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In this study, microplastic contamination in water, natural mineral water and mineral water, sparkling soft drinks, cold tea and some traditional beverages marketed in Türkiye were assessed. Microplastics physically and chemically characterized by microscope and ATR/FT-IR, respectively. Microplastics were detected in 9 out of 47 beverage samples. A total of 250 microplastics with 5 different polymers, 2 different shapes, and 7 different colours were detected in 47 beverage samples. The average microplastic concentration was 2.24 ± 9.86 particles/L for all beverages analysed. The highest average microplastic concentration was found in mineral waters in glass bottles (average 11.3 particles/L). No microplastics were found in cold tea and other drinks. The total annual microplastic exposure from beverage consumption in male and female individuals aged >15 years was 2029 and 1786 particles/mL/year, respectively. The microplastic load index category of all beverage samples was determined as "moderate". The average pRi level of all beverages was 117 ± 260 and the risk level was determined as "low". The study provides evidence that microplastics are common in beverages and that microplastics are directly ingested by humans., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the characterization of microplastics of table salts (n = 36) was determined by FT - IR. Then, individuals' exposure to microplastics from table salt consumption was calculated with a deterministic model, and finally, a risk assessment of table salt was performed using the polymer risk index. On average, 44 ± 26, 38 ± 40, 28 ± 9, and 39 ± 30 microplastics/kg were detected in rock salts (n = 16), lake salts (n = 12), sea salts (n = 8), and all salts (n = 36). Microplastics with 10 different polymer types (CPE, VC-ANc, HDPE, PET, Nylon-6, PVAc, EVA, PP, PS, Polyester), 7 different colors (black, red, colorless, blue, green, brown, white, gray), and 3 different shapes (fiber, granulated, film) were found in table salts. The daily, annual and lifetime (70-year) exposures to microplastics from table salt consumption in 15+-year-old individuals (general) were calculated to be 0.41 microplastic particles/day, 150 microplastic particles/year and 10,424 microplastic particles/70-year, respectively. The average microplastic polymer risk index of all table salts was calculated as 182 ± 144 and the risk level is in the medium. In order to minimize microplastic contamination in table salts, protective measures should be taken at the source of the salt, and production processes should be improved., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Noble metal nanoparticles including rhodium, ruthenium and palladium have been extensively used in catalysis field. Since their limited abundance and high cost, many methods have been developed to obtain highly active and recyclable catalysts. In this work, Rh 3+ , Ru 3+ , Pd 2+ ions were impregnated on activated carbon derived from pumpkin stalk in distilled water and then reduced with sodium borohydride to form Rh 0 , Ru 0 , Pd 0 nanoparticles on the surface of carbon. The analyses show that these nanoparticles were successfully dispersed on the activated carbon. Rh 0 , Ru 0 and Pd 0 nanoparticles on activated carbon provide a turnover frequency value of 188 min -1 , 235 min -1 and 40 min -1 , respectively, at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C. They preserve their activity even after multiple use in H 2 generation from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)