Preface

The 2021 7th International Conference on Advances in Environment Research (ICAER 2021) was held as a virtual meeting from August 26-28, 2021. Despite being an online conference, it was well received and a great success. The secretariat of the conference was in Building 38, No.1 Shilibao, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. This conference was originally set to be hosted and held face-to-face in Sapporo, Japan. However, due to the spread of covid-19 in the world, the epidemic situation in various countries was complicated, and the entry-exit management of the local government was strict. Hence, the conference committee finally decided to hold ICAER 2021 as a virtual conference. In the context of epidemic, ICAER 2021 online could not only effectively guarantee safety, but also arouse the enthusiasm of participants, and effectively avoid the situation of being unable to attend the meeting due to travel restrictions, control of the epidemic, and other problems. ICAER 2021 covers online Opening Ceremony, Keynote Speeches, Oral Presentations, and Closing Ceremony. All sessions in this virtual conference were presented by Zoom. Under the theme of “Environment Research”, many researchers, engineers, academicians as well as industrial professionals from all over the world had the opportunity to present their research results and development activities. Keynote speakers were allocated 40 minutes to deliver their speeches and 5 minutes for discussion and in the oral sessions, each author had 15 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for questions and answers. During question time, the participants can use the “Raise Hand” function or “chat” function to ask questions. There were 6 sessions for all the presentations. It was a golden opportunity for the students, researchers and engineers to interact with the experts and specialists to get their advice or consultation on technical matters, academic theories and models, sales and marketing strategies. The ICAER 2021 proceedings is a collection of outstanding submissions from universities, research institutes and industries. All of the papers were subjected to peer-review by conference committee members and international reviewers. The final papers selected depended on their quality and their relevancy to the conference. The volume tends to present to the readers the advances in Environment Research and various related areas, such as Environmental Science and Technology, Environmental dynamics, Global environmental change and ecosystems, Soil decontamination, Environmental sustainability, Health and the Environment, Environmental dynamics etc… The organizers would like to acknowledge all the conference participants for their support to ICAER 2021. Especially we would like to thank the organizing committee, reviewers, speakers, chairpersons, and sponsors for their valuable advice in the organization and the professional peer review of the papers. Prof. Ngai Weng Chan Chairman Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia October 27, 2021 List of Conference Committee are available in this pdf.

The microorganism-plant system for remediation of soil exposed to coal mining

Introduction. Coal mining causes a radical transformation of the soil cover. Research is required into modern methods and complementary technologies for monitoring technogenic landscapes and their remediation. Our study aimed to assess soil and rhizosphere microorganisms and their potential uses for the remediation of technogenic soils in Russian coal regions. Study objects and methods. We reviewed scientific articles published over the past five years, as well as those cited in Scopus and Web of Science. Results and discussion. Areas lying in the vicinity of coal mines and coal transportation lines are exposed to heavy metal contamination. We studied the application of soil remediation technologies that use sorbents from environmentally friendly natural materials as immobilizers of toxic elements and compounds. Mycorrhizal symbionts are used for soil decontamination, such as arbuscular mycorrhiza with characteristic morphological structures in root cortex cells and some mycotallia in the form of arbuscules or vesicles. Highly important are Gram-negative proteobacteria (Agrobacterium, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Burkholderia, Bradyrizobium, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Rizobium), Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Paenibacillus), and Grampositive actinomycetes (Rhodococcus, Streptomyces, Arhtrobacter). They produce phytohormones, vitamins, and bioactive substances, stimulating plant growth. Also, they reduce the phytopathogenicity of dangerous diseases and harmfulness of insects. Finally, they increase the soil’s tolerance to salinity, drought, and oxidative stress. Mycorrhizal chains enable the transport and exchange of various substances, including mineral forms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic forms of C3 and C4 plants. Microorganisms contribute to the removal of toxic elements by absorbing, precipitating or accumulating them both inside the cells and in the extracellular space. Conclusion. Our review of scientific literature identified the sources of pollution of natural, agrogenic, and technogenic landscapes. We revealed the effects of toxic pollutants on the state and functioning of living systems: plants, animals, and microorganisms. Finally, we gave examples of modern methods used to remediate degraded landscapes and reclaim disturbed lands, including the latest technologies based on the integration of plants and microorganisms.

Willow Aboveground and Belowground Traits Can Predict Phytoremediation Services

The increasing number of contaminated sites worldwide calls for sustainable remediation, such as phytoremediation, in which plants are used to decontaminate soils. We hypothesized that better anchoring phytoremediation in plant ecophysiology has the potential to drastically improve its predictability. In this study, we explored how the community composition, diversity and coppicing of willow plantations, influenced phytoremediation services in a four-year field trial. We also evaluated how community-level plant functional traits might be used as predictors of phytoremediation services, which would be a promising avenue for plant selection in phytoremediation. We found no consistent impact of neither willow diversity nor coppicing on phytoremediation services directly. These services were rather explained by willow traits related to resource economics and management strategy along the plant “fast–slow” continuum. We also found greater belowground investments to promote plant bioconcentration and soil decontamination. These traits–services correlations were consistent for several trace elements investigated, suggesting high generalizability among contaminants. Overall, our study provides evidence, even using a short taxonomic (and thus functional) plant gradient, that traits can be used as predictors for phytoremediation efficiency for a broad variety of contaminants. This suggests that a trait-based approach has great potential to develop predictive plant selection strategies in phytoremediation trials, through a better rooting of applied sciences in fundamental plant ecophysiology.

Clover Root Exudates Favor Novosphingobium sp. HR1a Establishment in the Rhizosphere and Promote Phenanthrene Rhizoremediation

The success of an eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy for soil decontamination is conditioned by the understanding of the ecology of plant-microorganism interactions. Although many studies have been published about the bacterial metabolic capacities in the rhizosphere and about rhizoremediation of contaminants, there are fewer studies dealing with the integration of bacterial metabolic capacities in the rhizosphere during PAH bioremediation, and some aspects still remain controversial.

The Chemical Properties of Soils from Forest Fields Occupied by Oil Drills in Moinesti, Romania

Forest fields temporary occupied by different industrial activities are restored to the silvicultural circuit after the industrial activity has ended. These fields should be apt for reforestation and should have admissible values regarding their content of dangerous substances. The present article describes and interprets the characteristics of soils from four fields occupied temporary by oil wells in Moine�ti, Bacau County. The content of clay, soluble salts and nutritive elements were analysed, together with the soil�s reaction, the content of hydrocarbons or other soil characteristics. The admissible values for installing, growing and developing forest species were then emphasized. The obtained results have illustrated the fact that the oil extraction activity had negative effects on soils, namely: a strong consolidation (especially on access roads); the truncation and/or derangement/mixture of horizons or soils stratums with the rock; depletion of nutritive substances; salinization, argilisation and pollution with oil residues. In order to render these fields back to the silvicultural circuit, bio remedy technologies must be applied or other measures that can eliminate the pollutant from the soil (decontamination methods), followed by pedoameliorative measures.

Agricultura em Áreas Industriais e Contaminação por Metais Pesados: Estratégias para redução deste Impacto Ambiental

Concentrações elevadas de metais pesados podem ocorrer em áreas próximas de complexos industriais e em solos ao redor das áreas de mineração, o que pode se estender para alimentos agrícolas, causando efeitos adversos na saúde da população, danos ecológicos, além de implicar em bioacumulação. Devido à facilidade de dispersão dos metais pesados no meio ambiente, especialmente na agricultura que adentra à cadeia alimentar, o objetivo desse estudo foi revisar dados sobre esta contaminação em vegetais cultivados em áreas industriais e identificar possíveis estratégias para minimizar o impacto ambiental. Vários estudos apontam que solos e vegetais cultivados próximos de áreas industriais apresentam elevadas concentrações de metais pesados, sendo ainda maior proporcionalmente à proximidade da área poluente. Dentre os tipos de vegetais, os folhosos foram os que apresentaram maior teor de contaminação de metais do que os vegetais frutados ou de raiz, o que aponta que, além do solo, a contaminação atmosférica influencia no vegetal exposto. Além disto, existe correlação entre espécie vegetal e biodisponibilidade/absorção de determinados metais em detrimento a outros. É notório que o cultivo de produtos agrícolas em áreas industriais e circunvizinhas é uma prática que põe em risco potencial de toxicidade a população que utiliza estes produtos como alimento. Algumas estratégias podem ser adotadas com intuito de minimizar a contaminação, dentre estas, técnicas naturais de manejo de cultivo de vegetais, seleção de tipos de vegetais com menor possibilidade de toxicidade para áreas específicas, técnicas para aumentar fatores de proteção do vegetal e descontaminação do solo, controle e fiscalização efetivos nos efluentes industriais. Agriculture in Industrial Areasand Heavy Metal Contamination: Strategies to reduce this Environmental Impact A B S T R A C TContamination by heavy metals can occur in locations close to industrial complexes and in soils around mining areas, which can extend to agricultural foods, causing adverse effects on the population's health, ecological damage, in addition to resulting in bioaccumulation. Heavy metals are rapidly dispersed in the environment, especially in agriculture that enters the food chain. Thus, the objective of this study was to review this contamination in vegetables grown in industrial areas and to identify possible strategies to minimize the socio-environmental impact. Many studies show that soils and vegetables cultivated close to industrial areas have high concentrations of heavy metals, being even greater in proportion to the proximity of the polluting area. Among the types of vegetables, the leafy ones were those that had a higher content of metal contamination than fruity or root vegetables, which indicates that, in addition to the soil, atmospheric contamination influences the exposed plant. In addition, there is a correlation between plant species and bioavailability of certain specific metals. The cultivation of agricultural products in industrial and surrounding areas is a practice that poses a potential risk of toxicity to the population that consumes these products as food. Some strategies can be adopted in order to minimize contamination, among them, natural techniques for handling vegetable cultivation, selection of types of vegetables with less possibility of toxicity for specific areas, techniques to increase plant protection factors and soil decontamination, effective control and inspection in industrial effluentsKeywords: heavy metals; soil contamination; industrial areas, agriculture, agroecology.

Dissolution, Mechanical Properties, and Thermal Stability of Microparticles Containing Radioactive Cesium on Plant Litter Derived from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, and Soil Decontamination Trials

<p>The radioactive cesium (<sup>134</sup>Cs and <sup>137</sup>Cs), which originated from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, has remained in the soil and on plants as water-insoluble microparticles (termed as CsMPs) to some extent, and maintained relatively high radioactivity levels in the district. However, it has been reported that the radioactive Cs has been absorbed by plants. To interpret this phenomenon, the authors investigated CsMPs to determine if they become soluble during filtration and dialysis experiments. Moreover, other physical properties, such as mechanical properties and thermal stability, were observed during the course of the relevant experiments. These properties can be obtained by using carbonized charcoal litter with CsMPs. And simple and economic decontamination trials of the soil were performed by sieving after drying and roughly crushing.</p>

Phytoremediation: a sustainable environmental technology for heavy metals decontamination

Toxic metal contamination of soil is a major environmental hazard. Chemical methods for heavy metal's (HMs) decontamination such as heat treatment, electroremediation, soil replacement, precipitation and chemical leaching are generally very costly and not be applicable to agricultural lands. However, many strategies are being used to restore polluted environments. Among these, phytoremediation is a promising method based on the use of hyper-accumulator plant species that can tolerate high amounts of toxic HMs present in the environment/soil. Such a strategy uses green plants to remove, degrade, or detoxify toxic metals. Five types of phytoremediation technologies have often been employed for soil decontamination: phytostabilization, phytodegradation, rhizofiltration, phytoextraction and phytovolatilization. Traditional phytoremediation method presents some limitations regarding their applications at large scale, so the application of genetic engineering approaches such as transgenic transformation, nanoparticles addition and phytoremediation assisted with phytohormones, plant growth-promoting bacteria and AMF inoculation has been applied to ameliorate the efficacy of plants as candidates for HMs decontamination. In this review, aspects of HMs toxicity and their depollution procedures with focus on phytoremediation are discussed. Last, some recent innovative technologies for improving phytoremediation are highlighted.

Detection of zones of soil contamination with contrast-in-resistivity ecotoxicants by profiling

A method for detecting zones of soil contamination with contrast-in-resistivity ecotoxicants, as well as geophysical methods for monitoring soil decontamination processes, are discussed in the article. A zone of soil contamination was designed and simulated using electrical prospecting methods - sounding and profiling. The direct and inverse problem of electrical prospecting of a contaminated zone in the form of a sphere inside a homogeneous soil body was solved in this work, while the main design dependencies were determined, which most accurately describe the data obtained experimentally. The proposed algorithm, based on adaptive step size random search, allows to quickly determine the depth and the effective radius of a zone of contamination with contrast-in-resistivity ecotoxicants, based on the results of profiling, and to estimate the degree of pollution by the ratio of the resistivity of the anomalous zone to that of the host medium.

The Use of Microorganism-Derived Enzymes for Bioremediation of Soil Pollutants

Contamination of soils by xenobiotic compounds is a growing concern for environmentalists amidst the rise of anthropogenic activities that encourage such contamination practices. The use of microbial enzymes is a viable alternative to degrade and mineralize these contaminants, which is a growing research interest owing to its eco-friendly nature. This chapter explores the categories of enzymes used in soil bioremediation such as oxidoreductases and hydrolases, their mechanism of action, and their merits and demerits. Furthermore, molecular biology techniques useful in enhancing the production capacity, stability, activity, and shelf life of bioremediation enzymes is discussed. Ultimately, the need to develop bioremediation enzymes in bulk, using cheap technologies while optimising their activity, stability, and shelf life for effective soil decontamination is emphasized.