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Prof. Dr. Erik Meers
Department of Green Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry,Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry,Ghent University,Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 131, 9052 Ghent, Belgium

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0 bioprocesses
0 Biobased resource recovery
0 Sustainable resource management
0 Refinement of chemicals, materials, energy, and products from biobased waste streams
0 Biobased (waste)streams as an input for the circular economy

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Short Biography

Professor Meers holds a degree in Bioscience Engineering, an MSc in Environmental Sanitation and a PhD in Environmental Technology/Chemistry. He is a professor at the Department of Green Science and Technology from the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering of Ghent University in Belgium. He is one of the group leaders of the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry, focusing on nutrient recycling and circular economy. He is currently involved in 15 international research projects (Interreg and H2020) and supervises a team of 20 PhD students and researchers.

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Journal article
Published: 07 July 2021 in Agronomy
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This study assessed how digestate and the liquid fraction (LF) of digestate would perform as candidate RENURE fertilisers (recovered nitrogen from manure) in nitrate vulnerable zones under the proposed criteria of the Joint Research Centre, namely, (i) a mineral nitrogen to total nitrogen ratio ≥ 90% (Nmin:TN ≥ 90%) or a total organic carbon to TN ratio ≤ 3 (TOC:TN ≤ 3); (ii) limits of ≤300 copper (Cu) mg kg−1 and ≤800 Zinc (Zn) mg kg−1. These criteria were applied to unpublished data (n = 2622) on digestate compositional properties, further amended with data from the literature (n = 180); digestate analysis from seven full-scale biogas facilities (n = 14); and biogas industry stakeholders (n = 23). The results showed that Cu and Zn mostly met the criteria, with compliance rates of 94.7% (of 1035 entries) and 95.0% (of 1038 entries), respectively. Just above 5% (of 1856 entries) met the Nmin/TN ≥ 90% criterion, while 36% (of 1583 entries) met the TOC/TN ≤ 3 criterion, while total compliance was 32% (of 1893 entries). When targeting the LF, total compliance increased noticeably, between 43 and 58% depending on DM range, indicating that LFs are better suited RENURE candidate fertilisers than unseparated digestate.

ACS Style

Gregory Reuland; Ivona Sigurnjak; Harmen Dekker; Evi Michels; Erik Meers. The Potential of Digestate and the Liquid Fraction of Digestate as Chemical Fertiliser Substitutes under the RENURE Criteria. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1374 .

AMA Style

Gregory Reuland, Ivona Sigurnjak, Harmen Dekker, Evi Michels, Erik Meers. The Potential of Digestate and the Liquid Fraction of Digestate as Chemical Fertiliser Substitutes under the RENURE Criteria. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (7):1374.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gregory Reuland; Ivona Sigurnjak; Harmen Dekker; Evi Michels; Erik Meers. 2021. "The Potential of Digestate and the Liquid Fraction of Digestate as Chemical Fertiliser Substitutes under the RENURE Criteria." Agronomy 11, no. 7: 1374.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2021 in Plants
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The potential of Lemna minor to valorise agricultural wastewater into a protein-rich feed component to meet the growing demand for animal feed protein and reduce the excess of nutrients in certain European regions was investigated. Three pilot-scale systems were monitored for nine weeks under outdoor conditions in Flanders. The systems were fed with a mixture of the liquid fraction and the biological effluent of a swine manure treatment system diluted with rainwater in order that the weekly N and P addition was equal to the N and P removal by the system. The design tested the accumulation of elements in a continuous recirculation system. Potassium, Cl, S, Ca, and Mg were abundantly available in the swine manure wastewaters and tended to accumulate, being a possible cause of concern for long-operating recirculation systems. The harvested duckweed was characterised for its mineral composition and protein content. In animal husbandry, trace elements are specifically added to animal feed as micronutrients and, thus, feedstuffs biofortified with essential trace elements can provide added value. Duckweed grown on the tested mixture of swine manure waste streams could be considered as a source of Mn, Zn, and Fe for swine feed, while it is not a source of Cu for swine feed. Moreover, it was observed that As, Cd, and Pb content were below the limits of the feed Directive 2002/32/EC in the duckweed grown on the tested medium. Overall, these results demonstrate that duckweed can effectively remove nutrients from agriculture wastewaters in a recirculated system while producing a feed source with a protein content of 35% DM.

ACS Style

Reindert Devlamynck; Marcella de Souza; Jan Leenknegt; Liesbeth Jacxsens; Mia Eeckhout; Erik Meers. Lemna minor Cultivation for Treating Swine Manure and Providing Micronutrients for Animal Feed. Plants 2021, 10, 1124 .

AMA Style

Reindert Devlamynck, Marcella de Souza, Jan Leenknegt, Liesbeth Jacxsens, Mia Eeckhout, Erik Meers. Lemna minor Cultivation for Treating Swine Manure and Providing Micronutrients for Animal Feed. Plants. 2021; 10 (6):1124.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Reindert Devlamynck; Marcella de Souza; Jan Leenknegt; Liesbeth Jacxsens; Mia Eeckhout; Erik Meers. 2021. "Lemna minor Cultivation for Treating Swine Manure and Providing Micronutrients for Animal Feed." Plants 10, no. 6: 1124.

Journal article
Published: 28 May 2021 in Chemosphere
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Demand for phosphorus (P) resources other than non-renewable P rock has driven the development of several P recovery technologies from municipal wastewater treatment and directed recovery of P into valuable fertilizers (struvite, ash, iron phosphate, etc.). Although the bioavailability of novel secondary P fertilizers has been examined in previous studies, insufficient attention has been paid to defining optimal plant growth duration and monitoring conditions to assess the dynamic changes in P. Accordingly, five fertilizers recovered from municipal wastewater: two struvites (STRSL and STRLQ), two ashes (ASH1 and ASH2), and iron-phosphate pelletized sludge (FeP) using triple superphosphate (TSP) as a positive control and blank (zero P) as a negative control, were applied to P poor-sand at three P doses (equivalent to 30, 60, and 90 kgP2O5 ha-1). Fertilizer impact on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) dry matter (DM) and P concentration were evaluated on a monthly basis for seven months. DM and relative agronomical efficiency (RAE) have shown the same trend between the fertilizers, but only at the lowest P dose (corresponding to 30 kg P2O5 ha-1). At higher P doses (60, and 90 kgP2O5 ha-1) the differences in DM and RAE among the fertilizers diminished. STRLQ, STRSL, ASH1 and FeP expressed a rather steady P release pattern, while ASH2 had a delay of four cuts and increase afterwards. Monitoring the P uptake during four months of perennial ryegrass growth turned out to be the minimum, and seven months the optimum period for reaching the full capacity of the slow-release P fertilizers.

ACS Style

Aleksandra Bogdan; Ciaran O' Donnell; Ana Alejandra Robles Aguilar; Ivona Sigurnjak; Niamh Power; Evi Michels; Joe Harrington; Erik Meers. Impact of time and phosphorus application rate on phosphorus bioavailability and efficiency of secondary fertilizers recovered from municipal wastewater. Chemosphere 2021, 282, 131017 .

AMA Style

Aleksandra Bogdan, Ciaran O' Donnell, Ana Alejandra Robles Aguilar, Ivona Sigurnjak, Niamh Power, Evi Michels, Joe Harrington, Erik Meers. Impact of time and phosphorus application rate on phosphorus bioavailability and efficiency of secondary fertilizers recovered from municipal wastewater. Chemosphere. 2021; 282 ():131017.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aleksandra Bogdan; Ciaran O' Donnell; Ana Alejandra Robles Aguilar; Ivona Sigurnjak; Niamh Power; Evi Michels; Joe Harrington; Erik Meers. 2021. "Impact of time and phosphorus application rate on phosphorus bioavailability and efficiency of secondary fertilizers recovered from municipal wastewater." Chemosphere 282, no. : 131017.

Article
Published: 28 May 2021 in BioEnergy Research
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Grass clippings have a good biomethane potential and, if acquired from roadside verges, nature management or natural grasslands do not compete for arable land, avoiding the food versus fuel debate. However, before the grass is processed in a wet anaerobic digester, a pretreatment step is advisable to minimize the problems associated with its fibrous nature. In this study, the effects of a semi-industrial extrusion pretreatment on fresh and ensiled grass were investigated through an energetic and economic assessment. Extrusion improved the mixing properties of the grass feedstock and reduced the formation of a floating layer even at a solid concentration of 10% (w/v). This pretreatment also enhanced the biomethane potential of ensiled grass and fresh grass by, respectively, 18 and 11% on a fresh matter basis, while shredding reduced this value by 14% when compared to fresh grass. This was attributed to changes in the volatile solids (VS) content of the treated samples, as all conditions resulted in similar biomethane yields when calculated per ton of VS, ranging from 325.5 to 337.6 Nm3 CH4/ton VS. However, ensiling resulted in a longer lag phase during biogas production attributed to the leaching of readily available sugars from the ruptured plant cells; nevertheless, this is not expected to be significant in a buffered industrial system. The revenue resulting from the extrusion treatment, between €6 and €17 per tonne of FM, compensated the cost of this additional step, indicating that extrusion would be a techno-economically sound process for the anaerobic digestion of grass.

ACS Style

M. F. Souza; N. Devriendt; B. Willems; R. Guisson; J. K. Biswas; Erik Meers. Techno-economic Feasibility of Extrusion as a Pretreatment Step for Biogas Production from Grass. BioEnergy Research 2021, 1 -8.

AMA Style

M. F. Souza, N. Devriendt, B. Willems, R. Guisson, J. K. Biswas, Erik Meers. Techno-economic Feasibility of Extrusion as a Pretreatment Step for Biogas Production from Grass. BioEnergy Research. 2021; ():1-8.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. F. Souza; N. Devriendt; B. Willems; R. Guisson; J. K. Biswas; Erik Meers. 2021. "Techno-economic Feasibility of Extrusion as a Pretreatment Step for Biogas Production from Grass." BioEnergy Research , no. : 1-8.

Journal article
Published: 13 April 2021 in Applied Sciences
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Phytoattenuation combines phytoextraction or phytostabilization with the economic valorization of the biomass produced on the contaminated soil. Sorghum bicolor is a suitable crop for this strategy, as it is known to be metal-tolerant and can be used for biogas or bioethanol production or in strategies toward biofortification. In the current investigation, two cultivars, Biomass 133 and Trudan Headless (HL), were studied in a metal-contaminated (Cd, Pb, Zn) field site located in northern France to assess their potential use in a phytoattenuation strategy. The biomass yield and the metal transfer in the produced biomass were monitored in three plots with different pollution levels. Both cultivars were tolerant to high levels of metal pollution in field conditions, with yields similar to that obtained on uncontaminated sites. Neither of the cultivars changed the metal mobility of the soil and both exhibited a metal-excluder behavior. Nevertheless, Cd concentration in the aboveground part of Trudan HL, and of Biomass 133 to a lesser extent, could restrict their use in some valorization options. However, biogas production was possible with the produced biomass, indicating anaerobic digestion to be a possible valorization route for sorghum grown on contaminated sites.

ACS Style

Alexandre Perlein; Valérie Bert; Océane Desannaux; Marcella Fernandes de Souza; Arnaud Papin; Rodolphe Gaucher; Isabelle Zdanevitch; Erik Meers. The Use of Sorghum in a Phytoattenuation Strategy: A Field Experiment on a TE-Contaminated Site. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 3471 .

AMA Style

Alexandre Perlein, Valérie Bert, Océane Desannaux, Marcella Fernandes de Souza, Arnaud Papin, Rodolphe Gaucher, Isabelle Zdanevitch, Erik Meers. The Use of Sorghum in a Phytoattenuation Strategy: A Field Experiment on a TE-Contaminated Site. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (8):3471.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alexandre Perlein; Valérie Bert; Océane Desannaux; Marcella Fernandes de Souza; Arnaud Papin; Rodolphe Gaucher; Isabelle Zdanevitch; Erik Meers. 2021. "The Use of Sorghum in a Phytoattenuation Strategy: A Field Experiment on a TE-Contaminated Site." Applied Sciences 11, no. 8: 3471.

Journal article
Published: 26 February 2021 in Agronomy
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The European dairy industry generates large volumes of wastewater from milk and dairy food processing. Removal of phosphorus (P) by complexing with metal (e.g., aluminium, calcium) cations in P rich sludge is a potential P source for agricultural reuse and P recycling. However, there is a significant knowledge gap concerning the plant availability of this complexed P in comparison to conventional mineral P fertiliser. The current absence of information on plant P bioavailability of dairy processing sludge (DPS) limits the ability of farmers and nutrient management advisors to incorporate it correctly into fertiliser programmes. The present study examined the most common types of dairy sludge—(1) aluminium-precipitated sludge (“Al-DPS”) and (2) calcium-precipitated lime-stabilised sludge (“Ca-DPS”) at field scale to assess P availability in grassland versus mineral P fertiliser over a growing season. The experimental design was a randomised complete block with five replications. Crop yield and P uptake were assessed for 4 harvests. The initial soil test P was at a low level and the experimental treatments were super phosphate at 15, 30, 40, 50 and 60 kg P ha−1, two dairy sludge applied at 40 kg P ha−1 (comparison was made with mineral P at same application rate) and a zero P control applied in a single application at the beginning of the growing season. Results showed a significant positive slope in the relationship between P uptake response and mineral P application rate indicating the suitability of the experimental site for P availability assessment. The P bioavailability of Al- and Ca-DPS varied greatly between treatments. The P fertiliser replacement value based on the 1st harvest was 50 and 16% increased to 109 and 31% cumulatively over the four harvests for Al- and Ca-DPS, respectively. The Al concentration in Al-DPS did not limit P bioavailability, but low P bioavailability from Ca-DPS can be associated with its high Ca content that can lead to formation of low soluble Ca-P compounds at alkaline pH conditions with a high Ca/P ratio. These findings show that P availability from dairy sludge can be quite different depending on treatment process. Consequently, it is critical to have P availability information as well as total P content available to ensure the application rate meets crop requirements without creating environmental risk by over application.

ACS Style

S.M. Ashekuzzaman; Owen Fenton; Erik Meers; Patrick Forrestal. Differing Phosphorus Crop Availability of Aluminium and Calcium Precipitated Dairy Processing Sludge Potential Recycled Alternatives to Mineral Phosphorus Fertiliser. Agronomy 2021, 11, 427 .

AMA Style

S.M. Ashekuzzaman, Owen Fenton, Erik Meers, Patrick Forrestal. Differing Phosphorus Crop Availability of Aluminium and Calcium Precipitated Dairy Processing Sludge Potential Recycled Alternatives to Mineral Phosphorus Fertiliser. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (3):427.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S.M. Ashekuzzaman; Owen Fenton; Erik Meers; Patrick Forrestal. 2021. "Differing Phosphorus Crop Availability of Aluminium and Calcium Precipitated Dairy Processing Sludge Potential Recycled Alternatives to Mineral Phosphorus Fertiliser." Agronomy 11, no. 3: 427.

Journal article
Published: 19 February 2021 in Ecological Indicators
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Industrial pollution remains a driving force to ecosystem alteration. Pollutants are released in the atmosphere interacting in turn with other components of earth system such as plant species. Despite the long-term exposition of vegetation cover to pollution is drastically devastating, less is known about the contribution of ecological indicators for its monitoring. The aims of this study are (i) to introduce the ecological indicators in assessing the cement dust impact on plant species and its biomonitoring and (ii) to screen new indicator species for phytoremediation studies. Floristic surveys were conducted in the cement plant closeness following quadrat method. Vegetation indicators such as total plant cover, perennial and annual species densities and diversity were assessed. Bioindicator species were identified using the bioaccumulation factor (BF) and translocation factor (TF). A decrease of perennial species richness and a decline of total vegetation cover by 7 times as well as a diversity decrease ranging from 2.99 to 2.31 were found pertinent indicators of land degradation in the industrial area. Annual species densities were significantly affected by cement pollution. Species like Lygeum spartum, Atractylis serratuloides and Gymnocarpos decander arise as indicators of heavy metals pollution. Pollution in the cement plant vicinity excluded sensitive species like Helianthemum kahiricum, Stipa tenassissima, Plantago coronopus. This study allowed the identification of indicator species of potential use in phytoremediation applications and emphasized the possibility of relaying on the vegetation indicators to assess the impact of cement pollution.

ACS Style

Ines Terwayet Bayouli; Houssem Terwayet Bayouli; Aronne Dell'Oca; Erik Meers; Jian Sun. Ecological indicators and bioindicator plant species for biomonitoring industrial pollution: Eco-based environmental assessment. Ecological Indicators 2021, 125, 107508 .

AMA Style

Ines Terwayet Bayouli, Houssem Terwayet Bayouli, Aronne Dell'Oca, Erik Meers, Jian Sun. Ecological indicators and bioindicator plant species for biomonitoring industrial pollution: Eco-based environmental assessment. Ecological Indicators. 2021; 125 ():107508.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ines Terwayet Bayouli; Houssem Terwayet Bayouli; Aronne Dell'Oca; Erik Meers; Jian Sun. 2021. "Ecological indicators and bioindicator plant species for biomonitoring industrial pollution: Eco-based environmental assessment." Ecological Indicators 125, no. : 107508.

Journal article
Published: 02 February 2021 in Sustainability
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This study investigated the potential of Lemna minor to valorise agricultural wastewater in protein-rich feed material in order to meet the growing demand for animal feed protein and reduce the excess of nutrients in certain European regions. For this purpose, three pilot-scale systems were monitored for 175 days under outdoor conditions in Flanders. The systems were fed with the effluent of aquaculture (pikeperch production—PP), a mixture of diluted pig manure wastewater (PM), and a synthetic medium (SM). PM showed the highest productivity (6.1 ± 2.5 g DW m−2 d−1) and N uptake (327 ± 107 mg N m−2 d−1). PP yielded a similar productivity and both wastewaters resulted in higher productivities than SM. Furthermore, all media showed similar P uptake rates (65–70 P m−2 d−1). Finally, duckweed had a beneficial amino acid composition for humans (essential amino acid index = 1.1), broilers and pigs. This study also showed that the growing medium had more influence on the productivity of duckweed than on its amino acid composition or protein content, with the latter being only slightly affected by the different media studied. Overall, these results demonstrate that duckweed can effectively remove nutrients from agriculture wastewaters while producing quality protein.

ACS Style

Reindert Devlamynck; Marcella Fernandes de Souza; Evi Michels; Ivona Sigurnjak; Natalia Donoso; Carl Coudron; Jan Leenknegt; Pieter Vermeir; Mia Eeckhout; Erik Meers. Agronomic and Environmental Performance of Lemnaminor Cultivated on Agricultural Wastewater Streams—A Practical Approach. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1570 .

AMA Style

Reindert Devlamynck, Marcella Fernandes de Souza, Evi Michels, Ivona Sigurnjak, Natalia Donoso, Carl Coudron, Jan Leenknegt, Pieter Vermeir, Mia Eeckhout, Erik Meers. Agronomic and Environmental Performance of Lemnaminor Cultivated on Agricultural Wastewater Streams—A Practical Approach. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (3):1570.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Reindert Devlamynck; Marcella Fernandes de Souza; Evi Michels; Ivona Sigurnjak; Natalia Donoso; Carl Coudron; Jan Leenknegt; Pieter Vermeir; Mia Eeckhout; Erik Meers. 2021. "Agronomic and Environmental Performance of Lemnaminor Cultivated on Agricultural Wastewater Streams—A Practical Approach." Sustainability 13, no. 3: 1570.

Original paper
Published: 10 January 2020 in Arabian Journal of Geosciences
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During the last decades, Southeastern Tunisia has suffered from an industrial expansion leading to a serious pollution problem. In this work, heavy metal contamination near Gabes cement plant (Southeastern Tunisia) was assessed in the soils and statistically compared with a control site located 12 km away. Soil samples were collected from 5 to 15 cm below the surface layer. Concentrations of Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Fe and chemical parameters (conductivity, pH, CaCO3, OM) were measured. The variance analysis exhibited a significant difference (p < 0.05) in metal content between the two sites reflecting the cement plant contamination effect on the surrounding area. Eleven plant species widely distributed in the study area were collected together with the soil in which they were rooted, to assess their phytoextraction potential. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to understand the complex connection between soil, plants, and heavy metal contents. Lygeum spartum with respective total bioaccumulation factor (MBF = 1.48 ˃ 1 and Echiochilon fruticosum with a total translocation factor (MTF = 7.06) ˃ 1 were revealed as pertinent candidates for phytoremediation applications.

ACS Style

Ines Terwayet Bayouli; Beatriz Gómez-Gómez; Houssem Terwayet Bayouli; Teresa Pérez-Corona; Erik Meers; Emna Ammar; Ali Ferchichi; Yolanda Madrid Albarrán. Heavy metal transport and fate in soil-plant system: study case of industrial cement vicinity, Tunisia. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 2020, 13, 75 .

AMA Style

Ines Terwayet Bayouli, Beatriz Gómez-Gómez, Houssem Terwayet Bayouli, Teresa Pérez-Corona, Erik Meers, Emna Ammar, Ali Ferchichi, Yolanda Madrid Albarrán. Heavy metal transport and fate in soil-plant system: study case of industrial cement vicinity, Tunisia. Arabian Journal of Geosciences. 2020; 13 (2):75.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ines Terwayet Bayouli; Beatriz Gómez-Gómez; Houssem Terwayet Bayouli; Teresa Pérez-Corona; Erik Meers; Emna Ammar; Ali Ferchichi; Yolanda Madrid Albarrán. 2020. "Heavy metal transport and fate in soil-plant system: study case of industrial cement vicinity, Tunisia." Arabian Journal of Geosciences 13, no. 2: 75.

Journal article
Published: 06 December 2019 in Chemosphere
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In Campine region in Flanders (Belgium) there are contaminated sites with Cd and Zn due to atmospheric deposition from industry. Flanders is also known for its large surpluses of nitrogen and phosphorous coming from intense livestock production. To solve both issues, the potential of biochar to sorb metals and nutrients was investigated. Experiments were conducted to examine whether biochar could reduce the leaching of nutrients (K, P and S) and metals (Cd and Zn) into the soil solution. Most biochars caused an increase in pH of approximately 1 unit which is often the main driver of the metal immobilization. Nutrient concentrations in the leachate of soil amended with oak-based biochar were lower compared to the blank soil. For the other amendments, however, the results were higher due to the nutrients leached from the applied products. The result of this experiment emphasize the potential of biochar to immobilize nutrients and metals in soil water systems, thus keeping the nutrients longer available for the plant and reducing the metal toxicity. However, the amount of metals immobilized was lower than expected. Further research is required to determine whether biochar from livestock products could act as a slow release fertilizer.

ACS Style

Reinhart Van Poucke; Erik Meers; Filip M.G. Tack. Leaching behavior of Cd, Zn and nutrients (K, P, S) from a contaminated soil as affected by amendment with biochar. Chemosphere 2019, 245, 125561 .

AMA Style

Reinhart Van Poucke, Erik Meers, Filip M.G. Tack. Leaching behavior of Cd, Zn and nutrients (K, P, S) from a contaminated soil as affected by amendment with biochar. Chemosphere. 2019; 245 ():125561.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Reinhart Van Poucke; Erik Meers; Filip M.G. Tack. 2019. "Leaching behavior of Cd, Zn and nutrients (K, P, S) from a contaminated soil as affected by amendment with biochar." Chemosphere 245, no. : 125561.

Original paper
Published: 27 November 2019 in Environmental Geochemistry and Health
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Biochar prepared from waste biomass was evaluated as a soil amendment to immobilize metals in two contaminated soils. A 60-day incubation experiment was set up on a French technosol which was heavily contaminated with Pb due to former mining activities. Grass biochar, cow manure biochar (CMB) and two lightwood biochars differing in particle size distribution (LWB1 and LWB2) were amended to the soil at a rate of 2% (by mass). Rhizon soil moisture samplers were employed to assess the Pb concentrations in the soil solution at regular times. After 30 days of incubation, soil solution concentrations in the CMB-amended soil decreased by more than 99% compared to the control. CMB was also applied to a moderately contaminated Flemish soil and resulted in lowered soil solution Cd and Zn concentrations. While the application of 4% CMB resulted in 90% and 80% reductions in soil solution concentrations of Cd and Zn, respectively, the solid fraction of digestate (as a reference) reduced the soil pore water concentrations by only 63% for Cd and 73% for Zn, compared to the concentrations in the control. These results emphasize the potential of biochar to immobilize metals in soil and water systems, thus reducing their phytotoxicity.

ACS Style

Reinhart Van Poucke; Caleb Egene; Simon Allaert; Manhattan Lebrun; Sylvain Bourgerie; Domenico Morabito; Yong Sik Ok; Frederik Ronsse; Erik Meers; Filip M G Tack. Application of biochars and solid fraction of digestate to decrease soil solution Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in contaminated sandy soils. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2019, 42, 1589 -1600.

AMA Style

Reinhart Van Poucke, Caleb Egene, Simon Allaert, Manhattan Lebrun, Sylvain Bourgerie, Domenico Morabito, Yong Sik Ok, Frederik Ronsse, Erik Meers, Filip M G Tack. Application of biochars and solid fraction of digestate to decrease soil solution Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in contaminated sandy soils. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 2019; 42 (6):1589-1600.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Reinhart Van Poucke; Caleb Egene; Simon Allaert; Manhattan Lebrun; Sylvain Bourgerie; Domenico Morabito; Yong Sik Ok; Frederik Ronsse; Erik Meers; Filip M G Tack. 2019. "Application of biochars and solid fraction of digestate to decrease soil solution Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in contaminated sandy soils." Environmental Geochemistry and Health 42, no. 6: 1589-1600.

Journal article
Published: 14 October 2019 in Applied Sciences
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The increasing demand for sustainable, robust and cost-efficient wastewater treatment techniques strengthen the implementation of constructed wetlands (CWs) in the agricultural sector. In countries like Belgium (Flanders), the compliance of strict water quality standards and surface area requirements have hindered considerably their application. New wetland designs such as aerated CWs, could help to overcome these challenges. This study evaluated the capacity of artificially aerated mesocosm systems to decrease chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations below the 125 mgO2/L limit imposed on installations treating animal manure. The treatment of this high-strength wastewater has been slightly studied via aerated CWs. A three-stage experiment investigated the effect of constant, intermittent and non-aeration regimes on: ammonium volatilisation, the evolution of organic and nitrogen compounds concentrations, and denitrification. The results were assessed through a mixed modelling procedure using SAS 9.4 software. A COD removal between 65% and 58% in constantly and intermittent aerated systems, versus 27% COD removal in the non-aerated system indicated the effectiveness of aeration. However, a dissimilarity was encountered in the removal of nitrogen compounds, resulting in an 82% decrease of nitrate concentrations in the non-aerated system, versus 0.5% and 11% in the aerated ones. Based on the results, this experimental set-up adjusted to field operational conditions can prove that aerated CWs can treat the liquid fraction of piggery manure.

ACS Style

Natalia Donoso; Dion Van Oirschot; Jayanta Kumar Biswas; Evi Michels; Erik Meers. Impact of Aeration on the Removal of Organic Matter and Nitrogen Compounds in Constructed Wetlands Treating the Liquid Fraction of Piggery Manure. Applied Sciences 2019, 9, 4310 .

AMA Style

Natalia Donoso, Dion Van Oirschot, Jayanta Kumar Biswas, Evi Michels, Erik Meers. Impact of Aeration on the Removal of Organic Matter and Nitrogen Compounds in Constructed Wetlands Treating the Liquid Fraction of Piggery Manure. Applied Sciences. 2019; 9 (20):4310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Natalia Donoso; Dion Van Oirschot; Jayanta Kumar Biswas; Evi Michels; Erik Meers. 2019. "Impact of Aeration on the Removal of Organic Matter and Nitrogen Compounds in Constructed Wetlands Treating the Liquid Fraction of Piggery Manure." Applied Sciences 9, no. 20: 4310.

Journal article
Published: 12 September 2019 in Journal of Environmental Management
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This work aimed at elucidating the role of bacteria present in the gut of the earthworm Metaphire posthuma in plant growth promotion and toxic trace elements (TTEs) bioremediation. We isolated and identified three bacterial strains Bacillus safensis (MF 589718), Bacillus flexus (MF 589717) and Staphylococcus haemolyticus (MF 589719) among which the Bacillus strains appeared to be significantly more potent than the Staphylococcus strain (P < 0.05) in promoting plant growth and removing TTE (Cr(VI), Cu(II) and Zn(II)) from aqueous media. These strains exhibited several plant growth promoting traits (e.g., indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA) and ammonium ion production, 1-aminocyclopropane- 1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, and phosphate solubilizing potential). In a pot trial, the gut isolates improved Vigna radiata seed germination, and enhanced the leaf area (30–79%), total chlorophyll content (26–67%) and overall root-shoot biomass (32–83%) as compared to the control. Bacillus safensis and Bacillus flexus were equipotent in removing Cr(VI) (40.5 and 40.3%) from aqueous media; the former triumphed for Zn(II) removal (52.8%), while the latter performed better for Cu(II) removal (43.5%). The gut isolates successfully solubilized phosphate even in TTE-contaminated conditions. The results demonstrate that the earthworm's enteric bacteria possess inherent plant growth promoting, TTE resistance and phosphate solubilization (even under TTE stress) properties which can be further explored for their application in sustainable crop production and environmental management.

ACS Style

Anurupa Banerjee; Jayanta Kumar Biswas; Deepak Pant; Binoy Sarkar; Punarbasu Chaudhuri; Mahendra Rai; Erik Meers. Enteric bacteria from the earthworm (Metaphire posthuma) promote plant growth and remediate toxic trace elements. Journal of Environmental Management 2019, 250, 109530 .

AMA Style

Anurupa Banerjee, Jayanta Kumar Biswas, Deepak Pant, Binoy Sarkar, Punarbasu Chaudhuri, Mahendra Rai, Erik Meers. Enteric bacteria from the earthworm (Metaphire posthuma) promote plant growth and remediate toxic trace elements. Journal of Environmental Management. 2019; 250 ():109530.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anurupa Banerjee; Jayanta Kumar Biswas; Deepak Pant; Binoy Sarkar; Punarbasu Chaudhuri; Mahendra Rai; Erik Meers. 2019. "Enteric bacteria from the earthworm (Metaphire posthuma) promote plant growth and remediate toxic trace elements." Journal of Environmental Management 250, no. : 109530.

Chapter
Published: 03 August 2019 in Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology
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In the second part of the chapter, GAC and nature merge completely, in which mechanical sample collectors are replaced by mosses within the framework of bioindication and biomonitoring (B & B) technologies during atmospheric deposition measurement of chemical elements. Definitions of bioindicators and biomonitors, active and passive B & B technologies and interdisciplinary connections between bioindicative sampling and scientific interpretations of natural systems are given. Mosses are distinguished by a rather large resistance toward enhanced levels of various anthropogenic air pollutions permitting their use also in polluted areas.

ACS Style

Bernd Markert; Eun-Shik Kim; Stefan Fränzle; Simone Wünschmann; Meie Wang; Rumy Djingova; Mira Aničić Urošević; Shirong Liu; John Hillman; Jean-Bernard Diatta; Susanta Lahiri; Ivan Suchara; Piotr Szefer; Guntis Tabors; Jörg Rinklebe; Stefano Loppi; Harry Harmens; Peter Hooda; Maria Wacławek; Filipe Tack; Svetlana Gorelova; Anna Knox; Józef Pacyna; Elias Baydoun; Marina Frontasyeva; Adnan Badran; Alexander Lux; Silvia De Marco; Erik Meers; Andrzej Kłos; Jerome Nriagu. Teaching Green Analytical Chemistry on the Example of Bioindication and Biomonitoring (B & B) Technologies. Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology 2019, 19 -43.

AMA Style

Bernd Markert, Eun-Shik Kim, Stefan Fränzle, Simone Wünschmann, Meie Wang, Rumy Djingova, Mira Aničić Urošević, Shirong Liu, John Hillman, Jean-Bernard Diatta, Susanta Lahiri, Ivan Suchara, Piotr Szefer, Guntis Tabors, Jörg Rinklebe, Stefano Loppi, Harry Harmens, Peter Hooda, Maria Wacławek, Filipe Tack, Svetlana Gorelova, Anna Knox, Józef Pacyna, Elias Baydoun, Marina Frontasyeva, Adnan Badran, Alexander Lux, Silvia De Marco, Erik Meers, Andrzej Kłos, Jerome Nriagu. Teaching Green Analytical Chemistry on the Example of Bioindication and Biomonitoring (B & B) Technologies. Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology. 2019; ():19-43.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bernd Markert; Eun-Shik Kim; Stefan Fränzle; Simone Wünschmann; Meie Wang; Rumy Djingova; Mira Aničić Urošević; Shirong Liu; John Hillman; Jean-Bernard Diatta; Susanta Lahiri; Ivan Suchara; Piotr Szefer; Guntis Tabors; Jörg Rinklebe; Stefano Loppi; Harry Harmens; Peter Hooda; Maria Wacławek; Filipe Tack; Svetlana Gorelova; Anna Knox; Józef Pacyna; Elias Baydoun; Marina Frontasyeva; Adnan Badran; Alexander Lux; Silvia De Marco; Erik Meers; Andrzej Kłos; Jerome Nriagu. 2019. "Teaching Green Analytical Chemistry on the Example of Bioindication and Biomonitoring (B & B) Technologies." Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology , no. : 19-43.

Review
Published: 26 June 2019 in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology
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In this work, the occurrence of contaminants in drinking water sources was described in relation to their treatment options based on both conventional (e.g., coagulation-flocculation, sedimentation filtration, and chlorination) and advanced treatment techniques (e.g., membrane filtration, ozonation, and biofiltration). However, due to apparent drawbacks of these methods (e.g., formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs)), it is desirable to develop an alternative option for safe drinking water. In this respect, biochar is recognized as an effective candidate to resolve the limitations in treating common pollutants typically occurring in drinking water such as microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). As biochar can exhibit different types of interactions with adsorbates, its sorption processes can be explained by diverse mechanisms, e.g., π-π electron donor-acceptor interactions, complexation, precipitation, H-bonding, and electrostatic attraction. In light of the attractive features of biochar (e.g., enhanced sorption properties, cost-effectiveness, and environmentally friendly nature), we offer in-depth discussion on biochar-based water treatment technologies for large-scale water purification operation.

ACS Style

Kumuduni Niroshika Palansooriya; Yi Yang; Yiu Fai Tsang; Binoy Sarkar; Deyi Hou; Xinde Cao; Erik Meers; Jörg Rinklebe; Ki-Hyun Kim; Yong Sik Ok. Occurrence of contaminants in drinking water sources and the potential of biochar for water quality improvement: A review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 2019, 50, 549 -611.

AMA Style

Kumuduni Niroshika Palansooriya, Yi Yang, Yiu Fai Tsang, Binoy Sarkar, Deyi Hou, Xinde Cao, Erik Meers, Jörg Rinklebe, Ki-Hyun Kim, Yong Sik Ok. Occurrence of contaminants in drinking water sources and the potential of biochar for water quality improvement: A review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2019; 50 (6):549-611.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kumuduni Niroshika Palansooriya; Yi Yang; Yiu Fai Tsang; Binoy Sarkar; Deyi Hou; Xinde Cao; Erik Meers; Jörg Rinklebe; Ki-Hyun Kim; Yong Sik Ok. 2019. "Occurrence of contaminants in drinking water sources and the potential of biochar for water quality improvement: A review." Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 50, no. 6: 549-611.

Journal article
Published: 12 June 2019 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Three feedstocks, pine wood, grass and cow manure, were pyrolyzed under various conditions and tested on their ability to sorb metals in aquatic systems. The feedstocks were pyrolyzed at 2 different temperatures (350 °C and 550 °C) and 2 different residence times (10 and 60 min) and resulting biochars were assessed on their capability to immobilize Pb, Cu, Cd and Zn. Manure-based chars, and to a lesser extent grass-based chars, featured high concentrations of phosphates and carbonates. These anions play an important role in metal sorption because they form insoluble complexes with the metals. Washing reduced the concentration of these anions, leading to a reduced sorption of metals by the biochar. The carbonate concentration on the biochars’ surface increased at higher reactor temperature and longer residence times. The opposite trend was observed for the phosphate concentration and the cation exchange capacity. Accordingly, the optimal temperature-residence time combination for sorption was a trade-off between these properties. Biochar produced from cow manure and pyrolyzed at 550 °C for 10 min showed the best sorption for all metals considered.

ACS Style

R. Van Poucke; S. Allaert; Y.S. Ok; M. Pala; F. Ronsse; F.M.G. Tack; Erik Meers. Metal sorption by biochars: A trade-off between phosphate and carbonate concentration as governed by pyrolysis conditions. Journal of Environmental Management 2019, 246, 496 -504.

AMA Style

R. Van Poucke, S. Allaert, Y.S. Ok, M. Pala, F. Ronsse, F.M.G. Tack, Erik Meers. Metal sorption by biochars: A trade-off between phosphate and carbonate concentration as governed by pyrolysis conditions. Journal of Environmental Management. 2019; 246 ():496-504.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Van Poucke; S. Allaert; Y.S. Ok; M. Pala; F. Ronsse; F.M.G. Tack; Erik Meers. 2019. "Metal sorption by biochars: A trade-off between phosphate and carbonate concentration as governed by pyrolysis conditions." Journal of Environmental Management 246, no. : 496-504.

Journal article
Published: 19 April 2019 in Separation and Purification Technology
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This study aims to evaluate the full-scale performance of vibrating membrane filtration (VSEP) technology in resource recovery from the liquid fraction of digestates, while reducing macronutrient concentrations down to dischargeable water. Although increasing attention is paid to mass flow assessment of macronutrients, to date little is known about the fate of micronutrients and heavy metals upon digestate processing. In this research, process streams were characterized and mass balances for micronutrients and heavy metals were performed throughout a complete digestate processing train. The VSEP system operated with reversed osmosis membranes and followed by a lagoon was capable of producing dischargeable water according to Flemish regulatory standards. Concentrates produced by one VSEP filtration of the liquid fraction of digestate and dried thick fractions resulting from solid-liquid separation were rich in macro- and micronutrients, while heavy metal concentrations did not exceed regulatory standards. Hence, these products showed high potential for reuse in agriculture.

ACS Style

Céline Vaneeckhaute; Olivier Darveau; Erik Meers. Fate of micronutrients and heavy metals in digestate processing using vibrating reversed osmosis as resource recovery technology. Separation and Purification Technology 2019, 223, 81 -87.

AMA Style

Céline Vaneeckhaute, Olivier Darveau, Erik Meers. Fate of micronutrients and heavy metals in digestate processing using vibrating reversed osmosis as resource recovery technology. Separation and Purification Technology. 2019; 223 ():81-87.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Céline Vaneeckhaute; Olivier Darveau; Erik Meers. 2019. "Fate of micronutrients and heavy metals in digestate processing using vibrating reversed osmosis as resource recovery technology." Separation and Purification Technology 223, no. : 81-87.

Journal article
Published: 15 April 2019 in Waste Management
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Development and optimization of nutrient recovery technologies for agricultural waste is on the rise. The full scale adoption of these technologies is however hindered by complex legal aspects that result from lack of science-based knowledge on characterization and fertilizer performance of recovered end-products. Ammonium sulfate (AS) and ammonium nitrate (AN), end-products of (stripping-)scrubbing technology, are currently listed by the European Commission as high priority products with the potential of replacing synthetic N fertilizers. The legal acceptance of AS and AN will be highly dependent on critical mass of scientific evidence. This study describes four different (stripping-)scrubbing pathways to recover ammonia with an aim to (i) assess product characteristics of ammonium nitrate (AN) and ammonium sulfate (AS) produced from different installations, (ii) evaluate fertilizer performance of recovered end-products in greenhouse (Lactuca sativa L.) and full field (Zea mays L.) scale settings and (iii) compare the observed performances with other published studies. Results have indicated that the recovered products might have a different legal status, as either mineral N fertilizer or yet as animal manure, depending on the used (stripping-)scrubbing process pathway. Nevertheless, no significant differences in respect to product characterization and fertilizer performance of AN and AS have been identified in this study as compared to the conventional use of synthetic N fertilizers. This indicates that recovered AS and AN are valuable N sources and therefore might be used as N fertilizers in crop cultivation.

ACS Style

I. Sigurnjak; C. Brienza; E. Snauwaert; A. De Dobbelaere; J. De Mey; C. Vaneeckhaute; E. Michels; O. Schoumans; F. Adani; E. Meers. Production and performance of bio-based mineral fertilizers from agricultural waste using ammonia (stripping-)scrubbing technology. Waste Management 2019, 89, 265 -274.

AMA Style

I. Sigurnjak, C. Brienza, E. Snauwaert, A. De Dobbelaere, J. De Mey, C. Vaneeckhaute, E. Michels, O. Schoumans, F. Adani, E. Meers. Production and performance of bio-based mineral fertilizers from agricultural waste using ammonia (stripping-)scrubbing technology. Waste Management. 2019; 89 ():265-274.

Chicago/Turabian Style

I. Sigurnjak; C. Brienza; E. Snauwaert; A. De Dobbelaere; J. De Mey; C. Vaneeckhaute; E. Michels; O. Schoumans; F. Adani; E. Meers. 2019. "Production and performance of bio-based mineral fertilizers from agricultural waste using ammonia (stripping-)scrubbing technology." Waste Management 89, no. : 265-274.

Journal article
Published: 02 April 2019 in Biosystems Engineering
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An anaerobic digestion model was set up and applied to estimate desired methane production in the form of biogas as well as unwanted methane emissions associated with farm-scale digestion of manure. The generally accepted Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 was simplified assuming that hydrolysis is rate-limiting during anaerobic digestion of manure, mainly consisting of non-readily biodegradable compounds. Simulations were performed to demonstrate the effect of temperature and retention time on methane emissions resulting from long-term manure and digestate storage. Moreover, the overall carbon footprint of several manure management scenarios for Flemish dairy farms was assessed based on model simulations and literature data. The scenarios assessed, differed in the possible presence of a digester as well as in the manure collection and storage method. A reduction in methane emissions was achieved for lower manure storage temperatures (through external storage) and by decreasing the stored manure volume and thus the storage time before (controlled) anaerobic digestion. At the same time, feeding fresh manure induced an increased methane production in the digester. The lowest carbon footprint could be achieved on dairy farms with fresh manure collection by a manure scraper, followed by controlled digestion and storage of the digestate in a gas-tight tank, located outside. The controlled digestion must take place in a properly managed and correctly dimensioned reactor as high digester methane losses and low digester retention times increase the carbon footprint significantly.

ACS Style

Tine L.I. Vergote; Wouter J.C. Vanrolleghem; Caroline Van der Heyden; Anke E.J. De Dobbelaere; Jeroen Buysse; Erik Meers; Eveline I.P. Volcke. Model-based analysis of greenhouse gas emission reduction potential through farm-scale digestion. Biosystems Engineering 2019, 181, 157 -172.

AMA Style

Tine L.I. Vergote, Wouter J.C. Vanrolleghem, Caroline Van der Heyden, Anke E.J. De Dobbelaere, Jeroen Buysse, Erik Meers, Eveline I.P. Volcke. Model-based analysis of greenhouse gas emission reduction potential through farm-scale digestion. Biosystems Engineering. 2019; 181 ():157-172.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tine L.I. Vergote; Wouter J.C. Vanrolleghem; Caroline Van der Heyden; Anke E.J. De Dobbelaere; Jeroen Buysse; Erik Meers; Eveline I.P. Volcke. 2019. "Model-based analysis of greenhouse gas emission reduction potential through farm-scale digestion." Biosystems Engineering 181, no. : 157-172.

Journal article
Published: 27 March 2019 in Environment International
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Exchangeable lead (Pb) extracted by ammonium acetate from three independent incubation studies was assessed to understand the influence of feedstock, pyrolysis temperatures, and production conditions on Pb immobilization capacities of different biochars. Vegetable waste biochar, pine cone, wood bark, cocopeat, red pepper stalk, and palm kernel shell were used as feedstocks (food supply and agricultural wastes) to produce biochars at 200–650 °C with and without N2/CO2. Biochars were applied at 5 and 2.5% (w w−1) to a Pb contaminated (i.e., 1445 mg kg−1) agricultural soil collected near an old mine. Lead immobilization in biochar treated soils at the end of incubation period was normalized per gram of biochar applied. Biochar produced from vegetable waste at 500 °C showed the highest Pb immobilization (87%) and highest total exchangeable cations (13.5 cmol(+) kg−1) at the end of the 45 d incubation period. However, on the basis of Pb immobilization per gram of biochar, red pepper stalk biochar produced in CO2 at 650 °C was the best in Pb immobilization (0.09 mg kg−1 g−1 biochar) compared to the other biochars. The enhanced ability to immobilize Pb by biochar produced in CO2 could be due to the presence of siloxanes (SiOSi) on biochar surface. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that alkaline pH, ash%, and N% of biochars influence in Pb immobilization and exchangeable cation availability in soil. Biochar production atmosphere considerably change its properties that influence Pb immobilization. Further studies are needed on the modification of properties and Pb immobilization by biochars produced from various feedstocks in CO2.

ACS Style

Avanthi Deshani Igalavithana; Eilhann E. Kwon; Meththika Vithanage; Jörg Rinklebe; Deok Hyun Moon; Erik Meers; Dan Tsang; Yong Sik Ok. Soil lead immobilization by biochars in short-term laboratory incubation studies. Environment International 2019, 127, 190 -198.

AMA Style

Avanthi Deshani Igalavithana, Eilhann E. Kwon, Meththika Vithanage, Jörg Rinklebe, Deok Hyun Moon, Erik Meers, Dan Tsang, Yong Sik Ok. Soil lead immobilization by biochars in short-term laboratory incubation studies. Environment International. 2019; 127 ():190-198.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Avanthi Deshani Igalavithana; Eilhann E. Kwon; Meththika Vithanage; Jörg Rinklebe; Deok Hyun Moon; Erik Meers; Dan Tsang; Yong Sik Ok. 2019. "Soil lead immobilization by biochars in short-term laboratory incubation studies." Environment International 127, no. : 190-198.