There a lot of review papers addressing specific COVID-19 research sectors, then devoted to specialists. This review provides an in-depth summary of the available information about SARS-CoV-2 and the corresponding disease (also known as COVID-19), with a multi-disciplinary approach. After the paper introduction, the first section treats the virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, the medical implications of the infection, and the human susceptivity. Great attention is devoted to the factor affecting the infection routes, distinguishing among the possible human-to-human, environmental-to-human, and pollution-to-human transmission mechanisms. The second section is devoted to reporting the impact of SARS-CoV-2 not only on the healthcare systems but also on the economy and society. The third section is devoted to non-pharmaceutical behaviours against COVID-19. In this context, this review section presents an analysis of the European second wave allowing not only to focalize the importance of some restrictions, but also the relevance of social acceptance of some measures. The data reassumed in this work are very useful for interdisciplinary researchers that work in a team to find the basic available information about all the aspects connected with this pandemic (from virus diffusion mechanism to health information, from economic and social impacts to measures to reduce the pandemic spread), with great attention to social acceptance of restriction measures and of vaccines (that currently results to be insufficient to achieve community immunity). Then, this review paper highlights the fundamental role of the trans-multi-disciplinary research that is devoted not only to understand the basics of the pandemic to propose solutions but has also the commitment to find strategies to increase population resilience. For this aim, the authors strongly suggest the establishment of an international health-care trans-multi-disciplinary workforce devoted to investigate, mitigate, and control also future viral events.

Almost all aspects of society from food security to disease control and prevention have benefited from pharmaceutical and personal care products, yet these products are a major source of contamination that ends up in wastewater and ecosystems. This issue has been sharply accentuated during the coronavirus disease pandemic 2019 (COVID-19) due to the higher use of disinfectants and other products. Here we review pharmaceutical and personal care products with focus on their occurrence in the environment, detection, risk, and removal.

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An advanced concept of aerobic membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for highly efficient wastewater treatment has been disclosed by introduction of an electro and encapsulated self-forming dynamic biomembrane (e-ESFDM). The biological filtering membrane is intercalated between two woven polyester fabrics as supports that assist the formation and protect the biomembrane. The innovative architecture of the e-ESFDM in combination with electrocoagulation processes resulted in efficient and cost-effective wastewater treatment and control of the membrane fouling. The performance of the e-ESFDMBR was compared to a yet highly efficient ESFDMBR, where the electric field was not present. The ESFDM-based reactors both showed comparable results in the removal of organic matter, in terms of COD and DOC. On the other hand, e-ESFDMBR exceeded the performance of the ESFDMBR in the reduction of nitrogen- and phosphorous-containing pollutants, responsible for eutrophication processes in the environment, and recalcitrant molecules, such as humic-like substances. In addition, an extremely low fouling rate was observed for the e-ESFDM bioreactor. Insights on the biological processes involved in the developed MBR were provided by investigations on the microbiological diversity found in reactor mixed liquor, ESFDM layer and treated wastewater.