The Kraft pulping industry produces significant amounts of lignin-rich black liquor, a largely underutilized renewable resource. We report a scalable method to synthesize lignin-derived graphene quantum dots from raw eucalyptus kraft black liquor (EL-GQDs) through sequential acid oxidation and hydrothermal carbonization. Structural and surface analyses confirm the formation of graphitic nanostructures with oxygen- and nitrogen-rich functional groups, exhibiting strong visible fluorescence, good aqueous dispersibility, and high photostability, with uniform morphology and lattice fringes characteristic of crystalline GQDs. The bioimaging potential of EL-GQDs was tested using Nile tilapia testicular cells in vitro and in vivo, achieving efficient cell labeling with low toxicity. Labeled cells remained viable and localized within the gonads up to 30 days post-transplantation. These results demonstrate that EL-GQDs are biocompatible, photostable, and sustainable nanoprobes suitable for long-term cell tracking in aquatic reproductive research. Further studies on uptake pathways, cross-species application, and long-term biosafety are needed to advance this technology.
The development of microalgae-based biofuels has long been a research focus for achieving green and sustainable development. Chinese medicine residues, an abundant organic waste rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, proteins, polysaccharides, and microminerals, offer scalable feedstock. Here, their hydrolysate (HCMR) was used as an additional nutrient source for cultivating oil-producing algae. The hydrolysate promotes the growth and productivity of oil-producing algae such as Chlorococcum sp., Tribonema aequale, and Scenedesmus sp., while also indicating its feasibility for scaling up Scenedesmus sp. cultivation. The HCMR addition increased biomass by 1.58-fold and fatty‑acid content by 1.27‑fold relative to BG11 medium. Analysis of the fatty acid composition in Scenedesmus sp. confirmed that the addition of hydrolysate from Chinese medicine residues significantly increased the proportions of high-quality fatty acids, including palmitoleic acid (C16:1) and oleic acid (C18:1), while reducing the proportions of linoleic acid (C18:2) and α-linolenic acid (C18:3), thereby improving the cetane number and oxidative stability of the biodiesel. Metabolomics analysis reveals potential regulatory pathways by which HCMR enhances lipid accumulation in Scenedesmus sp., implicating transamination in glutamate metabolism and offering a sustainable route for utilizing similar organic waste as an additional source of nutrients in oil-producing microalgae cultivation.
Stress-resistant heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) strains can efficiently remove nitrogen from wastewater with high ammonia, high acidity, high salinity, low temperature, and heavy metals. This study systematically reviews the nitrogen removal characteristics, application performance, metabolic mechanisms and future prospects of stress-resistant HN-AD strains. As a result, (1) Stress-resistant HN-AD strains have gained growing interest, especially multi-stress-resistant strains. (2) HN-AD genera Acinetobacter (resistant to high ammonia and low temperature) and Pseudomonas (resistant to high ammonia and salinity) can improve bioreactors' tolerance, requiring further engineering applications. (3) Stress-resistant HN-AD strains resist stress via three mechanisms: upregulating nitrogen metabolism genes, enhancing membrane transport, and modulating signaling molecules, which results in enhanced bioreactor performance. (4) Screening multi-stress-resistant strains should remain a priority, focusing on large-scale application, conductive material immobilization, colonization and genetic mechanism verification, and life cycle/economic analysis. This study provides vital references for HN-AD strain screening and applications under extreme conditions.

