The ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has triggered the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide. This virus spreads predominantly by human-to-human transmission via respiratory droplets. However, the presence of this virus in the fecal and anal swabs of infected patients has triggered the need for research into its waterborne transmission. The various environmental factors that impact the persistence of coronavirus in different water matrices include temperature, UV exposure, organic matter, disinfectants as well as adversarial microorganisms. This review summarizes the most recent research data on the effect of various factors on coronavirus in aqueous environments. The available data suggest that: (i) increasing temperature decreases the overall persistence of the virus; (ii) the presence of organic matter can increase the survivability of coronavirus; (iii) chlorine is the most effective and economic disinfectant; (iv) membrane bioreactors in wastewater treatment plants are hosts of competitive microorganisms that can inactivate coronaviruses; (v) ultraviolet irradiation is another effective option for virus inactivation. However, the inactivation disinfection kinetics of coronaviruses are yet to be fully understood. Thus, further research is needed to understand its fate and transport with respect to the water cycle so that effective strategies can be adopted to curb its effects. These strategies may vary based on geographic, climatic, technical, and social conditions around the globe. This paper explores possible approaches and especially the conditions that local communities and authorities should consider to find optimal solutions that can limit the spread of this virus.

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Mitigation of toxic contaminants from wastewater is crucial to the safety and sustainability of the aquatic ecosystem and human health. There is a pressing need to find economical and efficient technologies for municipal, agricultural, aquacultural, and industrial wastewater treatment. Nitrogen-doped biochar, which is synthesized from waste biomass, is shown to exhibit good adsorptive performance towards harmful aqueous contaminants, including heavy metals and organic chemicals. Incorporating nitrogen into the biochar matrix changes the overall electronic structure of biochar, which favors the interaction of N-doped biochar with contaminants. In this review, we start the discussion with the preparation techniques and raw materials used for the production of N-doped biochar, along with its structural attributes. Next, the adsorption of heavy metals and organic pollutants on N-doped biochars is systematically discussed. The adsorption mechanisms of contaminant removal by N-doped biochar are also clearly explained. Further, mathematical analyses of adsorption, crucial to the quantification of adsorption, process design, and understanding of the mechanics of the process, are reviewed. Furthermore, the influence of environmental parameters on the adsorption process and the reusability of N-doped biochars are critically evaluated. Finally, future research trends for the design and development of application-specific preparation of N-doped biochars for wastewater treatment are suggested. Graphical abstract

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