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Zhang S, Li Y, Jiang L, Chen X, Zhao Y, Shi W, Xing Z. From organic fertilizer to the soils: What happens to the microplastics? A critical review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 919:170217. [PMID: 38307274 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
In recent, soil microplastic pollution arising from organic fertilizers has been of a great increasing concern. In response to this concern, this review presents a comprehensive analysis of the occurrence and evolution of microplastics in organic fertilizers, their ingress into the soil, and the subsequent impacts. Organic fertilizers are primarily derived from solid organic waste generated by anthropocentric activities including urban (daily-life, municipal wastes and sludge), agricultural (manure, straw), and industrial (like food industrial waste etc.) processes. In order to produce organic fertilizer, the organic solid wastes are generally treated by aerobic composting or anaerobic digestion. Currently, microplastics have been widely detected in the raw materials and products of organic fertilizer. During the process of converting organic solid waste materials into fertilizer, intense oxidation, hydrolysis, and microbial actions significantly alter the physical, chemical, and surface biofilm properties of the plastics. After the organic fertilizer application, the abundances of microplastics significantly increased in the soil. Additionally, the degradation of these microplastics often promotes the adsorption of organic pollutants and affects their retention time in the soil. These microplastics, covered by biofilms, also significantly alter soil ecology due to the unique properties of the biofilm. Furthermore, the biofilms also play a role in the degradation of microplastics in the soil environment. This review offers a new perspective on the soil environmental processes involving microplastics from organic fertilizer sources and highlights the challenges associated with further research on organic fertilizers and microplastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengwei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yanxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Linshu Jiang
- Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Xingcai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Wenzhuo Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zhijie Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Chai Y, Huang C, Sui M, Yin Y, Sun N, Chen Y, Liao Z, Sun X, Shen W, Tang S. Fe-loaded alginate hydrogel beads activating peroxymonosulfate for enhancing anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge: Performance and potential mechanism. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 341:118079. [PMID: 37150175 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The recovery of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) through anaerobic fermentation (AF) is usually restricted by the poor biodegradability of waste activated sludge (WAS). This study proposed a novel strategy, i.e. peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activated by Fe-loaded sodium alginate hydrogel beads (Fe-SA), to enhance AF performance. Experimental results demonstrated that the as-synthesized Fe-SA and PMS co-pretreatment synergistically enhanced WAS solubilization and VFAs production. The maximal VFAs yield of 2013 mg COD/L was achieved at the Fe-SA dosage of 4.0 mM/g TSS, which was 93.7% higher than that with sole PMS addition and 8.82 times higher than that of the control. Mechanistic studies elucidated that the generation of reactive radicals such as SO4•- and •OH from PMS was greatly induced by Fe-SA, which contributed to WAS disintegration and degradation of refractory compounds. Additionally, analysis of the key enzyme activities indicated that the Fe-SA could strengthen biological hydrolysis and acidogenesis of sludge during AF. Microbial analysis illustrated that Fe-SA evidently improved the abundances of fermentative microorganisms as well as functional gene expression via creating a favorable environment for microbial growth. This study demonstrated the applicable potential of Fe-SA hydrogel beads activating PMS for VFAs production and provides an important reference for developing advanced oxidation processes-based application in AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqian Chai
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, Jiangsu, China
| | - Cheng Huang
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, Jiangsu, China; Jiangxi Jindalai Environmental Protection Co., Ltd, Nanchang, 330100, Jiangxi, China; School of Environmental and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.
| | - Mengya Sui
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuqi Yin
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, Jiangsu, China
| | - Nan Sun
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Jiangxi Jindalai Environmental Protection Co., Ltd, Nanchang, 330100, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zhiming Liao
- School of Environmental and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Xiuyun Sun
- Key Laboratory of Jiangsu Province for Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environment and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Wei Shen
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Sheng Tang
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003, Jiangsu, China.
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Intensification of Acidogenic Fermentation for the Production of Biohydrogen and Volatile Fatty Acids—A Perspective. FERMENTATION-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation8070325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Utilising ‘wastes’ as ‘resources’ is key to a circular economy. While there are multiple routes to waste valorisation, anaerobic digestion (AD)—a biochemical means to breakdown organic wastes in the absence of oxygen—is favoured due to its capacity to handle a variety of feedstocks. Traditional AD focuses on the production of biogas and fertiliser as products; however, such low-value products combined with longer residence times and slow kinetics have paved the way to explore alternative product platforms. The intermediate steps in conventional AD—acidogenesis and acetogenesis—have the capability to produce biohydrogen and volatile fatty acids (VFA) which are gaining increased attention due to the higher energy density (than biogas) and higher market value, respectively. This review hence focusses specifically on the production of biohydrogen and VFAs from organic wastes. With the revived interest in these products, a critical analysis of recent literature is needed to establish the current status. Therefore, intensification strategies in this area involving three main streams: substrate pre-treatment, digestion parameters and product recovery are discussed in detail based on literature reported in the last decade. The techno-economic aspects and future pointers are clearly highlighted to drive research forward in relevant areas.
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Bao D, Li Z, Tang R, Wan C, Zhang C, Tan X, Liu X. Metal-modified sludge-based biochar enhance catalytic capacity: Characteristics and mechanism. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 284:112113. [PMID: 33571853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The improvement of the catalytic performance of sludge-based biochar plays an important role in the catalytic application of biochar. This work aimed to use transition metals and rare earth elements (Fe, Ce, La, Al, Ti) to modify sludge and prepare modified biochar with better catalytic performance through pyrolysis. Through the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, Raman spectrometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the effects of different metal modifications on the surface morphology, molecular structure, element compositions, and valence of elements of biochar were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that metal elements were successfully modified onto the surface of biochar as metal oxides. Although the highest intensity of persistent free radicals was detected in blank-biochar by electron spin resonance, the intensities of hydroxyl radicals catalyzed by modified biochars in H2O2 system were higher than that catalyzed by blank-biochar, indicating that the catalytic performance of modified biochar was mainly related to the metal oxide loaded and the defect structure on the surface of metal-modified biochar. Furthermore, in the H2O2 system, the degradation efficiencies of tetracycline catalyzed by the biochars within 4 h were 51.7% (blank-biochar), 90.7% (Fe-biochar), 69.0% (Ce-biochar), 59.9% (La-biochar), 58.0% (Al-biochar), 58.0% (Ti-biochar), respectively, suggesting that Fe-biochar not only possessed the best catalytic performance but also shortened the reaction time. This research not only provided the possibility for recycling the waste activated sludge, but also proposed a modification method to improve the catalytic performance of biochar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diandian Bao
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Zhengwen Li
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Rui Tang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Chunli Wan
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Chen Zhang
- Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design General Institute, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xuejun Tan
- Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design General Institute, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
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