Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium releasefrom two compressed fertilizers: column experiments

The objective of this work was to study nutrients release from two compressed nitrogen–potassium–phosphorous (NPK) fertilizers. In the Lourizán Forest Center, tablet-type controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) were prepared by compressing various mixtures of fertilizers without covers or binders. We used soil columns (50 cm long and 7.3 cm inner diameter) that were filled with soil from the surface layer (0–20 cm) of an A horizon corresponding to a Cambic Umbrisol. Tablets of two slow-release NPK fertilizers (11–18–11 or 8–8–16) were placed into the soil (within the first 3 cm), and then water was percolated through the columns in a saturated regime for 80 days. Percolates were analyzed for N, P, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+. These elements were also determined in soil and fertilizer tablets at the end of the trials. Nutrient concentrations were high in the first leachates and reached a steady state when 1426 mm of water had been percolated, which is equivalent to approximately 1.5 years of rainfall in this geographic area. In the whole trial, both tablets lost more than 80% of their initial N, P and K contents. However, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ were the most leached, whereas N and P were lost in leachates to a lesser extent. Nutrient release was slower from the tablet with a composition of 8–8–16 than from the 11–18–11 fertilizer. In view of that, the 8–8–16 tablet can be considered more adequate for crops with a nutrient demand sustained over time. At the end of the trial, the effects of these fertilizers on soil chemical parameters were still evident, with a significant increase of pH, available Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, P and effective cation exchange capacity (eCEC) in the fertilized columns, as well as a significant decrease in exchangeable Al3+, reaching values < 0.08 cmol (+) kg−1.S

Establecimiento y validación de procedimientos de datación por luminiscencia de material arqueológico en el laboratorio de geocronología de la Universidad de A Coruña: primeros resultados

Thermoluminescence dating (TL) of archaeological material is a technique about 50 years old, but it is not much used in Spain. Recent methodological advances have improved the accuracy and precision of the method. The unit of Geochronology of the University Geological Institute “Isidro Parga Pondal” University of A Coruña, has set up recently a Luminescence laboratory. In order to test analytical dating procedures, medieval tiles from an archaeological site next to the Hercules Tower (A Coruña) have been dated. The stratigraphical column was previously dated by 14C, so a good chronological control is available. Samples were analysed using two different analytical procedures: a classical one using a multialiquot approach (AD-TL) and a recent one using a single aliquot procedure (SAR-TL). Our results show that both methods yield comparable paleodoses, being the SAR-TL the one with smaller error.La datación mediante termoluminiscencia (TL) de material arqueológico es una técnica con unos 50 años de antigüedad, aunque no muy empleada en España. Avances metodológicos recientes han permitido aumentar la exactitud y precisión del método. La Unidad de Geocronología del Instituto Universitario de Xeoloxía “Isidro Parga Pondal” de la Universidad de A Coruña cuenta en la actualidad con un Laboratorio de Luminiscencia. Para poner a punto los procedimientos analíticos de datación, se han datado tejas medievales de una excavación cercana a la Torre de Hércules (A Coruña) en la que la columna estratigráfica fue datada por medio de 14C. Las muestras fueron sometidas a dos procedimientos existentes en la literatura: uno clásico (AD-TL) y otro de reciente desarrollo (SAR-TL). Los resultados muestran concordancia entre ambos métodos e incluso mejoras considerables obtenidas con el SAR-TL

SARS-CoV-2 and other main pathogenic microorganisms in the environment: situation in Galicia and Spain

In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and mostly taking a broad perspective, it is clearly relevant to study environmental factors that could affect eventual future outbreaks due to coronaviruses and/or other pathogenic microorganisms. In view of that, the authors of this manuscript review the situation of SARS-CoV-2 and other main pathogenic microorganisms in the environment, focusing on Galicia and Spain. Overall, in addition to showing local data, it is put in evidence that, summed to all efforts being carried out to treat/control this and any other eventual future epidemic diseases, both at local and global levels, a deep attention should be paid to ecological/environmental aspects that have effects on the planet, its ecosystems and their relations/associations with the probability of spreading of eventual future pandemicsThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of science, innovation and universities [grant numbers RTI2018-099574-B-C21 and RTI2018-099574-B-C22]. It also received funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (FEDER in Spain), being a complement to the previous grants, without additional grant numberS

Low-cost materials to face soil and water pollution

In this mini-review, the authors comment on selected papers focused on the use of low-cost materials to prevent/remediate environmental pollution (specifically, soil and water pollution). The authors have selected publications corresponding to the years 2021 and 2022, using the searching tools Scopus, Web of Sciences, and Google Scholar to find basic data about the papers, the countries where the researches were carried out, number of citations, and other details indicative of the relevance of the works. Overall, the field of research is receiving growing attention and efforts, providing useful data on classical and new low-cost materials, both raw and modified by means of low-cost procedures, which constitute a clearly interesting alternative to face environmental pollution currently and for the futureS

Bacterial Community Tolerance to Tetracycline Antibiotics in Cu Polluted Soils

The increase of bacterial community tolerance to Cu, and of cotolerance to the antibiotics tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC) and chlortetracycline (CTC), was studied in three soils spiked with six different Cu concentrations (resulting in 0, 125, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg kg−1 into soils) in a laboratory experiment, after 42 days of incubation. The results show significant increases of bacterial community tolerance to the metal when soil Cu concentrations were between 125 and 500 mg kg−1. Moreover, Cu soil pollution also caused cotolerance to the three antibiotics studied but for higher Cu concentrations (1000 mg kg−1)his study has been funded by Xunta de Galicia (Consellería de Economía, Emprego e Industria) through the project ED431F 2018/06 and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the projects CGL2015-67333-C2-1-R and -2-R (FEDER Funds). Research group was also funded by Xunta de Galicia via CITACA Strategic Partnership (ED431E 2018/07) and BV1 research group (ED431C 2017/62-GRC). David Fernández Calviño holds a Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC-2016-20411), financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. Vanesa Santás Miguel holds a predoctoral fellowship founded by the University of VigoS

As(V) sorption/desorption on different waste materials and soil samples

Aiming to investigate the efficacy of different materials as bio-sorbents for the purification of As-polluted waters, batch-type experiments were employed to study As(V) sorption and desorption on oak ash, pine bark, hemp waste, mussel shell, pyritic material, and soil samples, as a function of the As(V) concentration added. Pyritic material and oak ash showed high sorption (90% and >87%) and low desorption (<2% and <7%). Alternatively, hemp waste showed low retention (16% sorption and 100% desorption of the amount previously sorbed), fine shell and pine bark sorbed <3% and desorbed 100%, the vineyard soil sample sorbed 8% and released 85%, and the forest soil sample sorbed 32% and desorbed 38%. Sorption data fitted well to the Langmuir and Freundlich models in the case of both soil samples and the pyritic material, but only to the Freundlich equation in the case of the various by-products. These results indicate that the pyritic material and oak ash can be considered efficient As(V) sorbents (thus, useful in remediation of contaminated sites and removal of that pollutant), even when As(V) concentrations up to 6 mmol L-1 are added, while the other materials that were tested cannot retain or remove As(V) from polluted media.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2012-36805-C02-01Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2012-36805-C02-0

Sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine and sulfachloropyridazine removal using three different porous materials: pine bark, “oak ash” and mussel shell

This work focuses on studying the efficacy of three different by-products to adsorb three antibiotics (sulfadiazine, SDZ; sulfamethazine, SMT; sulfachloropyridazine, SCP). These antibiotics can be considered pollutants of the environment when they reach water, as well as in cases where they are spread on soils through irrigation or contained in sewage sludge or livestock manure. In this study, batch-type adsorption/desorption experiments were performed for each of the three sulfonamides, adding 7 different concentrations of the antibiotics, going from 1 to 50 μmol L−1, and with contact time of 24 h. The results indicate that pine bark is the most efficient bioadsorbent among those studied, as it adsorbs up to 95% of the antibiotics added, while desorption is always less than 11%. However, for “oak ash” and mussel shell the adsorption is always lower than 45 and 15%, respectively, and desorption is high, reaching up to 49% from “oak ash” and up to 81% from mussel shell. Adsorption data showed good fitting to the Linear and Freundlich models, with R2 values between 0.98 and 1.00 in both cases. Kd and KF adsorption parameters showed similar values for the same sorbent materials but were much higher for pine bark than for the other two bioadsorbents. The Freundlich's n parameter showed values in the range 0.81–1.28. The highest KF values (and therefore the highest adsorption capacities) were obtained for the antibiotic SCP in pine bark. Pine bark showed the highest capacity to adsorb each of the antibiotics, increasing as a function of the concentration added. When the concentration of sulfonamide added was 50 μM, the amounts adsorbed were 780 μmol kg−1 for SDZ, 890 μmol kg−1 for SMT, and 870 μmol kg−1 for SCP. “Oak ash” and mussel shell have low adsorption capacity for all three sulfonamides, showing values always lower than 150 μmol kg−1 (oak ash) and 20 μmol kg−1 (mussel shell) when a concentration of 50 μmol L−1 of antibiotic is added. The results of this study could aid to make an appropriate management of the by-products studied, in order to facilitate their valorization and recycling in the treatment of environmental compartments polluted with sulfonamide antibioticsThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of science, innovation and universities [grant numbers RTI2018-099574-B-C21 and RTI2018-099574-B-C22]. It also received funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (FEDER in Spain), being a complement to the previous grants, without additional grant number. M. Conde-Cid holds a pre-doctoral contract (FPU15/0280, Spanish Government). The research of Dr. Gustavo F. Coelho was also supported by the Improving Coordination of Senior Staff (CAPES), Post-Doctoral Program Abroad (PDE) Process number {88881.172297/2018-01} of the Brazilian Government. The sponsors had not involvement in study design; in the collection, analyses and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the article for publicationS

Chromium VI and Fluoride Competitive Adsorption on Different Soils and By-Products

Chromium (as Cr(VI)) and fluoride (F−) are frequently found in effluents from different industrial activities. In cases where these effluents reach soil, it can play an important role in retaining those pollutants. Similarly, different byproducts could act as bio-adsorbents to directly treat polluted waters or to enhance the purging potential of soil. In this work, we used batch-type experiments to study competitive Cr(VI) and F− adsorption in two different soils and several kinds of byproducts. Both soils, as well as mussel shell, oak ash, and hemp waste showed higher adsorption for F−, while pyritic material, pine bark, and sawdust had a higher affinity for Cr(VI). Considering the binary competitive system, a clear competition between both elements in anionic form is shown, with decreases in adsorption of up to 90% for Cr(VI), and of up to 30% for F−. Adsorption results showed better fitting to Freundlich’s than to Langmuir’s model. None of the individual soils or byproducts were able to adsorbing high percentages of both pollutants simultaneously, but it could be highly improved by adding pine bark to increase Cr(VI) adsorption in soils, thus drastically reducing the risks of pollution and deleterious effects on the environment and on public healthThis research was funded by the SPANISH MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND COMPETITIVENESS by means of the research projects CGL2012-36805-C02-01 and CGL2012-36805-C02-02. It was also partially financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER in Spain)S

Efficacy of Different Waste and By-Products from Forest and Food Industries in the Removal/Retention of the Antibiotic Cefuroxime

Environmental pollution due to antibiotics is a serious problem. In this work, the adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic cefuroxime (CFX) were studied in four by-products/residues from the forestry and food industries. For this, batch-type experiments were carried out, adding increasing concentrations of CFX (from 0 to 50 µmol L−1) to 0.5 g of adsorbent. The materials with a pH higher than 9 (mussel shell and wood ash) were those that presented the highest adsorption percentages, from 71.2% (23.1 µmol kg−1) to 98.6% (928.0 µmol kg−1). For the rest of the adsorbents, the adsorption was also around 100% when the lowest concentrations of CFX were added, but the percentage dropped sharply when the highest dose of the antibiotic was incorporated. Adsorption data fitted well to the Langmuir and Freundlich models, with R2 greater than 0.9. Regarding desorption, the materials that presented the lowest values when the highest concentration of CFX was added were wood ash (0%) and mussel shell (2.1%), while pine bark and eucalyptus leaves presented the highest desorption (26.6% and 28.6%, respectively). Therefore, wood ash and mussel shell could be considered adsorbents with a high potential to be used in problems of environmental contamination by CFXThis research was funded by SPANISH MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND UNIVERSITIES, grant numbers RTI2018-099574-B-C21 and RTI2018-099574-B-C22S

Retention of the Antibiotic Cefuroxime onto Agricultural and Forest Soils

Antibiotics in wastewater, sewage sludge, manures, and slurries constitute a risk for the environment when spread on soils. This work studies the adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic cefuroxime (CFX) in 23 agricultural and forest soils, using batch-type experiments. Our results show that the adsorption values were between 40.75 and 99.57% in the agricultural soils, while the range was lower (from 74.57 to 93.46%) in forest soils. Among the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Linear models, the Freundlich equation shows the best fit for the adsorption results. In addition, agricultural soils with higher pH are the ones that present the highest adsorption. Further confirmation of the influence of pH on adsorption is given by the fact that Freundlich’s KF parameter and the Linear model Kd parameter shows a positive correlation with pH and with the exchangeable Ca and Mg values, which are known to affect the charges of the soil colloids and the formation of cationic bridges between adsorbents and adsorbate. In addition, Freundlich’s n parameter shows a positive and significant correlation with the organic matter content, related to the high adsorption taking place on forest soils despite their pH < 5. Regarding desorption, in most cases, it is lower than 1%, which indicates that CFX is adsorbed in a rather irreversible way onto these soils. Overall, these results can be considered relevant regarding their potential impact on environmental quality and public healthThis research was funded by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, grant numbers RTI2018-099574-B-C21 and RTI2018-099574-B-C22S