Search Results (3,185)

There is an urgent need for an updated and relevant soil information system (SIS) to sustainably use and manage the land across Africa. Accurate data on soil pollution is essential for effective decision-making in soil health monitoring and management. Unfortunately, the data and information are not usually presented in formats that can easily guide decision-making. The objectives of this work were to (i) assess the availability of soil pollution maps, (ii) evaluate the methodologies used in creating these maps, (iii) explore the role of soil pollution maps in soil health monitoring, and (iv) identify gaps and challenges in soil pollution mapping in Africa. Soil pollution maps across Africa are created on a local scale, with highly variable sampling size and low sampling density. The most used mapping techniques include spatial interpolation (kriging and inverse distance weighting). Among the types of soil pollutants mapped, heavy metals have received priority, while pesticides and persistent organic pollutants have received less attention. Soil pollution mapping is not incorporated within the SIS framework due to lack of reliable spatially comprehensive data and technological and institutional barriers. Current efforts remain fragmented, site-specific, and methodologically inconsistent, resulting in significant data gaps that hinder reliable monitoring and limit progress in soil pollution mapping. Full article

Heavy metal (HM) contamination in agricultural soils poses a significant threat to soil health and plant productivity. This study investigates the impact of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) stress on tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) and explores the mitigation potential of microbial biostimulants (MBs), including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Pseudomonas fluorescens So_08 (PGPR), over a 52-day period using multi-omics approaches. Root exudate profiling revealed distinct metabolic changes under HM stress, which compromised soil–plant interactions. Cd stress reduced the secretion of phenylpropanoids (sum LogFC: −45.18), lipids (sum LogFC: −27.67), and isoprenoids (sum LogFC: −11−67), key metabolites in antioxidative defense, while also suppressing rhizosphere fungal populations. Conversely, Zn stress enhanced lipid exudation (such as sphingolipids and sterols, as sum LogFC of 8.72 and 9.99, respectively) to maintain membrane integrity and reshaped rhizobacterial communities. The MBs application mitigated HM-induced stress by enhancing specialized metabolite syntheses, including cinnamic acids, terpenoids, and flavonoids, which promoted crop resilience. MBs also reshaped microbial diversity, fostering beneficial species like Portibacter spp., Alkalitalea saponilacus under Cd stress, and stimulating rhizobacteria like Aggregatilinea spp. under Zn stress. Specifically, under Cd stress, bacterial diversity remained relatively stable, suggesting their resilience to Cd. However, fungal communities exhibited greater sensitivity, with a decline in diversity in Cd-treated soils and partial recovery when MBs were applied. Conversely, Zn stress caused decline in bacterial α-diversity, while fungal diversity was maintained, indicating that Zn acts as an ecological filter that suppresses sensitive bacterial taxa and favors Zn-tolerant fungal species. Multi-omics data integration combined with network analysis highlighted key features associated with improved nutrient availability and reduced HM toxicity under MB treatments, including metabolites and microbial taxa linked to sulfur cycling, nitrogen metabolism, and iron reduction pathways. These findings demonstrate that MBs can modulate plant metabolic responses and restore rhizosphere microbial communities under Cd and Zn stress, with PGPR showing broader metabolomic recovery effects and AMF influencing specific metabolite pathways. This study provides new insights into plant–microbe interactions in HM-contaminated environments, supporting the potential application of biostimulants for sustainable soil remediation and plant health improvement. Full article

Predicting the thermal properties of nanoporous materials is a major challenge that affects their applications in efficient thermal insulation and energy storage. This narrative review discusses the application of machine learning models in nanoporous materials, including covalent organic frameworks, metal–organic frameworks, aerogels, and zeolites. It discusses model advancements, with a focus on predictive accuracy and computational efficiency. This includes models such as convolutional neural networks, graph neural networks, and physics-informed neural networks. This study also addresses the limitations of these data-driven models, including data availability, challenges in maintaining physical consistency, and difficulties in generalizing across various material families. Additionally, it covers emerging approaches such as multimodal and transfer learning, which are explored for their potential to reduce computational costs. Moreover, the benefits of interpretable machine learning methods for understanding underlying physical mechanisms are introduced and highlighted. This review provides comprehensive and practical guidelines for researchers using machine learning approaches in the study and design of nanoporous materials. Full article

In recent years CO₂ reforming of methane has attracted great interest as it produces high CO/H₂ ratio syngas suitable for the synthesis of higher hydrocarbons and oxygenated derivatives since it is a way for disposing and recycling two greenhouse gases with high environmental impact, CH₄ and CO₂, and because it is regarded as a potential route to store and transmit energy due to its strong endothermic effect. Along with noble metals, all the group VIII metals except for osmium have been studied for catalytic CO₂ reforming of methane. It was found that the catalytic activity of Ni, though lower than those of Ru and Rh, was higher than the catalytic activities of Pt and Pd. Although noble metals have been proven to be insensitive to coke, the high cost and restricted availability limit their use in this process. It is therefore valuable to develop stable Ni-based catalysts. In this contribution, we show how their activity and coking resistivity are greatly related to the size and dispersion of Ni particles. Well-dispersed Ni nanoparticles were achieved by multistep impregnation on a mesoporous silica support, namely SBA-15, obtained through a sol-gel method, using acetate as a nickel precursor and keeping the Ni loading between 5% and 11%. Significant catalytic activity was obtained at temperatures as low as 450 °C, a temperature well below their deactivation temperature, i.e., 700 °C. For the pre-reduced samples, a CO₂ conversion higher than 99% was obtained at approximately 680 °C. As such, their deactivation by sintering and coke formation was prevented. To the best of our knowledge, no Ni-based catalysts with complete CO₂ conversion at temperatures lower than 800 °C have been reported so far. Full article

Tattoos and permanent makeup involve intradermal pigment deposition and may introduce toxic trace elements into the body. Despite increasing popularity, harmonized EU regulations on tattoo ink composition only came into force in 2022 under REACH. This study evaluated the chemical safety of 41 commercially available inks in the EU following the implementation of these restrictions. Twelve heavy metals were analyzed (Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Co, Sb, Se, Mn). Copper showed the highest concentrations (mean 1751 mg/kg; max 25,701 mg/kg), while cadmium was lowest (mean 0.13 mg/kg). Exceedances of EU limits were recorded for Ni (24 samples), As (20), Cr(VI) (16), Cu (10), Sb (8), Co (6), and Pb (5); mercury was not detected in any ink. Dermal exposure was modeled across three tattooing scenarios using SED, MoS, HQ, and LCR indicators. Unacceptable non-cancer risk (MoS < 100) was mainly associated with copper (up to 85.4% of products), with additional concerns for zinc and arsenic (~50% of samples in higher-use scenarios). HQ values > 1 were most frequent for Ni, Cr(VI), and Cu, affecting up to 68.3%, 43.9%, and 58.5% of inks, respectively. Lifetime cancer risk above 1 × 10⁻⁴ was observed for nickel in several products. Despite recently tightened European regulations, a substantial share of inks remains non-compliant and may pose carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks, underscoring the need for continued market surveillance and enforcement. Full article

The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed basin subject to intense anthropogenic pressures and transboundary pollution, making reliable and comparable monitoring data essential for large-scale environmental assessments. However, national practices differ considerably, hindering data integration and coordinated reporting under international frameworks. This study, conducted within the Horizon 2020 project “Advancing Black Sea Research and Innovation to Co-develop Blue Growth within Resilient Ecosystems” (BRIDGE-BS), evaluated pollutant surveillance methodologies with a focus on heavy metals and priority organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides). Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were collected from institutions across Black Sea countries and systematically compared for water, sediment, and biota matrices. The analysis revealed shared reliance on internationally recognized techniques but also heterogeneity in sediment fraction selection, digestion and extraction conditions, instrumental approaches, and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) documentation. To complement this assessment, an intercalibration (IC) exercise was organized through the QUASIMEME proficiency testing scheme, accompanied by a follow-up structured questionnaire sent to participant institutions. While individual results remain confidential, collective feedback highlighted common challenges in calibration, blank correction, certified reference materials (CRMs) availability, digestion variability, instrument maintenance, and the reporting of uncertainty and detection limits. Together, these findings confirm that harmonization in the Black Sea requires not only improved comparability of laboratory methods but also the future alignment of assessment methodologies, including indicators and thresholds, to support coherent, basin-wide environmental evaluations under regional conventions and EU directives. Full article

Continuous cropping of morel represents a crucial bottleneck that restricts the sustainable development of its industry. To explore the effects and mechanisms of crop rotations in alleviating continuous cropping obstacles, field experiments were conducted over two cropping years. With morel monoculture serving as the control (Control), four rotation patterns were established: tomato–morel (TM), pepper–morel (PM), watermelon–morel (WM), and cabbage–morel (CM). Soil physical and chemical properties, enzyme activities, phenolic acid substances, amino sugars, toxic metal contents, and morel yields were systematically measured. The soil quality index area (SQI-area) was employed for comprehensive evaluation. The results indicated that, in comparison to the control, rotation effectively mitigated soil salinization, optimized nutrient availability, and significantly decreased the accumulation of multiple auto-toxic phenolic acids (such as phthalic acid and benzoic acid) and toxic metals (As, Cd). All rotation treatments significantly enhanced the overall soil quality. Compared to the control, the SQI-area in rotation treatments increased by 25–137% in 2024 and 126–276% in 2025. Among these, the PM treatment exhibited the greatest increase. Furthermore, in both 2024 and 2025, the PM treatment exhibited the most substantial increase in yield. Specifically, it showed increases of 76% and 241% when compared to the control. In summary, crop rotations, particularly the pepper–morel rotation pattern, can effectively mitigate continuous cropping obstacles via multiple soil improvement mechanisms. This makes it an effective strategy for facilitating the sustainable production of morel. Full article

Zinc excess (Zn stress) could lead to deleterious effects in plants such as enhanced ROS production, inhibition of photosynthetic machinery, and impairment of nutrient uptake. Hence, we aimed to investigate the complexity of metabolic responses to Zn stress in Amaranthus caudatus young and mature leaves, as well as in roots by means of proteomics. Our previous metabolomics research has indicated potential involvement of gluconate and salicylate in Zn tolerance mechanisms. However, proteomics study of metabolic adjustments underlying Zn stress tolerance can give additional insight to the issue, as a lot of enzymes are known to be affected by the excess of transitional metals. The results obtained through bottom-up proteomics were complementary to our earlier metabolomics data and, furthermore, enlightened other important details in the metabolic response of A. caudatus plants to the applied Zn stress. In particular, the significant involvement of redox-related enzymes was shown, especially for the roots, and their possible interactions with salicylate and jasmonate signaling could be proposed. Furthermore, Zn²⁺-induced changes in roots and young leaves strongly affected sugar metabolism, enhanced protein quality control system, while mature leaves were characterized by remarkable decrease in subunits of photosynthetic electron transport complexes. Thus, this work emphasizes massive metabolic reprogramming aimed to reinforce root defense responses while supporting young leaves with sugar metabolites. Mass spectrometry proteomics data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD069557. Full article

For L-PBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) metal additive manufacturing (AM) the choice of available materials is still limited. 1.2709 maraging steel powders are widely used for injection molds and high-quality engineering parts. The quality of the parts produced by L-PBF are significantly affected by the process parameters. The aim of this research was to find optimal process parameters for producing 1.2709 tool steel at a layer thickness of 20 µm and to reveal the possible parameter settings yielding comparable build quality as the “EOS surface” parameter set at a layer thickness of 20 µm. Findings showed that too low or too high input energies produce improper parts. A large range of parameters produce good quality parts, of which the optimum parameters can be chosen. Full article

In this study, both trivalent and hexavalent forms of chromium were examined in urban and agricultural Mediterranean soils. Chromium partitioning in different soil fractions was studied. Pot experiments included contamination of soil samples using Cr solutions, as well as a further study regarding Cr distribution in naturally contaminated soils. The soils were subjected to quantitative determination of both the available and total Cr concentration, as well as Cu and Zn, which were naturally present in the soil samples. Metal concentrations in the soil fractions were quantified after the application of the BCR fractional extraction method. The numbers of both trivalent and hexavalent Cr ions in each extract were determined. Considerable discrepancies were noticed regarding the Cr content of each soil fraction in both municipal and cultivated soils, indicating the possible origin of the pollution. The increasing impact of pollution is a significant parameter for the availability of chromium ions in both agricultural and urban soils. Increased pollution durations resulted in a significant increase in the non-available fraction of toxic Cr (VI), mainly in urban soil. Variations were also observed in the chromium species, as changes in soil parameters and in the conditions of the experiment seem to affect the conversion of the less harmful trivalent chromium to the toxic hexavalent chromium. In urban soils, the amount of toxic Cr (VI) bound to iron and manganese oxides exceeds 37.8%, while in agricultural soils, the amount of Cr (VI) associated with soil organic matter reaches 35%. Knowing the mechanisms and variables influencing Cr availability in agricultural and urban Mediterranean soils is desirable, as safe living in ecologically acceptable fields and producing safe goods in healthy soil systems are paramount goals. Full article

Spirulina and Chlorella are nutrient-rich microalgae widely consumed as dietary supplements; however, their high biosorption capacity raises concerns regarding the accumulation of environmental contaminants. This study analyzed 52 commercially available Spirulina and Chlorella products (29 conventional, 23 organic) to assess the co-occurrence of heavy metals and pharmaceutical residues, as these two classes of contaminants represent distinct yet complementary indicators of environmental pollution—heavy metals reflect long-term inputs from natural and industrial sources, while pharmaceuticals signal more recent contamination linked to human activity and wastewater discharge. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the presence of pharmaceutical residues—including cardiovascular drugs, antidepressants, antibiotics, and sulfonamides—in both conventional and organic formulations of microalgae-based dietary supplements. The analyses were performed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Aluminum, manganese, strontium, and zinc were the dominant trace elements. All samples complied with EU regulatory limits for toxic metals. More importantly, a wide range of pharmaceutical residues was detected in the supplements. Caffeine was the most frequently found compound, followed by metronidazole, carbamazepine, benzocaine, and tramadol. Particular concern is raised by the calculated TWI (% of tolerable weekly intake) for aluminum. Principal Component Analysis revealed significant compositional differences between Spirulina and Chlorella products, with vanadium notably elevated in conventionally cultivated Spirulina. Surprisingly, no significant differences were observed between organic and conventional products within each algal type. Our findings provide a novel contribution to the field by highlighting the presence of pharmaceutical residues in microalgae-based supplements and addressing a critical knowledge gap concerning potential chronic exposure to these contaminants through dietary intake. Full article

The fragile ancient ‘Shuikoulin’ forests, which provide critical habitats for the critically endangered Blue-crowned Laughingthrush, are increasingly degraded by soil contamination and heavy metal pollution. This study examines the rhizosphere environment of four key ancient tree species in the bird’s core habitat, focusing on soil properties, heavy metal accumulation, and the structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities. The results revealed that Liquidambar formosana showed the highest total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus (AP), whereas Quercus chenii had the lowest soil organic matter (SOM). The primary heavy metal contaminant across all tree species was Cd (Igeo > 2), followed by the metalloid As. We detected 41 AM fungal species spanning 7 genera, with Glomus dominating (84.19% relative abundance). OTU richness was highest in Cinnamomum camphora and L. formosana (110 each), followed by Q. chenii (88) and Castanopsis sclerophylla (75). Structural equation modeling indicated that soil nutrients (TN, TP, AP, SOM) suppressed the accumulation of V, Cr, Ni, and Cu, thereby indirectly favoring Glomus and Paraglomus. In contrast, higher pH and total potassium (TK) levels promoted Co and Zn bioavailability and negatively affected Acaulospora and other minor genera. Tree species identity directly modulated these interactions. Our findings demonstrate that ancient tree species shape AM fungal assembly through distinct rhizosphere geochemical niches, providing a mechanistic basis for restoring degraded habitats critical to endangered species conservation. Full article

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs) is the most used revascularization strategy in current clinical practice. However, this approach is still associated with a non-negligible risk of adverse events, including late and very late in-stent restenosis (ISR) and stent thrombosis, even with newer-generation DESs. Notably, long stents and the use of overlapping stents have been consistently identified as independent predictors of both ISR and stent thrombosis. Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) have emerged as a viable alternative to DESs. Initially evaluated in specific clinical settings, such as small-vessel disease and ISR, DCBs have demonstrated promising results in the treatment of more complex coronary lesions and higher-risk patient populations, including elderly, diabetics and those at high bleeding risk. Their main advantage lies in avoiding permanent implantation of metallic struts and polymer coatings, thereby preserving coronary vasomotor function and promoting positive vessel remodeling and late lumen enlargement. As a result, a hybrid or blended revascularization strategy combining DESs and DCBs has gained increasing interest, offering the potential to harness the complementary benefits of both DESs and DCBs, while minimizing stent overlap and total stent length. Some studies have explored this approach, particularly for the treatment of diffuse coronary artery disease and bifurcation lesions. This narrative review aims to outline the pathophysiological rationale underlying a blended DCB/DES approach and to summarize the currently available clinical evidence. Furthermore, we discuss future perspectives for optimizing the combination DCB and DES PCI in real-world practice. Full article

This study investigates the adsorption behavior of natural sepiolite for the removal of cadmium (Cd²⁺), copper (Cu²⁺), and nickel (Ni²⁺) ions from aqueous solutions under batch conditions. The sepiolite was extensively characterized prior to adsorption experiments. Mineralogical analysis confirmed the presence of crystalline sepiolite, while DTG-TGA revealed thermal stability with distinct weight loss linked to surface and structural water. BET analysis indicated a high surface area of 194 m²/g and a mesoporous structure favorable for adsorption. Batch experiments evaluated the effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial metal concentration. Adsorption was highly pH-dependent, with maximum removal near-neutral pH values. Higher adsorbent dosages reduced in a lower adsorption capacity per unit mass, primarily because the fixed amount of solute was distributed over a larger number of available sites, leading to unsaturation of the adsorbent surface and possible particle agglomeration. Isotherm modeling revealed that the Langmuir model provided the best fit, indicating monolayer adsorption with maximum adsorption capacities of 15.95 mg/g for Cd(II), 37.31 mg/g for Cu(II), and 17.83 mg/g for Ni(II). Langmuir constants indicated favorable interactions. Kinetics showed rapid adsorption within the first hour, reaching equilibrium at 240 min through surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion. Cu(II) exhibited the fastest uptake, while Ni(II) adsorbed more slowly, suggesting differences in diffusion rates among the metal ions. Desorption using 0.1 N HCl achieved over 80% efficiency for all metals, confirming sepiolite reusability. Overall, raw sepiolite is an effective, low-cost adsorbent for removing potentially toxic elements from water. Full article

Trakošćan Lake is an artificial lake created in the mid-19th century for aesthetic and economic purposes. The area around the lake has been protected as park forest. Recently, the lake has become the most famous example of eutrophication in Croatia, as by 2022, a significant amount of sediment had accumulated in it. Therefore, the lake was drained that same year, followed by mechanical removal of the sediment. The total amount of sediment removed was 204,000 m³. After the removal work, a particularly important question arose of what to do with such a large amount of sediment. The objective of this research was to gain specific insight into the chemical composition of the sediment with the aim of its possible use in agricultural production for increasing the quality of arable land. A comprehensive qualitative geochemical and agrochemical analysis of the sediment composition was carried out for the first time, including indicators of the pH value, amount of organic matter and carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, amount of carbonates, and the presence of metals, metalloids, and non-metals, of which As, Cd, Hg, and Pb are toxic. Electrochemical, spectrophotometric, and titration methods were used, along with three atomic absorption spectrometry techniques. The results of the analyses were interpreted in comparison with the natural substrate, as well as with the current regulations for agricultural land in the Republic of Croatia. According to this, sediment is not harmful for the environment. Full article