Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) integrated with electrokinetic geosynthetic (EKG) is an enhancement technique to improve the efficiency of in-situe heavy metal contaminated soil remediation. In this study, EKG-PRB was considered under cyclic loading conditions to remediate copper contaminated soil. Also, the basis of remediation is the implementation of electrokinetic geosynthetic (EKG) materials as electrodes and fabricated composite nanofibers as a permeable reactive barrier. Therefore, nanofibers electrospun with graphene nanoparticle inclusion were designed and constructed. To assess the performance of EKG-PRNB technique on remediation of a copper contaminated soil, an experimental apparatus was designed, and various tests were categorized into EKG and EKG-PRNB groups. All tests were carried out under the similar conditions, cyclic loading (7-113 kPa), drainage condition (open cathode-closed anode), duration (60 h), and a voltage gradient of 1 V cm- 1 with a tolerance of +/- 0.1. The EKG was carried out without utilizing the PRB, while EKG-PRNB experiments were conducted using a permeable reactive nanofiber barrier in different positions, adjacent to cathode (PRNB0) and at a distance of 4 cm from the cathode (PRNB1). According to the results, PRNB were fabricated with a specific surface area of 19.423 m2 g- 1 and a maximum adsorption capacity of 81.43 mg g-1. Copper removal efficiency in drainage water reached 97.4 %, with copper immobilization efficiency approximately 14 %. Results demonstrated that the positioning of the reactive barrier had no statistically significant impact on the electrokinetic remediation system performance, removal efficiency, settlement, and consolidation degree.

Meeting agricultural requirements without a significant impact on the soil-water ecosystem in terms of delivering agrochemicals for seed germination and plant growth necessitates the development of a sustainable and multifunctional controlled release fertilizer carrier. For this purpose, the current study aims at fabricating highly porous urea-biochar/PLA-based agro-augmenting bead-free electrospun mats (EM) with improved physicomechanical performance. The method involved the hydrothermal synthesis of walnut shell-derived biochar, followed by the ball milling, urea loading and subsequent incorporation of urea-loaded ball-milled biochar into porous PLA-based electrospun fibers. The impacts of ball milling and urea loading were evaluated by using morphological (FESEM and TEM), microstructural (FTIR and XRD), and physiochemical (BET and BJH) attributes. To enhance the surface hydrophilicity, PLA-based porous EM was fabricated by altering the concentration of cosolvent (DCM:DMSO) and relative humidity (20-80%). Bead-free and uniform urea/biochar-loaded PLA EM were fabricated by incorporating urea/biochar into PLA precursor solution, and the resultant EM showed improved surface hydrophilicity (with a contact angle of 98.4 degrees), water absorption (similar to 69.4%), retention capacity (similar to 17days), and effective release of urea in water (similar to 11.6%) and soil (similar to 5.67%). The thermal stability (degradation temperature from 334 to 413 degrees C) and mechanical properties (from similar to 9.6-13.56 MPa) are improved for PLA-based EM upon incorporating urea-biochar. The efficacy of developed EM for promoting plant growth was validated by conducting germination and growth assessments using green gram (Vigna radiata) plants. The results demonstrated a higher germination rate (59.33%), plant height (23.67 cm), root length (9.33 cm), dry weight (0.38g), and fresh weight (0.44g) for plants treated with the EM as compared to the control sample. Thus, the study established optimally designed uniform bead-free microfibrous electrospun constructs with tunable urea release, pointing at an agrotechnology not only enhancing crop yield but also ensuring environmental sustainability as undesirable nutrient-induced secondary complications such as eutrophication and soil quality deuteriation possibilities are largely mitigated.

Particulate matter (PM) pollution poses a significant threat to human health on a global scale. However, current conventional air filtration materials, made from nonbiodegradable petroleum-based components, contribute to resource consumption and waste emissions, and are unable to meet the public's demand for environmental protection and energy conservation. For the first time, we report environmentally friendly biobased biodegradable polybutyrolactam (also known as PA4) electrospun air filters with superior mechanical properties and high interception efficiency. Compared with the commercial particulate filtration efficiency of 95% polypropylene melt-blown nonwoven fabric (PFE95), the successfully prepared green biobased degradable PA4 electrospun microfiber membrane has a lighter texture (80%) with as high as 99.85% for PM 2.5 filtration performance. In addition, the PA4 electrospun microfiber membranes also have very stable outstanding mechanical properties especially on tensile strength (>= 4.25 MPa) and Young's modulus (>= 34.82 MPa) at the same time. The biodegradability of PA4 electrospun microfiber membranes in campus soil was investigated, and the weight loss was approximately 88% within 49 days. This would not only make it a promising candidate for green and pollution-free air filtration but also provide insights into the design and development of composite membranes for multifuntionalities for various applications.