Closing the recycle loop: Waste-derived nutrients in liquid fertilizer

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Growing plants can be a joyous, yet frustrating process as plants require a delicate balance of nutrients, sun, and water to be productive.

Phosphorus and nitrogen, which are essential for plant growth, are often supplemented by chemical fertilizers to assure proper balance and output of produce. However, the amount of these nutrients on the planet is increasing due to excessive use, which in turn is causing various environmental problems. For this reason, there is a growing movement to promote sustainable agriculture through the recycling of phosphorus and nitrogen. In Japan, a target has been set to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by 30% by 2050.

With this in mind, a research group led by Ryosuke Endo, a lecturer, and graduate student Satoru Sakuma at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Agriculture conducted an experiment on producing recycled liquid fertilizer from organic waste as a replacement for chemical fertilizers. Using food waste, manure, and sewer sludge, the researchers filled nitrification reactors with organic waste and tap water, then extracted nitrified biogas digestate (f-NBD) to use as seed culture. The phosphorus and nitrogen outputs from each type of organic waste were compared. This experimental method produced nutrient solutions capable of replacing unsustainable chemical phosphorus and nitrogen.

Additionally, the researchers have established an improved method that increases phosphorus solubility, as phosphorus often fails to dissolve during traditional fertilizer production methods. By lowering the pH of the waste-derived liquid fertilizer, the phosphorus will dissolve and produce high phosphorus content, before the pH is restored to its original level.

“This research suggests that it is possible to replace up to 100% of the nitrogen and up to 77% of the phosphorus in liquid chemical fertilizers with the solution produced in this study,” stated graduate student Sakuma.

“Reducing the use of chemical fertilizers has become a global trend,” Dr. Endo added, “but hydroponic agricultural systems are highly dependent on them. By applying the results of this research and reusing the phosphorus contained in organic waste as liquid fertilizer, we hope that this will lead to the development of recycling-oriented agriculture.”

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Want To Bake But You’re Out Of Eggs? Only 1 Tablespoon Of This Simple Egg Substitute Packs Extra Fibre

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There is something just so lovely about spending a Sunday baking up a storm in the kitchen. Radio on, pyjamas on, cup of coffee to keep you going and suddenly you realise – you don’t have any eggs in!

Momentum is falling. There’s no way you’re putting on proper clothes today. No way you’re heading to the shops. Yuck.

We’ve all been there, right?

Well, it turns out that there is an egg substitute that you can use and actually, you don’t need to go to a specialist shop for it. You probably don’t even need to go further than your kitchen cupboards.

A simple egg substitute that takes no time to prepare

This magic ingredient is in fact chia seeds!

Yes, the seeds you swear by for smoothies and protein muffins are actually perfect in place of eggs in case of emergencies or intolerances and preparing them is very simple, too.

The baking experts at Minimalist Baker recommend creating ‘chia eggs’ by mixing 1 Tbsp chia seeds + 2.5 Tbsp water and urge that these can be used in all kinds of baking!

Minimalist Baker also adds that this is actually possible with flaxseeds, too, and is a perfect hack for anybody looking to get into vegan baking.

Health benefits of chia seeds

According to Harvard Health, chia seeds come with a wealth of health benefits, including:

The health experts add: “Chia seeds contain a variety of nutrients including fibre, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and various vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus that are beneficial to your health.”

Happy baking!

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People Are Just Noticing This Connection Between The White Lotus Season 3 And Another Hit Show

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Just one episode into the new season, and fan theories about what’s next for The White Lotus are already starting to flood in thick and fast.

Meanwhile, some fans have already pointed out a connection between the award-winning series and another hit US show.

Episode one of The White Lotus’ third season introduced us to the Ratliffs, a wealthy Southern family headed up by Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs, with Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook playing their on-screen children.

It didn’t take long for some viewers of the satirical comedy-drama to pick up that the surname “Ratliff” appeared in another show that originated on the US broadcaster HBO.

Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in The Staircase
Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in The Staircase

Back in 2022, The Staircase was adapted into a true crime drama series headed up by Colin Firth and Toni Collette.

The original documentary told the story of Michael Peterson, a writer who was initially convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen, only for the charge to be reduced to manslaughter seven years later after he submitted an Alford plea, after which he was freed.

In the drama – and, indeed, in real life – Peterson’s adopted daughters, played by Sophie Turner and Odessa Young, had the somewhat unusual surname Ratliff, which did not go unnoticed by White Lotus fans when the show’s new family members were introduced.

The similarities don’t end there, though, as the Ratliff family are revealed to be from Durham, North Carolina, the same Southern city in which the events depicted in The Staircase played out.

Patrick Schwarzenegger, Odessa Young, Sophie Turner and Dane DeHaan in The Staircase
Patrick Schwarzenegger, Odessa Young, Sophie Turner and Dane DeHaan in The Staircase

Oh, and then there’s the fact that two of the actors in the new season of The White Lotus – Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger – also appeared in the dramatised version of the original documentary The Staircase.

Exactly what this means remains to be seen, although some fans have their suspicions…

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I have this theory that the “RATLIFF” family in #TheWhiteLotus is a nod to The Staircase’s Ratliff/Peterson blended family saga. Mike White def. watched P. Schwarz in it and got inspired. Maybe the siblings aren’t blood-related, and there’s a secret about how family came together pic.twitter.com/EMbZOmVO6I

— Maria von Trapped (@LaDimplette) February 18, 2025

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Maybe the siblings aren’t blood-related, and there’s a secret about how family came together pic.twitter.com/EMbZOmVO6I— Maria von Trapped (@LaDimplette) February 18, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1333,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GkEBOauW0AEiOoE.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1839,"title":"Maria von Trapped on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/LaDimplette/status/1891794681530343585","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-white-lotus-fan-theory-connection-another-show_uk_67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","entryTagsList":"we-love-tv,the-white-lotus,the-staircase","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"we love tv","slug":"we-love-tv","links":{"relativeLink":"news/we-love-tv","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"We Love TV","slug":"we-love-tv","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv/"},{"name":"the white lotus","slug":"the-white-lotus","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-white-lotus","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus/"},{"name":"the staircase","slug":"the-staircase","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-staircase","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

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I have this theory that the “RATLIFF” family in #TheWhiteLotus is a nod to The Staircase’s Ratliff/Peterson blended family saga. Mike White def. watched P. Schwarz in it and got inspired. Maybe the siblings aren’t blood-related, and there’s a secret about how family came together pic.twitter.com/EMbZOmVO6I

— Maria von Trapped (@LaDimplette) February 18, 2025

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i noticed this too!! and patrick schwarzenegger and parker posey both being in the dramatisation of the staircase AND the events taking place in north carolina, where the family in the white lotus seem to be from, or they at least have ties to… there are layers to this https://t.co/g7fZA1yZQh

— daniel (@gonegurlz) February 18, 2025

","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"daniel","author_url":"https://twitter.com/gonegurlz","cache_age":86400,"description":"i noticed this too!! and patrick schwarzenegger and parker posey both being in the dramatisation of the staircase AND the events taking place in north carolina, where the family in the white lotus seem to be from, or they at least have ties to… there are layers to this https://t.co/g7fZA1yZQh— daniel (@gonegurlz) February 18, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"daniel on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/gonegurlz/status/1891785502371504523","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-white-lotus-fan-theory-connection-another-show_uk_67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","entryTagsList":"we-love-tv,the-white-lotus,the-staircase","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"we love tv","slug":"we-love-tv","links":{"relativeLink":"news/we-love-tv","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"We Love TV","slug":"we-love-tv","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv/"},{"name":"the white lotus","slug":"the-white-lotus","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-white-lotus","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus/"},{"name":"the staircase","slug":"the-staircase","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-staircase","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

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i noticed this too!! and patrick schwarzenegger and parker posey both being in the dramatisation of the staircase AND the events taking place in north carolina, where the family in the white lotus seem to be from, or they at least have ties to… there are layers to this https://t.co/g7fZA1yZQh

— daniel (@gonegurlz) February 18, 2025