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Sedimentary organic matter (OM) origin and molecular composition provide useful information to understand carbon cycling in coastal wetlands. Core sediments from threors' Contributionse transects along Ria Formosa lagoon intertidal zone were analysed using analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) to determine composition, distribution and origin of sedimentary OM. The distribution of alkyl compounds (alkanes, alkanoic acids and alkan-2-ones), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lignin-derived methoxyphenols, linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), steranes and hopanes indicated OM inputs to the intertidal environment from natural—autochthonous and allochthonous—as well as anthropogenic. Several n-alkane geochemical indices used to assess the distribution of main OM sources (terrestrial and marine) in the sediments indicate that algal and aquatic macrophyte derived OM inputs dominated over terrigenous plant sources. The lignin-derived methoxyphenol assemblage, dominated by vinylguaiacol and vinylsyringol derivatives in all sediments, points to large OM contribution from higher plants. The spatial distributions of PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons) showed that most pollution sources were mixed sources including both pyrogenic and petrogenic. Low carbon preference indexes (CPI > 1) for n-alkanes, the presence of UCM (unresolved complex mixture) and the distribution of hopanes (C29–C36) and steranes (C27–C29) suggested localized petroleum-derived hydrocarbon inputs to the core sediments. Series of LABs were found in most sediment samples also pointing to domestic sewage anthropogenic contributions to the sediment OM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Data management strategies of pyrolysis results and NMR acquisition modes were examined in humic acids (HAs) from control soils and fire-affected soils. The information supplied by dipolar dephasing (DD) 13C NMR spectroscopy and Curie-point pyrolysis were used to assess chemical structures hardly recognizable and measurable, or of unclear interpretation, when using 13C NMR under standard acquisition pulses (cross-polarization/magic angle spinning, CPMAS).Materials and methods: The HAs were isolated from two forest soils under Pinus halepensis and Pinus sylvestris in control and burned sites affected by medium or severe-intensity wildfires. For NMR analyses, during DD acquisition conditions, a 180° 13C pulse was inserted to minimize phase shifts. Curie-Point pyrolysis was carried out at 510 °C for 5 s, and the pyrolysis fragments were analyzed by GC/MS. The total abundances of the major pyrolysis products were compared by an update of the classical Van Krevelen’s graphical-statistical approach, i.e., as surface density values in the space defined by the compound-specific H/C and O/C atomic ratios.Results and discussion: The DD 13C NMR experiments displayed significant differences in the HA spectral profiles as regards to the standard CPMAS 13C NMR acquisition conditions, mainly in the chemical shift region of alkyl structures as well as for tannin- or carbohydrate-like O-alkyl structures. In fact, the comparison between DD and CPMAS solid-state NMR suggested shortening of alkyl chains and generation of carbohydrate-derived, unsaturated structures—viz. furans—which adds to the aromatic domain. Pyrolytic results showed fire-induced specific changes in HAs chemical structure and its molecular diversity. The changes were evident in the location and sizes of the different clusters of pyrolysis compounds defined by their atomic ratios.Conclusions: The DD 13C NMR provided specific information on the fate of aliphatic structures and the origin of unsaturated HA structures, which could be helpful in differentiating “inherited” from “pyrogenic” aromatic structures. This is further confirmed by the analysis of the molecular assemblages of pyrolytic products, which showed accumulation of condensed polyaromatic domains in the HAs after the high-intensity fire, accompanied by a recalcitrant alkyl hydrocarbon domain. Medium-intensity fire led to aromaticity increase due to a selective accumulation of lignin-derived phenols concomitant to the depletion of aliphatic hydrocarbon constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is focused on analysing the suitability of different Streptomyces strains for biomechanical pulping purposes using spruce wood ( Picea abies) as substrate. After 2 weeks of incubation, no apparent variations in lignin Klason content of treated woods were detected compared with the control. However, the increase in acid-soluble lignin fraction pointed out chemical alterations in lignin moiety. Through Py-GC/MS analysis enrichment in cellulose and lignin molecule modifications were detected in treated woods. The increase in the relative abundance of the most G-type phenol units with a higher oxidation degree suggests that some oxidation occurred in the lignin C3-alkyl chain. In addition, the decrease in the phenylmethane + phenylethane/phenylpropane (phC1 + ph C2/ph C3) ratio would indicate the ability of Streptomyces strains to breakdown the C3-alkyl chain linkages once carbons had been oxidized. From this study it could be concluded that the assayed strains are able to produce a delignification of spruce wood which may improve mechanical pulping processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil health refers to the biological, chemical, and physical features of soil that are essential to long-term, sustainable agricultural productivity with minimal environmental impact. Thus, soil health provides an overall picture of soil functionality. Although it cannot be measured directly, soil health can be inferred by measuring specific soil properties (e.g. organic matter content) and by observing soil status (e.g. fertility). There is also increased interest in studying soil microorganisms in their particular environments, as microbial diversity is intimately related to soil structure and function. One of the key objectives in determining soil health is to acquire indicators that can be used to evaluate the soil's current status and hence to develop sustainable agricultural systems. In this regard, significant progress has been made over the last few years in the development of specific biomarkers and macromolecular probes, enabling rapid and reliable measurements of soil microbial communities. In addition, modern molecular biological techniques, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), have facilitated the analysis of microbial biodiversity and activity, whereas the application of modern analytical techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), have provided data on soil chemistry. The combination of these two approaches offers promise in determining soil health status. [Int Microbiol 2005; 8(1):13-21] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]