Biogas Digestate and Sewage Sludge as Suitable Feeds for Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae.

Hermetia illucens larvae can use organic wastes as a substrate, which makes them an interesting potential feed. However, waste may contain heavy metals, which are limited in feed. Here, we investigated the ability of H. illucens to grow on organic wastes and measured their heavy metal bioaccumulation. The larvae were fed with food waste, biogas digestates, and sewage sludge. When the first adult fly was visible, the tests were stopped and the larvae immediately processed. The samples (wastes before use, larvae after feeding) were analysed for mineral nutrient and heavy metal content using AAS and ICP-OES, respectively. The results show that the weight of the larvae fed with food waste increased sevenfold, which was broadly in line with expectations. Those fed with sewage sludge and digestate from biogas station increased threefold. While the larvae fed with sewage sludge exceeded the limits for heavy metals, particularly Cd and Pb, in feedstock, those fed with biogas digestate and food waste did not. These findings add to the literature showing the suitability of different wastes as H. illucens feed, and the importance of excluding waste contaminated with heavy metals from larvae intended for use as animal feed, or else diverting these larvae to non-feed uses.

Sustainable removal of caffeine and acetaminophen from water using biomass waste-derived activated carbon: Synthesis, characterization, and modelling.

The removal of caffeine (CFN) and acetaminophen (ACT) from water using low-cost activated carbons prepared from artichoke leaves (AAC) and pomegranate peels (PAC) was reported in this paper. These activated carbons were characterized using various analytical techniques. The results showed that AAC and PAC had surface areas of 1203 and 1095 m2 g-1, respectively. The prepared adsorbents were tested for the adsorption of these pharmaceuticals in single and binary solutions. These experiments were performed under different operating conditions to evaluate the adsorption properties of these adsorbents to remove CFN and ACT. AAC and PAC showed maximum adsorption capacities of 290.86 and 258.98 mg g-1 for CFN removal, 281.18 and 154.99 mg g-1 for the ACT removal over a wide pH range. The experimental equilibrium adsorption data fitted to the Langmuir model and the kinetic data were correlated with the pseudo-second order model. AAC showed the best adsorption capacities for the removal of these pharmaceuticals in single systems and, consequently, it was tested for the simultaneous removal of these pollutants in binary solutions. The simultaneous adsorption of these compounds on AAC was improved using the central composite design and response surface methodology. The results indicated an antagonistic effect of CFN on the ACT adsorption. AAC regeneration was also analyzed and discussed. A statistical physics model was applied to describe the adsorption orientation of the tested pollutants on both activated carbon samples. It was concluded that AAC is a promising adsorbent for the removal of emerging pollutants due to its low cost and reusability properties.

The Influence of Herbicides to Marine Organisms Aliivibrio fischeri and Artemia salina.

The aim of this work was to determine the toxic effect of the most used herbicides on marine organisms, the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, and the crustacean Artemia salina. The effect of these substances was evaluated using a luminescent bacterial test and an ecotoxicity test. The results showed that half maximal inhibitory concentration for A. fischeri is as follows: 15minIC50 (Roundup® Classic Pro) = 236 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Kaput® Premium) = 2475 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Banvel® 480 S) = 2637 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Lontrel 300) = 7596 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Finalsan®) = 64 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (glyphosate) = 7934 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (dicamba) = 15,937 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (clopyralid) = 10,417 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (nonanoic acid) = 16,040 µg·L-1. Median lethal concentrations for A. salina were determined as follows: LC50 (Roundup® Classic Pro) = 18 µg·L-1, LC50 (Kaput® Premium) = 19 µg·L-1, LC50 (Banvel® 480 S) = 2519 µg·L-1, LC50 (Lontrel 300) = 1796 µg·L-1, LC50 (Finalsan®) = 100 µg·L-1, LC50 (glyphosate) = 811 µg·L-1, LC50 (dicamba) = 3705 µg·L-1, LC50 (clopyralid) = 2800 µg·L-1, LC50 (nonanoic acid) = 7493 µg·L-1. These findings indicate the need to monitor the herbicides used for all environmental compartments.

Determination of the Ecotoxicity of Herbicides Roundup® Classic Pro and Garlon New in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments.

Herbicides help increase agricultural yields significantly, but they may negatively impact the life of non-target organisms. Modifying the life cycle of primary producers can affect other organisms in the food chain, and consequently in the whole ecosystem. We investigated the effect of common herbicides Roundup® Classic Pro (active substance glyphosate) and Garlon New (triclopyr and fluroxypyr) on aquatic organisms duckweed Lemna minor and green algae Desmodesmus subspicatus, and on the enzymatic activity of soil. We also compared the effects of Roundup® Classic Pro to that of a metabolite of its active substance, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). The results of an algal growth test showed that AMPA has a 1.5× weaker inhibitory effect on the growth of D. subspicatus than the Roundup formula, and the strongest growth inhibition was caused by Garlon New (IC50Roundup = 267.3 µg/L, IC50Garlon = 21.0 µg/L, IC50AMPA = 117.8 mg/L). The results of the duckweed growth inhibition test revealed that Roundup and Garlon New caused 100% growth inhibition of L. minor even at significantly lower concentrations than the ready-to-use concentration. The total chlorophyll content in the fronds was lowest when Garlon New was used. The highest dehydrogenase activity was observed in soil treated with Garlon New, and the lowest in soil treated with Roundup® Classic Pro. The results of this study showed that all three tested substances were ecotoxic to the tested organisms.