Monitoring Vegetation Dynamics and Carbon Stock Density in Miombo Woodlands

Background The United Nation’s Program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) aims to reduce the 20% contribution to global emissions of greenhouse gases from the forest sector, offering a financial value of the carbon stored in forests as an incentive for local communities. The pre-requisite for the setup of a participatory REDD + Program is the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of baseline carbon stocks and their changes over time. In this study, we investigated miombo woodland’s dynamics in terms of composition, structure and biomass over a 4-year period (2005–2009), and the Carbon Stock Density (CSD) for the year 2009. The study was conducted in the Niassa National Reserve (NNR) in northern Mozambique, which is the 14th largest protected area in the world. Results Mean tree density distributed across 79 species increased slightly between 2005 and 2009, respectively, from 548 to 587 trees ha-1. Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) was the most important species in this area [importance value index (IVI2005= 61 and IVI2009 = 54)]. The woodlands presented an inverted J-shaped diametric curve, with 69% of the individuals representing the young cohort. Woody biomass had a net increase of 3 Mg ha-1 with the highest growth observed in Dyplorhynchus condilocarpon (Müll.Arg.) Pichon (0.54 Mg ha-1). J. globiflora had a net decrease in biomass of 0.09 Mg ha-1. Total CSD density was estimated at ca. 67 MgC ha-1 ± 24.85 with soils (average 34.72 ± 17.93 MgC ha-1) and woody vegetation (average 29.8 MgC ha-1 ± 13.07) representing the major carbon pools. The results point to a relatively stable ecosystem, but they call for the need to refocus management activities. Conclusions The miombo woodlands in NNR are representative of the woodlands in the eco-region in terms of vegetation structure and composition. They experienced net increase in woody biomass, a considerable recruitment level and low mortality. According to our results, NNR may present good potential for carbon sequestration especially in soils and woody biomass, representing an important potential carbon sink. However, further investigations are needed in order to address the contribution of this area to MRV REDD + initiatives

Atmospheric plasma immobilization of antimicrobial Zeolite loaded silver nanoparticles on medical textiles

1. Introduction Nosocomial infections, in particular problematic chronic wounds, are a ubiquitous general concern. This apprehension was acuted by the prevalence of multidrug resistant bacteria and emergence of Pandemics. Therefore, the development of novel and highly effective antimicrobial wound dressing comprising marginal or absent cytotoxicity to the patient is crucial. Plasma plays a key role in improving the functionalization of surfaces, in particular of textiles [1]. Thus, in this work we used atmospheric double dielectric discharge (DBD) plasma activated woven polyester (PES) functionalized with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), enzymes as antimicrobial agents, immobilized using mordenite (MOR) zeolites and polysaccharide-based matrixes to mitigate cytotoxicity. 2. Methodology and results MOR was used with the objective of improving the concentration, stability, and immobilization efficiency of AgNPs and enzymes in the functionalized fabric. Therefore, a solution combining the AgNPs, and/or antimicrobial enzymes was prepared. Afterwards, this solution was mixed with a polysaccharide matrix, consisting of alginate or chitosan. Woven PES surface was activated using DBD and was impregnated with the prepared formulation. The antimicrobial activity of the functionalized fabrics was characterized using bacteria commonly associated to nosocomial infections as well as a virus that is a potential surrogate of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). The antimicrobial tests performed comprised the evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy when in contact with the composites during 1 to 2 hours, by adapting the following standards: AATCC TM100-100 and ISO18184. The microorganisms used were S. aureus, E. coli, and bacteriophage MS2. The formulated composites containing alginate as matrix displayed a high antibacterial activity (higher than 99.999 %) which was stable for over than 15 days of storage. However, it did not exhibit any antiviral activity. The alginate composites also did not hinder the activity of protease, which may have an important antifouling activity. Whereas, the composites containing chitosan exhibited a highly effective antimicrobial activity against the bacteria and the virus (higher than 99.9999 %) when zeolite was present in the formulation

Activated Carbon Post Treatment - Influence on Phenolic Compounds Removal

● AC preparation from different precursors and their modification / optimisation with sodium hydroxide and urea to improve the adsorption capacities for phenolic compounds from the liquid phase. ● Comparative study of the influence of textural and chemical parameters of AC on the liquid phase adsorption

Modification and Optimization of Activated Carbons for Phenolic Compounds removals

Phenols are generally considered to be one of the important organic pollutants discharged into the environment causing unpleasant taste and odour of drinking water. Development of inexpensive adsorbents from industrial wastes for the treatment of wastewaters is an important area in environmental sciences. For the phenolic compounds removal, it appears that the pH of the solution, the real surface area of the solid, and functional groups play a major role. The objective of this study was to screen various adsorbents for potential application for the removal of phenolic compounds for drinking water concentration range. The adsorbents used in this study were AC prepared from recycled PET and AC prepared from cork submitted to a reduction post treatment

Modification and Optimization of Activated Carbons for Phenolic

Phenolic compounds are generally considered to be one of the important organic pollutants discharged into the environment causing unpleasant taste and odour of drinking water [1,2]. So, removal of phenolics compounds from industrial effluents is required before sewage disposal. The development of inexpensive adsorbents from industrial wastes for the treatment of wastewaters is an important area in environmental sciences. For the phenolic compounds removal, it appears that the pH of the solution, the real surface area of the solid and functional groups play a major role. Adsorption onto activated carbons (AC) is often considered, amongst the methods currently employed to remove inorganic and organic pollutants, from aqueous or gaseous phases, as the most efficient and one of the most economical. A detailed characterization of physical and chemical surface properties of an AC has become one of the most important issues in adsorption technology because it ascertain its suitability for one or more of the application fields

The influence of the activated carbon post-treatment on the phenolic

The aim of this research was to investigate how post treatment modification, such as those with sodium hydroxide or urea, can influence the capacity of activated carbon (AC) for phenolic compounds removal from liquid media. The ACs modification was performed using urea impregnation followed by pyrolysis at high temperature. With all ACs used, this treatment induced a pore volume increase, a mean pore size broadening, an increase in the point of zero charge and also in the basic character. The modification with sodium hydroxide brings to light the influence of the precursor nature as the achievements are really diverse. With the ACs obtained from PET, a pore volume and mean pore size reduction occurred, with the AC-cloth no textural effect was observed and with the AC obtained from cork, an enlargement of the mean pore size and an increase of the pore volume were confirmed. The difference in the acidic/basic character exhibited by the modified ACs was in agreement with the presence of acidic/basic superficial groups identified by FTIR. The textural and chemical properties of the ACs affect in a direct way the phenolic compounds removal capacity. Particularly, those modified with urea, which exhibited a superior removal capacity for both phenolic compounds

Atmospheric-pressure plasma spray deposition of silver/HMDSO nanocomposite on polyamide 6,6 with controllable antibacterial activity

"Paper presented at the ICON2019 conferences in Çorlu, Tekirdağ, Turkey April 17-19, 2019"Novel coatings containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with strong bonding and controllable antibacterial activity on polyamide 6,6 fabric were produced by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmaassisted deposition at atmospheric pressure and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) layers. Silver ion release was tuned using a “sandwich” coating structure to prolong the antibacterial effect. The novel spray-assisted deposition increased deposition rates of AgNPs using atmospheric pressure DBD plasma treatment when an HMDSO layer was applied. An increase in AgNPs deposition in plasma treated samples and antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) for samples with an additional HMDSO layer was observed. These coatings allow the development of new and safe wound dressings able to switch the antimicrobial effect against Gram- positive and Gram-negative bacteria by washing the dressing at high temperature (75 oC) before application.This work was funded by European Regional Development funds (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI) – COMPETE and by National Funds through Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) under the project UID/ CTM/00264/2019. Ana Ribeiro acknowledges FCT for its doctoral grant SFRH/BD/137668/2018. Andrea Zille also acknowledges fnancial support of the FCT through an Investigator FCT Research contract (IF/00071/2015) and the project PTDC/CTM-TEX/28295/2017 fnanced by FCT, FEDER, and POCI in the frame of the Portugal 2020 program

The genetic legacy of fragmentation and overexploitation in the threatened medicinal African pepper-bark tree Warburgia salutaris

The pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) is one of the most highly valued medicinal plant species worldwide. Native to southern Africa, this species has been extensively harvested for the bark, which is widely used in traditional health practices. Illegal harvesting coupled with habitat degradation has contributed to fragmentation of populations and a severe decline in its distribution. Even though the species is included in the IUCN Red List as Endangered, genetic data that would help conservation efforts and future re-introductions are absent. We therefore developed new molecular markers to understand patterns of genetic diversity, structure, and gene flow of W. salutaris in one of its most important areas of occurrence (Mozambique). In this study, we have shown that, despite fragmentation and overexploitation, this species maintains a relatively high level of genetic diversity supporting the existence of random mating. Two genetic groups were found corresponding to the northern and southern locations. Our study suggests that, if local extinctions occurred in Mozambique, the pepper-bark tree persisted in sufficient numbers to retain a large proportion of genetic diversity. Management plans should concentrate on maintaining this high level of genetic variability through both in and ex-situ conservation actionsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Linking Bacterial Rhizosphere Communities of Two Pioneer Species, Brachystegia boehmii and B. spiciformis, to the Ecological Processes of Miombo Woodlands

Miombo is the most extensive ecosystem in southern Africa, being strongly driven by fire, climate, herbivory, and human activity. Soils are major regulating and supporting services, sequestering nearly 50% of the overall carbon and comprising a set of yet unexploited functions. In this study, we used next-generation Illumina sequencing to assess the patterns of bacterial soil diversity in two pioneer Miombo species, Brachystegia boehmii and Brachystegia spiciformis, along a fire gradient, in ferric lixisol and cambic arenosol soils. In total, 21 phyla, 51 classes, 98 orders, 193 families, and 520 genera were found, revealing a considerably high and multifunctional diversity with a strong potential for the production of bioactive compounds and nutrient mobilization. Four abundant genera characterized the core microbiome among plant species, type of soils, or fire regime: Streptomyces, Gaiella, Chthoniobacter, and Bacillus. Nevertheless, bacterial networks revealed a higher potential for mutualistic interactions and transmission of chemical signals among phylotypes from low fire frequency sites than those from high fire frequency sites. Ecological networks also revealed the negative effects of frequent fires on the complexity of microbial communities. Functional predictions revealed the core “house-keeping” metabolisms contributing to the high bacterial diversity found, suggesting its importance to the functionality of this ecosystem.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Application of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) atmospheric pressure plasma for pretreatment of medical textiles

Conventional pretreatment by wet chemistry and/or low-pressure plasma have several drawbacks [1]. Atmospheric plasma is an alternative and cost-competitive method to low-pressure plasma and wet chemical pretreatments, allowing continuous and uniform processing of fibers, substrates and films surfaces, improving its functionalization performance [2]. This technology has been studied in the field of the R&D project - PLASMAMED. The main objective of this project is to produce a new generation of coatings containing nanoparticles (NPs) and enzybiotics, with controllable antibacterial activity, on medical textiles, with special emphasis in antimicrobial dressing for pressure injury and hernia meshes. To achieve this goal, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric pressure plasma was used as a pretreatment sustainable alternative. In this sense, medical-grade 100% polyester (PES) fabrics were pretreated by atmospheric plasma technology, where various processing conditions were tested. Different treatment speeds and discharges powers were tested, as well as the application of various gases (such as helium, oxygen and nitrogen) and a corona treatment (air), with a carrier gas (argon). The characterization of these pretreated textiles was carried out by contact angle (CA), through the sessile drop technique, with 3 µL water droplets on the surface of the textile. In general, contact angles exhibit a significant decrease (between 40º and 60º for all studied gases), when compared with the standard values for substrate without treatment (around 120º). Therefore, plasma pretreatment significantly improved the hydrophilicity of these fabrics (Figure 1), which reveals to be an advantage for the further functionalization step