The silkworm, Bombyx mori,is an insect that is economically important for silk production, cosmetics, medical applications, food, and scientific research. The oviposition behavior of the female moth affects the number of eggs and the volume of silk production. This research aimed to investigate the relationship between the various treatment conditions of mulberry odor, the expression levels of Bombyx mori odorant receptor genes (BmOrs)in the antenna of female Bombyx mori moths, and the moths’ oviposition behavior. Four treatment conditions (fresh mulberry leaves, 2% mix, mulberry leaf juice, and 2% powder) showed a higher oviposition rate than that of the control. Our results revealed that the expression levels of BmOr44, BmOr54, BmOr56,and BmOr63 might play a major role in oviposition. The predicted three-dimensional structures of BmOr44, BmOr54, BmOr56, and BmOr63 proteins were found similar and some active compounds of mulberry leaf could virtually bind to these proteins. The expression patterns of BmOr19 and BmOr30,the specific female adult moth odorant receptor genes, were similar in almost every treatment.

CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) is one of the common and effective ways for carbon capture, utilization and storage(CCUS) in China. The injection of CO2 into petroleum reservoirs may influence subsurface environments and further affect microorganisms in oil reservoirs. However, the current knowledge about the impact of CO2 flooding operation on microbial communities and their metabolic functions in oil reservoirs is still limited. In this study, the compositions and metabolic potential of microbial communities in production water from CO2-and water-flooded oil reservoirs in Jilin oilfield were investigated by using a metagenomic approach. Comparative analyses indicated that the microbial community compositions in CO2-flooded oil reservoir samples (GQ43 and GH46) were significantly different from those in water-flooded ones (WQ21 and WH71), with lower microbial diversity. The difference analysis (p<0.05) showed that Pseudomonas, Stutzerimonas, Marinobacterium,Pseudomonadaceae, Methanosarcina and Archaeoglobus were dominant in the former, while Azonexus, Sulfurospirillum, Candidatus Woesearchaeota, Candidatus Methanofastidiosa and Nanoarchaeota predominated in the latter. According to the high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) obtained, some members identified in the CO2-flooded oil reservoir samples might be involved in aerobic alkane biodegradation (Stutzerimonas and Hyphomonas), activated hydrocarbon utilization (Archaeoglobus and Magnetospirillum), fatty acid degradation (Stutzerimonas and Halomonas), fermentative metabolism (Stutzerimonas, Acidaminobacter, Fusibacter, Magnetospirillum, Shewanella, Halodesulfovibrio, Pseudodesulfovibrio and Halomonas), carbon fixation (Methanosarcina and Halodesulfovibrio)and syntrophic methanogenesis (Methanosarcina), simultaneously accompanied by dissimilatory sulfate reduction, thiosulfate reduction and denitrification. Whereas, a series of MAGs recovered from the water-flooded oil reservoir samples might be responsible for fumarate addition of aromatic hydrocarbons, activated hydrocarbon utilization, acetogenesis, reductive citrate cycle, dissimilatory nitrate reduction and sulfur metabolism (dissimilatory sulfate reduction, thiosulfate reduction and sulfur oxidation). These results contribute a broad and deep understanding of microbial communities and their roles in petroleum reservoirs especially affected by CO2 flooding operation, and provide the basic biological information for CCUS.

Developing countries are facing challenges due to rapid urbanization and insufficient sanitation facilities. However, valorizing treated fecal sludge as a fuel source presents an opportunity to recover energy and mitigate environmental impacts. This experimental study aimed to produce low-cost biofuel from dried fecal sludge and enhance its energy efficiency by incorporating locally available organic matters. Various organic materials like rice husk, cow dung, sawdust, and coal were carbonized and mixed with the sludge to enhance calorific value. Eight sludge and organic matter mixtures were formed into briquettes. The blend of 50% sludge and 50% coal yielded the highest calorific value of 14618 KJ/kg and a boiling time of 14 minutes. The second-highest result was for 50% sludge and 50% cow dung, with a calorific value of 14427 KJ/kg and a boiling time of 23 minutes. The study found that blending sludge with organic materials enhances energy output. Briquettes with 50% sludge and 50% coal cost 19.87 BDT/kg, while those with 50% sludge and 50% cow dung cost 14.37 BDT/kg, proving more economical. The latter blend emerged as the most efficient and cost-effective biofuel, offering a sustainable eco-friendly solution for Bangladesh’s rural energy market.

Bioremediation as a cleaning up technology is less predictable and efficient for application on site. An apparent gap is still evident between the laboratory results with pure culture or mixed culture of microorganisms and their biochemical capability including genes and enzymes involved, and the effectiveness at cleaning up the pollutants in soil and sediment on site. Associated issues include the characteristics of the site, ageing of the chemical pollutants and sequestration into soil as one, and activity and competitive of the degradative microorganisms under the actual contaminated conditions of natural environment. Because of these, the favorable conditions for the active growth of degradative microorganisms have not been investigated well enough with the available technology, so a simple inoculation of the pure culture effective under laboratory conditions cannot guarantee an expected efficiency and positive results at on site testing. In addition, the soil or sediment physical and chemical conditions under the natural environment play an important role in the removal or mineralization of organic pollutants, but inadequate attention has been given to these factors involved from ecology. It is the objectives here to bring the attention to the bioavailable concentration of the pollutants and also the active metabolism of the organisms in situ to advance and demonstrate the effective cleaning up of contaminated sites.

Achieving sustainable cities and promoting responsible consumption require innovative approaches to chemical design and manufacturing. Precise prediction of chemical biodegradability is crucial for evaluating environmental concerns and facilitating the transition towards green chemistry. This study investigates the effectiveness of ten distinct groups of three-dimensional (3D) molecular descriptors for classifying compounds with rapid biodegradability. The Merck molecular force field (MMFF94s) was used to compute descriptors and generate 3D conformations for a dataset of chemical compounds. The dataset underwent rigorous preprocessing, including feature selection, outlier management, and scaling. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) were tested alongside three tree-based ensemble learning algorithms: Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), and Random Forest. Bayesian optimization was employed to optimize model hyperparameters and enhance cross-validated Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC). The GETAWAY descriptors, 3D autocorrelation descriptors, and 3D-MoRSE descriptors consistently demonstrated superior performance compared to other descriptors across all machine learning models. An SVM model trained on 3D autocorrelation descriptors achieved the highest prediction accuracy (0.88), sensitivity (0.83), specificity (0.91), F1-score (0.82), Cohen’s Kappa statistic (0.74), and an AUC of 0.93 on an independent test set. Advanced analytical techniques, including Permutation Feature Importance (PFI), SHapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP), and partial dependency plots (PDP) were utilized to identify the most influential 3D autocorrelation descriptors. The findings of this study demonstrate that 3D molecular descriptors, particularly 3D autocorrelations, play a critical role in developing accurate and interpretable models for predicting chemical biodegradability. These models contribute significantly to the advancement of green chemical design and the development of effective regulatory policies that support the objectives of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). By fostering sustainable chemical manufacturing practices, we can create healthier and more resilient urban environments while minimizing the environmental impact of human activities.

Manure effects on soil organic matter (SOM) and related physicochemical fertility indices wane rather fast in the tropics due mainly to the prevailing high temperatures. In texturally similar soils, SOM-mediated aggregation controls hydraulic properties including rainfall-to-field-capacity time (FCtime) and field capacity water content (FCwater) that relate to water/nutrients availability to crops. This study assessed the residual effects of poultry-droppings manure at 25, 50 and 75 t/ha on SOM and aggregation, P-fertility and hydraulic properties of sandy-loam Ultisols in southeastern Nigeria. Mulch-protected treatment plots were water-saturated weekly during the dry season. Sampling for immediate effects was done one month after treatment; that for residual effects in the subsequent rainy season, 7-8 months after treatment, when FCtime/FCwater was monitored at 3-24 h intervals after three rainfall events each ≥ 30 mm. A given monitoring time was designated FCtime if the corresponding FCwater was similar to that of the succeeding one. Immediate effects showed higher soil pH, SOM, aggregates’ mean-weight diameter and available P in 50 and 75 t/ha than unamended control, but similar sand-corrected water-stable aggregates and permeability indices among treatments. Residual effects toed similar trends except that aggregates’ mean-weight diameter was unaffected, while soil bulk density was lower and microporosity higher in 75 t/ha than the rest. Across the three sampling periods, FCtime averaged 42 and 26 h, respectively at ≤ 25 and ≥ 50 t/ha, while FCwater increased steadily (0.08-0.22 g/g) with manure rate. Beyond the season of application to droughty Ultisols, poultry-droppings manure at heavy rates (50-75 t/ha) can still be promoting their SOM and P-fertility but not macro-aggregation. Up to 75 t/ha of the manure may be required for similar residual effects on soil hydraulic properties (including FCtime and FCwater), with FCtime seemingly varying not just with SOM but also the associated rainfall’s characteristics.

Biosurfactants produced by native microorganisms have excellent surface activity and ideal environmental compatibility, and the mining of the biosurfactant-producing strains has become a key focus in the field of applied and environmental biotechnology. In this paper, we report a new lipopeptide-producing strain isolated from the production water of Daqing oilfield in China and identified as Bacillus Subtilis R1-2 based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. A combination of ESI-MS and FT-IR analyses revealed that the strain R1-2 produced the surfactin family containing four members of the C12-surfactin, C13-surfactin, C14-surfactin and C15-surfactin, which is a representative family of the lipopeptide biosurfactants. The lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by the strain R1-2 exhibits excellent surface activity and good thermal stability over a temperature range between 20°C and 100°C and pH range between 3 and 14, and has a strong salt tolerance to NaCl concentration up to 140 g/L. In addition, the lipopeptide biosurfactant demonstrates significant properties in changing the contact angles of oil reservoir core slices from 86.2° to 39.0° and the wettability from strong oil-wet to strong water-wet, and therefore, resulted in a good oil removing ability with an efficiency of 64.84%, suggesting that the lipopeptide-producing strain R1-2 is promising in applications in environmental bioremediation and enhanced oil recovery.

Mycotoxins contaminations in feedstuffs are one of the principal concerns worldwide nowadays, related to the fact that they may evoke health problems in animals and consequently in humans. Biodetoxification of mycotoxins by application of beneficial microorganisms (lactic acid bacteria or yeasts) is one of the well-known, relatively low-cost, easy, efficient, safe, and green approaches for the reduction of mycotoxins presence in feeds. The use of beneficial microorganisms as feed additives to remove mycotoxins is widely practiced in the industrial production of animal feed. In this overview, we aim to summarize the great potential of beneficial microorganisms as bio-detoxificant, including a summary of various reported detoxification activities of lactic acid bacteria or yeasts against mycotoxins with relevance for feedstuff. The principal focus is the detoxification of mycotoxins in livestock, poultry, and aquatic feed using beneficial microorganisms. The mechanisms of the detoxification process and effective factors in this process are also covered. This review article could be useful for biotechnologists, investigators, and animal feed manufacturers who have challenges regarding the existence of mycotoxins in feed, and help them to find the best method for feed bio-decontamination.

Information on soil organic carbon stock (SOCs) and carbohydrates (R-CHO) in soils is a prerequisite to understanding the maintenance of soil health, because they promote aggregate stability, soil aeration and the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The study was carried out to quantified soil organic carbon stock and acid-soluble carbohydrates in soils under different land uses in the University of Port Harcourt Research Farms and related them to maintenance of soil structural indices. The land use types were: Teak (Tectona grandis), Gmelina (Gmelina arborea), Rubber (Hevea brasilensis), and continuously cultivated plots to maize and cassava (CC). Results revealed significant changes in mean weight diameter (MWD) of water stable aggregates, acid soluble carbohydrates, and soil organic carbon storage amongst the various land use types. Mean weight diameter of the topsoil was highest in Teak (0.93 mm), followed by 0.84 mm in Gmelina soils. Acid soluble carbohydrates (R-CHO) values were 20.67, 19.80, 18.67 and 3.60 g/kg-1 for Rubber, Gmelina, Teak and (CC) soils, respectively. Cultivation of Teak, Gmelina, and Rubber, increased topsoil organic carbon stock by 102.8, 90.2, and 60.8% respectively, compared to the CC soil. The dry bulk density varied significantly (p < 0.05) in Teak at 1.28 g cm-3 and 1.68 g cm-3 in CC soils. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) value as slow as 4.8 cm h-1 was obtained in CC, compared to rapid Ksat values of 25.0 and 22.6 cm h-1 in Teak and Gmelina, respectively. Relationships showed a strong positive linear correlations between MWD and SOCs (r= 0.873, p < 0.01) and R-CHO (r= 0.856, p < 0.01). A positive correlation of SOCs with macro aggregates explained the involvement of SOC stock in the stabilization of micro aggregates for the formation of macro aggregates which promotes soil aeration and capillary pores, thereby, preventing soil degradation and compaction. Therefore, integrating these forest plants into the farming systems would help in improving the structural indices of the soil and also store significant quantity of SOC.

Extensive aeration is required for constructed wetlands (CWs) since dissolved oxygen is essential in nutrients and pathogen removal. On the other hand, plants typically used in CWs can release oxygen into the system, lowering the need for external aeration. Hence, this study tried to uncover the oxygenation rate of three species of plants in the CWs system with limited oxygen and their capability to treat wastewater. Canna sp., Heliconia sp.,and Typha sp. were used and compared to uptake nutrients and reduce coliform numbers in domestic wastewater using sub-surface CWs in low levels of initial oxygen. In the meantime, oxygen release from the plant root was monitored in real-time using an IoT-based module. On the detention time of 24 hours, CWs planted with Typha sp. were able to reduce 61% NH4+ and 71% PO43−.The system was also able to remove coliform with a magnitude of 1.39 log units. In addition, Typha sp. was observed to generate a higher oxygenation rate to the CWs system compared to the other two plants at 0.175%/h, on average. These observations suggested that Typha sp. had the best prospect to be used in a sub-surface CWs system with the least external aeration needed.