emphasize the need for systematic numerical reporting in future research. PAM is an excellent and reliable technique for rapidly assessing culture health of green microalgae and their photosynthetic performance in various culture conditions and the vast array of chemical and physical stressors.

In this study, a scenario analysis of risk associated with regular excursions to the Suva Planina Mountain, Serbia, for adults and children over a period of five years is performed because of the high concentrations of certain heavy metals in the soil. Additionally, the source of contamination was evaluated by identifying potential anthropogenic influences as well as products of natural geological processes. For that purpose, the Pollution Load Index, Geoaccumulation Index, and Hakanson contamination factor are used.

In this study, we will determine the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, sediment, two seston fractions and fish tissue from a water reservoir used for production of potable water. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification factors (BAFs, BMFs) will be calculated across the aquatic food web, and the results on PFAS concentrations in locally grown fish and vegetables will allow us to perform health risk assessment with regards to fish and vegetable consumption.