Energy Analysis of Sugarcane Production in Morocco

An energy analysis of sugarcane production in small and large farms was made in Morocco. Total energy expenditures were 64.90 and 47.83 GJ/ha and energy outputs were 100.80 and 85.80 GJ/ha in large and small farms, respectively. The output/input energy ratios were 1.6 and 1.8. The energy intensity lies between 0.7 and 0.8 MJ/kg and is one of the highest among sugarcane producing countries. Irrigation is the most energy consuming operation with about 50% of total energy inputs. Electricity, fertilizers, fuel, and machinery are the main energy inputs. The influence of the different inputs is discussed and practical measures for energy saving and environmental conservation based on energy analysis are discussed.     

Phenol removal from aqueous environments by natural & chemically modified kaolin clay

Natural, acid and base modified kaolin clays were studied for the sake of phenol and 4-chlorophenol removal from aqueous environments and their application to real ground and industrial wastewater samples. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), and Surface area analysis were employed for characterization of the adsorbents microstructure. Operating factors such as adsorbent dose, solution pH, initial phenol concentration, and contact time were studied. The experimental data displayed that the increase of the adsorbent dose, contact time, and pH value from 2 to 7 increases the efficiency of the removal process. Optimal conditions for phenolic removal were; contact time of 300 min, primary phenol solution of 25 mg/L, pH 7 and 2.5 g/L as an appropriate adsorbent dose using crude (natural), acid modified and base modified kaolin clays. The higher phenolic removal efficiencies were obtained at 5 mg/L as 90, 97, 96.2%, respectively, for the adsorbents in the previously mentioned order. The adsorption capacity in the removal of phenol and 4-chlorophenol were 7.481 and 4.195, 8.2942 and 3.211, and 8.05185 and 18.565 mg/g, respectively, for the adsorbents in the same mentioned order. The adsorption equilibrium data were fitted and analyzed with four isotherm models, namely, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm equations. The adsorption process of phenol on studied adsorbents was exothermic, spontaneous and thermodynamically favorable proved by the negative values of their thermodynamic parameters ΔH° and ΔG°. The correlation coefficient (R²) for all concentrations was higher than 0.94, which indicates that in the studied system, the data suitably fit the first-order kinetics. The % desorption capacity was amounted to 96%, 91.11%, and 87.06% of adsorbed phenol, respectively, for the adsorbents in the previous order using 0.1N NaOH and 10% V/V ethanol solutions as eluents at 25°C, indicating the reusability of the adsorbents. Kaolin and its modified forms can be introduced as eco-friendly and low-cost adsorbents in water remediation implementation.     

Production of bio-fertilizer by biotransformation of poultry waste enriched with molasses and algae

This research work consists on valorizing poultry waste by biotransformation into biofertilizers, associating this agro-industrial waste with algae (abundant natural resources) and molasses (a by-product of the sugar refining industry) ensuring a good contribution of nutritional chemical elements and obtaining a balanced formulation. A total of seven different formulations of the above three components, were examined in a simplex centroid design. A fungal inoculum of Aspergillus niger was used as a fermentation agent for better quality of biotransformation. The monitoring of this biotransformation is ensured during 15 days by following the evolution of physicochemical and microbiological parameters and, to understand the bioconversion of the simple compounds of the biofertilizer mixture such as short aliphatic chains, sugar, and amino acids into soluble mineral compounds, a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was carried out before and after biotransformation. Finally, germination and fertilization tests were performed to evaluate the efficiency of the final product on a barley crop. The overall results of the present study showed that the mixture which contained 68.75% poultry waste, 12.5% molasses, and 18.75% algae presented the better microbiological and chemical safety criteria required for a good biofertilizer according to NF U44-551 standard.     

Machine learning and computational chemistry to improve biochar fertilizers: a review

Traditional fertilizers are highly inefficient, with a major loss of nutrients and associated pollution. Alternatively, biochar loaded with phosphorous is a sustainable fertilizer that improves soil structure, stores carbon in soils, and provides plant nutrients in the long run, yet most biochars are not optimal because mechanisms ruling biochar properties are poorly known. This issue can be solved by recent developments in machine learning and computational chemistry. Here we review phosphorus-loaded biochar with emphasis on computational chemistry, machine learning, organic acids, drawbacks of classical fertilizers, biochar production, phosphorus loading, and mechanisms of phosphorous release. Modeling techniques allow for deciphering the influence of individual variables on biochar, employing various supervised learning models tailored to different biochar types. Computational chemistry provides knowledge on factors that control phosphorus binding, e.g., the type of phosphorus compound, soil constituents, mineral surfaces, binding motifs, water, solution pH, and redox potential. Phosphorus release from biochar is controlled by coexisting anions, pH, adsorbent dosage, initial phosphorus concentration, and temperature. Pyrolysis temperatures below 600 °C enhance functional group retention, while temperatures below 450 °C increase plant-available phosphorus. Lower pH values promote phosphorus release, while higher pH values hinder it. Physical modifications, such as increasing surface area and pore volume, can maximize the adsorption capacity of phosphorus-loaded biochar. Furthermore, the type of organic acid affects phosphorus release, with low molecular weight organic acids being advantageous for soil utilization. Lastly, biochar-based fertilizers release nutrients 2–4 times slower than conventional fertilizers.

     

Correction to: Trace elements exposure influences proximate body composition and antioxidant enzyme activities of the species tilapia and catfish in Burullus Lake-Egypt: human risk assessment for the consumers

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The correct images of figs. 2 and 3 are presented in this paper.     

Correction to: Monitoring of copper accumulation in water,soil, forage,and cows impacted by heavy automobiles

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13137-9     

Demystifying uncertainty in PM10 susceptibility mapping using variable drop-off in extreme-gradient boosting (XGB) and random forest (RF) algorithms

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigates uncertainty in machine learning that can occur when there is significant variance in the prediction importance level of the...     

Engineered nanomaterials as fighters against SARS-CoV-2: The way to control and treat pandemics

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this editorial trend, we aim to collect and present recently available data about the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 virus, severity, infection,...     

Prophylactic effects of Cynara scolymus L. leaf and flower hydroethanolic extracts against diethylnitrosamine/acetylaminoflourene-induced lung cancer in Wistar rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The study examines the prophylactic action of artichoke leaf hydroethanolic extract (ALE) and artichoke flower head hydroethanolic extract (AFE)...     

Modified Sugarcane Bagasse with Tartaric Acid for Removal of Diazonium Blue from Aqueous Solutions

The present study concerns with exploring the possibility of using of tartaric acid pretreated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) for removing diazonium blue (DB) from aqueous solutions. The effect of different factors on the efficiency of the adsorbent for the DB dye removal was investigated, including initial dye concentration, contact time, SCB dosage and SCB particle size. Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin and D–R isothermal models have been employed to analyze the adsorption equilibrium data. It was found that the adsorption of the dye fits well with the D–R model. The adsorption kinetics was also done applying four kinetic models. The regression equation coefficients refer to fitting the data to the second-order kinetic equation for removal of the DB dye. It is probable that the rate limiting step is a chemical adsorption between the adsorbent and the dye. This chemisorption process is further confirmed from the energy value of 15.1 kJ mol^?1 deduced from the D–R isotherm.