Carbon-based amendments are increasingly explored as sustainable technologies for restoring degraded or metal-contaminated soils. Among these, microalgal-based carbon–encapsulated iron nanoparticles (ME-nFe) and biochar (BC 600 °C), represent conceptually different but complementary approaches. Both materials are produced from biomass residues, offer… Read more sorptive and stabilizing capacities, and hold promise for mitigating the mobility and ecological risk of heavy metals in soils. ME-nFe are produced through Hydrothermal Carbonization of microalgal biomass pre-impregnated with Fe(NO3)3 9H2O. HTC is conducted in water at relatively mild temperatures (225 °C) and autogenous pressure, making it a low-energy thermochemical process. From a circular-bioeconomy perspective, HTC allows the valorisation of microalgal biomass from wastewater treatment or commercial production. Algae offer inherent advantages: high protein and polysaccharide content, abundant oxygenated functional groups, and the ability to incorporate nutrients from waste streams. During HTC, the organic matrix undergoes dehydration and polymerization, forming a hydrochar where iron species nucleate as finely dispersed Fe⁰, Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ nanodomains. The coexistence of zero-valent iron and iron oxides provides both reductive and sorptive mechanisms, relevant for transforming and immobilizing metals as Cr(VI), Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺. The microalgalderived carbon matrix introduces mesopores and macropores, as well as carboxyl, hydroxyl and phenolic groups contributing to cation exchange and surface complexation. Biochar from second generation feedstocks is produced at 400-600 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The material generated by pyrolysis at such temperatures is highly aromatized, thermally stable and chemically inert. It exhibits a well-developed microstructure, a conductive carbon matrix capable of mediating electron-transfer reactions, the ability to stimulate electroactive microorganisms and influence soil redox dynamics. Unlike HTC, pyrolysis is more energy-intensive and requires pre-drying of biomass. However, it produces a more porous, more stable and often more adsorptive carbon material. Its microporosity is especially relevant for trapping small metal ions or facilitating complexation with functional groups on internal surfaces. Both ME-nFe and biochar can contribute to metal immobilization and overall soil-quality improvement, but they do so through mechanisms shaped by their distinct structural and chemical features. The two materials differ in both specific surface areas and porosity. The ME-nFe are dominated by mesopores, whereas micropores prevail in the biochars. The ME-nFe are expected to immobilize metals primarily through surface complexation on oxygenated functional groups, redox reactions driven by Fe⁰ and mixed-valence iron oxides, and co-precipitation onto iron hydroxides formed in situ. Their mesoporous structure provides larger pore channels that facilitate diffusion and contact between metals and reactive iron phases, while the magnetic microdomains can promote localized redox cycling. The carbon matrix contributes additional binding sites and can moderately enhance the soil’s cation exchange capacity (CEC). ME-nFe should be most effective where reactivity, reduction of oxidized metal species, and rapid surface interactions are required. In contrast, biochar possesses a network of micropores creating extensive internal surface area at the nanoscale and promote adsorption of dissolved metal ions. The biochar’s alkaline and aromatic carbon matrix can contribute to surface precipitation, cation exchange, and moderate pH buffering, decreasing metal mobility. Its carbon matrix improves soil aggregation, structure, and water retention, and provides microhabitats stimulating beneficial microbial populations. Biochar should contribute more strongly to long-term soil stabilization rather than rapid redox-driven transformations.

Atmospheric mineral dust (hereby ’dust’) is a key component of the Earth system and has widespread climatic impacts. Dust affects the global climate and environment through, for example, radiative forcing, cloud formation, and nutrient cycles1,2, but its parametrisation in global climate and… Read more Earth system models is defective3-5. Recently, the current net effect of dust direct radiative forcing on global climate was calculated as most likely negative, although potentially slightly positive given the large uncertainty on this estimate (-0.2 ± 0.5 W m-2 with 90% confidence interval5 ). Many uncertainties remain in such calculations, largely caused by incomplete data on the chemical and physical properties of dust particles, and on the meteorological processes and driving mechanisms behind dust emission, transport, and deposition (‘dust cycle’). While climate models have become increasingly complex, the parametrisation of dust processes, although also improving, lags behind this development, and its uncertainties amplify as models get more sophisticated4 . This limits our understanding on the Earth system as a whole and hampers the ability of models to predict the effects of climate changes on the natural world and societies. A necessary first step to enhance models is to have more observational data on dust properties. The arid and semi-arid East Asia is one of the key global dust sources, but, for example, observational studies on East Asian dust mineralogy were ~50% less than those from the northern African region by 20156 . Compared to other major global dust sources, East Asia is unique in that it also hosts a globally exceptional geologic archive of windblown dust from the past ~25 million years, the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP; Fig. 1). Extensive research, especially provenance studies, on the CLP dust deposits has been a key in revealing the long-term, two-way link between dust and climate changes in the Earth’s history7-10 . Dust provenance analysis is, in fact, one of the few methods that simultaneously provide information on all the steps of the dust cycle (emission, transport, deposition). Because of the scarcity of interdisciplinary studies involving both atmospheric scientists and geologists, the CLP region has much unused potential to establish a link between past and present dust activity to better understand both and to enhance the modelling aspects of dust11-13 . In this project, I study the properties and provenance of dust collected by active and passive samplers in East Asia during 2019–2023.

Extreme events in Europe have been shown to affect forest health status and they will likely increase in frequency, causing significant impacts. Super-sites integrating long-term ground observations and multi- scale spectral information need to be established across biogeographical regions, focusing on key… Read more forest types that have already shown significant degradation (such as evergreen and deciduous oak forests, and southern European pine forests). In this context, the FlyFor will combine hyperspectral and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence airborne measurements to determine tree stress responses along a stress severity axis, to upscale current and possible future climate impacts on forests. A biogeographical west-European transect including three super-sites (in forest ecosystems which are showing mild to severe signs of decline) was designed including: i) Mediterranean evergreen oak forests, ii) continental deciduous oak forests, iii) low altitude alpine pine forests. Ground-truth data available at the selected super sites (Eddy Covariance, defoliation, sap flow, canopy hyperspectral reflectance and SIF) will be integrated with additional FlyForSIF measurements (airborne SIF, Leaf Area Index, Leaf Water Content, Specific Leaf Area, leaf pigment content and leaf Pulse-Amplitude- Modulation-PAM fluorescence). Pigments (including xanthophylls) will be measured at selected trees during the summer of 2025. Flight campaigns will be carried out with IBIS-CASI-SASI hyperspectral sensors. The ability of single-tree spectral information to detect tree stress will be tested and upscaled to the satellite level using PlanetScope imagery. In the FORWARDS initiative context, the expected results will act as a proof of concept for the future implementation of a multi-scale tool for long-term detection of climate change impacts on European forests.

pH-equilibrated Ocean alkalinization (pHeqOA) is an emerging carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approach thatinvolves increasing the alkalinity of seawater to enhance CO₂ uptake from the atmosphere while counteractingocean acidification. Despite its potential as a climate mitigation strategy, the ecological impacts of… Read more pHeqOA onmarine ecosystems, especially coastal planktonic communities, remain poorly understood. These communities arevital to ocean food webs and biogeochemical cycles, and even small alterations in seawater chemistry could havecascading effects on biodiversity and ecosystem function. The proposed experiment aims to evaluate the short-term ecological responses of coastal plankton communities tocontrolled additions of alkalinized seawater. Using mesocosms we will investigate how different levels of seawateralkalinization affect plankton composition, abundance, productivity, and key biogeochemical parameters such aspH, total alkalinity (TA), and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). This study builds upon a limited but growing body of mesocosm-based pHeqOA research, expanding it to atemperate coastal ecosystem characterized by high biological productivity and natural variability. Understandingplanktonic responses in these areas is crucial for assessing the feasibility and safety of deploying pHeqOA atscale. We propose to carry out this work at the ECIMAT Coastal Research Station in Vigo (Spain), which offers a uniquemesocosm facility with direct access to a dynamic coastal environment in the Ría de Vigo. This facility is ideallysuited for our experimental goals, providing robust infrastructure for the manipulation of seawater chemistry,continuous environmental monitoring, and the controlled exposure of natural plankton assemblages toexperimental conditions. The station's proximity to research support and its long-standing expertise in coastalecology make it an optimal site for this type of investigation. The outcomes of this research are of high interest to the international scientific community engaged in ocean-based CDR, climate intervention strategies, and marine ecosystem dynamics. The findings will contribute toenvironmental risk assessments of pHeqOA and inform future modeling efforts and regulatory frameworks. Inparticular, we expect this study to clarify how pHeqOA might influence trophic interactions, primary production, andmicrobial processes in productive coastal waters, offering a more comprehensive understanding of its ecologicaltrade-offs.

To achieve net zero by 2050, mining of many metals needed to build renewables (e.g. lithium and nickel for EV batteries, copper for electrification) is a recognised essential necessity. To source these metals currently Europe is highly reliant on non-European… Read more countries many of them politically unstable and with bad records on human rights. Hence a key strategic priority for the EU is to boost critical metals mining in Europe. This project will substantially contribute to improve European mining efficiency, environmental sustainability and as a result social acceptance. OptimalSlope is an SME providing a novel geotechnical software which determines topological optimal shapes of slopes so that the overall steepness of the pitwalls of open pit mines and quarries is maximized without compromising safety. Adopting optimal pitwalls allows to extract more ore for less waste-rock (up to 27% waste reduction) hence increasing mining efficiency and reducing substantially mining carbon footprint and the need to dispose of tailings. The innovations will be first implemented and validated for the first time in one of the largest open-pit mines in Europe, the Asarel copper mine in Bulgaria, in a large open pit mine in Turkey (RIS country) and in several quarries in the East & South-East Europe (ESEE) region.

Sulphur, though often considered a minor constituent of the Earth’s interior, is a key driver of geological, geochemical, and biological processes. While large amounts of this element segregated into the core during planetary differentiation, a significant fraction resides in the crust and… Read more mantle, influencing redox processes, cycling of volatiles, and geodynamic evolution across vast timescales, from core formation to the onset of life. Yet, significant knowledge gaps remain, particularly concerning sulphur’s role below the shallow mantle. The S-CAPE project aims to address these gaps by investigating experimentally and theoretically the transformation of sulphur-bearing compoundsstarting from the conditions occurring during Earth’s accretion, characterized by planetesimal and meteoritic impacts, to those of current geodynamic settings, including subduction and modern mantle environments. We will capture for the first time both equilibrium and transient processes at extreme pressures and temperatures by combining static compression in laser-heated diamond anvil cells, and dynamic compression generated by laser-driven shocks. This synergy is made possible thanks to the full exploitation of state-of-theart synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser facilities, which enable unprecedented real-time in situ structural and chemical analyses at extreme conditions. By systematically mapping sulphur’sstructural, electronic, and chemical transformationsin both simplified synthetic and complex natural systems, S-CAPE will reveal how the deep sulphur cycle governs Earth’s redox dynamics, drives pathways of volatile elements, and possibly promoted the formation of prebiotic building-blocks of life. Besides refining our understanding of Earth’s interior, the results of S-CAPE are expected to revolutionize our perspective of how sulphur shaped planetary evolution and how it may foster or restrict potential habitability throughout the Solar System.