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Abstract Activated carbon (AC) derived from Date pits (DP) wastes was used as an eco-friendly and effective biosorbent for the removal of fluorene (FLU) from organic wastes. The maximum capacity of DP was 6.71 mg g−1, compatible with the Freundlich model. FLU adsorption's chemisorption performance on DP was involved in following a superior linear fit for the pseudo-2nd-kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacity from the pseudo-2nd order kinetic model fitted with the experimental findings and found to be 3.73 g, 2.62, 1.13, 0.955, 0.749, 0.591, and 0.665 mg g−1 at 25, 3, 35, 4, 45, 5 and 55 °C, respectively. The negative value of the spontaneous nature of the adsorption corresponds to the exothermic nature however, + ΔS corresponds to an increase in the degree of freedom for FLU adsorption. The relatively high value of activation energy (Ea) demonstrates that the adsorption of FLU onto DP is classified as chemical adsorption, and found to be 84.8 kJ mol−1. Also, the result of XRD shows that the prepared DP was re-used four times without substantially decreasing performance. In addition, it appears that AC prepared from DP is a promising adsorbent with a low cost for removing many organic pollutants.

GC/MS/MS was used to examine quantities, sources, and hazards of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in vegetable, leafy vegetables and fruit samples collected from Asir (Saudi Arabia). PAHs were varied from 10.11 to 604.43 (average 147.04), 38.35–798.21 (average 261.30), and 10.32–204.85 (average 90.65) ng/g, respectively. The order of ∑FPAH (fossil fuel PAHs) was Coriander > Eggplant > Grape, with 763.31, 575.93, and 204.85 ng/g, respectively. However, the order of ∑CARC (carcinogenic PAHs) was Carrot > Pear > Dill with 404.73, 35.91, and 34.01 ng/g, respectively. In addition, the order of ∑COMB (combustion PAHs) was cauliflower > lettuce > banana, with 42.31, 69.62, and 11.61 ng/g, respectively. Generally, the order of different PAH categories was ∑FPAHs > ∑CARC > ∑COMB. The hazard index (HI) for phenanthrene, Pyrene, fluoranthene, and anthracene was 10.73, 2.25, 1.65, and 1.13, respectively, indicating undesirable consequences. Phenanthrene recorded HQ > 1, indicating a probable deleterious effect, and other PAHs recorded HQ of about one, indicating that no harmful health effects from them. The diagnostic ratio of PAHs in fruits and vegetables indicated pyrolytic and petrogenic origins, via incomplete combustion of organic components. Finally, PAHs recorded in our samples were slightly greater than other regions of Saudi Arabia and that recorded in Asian and African countries.