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Tin is a component of many items used in daily activities, including solder in consumer electronics, tin can containing food and beverages, polyvinyl chloride stabilizers in construction products, catalysts in industrial processes, etc. China is the largest producer and consumer of refined tin, and more than 60% of this refined tin is applied in the electronics sector as solder. China is the leader in global economic growth; simultaneously, China is also a major producer and consumer of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Thus, future tin supply and demand in China are forecasted, based on the gross domestic product per capita and the average consumption of refined tin in past five years. Current tin reserves and identified resources in China can meet the future two decades of mine production, but import of tin will also be critical for China's future tin consumption. However, there will be a lot of uncertainty for import of tin from other countries. At the same time, virgin mining of geological ores is a process of high energy consumption and destruction of the natural environment. Hence recycling tin from Sn-bearing secondary resources like tailings and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) can not only address the shortage of tin mineral resources, but also save energy and protect the ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mangrove ecosystem has a high nitrate reduction capacity, which significantly alleviates severe nitrogen pollution. However, current research on nitrate reduction mechanisms in the mangrove ecosystem is limited. Furthermore, Spartina alterniflora invasion has disrupted the balance of the mangrove ecosystem and the effect of S. alterniflora on nitrate reduction has not yet been fully elucidated. Nitrate reduction was comprehensively investigated in a subtropical mangrove ecosystem in this study, which has been invaded by S. alterniflora for 40 years. Results showed that S. alterniflora significantly increased the relative and absolute abundance of nitrate reduction genes, especially nirS (nitrite reductase), in the mangrove ecosystem. Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium was the main pathway of nitrate reduction in the mangrove ecosystem. Nitrate reduction was mainly performed by Desulfobacterales and occurred in the shallow layers (0-10 cm) of mangrove sediments. A strong positive correlation was found between nitrate reduction and sulfur oxidation (especially sulfide oxidation), and the sulfide content was significantly positively correlated with the relative abundance of nitrate reduction genes. Moreover, 207 metagenomic assembled genomes (MAGs) were constructed, including 50 MAGs with high numbers (≥ 10) of nitrate reduction genes. This finding indicates that the dominant microbes had strong nitrate reduction potential in mangrove sediments. Our findings highlight the impact of S. alterniflora invasion on nitrate reduction in a subtropical marine mangrove ecosystem. This study provides new insights into our understanding of nitrogen pollution control and contributes to the exploration of new nitrogen-degrading microbes in mangrove ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier B.V.)