Comparison of Evapotranspiration Simulation Performance by APEX Model in Dryland and Irrigated Cropping Systems

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is essential to improve water use efficiency of crop production systems managed under different water regimes. The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model was used to simulate ET using four potential ET (ET_p) methods. The objectives were to determine sensitive ET parameters in dryland and irrigated cropping systems and compare ET simulation in the two systems using multiple performance criteria. Measured ET and crop yield data from lysimeter fields located in the United States Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Bushland, Texas were used for evaluation. The number of sensitive parameters was higher for dryland (11–14) than irrigated cropping systems (6–8). Only four input parameters: soil evaporation plant cover factor, root growth soil strength, maximum rain intercept, and rain intercept coefficient were sensitive in both cropping systems. Overall, it is possible to find a set of robust parameter values to simulate ET accurately in APEX in both cropping systems using any ET_p method. However, more computation time is required for dryland than irrigated cropping system due to a relatively larger number of sensitive input parameters. When all inputs are available, the Penman–Monteith method takes the shortest computation time to obtain one model run with robust parameter values in both cropping systems. However, in areas with limited datasets, one can still obtain reasonable ET simulations using either Priestley–Taylor or Hargreaves. Editor's note : This paper is part of the featured series on Optimizing Ogallala Aquifer Water Use to Sustain Food Systems. See the February 2019 issue for the introduction and background to the series.     

Effect of inoculum to substrate ratio (I/S) on municipal solid waste anaerobic degradation kinetics and potential

The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of the inoculum to substrate ratio (I/S) on the anaerobic degradation potential of municipal solid waste (MSW). Reconstituted MSW samples were thus incubated under batch anaerobic conditions and inoculated with an increasing amount of inoculum originating from a mesophilic sludge digester. I/S tested values were 0 (no inoculum added), 0.015, 0.03, 0.06, 0.12, 0.25, 1, 2 and 4 (gVM_inoculum/gVM_waste). The results indicate that the apparent maximal rate of dissolved organic carbon accumulation is reached at I/S = 0.12. Under this level, the hydrolysis process is limited by the concentration of biomass and can thus be described as first order kinetics phenomena with respect to biomass for I/S ratios below 0.12. The maximum methane production rate and the minimal latency are reached at a ratio of 2. In addition to that, both methane signature and ARISA show a shift in the methanogenic populations from hydrogenotrophic to acetoclastic.     

Green sol–gel synthesis of novel nanoporous copper aluminosilicate for the eradication of pathogenic microbes in drinking water and wastewater treatment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - We used a green sol–gel synthesis method to fabricate a novel nanoporous copper aluminosilicate (CAS) material. Nanoporous CAS was characterized...     

Assessment of natural coagulants to remediate Tunisian textile wastewater by combining physicochemical,analytical, and toxicological data

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Due to the complexity and variability of textile wastewater composition, a constant search for new treatment strategies that are efficient,...     

Decolorization does not always mean detoxification: case study of a newly isolated Pseudomonas peli for decolorization of textile wastewater

The textile industry is a favor to the Tunisian economy by offering several job positions. However, it’s not environmentally friendly. In fact, textile industries discharge high volumes of wastewater which contain several toxic pollutants such as dyes, fixator, and whiteness. In our study, Pseudomonas peli, isolated and characterized from Oued Hamdoun (center of Tunisia), was found able to decolorize textile effluent about 81 % after 24 h shaking incubation. On the other hand, the in vitro antiproliferative effects of the untreated and treated effluent was evaluated by their potential cytotoxic activity using the MTT colorimetric method against three human cancer cell lines (A549, lung cell carcinoma; HT29, colon adenocarcinoma; and MCF7, breast adenocarcinoma). Results showed that intact textile effluent and its content azo dyes didn’t inhibit the proliferation of all tested cell lines. However, the cytotoxic effect was remarkable when we tested effluent obtained after treatment by P. peli in a dose-dependent manner. This activity was attributed to the presence, in our treated effluent, of some azo products of dyes which are responsible for inhibition of human cell lines proliferation. Thus, the use of this strain for testing on the industrial scale seems impossible and disadvantageous.     

Photoassisted and photocatalytic degradation of sulfur mustard using TiO2 nanoparticles and polyoxometalates

The decomposition of highly toxic chemical warfare agent, sulfur mustard (bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide or HD), has been studied by homogeneous photolysis and heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation on titania nanoparticles. Direct photolysis degradation of HD with irradiation system was investigated. The photocatalytic degradation of HD was investigated in the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles and polyoxometalates embedded in titania nanoparticles in liquid phase at room temperature (33?±?2 °C). Degradation products during the treatment were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Whereas apparent first-order kinetics of ultraviolet (UV) photolysis were slow (0.0091 min^?1), the highest degradation rate is obtained in the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles as nanophotocatalyst. Simultaneous photolysis and photocatalysis under the full UV radiation leads to HD complete destruction in 3 h. No degradation products observed in the presence of nanophotocatalyst without irradiation in 3 h. It was found that up to 90 % of agent was decomposed under of UV irradiation without TiO₂, in 6 h. The decontamination mechanisms are often quite complex and multiple mechanisms can be operable such as hydrolysis, oxidation, and elimination. By simultaneously carrying out photolysis and photocatalysis in hexane, we have succeeded in achieving faster HD decontamination after 90 min with low catalyst loading. TiO₂ nanoparticles proved to be a superior photocatalyst under UV irradiation for HD decontamination.     

Future Trends and Mitigation Options for Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Developing Country of the Middle East Region: a Case Study of Lebanon’s Road Transport Sector

The road transport system in Lebanon is one of the most unsustainable in the Middle East region due to, in large part, the absence of a national transportation strategy. This study proposes mitigation measures based on Lebanon’s commitments for reducing fossil fuel use and CO₂ emissions from road transport by increasing the share of fuel-efficient and hybrid electric vehicles and increasing the utilization of the existing bus service. Results show that increasing the market share of fuel-efficient vehicles to 35% in 2040 stabilizes energy use and emissions. The addition of hybrid vehicles to the first strategy, with a target of 10% market share by 2040, leads to 11% additional savings. Increasing the share of bus passenger kilometers traveled to 45% in 2040 leads to a reversal of adverse impacts. A combined strategy of all three measures leads to 63% reductions in 2040 compared to 2010, which is even superior to their cumulative savings.     

Optimized processing power and trainability of neural network in numerical modeling of Al Matrix nano composites

In this research, an experimental study of reinforcing alumina nano-particles into the aluminum alloy matrix was implemented to verify the accuracy of modeling results obtained by feed forward neural networks. Artificial neural network combined with numerical technique were used to predict the various parameters of mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile and compressive yield stress, UTS and elongation percentage. Much experimentation were taken to discover a suitable number of hidden neurons, avoid detraction from the trainability and enable feed forward neural networks to solve more complex problems. The predictions were found to be consistent with experimental measurements.