Themed collection Outstanding Papers 2023 – Environmental Science: Advances

The Editors-in-Chief of the Environmental Science journals introduce the Outstanding Papers of 2023.

This paper summarizes recent groundbreaking research and regulations for microplastics and provides critical recommendations to overcome additional barriers.

This review presents an overview of various analytical techniques for arsenic determination in drinking water, and will enhance awareness and appreciation of their role in informing and protecting our environment and water resources, globally.

Biochar production and utilization is proposed as an innovative approach for enhancing food production and climate change mitigation. Globally, biochar has the potential to increase crop productivity by ∼11% and reduces annual human-induced GHG emissions by ∼12%.

Microalgae are a source of scientific curiosity and inspiration for their utilization as ‘inoculants’ in agriculture and the commercial production of high-value products.

The fabrication of biopolymer fibers through electrospinning technology with the elucidation of the adsorption and biodegradation mechanism of the employed electrospun biopolymer fibers in wastewater treatment for the removal of toxic entities.

As of 2020, a cumulative total of 31 306 kilotonnes of manmade persistent organic pollutants had been synthesized and commercialized worldwide, resulting in cumulative releases of 20 348 kilotonnes into the global environment.

Oil and gas industry manmade structures (OGIMMS) in the marine environment can support thriving and biodiverse ecosystems.

Deprivation based inequality in NO_x emissions in England, based on index of multiple deprivation decile and mean emissions per lower layer super output area.

The spatiotemporal heterogeneities and agricultural influences of soils can be imaged in 2D with optical chemical sensors inside and above non-waterlogged soils.

Machine learning of the mid-infrared spectra of postconsumer plastics will help prevent, separate, and purify wastestreams contributing to global pollution.

Mechanochemical treatment, or high energy ball milling, was successfully employed to destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in an aqueous film-forming foam concentrate and an authentic contaminated soil sample.

The first regional topsoil sampling campaign since 2011 maps elevated background concentrations of potentially toxic elements in soils across north-west Syria following more than a decade of conflict.

Medical waste X-ray films are used to fabricate a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The high-power density of (1.39 W m⁻²) TENG demonstrated its potential applications in self-powered devices, sensors, and smart buildings.

Rare earth elements are required for the energy transition and new sources will be needed to meet projected demand. Coal combustion by-products could be a promising, near-term source of rare earth elements.

Hydrocarbon oxidation products (HOPs) formed from crude oil and diesel were generated from laboratory simulated spills at four different periods (1, 4, 7, and 10 days) under environmental conditions that mimicked those in Cook Inlet, Alaska.

Planetary ball milling assisted piezocatalysis for water cleaning application.