This study reviews the various micro- and nano-plastic (MNP) pollution, which demands immediate mitigation strategies in aquatic ecosystems to ensure an effective, scalable, and sustainable solution. The focus is summarising the physical, chemical, and biological processes to remediate MNP contamination. Physical techniques such as adsorption, flotation, and filtration are also considered representative strategies. Pollutants like biochar and carbon nanotubes can be removed by adsorption in plants. However, there is a risk of secondary pollution from this. Advanced filtration methods, such as sand filtration and membrane bioreactor, can achieve very high removal efficiency, but problems with membrane fouling limit scalability. Flotation holds tremendous potential if the right conditions are implemented. It also includes the chemical degradation methods (polar media like hydrogen peroxide and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and thermal degradation. Some AOPs rely on reactive species to degrade plastics, but they typically follow an energy-intensive route, whereas thermal degradation can decompose plastics with its own environmental cost. A molecular approach involving biological remediation, involving microbial and enzymatic degradation, is perceived as an environmentally friendly solution. Organisms with promising plastic-degrading abilities include
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Bacillus cereus
, genetically engineered microorganisms, and fungal treatments. Moreover, the degradation of MNPs plays a substantial role in microbial biofilms. Nanotechnology is a potential supplement to MNP remediation processes, especially engineered nanoparticles. However, the study highlights the need for further research to optimise these methods, improve scalability, and ensure environmental safety, recommending a multi-faceted approach to ensure the effective and sustainable mitigation of MNP pollution.
Ishrat Perveen, Muhammad Yaqoob, Nimra Afzal et al.· Sustainable Environment Rese...· 0 citations
Kutta is an indigenous sheep breed found in the mountainous region of Swat, Pakistan. In this study we evaluated the performance of Kutta sheep within their natural habitat and identified genomic regions associated with environmental adaptability using whole genome sequencing. Flocks are mostly managed under a transhumant production system with year-round breeding. Kutta sheep demonstrated higher lambing efficiency under the available resources. Although the body size of rams and ewes was comparable, significant variation was observed among different age groups. Whole genome sequencing identified 15.46 million variants relative to Oar_v1.0 reference genome assembly. Exonic variants accounted for 2.3% of all protein coding gene variants and affected 6347 genes. These genes were primarily enriched in pathways related to G protein-coupled receptor signaling (700 genes) and olfactory transduction (500 genes). Selective sweep analysis detected 1930 genes within the regions of high homozygosity across the genome. Based on homozygosity patterns, biological relevance, and colocalization with known QTLs, 11 candidate genes were identified as putative selective signature. Five of these genes (OR4C6L, OR1086L, OR5AK2L, QR5T2L, OR9Q2) belonged to the olfactory receptor family. These olfactory receptor genes may contribute to high-altitude adaptation in Kutta sheep by enhancing their ability to locate food resources, recognize mates, and detect predators in challenging mountainous environments. Further screening of the OR4C6L sequence across 12 indigenous sheep breeds revealed marked differences between highland and lowland populations. Collectively, these findings provide comprehensive genomic insights into high-altitude adaptation of sheep and highlight the potential role of olfactory perception in survival and environmental fitness.
A. Ahmad, M. Ibrahim, Muhammad Yaqoob et al.· Zeitschrift für Induktive Ab...· 0 citations