BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Integrating Duckweed into a Chain of Brine Reuse Enhancing the Val ue of Desalination for Food Production: The Case of Somalia DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T131500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T133000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260921T014507Z UID:indico-contribution-443-2933@cern.ch DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Gideon Oron (Zuckerberg Water Research Institute\, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Dessert Research\, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev\, Kiryat Sde-Boker\, Israel)\nDesalination brine\, typically co nsidered a disposal challenge\, is evaluated through a resource recovery m odel that converts the concentrate into a valuable input for food producti on. A sequential system consisting of duckweed cultivation\, fish producti on\, and final irrigation of salt-tolerant halophytes is developed. Duckwe ed (Lemna gibba) serves as a key component by assimilating nutrients from fish influents and enhancing biomass production. It can achieve yields of approximately 10 g/m²/day (dry weight)\, with edible protein content of a bout 35%. The produced duckweed is primarily utilized as feed for herbivor ous fish (grass carp)\, while contributing to the overall food production chain.\nThe remaining saline brine is applied for cultivating halophyte cr ops (Atriplex lentiformis\; Salicornia bigelovii). The model integrates th e serial relationship between duckweed\, fish\, and halophyte\, like agric ultural practices implemented in Ramat Negev Regional Council\, where grou ndwater salinity is approximately 4.4 dS/m. This similarity demonstrates t he feasibility of utilizing saline resources for productive applications.\ nFor a small reverse osmosis desalination facility producing 50 m³/day of desalinated water and 27 m³/day of concentrate with an electrical conduc tivity of 20.31 mS/cm\, approximately 0.36 hectares are required for brine utilization. The system can generate an estimated 10.3 tons of forage ann ually\, supporting approximately 37 goats or sheep\, 11 camels\, or 5 catt le. The approach is scalable according to brine availability and land capa city. Although the direct economic value of the crops is relatively low (a pproximately €467/ha/year)\, the primary benefit is the conversion of de salination by-products into livestock feed resources while reducing risks. \n\nhttps://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2933/ LOCATION:Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Napoli F ederico II\, Portici\, Italy Sala Cinese URL:https://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2933/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Dried Duckweed Biomass as a Boron-Binding Soil Amendment Produced through Nutrient Recovery from Agricultural Drainage Water DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T130000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T131500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260921T014507Z UID:indico-contribution-443-2932@cern.ch DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Umit Baris Kutman (Institute of Biotechnology\, Gebz e Technical University)\nAgricultural drainage waters contain recoverable plant nutrients but may contribute to eutrophication when discharged untre ated. This study evaluated Lemna minor for nutrient recovery from agricult ural drainage water and\, more importantly\, investigated the unexplored p otential of its dried biomass to bind boron (B) in soil and mitigate B tox icity in a crop plant. Duckweed was cultivated in drainage water from a so illess tomato greenhouse and a vertical farm\, with nutrient solution as a reference. Nutrient removal and mineral accumulation were determined. The resulting dried biomass was assessed (i) in water\, (ii) during a 90-day soil incubation\, and (iii) in a cucumber seedling experiment under increa sing B supply.\n\nLemna minor grew successfully in both drainage waters an d substantially depleted nitrate and phosphorus while accumulating macro- and micronutrients\, including B. Incorporation of dried duckweed into soi l at 0.5% (w/w) markedly reduced hot-water-extractable B\, and this effect persisted throughout incubation. At soil-relevant pH\, the biomass releas ed B into B-free water but bound more than half of the B in B-enriched wat er\, indicating bidirectional buffering capacity. Duckweed amendment incre ased cucumber shoot biomass across all B levels and prevented visible B-to xicity symptoms at the highest B treatment.\n\nAlthough the high B-accumul ation capacity of living Lemna and the involvement of cell-wall apiogalact uronan are known\, this is\, to our knowledge\, the first demonstration th at mineral-rich\, dried Lemna biomass retains B-binding functionality in s oil and can mitigate B toxicity during crop growth. Thus\, agricultural wa stewater treatment and nutrient recovery generate a multifunctional soil a mendment within a circular agricultural system.\n\nhttps://indico.unina.it /event/117/contributions/2932/ LOCATION:Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Napoli F ederico II\, Portici\, Italy Sala Cinese URL:https://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2932/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Bioaccumulation and Phytotoxicity of Ionic Rare Earth Elements (Ce rium\, Neodymium\, Samarium) in Lemna gibba DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T124500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T130000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260921T014507Z UID:indico-contribution-443-2931@cern.ch DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Gergő Koleszár (University of Nyiregyhaza)\nRare e arth elements (REEs) are increasingly used in modern technologies\, raisin g concerns about their release into aquatic environments and subsequent tr ansfer through food webs. This study investigated the response of the floa ting macrophyte Lemna gibba to three ionic REEs (Ce\, Nd\, and Sm)\, focus ing on phytotoxicity\, uptake\, and bioaccumulation. Plants were exposed t o contaminated water for eight days\, during which REE concentrations in t he growth medium and plant biomass were monitored to establish a complete mass balance. The highest non-toxic concentrations were 0.8 mg L⁻¹ for Ce\, 1.8 mg L⁻¹ for Nd\, and 7.7 mg L⁻¹ for Sm\, whereas 50% inhibit ion of relative growth rate occurred at 2.0\, 2.4\, and 13.3 mg L⁻¹\, r espectively. Elevated phosphate concentration markedly reduced the toxicit y of all investigated REEs. Among the six physiological parameters evaluat ed\, total chlorophyll content proved to be the most sensitive indicator o f REE-induced stress. The removal efficiency of dissolved REEs reached 94 –96%. However\, only 30–55% of the initial REE load accumulated in pla nt tissues\, while the remainder was attributed to precipitation. Bioconce ntration factors were 460 for Ce\, 774 for Nd\, and 419 for Sm. Neodymium showed the highest accumulation (3579 mg kg⁻¹ dry biomass). These resul ts demonstrate that Lemna gibba efficiently removes ionic REEs from contam inated water. Nevertheless\, the considerable accumulation of REEs in plan t tissues suggests a potential route for their transfer into aquatic food webs\, highlighting the ecological risks associated with increasing enviro nmental REE contamination.\n\nhttps://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributi ons/2931/ LOCATION:Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Napoli F ederico II\, Portici\, Italy Sala Cinese URL:https://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2931/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Group therapy: Macrophyte polyculture of Lemna species and Azolla filiculoides for the optimized remediation of meat processing wastewater DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T123000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T124500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260921T014507Z UID:indico-contribution-443-2930@cern.ch DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Jingrou Chen (1School of Biological\, Earth and Envi ronmental Sciences\, University College Cork\, Cork\, Ireland 2Sustainable Institute\, University College Cork\, Cork\, Ireland)\nSmall\, fast-accum ulating\, floating\, aquatic macrophytes such as Lemnaceae (duckweeds) and Azolla have gained attention as an eco-friendly and cost-effective soluti on to be used for wastewater remediation due to their ability to remove nu trients and their potential for valorisation. Polycultures in agricultural systems have the potential to outperform monocultures through complementa ry resource use\, niche partitioning\, and enhanced stability\, although t heir performance can be dependent on species identity\, relative abundance \, and environmental conditions. This study investigated the phytoremediat ion potential and growth performance of polyculture combinations of *Lemna minor*\, *Lemna minuta*\, and *Azolla filiculoides* (*Azolla*)\, grown o n local meat processing wastewater\, assessing how species composition and surface covers influenced biomass yield and nutrient removal efficiency. Results indicated that species interactions significantly impacted growth\ , with *L. minuta* generally facilitating higher *Azolla* growth rates tha n *L. minor* at laboratory scales. Owing to its greater tolerance of nutri ent-rich wastewater\, 20% surface cover of *L. minuta* combined with 40% s urface cover of *A. filiculoides* emerged as an optimal configuration (com munity RGR: 0.065 ± 0.065 day-1)\, achieving high growth performance with 38.13 ± 0.93% removal of total phosphorus. The transition to upscaled co nditions showed less pronounced growth effects\, highlighting the challeng es of translating controlled laboratory findings to larger-scale applicati ons and the need for further optimisation of system design and operational parameters. These findings demonstrate the potential of macrophyte polycu ltures for agri-food wastewater treatment\, offering a sustainable approac h to protecting aquatic ecosystems and creating additional value streams t hrough biomass valorisation.\n\nhttps://indico.unina.it/event/117/contribu tions/2930/ LOCATION:Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Napoli F ederico II\, Portici\, Italy Sala Cinese URL:https://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2930/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Exploring Duckweed for Remediation of\, and Resource Recovery from Industrial Fish Filleting WasteWater DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T121500Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T123000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260921T014507Z UID:indico-contribution-443-2929@cern.ch DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Alexandra Katsara (University College Cork)\nSeafood processing industries generate significant volumes of highly polluted was tewater that poses serious environmental challenges. The characteristics o f seafood processing wastewaters were identified\, focussing on the differ ent processing stages. Fish filleting wastewater\, generated from food-gra de raw materials\, contains plant nutrients\, oils\, proteins\, and other organic compounds that are costly to remove yet represent underutilized re sources. Within the Horizon Europe IMPRESS project\, duckweed cultivation was explored as a strategy to both remediate these wastewaters and convert their nutrients into high-value biomass. Duckweed species (Landoltia punc tata\, Lemna minor\, Lemna minuta) displayed good growth on fish processin g wastewater\, measured as a relative growth rate (RGR). Different dilutio ns of wastewater from the fish deheading stage gave excellent growth of Le . minor and plant health was good as ascertained using chlorophyll fluorom etry. Different adjustments were applied to the wastewater to optimize Le. minor biomass growth\, including pH adjustment\, addition of micro-nutrien ts and of potassium\, calcium and magnesium. Dilutions of 25% and 50% of t he “raw” fish wastewater were found to be optimal for duckweed cultiva tion. A small-scale duckweed treatment system revealed that Le. minor cult ivation in fish deheading wastewater results in rapid nitrogen removal fro m the wastewater and considerable levels of total soluble protein in the b iomass. This approach highlights duckweed’s potential as a biological ag ent\, capable of capturing valuable compounds from food-industry wastewate rs\, reducing waste\, and contributing to circular bioeconomy strategies f or future food systems. A challenging and multifaceted question is whether duckweed grown on food-grade waste can be considered fit for human food c onsumption.\n\nhttps://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2929/ LOCATION:Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Napoli F ederico II\, Portici\, Italy Sala Cinese URL:https://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2929/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Tripartite Synergy in a Baffled Duckweed Reactor for 2-Chloro-4-Ni troaniline Remediation: Metabolic Pathways\, Microbial Dynamics\, and Bioc har Valorization DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T120000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261001T121500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260921T014507Z UID:indico-contribution-443-2928@cern.ch DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Ahmed Tawfik (Kuwait university\, college of life sciences )\nThis study presents a novel\, integrated treatment approach fo r petrochemical wastewater laden with 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline (2-Cl-4-NA) and heavy metals using a baffled duckweed reactor (BDR). Unlike traditiona l systems\, this BDR leverages a unique tripartite synergy between Lemna g ibba\, a specialized symbiotic bacterial community\, and in-situ photocata lytic oxidation. At an optimized hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12 days \, the system achieved a superior 2-Cl-4-NA removal efficiency of 84.3%. F or the first time\, the metabolic pathway in this integrated system was ma pped\, identifying 4-amino-3-chlorophenol and 2-amino-3-chloro-5-hydroxyph enol as key intermediates. The mechanical novelty lies in the dual-role of L. gibba: it facilitates (H2O2)-mediated photocatalytic degradation and p rovides essential oxygen to the rhizosphere\, stimulating the production o f bacterial monooxygenase and dioxygenase enzymes for ring cleavage. Concu rrently\, the bacteria break down the toxic parent compound into metabolit es that the duckweed subsequently assimilates as a carbon source. High-thr oughput sequencing confirmed a specialized microbial consortium\, dominate d by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes\, with functional genera such as Def luviimonas and Thioclava driving the degradation. These findings establish the BDR as a highly efficient\, sustainable\, and multi-pathway bioremedi ation technology for complex industrial pollutants. The harvested biomass was used for biochar productivity for further application (0.77 g biochar/ gbiomass).\n\nhttps://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2928/ LOCATION:Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Napoli F ederico II\, Portici\, Italy Sala Cinese URL:https://indico.unina.it/event/117/contributions/2928/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR