Coal will continue to be the predominant source of global energy for coming several decades. The huge generation of fly ash (FA) from combustion of coal in thermal power plants (TPPs) is apprehended to pose the concerns of its disposal and utilization. FA application based on its typical characteristics as soil ameliorant for agriculture and forestry is the potential area, and hence the global ...

Eisenia fetida was used as a model terrestrial organism to assess the potential ecotoxicity of molecular pristine C60 in soil. Reproduction (assessed by counting cocoon numbers) was hindered only at very high C60 concentrations (5% by weight), and C60 (up to 1%) was not avoided and did not hinder earthworm growth. This suggests that E. fetida is unlikely to experience acute toxicity as a result...

We recently reported a hazardous waste site in which polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were at such high concentrations in soil that significant levels were found in indoor residential air. This paper uses the waste site to illustrate the complexities in exposure assessment and toxicity assessment of PCBs. Aroclors are commercial mixtures of different arrays of the 209 individual PCB congeners. ...

The effects of the insecticidal Cry1Ab protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, were studied with soil from experimental fields cultivated with transgenic Bt corn (MON810) and with trypsinized Cry1Ab protein expressed in Escherichia coli. The content of Cry1Ab protein was above the detection limit of an ELISA test in only half of the soil samples obtaine...

The relationship between toxicity and soil contamination must be understood to develop reliable indicators of environmental restoration for bioremediation. Two bacterial rapid bioassays, SOS chromotest and the umu test with and without metabolic activation (S-9 mixture), were used to evaluate the genotoxicity of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil following bioremediation treatment. The soi...

Organic matter (OM) and pH may influence nanoparticle fate and effects in soil. This study investigated the influence of soil organic matter content and pH on the toxicity of ZnO-NP and ZnCl2 to Folsomia candida in four natural soils, having between 2.37% and 14.7% OM and [Formula: see text] levels between 5.0 and 6.8. Porewater Zn concentrations were much lower in ZnO-NP than in ZnCl2 spiked s...

A multi-channel thermal activity monitor was applied to study soil microbial activity in Wuhan brown sandy soil in the presence of different concentrations of hexavalent chromium (K(2)Cr(2)O(7)). In order to stimulate the soil microbial activity, 5.0mg of glucose and 5.0mg of ammonium sulfate were added to a 1.20-g soil sample under a controlled humidity of 35%. The results show that the poison...

In a recent study, we showed that the springtail Folsomia candida was quite sensitive the neonicotinoid insecticides imidacloprid and thiacloprid. This study aimed at determining the toxicity of both compounds to F. candida following exposure over three generations, in natural LUFA 2.2 standard soil. In the first generation, imidacloprid was more toxic than thiacloprid, with LC50s of 0.44 and 9...

Recognized as ubiquitous contaminants in soil, the environmental risk of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) is of great concern recently. Effects of di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), an extensively used PAE compound to Eisenia fetida have been investigated in spiked natural brown yellow soil (Alfisol) for soil contact test. The toxicity of DnBP to E. fetida on the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) act...

Acid soil is one of the most important limitations in agricultural production worldwide. Th e application of lime and the growth of Al-tolerant genotypes are the most commonly employed strategies for the amelioration of acidic soil constraints. Th is study evaluates the eff ect of soil acidity and liming on the growth and mineral nutrition of Al-tolerant potato cv. Tresor and Al-sensitive potat...