Nutrient-impregnated charcoal: an environmentally friendly slow-release fertilizer

The widespread contamination of surface and ground water quality from the heavy use of fertilizer in modern agriculture is the current concern. Therefore, this study was carried out to develop a slow-release fertilizer using charcoal. The morphology of the charcoal impregnated fertilizer was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This study also evaluated the release patterns of N, P, and K from impregnated charcoal using a simulated soil solution and distilled water as leaching solutions. The patterns of N, P, and K releases were examined in both static and continuous-flow conditions for 360 h. Releases of N, P, and K from impregnated charcoal were found to be slow and steady. However, the release trends of N, P, and K were higher in soil solution than distilled water under both the above conditions. Dissolution occurred when N, P, and K were released in the above leached solutions. As a result, the fertilizer impregnated charcoal could be developed as slow-release type fertilizer to minimize the contamination.     

Stabilization of potassium permanganate particles with manganese dioxide

A new potassium permanganate reagent with slow-release properties was designed and tested for possible application in in situ chemical oxidation. For this purpose, MnO₂-coated KMnO₄ particles (MCP) were prepared by partial reduction of solid KMnO₄ using the acid-catalyzed reaction with n-propanol or the comproportionation of Mn(VII) and Mn(II) in n-propanol as reaction medium. Column tests showed that, for MCP with a residual KMnO₄ fraction of 70 wt%, the duration of permanganate release under flow-through conditions was prolonged by a factor of 10 compared to untreated KMnO₄. While KMnO₄ is too soluble to be used in reactive barriers, MCP could be introduced into the aquifer by filling of trenches or boreholes; this would allow a prolonged passive dosing of permanganate into the flowing groundwater. In addition, experiments were conducted in order to determine the oxidation capability of native KMnO₄ particles and MCP in CH₂Cl₂, a representative non-polar non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL). It may be possible to utilize the significantly higher reactivity of MCP under these conditions for the design of slow-release permanganate particles for NAPL source treatment.     

生物炭基缓释肥的制备及其对土壤理化性质的影响

通过淋溶试验分析生物炭热解温度、生物炭与尿素比例、粘结剂含量对生物炭基缓释肥缓释性能的影响,采用土壤培育试验研究生物炭基缓释肥对土壤理化性质的影响。结果表明,600 ℃下热解而成的生物炭缓释性能优于300 ℃下热解形成的生物炭;生物炭添加比例和粘结剂含量的增加能提升生物炭基缓释肥的缓释性能;生物炭基缓释肥的加入可降低培育土壤的容重,增大土壤的饱和导水率,提高土壤pH值和土壤有机质含量。     

生态混凝土净水新技术

介绍了用生态混凝土多层次多反复地降解和消除污染物质的污水处理方法，采用侧滤，首先对污水进行预处理，去除固体悬浮物质后，再经过推流式生态混凝土水处理装置，达到污水净化的目的；其次，通过在生态混凝土中掺加缓释性净水材料，提高了生态混凝土的净水效果和耐久性。     

Development of a sprayable slow-release formulation for the sex pheromone of the Mediterranean Corn Borer, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sesamia nonagroides</Emphasis>

In the FAIR project “Pheromaize”, CT96-1302, the main objective is to provide European growers with a reliable, cost effective and environmentally friendly technology based on pest mating disruption. The project is mainly focused on Mediterranean Corn Borer (MCB), Sesamia nonagroides, the key pest of maize grown under Mediterranean conditions. TNO has developed a sprayable formulation consisting of a biodegradable matrix in which␣the pheromone is dissolved, together with a UV––stabilizer, an antioxidant, a surfactant and a sticker material. During outdoor exposure experiments release of pheromone was found to be high enough for more than 30 days. This formulation has been tested in large scale field experiments by helicopter spraying on 5 ha maize by field partners in Spain, Greece and France.     

Using slow-release permanganate candles to remove TCE from a low permeable aquifer at a former landfill

Past disposal of industrial solvents into unregulated landfills is a significant source of groundwater contamination. In 2009, we began investigating a former unregulated landfill with known trichloroethene (TCE) contamination. Our objective was to pinpoint the location of the plume and treat the TCE using in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO). We accomplished this by using electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) to survey the landfill and map the subsurface lithology. We then used the ERI survey maps to guide direct push groundwater sampling. A TCE plume (100-600 μg L⁻¹) was identified in a low permeable silty-clay aquifer (K_h = 0.5 m d⁻¹) that was within 6 m of ground surface. To treat the TCE, we manufactured slow-release potassium permanganate candles (SRPCs) that were 91.4 cm long and either 5.1 cm or 7.6 cm in dia. For comparison, we inserted equal masses of SRPCs (7.6-cm versus 5.1-cm dia) into the low permeable aquifer in staggered rows that intersected the TCE plume. The 5.1-cm dia candles were inserted using direct push rods while the 7.6-cm SRPCs were placed in 10 permanent wells. Pneumatic circulators that emitted small air bubbles were placed below the 7.6-cm SRPCs in the second year. Results 15 months after installation showed significant TCE reductions in the 7.6-cm candle treatment zone (67-85%) and between 10% and 66% decrease in wells impacted by the direct push candles. These results support using slow-release permanganate candles as a means of treating chlorinated solvents in low permeable aquifers.     

Mechanism of Microbial Degradation of Slow-Release Fertilizers

Methyleneureas are condensation products of urea and formaldehyde of different molecular mass and solubility; they are used in large amounts both as resins, binders, and insulating materials for industrial applications, as well as a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer for greens, lawns, or in bioremediation processes. In the present study, the microbial breakdown of these products was investigated. The nitrogen was released as ammonia and urea, and the formaldehyde released immediately oxidized via formiate to carbon dioxide. The enzymatic mechanism of metabolization of methyleneureas was studied in microorganisms isolated from soil, which were able to use these compounds as the sole source of nitrogen for growth. A strain of the Gram-negative bacterium Ralstonia paucula (formerly Alcaligenes sp. CDC group IVc-2) completely degraded methylenediurea and dimethylenetriurea to urea, ammonia, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide. The enzyme initiating this degradation (methylenediurease) was purified and turned out to be different from the previously described enzyme from Ochrobactrum anthropi with regard to its regulation of expression and physicobiochemical properties. Fungal degradation of methyleneureas may occur via the formation of organic acids, thus leading to a nonenzymatic degradation of methyleneureas, which are unstable under acidic conditions.     

Ammonia volatilization from a Chinese cabbage field under different nitrogen treatments in the Taihu Lake Basin, China

Ammonia(NH_3) volatilization is a major pathway of nitrogen(N) loss from soil-crop systems.As vegetable cultivation is one of the most important agricultural land uses worldwide,a deeper understanding of NH_3 volatilization is necessary in vegetable production systems.We therefore conducted a 3-year(2010–2012) field experiment to characterize NH_3 volatilization and evaluate the effect of different N fertilizer treatments on this process during the growth period of Chinese cabbage.Ammonia volatilization rate,rainfall,soil water content,p H,and soil NH_4~+were measured during the growth period.The results showed that NH_3 volatilization was significantly and positively correlated to topsoil p H and NH4+concentration.Climate factors and fertilization method also significantly affected NH_3 volatilization.Specifically,organic fertilizer(OF) increased NH_3 volatilization by 11.77%–18.46%,compared to conventional fertilizer(CF,urea),while organic–inorganic compound fertilizer(OIF) reduced NH_3 volatilization by 8.82%–12.67% compared to CF.Furthermore,slow-release fertilizers had significantly positive effects on controlling NH_3 volatilization,with a 60.73%–68.80% reduction for sulfur-coated urea(SCU),a 71.85%–78.97% reduction for biological Carbon Power~#174; urea(BCU),and a 77.66%–83.12% reduction for bulk-blend controlled-release fertilizer(BBCRF)relative to CF.This study provides much needed baseline information,which will help in fertilizer choice and management practices to reduce NH_3 volatilization and encourage the development of new strategies for vegetable planting.     

Abiotic Hydrolysis of Some Poly-D-glucaramides and Subsequent Microbial Utilization/Degradation

Carbohydrate acid amides, diamides and polyamides have been proposed to be utilized as nitrogen plant fertilizers or fertilizer components, and experiments with Brassica rapa demonstrated a positive biological response when these compounds were used as the only source of fixed nitrogen for plant growth. The present study was carried out with the aim of elucidating the mechanism of degradation of these polymers in both soil/compost and in liquid media and the role of microorganisms in this process. The results obtained suggest that a major route of degradation of polyglucaramides in the environment is their abiotic hydrolysis/release of the diacid and diamine building block units of these polymers, which are then utilized for growth by microorganisms. In cell-free crude extracts from enrichment cultures obtained with different poly-D-glucaramides, no enzyme activities catalyzing the release of diamines from these compounds were detected.