Hypochlorite (ClO-) is a highly reactive chemical extensively used in households, public areas, and various industries due to its multiple functions of disinfection, bleaching, and sterilization. However, overuse of ClO- may contaminate the water, soil, air and food, leading to negative impacts on the environments, ecosystems and food safety. Meanwhile, excessive ClO- in human body can also cause severe damage to the immune system. Thus, the development of effective and precise detection tools for ClO- is of great significance to better understand its complicated roles in environments and biosystems. Herein, a new high-performance ratiometric fluorescent probe 2-amino-3-((10-propyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)methylene)-amino)maleonitrile (PD) was developed for effective detection of ClO- in various bio/environmental and food samples. Probe PD exhibits highly-specific ratiometric fluorescent response to ClO- with rapid response (< 1 min), excellent sensitivity (detection limit, 47.4 nM), wide applicable pH range (4 -12), and excellent versatility in practical applications. In practical applications, PD enables the sensitive and quantitative detection of ClO- levels in various water samples, bio-fluids, dairy products, fruits and vegetables with high-precision (recoveries, 97.00 -104.40 %), as well as the successful application for visual tracking ClO- in fresh fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, test strips containing PD offer a visual and convenient tool for quick identification of ClO- in aqueous media by the naked eye. Importantly, the good biocompatibility of PD enables its practical applications in real-time bioimaging of endogenous/exogenous ClO- levels in living cells, bacteria, onion cells, Arabidopsis, as well as zebrafish. This study provided an effective method for visual monitoring and bioimaging of ClO- levels in various environments, foods and living biosystems.

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 European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a keystone species in Mediterranean ecosystems but also considered a pest in some agricultural areas. Despite its threatened status due to diseases and habitat loss, rabbit populations thrive in motorway verges, causing conflicts with human activities. In this study we examine the factors affecting rabbit warren abundance in motorway verges in central Spain, with implications for conservation and management. The research aimed to assess the importance of infrastructure (e.g. motorway slopes) and landscape (e.g. land use, soil depth) factors on rabbit warren abundance along 1631 km of motorway verges and to develop an index for broader-scale abundance and risk assessment. Using generalized linear mixed models, the study revealed that both infrastructure (slope) and landscape factors (soil depth, vegetation structure and land cover gradients) significantly influenced warren abundance. Rabbit warrens were more abundant in agricultural landscapes with deep soils and in intermediate slope ranges. The findings suggest that rabbit abundance in motorway verges is driven by a combination of factors involving both infrastructure features but also land use in surrounding areas. The derived model predictions were able to correctly discriminate between crop damaged and non-damaged areas, highlighting its potential as a tool for conflict mitigation and conservation planning. The study underscores the need to integrate landscape and infrastructure features into wildlife management strategies to address human-wildlife conflicts effectively. Future work should include direct population monitoring and explore broader ecological impacts, such as predator dynamics and wildlife-vehicle collisions.

The large-scale development of urban underground spaces has resulted in hundreds of millions of cubic meters of accumulated shield soil dreg waste, occupying huge amounts of land resources and potentially causing groundwater pollution and soil salinization. In this study, shield soil dreg waste is recycled and activated to substitute cement in ultra-high performance concrete, aiming to promote solid waste management and sustainable construction. The slump, mechanical performance, and autogenous shrinkage of the concrete are investigated through macro-scale tests, and the underlying mechanism is revealed via micro-scale experiments. The incorporation of calcined shield soil dreg reduces flowability and leads to a 10.2 % deterioration in compressive strength of the ultra-high performance concrete while mitigating autogenous shrinkage. The primary reason is due to the low CaO content of shield soil dreg, which limits the formation of calcium silicate hydrate, and its high SiO2/Al2O3 content slows hydration kinetics. The environmental and economic benefits of the concrete are determined via life cycle analysis. Recycling shield soil dreg waste into concrete results in about 35 % reduction in carbon emission and 22 % reduction in energy consumption. According to multi-criteria assessment, the overall performance of the concrete considering economic cost, environmental benefit, as well as physical and mechanical properties increases compared to the pristine concrete, achieving well-balanced economic feasibility, environmental sustainability, and engineering performance. The findings of this study provide an effective approach for recycling shield soil dreg and preparing low-carbon concrete, thus promoting solid waste management and sustainable construction.

The increasing production of waste glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) is causing severe environmental pollution, highlighting the need for an effective treatment method. This study explores recycling waste GFRP powder to substitute ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in synthesizing geopolymers, aiming to rapidly stabilize clayey soil. The impact of GFRP powder replacement, alkali solution concentration, alkaline activator/precursor (A/P) ratio, and binder content on the geomechanical properties and permeability of stabilized soil was thoroughly examined. The findings revealed that replacing GFRP powder from 20 wt% to 40 wt% lowered the unconfined compressive strength (UCS). However, soil stabilized with 30 wt% GFRP powder displayed the highest shear strength. This indicates that the incorporation of an appropriate amount of GFRP powder elevates clay cohesion. Furthermore, an increase in GFRP powder replacement improved permeability coefficient in the early stages, with minimal impact observed after 28 days. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis revealed a microstructural evolution of the stabilized soil, transitioning from a porous to a denser, more homogeneous composition over the curing period, which can be attributed to the formation of cluster gels enveloping the soil particles. Life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis indicated that the GFRP powder/GGBS geopolymer presents an alternative option to traditional Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) binder, featuring a global warming potential (GWP)/strength ratio reduction of 6 %-40 %. This research offers a practical solution for effectively utilizing GFRP waste in a sustainable manner, with minimal energy consumption and pollution, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of soil stabilization.

A novel MgO-mixing column was developed for deep soft soil improvement, utilizing in-situ deep mixing of MgO with soil followed by carbonation and solidification via captured CO2 injection. Its low carbon footprint and rapid reinforcement potential make it promising for ground improvement. However, a simple and cost-effective quality assessment method is lacking. This study evaluated the electrical properties of MgO-mixing columns using electrical resistivity measurements, exploring relationships between resistivity parameters and column properties such as saturation, strength, modulus, CO2 sequestration and uniformity. Microscopic analyses were conducted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying carbonation, solidification, and electrical property changes. The life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to assess its carbon reduction benefits and energy consumption. The findings reveal that the electrical resistivity decreases rapidly with increasing test frequency, remaining constant at 100 kHz, with the average electrical resistivity being slightly higher in the upper compared to the lower section. Additionally, electrical resistivity follows a power-law decrease with increasing saturation. Both electrical resistivity and the average formation factor exhibit strong positive correlations with unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and deformation modulus, enabling predictive assessments. Furthermore, CO2 sequestration in MgO-mixing columns is positively correlated with electrical resistivity, and the average anisotropy coefficient of 0.96 indicates good column uniformity. Microstructural analyses identify nesquehonite, dypingite/hydromagnesite, and magnesite as significant contributors to strength enhancement. Depth-related changes in electrical resistivity parameters arise from variations in the amount and distribution of carbonation products, which differently impede current flow. LCA highlights the significant low-carbon advantages of MgOmixing columns

Freeze-thaw cycles coupled with sulfate attack represent one of the most challenging service environments for concrete. This study aims to enhance the durability of concrete materials in environments characterized by sulfate attack and severe freeze-thaw conditions. Specifically, it investigates the deterioration laws and evolution models of mortar materials containing silica fume under both freeze-thaw and coupled freeze-thaw/sulfate attack conditions. Mortar specimens with varying silica fume contents (0%, 6%, 8%, and 10%) were prepared and subjected to single freeze-thaw and coupled freeze-thaw-sulfate attack tests to examine the impact of different silica fume dosages on the durability of mortar materials under these harsh conditions. Additionally, a quantitative assessment model for damage evolution was established using the entropy weight method and Wiener process model. The research findings indicate that silica fume significantly enhances the sulfate resistance and freeze-thaw durability of mortar materials, with an optimal dosage of 10%. Within the scope of this study, higher silica fume content results in a greater number of sulfate attack-freeze-thaw cycles the mortar can endure before damage and failure, thereby extending its service life. Based on the Wiener stochastic process damage model and field data, it is predicted that the service life of mortar containing 10% silica fume increases most notably to 36.6 years, representing a relative improvement of 45.8 % compared to mortar without silica fume. These results provide valuable references and guidance for the design and construction of concrete structures in regions characterized by high-cold temperatures and salt- corrosive soils.

This article evaluates the long-term wet-dry durability of lime, fly ash, and lime-fly ash slurry injection stabilization of expansive soil in the desiccated state. To achieve this objective, the expansive soil was compacted in large cylindrical test moulds and desiccated after making a central hole for slurry injection. Subsequently, the lime slurry/ fly ash slurry/ lime-fly ash slurry, prepared with the predetermined water-binder ratio, was injected into the desiccated expansive soil and cured for 28 days. The test results of lime and lime-fly ash slurry injected soils showed that there is improvement during the first wetting. However, at the end of four wet-dry cycles, the volumetric deformations of lime- and lime-fly ash slurry-treated soils increased to 10.6% and 13.6%, respectively, which are much lower than the volumetric deformation of untreated soil (30.7%). Additional analyses were also conducted to trace the growth of desiccation cracks of both untreated and treated soils. At the end of the third drying cycle, the total percentage of the cracks (surface cracks + annular gap) in lime slurry- and lime-fly ash slurry-treated soils reduced to 1.18% and 5.37% from the untreated soil value of 31.9%. The findings of the present study underline the positive impact of using lime, and lime in conjunction with fly ash for controlling the volume change behaviour of expansive soils. Furthermore, combination of lime and fly ash significantly reduces the consumption of lime, leading to sustainability in geotechnical practices.

Wet scavenging of black carbon (BC) is essential for evaluating their atmospheric lifetime and radiative forcing. However, it is crucial to differentiate atmospheric BC into char and soot subgroups, given their significant disparities in physicochemical properties and potential impacts. We first conducted a comparative study of char/soot in PM10 and rainwater, collected over a year in urban Guangzhou, China. The mean char/soot ratio in PM10 (similar to 2.5) is obviously higher than that in rainwater (similar to 0.8), corresponding to higher wet scavenging efficiency of soot. Through sequence rainwater sampling during individual rainfall events, we further distinguished the contributions of in-cloud and below-cloud scavenging, with in-cloud scavenging predominantly contributed to the distinct difference between char and soot. Such a distinct wet scavenging behavior of char and soot would have substantial implications for the atmospheric behavior of BC, which should be considered in future models for accurate evaluation of its lifetime and climate impact.

Preparation and characterization of biopolymer-based packaging materials have significantly gained importance because of sustainability, biodegradability, and eco-friendly nature. In this study, novel wheat gluten (WG)/cloisite 30B (C30B) organoclay-based bionanocomposite (BNC) films were prepared by solution casting method at various C30B concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%). X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed intercalation/exfoliation of C30B sheets into the WG matrix. WG-C30B 10% film was thermostable. It showed low surface roughness along with higher water barrier properties and surface hydrophobicity. The tensile strength values of WG and WG-C30B 10% films were found to be 0.7 +/- 0.02 and 1.11 +/- 0.01, respectively, indicating improvement in mechanical properties. WG-C30B 10% film demonstrated antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica. Shelf life of green grapes was monitored under different conditions: 4 degrees C, ambient conditions, and 42 degrees C. WG-C30B 10% film proved effective in extending shelf life up to 18 days under ambient conditions. More than 50% of the bionanocomposite films were degraded in agricultural soil within 2 weeks, while completely degraded in sewage sludge soil after a few days. WG-C30B 10% film appeared to be promising regarding the demonstrated physico-chemical and antibacterial properties. This report would be useful in preparing biodegradable biopolymer-based packaging materials.