Environmental Quality Management最新文献

{"title":"Impacts of Biomass-Derived Biochar on Plant Nutrition, Soil Function, and Agricultural Sustainability: A Review","authors":"Kirthana Ramesh,&nbsp;Yuvaraj Dinakarkumar,&nbsp;Koteswara Reddy Gujjula,&nbsp;Lakshmi Sowjanya Kotaru,&nbsp;Parthiban Brindha Devi,&nbsp;Vivek Pazhamalai,&nbsp;Sagayaraj Ivo Romauld","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70198","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70198","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Biochar, a carbon-rich material derived from the pyrolysis of organic biomass, has emerged as a promising biotechnological solution for enhancing sustainable agricultural practices. This paper reviews the role of biochar in manure management, with a focus on its physicochemical properties and their implications for nutrient recycling and environmental impact mitigation. Biochar's large surface area and porous structure enable effective adsorption and retention of nutrients and contaminants, thereby reducing nutrient losses and enhancing nutrient availability for crops. Moreover, its integration into manure systems has shown potential in mitigating ammonia volatilization, reducing odor emissions, and inhibiting pathogenic activity, addressing key challenges in livestock waste management. The review explores biochar's interaction with microbial communities in manure, its influence on nutrient cycling, and its contribution to greenhouse gas reduction and soil health improvement. Challenges and opportunities in optimizing biochar-based biotechnological applications are also discussed, highlighting the need for advanced research and innovation to integrate biochar into sustainable agricultural systems effectively. This paper aligns with the journal's focus on novel biocatalytic and biotechnological approaches to address pressing agricultural and environmental issues.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145146504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Encapsulation of Urea Into Bio-Based Adhesive to Improve Its Degradation Rate in Soil and Studying Its Release Mechanism","authors":"Yihun Wasie,&nbsp;Selvakumar Periyasamy,&nbsp;Melakuu Tesfaye","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70195","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Urea is the most widely used fertilizer, supplying 46% nitrogen, the most essential nutrient for plant growth. However, its nitrogen delivery system is exposed to high losses associated with high ammonia volatilization, leaching, and surface runoff. This research formulated a new type of slow-release urea fertilizer by encapsulating urea powder in a biodegradable adhesive. The formulation was evaluated for its degradation rate in soil, nitrogen release profile, and associated release kinetics. After an hour of incubation in distilled water, LRU-e-LAO-g-GA exhibited a nitrogen release rate of only 2.9%, which is very small compared to 98% for commercial urea. The LRU-e-LAO-g-GA releases 76.14% N within 25 h of incubation in water, which was relatively less than a slow-release coated fertilizer. The degradation rate test in the soil results indicates that all U-e-LAO-g-GAs were entirely degraded in the soil. The amount of urea encapsulated in the LAO-g-GA positively affects its N release and degradation rate in soil. As its urea loading concentration increases from 70% to 80%, its degradation rate rises from 83.8% to 91.8%. The study results suggest that the newly developed slow-release urea fertilizer has a promising future for the sustainable growth of modern agriculture.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145146505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microcrystalline Cellulose From Kapok Fiber (Ceiba pentandra) as Carbon Interstitial Dopant in ZnO: Physicochemical Characteristics and Photocatalytic Activity","authors":"Mohamad Fakhrul Hisham Hashim,&nbsp;Zul Adlan Mohd Hir,&nbsp;Shaari Daud,&nbsp;Hartini Ahmad Rafaie,&nbsp;Hamizah Mokhtar,&nbsp;Mohamad Azuwa Mohamed","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70199","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The present work describes the facile fabrication of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from Kapok fiber (<i>Ceiba pentandra</i>) as a carbon interstitial dopant in a zinc oxide (ZnO) photocatalyst, with varying ratios. The successful integration of carbon-derived MCC into ZnO was characterized by several characterization techniques. The photocatalytic evaluations of the composites were carried out against paracetamol (PARA) in an aqueous medium using a relatively low UV-C light intensity (8 W). Under normal conditions, the carbon-doped ZnO (1:1) composite photocatalyst achieved a significant degradation percentage of ∼86%, following pseudo-first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 1.29 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹, which was 3.5 times higher than that of pristine ZnO. The improved efficiency was attributed to the outstanding separation of photoexcited charge carriers, ease of electron migration, and the presence of carbon dopant as electron mediators in the composite photocatalyst, as evidenced by band gap, photoluminescence, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The main reactive species were identified to be hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and holes (h_vb⁺). The photocatalytic performance was sustained over 75% efficiency for four consecutive cycles without a regeneration step, suggesting long-term stability.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145146641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanistic Understanding and Novel Synergistic Approaches Combining Barley Straw Extract and Fatty Acids for Blue-Green Algae Bloom Control","authors":"Bitaisha Nakishuka Shukuru,&nbsp;Natalia Anatolievna Politaeva","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70201","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cyanobacterial, or blue-green algae (BGA), blooms represent a significant global environmental challenge, driven by factors such as stagnant water, elevated temperatures, and excessive nutrient loads, notably nitrogen and phosphorus. Current bloom control strategies often prove insufficient. Barley straw (BS) has historically been employed for algal control, with its decomposition releasing natural compounds that inhibit algal growth. This review aims to consolidate the mechanistic understanding of anti-algal properties of BS and explore the potential for enhanced efficacy through synergistic combinations with fatty acids (FAs). The study analyzes the active metabolites in barley straw extract (BSE), particularly phenolic compounds (PCs), and the mechanisms by which FAs disrupt algal cells and influence aquatic microbial and nutrient dynamics. A key finding is that the integration of FAs with BSE holds promise for augmenting anti-cyanobacterial activity. Advances in extraction technologies now facilitate the production of potent liquid BSEs. Despite these advancements, knowledge gaps persist regarding the precise synergistic interactions between BS-derived compounds and FAs, and their optimal application for large-scale field use. Future research should focus on deciphering these complex chemical interactions and developing robust, environmentally sound methods for broad deployment.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145146642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial Intelligence in Bioremediation and Environmental Management","authors":"Kalash Singh,&nbsp;Saptak Sarkar,&nbsp;Swati Sharma","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70192","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Bioremediation has proven to be a viable technique to combat pollution caused by hazardous pollutants, including petroleum hydrocarbons and xenobiotics, though conventional approaches have disadvantages such as heavy metal accumulation and low partition coefficients. This review focuses on incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) in bioremediation to improve microbial and site selection, pollutant screening, detection, and monitoring, thereby increasing process efficiency. Real-time monitoring and management have been enabled by techniques like machine learning and predictive modeling, while AI applications in in situ, ex situ, phytoremediation, and mycoremediation strategies have enhanced pollution degradation. This review selectively points to implementation frameworks in a real-world setting, regional case studies, and severe limitations to scalability. It presents a comparative analysis of AI models like artificial neural networks, random forests, and so forth, evaluating their strengths and limitations across different environmental settings. Further, new opportunities from combining AI with synthetic biology are discussed for designing microorganisms capable of degrading complex pollutants. Scalability challenges such as computational constraints and data availability are addressed alongside emerging solutions like cloud-based platforms and open-source AI tools. AI engagement will help diversify bioremediation into sustainable, adaptive processes with reduced health risks. This work integrates model-level comparisons, AI–synthetic biology synergies, and field-level challenges, offering a comprehensive perspective on data-driven strategies beyond static, conventional remediation methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145102015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Precursor Selection for Efficient Synthesis of ZnO Rods Through Direct Heating Method","authors":"Chee Meng Koe,&nbsp;Swee-Yong Pung,&nbsp;Sumiyyah Sabar,&nbsp;Anwar Ul-Hamid,&nbsp;Wai Kian Tan","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70178","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study explores the direct heating (DH) method for synthesizing and immobilizing zinc oxide (ZnO) rods on substrates, highlighting issues like ZnO particles depositing on rods and incomplete substrate coverage. These particles can cause secondary pollution in water systems if not adequately managed. The study tested three precursor solutions to improve ZnO rod synthesis: Precursor A (zinc acetate dihydrate and sodium hydroxide), Precursor B (zinc nitrate hexahydrate and ammonia), and Precursor C (zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine). Under the synthesis conditions of 40 W heating power for 4 min, Precursor A was found to be most effective, producing ZnO rods with minimal particle deposition and 100% surface coverage. The ZnO rods had an average diameter of 201.4 ± 58.9 nm and an areal density of 17 ± 2 rods/µm², achieving removal efficiencies of 25.15% for rhodamine B (RhB) and 25.50% for copper ions, thereby demonstrating the potential of the DH method for efficient ZnO rod synthesis. These results underscore the potential of the DH method as a promising approach for the large-scale immobilization of ZnO on Kanthal coils, offering scalability and suitability for industrial-scale production of ZnO rods.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145101823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Ensemble Gazelle ANN and Extreme Gradient Boosting Technique for IoT Integrated Fertilizer and Manure Recommendation System Based on Soil Quality","authors":"Yoganand Selvaraj,&nbsp;Balaji Nagarajan,&nbsp;Arumuga Arun Rajeswaran,&nbsp;Kalaivani Adaikkan","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70186","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70186","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Agriculture plays an important role in the Indian economy. Soil quality monitoring is critical for achieving profitable farming. Conventional soil quality testing requires a laboratory, which is costly and labor-intensive. This also makes it unsuitable for continuous soil quality monitoring. Recent Internet of Things (IoT) and soil sensor developments are advancing technologies toward continuous monitoring of soil quality utilizing machine learning (ML) approaches. The low accuracy of the existing model can be caused by insufficient soil data, poor data quality, and ineffective feature selection. The proposed work aims to develop a soil quality monitoring system through the integration of unique ML approaches with IoT sensors. After that, the Node-Micro Controller Unit (Node-MCU) collects the data and stores it in the cloud. To determine soil quality, the gathered real-time data is first pre-processed by replacing missing values with the mean value and data normalization using log normalization, which enhances dataset quality and prediction accuracy. Then, optimal features are selected using the Ant colony Aquila Optimization algorithm (AcAOa). Finally, an Ensemble Gazelle Artificial Neural Network and the Extreme Gradient Boosting technique (EGANN-XGBoost) were used to forecast soil quality and recommend the required fertilizer and manure to improve soil quality. Here, the Gazelle Optimization Algorithm (GOA) is utilized for hyperparameter tuning. The proposed method was evaluated using a variety of performance metrics, and it achieved 99.47% accuracy and 98.79% precision. The performance analysis demonstrates that the proposed model outperforms existing methods.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145101797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization of Immersed Membrane Integrated in Sedimentation Tank of WTP Ngagel Surabaya","authors":"Bowo Djoko Marsono,&nbsp;Isni Arliyani,&nbsp;Adhi Yuniarto,&nbsp;Mas Agus Mardyanto,&nbsp;Joni Hermana","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70169","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The Surabaya River is the primary source of raw water for water supply, but its quality is not satisfactory, especially regarding organics, <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>), microplastics, and TSS. The Ngagel Water Treatment Plant (WTP) treats the Surabaya River water using conventional systems like coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration. However, the performance of these conventional systems is not as good as the processing with membranes. To test the effectiveness of immersed membrane microfiltration, research was conducted to integrate it into the Ngagel WTP sedimentation unit. The objective was to evaluate the performance of the microfiltration membrane module in terms of flux, filtrate quality, and the effects of baffles and air scouring on the membrane performance. The microfiltration membrane was placed in the downstream sedimentation tank, with variations in baffle slope, air scouring, and pressure. The study compared the levels of organics, <i>E. coli</i>, microplastics, and TSS in the Surabaya River with regulatory standards, showing that these parameters exceeded permissible limits, highlighting the urgency for improved treatment solutions. The findings demonstrate the applicability of this approach to other WTPs facing similar challenges, contributing to advancements in membrane-based treatment strategies. The study revealed that an operational suction pressure of 0.6 to 0.9 bar would produce a flux of 43 to 392 L/m²/h. The quality of the filtrate was in the range of 0.28 to 0.41 NTU for turbidity, 0 to 9.5 mg/L for TSS, 2 to 15 particles/L for microplastics, 11 to 16 mg/L for organic substances as permanganate value, and 0 MPN/100 mL for <i>E. coli</i>. The research also found that adding baffles resulted in a 12% increase in the volume of filtrate produced. However, the addition of baffles did not affect the quality of the filtrate. Furthermore, adding air scouring with pressures of 0.3 and 0.6 bar resulted in an 88% recovery volume of filtrate.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145101822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the Groundwater Suitability for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes in Bhojpur District of Bihar, India","authors":"Somvir Singh,&nbsp;Farooq Ahmad Dar,&nbsp;Imran Khan","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70183","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study evaluates the suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes in the Bhojpur district of Bihar state, based on an analysis of the 15 parameters, namely, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total hardness, calcium content, magnesium content, sodium content, potassium, chloride, sulfate, HCO₃⁻, nitrate, uranium, SiO₂, and water quality index (WQI). Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, and HCO₃⁻ dominate the ions in the groundwater, which is of the Ca²⁺–HCO₃⁻ and mixed CaHCO₃Na type. As per the elemental concentrations of groundwater, the majority of the samples fall in the permissible range of water quality for drinking and irrigation. According to the Wilcox diagram, about 36.8% of the samples are in the excellent to good category, 47.4% are in the good to permissible category, and 15.8% are in the permissible to doubtful category. Based on the WQI results, the majority of the samples fall under the excellent to good category and are suitable for drinking water purposes. The results indicate that the common samples, which have fair to doubtful quality of water, include SP1, 7, 22, 23, 32, 35, and 37, and are mainly concentrated around the northeast parts of the study area. These samples show generally high values of EC, Clˉ, and Na+K and fall in the fair categories in the Wilcox and Na-salinity hazard diagrams. The major reasons for the samples in the doubtful category might include growing urbanization, intensive irrigation agriculture, use of fertilizers and pesticides, and industries, which may impact soils, crops, and humans in the long run. The results reveal that the groundwater in the northern parts of the study area is contaminated due to agriculture and other factors, and these areas need to be prioritized in future studies to prevent the degradation of the water quality.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145101867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health Risks of Atmospheric Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Its Trace Elements in Mabopane, South Africa","authors":"Mandla Bhuda,&nbsp;Peter Molnár,&nbsp;Johan Boman,&nbsp;Joyce Shirinde,&nbsp;Janine Wichmann","doi":"10.1002/tqem.70189","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70189","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) contributes to approximately 4 million premature deaths globally each year. This study aimed to investigate the health risks of atmospheric PM_2.5 and its trace elements in Mabopane, South Africa. PM_2.5 samples were collected every sixth day from June 15, 2022 to February 28, 2023 using a GilAir-5 sampler at 4.0 L/min on the Mabopane Fire Station rooftop. Health risks were evaluated using US EPA guidelines, WHO air quality limits, South African National Ambient Air Quality Standards (SANAAQS), and US EPA trace element reference levels. The mean PM_2.5 level was 10 µg/m³ (range: 1.1–29 µg/m³), exceeding the WHO annual air quality limit (5 µg/m³) but below SANAAQS (20 µg/m³). PM_2.5 posed health risks (hazard quotient &gt; 1) across all age groups. Among 18 trace elements, Ca, Fe, K, S, and Si showed the highest levels (110–240 ng/m³). The excess cancer risk from Ni was 1.2 × 10⁻⁶. These findings underscore the need for targeted air quality controls to reduce PM_2.5 and trace elements from dust and anthropogenic sources, to protect public health in Mabopane and similar areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":35327,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Quality Management","volume":"35 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tqem.70189","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145101524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}