Developing and testing a new Ecological Quality Status index based on marine nematode metabarcoding: A proof of concept.

Nematodes are the most diverse and dominant group of marine meiofauna with high potential as bioindicators of the ecological quality status (EcoQS). The present study explores, for the first time, the applicability of the nematode metabarcoding to infer EcoQS index based on the calibration of ecological behaviors of nematodes Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs). To achieve this, we analyzed the nematode community in sediment eDNA samples collected in 2018 and 2021 in areas around three offshore oil platforms in the Danish west coast of the North Sea.

Assessing the potential of nematode metabarcoding for benthic monitoring of offshore oil platforms.

Environmental DNA metabarcoding is gaining momentum as a time and cost-effective tool for biomonitoring and environmental impact assessment. Yet, its use as a replacement for the conventional marine benthic monitoring based on morphological analysis of macrofauna is still challenging. Here we propose to study the meiofauna, which is much better represented in sediment DNA samples.

Unraveling the influence of surface functionalities on gas Physisorption: A comprehensive study on SBA-15 nanoporous material from Monte Carlo simulation for improved Textural-Energetic characterization.

In this study, we conducted experimental and Monte Carlo simulation studies in the grand canonical ensemble (GCMC) to investigate the role of molecular orientation and surface heterogeneity on the adsorption of N at 77 K. Our research focused on a series of ordered nanoporous materials (SBA-15) with varying degrees of oxygen functionalities. Specifically, we examined the effects of surface heterogeneity on the calculation of pore size distribution (PSD) and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) area of porous materials.

Use of additives to improve collective biogas plant performances: A comprehensive review.

Nowadays, anaerobic digestion (AD) is being increasingly encouraged to increase the production of biogas and thus of biomethane. Due to the high diversity among feedstocks used, the variability of operating parameters and the size of collective biogas plants, different incidents and limitations may occur (e.g.

Passive Wireless Pressure Gradient Measurement System for Fluid Flow Analysis.

Using distributed MEMS pressure sensors to measure small flow rates in high resistance fluidic channels is fraught with challenges far beyond the performance of the pressure sensing element. In a typical core-flood experiment, which may last several months, flow-induced pressure gradients are generated in porous rock core samples wrapped in a polymer sheath. Measuring these pressure gradients along the flow path requires high resolution pressure measurement while contending with difficult test conditions such as large bias pressures (up to 20 bar) and temperatures (up to 125 °C), as well as the presence of corrosive fluids.

Groundwater in sedimentary basins as potential lithium resource: a global prospective study.

Electric cars will require to increase the production of lithium dramatically (up to 2 Mtons lithium equivalent carbonate per year by 2030). However, conventional hard-rock and salar mining are facing environmental and social concerns. Therefore, alternative lithium resources may help meeting the global demand for the next decades.

Capture by hybridization for full-length barcode-based eukaryotic and prokaryotic biodiversity inventories of deep sea ecosystems.

Biodiversity inventory of marine systems remains limited due to unbalanced access to the three ocean dimensions. The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for metabarcoding allows fast and effective biodiversity inventory and is forecast as a future biodiversity research and biomonitoring tool. However, in poorly understood ecosystems, eDNA results remain difficult to interpret due to large gaps in reference databases and PCR bias limiting the detection of some major phyla.

Pore-scale imaging and analysis of low salinity waterflooding in a heterogeneous carbonate rock at reservoir conditions.

X-ray micro-tomography combined with a high-pressure high-temperature flow apparatus and advanced image analysis techniques were used to image and study fluid distribution, wetting states and oil recovery during low salinity waterflooding (LSW) in a complex carbonate rock at subsurface conditions. The sample, aged with crude oil, was flooded with low salinity brine with a series of increasing flow rates, eventually recovering 85% of the oil initially in place in the resolved porosity. The pore and throat occupancy analysis revealed a change in fluid distribution in the pore space for different injection rates.

Benchtop Measurement of Full Adsorption Isotherms by NMR.

Physisorption using gas or vapor probe molecules is the most common characterization technique for porous materials. The method provides textural information on the adsorbent as well as the affinity for a specific adsorbate, typically through equilibrium pressure measurements. Here, we demonstrate how low-field NMR can be used to measure full adsorption isotherms, and how by selectively measuring H spins of the adsorbed probe molecules, rather than those in the vapor phase, this "NMR-relaxorption" technique provides insights about local dynamics beyond what can be learned from physisorption alone.

Mapping leaf metal content over industrial brownfields using airborne hyperspectral imaging and optimized vegetation indices.

Monitoring plant metal uptake is essential for assessing the ecological risks of contaminated sites. While traditional techniques used to achieve this are destructive, Visible Near-Infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectroscopy represents a good alternative to monitor pollution remotely. Based on previous work, this study proposes a methodology for mapping the content of several metals in leaves (Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn) under realistic field conditions and from airborne imaging.

Characterization of Nano-Gravimetric-Detector Response and Application to Petroleum Fluids up to C.

A nano-gravimetric detector (NGD) for gas chromatography is based on a nanoelectromechanical array of adsorbent-coated resonating double clamped beams. NGD is a concentration-sensitive detector and its sensitivity is analyte-dependent based on the affinity of the analyte with the porous layer coated on the NEMS surface. This affinity is also strongly related to the NGD temperature (NGD working temperature can be dynamically set up from 40 to 220 °C), so the sensitivity can be tuned through temperature detector control.

Benthic monitoring of oil and gas offshore platforms in the North Sea using environmental DNA metabarcoding.

Since 2010, considerable efforts have been undertaken to monitor the environmental status of European marine waters and ensuring the development of methodological standards for the evaluation of this status. However, the current routine biomonitoring implicates time-consuming and costly manual sorting and morphological identification of benthic macrofauna. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding represents an alternative to the traditional monitoring method with very promising results.

Monitoring oil contamination in vegetated areas with optical remote sensing: A comprehensive review.

The monitoring of soil contamination deriving from oil and gas industry remains difficult in vegetated areas. Over the last decade, optical remote sensing has proved helpful for this purpose. By tracking alterations in vegetation biochemistry through its optical properties, multi- and hyperspectral remote sensing allow detecting and quantifying crude oil and petroleum products leaked following accidental leakages or bad cessation practices.

Estimating persistent oil contamination in tropical region using vegetation indices and random forest regression.

The persistence of soil contamination after cessation of oil activities remains a major environmental issue in tropical regions. The assessment of the contamination is particularly difficult on vegetated sites, but promising advances in reflectance spectroscopy have recently emerged for this purpose. This study aimed to exploit vegetation reflectance for estimating low concentrations of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) in soils.

Application of PROSPECT for estimating total petroleum hydrocarbons in contaminated soils from leaf optical properties.

Recent advances in hyperspectral spectroscopy suggest making use of leaf optical properties for monitoring soil contamination in oil production regions by detecting pigment alterations induced by Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH). However, this provides no quantitative information about the level of contamination. To achieve this, we propose an approach based on the inversion of the PROSPECT model.

Detection and discrimination of various oil-contaminated soils using vegetation reflectance.

The use of hyperspectral spectroscopy for oil detection recently sparked a growing interest for risk assessment over vegetated areas. In a perspective of image applications, we conducted a greenhouse experiment on a brownfield-established species, Rubus fruticosus L. (bramble), to evaluate the potential of vegetation reflectance to detect and discriminate among various oil-contaminated soils.

Assessing Soil Contamination Due to Oil and Gas Production Using Vegetation Hyperspectral Reflectance.

The remote assessment of soil contamination remains difficult in vegetated areas. Recent advances in hyperspectral spectroscopy suggest making use of plant reflectance to monitor oil and gas leakage from industrial facilities. However, knowledge about plant response to oil contamination is still limited, so only very few imaging applications are possible at this stage.