Waste timber pyrolysis in a medium-scale unit: Emission budgets and biochar quality.

Pyrolysis of organic waste or woody materials yields a stable carbonaceous product that can be mixed into soil and is often termed "biochar". During pyrolysis carbon-containing gases are emitted, mainly volatile organic carbon species, carbon monoxide and aerosols. In modern pyrolysis units, gases are after-combusted, which reduces emissions substantially.

Occurrence and fate of antimony in plastics.

Antimony (Sb) is a technology critical element whose presence is ubiquitous in manufactured products, and in particular in plastics where it is used extensively as a flame retardant synergist for brominated compounds, as a catalyst for polyethylene terephthalate production, and as a pigment for colour. This study reviews the usage, regulations and fate of Sb in plastics by examining primary data on its production, applications, contents in and migration from manufactured objects, and presence in and release from waste, including the disposal and recycling routes for this material (i.e.

Effect of conservation farming and biochar addition on soil organic carbon quality, nitrogen mineralization, and crop productivity in a light textured Acrisol in the sub-humid tropics.

Conservation farming (CF), involving basin tillage, residue retention and crop rotation, combined with biochar may help to mitigate negative impacts of conventional agriculture. In this study, the effects of CF on the amount and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) and potential nitrogen (N) mineralization were investigated in a maize-soya-maize rotation in an Acrisol in Zambia. A large field was run under CF for 7 years and in the subsequent three growing seasons (2015-2018), four management practices were introduced to study effects on soil characteristics and crop yield.

Can biochar and designer biochar be used to remediate per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and lead and antimony contaminated soils?

Designer biochars can be used to remediate organic and inorganic contaminant polluted soils. Here, a waste timber biochar (BC), a coconut shell activated biochar (aBC) and a wood shrub iron enriched designer biochar (Fe-BC) were investigated. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) contaminated soils with different total organic carbon (TOC) contents (1.

Biochar amendment improves degraded pasturelands in Brazil: environmental and cost-benefit analysis.

Most deforested lands in Brazil are occupied by low-productivity cattle ranching. Brazil is the second biggest meat producer worldwide and is projected to increase its agricultural output more than any other country. Biochar has been shown to improve soil properties and agricultural productivity when added to degraded soils, but these effects are context-dependent.

Leachate emissions of short- and long-chain per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFASs) from various Norwegian landfills.

Restrictions on the use of long-chain per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFASs) has led to substitutions with short-chain PFASs. This study investigated the presence of four short-chain PFASs and twenty-four long-chain PFASs in leachate and sediment from ten Norwegian landfills, including one site in Svalbard, to assess whether short-chain PFASs are more dominant in leachate. PFASs were detected in all sites.

A Broad-Range Fluorescence Lifetime pH Sensing Material Based on a Single Organic Fluorophore.

A general drawback for optical based pH sensors is that their response is typically limited to within 2-3 pH units centered around the pK of the indicator. Fluorescence lifetime (FL) is a particularly compelling basis for highly stable pH sensors since this is an intrinsic property of the indicator molecule. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to broaden the sensing range of FL based sensors significantly by placing the indicator in a support material where the indicator's chemical environment itself changes with pH.

Bioaccumulation of Fluorotelomer Sulfonates and Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Marine Organisms Living in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Impacted Waters.

The use of aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) has resulted in hot spots polluted with poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs). The phase out of long-chained perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) from AFFFs resulted in the necessity for alternatives, and short-chained PFAAs and fluorotelomer-based surfactants have been used. Here, the distribution of PFAS contamination in the marine environment surrounding a military site in Norway was investigated.

Effects of Leachates from UV-Weathered Microplastic in Cell-Based Bioassays.

Standard ecotoxicological testing of microplastic does not provide insight into the influence that environmental weathering by, e.g., UV light has on related effects.

Combining in Silico Tools with Multicriteria Analysis for Alternatives Assessment of Hazardous Chemicals: A Case Study of Decabromodiphenyl Ether Alternatives.

Alternatives assessment is applied for minimizing the risk of unintentionally replacing a hazardous chemical with another hazardous chemical. Central challenges are the diversity of properties to consider and the lack of high-quality experimental data. To address this, a novel alternatives assessment procedure was developed based on in silico data and multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods.

How Important is Bioturbation for Sediment-to-Water Flux of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Baltic Sea?

In the present study a recently developed benthic flow-through chamber was used to assess the sediment-to-water flux of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at 4 sites on the Swedish Baltic Sea coast. The flow-through chamber allows for assessment of the potential effect of bioturbation on the sediment-to-water flux of hydrophobic organic contaminants. The sediments at the 4 investigated sites have both varying contamination degree and densities of bioturbating organisms.

Leaching and transport of PFAS from aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) in the unsaturated soil at a firefighting training facility under cold climatic conditions.

The contaminant situation at a Norwegian firefighting training facility (FTF) was investigated 15 years after the use of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) based aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) products had ceased. Detailed mapping of the soil and groundwater at the FTF field site in 2016, revealed high concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFOS accounted for 96% of the total PFAS concentration in the soil with concentrations ranging from <0.

Can polyethylene passive samplers predict polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) uptake by earthworms and turnips in a biochar amended soil?

A pot experiment was carried out in which aged polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contaminated soil was amended with biochar, and three phases: earthworms, turnips and polyethylene (PE) passive samplers, were added simultaneously in order to investigate changes in bioavailability of PCB following biochar amendment. Two biochars were used: one made from rice husk in Indonesia using local techniques and the other made from mixed wood shavings using more advanced technology. The biochars were amended at 1 and 4% doses.

Significant build-up of soil organic carbon under climate-smart conservation farming in Sub-Saharan Acrisols.

Conservation farming (CF) involving minimum tillage, mulching and crop rotation may offer climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits. However, reported effects of CF, as applied by smallholders, on storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa differ considerably between studies. This is partly due to differences in management practice, soil type and adoption level between individual farmers.

Sorption of α-, β-, γ- and δ-hexachlorocyclohexane isomers to three widely different biochars: Sorption mechanisms and application.

Within this study different biochars (BC) with widely varying characteristics have been tested as materials for the adsorption of hexachlorocyclohexane's (HCH) isomers (α, β, γ and δ) from water. Three BCs produced from digestate (700 °C), greenhouse tomato waste (550 °C) and durian shell (400 °C) were tested. The BCs demonstrated variable physico-chemical characteristics, especially with respect to surface area, with CO-surface area ranging from 5.

Monitoring wastewater discharge from the oil and gas industry using passive sampling and Danio rerio bioassay as complimentary tools.

Produced water (PW) represents the largest volume waste stream in oil and gas production operations from most offshore platforms. PW is difficult to monitor as releases are rapidly diluted and concentrations can reach trace levels. The use of passive samplers can over come this.

Discovering novel hydrolases from hot environments.

Novel hydrolases from hot and other extreme environments showing appropriate performance and/or novel functionalities and new approaches for their systematic screening are of great interest for developing new processes, for improving safety, health and environment issues. Existing processes could benefit as well from their properties. The workflow, based on the HotZyme project, describes a multitude of technologies and their integration from discovery to application, providing new tools for discovering, identifying and characterizing more novel thermostable hydrolases with desired functions from hot terrestrial and marine environments.

Vertical profiles of sedimentary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and black carbon in the Gulf of Gdańsk (Poland) and Oslofjord/Drammensfjord (Norway), and their relation to regional energy transitions.

The analysis of undisturbed sediment cores is a powerful tool for understanding spatial and temporal impacts of anthropogenic emissions from the energy and transport sectors at a regional scale. The spatial and vertical distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and black carbon (BC) were determined in 12 cores of recent (up to 20cm long) sediments from the Gulf of Gdańsk in Poland, and Oslofjord/Drammensfjord in Norway. The Σ12PAHs levels in individual sediment layers varied from 250 to 4500ng/g d.

Anthropogenic impact on marine ecosystem health: A comparative multi-proxy investigation of recent sediments in coastal waters.

Hazardous substances entering the sea, and ultimately deposited in bottom sediments, pose a growing threat to marine ecosystems. The present study characterized two coastal areas exposed to significant anthropogenic impact - Gulf of Gdańsk (Poland), and Oslofjord/Drammensfjord (Norway) - by conducting a multi-proxy investigation of recent sediments, and comparing the results in light of different available thresholds for selected contaminants. Sediment samples were analyzed for benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nonylphenols (NPs), organotin compounds (OTs), toxic metals (Cd, Hg, Pb), as well as mutagenic, genotoxic and endocrine-disrupting activities (in CALUX bioassays).

Biochar improves maize growth by alleviation of nutrient stress in a moderately acidic low-input Nepalese soil.

We studied the role of biochar in improving soil fertility for maize production. The effects of biochar on the alleviation of three potential physical-chemical soil limitations for maize growth were investigated, i.e.