Phytoremediation is a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and sustainable technology that can utilize vegetation and microorganisms to avoid eutrophication and purifying water environment. The ability of five different living aquatic plants of nitrogen, phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal were investigated in pilot scale constructed wetlands (CWs). Aquatic plant mixes significantly improved COD removal and plant tissue uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus. The wetland performance of mixed plantings was also influenced by the specific species. The mixed planting of Phragmites australi, Nymphaea Colorado and Myriophyllum verticillatum performed better within mixtures, a possible synergistic effect, while Typha orientalis, Nymphaea Colorado, and Vallisneria natans performed poorly, a possible antagonist effect. The nutrient uptake within plant tissues under mixed planting always had synergistic effect. Mixed planting significantly increased the rhizosphere microbial diversity and promoted the growth of functional denitrifying flora. The aquatic plants examined in this study can be used to beautify water landscapes and improve phytoremediation in urban and rural areas, as well as to provide a reference for the design of plant configurations in CWs.

Climate change has forced us to appreciate that our consumption affects the whole globe and our future living conditions. Improved global data allows for a new understanding of the impact that food production and consumption has on the environment, human health and Nature’s resources. Today, the food sector contributes heavily to climate change, biodiversity loss, harmful chemicals as well as to poor human health.

Eating less meat- and diary-based food and more soilless food, as well as reducing food waste and recycling urban-disposed nutrient as fertilizers could reduce land for agriculture by 50 to 70 per cent while still securing a healthy food supply. If so, less land will be cultivated at the end of this century than today, and could instead be reclaimed by Nature to catch carbon and rejuvenate biodiversity. A return to more plant-based diets with unchanged intake of proteins and less calories, sugar, salt and fat combined with less red meat and ultra-processed food would reduce foremost non-communicable diseases.

Such measures in smart recycling cities will also ameliorate human-induced impacts such as emissions to air and water bodies, reverse crossing other planetary boundaries, and reduce polluting extraction of N, P and K. Since almost all people will live in urban areas their food-related activities directly impact environmental conditions not only in cities but in the rest of Earth’s habitable areas. We can avoid the current clearing of new fields needed under a business-as-usual regime. Therefore, urban residents rather than farmers, fishermen or loggers will be required to lead remedial measures taken by individuals together with industry and the public sector.

Rapid results are within reach since dietary change and the turn-around time of nutrients in food is very short: months rather than decades or centuries as for recycled materials in cars and buildings.

This research investigates a novel and sustainable method for producing electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD), a crucial component in alkaline batteries. The process involves electrolyzing manganese sulphate to generate MnO₂ at the cathode while simultaneously reducing ferric iron to ferrous iron at the anode. This ferrous iron is then recycled back into the leaching process, eliminating the need for hydrogen evolution and significantly reducing energy consumption and operating costs.

The study found that the current efficiency for ferrous iron regeneration was below 50%, which could pose a limitation for ores with high MnO₂ content. Additionally, the potential for Fe2+ oxidation by air needs further consideration. Despite these challenges, the process demonstrates promising results, producing high-purity MnO₂ with a cell voltage of 1.6 V at ambient conditions.

This innovative approach offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional EMD production methods by minimizing pollutants and operating at ambient conditions. The potential for industrial-scale implementation suggests that this technology could revolutionize the production of cathode materials for batteries.

The weak soils are really a big headache in infrastructure development and, hence, require various stabilization techniques to enhance their engineering properties. GGBS, having pozzolanic properties, is generally used in soil stabilization. In this study, the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of soft soil stabilized with GGBS will be predicted by the K-Nearest Neighbor method. For the development of the model, a total database of 200 samples has been compiled from the literature. SHAP and LIME techniques have been used to analyze the most relevant factors, such as curing period, OMC, and maximum dry density, affecting UCS. The KNN method is found useful to identify the pattern in the data set and to predict UCS values more accurately. It brings into focus the capability of data-driven approaches toward advancement in the practice of stabilization of soils and performance improvement of weak soils treated with GGBS.