Effect of fresh green waste and green waste compost on mineral nitrogen, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide from a Vertisol

Incorporation of organic waste amendments to a horticultural soil, prior to expected risk periods, could immobilise mineral N, ultimately reducing nitrogen (N) losses as nitrous oxide (N₂O) and leaching. Two organic waste amendments were selected, a fresh green waste (FGW) and green waste compost (GWC) as they had suitable biochemical attributes to initiate N immobilisation into the microbial biomass and organic N forms. These characteristics include a high C:N ratio (FGW 44:1, GWC 35:1), low total N (<1%), and high lignin content (>14%). Both products were applied at 3 t C/ha to a high N (plus N fertiliser) or low N (no fertiliser addition) Vertisol soil in PVC columns. Cumulative N₂O production over the 28 day incubation from the control soil was 1.5 mg/N₂O/m², and 11 mg/N₂O/m² from the control + N. The N₂O emission decreased with GWC addition (P < 0.05) for the high N soil, reducing cumulative N₂O emissions by 38% by the conclusion of the incubation. Analysis of mineral N concentrations at 7, 14 and 28 days identified that both FGW and GWC induced microbial immobilisation of N in the first 7 days of incubation regardless of whether the soil environment was initially high or low in N; with the FGW immobilising up to 30% of available N. It is likely that the reduced mineral N due to N immobilisation led to a reduced substrate for N₂O production during the first week of the trial, when soil N₂O emissions peaked. An additional finding was that FGW + N did not decrease cumulative N₂O emissions compared to the control + N, potentially due to the fact that it stimulated microbial respiration resulting in anaerobic micro sites in the soil and ultimately N₂O production via denitrification. Therefore, both materials could be used as post harvest amendments in horticulture to minimise N loss through nitrate-N leaching in the risk periods between crop rotations. The mature GWC has potential to reduce N₂O, an important greenhouse gas.     

Green synthesis of symmetrical N, N′-disubstituted thiourea derivatives in water using solar energy

Thioureas are of importance in medicinal chemistry due to their biological activities such as antituberculosis, anti-HIV, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiarrhythmic, fungicide, herbicides, rodenticides and as phenoloxidase enzymatic inhibitors. Treatment of primary and secondary amines with thiophosgene is the common method of making symmetrical disubstituted thioureas. However, this method is hazardous due to the toxic properties of thiophosgene. Here, we report a green, operationally simple approach for the synthesis of 1, 3-disubstituted thiourea derivatives in moderate to excellent yields of 57–99 %. We use primary amines and CS₂ in water without any catalyst and solar thermal energy. This method is more environmentally benign and energy-saving compared with previously reported methods.     

Novel synthesis of multicomponent porous nano-hybrid composite,theoretical investigation using DFT and dye adsorption applications: disposing of waste with waste

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Extensive studies have shown that doping can enhance the properties of graphene, but the application to real industrial wastewater treatment and...     

Influence of air-sea fluxes on chlorine isotopic composition of ocean water: implications for constancy in delta37Cl--a statistical inference

The behaviors of chlorine isotopes in relation to air-sea flux variables have been investigated through multivariate statistical analyses (MSA). The MSA technique provides an approach to reduce the data set and was applied to a set of 7 air-sea flux variables to supplement and describe the variation in chlorine isotopic compositions (delta37Cl) of ocean water. The variation in delta37Cl values of surface ocean water from 51 stations in 4 major world oceans--the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and the Southern Ocean has been observed from -0.76 to +0.74 per thousand (av. 0.039+/-0.04 per thousand). The observed delta37Cl values show basic homogeneity and indicate that the air-sea fluxes act differently in different oceanic regions and help to maintain the balance between delta37Cl values of the world oceans. The study showed that it is possible to model the behavior of chlorine isotopes to the extent of 38-73% for different geographical regions. The models offered here are purely statistical in nature; however, the relationships uncovered by these models extend our understanding of the constancy in delta37Cl of ocean water in relation to air-sea flux variables.     

Effects of land use,cover, and protection on stream and riparian ecosystem services and biodiversity

Protected areas are an important part of broader landscapes that are often used to preserve biodiversity or natural features. Some argue that protected areas may also help ensure provision of ecosystem services. However, the effect of protection on ecosystem services and whether protection affects the provision of ecosystem services is known only for a few services in a few types of landscapes. We sought to fill this gap by investigating the effect of watershed protection status and land use and land cover on biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. We compared the ecosystem services provided in and around streams in 4 watershed types: International Union for Conservation of Nature category II protected forests, unprotected forests, unprotected forests with recent timber harvesting, and unprotected areas with agriculture. We surveyed 28 streams distributed across these watershed types in Quebec, Canada, to quantify provisioning of clean water, carbon storage, recreation, wild foods, habitat quality, and terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity richness and abundance. The quantity and quality of ecosystem services and biodiversity were generally higher in sites with intact forest—whether protected or not—relative to those embedded in production landscapes with forestry or agriculture. Clean-water provision, carbon storage, habitat quality, and tree diversity were significantly higher in and around streams surrounded by forest. Recreation, wild foods, and aquatic biodiversity did not vary among watershed types. Although some services can be provided by both protected and unprotected areas, protection status may help secure the continued supply of services sensitive to changes in land use or land cover. Our findings provide needed information about the ecosystem service and biodiversity trade-offs and synergies that result from developing a watershed or from protecting it.     

Molecular characterisation of high-strength polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading and phenol-tolerant bacteria obtained from thermal power plant wastewater

This article reports the successful isolation and molecular characterisation of nine different phenol-tolerant and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading Gram-positive bacterial species of diverse genera from the effluents of various industries. Based on similarity matrix studies, isolates Corynebacterium sp. DST1, Lysinibacillus sp. and Planococcus sp. showed<97% similarity, suggesting the possibility of new species in their respective genera.     

Modelling N mineralization from green manure and farmyard manure from a laboratory incubation study

Predicting N mineralization from organic manures like farmyard manure (FYM) is more difficult than from fresh organic materials like crop residues, as the manures vary greatly in composition. A laboratory incubation experiment was carried out for 98 days at 30 °C under aerobic conditions to study the effects on N dynamics of Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium, Jacquin) and FYM application to soil at 5 and 10 g kg⁻¹. Application of Gliricidia induced N mineralization from the start of incubation period, with the amount of N mineralized increasing with rate of application. In contrast, application of FYM resulted in immobilization of mineral N in soil, irrespective of the rate of application. The initial net immobilization from FYM was limited by availability of N in the soil for the higher rate of application.We used the APSIM SoilN module to simulate these contrasting patterns of mineralization of N from Gliricidia and from FYM. The prediction of N mineralized from Gliricidia was better than FYM. The default model parameters specify that the fresh organic matter pools (FPOOL1, FPOOL2 and FPOOL3) have the same C:N ratio and this assumption was ineffective in predicting N mineralized from FYM. The predictive ability of the model improved when this default assumption was modified based on the size of the individual pools (FPOOL1, FPOOL2 and FPOOL3), and the pool's C:N ratios. The modelling efficiency, a measure of goodness of fit between the simulated and observed data, improved markedly for the modified model. The discrepancy between the modelled and observed data was a tendency for the model to underestimate the rate of re-mineralization at the lower rate of application of FYM in the later part of incubation. Unfortunately the appropriate modification to the size and C:N ratios of the FPOOLs could not be determined on the basis of chemical analysis alone. Thus, a true predictive application of the model to a new FYM material is not yet possible.     

Green synthesis,characterization, application and functionality of nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A facile, feasible, and green synthesis via an electrochemical exfoliation process was applied to synthesize nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite...