Native salt-tolerant plants help turn toxic bauxite waste into new soil

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University

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Early establishment of native halophytic plant species enhanced mineral weathering and organic carbon inputs in bauxite residue under field conditions
 

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Credit: Songlin Wu, Fang You, Lars Thomsen, David Parry & Longbin Huang

A team of researchers has found that hardy native plants could play a surprising role in transforming one of the aluminum industry’s most stubborn waste products into the beginnings of fertile soil.

Each year, alumina refineries generate millions of tons of bauxite residue, often called “red mud,” which is highly alkaline and difficult to rehabilitate. Stored in massive dams, this waste poses long-term environmental risks. Scientists have long searched for cost-effective ways to neutralize it and encourage vegetation growth.

In a new three-year field study, researchers from The University of Queensland tested whether native halophytic plants—species naturally adapted to salty, alkaline conditions—could kick-start the process of soil formation in seawater-treated bauxite residue. They focused on three species: Ruby saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa), saltbush (Atriplex aminocola), and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana).

The team found that the plants not only survived but actively altered the waste material. Their roots reduced the abundance of alkaline minerals such as sodalite, lowering pH levels from 9.5 to below 9.0. Advanced X-ray techniques revealed that the roots promoted the formation of new amorphous iron, aluminum, and silicon minerals. These minerals bound with organic compounds released by the plants, creating early organo-mineral associations that are essential for soil development.

At the same time, the plants more than doubled the total organic carbon content in the residue, from about 10 to over 20 milligrams per gram. This carbon came directly from root growth and exudates, which also fueled the stabilization of soil aggregates. Importantly, these effects were consistent across all three species, regardless of fertilizer inputs.

“Halophytic plants act as biological pioneers,” said Professor Longbin Huang, senior author of the study. “Their roots not only tolerate extreme conditions but actually drive chemical changes that make the residue less hostile and more soil-like.”

The findings suggest that introducing these native plants could serve as a low-cost, field-ready strategy to initiate the long process of converting red mud into functional soil. While the process is slow compared to adding large amounts of organic matter, it offers a sustainable interim solution in places where other amendments are impractical.

This research provides the first field-based evidence that native plants can spark the crucial early stages of soil formation in bauxite residue, pointing the way to greener rehabilitation of industrial waste landscapes.

 

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Journal reference: Wu S, You F, Thomsen L, Parry D, Huang L. 2025. Early establishment of native halophytic plant species enhanced mineral weathering and organic carbon inputs in bauxite residue under field conditions. Energy & Environment Nexus 1: e004 https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/een-0025-0006 

 

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About Energy & Environment Nexus:
Energy & Environment Nexus is an open-access journal publishing high-quality research on the interplay between energy systems and environmental sustainability, including renewable energy, carbon mitigation, and green technologies.

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DOI

10.48130/een-0025-0006 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Early establishment of native halophytic plant species enhanced mineral weathering and organic carbon inputs in bauxite residue under field conditions

Article Publication Date

24-Oct-2025

 

Commercial sunbeds should be banned in the UK, say experts

Despite regulation, sunbeds remain popular with young people and are adding to the national skin cancer burden

BMJ Group

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Commercial sunbeds should be banned in the UK, argue experts in The BMJ today.

Using sunbeds causes melanoma and other skin cancers, particularly among young people, yet existing sunbed legislation is ineffective and there is little evidence that stricter rules would help protect the most vulnerable, say Professor Paul Lorigan and colleagues.

Indoor tanning is experiencing a boom in popularity, particularly among Gen Z (born 1997-2012), with social media promoting sunbeds as integral to wellness, they explain. For example, a 2024 survey of 2,003 people in the UK by Melanoma Focus found that 43% of respondents aged 18-25 used sunbeds, half of them at least weekly, with many unaware of the associated dangers.

And despite a ban on under 18s using sunbeds in England and Wales in 2011, a 2025 survey by Melanoma Focus of 100 UK 16-17 year olds found that 34% were still using sunbeds.

Neither the number nor location of sunbed outlets in the UK are monitored, point out the authors. Data from websites and social media in January 2024 identified 4,231 sunbed outlets in England and 232 in Wales, with density per 100,000 population highest in north west and north east England and in the most deprived areas.

The distribution of sunbed outlets also correlates with melanoma rates in young people, with the highest rates in north England, they add. Over 2,600 new diagnoses were recorded annually in 25-49 year olds in England during 2018-20, with two thirds of cases in women, and 146 deaths.

Regulation has also failed to prevent young people’s use of sunbeds in other countries, they note. For example, the percentage of under 18s using sunbeds in the Republic of Ireland has barely changed since stricter regulation in 2014, while Iceland’s 15-17 year olds are now the main users of sunbeds despite a ban for under 18s from 2011.

The current situation in the UK is “a clear example of an under-regulated industry aggressively marketing a harmful product to a vulnerable population,” they write. “An immediate outright ban on commercial sunbeds alongside public education offers the most cost effective solution to reduce skin cancer, save lives, and ease the burden on the NHS.”

To counter the economic impact of banning sunbeds on providers and communities, they suggest use of a buy-back scheme “to mitigate industry pushback and the potential effect on livelihoods.”

They conclude: “The UK government has pledged to prioritise prevention and to reduce health inequalities. Commercial sunbeds target those who are most disadvantaged and susceptible to harm.”

“Enhanced efforts to encourage sun safe behaviours are critically needed but will likely take a generation to have an effect. A ban on commercial sunbeds is the first step in this process. It would send a clear message and have an immediate effect on skin cancer.”

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Journal

The BMJ

DOI

10.1136/bmj-2025-085414 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Commercial sunbeds should be banned in the UK

Article Publication Date

1-Oct-2025

COI Statement

Competing interests: We have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests and have the following interests to declare: SK declares honoraria and travel support from Kyowa Kirin, Sanofi, and Sun Pharma, unrelated to the topic. IC is a patient advocate and trustee of Melanoma Focus. SD is chief executive of Melanoma Focus. PCL declares personal fees, advisory board fees, and travel support from MSD, Pierre Fabre, BMS, Iovance, and MLA Diagnostics and institutional support for research from BMS and Pierre Fabre, all unrelated to the topic, and wasthe previouschair of Melanoma Focus.

 

India could bear biggest impact from chikungunya, new maps suggest

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

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The most comprehensive mapping to date of the global risk of chikungunya suggests India could experience the greatest long-term impact from the mosquito-borne virus.

Based on existing evidence of chikungunya transmission, the infectious disease model predicts 14.4 million people could be at risk of infections globally each year, with 5.1 million people at risk in India. It’s likely that chikungunya cases could also spread to regions not currently recording infections or considered at-risk, the analysis found, potentially increasing the number of people at risk each year to 34.9 million globally, with 12.1 million in India.

India, Brazil and Indonesia also ranked as the top three countries most-likely to experience substantial long-term impacts from chikungunya, with India and Brazil accounting for 48% of the global impact of the disease on healthcare systems and individuals. The analysis suggests chronic health impacts will be the biggest concern, with existing evidence suggesting around 50% of people infected with the virus are left with long-term disability.

The authors say their analysis provides fresh information for public health professionals in the region, who are already working hard to contain chikungunya outbreaks.

The study, conducted by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Nagasaki University and the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, mapped all possible regions where chikungunya infections could occur in future, to enable countries to prepare more effectively and estimated age-groups and areas most at risk of long-term effects, to target for possible vaccine programmes.

Chikungunya outbreaks are a growing public health concern and have been reported in over 114 countries since its re-emergence in 2004. The virus is spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, more commonly known as yellow fever and tiger mosquitoes, respectively, and causes severe joint pain and high fever (over 39℃) in those who become infected.

While most patients fully recover from the initial phase after a few weeks, over 50% of chikungunya patients who survive the infection suffer from long-term joint pain and disability, and cases can occasionally be fatal. There are currently no specific treatments for chikungunya but two preventative vaccines have been approved for use in some countries.

The study is the first of its kind to predict the burden of chikungunya using machine learning to combine existing data on chikungunya infections with other factors that may influence the likelihood of infections. This included: the likely occurrence of Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopicus mosquitoes; temperatures suitable for transmission of the virus by mosquitoes, modelled on the spread of dengue; annual precipitation in each region; how suitable different environments might be for the chikungunya virus to spread among populations; and national level Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Studies have estimated chikungunya burden previously but have often relied on only surveillance and outbreak reports, which are known to be an underestimate of the true number of cases.

The model was first used to predict how many people at risk of chikungunya infections may actually become infected per year, based on the force of infection. For infectious diseases, a higher force of infection generally means a disease can spread more quickly, making explosive outbreaks more likely.

All continents had regions where high numbers of chikungunya infections were predicted annually. On average, between 1.2-1.3% of people at risk of chikungunya could expect to be infected per year, which is lower than the risk of dengue (6%). However, the data suggested certain countries, such as Gabon in Africa, could experience infections in up to 11% of people at risk.

The team then estimated the most likely long-term consequences of chikungunya infection for individuals and countries worldwide, known as its burden. India, Brazil and Indonesia were found to be the most at-risk of long-term impacts, mostly due to chronic disability experienced by many after infection, rather than death by acute infection. Chronic illness accounted for 54% of the chikungunya burden, mostly affecting those aged between 40 and 60 years, while children under 10 and adults over 80 were found to be the most at risk of acute illness.

Hyolim Kang, who led the study as part of her PhD at the London School of Hygiene  & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and who is also a Research Fellow at Nagasaki University, said: “It’s been widely thought that mosquitoes carrying chikungunya would be confined to subtropical or tropical continents, but our analysis has found that the risk extends way beyond these regions.

“Prevention of the spread of this disease is important for everyone. There are no specific antiviral therapies for chikungunya and treatment relies solely on supportive care. Not only are infections extremely painful, even the healthiest of people can be infected and left with life-long disability.”

Sushant Sahastrabuddhe, Associate Director General of Innovation, Initiatives, and Enterprise Development at the International Vaccine Institute , and co-author of the study, said: “The potential spread of vectors carrying viruses like chikungunya won’t wait for us to carry out years of research, so it’s been extremely important to us that the modelling we’re working on is shared and used in real time to help public health professionals manage current cases and prepare for the future.”

Kaja Abbas, joint Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Nagasaki University, and senior author of the study, said: “Our model-based estimates are useful to inform outbreak response immunization strategies for different age groups using the two licensed vaccines (Ixchiq® and Vimkunya®) in Brazil and broadly in any setting globally at risk of chikungunya outbreaks. We hope other countries will follow suit and look to prioritise regions conventional surveillance systems may have missed.”

The team say their maps are a snapshot representing the long-term annual average, and do not account for unexpected changes likely to be recorded going forward, such as extreme weather events and possible changes due to climate change.

The researchers hope their findings can inform prevention strategies across the globe, for example by the WHO SAGE Working Group on Chikungunya Vaccines, to identify countries or regions at risk of long-term burden from chikungunya and to support geographical prioritisation.

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Journal

BMJ Global Health

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Article Title

Global, regional, and national burden of chikungunya: force of infection mapping and spatial modelling study’

Article Publication Date

1-Oct-2025

Improved fertility diagnostics could boost bird conservation breeding programmes, say scientists

University of Sheffield



Sihek pair on Palmyra Atoll after 40 years of species being lost from the wild 

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Credit: Martin Kastner TNC-ZSL

A new analytical method is revealing how conservationists can further boost breeding programmes dedicated to saving some of the world’s most threatened species, according to new research led by the University of Sheffield and ZSL.

Conservation zoos, and the global breeding programmes they facilitate, are vital to maintaining or restoring populations and boosting genetic diversity of threatened birds. But not every egg produced in a breeding programe hatches into a chick.

New research by an international team of scientists - from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, the University of Sheffield, University College London, University of Canterbury and the Department of Conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand - has shown that new diagnostic methods could help amplify the success of conservation breeding programmes, by offering a better understanding of why eggs don’t hatch.

When an egg fails to hatch, its exterior and contents are subject to a visual examination with the naked eye. This is known as a macrscopic examination. As part of the research, published in the journal Global Ecology & Conservation, the results of 174 macroscopic examinations were compared with an advanced fertility diagnostic technique involving a microscopic examination of the egg’s contents using fluorescence microscopy, which can reveal early signs of fertilisation not visible to the naked eye.

The diagnostic technique using fluorescence microscopy found that 65.5% of 174 unhatched eggs studied had been fertilised. In comparison, the macroscopic examination suggested that only 5.2% of the eggs had been fertilised. The result of the study challenges previous understanding that egg hatching failure was due to eggs not being fertilised.

While the large cost of advanced fertility diagnostics makes it currently unsuitable for all eggs to be be studied through this technique, the research team hope this more accurate picture will further the success of breeding programmes, as conservation practitioners can continue to refine their management decisions - and research can focus on why embryos are not reaching maturity.

The mean hatching failure rate of bird eggs is approximately 17%, with eggs not hatching primarily due to either not being fertilised, or the embryo failing to mature and survive. Writing in the paper, the scientists said fertilsation failure was rare, and the reason the eggs were not hatching was linked to early embryo mortality.

How the new knowledge is being used

From colourful kingfishers who have disappeared from remote islands, to Britain’s endangered wading birds losing key breeding grounds to human developments, hundreds of species of birds are currently at threat of extinction. The issue is set to worsen as threats such as climate change intensify and put key breeding and wintering grounds at risk.

A stronger, more nuanced understanding of why embryos might not be developing will help inform decisions from conservationists and zookeepers working with some of the world’s most threatened species, highlighting the importance of re-pairing male birds previously considered infertile in case they are more compatible with another female.

Keepers at ZSL’s two conservation zoos are working with partners to continue testing select eggs to help inform management decisions of birds under their care.

The research team behind the paper are already working with the Sihek Recovery Partnership, an international project of conservationists - including from ZSL - working to recover one of the world’s most threatened birds, a turquoise and cinnamon coloured kingfisher from an island in the Pacific, known as the Sihek*. There are only 127 Sihek left in the world, and it is classified as Extinct in the Wild by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Last year, nine Sihek - hand-raised within participating North American zoos with support of keepers from ZSL’s London and Whipsnade Zoos - were released into the wild, making them the first Sihek in the wild in almost 40 years. The release marked a significant step in the mission to re-establish a viable wild population of the birds. The research team will be working with the Partnership to support conservation work, with the hope of further increasing the breeding success of the species.

Quotes

Dr Nicola Hemmings, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield and co-principal investigator on the study, said: “When zoo or conservation breeding programmes have poor results, the assumption is usually that the animals have not mated or were not fertile. Our work contradicts that understanding. We have shown that breeding pairs are typically producing fertilised eggs, so breeding programmes need to instead focus on other factors which may be hampering the development of the embryo. We need to think about the way eggs are being incubated, either by the birds or through artificial incubation.”

Patricia Brekke, Research Fellow at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and co-principal investigator, said: “These results are hugely encouraging for conservation efforts to protect threatened bird species across the globe. By understanding why eggs aren’t hatching, we can take the steps needed to tackle this challenge - potentially drastically accelerating the recovery of some of the world’s most at-risk birds. It’s a lot easier to address challenges to embryo development than it is to address infertility, so this finding should help conservationists and keepers further tailor and refine interventions to give these threatened species the very best fighting chance of recovery.”

Gary Ward, ZSL’s Curator of Birds for London and Whipsnade Zoos, and co-author on the study, said: “Our bird keepers work with some of the world’s most rare and threatened birds - whether that’s here in the UK at our two conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade Zoos, or on the other side of the world helping to hand raise chicks as part of global efforts to rescue species from the brink of extinction. We’re working against the clock to stop these birds from simply disappearing before our eyes. It’s normal for not all eggs to develop - but we’re working at the forefront of tackling alarming levels of biodiversity loss globally, and every potential bird is precious. There are many different factors that contribute to breeding success, and the more understanding we can have into why an egg might not hatch, the more we can refine our care for these birds and the better chance of recovery we can give them.”

Professor John Ewen, from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and Sihek Recovery Program Team Chair, said: “Sihek are one of the most threatened birds in the world. Today’s entire population is descended from a tiny handful of just 29 birds, brought under human care as part of an emergency rescue mission. We’ve already seen great success, last year releasing birds into the wild for the first time in almost 40 years, but as we would expect for such a genetically limited population, eggs failing to hatch remains a major hurdle. This study unlocks essential knowledge that will help us do everything we can to safeguard Sihek and other highly threatened birds. We’re hopeful it will lead to even more tiny Sihek chicks hatching in the near future.”

End

Journal

Global Ecology and Conservation

DOI

10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03687

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare

Extinct in the wild Sihek chick hand-reared as part of recovery programme 

Credit

Thomas Manglona KUAM

Research scientist Ashleigh Marshall undertaking lab work at the University of Sheffield

Credit

Fay Morland

A Kaki egg that failed to hatch. The Kaki is a threatened bird species found in New Zealand. The bird is also known as the black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae)

Credit

Picture credit: Ashleigh Marshall

Research scientist Ashleigh Marshall undertaking advanced fertility diagnostics at the University of Sheffield

Credit

Image credit: Fay Morland