Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of major scientific concern owing to their widespread presence in environmental compartments and their potential toxicological effects on humans and biota. In this study, the adsorption capacity of natural (montmorillonite (Mt)), synthetic (Na-Mica-4), and modified (with octadecylamine and octadecyltrimethylamine (ODA-Mt, ODA-Mica-4, and ODTMA-Mt and ODTMA-Mica-4)) clays were assessed and compared for the removal of 16 PAHs. Materials were synthesized and characterized by X-Ray diffraction, Zeta potential, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed its correct preparation and the incorporation of PAHs in the structure of the clays after the adsorption tests. The proposed materials were effective PAH adsorbents, with adsorption percentages close to 100%, in particular those using Mt. Mt and Na-Mica-4 presented a better adsorption capacity than their organofunctionalized derivatives, indicating that the adsorption of PAHs may occur both in the surface part and in the interlayer. The proposed adsorbents take the advantage of being a low cost and highly effective. They can be an interesting alternative for wastewater treatment and soil remediation to prevent PAH contamination.

Hydroxyapatite can combine with polysaccharide originating biomaterials with special applications in the biomedical field. In this review, the synthesis of (nano)­composites is discussed, focusing on natural polysaccharides such as alginate, chitosan, and pectin. In this way, advances in recent years in the development of preparing materials are revised and discussed. Therefore, an overview of the recent synthesis and applications of polyssacharides@hydroxyapatites is presented. Several studies based on chitosan@hydroxyapatite combined with other inorganic matrices are highlighted, while pectin@hydroxyapatite is present in a smaller number of reports. Biomedical applications as drug carriers, adsorbents, and bone implants are discussed, combining their dependence with the nature of interactions on the molecular scale and the type of polysaccharides used, which is a relevant aspect to be explored.

Rapid industrial development has led to the use of numerous dyes responsible for significant water pollution worldwide. Adsorbents have been developed to treat these waters, mainly in the form of activated biochar, which has several advantages, one of which is its good surface characteristics, such as high surface area and pore volume. The objective of the investigation was to analyze the efficiency of removing the methylene blue model dye in aqueous solutions through the adsorption process using biochar chemically activated from the leaf and stem of water hyacinth (Eichhornio crassipes) as a bioadsorbent. This study carbonized the stem and leaf containing zinc chloride at 600 °C. The materials were characterized by different techniques and were tested for their ability to adsorb methylene blue. The activated stem and leaf biochars removed approximately 285.71 and 322.58 mg g⁻¹ of the dye, respectively, indicating that the adsorption is more significant in the leaf. Pseudo-second-order kinetics was the most suitable model to describe dye adsorption on biochars, and the experimental isotherm data fit the Langmuir model. It is concluded that the application of activated water hyacinth biochar is a renewable resource with the potential for effluent treatment.

In recent years, anthocyanins, natural dyes, have promoted great scientific and technological interest. Their intrinsic antioxidant properties and health benefits make them ideal representatives of natural dyes as replacements for synthetic dyes. However, their instability can limit their use. A promising strategy to increase the color stability of anthocyanins is their interaction with clay minerals structures. Clay minerals have characteristics favorable to the stabilization of natural dyes, such as adsorption capacity, good surface chemistry, ion exchange capacity, abundance, non-toxicity, and environmental compatibility. This review summarizes relevant works that present different clays or clay minerals as robust inorganic matrices for incorporation, improved stability, and increased resistance against the thermal- and photodegradation of anthocyanins. In addition, several authors propose different applications for the formed anthocyanin-based hybrids.