The advancement of green energy batteries as alternative energy sources is crucial for addressing the issues posed by hazardous chemicals and their disposal, thereby mitigating environmental damage caused by direct or indirect impacts of pollution. Recently, novel Earth Battery Systems (EBS) have been investigated, utilizing various types of soils, compost, and electrodes, with water as a fixed electrolyte. In this study, EBS are characterized using multiple techniques, including Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Our findings reveal that, compared to soil-based earth batteries - which exhibit high impedance values, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current (Isc) are significantly enhanced in vermi-compost-based earth batteries fabricated using steel-201 as the anode and graphite as the cathode. Furthermore, the critical role of organic matter in promoting ion transport and enhancing the system's overall efficiency is demonstrated through Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Ionic conductivity analysis. To ensure the sustainability of electrodes within the earth battery, corrosion studies are conducted using Tafel analysis. The results indicate that electrode corrosion can be effectively controlled by the strategic selection of corrosion inhibitors. Thus, this work lays the foundation for developing efficient, durable, and environmentally friendly EBS systems using soil and compost.

The disposal of excess milk can pose significant challenges for dairy farms during supply chain disruptions, extreme weather events, or plant closures. Improper disposal methods risk causing environmental damage, public health issues, and regulatory violations. This study evaluates three on-farm milk disposal methods, lagoon discharge, composting, and land application, to guide the effective management of large-scale milk disposal events. Laboratory experiments assessed the impact of milk disposal on lagoon water quality, highlighting that lagoon discharge was feasible for large-scale operations but increased total solids and chemical oxygen demand (COD), potentially overloading the system's treatment capacity. Similarly, experiments on composting showed that adding milk enhanced compost quality but required careful monitoring to prevent moisture imbalance and odors. For land application, experiments demonstrated improvements in soil health and plant growth but also revealed risks of nutrient imbalance and gas emissions, particularly at higher application rates. Dividing milk into smaller, multiple applications consistently reduced adverse impacts across all methods. Each method's suitability depends on farm size, infrastructure, and disposal volume. Lagoon discharge is better suited for large farms with sufficient capacity to manage treatment risks. Composting works well for smaller volumes, while land application benefits soil health when carefully managed. The findings have practical applications in helping dairy farms select appropriate disposal strategies, minimizing environmental harm, and complying with regulations during large-scale milk disposal events. Additionally, this study serves as a foundation for creating more comprehensive guidelines and strategies to address milk disposal challenges, fostering sustainable practices across diverse agricultural settings.

Compost tea is widely recognized for its beneficial effects on crop growth and soil health. However, its efficacy varies depending on the composition of the feedstock and brewing conditions. This study investigates the chemical composition and agronomic impact of compost tea prepared from a commercial mixture of plant residues and animal manure. Standard chemical analyses, combined with solid-state 13C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy, were employed to characterize the organic chemistry of the feedstock. High-throughput sequencing of bacterial and eukaryotic rRNA gene markers was used to profile the microbiota. Compost tea was applied to three crops, Allium cepa, Beta vulgaris, and Lactuca sativa, grown in protected Mediterranean environments on volcanic soils. The 13C CPMAS NMR analysis revealed that the feedstock is predominantly composed of plant-derived tissues, including grass straw, nitrogen-fixing hay, and animal manure, with a significant presence of O-alkyl-C and di-O-alkyl-C regions typical of sugars and polysaccharides. Additionally, the chemical profile indicated the presence of an aliphatic fraction (alkyl-C), characteristic of lipids such as waxes and cutins. The compost tea microbiome was dominated by Pseudomonadota, with Pseudomonas, Massilia, and Sphingomonas being the most prevalent genera. Compost tea application resulted in significant yield increases, ranging from +21% for lettuce to +58% for onion and +110% for chard. Furthermore, compost tea application reduced slug damage and enhanced the shelf life of lettuce. These findings highlight the bio-stimulant potential of this standardized compost tea mixture across different vegetable crops.

Tea is one of the most widely consumed non-alcoholic drink in the world. Green tea, black tea, white tea, and oolong tea are derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, a shrub native to China and India. It contains unique antioxidants. The most potent antioxidants may help against free radicals that can fight against cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries. The polyphenols present in the tea help the cells from damage and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The health benefits of these compounds remarkably increase the demand for tea. Tea production is rising drastically; consequently, enormous amounts of tea waste are also generated. Improper disposal and dumping of this tea waste creates a serious problem due to the incineration and the emission of greenhouse gases. This issue can be overcome by adopting suitable technology. Effective microbial degradation and composting of tea waste will contribute to high crop production and plant disease control. The value added products from tea waste can be used in different fields. Planned tea waste valorization processes could generate more income and create rural livelihood opportunities. This review highlights the valorization processes and value-added products from tea waste. The application of value added products for energy generation, wastewater treatment, soil conditioners, adsorbents, biofertilizers, food additives, dietary supplements, animal feed bioactive chemicals, dye, colorant, phytochemicals, bioplastics, cutlery products, scope, and future directions in sustainable utilization has been reviewed. This review article will be beneficial to the researchers for acquiring an in-depth knowledge on the versatile applications of tea waste.

D UE TO climate change, salinity is one of the most important problems facing global food security in most agricultural lands. So, many studies were conducted to improve the crop yield and production under salinity conditions using various methods and compounds. Application of soil amendments and foliar application such as biochar, compost, vermicompost, green manure, farmyard manures, silicon, salicylic acid (SA), nano particles and plant growth promoting bacteria were used to mitigate the deleterious impacts of salinity and improve the growth characters and yield of several plants. To mitigate salinity stress, soil amendments were added to soil and led to improve morphophysiological and biochemical characters like stem length, leaves number, fresh weight, chlorophyll content, relative water content, osmotic adjustment and enzymes activity in the stressed plant. Furthermore, foliar application with some treatments especially, SA and plant growth promoting bacteria led to increase plant tolerance to salt stress via improving water status, ion homeostasis and plant anatomical structure as well as yield production. However, foliar application with these treatments caused significant decreases in lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species and electrolyte leakage as well as oxidative damages in the salt stressed plants. Because our aim is to increase the growth, and development as well as crop yield under salt conditions, the current review addresses the application of soil amendments and foliar application on morphological, physiological and biochemical as well as yield characteristics in the stressed crops as effective strategy for sustainable agriculture.

Prolonged and excessive use of chemical fertilizers has resulted in serious harm to soil health and ecosystems. This study aimed to reduce the cultivation costs for apricot trees, nearly 1/3(rd) of which are spent on fertilizers. The research was conducted on fully grown apricot trees of the cultivar New Castle, in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The experiment consisted of fourteen treatment combinations evaluated in triplicate and statistically analyzed using a randomized block design (RBD). Results revealed that treatment T-12 [50% Nitrogen (Calcium Nitrate) + 50% Nitrogen (Urea) + Azotobacter + Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria + Vermicompost] resulted in the highest percent increase in tree trunk girth (6.82%), highest leaf chlorophyll content (3.00 mg g(-1) fresh weight), leaf area (58.29 cm), fruit set (61.00%) and total yield (61.9 kg tree(-1)). In terms of nutrient status, T-12 had the highest leaf N (2.95%), leaf K (2.60%), soil N (386.33 kg ha(-1)), soil P (51.00 kg ha(-1)) and soil organic carbon (1.81%). The highest net return and profit over recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) was also recorded in treatment T-12. The results of this study show that judicious fertilizer use along with integrated organic manure and bio-fertilizers can reduce cultivation costs, improve soil health, and increase fruit production with minimum ecosystem damage.

Although bioplastics and paper straws have been introduced as alternatives to single-use plastic straws, their potential environmental, economic, and social impacts have not been analyzed. This study addresses this gap by designing a polylactic acid layer interface adhesion on cellulose paper-based (PLA-P) composite straws by a dip molding process. This process is simple, efficient, and scalable for massive production. Optimizing key manufacturing parameters, including ice bath ultrasonic, overlapping paper strips (2 strips), winding angle (60 degrees), soaking time (5 min), and drying temperature (50 degrees C), were systematically evaluated to improve straw quality and manufacturing efficiency. PLA chains were found to deposit onto the cellulose network through intermolecular interactions to form a consistent sandwich structure, which can improve adhesion, water resistance, and mechanical properties. Interestingly, PLA-P straws effectively decomposed in soil and compost environments, with a 35-40 % degradation rate within 4 months. Besides, PLA-P straw residues affected seed germination and plant growth, but no significant toxic effects were detected. Further, microplastics were observed in soil and plant tissues (roots, stems, and leaves), and their possible diffusion mechanisms were explored. The results of a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost analysis showed that the process improvements reduced the ecological footprint of PLA-P straws and showed good prospects for commercial application. The study's findings

Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is an eco-friendly method for improving sandy soils, relying on micro-organisms that require nitrogen and essential nutrients to induce carbonate mineral precipitation. Given the substantial annual generation of chicken manure (CM) and the associated challenges in its disposal resulting in environmental pollution, the nutrient-rich composted form of this waste material is proposed in this study as a supplementary additive (along with more costly industrial reagents, e.g., urea) to provide the necessary carbon and nitrogen for the MICP process. To this end, different CM contents (5 %, 10 %, and 15 %) along with various concentrations of cementation solution (1 M, 1.5 M, and 2 M) are employed in multiple improvement cycles to augment the efficiency of the MICP technique. Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS), Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV), and Water Absorption (WA) tests are performed to assess the mechanical properties of the samples before and after exposure to freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles, while SEM, XRD, and FTIR analyses are carried out to delineate the formation of calcite within the porous structure of MICP-CM-treated sands. The findings suggest that an optimum percentage of CM (10 %) in the MICP process not only contributes to environmental conservation but also significantly enhances all the mechanical properties of bio-cemented sandy soils due to markedly improved bonding within their porous fabric. The results also show that although prolonged exposure to consecutive F-T cycles causes a reduction in strength and stiffness of enhanced MICP-treated soils, the mechanical properties of such geo-composites still remain within an acceptable range for optimal CM-enhanced biocemented mixtures, significantly superior to those of MICP-treated sands.

Many single-use plastic (SUP) options made of synthetic polymers, bio-based materials, and blends of both are available in the market and used in large quantities. The disintegration of eleven commercial SUP, marketed in Mexico as cups and plates, was investigated in an aerobic home compost environment at a laboratory scale over 180 days. An evaluation of chemical changes, surface morphology, and thermal and mechanical properties was conducted to ascertain the original composition of SUP and the progression of disintegration in samples that are challenging to clean from soil contamination. Furthermore, the impact of residual compost on barley (Hordeum vulgare) plant growth and its correlation with the leaching of heavy metals were explored. The bio-based SUP, but not those made of expanded polystyrene foam, showed a correlation between the disintegration degree (measured by weight loss into particles <2 mm) and a decrease in functional groups (observed by FT-IR), mechanical-thermal stability loss, and surface wear over disintegration time. For instance, the highest disintegration at 180 days was approximately 70 % for wheat bran and palm leaf plates, followed by wheat plates and cellulose-PLA cups (60 %). In addition to the components listed by the manufacturers, the FT-IR and DSC analysis revealed the presence of polyethylene and polypropylene in cellulose cups and sugarcane plates. These components, impede disintegration but contribute to preserving thermal resistance and hydrophobicity during utilization. Compost derived from expanded polystyrene foam SUP, with 90 days of disintegration, was rich in zinc and chromium and significantly decrease in the root length of the barley plant compared to the control. This demonstrates the necessity of considering the impact of the leaching of additives and secondary microplastics into the environment.

The present study aimed to i) assess the disintegration of a novel bio-packaging during aerobic composting (2 and 6 % tested concentrations) and evaluate the resulting compost ii) analyse the ecotoxicity of bioplastics residues on earthworms; iii) study the microbial communities during composting and in 'earthworms' gut after their exposure to bioplastic residues; iv) correlate gut microbiota with ecotoxicity analyses; v) evaluate the chemicophysical characterisation of bio-packaging after composting and earthworms' exposure. Both tested concentrations showed disintegration of bio-packaging close to 90 % from the first sampling time, and compost chemical analyses identified its maturity and stability at the end of the process. Ecotoxicological assessments were then conducted on Eisenia fetida regarding fertility, growth, genotoxic damage, and impacts on the gut microbiome. The bioplastic residues did not influence the earthworms' fertility, but DNA damages were measured at the highest bioplastic dose tested. Furthermore bioplastic residues did not significantly affect the bacterial community during composting, but compost treated with 2 % bio-packaging exhibited greater variability in the fungal communities, including Mortierella, , Mucor, , and Alternaria genera, which can use bioplastics as a carbon source. Moreover, bioplastic residues influenced gut bacterial communities, with Paenibacillus, , Bacillus, , Rhizobium, , Legionella, , and Saccharimonadales genera being particularly abundant at 2 % bioplastic concentration. Higher concentrations affected microbial composition by favouring different genera such as Pseudomonas, , Ureibacillus, , and Streptococcus. . For fungal communities, Pestalotiopsis sp. was found predominantly in earthworms exposed to 2 % bioplastic residues and is potentially linked to its role as a microplastics degrader. After composting, Attenuated Total Reflection analysis on bioplastic residues displayed evidence of ageing with the formation of hydroxyl groups and amidic groups after earthworm exposure.