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Abstract Rice straw was subjected to fungal pretreatment using Pleurotus ostreatus and Trichoderma reesei to improve its biodegradability and methane production via solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD). Effects of moisture content (65%, 75% and 85%), and incubation time (10, 20 and 30 d) on lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose degradation during fungal pretreatment and methane yield during anaerobic digestion were assessed via comparison to untreated rice straw. Pretreatment with P. ostreatus was most effective at 75% moisture content and 20 d incubation resulting in 33.4% lignin removal and a lignin/cellulose removal ratio (selectivity) of 4.2. In comparison Trichoderma reesei was most effective at 75% moisture content and 20 d incubation resulting in 23.6% lignin removal and a lignin/cellulose removal ratio (selectivity) of 2.88. The corresponding methane yields were 263 and 214 L/kg volatile solids (VS), which were 120% and 78.3% higher than for the untreated rice straw, respectively.

Abstract Increasing agricultural production has become one of the key components to bridge the gap between securing food resources and sustainable development goals (SDGs), namely, no poverty, zero hunger, preservation of natural resources (water and energy), combating climate change and its impacts, and halting the loss of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. In this regard, the crucial role of nanotechnology in modern farming is emphasized as an efficient means to develop “precision farming” systems. It can play a potent role in promoting sustainable agriculture, improving nutrient utilization, and mitigating climate change and environmental pollution. Particularly, nanotechnology-enabled products such as “smart nano-delivery capsules” offer new opportunities for controlled slow release of diverse deliverables (e.g., pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and micronutrients) in compliance with the needs of plants under specific environmental stimuli responses. In this framework, this review explores the basic properties, application benefits, and future directions of nanotechnology in agricultural economics, particularly for promoting crop growth and soil reclamation under the umbrella of SDG targets. All obstacles for applying agri-nanotech products (agri-NPs) in farming have been identified and discussed, considering their life cycle assessment (LCA) in soil and plants. Emphasis has been made on evaluating the impacts of various nanotech products on crop growth in reference to traditional market technologies. Besides, this review work discusses the benefits of nanobiochar and nanobubbles as viable alternative natural nanotech products to promote crop physiology, alleviate environmental pollution, and sequester carbon in the soil. This work also summarizes the technical aspects associated with the conversion of agricultural biomass wastes into affordable biofuels. It also highlights regulations, legislative policies, and economic outputs to strengthen the public awareness and acceptance of nanotechnologies in agro-environmental fields. The opportunities and challenges in these topics are discussed to help actively develop and implement nano-enabled products in agriculture and related industries.

Emphasis is trending toward future bioenergy production being derived from cellulosic materials rather than starch from seed crops. The majority of research on perennial biomass production for conversion to ethanol or other biofuel has used warm-season grasses as the feedstock material. Some cool-season grasses also have great potential for biomass production, even in the southern prairie region. A study was conducted for 4 years to evaluate the dry matter production potential of several cool-season grass cultivars in west-central Kansas. Ten cultivars were grown at two locations, one an upland soil and the other a lowland soil, and harvested in late June from 2007 to 2010 when fully headed with mature seed. Three cultivars, one tall [Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey], intermediate [T. intermedium (Host) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey], and western wheatgrass [Pascopyrum smithii (Rydb.) Love], had the greatest biomass production with 4,525–4,840 kg ha−1 dry matter averaged over four years at an upland location. At a lowland location, three cultivars, either intermediate or tall wheatgrasses, averaged 5,340–5,490 kg ha−1 dry matter over the 4 years. During the particularly moist spring of 2007, three cultivars at the upland location and eight cultivars at the lowland location produced over 9,000 kg ha−1 dry matter. All cultivars increased in plant stand frequency from 2006 to 2011, except for the western wheatgrass and Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski] cultivars that already had a high frequency before the first biomass harvest. These grasses may add versatility to production systems by not only serving as complementary forage for grazing or hay, but also by providing an alternative feedstock for cellulosic ethanol and combustion energy production.

We report an efficient and facile approach to biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the extract of an agro-waste rice husk generated from rice production. The biosynthesized NPs produced were characterized by UV-Visible absorption, TEM, XRD, EDX, and FTIR methods. The impact of temperature and pH on the stability of the synthesized AuNPs was also studied. The TEM imaging revealed the formation of monodispersed spherical NPs with an average size of ~ 15 nm. The absorption spectrum of AuNPs demonstrated the formation of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) peak at 530 nm. The XRD pattern suggested the formation of face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice structure of AuNPs. The FTIR analysis displayed characteristic peaks related to various phytochemicals in the plant extract responsible for reducing and stabilizing NPs. In addition, AuNPs showed thermal stability when subjected to various temperature scales. The AuNPs exhibited an efficiency against the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and pathogenic fungi Candida albicans. The AuNPs 18.5% DPPH free scavenging activity, indicating the antioxidant potential for AuNPs. In addition, the AuNPs showed anticancer activity against the colorectal adenocarcinoma carcinoma cell line. Furthermore, AuNPs displayed significant enhancement in photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue and 4-Nitrophenol dyes. The results obtained reveal the possible usage of AuNPs produced using rice husk in several biomedical applications.

The most important sugar producing regions in Africa are north and southern regions. North African region is the oldest one in the sugar industry. African sugar producing countries need to increase the share of the contribution to the GDP. Sugar industry in Africa is one of the key industries which contributes in providing jobs for the growing unemployment as well as instrumental in rural development. This will reduce the high rates of migration from rural to urban areas and many associated problems.

This paper mainly introduces the potential of methane yield from co-digestion of primary sludge (PS) and the proposed new waste materials of sugarcane leaves (SL) and Corchorus stalks (CS) in Egypt. This paper includes three parts. In the first part, anaerobic co-digestion of PS, SL, and CS at different carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratios was studied to determine the best C/N ratio. The results indicated that the maximum cumulative methane yields (CMYs) were observed at a C/N ratio of 18, which was associated with the highest volatile solid (VS) removal rate (74.41%). In the second part, the effect of using two types of inoculum (fresh cow manure (CM) and rumen content from slaughterhouses (RS)) on increasing the production of methane was investigated. Clearly, using CM as inoculum showed a superiority of the production of methane from co-digestion of PS, SL, and CS. The maximum CMYs were observed using the CM as inoculum from co-digestion of PS, SL, and CS. It was higher about 1.26 times more CMY using RS as inoculum. In the third part, the possibility of enhancing biogas yields from semi-continuous co-digestion of PS, SL, and CS using different organic loading rates (OLR) of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 was conducted. The highest biogas production rate was observed at an OLR of 1.0 gVS/(Lreactor.d) that coincided with the optimum VS removal rate. Statistical analysis of the results was conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, and the C/N ratio of 18 is statistically the best enhanced ratio. Overall, the feasibility of maximizing the methane productivity considering the anaerobic co-digestion of PS, SL, and CS under the optimal operating conditions and configuration was proved.

Abstract Although CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers is now accepted as a potential option for atmospheric CO2 mitigation, the chemico-mineralogical property alterations in the aquifer formation associated with CO2/brine/rock mineral interactions, the corresponding influence on formation hydro-mechanical properties and the effect of rock mineral structure, are not yet fully understood. This study was therefore conducted to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the effect of long-term CO2 exposure on the chemico-mineralogical structure and corresponding strength characteristics of saline aquifer rock formations using silicate cement (SS) and carbonate cement (CS) Hawkesbury sandstone samples collected from the Sydney basin. Sandstone samples were first reacted with brine+CO2 under different injection pressures (both sub-critical (4, 6 MPa) and super-critical (8, 10 MPa)) under a constant temperature of 35 °C. A comprehensive chemico-mineralogical analysis (ICP-AES and XRD) was first conducted on both the rock mass pore fluid and the rock matrix over the saturation period of one year, giving special attention to the alteration of dominant rock minerals (quartz, calcite and kaolinite). The overall influence after 12 months of saturation with brine and CO2 on the strength characteristics of the two types of sandstones (SS and CS) was then investigated and correlated with the chemico-mineralogical reaction, in order to understand the coupled process. According to the test results, compared to the silicate cement-dominant mineral structure (SS), the presence of a carbonate cement-dominant mineral structure (CS) in the aquifer rock formation creates more significant alterations in the formation's chemico-mineralogical structure upon CO2 injection. This is because calcite mineral reactions occur at much greater rates compared to quartz mineral reactions in CO2-exposed environments. In addition, although some minor precipitation of kaolinite minerals may also occur upon CO2 injection, the effect may not be significant. Overall, rock mineral changes in deep saline aquifers upon CO2 injection have a significant influence on the strength characteristics of the reservoir rock mass, depending on the aquifer mineral structure, and CS formations are subject to much greater strength property changes upon exposure to CO2 than SS formations. Interestingly, CO2 injection causes a strength gain in SS sandstone and a strength reduction in CS sandstone. These mechanical property alterations in aquifer rock formations are also dependent on the CO2 injection pressure and phase, and increasing the injecting CO2 pressure significantly enhances the changes, due to the highly acidic environment created by the enhanced CO2 solubility process. Changing the CO2 phase from sub- to super-critical condition also accelerates the reaction mechanisms, due to the greater chemical potential of super-critical CO2. However, overall SS sandstone exhibits more stable chemical-mineralogical and mechanical characteristics upon CO2 injection than CS sandstone, and exhibits more suitable characteristics for CO2 sequestration.

Abstract Densified rice straw can be easily handled, which may reduce transportation and storage costs. The influence of densification parameters on the quality properties of rice straw pellets was the main focus of this study. The conditioning factors analyzed were: moisture content of the feeding material (12%, 15% and 17%), starch as an additive (0%, 1% and 2%), operating temperature (below and over 50 °C), and the influence of three flat dies with different diameter/compression length (6/20, 6/24 and 8/32 mm/mm) on the pellet properties (durability, hardness, moisture content, dimension, and single and bulk densities). The quality of the pellets was evaluated in view of current standards. The results showed that the studied feeding and operating conditions had significant effects on the pellet properties, especially durability and bulk density, which are the most important parameters for pellet quality. All dimensions, most bulk densities, and few durability values of the produced pellets achieved the standard limits. The highest pellet quality, with durability 99.31%, was obtained with operating conditions 2% starch ratio, 17% feeding moisture content, temperature

The utilization of plants with therapeutic properties in traditional medicine has a longstanding practice. Among them, the well-known Allium cepa L. commonly known as onion has been valued for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential in the treatment of various ailments, including gastric ulcers.This study investigated the gastroprotective potential of red onion peel extract and its fractions in a rat model of ethanol-induced gastric ulcer. Moreover, their phytochemical profiles were compared to identify the active metabolites.Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and chemometrics were performed for phytochemical analysis. Ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model was used to assess the gastroprotective activity. Nine groups of rats were allocated as follows: Group 1 was the normal control; Group 2 rats were used as a positive control/model and received 1 mL of absolute ethanol; and Group 3 rats were treated with famotidine at a dose of 20 mg/kg orally. Group 4 and 5 rats were treated with total acidified ethanolic extract (T1, T2). Group 6 and 7 rats were treated with anthocyanins-rich fractions (P1, P2). Groups 8 and 9 were the flavonoids-rich fraction (S1, S2) treatment. Prior to scarification, the ulcer index in mm was obtained from gastric tissues photographed beside a ruler with further analysis using ImageJ software.Seventy key major and discriminatory metabolites were identified including flavonoids, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, and miscellaneous compounds. The examined extract and its fractions significantly reduced the ulcer index and inflammatory cytokines via downregulating HMGB-1/NF-κB. Also, they augmented the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 and reduced NOX1/4 mRNA expression. Moreover, there was a significant reduction in the oxidative stress and apoptotic biomarkers as well as a noticeable enhancement in histopathological changes of the stomach tissues.Red onion peels have a promising dose dependent gastroprotective potential in alcohol-induced ulcers via modulating Nrf2/HO-1 and HMGB-1/NF-κB trajectories. This highlights the potential of red onion peels in treating gastric ulcers.

Salicylic acid (SA) is a potential endogenous plant hormone that plays an important role in plant growth and development. Since sunflower yield and its seed oil yield are adversely affected by salinity, in this study the role of SA in modulating salt (NaCl)-induced effects on various yield and oil characteristics of sunflower was investigated. For this purpose a greenhouse experiment comprising two sunflower hybrid lines (Hysun-33 and SF-187), two NaCl levels (0 and 120 mmol L(-1)) and four SA levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg L(-1)) was conducted.Salt stress markedly reduced yield, oil content, linoleic acid and δ-tocopherol in both sunflower lines, while it increased linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and α- and γ-tocopherols. However, increasing levels of foliar-applied SA resulted in improved achene yield and hundred-achene weight in both lines. Foliar-applied SA caused a significant decrease in oil stearic acid and α- and γ-tocopherols in both lines under non-saline and saline conditions.Salt-induced harmful effects on achene yield and oil characteristics of sunflower could be alleviated by exogenous application of SA. High doses of SA caused a marked increase in sunflower achene oil content as well as some key fatty acids.