Environmental Amelioration Through Nutrient Calibration: Maximizing Carbon Sequestration in Hydroponic Greenhouse Production of Lactuca Sativa in Lahore’s Spring

This study explores the applicability of internationally prescribed nutrient recipes to greenhouse hydroponic production in Lahore. Lactuca sativa was hydroponically grown at different nutrient concentrations to uncover optimum nutrition for maximum foliage cover. Conclusions were based on visual analysis of foliage cover, as laboratory analysis of trial plants was beyond the scope of this environmental study. Nutrient levels that displayed the best foliage cover in Lahore-based greenhouse during spring weather were different from concentrations kept in US- or Europe-based hydroponic greenhouses. Plant trials conducted for this article explain the adjustments that must be made to hydroponic recipes discussed in international literature; if they are to be used in polyhouse hydroponic production in Lahore’s warmer climate.

Novel Encapsulated Herbicide Delivery Mechanism: Its Efficacy in Mimosa Bush (Vachellia farnesiana) Control

Mimosa bush (Vachellia farnesiana) is an invasive woody weed widely distributed in Australia. While it can be controlled using several mechanical and chemical techniques, this study evaluated a novel herbicide delivery mechanism that minimizes the risk of spray drift and potential non-target damage. This method, developed by Bioherbicides Australia, involves the implantation of encapsulated granular herbicides into the stem of intact plants or into the stump after cutting off plants close to ground level (cut stumps). Trials were implemented near Moree (New South Wales, Australia) on intact (two experimental runs) plants and cut stumped (two experimental runs) plants. For each trial, an untreated control plus the conventional basal bark application of a liquid formulation of triclopyr + picloram mixed with diesel was included for comparison. Encapsulated glyphosate, aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl, hexazinone and clopyralid were also tested in all trials. In addition, encapsulated triclopyr + picloram, and metsulfuron-methyl were included in one of the intact plant trials. Aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl was consistently most effective on cut stump and intact plants, whilst clopyralid provided highest mortality when applied to cut stumps and single-stemmed intact plants. Particularly for multi-stemmed intact plants, clopyralid should be applied to each stem. Overall, the highest efficacy was achieved on single stemmed plants, but with further refinement of the technique, it should be possible to achieve similar results for multi-stemmed individuals. This method resulted in a reduction in the use of herbicide and environmental contamination while significantly improving speed of treatment.

Liquid Hot Water Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass at Lab and Pilot Scale

Liquid hot water pretreatment is considered to be a promising method for increasing biomass digestibility due to the moderate operational conditions without chemical additions. A necessary step towards the scalability of this pretreatment process is performing pilot plant trials. Upscaling was evaluated with a scaling factor of 500, by using 50 mL in the laboratory and 25 L in a pilot plant batch reactor. Pretreatment times were varied from 30 to 240 min, and temperatures used were 180–188 °C, while applying similar heating profiles at both scales. The initial mass fraction of poplar wood chips ranged from 10% to 16%. Liquid hot water pretreatment at laboratory and pilot scale led to analogous results. The acetic acid analysis of the liquid and solid fractions obtained after pretreatment indicated that complete deacetylation of poplar biomass can be achieved.

Adjustment of Olive Fruit Temperature before Grinding for Olive Oil Extraction. Experimental Study and Pilot Plant Trials

Harvesting at high temperatures and bulk transport can negatively influence the quality of olives and lead to undesirable alterations in the extracted oil. Cooling the fruit in the field would be the most logical solution, but it means that the olives arrive too cold at the mill for immediate processing. In this work, the use of warm water in the washing tub to warm up the fruit before grinding instead of flash heat treatment on the paste was assessed in two experiments. In the first one, at the laboratory level, the temperature after milling was determined in three olive cultivars, previously stored at 5 or 10 °C, and then submerged at different water temperatures (25, 30, and 35 °C) for 15, 30, 45, and 60 s. In the second one, two batches of olives were cooled in the field at 5 °C and then conditioned with washing water to obtain a paste at the entrance of the pilot plant malaxer at 27 °C. The temperature of the olives was measured at five points from the discharging up to their entering, as paste, into the malaxer. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the method as the temperature of the ground olives was kept at the desired temperature (28 ± 1 °C). The trials highlight the potential for automating an even more precise adjustment of the temperature of the olives before milling once the washing tub is equipped with a safe heating system.

Effect of rare earth on inclusion evolution in industrial production of HRB500E steel

The effect of rare earth (RE) on inclusion in HRB500E steel was studied based on plant trials. The results showed that S decreased by 47.6% after 0.0059% RE treatment. In samples without RE treatment, the inclusions change from Al2O3-MnO to ellipsoidal Al2O3-MnO-CaO complex inclusion, and the size of such inclusions is ≤ 2 µm and isolated strip MnS inclusion with the size of ≥ 2 µm. With RE treatment, Al2O3-MnO-CaO inclusions are transformed into spherical or ellipsoidal REAlO3 and REAlO3-MnS. The size of such inclusions is ≈ 1.5 µm and single MnS inclusions were not found. The number density and size of inclusions changed significantly after RE treatment. Thermodynamic calculations show that the Gibbs free energy of RE inclusions is more negative and more stable. The transformation model of inclusions is established to illustrate the modification of inclusions during the smelting process.

Decrease of Nozzle Clogging through Fluid Flow Control

Decreasing the clogging deposition rate of alumina inclusions in continuous casting nozzles is possible through three simultaneous measures: Flow modification, use of raw materials with low impurities contents, and smoothed internal surfaces. The control of the internal flow consists on avoiding dead regions and developing symmetric patterns. A mathematical model performed tests of the feasibility of these measures. The adherence of inclusions to the nozzle wall, using this model, employs a boundary condition based on the thickness of the sublaminar boundary instead of the conventional “trap” boundary condition. The use of the general boundary condition yields deposition rates that are unaffected by the inclusion size. The proposed boundary condition discriminates against the clogging deposition rate through the particle sizes. Plant trials complemented with water modeling, using these nozzles, proved that the present approach could considerably decrease the clogging occurrence.

Evaluation of Brassicaceae Seedlings as Trap Plants for Bagrada Hilaris Burmeister in Caper Bush Cultivations

The caper bush, Capparis spinosa (Brassicales: Capparaceae), is intensively grown on Pantelleria Island (Trapani, Sicily, Sicilian channel) where it has been granted protected geographical indication (PGI) by the EU. On this island, Bagrada hilaris, a stink bug native of Asia and Africa, is the major pest of caper crops. Recent studies have shown the attraction of B. hilaris to volatiles of brassicaceous plants at the seedling stage. The objective of this study was to evaluate three cotyledon-stage seedlings of host plants, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (cauliflower), Eruca sativa (rocket) and Brassica carinata (Abyssinian cabbage), as potential trap plants for B. hilaris. The relative preferences of these species were first evaluated in laboratory and field experiments, carried out during summer when the level of B. hilaris infestation was the highest. Behavioral bioassays in the laboratory conditions showed that adults of B. hilaris preferred to orient toward seedlings of B. oleracea and E. sativa over B. carinata. Field experiments confirmed these results. Then seedlings were tested in trap plant trials, by sowing them in artificial pots formed with aluminum trays and placing them in caper fields infested with B. hilaris. Results showed that E. sativa and B. oleracea diverted hundreds of B. hilaris individuals from the capers to these sources of attraction. Overall, these results suggest that B. oleracea and E. sativa seedlings used as lure inside traps or as trap plants may be a useful tool in the management of B. hilaris populations.