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The global community has set intensive targets in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to better people’s lives after closing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It corresponds to the 2030 aspirations of the United Nations to enhance and promote the sustainable development of human society. The current paper explores the impact of fiscal hedging and R&D in energy Using a green-energy system in SDGs. To do this, we used TOPSIS and QARDL methodologies on a 21-year dataset of South and Southeast Asian economies from 2000 to 2020. The study results show that fiscal hedging contributes favourably to the environmental degradation of the underlying economy. Research and development (R&D) in renewables has contributed negatively to ecological degradation and SDGs in the economies of South & Southeast Asia. This study suggests policy guidelines for advanced and developing economies based on fiscal stability and technical innovation through R&D to meet SDG.

Sustainable food supply has gained considerable consumer concern due to the high percentage of spoilage microorganisms. Food industries need to expand advanced technologies that can maintain the nutritive content of foods, enhance the bio-availability of bioactive compounds, provide environmental and economic sustainability, and fulfill consumers’ requirements of sensory characteristics. Heat treatment negatively affects food samples’ nutritional and sensory properties as bioactives are sensitive to high-temperature processing. The need arises for non-thermal processes to reduce food losses, and sustainable developments in preservation, nutritional security, and food safety are crucial parameters for the upcoming era. Non-thermal processes have been successfully approved because they increase food quality, reduce water utilization, decrease emissions, improve energy efficiency, assure clean labeling, and utilize by-products from waste food. These processes include pulsed electric field (PEF), sonication, high-pressure processing (HPP), cold plasma, and pulsed light. This review describes the use of HPP in various processes for sustainable food processing. The influence of this technique on microbial, physicochemical, and nutritional properties of foods for sustainable food supply is discussed. This approach also emphasizes the limitations of this emerging technique. HPP has been successfully analyzed to meet the global requirements. A limited global food source must have a balanced approach to the raw content, water, energy, and nutrient content. HPP showed positive results in reducing microbial spoilage and, at the same time, retains the nutritional value. HPP technology meets the essential requirements for sustainable and clean labeled food production. It requires limited resources to produce nutritionally suitable foods for consumers’ health.

Les catalyseurs hétérogènes sont souvent utilisés dans leur ensemble pour produire du biodiesel à partir d'huiles brutes végétales non comestibles telles que l'huile de Jatropha curcas (JCO). Dans cette étude, un catalyseur de CaO hétérogène actif a été synthétisé à partir d'un coquillage de biodiversité tropicale Anadara granosa (A.granosa). L'efficacité catalytique de A.granosa CaO a été étudiée dans la transestérification de JCO sous forme de biodiesel. Le catalyseur A.granosa CaO a été synthétisé en utilisant le protocole « Calcination – hydratation – déshydratation ». La caractérisation spectrale du catalyseur a été étudiée en utilisant des techniques spectrographiques FT-IR, SEM, BET et BJH. La conception expérimentale a été exécutée avec quatre paramètres de réaction qui comprennent la concentration du catalyseur (CC), le taux de méthanol (MR), le temps de transestérification (TT) et la température de réaction (RT). Les réactions de transestérification de JCO ainsi que l'impact des paramètres de réaction sur le rendement en biodiesel de Jatropha (JBY) ont été analysés. La suffisance des résultats expérimentaux était conforme grâce à des tests de validation séquentiels, en conséquence, une moyenne de 96,2% JMY a été notée dans des conditions paramétriques optimales, CC de 3wt. %, TT de 120 min, MR de 5 mol. et RT de 60ºC à une vitesse d'agitation constante de 300 tr/min. Une JMY moyenne de 87,6 % a été obtenue à partir du catalyseur A.granosa CaO lors de leurs études de recyclage et de réutilisation jusqu'au troisième cycle de réutilisation. Los catalizadores heterogéneos se utilizan a menudo en general para producir biodiésel a partir de aceites crudos vegetales no comestibles, como el aceite de Jatropha curcas (JCO). En este estudio, se sintetizó un catalizador de CaO heterogéneo activo a partir de conchas marinas de biodiversidad tropical Anadara granosa (A.granosa). Se investigó la eficiencia catalítica de A.granosa CaO en la transesterificación de JCO como biodiesel. El catalizador de CaO de A.granosa se sintetizó utilizando el protocolo 'Calcinación – hidratación – deshidratación'. La caracterización espectral del catalizador se investigó empleando técnicas espectrográficas FT-IR, SEM, BET y BJH. El diseño experimental se ejecutó con cuatro parámetros de reacción que incluyen concentración de catalizador (CC), relación de metanol (MR), tiempo de transesterificación (TT) y temperatura de reacción (RT). Se analizaron las reacciones de transesterificación de JCO, así como el impacto de los parámetros de reacción en el rendimiento de biodiésel de Jatropha (JBY). La suficiencia de los resultados experimentales se conformó a través de pruebas de validación secuencial, como resultado, se observó un promedio de 96.2% de JMY en condiciones paramétricas óptimas, CC de 3wt. %, TT de 120 min, MR de 5 mol. y RT de 60ºC a una velocidad de agitación constante de 300rpm. Se obtuvo un JMY medio del 87,6% del catalizador de Cao de A.granosa durante sus estudios de reciclaje y reutilización hasta el tercer ciclo de reutilización. Heterogeneous catalysts are often used at large to produce biodiesel from non-edible vegetable crude oils such as Jatropha curcas oil (JCO). In this study, an active heterogeneous CaO catalyst was synthesized from a tropical biodiversity seashells Anadara granosa (A.granosa). The catalytic efficiency of A.granosa CaO was investigated in transesterification of JCO as biodiesel. The A.granosa CaO catalyst was synthesized using 'Calcination – hydration – dehydration' protocol. The spectral characterization of the catalyst were investigated by employing FT-IR, SEM, BET and BJH spectrographic techniques. The experimental design was executed with four reaction parameters that include catalyst concentration (CC), methanol ratio (MR), transesterification time (TT) and reaction temperature (RT). The JCO transesterification reactions as well as impact of reaction parameters on the Jatropha biodiesel yield (JBY) were analyzed. The sufficiency of the experimental results conformed through sequential validation tests, as a result, an average of 96.2% JMY was noted at optimal parametric conditions, CC of 3wt. %, TT of 120 min, MR of 5 mol. and RT of 60ºC at a constant agitation speed of 300rpm. An average JMY of 87.6% was resulted from the A.granosa CaO catalyst during their recycling and reuse studies up to third reuse cycle. غالبًا ما تستخدم المحفزات غير المتجانسة بشكل عام لإنتاج الديزل الحيوي من الزيوت الخام النباتية غير الصالحة للأكل مثل زيت جاتروفا كركاس (JCO). في هذه الدراسة، تم تصنيع محفز CaO غير متجانس نشط من أصداف البحر الاستوائية للتنوع البيولوجي Anadara granosa (A.granosa). تم التحقيق في الكفاءة التحفيزية لـ A.granosa CaO في تحويل JCO كديزل حيوي. تم تصنيع محفز A.granosa CaO باستخدام بروتوكول "التكليس – الترطيب – التجفيف". تم التحقيق في التوصيف الطيفي للمحفز من خلال استخدام تقنيات FT - IR و SEM و BET و BJH الطيفية. تم تنفيذ التصميم التجريبي بأربعة معلمات تفاعل تشمل تركيز المحفز (CC) ونسبة الميثانول (MR) وزمن التحويل (TT) ودرجة حرارة التفاعل (RT). تم تحليل تفاعلات التحويل JCO بالإضافة إلى تأثير معلمات التفاعل على محصول الديزل الحيوي Jatropha (JBY). تمت مطابقة كفاية النتائج التجريبية من خلال اختبارات التحقق المتسلسلة، ونتيجة لذلك، لوحظ متوسط 96.2 ٪ JMY في الظروف البارامترية المثلى، CC من 3wt. ٪، TT من 120 دقيقة، MR من 5 مول. و RT من 60 درجة مئوية عند سرعة تحريك ثابتة تبلغ 300 دورة في الدقيقة. نتج متوسط JMY بنسبة 87.6 ٪ من محفز A.granosa CaO أثناء دراسات إعادة التدوير وإعادة الاستخدام حتى دورة إعادة الاستخدام الثالثة.

Agriculture is the largest sector of Pakistan’s economy, contributing almost 22% to the GDP and employing almost 45% of the total labor force. The two largest food crops, wheat and rice, contribute 3.1% and 1.4% to the GDP, respectively. The objective of this research was to calculate the energy return on investment (EROI) of these crops on a national scale from 1999 to 2009 to understand the size of various energy inputs and to discuss their contributions to the energy output. Energy inputs accounted for within the cropping systems included seed, fertilizer, pesticide, human labor, tractor diesel, irrigation pump electricity and diesel, the transport of fertilizer and pesticide, and the embodied energy of tractors and irrigation pumps. The largest per-hectare energy inputs to wheat were nitrogen fertilizer (52.6%), seed (17.9%), and tractor diesel (9.1%). For rice, the largest per-hectare energy inputs were nitrogen fertilizer (32%), tube well diesel (19.8%), and pesticide (17.6%). The EROI of wheat showed a gradual downward trend between 2000 and 2006 of 21.3%. The trend was erratic thereafter. Overall, it ranged from 2.7 to 3.4 with an average of 2.9 over the 11-year study period. The overall trend was fairly consistent compared to that of rice which ranged between 3.1 and 4.9, and averaged 3.9. Rice’s EROI dipped sharply in 2002, was erratic, and remained below four until 2007. It rose sharply after that. As energy inputs increased, wheat outputs increased, but rice outputs decreased slightly. Rice responded to inputs with greater output and an increase in EROI. The same was not true for wheat, which showed little change in EROI in the face of increasing inputs. This suggests that additional investments of energy in rice production are not improving yields but for wheat, these investments are still generating benefits. The analysis shows quantitatively how fossil energy is a key driver of the Pakistani agricultural system as it traces direct and indirect energy inputs to two major food crops.

Management of natural resources is pivotal for sustained economic growth—the increasing ecological footprints causing biocapacity deficit threaten the resource conversation agenda. The study identified the potential causes and consequences of natural resource depletion in a broad cross-section of 138 countries. Ecological footprints, international migrant stocks, industrial value-added, and population growth influenced natural resource capital across countries. The results show that ecological footprints, industrial value-added, and population growth are the detrimental factors of resource capital. In contrast, continued economic growth is helpful to conserve natural resources for future generations. The rise and fall in the natural resource degradation are evident in the wake of international migrants’ stocks to support an inverted U-shaped relationship between them. The Granger causality inferences confirmed the one-way linkages, running from international migrant stocks, economic growth, and population growth to natural resource degradation. It verifies migrants-led, affluence-led, and population-led resource degradation. Ecological footprints Granger causes industrial value-added across countries. The forecasting estimates suggested that economic growth would likely to influenced greater in magnitude to resource degradation by its innovation shocks of 4.791%, followed by international migrant stocks, population growth, ecological footprints, and industrial value added by their innovation shocks of 4.709%, 1.829%, 1.247%, and 0.700%, respectively. The study concludes that international migrant stocks should manage smartly, causing more resource degradation via a channel of increasing biocapacity deficit across countries.

Climate change is causing soil salinization, resulting in crop losses throughout the world. The ability of plants to tolerate salt stress is determined by multiple biochemical and molecular pathways. Here we discuss physiological, biochemical, and cellular modulations in plants in response to salt stress. Knowledge of these modulations can assist in assessing salt tolerance potential and the mechanisms underlying salinity tolerance in plants. Salinity-induced cellular damage is highly correlated with generation of reactive oxygen species, ionic imbalance, osmotic damage, and reduced relative water content. Accelerated antioxidant activities and osmotic adjustment by the formation of organic and inorganic osmolytes are significant and effective salinity tolerance mechanisms for crop plants. In addition, polyamines improve salt tolerance by regulating various physiological mechanisms, including rhizogenesis, somatic embryogenesis, maintenance of cell pH, and ionic homeostasis. This research project focuses on three strategies to augment salinity tolerance capacity in agricultural crops: salinity-induced alterations in signaling pathways; signaling of phytohormones, ion channels, and biosensors; and expression of ion transporter genes in crop plants (especially in comparison to halophytes).

Power generation from river hydropower plants depends mainly on river flow. Water fluctuations in the river make the yield process unpredictable. To reduce these fluctuations, building a small reservoir at the river flow of the hydropower plant is recommended. Conventionally, classic single-pond models are commonly used to design run-of-river hydropower plants. However, such models are associated with fluctuations, sagging, and irregular power fluctuations that lead to irregular water fluctuations. This research proposes a novel idea to replace the single-pond model with a three-pond model to increase the plant’s overall efficiency. The three-pond model is developed as a three-tank nonlinear hydraulic system that contains the same amount of water as a conventional single pond. It also has the advantage of minimizing the run-of-river power plant’s dependence on river flow and increasing efficiency by trapping swell and turbulence in the water. To further increase the efficiency, the developed model was tested for smooth and effective level control using fuzzy control.