Novel Chemical Routes for Carbon Dioxide and Methane Production from Lignin Photodegradation: The Role of Environmental Free Radicals.

Sunlight irradiation significantly mediates plant litter's carbon dynamics and volatile carbon release in semi-arid and arid ecosystems. In this process, carbon loss is controlled by lignin, but the mechanisms of production of CO and CH during lignin photolysis are ambiguous. In this study, the photomineralization of plant litter and the lignocellulosic component collectively indicate that lignin is a major source of CO and CH emissions.

Seasonal and Spatial Fluctuations of Reactive Oxygen Species in Riparian Soils and Their Contributions on Organic Carbon Mineralization.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are ubiquitous in the natural environment and play a pivotal role in biogeochemical processes. However, the spatiotemporal distribution and production mechanisms of ROS in riparian soil remain unknown. Herein, we performed uninterrupted monitoring to investigate the variation of ROS at different soil sites of the Weihe River riparian zone throughout the year.

A state-of-art review on the redox activity of persistent free radicals in biochar.

Biochar-bound persistent free radicals (biochar-PFRs) attract much attention because they can directly or indirectly mediate the transformation of contaminants in large-scale wastewater treatment processes. Despite this, a comprehensive top-down understanding of the redox activity of biochar-PFRs, particularly consumption and regeneration mechanisms, as well as challenges in redox activity assessment, is still lacking. To tackle this challenge, this review outlines the identification and determination methods of biochar-PFRs, which serve as a prerequisite for assessing the redox activity of biochar-PFRs.

Carbon emissions and priming effects derived from crop residues and their responses to nitrogen inputs.

Crop residue-derived carbon (C) emissions and priming effects (PE) in cropland soils can influence the global C cycle. However, their corresponding generality, driving factors, and responses to nitrogen (N) inputs are poorly understood. As a result, the total C emissions and net C balance also remain mysterious.

The overlooked toxicity of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) induced by anthracene transformation to earthworms (Eisenia fetida).

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) as intermediate products exist widely in the PAHs-contaminated soils, but toxicity assessment associated with EPFRs for terrestrial invertebrates remains unclear. Using the model organism Eisenia fetida, we compared the adverse effects among anthracene (ANT), anthraquinone (ANQ), and EPFRs induced by ANT transformation on clay surfaces. Our results showed that EPFRs-exposed earthworms experienced histopathological damage, which was more severe than ANT and ANQ-exposed earthworms.

A novel method for removing heavy metals from composting system: The combination of functional bacteria and adsorbent materials.

The aim of this study was to remove heavy metals from composting system using a novel method combined functional bacteria with adsorbent materials. Four types of adsorbent materials were selected in this study. Results showed that Cr had significant removal efficiency, especially in sponge treatment (19.

Host bacterial community of MGEs determines the risk of horizontal gene transfer during composting of different animal manures.

Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) play critical roles in transferring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among different microorganisms in the environment. This study aimed to explore the fate of MGEs during chicken manure (CM) and bovine manure (BM) composting to assess horizontal transfer risks of ARGs. The results showed that the removal efficiency of MGEs during CM composting was significantly higher than that during BM composting, because the potential host bacteria of MGEs were eliminated largely during CM composting.