Editor’s Welcome

It is with great pleasure that I introduce the 3^rd Issue of Vol 46 of Ozone: Science and Engineering.

Ozone is a fascinating molecule that has a wide range of applications with new emerging areas where ozone is applied or new methods on how it is applied are gaining traction and momentum. This issue includes many insightful and high-quality articles covering a broad spectrum of ozone applications for antimicrobial activity, effluent treatment, and medicine. The paper by Eng-Tong Phuah et al. discusses the physicochemical properties of ozonated palm kernel oil and provides data on its antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi. Gabriel Serpa Jacinto et al. suggest a relationship between the physicochemical properties of ozonated vegetable oils and their biological activity and point out the importance of standardizing ozone dosages. In a third paper of this issue, Metehan Ozel and Hakan Karaca present results on the effects of high concentration-short time and low concentration-long time gaseous ozone treatments of Aspergillus flavus to demonstrate the potential of ozone treatments in preventing fungal contamination and aflatoxin production in red pepper. Pedro Augusto Laurindo Igreja Marrafa et al. evaluate the effects of ozone gas on human hair fiber and show that ozone can have an oxidative action on human hair, which with further studies, can be used as an environmentally friendly alternative personal care product. On effluent treatment, Mariela Vega-Álvarez et al. discuss and compare the application of oxygen and ozone combined with activated carbon to treat a food industrial effluent, while Nina Lekše et al. look at the impact of polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene microplastics, with and without ozonation pretreatment, on biogas and methane production. The closing paper of this issue is by Renate Viebahn-Haensler and Olga León Fernández who reconsider the fundamental reactions related to the redox bioregulatory effect of ozone and highlight the role of glutathione in the mechanisms that take place.

Finally, I would like to congratulate all the authors who have contributed to this issue and thank our Editorial team and expert referees for their commitment to Ozone: Science and Engineering. I hope that readers of Ozone: Science and Engineering will find this issue is of interest to them and enjoy reading the articles it contains on ozone’s wide applications.