Development of a mathematical methodology to investigate biohydrogen production from regional and national agricultural crop residues: A case study of Iran

The proper management of agricultural crop residues could produce benefits in a warmer, more drought-prone world. Field experiments were conducted in sugarcane production areas in the Southern Brazil to assess the influence of crop residues on the soil surface in short-term CO2 emissions. The study was carried out over a period of 50 days after establishing 6 plots with and without crop residues applied to the soil surface. The effects of sugarcane residues on CO2 emissions were immediate; the emissions from residue-covered plots with equivalent densities of 3 (D50) and 6 (D100) t ha-1 (dry mass) were less than those from non-covered plots (D0). Additionally, the covered fields had lower soil temperatures and higher soil moisture for most of the studied days, especially during the periods of drought. Total emissions were as high as 553.62 ± 47.20 g CO2 m-2, and as low as 384.69 ± 31.69 g CO2 m-2 in non-covered (D0) and covered plot with an equivalent density of 3 t ha-1 (D50), respectively. Our results indicate a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, indicating conservation of soil carbon over the short-term period following the application of sugarcane residues to the soil surface.

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The Potential for Sustainable Organic Farming in Nagaland: A Case Study

Asia-Pacific Journal of Rural Development ◽

10.1177/10185291211065244 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 101852912110652

Author(s):

Devpriya Sarkar

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Crop Residues ◽

The State ◽

Cattle Dung ◽

Farming Practices ◽

Eastern State ◽

North Eastern ◽

Traditional Mode

In 2015, Sikkim, a North-Eastern state of India, achieved the state of being fully organic. Later, states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Goa and Kerala have declared their intentions to be fully organic. In Nagaland, more than 47% of the population is engaged in agriculture and entirely dependent on the traditional mode of farming and has used organic manure like cattle dung, dried leaves-litter and crop residues for enhancing the capacity of soil from time immemorial. Also, studies have shown that the state of Nagaland has negligible use of inorganic supplements in their fields. Thus, Nagaland has a high potential to be converted into an organic state without making any significant shifts in their existing farming practices. Shifting cultivation, locally known as Jhum-kheti, is one of the oldest forms of the agricultural process in practice in Nagaland. However, some studies regard Jhum cultivation as harmful to the environment, but there is a scope to reinvent this farming method and move towards a more sustainable form of agriculture there. This study explores the relation between traditional farming and organic farming and the benefits of state-induced organic farming methods and their effects on the farmers of Nagaland. A survey was carried out in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland to understand the role of farmers in attaining sustainability.

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Techno-Economic Analysis of a Cogeneration System for Post-Harvest Loss Reduction: A Case Study in Sub-Saharan Rural Community

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12050872 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 872 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rasaq Lamidi ◽

Long Jiang ◽

Yaodong Wang ◽

Pankaj Pathare ◽

Marcelo Aguilar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Community ◽

Cold Storage ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Combustion Engine ◽

Payback Period ◽

Post Harvest ◽

Cogeneration System ◽

Electricity Tariff

Over 90% of global yam production is from West Africa where it provides food and income for above 300 million smallholders’ farmers. However, the major challenge of yam is 10–40% post-harvest losses due to the lack of appropriate storage facilities. This paper assesses a biogas-driven cogeneration system, which could supply electricity and cold storage for ‘yam bank’ within a rural community. Considering 200 households’ Nigerian village as a case study, crop residues are used as anaerobic digestion feedstock to produce biogas, which is subsequently used to power an internal combustion engine. Result shows that the system could store 3.6 tonnes of yam tubers each year and provide enough electricity for domestic and commercial activities. At the current electricity tariff of USD0.013·kWh−1 for rural areas, the system is unable to payback during its life span. The proposed USD0.42·kWh−1 by Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency seems good with less than 3 years discounted payback period but brings about extra burden on poor rural households. Based on the income from cold storage, electricity tariff of USD0.105·kWh−1 with an interest rate of 4% is suggested to be reasonable which results in 6.84 years discounted payback period especially considering non-monetary benefits of renewable energy system.

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Synergistic effect of sugarcane scum as an accelerant co-substrate on anaerobic co-digestion with agricultural crop residues from non-centrifugal cane sugar agribusiness sector

Bioresource Technology ◽

10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122957 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 303 ◽

pp. 122957 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

O. Mendieta ◽

L. Castro ◽

J. Rodríguez ◽

H. Escalante

Keyword(s):

Synergistic Effect ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Cane Sugar ◽

Agricultural Crop

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Techno-economic assessment of dry fermentation in household biogas units through co-digestion of manure and agricultural crop residues in Egypt

Renewable Energy ◽

10.1016/j.renene.2019.12.058 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 149 ◽

pp. 226-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mohamed Samer ◽

Salwa Abdelaziz ◽

Mohamed Refai ◽

Essam Abdelsalam

Keyword(s):

Crop Residues ◽

Economic Assessment ◽

Agricultural Crop ◽

Dry Fermentation

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Elemental Composition of Biochar Obtained from Agricultural Waste for Soil Amendment and Carbon Sequestration

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app9193980 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (19) ◽

pp. 3980 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Saowanee Wijitkosum ◽

Preamsuda Jiwnok

Keyword(s):

Surface Area ◽

Soil Amendment ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Low Cost ◽

Agricultural Waste ◽

Total Pore Volume ◽

Appropriate Technology ◽

Bet Surface Area ◽

Agricultural Crop

For an agricultural country such as Thailand, converting agricultural waste into biochar offers a potential solution to manage massive quantities of crop residues following harvest. This research studied the structure and chemical composition of biochar obtained from cassava rhizomes, cassava stems and corncobs, produced using a patented locally-manufactured biochar kiln using low-cost appropriate technology designed to be fabricated locally by farmers. The research found that cassava stems yielded the highest number of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area in the biochar product, while chemical analysis indicated that corncobs yielded the highest amount of C (81.35%). The amount of H in the corncob biochar was also the highest (2.42%). The study also showed biochar produced by slow pyrolysis was of a high quality, with stable C and low H/C ratio. Biochar’s high BET surface area and total pore volume makes it suitable for soil amendment, contributing to reduced soil density, higher soil moisture and aeration and reduced leaching of plant nutrients from the rhizosphere. Biochar also provides a conducive habitat for beneficial soil microorganisms. The findings indicate that soil incorporation of biochar produced from agricultural crop residues can enhance food security and mitigate the contribution of the agricultural sector to climate change impacts.

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