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Hernandez-Arango JF, Ortiz-Sanchez M, Solarte-Toro JC, Salcedo-Mendoza J, Alzate CAC. Analysis of planetary boundaries and economic assessment for waste valorization in the context of a biorefinery: case study of the corn value chain in Sucre, Colombia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2025:10.1007/s11356-025-36266-x. [PMID: 40172805 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-025-36266-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2025] [Indexed: 04/04/2025]
Abstract
The environmental impact generated by the excessive use of energy and petrochemical products has become a current problem addressed by considering the valorization of waste from a value chain (VC) under the biorefinery concept. At a global level, international organizations have proposed different tools to control the environmental impact of VC. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is the most representative tool. However, the LCA results do not allow defining a VC impact in a territory. The planetary boundaries (PB) approach contextualizes the results of an LCA with the maximum limits allowed for a defined activity. This research aimed to propose and apply a methodology integrating the LCA and PB approach (PBA-LCA). For this, waste valorization under the biorefinery concept was considered. The conceptual process analysis, economic optimization of biorefineries, LCA, and PB approach tools were combined and applied to a representative case study (the corn VC in Sucre, Colombia). First, the corn VC was analyzed to define different valorization alternatives for corn stover (CS). The valorization alternatives were simulated and evaluated using Aspen Plus V9.0., Aspen Economic Analyzer V9.0., and SimaPro V8.3. The LCA impact categories were used to define the PB. The economic optimization of CS biorefineries resulted in the technical and economic limitations of the cellulose valorization fraction due to high capital and operating costs. Moreover, the production of xylitol from CS presented the best economic results with a payback period of 2 years and an NPV of US$26.04 million. The LCA results demonstrated the advantages of using CS in agricultural activities. In the biorefinery, the split of CS scenarios for biorefineries had a higher environmental impact. The inclusion of the valorization stage increases to 5 and 15 times the impact on climate change and freshwater use boundaries, respectively. Finally, the PB results demonstrated the advantage of CS current use. On the other hand, the PB analysis determined the appropriate CS split with a biorefinery/mulching ratio of 70%/30% to be implemented in Sucre, Colombia. In conclusion, the results demonstrated the need to contextualize the results of an LCA with the PB in a given region to analyze the processes' environmental viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Felipe Hernandez-Arango
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Biotecnología y Agroindustria, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales, Km 07 vía al Magdalena, Manizales, Colombia
| | - Mariana Ortiz-Sanchez
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Biotecnología y Agroindustria, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales, Km 07 vía al Magdalena, Manizales, Colombia
| | - Juan Camilo Solarte-Toro
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Biotecnología y Agroindustria, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales, Km 07 vía al Magdalena, Manizales, Colombia
| | - Jairo Salcedo-Mendoza
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Grupo Procesos Agroindustriales y Desarrollo Sostenible (PADES), Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia
| | - Carlos Ariel Cardona Alzate
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Biotecnología y Agroindustria, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales, Km 07 vía al Magdalena, Manizales, Colombia.
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Cheng L, Yu T, Yang R, Liu Y, Zang H, Zeng Z, Yang Y. Diversified crop rotations exert a profound influence on the nosZI denitrifier community. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2025; 958:177871. [PMID: 39674165 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2024] [Revised: 11/30/2024] [Accepted: 11/30/2024] [Indexed: 12/16/2024]
Abstract
Agricultural soils are a significant contributor to global nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which is primarily driven by microbial nitrification and denitrification processes. Diversifying crop rotations can enhance soil nitrogen (N) utilization and influence N-cycling microbes, particularly the denitrifiers. Here, we evaluated the abundance, diversity, and community structure of soil denitrifiers by analyzing the denitrification genes (nirS, nirK, and nosZI) with a 14-year experiment of continuous and rotated crop systems. Compared to continuous cotton (C), crop rotations altered abundance of the nirS, nirK, and nosZI genes, but the responses varied among different rotation patterns (p < 0.05). Diversified crop rotations decreased Shannon index of the nirS and nirK gene communities, while increased that of the nosZI gene communities. Diversified crop rotations greatly changed community structure of the nirS, nirK and nosZI gene communities (p < 0.05). Among the responsive operational taxonomic units (OTUs), 2.62 %, 2.52 %, and 4.31 % of the nirS, nirK, and nosZI genes were involved in the responses, respectively. Notably, a significant increase in OTUs belonged to N-fixing groups (i.e., Herbaspirillum and Rhodanobacter), while a decrease in OTUs affiliated to Achromobacter and Bosea was observed in diversified crop rotations. Furthermore, soil pH and C/N ratio correlated significantly with the nirS gene community structure (p < 0.05), SOC and C/N ratio correlated with the nirK gene community (p < 0.05), and soil pH, TN, NO3--N, and C/N ratio correlated with the nosZI gene community (p < 0.05), respectively. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that long-term diversified crop rotations significantly altered the microbial communities related to denitrification, especially the nosZI gene community. These findings highlight the importance of diversified crop rotations in fostering soil denitrifiers communities that contribute to N₂O reduction, potentially supporting sustainable agricultural practices by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, future studies should be focus on both the nosZI and nosZII clades communities to offer a more complete picture of microbial contributions to soil N-cycling and N2O emission reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lang Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Taobing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Ruoqi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Huadong Zang
- State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zhaohai Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yadong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China.
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Hao DC, Wang F, Li C, Wang Y, Xue J, Xiao PG. Fungal bioaugmentation enhanced herbicide removal via soil microbial fuel cell: Taking Myrothecium verrucaria and haloxyfop-P as an example. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2025; 958:178012. [PMID: 39657334 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2024] [Revised: 11/27/2024] [Accepted: 12/06/2024] [Indexed: 12/12/2024]
Abstract
Microbial fuel cell (MFC), which produces electricity while removing pollutants, is a green approach of ecological restoration. Whether fungal bioaugmentation could enhance the herbicide removal in MFC has not been fully investigated. This study aims to construct the fungal-augmented MFC device, compare the effects of different types of remediation against soil haloxyfop-P, and explore the mechanisms of xeno-fungusphere MFC in alleviating organic pollution. The Myrothecium verrucaria addition achieved the current density of 15.27 μA/cm2 and power density (PD) of 1.174 μW/cm2, which were much higher than those with indigenous microbes and MFC alone. On day 60, the haloxyfop removal efficiency of 93.7 % was achieved with the M. verrucaria bioaugmentation, and double herbicide further increased the removal efficiency to 97.9 %, along with PD of 9.3 μW/cm2. The M. verrucaria addition significantly changed the correlation pattern between bacterial genera, as well as between dominant genera and herbicide degradation, electrogenesis, edaphic factors and functional abundance. Facing herbicide challenge, the biogeochemical processes of C/N/Fe/Mn/S were reorganized in MFC microbiota, which were also profoundly impacted by bioelectric field and xeno-fungusphere. The MFC degradation of haloxyfop-P followed the second-order kinetics; the fungal addition reduced the gap between the highest occupied molecular orbitals and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of herbicide molecules, and reduced the energy barrier for the herbicide transformation. Compared with MFC alone, xeno-fungusphere MFC had a better effect, which can remediate the soil without additional power supply, making it a cost-effective self-sustaining remediation strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Cheng Hao
- Liaoning Provincial Universities Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology, Department of Environment Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China.
| | - Fan Wang
- Liaoning Provincial Universities Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology, Department of Environment Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China
| | - Chengxun Li
- Liaoning Provincial Universities Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology, Department of Environment Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China
| | - Yaoxuan Wang
- Liaoning Provincial Universities Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology, Department of Environment Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China
| | - Jiayi Xue
- Liaoning Provincial Universities Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology, Department of Environment Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China
| | - Pei-Gen Xiao
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
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Li C, Li W, Xu P, Wang X, Tang J, Liu G, Wang T, Zhao J. Effect of Nitrogen on Microbial Communities of Purple Mudstone Weathering Products in Southwest China: A Column Experiment. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1548. [PMID: 39203390 PMCID: PMC11356197 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12081548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen application significantly affects microorganisms in agricultural ecosystems. However, it is still unclear how nitrogen application affects soil chemical properties and microbial communities in purple mudstone weathering products. In this study, a field soil column experiment was conducted in a typical purple soil area with four nitrogen fertilizer application gradients of 0 [CK], 280 [N1], 560 [N2], and 840 [N3] N kg ha-1. Nitrogen addition decreased the bacterial chao1 value and increased the bacterial evenness index. For both α- and β-diversity, the effect of nitrogen addition on bacteria was much greater than that on fungi. Nitrogen addition significantly increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Bacteroidetes, and Ascomycota and decreased the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Basidiomycota. Both pH and TC are the most important soil chemical properties influencing the bacterial and fungal communities. With the increases in the nitrogen application rate, the co-occurrence network complexity increased and then decreased. In summary, nitrogen fertilizer application could significantly change the soil chemical properties, microbial community diversity, composition, and co-occurrence network of purple mudstone weathering products. Among them, the N2 treatment (560 N kg∙ha-1) can more effectively stimulate the soil nutrients, enhance microbial network complexity, and promote further weathering of purple mudstone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunpei Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ministry of Water Conservancy, Chengdu 610041, China (J.T.); (G.L.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wanting Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ministry of Water Conservancy, Chengdu 610041, China (J.T.); (G.L.)
| | - Xuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ministry of Water Conservancy, Chengdu 610041, China (J.T.); (G.L.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jialiang Tang
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ministry of Water Conservancy, Chengdu 610041, China (J.T.); (G.L.)
| | - Gangcai Liu
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ministry of Water Conservancy, Chengdu 610041, China (J.T.); (G.L.)
| | - Ting Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Jixia Zhao
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
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Wang Y, Sha Y, Ren Z, Huang Y, Gao Q, Wang S, Li X, Feng G. Conservative strip tillage system in maize maintains high yield and mitigates GHG emissions but promotes N 2O emissions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 932:173067. [PMID: 38723964 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Optimizing N application under straw-covered strip tillage is of great significance to the rational utilization of stover resources as well as ensure food and ecosystem security, and especially N2O emissions from agricultural systems. Quantifying N2O emissions and even the carbon footprint (CF) from agricultural systems is crucial for future protecting agricultural production systems. A two-year field experiment was conducted on black soil in Northeast China, which set up two tillage systems: strip tillage with straw returning (ST) and conventional tillage (control: CT) without straw and three nitrogen rates: 0, farmers' practice (Nfp 240 kg hm-2), and optimized nitrogen fertilizer (Nopt 180 kg hm-2). We examined the characteristics of N2O emissions and CF under the ST and CT systems. Among them, we indirectly calculated GHG emissions using the LCA method. Compared with CT, the ST system significantly reduces indirect GHG emissions, but did significantly increase direct cumulative N2O emissions by 20.7 %, most likely because the higher soil residual nitrate nitrogen content, WFPS, and soil temperature under ST was 13.0 %, 2 % and 5.7 % higher than that under CT. Nopt treatment markedly reduced cumulative N2O emissions by 36.0 %, CFarea, CFyield, and CFNPV by 22.4 %, 23.1 %, and 23.5 % in ST, respectively, compared to Nfp. The reduction in energy use of machinery in ST results in lower fuel consumption and thus generating less CF. What's more, the decrease of CFyield and CFNPV between nitrogen application treatments under ST was 5.2 % and 7.7 % higher than CT, respectively. ST system can effectively achieve higher grain yield and mitigate GHG emissions on black soil in Northeast China compared with CT, but attention should be paid to N2O emissions in the soil during the maize growth period. The sustainability of balancing GHG emissions, and economic and environmental benefits can be achieved by optimizing nitrogen fertilizer manage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingmiao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Straw Comprehensive Utilization and Black Soil Conservation, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Ye Sha
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zizi Ren
- Key Laboratory of Straw Comprehensive Utilization and Black Soil Conservation, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Yiwen Huang
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Straw Comprehensive Utilization and Black Soil Conservation, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Shaojie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Straw Comprehensive Utilization and Black Soil Conservation, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Xiaoyu Li
- Key Laboratory of Straw Comprehensive Utilization and Black Soil Conservation, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China.
| | - Guozhong Feng
- Key Laboratory of Straw Comprehensive Utilization and Black Soil Conservation, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China.
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Li X, Wang H, Sun S, Ji X, Wang X, Wang Z, Shang J, Jiang Y, Gong X, Qi H. Optimization of the morphological, structural, and physicochemical properties of maize starch using straw returning and nitrogen fertilization in Northeast China. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 265:130791. [PMID: 38479666 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
The combination of straw returning and nitrogen (N) fertilization is a popular tillage mode and essential strategy for achieving stable yield and high quality. However, the optimal combination strategy and the influence of tillage mode on the morphological, crystalline, and molecular structures of maize starch remain unclear. We conducted a long-term field experiment over 7 years in Northeast China using two tillage modes, rotary tillage with straw returning (RTS) and plow tillage with straw returning (PTS), and four N application rates. The relative crystallinity, 1045/1022 cm-1 value, and B2 and B3 chains of maize starch were higher under RTS than under PTS, resulting in increased stability of starch and improvements in gelatinization enthalpy and temperature. The surface of the starch granules induced by N fertilizer was smoother than that under the N0 (0 kg N ha-1) treatment. The proportion of amylose content, solubility, swelling power, and light transmittance increased under N2 (262 kg N ha-1) treatment, along with improvement in starch pasting properties. These results suggest that RTS combined with N2 treatment can regulate the morphological, structural, and physicochemical characteristics of maize starch, providing an essential reference for improving the quality of maize starch from an agronomic point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Li
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China
| | - Honglu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas/College of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Sitong Sun
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China
| | - Xinjie Ji
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China
| | - Xuelian Wang
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China
| | - Zhengyu Wang
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China
| | - Jiaxin Shang
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China
| | - Ying Jiang
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China
| | - Xiangwei Gong
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China.
| | - Hua Qi
- College of Agronomy/Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, PR China.
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