•The current review is an extensive study on agricultural utilization of biosolids and its potential effects on soil and plant grown.•Both positive as well as negative aspect of agricultural ...utilization of biosolids has been extensively discussed.•Even new aspect like biosolids and omics has also been covered in.•It has been tried to update the existing knowledge at its best and present the insight of pro and cons of agricultural utilization of biosolids.
Environmental and economic implications linked with the proper ecofriendly disposal of modern day wastes, has made it essential to come up with alternative waste management practices that reduce the environmental pressures resulting from unwise disposal of such wastes. Urban wastes like biosolids are loaded with essential plant nutrients. In this view, agricultural use of biosolids would enable recycling of these nutrients and could be a sustainable approach towards management of this hugely generated waste. Therefore biosolids i.e. sewage sludge can serve as an important resource for agricultural utilization. Biosolids are characterized by the occurrence of beneficial plant nutrients (essential elements and micro and macronutrients) which can make help them to work as an effective soil amendment, thereby minimizing the reliance on chemical fertilizers.
However, biosolids might contain toxic heavy metals that may limit its usage in the cropland. Heavy metals at higher concentration than the permissible limits may lead to food chain contamination and have fatal consequences. Biosolids amendment in soil can improve physical and nutrient property of soil depending on the quantity and portion of the mixture. Hence, biosolids can be a promising soil ameliorating supplement to increase plant productivity, reduce bioavailability of heavy metals and also lead to effective waste management.
Owing to modern-day urbanization and industrial activities, heavy metal pollution and its environmental impact have drawn the attention of the scientific community towards itself. Among all the heavy ...metals, cadmium is known to have no biological function, and its presence harms almost all life forms. Cadmium (Cd) has natural and anthropogenic sources of entry into the ecosystem. It is nonbiodegradable and is present in different trophic levels in the food chain, raising concern over food safety. The bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and accumulation of Cd in soil-plant systems are the main drivers of its transfer to different trophic levels via diverse routes. In the human system, bioaccumulation of Cd disrupts the antioxidant defense system due to induced oxidative stress as a result of reactive oxygen species generation, which further causes different ailments. This review provides an update on the effects of Cd exposure on the soil-plant system, food safety, and human health, focusing on the various mechanisms involved in cellular or molecular alterations.
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Solid waste management is a worldwide problem and it is becoming more and more complicated day by day due to rise in population, industrialization as well as changes in our life style. Presently most ...of the waste generated is either disposed of in an open dump in developing countries or in landfills in the developed ones. Landfilling as well as open dumping requires lot of land mass and could also result in several environmental problems. Land application of urban/municipal solid waste (MSW) can be carried out as it is rich in organic matter and contains significant amount of recyclable plant nutrients. The presence of heavy metals and different toxics substances restricts its land use without processing. Vermicomposting of MSW, prior to land application may be a sustainable waste management option, as the vermicast obtained at the end of vermicomposting process is rich in plant nutrients and is devoid of pathogenic organism. Utilization of vermicast produced from urban/municipal solid waste in agriculture will facilitate in growth of countries economy by lowering the consumption of inorganic fertilizer and avoiding land degradation problem. Vermicomposting of urban/MSW can be an excellent practice, as it will be helpful in recycling valuable plant nutrients. This review deals with various aspects of vermicomposting of MSW.
Purpose
In the present study, effect of earthworm-processed MSW was seen on biochemical, physiological, and yield responses of
Abelmoschus esculentus
L.
Methods
Plants were grown on different ...amendment ratios of municipal solid waste vermicompost (MSWVC). Pot experiments were conducted by mixing MSWVC at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% ratios to the agricultural soil.
Results
An increase in photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance of plants grown at 20 and 40% MSWVC amendment ratios was observed. Total chlorophyll, carotenoid, and protein contents also increased significantly in 20, 40, and 60% amendment ratios at 65 days after germination (DAG). Likewise, proline, peroxidase, and lipid peroxidation increased with increasing levels of MSWVC at both 45 and 65 DAG.
Conclusion
The study suggests that MSWVC could be used as organic amendment in soil depicted by good yield and antioxidative response of lady’s finger (
A. esculentus
) at different amendments of MSWVC (up to 60% w/w ratios). Furthermore, agricultural utilization of MSWVC will help in managing dreadful effects of the burgeoning amount of organic solid waste.
As a result of rapid urbanization, industrialization, and uncontrolled population increase, waste management has become a worldwide problem. In the 2001 census, the urban population of India ...comprised 285 millions, which accounted for 27% of the total population of the country. The share of urban population has increased from 19.9% in the year 1971 to 27.8% in the year 2001 (Vaidya 2009). The decadal growth from 1991 to 2001 of the urban population was 31.2%. One of the main reasons for increasing urbanization is the migration of rural populations to urban centers for employment. The unprecedented growth of this urban population has put tremendous pressure on the quality of life regarding housing, water, and power supply, and water, air, and soil quality deterioration. A decline in environmental quality from waste generation in these urban centers, especially solid waste, is of major and growing concern.
Oil palm industries produce an enormous quantity of lignocellulosic biomass; in the form of large leaves of palm tree, pruned fronds (OPF) and oil palm trunks (OPT) at the plantations site. Besides ...this, the processing of fresh fruit bunches in the oil mills generates empty fruit bunches (EFB), shells, kernel cake and mesocarp fibers. The proper management of this burgeoning waste and its disposal is an ardent task and creates environmental hazards. In order to deal with the biomass residues, the urgent need is that it should be transformed into resources with industrial utility. As the economic development has resulted in the significant increased demand for paper, the industry is looking for eccentric sources to fulfill the requirement. The pulp and paper industry preferred use of coniferous and deciduous trees for papermaking because their cellulose fibers in the pulp make durable paper. With improvements in pulp processing technology, fibers of almost any non-wood of plants species like bamboo, cereal straw, sugarcane, flax, hemp and jute can be used for paper pulp. Substituting this lignocellulosic material can reduce the burden on forest while supporting the natural biodiversity. The present review deals with the possibilities of using oil palm biomass as a raw material for pulp and papermaking, as this would ameliorate its waste management problem. The potential of oil palm biomass and the challenges regarding its use in papermaking are discussed. The use of oil palm biomass will apparently prove that the oil palm industry is ecofriendly in every aspect of its activities and aid in sustainability of forest ecosystem.
Soil salinization has become a major global agricultural issue that threatens sustainable development goals related to food security, agriculture, resource conservation, and nutrition. The higher ...levels of salinity have detrimental effects on soil physico-chemical and biological characteristics and plant metabolism. Also, salinity poses a negative impact on the abundance and distribution of soil microbes and soil-dwelling organisms. Research has always been trying to overcome the salinity issue, but it does not fit well in conventional approaches. This review unravels traditional and modern salinity management techniques. Out of the available salinity management techniques, some are focused on enhancing soil properties (chemical amendments, biochar, earthworms, and their vermicompost, compost, microbial inoculants, electro remediation), some focus on improving plant properties (seed priming, afforestation, crop selection, genetic improvements, agroforestry) and some techniques augment both soil as well as plant properties in a synergic manner. Therefore, it is imperative to find a conclusive solution by integrating traditional and modern methods to find the most effective response to regionally-specific salinity related problems. This review aimed at critical analysis of the salinity problems, its impact on agroecosystem, and different management approaches available to date with a balanced viewpoint that would help to draw a possible roadmap towards the future investigation in this domain for sustainable management of salinity issues around the globe.
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•Salinity stands as a challenge in fulfilling the prime goals of UN SDGs.•Deleterious effects of salinity on soil-plant ecosystem are described.•Salinity is considered a major factor in reducing agricultural productivity globally.•Some techniques focus on enhancing soil properties and some on plant properties.•Synergy of various salt management techniques could be a better option.
Management of municipal solid waste is a global problem and is faced by all developing countries. The rapid pace of increase in population, economic growth, urbanization and industrialization is ...coupled with accelerated solid waste generation. In most of the developing countries wastes are either scattered in urban centers or disposed off unplanned in low lying areas or open dumps. The lack of infrastructure for collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of solid waste, proper solid waste management planning, insufficient financial resources, technical expertise and public attitude have made the situation exasperating due to which several environmental and health related problems are increasing. Though, there are many negative issues related to solid waste, it also provides many opportunities that not only mitigates its negative impact but also helps in meeting the demand for energy and employment generation as well as in soil health improvement. Keeping in mind the present situation the current review was planned with the objective to overlook the challenges and opportunities faced during urban solid waste management in developing countries like India.
Cadmium (Cd), a non-essential trace element, it's intrusion in groundwater has ubiquitous implications on the environment and human health. This review is an approach to comprehensively emphasize on ...i) chemistry and occurrence of Cd in groundwater and its concomitant response on human health ii) sustainable Cd remediation techniques, iii) and associated costs. Current study is depending on meta-analysis of Cd contaminations in groundwater and discusses its distributions around the globe. Literature review primarily comprises from the last three decades online electronic published database, which mainly includes i) research literatures, ii) government reports. On the basis of meta-data, it was concluded that Cd mobility depends on multiple factors: such as pH, redox state, and ionic strength, dissolved organic (DOC) and inorganic carbon (DIC). A substantially high Cd concentration has been reported in Lagos, Nigeria (0.130 mg/L). In India, groundwater is continuing to be contaminated by Cd in the proximity of industrial, agricultural areas, high concentrations (>8.20 mg/L) were reported in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Depending on chemical behavior and ionic radius cadmium disseminate into the food chain and ultimately cause health hazard that can be measured by various index-based assessment tools. Instead of chemical adsorbents, nanoparticles, phytoextraction, and bioremediation techniques can be very useful in the remediation and management of Cd polluted groundwater at a low-cost. For Cd pollution, the development of a comprehensive framework that links the hydro-geological, bio-geochemical processes to public health is important and need to be further studied.
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•Elevated concentration of Cd in groundwater is an alarming state.•pH, the redox state, ionic strengths, DOC, and DIC are important for Cd mobility.•Specific chemical behavior and ionic radius makes Cd more hazardous for human.•Adsorption process is the most effective in remediation of Cd polluted groundwater.
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