Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) (Fr.) Pilát is a black perennial fungus that grows on adult birch trunk and traditionally been used as a health prevention remedy in different countries. The lipophilic compounds of chaga were isolated applying conventional (Soxhlet), non-conventional (ultra-sound assisted, accelerated solvent) and environmentally friendly (supercritical fluid) extraction methods utilizing both polar and non-polar solvents. For authentication of chaga samples, isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and multi-elemental analysis was performed in this study. The yield and profile of lipids, sterols, and triterpenoids of various origins were discussed and potential application in terms of antimicrobial activity against pathogenic and opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms demonstrated. The results showed that CO2 extraction delivered comparable to conventional extraction techniques amount of target compounds with a safer profile and therefore could represent the future for sustainable industrial-scale production of biologically active ingredients with antimicrobial activity. Authentication of chaga allowed to establish the quality parameters and properties of resources that will be useful for industries.

Environmental pollution with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is a worldwide problem that is receiving increasing attention. Although these substances have been released in the aquatic environment for a long time, wastewater treatment plants are still incapable of removing emerging contaminants completely. Consequently, trace metals, metalloids and pharmaceuticals, as well as surfactant leftovers, are often found in environmental samples. Environmentally friendly and cost-effective sorbents such as humic substances can be used for purification if their sorption properties are increased by immobilization. To our knowledge, immobilized humic substances have not been widely studied as sorbents up to now. In this study, humic substances were immobilized to obtain low-cost sorbents. The chosen methods for characterization of the obtained sorbents showed successful immobilization. Traditional pollutants, such as Cr(III) (a metal), As(V) (a metalloid) and chlorpromazine (a pharmaceutical), were used as representative contaminants. Sorption experiments were conducted using the batch system, and sorption was also studied based on the sorbent dosage, initial concentration of the studied element or substance, solution pH and sorption time. The results show that all the obtained immobilized humic substances in this study can be used as sorbents to remove contaminants from water. At the same time, from these humic substances, only those immobilized using iron compounds are suitable for the removal of arsenic.

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