Effects of domestic sewage from different sources on greenhouse gas emission and related microorganisms in straw-returning paddy fields

Environmental effects and spatial inequalities of paddy field utilization are increasing in China

Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of the environmental effects associated with paddy field utilization (PFU) is imperative for safeguarding the availability of food while preserving the environment. While thorough investigations have been carried out on the individual environmental effects of PFU, study on comprehensive environmental effects of PFU and the spatial inequity issues stemming from the transfer of these effects are scarce. This study aims to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), nitrogen emissions (NE), and water consumption (WC) linked to PFU in China from 2000 to 2020. Additionally, it evaluates the transference of environmental effects through the inter-provincial rice flow and examines the resultant spatial inequity issues. The intensity of GHGE has demonstrated a consistent increase, while the intensity of NE has shown a fluctuating yet generally decreasing trend. Provinces with high water footprints are predominantly located in the northern regions. Specifically, GHGE increased by 3.54 Mt, primarily due to intensified agricultural inputs. NE decreased by 0.08 Mt, largely influenced by the enforcement of sustainable agricultural practices. WC escalated by 3.49 billion m3, chiefly as a result of heightened groundwater dependence. Significant increases in environmental effects were observed in Northeast China Plain (NECP) and Middle-lower Yangtze Plain (MLYP), whereas Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (YGP), Southern China (SC), and Sichuan Basin and surrounding regions (SBSR) experienced reductions. The volume of inter-provincial rice flow initially surged before witnessing a decline, with a net increase of 15.59 Mt in rice outflow from NECP. The transferred volumes of GHGE, NE, and WC within China surged by 123.87%, 105.26%, and 119.05%, respectively. Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (HHHP) and SC emerged as principal outflows of environmental effects, while MLYP and NECP became the main inflows, exacerbating regional environmental disparities. Lorenz curves for GHGE, NE, and WC indicate a growing deviation from the line of absolute equality, highlighting a substantial increase in spatial inequality regarding the environmental effects of PFU in China. Moving forward, it is crucial to optimize PFU and rice flow patterns to mitigate the specific regional environmental effects, enhance the spatial efficiency of rice production, and promote spatial equity in environmental effects.

Increases in the soil ammonia oxidizing phylotypes and their rechange due to long-term irrigation with wastewater

Wastewater irrigation is a common practice for agricultural systems in arid and semiarid zones, which can help to overcome water scarcity and contribute with nutrient inputs. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are key in the transformation of NH4+-N in soil and can be affected by variations in soil pH, EC, N and C content, or accumulation of pollutants, derived from wastewater irrigation. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in the ammonia oxidizing communities in agricultural soils irrigated with wastewater for different periods of time (25, 50, and 100 years), and in rainfed soils (never irrigated). The amoA gene encoding for the catalytic subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase was used as molecular reporter; it was quantified by qPCR and sequenced by high throughput sequencing, and changes in the community composition were associated with the soil physicochemical characteristics. Soils irrigated with wastewater showed up to five times more the abundance of ammonia oxidizers (based on 16S rRNA gene relative abundance and amoA gene copies) than those under rainfed agriculture. While the amoA-AOA: amoA-AOB ratio decreased from 9.8 in rainfed soils to 1.6 in soils irrigated for 100 years, indicating a favoring environment for AOB rather than AOA. Further, the community structure of both AOA and AOB changed during wastewater irrigation compared to rainfed soils, mainly due to the abundance variation of certain phylotypes. Finally, the significant correlation between soil pH and the ammonia oxidizing community structure was confirmed, mainly for AOB; being the main environmental driver of the ammonia oxidizer community. Also, a calculated toxicity index based on metals concentrations showed a correlation with AOB communities, while the content of carbon and nitrogen was more associated with AOA communities. The results indicate that wastewater irrigation influence ammonia oxidizers communities, manly by the changes in the physicochemical environment.

Hydrochar more effectively mitigated nitrous oxide emissions than pyrochar from a coastal soil of the Yellow River Delta, China

Application of char amendments (e.g., pyrochar or biochar, hydrochar) in degraded soils is proposed as a promising solution for mitigating climate change via carbon sequestration and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission reduction. However, the hydrochar-mediated microbial modulation mechanisms underlying N₂O emissions from coastal salt-affected soils, one of essential blue C ecosystems, were poorly understood. Therefore, a wheat straw derived hydrochar (SHC) produced at 220 °C was prepared to investigate its effects on N₂O emissions from a coastal salt-affected soil in the Yellow River Delta and to distinguish the microbial regulation mechanisms in comparison with corresponding pyrochar pyrolyzed at 500 °C (SPC) using a 28-day soil microcosm experiment. Compared with SPC, the acidic SHC (pH 4.15) enriched in oxygenated functional groups, labile C and N constituents. SHC application more efficiently depressed cumulative soil N₂O emissions (48.4-61.1 % vs 5.57-45.2 %) than those of SPC. SHC-induced inhibition of ammonia-oxidizing gene (amoA)-mediated nitrification and promotion of full reduction of N₂O to N₂ by nitrous oxide reductase gene (nosZ) were the underlying microbial mechanisms. Structural equation models further revealed that SHC-modulated bacterial N-transformation responses, i.e., inhibited nitrification and promoted heterotrophic denitrification, mainly contributed to reduced N₂O emissions, whereas modification of soil properties (e.g., decreased pH, increased total C content) by SPC dominantly accounted for decreased N₂O emissions. These results address new insights into microbial regulation of N₂O emission reduction from the coastal salt-affected soils amended with hydrochar, and provide the promising strategies to enhance C sequestration and mitigate GHG emissions in the blue C ecosystems.

Hydrochar amendments stimulate soil nitrous oxide emission by increasing production of hydroxyl radicals and shifting nitrogen functional genes in the short term: A culture experiment

The application of waste biomass-derived hydrochar to soil may cause extremely intensive nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes that can challenge our current mechanistic understanding of the global nitrogen cycle in the biosphere. In this study, two waste biomasses were used to prepare cyanobacterial biomas-derived hydrochar (CHC) and wheat straw-derived hydrochar (SHC) for short-term incubation experiments to identify their effects and mechanisms of waste biomass-derived hydrochar on soil N₂O efflux, with time-series samples collected for N₂O efflux and soil analysis. The results showed that CHC and SHC caused short-term bursts of N₂O effluxes without nitrogen inputs. Moreover, the enrichment of exogenous organics and nutrients at the hydrochar-soil interface was identified as the key factor for enhancing N₂O fluxes, which stimulated microbial nitrification (i.e., increased gene copy number of ammonia oxidizing bacteria) and denitrification (i.e., increased gene copy number of nitrate and N₂O reducing bacteria) processes. The concentrations of Fe (II) and hydroxyl radicals (HO^•) were 6.49 and 5.63 times higher, respectively, in the hydrochar layer of CHC than SHC amendment. Furthermore, structural equation models demonstrated that HO^•, as well as soil microbiomes, played an important role in driving N₂O fluxes. Together, our findings provide a deeper insight into the assessment and prognosis of the short-term environmental risk arising from agricultural waste management in integrated agriculture. Further studies under practical field application conditions are warranted to verify the findings.

Presence of microplastics alone and co-existence with hydrochar unexpectedly mitigate ammonia volatilization from rice paddy soil and affect structure of soil microbiome

Microplastics (MPs), as an emerging pollutant, may cause deleterious changes to the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. However, single impact of MPs and synergistic effects of MPs with hydrochar on ammonia (NH₃) volatilization and soil microbiome in paddy fields has been largely unexplored. In this study, polyethylene (PE), polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and straw-derived hydrochar (HBC) were selected for observations in an entire rice cycle growth period. Results showed that under the condition of 0.5% (w/w) MPs concentration, presence of MPs alone and co-existence of MPs and HBC (MPs + HBC) unexpectedly mitigated cumulative NH₃ volatilization from paddy soil compared with the control with no MPs or HBC addition. MPs + HBC increased NH₃ volatilization by 37.8-46.2% compared with MPs alone, indicating that co-existence of MPs and HBC weaken the mitigation effect of MPs on NH₃ volatilization. Additionally, results of nitrogen cycle related microorganisms closely related to NH₃ volatilization demonstrated that MPs + HBC altered the bacterial community structure and species diversity. These findings provide an important opportunity to advance our understanding of the impacts of MPs in agricultural environment and soils, and provide a sound theoretical basis for rationalizing the application of HBC in soil with MPs.

The Effect of Multi-Years Reclaimed Water Irrigation on Dryland Carbon Sequestration in the North China Plain

Reclaimed water is an alternative water source which could alleviate the shortage of water resources in agricultural systems. Many researchers have studied the effect of reclaimed water on soil environment, crop yield, etc. However, carbon sequestration in reclaimed water irrigated agricultural systems is less studied. This study investigates methane uptake and photosynthesis in reclaimed water irrigation systems contributing to carbon sequestration estimation and analyzes the important factors impacting them. The results show that CH4 uptake is related to soil water-filled pore space (WFPS) with a quadratic and it has the highest uptake when WFPS is between 40 and 50%. Long-term reclaimed water irrigation could significantly decrease (p < 0.05) CH4 uptake and macroaggregate stability in the topsoil. However, reclaimed water had no significant impact on photosynthesis in comparison. The type of fertilizer is an important factor which impacts CH4 emission from soil; urea had a lower CH4 uptake and a higher CO2 emission than slow-released fertilizer. Overall, reclaimed water irrigation could effectively decrease soil carbon sequestration. A soil wetted proportion level of 40–50% was recommended in this study for favorable methane oxidation. Slow-released fertilizer in reclaimed water irrigated agriculture could better control soil carbon emission and soil carbon absorption.

How Do Network Embeddedness and Environmental Awareness Affect Farmers’ Participation in Improving Rural Human Settlements?

Based on social embeddedness theory, this paper aims to explore the influence mechanism of network embeddedness and environmental awareness on farmers’ participation in improving rural human settlements (IRHS). This research applies the Logit model and the Bootstrap method, using survey data from 495 farmers in Hubei Province, China. The results show that: (1) relational embeddedness has a significant negative impact on the centralized treatment of farmers’ domestic sewage, implying that strengthening the relationship between farmers and households helps to provide them with centralized treatment for domestic sewage; (2) environmental awareness has a significant positive impact on the centralized treatment of farmers’ domestic sewage, implying that the enhancement of farmers’ environmental awareness increases the promotion centralized treatment for domestic sewage; and (3) structural embeddedness can further affects farmers’ environmental awareness and then affects their participation in the centralized treatment of domestic sewage, implying that environmental awareness has a mediating effect between structural embeddedness and the centralized treatment of farmers’ domestic sewage. Overall, it is necessary not only to encourage the establishment of extension and discussion networks for farmers (relational embeddedness) to participate in IRHS but also to improve environmental education for farmers, especially by increasing their access to environmental knowledge and information (environmental awareness in mountainous areas, and, finally to support farmers. The relationship between the members and the village cadres (structural embeddedness) can further improve farmers’ awareness of participation in IRHS to better guide them in the centralized treatment of domestic waste and domestic sewage.

Phytoplankton bloom detection during the COVID-19 lockdown with remote sensing data: Using Copernicus Sentinel-3 for north-western Arabian/Persian Gulf case study

To examine whether a country-wide COVID-19 lockdown affected phytoplankton development, variability of chlorophyll-a concentrations in the north-western Arabian/Persian Gulf (Kuwait Bay) was investigated using remote sensing instruments Sentinel OLCI between 2018 and 2020 and compared to available in situ collected data. Satellite-retrieved chlorophyll concentrations considerably increased in inshore waters of Kuwait Bay, 1-2 months following the initiation of the 24/7 curfew. The extremely high concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients, especially ammonia, and coincided phytoplankton bloom were revealed in June-July 2020 by opportunity field sampling, supporting the satellite-derived bloom detection. Remote sensing operational monitoring with high spatial resolution sensors provides an exceptional opportunity for emergency analysis and decision making in conditions of natural or anthropogenic crises, which forces the development of regional remote sensing algorithms for the shallow marine environment of the Gulf.

The comprehensive measurement method of energy conservation and emission reduction in the whole process of urban sewage treatment based on carbon emission

It is of great significance to establish a carbon emission management system and carbon emission reduction target to put forward emission reduction measures for each subunit of a sewage treatment plant. In this paper, a mathematical model was constructed for calculating carbon emission in the whole sewage treatment system process. Meanwhile, the model calculated the carbon emission changes after upgrading three sewage treatment plants and identified the critical controlling unit. The results showed that the CO₂ produced from electric energy consumption and chemical application was the primary source of carbon emission of wastewater treatment. Raising sewage discharge standards appropriately could effectively reduce the carbon emission generated by each link of the wastewater treatment plant. Further improvement of effluent standards could adversely affect sewage treatment plants in terms of energy, resources, and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, raising the standard of total phosphorus concentration in the effluent may lead to a corresponding increase in the amount of phosphorus removal agents, as well as an increase in indirect carbon emission, material consumption, and chemical sludge. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sewage treatment technologies that are economical, applicable, energy-saving, and environmental friendly to realize the environmental benefits of carbon emission reduction in sewage treatment and sustainable utilization of energy and resource from wastewater.

The inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 by sodium hypochlorite in the presence of particles

The inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 by sodium hypochlorite was investigated to understand the effect of solution chemistry on the disinfection efficacy in the presence of particles. Kaolinite and Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) were used as the models of inorganic and organic particles to simulate high turbidity and algal cells, respectively, in drinking water sources. In both particle-containing solutions, lower pH, the presence of cations (di-valent Ca²⁺) and natural organic matters (NOM) were regarded as the main factors to influence the aggregation and inactivation of MS2. The results showed that MS2 aggregated in all solutions at pH 3.0, protecting the inner viruses. At pH 7.0, the presence of Na⁺ cations (0-200 mmol/L) did not affect the inactivation efficacy of MS2, which always followed the order of particles-free ≈ kaolinite > M. aeruginosa. The inactivation efficacy of MS2 in the presence of Ca²⁺ cations followed the order of kaolinite > particles-free > M. aeruginosa at 0-50 mmol/L Ca²⁺ cations, while the inactivation efficacy remained almost constant in the range of 100-200 mmol/L Ca²⁺ cations. By contrast, kaolinite offered not enough protection to adsorbed MS2, but MS2 aggregation decreased disinfection efficacy at a high concentration of Ca²⁺ cations. Moreover, the presence of humic acid as NOM decreased the inactivation of MS2 more significantly than M. aeruginosa due to the more consumption of free chlorine from humic acids. Therefore, the co-existence of NOM and di-valent Ca²⁺ cations are potential challenges for the inactivation of viruses by sodium hypochlorite in safe drinking water.