• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
• 6. Clean water close
• 3. Good health close
• King Saud University close

Antibiotics are one of the emerging pollutants that have drawn increased attention in recent years. In this study simultaneous production of electricity and bioremediation of sulfadiazine from the wastewater using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and open circuit system were analyzed. LC-MS analysis revealed decreased sulfadiazine concentration in open circuit system and closed MFC chamber. In MFCs, 12.6 ± 1.3% removal efficiency of sulfadiazine was reached after 30 h and it improved 89.2 ± 2.1% after 100 h. The initial sulfadiazine concentration influenced on antibiotic removal in MFCs and antibiotic removal was increased up to 350 μg/L. At higher antibiotic concentration, reduced microbial activity results depleted antibiotic degradation. MFCs degraded sulfadiazine (350 μg/L) completely within 80 h of treatment. The maximum COD removal (91.9 ± 2.3%) was obtained in MFCs chamber and it was about 60.8 ± 2.7% in the open circuit chamber. The initial total phosphorus content of the wastewater fed with reactor was 1350 mg/L and it reduced considerably after treatment in MFCs system (89.9 ± 2.8%). Total microbial population was 4.5 × 105 CFU/mL after one day of treatment and it declined after five days due to the depletion of nutrients in the wastewater. In MFC electricity generation reached maximum within 60 h of treatment (1.28 ± 0.1 V). The electrogenic strain Bacillus subtilis EL06 was characterized from the MFC and sulfadiazine tolerance was analyzed. These findings demonstrated that MFCs are useful for the simultaneous bioremediation of wastewater and electricity generation.

Sustainable business in the hospitality sector should be designed and restructured to offer services meant to satisfy the customers aware of the ethical behavior toward environment. Green environmental marketing strategies (GES) are based on the desire of the customers to access hospitality services with zero or a less negative impact with the adaptation of greening activities. Therefore, this research aims to explore the direct effects of green environmental strategies on ethical consumption and the indirect influence of green marketing and its mediating effect between green environmental strategies and ethical consumption links. Additionally, this research also reveals that psychological aspects play the moderating role in the relationship between GES and ethical consumption. The data were collected from a sample of 545 respondents with the support of Saudi tourism companies, and a structural equation model was used to process them. The findings confirm the positive relationship between green environmental strategy and ethical consumption. The outcomes also corroborate that green marketing is interplaying between green environmental strategy and ethical consumption. In addition, this study validates that psychological aspects strengthen the link between GES and ethical consumption. This study adds to the knowledge in the literature through emphasizing the crucial role of psychological factors in improving green environmental strategies and developing ethical consumption habits among members to increase ethical consumption among tourism companies. The findings support companies from the hospitality sector implementing green sustainable services, to stimulate ethical consumption and to use their competitive advantage in green marketing strategies.

In the coming years, climate change is predicted to impact irrigation water demand considerably, particularly in semi-arid regions. The aim of this research is to investigate the expected adverse impacts of climate change on water irrigation management in Saudi Arabia. We focus on the influence of climate change on irrigation water requirements in the Al Quassim (97,408 ha) region. Different climate models were used for the intermediate emission SSP2-4.5 and the high emission SSP5-8.5 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) scenarios. The FAO-CROPWAT 8.0 model was used to calculate reference evapotranspiration (ETo) using weather data from 13 stations from 1991 to 2020 and for both the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2040s, 2060s, 2080s, and 2100s. The findings indicated that, for the 2100s, the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios forecast annual average ETo increases of 0.35 mm/d (6%) and 0.7 mm/d (12.0%), respectively. Net irrigation water requirement (NIWR) and growth of irrigation water requirement (GIWR) for the main crops in the Al Quassim region were assessed for the current, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. For SSP5-8.5, the GIWR for the 2040s, 2060s, 2080s, and 2100s are expected to increase by 2.7, 6.5, 8.5, and 12.4%, respectively, compared to the current scenario (1584.7 million m3). As a result, there will be higher deficits in 2100 under SSP5-8.5 for major crops, with deficits of 15.1%, 10.7%, 8.3%, 13.9%, and 10.7% in the crop areas of wheat, clover, maize, other vegetables, and dates, respectively. Optimal irrigation planning, crop pattern selection, and modern irrigation technologies, combined with the proposed NIWR values, can support water resources management. The findings can assist managers and policymakers in better identifying adaptation strategies for areas with similar climates.

Road traffic crashes represent a substantial global public health issue. In Saudi Arabia, which is the focus area of this research, road traffic crashes kill over 130,000 people annually, accounting for almost 5% of deaths in that country. A cross-sectional study with 316 participants holding a valid Saudi driver’s license was conducted via the internet from December 2019 to March 2020 to collect information about the prevalence of risky driving habits among Saudi drivers. The sample was predominantly men and aged between 20 and 39, which is representative of the population of drivers in Saudi Arabia. Drivers generally reported engaging in safe behaviors, although they did state that they drove above the legal speed limit, drove aggressively around slow drivers, and became distracted while driving with some frequency. Multivariate analyses suggested men took more risks than women and younger drivers took more risks than older ones. We conclude that the behavior among drivers in Saudi Arabia generally matches those in other cultures and countries, with men and young adults taking the most risks while driving. Preventative strategies should be developed and implemented in Saudi Arabia.

Agriculture is the major source of livelihood in rural areas and is considered the backbone of the Indian economy. In Sikkim, agriculture is being practiced by 80% of the rural population, and having no other major livelihood options has created immense pressure on the farmers and agricultural land. Agriculture sector is under great stress as the farmers are being confronted by various challenges in Sikkim Himalaya in recent years, such as land degradation, climate change and socio-economic problems. Despite the number of indigenous agriculture management methods being practised in Sikkim Himalaya, the agricultural production system is weakening. In this context, this paper presents an analysis of challenges faced by indigenous communities, local farmers and potential sustainable strategies for their management in Rani Khola watershed of Sikkim Himalaya. Data and information were collected by field observation, questionnaire surveys of 300 households, key informant interviews and focus group discussions conducted during 2017–18. Data processing and analysis were carried out with a combination of techniques, such as the application of remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS)-based data processing and descriptive statistics. Major challenges identified in the watershed are water scarcity (80%), climate change (88%), soil erosion and runoff (72%), higher investment cost (100%), lack of irrigation facilities (77%), fragmentation and size of landholdings (100), human–wildlife conflict (59%) and pests and disease (60%). Some possibilities and innovations that could address these problems are the use and retaining of various indigenous soil and water conservation (SWC) measures, diversified farming systems, community involvement in the government development process, better irrigation facilities, strengthening the local economy, coordinated planning between stakeholders and development of market feedback mechanism within the system.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dietary Acacia nilotica bark bioactive lipid compounds (ANBBLCs) as novel feed additives on the growth performance, carcass criteria, antioxidants, and antimicrobial activities of growing male rabbits. A total of 100 California male weanling rabbits aged 35 days were divided into four nutritional treatments, each of which contained ANBBLCs at concentrations of 0 (control group), 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg diet (n = 25 per treatment, each replication consisting of one animal). The average body weight of the animals was 613 ± 14 g. The experiments lasted for 56 days. Dietary ANBBLC levels linearly improved (p < 0.05) the body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of rabbits. Furthermore, with increasing concentrations of ANBBLCs, the total antioxidant capacity of blood and liver tissue was linearly (p < 0.05) enhanced. Lactobacillus increased and Staphylococcus decreased (p < 0.05) in comparison to the control group when ANBBLC levels were added to the diets of rabbits. Rabbit diets supplemented with ANBBLCs increased dressing percentages and decreased abdominal fat. This study shows that ANBBLCs can be used as a feed additive to enhance the growth performance, carcass criteria, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of growing rabbits.

Groundwater is extremely important in a water-scarce country such as Saudi Arabia, where permanent surface water resources are absent. Sustainable and future developments plans are essentially relying on the clear understanding of water resources. To evaluate the water resources in arid countries, the groundwater should be quantified through either traditional or scientifically advanced techniques. Aquifer characteristics, particularly the hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity, are essential for the evaluation the aquifer properties as well as the management and development of groundwater modelling for specific aquifers. The present study aims to evaluate the sub-basaltic alluvial aquifer in the northern part of Harrat Rahat, south of Al-Madinah city, and then estimates the principal aquifer’s hydraulic parameters based on the interpreted 1D resistivity-depth models along the study area. For that, 49 Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES’s) utilizing a Schlumberger electrode array were performed along the southern part of Al-Madinah city. The resistivity of the water-bearing formation, thickness, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and transmissivity parameters were calculated along the measured longitudinal profile from the interpreted VES data. The estimated porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and transmissivity were achieved along the whole profile with average values of 0.2, 3.5 m/day, and 369.6 m2/day, respectively. The resulting transmissivity values from the VES models were compared with those of previous pumping test measurements carried out in the area and a reasonable correlation between the two data sets was observed. These results indicate that surface geoelectrical resistivity techniques may provide an alternative, rapid, and cost-effective method of estimating the aquifer hydraulic parameters where pumping data is rare or unavailable.

Production of biodiesel from edible vegetable oils using homogenous catalysts negatively impacts food availability and cost while generating significant amounts of caustic wastewater during purification. Thus, there is an urgent need to utilize low-cost, non-food feedstocks for the production of biodiesel using sustainable heterogeneous catalysis. The objective of this study was to synthesize a novel supported nano-magnetic catalyst (CaO/Fe2O3/feldspar) for the production of biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters) from waste and low-cost plant seed oils, including Sinapis arvensis (wild mustard), Carthamus oxyacantha (wild safflower) and Pongamia pinnata (karanja). The structure, morphology, surface area, porosity, crystallinity, and magnetization of the nano-magnetic catalyst was confirmed using XRD, FESEM/EDX, BET, and VSM. The maximum biodiesel yield (93.6–99.9%) was achieved at 1.0 or 1.5 wt.% catalyst with methanol-to-oil molar ratios of 5:1 or 10:1 at 40 °C for 2 h. The CaO/Fe2O3/feldspar catalyst retained high activity for four consecutive cycles for conversion of karanja, wild mustard, and wild safflower oils. The effective separation of the catalyst from biodiesel was achieved using an external magnet. Various different physico-chemical parameters, such as pour point, density, cloud point, iodine value, acid value, and cetane number, were also determined for the optimized fuels and found to be within the ranges specified in ASTM D6751 and EN 14214, where applicable.