ROOTS - Circular policies for changing the biowaste system.

The circular economy has a huge potential to make our societies more sustainable and decarbonised, with a reduced impact on the planet's resources. The deployment of innovative solutions in the field of urban biowaste valorisation and reuse is still hindered by numerous bottlenecks, such as technological readiness, funding and financing tools availability, quality and quantity of biowaste and regulatory barriers. The European Green Deal and associated legislative initiatives provide the opportunity to overcome the last ones.

The use of mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for acid sulfate soil analysis.

Good management of sulfide minerals and sulfuric acid in Acid Sulfate Soils (ASS) requires cost-effective rapid analytical data for their characterisation. However, the determination of properties in ASS samples using traditional laboratory techniques is expensive and time consuming. Excessive delays in analysis risks sample changes from oxidation.

Assessment of cyanide contamination in soils with a handheld mid-infrared spectrometer.

We examined the feasibility of using handheld mid-infrared (MIR) Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR) instrumentation for detecting and analysing cyanide (CN) contamination in field contaminated soils. Cyanide spiking experiments were first carried out, in the laboratory, to test the sensitivity of infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectrometry to ferro- and ferricyanide compounds across a range of reference soils and minerals. Both benchtop and handheld diffuse reflectance infrared spectrometers were tested.

Rapid prediction of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil using a hand-held mid-infrared field instrument.

This manuscript reports on the performance of a hand-held diffuse reflectance (mid)-infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectrometer for the prediction of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in three different diesel-contaminated soils. These soils include: a carbonate dominated clay, a kaolinite dominated clay and a loam from Padova Italy, north Western Australia and southern Nigeria, respectively. Soils were analysed for TPH concentration using a standard laboratory methods and scanned in DRIFT mode with the hand-held spectrometer to determine TPH calibration models.

GEMAS: prediction of solid-solution phase partitioning coefficients (Kd) for oxoanions and boric acid in soils using mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

The authors' aim was to develop rapid and inexpensive regression models for the prediction of partitioning coefficients (Kd), defined as the ratio of the total or surface-bound metal/metalloid concentration of the solid phase to the total concentration in the solution phase. Values of Kd were measured for boric acid (B[OH]3(0)) and selected added soluble oxoanions: molybdate (MoO4(2-)), antimonate (Sb[OH](6-)), selenate (SeO4(2-)), tellurate (TeO4(2-)) and vanadate (VO4(3-)). Models were developed using approximately 500 spectrally representative soils of the Geochemical Mapping of Agricultural Soils of Europe (GEMAS) program.

GEMAS: prediction of solid-solution partitioning coefficients (Kd) for cationic metals in soils using mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models, using mid-infrared (MIR) diffuse reflectance Fourier-transformed (DRIFT) spectra, were used to predict distribution coefficient (Kd) values for selected added soluble metal cations (Ag(+), Co(2+), Cu(2+), Mn(2+), Ni(2+), Pb(2+), Sn(4+), and Zn(2+)) in 4813 soils of the Geochemical Mapping of Agricultural Soils (GEMAS) program. For the development of the PLSR models, approximately 500 representative soils were selected based on the spectra, and Kd values were determined using a single-point soluble metal or radioactive isotope spike. The optimum models, using a combination of MIR-DRIFT spectra and soil pH, resulted in good predictions for log Kd+1 for Co, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn (R(2) ≥ 0.