scholarly journals The Potential for Temporary Stand-Off Pads Integrated With Poplar and Willow Silvopastoral Systems for Managing Nitrogen Leaching

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juergen Esperschuetz ◽  
Mark Bloomberg
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
High Water ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
Wood Chips ◽  
Silvopastoral Systems ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Wood Residue ◽  
Feeding Management ◽  
Potential Nitrification ◽  
High Concentrations

Intensive pastoral farming has been linked to adverse environmental effects such as soil degradation and increased fluxes of nitrogen, phosphorus, sediments, and pathogens into waterways, resulting in their degradation. Stand-off pads are engineered structures covered with bedding materials, available for occupation by stock to minimise those adverse effects to soil and water bodies. Wood chips are ideal for bedding due to their low cost, high water holding capacity, and stock preference as resting areas. While they reduce the mobility of both nutrients and pathogens, their effectiveness depends on the type of wood, size of the chips, pH, pad design, and feeding management used. Dissolved organic carbon, present in wood residue, may slow nitrogen mineralisation thereby decreasing loss via leachate. This effect depends on plant tannins and nutrients already stored within the plant tissue. Poplar and willow have high concentrations of tannins in leaves and bark with potential nitrification-inhibiting properties. When grown on-farm, these deep-rooted trees also reduce nitrogen leaching and prevent soil erosion. This review addresses the use of temporary stand-off pads within poplar or willow silvopastoral systems. Harvested trees can provide suitable wood chips for constructing the stand-off pad, while the deep rooting systems of the trees will reduce the moisture content of the pad, preventing waterlogging. A key objective is to discuss the feasibility and establishment of multiple temporary stand-off pads that allow for stock rotation from pad to pad, and subsequent on-site composting of wood-wastes into fertiliser, reducing both nutrient inputs and losses in agricultural systems. The review highlights the potential suitability of poplar and willow tree species for such a system.

Treadle pump: A low cost irrigation option for marginal farmers

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
ATIQUR RAHMAN ◽  
ASHUTOSH UPADHYAYA ◽  
BP BHATT
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Human Power ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Supplementary Irrigation ◽  
Land Holdings

The population of marginal farmers in India is bound to increase due to continued division of farm holdings. Characteristically, marginal farmers are having more family labours but the production and productivity of their land holdings is low. The foremost reason behind this is the erratic rainfall and lack of assure supplementary irrigation during long dry spells. This paper presents the scope and applicability of a diaphragm based treadle pump in Bihar where groundwater is abundant and available at shallow depths round the year. Therefore, this pump could be very useful for marginal farmers in improving production and productivity of their tiny piece of land, as it uses human power and can be operated by male and female of age group 32- 45 years and lifts water from a depth ranging from 0- 30 feet. The water saving technologies such as bucket kit drum kit etc. could be used with this pump to irrigate the crops with high water productivity.

scholarly journals Kaolin-Enhanced Superabsorbent Composites: Synthesis, Characterization and Swelling Behaviors

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1204
Author(s):  
Mengna Chen ◽  
Xuelong Chen ◽  
Caiyan Zhang ◽  
Baozheng Cui ◽  
Zewen Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Absorption ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Water ◽  
Kinetic Mechanism ◽  
Swelling Kinetics ◽  
Synthesis Conditions ◽  
Ph Tolerance ◽  
Monovalent Salt ◽  
Infrared Spectrometer ◽  
Pseudo Second Order

One type of low-cost and eco-friendly organic‒inorganic superabsorbent composite (SAPC) was synthesized by free radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA), starch (ST), sodium alginate (SA) and kaolin (KL) in aqueous solution. The structure and morphology of the SAPC were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The influence of different reaction conditions on water absorption of SAPC, i.e., SA and KL contents, AA neutralization degree (ND), potassium persulfate (KPS) and N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) loading were systematically studied. Under the optimal synthesis conditions, very high water absorption of 1200 g/g was achieved. The swelling kinetic mechanism of SAPC was studied by pseudo-second order swelling kinetics model and Ritger‒Peppas model. The performances of SAPC under different environments were tested and results revealed that this new SAPC had excellent swelling capacity, high water retention, good salt tolerance in monovalent salt solution (NaCl solution) and good pH tolerance between 4 and 10.

scholarly journals Reinforcement of Recycled Aggregate by Microbial-Induced Mineralization and Deposition of Calcium Carbonate—Influencing Factors, Mechanism and Effect of Reinforcement

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 887
Author(s):  
Chunhua Feng ◽  
Buwen Cui ◽  
Haidong Ge ◽  
Yihong Huang ◽  
Wenyan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Water ◽  
Strengthening Mechanism ◽  
Recycled Aggregate ◽  
Strengthening Effect ◽  
Calcium Carbonate Precipitation ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Recycled aggregate is aggregate prepared from construction waste. With the development of a global economy and people’s attention to sustainable development, recycled aggregate has shown advantages in replacing natural aggregate in the production of concrete due to its environmental friendliness, low energy consumption, and low cost. Recycled aggregate exhibits high water absorption and a multi-interface transition zone, which limits its application scope. Researchers have used various methods to improve the properties of recycled aggregate, such as microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology. In this paper, the results of recent studies on the reinforcement of recycled aggregate by MICP technology are synthesized, and the factors affecting the strengthening effect of recycled aggregate are reviewed. Moreover, the strengthening mechanism, advantages and disadvantages of MICP technology are summarized. After the modified treatment, the aggregate performance is significantly improved. Regardless of whether the aggregate was used in mortar or concrete, the mechanical properties of the specimens were clearly improved. However, there are some issues regarding the application of MICP technology, such as the use of an expensive culture medium, a long modification cycle, and untargeted mineralization deposition. These difficulties need to be overcome in the future for the industrialization of regenerated aggregate materials via MICP technology.

scholarly journals Synthesis of Exosome-Based Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters for Cellular Imaging Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4433
Author(s):  
Eun Sung Lee ◽  
Byung Seok Cha ◽  
Seokjoon Kim ◽  
Ki Soo Park
Keyword(s):  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Stokes Shift ◽  
Gold Nanoclusters ◽  
Human Colon ◽  
Cellular Imaging ◽  
Metal Nanoclusters ◽  
Human Colon Cancer ◽  
X Ray ◽  
High Concentrations

In recent years, fluorescent metal nanoclusters have been used to develop bioimaging and sensing technology. Notably, protein-templated fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are attracting interest due to their excellent fluorescence properties and biocompatibility. Herein, we used an exosome template to synthesize AuNCs in an eco-friendly manner that required neither harsh conditions nor toxic chemicals. Specifically, we used a neutral (pH 7) and alkaline (pH 11.5) pH to synthesize two different exosome-based AuNCs (exo-AuNCs) with independent blue and red emission. Using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we demonstrated that AuNCs were successfully formed in the exosomes. Red-emitting exo-AuNCs were found to have a larger Stokes shift and a stronger fluorescence intensity than the blue-emitting exo-AuNCs. Both exo-AuNCs were compatible with MCF-7 (human breast cancer), HeLa (human cervical cancer), and HT29 (human colon cancer) cells, although blue-emitting exo-AuNCs were cytotoxic at high concentrations (≥5 mg/mL). Red-emitting exo-AuNCs successfully stained the nucleus and were compatible with membrane-staining dyes. This is the first study to use exosomes to synthesize fluorescent nanomaterials for cellular imaging applications. As exosomes are naturally produced via secretion from almost all types of cell, the proposed method could serve as a strategy for low-cost production of versatile nanomaterials.

New Gel Aggregates To Improve Sweep Efficiency During Waterflooding

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (01) ◽  
pp. 120-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanglun Lei ◽  
Lingling Li ◽  
Hisham A. Nasr-El-Din
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
High Water ◽  
Resistance Factor ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Low Viscosity ◽  
Productivity Decline ◽  
High Water Cut ◽  
Water Cut

Summary A common problem for oil production is excessive water production, which can lead to rapid productivity decline and significant increases in operating costs. The result is often a premature shut-in of wells because production has become uneconomical. In water injectors, the injection profiles are uneven and, as a result, large amounts of oil are left behind the water front. Many chemical systems have been used to control water production and improve recovery from reservoirs with high water cut. Inorganic gels have low viscosity and can be pumped using typical field mixing and injection equipment. Polymer or crosslinked gels, especially polyacrylamide-based systems, are mainly used because of their relatively low cost and their supposed selectivity. In this paper, microspheres (5–30 μm) were synthesized using acrylamide monomers crosslinked with an organic crosslinker. They can be suspended in water and can be pumped in sandstone formations. They can plug some of the pore throats and, thus, force injected water to change its direction and increase the sweep efficiency. A high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) rheometer was used to measure G (elastic modulus) and G" (viscous modulus) of these aggregates. Experimental results indicate that these microspheres are stable in solutions with 20,000 ppm NaCl at 175°F. They can expand up to five times their original size in deionized water and show good elasticity. The results of sandpack tests show that the microspheres can flow through cores with permeability greater than 500 md and can increase the resistance factor by eight to 25 times and the residual resistance factor by nine times. The addition of microspheres to polymer solutions increased the resistance factor beyond that obtained with the polymer solution alone. Field data using microspheres showed significant improvements in the injection profile and enhancements in oil production.

scholarly journals Ultralow-temperature-driven water-based sorption refrigeration enabled by low-cost zeolite-like porous aluminophosphate

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhangli Liu ◽  
Jiaxing Xu ◽  
Min Xu ◽  
Caifeng Huang ◽  
Ruzhu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Water Sorption ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Water ◽  
Coefficient Of Performance ◽  
High Efficient ◽  
Water Based

AbstractThermally driven water-based sorption refrigeration is considered a promising strategy to realize near-zero-carbon cooling applications by addressing the urgent global climate challenge caused by conventional chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants. However, developing cost-effective and high-performance water-sorption porous materials driven by low-temperature thermal energy is still a significant challenge. Here, we propose a zeolite-like aluminophosphate with SFO topology (EMM-8) for water-sorption-driven refrigeration. The EMM-8 is characterized by 12-membered ring channels with large accessible pore volume and exhibits high water uptake of 0.28 g·g−1 at P/P0 = 0.2, low-temperature regeneration of 65 °C, fast adsorption kinetics, remarkable hydrothermal stability, and scalable fabrication. Importantly, the water-sorption-based chiller with EMM-8 shows the potential of achieving a record coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.85 at an ultralow-driven temperature of 63 °C. The working performance makes EMM-8 a practical alternative to realize high-efficient ultra-low-temperature-driven refrigeration.

scholarly journals Potential uses of biomass from fast-growing crop miscanthus×giganteus

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nada Babovic ◽  
Gordana Drazic ◽  
Ana Djordjevic
Keyword(s):  
Panicum Virgatum ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Concentration ◽  
High Water ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Cellulose Content ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Miscanthus Giganteus

There is an increasing interest in perennial grasses as a renewable source of bioenergy and feedstock for second-generation cellulosic biofuels. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and miscanthus (Miscanthus?giganteus), belonging to the parennial grasses group, are the major lignocellulosic materials being studied today as sources for direct energy production, biofuels, bioremediation and other. They have the ability to grow at low cost on marginal land where they will not compete with the traditional food crops. Miscanthus?giganteus possesses a number of advantages in comparison with the other potential energy crops such as are: high yields, low moisture content at harvest, high water and nitrogen use efficiencies, low need for annual agronomic inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, high cellulose content, non-invasive character, low susceptibility to pests and diseases and broad adaptation to temperate growing environments. The main problems are low rate of survival during the first winter after the creation of plantation and the relatively high establishment costs. Miscanthus?giganteus is grown primarily for heat and electricity generation but can also be used to produce transport fuels. Miscanthus biomass has a very good combustion quality due to its low water concentration as well as its low Cl, K, N, S and ash concentrations compared to other lignocellulose plants. It is expected that miscanthus will provide cheaper and more sustainable source of cellulose for production of bioethanol than annual crops such as corn. Miscanthus has great promise as a renewable energy source, but it can only be realised when the grass production has been optimised for large-scale commercial cultivation. However, further research is still needed to optimise agronomy of miscanthus, to develop the production chain and pre-treatment as well as to optimise energy conversation route to produce heat, electricity, and/or fuels from biomass, if miscanthus is to compete with fossil fuel use and be widely produced.

Low concentrations of methaemoglobin in marine fishes of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rufus M. G. Wells ◽  
John Baldwin ◽  
Roger S. Seymour
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
High Water ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Multiple Wavelength ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Derivative Method ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Total Haemoglobin ◽  
High Concentrations

Concentrations of methaemoglobin (the oxidized non-functional ferric form of haemoglobin) in the blood of marine fish are poorly documented. Although high concentrations have been reported for fish maintained in captivity, baseline values for wild populations are unknown. Two techniques, the cyanide derivative method and the multiple wavelength method, were used to determine methaemoglobin concentrations in blood samples from 25 species of marine teleosts and elasmobranchs captured on the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Although methaemoglobin generally accounted for less than 2% of total haemoglobin, systematic errors occurred when these two standard methods, developed for mammalian blood, were applied to the blood of some fish species. Most problems arose from reactions of various blood components with the reagents used in the cyanide derivative method. Consequently, the multiple wavelength method generally was more reliable for estimating methaemoglobin in the blood of marine fish. The low methaemoglobin concentrations in fish studied on the Great Barrier Reef indicate high water quality and healthy physiological condition.

scholarly journals Structural and optical study of alternating layers of In and GaAs prepared by magnetron sputtering

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Torres-Jaramillo ◽  
Camilo Pulzara-Mora ◽  
Roberto Bernal-Correa ◽  
Miguel Venegas de la Cerda ◽  
Salvador Gallardo-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetron Sputtering ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Longitudinal Mode ◽  
Longitudinal Optical ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Mode Behavior ◽  
Optical Modes ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Secondary Ion

Currently, the obtention of nano-structures based on III-V materials is expensive. This calls for novel and inexpensive nanostructure manufacturing approaches. In this work we report on the manufacture of a nanostructures consisting of alternating layers of In and GaAs on a silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering. Furthermore, we characterized the produced nanostructures using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), X-ray diffraction analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. SIMS revealed variation in the concentration of In atoms across In/GaAs/In interphases, and X-ray diffraction revealed planes corresponding to phases associated with GaAs and InAs due to In interfacial diffusion across GaAs layers. Finally, in order to study the composition and crystalquality of the manufactured nanostaructures, Raman spectra were taken using laser excitation lines of 452 nm, 532 nm, and 562 nm at different points across the nanostructures.This allowed to determine the transverse and longitudinal optical modes of GaAs and InAs,characteristic of a two-mode behavior. An acoustic longitudinal vibrational mode LA(Γ) of GaAs and an acoustic longitudinal mode activated by disorder (DALA) were observed. These resulted from the substitution of Ga atoms for In atoms in high concentrations due to the generation of Ga(VGa) and/or Arsenic(VAs) vacancies.This set of analyses show that magnetron sputtering can be aviable and relatively low-cost technique to obtain this type of semiconductors.

scholarly journals Efficient solar-driven water splitting by nanocone BiVO4-perovskite tandem cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. e1501764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongcai Qiu ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Guangmin Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Splitting ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Diffusion Length ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Water ◽  
Hydrogen Electrode ◽  
Efficient Charge ◽  
Multiple Light Scattering ◽  
Pec Water Splitting

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has been widely regarded as a promising photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting because of its low cost, its high stability against photocorrosion, and its relatively narrow band gap of 2.4 eV. However, the achieved performance of the BiVO4 photoanode remains unsatisfactory to date because its short carrier diffusion length restricts the total thickness of the BiVO4 film required for sufficient light absorption. We addressed the issue by deposition of nanoporous Mo-doped BiVO4 (Mo:BiVO4) on an engineered cone-shaped nanostructure, in which the Mo:BiVO4 layer with a larger effective thickness maintains highly efficient charge separation and high light absorption capability, which can be further enhanced by multiple light scattering in the nanocone structure. As a result, the nanocone/Mo:BiVO4/Fe(Ni)OOH photoanode exhibits a high water-splitting photocurrent of 5.82 ± 0.36 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode under 1-sun illumination. We also demonstrate that the PEC cell in tandem with a single perovskite solar cell exhibits unassisted water splitting with a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of up to 6.2%.

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