Search results for "Forestry"
showing 10 items of 1998 documents
Trace metal(loid) mobility in waste deposits and soils around Chadak mining area, Uzbekistan
2017
Abstract The assessment of potential trace metal(loid) contamination in tailing dumps and soils was characterized in the Chadak mining area (Uzbekistan). Concentrations of trace elements (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Pb) were determined by X-ray fluorescence analysis and compared with background and intervention values (IV). The concentrations of As, Zn, Sb, and Pb were higher in the abandoned than in the active tailing dump, ranging from 42–1689 mg/kg for As, 73–332 mg/kg for Zn, 14–1507 mg/kg for Sb, and 27–386 mg/kg for Pb. Selective extractions were applied in order to assess the mobility and availability of trace metal(loid)s in samples. Oxyanion-forming elements such as As and S…
Are agricultural soils under a continental temperate climate susceptible to episodic reducing conditions and increased leaching of phosphorus?
2012
International audience; Soil science research has probably underestimated the significance that short-term, episodic cycles of reduction and oxidation has had on phosphorus (P) reactivity. Here, the effects of eleven pulsed reduction-oxidation (including wet-dry) cycles on soil P dynamics are compared for 12 soils having contrasting properties and all overfertilised with respect to P. The laboratory based incubation conditions attempted to simulate transient waterlogging of the soil profile and involved repeated sampling and analysis of both the solution and solid phase P forms. An initial increase in P concentration in solution that occurred up to and including the fourth full cycle was fo…
Biological groundwater denitrification systems: Lab-scale trials aimed at nitrous oxide production and emission assessment
2018
Bio-trenches are a sustainable option for treating nitrate contamination in groundwater. However, a possible side effect of this technology is the production of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that can be found both dissolved in the liquid effluent as well as emitted as off gas. The aim of this study was to analyze NO3 − removal and N2O production in lab-scale column trials. The column contained olive nut as organic carbon media. The experimental study was divided into three phases (I, II and III) each characterized by different inlet NO3 − concentrations (30, 50, 75 mg NO3-N L−1 respectively). Sampling ports deployed along the length of the column allowed to observe the denitrification pro…
Runoff initiation, soil detachment and connectivity are enhanced as a consequence of vineyards plantations.
2017
[EN] Rainfall-induced soil erosion is a major threat, especially in agricultural soils. In the Mediterranean belt, vineyards are affected by high soil loss rates, leading to land degradation. Plantation of new vines is carried out after deep ploughing, use of heavy machinery, wheel traffic, and trampling. Those works result in soil physical properties changes and contribute to enhanced runoff rates and increased soil erosion rates. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the plantation of vineyards on soil hydrological and erosional response under low frequency - high magnitude rainfall events, the ones that under the Mediterranean climatic conditions trigger extreme soil ero…
Acute Toxicity of Experimental Fertilizers Made of Spent Coffee Grounds
2017
Sustainable agriculture places new demands on agricultural practice and, in particular, plant protection treatments and fertilization. Therefore, an increase in demand for organic fertilizers of good quality is expected. In particular, the organic matter contained in the waste of the food industry or generated in households, in the absence of contamination, can be used for the production of “fertilizer”, which could be used in organic crop production. The paper presents basic characteristics of tested mixtures and the results of testing for acute toxicity of the mixture made from spent coffee grounds (SCG) modified with ash arising from the low-temperature combustion of biomass or magnesium…
Spontaneous ecological recovery of vegetation in a red gypsum landfill: Betula pendula dominates after 10 years of inactivity
2019
International audience; Red gypsum is the product of the neutralization of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) extraction residue from ilmenite and anatase. The disposal of red gypsum creates heterogeneous plots with layers that may include Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, Mn, S, and other elements and an alkaline pH that makes revegetation complicated and slow. The vertical and horizontal dispersion of the sediment particles are the main concern. Therefore, the establishment of precise vegetation cover is needed to address this issue. One of the aims of this study was (1) to explore the distribution of the spontaneous vegetation found along a red gypsum-formed landfill located at the Ochsenfeld site in eastern France…
Parameterization of a comprehensive explicit model for single-ring infiltration
2021
International audience; Comprehensive infiltration models can simultaneously describe transient and steady-state infiltration behaviors, and therefore can be applied to a range of experimental conditions. However, satisfactory model accuracy re- quires proper parameterization, including estimating the transition time from transient to steady-state flow conditions (τcrit). This study focused on improving the estimation of two parameters – τcrit and a second constant called a – used in a comprehensive, explicit, two-term model for single ring infiltration (hereafter referred to as the SA model). Different studies have recommended that a should be as low as 0.45 to as high as 0.91. Furthermore…
Biochar based remediation of water and soil contaminated by phenanthrene and pentachlorophenol
2017
Abstract Phenanthrene (Phe) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) are classified as persistent organic pollutants and represent serious concern for the environment as they are toxic and ubiquitous. Biochar based remediation is an emerging technology used in water and soil contamination. In this study we used poplar (BP) and conifer (BC) biochars to remediate water and soil contaminated by Phe and PCP. BP and BC were able to remove completely either Phe or PCP from contaminated water within one to three days. When biochar was confined in a porous membrane, BC and BP maintained their sorption efficiency for several remediation cycles. However, in these conditions BC allowed faster Phe removal. In soil …
An economic, perception and biophysical approach to the use of oat straw as mulch in Mediterranean rainfed agriculture land
2017
[EN] Soil erosion is a key cause of land degradation in agriculture lands; and it is a worldwide threat that must be solved by means of nature-based strategies to be able to achieve sustainability. The use of mulches can be a solution, but there is a lack of information on long-term effects of the use of straw. Furthermore, little is known about the perception of farmers and the economic cost on the implantation of straw as a conservation measure. Eight paired plots were selected in Sierra de Enguera on an agriculture field to determine the effect of straw cover on soil erosion. Four plots were tilled three times per year (Control) and four plots were not ploughed and 0.125 kg m(-2) y(-1) o…
Agricultural land abandonment in Mediterranean environment provides ecosystem services via soil carbon sequestration
2016
Abandonment of agricultural land leads to several consequences for ecosystem functions. Agricultural abandonment may be a significant and low cost strategy for carbon sequestration and mitigation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions due to the vegetation recovery and increase in soil organic matter. The aim of this study was to: (i) estimate the influence of different Soil Regions (areas characterized by a typical climate and parent material association) and Bioclimates (zones with homogeneous climatic regions and thermotype indices) on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics after agricultural land abandonment; and (ii) to analyse the efficiency of the agri-environment policy (agri-environment measur…