Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a globally important nitrogen-cycling process mediated by specialized microbes, and has been demonstrated to be ubiquitous in anoxic natural settings and bioreactors. However, our knowledge of its prevalence in different paddy soil types and along the depth profiles remains largely undocumented. Here, mesocosm incubations were constructed to investigate...

While it is well established that ecosystems display strong responses to elevated nitrogen deposition, the importance of the ratio between the dominant forms of deposited nitrogen (NH(x) and NO(y)) in determining ecosystem response is poorly understood. As large changes in the ratio of oxidised and reduced nitrogen inputs are occurring, this oversight requires attention. One reason for this kno...

The use of hydrated lime has the potential to be an effective in situ technology for the destruction and containment of explosives contamination. This was proven with the results from the SERDP project CU-1230, where it was shown to rapidly degrade RDX and TNT. However, prior to field deployment of this technology additional experimental work was required to address concerns regarding the mecha...

development of industrial activities around the world, especially during the last decades has resulted in environmental pollution rising. soil pollution is always considered as one of the most dangerous environmental threat for human’s life, fauna and flora. heavy metals such as arsenic are potential hazardous elements in generating the soil pollution. these materials could be entered into the ...

Pig manure (PM) is widely used as an organic fertilizer to increase yields of crops. Excessive application of compost containing relatively great concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) can change soil quality. To clarify the effects of different rates of application and to determine the optimal rate of fertilization, PM containing 1,115 mg Cu kg(-1), dry mass (dm) and 1,497 mg Zn kg(-1), d...

Knowledge of spatial variability in soil fertility is important for site specific nutrient management. In this study, spatial variability in properties that influence soil fertility such as soil organic carbon (OC), available N, available P O and available K O in surface soils of 154 farmers' fields of Karlawad village in 2 5 2 Navalgund taluk of Dharwad district of Karnataka (India) were quant...

Strontium-90 is a major hazardous contaminant of radioactive wastewater and its processing sludges at many Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. In the past, such contaminated wastewater and sludge have been disposed in soil seepage pits, lagoons, or cribs often under highly perturbed alkaline conditions (pH > 12) where 90Sr solubility is low and its adsorption to surrounding soil is high. As ...

Organo-arsenical compounds are considered non-carcinogenic, and hence, are still allowed by the regulatory agencies for use in agriculture as pesticides. Due to rapid encroachment of suburban areas into former agricultural lands, the potential for human exposure to soil-arsenic has increased tremendously in recent years. However, insufficient data is available on the stability of organo-arsenic...

Ammonia (NH(3)) oxidation, the first and rate-limiting step of nitrification, is a key step in the global Nitrogen (N) cycle. Major advances have been made in recent years in our knowledge and understanding of the microbial communities involved in ammonia oxidation in a wide range of habitats, including Chinese agricultural soils. In this mini-review, we focus our attention on the distribution ...