The paper addresses the effect of a compost prepared from tobacco wastes with an admixture of bark and straw on the enzymatic activity and certain chemical properties of a grey-brown podzolic soil amended with that compost.

The study was conducted under the conditions of a pot experiment in which the soil material was collected from the surface horizon of the grey-brown podzolic soil. The effect of the application of the compost was compared with soil without such amendment. The test plant was maize cv. Kosmo 230. Fertilisation of the light soil with the compost studied caused changes in the enzymatic activity of the soil that were related both to the dose of the compost and to the kind of enzyme studied. With increase in the dose of the compost there was an increase in dehydrogenase activity (highest dose) and a significant decrease in the activity of acid phosphatase. Moreover, it was observed that tobacco compost was a significant source that enriched the light soil in organic matter, total nitrogen, and available forms of phosphorus, magnesium and potassium, which was evident in increased yields of maize grown as the test plant.

Significant correlations were also demonstrated between a majority of the biochemical and chemical parameters, which indicates that those parameters characterise well the biological properties of a grey-brown podzolic soil amended with tobacco compost.

Biological treatment in wastewater treatment plants appears to be one of the most crucial factors in water quality management and planning. Though, measuring this important factor is challenging, and obtaining reliable results requires signifi can`t effort. However, the use of artificial neural network (ANN) modeling can help to more reliably and cost-effectively monitor the pollutant characteristics of wastewater treatment plants and regulate the processing of these pollutants. To create an artificial neural network model, a study of the Samsun Eastern Advanced Biological WWTP was carried out. It provides a laboratory simulation and prediction option for flexible treatment process simulations. The models were created to forecast influent features that would affect effluent quality metrics. For ANN models, the correlation coefficients RTRAINING and RALL are more than 0.8080. The MSE, RMSE, and MAPE were less than 0.8704. The model’s results showed compliance with the permitted wastewater quality standards set forth in the Turkish water pollution control law for the environment where the treated wastewater is discharged. This is a useful tool for plant management to enhance the quality of the treatment while enhancing the facility’s dependability and efficiency.

This study aimed to analyse the effect of anthropogenic activities on the spatial distribution of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphate (TP) in Lake Maninjau, Indonesia, during the dry season. Sampling was carried out at ten observation locations representative for various activities around the lake. Cluster analysis and ANOVA were used to classify pollutant sources and observe differences between TN and TP at each site. Concentrations of TN and TP are categorised as oligotrophic-eutrophic. The ANOVA showed spatially that some sampling locations, such as the Tanjung Sani River, floating net cages, and hydropower areas have different TN concentrations. At the same time, TP levels were consistently significantly different across sampling sites. ANOVA and cluster analysis confirmed that floating net cages were the first cluster and the primary contributor to TN and TP. The second and third clusters come from anthropogenic activities around the lake, such as agriculture, settlement, and livestock. The fourth cluster with the lowest TN and TP is the river that receives the anthropogenic activity load but has a high flow velocity. The cluster change analysis needs to be conducted when there are future changes in the composition of floating net cages, agriculture, and settlements.

Seabirds constitute an important link between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, one of its manifestations being the transport of organic matter from the sea to breeding grounds. The main aim of our study was to determine the impact of gregarious and planktivorous little auks on the quantity and chemistry of soil organic matter along the western coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard archipelago. Samples from the vicinity of four breeding colonies and respective controls were investigated using the elemental analyzers as well as the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer with attenuated total reflection module. The results clearly indicate that soils affected by little auks are characterized by significantly higher content of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, water-extractable organic carbon, and water-extractable total nitrogen in comparison with those unaffected by the birds. The size of the local population of little auks appears to be the crucial factor here. The chemistry of soil organic matter in soils affected by little auks is significantly different from that in soils unaffected by the birds. This is associated with fertilization of soils via guano deposition as well as differences in the quantity and quality of vegetation cover related to aforementioned process.