Role of Phosphorus Type and Biodegradable Polymer on Phosphorus Fate and Efficacy in a Plant-Soil System.

Phosphorus (P) is critical for crop production but has a high nutrient use inefficiency. Tomato was grown in soil amended with five P-sources, used as-is, or embedded within a biodegradable polymer, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Correlation analysis identified treatments that maintain plant growth, improve bioavailable soil P, and reduce P loss.

Influence of Oxygen-Containing Functional Groups on the Environmental Properties, Transformations, and Toxicity of Carbon Nanotubes.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unique physical and chemical properties that drive their use in a variety of commercial and industrial applications. CNTs are commonly oxidized prior to their use to enhance dispersion in polar solvents by deliberately grafting oxygen-containing functional groups onto CNT surfaces. In addition, CNT surface oxides can be unintentionally formed or modified after CNTs are released into the environment through exposure to reactive oxygen species and/or ultraviolet irradiation.

Photochemical Transformations of Carbon Dots in Aqueous Environments.

The unique physicochemical and luminescent properties of carbon dots (CDs) have motivated research efforts toward their incorporation into commercial products. Increased use of CDs will inevitably lead to their release into the environment where their fate and persistence will be influenced by photochemical transformations, the nature of which is poorly understood. This knowledge gap motivated the present investigation of the effects of direct and indirect photolysis on citric and malic acid-based CDs.