ABSTRACT
The root tuber of Pinellia ternata has been used as a traditional therapeutic herbal medicine. It is reported to impart beneficial attributes in recovering COVID-19 patients. To meet an increasing demand of P. ternata, this study is intended to investigate the effects of biochar on the soil hydrological and agronomic properties of two decomposed soils (i.e., completely decomposed granite (CDG) and lateritic soil) for the growth of P. ternata. The plant was grown in instrumented pots with different biochar application rate (0%, 3% and 5%) for a period of three months. Peanut shell biochar inclusion in both soils resulted in reduction of soil hydraulic conductivity and increase in soil water retention capacity. These alterations in hydrological properties were attributed to measured change in total porosity, biochar intra pore and hydrophilic functional groups. The macro-nutrient (i.e., N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) concentration of both soils increased substantially, while the pH and cation exchange capacity levels in the amended soils were altered to facilitate optimum growth of P. ternata. The tuber biomass in biochar amended CDG at all amendment rate increases by up to 70%. In case of lateritic soil, the tuber biomass increased by 23% at only 5% biochar application rate. All treatments satisfied the minimum succinic acid concentration required as per pharmacopoeia standard index. The lower tuber biomass exhibits a higher succinic acid concentration regardless of the soil type used to grow P. ternata. The biochar improved the yield and quality of P. ternata in both soils.
ABSTRACT
A few industries, such as the beverage industry, have experienced some growth in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, beverage companies alone generate over 200 million tonnes of biomass annually, which largely ends up as animal feed or in landfills. With the UK government's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 68% in 2030, many companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are exploring options to reduce carbon emissions and develop roadmaps to become carbon neutral. It has thus become imperative for beverage companies to find value in or repurpose their waste. This paper unlocks the potential for improving the fuel properties of beverage waste through a blending process and explores the determination of optimal fractions for the blends via characterization. With an initial moisture content of 82 and 58 wt.% brewery spent grain (BSG) and spent coffee grounds (SCG), respectively, the pre-treatment process reduced moisture content by approximately 10-15 wt.%. The study concludes that biomass blending improved the fuel properties of the biomass, providing a competitive comparison with coal for energy applications.
ABSTRACT
The moisture levels in sausages that were stored for 16 days and added with different concentrations of orange extracts to a modification solution were assessed using response surface methodology (RSM). Among the 32 treatment matrixes, treatment 10 presented a higher moisture content than that of treatment 19. Spectral pre-treatments were employed to enhance the model's robustness. The raw and pre-processed spectral data, as well as moisture content, were fitted to a regression model. The RSM outcomes showed that the interactive effects of [soy lecithin concentration] × [soy oil concentration] and [soy oil concentration] × [orange extract addition] on moisture were significant (p < 0.05), resulting in an R2 value of 78.28% derived from a second-order polynomial model. Hesperidin was identified as the primary component of the orange extracts using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The PLSR model developed from reflectance data after normalization and 1st derivation pre-treatment showed a higher coefficient of determination in the calibration set (0.7157) than the untreated data (0.2602). Furthermore, the selection of nine key wavelengths (405, 445, 425, 455, 585, 630, 1000, 1075, and 1095 nm) could render the model simpler and allow for easy industrial applications.
ABSTRACT
Biodrying is an essential part of the mechanical–biological treatment process that minimizes moisture content and simultaneously maximizes heating value for refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production. Although the mechanical separation process operates effectively in Thailand's RDF production, high organic content levels and their degradation cause moisture contamination in RDF, producing wet RDF. Aeration is essential for an effective biodrying process, and can reduce RDF's moisture content as well as increase its heating value. To maximize the biodrying effect, aeration should be optimized based on the waste conditions. This study proposes a modified aeration-supplied configuration for wet RDF biodrying. The aeration rate was modified based on the period within the biodrying operation;the first period is from the beginning until day 2.5, and the second period is from day 2.5 to day 5. The optimal aeration supply configuration was 0.5 m3/kg/day in the first period and then 0.3 m3/kg/day until the end of the process;this configuration yielded the greatest moisture content decrease of 35% and increased the low heating value of the biodried product by 11%. The final moisture content and low heating value were 24.07% and 4787 kcal/kg, respectively. Therefore, this optimal aeration-supplied configuration could be applied to meet the moisture content and low heating value requirements of the RDF production standard for Thailand's local cement industry.
ABSTRACT
The nutritional quality and biomass of various sprouts can be enhanced by Zn and red-blue light, especially the Brassica sprouts. However, the combined effects of this two on sprouts are rarely reported. In this study, different Zn concentrations (0, 1.74, 3.48, 10.43 and 17.39 mM) were combined with two ratios of red-blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (R: B = 1:2, 1R2B;R: B = 2:1, 2R1B, at 70 μmol m−2 s−1 PPFD, 14 h/10 h, light/dark) to investigate their mutual effects on the growth, mineral elements, and nutritional quality in flowering Chinese cabbage sprouts (FCCS). Fresh weight, dry weight, contents of organic Zn, soluble sugar, vitamin C, total flavonoids, total polyphenol, FRAP (ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power) and DPPH (radical inhibition percentage of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) were significantly increased by Zn supplement (10.43 and 17.39 mM) and 2R1B, while hypocotyl length and moisture content were decreased remarkably by Zn supplement. Total glucosinolates contents in the sprouts increased dramatically under 2R1B compared with 1R2B, while photosynthetic pigments contents decreased. Heat map and principal component analysis showed that 2R1B + 17.39 mM Zn was the optimal treatment for the accumulation of biomass and health-promoting compound in FCCS, suggesting that a suitable combination of light quality and Zn supplement might be beneficial to zinc-biofortified FCCS production.
ABSTRACT
Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and pumpkin fruit are underutilized crops with great potential for the production of high-quality bread with health-enhancing properties. However, the incorporation of nonconventional flour in bread formula may influence the dough and bread quality properties. This study investigated the effect of partial substitution of wheat flour with OFSP (10–50%) and pumpkin flour (10–40%), baking temperature (150–200 °C) and baking time (15–25 min) on the quality properties of the composite dough and bread using response surface methodology (RSM). Dough rheological, bread physical and textural properties were analyzed, modelled and optimized using RSM. Satisfactory regression models were developed for the dough and bread quality attributes (R2 > 0.98). The dough development time, crust redness, hardness, and chewiness values increased while optimum water absorption of dough, specific volume, lightness, springiness, and resilience of bread decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing incorporation of OFSP and pumpkin flour in the bread formula. Additionally, the specific volume, crust redness, crumb hardness, and chewiness of the composite bread increased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing baking temperature from 150 to 180 °C but reduced at higher baking temperatures (≥ 190 °C). The staling rate declined with increased OFSP and pumpkin flour whereas increasing the baking temperature and time increased the bread staling rate. The optimized formula for the composite bread was 78.5% wheat flour, 11.5% OFSP flour, 10.0% pumpkin flour, and baking conditions of 160 °C for 20 min. The result of the study has potential applications in the bakery industry for the development of functional bread.
ABSTRACT
In recent years, festivals, especially music festivals have become important vectors for promoting their host cities. Festivals are complex phenomena with high economic and socio-cultural impact. High CO2 emissions and huge resource consumption are commonly related to the festivals' negative environmental impact. Ensuring the suitable amount of water for a large-scale event is essential for both the audience experience and the city residents, especially when their access to water is hindered by excessive water usage for the festival. Therefore, an accurate estimation of water consumption during festivals is a prerequisite for rigorous water planning. In the Covid-19 world, due to the worsening crisis of resources and to the increasing pressure exerted by audiences asking for more eco-conscious events, festival organizers are called to get together with other stakeholders and re-examine the water management issues. Water companies have already started to embrace digital solutions. Their further implementation will result in a large amount of environmental data that could contribute to a paradigm shift concerning festival sustainability. The present paper was conceived around this topic, with the goal of increasing the awareness of all the actors involved in festival operational processes. Outcomes of a desk research and a case study focused on the UNTOLD and Electric Castle music festivals are presented.
ABSTRACT
This study aim to improve the quality of Phyllanthus sp production by increasing the content of secondary metabolites as a bioactive compound. Phyllanthus sp contains various secondary metabolites that enhance immunity and treat diabetes, hypertension, antioxidants, anti-cancer, kidney disorders, and other illnesses. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Phyllanthus sp widely used as a raw material for making herbal medicines. The trade value of Indonesian herbal medicines is estimated to increase in 2022, and the price will reach around the US $ 910 million, so it has very bright business prospects. These relatively limited phytopharmaceutical products constrain the supply of high-quality raw materials under the requirements of the herb medicine industry. Therefore, conducting a depth assessment related to efforts to improve the quality of Phyllanthus sp production by increasing the content of secondary metabolites is necessary. The efforts to enhance the quality of Phyllanthus sp as a source of herbal medicine raw materials can be made through plant breeding such as genetic mutations and in combination with the environmental arrangements of soil water content and solar radiation intensity. The efforts to increase the quality of herbal medicine raw materials are critical to support the development of the herbal medicine industry.
ABSTRACT
The spatiotemporal variability of vegetation fires is essential for understanding changes in the climate and ecosystem in mountainous regions. MODIS Collection 6 active fire products indicate that the area burned by vegetation fires declined globally from over 4.27 million km2 to less than 3.52 million km2 annually during 2001–2021. In contrast, global high mountains higher than 3000 m have experienced an overall increase in their burned area and suffered record‐breaking wildfires from August to December 2020. Although high mountains accounted for less than 0.03% of the global burned area during 2001–2021, this proportion had more than tripled by 2020. This unprecedented wildfire record in 2020 could be mainly caused by favorable fire weather conditions such as low relative humidity, low soil water and high temperature.
ABSTRACT
The abundance of plastic waste in Indonesia has increased due to the contribution of disposable masks waste during the COVID-19 pandemic. The improper waste management causes the habit of dumping waste in the soil system to still frequently occur. The secondary microplastics from disposable mask waste has the potential to damage soil quality and soil capillary water. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of understanding the effects of disposable mask waste in peat soil. The research was conducted by setting up 3 reactors containing peat soil with disposable mask waste buried in it and some plants being grown on it. For 45 days, observations and samples were taken, both filtrate water and soil for analysis. The analysis results showed significant changes in soil properties with changes in the concentration of inorganic matter, organic matter, porosity, bulk density, and water content. Further research needs to be done to see the effects of disposable mask waste in the soil system in real conditions where several confounding variables cannot be controlled.
ABSTRACT
The waste generated by small-scale ultra-fresh juice producers, such as bistros and restaurants, has been little studied so far, mainly because it is unevenly distributed and dissipated in the economic ecosystem and would require high costs associated with transportation and subsequent recovery of bio composites. The present article seeks to offer solutions by providing sustainable methods to reduce their waste losses to a minimum and transform them into valuable products, with affordable equipment and techniques. The study focuses on the preliminary phase of quantitative analysis of fruit and vegetable by-products generated on a small scale, the results showing a mean 55% productivity in fresh juices. Due to the high amount of remnant water content in waste, a new process of mechanically pressing the resulting squeezed pulp was introduced, generating an additional yield in juice, ranging from 3.98 to 51.4%. Due to the rising trend in healthier lifestyle, the by-products were frozen or airdried for conservation in each of the processing stages, and the total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were analyzed in order to assess the traceability of these bioactive compounds to help maximize their transfer into future final products. The polyphenols transferred into by-products varied between 7 and 23% in pulps and between 6 and 20% in flours. The highest DPPH potential was found in flours, up to three-fold in comparison with the raw material, but the high dry substance content must be accounted for. The results highlight the potential of reusing the processing waste as a reliable source of bioactive compounds.
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results from field measurements and household surveys on the severity of indoor mold risk and its impact on respiratory health in a typical unplanned neighborhood of kampungs in Bandung, Indonesia. Mold risk was investigated using fungal risk detectors (n = 102), while air pollution levels were established with total suspended particulate (TSP) and particulate matter (PM2.5) (n = 38). The self-reported prevalence of respiratory diseases was obtained using a questionnaire form (ATS-DLD-78) (n = 599). The results showed that respiratory health problems were higher in the rainy season, particularly among children. Most houses suffered from severe mold risk, primarily due to extreme humid weather conditions, especially during rainy season (97%) where water leakage was prevalent (60%). In addition, the TSP and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the WHO standards in most kampung houses, where around 58% of the houses recorded higher outdoor mean PM2.5 concentrations than indoors. Further, the path analysis showed that allergies followed by humidity rate and smell, which were affected by window-opening duration, directly impacted children’s respiratory health. Smoking behavior and building-related health problems, due to exposure to outdoor air pollution, affected the respiratory health of those aged 15 years old and over.
ABSTRACT
The quality of concrete in reinforced concrete structures can be tested either by destructive or non-destructive technique. For structures under use, non-destructive technique is preferred simply because the method affords little or no destruction of the structural elements under investigation. Schmidt Rebound Hammer test was used to assess the reinforced concrete structural elements of two University Hostels labelled A and B. From the investigation of the concrete quality according to IS 13311-2:1992, it was discovered that for the selected elements considered in Hostel A, 89% of the ground floor columns are of fair hard concrete and 11% are of good concrete layer;67% are of very good layer while 33% are of good layer for slab and 3% of the beams are of fair quality concrete while the rest are of good qualities. However, for Hostel B, 8% of the ground columns are of good hard concrete, 78% are of fair hard layer and 14% are of poor concrete layer, while 56% are of good hard layer and 44% are of very good layer for slab and 51% are of good hard layer and 49% are of very good layer for beams. Rapt attention is therefore needed on the columns of Hostel B and to those elements that gave low rebound values so that the structural integrity of the buildings can be sustained to a high degree. Also, because of the variability of the quality of concrete of the assessed structural elements, more non-destructive tests like ultrasonic pulse velocity test should be conducted.
ABSTRACT
The effects of hesperidin and different casings on pH, moisture content, water-holding capacity, and total viable count (TVC) of sausages stored for 171 days were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA). Sausages stuffed in a modified casing with treatment B (soy lecithin concentration: 1:30, soy oil concentration: 2.5%, lactic acid concentration: 21 mL/kg NaCl [solid], treated time: 90 min) had a significantly lower pH value (6.89 ± 0.01) at d 31 but higher (6.55 ± 0.03) than that of control casings at d 171 (p < 0.05). Hesperidin plays an important role in antimicrobial property that renders the sausages with modified casing by treatment A (soy lecithin concentration: 1:27.5, soy oil concentration: 1.25%, lactic acid concentration: 19.5 mL/kg NaCl [solid], treated time: 75 min) stable (p > 0.05), with the final TVC of 5.03 ± 0.10 log cfu/g. According to the PCA results, water-holding capacity has a positive correlation to pH. Moisture content was the best discriminator for differentiating sausages with control and modified casings, whilst pH was able to discriminate sausages stored after 138 days from other days.
ABSTRACT
Food security is one of the key global challenges in this century. In Singapore, our research team has been using novel aeroponic technology to produce fresh vegetables since 1997. Aeroponic systems allow for year-round production of not only tropical, but also sub-tropical and temperate fresh vegetables, by simply cooling the roots suspended in aeroponic systems while the aerial parts grow under tropical ambient environments. It has also been used to investigate the impacts of root-zone CO2 on vegetables by enriching root-zone CO2 while their aerial portions were subjected to constant atmospheric CO2. To compensate for the lack of available land, Singapore also needs to develop a farming system that can increase productivity per unit land area by many-fold. Over the past 10 years, my research team has established a commercially viable LED integrated vertical aeroponic farming system to grow different leafy vegetables under different LED spectra, intensities, and durations in the tropical greenhouse. The results demonstrate that it is possible to increase shoot production and rate of shoot production of leafy vegetables by increasing light intensity and extending the photoperiod under effective LED lighting. Furthermore, temperate vegetable crops such as lettuce were able to acclimate to high light intensity under supplementary LED lights to natural sunlight in the greenhouse. Supplementary LED lightings promote both leaf initiation and expansion with increased photo synthetic pigments, higher Cyt b6f and Rubisco protein contents on a per area basis and thus improve photosynthetic capacity and enhance productivity. Plants sense and respond to changes in their immediate environments (microclimate), manipulating the root zone temperature (RZT) and water supply will impact not only their growth and development but also their nutritional quality. Our on-going research aims to investigate if the nutritional quality of leafy vegetables could be improved under suboptimal RZT and mild water deficit through deficit irrigation. If substantial energy and water savings in urban farming can be achieved without substantial yield penalty but with higher nutritional quality, the amount of water and energy saved can bring substantial benefits to society.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this research was to determine the resistance of acetylated wood against marine biodeterioration in use class 5 for use in temperate waters. The resistance of acetylated radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) on solid and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) panels was compared with untreated wood of European species, such as European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.), European oak (Quercus robur L.), and marine plywood. As a reference control, untreated Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood was used. The field tests were carried out in accordance with EN 275, and started in April 2015. The three Italian exposure sites were Marine of Scarlino private harbor, Port of Genoa, and the Venice Lagoon. Final evaluation in 2021 showed a greater resistance to marine borers of acetylated wood, radiata pine, and beech and MDF panels. However, the untreated European species showed low resistance against marine organisms, with complete decay after the first year of exposure.
ABSTRACT
The airborne nature of coronavirus transmission makes it critical to develop new barrier technologies that can simultaneously reduce aerosol and viral spread. Here, we report nanostructured membranes with tunable thickness and porosity for filtering coronavirus-sized aerosols, combined with antiviral enzyme functionalization that can denature spike glycoproteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in low-hydration environments. Thin, asymmetric membranes with subtilisin enzyme and methacrylic functionalization show more than 98.90% filtration efficiency for 100-nm unfunctionalized and protein-functionalized polystyrene latex aerosol particles. Unfunctionalized membranes provided a protection factor of 540 ± 380 for coronavirus-sized particle, above the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s standard of 10 for N95 masks. SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein on the surface of coronavirus-sized particles was denatured in 30 s by subtilisin enzyme-functionalized membranes with 0.02-0.2% water content on the membrane surface.The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of materials that block airborne virus transmission. Here, a nanostructured membrane is shown to filter coronavirus-sized particles, while the membrane surface incorporates enzymes that denature the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein within 30 s.
ABSTRACT
The article presents an analysis of the impact of bio-based materials on the environment, with a special focus on polylactic acid (PLA), as it is considered one of the most popular bioplastics in the market. The results show that there are several factors that must be taken into account when choosing the best end-of-life option for this type of material, in agreement with the newly introduced concept of the circular economy, according to the physical–chemical analysis obtained at the end of this study. The ecotoxicity tests showed that all tested materials (PLA spoon, PLA filament, b2w technology bag and cocoa paper tray) could be suitable for incineration with energy recovery without producing dioxines during combustion (chlorine content in all tested materials was below 1.00% w/w). It was also determined that PLA was the material with the highest potential for energy recovery since it presented the highest calorific value and highest carbon content (18.73 MJ/kg and 52.23%, respectively). The biodegradation rate of the different bio-based materials was also tested under different environments during three months, with Baltic Sea water and medium-grain sand being the environments in which the majority of the bio-based materials showed the lowest degradation rates. An additional test in a small-scale electric composter with microbe technology was carried out in order to evaluate the degradation of the studied materials in an environment with controlled conditions, and results showed high values of weight loss for the majority of the bio-based materials (all above 80% weight loss) due to the high temperature that the device could reach during the composting process. Finally, a strategy for providing guidance in selecting routes for the waste management of bioplastics, depending mainly on the available infrastructure and material properties, was proposed as a result of this work. For the case of low- and medium-income countries, an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy is proposed as a provisional solution to control plastic waste pollution, which should be complemented by regulations and systems aimed at the successful introduction of bioplastics.
ABSTRACT
Given recent worldwide environmental concerns, biodegradability, antibacterial activity, and healing properties around the wound area are vital features that should be taken into consideration while preparing biomedical materials such as wound dressings. Some of the available wound dressings present some major disadvantages. For example, low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), inadequate exudates absorption, and the complex and high environmental cost of the disposal/recycling processes represent such drawbacks. In this paper, starch/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) material with inserted nano-sized zinc-oxide particles (nZnO) (average size ≤ 100 nm) was made and altered using citric acid (CA). Both ensure an efficient antibacterial environment for wound-dressing materials. The film properties were assessed by UV–Vis spectrometry and were validated against the UV light transmission percentage of the starch/ polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/ zinc-oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) composites. Analyses were conducted using X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the structure and surface morphology of the materials. Moreover, to validate an ideal moisture content around the wound area, which is necessary for an optimum wound-healing process, the water vapor transmission rate of the film was measured. The new starch-based materials exhibited suitable physical and chemical properties, including solubility, gel fraction, fluid absorption, biodegradability, surface morphology (scanning electron microscopy imaging), and mechanical properties. Additionally, the pH level of the starch-based/nZnO film was measured to study the prospect of bacterial growth on this wound-dressing material. Furthermore, the in vitro antibacterial activity demonstrated that the dressings material effectively inhibited the growth and penetration of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus).
ABSTRACT
Nitrate aerosol plays an increasingly important role in wintertime haze pollution in China. Despite intensive research on wintertime nitrate chemistry in recent years, quantitative constraints on the formation mechanisms of nitrate aerosol in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most developed and densely populated regions in eastern China, remain inadequate. In this study, we identify the major nitrate formation pathways and their key controlling factors during the winter haze pollution period in the eastern YRD using 2-year (2018–2019) field observations and detailed observation-constrained model simulations. We find that the high atmospheric oxidation capacity, coupled with high aerosol liquid water content (ALWC), made both the heterogeneous hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) and the gas-phase OH oxidation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) important pathways for wintertime nitrate formation in this region, with contribution percentages of 69 % and 29 % in urban areas and 63 % and 35 % in suburban areas during the haze pollution episodes, respectively. We further find that the gas-to-particle partitioning of nitric acid (HNO3) was very efficient so that the rate-determining step in the overall formation process of nitrate aerosol was the oxidation of NOx to HNO3 through both heterogeneous and gas-phase processes. The atmospheric oxidation capacity (i.e., the availability of O3 and OH radicals) was the key factor controlling the production rate of HNO3 from both processes. During the COVID-19 lockdown (January–February 2020), the enhanced atmospheric oxidation capacity greatly promoted the oxidation of NOx to nitrate and hence weakened the response of nitrate aerosol to the emission reductions in urban areas. Our study sheds light on the detailed formation mechanisms of wintertime nitrate aerosol in the eastern YRD and highlights the demand for the synergetic regulation of atmospheric oxidation capacity and NOx emissions to mitigate wintertime nitrate and haze pollution in eastern China.