scholarly journals The Potential of Plantain Residues for the Ghanaian Bioeconomy—Assessing the Current Fiber Value Web

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Loos ◽  
Marlene Hoppe ◽  
Beloved Dzomeku ◽  
Lilli Scheiterle

An essential part in the concept of any emerging bioeconomy includes the sustainable use of biomass as a resource for industrial raw materials. Focusing on the increasing demand for natural fibers, it will be necessary to identify alternative sources without compromising food security. Here, untapped potential lies in the use of plantain residues. Yet, it is unclear how or whether this can be activated. This article investigates the current situation in Ghana as a major plantain producer in Africa. Based on data collected with participatory tools, expert interviews, and group discussions, we (i) assess predominant plantain production structures, (ii) derive a stakeholder network map identifying institutional challenges, and (iii) discuss the potential starting points for linking the supply side with the national or international fiber market. Results indicate that there is substantial interest of private enterprises for high quality fibers. Despite traditional knowledge, after fruit harvest the fiber rich plantain pseudostems usually remain in the field. From an institutional point of view, key stakeholders and structures exist that could boost the establishment of a sustainable plantain based fiber value web. Key to such an endeavor, however, would be to pilot activities, including technology transfer of suitable innovations from other countries.

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 734
Author(s):  
Maria Bagani ◽  
Efthymios Balomenos ◽  
Dimitrios Panias

The increasing demand for aluminum in conjunction with the limited available bauxite deposits in Europe results in the dire need for the evaluation of alternative raw materials for the whole value chain of alumina production. The present paper focuses on the possible use of nepheline syenite, originated as a mine byproduct, in alumina production through leaching with an azeotropic HCl solution. Previous work on nepheline syenite dissolution focused more on the extraction of potassium and sodium values. In this work, emphasis is given at the characteristics and leachability of aluminum content phases by applying a high temperature HCl leaching in untreated material. From this point of view, leaching experiments were conducted on nepheline syenite, at a temperature range of 90 °C to 150 °C and with aqueous azeotropic HCl solution. Leaching, in the aforementioned conditions, is a process, characterized by medium aluminum dissolution. The results show that the aluminum-bearing phases that withstand the dissolution process are mainly the ones of sodium and potassium feldspars.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ahmed ◽  
R.S. Fedyuk ◽  
Yu. Liseycev ◽  
R. Timohin ◽  
G. Murali

the relevance of the paper is due to the search for alternative sources of raw materials for the construction industry, associated with the disposal of man-made waste. The novelty of the article is to identify the scien-tific laws of the influence of demolition waste on buildings and structures on the formation of the micro-structure of lightweight and heavyweight concrete. Concrete waste was prepared as both fillers of cement materials and fine aggregates, based on which concrete with high mechanical properties was created. The mix design was carried out from the point of view of geomimetics, in particular, taking into account the law of affinity of structures. The strength characteristics of concrete mixtures were investigated in accordance with EN 12390-3. In addition, the microstructural, morphological and thermal properties of the raw materials and concrete were determined during 28-day curing. For the first time, the dense microstructure of the com-posite was ensured, both with Portland cement products and with hydration, and, in part, with hydration products of previously unreacted clinker, whose minerals are present in concrete waste and are activated when they are crushed. The use of demolition waste of buildings and structures as a filler of cementing ma-terial when replacing Portland cement up to 20% allows to obtain better compressive strength of both heav-yweight and lightweight concrete.


Author(s):  
Lina Yurievna Lagutkina

The author of the article discloses the prospects of development of the world feed production for aquaculture based on the analysis of key innovative technological and market trends. The author specifies that shortage, high cost, low ecological compatibility of traditional raw materials - fish flour - are among major limiting factors in the development of production of feeds for aquaculture. This fact, in turn, limits sustainable development of aquaculture both in Russia, and in the world in general. The article presents the overview of a current status of the world industry of feed production in aquaculture, where the regional situation is studied, as well. For the first time, there is given the outlook of innovative technologies in feed production based on the alternative sources of protein (on the example of projects of leading aquabiotechnological companies) which will determine industry’s objectives for the mid-term perspective.


2020 ◽  
pp. 3-14
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Luferov

The article provides brief information about cardiotonic, sedative, cytostatic, diuretic, and antibacterial effects of biologically active compounds of Adonis L. (Ranunculaceae) species. Chemical studies allowed to identify the cardiac glycosides, or cardenolides: or cardenolides: adontoxin, adonitol, adonitoxigenin, acetyldigitoxin and others. In scientific medicine, it is currently allowed to use Adonis vernalis L. Other types of Adonis have a similar chemical composition and are offered as substitutes for this official species, for example, Adonis apennina L. Many Adonis species have limited natural resources, and in some regions are rare, requiring conservation of their natural populations. The search for alternative sources of medicinal plant raw materials, based on this, is relevant. The experimental part of our research was carried out using the morphological and geographical method with the involvement of information on ecology and phenology. For the first time summarizes the diagnostic features of Adonis flora of Russian flora. Previously unknown structural features (shape and size of anthers) were identified that characterize the subgenera Adonanthe and Adonis. Taxonomic study of the genus Adonis of the Russian flora allowed us to determine its species composition, clarify its systematic affiliation, and nomenclature synonyms. 9 species were identified. Of these, 6 are perennials belonging to the subgenus Adonanthe, section Consiligo, which includes 2 subsections: Amurenses (2 species) and Vernales, which is differentiated into 2 rows: Apenninae (2 species) and Vernales (2 species). Subgenus Adonis is represented by 2 sections: Adonis (1 species) and Lophocarpa with sections Aestivales (1 species) and Dentatae (1 species). For all the considered species and varieties, the main distribution areas are given. A key has been compiled to determine the wild Adonis species distributed in Russia.


2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-134
Author(s):  
Ion Teoreanu ◽  
Roxana Lucia Dumitrache ◽  
Stefania Stoleriu

Any change of the raw material sources for glazes, economically, ecologically motivated, and also from the glaze quality point of view, is conditioned by the molecular formula rationalization and by the variation limits of the molecular formula, respectively. The proper glaze compositions are placed within their limit variation intervals with optimized processing and utilization properties. For this purpose, the rationalization criteria and procedures of molecular formulas are summarized in the present paper, as well as the results referring to their rationalization obtained in the authors� previous work. Thus, one starts from a base of raw materials that are selected, usable and also accessible for the design and producing of the glazes. On these bases the groundwork and the design equation for the glaze recipes are developed, exemplified for a single glaze. For an easy access to results, computer programs are used for an easy access to results.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3564
Author(s):  
Arnas Majumder ◽  
Laura Canale ◽  
Costantino Carlo Mastino ◽  
Antonio Pacitto ◽  
Andrea Frattolillo ◽  
...  

The building sector is known to have a significant environmental impact, considering that it is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions of around 36% and is also responsible for about 40% of global energy consumption. Of this, about 50% takes place during the building operational phase, while around 10–20% is consumed in materials manufacturing, transport and building construction, maintenance, and demolition. Increasing the necessity of reducing the environmental impact of buildings has led to enhancing not only the thermal performances of building materials, but also the environmental sustainability of their production chains and waste prevention. As a consequence, novel thermo-insulating building materials or products have been developed by using both locally produced natural and waste/recycled materials that are able to provide good thermal performances while also having a lower environmental impact. In this context, the aim of this work is to provide a detailed analysis for the thermal characterization of recycled materials for building insulation. To this end, the thermal behavior of different materials representing industrial residual or wastes collected or recycled using Sardinian zero-km locally available raw materials was investigated, namely: (1) plasters with recycled materials; (2) plasters with natural fibers; and (3) building insulation materials with natural fibers. Results indicate that the investigated materials were able to improve not only the energy performances but also the environmental comfort in both new and in existing buildings. In particular, plasters and mortars with recycled materials and with natural fibers showed, respectively, values of thermal conductivity (at 20 °C) lower than 0.475 and 0.272 W/(m⋅K), while that of building materials with natural fibers was always lower than 0.162 W/(m⋅K) with lower values for compounds with recycled materials (0.107 W/(m⋅K)). Further developments are underway to analyze the mechanical properties of these materials.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3052
Author(s):  
Diego Cardoza ◽  
Inmaculada Romero ◽  
Teresa Martínez ◽  
Encarnación Ruiz ◽  
Francisco J. Gallego ◽  
...  

A biorefinery integrated process based on lignocellulosic feedstock is especially interesting in rural areas with a high density of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes, which is the case for olive crop areas and their associated industries. In the region of Andalusia, in the south of Spain, the provinces of Jaén, Córdoba and Seville accumulate more than 70% of the olive wastes generated in Spain. Therefore, the valorisation of these wastes is a matter of interest from both an environmental and a social point of view. The olive biorefinery involves a multi-product process from different raw materials: olive leaves, exhausted olive pomace, olive stones and olive tree pruning residues. Biorefinery processes associated with these wastes would allow their valorisation to produce bioenergy and high value-added renewable products. In this work, using geographic information system tools, the biomass from olive crop fields, mills and olive pomace-extracting industries, where these wastes are generated, was determined and quantified in the study area. In addition, the vulnerability of the territory was evaluated through an environmental and territorial analysis that allowed for the determination of the reception capacity of the study area. Then, information layers corresponding to the availability of the four biomass wastes, and layers corresponding to the environmental fragility of the study area were overlapped and they resulted in an overall map. This made it possible to identify the best areas for the implementation of the biorefineries based on olive-derived biomass. Finally, as an example, three zones were selected for this purpose. These locations corresponded to low fragility areas with a high availability of biomass (more than 300,000 tons/year) in a 30 km radius, which would ensure the biomass supply.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832110316
Author(s):  
Nuno Gama ◽  
B Godinho ◽  
Ana Barros-Timmons ◽  
Artur Ferreira

In this study polyurethane (PU) residues were mixed with residues of textile fibers (cotton, wool and synthetic fibers up to 70 wt/wt) to produce 100% recycled composites. In addition, the effect of the type of fiber on the performance of the ensuing composites was evaluated. The presence of fibers showed similar effect on the density, reducing the density in the 5.5-9.0% range. In a similar manner, the addition of fillers decreased their thermal conductivity. The 70 wt/wt wool composite presented 38.1% lower thermal conductivity when compared to the neat matrix, a reduction that was similar for the other type of fibers. Moreover, the presence of fillers yields stiffer materials, especially in the case of the Wool based composites, which with 70 wt/wt of filler content increased the tensile modulus of the ensuing material 3.4 times. This was attributed to the aspect ratio and stiffness of this type of fiber. Finally, the high-water absorption and lower thermal stability observed, especially in the case of the natural fibers, was associated with the hydrophilic nature of fibers and porosity of composites. Overall, the results suggest that these textile-based composites are suitable for construction and automotive applications, with the advantage of being produced from 100% recycled raw-materials, without compromised performance.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2012
Author(s):  
Samantha Jo Grimes ◽  
Filippo Capezzone ◽  
Peteh Mehdi Nkebiwe ◽  
Simone Graeff-Hönninger

Rising consumer attraction towards superfoods and the steadily increasing demand for healthy, environmentally sustainable, and regionally produced food products has sharpened the demand for chia. Over the course of 4 years, two early flowering chia varieties belonging to Salvia hispanica L., and Salvia columbariae Benth. Species were identified to complete their phenological development and, therefore, able to reach maturity under a photoperiod >12 h, thus enabling the cultivation of chia in central Europe—more specifically, in southwestern Germany—consistently for the first time. Results obtained by the conducted field trial in 2018 showed that chia seed yields and thousand-seed mass ranged from 284.13 to 643.99 kg ha−1 and 0.92 to 1.36 g, respectively. Further, the statistical analyses showed that the protein content of the cultivated chia varieties ranged from 22.14 to 27.78%, the mucilage content varied from 10.35 to 20.66%, and the crude oil content amounted up to 28.00 and 31.73%. Fatty acid profiles were similar to previously reported data with α-Linolenic acid being the most prominent one, ranging from 60.40 to 65.87%, and we obtained ω6:ω3 ratios between 0.2 and 0.3. In conclusion, chia could represent a promising raw material from a nutritional point of view, while being able to diversify the local food basis of southwestern Germany.


Batteries ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Leonard Kurz ◽  
Mojtaba Faryadras ◽  
Ines Klugius ◽  
Frederik Reichert ◽  
Andreas Scheibe ◽  
...  

Due to the increasing demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the need for vehicle battery raw materials is increasing. The traction battery (TB) of an electric vehicle, usually a lithium-ion battery (LIB), represents the largest share of a BEV’s CO2 footprint. To reduce this carbon footprint sustainably and to keep the raw materials within a closed loop economy, suitable and efficient recycling processes are essential. In this life cycle assessment (LCA), the ecological performance of a waterjet-based direct recycling process with minimal use of resources and energy is evaluated; only the recycling process is considered, waste treatment and credits for by-products are not part of the analysis. Primary data from a performing recycling company were mainly used for the modelling. The study concludes that the recycling of 1 kg of TB is associated with a global warming potential (GWP) of 158 g CO2 equivalents (CO2e). Mechanical removal using a water jet was identified as the main driver of the recycling process, followed by an air purification system. Compared to conventional hydro- or pyrometallurgical processes, this waterjet-based recycling process could be attributed an 8 to 26 times lower GWP. With 10% and 20% reuse of recyclate in new cells, the GWP of TBs could be reduced by 4% and 8%, respectively. It has been shown that this recycling approach can be classified as environmentally friendly.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document