Micro (nano) plastics uptake, toxicity and detoxification in plants: Challenges and prospects.

Plastic pollution has emerged as a global challenge affecting ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation. Terrestrial environments exhibit significantly higher plastic concentrations compared to aquatic systems. Micro/nano plastics (MNPs) have the potential to disrupt soil biology, alter soil properties, and influence soil-borne pathogens and roundworms. However, limited research has explored the presence and impact of MNPs on aquaculture systems. MNPs have been found to inhibit plant and seedling growth and affect gene expression, leading to cytogenotoxicity through increased oxygen radical production. The article discusses the potential phytotoxicity process caused by large-scale microplastics, particularly those unable to penetrate cell pores. It also examines the available data, albeit limited, to assess the potential risks to human health through plant uptake.

Purification and economic analysis of nanoclay from bentonite.

Nowadays, due to the most application of montmorillonite, its purification from raw bentonite has great importance. More than 76% of bentonite is composed of montmorillonite, and its industrial applications are related to its montmorillonite content. In this study, the nanoclay was extracted from bentonite by the use of centrifugal force. The results of the field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis show that the nanosized of purified montmorillonite has a sheet structure with a spacing of 22.41 nm and 45.0 nm. The sharp peaks in X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) illustrated that the montmorillonite purified successfully, and the results of Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometry (FT-IR) revealed the successful incorporation of the metabolic extraction within the montmorillonite. By comparison of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) results with IUPAC, it can be realized that the synthesized montmorillonite nanoclay has a microporous structure (< 2 nm) with a surface area of 11.325 m2 g-1. According to IUPAC classification, the BET isotherms of montmorillonite and bentonite indicate a hysteresis loop belonging to the type H3. Finally, the economic analysis results revealed to this method could be the best option for achieving high purity montmorillonite for future applications.