Food waste biochar for sustainable agricultural use: Effects on soil enzymes, microbial community, lettuce, and earthworms.

This study investigates the effects of food waste biochar (FWB) on the biological properties of soil, including the microbial community structure, enzyme activities, lettuce growth, and earthworm ecotoxicity. This holistic assessment of various soil organisms was used to assess the potential of FWB as a soil amendment strategy. Pot experiments were carried out over a 28-d period using various FWB concentrations in soil (0-3% w/w).

Environmental occurrence and ecotoxicological risks of plastic leachates in aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to environmental and human health, with microplastics widely distributed across various ecosystems. Although current ecotoxicological studies have primarily focused on the inherent toxicity of plastics in natural environments, the role of chemical additives leaching from plastics into the environment remains underexplored despite their significant contribution to the overall toxic potential of plastics. Existing systematic studies on plastic leachates have often examined isolated additive compounds, neglecting the ecotoxicological effects of multiple compounds present in plastic leachates.

Effects of polyvinyl chloride and low-density polyethylene microplastics on oxidative stress and mitochondria function of earthworm (Eisenia fetida).

Plastics are widely used worldwide due to their convenience. However, microplastics (MPs) accumulation poses a serious threat to ecosystem health. Therefore, understanding the effects of MPs on living organisms within their native ecosystem is crucial.

Photocatalytic and electrocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A in the presence of graphene/graphene oxide-based nanocatalysts: A review.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely recognized endocrine disrupting compound, has been discovered in drinking water sources/finished water and domestic wastewater influent/effluent. Numerous studies have shown photocatalytic and electrocatalytic oxidation to be very effective for the removal of BPA, particularly in the addition of graphene/graphene oxide (GO)-based nanocatalysts. Nevertheless, the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic degradation of BPA in aqueous solutions has not been reviewed.

Stabilization of microbial network by co-digestion of swine manure and organic wastes.

The production of biogas from organic waste has attracted considerable interest as a solution to current energy and waste management challenges. This study explored the methane (CH) production potential of swine manure (SM), food waste (FW), and tomato waste (TW) and the changes in the microbial community involved in the anaerobic digestion process. The results revealed that the CH production potentials of the four kinds of SM samples were influenced by the characteristics of SM (e.

Graphitic-carbon-nitride-hydrophilicity-dependent photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics with different log K.

The surface hydrophilicity of a photocatalyst is an important factor that directly influences its interactions with organic pollutants and significantly impacts its degradation. In this study, we investigated the impact of increased hydrophilicity of g-CN (CN) by alkaline solvothermal treatment on the degradations of three antibiotics (oxytetracycline (OTC), oxolinic acid (OA), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX)) with different log K values. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy showed no significant differences in the morphology, crystalline structure, and surface functional groups of CN after alkaline solvothermal treatment (Nv-HPCN).

Biochar derived from rice husk: Impact on soil enzyme and microbial dynamics, lettuce growth, and toxicity.

This study was set to investigate the effects of rice husk biochar (RHB) on soil characteristics and growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). A comprehensive research approach was employed to examine the effect of different RHB concentrations (i.e.

Effect of different types and shapes of microplastics on the growth of lettuce.

The presence of microplastics in agricultural soils has emerged as a significant environmental concern due to their persistent nature. Microplastics of different properties (i.e.

Responses of earthworms exposed to low-density polyethylene microplastic fragments.

The interest in the effect of microplastics (MPs) on the terrestrial environment has been increasing recently. Different species of earthworms have been used to study the effects of MPs on different aspects of earthworm health. However, there is still a need for more studies because different studies report different effects on earthworms depending on the properties (e.

Pyrolytic Remediation and Ecotoxicity Assessment of Fuel-Oil-Contaminated Soil.

Oil-contaminated soil is a major societal problem for humans and the environment. In this study, the pyrolysis method was applied to oil-contaminated soil used as a landfill and gas station site in Korea. The removal efficiency of the main components of oil-contaminated soils, such as total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), unresolved complex mixture (UCM), and alkylated PAHs (Alk-PAHs) were measured, and the effect of temperature, treatment time, and moisture content on pyrolysis efficiency was studied.

Fe(III)-doped activated biochar sorbents trigger mitochondrial dysfunction with oxidative stress on Daphnia magna.

This study investigates the ecotoxicological effects of the synthesized Fe(III)-doped activated biochar (FeAB) sorbents using Daphnia magna and elucidates the underline mechanism of potential oxidative stress that may be induced by the sorbent. The EC50 value was determined to be 68.8 mg L.

Restoring phosphorus from water to soil: Using calcined eggshells for P adsorption and subsequent application of the adsorbent as a P fertilizer.

This study investigated the solution for two environmental issues: excess of P in water and its deficiency in soil, which is restored by transferring the adsorbed P from water into the soil using eggshell as an adsorbent. The eggshells were calcined at different temperatures to improve their adsorption capacity, and evaluated for their physical/chemical properties and P adsorption capacity. The eggshells calcined at 800 °C (CES-800) had the highest P adsorption; CaCO decomposed into 23.

Changes in the aquatic ecotoxicological effects of Triton X-100 after UV photodegradation.

Various spray adjuvants including surfactants are widely used in agricultural pesticide formulations, and some of them may remain in soils and waters and impose more adverse effects than active pesticide ingredients on organisms. However, previous studies are more focused on the active pesticide ingredients than the adjuvants. Thus, this study investigates the changes in toxic effects of surfactants during photodegradation, which is one way of naturally degrading contaminants in natural waters.

Exploring reductive degradation of fluorinated pharmaceuticals using AlO-supported Pt-group metallic catalysts: Catalytic reactivity, reaction pathways, and toxicity assessment.

Recently, an increasing number of pharmaceutical compounds has become fluorinated. Owing to their pharmacological efficacy, the use of these fluorinated pharmaceuticals continues to grow, and they constitute 20% of the drugs on the current market. However, only a few studies have investigated the fate and transformation of these emerging contaminants in natural and engineered aquatic environments.

Interaction among soil physicochemical properties, bacterial community structure, and arsenic contamination: Clay-induced change in long-term arsenic contaminated soils.

Pyrosequencing analyses to determine soil bacterial communities were conducted with forty-two soil samples collected from rice paddy and forest/farmland soils (Group A and B, respectively) at a long-term As-contaminated site. Soil physicochemical properties, such as the concentrations of As, Fe, Al, and Mn, pH, organic matter content, and clay content, were found to be significantly different with land use, and more importantly, strongly affected the bacterial community structure of the soil samples. When fitting the soil properties onto a nonmetric multidimensional scale plot of soil bacterial communities, clay content was found to be the most important factor in clustering the bacterial communities (R = 0.

Sequential biowashing-biopile processes for remediation of crude oil contaminated soil in Kuwait.

The application of biological processes for remediation of the aged crude oil-contaminated soil of Kuwait can be an inefficient way, thus, this study developed 20 d-sequential biowashing and biopile processes where the biowashing step uses an enrichment culture of the indigenous soil bacterial community and the biopile step includes hemoglobin-catalyzed oxidation (HCO). The residual total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) concentrations and CO generation were measured to determine the removal efficiency, and the bacterial community changes were studied to investigate the effect of the sequential processes on the soil indigenous bacterial community. The enrichment culture grown on hemoglobin showed an increased surface activity, and this promoted desorption and emulsification of crude oil from the soil sample in the biowashing step resulting in 75% TPH removal.

Role of hemoglobin in hemoglobin-based remediation of the crude oil-contaminated soil.

This study investigated the changes in the indigenous microbial community structure with hemoglobin (Hb) application to determine the role of Hb in Hb-based remediation of crude oil-contaminated soil. The phylogenetic diversity of the bacterial community showed that the Hb addition selected surfactants-producing species, thereby, promoting TPH degradation. The significant increase in the CO generation, which can be related to the increase in the bacterial abundance inferred from the 16S rRNA gene copy number, supports the enhanced TPH degradation with Hb application.

Effect of initial pH, operating temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentrations on performance of pyrite-fuel cells in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans.

Fuel cell technology can be applied to remove pyrite from pyrite containing mine waste (PCMW) and to generate electricity. This study investigated the effect of pH, presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, operating temperature, and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration on the performance of pyrite-fuel cells (PFCs). These factors affect the pyrite dissolution rate, which affects the electron movement for electricity generation, hence electrical performance.

Heavy metal and sulfate removal from sulfate-rich synthetic mine drainages using sulfate reducing bacteria.

The removals of heavy metals and sulfate in the synthetic acid mine drainages (AMDs) by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and the indigenous bacteria isolated from the mine area soil sample were studied to compare the AMD treatment efficiencies. The AMD treatment by the D. desulfuricans grown in the Desulfovibrio medium was used to represent bioaugmentation, while the AMD treatment by the indigenous bacteria grown in the Desulfovibrio medium was used to represent biostimulation.

Photodegradation of tetracycline and sulfathiazole individually and in mixtures.

Antibiotics in environment can be of concern as they can enter the food chain posing risks to ecosystems and human health. Photodegradation has been considered as a promising way of naturally degrading antibiotics in environment. Antibiotics are usually present in mixtures in environment; however, previous studies focused on individual compounds.

Optimization of hydrogen peroxide-to-hemoglobin ratio for biocatalytic mineralization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-contaminated soils.

This study investigates the efficiency of hemoglobin (Hb)-catalyzed biocatalytic reactions for removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a historically PAHs-contaminated soil and of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in an artificially BaP-contaminated soil. PAHs removal tests at various HO-to-Hb mass ratios (0-3.7) showed that the PAHs removal was greater at HO-to-Hb mass ratio of ≥3.

Utilization of waste bittern from saltern as a source for magnesium and an absorbent for carbon dioxide capture.

During solar salt production, large quantities of bittern, a liquid by-product containing high inorganic substance concentrations, are produced. The purpose of this research was to examine the utilization of waste bittern generated from salterns as a source for Mg production and as an absorbent for carbon dioxide (CO) capture. The study was conducted in a sequential two-step process.

Importance of chemical binding type between As and iron-oxide on bioaccessibility in soil: Test with synthesized two line ferrihydrite.

Bioaccessible concentrations of As associated with Fe oxide as different chemical binding types were determined in soils using the in vitro Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET). When compared to the five-step sequential extraction data, most of the As extracted by in vitro PBET originated from the amorphous Fe oxide-bound fraction, and more importantly, the bioaccessibility of As ranged from 0 to 58.8% in 24 soil samples.