Wastewater from tanneries is a major source of heavy metals in soil and plants when used for crop irrigation. The unavoidable toxicological effects of this contamination, however, can be minimized through two independent steps discussed in the present study. In the first step, a batch sorption experiment was conducted in which Cr was adsorbed through bentonite clay. For this purpose, DTPA extraction method was used to analyze Cr concentration in the soil after regular time intervals (0.5, 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10.5, 11.5, and 20.3 h) which reduced Cr concentration from 38.542 mgL^–1for 30 min to 5.6597 mgL^–1for 20.3 h, respectively, by applying 1% bentonite. An increase in the contact time efficiently allowed soil adsorbent to adsorb maximum Cr from soil samples. In the second step, a pot experiment was conducted with 10 different treatments to improve the physiological and biochemical parameters of theSolanum melongenaL. irrigated under tanneries’ wastewater stress. There were four replicates, and the crop was harvested after 30 days of germination. It was seen that the application of wastewater significantly (P <0.01) reduced growth ofSolanum melongenaL. by reducing root (77%) and shoot (63%) fresh weight when compared with CFOP (Ce-doped Fe₂O₃nanoparticles); chlorophyll a and b (fourfolds) were improved under CFOP application relative to control (CN). However, the deleterious effects of Cr (86%) and Pb (90%) were significantly decreased in shoot through CFOP application relative to CN. Moreover, oxidative damage induced by the tannery’s wastewater stress (P <0.01) was tolerated by applying different soil amendments. However, results were well pronounced with the application of CFOP which competitively decreased the concentrations of MDA (95%), H₂O₂(89%), and CMP (85%) by efficiently triggering the activities of antioxidant defense mechanisms such as APX (threefold), CAT (twofold), and phenolics (75%) in stem relative to CN. Consequently, all the applied amendments (BN, BT, FOP, and CFOP) have shown the ability to efficiently tolerate the tannery’s wastewater stress; results were more pronounced with the addition of CFOP and FOP+BT by improving physiological and biochemical parameters ofSolanum melongenaL. in an eco-friendly way.

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is a major air pollutant in South Asian cities; however, information on its carbonaceous composition and multi-wavelength optical properties remains limited for Lahore, Pakistan. This study investigated PM_2.5 collected at an urban site in Lahore between 15 March and 29 April 2025. A total of 30 quartz-fiber filters were collected for PM_2.5 sampling during the campaign. Of these, 25 filter samples were available for gravimetric and optical analyses, while the first 15 available filter samples were analyzed for OC/EC as a complementary component of the study. Aerosol light absorption was determined using the Multi-Wavelength Absorbance Analyzer (MWAA) at five wavelengths (375, 407, 532, 635, and 850 nm). PM_2.5 concentrations ranged from 40 to 417 μg m⁻³, with an average of 137 ± 84 μg m⁻³, indicating severe particulate pollution throughout the sampling period. Within the 15 filters analyzed for OC/EC, organic carbon was the dominant carbonaceous component, contributing 76.6% of total carbon, whereas elemental carbon accounted for 23.4%. The MWAA measurements showed the expected decrease in aerosol absorption with increasing wavelength, reflecting the spectral behaviour of carbonaceous aerosols. The average Absorption Ångström Exponent (AAE) was 1.17 ± 0.30, indicating generally weak-to-moderate wavelength dependence, with occasional enhancement of short-wavelength absorption. Based on empirical AAE intervals, 56% of the samples had values between 1.0 and 1.5, 32% had values below 1.0, and 12% exhibited values above 1.5, indicating enhanced short-wavelength absorption during a limited number of events. These intervals provide qualitative information on spectral variability rather than unambiguous source attribution. Overall, this study provides new multi-wavelength optical observations of PM_2.5 from a six-week field campaign conducted in Lahore during March–April 2025 and contributes to the characterization of carbonaceous aerosols in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The generated dataset provides a useful basis for future source-apportionment studies, air-quality management, and investigations of the radiative implications of light-absorbing aerosols in highly polluted South Asian urban environments.

Wildfires represent a major environmental hazard with significant impacts on ecosystems, climate, biodiversity, and human activities. The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfire events have highlighted the need for reliable and timely detection techniques based on satellite remote sensing. This study investigates the application of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) to thermal observations acquired from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) onboard the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite for wildfire anomaly detection. A wildfire event that occurred on 8 August 2021 in Calabria, Southern Italy, was selected as the primary case study. To assess the consistency of the POD response beyond the primary case, the analysis was further extended to two additional wildfire events, Viggianello–Abate and Pazzano–Montestella, using the 15 × 15 pixel extraction window. Middle Infrared (MIR, 3.9 $\mathsf{\mu }$m) observations collected at 15 min intervals over a complete day were analyzed using four different spatial extraction windows (3 × 3, 15 × 15, 30 × 30, and 45 × 45 pixels). POD was employed to separate dominant background thermal variability from localized fire-induced anomalies. The analysis focused on higher-order POD modes, particularly the 6th, 7th, and 8th modes, which exhibited enhanced sensitivity to wildfire activity. Results showed that POD successfully identified thermal anomalies corresponding to wildfire occurrence times independently detected by the RST-FIRES methodology. The comparison of extraction window sizes revealed that the 15 × 15 pixel window provided the best balance between anomaly enhancement, spatial localization, and noise reduction. Larger windows introduced excessive spatial smoothing and reduced localization capability, whereas the smallest window was more affected by noise. The findings demonstrate the potential of POD as an effective complementary approach for wildfire detection and monitoring using geostationary satellite observations.

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is a major air pollutant in South Asian cities; however, information on its carbonaceous composition and multi-wavelength optical properties remains limited for Lahore, Pakistan. This study investigated PM_2.5 collected at an urban site in Lahore between 15 March and 29 April 2025. A total of 30 filter samples were collected; owing to sample losses during transportation, 25 filters were available for gravimetric and optical analyses, while a subset of 15 filters, selected to cover the sampling period and a broad range of PM_2.5 concentrations, was used for carbonaceous aerosol analysis. Aerosol light absorption was determined using the Multi-Wavelength Absorbance Analyzer (MWAA) at five wavelengths (375, 407, 532, 635, and 850 nm). PM_2.5 concentrations ranged from 40 to 417 μg m⁻³, with an average of 137 ± 84 μg m⁻³, indicating severe particulate pollution throughout the sampling period. Organic carbon was the dominant carbonaceous component, contributing 76.6% of total carbon, whereas elemental carbon accounted for 23.4%. The MWAA measurements showed the expected decrease in aerosol absorption with increasing wavelength, reflecting the spectral behaviour of carbonaceous aerosols. The average Absorption Ångström Exponent (AAE) was 1.17 ± 0.30, indicating generally weak-to-moderate wavelength dependence, with occasional enhancement of short-wavelength absorption. Based on empirical AAE intervals, 56% of the samples had values between 1.0 and 1.5, 32% had values below 1.0, and 12% exhibited values above 1.5, indicating enhanced short-wavelength absorption during a limited number of events. These intervals provide qualitative information on spectral variability rather than unambiguous source attribution. Overall, this study provides new multi-wavelength optical observations of PM_2.5 from a six-week field campaign conducted in Lahore during March–April 2025 and contributes to the characterization of carbonaceous aerosols in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The generated dataset provides a useful basis for future source-apportionment studies, air-quality management, and assessments of aerosol radiative effects in highly polluted South Asian urban environments.