Jörg Rinklebe

• Ph.D., Professor
• Professor (Full) at University of Wuppertal

Wild plant-assisted phytoremediation is a promising strategy for remediating trace metal(loid) contaminated soil. It is an economically feasible, ecologically safe, green strategy whose efficiency depends on the type of plant species used and their underlying mechanisms. Hyperaccumulator wild plants, such as Pteris vittata, Thlaspi caerulescens, Ve...

Two novel and unique adsorptive materials, one (Fluorolock®) from clay mineral sepiolite coated with the cationic polymer polydiallyldimethylammionium chloride (pDADMAC) and the other (Intraplex®) from colloidal activated carbon were specially developed for the in situ remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the saturated zone....

Iron-based technology is one of the most practical approaches to remove toxic metals from electroplating wastewater, but faces the problem of low efficiency and requires energy/chemical-demanding steps for safe disposal. Here we develop an efficient material by combining iron and manganese particles with biochar for sustainable decontamination. The...

Emerging contaminants (ECs) pose a growing threat to the agricultural ecosystems and human health. Biochar (BC) may be applied for the remediation of ECs in soils and water. There are some research papers that have been pub lished about the potentiality of BC for the remediation of ECs in soils and water; however, there have been no critical and...

Application of advanced techniques and machine learning (ML) for designing and predicting the properties of engi-neered hydrochar/biochar is of great agro-environmental concern. Carbon (C) stability and phosphorus (P) availabilityin hydrochar (HC) are among the key limitations as they cannot be accurately predicted by traditional one-factortests an...

Corporation operations and other anthropogenic activities threaten global biodiversity and ecosystem services. They also raise financial risks for the sustainability of society. International organizations and initiatives have developed guidelines on the disclosure of nature-positive business practices to support the conservation of biodiversity. H...

In recent years, an increasing number of ecosystems are threatened by seasonal flooding, changing non‐flooded shoreland (NF) into seasonally flooded wetland (SF), but the consequences of this hydrological change for soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics remain unknown. In this study, we investigated how the SOC content was determined by flooding durat...

Karst terrains provide drinking water for about 25% of the people on our planet, particularly in the southwest of China. Pollutants such as arsenic (As) in the soil can infiltrate groundwater through sinkholes and bedrock fractures in karst terrains. Despite this, the underlying mechanisms responsible for As release from karst soils under redox cha...

The increasing trend of using agricultural wastes follows the concept of “waste to wealth” and is closely related to the themes of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Carbon-neutral technologies for waste management have not been critically reviewed yet. This paper reviews the technological trend of agricultural waste utilization, including compo...

This study aimed to evaluate the ecotoxicological impacts of selected PFAS compounds on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and soil microorganisms. The evaluation encompassed three PFAS compounds—namely, PFBS, PFHxS, and PFOS—with concentrations ranging from 100 to 1100 mg/kg, examining acute avoidance, acute lethality, and reproduction of earthworms in a...

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Intraplex® A, a novel adsorptive organoclay against Intraplex® B, a colloidal activated carbon for the immobilization of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under pre-defined redox regimes. Shifts in soil microbial community structure were assessed to determine the ecotoxicological effects of amendme...

Toxic metal(loid)s, e.g., mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium are known for several environmental disturbances creating toxicity to humans if accumulated in high quantities. Although not discussed critically, the organo-forms of these inorganic metal(loid)s are considered a greater risk to humans than their elemental forms possibly due to physico-c...

(https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1jYdt3HXllN6eR) The comments provide some concerns and extra arguments involved in a research paper that was published in this journal. The first comment is the arsenic species (prepared from AsCl3 salt) in an aqueous solution that is not As3+ cations as expected by Rind and coworkers. The structure of AsCl3 molecule...

Microplastics (MPs) (<5 mm) are a growing environmental problem and have garnered significant global interest from scientists and policy makers. Coastal ecosystems are vulnerable to MP pollution, and assessing their sources, fate, and transport in the environment is imperative for marine ecosystem health. Data for marine sediment are still limited,...

Remediation of contaminated water using biosorbents is of great interest. Modification of pristine biochar using biogum and ceramsite with metal oxides under magnetic medium and its application for water decontamination has not yet been investigated. Therefore, a chia seeds gum (g) and synthetic ceramsite-impregnated hybrid magnetic biochar (g-MBC)...

Long-term exposure to urban dust containing potentially toxic elements (PTEs) poses detrimental impacts on human health. However, studies estimating human health risks in urban dusts from a global perspective are scarce. We evaluated data for twelve PTEs in urban dusts across 59 countries from 463 published articles, including their concentrations,...

Phytoremediation can be accelerated if contaminated soils are amended with releasing agents. We tested four such materials, citric acid (CA), EDTA, oxalic acid (OA), and tartaric acid (TA) at two doses, 20 and 40 mmol kg ⁻¹ , amended in a pot experiment to a heavily contaminated soil cultivated with purslane ( Portulaca oleracea ). We found that Cd...

Soils with high cadmium (Cd) content can be decontaminated with phytoremediation. In this work, we aimed at adding nitrogen (N) fertilizer for enhancing the vitality of our test plant, oregano ( Origanum vulgare ). In a pristine soil, we added Cd at 0, 20, and 40 mg kg ⁻¹ soil (thereafter Cd0, Cd20, and Cd40) and two N rates at 0 and 340 kg N ha ⁻¹...

Contamination of rice by the potent neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) originates from microbe-mediated Hg methylation in soils. However, the high diversity of Hg methylating microorganisms in soils hinders the prediction of MeHg formation and challenges the mitigation of MeHg bioaccumulation via regulating soil microbiomes. Here we explored the roles...

The effectiveness of almond shell-derived biochar (ASB) in immobilizing soil heavy metals (HMs) and its impact on soil microbial activity and diversity have not been sufficiently studied. Hence, a pot study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of ASB addition at 2, 4, and 6 % (w/w) on soil biochemical characteristics and the bioavailabi...

Bioplastics might be an ecofriendly alternative to traditional plastics. However, recent studies have emphasized that even bioplastics can end up becoming micro- and nano-plastics due to their degradation under ambient environmental conditions. Hence, there is an urgent need to assess the hidden environmental pollution caused by bioplastics. Howeve...

Overbalance of ecosystems triggers global biodiversity loss and threatens the sustainability of society by emerging financial risks from the disruption of ecosystem services. Several initiatives and international organizations have developed guidelines on biodiversity conservation to support the increasing demand for the disclosure of nature-positi...

Seed nano-priming can be used as an advanced technology for enhancing seed germination, plant growth, 27 and crop productivity; however, the potential role of seed nano-priming in ameliorative cadmium (Cd) bio�28 toxicity under Cd stress has not yet been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, in this study we investigated the beneficial impacts of...

Dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) causes irreversible damage to human cognition and is mitigated by photolysis and microbial demethylation of MeHg. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been identified as a major dietary source of MeHg. However, it remains unknown what drives the process within plants for MeHg to make its way from soils to rice and the...

Biochar can be used for multifunctional applications including the improvement of soil health and carbon storage, remediation of contaminated soil and water resources, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and odorous compounds, and feed supplementation to improve animal health. A healthy soil preserves microbial biodiversity that is effective in...

Mercury (Hg) pollution of soil and water environments is a major global threat to human health, agri‐food systems and ecosystems and industrial activities mainly coal combustion augmented their content in different environmental media. Bioremediation is a nature‐based solution involving microbial‐ and plant‐based (phytoremediation) technologies tha...

Tungsten (W) is a rare element and present in the earth's crust mainly as iron, aluminium, and calcium minerals including wolframite and scheelite. This review aims to offer an overview on the current knowledge on W pollution in complex environmental settlings, including terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, linking to its natural and anthropogenic s...

Vanadium(V) is a highly toxic multivalent, redox-sensitive element. It is widely distributed in the environment and employed in various industrial applications. Interactions between V and (micro)organisms have recently garnered considerable attention. This Review discusses the biogeochemical cycling of V and its corresponding bioremediation strateg...

Soil degradation is a global environmental problem that puts at risk food security. Improving soil health is, therefore, a major challenge for sustainable agriculture. Biostimulants are products consisting of microorganisms or substances that stimulate plant metabolism, enhance crop performance, and increase plant resistance to biotic and abiotic s...

The long-term and large-scale mining of rare earth minerals may lead to an accumulation of rare earth elements (REEs) in the environment, posing potential health risks to residents. We collected scalp hair (n = 254) from residents of a smelting area, a mining area, and a reference area to clarify human exposure to REEs. The contents of 15 REEs inve...

Although trace elements are essential for life, environmental contamination due to metal accumulation and overuse in various sectors, such as healthcare, agriculture, industry, and cosmetics, poses significant health concerns. Exposure of plants to heavy metals leads to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to their ability to cha...

Mining and smelting of mineral resources causes excessive accumulation of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in surrounding soils. Here, biochar-based sulfidated nanoscale zero-valent iron (SNZVI/BC) was designed via a one-step liquid phase reduction method to immobilize cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in a copolluted arable soil. A 60 d soil incubation ex...

The study aimed to investigate the role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in regulating chromium stress (Cr-S) tolerance of tomato plants treated with citric acid (CA). Prior to the Cr treatment, tomato plants were foliar-fed with CA (100 μM) daily for 3 days. Subsequently, the plants were grown for another ten days in a hydroponic system in a 50 μM Cr (VI...

Fluoride (F-), and arsenic (As) in the groundwater cause health problems in developing countries, including Pakistan. We evaluated the occurrence, distribution, sources apportionment, and health hazards of F-, and As in the groundwater of Mardan, Pakistan. Therefore, groundwater samples (n = 130) were collected and then analyzed for F-, and As by i...

Calcareous Soils-Distribution, Characteristics and Management (Advances in Agronomy 2023)

Chromium (Cr) is considered one of the most hazardous metal contaminant reducing crop production and putting human health at risk. Phytohormones are known to regulate chromium stress, however, the function of melatonin and strigolactones in Chromium stress tolerance in tomato is rarely investigated. Here we investigated the potential role of melato...

Distinguishing the respective contributions of various microbes to methylmercury (MeHg) production is critical for predicting MeHg bioaccumulation and exposure risk. Metabolic inhibitors have been commonly used to block the activity of specific microbial groups and identify primary Hg methylating microbes. By reviewing literatures and our empirical...

The sustainability of life on Earth is under increasing threat due to human-induced climate change. This perilous change in the Earth's climate is caused by increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. Over the next two to three decades, the effects of cli...

Melatonin (MT) has recently gained significant scientific interest, though its mechanism of action in enhancing plant vigor, cadmium (Cd) tolerance, and Cd phytoremediation processes are poorly understood. Therefore, here we investigated the beneficial role of MT in improving growth and Cd remediation potential of rapeseed (Brassica napus). Plants,...

The conversion of organic matter and P in the waste composting process affects the efficiency of the composted product. However, the addition of microbial inoculants may improve the conversion characteristics of organic matter and P. In this study, straw-decomposing microbial inoculant (SDMI) was added to investigate its effects on the organic matt...

Herein, hydrogen (H·) radical was observed as a new pathway to produce hydroxyl (OH·) radicals that promoted cadmium sulfide (CdS) dissolution and thus Cd solubility in paddy soils. In soil incubation experiments, the bioavailable Cd concentrations in flooded paddy soils were increased by 8.44 % as the soil was aerated for 3d. For the first time, t...

Boron (B) is released to terrestrial and aquatic environments through both natural and anthropogenic sources. This review describes the current knowledge on B contamination in soil and aquatic environments in relation to its geogenic and anthropogenic sources, biogeochemistry, environmental and human health impacts, remediation approaches, and regu...

The contamination of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in road dust of large industrial cities is extremely serious. Determining the priority risk control factors of PTE contamination in road dust is critical to enhance the environmental quality of such cities and mitigate the risk of PTE pollution. The Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method and geogr...

Plastic production and its unplanned management and disposal, has been shown to pollute terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments. Petroleum-derived plastics do not decompose and tend to persist in the surrounding environment for longer time. Plastics can be ingested and accumulate into the tissues of both terrestrial and aquatic animals,...