Four types of inoculation methods were studied during the composting of municipal solid wastes and dry grass (MSWG). The methods included a control group as well as initial-stage, two-stage, and multi-stage inoculations. Fulvic acids were extracted from the composting materials and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that inoculation ...

Salinity was found to be the dominating contributor controlling bacterial community composition (BCC) and the abundance of Betaproteobacteria in the oligosaline Lake Bosten. High percentage of unclassified bacteria inhabiting this unique habitat highlights the potential ecological importance of BCC in the early stage of lake salinization and eutrophication.

A two-stage composting experiment was performed to utilize pig manure for producing maggots as feed supplement and organic fertilizer. Seven-day composting of 1.8ton fresh manure inoculated with 9kg mixture of housefly neonates and wheat bran produced 193kg aging maggots, followed by 12week composting to maturity. Reaching the thermophilic phase and ...

Two-stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process was investigated as an efficient process configuration option for the treatment of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) wastewater. To study its feasibility in a defined condition, synthetic wastewater containing only the major pollutants (i.e., acetate, benzoate, terephthalate and p-toluate) was used. By focusing the ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate a new alternative for yard waste management by constructing, operating and monitoring a landfill-based two-stage batch digester (anaerobic/aerobic) with the recovery of energy and compost. The system was initially operated under anaerobic conditions for 366days, after which the yard waste was aerated ...

A hetero-photoautotrophic algal growth model was studied for improved wastewater treatment and low cost algal biofuel feedstock production. The microalga, Auxenochlorella protothecoides UMN280, was grown heterotrophically on concentrated municipal wastewater and then autotrophically with CO(2) supplementation (air, 1% and 5%, respectively). Strain UMN280 was harvested by self-sedimentation after the heterotrophic ...

The efficacy of bispyribac-sodium, fenoxaprop + ethoxysulfuron, and penoxsulam + cyhalofop was evaluated against barnyardgrass, Chinese sprangletop, junglerice, and southern crabgrass when applied at four-, six-, and eight-leaf stages. When applied at the four-leaf stage, bispyribac-sodium provided greater than 97% control of barnyardgrass, junglerice, and southern crabgrass; however, it was ...

Invasive species represent a select subset of organisms that have successfully transitioned through each stage of the introduction process (transportation, establishment, and spread). Although there is a growing realization that behavior plays a critical role in invasion success, few studies have focused on the initial stages of introduction. We examined ...

The influence of microbial activity on the concentration and speciation of trace elements (TEs) was assessed in a study on the bioavailability of TEs for edible plants. A growth chamber experiment with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. USU-Perigee) was conducted and the bulk (Bk) and the rhizosphere (Rz) soil components ...

The direct and indirect effects of Cd on benthic communities were assessed in a freshwater microcosm study over a period of seven months (218 d). Cadmium was regarded as a model substance to evaluate the usefulness of small-scale laboratory microcosm with microscopic fauna. In particular, effects on the meiofauna community, ...

Genetic modification of Zn/Cd accumulation in roots and shoots for biofortification or phytoremediation is a focus of this manuscript. We expressed AtHMA4 (a P(₁B) ATPase involved in Zn and Cd transport), AtHMA4-trunc (lacking the C-terminal region) and AtHMA4-C terminus (the C-terminal region alone) in tobacco under the CaMV 35S constitutive ...

The cadmium (Cd) content of rice grain grown in metal-contaminated paddy soils near abandoned metal mines in South Korea was found to exceed safety guidelines (0.2 mg Cd kg⁻¹) set by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). However, current remediation technologies for heavy metal-contaminated soils have limited application with ...

The effects of cadmium (Cd), a well-known environmental pollutant with high toxicity to plants, were tested on root growth, cell viability, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) soluble plus cell wall-bound peroxidase (POD) activities, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) levels, and the content and monomeric composition of lignin in soybean (Glycine max) roots. Three-day-old seedlings ...

Cadmium and zinc accumulation and toxicity were assessed in whole plants and callus culture of two Zygophyllum fabago populations originating from two metallicolous sites in Murcia (southeast Spain), La Peña and Mazarrón, the first containing 2.8-times more Cd and five-times more Zn than the second. Seedlings from both ecotypes were ...

Laboratory experiments using stable Cd isotopes ((110)Cd and (112)Cd) were conducted to separately and simultaneously characterize Cd accumulation in different tissues of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) via the (i) trophic and (ii) direct pathways. For this, we exposed juvenile oysters to (110)Cd-spiked seawater ((110)Cd: 2μgl(-1); constant level) and (112)Cd-spiked food ...

Chronic renal failure (CRF) associated with elevated dietary cadmium (Cd) among farming communities in the irrigated agricultural area under the River Mahaweli diversion scheme has reached a significantly higher level of 9,000 patients. Cadmium, derived from contaminated phosphate fertilizer, in irrigation water finds its way into reservoirs, and finally to ...

This paper reports the recycling of nutrients by vermicomposting of cow dung (CD), poultry droppings (PD) and food industry sludge (FIS) employing earthworms (Eisenia fetida). A total of six vermicomposting units were established and dynamics of chemical and biological parameters has been studied for 13 weeks. The waste mixture containing ...

Surface sediments along the south of Caspian Sea were collected to evaluate the contamination of heavy metals. The result ranged (μg/g, Fe% dw): Pb(13.06-33.48); Ni(18.01-69.63); Cd(0.62-1.5); Zn(30.11-87.88); Cu(5.86-26.37) and Fe(1.8-4%) respectively. Cadmium showed higher EF when compared to other sites. Geoaccumulation Index value for Cd in most stations was classified ...

Urbanization and industrial activities have contributed to widespread contamination by metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but the combined effects of these toxics on aquatic biota and processes are poorly understood. We examined the effects of cadmium (Cd) and phenanthrene on the activity and diversity of fungi associated with decomposing leaf ...

This paper reports the optimization of cow dung (CD) spiked pre-consumer processing vegetable waste (PPVW) for vermicomposting using Eisenia fetida in a laboratory scale study. Vermicomposting process decreased carbon and organic matter concentration and increased N, P and K content in the vermicompost. The C:N ratio was decreased by 45-69% ...

Upon treatment with Cd and As cattail (Typha latifolia) showed induced catalase, monodehydroascorbate reductase and ascorbate peroxidase activities in leaves but strong inhibition in rhizomes. Peroxidase activity in leaves of the same plants was inhibited whereas linear increase was detected after Cd treatment in rhizomes. Glutathione S-transferase measurements resulted in ...

The validity of a quality standard for cadmium (Cd) in representative agricultural Mediterranean soils under an accumulator crop (Lactuca sativa L.) is evaluated in this work considering both its effect on the crop growth (biomass production) and the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant. Four soils with ...

The Salicaceae family comprises a large number of high-biomass species with remarkable genetic variability and adaptation to ecological niches. Salix caprea survives in heavy metal contaminated areas, translocates and accumulates Zn/Cd in leaves. To reveal potential selective effects of long-term heavy metal contaminations on the genetic structure and Zn/Cd accumulation ...

To better understand the characteristics of fungal endophytes in the development of effective phytoremediation of heavy metals, the objectives of this study were to isolate a fungal endophyte tolerant Cd and Pb from rape roots grown in a heavy metal-contaminated soil, to characterize the metal-resistant fungal endophyte, and to assess ...

This article reviews the responses of plant roots to elevated rhizosphere cadmium (Cd) concentrations. Cadmium enters plants from the soil solution. It traverses the root through symplasmic or apoplasmic pathways before entering the xylem and being translocated to the shoot. Leaf Cd concentrations in excess of 5-10 μg g(-1) dry ...

The response of tomato plants to long-term cadmium exposure was evaluated after a 90-days long culture in hydroponic conditions (0, 20, and 100 μM CdCl(2)). Cadmium preferentially accumulated in roots, and to a lower extent in upper parts of plants. Absolute quantification of 28 metabolites was obtained through (1)H NMR, ...

The effects of adding municipal solid waste (MSW) or poultry manure (PM) on the biochemical properties of a soil polluted with Cr and Cd were studied. Soil was mixed with Cr(NO(3))(3) and Cd(NO(3))(2) to give three concentrations (0, 100, and 250 mg Cr kg(-1) and 0, 100, and 250 mg ...

To understand how plants from the Fabaceae family maintain zinc (Zn) homeostasis, we have characterized the kinetics of three Zn transporting proteins from the ZIP family of divalent metal transporters in the model legume Medicago truncatula. Of six ZIP's studied, MtZIP1, MtZIP5 and MtZIP6 were the only members from this ...

Cadmium (Cd) originating from atmospheric deposits, from industrial residues and from the application of phosphate fertilizers may accumulate in high concentrations in soil, water and food, thus becoming highly toxic to plants, animals and human beings. Once accumulated in an organism, Cd discharges and sets off a sequence of biochemical ...

• The cadmium (Cd) over-accumulating rice (Oryza sativa) cv Cho-Ko-Koku was previously shown to have an enhanced rate of root-to-shoot Cd translocation. This trait is controlled by a single recessive allele located at qCdT7. • In this study, using positional cloning and transgenic strategies, heavy metal ATPase 3 (OsHMA3) was ...

This work set out to test the hypothesis that uptake of metals by hyperaccumulator (HA) plants is more likely to be diffusion limited than uptake by nonhyperaccumulator (NHA) plants. Two circumneutral soils, with different contents of organic matter (0.8 and 5.8%), were amended with Cd (0.5 to 5 mg kg(-1)) ...

In order to identify the variation of cadmium (Cd) tolerance and accumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a study was conducted in hydroponic culture with or without Cd using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) consisting of 103 RILs derived from a cross of Chuan 35050 × Shannong 483 at seedling stage. The parameters ...

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental contaminant, strongly mutagenic and known to cause DNA damage in plants. In this work, flow cytometry (FCM) was applied to determine if in vivo exposure to Cd would induce genotoxic effects at the genome level. The hyper-accumulator Thlaspi caerulescens (J. & C. Presl), the ...

The effects of the interaction between Mn and Cd on the growth of the white lupin (Lupinus albus), uptake of these metals, their accumulation, and effects on heavy metal stress indicators were studied under glasshouse conditions. Plants were grown with and without Mn and/or Cd for 4 weeks. The absence ...

A greenhouse pot experiment was carried out to study the responses of Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon) to cadmium and nickel. Three groups of 12 pots each were planted with cardoon plants and spiked with single and combined cadmium and nickel aqueous solutions. The bioavailable metal concentrations, measured in soil, ranged ...

The potential of the extreme halophyte Arthrocnemum macrostachyum was examined to determine its tolerance and ability to accumulate cadmium for phytoremediation purposes. A glasshouse experiment was designed to investigate the effect of cadmium from 0 to 1.35 mmol l(-1) on the growth and the photosynthetic apparatus of A. macrostachyum by ...

The effects of sewage sludge selectively enriched with Cd and Zn, both singly and in combination, on the bacterial, fungal, Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria communities of a soil under arable or grassland management were studied with a PCR-DGGE approach. The effects of Cd and Zn were evaluated after a short time ...

The effects of increasing concentrations of cadmium (Cd) on the ultrastructure, Cd accumulation, generation of O(2)(-), contents of ascorbate (AsA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and polyamines (PAs), as well as the activities of polyamine oxidase (PAO) (EC 1.5.3.3) and diamine oxidase (DAO) (EC 1.4.3.6) were investigated in the leaves of Potamogeton ...

Cells of Desmodesmus subspicatus 86.81 were used to examine the toxicity of cadmium chloride (CdCl(2)) and anthracene (ANT) applied individually and in combination. The experiments were performed according to standardized ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 8692 protocol (2004). Parameters measured were the number of cells and chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters. ...

From a 1-BuOH-soluble fraction of the MeOH extract of the leaves of Crotalaria zanzibarica collected in the Okinawa Islands, three new megastigmane glucosides, named crotalionosides A-C, two new pterocarpan glucosides and a chalcone C-glucoside were isolated together with two known flavonoid glycosides and one known megastigmane glucoside. The structures of ...

In order to characterize uptake of vanadium in alfalfa grown in vanadium-cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soil, 104 soil samples and 94 plant samples were collected from pot experiment. The results showed alfalfa had strong metal adaptability (up to 400 mg kg(-1)) and high accumulation (up to 3,440.14 mg kg(-1)) of vanadium. Root had higher contents and ...

To investigate the effects of cadmium (Cd) on photosynthetic and antioxidant activities of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) plants, two cultivars (Yuming and New safflower No. 4) were used for long-term pot experiment, under 0, 25, 50 or 100 mg Cd kg(-1) (DW) soil conditions. The results showed that there is ...

The study was conducted on the cadmium (Cd) transfer from soil to pasture at Khizerabad Livestock Farm, District Sargodha (falling under semi-arid conditions), Pakistan. The concentrations of Cd in the soil and forage ranged from 2.80 to 6.74 mg/kg and 1.14 to 4.20 mg/kg, respectively, in different sampling periods. The higher values ...

Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and minimally invasive technology to cleanse soils contaminated with heavy metals. However, few plant species are suitable for phytoremediation of metals such as cadmium (Cd). Genetic engineering offers a powerful tool to generate plants that can hyperaccumulate Cd. An Arabidopsis CAX1 mutant (CAXcd), which confers enhanced ...

We are interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying plant reactions to the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd). To this end, we devised a new screening strategy using agar plates with a gradient of Cd concentrations, termed Cd-gradient agar plates (CGAPs), to isolate Arabidopsis mutants that displayed altered reactions to ...

Cadmium and zinc from anthropogenic sources in Lake Nakuru were investigated. High metal levels (mg/kg) in soils (Cd < or = 16.3 and Zn < or = 280) and Acacia xanthophloea (Cd < or = 32 and Zn < or = 310) were observed at polluted sites. Significant variations in ...

Pot experiment was conducted in a net house to evaluate the effects of poultry manure on a newly found Cd accumulator Bidens tripartite L. phytoextraction potential to soil Cd pollution. The average Cd concentrations in root, stem, leaf, inflorescence and shoots of poultry manured B. tripartite were significantly decreased (p<0.05) ...

Slurry sampling atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization was used to the determination of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in soils and sediments using permanent modifiers. Comparison of action of mixed permanent modifiers niobium (Nb)/iridium (Ir) and tungsten (W)/iridium (Ir) were studied in detail. The effect of amount of Ir, ...

Averrhoa carambola is a high-biomass tropical tree that has been identified as a Cd accumulator. In the present study, field survey, pot, and hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the variation of Cd tolerance and accumulation in cultivars of A. carambola as well as its potential for phytoextraction. In the ...

Acclimation to cadmium (Cd) levels exceeding background concentrations may influence the ability of earthworms to accumulate Cd with minimum adverse effects. In the present study, earthworms (Eisenia andrei) were acclimated by exposure to 20 mg/kg Cd (dry wt) in Webster soil for 28 d. A 224-d bioaccumulation test was subsequently ...