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Acidogenic anaerobic fermentation route was explored for the production of bioethanol and volatile fatty acids (VFA) from the press mud (PM) obtained from sugar mill. Slurry was prepared from PM having 10% of total solids and the same was hydrolyzed under acidic thermal conditions. Both press mud slurry (PMS) and pre-treated press mud slurry (PTPMS) was used as feedstock with mixed microbial consortia (MMC) and enriched mixed microbial consortia (EMMC). Mix of bioethanol and VFA were obtained in all the four cases (PMS-MMC, PMS-EMMC, PTPMS-EMC and PTPMS-EMMC), but, bioethanol and VFA yield of 0.04 g/g and 0.27 g/g, respectively obtained from PTPMS with EMMC was found to be comparatively higher. Control experiments carried out with glucose yielded bioethanol and VFA of 0.042 g/g and 0.28 g/g, respectively demonstrating that the organism was using reducible sugars in the feedstock for the generation of bioethanol by simultaneously producing the VFA from COD.

This chapter focuses on the evaluation of adaptive capacities of community-level human systems related to agriculture and food security. It highlights findings regarding approaches and domains to monitor and evaluate behavioral changes from CGIAR’s research program on climate change, agriculture and food security (CCAFS). This program, implemented in five West African countries, is intended to enhance adaptive capacities in agriculture management of natural resources and food systems. In support of participatory action research on climate-smart agriculture, a monitoring and evaluation plan was designed with the participation of all stakeholders to track changes in behavior of the participating community members. Individuals’ and groups’ stories of changes were collected using most significant change tools. The collected stories of changes were substantiated through field visits and triangulation techniques. Frequencies of the occurrence of characteristics of behavioral changes in the stories were estimated. The results show that smallholder farmers in the intervention areas adopted various characteristics of behavior change grouped into five domains: knowledge, practices, access to assets, partnership and organization. These characteristics can help efforts to construct quantitative indicators of climate change adaptation at local level. Further, the results suggest that application of behavioral change theories can facilitate the development of climate change adaptation indicators that are complementary to indicators of development outcomes. We conclude that collecting stories on behavioral changes can contribute to biophysical adaptation monitoring and evaluation.

The potential of deoiled Azolla pinnata biomass (DAB) as electrode and substrate was evaluated for microbial fuel cell (MFC) operation. The anode electrode was fabricated using biochar obtained by subjecting DAB to pyrolysis at 600 °C, while the reducing sugars after hydrolysis of DAB by acid pretreatment was used as substrate. The post pyrolyzed biochar (P-DAB) was characterized for structural and elemental functionalities using SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy, whereas the reducing sugar obtained from hydrolyzed DAB (H-DAB) was analyzed for its composition. Experimental results indicated that at a given 3 g COD/L resulted in a voltage of 382 mV with 65.6% of COD reduction in closed circuit (CC) mode of operation. Cyclic voltammetric analysis depicted maximum oxidative and reductive peak currents of 3.42 mA and -4.0 mA. Noticeable peaks were also identified in CC (-0.2 V to +0.2 V and -0.19 V to -0.3 V) and OC (+0.2 V to +0.4 V and -0.1 V to -0.3 V) corresponding to complex IV cytochrome c couples (cytochrome Cox (Cyt Cox)/cytochrome Crd (Cyt Crd)), signifying the participation of electron carriers during electron transfer. The microbiome diversity showed dominance of Proteobacteria, a phylum known for exo-electrogenic bacterial species. The DAB-derived products account to environmental sustainability and support circular bioeconomy in a biorefinery mode.

In this study, the freshwater microalgae Selenastrum sp. was assessed for the effective degradation of pyrene and simultaneous production of biodiesel from pyrene-tolerant biomass. The growth of algae was determined based on the cell dry weight, cell density, chlorophyll content, and biomass productivity under different pyrene concentrations. Further, lipids from pyrene tolerant culture were converted into biodiesel by acid-catalyzed transesterification, which was characterized for the total fatty acid profile by gas chromatography. Increased pyrene concentration revealed less biomass yield and productivity after 20 days of treatment, indicating potent pyrene biodegradation by Selenastrum sp. Biomass yield was unaffected till the 20 mg/L pyrene. A 95% of pyrene bioremediation was observed at 20 days of culturing. Lipid accumulation of 22.14%, as evident from the estimation of the total lipid content, indicated a marginal increase in corroborating pyrene stress in the culture. Fatty acid methyl esters yield of 63.06% (% per 100 g lipids) was noticed from the pyrene tolerant culture. Moreover, fatty acid profile analysis of biodiesel produced under 10 mg/L and 20 mg/L pyrene condition showed escalated levels of desirable fatty acids in Selenastrum sp., compared to the control. Further, Selenastrum sp. and other freshwater microalgae are catalogued for sustainable development goals attainment by 2030, as per the UNSDG (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) agenda. Critical applications for the Selenastrum sp. in bioremediation of pyrene, along with biodiesel production, are enumerated for sustainable and renewable energy production and resource management.

Characterization of glacier changes in the surface area, terminus, equilibrium line altitude (ELA), elevation, and velocity was worked out for the Jankar Chhu Watershed (JCW) of Lahaul Himalaya using freely available satellite remote sensing data and the limited number of field observations. We studied changes using Corona (1971), Landsat (1993‒2017), Sentinel 2A (2016), the SRTM Digital Elevation Model (DEM; 2000), and the global TanDEM‒X DEM (2014). Our results showed that changes in glacier area (‒14.7 ± 4.3 km²), terminus (‒4.7 ± 0.4 m a¯¹), and ELA (~ 20 m rise) between 1971 and 2016 are smaller than previously reported. Glacier lake area increased by ~0.3 km² during 1971‒2016. An intricate pattern of mass changes across the JCW was observed, with surface lowering on an average of ‒0.7 ± 0.4 m a¯¹ which equates to a geodetic mass balance of ‒0.6 ± 0.4 m w.e. a¯¹ during 2000‒14. The computed glacier surface velocities (1971‒2017) reveal nearly stagnant debris-covered ablation zone but the dynamically active main trunk. The present study provides valuable insights into the recent multiparameter glacier variations, which are of critical importance to assess the future glacier dynamics on a regional scale in areas like the present one.

The impacts of increasing natural climate disasters are threatening food security in the Asia-Pacific region. Rice is Asia’s most important staple food. Climate variability and change directly impact rice production, through changes in rainfall, temperature and CO2 concentrations. The key for sustainable rice crop is water management. Adaptation can occur through shifts of cropping to higher latitudes and can profit from river systems (via irrigation) so far not considered. New opportunities arise to produce more than one crop per year in cooler areas. Asian wheat production in 2005 represents about 43 % of the global total. Changes in agronomic practices, such as earlier plant dates and cultivar substitution will be required. Fisheries play a crucial role in providing food security with the contribution of fish to dietary animal protein being very high in the region – up to 90 % in small island developing states (SIDS). With the warming of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and increased acidification, marine ecosystems are presently under stress. Despite these trends, maintaining or enhancing food production from the sea is critical. However, future sustainability must be maintained whilst also securing biodiversity conservation. Improved fisheries management to address the existing non-climate threats remains paramount in the Indian and Pacific Oceans with sustainable management regimes being established. Climate-related impacts are expected to increase in magnitude over the coming decades, thus preliminary adaptation to climate change is valuable.

AbstractThis study was conducted to address algal toxins using potassium permanganate through the control of biomass growth of algae under following conditions value 25±1 °C illumination intensity value 245microeinstein/m2/s, using the culture media Chu-10 Modified for the purpose of development algae. We treated algal toxins belonging to groups of Neurotoxins, Hepatotoxins, Pyriproxyfen, Emodin, Brevetoxins-10 (A) and Cytotoxins using concentrations of potassium permanganate represented by 2, 4, 8 and 16mg/l with alum concentration for each concentration of 30mg/l, as the removal rate reached to 100% of the toxin blooms in concentrations of 8 and 16mg/l respectively, through the examination of algal toxins mediated by GC–MASS compared to the standard, which diagnosed a range of algal toxins with C2H3C12NO formulas of synthetic C9H13NO2, C18H27NO3, C11H12N2O6, C11H17N3O, C10H17N3O, C9H15Br2NO, CH4N2O2, C11H17NO2, C13H9BrN2O3, C3H7NO4S, C20H29NO3, C15H10O5, C4H8O2 and C2H2Cl3NO the concentrations 2 and 4mg/l turned toxic compounds into non-toxic compounds represented by C7H6O2, C5H6N2O, C12H11ClO4, C6H6O2, C12H10O4, C10H17N, C4H6O2 and C5H6N2O. The results showed reduced primary productivity of algae chlorophyll a result of substance to stop chloroplast for vital activity through the influence of the concentration of potassium permanganate values 0.571, 1.142, 0.583 and 1.713mg/l respectively, compared to the standard of 114.2mg/l. As diagnosed types of Algae producing toxins are represented by Microcystis aeruginosa, Microcystis flosaquae, Oscillatoria amoena, Oscillatoria amphibian, Oscillatoria boryana, Oscillatoria limnetica, Oscillatoria perornata, Phormidium ambiguum, Lyngbya digueti, Lyngbya major, Lyngbya nordgaadii, Lyngbya spirulinoides, Nostoc carneum, Nostoc spongiforme, Anabaena augstumalis, Chroococcus indicus and Chroococcus minor, as the dry weight of live Algae producing toxins is 17.342g/l.

Agriculture is essential to the existence of the human race, as well as the foundation of our civilization, because it provides food, fuel, fiber, and other resources necessary for survival; however, it is facing critical challenges due to anthropogenic climate change, which hampers food and nutritional security. Consequently, the agriculture industry must adjust to farming issues, such as the shift in global temperatures and environmental degradation, the scarcity of farm workers, population growth, and dietary changes. Several measures have been implemented to enhance agricultural productivity, including plant breeding, genetic engineering, and precision agriculture. In recent years, the world has witnessed the burgeoning development of novel scientific innovations and technological advancements enabled by drones, smart sensors, robotics, and remote sensing, resulting in a plethora of revolutionary methods that can be applied to real-time crop modeling, high-throughput phenotyping, weather forecasting, yield prediction, fertilizer application, disease detection, market trading, farming practices, and other environmental practices vital to crop growth, yield, and quality. Furthermore, the rise in big data, advanced analytics, falling technology costs, faster internet connections, increased connectivity, and increases in computational power are all part of the current digitalization wave that has the potential to support commercial agriculture in achieving its goals of smart farming, resilience, productivity, and sustainability. These technologies enable efficient monitoring of crops, soil, and environmental conditions over large areas, providing farmers with data to support precise management that optimizes productivity and minimizes environmental impacts. Though smart farming has significant potential, challenges like high implementation costs, data security concerns, and inadequate digital literacy among farmers remain. In summary, agriculture is rapidly transforming from conventional to digital farming, offering global solutions, efficient resource utilization, and minimized input costs while fostering farmer livelihoods and economic growth. Delivering a comprehensive view of how technology could help in tackling critical issues like environmental degradation and threatened world biodiversity, this perspective emphasizes the perks of digitalization. Future advancements may involve data encryption, digital literacy, and particular economic policies.