Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2025
Authors
Karen Ane Frøyland Skjennum Thomas Hartnik Gijs D. Breedveld Erlend Grenager Sørmo Jan MulderAbstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pose significant environmental and human hazards due to their resistance towards natural degradation. Anthropogenic activities have resulted in worldwide spreading of PFAS, and soil remediation of PFAS is challenging due to its persistent and mobile nature. Amendment with commercial activated carbon (AC) of fossil origin is one of the preferred immobilization strategies for contaminated soil. However, waste-based sorbents may represent a greener alternative to AC. Here, we review the status and potential for the use of waste-based materials as PFAS sorbents in soil remediation. Key properties in the search of candidate materials are discussed, followed by an overview of potential sorbents. The materials reviewed are bark, protein-rich waste, chitosan, amine-modified waste, compost, biosolids, biochar produced from waste-based substrates, and a selection of industrial waste, notably bottom- and fly ash, char and slag. Performance and sorption behavior of these materials are compared for long- and short-chain PFAS, and their applicability is further discussed. Besides great sorption capacity and affinity, promising amendments combine high abundance, low cost, a potential for modification and low risk. Biochar emerges as the most mature and promising candidate of the materials reviewed. Other waste-based materials also show great PFAS sorption capacities, but their performances in soil have not been properly assessed. Besides sorption studies in environmentally relevant matrices, upscaling and long-term studies are needed to further examine the potential use of waste-based sorbents in remediation of PFAS contaminated soil.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Sabine Huber Marie-Cecile Gruselle Katharina Keiblinger Ingrid Lubbers Sónia Rodrigues Hanne Ugstad Jannes Stolte Nafiseh Taghizadeh Kerman Frederik Bøe Franziska FischerAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Peter Waldner Katrin Meusburger Bruno de Vos Henning Meesenburg Kai Schwärzel Carmen Iacoban Zoran Galic Arne Verstraeten Andreas Schmitz Aldo Marchetto Nicholas Clarke Heleen Deroo Nathalie Cools Anne Thimonier Vera Fadrhonsovà Holger Sennhenn-Reulen Anna Andreetta Elena Vanguelova Antti-Jussi Lindroos Anita Zolles Tiina M. NieminenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tatsiana Espevig Kristine Sundsdal Victoria Stornes Moen Ramsøy Kate Entwistle Marina Usoltseva Sabine Braitmaier Daniel Hunt Carlos Guerrero Monica Skogen Erik LysøeAbstract
Thirty-seven turfgrass samples expressing dollar spot symptoms were collected in summer 2020 on golf courses in Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Spain. The fungi were isolated at Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) Turfgrass Laboratory (Norway) and sent for molecular identification using sequencing of regions of ITS (internal transcribed regions of the ribosomal DNA) and calmodulin. Clarireedia homoeocarpa was identified in four turfgrass samples and Clarireedia jacksonii was identified in 11 turfgrass samples. From seven turfgrass samples, the isolated fungi were not Clarireedia spp., but Waitea circinata, Fusarium culmorum, and Fusarium oxysporum. This suggests dollar spot is not always accurately identified from foliar symptoms in the field.
Abstract
In recent years, biochar loaded with urea has been proposed as a promising N-rich fertilizer with both high-N capacity and slow release. Understanding the interaction between urea and biochar at the molecular level is key to product design. Solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy is a particularly powerful method to probe molecular composition and interactions within the bulk of materials. The objective of this work was to identify molecular structures and interactions when urea is loaded into and released from biochar. To do so, we carried out SSNMR investigations of biochar loaded with 13C and 15N isotopically enriched urea. Biochar-urea composites were prepared both with a saturated aqueous urea solution (BUs) and with molten urea (BUm). SSNMR analysis revealed that urea is predominantly in a paracrystalline form on the biochar surface or physically entrapped within biochar pores. In BUm, products of the thermal degradation of urea were also detected, mainly in the form of biuret. Water-immersion experiments showed that 78 and 64% of the urea contained in BUs and BUm is released, respectively, after 24 h, demonstrating substantial retention of urea. The residual urea is mainly physically confined in the biochar pores. In the case of BUm, urea thermal degradation species are also partially retained.
Authors
Eric Watkins Dominic P. Petrella Trygve S. Aamlid Dominic C. Christensen Sigridur Dalmannsdottir Andrew P. Hollman Gary DetersAbstract
Ice encasement is a major concern for turfgrass managers in cold climates; however, there is a lack of data about both which turfgrasses are best suited for survival under these conditions and the reasons behind the superior recovery of some grasses from long-term ice encasement. In this study, we encased golf course putting greens-height field plots of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.), velvet bentgrass (Agrostis canina L.), annual bluegrass (Poa annua L. var. reptans Hausskn.), Chewings fescue (Festuca. rubra L. ssp. commutata Gaudin), and slender creeping red fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. littoralis (G. Mey.) Auquier) with ice for 90–120 days with the inclusion of CO2, O2, and temperature sensors at 2.5 and 12.5 cm depth to better understand environmental conditions under ice and factors related to winterkill. Velvet bentgrass had the best overall performance and recovery, while annual bluegrass did not survive. Differences in recovery among turfgrass taxa may have been affected by the length of the ice encasement period, higher CO2 levels (>40,000 ppm), and lower O2 values, particularly in the second experimental run. During the recovery period in both years, photochemical efficiency values began increasing 5–10 days before percent green cover, suggesting that visual performance of the turf surface is a lagging indicator of recovery. Overall, recovery from ice encasement was annual bluegrass < Chewings fescue < creeping bentgrass = slender creeping red fescue = velvet bentgrass. These results can guide turfgrass managers in making species selection decisions in areas where long-duration ice encasement is a risk. Plain Language Summary Turfgrasses on golf course greens in cold climates can be severely damaged or even die from ice encasement. Little is known about this stress, including why certain grasses can survive longer. As a first step to learn more about this problem, we tested five different turfgrasses for their ability to survive under ice. The study was done during two separate winters in Minnesota under field conditions, resulting in 98 days of ice in 2021–2022 and 112 days of ice cover in 2022–2023. Annual bluegrass died completely during both experimental runs, while Chewings fescue suffered some injury in the first year and did poorly in the second year. Velvet bentgrass was the best grass in both years. Under the longer duration of ice cover in the second year, carbon dioxide levels were very high, while oxygen gas levels slowly declined over the course of the ice encasement period.
Abstract
In 2009, the European Parliament and Council adopted the Directive 2009/128/EC (European Communities) for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides. According to this situation, the integrated pest management (IPM)-Project Golf 2020–2023 was implemented by Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environment Research Foundation and the R&A Trust Company (No. 1) Limited (the R&A) to evaluate and assess new techniques and alternative products to control diseases such as microdochium patch (Microdochium nivale) and dollar spot (Clarireedia spp.) with the goal to reduce the use of fungicides. As a sub-project, the use of UV-C radiation was carried out to investigate the effectivity of UV-C radiation to prevent both diseases on golf course putting greens. This study was conducted from spring 2020 until spring 2022 on a putting green (50% Poa spp. and 50% Agrostis spp.) at the golf course of Osnabrück Golf Club (Germany). The dosages of UV-C radiation were 0 mJ/cm2, 7–8 mJ/cm2, 35–40 mJ/cm2, and 70–80 mJ/cm2 which were applied using the SGL UV-C 180 just prior to and during periods of active dollar spot and microdochium patch development. The results of the UV-C application determined that highest UV-C dosage was able to reduce the severity of dollar spot and microdochium patch by 46%–81%. Thus, UV-C radiation with enhanced dosages can be a helpful tool in IPM strategies for turfgrass management to reduce chemical fungicides with view on tolerance levels of disease infestation.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered