With the ever-increasing demand of plastics in the world and their consequent disastrous effects on environment, a suitable environmental-friendly substitute like bioplastics/biodegradable plastics is the need time. This study centers on green-production of a variety of bioplastic samples from (1) banana peel starch (BPP) and (2) a composite of banana peel starch, cornstarch and rice starch (COM) with varying amounts of potato peel powder and wood dust powder as fillers, respectively. Two different plasticizers – Glycerol and Sorbitol – have been utilized separately and in a 1:1 combination. A total of 12 samples of each of two types of bioplastics were made using multiple amounts and combinations of the fillers and plasticizers, to test the differences in the physical and chemical characteristics (moisture content, absorption of water, solubility in water, solubility in alcohol, biodegradation in soil, tensile strength, Young’s modulus and FT-IR) of the produced samples due to their different compositions. The differences in the properties of the bioplastic samples produced make them suitable for usage in many different applications. All 24 of the samples produced were synthesized using natural and environmentally safe raw material and showed biodegradation, thus proving to be a good alternative to the conventional plastics.

Various ZnO nanomaterials such as nanorods, nanoparticles, and nanosheets were synthesized using Salvadora persica leaf extract via the sol–gel method. The prepared nanomaterials possess a large number of nanocavities. The synthesized nanomaterials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-visible diffuse reflectance studies (UV-DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HT-TEM), and these nanomaterials were used to test photocatalytic applications for the degradation of highly hazardous methylene blue dye. The degradation efficiency was higher for materials with nanorods and nanosheets with nanocavities; this was due to the presence of the nanocavities, which made the catalyst more sensitive to light absorption. This method offers a green synthesis of different nanomaterials in bulk quantity at low cost.

Thiophene derivatives: thiophene-2-carbaldehyde oxime (OXM) and 5-(thiophen-2-yl)-1 H -tetrazole (TET), were synthesized and characterized. Furthermore, their inhibitory property for AA2024-T3 in 1 M HCl solution was investigated via electrochemical and with theoretical study.

Eriochrome Black T (EBT) is mutagenic and carcinogenic, and thus its presence in water may result in severe illnesses. This study was aimed at adsorbing EBT from simulated water samples by using a batch adsorption process, onto native (GP) and washed garlic peel (WGP). Surface and structural characterization of native and washed GP was performed using FTIR, SEM, BET, and BJH analysis. The effects of several parameters, affecting the process of adsorption, like pH, temperature, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial dye concentration, were also examined. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were applied to the equilibrium data. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models were used to study the adsorption kinetics. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order model perfectly explained the equilibrium data. ΔG°, ΔH°, ΔS° studies indicated that adsorption of EBT onto GP and WGP was a favorable, spontaneous, and physical process. Maximum dye removal by GP (96%) and WGP (82%) was observed at pH 2. Similarly Maximum adsorption capacities were found to be 99.5 mg/g and 89.4 mg/g for GP and WGP, respectively. It is concluded from these results that garlic peel can be used as a cheaper and more efficient material for the adsorptive removal of EBT from contaminated water samples.

Three new tetradentate NNNS Schiff bases (L1–L3) derived from 2-(piperidin-4-yl)ethanamine were prepared in high yields. UV–Visible and FTIR spectroscopy were used to monitor the dehydration reaction between 2-(piperidin-4-yl)ethanamine and the corresponding aldehydes. Structures of the derived Schiff bases were deduced by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, FTIR, UV–Vis, MS, EA, EDS, and TG-derived physical measurements. DFT/B3LYP theoretical calculations for optimization, TD-DFT, frequency, Molecular Electrostatic Potential (MEP), and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) / were performed for L2. The in vitro antimicrobial activities of the three Schiff bases were evaluated against several types of bacteria by disk diffusion test using Gentamicin as the standard antibiotic. Schiff bases revealed good antioxidant activity by the DPPH method, and the IC₅₀ values were compared to the Trolox standard. Pancreatic porcine lipase inhibition assay of the synthesized compounds revealed promising activity as compared to the Orlistat reference.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) seem to have emerged in recent years to degrade the organic pollutants from wastewater. The current research also focused on phenol biodegradation using MFCs. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), phenol is a priority pollutant to remediate due to its potential adverse effects on human health. At the same time, the present study focused on the weakness of MFCs, which is the low generation of electrons due to the organic substrate. The present study used rotten rice as an organic substrate to empower the MFC’s functional capacity to degrade the phenol while simultaneously generating bioenergy. In 19 days of operation, the phenol degradation efficiency was 70% at a current density of 17.10 mA/m² and a voltage of 199 mV. The electrochemical analysis showed that the internal resistance was 312.58 Ω and the maximum specific capacitance value was 0.00020 F/g on day 30, which demonstrated mature biofilm production and its stability throughout the operation. The biofilm study and bacterial identification process revealed that the presence of conductive pili species (Bacillus genus) are the most dominant on the anode electrode. However, the present study also explained well the oxidation mechanism of rotten rice with phenol degradation. The most critical challenges for future recommendations are also enclosed in a separate section for the research community with concluding remarks.