Majid Ghorbani

The global annual production of animal by-product (ABP)-derived bone, estimated at 95‒126 million tonnes, presents both an environmental challenge and an opportunity for sustainable resource utilization. We estimate that bone char (BC) could theoretically replace 13‒32% of the global phosphorus (P) fertilizer market. BC, produced through the pyrolysis of animal bones, has emerged as a promising material for use in a range of agricultural applications related to soil fertility and water quality. The conversion of ABP-derived bone into BC through pyrolysis not only eliminates potential human and animal pathogens (e.g., prions, viruses, bacteria), but also creates a valuable resource rich in P, calcium, and magnesium. This review synthesizes current research on the potential applications of BC in agriculture, focusing on its multifunctional role as a slow-release P fertilizer, a carbon (C) storage material, and an effective adsorbent for remediating contaminated soils. Field and laboratory studies demonstrate that BC’s performance is strongly influenced by pyrolysis conditions, with optimal temperatures between 300 and 500 °C for nutrient release applications and above 600–800 °C for enhanced surface area and contaminant remediation. Its hydroxyapatite structure enables gradual P release and potential toxic element (PTE) immobilization, while its porous nature can provide new habitat niches for soil microorganisms and improve soil water retention. In comparison to most conventional inorganic fertilisers, BC can enhance soil fertility by releasing P slowly, thereby improving plant growth and productivity, particularly in acidic soils. The low cost, renewable nature, and ease of regeneration of BC further enhance its appeal as a viable solution for mitigating environmental pollution and promoting sustainable resource management practices. Beyond its established applications, this review identifies critical knowledge gaps, including the need to investigate BC’s long-term impacts on soil health, microbial communities, and greenhouse gas emissions. We also discuss opportunities for optimizing production methods and expanding applications beyond agriculture. Given BC’s potential to address multiple agricultural and environmental challenges, we emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary research to evaluate implementation barriers, including economic viability, social acceptance, and regulatory frameworks. Graphical Abstract

Soil erosion poses a significant threat to water and soil resources, affecting agricultural productivity, infrastructure, and environmental stability. This study models erosion susceptibility in the Rud‐e‐Faryab basin (Bushehr province, Iran) using the BIOMOD‐2 package in R (an ensemble of 10 machine learning algorithms) applied to 10 important environmental variables. Field data on erosion events were used to train and validate the model, and the performance of the model was evaluated using ROC, KAPPA, and TSS coefficients. The results indicate different accuracies for different erosion types, highlighting the GLM, RF, ANN, SRE, and MARS models. Geological formation, slope, and soil resources were found to be the most important factors for erosion susceptibility in the study. Key innovations of this study include (1) the first‐time adaptation of the BIOMOD‐2 package for soil erosion assessment, (2) the introduction of a stability analysis framework with 10 repeated model runs to test reproducibility, and (3) a comprehensive comparison of 10 machine learning models to identify context‐specific optimal approaches. These contributions provide a robust, replicable framework for erosion risk mapping that is particularly valuable in regions with sparse data, and provide actionable insights for sustainable land use planning and resource management.

Manuscript needs some serious attention to be better. * Abstract could be more. The results section is too small in this part. The authors can explain more about the obtained results and how these help to improve our knowledge. * The first sente...

Plastic pollution is a pressing global issue, prompting the exploration of sustainable alternatives such as bioplastics (BPs). In agriculture, BPs have gained relevance as mulching films. This study investigated the effect of the presence in the soil of different concentrations (0–3%, w/w) of a corn starch-based bioplastic on basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). The results showed that increasing bioplastic concentration reduced shoot fresh biomass production. Biochemical analyses revealed changes in the shoot in soluble protein content, biomarkers of oxidative and osmotic stress (malondialdehyde and proline, respectively), anti-radical activity, and antioxidant compounds (phenols, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid), which are indicative of plant adaptive mechanisms in response to stress caused by the presence of the different concentrations of bioplastic in the soil. Macro- and micronutrient analysis showed imbalances in nutrient uptake, with a decreased content of potassium, phosphorus, and manganese, and an increased content of magnesium, iron, and copper in the shoot at high BP concentrations.

Biochar has been recognized as a promising and efficient material for soil amendment. However, its effects on seed germination are variable due to its alkaline pH and/or the presence of phytotoxic substances. In this study, two types of biochar (B1 and B2) were mixed with soil at different concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50% and 100%, w:w), and both the solid and liquid fractions of these mixtures were tested on the germination of basil, lettuce and tomato seeds. Furthermore, solid fractions subjected to a pre-washing treatment (B1_W and B2_W) were also investigated for their effects on seed germination. Three germination parameters were then measured: seed germination number (GN), radicle length (RL) and germination index (GI). Biochar B2_W at 10% increased both RL and GI in basil by 50% and 70%, respectively, while B1 at 25% increased these parameters in tomato by 25%. No effects or negative effects were recorded for lettuce. Liquid fractions (L1 and L2) generally hampered seed germination, suggesting the presence of potentially water-soluble phytotoxic compounds in biochar. These results point to biochar as a suitable component for germination substrates and highlight that germination tests are critical to select the best performing biochar according to the target crop.

Purpose. The requirement of soil erosion management is to provide appropriate solutions which can be obtained by recognizing the state of soil erosion. The purpose of the study is to model the potential erosion using 10 environmental variables and 10 models in BIOMOD-2 package in R software and to evaluate the stability of the model in order to be aware of the sensitivity of erosion in Rud-e-Faryab basin in Bushehr province. Methods. In addition, the location of five dominant erosions of the basin was recorded using GPS. These events were classified into two groups of training and validation with a ratio of 70 to 30. In order to evaluate the stability, the BIOMOD-2 package model was repeated 10 times. The efficiency of the model was evaluated using ROC, KAPPA and TSS. Results. According to stability results, the best models are determined as GLM model with the accuracy of above 70% in low-rated waterway erosion, RF model with the accuracy of above 80% in medium-rated waterway erosion, ANN and SRE models with 100% accuracy in medium-rated rill erosion, MARS model with accuracy above 60% in high-rated rill erosion and GLM model with accuracy above 80% in medium-rated stream bank erosion according to all three validation parameters. Conclusion. These results indicate high agreement with studies which have used the vector machine models as an effective tool in preparing the potential erosion map of watersheds. In general, it can be said that vector machine methods are a helpful new approach for land use planning and erosion risk management.