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[Display omitted] • The maximum removal rate of residual lincomycin in LMRs was up to 98.38 % at 200 °C. • Protein and lignin/CRAMs compounds displayed the highest reactivity during AHT. • Humic acids were produced via a novel "Radicals-based polymerization" pathway. • Fatty acid and indole derivative were regarded as plant-growth-promoting compounds. Fermentation-based antibiotic production results in the generation of nutrient-rich antibiotic mycelial residues with significant recycling potential. However, the high concentration of residual antibiotics restricts their application in high-value contexts. This study employs an alkali-thermal humification treatment (AHT) to safely manage lincomycin mycelial residues (LMRs) and assesses the feasibility of the resulting LMRs liquid as organic fertilizer. The removal efficiency for lincomycin attains 98.38 % at 200 °C under AHT. Density functional theory calculations combined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) reveal that hydrothermal degradation of lincomycin occurs through processes such as hydrolyzation, N-demethylation, hydroxylation, and desulfurization. Post AHT, the LMRs liquid contains substantial quantities of amino acids (2.9 g/L) and humic acid (17.29 g/L) at 200 °C. Molecular networking identifies fatty acids and indole derivatives as plant-growth-promoting compounds in LMRs liquid, rendering it an appealing option for organic fertilization. Furthermore, a new pathway termed "Radicals-based polymerization" is proposed, which augments humic acid yield and organic stabilization. This study provides valuable insights into the comprehensive removal of antibiotics while concurrently recovering plant-growth-promoting compounds from antibiotic mycelial residues through the application of the AHT process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural intensification has increased crop productivity but simplified production and reduced cropping system diversity. In recent decades, the intensified wheat–maize rotation in the North China Plain has sharply decreased the groundwater table, with associated environmental and biodiversity issues. Understanding whether increasing cropping system diversity stabilizes productivity, improves resilience, and reduces adverse environmental impacts is critical. This study quantified the water requirements of nine staple crops from 1960 to 2020, established 15 alternative crop rotations, and evaluated the resilience of each rotation in the Cangzhou area, a typical groundwater deletion funnel area. The results showed that reducing cropping density (harvests per year) from 2 to 1.5 decreased the average annual water requirement and irrigation demand by 14 % and 33 %, respectively. Summer soybean alternated with maize and rotated with wheat did not reduce groundwater use but increased profitability and protein production. Spring mung bean–summer millet-based multi-rotations had higher precipitation coupling degrees (8 % in wet years, 17 % in normal years, and 56 % in dry years) and profitability (1.1–2.4 times) than the wheat–maize rotation. The spring potato–summer millet rotation in one year had the greatest profitability, the highest equivalent yield to wheat, and the highest water use efficiency (WUE), while spring maize rotated with winter wheat–summer soybean performed best for protein content, energy output, and WUEs. This study identified 11 alternative rotations with a higher comprehensive evaluation index than the conventional wheat–maize rotation based on entropy-TOPSIS considering 12 indicators. Spring mungbean is not suitable for inclusion in the crop rotation when solely cultivated in one year due to mismatched rainfall. Beyond wheat and maize, soybean, millet, and potato are promising crops for innovative multi-year multi-crop rotations to enhance crop diversification, maximize system outputs, and minimize groundwater and energy depletion. This study's analysis could be extended to develop robust and diverse crop rotations with multiple co-benefits in other water-stressed agricultural regions. • Water requirements of nine staple crops from 1960 to 2020 was quantified. • 15 diversified crop rotations were redesigned and established. • Multi-dimensional outcomes of each rotation were evaluated for synergies and tradeoff. • Reducing cropping density mitigated groundwater table decline. • Wheat-maize rotations involving soybean, millet and potato achieved multiple co-benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work explored PGPBs biosynthesis pathways during vermicomposting via multi-omics. • VC selectively altered fungal communities in sludge and promote PGPBs generation. • VC promoted the production of PGPBs including IAA, SA and fulvic acids. • Vermicompost exhibited stronger supramolecular force in IAA-HS pair than in SA-HS pair. • Vermicompost with auxin-like activity promoted biomass and root elongation of seedlings. Waste activated sludge (WAS) is the main by-product of wastewater treatment plants. Vermicomposting integrated earthworms and reconstructive microbes to achieve WAS stabilization, with the mature composts enriched with plant hormones and humic substances (HS) forming supramolecular forces to protect hormone activity. However, how vermicomposting changes sludge microbial community, transforms sludge-derived organics into various plant biostimulants and promotes hormones-HS interaction remain elusive. Here we used multi-omics approaches to demonstrate how reconstructed microbes transformed sludge-derived organics into plant biostimulants, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to explore the force details of hormone-HS aggregations. Additionally, plant growth phenotype treated by the vermicompost was accessed. Our results showed that earthworm (Eisenia fetida) selectively altered fungal communities in sludge matrices, promoting the growth of phyla Mucoromycota, Ascomycota, and Cryptomycota. Reconstructed fungal communities then dominated the transformation of nitrogenous organics, accelerating the degradation rate of proteins and the production rate of plant biostimulants, including humic substances (HS, especially fulvic acid), indoleacetic acid (IAA), jasmonic acid (JA), and salicylic acid (SA). In detail, indole acted as the exclusive precursor for IAA biosynthesis (2.77 mg/kg-TS) via tryptophan metabolism. Unsaturated fatty acids generated from the citrate cycle were responsible for JA production (2.19 mg/kg-TS) via β-oxidation, while phenylalanine contributed to SA production (4.52 μg/kg-TS) via deaminase coenzyme and phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase. The results of MD simulation exhibited a stronger supramolecular force in the IAA-HS assemblage (−46.7 KJ/mol) than the SA-HS pair and JA-HS pair, thus protecting the structure and bioavailability of IAA and promoting the auxin-like activity in the vermicompost. Plant growth experiments further confirmed that vermicompost promoted plant root elongation. This work is believed to deepen the understanding of vermicomposting for sustainable management of sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation has become a pivotal method in geotechnical engineering for analyzing rock failure. However, traditional model lacks comprehensive elastoplastic rock characterization. Therefore, a new finite-discrete element model using the Drucker-Prager criterion and cohesive elements based on a traction-separation law to accurately simulate elastoplastic rock breaking has been built. A scratch test simulation is conducted to describe the mechanical response and failure characteristics of the rock during the cutting process. Rock failure characteristics derived from numerical simulations align closely with experimental observations. These simulations successfully replicate both the ductile and brittle regimes observed during scratch tests. Furthermore, they provide insights into the primary driving factors behind rock failure under different regimes. Variation of cutting force and specific energy obtained from the model are entirely consistent with experimental results, with the specific energy decreasing following a −0.5 power law, thus explaining the energy dissipation rule of the specific energy decrease. In brittle regime, crush zones and the resulting rough shearing surface are observed, plastic damage is also found, revealing that the cutter tip is the key structure influencing them. The model established in this paper holds significant importance for rock mechanical property evaluation and the optimization design of cutter structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Non-targeted mass difference analysis was used to clarify DON transformation pathways. • Nucleic acid (mainly RNA) contributed to deamidization and deamination at 30 °C–70 °C. • Aspartyl, serine, histidine, and glutamyl units were representative precursors at 160 °C–200 °C. • HT liquor at 70–120 °C showed the highest DON bioavailability (∼57.6 %). Hydrothermal (HT) treatment has been considered effectively to recover nitrogen-containing organic nutrients from wastewater activated sludge (WAS), and understanding the fate and distribution of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) during HT process is of great importance to process optimization. Thus, this study aims to investigate molecular transformation pathway of DON during HT process using non-targeted mass difference network analysis and evaluate the bioavailability of DON with chlorella. Results suggested that HT treatment was superior in N -containing organic matter solubilization (DON /TN > 60 %), and DON in WAS underwent extensive transformation processes at various HT temperatures. From room temperature to 70 °C, nucleic acids were solubilized to HT liquor, accomplishing with deamidation (–CONH + H 2 /H 2 O). And a representative ribose nucleic acid with a 'PA–pentose (ribose)–uracil (U)' structure was identified. With temperature rising to 120 °C, large amounts of stable protein were solubilized and hydrolyzed into HT liquor. The non-targeted mass difference network analysis suggested that, from 160 °C to 200 °C, aspartyl, serine, histidine, and glutamyl units were representative precursors for a variety of reactions including Maillard reactions, deamidation, deamination and so on. Amino acids were deaminated (–NH) to produce organic acids and ammonia (ammonium) or decarboxylated (–COO) to produce amines and CO 2. Dicarbonyl compounds (–C 2 H 2 O 2) were identified as the most abundant fragments which could either form humic substances or Maillard reaction products. Chlorella growth bioassay indicated that org-N in HT liquor produced at 120 °C showed the highest bioavailability for Chlorella , while that generated in HT liquor above 160 °C inhibited the growth of Chlorella. This study provided molecular insights for DON transformation following HT process and promoted high-quality resource utilization of WAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]