Biofertilizer use in the United States: definition, regulation, and prospects.

The increasing demand for sustainable food production has driven a surge in the use and commercialization of biological inputs, including biofertilizers. In this context, biofertilizers offer potential benefits for nutrient use efficiency, crop yield and sustainability. However, inconsistent definition of the term "biofertilizer" and regulations, particularly in the USA, hinder market growth and consumer confidence.

Guidance on aqueous matrices for evaluating novel precipitants and adsorbents for phosphorus removal and recovery.

Phosphorus (P) removal from water and recovery into useable forms is a critical component of creating a sustainable P cycle, although mature technologies for P removal and recovery are still lacking. The goal of this paper was to advance the testing of novel materials for P removal and recovery from water by providing guidance on the development of more realistic aqueous matrices used during materials development. Literature reports of "new" materials to remove P from water are often difficult to compare in terms of performance because authors use a myriad of water chemistries containing P concentrations, pH, and competing ions.

The phosphorus challenge: biotechnology approaches for a sustainable phosphorus system.

Phosphorus (P) is essential for growing crops, but the supply of high-quality phosphate rock reserves used for fertilizer production is finite while losses of P from the food/waste system cause considerable environmental damage. A variety of emerging approaches in biotechnology are reviewed that hold promise for improving the sustainability of P use in the food/water systems. These include improved sensors, cell culture approaches to meat production, bio-based P adsorption and transformation strategies, advancements in understanding of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms, and new approaches involving biomineralization and anaerobic treatment.

Phosphate-binding proteins and peptides: from molecular mechanisms to potential applications.

Selective binding of phosphate is vital to multiple aims including phosphate transport into cells and phosphate-targeted applications such as adsorption-based water treatment and sensing. High-affinity phosphate-binding proteins and peptides offer a nature-inspired means of efficiently binding and separating phosphate from complex matrices. The binding protein PstS is characterized by a Venus flytrap topology that confers exceptional phosphate affinity and selectivity, and is effective even at low phosphate concentrations, all of which are essential for applications such as phosphate sensing, removal, and recovery.

Batch-to-Batch Variation in Laser-Inscribed Graphene (LIG) Electrodes for Electrochemical Sensing.

Laser-inscribed graphene (LIG) is an emerging material for micro-electronic applications and is being used to develop supercapacitors, soft actuators, triboelectric generators, and sensors. The fabrication technique is simple, yet the batch-to-batch variation of LIG quality is not well documented in the literature. In this study, we conduct experiments to characterize batch-to-batch variation in the manufacturing of LIG electrodes for applications in electrochemical sensing.