Globally, air pollution is an unfortunate aftermath of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Although the best strategy is to prevent air pollution, it is not always feasible. This makes it imperative to devise and implement techniques that can clean the air continuously. Plants and microbes have a natural potential to transform or degrade pollutants. Hence, strategies that use this potential of living biomass to remediate air pollution seem to be promising. The simplest future trend can be planting suitable plant-microbe species capable of removing air pollutants like SO2, CO2, CO, NOX and particulate matter (PM) along roadsides and inside the buildings. Established wastewater treatment strategies such as microbial fuel cells (MFC) and constructed wetlands (CW) can be suitably modified to ameliorate air pollution. Green architecture involving green walls and green roofs is facile and aesthetic, providing urban ecosystem services. Certain microbe-based bioreactors such as bioscrubbers and biofilters may be useful in small confined spaces. Several generative models have been developed to assist with planning and managing green spaces in urban locales. The physiological limitations of using living organisms can be circumvent by applying biotechnology and transgenics to improve their potential. This review provides a comprehensive update on not just the plants and associated microbes for the mitigation of air pollution, but also lists the technologies that are available and/or can be modified and used for air pollution control. The article also gives a detailed analysis of this topic in the form of strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-challenges (SWOC). The strategies mentioned in this review would help to attain corporate Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while reducing carbon footprint in the urban scenario. The review aims to emphasise that urbanization is possible while tackling air pollution using facile, green techniques involving plants and associated microbes.@en

The establishment of industrial parks has functioned as a catalyst for sustained economic growth and industrial advancement in Nigeria, mirroring trends observed in industrialized countries globally. However, no attention has been given to the conversion of existing industrial parks to eco-industrial parks (EIPs) to address the environmental challenges caused by increased industrialization in the country. This paper presents an assessment of opportunities for environmental protection through eco-industrial transformation in Nigeria, specifically focusing on the case of Sharada Industrial Park (SIP). The study applies the international eco-industrial park (EIP) framework to evaluate the current and intended performance of the park and identify opportunities for its conversion into an EIP, through an on-site tour of the park and interviews with the park managers. Similarly, questionnaires were used to assess the readiness of eco-industrial transformation in the country. The assessment of SIP's performance against the EIP framework reveals a concerning lack of compliance, with only 39 % of the performance indicators being met. This translates to several issues including resource inefficiency, increased pollution, higher operating costs and environmental non-compliance for the resident industries in SIP. Key opportunities for the transformation of SIP into an EIP were identified, including the diversity of industries in the park, existing infrastructure and renewable energy integration. These opportunities represent the potential for the establishment of sustainable industrial ecosystems in Nigeria. Tailored strategies for compliance, including policy reforms and stakeholder engagement, are recommended to drive eco-industrial transformation and foster a sustainable and circular manufacturing sector in Nigeria. It is also recommended that future research should investigate the drivers and barriers of industrial symbiosis (IS) and circular economy practices within industrial parks, alongside material flow analysis to determine synergy opportunities.@en