This research was carried out for two successive seasons (2022 and 2023) in a private orchard located at Assiut Governorate, Egypt, to evaluate the effectiveness of propolis extract and sodium thiosulfate in maintaining the quality attributes of Saidy date palm fruits during storage. The date palms were 17 years old, grown in a sandy soil, spaced at 8 * 8 meters apart, and irrigated by the drip system. At the end of August, five pre-harvest treatments of date bunches were sprayed as follows:  two concentrations of propolis (3% and 5%) and two concentrations of sodium thiosulfate (0.5% and 1%), in addition to the control treatment (spraying with water). Date bunches were stored at ambient conditions (21 ± 7°C and 60 – 70% RH) for 75 days, and the fruit quality was evaluated every 15 days. The results demonstrated that all quality analyses showed that all applied treatments outperformed the control. Sodium thiosulfate at 1% and propolis extract at 5% were more effective than various treatments Saidy date fruits last longer by lowering the number of fungi, slowing down physiological and weight loss as well as decay. It is delaying changes in total soluble solids, total acidity, as well as total sugars during 75 days of storage at room temperature (21 ± 7°C and 60 – 70% RH) in both seasons.

Due to the excessive release of toxic and hazardous compounds into the environment, environmental pollution is increasing day by day. This rapid increase in pollutants results from industrialization and urbanization expansion. This pollutant affects in a harmful way to all the living forms, alters the environmental conditions and ecology, and changes diversity manner. The removal of these pollutants has been attempted using numerous conventional approaches, but they have not proven very successful. Until now microbial bioremediation represents the safest way to turn pollutants into non-hazardous materials. Soil ecosystem contains diverse microorganisms with a large capacity of removing a large number of pollutants through their unique enzymatic power. Microbial enzymes are proven to be an efficient and environmentally friendly technology solution for detoxifying pollutants from the environment. Many soil organic pollutants can be remedied by enzymes, including organo-heavy metals, PAHs, azo dyes, and polymers. Hydrolase enzymes (esterase, protease, lipase, cellulase, cutinase), and organophosphorus hydrolase enzymes (oxygenase, peroxidase, laccase) are the main pollutant-remediating soil enzymes. The current state of soil pollution, harmful pollutants’ impacts on soil life forms, as well as the microbial bioremediation enzymes, types, mechanisms, and possible applications, will be discussed in this chapter.

Background Soil-borne diseases are becoming more prevalent due to climate change, while the use of pesticides
is being discouraged due to their harmful environmental impacts. This study explored the potential of natural
compounds, specifically fucoidan from brown seaweed and nanohydroxyapatite from calcareous red seaweed, as
eco-friendly alternatives for mitigating Fusarium infections. The treatments aimed to enhance the plant’s defense
mechanisms and improve seedling growth.
Results The treatments using fucoidan, nanohydroxyapatite, or their combination at concentrations of 250–500 μg
mL⁻¹ for 6 h, significantly enhanced seedling growth, including increased height, root area, and both fresh and dry
weights. Photosynthetic pigment levels and total flavonoid contents increased by more than 30% in treated seedlings
compared to the infected control. Malondialdehyde levels, an indicator of oxidative stress, were notably reduced,
comparable to or lower than those in the non-infected control. Enzymatic activities associated with plant defense,
such as chitinase and polyphenol oxidase, were also higher in treated seedlings. Anatomical improvements were
observed, including enhanced vascular cylinder and metaxylem areas. FT-IR analyses highlighted several biochemical
changes, such as an increased CH₂/CH₃ ratio indicating lipid structural variation, reduced amide I and II bands, an
increase in the C = C band (linked to lignin), and a higher degree of esterification compared to infected controls.
Conclusions The study demonstrates that fucoidan and nanohydroxyapatite are promising sustainable, cost-
effective, and environmentally friendly treatments that effectively boost the defense responses and growth of faba
bean seedlings against Fusarium falciforme ASU26 infection. These natural compounds could serve as alternatives to
conventional pesticides, offering enhanced plant resistance to pathogens and supporting healthier plant growth.

Silver-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently acquired considerable interest due to their potential applications in sensing and detection, bioimaging, and light-emitting devices. Incorporating specific linkers or functional groups into the MOF structure can tailor their fluorescence characteristics and thus can selectively respond to target analytes. Herein, we report the synthesis of a novel luminescent silver-based MOFs (SOF1) derived from 2,3-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (2,3-DHBDC). The formation of SOF1 was established via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and elemental analysis. The synthesis conditions i.e. molar ratio of Ag to 2,3-DHBDC and temperature played a crucial role in the formation of clean SOF with no formation of silver nanoparticles (NPs). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed various shapes depending on the synthesis conditions. Mostly, octahedrons and hexagons were observed for SOFs obtained utilizing molar ratio of 1:1 and 1:2, respectively. Furthermore, the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) revealed its high crystallinity. The synthesized SOF1 showed a distinct and strong fluorescent signal that is much higher than that produced from SOF2 based on the isomeric ligand; 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (2,5-DHBDC). The designed sensor was utilized for the sensitive detection of trifluralin (TRF) pesticide in river water samples. The achieved limit of detection of TRF was found to be 8 μg/L. The fluorescence quenching was experimentally and mathematically confirmed to primarily occur through the mechanisms of inner-filter effect (IFE), static quenching (SQ) and photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Moreover, a thin film of SOF1 was synthesized for selective visualization of TRF.

This study uniquely emphasizes the crucial role of MOF synthesis techniques in optimizing electrocatalytic properties and enhancing electroanalytical performance. The main aim of this work is to develop a highly sensitive, selective, and cost-effective electrochemical sensor for detecting sunitinib malate (SUN) in serum samples collected from renal cancer patients. The designed sensor was based on using CuO nanoparticles/lanthanum 1,4-napthalene dicarboxylic acid (NDC) MOF-modified carbon paste electrode (CuO NPs/LaNDC-MOF/CPE) coupled with square-wave adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry (SW-AdASV) as the electrochemical technique. Two MOF synthetic approaches were utilized i.e. conventional (Conv.) and solvothermal (Solvo.). The synthesized La-MOFs were characterized using X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm (BET). LaNDC-MOF (Conv.) has a higher surface area (four times) than LaNDC-MOF (Solvo.). Moreover, the modified electrode based on LaNDC-MOF (Conv.) exhibited better electrocatalytic activity and improved sensitivity towards the oxidation of SUN than that prepared through solvothermal route. Various experimental parameters, including accumulation potential, accumulation time, and pH of the supporting electrolyte, were optimized to obtain the best analytical performance. The fabricated sensor based on CuO NPs/LaNDC-MOF/CPE showed an oxidation peak of SUN at 0.66 V vs Ag/AgCl. Under the optimized conditions, SW-AdASV method exhibited a linear response over a concentration range of 0.01–1.0 μmol l^-1 with a detection limit of 0.002 μmol l^-1 for SUN. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of SUN in pharmaceutical formulations and serum samples of renal cancer patients. Moreover, the proposed methodology via modification of CPE with the synthesized MOFs tailors them to be applied for clinical analysis and therapeutic drug monitoring of SUN, providing a valuable tool for personalized medicine and improving the treatment outcomes for renal cancer patients.

Global environmental problems are one of the biggest threats to humanity today. These problems include water contamination, which is made worse by the economy's and industry's rapid growth. We describe in this work a new method for synthesis of ZrMo₂O₈ nanoparticles (NPs) by employing a phosphomolybdic acid (PMA)-modified zirconium ceftriaxone complex as a precursor. The precursor was thermally decomposed for 2 h at 600 °C, producing ZrMo₂O₈ NPs. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the structural and morphological characteristics of the produced NPs were described. ZrMo₂O₈ NPs had a dense spherical structure with an average diameter of 25.2 nm. The surface characteristics of the modified complex and the resulting ZrMo₂O₈ NPs were investigated via nitrogen adsorption-desorption. Their specific surface areas were determined using the BET method to be 22.4 m²/g and 21.7 m²/g, respectively. Remarkably, ZrMo₂O₈ NPs showed a greater pore volume of 0.041 cm³/g and a larger pore width of 2.26 nm. Conversely, the modified complex had a pore volume of 0.023 cm³/g and a pore width of 2.06 nm. The adsorption efficiency of the ZrMo₂O₈ NPs was tested for the removal of Rhodamine B dye (RhB) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption studies indicated that the ZrMo₂O₈ NPs (50 mg) show rapid RhB adsorption (50 mL of 5.0 ppm), 95 % removal efficiency was attained in 180 min at pH 7. The highest adsorption capacity of 9.5 mg/g was observed when using 15 mg of ZrMo₂O₈ and 50 mL of 10.0 ppm RhB dye at pH 7. The studies of linear and non-linear kinetics showed that the adsorption mechanism is best described by pseudo-second-order model. The reusability of ZrMo₂O₈ NPs was examined over several cycles. Only a slight decrease in removal efficiency was observed, with removal efficacy reached 90 % after four cycles. Our results showed that the PMA-modified zirconium ceftriaxone complex is an effective precursor for producing ZrMo₂O₈ NPs. Furthermore, the nanoparticles are highly efficient adsorbents for the dye removal applications.

Binary ceftriaxone metal complex of Cr (III) and five mixed metal complexes of [CrM(ceft.)2Cl(H2O)3], where M = Co(II), Mn(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) were synthesized by a 1:1:2 molar ratio. FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopies, magnetic measurements, molar conductance, and microanalytical (C, H, and N) analysis were all used to describe the complexes. The shape, morphology, and size calculations have been examined using TEM and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The electronic absorption spectra and the magnetic moment values indicated the Oh geometry of the metal ions in the complexes. The ceftriaxone drug as a tetradentate ligand towards five metal ions through N (amino group) and O (triazine, βlactam carbonyl, and carboxylate groups). Several microorganisms have been tested for the complexes antibacterial activity, and the outcomes are contrasted with ceftriaxone's activity. From the results, all complexes show higher activity against Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli except [CrCd(ceft)2Cl(H2O)3], which has nearly the same activity compared to ceftriaxone. All complexes show higher activity against pseudomonas aeruginosa than the activity of ceftriaxone. Moreover, they have lower activity against Micrococcus luteus, Sarratia marcescens, and Staphylococcus aureus.

This study explores the controlled synthesis of a novel Fe₃O₄@C magnetic nanocomposite derived from FeBTC metal–organic framework (MOF) and its application as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of rhodamine dye from wastewater. The FeBTC MOF was first synthesized and then thermally decomposed in a controlled oxygen atmosphere at 375°C (1 h) to form the Fe₃O₄@C nanocomposite with a magnetic Fe₃O₄ core embedded in a porous carbon matrix. A comprehensive characterization of the nanocomposite was performed using x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to confirm the successful formation and to evaluate its structural and morphological properties. The morphological investigation revealed that the particles of Fe₃O₄ had a spherical shape with diameter of 10–15 nm. The carbon coating appeared as a thin amorphous layer surrounding the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The adsorption capacity of Fe₃O₄@C for rhodamine B (RhB) dye was assessed under various conditions, including different pH values, contact times, initial dye concentrations, and temperatures. Complete dye removal was attained in 45 min using 50 mg of the nanocomposite and 50 mL of 5.0 ppm RhB at the optimum pH of 9.1. Under the same experimental conditions, the highest adsorption capacity of 13.0 mg/g was obtained, but using 15.0 mg of the nanocomposite. Fe₃O₄@C nanocomposite exhibits high adsorption efficiency, with a maximum removal capacity of 100%, which is clearly superior to many conventional adsorbents. This performance can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the magnetic Fe₃O₄ and the large surface area of the carbon matrix. Kinetic models were employed to understand the adsorption mechanism. The adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model. The reusability of the adsorbent was tested over multiple cycles and showed a minimal loss of performance (drops to 93.0% after five removal cycles). The study demonstrates that the Fe₃O₄@C nanocomposite is a promising candidate for the effective removal of organic dyes from wastewater, offering potential benefits for environmental remediation and sustainable water management.

Three different types of Zr-based MOFs derived from benzene dicarboxylic acid (BDC) and naphthalene dicarboxylic acid as organic linkers (ZrBDC, 2,6-ZrNDC, and 1,4-ZrNDC) were synthesized. They were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Their hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature was investigated via contact angle measurements; ZrBDC MOF was hydrophilic and the other two (ZrNDC) MOFs were hydrophobic. The three MOFs were combined with MWCNTs as electrode modifiers for the determination of a hydrophobic analyte, flibanserin (FLB), as a proof-of-concept analyte. Under the optimized experimental conditions, a significant enhancement in the oxidation peak current of FLB was observed when utilizing 2,6-ZrNDC and 1,4-ZrNDC, being the highest when using 1,4-ZrNDC. Furthermore, a thorough investigation of the complex oxidation pathway of FLB was performed by carrying out simultaneous spectroelectrochemical measurements. Based on the obtained results, it was verified that the piperazine moiety of FLB is the primary site for electrochemical oxidation. The fabricated sensor based on 1,4-ZrNDC/MW/CPE showed an oxidation peak of FLB at 0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl. Moreover, it showed excellent linearity for the determination of FLB in the range 0.05 to 0.80 μmol L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient (r) = 0.9973 and limit of detection of 3.0 nmol L⁻¹. The applicability of the developed approach was demonstrated by determination of FLB in pharmaceutical tablets and human urine samples with acceptable repeatability (% RSD values were below 1.9% and 2.1%, respectively) and reasonable recovery values (ranged between 97 and 103% for pharmaceutical tablets and between 96 and 102% for human urine samples). The outcomes of the suggested methodology can be utilized for the determination of other hydrophobic compounds of pharmaceutical or biological interest with the aim of achieving low detection limits of these compounds in various matrices.

Global environmental problems, especially those related to water contamination brought on by rapid industrialization and economic growth, are among the most dangerous threats facing humanity today. In this research work, Al³⁺ based metal–organic framework with 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (H₂BDC) linker has been synthesized by a simple and economic coprecipitation method. The obtained Al-BDC MOF was utilized as an adsorbent for sequestering iron from wastewater, but only 54.0% of iron concentration was eliminated after 120 min. To boost the removal efficiency, modification of the Al-BDC MOF was carried out. MnO₂@Al-BDC nanocomposite was prepared and applied as a nanoadsorbent for iron remediation from water. The adsorption capability of Al-BDC MOF was greatly enhanced by facile modification. The adsorption efficiency reached 97.0% using 35.0 mg of the nanocomposite after 120 min compared to 54.0% iron removal using the un-modified MOF. The effect of pH of the medium was then studied using MnO₂@Al-BDC nanocomposite. The best elimination efficacy of iron was accomplished at pH ~ 2.2. The adsorption of iron on the surface of MnO₂@Al-BDC nanocomposite attains 97.0% (120 min) using a 35.0 mg dose of adsorbent and reaches 98.7% utilizing a 50.0 mg dose of adsorbent. In contrast, at pH = 9.2, the removal efficiency drops to 90.0% (after 120 min, 35.0 mg adsorbent). The adsorption capability was examined also using a variety of iron concentrations, i.e., 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mg/L where the adsorption efficiency dropped notably upon increasing the concentration. It dropped from 96.3% to 87.0% using 35.0 mg of MnO₂@Al-BDC nanocomposite at 90 min. The newly developed adsorbent showed a pronounced efficiency for Fe³⁺ removal against real samples collected from different water sources. Ultimately, this research introduces a novel MnO₂@Al-BDC nanocomposite, synthesized through a simple and economical coprecipitation method, to address water contamination by iron. The innovation lies in the significant enhancement of iron elimination efficiency, from 54.0% with unmodified Al-BDC MOF to 97.0% with the MnO₂@Al-BDC nanocomposite.