Microplastics' impact on soil health and quality: Effect of incubation time and soil properties in soil fertility and pollution extent under the circular economy concept.

The aim of the present study is to highlight the effect of two commonly used plastics, polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), on the quality and health indices of soil. To this end, a pot experiment was carried out using two soils, one acidic and one alkaline. The soil samples were collected from rural areas of central and Northern Greece and had similar particle size composition and almost equal copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) concentrations.

Micro plastics mapping in the agricultural sector of Cyprus.

The impact of Microplastic Pollution (MPs) on human health, the environment, economy, and society has been previously investigated. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding specific areas that require urgent measures to address marine pollution. The accumulation of MPs in Mediterranean coastal environments is particularly noteworthy.

Soil carbon storage under different types of arid land use in Algeria.

This study aims to assess the amount of organic carbon stored in soils, as it is an intention of knowing the sustainable soil management, by using two common methods for determining soil organic matter (SOM), namely oxidation with acidified wet dichromate (Walkley-Black method-WB) and loss on ignition (LOI). The study was carried with soil samples collected from a depth of 0 to 30 cm in the Saharan arid region of Ghardaïa (Algeria), with different land uses: agricultural, forest and pastoral. The results obtained from the LOI and WB methods were subjected to statistical analysis, and the relations between both methods were tested to investigate their relationship.

The concept of food waste and food loss prevention and measuring tools.

Food waste (FW) has become a global concern, with an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes lost annually, costing about $1 trillion. Environmental and social consequences of FW are significant, contributing to 6% of European Unions' greenhouse gasemissions and affecting global food security.

Waste metrics in the framework of circular economy.

There are several sustainability issues that the linear economy of today's society cannot adequately tackle (i.e. resource depletion, waste treatment, etc.

Nitrogen management in farming systems under the use of agricultural wastes and circular economy.

Population growth leads to an increase in the demand for energy, water, and food as cities grow and urbanize. However, the Earth's limited resources are unable to meet these rising demands. Modern farming practices increase productivity, but waste resources and consume too much energy.

Environmental factors influencing DDT-DDE spatial distribution in an agricultural drainage system determined by using machine learning techniques.

The presence and persistence of pesticides in the environment are environmental problems of great concern due to the health implications for humans and wildlife. The persistence of DDT-DDE in a Mediterranean coastal plain where pesticides were widely used and were banned decades ago is the aim of this study. Different sources of analytical information from water and soil analysis and topography and geographical variables were combined with the purpose of analyzing which environmental factors are more likely to condition the spatial distribution of DDT-DDE in the drainage watercourses of the area.

The perception of circular economy in the framework of fashion industry.

Humanity's three main components are energy, food and clothing. Each of us, individually and collectively, contributes to climate change and CO emissions, natural resource consumption, and social attitudes and behaviour. Global fashion trends are expected to increase in value from 1.

The Lixiviation of Metals When Amending Agricultural Soil of the Mediterranean Basin with Biosolids: Trials in Leaching Columns.

An appropriate handling and use of urban and agricultural biosolids on soils are the best means to protect them from erosion, prevent the loss of nutrients due to runoff and washing, and preserve and restore soil productivity. Heavy metal concentrations in biosolids are one of the decisive factors when using this type of waste on soil, due to potentially being harmful to crops and reaching the human food chain. There is a clear need to study the incidence of these metals in agricultural practices in Mediterranean soils.

General Mapping of the Environmental Performance in Climate Change Mitigation of Spanish Universities through a Standardized Carbon Footprint Calculation Tool.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) can be considered role models of small cities that contribute to the fight against climate change. Therefore, assessing their own carbon footprints (CFs) and drawing conclusions gives significance to this study. In this study, 77 CFs from 14 HEIs were obtained through a tool developed by the Spanish Government.

Soil Sealing and Hydrological Changes during the Development of the University Campus of Elche (Spain).

The University Miguel Hernández of Elche was created in 1996 and its headquarters is located in the city of Elche. A new campus was developed where new buildings and infrastructures have been established for over 25 years in the north of the city. The university is growing, and the land cover/land use is changing, adapted to the new infrastructures.

Urban strategies evaluation for waste management in coastal areas in the framework of area metabolism.

Europe is considered one of the most attractive and safe prevalent tourist destinations in the entire world. Approximately half (47.4%) of European tourist visits occurred in coastal regions, defined "on the basis of and consist of local administrative units or municipalities that border the sea, or have at least half of their total surface area within a distance of 10 km from the sea.

Measuring the level of environmental performance in insular areas, through key performed indicators, in the framework of waste strategy development.

To measure "something that is not there", is not easy and at the same time not fully understandable and perceived by the citizens. Several elements (such as, waste production, waste management cost, social attitude and behaviour, etc.) interrupt and disturb any strategy in the framework of waste management.

The use of wastes (organic and inorganic) in land restoration in relation to their characteristics and cost.

The great extent of degraded soils in southeast Spain makes it necessary to carry out restoration and rehabilitation strategies. In addition, the great amount of wastes produced need to be properly managed. Several types of wastes and amendments (organic and inorganic) can be applied for soil rehabilitation and land restoration.

Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring.

Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter-rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.