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Background: The global palm oil market experienced a remarkable boom since the year 2000. Since palm oil can be used for biodiesel production, the global expansion of oil palm cultivation has been associated with the global biofuel boom. Biofuel policies—especially those adopted in the European Union (EU)—have been blamed for the socio-environmental impacts of oil palm expansion. We explore how the global biofuel boom interacts with national geographies and social-economic and political processes to produce country-specific trajectories of biofuel crops expansion. We analyse the expansion of oil palm cultivation in Colombia between 2000 and 2010 from a political ecology perspective. Methods: The analysis is based on a framework that positions expansion of commodity frontiers within the ‘space-of-flows’ and the ‘space-of-place’. Through this approach, we identify the markets and geographies that define the country-specific trajectories of expansion of oil palm in Colombia, and their connections with general patterns of land control. The empirical analysis is based on primary data collected during fieldwork, and on an extensive review of secondary data about the palm oil sector and the socio-environmental effects of oil palm expansion in the country. Results: The contemporary oil palm expansion in Colombia was not specifically influenced by the international biofuel market. Expansion was characterized by an increasing production of palm oil for biodiesel, to supply a policy-driven national biofuel market controlled by national palm oil producers. The evidence shows that this oil palm expansion proceeded through a variety of land control practices that constitute forms of ‘accumulation by dispossession’ and ‘assimilation’. These are embedded in contextual factors that include the agrarian history of Colombia, the armed conflict, and government policies. Conclusions: Our study shows that the ways in which expansion of biofuel crops unfold in each producing country depend not only on the global biofuel market. They are also shaped by the country-specific geographies and political economies. Therefore, research and policies on the global expansion of energy crops should account for the complex and interrelated factors that mediate the specific ways in which the global demand for biofuels creates biofuel crop booms at country level.

Abstract The proposed innovative approach identifies a new application for biomass. Bioenergy is used to drive a desalination unit which produces water for irrigating energy crops. Biomass is cultivated on artificial soil made by a mixture of local soil and organic compost from MSW (Municipal Solid Wastes). This agro-energy farm scheme aims at rescuing arid lands near to the sea. The study defines a techno-economic compromise among energy crops, biomass generator, desalination unit and irrigation system, considering an arid area (10 ha) of Tenerife as reference case study. A small experimental activity (100 m 2 ) has also been performed on site. A Sweet Sorghum cultivation, a bioenergy generator, a reverse osmosis plant and drip irrigation system have been chosen. The main result of the study is that the possibility of retaining some 14–20% surplus (in terms of biomass or energy or water) exists. The system is energetically feasible: rescued land can be doubled in approximately 4 yr. This approach is applicable to many Mediterranean coastal areas, as well as other similar situations elsewhere.

Abstract Advanced technology has entered the agricultural sector in an effort to streamline the agricultural production. Mechanization, one of advanced technology has contribution to increase productivity and resource’s efficiency in agriculture. However, there is a need government’s intervention to accelerate it. One of mechanization program by government is Agricultural Machinery Services Business (UPJA) which applied in farmer group level in Indonesia. The study aims to know the financial and work performance of UPJA in Tojo Una-Una Central Sulawesi especially for four wheel tractor with 85 House Power (HP) and 95 House Power (HP). The data were collected purposively from the UPJA program receiver and related stakeholder. Financial and work performance analyses were used to value the UPJA performance. The results show that UPJA business in farmer group level for both 85 HP and 95 HP tractor power were economically feasible with RC ratio of 1.27 and 1.15 consecutively. Tractor 95 House Power (HP) was more efficient compared to 85 House Power in land efficiency management with values 62% and 54%. The theoretical field capacity (Kt) tractor 85 HP was the same with tractor 95 HP about 0.403 ha/hour, while the effective field capacity (Ke) of tractor 95 HP was higher compared to 85 HP.

In this study, pyrolysis of residual biomass from the agro-alimentary industry of Argentina was investigated. The studied biomasses were rice husk, peanut shell and wheat straw. The effect of pyrolysis temperature over solid (bio-char), liquid (bio-oil) and gas (bio-gas) fractions weight yields were evaluated for each biomass, in the range of 350-650 °C. The maximum yield of bio-oil was obtained at 550 °C for rice husk (45 wt%) and wheat straw (58 wt%), and at 500 °C for peanut shells (51 wt%). At those temperatures, the data recorded the smallest spread around the mean. Different characterization techniques of raw biomass were reported, namely, thermal behavior; proximate and ultimate analysis; content of Ca, Al, K, Si and Fe; and hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin composition. Bio-oils characterization included water content and chemical compounds identification. Furthermore, bio-char HHV and BET surface area were measured. Rice husk bio-oil showed 21% selectivity towards furans of which 75% corresponded to furfural and 5-HMF. Peanut shell bio-char presented the highest Higher Heating Value (7250 kcal/kg) and BET surface area (215 m2/g). In addition, co-pyrolysis reactions and the synergistic effects over obtained products completed this study. Co-pyrolysis bio-oils yields varied between 41 and 46 wt%, for all the mixtures. Bio-oil water content decreased up to 15% for rice husk mixed with peanut shell or wheat straw. Moreover, 5-HMF was detected in all bio-oils, and furfural selectivity was higher than 5% in the three mixtures investigated.

The research deals with the issue of slums, urban sprawl on agriculture land and its impact on the city of Baghdad. This topic needs close attention because it has become a problem facing the city of Baghdad through recruiting agricultural lands and converting them to residential homes in addition to the transgression on the state lands and building abuses. This research deals with the causes of slums, irregular urban sprawl and risks of excesses on land uses of land in Baghdad. In this research, we try to know the extent to which these problems have affected the city of Baghdad. The research methodology based on the descriptive methodology to clarify the factors affecting urban sprawl at the expense of agricultural land, using studies in government and service institutions and images from satellites to clarify the size of urban sprawl over periods after the 2003 war. Finally, a conclusion and future solutions were set to solve these problems.

AbstractA simple experiment for capillary sealed trap shows that leakage would occur only from the weakest point in the trap. As an extens ion of this concept, the sequestrated and accumulated CO2 in the structural high may happen to leak from the unexpected weak point near the top of sealing layer. On the other hand, if CO2 were sequestrated into the flank of tilted aquifer, CO2 in separate phas e would migrate upward within aquifer with no CO2 leakage into the sealing layer above and leaving some residual amount behind. According to this concept, the best location for sequestration of CO2 could be the flank of the structure rather than the top.

This paper develops a strategy for the continuing and improved supply of woodfuels to urban and industrial consumers in Sub-Sahara Africa. It argues that continued use of these fuels is not only a necessity, but is also in the best economic interest of most of the countries in this region. It shows that intensified and more orderly utilization of woodfuels can help to enhance, rather than impinge upon environmental parameters. Some examples are provided that illustrate how such strategies can be put into practice.

Abstract Whilst caking occurs via several different mechanisms, absorption and migration of moisture is frequently the most dominant mechanism within the food and pharmaceutical industry. Fully understanding the propensity to cake is important for minimising down-stream process issues, however most characterisation techniques assume that moisture induced caking occurs homogenously through the sample resulting in a uniformly caked powder bed. In this study, the effect of moisture induced caking on powder flowability was investigated using powder rheology. Several materials, including skimmed milk powder (SMP) and sulphated methyl ester (SME) were stored for several days under controlled humidity conditions. The flow energies, a measure of the resistance to flow, were measured at 24 h intervals using an FT4 Powder Rheometer. As the energy is measured as a function of the bed height, variations in the powder bed are also captured. The results demonstrated that caking does not always occur uniformly, instead a caked region (or crust) forms at the air-powder interface and then progresses through the powder bed. Furthermore, the strength of this caked region was shown to increase over several days before stabilising.