Application of carbon biological sequestration technology in CCUS: Potential and optimization strategies for inorganic carbon absorption by plant root and CO2 carriers by biogas slurry

Closing extra CO2 into plants for simultaneous CO2 fixation, drought stress alleviation and nutrient absorption enhancement

Biogas slurry with rich nutrients could be applied as fertilizer to improve nitrogen absorption and soil structure. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are beneficial soil microorganisms that establish mutualistic relationships with the plant roots. The purpose of this study was to study the effects of AMF and biogas slurry treatment on hybrid Pennisetum growth, soil chemical properties, and soil microorganisms. The results revealed that the biomass yield of hybrid Pennisetum was significantly increased after the application of biogas slurry, and it reached the peak values when the biogas slurry dosage was 900 t/hm2, which were 13,216.67 kg/hm2 and 13,733.33 kg/hm2 in AMF− and AMF+ treatment groups, respectively. Moreover, biogas slurry treatment has a significant promoting effect on other agronomic traits related to biomass yield. As for soil chemical indicators, the contents of total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, and available phosphorus in the soil increased with the increase in biogas slurry application, while the soil organic matter was decreased. The addition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased the species diversity of soil fungi with no biogas slurry application. Furthermore, when biogas slurry was applied, it had no significant effect on soil microbial diversity and composition, no matter the AMF+ or AMF− treatment. The research results can provide a reference for the long-term utilization of biogas slurry and it also can be used in the actual production of hybrid Pennisetum.

Using CO2 as a carrier gas in pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal instead of N2 has been paid more and more attention with the wide application of dry-feed entrained-flow coal gasification technology due to its attractive effects as a reactant. Accordingly, a pilot-scale performance of entrained-flow gasification using CO2 as the carrier gas of pulverized coal was investigated at gasifier temperatures between 1300 and 1400 °C. The differences in solid mass flow rate and flow stability are insignificant in the dense-phase pneumatic conveying between CO2 and N2 carrier provided that the conveying pressure differences and solid velocities in the pipeline are kept constant. Regarding syngas composition in dry basis, there was a desired drop in inert gas (N2) concentration from about 6% to less than 2%, while the CO2 concentration increased by about 4%age points in optimal operation conditions when CO2 carrier substituted for N2. At the same time, gasification profiles in different operation conditions indicated that CO2 carrier can act as an auxiliary gasification agent. Steam as another important gasification agent, however, cannot be completely substituted by CO2 carrier gas.

Contrasting responses of fungal and bacterial communities to biogas slurry addition in rhizospheric soil of poplar plantations

A novelty strategy for AMD prevention by biogas slurry: Acetate acid inhibition effect on chalcopyrite biooxidation and leachate

Excessive chemical fertilizer application and nutrient-free irrigation have contributed to suboptimal crop performance and declining yields in greenhouse production. This study investigated the effects of biogas slurry combined with biochar as a partial chemical fertilizer substitute on the growth, root traits, and yield of greenhouse tomatoes. Under equal nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium inputs and irrigation conditions, different biogas slurry replacement ratios were compared, including CF (traditional fertilization control), FR (chemical fertilizers only), BS25 (low biogas slurry ratio), BS50 (moderate biogas slurry ratio), BS75 (high biogas slurry ratio), and BS100 (biogas slurry only), along with their corresponding treatments combined with biochar, namely CF+C, FR+C, BS25+C, BS50+C, BS75+C, and BS100+C. Path analysis was used to explore the causal relationships between the growth quality index (GQI) and the minimum data set (MDS), revealing the dominant factors affecting GQI of greenhouse tomatoes. Results showed that BS75+C had the most pronounced promoting effects on plant height (PH), stem diameter (SD), and root activity (RA), especially during the flowering stage. At this stage, RA significantly increased to 358.94 μg g−1 h−1 in spring and 355.42 μg g−1 h−1 in autumn (P < 0.05). Leaf area (LA), leaf area ratio (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf area index (LAI) exhibited a continuous increasing trend throughout the entire tomato growth period. Significant differences in biomass allocation indicators were observed during the flowering and fruiting stages, including root biomass ratio (RBR), stem biomass ratio (SBR), leaf biomass ratio (LBR), and root-to-shoot ratio (RSR) (P < 0.05). The GQI under BS75+C reached 0.669, which was higher than that of the other treatments, and showed a highly significant positive correlation with tomato yield (P < 0.05). The reliability of the MDS-based evaluation system was confirmed, indicating that it effectively captured representative information from the total data set (TDS). Path analysis further showed that RA, SD, and RBR were the key factors influencing GQI. Further multiple linear regression analysis indicated that SD (Beta = 0.559) and RA (Beta = 0.369) had significant direct effects on GQI, while RBR mainly regulated GQI formation through indirect pathways. Overall, BS75+C emerged as a sustainable and efficient soil management strategy, capable of simultaneously improving root development, plant growth, and yield (151,341 kg ha−1) under greenhouse conditions in arid and semi-arid environments. BS25, however, provided the highest economic benefit (672,361.04 yuan ha−1), offering a more cost-effective alternative under current production conditions.

Replacing chemical fertilizers with biogas slurry is an environment friendly strategy to reduce the risk of soil nitrogen leaching: evidence from the HYDRUS model simulation

A potential CO2 carrier to improve the utilization of HCO3– by plant-soil ecosystem for carbon sink enhancement

Recent climate variability, limited fertile land availability and soil degradation are major constraints to achieve food security for an ever-increasing human population. The adoption of intensive agriculture practices and highly productive agrosystems coupled with intensive use of agrochemicals has caused significant increases in agriculture production worldwide. This exhaustive production system has caused significant increases in generation and accumulation of large quantities organic wastes, which cause environmental pollution, deteriorate soil health and increase public health hazards. Conventional methods of organic waste management such as in situ burning of organic wastes, landfilling and chemical degradation are labour intensive, expensive and highly energy-consuming, and negatively impact the environment. Therefore, sustainable, eco-friendly and socially acceptable agri-technologies have been developed for value-added management of organic wastes and to obviate pollution problem. These biological technologies such as composting, anaerobic digestion, vermicomposting, production of biochar, organic phytostimulants, and bioremediation of pollutants have opened new vista for organic waste management. The addition of processed organic amendments (i.e., compost, vermicompost, biogas slurry and biochar) to the soil increases soil organic matter and nutrients availability, stimulates soil microbial community, contributes towards biocontrol of pathogens and also causes detoxification of pesticides. Furthermore, soil amendment with processed organic waste material, singly or with beneficial microbes, improved soil health, promoted growth of plants and increased the crop yields with less dependency on chemical fertilizers. In this article, the current technologies used for management of accumulated organic wastes are discussed for improving sustainable crop production, while maintaining environmental sustainability.

Renewable aqueous ammonia from biogas slurry for carbon capture: Chemical composition and CO2 absorption rate

The purposes of this study were to observe and measure the growth of rice plants against the application of biogas slurry fertilizer, to calculate the growth rate of rice plants with an appropriate mathematical model, and to recommend a dose of biogas slurry fertilizer for rice cultivation. This study was conducted in an experimental field using plant pots with 5 treatments of applying biogas slurry, namely without treatment/control (K), 60 Mg/ha of liquid slurry (C1), 30 Mg/ha of liquid slurry (C2), 60 Mg/ha of solid slurry (P1), and 30 Mg/ha of solid slurry (P2). Each treatment was repeated 2 times with each plant pot filled with 3 rice plants. The pots were set in randomized complete block design. The growth parameters observed were the number of leaves, plant height, number of tillers, crown weight, and plant root weight. Observations were made for 120 days. The analysis used in this study used one-way ANOVA analysis, linear regression and logistic equation for plant growth rates. The results showed that the P1 treatment had the best growth response. The coefficient value of plant growth rate (μ) on the number of leaves treatment parameters K, C1, C2, P1, and P2 were -0.044; -0.047; -0.0567; -0.0613; and -0.0547, respectively. Then, the plant height parameters were -0.0448; -0.0474; -0.0448; -0.0421; and -0.0458, respectively. The number of tillers in a row were -0.0408; -0.0405; -0.0432; -0.0447; and -0.0448, respectively. The ANOVA test showed that the application of biogas slurry fertilizer was significant (sign < 0.05) on plant growth rate, while it had no significant effect on wet and dry weight of shoots and plant roots (sign > 0.05). Logistic equation was excellent to describe rice growth under biogas slurry fertilizer. The dose of slurry biogas fertilizer that provides the most contact for plants was 60 Mg/ha.

Research on the Applications of Molecular Biotechnology in Medicine

Compound contamination in soil, caused by unreasonable waste disposal, has attracted increasing attention on a global scale, particularly since multiple heavy metals and/or organic pollutants are entering natural ecosystem through human activities, causing an enormous threat. The remediation of co-contaminated soil is more complicated and difficult than that of single contamination, due to the disparate remediation pathways utilized for different types of pollutants. Several modern remediation technologies have been developed for the treatment of co-contaminated soil. Biological remediation technologies, as the eco-friendly methods, have received widespread concern due to soil improvement besides remediation. This review summarizes the application of biological technologies, which contains microbial technologies (function microbial remediation and composting or compost addition), biochar, phytoremediation technologies, genetic engineering technologies and biochemical technologies, for the remediation of co-contaminated soil with heavy metals and organic pollutants. Mechanisms of these technologies and their remediation efficiencies are also reviewed. Based on this study, this review also identifies the future research required in this field.

Zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species, widely contaminates grains and feed, posing a serious threat to animal and human health. Traditional physical and chemical detoxification methods face challenges, including low efficiency, high costs, and nutrient loss. In contrast, enzymatic biodegradation has emerged as a research hotspot due to its high efficiency, specificity, and environmental friendliness. Lactone hydrolase can specifically hydrolyze the lactone ring of ZEN, converting it into a low-toxicity or non-toxic degradation product, thereby demonstrating significant potential for application in ensuring the safety of food, feed, and agricultural products. In recent years, with advancements in enzyme engineering and various biological technologies, remarkable progress has been made in ZEN-degrading enzyme research. Novel and highly efficient enzyme genes have been discovered through gene mining, while directed evolution and rational design have improved catalytic efficiency and stability. Additionally, immobilization techniques and formulation optimization have enhanced industrial applicability. This review, based on practical application needs, establishes a comprehensive evaluation system integrating enzyme characteristics, modification technologies, and process applicability, aiming to provide actionable theoretical guidance for the large-scale application of biological detoxification technologies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked great havoc in many spheres of life, including education, health, economy, and agriculture. This paper x-rayed the effects of the pandemic on crop production in Nigeria, and efforts made to proffer viable solutions through the application of biological and digital technologies. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on crop production was palpable in shortage of farm labour and labour immobility, disruption of agricultural input supply chain (e.g., fertilizers, agrochemicals, and seeds) and food distribution network. These irregularities grossly escalated food insecurity challenges, sparked price hikes, increased hunger and food losses. Considering the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on crop production which invariably extends to farmers’ income, food security, family nutrition and health, prompt measures to minimize the onward transmission among key players in crop production and food supply chain are imperative. The application of biological technologies including vaccination, use of natural herbs and spices, organic agriculture options (such as organic manuring, use of botanical protectants, farmers’ own seeds, cover cropping, mulching, biofertilizers, etc.), agricultural mechanization, and the digital technologies (mobile phones, remote sensing services, online platforms, robotics and artificial intelligence) would go a long way in resolving the negative effects of the pandemic on crop production in Nigeria. Strict adherences to the recommended public health safety measures (social distancing, compulsory use of face masks in the public, regular hand hygiene, covering of one’s mouth when sneezing or coughing, disinfection of high touch surfaces) are crucial in curtailing the spread of COVID-19 infection.&#x0D; Key words: COVID-19 pandemic, crop production, food security, bio-and digital technologies, Nigeria