[Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World] Environmental Biotechnology Vol. 1 Volume 44 ||

"Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Starving people in poor nations, obesity in rich nations, increasing food prices, on-going climate changes, increasing fuel and transportation costs, flaws of the global market, worldwide pesticide pollution, pest adaptation and resistance, loss of soil fertility and organic carbon, soil erosion, decreasing biodiversity, desertification, and so on. Despite unprecedented advances in sciences allowing to visit planets and disclose subatomic particles, serious terrestrial issues about food show clearly that conventional agriculture is not suited any longer to feed humans and to preserve ecosystems. Sustainable agriculture is an alternative for solving fundamental and applied issues related to food production in an ecological way. While conventional agriculture is driven almost solely by productivity and profit, sustainable agriculture integrates biological, chemical, physical, ecological, economic and social sciences in a comprehensive way to develop new farming practices that are safe and do not degrade our environment. In that respect, sustainable agriculture is not a classical and narrow science. Instead of solving problems using the classical painkiller approach that treats only negative impacts, sustainable agriculture treats problem sources. As most actual society issues are now intertwined, global, and fast-developing, sustainable agriculture will bring solutions to build a safer world. This book gathers review articles that analyze current agricultural issues and knowledge, then propose alternative solutions. It will therefore help all scientists, decision-makers, professors, farmers and politicians who wish to build a safe agriculture, energy and food system for future generations"--Back cover Preface 7 Contents 9 About the Editors 11 Contributors 13 Chapter 1: Trickling of Itinerant Nanoparticles in Wastewater Effluents 15 1.1 Introduction 16 1.2 Gateways for Entry of Engineered Nanoparticles in Wastewater Streams 17 1.2.1 Actual Estimations of Engineered Nanoparticle Releases from Different Sources 18 1.2.2 Modelling for Estimation of Engineered Nanoparticle Releases 20 1.2.3 Nanotechnology in Wastewater Treatment 21 1.2.4 Recovery of Nanoparticles from Effluent Stream 23 1.3 Engineered Nanoparticles and Wastewater Treatment Processes 24 1.4 Probable Transformations of Engineered Nanoparticles in Wastewater 26 1.5 Influence of Engineered Nanoparticles on Microbial Community of Wastewater 27 1.6 Conclusion 30 References 31 Chapter 2: Microbial Ecosystem and Its Impact on Solving the Environmental Problems: A Molecular Approach 36 2.1 Introduction 38 2.2 Microbial Ecology: Historical Perspective 39 2.3 Molecular Evolutionary of Microbial Communities 40 2.4 Microbial Diversity Matter for the Environmental Factors 42 2.4.1 Plant Litter 43 2.4.2 Deadwood 44 2.4.3 Rhizosphere 45 2.4.4 Carbon Dioxide 45 2.4.5 Global Warming 46 2.4.6 Nitrogen Deposition 46 2.4.7 pH 47 2.4.8 Occurrence of Chemical Species 48 2.5 Microbial Ecosystem for Environmental Betterment 48 2.5.1 Soil Pollution 49 Removal of Hydrocarbons from Contaminated Soils 49 Removal of Agricultural Pesticides from Soil 50 Removal of Heavy Metals from Soil 50 2.5.2 Water Pollution 51 2.5.3 Control Air Pollution 51 2.5.4 Wastewater Treatment 52 2.5.5 Biogeochemical Cycles 54 Carbon Cycle 54 Nitrogen Cycle 55 Phosphorus Cycle 56 2.5.6 Natural Products from Microbes 57 2.5.7 Production of Bioactive Compounds by Microbes 58 Amino Sugar 58 Oligosugar 58 Hyaluronan 59 Bacterial Cellulose 59 Polysugar 60 2.5.8 Biofuels from Microbes 60 Bio-hydrogen 60 Bioethanol 61 Biodiesel 61 n-Butanol and Acetone 61 2.5.9 Bioelectricity 62 2.5.10 Bioleaching Microbes 63 2.5.11 Microbial Therapeutic 63 Prebiotics 64 Probiotics 64 Ecotherapeutics 64 2.6 Molecular Tools to Understand Microbial Ecosystem 65 2.6.1 Quantitative PCR (qPCR) 65 2.6.2 DNA Microarrays 66 2.6.3 Metagenomics 66 2.6.4 Metatranscriptomics 67 2.6.5 Metaproteomics 67 2.7 Conclusion 67 References 70 Chapter 3: Microalgae Cultivation in Wastewater to Recycle Nutrients as Biofertilizer 83 3.1 Introduction 84 3.2 Current Processes of Fertilizer Production 85 3.2.1 Nitrogen-Based Fertilizers 85 3.2.2 Phosphorus-Based Fertilizers 87 3.2.3 Environmental Impacts and Costs of Fertilizers 87 3.3 Nutrient Efficiency in Agricultural Crops 89 3.3.1 Suitable Soil Properties to Improve Nutrient Efficiency 89 3.4 Nutrient Recycling from Wastewater Using Microalgae 91 3.5 Microalgal Production Technology 92 3.5.1 Microalgal Culture 92 3.5.2 Microalgal Harvesting and Drying 93 3.5.3 Microalgal Biomass as Biofertilizer 94 3.6 Conclusion 95 References 96 Chapter 4: Biochar: A Growing Sanguinity as a Combinatorial Tool for Remediation of Heavy Metals from Wastewaters and Solid Waste Management 99 4.1 Introduction 101 4.1.1 What Biochar Is 102 4.1.2 Potential Biomass for Biochar Production (Feedstock) 103 4.2 Biochar Production Methods 103 4.2.1 Pyrolysis 104 4.2.2 Gasification 106 4.2.3 Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) 107 4.3 Water Pollution with Heavy Metals and Sources 107 4.3.1 Heavy Metals 107 4.3.2 Sources of Heavy Metal Pollution 108 4.3.3 Approaches for Heavy Metal Remediation from Water System 108 4.4 Biochar as a Potential Source for Heavy Metal Remediation: Characteristics Favor the Metal Remediation 109 4.4.1 Pyrolysis Conditions and Feedstock 110 4.4.2 Surface Area 110 4.4.3 Surface Charge, pH, and Cation Exchange Capacity 110 4.4.4 Non-aromatic Composition 111 4.4.5 Surface Functional Groups 111 4.5 Heavy Metal Removal Mechanism with Biochar 112 4.6 Regeneration or Reusability of Biochar 116 4.7 Biochar as a Potential Precursor for Activated Carbon and Designer Adsorbents 118 4.8 Biochar as a Strategy for Solid Waste Management 119 4.9 Conclusion and Future Scope 119 References 120 Chapter 5: Microplastics: An Emerging Threat to the Aquatic Ecosystem 124 5.1 Introduction 125 5.2 Microplastics: Background 128 5.3 Sources and Transport of Microplastics in the Aquatic Ecosystem 129 5.4 Prevalence of Microplastics in Different Ecosystems 130 5.4.1 Presence of Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystem 130 5.4.2 Presence of Microplastics in the Sediments 133 5.5 Uptake and Potential Impacts Cause by Contamination of Microplastics in Aquatic Organisms 134 5.5.1 Bioavailability and Effects of Microplastics on Invertebrates 137 5.5.2 Bioavailability and Effects of Microplastics on Vertebrates 139 5.6 Policies Related to Plastics by Different Organizations 141 5.7 Conclusion 141 References 142 Chapter 6: Impacts of Sustainable Energy Resource Use on the Health of the Environment 155 6.1 Introduction 157 6.2 Sustainable Energy Resources and Their Applications 159 6.3 Solar Energy as a Renewable Resource 161 6.3.1 Solar Energy–Utilizing Devices 162 Solar Electricity 162 Solar Fuel 162 Solar Thermal Plants 163 6.4 Wind Energy 164 6.4.1 Wind Energy Storage Devices 165 6.4.2 Wind Turbine Designs 166 6.4.3 The S111 Wind Turbine Generator 166 6.5 Hydroelectric Energy 167 6.5.1 Devices for Hydropower Storage 168 6.5.2 Hydropower Devices in the Ocean 169 Utilization of Point Absorber Devices for Hydropower 170 Utilization of the Sea Snake Device to Produce Hydropower 170 6.5.3 Generation of Electricity from Tidal Currents 171 6.6 Biofuel Energy 171 6.6.1 Utilization of Plant Biomass as a Lignocellulosic Material 172 6.6.2 Clean Energy from Hydrogen Biosynthesis 174 Hydrogen Production by Dark Fermentation 175 Hydrogen Production by Microbial Electrolysis Cells 175 Hydrogen Production by Photosynthetic Bacteria 177 Hydrogen Production by Cyanobacteria 178 6.6.3 Biofuel Production by Cyanobacteria 178 6.6.4 Biodiesel 179 6.7 Environmental Impacts of Different Sources of Energy 180 6.7.1 Greenhouse Effects of Nonrenewable Fuel Utilization 181 6.7.2 Environmental Impacts of Oil Extraction and Refining 182 6.7.3 Effects of Renewable Energy Consumption 183 Impacts of Specific Air Pollutants on Public Health 185 6.8 Conclusions 186 References 187 Chapter 7: Ecofriendly Synthesis of Biopolymer Nanocomposites and Its Application as a Potent Marine Antifouling Agent 191 7.1 Introduction 192 7.2 Renewability and Sustainable Development 192 7.3 Polyhydroxybutyrate: Structure, Properties, and Sources 193 7.4 Metabolism of PHB Production 194 7.5 Microbial Biosynthesis of the Biopolymer: PHB 195 7.6 Biodegradation of Polyhydroxybutyrate 197 7.7 Economical Aspects of PHB Production 198 7.8 Nanotechnology 198 7.9 Biosynthesis of Metal Nanoparticles 199 7.10 Production of PHB Nanocomposite 199 7.11 Applications of PHB-Nanocomposites 201 7.12 Conclusion 202 References 202 Chapter 8: Environmental Metabolomics: With the Perspective of Marine Toxicology Assessment 206 8.1 Introduction 207 8.1.1 Organic Matter 209 8.1.2 Eco-metabolomics 209 8.2 Metabolomics and Marine Environments 210 8.2.1 Different Strategies to Monitor Stresses on Marine Life 210 8.2.2 Host and Environmental Factor Interactions 217 Symbiosis 217 Dysbiosis 217 8.3 Applications of Metabolomics in Aquaculture Research 219 8.3.1 Larviculture Application 219 8.3.2 Nourishment Applications 221 8.3.3 Clinical Pathology and Immunological Applications 221 8.3.4 Post-harvest Quality Control 224 8.4 Conclusion 226 References 227 Chapter 9: Epiphytism in Seaweed Farming: Causes, Status, and Implications 235 9.1 Introduction 236 9.2 Classification of Epiphytes 238 9.3 Microorganisms and Seaweed 239 9.4 Epiphytic Algae 242 9.5 Epifaunal Communities 242 9.6 Problems/Diseases Caused by Epiphytes and Their Potential Control Strategies 244 9.6.1 Chemical Method 244 9.6.2 Physical Method 245 9.6.3 Biological Method 246 9.7 Conclusion and Perspectives 246 References 247 Chapter 10: Microbial Fuel Cell-Based Process for Wastewater Treatment and Power Generation 251 10.1 Introduction 252 10.2 MFC: Design and Operation 254 10.2.1 Components of MFC 255 10.2.2 Electrodes 255 10.2.3 Anodes 255 10.2.4 Cathode 256 10.2.5 Separator 256 10.2.6 Single-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (SC-MFCs) 257 10.2.7 Dual-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (DC-MFCs) 258 10.2.8 Multimodule MFC Reactors 259 10.3 Strategies for Improving Power Output 259 10.4 Application in Wastewater Treatment 262 10.5 Conclusion 263 References 265 Index 268 I. Climate change. Soils and sustainable agriculture: a review; Soils and food sufficiency: a review / Rattan Lal Denitrification at sub-zero temperatures in arable soils: a review / Rebecca L. Phillips Re-thinking the conservation of carbon, water and soil: a different perspective / Thomas Francis Shaxson Cropping systems, carbon sequestration and erosion in Brazil: a review / Martial Bernoux,...[et al.] Influence of land use on carbon sequestration and erosion in Mexico: a review / J.D. Etchevers,...[et al.] Rhizodeposition of organic C by plant: mechanisms and controls / Christophe Nguyen Environmental costs and benefits of transportation biofuel production from food- and lignocellulose-based energy crops: a review / Enrico Ceotto Plant drought stress: effects, mechanisms and management / M. Farooq,...[et al.] II. Genetically modified organisms. Pharmaceutical crops in California, benefits and risks: a review / Michelle Marvier Coexistence of genetically modified and non-GM crops in the European Union: a review / Yann Devos,...[et al.] Agro-environmental effects due to altered cultivation practices with genetically modified herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape and implications for monitoring: a review / F. Graef Bacillus thuringiensis: applications in agriculture and insect resistance management: a review / Vincent Sanchis and Denis Bourguet Genetically modified glyphosate-tolerant soybean in the USA: adoption factors, impacts and prospects: a review / Sylvie Bonny III. Biodiversity. Small eats big: ecology and diversity of Bdellovibrio and like organisms, and their dynamics in predator-prey interactions / Shemesh Yair,...[et al.] Identification of traits implicated in the Rhizosphere competence of fluorescent pseudomonads: description of a strategy based on population and model strain studies / Xavier Latour,...[et al.] Progress in mechanisms of mutual effects between plants and the environment / Hong-Bo Shao, Li-Ye Chu, and Biao Li Biodiversity: function and assessment in agricultural areas: a review / Boris Clergue,...[et al.] Mixing plant species in cropping systems: concepts, tools and models: a review / E. Malézieux,...[et al.] Saffron, an alternative crop for sustainable agricultural systems, a review / F. Gresta,...[et al.] Digital imaging information technology applied to seed germination testing: a review / Antonio Dell' Aquila IV. Alternative control. Managing weeds with a dualistic approach of prevention and control: a review / Randy L. Anderson Mechanical destruction of weeds: a review / D. Chicouene Sustainable pest management for cotton production: a review / Jean-Philippe Deguine, Pierre Ferron, and Derek Russell Role of nutrients in controlling plant diseases in sustainable agriculture: a review / Christos Dordas Crop protection, biological control, habitat management and integrated farming / Pierre Ferron and Jean-Philippe Deguine Using grassed strips to limit pesticide transfer to surface water: a review / Jean-Guillaume Lacas,...[et al.] V. Alternative fertilisation. Recycling biosolids and lake-dredged materials to pasture-based animal agriculture: alternative nutrient sources for forage productivity and sustainability: a review / Gilbert C. Sigua Symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legume nodules: process and signaling: a review / Neera Garg and Geetanjali Factors responsible for nitrate accumulation: a review / Anjana,Shahid Umar, and Muhammad Iqbal Role of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms in sustainable agriculture, a review / Mohammad Saghir Khan, Almas Zaidi, and Parvaze A. Wani Iron and zinc biofortification strategies in dicot plants by intercropping with gramineous species; a review / Y. Zuo and F. Zhang Soil exploration and resource acquisition by plant roots: an architectural and modeling point of view / Claude Doussan Loïc Pagès, and Alain Pierret Methods for studying root colonization by introduced beneficial bacteria / Elisa Gamalero,...[et al.] VI. New farming systems. Sustainable urban agriculture in developing countries; a review / Hubert de Bon, Laurent Parrot, and Paule Moustier Nitrogen, sustainable agriculture and food security: a review / J.H.J. Spiertz Conversion to organic farming: a multidimensional research object at the crossroads of agricultural and social sciences: a review / Stéphane Bellon and Claire Lamine Triggering transitions towards sustainable development of the Dutch agricultural sector: transforum's approach / A. Veldkamp,...[et al.] Spatialising crop models / Robert Faivre,...[et al.] Iterative design and evaluation of rule-based cropping systems: methodology and case studies, a review / Philippe Debaeke,...[et al.] Agri-environmental indicators t assess cropping and farming systems: a review / Christian Bockstaller,...[et al.] Methodological progress in on-farm regional agronomic diagnosis: a review / Thierry Doré,...[et al.] Ex ante assessment of the sustainability of alternative cropping systems: implications for using multi-criteria decisions-aid methods, a review / Walid Sadok,...[et al.] Comparison of methods to assess the sustainability of agricultural systems: a review / Christian Bockstaller,...[et al.] Soil-erosion and runoff prevention by plant covers: a review / Víctor Hugo Durán Zuazo and Carmen Rocío Rodríguez Pleguezuelo Integration of soil structure variations with time and space into models for crop management: a review / J. Roger-Estrade,...[et al.] Management of grazing systems: from decision and biophysical models to principles for action / Michel Duru and Bernard Hubert VII. Pollutants in agrosystems. Cadmium in soils and cereal grains after sewage-sludge application on French soils: a review / Denis Baize Mobility, turnover and storage of pollutants in soils, sediments and waters: achievements and results of the EU project AquaTerra, a review / J.A.C. Barth,...[et al.] / Effect of metal toxicity on plant growth and metabolism: I. Zinc / Gyana Ranjan Rout and Premananda Das Phytoremediation of organic pollutants using mycorrhizal plants: a new aspect of rhizosphere interactions / Erik Jautris Joner and Corinne Leyval.

Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Starving people in poor nations, obesity in rich nations, increasing food prices, on-going climate changes, increasing fuel and transportation costs, flaws of the global market, worldwide pesticide pollution, pest adaptation and resistance, loss of soil fertility and organic carbon, soil erosion, decreasing biodiversity, desertification, and so on. Despite unprecedented advances in sciences allowing to visit planets and disclose subatomic particles, serious terrestrial issues about food show clearly that conventional agriculture is not suited any longer to feed humans and to preserve ecosystems. Sustainable agriculture is an alternative for solving fundamental and applied issues related to food production in an ecological way. While conventional agriculture is driven almost solely by productivity and profit, sustainable agriculture integrates biological, chemical, physical, ecological, economic and social sciences in a comprehensive way to develop new farming practices that are safe and do not degrade our environment. In that respect, sustainable agriculture is not a classical and narrow science. Instead of solving problems using the classical painkiller approach that treats only negative impacts, sustainable agriculture treats problem sources. As most actual society issues are now intertwined, global, and fast-developing, sustainable agriculture will bring solutions to build a safer world.

This book gathers review articles that analyze current agricultural issues and knowledge, then propose alternative solutions. It will therefore help all scientists, decision-makers, professors, farmers and politicians who wish to build a safe agriculture, energy and food system for future generations.

Chapter 1. Trickling of itinerant nanoparticles in wastewater effluents -- Chapter 2. Microbial ecosystem and its impact on solving the environmental problems: A molecular Approach -- Chapter 3. Microalgae cultivation in wastewater to recycle nutrients as biofertilizer -- Chapter 4. Biochar: A growing sanguinity as a combinatorial tool for remediation of heavy metals from wastewaters and solid waste management -- Chapter 5. Microplastics: An Emerging Threat to the Aquatic Ecosystem -- Chapter 6. Impact of Sustainable Energy Resources on Healthy Environment -- Chapter 7. Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Biopolymer Nanocomposites And Its Application As A Potent Marine Antifouling Agent -- Chapter 8. Environmental Metabolomics: with the perspective of marine toxicology assessment -- Chapter 9. Epiphytism in seaweed farming: Causes, status and implications -- Chapter 10. Microbial fuel cell based process for waste water treatment and power generation This book provides the information on the application of nanotechnology in cleaning wastewater and the impact of microbial ecosystem to solve environmental problems has been critically reviewed in the chapters. It also gives detailed reviews about the conversion of wastewater nutrients into a biofertilizer using microalgae, as well as the applications of Biochar for heavy metal remediation from water. Most importantly, this book contains critical review on microbial fuel cells and highlights the emerging risks of bioplastics on the aquatic ecosystem.