- The low recovery of oil (only one-third) is mainly related to the displacement efficiency of porous media, which is influenced by wettability and interfacial tension. Since a large amount of oil deposits, two third of the original oil-in-place is trapped by the capillary forces, and there is a need to recover residual oil by improving oil recovery techniques. Although gas, thermal, microbial, and chemical injection is very popular and highly used techniques, they have some disadvantages. Therefore, tertiary oil recovery techniques, such as the application of nanofluids and nanocomposites, may solve this problem. The selection of appropriate techniques depends on the reservoir and economics. The mobility ratio and the mechanisms for nano-enhanced oil recovery have also been explained. Silica, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, carbon-based nanoparticles, graphene quantum dots, graphene oxide nanosheets, and anionic surfactants are widely used in enhanced oil recovery research. Nanocomposites were discussed recently prepared, including potassium chloride/silicon dioxide/xanthan and zinc oxide/silicon dioxide/xanthan nanocomposite and others. The reviewed literature experimental data has shown that it is possible to increase the enhanced oil recovery in the 10 to 79% range depending on the applied nanofluid or nanocomposite.

The presence of plastic waste in large quantities in the environment is a major problem and therefore a challenge for many researchers to examine the most effective methods of their disposal. In this paper, the source of microplastic and its hazardous effect on human health and interactions of plastics with plants were studied. Due to the specific physical-chemical features of micro- and nano-plastics, they are ideal candidates for the adsorption of organic pollutants, pathogens and heavy metals. The uptake and accumulation of nanoplastics by plants, adsorption studies, and bioaccumulation are shown here. In addition, recent research on the interaction of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics with plants has been discussed. Many studies have shown that the most affected part of the plant was the roots, followed by leaves, shoots, and then the stem. Nanoplastics are found to be more harmful than microplastics due to permeation through the biological membranes of plants, while microplastics adhere to leaves.

Agricultural waste has always been a global problem that causes environmental pollution, and thanks to the efforts of scientists, this agricultural waste has become not a neglected product, but rather a source of many effective chemical compounds that have industrial, pharmaceutical and food applications. Viral disease therapy has attracted a great deal of scientific interest worldwide. Therefore, the pace of research is increasing for effective and safe treatment. The potential inhibitory activity of pomegranate peel extract polyphenols against virus for effective viral disease therapy has attracted a great deal of scientific interest. The aim of this review was to present an overview of the pomegranate peel effects on viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Influenza virus, Norovirus, Adenovirus, Herpes simplex virus, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Pomegranate is consumed as fresh fruit and juice for its reported health benefits as antioxidant, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticarcinogenic activities, and improves cardiovascular as well as oral health. The health benefits of pomegranate have been attributed to its wide range of phytochemicals, which are predominantly polyphenols, ellagitannins, anthocyanins, and other polyphenols. Instead of the pomegranate peel being a neglected product, it is considered as a promising antiviral agent which also offers other health benefits without side effects.

At present, the potential role of the AgNPs/endo-fullerene molecule metal nano-composite has been evaluated over the biosystems in-vitro. The intra-atomic configuration of the fullerene molecule (C60) has been studied in-vitro for the anti-proliferative activity of human breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231) cell lines and antimicrobial activity against a few human pathogens that have been augmented with the pristine surface plasmonic electrons and antibiotic activity of AgNPs. Furthermore, FTIR revealed the basic vibrational signatures at ~3300 cm−1, 1023 cm−1, 1400 cm−1 for O-H, C-O, and C-H groups, respectively, for the carbon and oxygen atoms of the C60 molecule. NMR studies exhibited the different footprints and magnetic moments at ~7.285 ppm, explaining the unique underlying electrochemical attributes of the fullerene molecule. Such unique electronic and physico-chemical properties of the caged carbon structure raise hope for applications into the drug delivery domain. The in-vitro dose-dependent application of C60 elicits a toxic response against both the breast adenocarcinoma cell lines and pathogenic microbes. That enables the use of AgNPs decorated C60 endo fullerene molecules to design an effective anti-cancerous drug delivery and antimicrobial agent in the future, bringing a revolutionary change in the perspective of a treatment regime.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merril), one of the major fruit crops, is mainly used for raw consumption and for industrial juice production, which creates large amounts of residues. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that pineapple waste accounts for between 50 to 65 % of the total weight of the fruit. Industrial pineapple waste is a major source of pollution as important quantities of primary residues are not further processed. Pineapple waste contains bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, polyphenols, fibers, vitamins, enzymes, and essential oils. These phytochemicals can be used in the food industry, medicine and pharmacy, textile, and others. This review highlights essential oil and other bioactive compounds extracted from pineapple waste and the composition of pineapple essential oil. Pineapple peels are the potential raw material for essential oil extraction through various methods. Modern spectrometric methods have shown that essential oil extracted from pineapple waste comprises esters, alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones. From this overview, it can be concluded that there is an important need for further research into pineapple waste as a potential source of valuable byproducts, as well as new techniques to studying industrial organic residuals to achieve higher recovery rates of valuable bioactive compounds used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetic and chemical industries as well as for developing new functional foods.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr.), Waste Streams, Characterisation and Valorisation: An Overview

Excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture in order to increase yields has proved unnecessary because a large part of them remain unused and have negative effects on the environment and human health. Therefore, it is a great challenge for farmers to replace the application of pesticides and fertilizers with nanopesticides and nanofertilizers, with the aim of reducing the use of mineral fertilizers and increasing yields, as well as supporting agricultural development. This review provides a detailed overview of the classification of pesticides, commonly used nanoparticles in agriculture and their function, as well as impact of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers on the environment. The application of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers and new delivery mechanisms to improve crop productivity are reviewed and described. Particularly, the advantage of the nanoencapsulation process is emphasized for both pesticides and fertilizers. For hydrophobic pesticides, it may be a tool to provide greater stability, dispersion in aqueous media, and allowing a controlled release of the active compound, which increases its effectiveness. In nanofertilizers, micro- or macronutrients can be encapsulated by nanomaterials which allow to release of nutrients into the soil gradually and in a controlled way maintaining soil fertility, thus preventing eutrophication and pollution of water resources. Risks assessment of application of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers in agriculture are required for their correct and safe application.

Thymol is one of the most important phytochemical components because of its pharmacological and bioactive potential effects. This review focuses particularly on thymol as an alternative natural antiparasitic with potential use in the pharmaceutical industry. This is in line with the preferences of the natural products for treatment being safer and without side effects. The biosynthesis pathways of thymol and carvacrol have been discussed, and mechanism of action of thymol on parasites. Studies on thymol confirmed the activity of thymol as anti-parasite against anthelmintic, Trypanosoma ssp., Toxoplasma gondii, Leishmania spp., Plasmodium falciparum, Giardia duodenalis, Eimeria ssp., Cryptosporidium baileyi and Cryptosporidium galli.