From water sources of the Tibetan Plateau to the ocean: State of nutrients of the Changjiang linked to the land-use changes and climate variability

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

 

IMAGE: LOW CONCENTRATIONS WERE FOUND IN THE QINGHAI-TIBETAN PLATEAU, AND THEN NUTRIENTS INCREASE IN THE RIVER AT 3500 KM-3000 KM UPSTREAM THE RIVER MOUTH AND FURTHER DOWNWARDS TO THE RIVER MOUTH. VERTICAL ARROWS SHOW THE CONFLUENCE OF MAJOR TRIBUTARIES, AND HORIZONTAL ARROW INDICATES THE LOCATION OF THE THREE GORGES RESERVOIR. view more 

CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

This study has examined the state changes of nutrients (N, P, and Si) from one of the top ten largest world river system, Changjiang, based on field expeditions and time-series data since early 1980s. The study covers an area of ca. 80% of the whole drainage basin (i.e. 1.8×106 km2) and 70% of water course, including main stream and 15 major tributaries.

A considerable increase in anthropogenic nutrients (e.g. N and P) appears when the river lefts the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and changes in species ratio have been identified from some of the major tributaries draining through high population and extensive agriculture areas. This influence can be tracked further downstream and all way to the estuary.

Different from the previous studies, the present study provides evidence that Three Gorges Dam and the reservoir have a rather limited impact on the so called “Trapping of Nutrients”. Examination of data in 2003-2016 indicates that there is a lack of systematics (i.e. trend) between upstream the reservoir and downstream the dam, even though for dissolved silicates.

Time-series data at the river mouth since 1980s indicate a continuous increasing mode for dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus. Particularly, nitrogen in the river started to be high in early 1980s, while a considerable increase in phosphate appeared later in mid-1990s with higher rate than that for nitrogen. This makes the Changjiang outstanding in terms of loadings and species ratio for anthropogenic nutrients compared to other top-ten world river systems.

Furthermore, the present study reveals that tidal-influenced deltaic area has an important but previously ignored role in regulating seaward flux of the Changjiang. Remobilization of nutrients from the tidal-influenced deltaic area contribute additional 5%-10% for dissolve inorganic nitrogen and silicates, but up to 20% for phosphate. Such an amount of nutrients is not related to the agriculture but to coastal urbanization.

In comparison to other rivers, watersheds of the Changjiang is still in the accumulation phase for anthropogenic nutrients, and a “legacy” source can sustain relatively high concentrations in the river even in the period of reduction of application of chemical fertilizers in agriculture. Hence, management strategy needs to take into consideration of the potential of legacy source.

At drainage basin scale, the continuous increase of anthropogenic nutrients in the Changjiang is mainly regulated by the human activities, while the influence of climate variability is rather limited and not systematic based on the current data sets.

Concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate increase both over last three decades, while dissolved silicates remain rather stable. Beside the annual trend, fluxes in flood (July) and dry (January) periods are also compared.

Major source and sink terms are compared and summarized for anthropogenic nutrients (i.e. N and P) based on expeditions and data compilation in the literature for the period of 2003-2015. In comparison to the retention of nutrients in the watersheds, seaward riverine flux is rather minor.

CREDIT

©Science China Press

Zhang J, Zhang G, Du Y, Zhang A, Chang Y, Zhou Y, Zhu Z, Wu Y, Zhang Z, Liu S. 2022. From the water sources of the Tibetan Plateau to the ocean: State of nutrients in the Changjiang linked to land use changes and climate variability. Science China Earth Sciences, 65(11): 2127–2174, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-021-9969-0

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JOURNAL

Science China Earth Sciences

DOI

10.1007/s11430-021-9969-0 

How climate change impacts the Indian Ocean dipole, leading to severe droughts and floods

A study led by Brown researchers showed how melting ice water from massive glaciers can ultimately lead to droughts and flooding in East Africa and Indonesia.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BROWN UNIVERSITY

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — With a new analysis of long-term climate data, researchers say they now have a much better understanding of how climate change can impact and cause sea water temperatures on one side of the Indian Ocean to be so much warmer or cooler than the temperatures on the other — a phenomenon that can lead to sometimes deadly weather-related events like megadroughts in East Africa and severe flooding in Indonesia.

The analysis, described in a new study in Science Advances by an international team of scientists led by researchers from Brown University, compares 10,000 years of past climate conditions reconstructed from different sets of geological records to simulations from an advanced climate model.

The findings show that about 18,000 to 15,000 years ago, as a result of melted freshwater from the massive glacier that once covered much of North America pouring into the North Atlantic, ocean currents that kept the Atlantic Ocean warm weakened, setting off a chain of events in response. The weakening of the system ultimately led to the strengthening of an atmospheric loop in the Indian Ocean that keeps warmer water on one side and cooler water on the other.

This extreme weather pattern, known as a dipole, prompts one side (either east or west) to have higher-than-average rainfall and the other to have widespread drought. The researchers saw examples of this pattern in both the historical data they studied and the model’s simulation. They say the findings can help scientists not only better understand the mechanisms behind the east-west dipole in the Indian Ocean, but can one day help to produce more effective forecasts of drought and flood in the region.

“We know that in the present-day gradients in the temperature of the Indian Ocean are important to rainfall and drought patterns, especially in East Africa, but it’s been challenging to show that those gradients change on long time-scales and to link them to long-term rainfall and drought patterns on both sides of the Indian Ocean,” said James Russell, a study author and professor of Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown. “We now have a mechanistic basis to understand why some of the longer-term changes in rainfall patterns in the two regions have changed through time.”

In the paper, the researchers explain the mechanisms behind how the Indian Ocean dipole they studied formed and the weather-related events it led to during the period they looked at, which covered the end of the last Ice Age and the start of the current geological epoch.

The researchers characterize the dipole as an east-west dipole where the water on the western side — which borders modern day East African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia — is cooler than the water on eastern side toward Indonesia. They saw that the warmer water conditions of the dipole brought greater rainfall to Indonesia, while the cooler water brought much drier weather to East Africa.

That fits into what is often seen in recent Indian Ocean dipole events. In October, for example, heavy rain led to floods and landslides in Indonesian islands of Java and Sulawesi, leaving four people dead and impacting over 30,000 people. On the opposite end, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia experienced intense droughts starting in 2020 that threatened to cause famine.

The changes the authors observed 17,000 years ago were even more extreme, including the complete drying of Lake Victoria — one of the largest lakes on Earth.

“Essentially, the dipole intensifies dry conditions and wet conditions that could result in extreme events like multi-year or decades-long dry events in East Africa and flooding events in South Indonesia,” said Xiaojing Du, a Voss postdoctoral researcher in the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and Brown’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, and the study’s lead author. “These are events that impact people’s lives and also agriculture in those regions. Understanding the dipole can help us better predict and better prepare for future climate change.”

The dipole the researchers studied formed from the interactions between the heat transport system of the Atlantic Ocean and an atmospheric loop, called a Walker Circulation, in the tropical Indian Ocean. The lower part of the atmospheric loop flows east to west across much of the region at low altitudes near the ocean surface, and the upper part flows west to east at higher altitudes. The higher air and lower air connect in one big loop.

Interruption and weakening of the Atlantic Ocean heat transport, which works like a conveyor belt made of ocean and wind currents, was brought on by massive melting of the Laurentide ice sheet that once covered most of Canada and the northern U.S. The melting cooled the Atlantic and consequent wind anomalies triggered the atmospheric loop over the tropical Indian Ocean to become more active and extreme. That then led to increased precipitation in the east side of the Indian Ocean (where Indonesia sits) and reduced precipitation in the west side, where East Africa sits.

The researchers also show that during the period they studied, this effect was amplified by a lower sea level and the exposure of nearby continental shelves.

The scientists say more research is needed to figure out exactly what effect the exposed continental shelf and lower sea level has on the Indian Ocean’s east-west dipole, but they’re already planning to expand the work to investigate the question. While this line of the work on lower sea levels won’t play into modeling future conditions, the work they’ve done investigating how the melting of ancient glaciers impacts the Indian Ocean dipole and the heat transport system of the Atlantic Ocean may provide key insights into future changes as climate change brings about more melting.

“Greenland is currently melting so fast that it’s discharging a lot of freshwater into the North Atlantic Ocean in ways that are impacting the ocean circulation,” Russell said. “The work done here has provided a new understanding of how changes in the Atlantic Ocean circulation can impact Indian Ocean climate and through that rainfall in Africa and Indonesia.”

The study was supported with funding from the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the National Science Foundation.

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JOURNAL

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.add4909 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

ARTICLE TITLE

North Atlantic cooling triggered a zonal mode over the Indian Ocean during Heinrich Stadial 1

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2023

Nanomaterials for (Environment) Water Purification

Book Announcement

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS

The book “Nano Materials Induced Removal of Textile Dyes from Waste Water“ discusses the environmental issue of the nanomaterial. As the topic is extreme vast only a particular part of the environmental issue i.e. water pollution has been given a focus. The topic has been further concentrated to the removal of various dyes from water by specific nano-system.

Chapter 1 has been discussed the basic of Nano system, its synthesis approach, advantages, disadvantages, few application its commercial benefits etc.

Chapter 2 is mainly associated with the basic science behind the reason that nanomaterial behaves completely different from its bulk form.    

Chapter 3 discusses some of the basic characterization technique of nanomaterial. These include few basic techniques like STM, AFM, SEM, TEM etc. and some dedicated direct or indirect techniques for particular application this book is dedicated to.

Chapter 4 describes the classifications of dyes as well as their characteristics. 

Chapter 5 is dedicated to the interaction of nanomaterials with different dyes in broad sense. The state of art has been discussed in this consequence. At the end of this chapter the basic techniques of removal of dyes with nanomaterial will be mentioned. Emphasis will be put on mainly photo-catalysis and adsorption.  

Chapter 6 deals with the detail of photo catalysis and the mechanism how it interacts with dyes to remove it. 

Chapter 7 follows the previous one with photo-catalysis being replaced by adsorption. Different adsorption model as well reaction kinetics has been elaborated.

Chapter 8 discusses few particular nano-system that are the most popular from the point of view of this particular application. The nanosystem may be carbon based, oxide based, polymer based or nitride based system.  

This book is properly designed to solve basic queries of common academicians and technologist about fundamental nanoscience and nanomaterial induced removal of textile dyes. Its basic concepts, chronological development and applications has been thoroughly discussed with appropriate examples and comparisons. We strongly believe that this effort shall be very important and useful for the budding engineers and scientist who are interested in nanoscience. 

The efforts have been given so that the style of the writing can be kept simple and easily understanding and the essence of the subject can be fed even to a school student. Also we have tried to keep the volume of the book reasonable so that the journey into this subject from the introduction to the advanced application can be finished within a couple of hours say within certain four hour’s air journey from Kolkata to Mumbai.

The main targeted audience will be PG students and the research scholars in the field of physics, chemistry and materials Science

About the Authors:

Diptonil Banerjee is currently working as an associate professor in the department of physics, faculty of engineering, Teerthanker Mahaveer University from 2020. Dr. Banerjee, completed both his graduation and Masters in Physics from University of Calcutta in the year 2005 and 2007, respectively. He did his PhD from Jadavpur University on Materials Science and Nanotechnology in the year of 2012. Presently, Dr. Banerjee is working mainly on carbon based nanotechnology and related applications. He has also started working on some oxide based nanostructures as well. He is entrusted by the Department of Science and Technology (Gov't of India) with few projects of considerable budget. 

Besides, he is an editorial board member and a reviewer of good numbers of quality journals. Currently, he is having an h index 21 and i10 index 41 with cumulative citation over 1270.

Amit Kumar Sharma did his graduation (BSc) in 2000 and post-graduation (MSc) in Electronics & Computational Physics in 2002 from Dr. B.R.A. Univ. (Agra University), Agra. He did Ph.D. in Applied Science (Physics) from Gautam Buddh University (Formerly U.P. Technical University), Lucknow in 2012. He is currently working as Assoc. Prof. in the Dept. of Physics, Faculty of Engineering (TMU), Moradabad since 2019. Earlier, he worked as CSIR-postdoctoral fellow (Post-Doc) in Biophysics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Department of Atomic Energy, Kolkata. His areas of research are Molecular Physics, Biophysics, Toxin and flavonoids, Sensors and Computational Physics. He has published 15 research papers in the International Journal of repute and more than 21 papers in proceedings of conferences

Nirmalya Sankar Das is presently working as assistant professor in the Department of Physics in Techno International - Batanagar (formerly known as Techno India – Batanagar), Kolkata, India. He is also the teacher –in- charge of the department. He pursued his graduation with physics honors as well as masters from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. After completing his Masters, he did his PhD from the same University in the field of Nanoscience and Technology under the supervision of Prof. Kalyan Kumar Chattopadhyay.

During his PhD, he was involved in making different oxide and sulphide thin films like pure and doped NiO, ZnO, CdS films synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering technique. Also he has extensively studied the optical and electrical properties of all those thin films. Presently his research interest focuses on the optical, electrical and electronic properties of different semiconductor oxide, sulphide and nitride nanostructures. Apart from academics Dr. Das has also engaged in different administrative activities as well. Apart from those academic aspects, he is a very good artist. His creations, both in the scientific and creative art section, have always been highly appreciated. 

Keywords:

Nanomaterials, Reaction kinetics, Material Science, Zinc oxide, Microscopy, Carbon nanotube, Quantum Mechanics, Silicon nanowire, Quantum Confinement, graphene, Dye, Graphitic carbon nitride , Catalysis, Density functional theory, Adsorption, Density of state      

Please visit for more information: https://bit.ly/3S0numO

 

New study: Methane

emissions offset

carbon uptake in

Baltic macroalgae

 habitats

Peer-Reviewed Publication

STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY

Bladderwrack in the Baltic Sea emits significant amounts of methane, which, to some extent, can offset the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by these algae. This is shown by a new study from Askö Laboratory, where the fluxes of greenhouse gases between surface waters and the atmosphere were measured continuously over several seasons.

"It was a bit surprising that methane was emitted from the bladderwrack, since this algae grows on hard substrates and not on soft sediments, where methane is produced normally”, says Christoph Humborg, scientific director of Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre and co-author of the new study published in Nature Communications. “But what we found was that these algae form pockets of sediment where methane forming microorganisms, archaea, could be detected. We found these archaea also on floating filamentous algae and organic matter debris associated with dense stands of bladderwrack.”

Coastal ecosystems can take up and store large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so-called “blue carbon”. Restoring such ecosystems could therefore be an important nature-based solution to mitigate climate change. Well-known blue carbon ecosystems include mangrove, sea grass meadows and salt marshes. However, more recently, it has been suggested that also macroalgae, such as the bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) – common to the Baltic Sea – can take up large amounts of atmospheric carbon. If this carbon is, for example, exported to and sequestered in the deep sea, macroalgae could be one of the most important blue carbon ecosystems globally.

Bladderwrack forests take up significant amounts of carbon dioxide
In the recently published study, with Florian Roth as first author, researchers from Stockholm University and University of Helsinki in the collaboration CoastClim* measured greenhouse gas fluxes between the water surface and atmosphere outside the Askö Laboratory in Trosa over a whole year, using the Water Equilibration Gas Analyzer System, WEGAS. The measurements confirmed that mixed vegetation and bladderwrack forests in the coastal zone do take up significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The fluxes vary over the year, but altogether the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the bladderwrack habitats added up to 0.52 tons CO2 per hectare and year, which can be compared with 0.71 ton CO2 per hectare and year for areas with mixed vegetation.

However, this uptake is offset by methane fluxes from the water to the atmosphere from the very same environments. As methane is a stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, the net carbon uptake is reduced to 0.38 ton and 0.46 ton CO2-eq. (carbon dioxide equivalents, meaning the global warming potential of the gases converted to that of carbon dioxide) per hectare and year for bladderwrack and mixed vegetation sites, respectively.

Methane forming microorganisms were found both in small pockets of sediment and on fliamentous algae overgrowing the bladderwrack. Picture from the publication by Roth et al.

Marcoalgae habitats important from a climate perspective
As awareness is rising of the potential of blue carbon habitats and the possibility to include them in climate mitigation strategies, it is increasingly important to quantify the fluxes of greenhouse gases and the net carbon uptake in these environments correctly.

“Caring for and restoring macroalgae habitats could still be important from a climate perspective. Our study shows that these environments are net carbon sinks, just not as large as has sometimes been suggested”, Christoph Humborg clarifies.

From a management perspective, it is also important to know whether methane production in the macroalgae habitats is influenced by their health status, i.e., whether macroalgae habitats in eutrophic degraded systems produce more methane than healthy macroalgae stands. This hypothesis will be tested by the Swedish-Finnish researcher group in mesocosm-experiments next year.

“Our measurements were done in situ in the Baltic Sea, which is affected by eutrophication”, says Christoph Humborg. “A less eutrophic ecosystem with less organic matter accumulation and less filamentous algae growth could likely produce less methane. If so, taking measures to help the Baltic Sea recover from eutrophication would substantially improve the blue carbon potential of these habitats and contribute to mitigating climate change.”

Article in Nature Communications: Roth et al: Methane emissions offset atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake in coastal macroalgae, mixed vegetation and sediment ecosystems

Watch short film on Youtbe: Methane emissions offset carbon uptake in macroalgae habitats in the Baltic Sea

Contact:
Christoph Humborg, Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre, e-mail: christoph.humborg@su.se, phone: 08-674 76 68
Florian Roth, Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre and Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, e-mail: florian.roth@su.se

*The Centre for Coastal Ecosystem and Climate Change Research (CoastClim) evaluates the links between coastal biodiversity, carbon cycling, and climate feedbacks. The data will serve as a foundation for decision-support to improve the use and management of coastal ecosystems with the potential for climate change mitigation. The development of CoastClim is part of a strategic partnership between the University of Helsinki and Stockholm University that focuses on strengthening collaborative marine ecosystem and climate change research between universities. Read more about CoastClim at www.coastclim.org

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

ARTICLE TITLE

Methane emissions offset atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake in coastal macroalgae, mixed vegetation and sediment ecosystems

New “semi-sub” shows spy potential of sailing at waterline

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: AN UNMANNED SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLE PROTOTYPE DEVELOPED AT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY view more 

CREDIT: WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

PULLMAN, Wash. – An unmanned semi-submersible vehicle developed at Washington State University may prove that the best way to travel in water undetected and efficiently is not on top, or below, but in-between.

The roughly 1.5-foot-long semi-sub prototype, built with off-the-shelf and 3D-printed parts, showed its seaworthiness in water tests, moving quickly with low drag and a low profile. The researchers detailed the test results in a study published in the journal Unmanned Systems.

This vessel-type isn’t new. Authorities have discovered crudely made semi-subs being used for illicit purposes in recent years, but the WSU project aims to demonstrate how engineer-developed half-submerged vessels can efficiently serve military, commercial and research purposes.

“A semi-submersible vehicle is relatively inexpensive to build, difficult to detect, and it can go across oceans,” said Konstantin Matveev, the WSU engineering professor leading this work. “It's not so susceptible to waves in comparison to surface ships since most of the body is underwater, so there are some economic advantages as well.”

Since the semi-sub sails mostly at the water line, it does not need to be made of as strong materials as a submarine which has to withstand the pressure of being underwater for long periods of time. The semi-sub also has the advantage of having a small platform in contact with the atmosphere, making it easier to receive and transmit data. 

For this study, Matveev and co-author Pascal Spino, a recent WSU graduate and former president of the WSU RoboSub club, piloted the semi-sub in Snake River’s Wawawai Bay in Washington state. They tested its stability and ability to maneuver. The semi-sub reached a max speed of 1.5 meters per second (roughly 3.4 miles an hour), but at higher speeds, it rises above the water creating more of a wake and expending more energy. At lower speeds, it is almost fully immersed and barely makes a ripple.

The researchers also outfitted the semi-sub with sonar and mapped the bottom of a reservoir near Pullman, Washington to test its ability to collect and transmit data. 

While not yet completely autonomous, the WSU semi-sub can be pre-programmed to behave in certain ways, such as running a certain route by itself or responding to particular objects by pursuing them or running away. 

While the WSU semi-sub is relatively small at 450 mm long with a 100 mm diameter (about 1.5 foot long and 4 inches in diameter), Matveev said it is possible for larger semi-subs to be built to carry significant cargo. For instance, they could be used to help refuel ships or stations at sea. They could even be scaled up to rival container ships, and since they experience less drag in the water, they would use less fuel creating both an environmental and economic advantage.

For now, the Matveev’s lab is continuing work on optimizing the shape of semi-submersible vehicle prototypes to fit specific purposes. He is currently collaborating with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland to work on the vehicles’ operational capabilities and compare numerical simulations with results from experiments.

An unmanned semi-submersible vehicle prototype developed at Washington State University

CREDIT

Washington State University

WSUSemiSubMotion1 (VIDEO)

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JOURNAL

Unmanned Systems

DOI

10.1142/S2301385023500048 

ARTICLE TITLE

Development and testing of unmanned semi-submersible vehicle

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Jan-2023

From the road to the plate: lettuce takes up toxic additives from tyre wear

Chemicals from tyre wear could get into our vegetables via sewage sludge and waste water

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA

 

IMAGE: LETTUCE PLANTS TAKE UP CHEMICALS THAT ARE RELEASED BY TYRE ABRASION: THE PICTURE SHOWS THE ACTUAL EXPERIMENTAL SETUP IN WHICH THE RESEARCHERS ADDED TYRE ABRASION TO THE NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS OF LETTUCE PLANTS. view more 

CREDIT: GABRIEL SIGMUND

Wind, sewage sludge, and waste water carry tyre wear particles from roads onto farmland. A new lab study shows: The pollutants contained in the particles could get into the vegetables grown there. Researchers at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS) at the University of Vienna have investigated whether chemicals released from tyres find their way into lettuce plants and could ultimately end up on our plates. Their analyses showed: The lettuce took up all the compounds studied - some of them highly toxic. Further investigations are to show how this process actually takes place in arable soils. The study has now been published in the international journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Driving a car produces tyre wear particles, which are blown into the environment by the wind and washed into rivers and sewage by the rain – in total around 1 kg per citizen per year. Through the atmosphere and with the waste water or the sewage sludge used as fertilizer in agriculture, the tyre particles can reach agricultural soils. There, potentially harmful chemicals might be released from the tyre into the environment: Tyre wear particles and other types of microplastics contain additives, which ensure specific properties, consistencies and the durability of these plastics. In soils, the small plastic or tyre particles usually release their pollutants in the upper soil layers – this was determined in earlier studies by the research team led by environmental geoscientist Thilo Hofmann from the University of Vienna. In their current study, the researchers shed light on whether the pollutants could migrate from there into the crops. 

Lettuce plants continuously take up toxic compounds from tyre wear particles

"Tyre wear particles contain a number of organic chemicals, some of which are highly toxic," says Anya Sherman, PhD student at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS) and co-first author of the newly published study. Thilo Hofmann, head of the research group, adds: "If these chemicals are released in the root zone of edible plants, they can be a health concern for consumers – provided the chemicals are taken up by the plants." This is exactly the question the research team addressed in several experiments. The environmental geoscientists added five chemicals to the hydroponic solutions of lettuce plants. Four of these chemicals are used in tyre production. Not all of them have already been confirmed to be harmful. Yet, the fifth chemical is a transformation product of one of these four, created once the tyres are in use, and it is proven to be toxic: The chemical 6PPD-quinone (originating from 6PPD) has been linked to mass deaths of salmon in the U.S. "Our measurements showed that the lettuce plants took up all the compounds we investigated through their roots, translocated them into the lettuce leaves and accumulated them there," Sherman reports. This was also evident when the lettuce plants were not exposed to the chemicals directly, but indirectly via tyre crumb. "The lettuce plants continuously take up the potentially harmful chemicals that are released from the tyre abrasion particles over the long term," reports Thilo Hofmann.

Lettuce produces metabolites with as of yet unassessed toxicity

Using high resolution mass spectrometry methods, the Viennese environmental geoscientists not only measured the extent to which the previously defined chemicals ended up in the lettuce plants. They also identified the substances to which the lettuce plants metabolised the chemicals. "The plants processed the substances and in doing so they produced compounds that have not been described before. Since we don't know the toxicity of these metabolites, they pose a health risk that cannot be assessed so far," Thorsten Hüffer, senior scientist at CMESS, emphasises. The metabolites identified by the research team are quite stable in the plant. Most likely, they would therefore be preserved until reaching our plates. "In the human body, however, such compounds are very easily broken down. Thus, if someone eats such a contaminated lettuce, the original chemicals could be released again in the body," Sherman explains.

Next step: Analysis of the described processes in soil systems and detection in environmental water 

In further studies, the Viennese research team plans to better trace the possible path of tyre-wear pollutants from the road to the plate. "The processes we have investigated probably take place differently in soil systems. In a next step, we are therefore looking at the possible uptake of tyre additives by plant roots in natural soils," reports co-author Ruoting Peng, who, in her dissertation project, traces the presence of an even wider range of additives in the environment, focusing on the pollution of water bodies. To better understand how such chemicals are entering the environment, in an ongoing project the research team is looking to obtain data on the concentration of these chemicals along the Danube in cooperation with the CleanDanube Project. 

Microplastics in the environment: a long-term source of pollution

There, the researchers' interest revolves equally around the release mechanisms, the quantities and the long-term behaviour of the pollutants. For a recent study also published in Environmental Science & Technology, the Environmental Geosciences team analysed for how long microplastics release pollutants into the aquatic environment. In particular, they focused on phthalates – additives used primarily in the production of PVC to provide flexibility and stability. "These plasticisers have already been detected everywhere in the environment. Yet, little is known about their release process from the microplastics and how environmental conditions can influence the release," explains the first author of this study, Charlotte Henkel. "Our analyses have shown that the PVC microplastics studied can release phthalates into aquatic systems – for example rivers, lakes or groundwater – over more than 500 years." The extent to which this happens always depends on the environmental conditions. Nevertheless, according to Thilo Hofmann, the study clearly shows: "Once microplastics have reached the aquatic environment, they remain a source of potentially polluting substances, and in the case of phthalates, for a very long time."

In a further step, the Viennese environmental geoscientists will investigate whether and how lettuce plants take up the chemicals released by tyre abrasion in soil systems.

CREDIT

Stephanie Castan & Gabriel Sigmund

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science & Technology

DOI

10.1021/acs.est.2c05660 

ARTICLE TITLE

Uptake, metabolism and accumulation of tire wear particle-derived compounds in lettuce

Algal Purposeful Foods and Nutraceutical

Aids, Prospects, and Experiments

Book Announcement

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS

Edible algae, including seaweeds, are a source of functional food, dietary supplements, metabolites and bioactive compounds. Algal-based functional foods have potential health benefits, and their commercial value depends on their applications in the food and nutraceutical industries. The book “Algal Functional Foods and Nutraceutical“ covers several aspects of algal-based functional foods. It informs the reader about algal cultivation techniques, environmental impact, habitat, nutraceutical potential, extraction of bioactive metabolites, functional-food composition, bio-prospection, culture-induced nutraceutical compounds, algae-based bio-packaging, algal-biorefinery, toxicity, trends and future prospects. The editors present the topics in a research-oriented format while citing scholarly references. This book is a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in the nutritional benefits and industrial utilization of algae as a sustainable food source.

 

About the editor:

Dr. Avinash Mishra is a Principal Scientist at CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Bhavnagar, India. He is a graduate from Ewing Christian College, Allahabad (an autonomous college of Allahabad University). He did his Masters and PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar (first Agriculture University of India). His research area is Seaweed Metabolomics & Biotechnology, Plant Molecular Biology, Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Plants, and Plant Transgene Technology. He has published over 100 research articles in the journals of international repute with 43 h-index, so far (as per Google Scholar). Moreover, he has handled more than 10 research grants (projects) and also published about 20 book-chapters with international publishers. He has guided more than 15 PhD students (3 are currently working). He also mentored more than 15 graduate students for their dissertation or research internship. He has several years of editorial experience in several international scientific journals. Currently, he is serving as Associate Editor for the section Marine Biotechnology of Frontiers in Marine Science, and Guest Editor for Foods. He has been honored with Young Scientist Award from Council of Science and Technology (UP-CST), Govt. of UP and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India for excellent contribution in the field of Biological Sciences (Abiotic Stress Tolerance).

 

Keywords:

Marine algae, Micro algae, Seaweed, Bioactive compound, Edible Seaweed, Vegan protein, Functional Food, Human health, Nutraceuticals, Metabolomics, Algal Food, Dietary supplement, Phycology, Probiotics, Food Science,  Phyco-nutraceutical, Nutrition, Food quality, Marine biology, Algal cultivation

 

For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/3UhVBYr

Rolling in benefits: New method for effective compression of plant biomass for alternate fuel and anti-viral applications

Researchers from Okayama University have developed a novel mechanical compression method to squeeze maximum benefits from plant biomass

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: THIS PROCESS OF COMPRESSING WOODY AND HERBACEOUS BIOMASS GENERATES PELLETS WITH GOOD COMBUSTION PERFORMANCE AND SQUEEZED LIQUID EXTRACTS WITH WATER-SOLUBLE LIGNIN THAT SHOWS SUPERIOR ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES view more 

CREDIT: TOSHIAKI OHARA FROM OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY

The steady rise in global energy consumption is causing a rapid depletion of fossil fuel resources. Since fossil fuels take thousands of years to replenish, there is an urgent need to determine alternate renewable energy sources. Biomass is a reliable renewable source of energy since it comprises organic matter from plants and animals. Biomass is readily available in nature and its organic composition makes it a top choice for an environment-friendly energy resource. However, plant biomass contains more than 50% moisture, which needs to be reduced by mechanical methods or through heating and natural seasoning to about 35% for increasing the power generation efficiency when used as fuel. For optimal benefits, this drying process should be fast, economic, and energy efficient. The current system of mechanical compression is inefficient as it needs a subsequent thermal drying process, which makes the operation energy- and time-consuming and may often involve cumbersome equipment of appreciable cost. Moreover, the squeezed liquid produced as a by-product by most of these methods does not contain water-soluble lignin—an important structural polymer in plant cells with myriads of applications.

 

To address these issues, researchers from Japan led by Dr. Toshiaki Ohara, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University have identified an effective mechanical compression system for drying plant biomass for power generation without the need for thermal drying. Their novel method can be applied on both woody and herbaceous plants and generates a compression liquid with water-soluble lignin that has basic antiviral properties against influenza and pig epidemic diarrhea viruses.

 

In their study, the findings of which were published on 22 October 2022 in the Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, the researchers used cedar wood board and chips as woody biomass and the ginger herb species Alpinia zerumbet as herbaceous biomass to test the novel mechanical rolling compression method. They found that cedar board and  Alpinia zerumbet were compressed more effectively than cedar chips. Explaining this observation, Dr. Ohara says, “Using our technique, all plants could be compressed; however, cedar board and Alpinia zerumbet were more effectively compressed than cedar chips, which were compressed in a random direction. This indicates that compression along plant vessels, such as straw, is essential for efficacy.” Here, it must be mentioned that plant vessels are tissues in vascular plants associated with the conduction of nutrients and water.

 

After compression, the researchers crushed and pelletized the residues to determine their combustion performance, an indicator of their potential as biomass for power generation. The liquid obtained as a byproduct of compression was filtered, its lignin content and structure determined, and its antiviral properties evaluated using cell viability assays.

 

The cedar board pellets showed a higher heat value on combustion, which matched the ISO standards, attesting to their higher energy performance. The ginger herb species yielded more water-soluble lignin, but its heat value on combustion was slightly lower, at 95% of the ISO standards. However, both cedar board and Alpinia zerumbet compression liquids significantly inhibited influenza and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection.  

 

Dr. Yuta Nishina from the Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Okayama University, a co-author of the study, observes, “The non-chemically extracted water soluble lignin obtained by this method can find applications in the fields of medicine, cosmetics, and livestock husbandry.” Besides, the high-carbon content water-soluble lignin may find use in carbon nanomaterial production and contribute to reducing carbon-driven pollution.

 

Summarizing the benefits of their novel technique, Dr. Ohara observes, “Our method does not require time, a stockyard, or additional thermal drying, allowing for on-site operation. This compressor can squeeze both wood and herbs allowing us to promote biomass electric power generation using locally grown plants. These characteristics are beneficial for advancing local sustainability.”

 

Here’s hoping their technique continues to roll in benefits for a greener tomorrow!

 

About Okayama University, Japan

As one of the leading universities in Japan, Okayama University aims to create and establish a new paradigm for the sustainable development of the world. Okayama University offers a wide range of academic fields, which become the basis of the integrated graduate schools. This not only allows us to conduct the most advanced and up-to-date research, but also provides an enriching educational experience.

Website: https://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/index_e.html

 

About Assistant Professor Toshiaki Ohara from Okayama University, Japan

Dr. Toshiaki Ohara holds a degree as Doctor of Medicine. He is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, at Okayama University in Japan. He has about 110 publications and has a special interest in areas like cancer biology, animal models, flow cytometry, and surgery.

 

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JOURNAL

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management

DOI

10.1007/s10163-022-01531-5 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

A novel mechanical plant compression system for biomass fuel and acquisition of squeezed liquid with water soluble lignin as anti virus materials

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

22-Oct-2022

COI STATEMENT

This work was supported by Takasago Thermal Engineering Co. Ltd., who provided the first author with research grants. The second and third authors are associated with this organization.