Scientometric analysis and scientific trends on biochar application as soil amendment

This manuscript presents a scientometric analysis on the studies performed on the application of biochar for soil amendment in order to investigate the research and developments in this field and to identify the existing gaps to provide recommendations for future studies. A total of 2982 bibliographic records were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database using appropriate sets of keywords, and these were analyzed based on the criteria of authors, publishing journals, citations received, contributing countries, institution, and categories in research and development. Based on these data, progress of research was mapped to identify the scientific status, such as current scientific and technological trends as well as the knowledge gaps. The majority of scientific developments started in the early 2000′s and accelerated considerably after 2014. China and USA are the leading countries in the application of biochar for the treatment of soils. Among the active journals, “Plant and Soil” has received the highest number of citations. This study attempts for a comprehensive discussion and understanding on scientific advances as well as the progress made, especially in recent years.publishe

ENTOSAFE - Edible insects: From a sustainable food production to a food safety concern.

The use of insects as a food and feed source is nowadays considered a solution for the increasing food demands in the following years. With that in mind, the recently funded project “ENTOSAFE - Edible insects: From a sustainable food production to a food safety concern” aims to integrate the food safety and the environmental sustainability aspects of edible insect farming. ENTOSAFE will take advantage of a symbiotic multidisciplinary team with members from industry (EntoGreen® - Ingredient Odyssey, Portugal) and academia (Univ. of Aveiro and National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Portugal). The project is committed to provide knowledge on the accumulation and transfer of potential contaminants (e.g., metals, mycotoxins, PAHs, pharmaceuticals) in insects farmed in rearing facilities, contributing directly with data sets to the new legislation and regulatory limits, concerning the presence of these compounds in the substrate. ENTOSAFE brings new approaches, focusing on full bioaccumulation studies through a complete uptake phase, assessing the contaminant into insects in different times during this phase. Considering the lack of information on insects’ elimination capacity to excrete contaminants from their body, an elimination phase will be studied in a non-contaminated substrate. ENTOSAFE is also promoting environmentally sustainable strategies while avoiding any wasted components from the process. The application of frass, as an organic fertilizer - produced by the digestion of the agricultural wastes or other residues by insects - on crops is presented as a promising solution to a zero-waste policy. Despite promising, the available information on the benefits that this by-product has on crop productivity is scarce. In this context, ENTOSAFE seeks evidence on the impact of this frass on agricultural soil’s main functions and the key processes behind. The project will evaluate the effects in soil quality and functions, soil-biota interactions in soils enriched with organic amendments and plant responses to stressors, by performing a series of experiments from laboratory to greenhouse scale. In summary, ENTOSAFE will contribute to an upscaling on the use of edible insects as feed and food, covering not only safety concerns but also promoting the sustainability of insect rearing processes.FCT/MCTES ( 50017/2020 + 50017/2020 + LA/P/0094/2020), ENTOSAFE project (PTDC/CTA-AMB/0730/2021). D. Cardoso was hired under the Scientific Employment Stimulus - Individual Call (CEECIND/01190/2018). Patrícia V. Silva was funded by the project NATURAL (Nano-clays for removal/capture of phosphates and its reuse as fertilizer; CENTRO-01-0247-FEDER-047080) through a pos-doctoral grant (BIPD/UI50/6103/2021).N/

Toxicidade de efluentes provenientes da indústria de celulose e papel antes e após tratamento com nanomateriais e cinzas

The continued growth of the population and industrialization results in the production of large quantities of toxic effluents containing various contaminants. This type of wastewater is often discharged into aquatic systems after being treated. Unless efficient treatment is applied, treated wastewater can pose a threat to aquatic organisms, flora, fauna and human health. Consequently, the application of an effective treatment technique in the treatment of wastewater is of great importance. In order to assess the growth of research in the field of toxicity of industrial effluents and biosolids, a scientometric analysis was carried out using the relevant keywords in the main collection of the Web of Science. In this analysis, the analyzed documents were evaluated according to their scientometric criteria. The results obtained in this regard demonstrate that, despite a relatively long investigation carried out in this field between 1951 and 2018, only 944 documents were published, denoting the need for greater collaboration between industries and scientific communities to reduce uncertainties and risks, and barriers that hinder the growth of research in this area. In addition, the scarcity of relevant regulations and legislation to minimize the negative impacts of industrial effluents was also marked by this analysis. In addition, within the scope of this dissertation, the toxicity assessment of an effluent from a paper and cellulose factory supplied by a Portuguese industry was carried out before and after treatment, using Daphnia magna as a model species and the acute immobilization test. The analysis previously carried out on this effluent revealed extreme toxicity and, therefore, several treatments were applied with iron-based nanomaterials and ashes supplied by the effluent producing industry. Before the effluent toxicity analysis, the treatment additives were analyzed for their toxicity through their application to the ASTM medium, the culture solution used in the cultures and as a negative control in D. magna. Then, the best sequence of additives was applied to the effluent and the toxicity of the treated effluent was evaluated. The results obtained in this regard showed that, although the treatment can effectively reduce environmental impacts by inducing chemical corrections, the treatment did not produce a considerable reduction in the effluent toxicity for D. magna. Therefore, further research is needed on a possible effective treatment for these industrial wastewaters, both from a chemical and ecotoxicological point of view. This study is in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals assigned by the United Nations in relation to waste reduction, pollution and the need to achieve a sustainable environment.O crescimento contínuo da população e da industrialização resulta na produção de grandes quantidades de efluentes tóxicos contendo vários contaminantes. Este tipo de águas residuais é frequentemente descarregado em sistemas aquáticos depois de ser tratado. A menos que um tratamento eficiente seja aplicado, as águas residuais tratadas podem representar uma ameaça para organismos aquáticos, flora, fauna e para a saúde humana. Consequentemente, a aplicação de uma técnica de tratamento eficaz no tratamento das águas residuais é de grande importância. De modo a avaiar o crescimento da investigação no campo da toxicidade de efluentes industriais e biosólidos, uma análise cientométrica foi realizada empregando as palavras-chave relevantes na coleção principal do Web of Science. Nesta análise, os documentos analisados foram avaliados quanto aos seus critérios cientométricos. Os resultados obtidos nesse sentido demonstram que, apesar da uma relativa longa investigação realizada neste campo entre 1951 a 2018, apenas 944 documentos foram publicados, denotando a necessidade de haver uma maior colaboração entre indústrias e comunidades científicas para reduzir as incertezas e os riscos, as barreiras que impedem o crescimento de pesquisas nessa área. Além disso, a escassez dos regulamentos e legislação relevantes para minimizar os impactos negativos dos efluentes industriais também foi marcada por essa análise. Além disso, no âmbito desta dissertação, foi efetuada a avaliação da toxicidade de um efluente de uma fábrica de papel e celulose fornecido por uma indústria portuguesa antes e após o tratamento, usando Daphnia magna como espécie modelo e o teste agudo de imobilização. A análise realizada anteriormente sobre esse efluente revelou uma extrema toxicidade e, portanto, vários tratamentos foram aplicados com nanomateriais à base de ferro e cinzas fornecidos pela indústria produtora do efluente. Antes da análise de toxicidade do efluente, os aditivos de tratamento foram analisados quanto à sua toxicidade através da sua aplicação ao meio ASTM, a solução de cultura utilizada nas culturas e como controlo negativo em D. magna. Em seguida, a melhor sequência dos aditivos foi aplicada ao efluente e a toxicidade do efluente tratado avaliada. Os resultados obtidos nesse sentido demonstraram que, embora o tratamento possa efetivamente reduzir os impactos ambientais ao induzir correções químicas, o tratamento não produziu uma considerável redução da toxicidade do efluente para D. magna. Portanto, é ainda necessário mais investigação sobre um possível tratamento eficaz para estas a´guas residuais industriais, tanto do ponto de vista químico quanto ecotoxicológico. Este estudo está alinhado com os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável 2030 atribuídos pelas Nações Unidas em relação à redução de resíduos, poluição e a necessidade de alcançar um ambiente sustentável.Mestrado em Ecologia Aplicad

A Scientometric Study on Industrial Effluent and Sludge Toxicity

The growth of industrialization has led to an increase in the production of highly contaminated wastewater. Industrial wastewater contains highly complex compounds varying in characteristics and required to be treated before its discharge into a water medium from various industries. However, the efficiency of the treated wastewater from the toxicity reduction perspective is unclear. In order to overcome this barrier, toxicity assessment of the industrial wastewater before and after treatment is crucial. Thus, in this study, a scientometric analysis has been performed on the toxicity assessment of industrial wastewater and sludges, which have been reported in the literature. Web of Science (WoS) core collection database has been considered the main database to execute this analysis. Via the search of pre-researched keywords, a total number of 1038 documents were collected, which have been published from 1951 to 2020. Via CiteSpace software and WoS analyser, these documents went under analysis regarding some of the scientometry criteria, and the detailed results obtained are provided in this study. The total number of published documents on this topic is relatively low during such a long period of time. In conclusion, the need for more detailed contributions among the scientific and industrial communities has been felt

PIGEONS, AN URBAN PATHOGENIC PROBLEM?

The pigeon is a “natural” animal inserted into the artificial environment of cities, who provides a new perspective over the dichotomic concepts of Nature and Culture, traditionally understood as mutually exclusive. Ancient Egyptians began using at least 4000 years ago. The abundance of pigeons is positively related to town's area and population, and independent of the surrounding landscape type. The high densities of this urban exploiter species, alongside people in cities provide opportunity for prolonged and frequent contact between humans and animals. This has important consequences, and the greatest number of human–pigeons conflicts arises in larger towns. People have many casual interactions with pigeons that range from feeding in public parks to handling tamed birds nesting on windowsills. They are both reservoirs and horizontal and vertical vectors of infectious diseases, as well as a source of antigens that provoke allergic diseases. Solving the problem of these diseases is a modern and important topic to debate and research. Doing so sustainably should be possible and investigations in this area are necessary for the public safety and health of all, both humans and pigeons alike. This study review some diseases and topics concerning pigeons and their zoonoses in the urban environment

Assessing Contaminant Uptake and Elimination in Insects: Implications for Sustainable Food Production and Waste Management

Considering the global food crisis and the pressing issue of waste generation, sustainable solutions for food demand are crucial. Insects have emerged as a promising protein source for food and feed due to their efficient bioconversion capacity and ability to utilize nonvaluable products. However, ensuring the safety of insects for food and feed is essential. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the uptake and elimination of contaminants by insects, going beyond conventional measurements of contamination levels. Methodology: The study employed two-phase bioaccumulation studies involving an uptake phase with a contaminated substrate followed by an elimination phase in a clean substrate. Data from these studies were used in toxicokinetic modelling. The objective was to assess the bioaccumulation capacity of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and various polycyclic aromatic compounds (benzo[a] pyrene [B[a]P], benz[a]anthracene [B[a]A], benzo[b]fluoranthene [B[a] F], and crysene [Cry]) in black soldier fly (BSF) larvae (Hermetia illucens). Although high metal bioaccumulation potential (e.g., for Hg, Cd, Pb, As) in edible insects has already been identified as risk, there is a gap regarding hazard assessment of the organic contaminants (e.g., B[a]P, B[a]A, B[a]F, Cry). The findings indicate that when insects were exposed to the maximum allowed levels of metals according to European Union feed regulations, they accumulated contaminant levels unsuitable for feeding other animals. However, after a depuration period, the insects could reduce the contaminant concentrations to comply with the existing legislation. For instance, a 4 to 5 days depuration period was found sufficient for safer consumption of insects exposed to Hg, while a longer period was required for Cd elimination. Interestingly, no significant accumulation of polycyclic aromatic compounds was observed when insects were fed at the maximum allowed levels. Conclusion: These findings have significant implications, particularly when insects are employed as waste converters, where concerns arise regarding contaminants. This study supports the implementation of a depuration period after exposure to waste that may vary depending on the classes of contaminants involved. Toxicokinetics is an adequate tool for the safety assessment of insects as feed and food, but it also defines the conditions that will assure their sustainable use in waste management.We acknowledge financial support to CESAM by FCT/MCTES (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020 + LA/P/0094/2020) through national funds. This study was supported by the ENTOSAFE project (PTDC/CTA-AMB/0730/2021). D. Cardoso was hired under the Scientific Employment Stimulus Individual Call (CEECIND/01190/2018). Patrícia V. Silva was funded by the project NATURAL (Nano clays for removel/capture of phosphates and its reuse as fertilizer CENTRO-01-0247-FEDER-047080) through a pos-doctoral grant (BIPD/UI50/6103/2021).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio