[Effects of Straw and Fertilizer Managements on Nitrogen Loss in Rice Cultivation in Taihu Lake Basin].

Nitrogen loss from rice systems is an important source of agricultural non-point source pollution. Many studies revolve around reducing the rate of nitrogen fertilizer application. However, studies examining the characteristics of nitrogen loss in multiple loss paths （runoff, leaching, and lateral seepage） under different straw and fertilizer managements are lacking. Therefore, a study was carried out based on a rice field planted for more than 20 years with straw continuously returned to the field for more than 5 years in Taihu lake basin. The effects of straw and fertilizer managements on nitrogen loss in different paths during the whole growth period of rice were studied. Moreover, straw and fertilizer managements were evaluated by their production suitability and environmental friendliness based on crop yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and nitrogen loss. The results showed that straw removal from the field increased the response sensitivity of nitrogen accumulation in plant tissue to nitrogen application. The nitrogen loss in the rice season was 9-17 kg·hm-2, accounting for 5%-7% of the nitrogen application rate. Straw removal increased the risk of nitrogen loss when soaking water discharged. Straw returning could decrease the nitrogen loss by more than 15%, though the effect of straw on nitrogen loss via lateral seepage was not clear. Furthermore, the suitable substitution of organic fertilizer （30% in this study） could respectively reduce the amount of nitrogen loss via runoff, leaching, and lateral seepage by 16%, 26%, and 37% compared with the fertilizer application under the same nitrogen gradient. In conclusion, the implementation of straw returning and fertilizer type optimization measures effectively reduced the nitrogen loss for unit weight of rice production and realized the balance between agricultural production and environmental protection.

[Effects of Fertilizer Application Strategy Adjustments on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Loss from Typical Crop Systems in Taihu Lake Region].

The intensity of crop farming fertilizer input is generally high in the Taihu Lake Region, with chemical fertilizer as the main form. Due to inappropriate fertilizer application, nitrogen and phosphorus loss have occurred, causing serious agricultural non-point source pollution. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China has launched the "zero-growth action for chemical fertilizer use" and "replacement action with organic fertilizer" ("two actions" for short) campaigns since 2015. Local agricultural sectors adjusted fertilizer application strategies of crop farming to respond to the call of two actions. However, the current research is still focusing on reducing the total amount of fertilizer application and increasing the area of organic fertilizer application, which is mainly based on grain crops. The study of agricultural environment problems is still lacking, especially in vegetable, orchard, and tea systems. Therefore, a study was carried out in the typical agricultural area of Suzhou City Wuzhong District from 2019 to 2021. Based on the data of the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus removal by harvest crops and soil nitrogen and phosphorus residual in paddy, vegetable, orchard, and tea systems, the loss was estimated. The responses of nitrogen and phosphorus loss from typical crop systems to fertilizer application strategy adjustments were studied through analysis of different factors. The results showed that fertilizer application rate was the key to control nitrogen and phosphorus loss. Additionally, the suitable replacement ratio of organic fertilizer could further reduce the loss risk. It should be noted that the urgent demand for nutrients in crop growth should be considered to determine the timing of organic fertilizer application, and agricultural machinery should be used to assist organic fertilizer application to reduce labor output if possible. Fertilizer efficiency was the core of environmental friendliness and economic benefits of crop farming. Hence, improving fertilizer efficiency should be the guidance of fertilizer application strategy adjustment. Our suggestions on the adjustment of fertilizer application strategy in different crop systems in the study area are as follows:attention should be paid to the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium input ratio in paddy systems to further reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loss. Planting structure adjustment should be emphasized in vegetable systems to promote fertilizer efficiency. The strategy to satisfy both tea and orchard growth from a composite system perspective would help to build crop systems that meet the needs of green agricultural development.

Cleanup of Cr(VI)-polluted groundwater using immobilized bacterial consortia via bioreduction mechanisms.

Cr(VI) bioreduction has become a remedial alternative for Cr(VI)-polluted site cleanup. However, lack of appropriate Cr(VI)-bioreducing bacteria limit the field application of the in situ bioremediation process. In this study, two different immobilized Cr(VI)-bioreducing bacterial consortia using novel immobilization agents have been developed for Cr(VI)-polluted groundwater remediation: (1) granular activated carbon (GAC) + silica gel + Cr(VI)-bioreducing bacterial consortia (GSIB), and (2) GAC + sodium alginate (SA) + polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) + Cr(VI)-bioreducing bacterial consortia (GSPB). Moreover, two unique substrates [carbon-based agent (CBA) and emulsified polycolloid substrate (EPS)] were developed and used as the carbon sources for Cr(VI) bioreduction enhancement. The microbial diversity, dominant Cr-bioreducing bacteria, and changes of Cr(VI)-reducing genes (nsfA, yieF, and chrR) were analyzed to assess the effectiveness of Cr(VI) bioreduction. Approximately 99% of Cr(VI) could be bioreduced in microcosms with GSIB and CBA addition after 70 days of operation, which caused increased populations of total bacteria, nsfA, yieF, and chrR from 2.9 × 108 to 2.1 × 1012, 4.2 × 104 to 6.3 × 1011, 4.8 × 104 to 2 × 1011, and 6.9 × 104 to 3.7 × 107 gene copies/L. In microcosms with CBA and suspended bacteria addition (without bacterial immobilization), the Cr(VI) reduction efficiency dropped to 60.3%, indicating that immobilized Cr-bioreducing bacteria supplement could enhance Cr(VI) bioreduction. Supplement of GSPB led to a declined bacterial growth due to the cracking of the materials. The addition of GSIB and CBA could establish a reduced condition, which favored the growth of Cr(VI)-reducing bacteria. The Cr(VI) bioreduction efficiency could be significantly improved through adsorption and bioreduction mechanisms, and production of Cr(OH)3 precipitates confirmed the occurrence of Cr(VI) reduction. The main Cr-bioreducing bacteria included Trichococcus, Escherichia-Shigella, and Lactobacillus. Results suggest that the developed GSIB bioremedial system could be applied to cleanup Cr(VI)-polluted groundwater effectively.

Cost-effective mitigation of nitrogen pollution from global croplands.

Cropland is a main source of global nitrogen pollution1,2. Mitigating nitrogen pollution from global croplands is a grand challenge because of the nature of non-point-source pollution from millions of farms and the constraints to implementing pollution-reduction measures, such as lack of financial resources and limited nitrogen-management knowledge of farmers3. Here we synthesize 1,521 field observations worldwide and identify 11 key measures that can reduce nitrogen losses from croplands to air and water by 30-70%, while increasing crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by 10-30% and 10-80%, respectively. Overall, adoption of this package of measures on global croplands would allow the production of 17 ± 3 Tg (1012 g) more crop nitrogen (20% increase) with 22 ± 4 Tg less nitrogen fertilizer used (21% reduction) and 26 ± 5 Tg less nitrogen pollution (32% reduction) to the environment for the considered base year of 2015. These changes could gain a global societal benefit of 476 ± 123 billion US dollars (USD) for food supply, human health, ecosystems and climate, with net mitigation costs of only 19 ± 5 billion USD, of which 15 ± 4 billion USD fertilizer saving offsets 44% of the gross mitigation cost. To mitigate nitrogen pollution from croplands in the future, innovative policies such as a nitrogen credit system (NCS) could be implemented to select, incentivize and, where necessary, subsidize the adoption of these measures.

Natural N-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Derived from Straw and Adhered onto TiO2 Nanospheres for Enhancing the Removal of Antibiotics and Resistance Genes.

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging environmental contaminants. TiO2 photocatalytic degradation has been proved an important removal technique, but its photocatalytic ability needs be improved. In our work, natural N-doped carbon quantum dots (N-SCQDs) were extracted from hydrothermal carbonization waste liquid of straw and were attached onto TiO2 nanospheres for remediating antibiotics [sulfadiazine (SA)] and ARGs (sul1, sul2, and intl1). The maximum SA reduction rates were close to 100%, and the ARG reduction rates were 52.91-83.52%/lg10 (sul1), 32.10-68.23%/lg10 (sul2), and 46.29-76.55%/lg10 (inlt1). The temperature of the straw derivatives would influence their photoelectric properties. N-SCQDs@TiO2 expands the application range of a novel potential high-efficiency degradation catalyst and offers a new way of hydrothermal carbonization waste liquid of agricultural waste.

Reforming smallholder farms to mitigate agricultural pollution.

China's agriculture is dominated by smallholder farms, which have become major sources of negative environmental impacts including eutrophication, formation of haze, soil acidification and greenhouse gas emissions. To mitigate these environmental impacts, new farming models including family farming, cooperation farming and industrial farming have emerged in recent years. However, whether these new farming practices would improve the economic and environmental performance as compared to the current smallholder farming has yet to be verified on ground level. In this paper, by using pilot farming cases within the watershed of Tai Lake, we found that alternative farming models produced 7% more crop yield, while using 8% less fertilizer, leading to a 28% decrease in pollutant emission per hectare. These alternative farming models have a 17% higher fertilizer use efficiency and 50% higher profit per hectare. Compared to smallholder farming, these alternative farming practices invest 27% more resources into agricultural facilities, including advanced machinery, and have a younger, better educated labor force as a consequence of a larger farm size and more specialization. These input changes substantially increase fertilizer use efficiency and reduce agricultural pollution. Policy arrangements to support and facilitate the uptake of these farming models will further promote the green development and sustainable intensification of agricultural production.

Synthesis of sulfonated lignin-derived ordered mesoporous carbon for catalytic production of furfural from xylose.

Sulfonated lignin-derived ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC-SO3H) solid acid was synthesized through solvent evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) method followed by sulfonation, using lignin as carbon precursor and glyoxal as cross-linking agent during the preparation process. The as-synthesized OMC-SO3H exhibited a typical 2D hexagonal meso-structure (space group p6mm) and showed a good catalytic performance for the catalytic conversion of hemicellulose-derived xylose to furfural. A highest furfural yield of 76.7% with 100% xylose conversion was achieved at 200 °C for 45 min in γ-valerolactone (GVL)-water (85:15 v/v%) mixture. The lignin-derived OMC-SO3H solid acid catalyst showed superior stability and reusability, and was also applicable to the catalytic production of furfural from xylan. This work provides a promising strategy for the synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbon solid acid from green and sustainable lignin biomass resource, which has wide range of applications in the utilization of cellulose and hemicellulose.

[Effects of Film Materials on Ammonia Volatilization Emissions from a Paddy System After Reducing Nitrogen Fertilizer Application].

Ammonia volatilization emissions constitute the main pathway of nitrogen loss from paddy systems. Present control technologies are based on reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied. However, ratio of nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization emissions has not changed, and it has become a bottleneck for promoting nitrogen use efficiency. Therefore, in order to study the effects of film materials on ammonia volatilization emissions, a two-year field plot experiment was carried out with agricultural waste powder and amphipathic molecule materials spread on surface water after nitrogen fertilizer application in paddy system. The results showed that film materials could reduce nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization by 19%-31% in the paddy season, and this part of nitrogen was accumulated in soil or assimilated by paddy tissue. The ammonium concentration and pH in the surface water and film materials were the major control factors of ammonia volatilization emissions with nitrogen fertilizer application. Moreover, further reductions in ammonia volatilization emissions could be achieved by film materials after reducing nitrogen fertilizer application. Differences in the effect mechanisms of the film materials provide flexible options for practical agricultural production to meet demands.

[Situation Analysis and Trend Prediction of the Prevention and Control Technologies for Planting Non-Point Source Pollution].

The contribution of crop planting to agricultural non-point source pollution should not be underestimated in China. Although many modern technologies have been developed to prevent non-point source pollution in recent decades, their impacts on pollution control in farmland are far from expectation. The application of technologies for non-point source pollution control for crop farming has been delayed due to unclear technical parameters and application effectiveness. Therefore, based on studies of the non-point source pollution control for crop farming in China and abroad that were published in the last 20 years, the present research was carried out to determine the development process of planting non-point source pollution control technologies and to illuminate the framework construction. The technologies in different fields and directions were compared by their effects on fertilizer input,yield, and pollutant emission. The development trend in the field of prevention and control technologies for planting non-point source pollution was subsequently predicted. In addition, a technical framework was developed with 3 fields (pollutant source reduction, pollutant interception in the migration process, and nutrient recycling) and 14 directions. The analysis showed that the technologies for reducing pollutants from the source have attracted the most (and increasing) concern with many research directions, and that many of the studies in this field have focused on the regulation of fertilizer application. On the contrary, there is a lack of technologies in the fields of pollutant process interception and nutrient recycling. Promoting nutrient-use efficiency, regulating nutrient transformation, and using soil supplements will be the main entry points for non-point source pollution control for crop farming. Furthermore, technologies will operate better with the help of farmland infrastructure and downstream purification systems.

Effect of long term fertilization management strategies on methane emissions and rice yield.

Optimum fertilization is an efficient method to maintain rice yield and reduce N-losses. It is essential though to evaluate methane emissions from paddy fields, to further understand its impact on greenhouse gas budget. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of long-term optimum fertilization on CH4 emissions and rice yield. We collected data in the 7th and 8th year from a field experiment initiated in 2010. Four optimum fertilization strategies, reduced N-fertilizer and zero-P treatment (RNP, 200 kg N/ha), sulfur-coated urea combined with uncoated urea treatment (SCU, 200 kg N/ha), organic fertilizer combined chemical fertilizer treatment (OCN, 200 kg N/ha), organic fertilizer treatment (OF, 200 kg N/ha); and two controls, the farmers' N management (FN, 270 kg N/ha) and zero-N treatment (N0), were employed. The results showed the rice yields achieved for the optimum fertilization treatments (RNP, SCU, OCN, and OF) were similar with those for the FN. No significant differences in CH4 emissions among all treatments. Cumulative seasonal CH4 emissions were negatively correlated with grain yield (P < 0.05). In the RNP and SCU treatments, soil available K, mcrA gene and available P were the key variables affecting CH4 emissions; soil available K, available P and SOC contents were the key emissions factors for OCN and OF treatments. The SCU achieved the highest rice yield and lowest CH4 emission intensity among optimum fertilization treatments. These results suggest that long-term application of sulfur-coated urea combined with uncoated urea can maintain rice yield and reduce methane emissions from rice paddies.

Lanthanum ferrite nanoparticles modification onto biochar: derivation from four different methods and high performance for phosphate adsorption.

To effectively remove phosphate pollution and convectively reuse phosphate resource, straw biochar was firstly functionalized with lanthanum ferrite (LaFeO3) via four different methods, including one-step co-precipitation (S-C), two-step co-precipitation (B-C), one-step impregnation (S-E), and two-step impregnation (B-E). LaFeO3/biochar was characterized systematically by a series of characterization methods. The influence of preparation methods, operation conditions on adsorption process, and the regenerability were studied. The products prepared by four methods displayed different physical morphology and chemical analysis proved chemical composition were similar. LaFeO3/biochar exhibited high adsorption capacity, the pseudo-second-order and Sips models were fitted for the adsorption equilibrium. The LaFeO3/biochar exhibited outstanding phosphate adsorption performance with pH values ranging from 2.3 to 10.6; La ions release was similarly negligible, when pH value was higher than 5.27. The adsorption mechanism was studied and inferred that La species is the key to adsorption ability. The results obtained provide better understanding of the adsorption phenomena and indicate the available preparation technologies and potential usefulness of LaFeO3/biochar for removing phosphate pollution. Graphical abstract "."

High Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance of Cu/ZnO/rGO Nanocomposite for Decomposing of Aqueous Ammonia and Treatment of Domestic Wastewater.

Photocatalytic removal of ammonium-nitrogen ( NH4+ -N) from water using solar energy is an approach of high interest and applicability due to the convenience in application. ZnO has a great potential in photocatalytic decomposition of NH4+ -N and conversion of this nutrient to under visible light irradiations. However the applicability of pristine ZnO though is limited due to its reduced capacity to utilize light from natural light. Herein, we report a two-step ZnO-modified strategy (Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles, immobilized on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets) for the promotion of photocatalytic degradation of NH4+ -N under visible light. UV-Vis spectra showed that the Cu/ZnO/rGO can be highly efficient in the utilization of photons from the visible region. Hence, Cu/ZnO/rGO managed to demonstrate adequate photocatalytic activity and effective NH4+ -N removal from water under visible light compared to single ZnO. Specifically, up to 83.1% of NH4+ -N (initial concentration 50 mg·L-1, catalyst dosage 2 g·L-1, pH 10) was removed within 2 h retention time under Xe lamp irradiation. From the catalysis, the major by-product was N2. The high ammonia degradation efficiency from the ZnO/Cu/rGO is attributed to the improvement of the reactive oxygen species (ROSs) production efficiency and the further activation of the interfacial catalytic sites. This study also demonstrated that such nanocomposite is a recyclable agent. Its NH4+ -N removal capacity remained effective even after five batch cycles. In addition, Cu/ZnO/rGO was applied to treat real domestic wastewater, and it was found that chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies can reach 84.3, 80.7, and 90.3%, respectively. Thus, Cu/ZnO/rGO in the presence of solar light can be a promising photocatalyst in the field of wastewater treatment.

[Effects of Returning Nitrogen by Biochar Loading on Paddy Growth, Root Morphology, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency].

Building a nutrient channel between eutrophic water and agricultural fields could reduce nutrient input into fields and alleviate eutrophication by returning nitrogen. In order to determine the feasibility of returning nitrogen by biochar loading, a rhizobox experiment was conducted with two nitrogen applied methods, namely SN (applied nitrogen by nitrogen fertilizer solution) and BN (applied nitrogen by nitrogen-loaded biochar). The results showed that BN, in comparison with SN, decreased the biomass and nitrogen uptake of the aboveground paddy by 16% and 14%, respectively, increased biomass root-shoot ratios by 25%-27%, and reduced nitrogen recovery use efficiency. Two nitrogen application methods affected the length and volume of paddy adventitious roots. Paddy underground biomass and nitrogen uptake were positively correlated with soil ammonium content, whereas paddy aboveground nitrogen uptake was negatively correlated with root tips. It was suggested that the paddy biomass and nitrogen uptake would be influenced when nitrogen was applied solely by nitrogen-loaded biochar. However, no affinity and no significance in nitrogen use efficiency were found for plant uptake between chemical nitrogen and biochar-loaded nitrogen. Additionally, biochar promoted soil mineral nitrogen content for further plant uptake. Therefore, biochar could be used as the carrier for returning nitrogen from waterbodies to fields. The replacement rate of chemical nitrogen fertilizer is the key to influencing plant growth and needs future study.

[Control Effect of Side Deep Fertilization with Slow-release Fertilizer on Ammonia Volatilization from Paddy Fields].

In order to reduce the ammonia volatilization in paddy fields, seven treatments were evaluated. These included three slow-release nitrogen fertilizers[sulfur-coated urea (SCU); resin-coated urea (RCU); release bulk blending fertilizer (RBB)], two fertilization modes[single base fertilization (B) and combined with panicle fertilizer (BF)], and conventional split fertilization (CN). The effects of side deep fertilization for slow-release nitrogen fertilizers on ammonia volatilization and surface water nitrogen dynamics were examined using a rice transplanter with a fertilizer sowing mechanism in the Taihu Lake region. The results showed that total nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen concentration in the surface water of the SCU treatment in the base period were higher, and those for RCU and RBB were lower than in the CN treatment. The cumulative ammonia volatilization during the whole rice season varied among different types of slow-release nitrogen fertilizers from 3.84% to 28.17% of the total N applied. The nitrogen loss from ammonia volatilization using the three slow-release nitrogen fertilizers was decreased when compared with conventional split fertilization. The ammonia volatilization loss exhibited the following relationship for the treatments:CN, B-SCU > BF-SCU, BF-RBB, BF-RCU, B-RBB, and B-RCU. When the slow-release nitrogen fertilizers were applied in single base fertilization, the total ammonia volatilization for the SCU was significantly higher than those for the RCU and RBB, while no significant differences were detected when these three slow-release fertilizers were combined with panicle fertilizer. Moreover, although the ammonia volatilization of BF-SCU was lower than that of B-SCU, those of BF-RCU and BF-RBB were higher than those with the B-RCU and B-RBB treatments, respectively. There are no significant differences for nitrogen volatilization when any of these three different fertilizers are applied as B or BF. The results for the emissions during ammonia volatilization during different stages indicated that the ammonia volatilization of SCU at the basal-tillering fertilization stage (7.54%) and the tillering-panicle fertilization stage (16.04%) were higher than those of the panicle fertilization-mature stage. The N loss from ammonia volatilization for RBB in the base-tillering fertilization stage (2.91%) increased more than in the tillering-panicle fertilization stage and panicle fertilization-mature stage. For RCU treatment, the highest rate for ammonia volatilization was detected at the panicle fertilization-mature stage (2.75%). Compared with the single base fertilization mode, ammonia volatilization during the panicle fertilization-mature stage was increased when combined with panicle fertilizer (BF) for the slow-release fertilizer. There was no obvious correlation between the N loss with ammonia volatilization for the three slow-release nitrogen fertilizers and the concentration of ammonium nitrogen in surface water during the panicle fertilization-mature stage.

[Influence of Calcium Carbonate and Biochar Addition on Soil Nitrogen Retention in Acidified Vegetable Soil].

In Taihu Lake region, more and more paddy fields are being converted to vegetable fields, which cause serious soil acidification and decreased soil nitrogen retention. In this study, calcium carbonate and biochar were used as acidification amendments to test their ability on soil acidification remediation and soil nitrogen retention improvement. Calcium carbonate and biochar addition rates were determined by pH buffering curves. An incubation experiment with and without nitrogen fertilization and multi-leaching simulation tests were conducted. The soil nitrogen mineralization rate, dynamics of the nitrogen content in soils and leachates, and soil pH were measured. The results showed that 3.92×10-2 mol·kg-1 calcium carbonate and 27.73 g·kg-1 biochar should be added into the tested acidified vegetable soil to recover the original pH value. Without nitrogen fertilization, the addition of calcium carbonate increased the soil nitrogen mineralization rate by 37% but had no significant effect on mineral nitrogen content. However, biochar addition significantly improved the soil nitrogen mineralization rate by 35%-44% and nitrate content by 42%-58%. Nitrogen leaching loss was cut down by 42%-57% in biochar addition treatment because of the lower leachate volume and nitrogen concentration, while calcium carbonate addition increased nitrogen leaching loss by 12%-76% because of the higher leachate nitrogen concentration. After leaching, the soil pH decreased for all the treatments. The soil pH change was the lowest for calcium carbonate addition treatment under no nitrogen fertilization and the lowest for biochar addition treatment under nitrogen fertilization. This result suggests that calcium carbonate is more applicable for seriously acidified soils which are fallowed and biochar is more suitable for the intensified vegetable fields because it can improve the soil nitrogen retention and soil pH, and reduce the nitrogen leaching loss.

Differences in the treatment efficiency of a cold-resistant floating bed plant receiving two types of low-pollution wastewater.

A floating bed system vegetated with Oenanthe javanica was adopted in this study to treat two types of low-pollution wastewater (LPW): polluted river water (PRW) and treated domestic wastewater (DW). The water was treated for 111 days during the low-temperature season. The results indicated that the total nitrogen (TN) removal rates were higher in the DW groups than in the PRW groups during the initial 30 days. This difference may stem from the different C/N ratio of the influent. As the water temperature rose above 15.5 °C after March 12, the purification capability of nitrogen in the DW groups was enhanced, and the removal rates of TN were 89.8 and 76.8 % in DW and the control 2 at 111 days. Conversely, the performance of total phosphorus (TP) removal was robust during the initial stage of the experiment, despite receiving domestic wastewater with a relatively high N/P ratio (16:1). The TP removal rates in DW were as high as 91.5 % compared to 78.9 % in PRW at 30 days. At the same time, the N/P ratios of plant tissue were higher in the DW groups compared to that in the PRW groups. Plant uptake played a significant role in nutrient removal in the PRW groups (52.5 % for TN, 68.2 % for TP), followed by sedimentation. In contrast, plant uptake only accounted for 25.3 % of TN removal and 24.1 % of TP removal in DW. The results provide engineering parameters for the future design of an ecological remediation technology for LPW purification.

Different responses of soil microbial metabolic activity to silver and iron oxide nanoparticles.

The knowledge regarding the effects of metal or metal oxide nanoparticles on soil microbial metabolic activity and key ecological functions is limited, relative to the information about their species diversity. For this reason, the responses of soil microbial metabolic activity to silver (AgNPs) and iron oxide (FeONPs) nanoparticles, along concentration gradients of each, were evaluated by microcalorimetry and soil nitrification potential. The changes in abundances of bacteria, eukaryotes and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were measured by real time quantitative PCR. It was found that AgNP (at 0.1, 1 and 10 mg kg(-1) soil) amendments decreased soil microbial metabolic activity, nitrification potential and the abundances of bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria; on the contrary, FeONPs had the positive effects on soil microbial metabolic activity (at 1 and 10 mg kg(-1) soil) and soil nitrification potential (at 0.1 and 1 mg kg(-1) soil). Specific microbial metabolic activity and specific nitrification potential further revealed that metal or metal oxide nanoparticles could change the C and N cycles of the agricultural soil through influencing soil microbial metabolism. These findings could deepen the understanding of the influence of NPs on soil microorganisms and their driven soil ecology process.

[Nitrogen balance and environmental impact of paddy field under different N management methods in Taihu Lake region].

Effects of nitrogen (N) management methods of paddy field on N export to environment and paddy N balance in Taihu lake region, China were studied. Field experiment including site-specific nitrogen management (SSNM), organic & chemical N fertilizer treatment (OCN), control released urea treatment (CRN), reduced chemical N treatment (RN) and farmer's N treatment (FN) were conducted at the Taihu lake region in 2008. N loss including runoff, leaching, ammonia volatilization and N2O were calculated, and the N balance was evaluated. Results showed the grain yield of SSNM, OCN, CRN and RN treatments was identical with FN treatment, while the total N rate reduced about 20%-40%, and N use efficiency (NUE) increased 14.5%-44%. N export of SSNM and CRN treatments decreased 52.8% and 45.4% in comparison with FN treatment. Under the same N input, N export of OCN treatment was lower than pure chemical N treatment (RN). N surplus was observed in FN treatment, while N deficit existed in SSNM treatments. CRN and SSNM treatments could increase NUE, reduce N export without sacrifice of yield and benefit, and could be as an economic and environment-friendly measure to intensify in Taihu lake region.