New insights into thermostable iron-containing/activated alcohol dehydrogenases from hyperthermophiles.

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is an important enzyme that catalyzes alcohol oxidation and/or aldehyde reduction. As one of NAD-dependent ADH types, iron-containing/activated ADH (Fe-ADH) is ubiquitous in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryotes, possessing a similar "tunnel-like" structure that is composed of a domain A in its N-terminus and a domain B in its C-terminus. A conserved "GGGS" sequence in the domain A of Fe-ADH associates with NAD, and one conserved Asp residue and three conserved His residues in the domain B are its catalytic active sites by surrounding with Fe atom, suggesting that it might employ similar catalytic mechanism.

The global power sector's low-carbon transition may enhance sustainable development goal achievement.

The low-carbon power transition, which is key to combatting climate change, has far-reaching effects on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of issues such as resource use, environmental emissions, employment, and many more. Here, we assess the potential impacts of the power transition on progress toward achieving multiple SDGs (covering 18 targets across the 17 goals) across 49 economies under nine socioeconomic and climate scenarios. We find that the low-carbon power transition under the representative concentration pathway (RCP)2.

Nitrate sink function of riparian zones induced by river stage fluctuations.

River stage fluctuation (RSF) induced by tides, dam releases, or storms may lead to enhanced nitrogen cycling (N cycling) in riparian zones (RZ). We conducted a laboratory water table manipulation experiment and applied a multiphase flow and transport model (TOUGHREACT) to investigate the role of RSF in N cycling in the RZ. Coupled nitrification and denitrification occur in the water table fluctuation zone under alternating aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Impact of organic amendments on the bioavailability of heavy metals in mudflat soil and their uptake by maize.

Organic amendments (OAs) can be a sustainable and effective method for mudflat soil improvement. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the potential of OA application to mudflat soil improvement. We measured the pH, soil organic matter (SOM), salinity, maize growth, and heavy metal (HM) accumulation in OA-applied soils, and maize tissues after three OAs, sewage sludge (SS), Chinese medical residue (CMR), and cattle manure (CM), were applied at the application rates of 0, 30, 75, 150, and 300 t ha.

Promoting Chinese urban residents' participation in source separation and recycling.

Source separation and recycling (SSR) for municipal solid waste is an important strategy for the transition to a circular economy and requires broader resident participation. How can residents' participation in SSR be promoted? Here, we consider 13 cities in Jiangsu as microcosms of China. We quantify residents' intentions to participate in SSR by distributing a validated questionnaire to 2,963 urban residents, analyze the results through structural equation modeling, and propose localized policy recommendations.

Bloom of tetracycline resistance genes in mudflats following fertilization is attributed to the increases in the shared potential hosts between soil and organic fertilizers.

A field experiment was carried out in mudflats adjacent to the Yellow Sea, China, amended with sewage sludge and vermicompost by one-time input at different rates to reveal the fates of tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs) and their potential hosts in the soils. Quantitative PCR results showed that soils added with either sludge or vermicompost had more abundant TRGs compared with the non-fertilized soil. This situation was more obvious in sludge fertilized soils especially at high application rates.

Quantifying the interaction of water and radiation use efficiency under plastic film mulch in winter wheat.

Local natural resources, (e.g., precipitation, solar radiation) are important for developing environmentally and scientifically sound management practices in dryland agroecosystem.

Sustained effects of one-time sewage sludge addition on rice yield and heavy metals accumulation in salt-affected mudflat soil.

High-yielding and sustainable production of rice in salt-affected mudflat is restricted by high soil salinity. Although sewage sludge can be used for mudflat amendment especially soil salt reduction, the possibility of potential heavy metal contamination in sludge-amended mudflat especially under paddy cultivation remains unclear, which hinders the further utilization of sewage sludge. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in a newly reclaimed mudflat to assess the sustained effects of one-time sludge input with different addition rates (0, 30, 60, 120, and 180 t ha) on soil salinity, rice yield, and potential metal contamination under paddy cultivation.

sp. nov., isolated from cattail root soil from mine tailings.

A yellow-pigmented, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile rod shaped, mesophilic bacterium, designated strain N7XX-4, was isolated from cattail root grown on the mine tailings of Phoenix mountain, Tongling city, Anhui Province (PR China). Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the strain represented a novel member of the family . The nearest phylogenetic neighbour was MSL-13 (97.

Paddy periphyton reduced cadmium accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa) by removing and immobilizing cadmium from the water-soil interface.

Periphyton plays a significant role in heavy metal transfer in wetlands, but its contribution to cadmium (Cd) bioavailability in paddy fields remains largely unexplored. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of periphyton on Cd behavior in paddy fields. Periphyton significantly decreased Cd concentrations in paddy waters.

Heavy metal distribution and uptake by maize in a mudflat soil amended by vermicompost derived from sewage sludge.

Sewage sludge has been regarded as an economic and efficient soil amendment for mudflat soil amendment despite of the concern of heavy metal contamination. Converting sewage sludge into vermicompost by earthworms may be effective to minimize the risk of heavy metal contamination caused by direct application of sewage sludge in mudflat soil. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of vermicompost amendment (VA), and its influence on heavy metal contamination compared with sewage sludge amendment (SSA) in mudflat soil.

Sewage sludge amendment improved soil properties and sweet sorghum yield and quality in a newly reclaimed mudflat land.

Growing bioenergy crop on marginal lands has the potential to minimize land use conflicts and meet global energy demand. The newly reclaimed mudflats through sewage sludge amendment can be used as a potential marginal land for bioenergy production. This paper was one of first studies to investigate the persistent impact of sewage sludge application at the rates of 0, 25, 50, 125, and 250 t ha on selected soil physicochemical properties, yields and quality of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.

Heavy metal leaching and plant uptake in mudflat soils amended with sewage sludge.

The leaching and uptake of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn by maize (Zea mays L.) in mudflat saline-alkali soils amended by sewage sludge was examined using a greenhouse leaching column experiment. Application of sewage sludge caused decreased pH, increased DOC, and increased Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations in leachates.

Tetracycline resistance genes are more prevalent in wet soils than in dry soils.

This study aimed to reveal the effects of water content on the spread of tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs) in the soil. Amendments of four samples with different soil water contents, namely 16% (dry soil) and 25% (wet soil), and with or without pig manures (PM) were conducted under laboratory conditions. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) results showed that the relative abundance of TRGs (tetB, tetC, tetM, tetO, tetT, and tetZ) in the wet soils was significantly higher than that in the dry soils whether under fertilization or non-fertilization conditions.

High diversity and abundance of cultivable tetracycline-resistant bacteria in soil following pig manure application.

By performing a microcosm experiment mimicking fertilization, we assessed the dynamic distribution of tetracycline-resistant bacteria (TRB) and corresponding tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs) from pig manure (PM) to the fertilized soil, by culture-dependent methods and PCR detection. Cultivable TRB were most abundant in PM, followed by fertilized soil and unfertilized soil. By restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, TRB were assigned to 29, 20, and 153 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in PM, unfertilized soil, and fertilized soil, respectively.

Sewage sludge as an initial fertility driver for rapid improvement of mudflat salt-soils.

Sewage sludge is by-product in the process of centralized wastewater treatment. Land application of sewage sludge is one of the important disposal alternatives. Mudflats in the interaction zone between land and sea can be important alternative sources for arable lands if amended by large amount of organic fertilizers.

Effect of sewage sludge amendment on heavy metal uptake and yield of ryegrass seedling in a mudflat soil.

Mudflat soil amendment by sewage sludge is a potential way to dispose of solid wastes and increase fertility of mudflat soils for crop growth. The present study aimed to assess the impact of sewage sludge amendment (SSA) on heavy metal accumulation and growth of ryegrass ( L.) in a seedling stage.