The formation of carcinogenic bromate ions is a constraint when ozone is used for the remediation of water containing brominated organic materials. With its strong oxidizing ability, ozone rapidly transforms bromide in aqueous media to bromate, through a series of reactions involving hydroxyl radicals. Several strategies, such as limiting the ozone concentration, maintaining pH < 6, or the use of ammonia or hydrogen peroxide were explored to minimize bromate generation. However, most of the above strategies had a negative effect on the ozonation efficiency. The advanced oxidation processes, using catalysts together with ozone, have proven to be a promising technology for the degradation of pollutants in wastewater, but very few studies have been conducted to find ways to minimize bromate formation during this approach. The proposed article, therefore, presents a comprehensive review on recent advances in bromate reduction in water by catalytic ozonation and proposes reaction mechanisms associated with the catalytic process. The main aim is to highlight any gaps in the reported studies, thus creating a platform for future research and a quest to find environment friendly and efficacious catalysts for minimizing bromate formation in aqueous media during ozonation of brominated organic compounds.

Heavy metals are persistent environmental sources affecting soil quality. Therefore, selecting plant species that can germinate and grow under heavy metal stress is critical for phytoremediation. This study examines the effects of varying concentrations of cadmium (Cd²⁺), lead (Pb²⁺), mercury (Hg²⁺), and arsenic (As³⁺) on germination and growth Trifolium repens, with emphasis on its response to heavy metal stress in South African soils. Seeds with uniform size were sampled and placed in plastic dishes with a layer of towel paper on the bottom and were evenly spaced in each dish on the surface of the towel paper with 5 mL of each metal concentrations. The findings revealed that the metal type and concentration significantly impacted almost all the physiological parameters of Trifolium repens at (P < 0.001). In contrast, there were no significant variations between treatments for the untreated plants at (P > 0.05), indicating that the alterations were primarily related to the experimental setup. There was a consistent inverse relationship between metal concentration and plant performance. The best physiological and germination results were achieved at the lowest treatment level (0.5 mM) whereas plants were extremely affected at 10 mM.