Hasil untuk "Environmental effects of industries and plants"

Ateeq Shah, Mahtab Nazari, M. Antar et al.

Growing environmental concerns are potentially narrowing global yield capacity of agricultural systems. Climate change is the most significant problem the world is currently facing. To meet global food demand, food production must be doubled by 2050; over exploitation of arable lands using unsustainable techniques might resolve food demand issues, but they have negative environmental effects. Current crop production systems are a major reason for changing global climate through diminishing biodiversity, physical and chemical soil degradation, and water pollution. The over application of fertilizers and pesticides contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and toxic soil depositions. At this crucial time, there is a pressing need to transition to more sustainable crop production practices, ones that concentrate more on promoting sustainable mechanisms, which enable crops to grow well in resource limited and environmentally challenging environments, and also develop crops with greater resource use efficiency that have optimum sustainable yields across a wider array of environmental conditions. The phytomicrobiome is considered as one of the best strategies; a better alternative for sustainable agriculture, and a viable solution to meet the twin challenges of global food security and environmental stability. Use of the phytomicrobiome, due to its sustainable and environmentally friendly mechanisms of plant growth promotion, is becoming more widespread in the agricultural industry. Therefore, in this review, we emphasize the contribution of beneficial phytomicrobiome members, particularly plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as a strategy to sustainable improvement of plant growth and production in the face of climate change. Also, the roles of soil dwelling microbes in stress amelioration, nutrient supply (nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization), and phytohormone production along with the factors that could potentially affect their efficiency have been discussed extensively. Lastly, limitations to expansion and use of biobased techniques, for instance, the perspective of crop producers, indigenous microbial competition and regulatory approval are discussed. This review largely focusses on the importance and need of sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches such as biobased/PGPR-based techniques in our agricultural systems, especially in the context of current climate change conditions, which are almost certain to worsen in near future.

Aasthiya Bharathinathan, Karthikeyan Duraisamy and Sethuraman Narayanan

The increasing prevalence of harmful NOx emissions from gasoline engines necessitates the development of alternatives to traditional three-way catalytic converters. This study investigates the potential of low-cost zeolites derived from rice husk ash as a promising alternative. Na-X zeolites derived from rice husk ash were characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to determine their structural properties and morphology. These zeolites were then modified with copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) ions to create Cu-X and Fe-X zeolite catalysts. The catalysts were wash coated onto cordierite honeycomb monoliths and integrated and properly housed in a steel casing catalytic converter and fitted near the exhaust manifold of a twin-cylinder nano engine. Engine performance and emissions were evaluated under various operating loads (4, 7, 10, 13, and 16 kW). NOx, CO, HC, CO2, and O2 emissions were measured using an AVL DI gas analyzer. The results demonstrated that the developed Cu-X and Fe-X zeolite converters significantly outperformed the conventional catalytic converter in reducing NOx emissions, while maintaining comparable performance for other pollutants. The enhanced NOx reduction capabilities of the zeolite catalysts can be attributed to their unique structural properties and the synergistic effect of the copper and iron ions.

Heesup Yun, Isaac Kazuo Uyehara, Ioannis Droutsas et al.

Three-dimensional (3D) procedural plant architecture models have emerged as an important tool for simulation-based studies of plant structure and function, extracting plant architectural parameters from field measurements, and for generating realistic plants in computer graphics. However, measuring the architectural parameters and nested structures for these models at the field scales remains prohibitively labor-intensive. We present a novel algorithm that generates a 3D plant architecture from an image, creating a functional structural plant model that reflects organ-level geometric and topological parameters and provides a more comprehensive representation of the plant's architecture. Instead of using 3D sensors or processing multi-view images with computer vision to obtain the 3D structure of plants, we proposed a method that generates token sequences that encode a procedural definition of plant architecture. This work used only synthetic images for training and testing, with exact architectural parameters known, allowing testing of the hypothesis that organ-level architectural parameters could be extracted from image data using a vision-language model (VLM). A synthetic dataset of cowpea plant images was generated using the Helios 3D plant simulator, with the detailed plant architecture encoded in XML files. We developed a plant architecture tokenizer for the XML file defining plant architecture, converting it into a token sequence that a language model can predict. The model achieved a token F1 score of 0.73 during teacher-forced training. Evaluation of the model was performed through autoregressive generation, achieving a BLEU-4 score of 94.00% and a ROUGE-L score of 0.5182. This led to the conclusion that such plant architecture model generation and parameter extraction were possible from synthetic images; thus, future work will extend the approach to real imagery data.

Negar Hashemi, Amjed Tahir, August Shi et al.

Test flakiness is a significant issue in industry, affecting test efficiency and product quality. While extensive research has examined the impact of flaky tests, many root causes remain unexplored, particularly in the context of dynamic languages such as JavaScript. In this paper, we conduct a systematic evaluation of the impact of environmental factors on test flakiness in JavaScript. We first executed test suites across multiple environmental configurations to determine whether changes in the environment could lead to flaky behavior. We selected three environmental factors to manipulate: the operating system, the Node.js version, and the browser. We identified a total of 65 environmental flaky projects, with 28 related to operating system issues, five to Node.js version compatibility, 16 to a combination of operating system and Node.js issues, and 17 related to browser compatibility. To address environmental flakiness, we developed a lightweight mitigation approach, js-env-sanitizer, that can sanitize environmental-related flaky tests by skipping and reporting them (rather than failing), allowing CI builds to continue/succeed without rerunning entire test suites. The tool achieves high accuracy with minimal performance or configuration overhead, and currently supports three popular JavaScript testing frameworks (Jest, Mocha, and Vitest)

Sakka Sakka, Alimuddin Hamzah Assegaf, Amiruddin Amiruddin et al.

Galesong Beach, located in Takalar Regency, South Sulawesi, is a coastal area that has experienced significant shoreline changes due to anthropogenic activities, such as coastal development and land use, and oceanographic factors, particularly wave activity. This study aimed to analyze the magnitude and direction of wave-induced sediment transport and its influence on erosion and accretion rates along Galesong Beach. Wave height was calculated using the Coastal Engineering Manual (CEM) method based on wind data, while sediment transport volume was estimated using the Van Rijn method. Shoreline change rates were identified using Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI imagery from 2010 to 2023, analyzed with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to determine annual erosion and accretion distances and rates. The study area was divided into seven zones, each with varying coastal dynamics. Results showed that monthly wave heights peaked in December, January, and February, ranging from 1.54 to 2.21 m. Sediment transport was estimated at 2,894.9 to 13,703.42 m³/year northward and 5,405.77 to 13,956.26 m³/year southward, resulting in both erosion and accretion. The maximum annual accretion rate reached 10.77 m/year, while the maximum erosion rate was 3.28 m/year. The furthest accretion reached 141.27 m, and the greatest erosion extended to -43.05 m. The highest accretion occurred in North Boddia, while the most severe erosion was found in Bontoloe. This study offers insights into local coastal dynamics and serves as a foundation for effective and sustainable coastal management strategies.

Mei Dong, Agyemang Kwasi Sampene, Cai Li et al.

Green building development has emerged as a pivotal strategy for achieving sustainability in China's rapidly evolving construction sector. This study examines the convergence of digital technologies, drivers, barriers, and promotional strategies that influence green building development in China, framed within the context of the diffusion of innovations theory. Employing a mixed-method approach comprising an extensive literature review, expert consultations, and a survey of 45 construction and green building experts, the study applies mean score ranking and t-test analyses to elucidate key factors shaping the implementation of green building development. Findings reveal that digital tools, such as building information modeling, energy management systems, and artificial intelligence-driven predictive analytics, significantly facilitate the diffusion of green building development by enhancing perceived relative advantages among stakeholders. Crucial drivers include environmental sustainability imperatives, government policies, and energy efficiency goals, while major barriers encompass high upfront costs, limited awareness, and resistance to change, especially among late adopters. Strategic promotional efforts, including government incentives, industry collaboration, and public awareness campaigns, emerge as vital communication channels that accelerate the diffusion process and foster wider acceptance. This research provides novel insights into the mechanisms underlying the adoption of green building development in China and offers practical recommendations for policymakers and industry leaders to enhance policy effectiveness and promote sustainable construction practices.

Fang-Ming Cui, Hui Dong

Nuclear power plants are prominent examples of heat-to-work conversion systems, and optimizing their thermodynamic performance offers significant potential for enhancing energy efficiency. With a development history of less than a century, optimization trends in nuclear power plants indicate that classical thermodynamics alone may be insufficient, particularly when maximizing output power rather than efficiency becomes the primary focus. This paper re-examines nuclear power plant thermodynamic cycles through the lens of finite-time thermodynamics, an approach specifically developed to address the practical requirement of enhancing power output. Beginning with the simpler Brayton cycle without phase transitions, we obtain the famous Curzon-Ahlborn formula for efficiency at maximum power. Subsequently we analyze the more complex Rankine cycle, which incorporates phase transitions. By explicitly considering the working fluid undergoing phase transitions within the cycle, we uncover the inherent trade-off between output power and efficiency. Additionally, we demonstrate that both the maximum attainable power and efficiency increase as latent heat rises. These findings shall provide insights and methodologies for future thermodynamic optimization of nuclear power plants and other Rankine-type cycle systems.

Stefano Scanzio, Paolo Campagnale, Pietro Chiavassa et al.

QR codes are nowadays customarily used for embedding static data such as web hyperlinks or plain text. The sQRy technology (executable QR codes) permits to embed executable programs in QR codes, enabling people to interact with them even without an internet connection. In this work we present QRmap, a specific dialect that permits the inclusion of geographic maps in sQRy and supports interaction with the user to provide indications to reach the destination of interest. The QRmap technology facilitates navigation in large industrial plants where internet connectivity is absent, due to either environmental limitations or company policies. The proposed technology can have interesting applications in non-industrial contexts as well.

Lorenz Zwick, Kai Hendriks, David O'Neill et al.

We model the effect of resonances between time-varying perturbative forces and the epi-cyclical motion of eccentric binaries in the gravitational wave (GW) driven regime. These induce secular drifts in the orbital elements which are reflected in a dephasing of the binary's GW signal, derived here systematically. The resulting dephasing prescriptions showcase a much richer phenomenology with respect to typically adopted power-laws, and are better able to model realistic environmental effects (EE). The most important consequences are for gas embedded binaries, which we analyse in detail with a series of analytical calculations, numerical experiments and a curated set of hydrodynamical simulations for equal masses. Even in these simplified tests, we find the surprising result that dephasing caused by epi-cyclical resonances dominate over expectations based on smoothed or orbit averaged gas drag models in GW signals that retain mild eccentricity in the detector band ($e> 0.05$). We discuss how dissecting GW dephasing in its component Fourier modes can be used to probe the coupling of binaries with their surrounding environment in unprecedented detail.

Sara Ruiz-Moreno, Antonio J. Gallego, Manuel Macías et al.

This paper presents a novel method to optimize thermal balance in parabolic trough collector (PTC) plants. It uses a market-based system to distribute flow among loops combined with an artificial neural network (ANN) to reduce computation and data requirements. This auction-based approach balances loop temperatures, accommodating varying thermal losses and collector efficiencies. Validation across different thermal losses, optical efficiencies, and irradiance conditions-sunny, partially cloudy, and cloudy-show improved thermal power output and intercept factors compared to a no-allocation system. It demonstrates scalability and practicality for large solar thermal plants, enhancing overall performance. The method was first validated through simulations on a realistic solar plant model, then adapted and successfully tested in a 50 MW solar trough plant, demonstrating its advantages. Furthermore, the algorithms have been implemented, commissioned, and are currently operating in 13 commercial solar trough plants.

Mridul Kumar, Soami Daya Krishnananda

Plants, being sessile organisms, have evolved a variety of defense mechanisms to protect themselves from invaders such as pathogens, insects, and herbivores. One key strategy is the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, which serve as warning signals to nearby plants, prompting them to activate their own defense mechanisms. Although plant communication through VOCs is well-documented, the interaction between VOC emissions and soil-released allelochemicals remains less understood. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the release of allelochemicals and VOCs by chickpea (gram) plants, focusing on their role in plant signalling. We grew 25 chickpea plants in individual beakers with soil as the growth medium. The release of allelochemicals was monitored indirectly by measuring the electrical resistance of the soil, while VOC emissions were analyzed using MQ-3 gas sensors. Continuous monitoring provided insights into soil chemistry changes potentially influenced by allelochemical release, alongside the VOC profile captured by the sensors. Spearman correlation analysis was applied to evaluate the relationship between allelochemical release and VOC emissions. Understanding this interplay could contribute to the development of sensor networks for early detection of plant stress, offering a potential strategy for reducing crop losses and improving agricultural resilience.

Maggie Lawrence, Matthew Pocrnic, Erin Fung et al.

Carrier transport in quantum networks is governed by a variety of factors, including network dimensionality and connectivity, on-site energies, couplings between sites and whether they are short- or long-range, leakage processes, and environmental effects. In this work, we identify classes of quasi-one-dimensional chains with energy profiles that optimize carrier transport under such influences. Specifically, we optimize on-site energies using Optax's optimistic gradient descent and AdaMax algorithms, enabled by the JAX automatic differentiation framework. Focusing on nonequilibrium steady-state transport, we study the system's behavior under combined unitary and nonunitary (dephasing and dissipative) effects using the Lindblad quantum master equation. After validating our optimization scheme on short chains, we extend the study to larger systems where we identify systematic patterns in energy profiles. Our analysis reveals that different types of energy landscapes enhance transport, depending on whether inter-site tunneling couplings in the chain are short- or long-range, the existence of environmental interactions, and the temperature of the environment. Our classification and insights of optimal energy landscapes offer guidance for designing efficient transport systems for electronic, photovoltaic and quantum communication applications.

Rishu Kalra, X. Conlan, Mayurika Goel

The growing concern over the harmful effects of synthetic colorants on both the consumer and the environment has raised a strong interest in natural coloring alternatives. As a result the worldwide demand for colorants of natural origin is rapidly increasing in the food, cosmetic and textile sectors. Natural colorants have the capacity to be used for a variety of industrial applications, for instance, as dyes for textile and non-textile substrates such as leather, paper, within paints and coatings, in cosmetics, and in food additives. Currently, pigments and colorants produced through plants and microbes are the primary source exploited by modern industries. Among the other non-conventional sources, filamentous fungi particularly ascomycetous and basidiomycetous fungi (mushrooms), and lichens (symbiotic association of a fungus with a green alga or cyanobacterium) are known to produce an extraordinary range of colors including several chemical classes of pigments such as melanins, azaphilones, flavins, phenazines, and quinines. This review seeks to emphasize the opportunity afforded by pigments naturally found in fungi as a viable green alternative to current sources. This review presents a comprehensive discussion on the capacity of fungal resources such as endophytes, halophytes, and fungi obtained from a range or sources such as soil, sediments, mangroves, and marine environments. A key driver of the interest in fungi as a source of pigments stems from environmental factors and discussion here will extend on the advancement of greener extraction techniques used for the extraction of intracellular and extracellular pigments. The search for compounds of interest requires a multidisciplinary approach and techniques such as metabolomics, metabolic engineering and biotechnological approaches that have potential to deal with various challenges faced by pigment industry.

D. Atstāja, Natālija Cudečka-Puriņa, Victor Koval et al.

The consistent rise of the per capita waste generation rate has led to an escalation of waste quantities and the need to expand waste disposal methods. Efforts to develop clean and affordable energy systems are increasingly linked to waste-to-energy as part of the transition to a circular economy (CE). A resource-efficient waste-to-energy business model within a CE offers a variety of environmentally friendly waste management options based on their overall environmental impacts but also makes efficient use of available resources and technologies to convert different types of waste into energy, which helps reduce the adverse effects on the environment and create additional energy sources. This research aims to identify innovative waste management solutions to foster the implementation of CE and a more resource-efficient business model. The research methodology is based on qualitative and quantitative research, triangulation, material flow assessment, and systems dynamics. The value of this study is within the analysis of existing waste-to-energy plant case studies to identify a set of recommendations and appropriate business models for the countries that are at an early stage of evaluation of such facilities. This study found that waste-to-energy plants are critical to achieving the EU’s waste disposal targets by 2035. The findings highlight the importance of supporting mechanisms in the waste sector, such as structural funds, as the industry primarily focuses on societal health and safety and environmental protection, alongside resource efficiency and circularity potential.

Asim Shahzad, Atiqa Zahra, Hao Yang Li et al.

Heavy metal poisoning of soil from oil spills causes serious environmental problems worldwide. Various causes and effects of heavy metal pollution in the soil environment are discussed in this article. In addition, this study explores new approaches to cleaning up soil that has been contaminated with heavy metals as a result of oil spills. Furthermore, it provides a thorough analysis of recent developments in remediation methods, such as novel nano-based approaches, chemical amendments, bioremediation, and phytoremediation. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the removal of heavy metals from oil-contaminated soils. This review emphasizes on the integration of various approaches and the development of hybrid approaches that combine various remediation techniques in a synergistic way to improve sustainability and efficacy. The study places a strong emphasis on each remediation strategy that can be applied in the real-world circumstances while critically evaluating its effectiveness, drawbacks, and environmental repercussions. Additionally, it discusses the processes that reduce heavy metal toxicity and improve soil health, taking into account elements like interactions between plants and microbes, bioavailability, and pollutant uptake pathways. Furthermore, the current study suggests that more research and development is needed in this area, particularly to overcome current barriers, improve our understanding of underlying mechanisms, and investigate cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to completely transform the heavy metal clean up industry.

F. J. Corpas, Rosa M. Rivero, L. Freschi et al.

Abstract Cellular signaling is a key component of both intra- and intercellular communication, playing a crucial role in the development of higher plants as well as in their responses to environmental conditions of both abiotic and biotic origin. In recent decades, molecules such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and melatonin have gained significant relevance in plant physiology and biochemistry due to their signaling functions and their interactions, forming a comprehensive cellular communication network. The Solanaceae family includes a group of horticultural crops of great global importance, for example tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers, which are of major agroeconomic significance due to their widespread cultivation and consumption. The primary objective of this review is to analyze the functions of this group of signaling molecules, particularly in these crops, and to explore how their exogenous application or the genetic manipulation of their endogenous concentration could serve as a promising biotechnological tool in the horticultural industry. This approach could help mitigate the negative effects of various external stress factors and even preserve the organoleptic quality of these fruits during post-harvest storage.

Le Zhang, Jin Hu, Longlong Yan, Si Chen, Yabin Jin, Huan Zhang, Zhe Shen and Tao Yu

Aging oil is a common pollutant in petrochemical enterprises due to its severe emulsification and flocculation, poor settling performance, low oil recovery rate, and high difficulty in treatment. This article adopts the method of mechanical, ultrasonic, and chemical coupling demulsification to treat aging oil, with the water content and oil recovery rate of the treated aging oil as the inspection indicators. The experiment shows that when the oil-water ratio is 1:4, the heating temperature is 50℃, the stirring speed is 180rpm, the ultrasonic frequency is 25kHz, the power is 40W, the ultrasonic time is 25min, and the pH is adjusted to 3-4. The additional amount of FeSO4 is 160mg/L, the additional amount of H2O2 is 0.11%, and the heating stirring reaction is 40min. When the dosage of cationic PAM with an ion degree of 50 is 35mg/L, the centrifugation speed is 3200rpm. The centrifugation time is 20 min, the crude oil recovery rate after aging oil treatment can reach over 94.6%, and the water content of the treated crude oil is less than 0.5%, meeting the standards for crude oil gathering and transportation in China. The oil content in the water generated after aging oil treatment is about 150 mg.L-1, the suspended solids content is 200 mg.L-1, the oil content in the residue is 6%, and the water content is 53%. By analyzing the appearance of aging oil before and after treatment, it was found that when using this process to treat aging oil, the original spatial cross-linking network structure of the aging oil was broken, allowing the water droplets wrapped in the oil to be released, thereby significantly reducing the water content in the recovered oil and improving the oil recovery rate.

Maropene Tebello Dinah Rapholo, Isaac Tebogo Rampedi, Fhatuwani Sengani

Illegal river sand mining in regions like the Limpopo Province poses severe threats to ecosystems and communities. Nevertheless, the community's perspectives concerning these effects have not been determined. Thus, the aim of the investigation was to assess community perceptions regarding the environmental consequences linked to river sand mining in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study employed mixed methods to acquire the primary data. The quantitative data were acquired using questionnaires; meanwhile, the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews from various respondents. The demographic profile of the respondents indicated a predominantly male population, with a majority lacking formal qualifications. Additionally, the prevalence of very high unemployment rates in the area seemed to influence participation in the activity. Consequently, some perceived it as an economic opportunity to generate income for their sustenance. It has been found that as developments increase, the demand for river sand increases as well, leading to a high extraction rate of sand. Lastly, the extraction of the resources was found to be un-regulated or controlled; therefore, it is concluded that unregulated extraction of these resources resulted in a high extraction rate and environmental crises such as un-rehabilitated pits, water pollution, land pollution, among others. It is therefore recommended that collaborative efforts among relevant authorities to enforce stringent regulations and penalties. Equally vital are public awareness campaigns, which can play a pivotal role in educating communities about the environmental repercussions of illegal sand mining.

Daniel Barros, Paula Fraga-Lamas, Tiago M. Fernandez-Carames et al.

The Industry 5.0 paradigm focuses on industrial operator well-being and sustainable manufacturing practices, where humans play a central role, not only during the repetitive and collaborative tasks of the manufacturing process, but also in the management of the factory floor assets. Human factors, such as ergonomics, safety, and well-being, push the human-centric smart factory to efficiently adopt novel technologies while minimizing environmental and social impact. As operations at the factory floor increasingly rely on collaborative robots (CoBots) and flexible manufacturing systems, there is a growing demand for redundant safety mechanisms (i.e., automatic human detection in the proximity of machinery that is under operation). Fostering enhanced process safety for human proximity detection allows for the protection against possible incidents or accidents with the deployed industrial devices and machinery. This paper introduces the design and implementation of a cost-effective thermal imaging Safety Sensor that can be used in the scope of Industry 5.0 to trigger distinct safe mode states in manufacturing processes that rely on collaborative robotics. The proposed Safety Sensor uses a hybrid detection approach and has been evaluated under controlled environmental conditions. The obtained results show a 97% accuracy at low computational cost when using the developed hybrid method to detect the presence of humans in thermal images.

Pyae Sone Soe, W. Kyaw, K. Arizono et al.

Mercury (Hg) is one of the most harmful metals and has been a public health concern according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the world’s fastest-growing source of Hg and can release Hg into the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Hg has been widely used in ASGM industries throughout Southeast Asia countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand. Here, 16 relevant studies were systematically searched by performing the PRISMA flow, combining the keywords of “Hg”, “ASGM”, and relevant study areas. Mercury concentrations exceeding the WHO and United States Environmental Protection Agency guideline values were reported in environmental (i.e., air, water, and soil) and biomonitoring samples (i.e., plants, fish, and human hair). ASGM-related health risks to miners and nonminers, specifically in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar, were also assessed. The findings indicated severe Hg contamination around the ASGM process, specifically the gold-amalgamation stage, was significantly high. To one point, Hg atmospheric concentrations from all observed studies was shown to be extremely high in the vicinity of gold operating areas. Attentions should be given regarding the public health concern, specifically for the vulnerable groups such as adults, pregnant women, and children who live near the ASGM activity. This review summarizes the effects of Hg in Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries. In the future, more research and assessment will be required to investigate the current and evolving situation in ASGM communities.