Potential of Biochar from Wood Gasification to Retain Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.

In this study, a biochar obtained from poplar wood gasification at a temperature of 850 °C was used to adsorb the xenoestrogens 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and bisphenol A (BPA) and the herbicide metribuzin from water. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were employed to investigate the surface micromorphology and functional groups composition of biochar, respectively. The study of sorption kinetics showed that all compounds achieved the steady state in less than 2 h, according to a pseudo-second order model, which denoted the formation of strong bonds (chemisorption) between biochar and the compounds.

Biochar effect on crop performance and Pb and Zn uptake of tomato ( L.) plants grown on heavy metals contaminated Kosovo soils.

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of biochar on the growth and uptake of Pb and Zn by tomato plants ( L.) cultivated in two highly contaminated Kosovo soils, A and B. Plants were cultivated in the biochar amended and unamended soils.

Wood biochars and vermicomposts from digestate modulate the extent of adsorption-desorption of the fungicide metalaxyl-m in a silty soil.

This study aimed to investigate changes in metalaxyl-M sorption-desorption capacity of soil following the addition of two types of amendments. Two biochars (BC) from grapevine pruning residues (BC-G) and spruce wood (BC-S) and two vermicomposts (VC) obtained vermicomposting digestates from a mixture of manure and olive mill wastewater (VC-M) and buffalo manure (VC-B) were used. Using a batch equilibration method, the materials and a silt loam soil non-amended or amended with each material at 2% (w/w) were interacted with the fungicide at a concentration of 2 mg L for kinetics study and in the range 1-20 mg L for sorption isotherms.

Phytotoxic metabolites produced by Kleb. in olive wilting: a chemical and spectroscopic approach for their molecular characterisation.

Most of the symptoms associated with Verticillium wilt disease in olive cultivation are due to complexes excreted by . In this study chemical and physico-chemical techniques were combined to investigate how the molecular structure of phytotoxins isolated from two pathotypes of , defoliating, D, and non-defoliating, ND, grown on two different media, Verticillium-dahliae-Medium (VdM) and Simulated Xylem-fluid-Medium (SXM), can affect their aggressiveness. Data obtained highlight important structural differences, both in term of elemental composition and in functional groups distribution.

Insight into the interaction mechanism of iron ions with soil humic acids. The effect of the pH and chemical properties of humic acids.

The main aim of this work was to study the mechanisms of interaction between iron(II) ions and humic acids as a function of pH, iron concentration and various humic acids chemical properties, including the degree of humification, elemental composition, aromaticity and content of acidic functional groups. The results indicated that iron was bound by humic acids at pH 7 in amounts ∼2 times higher than at pH 5 (averaged capacities: 117 and 57 cmol/kg, respectively). Iron binding at pH 7 increased with increasing the total carboxylic and phenolic groups content and the degree of humification of humic acids (R-coefficients: 0.

Methylated arsenic species throughout a 4-m deep core from a free-floating peat island.

Arsenic (As) occurs in soils mostly in inorganic forms, whereas the organic forms usually occur only in trace amounts. Peatlands are waterlogged, generally anoxic, organic soils representing the first step in coal formation; the contribution of organic vs. inorganic As species in this environment has received little research attention.

Rapid peat accumulation favours the occurrence of both fen and bog microbial communities within a Mediterranean, free-floating peat island.

The unique environment of a 4m-thick, free-floating peat island within the Posta Fibreno lake (Central Italy) was analyzed using DNA-based techniques to assess bacterial and fungal community members identity and abundance. Two depths were sampled at 41 and 279 cm from the surface, the former corresponding to an emerged portion of Sphagnum residues accumulated less than 30 yrs ago, and the latter mainly consisting of silty peat belonging to the deeply submerged part of the island, dating back to 1520-1660 AD. The corresponding communities were very diverse, each of them dominated by a different member of the Delta-proteobacteria class for prokaryotes.

Highly anomalous accumulation rates of C and N recorded by a relic, free-floating peatland in Central Italy.

Floating islands mysteriously moving around on lakes were described by several Latin authors almost two millennia ago. These fascinating ecosystems, known as free-floating mires, have been extensively investigated from ecological, hydrological and management points of view, but there have been no detailed studies of their rates of accumulation of organic matter (OM), organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN). We have collected a peat core 4 m long from the free-floating island of Posta Fibreno, a relic mire in Central Italy.

Crowdsourcing the Measurement of Interstate Conflict.

Much of the data used to measure conflict is extracted from news reports. This is typically accomplished using either expert coders to quantify the relevant information or machine coders to automatically extract data from documents. Although expert coding is costly, it produces quality data.

Kickoff to conflict: a sequence analysis of intra-state conflict-preceding event structures.

While many studies have suggested or assumed that the periods preceding the onset of intra-state conflict are similar across time and space, few have empirically tested this proposition. Using the Integrated Crisis Early Warning System's domestic event data in Asia from 1998-2010, we subject this proposition to empirical analysis. We code the similarity of government-rebel interactions in sequences preceding the onset of intra-state conflict to those preceding further periods of peace using three different metrics: Euclidean, Levenshtein, and mutual information.

Chemical and spectroscopic characteristics of humic acids and dissolved organic matter along two Alfisol profiles.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the heterogeneous structural and functional composition of humic acids (HAs) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from two Alfisol profiles with different soil texture, in order to develop a better understanding of the organic matter dynamics. Soil samples were collected at different depths from three (Ap, 2AB and 2Bt) and eight (A1, A2, A3, E1, E2, 2Bt1, 2Bt2 and 2Bt3) soil horizons of two Alfisols located in the south (PR1) and north (PR2) of Italy, with a clay texture and a silt loam to loam ones, respectively. Chemical and spectroscopic methods were used to characterize the HAs and the DOM isolated from different soil horizons, including Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and Fluorescence spectroscopies.

Association of ActA to peptidoglycan revealed by cell wall proteomics of intracellular Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive intracellular bacterial pathogen that colonizes the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. Recent transcriptomic studies have revealed that intracellular L. monocytogenes alter expression of genes encoding envelope components.

Interactions between rotenone and humic acids by means of FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopies.

The aim of this work was to ascertain, on a comparative basis, the compositional, structural and functional differences occurring between three humic acids (HAs), HA S1 (isolated from a Mediterranean brown soil), HA S2 (isolated from a Bavarian brown soil), and HA SR (a Suwannee River standard aquatic HA, purchased from IHSS), and to investigate the influence of their intrinsic properties on the types of binding mechanisms toward the pesticide rotenone. Original HAs and their corresponding HA-rotenone products, obtained by two different interaction protocols, were analyzed for elemental and functional group composition, and spectroscopic techniques, such as Fourier-transform infrared (FT IR) with Fourier self-deconvolution (FSD) and fluorescence both in the single-scan and in three-dimensional modes. The HA S1 sample appeared to be characterized by a greater aromaticity degree and lower polarity with respect to the HA S2, featured by a mixed aromatic/aliphatic character, whereas mainly aliphatic and acidic resulted the HA SR.

Study of the biodegradation and transformation of olive-mill residues during composting using FTIR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.

The aim of this work was to investigate the structural transformations occurring in organic matter and their relationships with organic matter stability during the composting of two different solid olive-mill residues (SOMR). Raw materials were prepared from SOMR (compost C1) and from a mixture of SOMR and olive-mill wastewater for compost C2. Composts evolution was monitored by direct Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and by physicochemical parameters.

Elemental and spectroscopic characterization of humic-acid-like compounds during composting of olive mill by-products.

Humic acids (HAs) were isolated at different stages of composting from two piles of solid olive mill residues (SOR) treated for the first 30 days with tap water (pile C1) or olive mill wastewater (pile C2), for a total composting period of 9 months. The HA fractions were characterized by elemental analysis, UV-visible, Fourier transform infrared and fluorescence spectroscopy in order to monitor humification process and the maturity of the composts. As composting proceeded, the elemental composition of the humic acids showed a decrease in C and H content, and in the C/N ratio, and an increase in N and O contents and in the C/H and O/C ratios.

Influence of extractant on quality and trace elements content of peat humic acids.

Among several extractants used to isolate humic acids (HA) from terrestrial environments, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium pyrophosphate (Na(4)P(2)O(7)) are the most utilized. In order to evaluate the influence of these different extractant solutions on the HA quality and on their trace elements content, HA were isolated from five Sphagnum-peat samples using three different solutions: (a) 0.5M NaOH; (b) 0.

Effects of sewage sludge amendment on the properties of two Brazilian oxisols and their humic acids.

The effect of sewage sludge (SS) amendment on the general properties of the top layers of a sandy and a clayey oxisols and on the nature of their humic acid (HA) fractions was evaluated by chemical and physico-chemical techniques. The amended soils, especially the sandy soil, benefited of SS amendment by increasing their pH to above neutrality and enhancing the contents of C, N, P, and Ca and cation exchange capacity. The SS-HA-like sample showed larger H and N contents and a greater aliphatic character and humification degree than the HAs isolated from non-amended soils.

Characterization of water extractable organic matter in a deep soil profile.

The aim of this study was to identify qualitative and quantitative differences of water extractable organic matter (WEOM) isolated from each horizon along a deep soil profile and to evaluate any relationship between the WEOC and the total organic carbon (TOC) content. The soil profile "Monte Pietroso" is located in the Murge area, Apulia region in Southern Italy. Samples from the eight horizons (Ap1, Ap2, Ab1, Ab2, Bt1, 2B, 2Bt2, and 2B/C) were collected in October 2002.

Fluorescence analysis of humic and fulvic acids from two Brazilian oxisols as affected by biosolid amendment.

Conventional monodimensional fluorescence spectroscopy in the emission, excitation, and synchronous-scan modes and total luminescence spectroscopy have proven to be sensitive techniques for characterization and differentiation of humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) fractions isolated from an aerobically and anaerobically digested and limed biosolid, two layers of a sandy and a clayey Brazilian oxisol, and the corresponding biosolid-amended soils. The spectral patterns and the relative fluorescence intensities suggest greater molecular heterogeneity, less aromatic polycondensation, and less humification of biosolid HA and FA compared with soil HA and FA. However, the differences are smaller for the FA fractions than for the HA fractions.

Spectroscopic and thermal investigations on compost improved by iron salt addition.

A quality compost obtained from sewage sludge (one part in weight) and yard trimmings and sawdust (two parts) has been investigated as a potential carrier of iron to plants. At the end of the thermophilic phase, the composting materials were added with crystalline FeSO4.7H2O (97%).

Fluorescence behaviour of Zn and Ni complexes of humic acids from different sources.

Conventional fluorescence spectroscopy in the excitation, emission and synchronous scan modes and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy in the form of an excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of fluorescence intensity as a function of excitation and emission wavelengths have been applied to the study of three humic acids (HAs) extracted from soil (SHA), peat (PHA) and compost (CHA) and their interaction products with Zn(II) and Ni(II) ions. Fluorescence spectra of HAs appear to be related to the nature and origin of the sample. A strong reduction of intensity of all peaks is observed in the spectra of HAs-metal complexes as compared to those of untreated HAs.

Effects of pig slurry application on soils and soil humic acids.

The effect of three annually consecutive additions of pig slurry at two rates (90 and 150 m3 x ha(-1) x year(-1) on soils and soil humic acids (HAs) was investigated in a field experiment under semiarid conditions. Soils and pig slurries were analyzed by standard methods. The HAs were isolated from soils and pig slurry by a conventional procedure based on alkaline extraction, acidic precipitation to pH 1, purification by repeated alkaline dissolutions and acidic precipitations, water washing, dialysis, and final freeze-drying.