Improved estimation of irrigated field soil water (SWC) and salt content (SSC) from Sentinel-2 imagery by combining multi-dimensional spectra decomposition with ensemble learning

The Mishrif Formation, deposited in the Upper Cretaceous, is one of the important carbonate reservoirs in the southern Iraq oil fields. The petrophysical properties of the Mishrif Formation in the South Rumaila oil field were studied based on open-hole geophysical well logs of twelve wells: Caliper, gamma ray, spontaneous potential, neutron, density, resistivity, and sonic log. The calculated petrophysical properties showed that the Mishrif Formation is divided into three reservoir units, mA, mB1, and mB2 separated by cap rocks CR1 and CR2; the mB2 reservoir unit can be accounted for as having the best reservoir properties because of its high effective porosity, high oil saturation, and very low shale volume. The relationship between gamma ray and density logs gave the lithology, which suggests that the mB2 unit consists of limestone, argillaceous limestone, and a very small percentage of shale. In addition, four distinctive rock types: Poor ( shale cap rock), moderate reservoir (compacted limestone), good reservoir, and very good reservoir were identified in the Mishrif reservoir, and they are distributed throughout the reservoir’s units. The relationships between the geophysical logs to correlate the rock type pointed out that the dominant ones are second and third, which indicates that the formation has moderate to good petrophysical properties.

Abstract Thlaspi arvense (field pennycress; Brassicaceae) is a competitive and invasive weed which causes significant yield reductions in crops. It is also a target for domestication as an oil seed crop. Here we investigate its dormancy cycling and seedling emergence behaviour to understand how it will adapt to climate change. Seed dormancy cycling was monitored in the field. Germination at alternating temperatures was modelled to understand the field response. Seedling emergence timing in response to increasing soil temperature was studied in field experiments and in a thermogradient tunnel to evaluate the impact of global warming. Thlaspi arvense displays winter annual dormancy cycling. However, the thermal germination window (TGW) of this species does not close during winter, resulting in a small opportunistic spring emergence window, in contrast to the dominant autumn window which coincides with falling soil temperatures. Thermal alternations >8°C contribute to dormancy release, consistent with increasing germination in seeds recovered from field soils in late summer. Soil temperatures >10°C promote emergence in both windows, which correlates with accumulated thermal time. Because of TGW, T. arvense has evolved independent high‐risk spring and low‐risk autumn seedling emergence windows. The opportunistic spring window exploits temperate summers, while the low‐risk autumn window exploits falling soil temperature to maximize seedling emergence success by avoiding hot dry conditions. This indicates T. arvense is highly adapted to survive in soils disturbed in spring and autumn by agricultural practices.

The effect of hydration and fluctuating pressure in drifting conditions presents challenges to wellbore stability, impacting cost savings and safety in drilling operations. This study investigates the stability of thin mudstone-limestone and claystone interlayers in the East Baghdad oil field, introducing strength damage variables influenced by hydration and fluctuating pressure. Utilizing damage mechanics, elasticity, and joint strength theories, and accounting for matrix and weak plane failures, drilling fluid hydration reactions, and fluctuating pressures, a wellbore stability model is established. Key parameters such as wellbore trajectory, weak plane quantity, hydration time on collapse pressure, and tripping speed are examined, assessing stability under combined hydration and pressure effects. The results suggest optimizing wellbore trajectory, particularly the inclination angle, can reduce collapse pressure and increase fracture pressure, thus enhancing operational safety. Weak planes raise collapse pressure, reduce fracture pressure, and limit safe drilling directions, heightening wellbore instability and tripping challenges. Prolonged formation exposure to drilling fluids should be minimized, and fluid density optimized to widen the safe density window. Controlling tripping speed and monitoring wellbore pressure are critical to mitigating instability risks. Field validation confirms the model's accuracy, aligning predictive outcomes with real conditions and enhancing safe drilling fluid density and tripping speed guidance.

Hydrocarbon energy resources in the form of oil and natural gas are still the main energy in Indonesia. To identify the type of fluid (oil, gas and water) based on the resistivity log value, but if it shows low-resistivity, the water saturation parameter (Sw) is needed. Porosity is a key factor for calculating water saturation (Sw), and can be used to determine the type of fluid in gas and oil wells. From this background, this study tries to determine Sw based on log and core porosity. The method used is the well logging method. The objectives of this study are: first, to estimate Sw based on log and core porosity; second, to identify the type of fluid based on the Sw value. The results obtained are one target area of the reservoir in wells A2, A4, A5 and A6. The Sw value based on the porosity-log and porosity-core values is almost the same, ranging from Sw = (5–80)%. The type of fluid based on the Sw value in well A2 is more dominant gas, in well A4 it is more dominant gas then oil. Furthermore, the type of fluid in well A5 is more dominant gas, then oil and water. While in well A6 the dominant type of fluid is gas, followed by oil and the least amount of water. Because the Sw value can be used to estimate the type of fluid, the determination method must be very careful. It would be more accurate to use core data as additional information in determining Sw, so that the results can be compared. In this study, it is assisted by using core porosity, so that in determining the value of air saturation (Sw), it can be used as validation of Sw based on log porosity. Then the depth that does not have core data, then Sw can be used based on log porosity that has been validated by Sw based on core porosity. Furthermore, determining the type of fluid based on water saturation (Sw), the results will be more accurate

Deepwater oil exhibits great difficulty and risk in extraction under complex marine environments and strong ocean currents, and the operation and maintenance of its underwater control system rely heavily on remote operation. Traditional control methods make it hard to satisfy the demands of extraction. Therefore, the study first proposes simulating the marine working environment using virtual technology and model the Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) to optimize power allocation. Secondly, the robot grasping task is achieved by designing binocular vision stereo image matching and improving the Proximal Policy Optimization grasping algorithm to enhance its stability and operational success rate under turbulent disturbances. Finally, an underwater production simulation system is built to provide a virtualization platform for oil and gas development operations. The results show that ROV can effectively achieve propeller power distribution, and the amplitude error under different operating conditions is reduced by an average of about 25% compared to the traditional Saab Seaeye model, with a maximum of no more than 5%. The simulation effect is significant. And the robot grasping system designed by the research institute can autonomously complete tasks. After training, the positioning error is reduced by 41.6% and 74.7% compared to the Mask Region based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN) algorithm and You Only Look Once algorithm, respectively, reaching a final height of 0.11 m. The grasping success rate is still better than the comparative algorithm by more than 10% and more than 90% in strong flow environments, and it takes less time to improve overall performance significantly. The research method can provide a guarantee for the safety of deepwater operations in oil and gas fields, and reduce operation and maintenance costs and mining difficulties.

The dissolution of fugitive gases in saline to hypersaline groundwater in arid regions is largely unclear. Groundwater samples from three major oil field aquifers in northern (NK), southeastern (SEK), and western Kuwait (WK) were investigated to determine the concentration, sources, evolution, and distribution of dissolved CH4. Saline NK wells demonstrated the highest concentration of CH₄ at 688µg/L, followed by WK at 419µg/L and SEK at 102µg/L. Elevated CH₄ concentrations were detected in Na-Cl-SO₄ and Na-Cl type groundwater. CH₄ hotspots were located in regions with increased lineament intersections and proximity to older wells near the hydrocarbon reservoirs, exhibiting an inverse correlation with conductivity and H₂S levels. Microbesin the SEK region utilize carbon substrates, leading to reduced CH₄ levels in comparison to NK and WK. δ13CCH₄ values showed relatively depleted signatures for WK (-51.2‰), while NK displayed enriched values alongside decreasing CH₄ levels, indicating thermogenic sources. Enriched δ13CCH₄ values in SEK (+ 9.5‰) are associated with elevated CH₄ concentrations. The δ2HCH₄ values range from -479‰ to -140‰, while δ2HH₂O values range from + 4 to -36‰, indicating the presence of mixed methanogenic sources across the regions. In NK, the thermogenic methane was observed with variation in isotope signatures due to complex processes. In SEK, although reducing environments prevailed, the carbon isotope fractionation is exceeded by the hydrogen isotope due to the significant impact of microbial oxidation during the diffusive migration process. In the west of Kuwait, the isotopic signatures of methane are depleted, mainly due to the oxidation of organic matter or through Sulfate-DrivenAnaerobic Oxidation of Methane (SD-AOM) and carbonate dissolution. Four primary sources of CH₄ are microbial, methyl-substrates, carbonate substrates, and mixed sources, which are identified alongside two main processes: biogenic and thermogenic.

The study area is located in the north of an oil field in eastern China. Most of the middle and shallow sandy and gravelly rock mass development areas in this region have been identified, while the western section of the middle and deep sandy and gravelly rock mass development area has a large amount of reserves awaiting upgrading, and there is a reserve blank area of nearly 150 square kilometers in the central and eastern parts. The daily oil test output of the target layer section of the key well in the study area reached over 20 tons, confirming that the middle and deep layers still have good exploration potential. However, there are challenges such as deep burial depth, dense physical properties, rapid lateral variations, strong heterogeneity, and difficulty in seismic identification of nearshore fan and turbidite fan sandy conglomerate reservoirs. Conventional inversion methods struggle to precisely identify effective reservoirs under these conditions. Therefore, it is essential to conduct research on seismic anisotropic inversion method for tight sandy conglomerate reservoirs. This study aims to precisely delineate the distribution of effective reservoirs to address critical issues in integrated reserve enhancement. This paper proposes an improved consolidation index model. This method not only takes into account the consolidation degree in sandstone but also incorporates the influence of porosity on the consolidation index. It exhibits higher parameter stability and stronger calculation accuracy. Through rock physics analysis, a rock physics template suitable for the quantitative characterization of such reservoirs is constructed, with anisotropic parameters integrated into it, laying a foundation for prestack inversion. Using wide-azimuth offset vector tile (OVT) data, elastic parameter volumes across different azimuths are inverted. Through elliptical fitting, anisotropic parameters for compressional and shear waves are obtained. This approach quantitatively describes porosity distribution and fracture networks within the study area, offering guidance for the comprehensive evaluation of high-quality tight sand-gravel reservoirs.

ABSTRACT In the current situation of oil fields transition to the late stages of operation, the task of reducing the power consumption of mechanized oil production facilities while maintaining production volumes is an urgent technical task. In the context of solving this problem the cyclic operation of oil wells equipped with electric submersible pumps installations (ESPI) is becoming increasingly widespread. A specificity of ESPI operation in cyclic operation is the constant change in process parameters during the cycle. This significantly complicates the calculation of planned energy consumption. For solving this problem in the completed study, a technique for calculating power consumption was developed. This technique allows determining the technological and energy parameters of the operation of ESPI equipped wells, taking into account: rheological oil parameters, changes in oil parameters along the tubing, and operating parameters of the equipment in non-nominal modes. Based on the developed technique, an assessment of the change in the flow rate and power consumption of the ESPI with frequency control and operating time changing in the cycle was performed. The calculation results show that if the pump flow rate in continuous mode is greater than the nominal one, it is not advisable to transit the ESPI to the cyclic operation: frequency increasing in continuous mode will give a greater effect. The greatest increase in the reduced flow rate was equal to 15.00% and it was achieved with a frequency 60 Hz and an operating time 24 h. The greatest reduction in the reduced specific power consumption was achieved with a frequency 53 Hz and an operating time 21 h and was 4.03%. It was found that the area of energy-efficient modes depends on the position of the pump operating point in continuous mode: when the pump operating point shifts from the right zone to the left, the area of energy-efficient mode shifts to a lower frequency and shorter operating time. The results of the study can be used at oil producing enterprises for planning technological modes and rationalizing energy costs during oil production.

Vocal opposition to fracking (the practice of fracturing the subsurface to increase oil and gas production), from shale deposits in Pennsylvania to oil fields in California, has led to increased disclosure about chemicals in fracking fluid. This paper questions the conflation of data abundance with meaningful action or response, drawing on the authors’ collective years of experience working with FracFocus, the most comprehensive publicly available fracking chemical database in the United States. We identify and characterize a range of absences and ambiguities in FracFocus, the most obvious of which are trade secrets, which are explicitly marked absences. Pervasive structural and systemic absences are harder to see but constrain the usefulness of FracFocus data. Using perspectives from environmental STS and critical data studies on deregulatory knowledge production, we analyze these absences to think differently about disclosure. Rather than trying to “fill in” these holes, we use their form to better understand the ways in which regulatory structures shape knowledge production, as well as the much more profound questions forced by the unruly nature of chemical behavior. If investments in disclosure-as-governance rely on longstanding ideas of isolated and discrete chemicals, these holes emphasize the importance of reckoning with chemical mutability and uncontrollability.

Concentrated Solar Power systems are used to generate thermal and electrical energy from solar radiation. Molten salt as a heat transfer medium offers the possibility of a higher temperature in the solar field and at the same time the use of direct energy storage. The Évora Molten Salt Platform is a research platform to study molten salt in the solar field on a pre-commercial scale [1]. The use of molten salt requires to adapt control concepts used in thermal oil fields since the temperature rise over the loop and the loop length are different from those of thermal oil. One approach is to use automatic valves in each loop to individually control the temperature at the outlet of each loop. This paper presents controller tests performed at the HPS2 molten salt loop of the Évora Molten Salt Platform for normal operation and start-up mode that provide the basis for an individual loop flow control strategy.

ABSTRACT Aiming at the current demand for using wellbore coaxial lines with tubing and casing in oil wells, implementing microwave chemical‐assisted crude oil upgrading underground, and promoting “carbon‐zero” mining projects in oil field development, we carried out theoretical analysis, simulations, and applied research on the distributed parameters of eccentric coaxial lines. Assuming that the rate of change of the electromagnetic field distribution along the circumference of the coaxial line is small when the eccentricity is small, we derived a formula for calculating the electromagnetic field intensity of the eccentric coaxial line. Using the “field‐circuit combination” method of electromagnetics, we further established theoretical models for the distributed parameters—including inductance, capacitance, resistance, and conductance—and proposed a new calculation approach. The validity and accuracy of the proposed models are verified through comparison with HFSS simulations and previously established empirical formulas. The new theoretical analysis and HFSS software simulation results demonstrate that conventional tubing and casing structures in oil wells can be utilized to construct coaxial lines for microwave energy transmission. However, the eccentricity of the inner conductor significantly influences the electromagnetic field distribution, characteristic impedance, power‐handling capacity, and energy loss. To ensure efficient microwave propagation, the eccentricity should ideally remain below 30% and must not exceed 40%. The theoretical model in this paper fills the gap in the distributed parameter theory for eccentric coaxial structures and contributes to the advancement of microwave transmission line theory. The proposed modeling approach also provides a practical foundation for the optimized design and application of wellbore coaxial systems in microwave‐assisted oil recovery.

African basil (Ocimum gratissimum L.) is a perennial herb of the Lamiaceae family, commonly called Tchiayo in the local Fongbe language. It is a traditional leafy vegetable that is widely consumed in Benin because of its high nutritional, aromatic and medicinal properties (Kpètèhoto et al., 2017). In 2014, many of these plants were found to be wilting in the INRAB experimental field crop plots. In 2018, wilting of African basil crops was documented in farmer’s fields in the districts of Sèmè-Podji, Ouinhi, Tori-Bossito, Ouidah and Abomey-Calavi in Benin, with a 20–90% disease incidence in 173 African basil crop plots (7.2 m²) out of a total of 1,450 surveyed plots. In January 2025, wilted African basil plants were observed near bacterial wilt-infected tomato field crops in the Ouidah district. Stem sections of wilted African basil plants showed brown xylem with the release of whitish bacterial ooze in water. Plating the bacterial solution on SMSA medium (Engelbrecht, M. C. 1994) revealed bacterial colonies morphologically typical of the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC). Koch’s postulates were applied by inoculating a single African basil accession growing in sterilized field soil with two separate isolates from the 2025 collection. Ten plants per isolate were inoculated by drenching the soil around the plant crown with 20 ml of bacterial suspension (108 CFU/ml). Susceptible cv. Akikonkoun tomato and cv. Kpinman gboma plants were also inoculated with the same bacterial suspensions. African basil, gboma and tomato plants drenched with sterile distilled water served as the negative control. The inoculated plants were kept in a greenhouse at 32°C (day) and 28°C (night). The African basil plants started wilting 15 days after inoculation (DAI), with 80% of the plants wilted at 28 DAI, while the gboma and tomato plants started wilting 7 and 5 DAI, respectively, and 90% and 100% of these plants had wilted at 28 DAI. The negative control plants remained asymptomatic. No typical RSSC colonies were recovered from control plants, whereas typical RSSC colonies were consistently re-isolated from all inoculated plants, including both symptomatic and latently infected individuals. ImmunoStrip assays (Agdia Inc., Elkhart, IN, USA) and diagnostic PCR using 759/760 primers (Opina et al, 1997) confirmed the RSSC identity of the two selected isolates. A phylotype-specific multiplex PCR (Fegan and Prior 2005) classified the African basil strains in R. pseudosolanacearum phylotype I. The RUN8084 and RUN8085 strains were both typed as sequevar I-31 through phylogenetic inference according to Cellier et al. (2025) (endoglucanase GenBank accession nos. PX273783 and PX273784). This sequevar has been reported to be epidemiologically widespread in southwest Indian Ocean and African regions (Cellier et al. 2023), while showing high geographical and host adaptiveness. This is the first report of R. pseudosolanacearum causing bacterial wilt on O. gratissimum anywhere in the world, especially in Benin. Further surveys are needed to assess the distribution of bacterial wilt on African basil in Benin and to reduce epidemic risks by designing a disease management plan to avoid African basil rotations with solanaceous crops hosting R. pseudosolanacearum.

The pervasive environmental impact of conventional nonbiodegradable plastics has spurred interest in biodegradable alternatives, such as polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT). However, the impact of its long-term use on ecosystems and the degradation efficiency in natural soils remain key considerations. Here, we investigated the dynamic changes in soil microbial communities in response to multiyear PBAT use (1-3 years) and identified key microorganisms capable of degrading PBAT. PBAT exposure significantly affected the composition and diversity of the soil microbial communities. Network analysis showed increased complexity and connectivity in both bacterial and fungal communities in multiyear PBAT-treated soils, with bacteria showing progressively intensified interactions, while fungi exhibited initial disruption, followed by recovery and functional reorganization. In addition, we found a positive correlation between the abundance of active PBAT degraders (CFU/g of soil) and the duration of mulching. A total of 10 PBAT-degrading strains belonging to the Pseudomonadota and Actinomycetota phyla were isolated from the soils. Furthermore, by utilizing the high-throughput artificial selection technology, we constructed a bacterial consortium with enhanced degradation activity, highlighting the potential of artificial selection as a robust strategy for environmental remediation efforts. Overall, this study provides insights into mitigating the impact of biodegradable mulch residues.

The bearing capacity of piles in soil is determined by both the mechanical properties of the soil and the method of pile installation. The widespread implementation of pile foundations in offshore oil and gas field development has highlighted significant deficiencies in the current domestic scientific, methodological, and regulatory approaches for evaluating pile–soil interaction. This study addresses the key issues and limitations in calculating bearing capacity for commonly used drilled-in and precast piles. For combined drilled-in piles, the existing methodology inaccurately assumes that the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the cement slurry on the borehole walls remains unchanged after hardening, leading to erroneous estimations. In the case of precast metal piles, the use of standardized regulatory tables results in substantial discrepancies compared to actual performance, particularly at depths exceeding 35 m, where these methods become completely inapplicable. Furthermore, the dynamic method outlined in building regulations—used to predict the bearing capacity of short precast piles driven using mechanical or hydraulic hammers in offshore environments—produces results with unacceptable margins of error. This method is also unsuitable for longer piles due to its inherent limitations. The root causes of the limitations in existing methods for evaluating the load-bearing capacity of pile foundations have been systematically investigated. Based on this analysis, the theoretical framework for a new calculation methodology has been developed. By integrating comprehensive laboratory data, a revised approach is proposed that significantly enhances the reliability and accuracy of the estimated bearing capacity, ensuring closer alignment with actual field performance. The bearing capacity and settlement of pile foundations for offshore hydraulic structures were computed and analyzed with consideration of the soil’s plastic deformation behavior.

PMTE-LLM:An LLM-based time series forecasting method using professional mechanism and training experience.

Abstract. Regenerative agriculture is emerging as a strategy for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. However, for sequestration efforts to be successful, long-term stabilisation of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is needed. This can be achieved either through uplift in recalcitrant carbon stocks, and/or through physical protection and occlusion of carbon within stable soil aggregates. In this research soils from blackcurrant fields under regenerative management (0 to 7 years) were assessed. Soils from under the blackcurrant bush crop (bush (ca. 40 % of the field area)), and the alleyways between the blackcurrant crop rows (alley (ca. 60 % of the field area) were considered. Soil bulk density (SBD), soil aggregate fractions (proportions of water stable aggregates vs. non-water stable aggregates (WSA and NWSA)), soil carbon content, and carbon stability (thermally recalcitrant carbon vs. thermally labile carbon) were assessed. From this, long term carbon sequestration potential was calculated from both recalcitrant and occluded carbon stocks (both defined as stabilised carbon). Results indicated favourable shifts in the percentage of NWSA:WSA with time, increasing from 27.6 %:5.8 % (control arable field soil) to 12.6 %:16.0 % (alley soils), and 16.1 %:14.4 % (bush soils) after 7 years. While no significant (p≥0.05)) changes in whole field (area weighted average of alley and bush soils), recalcitrant carbon stocks were observed after 7 years, labile carbon stocks increased significantly (p≤0.05) from 10.44 to 13.87 t C ha−1. Furthermore, as a result of the occlusion of labile carbon within the WSA fraction, total stabilised carbon increased by 1.7 t C ha−1 over the 7 year period. This research provides valuable insights into the potential for carbon stabilisation and long-term stability prognoses in soils managed under regenerative agriculture practices, highlighting the important role which soil aggregate stability plays in the physical protection of carbon, and potential therein to deliver long-term carbon sequestration.

Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and ammonia-oxidizing (AO) microorganisms, two important microbial guilds contributing to soil-plant mineral nutrient cycling, are complex, given the high variability of soil biological, physical, and chemical properties. In addition, AO microorganisms are generally slow growing and require ample time to establish. Their communities are thus difficult to reconstruct under laboratory conditions, for example after soil sterilization. Therefore, in this study, we investigated quantitative and compositional responses of indigenous microorganisms occurring in 50 different field soils (collected from grasslands and arable fields) to actively growing mycelium of the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis. To this end, we quantified the abundance of various microbial guilds including AO bacteria (AOB), AO archaea (AOA), and comammox Nitrospira in pot-incubated soils exposed or not to actively growing AM fungus. Across the variety of soils, we observed systematic suppression by the AM fungus of different microbial groups including bacteria, protists, and fungi. The strongest suppression was noted for AOB and comammox Nitrospira, whereas the abundance and community structure of AOA remained unaffected by the AM fungal activity. Mycorrhizal suppression of AOB abundance was accompanied by changes in AOB community structure and correlated with soil pH. Contrary to the expected competition between AM fungus and AO microorganisms for available ammonium (NH4+) in the soil solution, the presence of the actively growing AM fungus significantly increased soil NH4+ levels as compared to the non-mycorrhizal control, at least upon the final destructive harvest. Thus, the interaction between the AM fungi and AO microorganisms likely goes beyond the simple competition for the free ammonium ions and might involve microorganisms active in other pathways of soil nitrogen cycle (e.g., mineralization) or temporarily different trajectories of nutrient use in mycorrhizal vs. non-mycorrhizal systems. Alternatively, elusive biological nitrification inhibitors may have contributed to the observed effect, produced by the AM fungus or its host plant, and subsequently transported to the root-free soil via the AM fungal hyphae.

A Gram-stain-variable, designated as strain 3BR4T, was isolated from a bacterial community capable of efficiently degrading pymetrozine. This community was enriched from the soil of a long-term continuous cropping cotton field in Xinjiang. Strain 3BR4T exhibited growth capabilities at temperatures ranging from 16 to 45°C (optimum 37°C), with a pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0), and in the presence of 0-8% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 2.0%). The complete genome of the novel strain was determined to be 7 330 740bp in size, with a DNA G + C content of 43.5%. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, revealed that strain 3BR4T is affiliated with members of the genus Ammoniphilus. It showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Ammoniphilus resinae CC-RT-ET (98.3%), followed by Ammoniphilus oxalaticus RAOx-1T (97.1%) and Ammoniphilus oxalivorans RAOx-FST (96.9%). Average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain 3BR4T and A. CC-RT-ET, as well as A. RAOx-1T, were calculated to be 70.1%, 68.8% and 13.0%, 12.8%, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the major respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7), while the major fatty acids were feature 3 (C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1 ω6c), C16:0, iso-C15:0 and C17:0cyclo. The polar lipids identified included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine. Based on these phenotypic, phylogenetic, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain 3BR4T (= GDMCC 1.4438T = JCM 37210T) is proposed to represents a novel species of the genus Ammoniphilus, for which the name Ammoniphilus soli sp. nov. is proposed.

Nowadays, the application of hydrogen as an energy carrier has become important as a result of decreasing availability of oil and gas fields as well as increasing demands on sustainable energy carriers. Providing an adequate hydrogen transportation infrastructure is a key step. During transportation, many different materials can interact with hydrogen, but in order to transport high quantities of hydrogen at higher pressures, the use of steels is preferred. However, hydrogen has many negative effects on steel, thus extensive research needs to be performed before hydrogen can be transported safely. Solubility of hydrogen in steel depends on the temperature, pressure, and the crystal structure of steel, so welding is also an important subject. Since most of the steel structures are welded, welded joints should also be examined for exposure to hydrogen. In the case of welding, a number of factors can decrease the hydrogen resistance of the welded joint and thus increase the risk of degradation by hydrogen. In this research work, hydrogen damage, and hydrogen traps will be reviewed. Possible ways to reduce the diffusible hydrogen content will also be summarized, as well as aspects of the filler material and shielding gas selection. In addition, an overview will be provided on welding technology aspects of carbon steels related to hydrogen, such as heat input, preheating, t 8/5 cooling time, heat-affected zone size, number of weld runs, effect of discontinuities, etc. In general, filler material with the lowest possible diffusible hydrogen content should be used; for electrode coatings and fluxes, special care should be taken to ensure proper baking; for wire electrodes, care should be taken to ensure surface cleanliness; in case of shielding gas the use of the purest possible shielding gas is recommended, and the use of shielding gas containing hydrogen is prohibited; and strict attention must also be paid to the purity of the base material. In addition, other important considerations for welding technology development will be outlined for carbon steels. Such as pipelines, where the most important technological aspects of welding will also be discussed, e.g. low heat input, multi-pass weld design, etc.