Air pollutants, like benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX), pose significant health and environmental risks being associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually. Despite plants natural air purification capabilities in green infrastructures, high pollution levels in cities can hinder urban greening when tolerance levels are exceeded. Therefore, this study aimed to develop plant-beneficial microbial consortia...
Chitosan (Cs) and hydroxyapatite (HA) 3D scaffolds/composites were prepared with a sustainable process, as HA was obtained using CaCO3 derived from cork, a natural material used as a template agent. The HA@Cs composites were prepared with HA in situ formation in a Cs solution, with a dissolution-precipitation mechanism. Different reaction times were considered, with time of 72 h leading to the best materials (s...
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used plastics, and its accumulation in the environment has become an issue of great concern. PET wastes constitute a critical source of pollution to the environment, with important impacts on ecosystems and human health. One possibility to address this problem is to identify microorganisms that may be able to naturally degrade the compound for downstrea...
Floating wetland islands (FWI) are considered nature-based solutions that can be applied in different water bodies, such as lakes and rivers, in order to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services. They are recognized to promote local biodiversity, aesthetic integration and provide water quality enhancement through phytoremediation processes, although research is still needed to go deeper on the processes under...
Intensive dairy cattle breeding has a relevant social and economic impact in Portugal, particularly in the northern region. This activity generates a high flow of livestock effluents (slurry), rich in important nutrients for plant growth, which can be introduced into intensive production forestry systems. These effluents can provide a good alternative to mineral fertilizers, not only from an economic perspectiv...
To avoid toxic ammonium and nitrite concentrations in aquaculture systems is crucial to maintain the fish production. When recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) operate in freshwater farms during the dry seasons, the concentrations of these pollutants increase. The objective of the present study is the evaluation of a Continuous Flow Granular Reactor (CFGR) for the treatment of freshwater RAS stream at pilot-...