Evaluating petroleum contamination risk and implementing remedial measures in agricultural soil rely on indicators such as soil metal(loid)s and microbiome alterations. However, the response of these indicators to petroleum contamination remains under-investigated. The present study investigated the soil physicochemical features, metal(loid)s, microbial communities and networks, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) community structures in soil samples collected from long-(LC) and short-term (SC) petroleum-contaminated oil fields. The results showed that petroleum contamination increased the levels of soil total petroleum hydrocarbon, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, calcium, copper, manganese, lead, and zinc, and decreased soil pH, microbial biomass, bacterial and fungal diversity. Petroleum led to a rise in the abundances of soil Proteobacteria, Ascomycota, Oleibacter, and Fusarium. Network analyses showed that the number of network links (Control vs. SC, LC = 1181 vs. 700, 1021), nodes (Control vs. SC, LC = 90 vs. 71, 83) and average degree (Control vs. SC, LC = 26.244 vs. 19.718, 24.602) recovered as the duration of contamination increased. Petroleum contamination also reduced the concentration of soil PLFAs, especially bacterial. These results demonstrate that brief exposure to high levels of petroleum contamination alters the physicochemical characteristics of the soil as well as the composition of soil metal(loid)s and microorganisms, leading to a less diverse soil microbial network that is more susceptible to damage. Future research should focus on the culturable microbiome of soil under petroleum contamination to provide a theoretical basis for further remediation. (c) 2025 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The intrusion of petroleum into soil ecosystems causes severe environmental damage. A synergistic plant-microbe-electrochemical soil remediation technology offers a strategic and eco-friendly solution to address this issue. However, the significant mass transfer resistance in soil poses a major limitation for long-distance site remediation. This research introduces a novel technique that leverages water circulation driven by plant transpiration to facilitate the long-distance migration, adsorption, and electrochemical degradation of hydrocarbons. Experimental results demonstrate that the incorporation of Iris tectorum, polyurethane sponge (as an electrode support matrix), and water-retaining agents significantly enhanced soil water circulation, enabling the migration of soluble organic carbon over distances of up to 60 cm. Additionally, the application of a weak voltage (0.7 V) to the electrode further improved total organic carbon (TOC) removal, achieving a reduction of 193 +/- 71 mg/L. After 42 days of remediation, hydrological circulation accelerated the degradation of n-alkanes and aromatics, with removal efficiencies reaching 57 % and 44 %, respectively, within the 20-60 cm range in the microbial electrochemical cell (MEC) group. The functional microbiota, enriched with electroactive microorganisms, was effectively cultivated on the anode, with the total abundance of potential hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria increasing by 42 % compared to the control. Furthermore, a scalable configuration has been proposed, offering a novel perspective for multidimensional ecological soil remediation strategies.

The 2020 Mw 6.4 Petrinja, Croatia, earthquake triggered widespread liquefaction along the Kupa, Glina, and Sava rivers. The locations of liquefaction ejecta and lateral spreading were identified through a combination of field reconnaissance and interrogation of aerial photographs. Superimposing those locations on the regional geologic map revealed the liquefaction vulnerability of Holocene terrace and flood deposits, Holocene deluviumproluvium, and Pleistocene loess deposits. Liquefaction caused damage to the land and structures, with ejecta observed both near and far from residential structures. In the free field, the ejection of silty and sandy soil accompanied the extensive ground fracturing. At residential properties, ejecta led to differential settlement, cracks in foundations, walls, and floors, and contamination of water wells. Lateral spreading resulted in the formation of ground and building cracks, house sliding and tilting, pipe breakage, and pavement damage. This article documents these observations of liquefaction and draws conclusions regarding the patterns of liquefaction observed in this earthquake. These observations will be a valuable addition to liquefaction triggering databases as there are relatively few earthquakes with magnitudes less than 6.5 that triggered extensive liquefaction, and they provide additional case histories of liquefaction in Pleistocene deposits.

The competitive ability of weeds against crop plants is determined by the amount of macronutrients taken up from the soil. Macronutrient uptake is influenced by nutrient concentrations in plants and, above all, the amount of weed biomass produced per unit area. The present study was conducted as a part of a field experiment with winter oilseed rape, which has been carried out since 1967. Winter oilseed rape has been grown continuously since 1967 in the same field and in a six-field crop rotation. In winter oilseed rape monoculture, weed management was implemented to mitigate soil fatigue. Winter oilseed rape yields were twice as high in crop rotation than in monoculture, and weed biomass was more than three times higher in the continuous cropping system than in crop rotation. Winter oilseed rape yields were higher in crop rotation without a weed control than in monoculture, including monoculture with a weed control. Nitrogen (N) uptake by rape seeds and straw was significantly higher, whereas N uptake by weeds was lower in crop rotation than in monoculture. In all years of this study, N uptake by weed biomass was higher in monoculture than in crop rotation due to higher weed infestation levels in the continuous cropping system, and N uptake was not significantly affected by N content. The weed control induced a greater increase in N uptake by rape seeds and straw in monoculture than in crop rotation. The results indicate that integrating crop rotation with herbicide protection can help increase yields while reducing weeds, which promotes a more sustainable crop production system. The use of crop rotation contributes to a more efficient use of nitrogen by crops, while reducing its uptake by weeds.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is widely used as an engineering plastic due to its excellent mechanical properties and reasonable thermal stability. PET waste is commonly degraded into terephthalic acid for disposal. This work aims to employ a simple solvothermal method to chemically convert PET waste into PET-based engineering plastics (PEPGs) with excellent mechanical strength by soil burial degradation. The inherently excellent mechanical properties of PET waste molecular chains could be harnessed to create a new molecular structure composed of PET and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) units through dehydration condensation, transforming PET waste into PEPGs. This macromolecular reaction can be easily performed under solvothermal conditions without the need for high temperatures or catalysts, resulting in PEPGs with enhanced tensile strength of up to 78 MPa. When subjected to tensile forces or impact, the shape of the PEPGs remained largely unchanged, demonstrating their good durability. The activation energies (E a) of PET waste and PEPGs were 206.67 and 155.38 kJmol-1, respectively, as determined using Kissinger kinetics. The addition of the PVA units changed the molecular chain properties of PET waste, effectively reducing the E a and allowing the PEPGs to exhibit degradation properties. This work offers a new approach to converting PET waste into degradable, PET-based engineering plastics with excellent mechanical properties and durability.

Rampant industrial growth and urbanization have caused a wide range of hazardous contaminants to be released into the environment resulting in several environmental issues that could eventually lead to ecological disasters. The unscientific disposal of urban and industrial wastes is a critical issue as it can cause soil contamination, bioaccumulation in crops, groundwater contamination, and changes in soil characteristics. This article explores the impact of various industrial and urban wastes, including petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs), coal-fired fly ash, municipal solid waste (MSW) and wastewater (MWW), and biomedical waste (BMW) on various types of soil. The contamination and impact of each of these wastes on soil properties such as compaction characteristics, plasticity, permeability, consolidation characteristics, strength characteristics, pH, salinity, etc is studied in detail. Most of the studies indicate that these wastes contain heavy metals, organics, and other hazardous compounds. When applied to the soil, PHs tend to cause large settlements and reduction in plasticity, while the effect of coal-fired fly ash varies as it mainly depends on the type of soil. From the studies it was seen that the long-term application of MWW improves the soil health and properties for agricultural purposes. Significant soil settlements were observed in areas of MSW disposal, and studies show that MSW leachate also alters soil properties. While the impacts of direct BMW disposal have not been extensively studied, few researchers have concentrated on utilizing certain components of BMW, like face masks and nitrile gloves to enhance the geotechnical characteristics of weak soil. Soil remediation is required to mitigate the contamination caused by heavy metals and PHs from these wates to improve the soil quality for engineering and agricultural purposes, avert bioaccumulation in crops, and pose less environmental and public risks, and ecotoxicity. Coal-fired fly ash and biomedical waste ash contain compounds that promote pozzolanic reactions in soil, recycling and reuse as soil stabilizers offer an effective strategy for their reduction in the environment, thus complying to sustainable practices. In essence, this study offers a contemporary information on the above aspects by identifying the gaps for future research and mitigation strategies of contaminated soils.

Petroleum-based plastic resistance to biodegradation contributes to environmental pollution, depletes natural resources, and affects humans, animals, and plants. Plastic fragmentation into microplastics and nanoplastics further poses adverse effects on human health. Thus, switching to eco-friendly packaging holds great potential to combat these predicaments. Herein, soyhull lignocellulosic residue (SLR) was extracted using 20% NaOH treatment, solubilized in ZnCl2 solution and crosslinked the chains with calcium ions (CaCl2) and glycerol. Box Behnken Design was used to optimize the SLR, CaCl2, and glycerol amounts against the responses water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength (TS), and elongation at break (EB). The optimized SLR film biodegrades within 33 days at 24% soil moisture content. It is semitransparent with UV-blocking properties and displays the tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EB), water vapor permeability (WVP), and IC50 value of 16.8 (3) MPa, 14.7 (2)%, 0.22 (4) x 10-10 gm- 1s- 1Pa- 1, and 0.4 (1) g/mL, respectively. The residual lignin retained in the SLR significantly increased film's TS. The film extends strawberries' shelf-life by 3 more days than plastic film and retains the original color, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid, and total phenolic compounds. Overall, the valueadded soyhull lignocellulose-based packaging films are advantageous in addressing plastic-related issues, leading to sustainable waste management and preserving fruits for longer durations.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are bonded organic compounds with numerous structures with different toxicity levels. They can be of low molecular weight with 2-3 rings or high molecular weight with more than four rings and are persistent in nature. They possess high molecular weight and boiling point, hydrophobic with minimal solubility in water, and lipophilic with high solubility in organic solvents. With the gain in molecular weight, their susceptibility to oxidation-reduction decreases. They are generated during incomplete combustion of organic materials. They can be natural, such as forest fires, or artificial agents, such as coal, oil, wood burning, smoke, and auto-emissions. Due to strong molecular bonds and structural complexity, PAHs are highly malignant under normal conditions. They cause environmental damage due to improper handling and disposal in the surrounding air, water, soil, etc. PAH contamination is highly toxic because of mutagenic and potentially immune toxicants, often resulting in higher workplace casualties. Various physical, biological, and chemical processes remediate the PAHs in contaminated land. Indigenous microbial communities can effectively degrade it in-situ or ex-situ conditions. The degradation process depends on the type of microorganism, its life cycle, PAH substrate, pH, temperature, pressure, and the reaction mechanism. The present article discusses current literature, chemistry, natural and anthropogenic sources of generation, impacts on the environment, biota, etc., merits of physical, biological, and chemical remediation mechanisms with emphasis on microbial degradation, and novel options of technology intermix suitable for sustainable remediation outcomes.

This investigation addresses the reinforcement of rammed earth (RE) structures by integrating carpet polyacrylic yarn waste (CPYW) generated from the carpet production process and employing Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBS) as a stabilizer, in conjunction with alkali activators potassium hydroxide (KOH), to enhance their mechanical properties. The study included conducting Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) tests and Brazilian Tensile Strength (BTS) tests on plain samples, GGBS-stabilized (SS) samples, CPYW-reinforced (CFS) samples, and samples reinforced with a combination of GGBS and CPYW (SCFS). The results showed that the mechanical and resistance properties of the CFS and SCFS samples were improved; these findings were confirmed by the presence of more cohesive GGBS gel and fibers as seen in FE-SEM and microscopic images. Therefore, the use of GGBS and CPYW, both separately and in combination, is suggested as a viable approach to enhance mechanical performance and reduce the brittle failure propensity of RE structures. This study achieved significant improvements in the mechanical behavior of RE structures by integrating CPYW and alkali-activated GGBS. Results showed a 370% improvement in UCS and a 638% increase in BTS than the plain sample. These enhancements demonstrate the potential for using industrial waste in eco-friendly, high-performance construction materials.

Hemolymph enables communication between organs in insects and ensures necessary coordination and homeostasis. Its composition can provide important information about the physiological state of an insect and can have diagnostic significance, which might be particularly important in the case of harmful insects subjected to biological control. Galleria mellonella Linnaeus 1758 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a global pest to honey bee colonies. The hemolymph of its larvae was examined after infection with the soil fungus Conidiobolus coronatus (Constantin) Batko 1964 (Entomophthorales). It was found that after one hour of contact with the fungus, the volume of the hemolymph increased while its total protein content decreased. In larvae with a high pathogen load, just before death, hemolymph volume decreased to nearly initial levels, while total protein content and synthesis (incorporation of 35S-labeled methionine) increased. The hemolymph polypeptide profile (SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography) of infected insects was significantly different from that of healthy larvae. Hemocytes of infected larvae did not surround the fungal hyphae, although they encapsulated small foreign bodies (phase contrast microscopy). Infection had a negative effect on hemocytes, causing oenocyte and spherulocyte deformation, granulocyte degranulation, plasmatocyte vacuolization, and hemocyte disintegration. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 21 compounds in the hemolymph of control insects. C. coronatus infection caused the appearance of 5 fatty acids absent in healthy larvae (heptanoic, decanoic, adipic, suberic, tridecanoic), the disappearance of 4 compounds (monopalmitoylglycerol, monooleoylglycerol, monostearin, and cholesterol), and changes in the concentrations of 8 compounds. It remains an open question whether substances appearing in the hemolymph of infected insects are a product of the fungus or if they are released from the insect tissues damaged by the growing hyphae.