Compared to the limited performance of other high-efficiency urea products, humic acid urea (HAU) increased the grain yield of winter wheat as well as of summer maize. However, the effect of adding different amounts of humic acid (HA) on the fate of urea and comprehensive economic and environmental evaluations remains unclear. Four treatments (no urea (CK), common urea (U), HAU0.5, and HAU5) were compared in a 2-year winter wheat-summer maize rotation system. Compared to U, the grain yield of HAU treatments increased by 4.48-11.25 %, regardless of crop type, planting year, or HA addition level; this was partly attributable to the increased storage of soil available N, as confirmed by a simultaneous 15N tracing microplot experiment in the first winter wheat season. HAU inhibited the loss of reactive N (NH3 volatilization, N2O emission, and NO3--N leaching loss). The C footprint based on the yield and areas calculations for HAUs was 7.01-13.48 % and 3.53-5.54 % lower than that of U, respectively. Annual environmental damage costs and annual net ecosystem economic benefits were decreased and increased by 14.89 %- 19.11 % and 6.38 %-9.23 %, respectively. Few agronomic and environmental differences were found between HAU5 and HAU0.5, although the former locked more 15N nutrients in the topsoil. This combined experiment using 15N tracer and field lysimeters showed that more nutrients from HAU were absorbed by crops and converted into grains, reducing the environmental risk of greenhouse gas emissions due to the release of unused nutrients from common U into farmland.

The increasing environmental impact of traditional cement production necessitates the exploration of sustainable alternatives in construction materials. This paper investigates corncob ash (CCA), an agro-waste by-product, as a viable substitute for cement in several construction and building material applications such as concrete, masonry, geopolymer materials, and soil stabilization. A comprehensive review of existing literature reveals that CCA enhances the mechanical properties of these materials, such as compressive strength and durability, and significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with conventional cement production. The findings indicate that incorporating CCA improves workability and resistance to aggressive environmental conditions, positioning it as a promising material for sustainable construction. Furthermore, the paper identifies gaps in current research, particularly concerning long-term performance and standardization of testing methods. Future research directions are proposed, including optimization of processing techniques, life cycle assessments, and real-world applications, to fully leverage the potential of CCA in promoting environmentally friendly construction practices. Overall, this study underscores the critical role of CCA in advancing sustainability within the construction industry.

Currently, there is a growing concern for human health with the rise of environmental pollution. Water contamination and health problems had been understood. Sanitation-related health issues have been overcome in the greater part of the world. Progressive industrialization has caused a number of new pollutants in water and in the atmosphere. It is a growing concern for the human health, especially upon the reproductive health. Current researchers provide a strong association between the rising concentrations of ambient pollutants and the adverse health impact. Furthermore, the pollutants have the adverse effects upon reproductive health as well. Major concern is for the health of a pregnant woman and her baby. Maternal-fetal inflammatory response due to the pollutants affects the pregnancy outcome adversely. Preterm labor, fetal growth restriction, intrauterine fetal death, and stillbirths have been observed. Varieties of pathological processes including inflammation, endocrine dysfunction, epigenetic changes, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and placental dysfunction have been explained as the biological plausibility. Prospective studies (systematic review and meta-analysis) have established that exposure to particulate matters (PM) and the nanoparticles (NP) leads to excessive oxidative changes to cause DNA mutations, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation. Progressive industrialization and emergence of heavy metals, micro- (MP) and nanoparticles (NP) in the atmosphere and in water are the cause for concern. However, most of the information is based on studies from industrialized countries. India needs its own country-based study to have the exact idea and to develop the mechanistic pathways for the control.

Poor strength of soils under dynamic loading conditions can trigger catastrophic failures during earthquakes, which are manifested in the form of landslides, lateral spreading of sloped ground and ground failure. Collapse of structures founded on such soils leads to loss of life and damage to infrastructure. Such conditions can be tackled through mechanical, physical, chemical, hydraulic or thermal treatment of the soils. Many of the conventional ground improvement methods like grouting or deep soil mixing involve addition or injection of cement or lime into the soil. Recent strides in developing bio-based sustainable ground improvement methods showed great promise in providing effective improvement under diverse loading scenarios. Though several bio-based ground improvement methods are being researched, the long-term and large-scale applications of many of these methods need further investigations. This paper presents a critical assessment of existing biobased-sustainable approaches geared toward enhancing the strength of soils to withstand dynamic loads.

Biochar amendment and substituting chemical fertilizers with organic manure (organic substitution) have been widely reported to improve intensive vegetable production. However, considering its high potential for reducing carbon and reactive nitrogen (Nr) footprints, very few comprehensive evaluations have been performed on the environmental and economic aspects of biochar amendment or organic substitution. In this study, the comprehensive environmental damage costs from carbon and Nr footprints, measured using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, followed a cradle-to-gate approach, and the carbon storage benefits were incorporated into the newly constructed net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB) assessment frame in addition to the conventional product income-input cost-benefit methods. One kilogram of harvested vegetables for carbon/Nr footprints and one hectare of cultivated land per crop for cost and benefit were adopted as functional units considering the multi-cropping characteristics for intensive vegetable production. Five fertilization treatments were included: no fertilizer (CK); synthetic fertilizer application (SN); biochar amendment (NB); organic substitution (NM); and a combination of biochar and organic substitution (NMB). These were investigated for five consecutive years of vegetable crop rotations in a typically intensified vegetable production region in China. Adopting the revised NEEB methodology, NB significantly reduced carbon footprint by 73.0% compared to no biochar addition treatment. Meanwhile, NB significantly increased the total benefits by 9.7% and reduced the environmental damages by 52.7% compared to NM, generating the highest NEEB, making it the most effective fertilization strategy among all treatments. It was 4.3% higher compared to NM, which was not significant, but significantly higher than SN and NMB, by 23.0% and 13.6%, respectively. This finding highlights the importance of considering carbon storage benefit for properly assessing NEEB, which is important for developing effective agricultural management strategies and promoting intensive vegetable production with a more sustainable approach.

Ratoon rice utilizes the axillary buds sprouting from the remaining stubble of the main crop after harvest to form panicles, enabling a second harvest. However, mechanized harvesting often resulted in damage to the rice stubbles in the rolling zone, potentially leading to reduced yield. Enhancing the number of tillers in the rolling zone through optimized agronomic measures was crucial for achieving higher yield. However, research on water and fertilizer management corresponding to low stubble ratoon rice under mechanized harvesting was limited. A two-factor experiment was conducted to assess the impacts of water regimes (flooded; alternate wetting and drying) and nitrogen fertilizer management (0 kg N ha(-1); Tiller promotion fertilizer 90 kg N ha(-1); Split nitrogen application: Tiller promotion fertilizer 60 kg N ha(-1) + Booting stage fertilizer 30 kg N ha(-1)) on the yield formation, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon footprint of low stubble ratoon rice. The results indicated significant effects of water regimes and nitrogen fertilizer on yield. Compared to single application of tillerpromoting fertilizer coupled with continuous flooding (N-FL), Split application of tiller-promoting fertilizer coupled with alternate wetting and drying (SN-AWD) significantly increased average annual yield by 25.4%. SNAWD significantly increased the ratoon ability of the basal first and second nodes compared to N-FL. The soil quality index and ecosystem multifunctionality under SN-AWD increased by an average of 32.37% and 10.16 times, respectively, compared to N-FL. This increase resulted in significant enhancements in root length and root surface area, consequently improving pre-anthesis and post-anthesis dry matter accumulation and ultimately enhancing yield. Although N2O emissions increased under SN-AWD compared to N-FL, CH4 cumulative emissions decreased significantly by 37.86% on average over two years, leading to a 23.02% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions and a 38.62% reduction in carbon footprint per unit grain. SN-AWD attained maximum net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB), increasing by 35.42% compared to N-FL. Overall, the comprehensive analysis suggested that SN-AWD was a sustainable water and fertilizer management approach beneficial for balancing ratoon season yields, environmental footprint, and economic benefits.