Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries-Technologies, Environmental, Human Health, and Economic Issues-Mini-Systematic Literature Review.

Global concerns about pollution reduction, associated with the continuous technological development of electronic equipment raises challenge for the future regarding lithium-ion batteries exploitation, use, and recovery through recycling of critical metals. Several human and environmental issues are reported, including related diseases caused by lithium waste. Lithium in Li-ion batteries can be recovered through various methods to prevent environmental contamination, and Li can be reused as a recyclable resource.

Environmental Indicator Plants in Mountain Forests: A Review.

Plant indicators are important in studies related to the environment, and mountain forests are rich in such plants. We conducted this study using the Web of Science Core Collection tools and the VOSviewer program combined with a classic review, based on the specialty literature. The topic of indicator plants in mountain forests has been (the first article published in a prestigious journal dates back to 1980) and remains relevant (after 2015, between 40 and 60 articles were published annually), with the total number of publications found being 665 articles and 22 review articles.

Dealing With the Complexity of Effective Population Size in Conservation Practice.

Effective population size () is one of the most important parameters in evolutionary biology, as it is linked to the long-term survival capability of species. Therefore, greatly interests conservation geneticists, but it is also very relevant to policymakers, managers, and conservation practitioners. Molecular methods to estimate rely on various assumptions, including no immigration, panmixia, random sampling, absence of spatial genetic structure, and/or mutation-drift equilibrium.

Inconsistency between process-based model and dose-response function in estimating biomass losses in Northern Hemisphere due to elevated O.

Tropospheric ozone (O) concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere have significantly increased since the pre-industrial era, with ongoing growth driven by emissions from industrial, agricultural, and transportation activities, further exacerbated by the warming temperatures and altered atmospheric circulation patterns associated with climate change. This study compared different methodologies for estimating biomass potential losses (BPL) in forests due to elevated O using both concentration-based (AOT40) and flux-based (POD1) metrics. Moreover, to further assess the impact of O on forest health and carbon uptake across the dominant forest types in the Northern Hemisphere, we also compared BPL estimates from dose-response functions with those derived from the process-based model ORCHIDEE.

Corrosion on cultural heritage buildings in Jordan in current situation and in future climate scenarios.

This study examines the impact of air pollution on Jordan's cultural heritage sites, focusing on key pollutants (SO, HNO, O, PM10) and climate conditions. Using 2019 data and future projections for 2040-2059 and 2080-2099, the research reveals significant material corrosion in urban areas like Amman and Irbid, driven by pollutants such as SO₂ and PM10. Random Forest Analysis identifies these pollutants as primary contributors to material degradation.

No Future Growth Enhancement Expected at the Northern Edge for European Beech due to Continued Water Limitation.

With ongoing global warming, increasing water deficits promote physiological stress on forest ecosystems with negative impacts on tree growth, vitality, and survival. How individual tree species will react to increased drought stress is therefore a key research question to address for carbon accounting and the development of climate change mitigation strategies. Recent tree-ring studies have shown that trees at higher latitudes will benefit from warmer temperatures, yet this is likely highly species-dependent and less well-known for more temperate tree species.

Early-successional species show higher tolerance of drought than late-successional species across Europe.

Climate change is exacerbating forest disturbances through more frequent and more intense droughts and fires, undermining their ability to recover from such disturbances. The response of fast-growing early-successional species to drought is poorly understood, despite their key role in ecological succession and their ability to enhance ecosystem resilience. Here, we compared the growth responses to drought events of three early-successional species (silver birch, black poplar, and Scots pine) with that of one late-successional species (European beech) across their natural distribution ranges in Europe.

Geochemical fingerprinting of Norway spruce from the Eastern Carpathians: Sr isotopic and multi-elemental signatures.

Ensuring efficient wood traceability within procurement chains is essential for establishing sustainable forest management and minimizing environmental damage in countries that produce and export timber. While some progress has been made with key legislative reforms to tackle this issue, the effectiveness of law enforcement still relies on the availability of appropriate analytical tools to determine the provenance of wood. This study documents the Sr isotopic and multi-elemental signatures of Norway spruce trees in the Eastern Carpathians, Romania - an area known for intensive forest logging.

Estimation of plant pollution removal capacity based on intensive air quality measurements.

This study investigated the role of present vegetation in improving air quality in Bucharest (Romania) by analyzing six years of air quality data (PM and NO) from multiple monitoring stations. The target value for human health protection is regularly exceeded for PM and not for NO over time. Road traffic has substantially contributed (over 70%) to ambient PM and NO levels.

The ongoing range expansion of the invasive oak lace bug across Europe: current occurrence and potential distribution under climate change.

In recent years, the oak lace bug, Corythucha arcuata, has emerged as a significant threat to European oak forests. This species, native to North America, has in the last two decades rapidly extended its range in Europe, raising concerns about its potential impact on the continent's invaluable oak populations. To address this growing concern, we conducted an extensive study to assess the distribution, colonization patterns, and potential ecological niche of the oak lace bug in Europe.

Unraveling the difference of sensitivity to ozone between non-hybrid native poplar and hybrid poplar clones: A flux-based dose-response analysis.

Poplars are economically important tree crops and biologically important model plants, which are known to be sensitive to ozone (O). Although surface O is considered as a significant global environmental issue because of its phytotoxicity and greenhouse effect, the knowledge of the dose-response (DR) relationships in poplars for the assessment of O risk is still limited. Hence, this study aimed at collecting data of studies with manipulative O exposures of poplars within FACE (Free Air Concentration Enhancement) and OTC (Open-Top Chamber) facilities.

Meteorological, chemical and biological evaluation of the coupled chemistry-climate WRF-Chem model from regional to urban scale. An impact-oriented application for human health.

Extreme climatic conditions, like heat waves or cold spells, associated to high concentrations of air pollutants are responsible for a broad range of effects on human health. Consequently, in the recent years, the question on how urban and peri-urban forests may improve both air quality and surface climate conditions at city-scale is receiving growing attention by scientists and policymakers, with previous studies demonstrating how nature-based solutions (NBS) may contribute to reduce the risk of population to be exposed to high pollutant levels and heat stress, preventing, thus, premature mortality. In this study we present a new modeling framework designed to simulate air quality and meteorological conditions from regional to urban scale, allowing thus to assess the impacts of both air pollution and heat stress on human health at urban level.

Alien plant species distribution in Romania: a nationwide survey following the implementation of the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species.

Background: Biological invasions pose an increasing risk to nature, social security and the economy, being ranked amongst the top five threats to biodiversity. Managing alien and invasive species is a priority for the European Union, as outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Alien plant species are acknowledged to impact the economy and biodiversity; thus, analysing the distribution of such species provides valuable inputs for the management and decision-making processes.

Non-linear response of Norway spruce to climate variation along elevational and age gradients in the Carpathians.

Climate change, namely increased warming coupled with a rise in extreme events (e.g., droughts, storms, heatwaves), is negatively affecting forest ecosystems worldwide.

Allocation of Nutrients and Leaf Turnover Rate in Poplar under Ambient and Enriched Ozone Exposure and Soil Nutrient Manipulation.

An excess of ozone (O) is currently stressing plant ecosystems and may negatively affect the nutrient use of plants. Plants may modify leaf turnover rates and nutrient allocation at the organ level to counteract O damage. We investigated leaf turnover rate and allocation of primary (C, N, P, K) and secondary macronutrients (Ca, S, Mg) under various O treatments (ambient concentration, AA, with a daily hourly average of 35 ppb; 1.

Lithium Content and Its Nutritional Beneficence, Dietary Intake, and Impact on Human Health in Edibles from the Romanian Market.

Lithium (Li) is present in human nutrition based on food intake, and several studies recommend it for treating mood disorders, even if the biological proprieties and biochemical mechanisms represent the basis for its use as an essential element. The Li content was evaluated using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique (ICP-MS) in 1071 food and beverage samples from the Romanian market. The results show that Li had a decreasing mean concentration in the food samples as follows: vegetables leafy > bulbous > fructose > leguminous > egg whites > root vegetables > milk products > egg yolks > meats.

Evaluation of the Main Macro-, Micro- and Trace Elements Found in Plants and Their Traceability in Its Honey: A Case Study from the Northwestern and Western Part of Romania.

(Japanese knotweed, or is considered an extremely invasive plant worldwide and a bioindicator of heavy metals. Yet, its potential as a crop for honeybees is still underevaluated. This study employs atomic absorption spectrometry to quantitatively analyze the concentration of macro-elements, namely, calcium (Ca), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg); micro-elements, such as copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se); and trace elements, i.

Microbial transformation of soil organic matter under varying agricultural management systems in Ukraine.

Introduction: This paper presents comparative studies on the content and structure of organic matter (OM) and the activity of microbiological cellulose destruction in three types of Ukrainian soils intensively used in agricultural production.

Methods: The highest content of humus in the arable layer (4.9%), OM (410 t ha), and total carbon (30.