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Natural resource depletion and increased mining waste pose significant challenges to global sustainability efforts. This study investigates the processability of mining waste during the metal recovery stage to evaluate its potential contribution to anthropogenic circularity. The mining industry, abundant in valuable metals that are crucial for a carbon-neutral economy, plays a pivotal role in this context. We determine the grades of metals by looking at their chemical makeup, and then we use statistical entropy to model how easy it is to process certain waste materials. This provides us with processability measures that range from 0.19 bit to 1.18 bit. Our findings highlight that while some waste contains “abundant” metals, its complexity may diminish its economic value, raising concerns about its environmental impacts and resource availability at the end-of-life stages. Estimating potential revenue involves multiplying processed amounts by commodity prices, revealing a maximum value of 8.73 USD/metric ton for processed waste. This assessment underscores the importance of integrating circular economy principles, aiming to mitigate environmental damage and promote industrial ecology. By advancing our understanding of mining waste management through rigorous scientific inquiry, this study contributes to sustainable resource utilization strategies that are essential for future industrial practices and environmental stewardship.

Abstract Industrial waste is the byproduct of many industrial processes. Estimating the recycling potential of industrial waste can help solve the anthropogenic circularity conundrum. Here we employed the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) to verify GDP as a route to "amplified resource efficiency". The results provide substantial evidence for an inverted U and N relationship between the hypothesized GDPPC and industrial waste generation. During 2011–2025, the recycling potential in China showed a downward trend. China is projected to experience a dramatic increase in the production of industrial hazardous waste until the successful implementation of industrial hazardous waste prevention measures reverses the current trends. The turning point of the EKC between industrial waste generation and economic development is around US$8000, while the comprehensive utilization is 102.22 million tons. The EKC inflection points established by the study are correlated with the waste category’s turning point. The revised EKC claims that technological change may accelerate the turning points; thus, the graph shifts downward and right. The study recommends investing in new technology development to help the industry produce virgin and recycled industrial waste for a circular economy. Recycling potential evaluation also assists us to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The use of biosynthesized metallic and bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) as biocides for plant protection has gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential for sustainable and ecofriendly crop protection. In this review article, we discussed the biosynthesis of metallic and bimetallic NPs using various biological sources such as plants, fungi, bacteria, and algae. We explore the plausible mechanisms behind the biocidal activity of these NPs, including their ability to disrupt cellular structures, inhibit enzyme activity, induce oxidative stress, and modulate plant defense responses. We also highlight the challenges and limitations associated with the use of biosynthesized NPs, including their potential toxicity to nontarget organisms, potential impact on soil health, and the need for standardized protocols for their synthesis and characterization. Additionally, we discuss the potential strategies for overcoming these challenges, including the use of biocompatible stabilizers, controlled release formulations, and targeted delivery systems. Overall, biosynthesized metallic and bimetallic NPs hold promise as effective biocides for plant protection, but further research is needed to fully understand their mechanisms of action, optimize their efficacy, and ensure their safe and sustainable use in agriculture. In addition to exploring the biocidal mechanisms and challenges of using biosynthesized metallic and bimetallic NPs for plant protection, this review also delves into the cost-benefit analysis of their application in agriculture.

Infections during or after the denture filling pose a serious threat to recovery later, and antibiotics are scanty for quick healing. The antibacterial potential of Zn has convinced us to fabricate its composites with hydroxyapatite (HA), which has distinct biological properties. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the antibacterial potential of Zn-doped HA and investigate its molecular interaction with bacterial strains to enhance its defensive ability against bacterial attack. This study investigates the synthesis of zinc-doped hydroxyapatite nano-powder (Zn-HA) as coating and filling materials for dental applications. The co-precipitation technique was used in this regard to obtain the purest form of nanoparticles. The as-prepared Zn-HA samples were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy to assess the interaction of functional groups between components, x-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine percentage crystallinity, SEM to explore the surface morphology of composites, and EDX to confirm the incorporation of Zn in the apatite structure. The crystalline size of Zn-HA decreases from 99 nm to 40 nm with an increase in the doping of Zncl _2 from 0 to 2.5 g. With increasing the concentration of Zn doping, the effectiveness of antibacterial potential was increased. Due to an increased in the concentration of doped Zn, the Zn ions effectively rupture the bacterial membrane and destroy its DNA. Meanwhile, it shows the highest antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas (20.2 ± 0.02), Klebsiella (25.8 ± 0.05), Bacillus (18.3 ± 0.09), S. aureus (24 ± 0.03), and E. coli (19.3 ± 0.09) with Zn/HA5. It showed that by increasing the concentration of Zinc ions in hydroxyapatite, the antibacterial potential increased. This increased concentration of zinc ions in HA enhances its-defensive ability against the attack of various bacterial strains, this makes it a potential material and enhances its efficacy in dental applications like coating, filling material, or dental restoratives, in inhibiting the growth of bacterial colonies and biofilm formation in the oral cavity. In this way, Zn/HA as an efficient dental composite as a restorative material with enhanced antibacterial potential may help to mitigate the risk of dental infections, promote dental as well as oral health, and overall improve the life of dentine.

Conventional systems of medicine play a crucial role in maintaining healthcare. Herbal medicines are intact and less harmful to human beings than synthetic medicines. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemicals and in vivo hypolipidemic effect of chloroform extract of Lagenaria siceraria in Triton X-100 (100 mg/kg body weight) induced hyperlipidemic Wistar rats. The phytochemical characterization and estimation were performed on the base of the GC-MS approach. The Lagenaria siceraria extract (250 and 500 mg/kg bw) was administered orally to hyperlipidemic-induced rats for 7 days to examine its hypolipidemic activity. The experimental animals did not display any acute toxicity. Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg bw) was used as a standard drug. Administration of Lagenaria siceraria extract lowers the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels whereas elevating the high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (HDL-C) level. Histological studies of the liver and heart also showed the hypolipidemic effect of the extract. On the 8th day, no inflammation of the liver, myocardial necrosis, fibrosis, or atypia was seen. Furthermore, binding affinity and plausible binding mode of stigmastan-3-ol with HMG-CoA reductase were predicted by molecular docking studies which showed the same interaction patterns as atorvastatin. Moreover, the docking results were refined by 100 ns MD simulations which revealed that stigmastan-3-ol extract formed a stable complex with protein and did not induce any conformational changes in protein structure.

In this study, cerium oxide nanorods (CeO2-NRs) were synthesized by using the phytochemicals present in the Dalbergia sissoo extract. The physiochemical characteristics of the as-prepared CeO2-NRs were investigated by using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The SEM and UV-VIS analyses revealed that the acquired nanomaterials possessed a rod-like morphology while the XRD results further confirmed that the synthesized NRs exhibited a cubic crystal lattice system. The antioxidant capacity of the synthesized CeO2-NRs was investigated by using several in vitro biochemical assays. It was observed that the synthesized NRs exhibited better antioxidant potential in comparison to the industrial antioxidant of the butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The biochemical assays, including lipid peroxidation (LPO), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and catalase activity (CAT), were also performed in the human lymphocytes incubated with the CeO2-NRs to investigate the impact of the NRs on these oxidative biomarkers. Enhanced reductive capabilities were observed in all the assays, revealing that the NRs possess excellent antioxidant properties. Moreover, the cytotoxic potential of the CeO2-NRs was also investigated with the MTT assay. The CeO2-NRs were found to effectively kill off the cancerous cells (MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line), further indicating that the synthesized NRs exhibit anticancer potential as well. One of the major applications studied for the prepared CeO2-NRs was performing the statistical optimization of the photocatalytic degradation reaction of the methyl orange (MO) dye. The reaction was optimized by using the technique of response surface methodology (RSM). This advanced approach facilitates the development of the predictive model on the basis of central composite design (CCD) for this degradation reaction. The maximum degradation of 99.31% was achieved at the experimental optimized conditions, which corresponded rather well with the predicted percentage degradation values of 99.58%. These results indicate that the developed predictive model can effectively explain the performed experimental reaction. To conclude, the CeO2-NRs exhibited excellent results for multiple applications.

The antimicrobial activities of two flavonoids, namely genistein 7-O-glucoside (1) and (–)-epi-catechin (2), isolated from Azadirachta indica A. Juss (neem) leaves, were evaluated against five fungal species, viz: Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler, Aspergillus fumigatus Fresenius, Aspergillus niger van Tieghem, Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. and Penicillium citrii, and four bacterial species, viz. Lactobacillus sp., Escherichia coli, Azospirillium lipoferum and Bacillus sp. Six concentrations, viz. 100, 300, 500, 700, 900 and 1000 ppm of each of the two flavonoids were employed using malt extract agar medium. All the concentrations of both the test compounds significantly suppressed fungal as well as bacterial growth. The highest concentration (1000 ppm) of both fractions 1 and 2 reduced the growth of the different test fungal species by 83–99 % and 82–95 %, respectively. Compound 1 was highly effective against Lactobacillus sp., against which its various concentrations reduced the bacterial growth by 52–99.8 %. Compound 2 was highly effective against A. lipoferum and Bacillus sp., resulting in 94–100 % and 73–99% reduction in bacterial growth, respectively.

Five flavonoids, viz. (–)-epicatechin-3-O-b-glucopyranoside (1), 5-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxylphenyl)pyrano[3,2-g]chromene-4(8H)-one (2), 6-(p-hydroxybenzyl)taxifolin-7-O-b-D-glucoside (tricuspid) (3), quercetin-3-O-a-glucopyranosyl-(1®2)-b-glucopyranoside (4) and (–)-epicatechin(2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromene-3,5,7-triol) (5), were isolated from the leaves of mango (Mangifera indica L.). The antibacterial activity of different concentrations of these flavonoids (100, 300, 500, 700, 900 and 1000 ppm) was evaluated against four bacterial species, namely Lactobacillus sp., Escherichia coli, Azospirillium lipoferum and Bacillus sp. All the tested concentrations of the five flavonoids significantly reduced the growth of all the five tested bacterial species. However, differences in the antibacterial activity of the flavonoids were evident. Compound 1 exhibited the lowest antibacterial activity, resulting in a 7–75 % reduction in the growth of the different bacterial species. Compound 5 showed the greatest antibacterial activity and the different concentrations reduced the bacterial growth by 45–99.9 %. A. lipoferum and Bacillus sp. showed the highest susceptibility to this compound. Compounds 2–4 also depicted pronounced antibacterial activity. Different concentrations of these compounds decreased bacterial growth by 52–96 %. From the present study, it can be concluded that compound 5 is the most effective of the tested flavonoids against A. lipoferum and Bacillus sp.