Co-composting of sewage sludge as an effective technology for the production of substrates with reduced content of pharmaceutical residues.

Sewage sludge is a valuable source of elements such as phosphorus and nitrogen. At the same time, heavy metals, emerging organic compounds, micropollutants (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, PCPs, microplastics), or some potentially dangerous bacteria can be present. In this study, the sewage sludge was aerobically treated by composting with other materials (co-composted), and the resulting substrate was tested for suitability of its use in agriculture.

Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging Sensor for Detection of Photolytically and Photocatalytically Degraded Glyphosate.

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used pesticides, which, together with its primary metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid, remains present in the environment. Many technologies have been developed to reduce glyphosate amounts in water. Among them, heterogeneous photocatalysis with titanium dioxide as a commonly used photocatalyst achieves high removal efficiency.

A novel approach for measuring membrane permeability for organic compounds via surface plasmon resonance detection.

Well-known methods for measuring permeability of membranes include static or flow diffusion chambers. When studying the effects of organic compounds on plants, the use of such model systems allows to investigate xenobiotic behavior at the cuticular barrier level and obtain an understanding of the initial penetration processes of these substances into plant leaves. However, the use of diffusion chambers has disadvantages, including being time-consuming, requiring sampling, or a sufficiently large membrane area, which cannot be obtained from all types of plants.

Surface plasmon resonance: An innovative method for studying water permeability of plant cuticles.

The cuticle forms an effective barrier protecting plants from water loss. Its permeability to water and other compounds significantly differs between species, types of cuticle (stomatous, astomatous), and can be affected by a wide variety of ambient conditions. Enzymatic isolation of the leaf cuticle allows obtaining intact cuticles for permeability measurements.

Combined SPRi Sensor for Simultaneous Detection of Nitrate and Ammonium in Wastewater.

Water pollution is a serious problem in modern society. Agriculture, being responsible for the discharge of agrochemicals, organic matter, or drug residues, produces a huge amount of wastewater. Aquaponics has the potential to reduce both water consumption and the impact of water pollution on fish farming and plant production.

Antibacterial, Antifungal and Ecotoxic Effects of Ammonium and Imidazolium Ionic Liquids Synthesized in Microwaves.

Ionic liquids are increasingly used for their superior properties. Four water-immiscible ionic liquids (butyltriethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, octyltriethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, dodecyltriethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) and their water miscible precursors (bromides) were synthesized in a microwave reactor and by conventional heating. The best conditions for microwave-assisted synthesis concerning the yield and the purity of the product are proposed.

A modified method for enzymatic isolation of and subsequent wax extraction from leaf cuticle.

Background: The plant cuticle represents one of the major adaptations of vascular plants to terrestrial life. Cuticular permeability and chemical composition differ among species. is a widely used model for biochemical and molecular genetic studies in plants.

Reynoutria japonica, an invasive herb as a source of activated carbon for the removal of xenobiotics from water.

Japanese knotweed (JK) is considered one of the most problematic invasive plants. Great attention was paid to research any possibilities of reducing its occurrence. This work deals with possibilities of easy transformation of JK into carbon adsorbent (AC), which is usable for sorption of diclofenac and paracetamol.

Partitioning of mesophyll conductance for CO into intercellular and cellular components using carbon isotope composition of cuticles from opposite leaf sides.

We suggest a new technique for estimating the relative drawdown of CO concentration (c) in the intercellular air space (IAS) across hypostomatous leaves (expressed as the ratio c/c, where the indexes d and b denote the adaxial and abaxial edges, respectively, of IAS), based on the carbon isotope composition (δC) of leaf cuticular membranes (CMs), cuticular waxes (WXs) or epicuticular waxes (EWXs) isolated from opposite leaf sides. The relative drawdown in the intracellular liquid phase (i.e.

Seasonal variation of δO and δH in leaf water of Fagus sylvatica L. and related water compartments.

The study aims to assess variability in leaf water isotopic enrichment occurring in the field under natural conditions. We focused on seasonal variation and difference between sun-exposed and shaded leaves. Isotopic composition (δO, δH) of leaf water was monitored in a beech tree (Fagus sylvatica L.

Stomatal function, density and pattern, and CO assimilation in Arabidopsis thaliana tmm1 and sdd1-1 mutants.

Stomata modulate the exchange of water and CO between plant and atmosphere. Although stomatal density is known to affect CO diffusion into the leaf and thus photosynthetic rate, the effect of stomatal density and patterning on CO assimilation is not fully understood. We used wild types Col-0 and C24 and stomatal mutants sdd1-1 and tmm1 of Arabidopsis thaliana, differing in stomatal density and pattern, to study the effects of these variations on both stomatal and mesophyll conductance and CO assimilation rate.

Light-induced STOMAGEN-mediated stomatal development in Arabidopsis leaves.

The initiation of stomata, microscopic valves in the epidermis of higher plants that control of gas exchange, requires a co-ordinated sequence of asymmetric and symmetric divisions, which is under tight environmental and developmental control. Arabidopsis leaves grown under elevated photosynthetic photon flux density have a higher density of stomata. STOMAGEN encodes an epidermal patterning factor produced in the mesophyll, and our observations indicated that elevated photosynthetic irradiation stimulates STOMAGEN expression.

Stomatal and pavement cell density linked to leaf internal CO2 concentration.

Background And Aims: Stomatal density (SD) generally decreases with rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, Ca. However, SD is also affected by light, air humidity and drought, all under systemic signalling from older leaves. This makes our understanding of how Ca controls SD incomplete.

Relation of chlorophyll fluorescence sensitive reflectance ratios to carbon flux measurements of montanne grassland and norway spruce forest ecosystems in the temperate zone.

We explored ability of reflectance vegetation indexes (VIs) related to chlorophyll fluorescence emission (R₆₈₆/R₆₃₀, R₇₄₀/R₈₀₀) and de-epoxidation state of xanthophyll cycle pigments (PRI, calculated as (R₅₃₁- R₅₇₀)/(R₅₃₁-R₅₇₀) to track changes in the CO₂ assimilation rate and Light Use Efficiency (LUE) in montane grassland and Norway spruce forest ecosystems, both at leaf and also canopy level. VIs were measured at two research plots using a ground-based high spatial/spectral resolution imaging spectroscopy technique. No significant relationship between VIs and leaf light-saturated CO₂ assimilation (A(MAX)) was detected in instantaneous measurements of grassland under steady-state irradiance conditions.

The role of heterotrophic carbon acquisition by the hemiparasitic plant Rhinanthus alectorolophus in seedling establishment in natural communities: a physiological perspective.

• Heterotrophic acquisition of substantial amounts of organic carbon by hemiparasitic plants was clearly demonstrated by numerous studies. Many hemiparasites are, however, also limited by competition for light preventing the establishment of their populations on highly productive sites. • In a growth-chamber experiment, we investigated the effects of competition for light, simulated by shading, on growth and heterotrophic carbon acquisition by the hemiparasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus attached to C(3) and C(4) hosts using analyses of biomass production and stable isotopes of carbon.