Excessive manure application stimulates nitrogen cycling but only weakly promotes crop yields in an acidic Ultisol:Results from a 20-year field experiment

Population growth and growing demand for livestock products produce large amounts of manure,which can be harnessed to maintain soil sustainability and crop productivity.However,the impacts of excessive manure application on crop yields,nitrogen(N)-cycling processes and microorganisms remain unknown.Here,we explored the effects of 20-year of excessive rates(18 and 27 Mg ha^(–1)yr^(–1))of pig manure application on peanut crop yields,soil nutrient contents,N-cycling processes and the abundance of N-cycling microorganisms in an acidic Ultisol in summer and winter,compared with none and a regular rate(9 Mg ha^(–1)yr^(–1))of pig manure application.Long-term excessive pig manure application,especially at the high-rate,significantly increased soil nutrient contents,the abundance of N-cycling functional genes,potential nitrification and denitrification activity,while it had a weaker effect on peanut yield and plant biomass.Compared with manure application,seasonality had a much weaker effect on N-cycling gene abundance.Random forest analysis showed that available phosphorus(AP)content was the primary predictor for N-cycling gene abundance,with significant and positive associations with all tested N-cycling genes.Our study clearly illustrated that excessive manure application would increase N-cycling gene abundance and potential N loss with relatively weak promotion of crop yields,providing significant implications for sustainable agriculture in the acidic Ultisols.

A large-scale screening of metal-organic frameworks for iodine capture combining molecular simulation and machine learning

We performed large-scale molecular simulation to screen and identify metal-organic framework materials for gaseous iodine capture,as part of our ongoing effort in addressing management and handling issues of various radionuclides in the grand scheme of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing.Starting from the computation-ready experimental(CoRE)metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)database,grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation was employed to predict the iodine uptake values of the MOFs.A ranking list of MOFs based on their iodine uptake capabilities was generated,with the Top 10 candidates identified and their respective adsorption sites visualized.Subsequently,machine learning was used to establish structure-property relationships to correlate MOFs’various structural and chemical features with their corresponding performances in iodine capture,yielding interpretable common features and design rules for viable MOF adsorbents.The research strategy and framework of the present study could aid the development of high-performing MOF adsorbents for capture and recovery of radioactive iodine,and moreover,other volatile environmentally hazardous species.

Iron-based biochar as efficient persulfate activation catalyst for emerging pollutants removal:A review

In recent years,biochar(BC)as a low-cost,easily available biomass product,is widely applied in sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes(SR-AOPs)for emerging pollutants remediation.Herein,a state-of-art review of iron-based biochar catalysts is currently available in SR-AOPs application.A general summary of the development of biochar and the catalytic properties of biochar is presented.Especially,the synthetic strategies of different types of iron-based biochar catalysts are discussed.Moreover,the theoretical calculation to interpret the interaction between biochar and iron species is discussed to explore the activation mechanisms.And the regeneration methods of biochar-based catalyst are presented.The unresolved challenges of the existent biochar-based SR-AOPs are pointed out,and the outlooks of future research directions are proposed.

CO_(2) capture and in-situ conversion: recent progresses and perspectives

Global warming caused by excess carbon dioxide(CO_(2))emission has been a focus of the world.The development of neutral carbon technologies becomes a strategic choice for the sustainable human society.Integrating CO_(2) capture and conversion(iCCC)technology can simultaneously convert the captured CO_(2) from flue gas into value-added chemicals,which saves great energies and expenses incurred in CO_(2) compression and transportation processes of conventional carbon capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS)technology.The present review criti-cally discusses the dual-function materials(DFMs)and the iCCC technology at intermediate temperature for methane production and high temperature for syngas production.The design of reactor and optimization of operation conditions are emphasized from the perspective of industrial applications.The dual-fixed-bed reactors mode by switching the flue gas and reactant gases,and the dual-fluidized-bed reactors mode by the circulation of DFMs particles are comparatively reviewed.We hope this review can stimulate further studies including designing and fabricating feasible DFMs,exploring realistic catalytic process for CO_(2) conversion to high value-added chemicals,developing workable reactor modes and optimizing operation conditions,and establishing industrial demonstration for real applications of iCCC technology in the future.