School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China.
Published: March 2024
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Socioeconomic factors and mitigation potentials are essential drivers of the dynamics of nutrient emissions, yet these drivers are rarely examined at broad spatiotemporal scales. Here, we combine material flow analysis and geospatial analysis to examine the past and future changes of nitrogen and phosphorus emissions in China. Results show that anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus emissions increased by 17% and 32% during 2000-2019, respectively. Meanwhile, many regions witnessed decreasing nitrogen emissions but rising phosphorus discharged to waterbody, leading to a 20% decrease in the nitrogen/phosphorus ratio. In addition to many prominent factors like fertilizer use, the increasing impervious land area around cities is a notable factor driving the emissions, indicating the urgency to limit building expansion, especially in North China Plain and other less-developed regions. Improving land-use efficiency and consuming behaviors could reduce nitrogen and phosphorus emissions by 65-77% in 2030, but the nitrogen/phosphorus ratio will increase unintendedly due to larger reduction potentials for phosphorus, which may deteriorate the aquatic ecosystem. We highlight that nitrogen and phosphorus emissions should be reduced with coordinated but differentiated measures by prioritizing nitrogen reduction through cropland and food-system management.
Background: Nitrogen mineralization plays a critical role in the ecosystem cycle, significantly influencing both the ecosystem function and the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the evolutionary characteristics of soil nitrogen mineralization during the karst vegetation restoration to better understand its importance in the terrestrial nitrogen cycle.
Methods: This study analyzed from various stages of vegetation growth, including a 40-year-old woodland, 20-year-old shrubland, 15-year-old shrubland, 5-year-old grassland, and nearby cropland.
High salinity, low fertility and poor structure in saline-alkali soils led to nutrient cycling slow and microbial activity loss. The application of amendments has proven effective in enhancing soil nutrients, which significantly affects soil nitrogen and phosphorus cycling process. However, the specific impact of different amendments on the microbial functional potential related to nutrient cycling in saline-alkali soils remains unclear.
Few-layer violet phosphorus (VP) shows excellent potential in optoelectronic applications due to its unique in-plane anisotropy and high mobility. However, the poor air stability of VP severely limits its practical applications. This article reports highly air-stable VP obtained by a two-step nitrogen plasma treatment where the nitrogen volume flow rate is controlled to coordinate physical etching and chemical doping.
Phosphorus is an essential component of numerous macromolecules and is vital for life. Its availability significantly influences primary production, particularly in oligotrophic environments. Marine diazotrophic cyanobacteria, which play key roles in biogeochemical cycles through nitrogen fixation (N fixation), have adapted to thrive in phosphate (P)-poor areas.
Efforts addressing sludge management, food security, and resource recovery have led to novel approaches in these areas. Electrically assisted conversion of sludge stands out as a promising technology for sewage sludge valorization, producing nitrogen and phosphorus-based fertilizers. The adoption of this technology, which could lead to a fertilizer circular economy, holds the potential to catalyze a transformative change in wastewater treatment facilities toward process intensification, innovation, and sustainability.
