scholarly journals Waste Materials as a Resource for Production of CMC Superabsorbent Hydrogel for Sustainable Agriculture

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 4115
Author(s):  
Vojkan Miljković ◽  
Ivana Gajić ◽  
Ljubiša Nikolić
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Chemical Modification ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Carboxymethyl Cellulose ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Agricultural Wastes ◽  
Waste Materials ◽  
Superabsorbent Hydrogel ◽  
Superabsorbent Hydrogels

Waste materials are receiving more attention as concerns about the future of our planet increase. Cellulose is the most common substance in agricultural waste. Agricultural wastes containing cellulose are misplaced resources that could be reused in various fields for both environmental and economic benefits. In this work, 32 different kinds of waste are investigated for chemical modification in order to obtain carboxymethyl cellulose for the production of a superabsorbent hydrogel that can be applied in agriculture. A brief literature review is provided to help researchers wishing to obtain carboxymethyl cellulose by carboxymethylation starting with waste materials. We also provide details about methods to obtain as well as verify carboxymethylation. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), as a constituent of cellulosic water and superabsorbent hydrogels with applications in agriculture, is described. Superabsorbent hydrogels with CMC are able to absorb huge amounts of water and are biodegradable.

Poly-Generation Using Biogas From Agricultural Wastes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Welch
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Agricultural Wastes ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Distributed Power

Abstract Across the world, many people, especially in rural communities, still lack access to secure, affordable electricity supplies. Many countries also lack or have under-developed indigenous fossil fuel resources, or rely on environmentally unfriendly fuels such as coal or Heavy Fuel Oil. Many under-developed regions though are blessed with considerable agricultural resources, and well-suited to Distributed Power Generation, where smaller decentralized power plants are located close to the actual energy consumers. Distributed Power eliminates the need for an electricity transmission grid, or reduces the investment costs necessary to strengthen the grid system, and helps ensure stable, secure electricity to support local economic growth. Agricultural wastes can be used as a locally available feedstock to produce the energy required to electrify regions and stimulate economic growth. This paper examines the benefits of applying Poly-generation — the production of multiple products at a single location — and examines a proposed bio-refinery scheme to produce ethanol from agricultural waste. The ethanol production process produces a waste biogas, which can then be used in a high efficiency Cogeneration (or Combined Heat and Power) plant as a fuel for gas turbines to generate electricity and steam (heat), not just for the bio-refinery but also local industry and businesses. By creating a high value product (ethanol) along with a free fuel, the bio-refinery acts as an anchor plant to provide reliable, affordable electricity to the local community. As well as providing economic benefits, such a concept has multiple environmental benefits as regions and nations try to combine growth in energy demand with reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions: agricultural residues that would otherwise have decayed emitting methane and CO2 into the atmosphere are used to create a high value product in ethanol, while using the biogas as a fuel displaces combustion of fossil fuels, reducing both combustion emissions and those associated with transportation of the fuel to the point of use.

scholarly journals Sustainable Panels Made with Industrial and Agricultural Waste: Thermal and Environmental Critical Analysis of the Experimental Results

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 494
Author(s):  
Paola Ricciardi ◽  
Elisa Belloni ◽  
Francesca Merli ◽  
Cinzia Buratti
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Rice Husk ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Waste Materials ◽  
Impact Reduction ◽  
Combined Solution ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Recycled Waste

Recycled waste materials obtained from industrial and agricultural processes are becoming promising thermal and acoustic insulating solutions in building applications; their use can play an important role in the environmental impact reduction. The aim of the present paper is the evaluation of the thermal performance of recycled waste panels consisting of cork scraps, rice husk, coffee chaff, and end-life granulated tires, glued in different weight ratios and pressed. Six panels obtained from the mixing of these waste materials were fabricated and analyzed. In particular, the scope is the selection of the best compromise solutions from the thermal and environmental points of view. To this aim, thermal resistances were measured in laboratory and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out for each panel; a cross-comparative examination was performed in order to optimize their properties and find the best panels solutions to be assembled in the future. Life Cycle Analysis was carried out in terms of primary Embodied Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, considering a ‘‘cradle-to-gate” approach. The obtained thermal conductivities varied in the 0.055 to 0.135 W/mK range, in the same order of magnitude of many traditional systems. The best thermal results were obtained for the panels made of granulated cork, rice husk, and coffee chaff in this order. The rubber granulate showed higher values of the thermal conductivity (about 0.15 W/mK); a very interesting combined solution was the panel composed of cork (60%), rice husk (20%), and coffee chaff (20%), with a thermal conductivity of 0.08 W/mK and a Global Warming Potential of only 2.6 kg CO2eq/m2. Considering the Embodied Energy (CED), the best solution is a panel composed of 56% of cork and 44% of coffee chaff (minimum CED and thermal conductivity).

scholarly journals Physio-Chemical Characterization of Indigenous Agricultural Waste Materials for the Development of Potting Media

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidra Kiran ◽  
Javed Iqbal ◽  
Subhan Danish ◽  
Allah Baksh ◽  
Syed Inam Ullah Shah Bukhari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Waste Materials ◽  
Potting Media

scholarly journals Effect of different agro-wastes, casing materials and supplements on the growth, yield and nutrition of milky mushroom (Calocybe indica)

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Hasan Sardar ◽  
Muhammad Akbar Anjum ◽  
Aamir Nawaz ◽  
Safina Naz ◽  
Shaghef Ejaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wheat Straw ◽  
Wheat Bran ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Waste Materials ◽  
Maximum Diameter ◽  
Biological Efficiency ◽  
Peat Moss

AbstractAgricultural waste disposal is one of the main concerns in today's world that can cause environmental pollution. Utilisation of agro-waste materials to grow mushrooms is an eco-friendly method to reduce pollution. Therefore, various agricultural waste materials, such as wheat straw, rice straw and cotton waste, were utilised for the production of milky mushroom. Among the substrates used in this study wheat straw showed superior substrate for the production of milky mushroom. The agronomic traits studied such as total yield, number of fruiting bodies, the maximum diameter of pileus and stalk length, biological efficiency, protein contents, phosphorous and potassium contents were observed on wheat straw substrate. Peat moss, loam soil and spent mushroom substrate were used as casing materials. Among the casing materials used, the highest yield and biological efficiency were observed on peat moss. The results also indicated that the addition of supplements with the substrate improved yield and yield contributing characteristics. Among the tested supplements (wheat bran and rice bran), wheat bran was the best supplement for wheat straw substrate to cultivate milky white mushroom.

scholarly journals Extraction of Value-Added Minerals from Various Agricultural, Industrial and Domestic Wastes

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 6333
Author(s):  
Virendra Kumar Yadav ◽  
Krishna Kumar Yadav ◽  
Vineet Tirth ◽  
Govindhan Gnanamoorthy ◽  
Nitin Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Industrial Waste ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Household Waste ◽  
Waste Materials ◽  
Materials Synthesis ◽  
Coconut Shells

Environmental pollution is one of the major concerns throughout the world. The rise of industrialization has increased the generation of waste materials, causing environmental degradation and threat to the health of living beings. To overcome this problem and effectively handle waste materials, proper management skills are required. Waste as a whole is not only waste, but it also holds various valuable materials that can be used again. Such useful materials or elements need to be segregated and recovered using sustainable recovery methods. Agricultural waste, industrial waste, and household waste have the potential to generate different value-added products. More specifically, the industrial waste like fly ash, gypsum waste, and red mud can be used for the recovery of alumina, silica, and zeolites. While agricultural waste like rice husks, sugarcane bagasse, and coconut shells can be used for recovery of silica, calcium, and carbon materials. In addition, domestic waste like incense stick ash and eggshell waste that is rich in calcium can be used for the recovery of calcium-related products. In agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors, several raw materials are used; therefore, it is of high economic interest to recover valuable minerals and to process them and convert them into merchandisable products. This will not only decrease environmental pollution, it will also provide an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach for materials synthesis. These value-added materials can be used for medicine, cosmetics, electronics, catalysis, and environmental cleanup.

Optimal Design and Techno-Economic Analysis for Corncob Particles Briquettes: A Literature Review of the Utilization of Agricultural Waste and Analysis Calculation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asep Bayu Dani Nandiyanto ◽  
Nissa Nur Azizah ◽  
Gabriela Chelvina Santiuly Girsang
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Design ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Variable Cost ◽  
Scale Production

Corncob is usually disposed of directly as waste, creating problems in the environment, while it can be converted into valuable materials. This research aimed to evaluate the literature review on briquette production from agricultural waste (using non-binder and cold press with a binder) and the current works on techno-economic analysis, to propose an optimal design for the production of briquette from corncob waste, and to perform a techno-economic analysis based on the selected optimal processing method. The engineering perspective based on stoichiometry and mass balance showed the potential corncob briquette manufacture in both home and large scales due to the possible use of inexpensive and commercially available equipment and raw materials. The economic perspective [based on several economic evaluation factors (i.e., gross profit margin, payback period, break-even point, cumulative net present value, return of investment, internal rate return, and profitability index) under ideal and non-ideal conditions by considering internal (i.e., sales, raw materials, utilities, and variable cost) and external aspects (i.e., tax)] confirmed the prospective development of the project in the large-scale production with a lifetime of more than 18 years. The main issue in the project is the raw material (i.e. tapioca flour), giving the most impact on the project’s feasibility. Even in severe conditions, the project is feasible. The great endurance was also confirmed in the case of a higher tax rate. This study demonstrates the importance of producing corncob-based briquettes for improving the economic value and giving alternatives for problem solvers in the utilization of agricultural waste.

scholarly journals Green Infrastructure Planning Principles: An Integrated Literature Review

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
Renato Monteiro ◽  
José C. Ferreira ◽  
Paula Antunes
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Infrastructure Planning ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Sustainable Landscape Management ◽  
Sustainable Landscape

Green infrastructure is a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas, including green and blue spaces and other ecosystems, designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services at various scales. Apart from the ecological functions, green infrastructure, as a planning tool, contributes to social and economic benefits, leading to the achievement of sustainable, resilient, inclusive and competitive urban areas. Despite recent developments, there is still no consensus among researchers and practitioners regarding the concept of green infrastructure as well as its implementation approaches, which makes it often difficult for urban planners and other professionals in the field to develop a robust green infrastructure in some parts of the world. To address this issue, an integrative literature review was conducted to identify which green infrastructure planning principles should be acknowledged in spatial planning practices to promote sustainability and resilience. As a result of this literature review, the most common eight green infrastructure planning principles were selected—connectivity, multifunctionality, applicability, integration, diversity, multiscale, governance, and continuity. These principles intend to promote and simplify the development and use of green infrastructure by different academic and implementation organizations and provide a more defined model for sustainable landscape management in order to help practitioners and decision makers during the conceptualization and planning of green infrastructure.

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