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Infant/toddler food (ITF) contamination with As is a severe issue of concern due to the fact that food is the second leading source of As after drinking water in the aspect of toxicity induced by nutrition. This study aimed to perform a preliminary assessment of As contamination in commercially available ITF in Libya, thus revealing possible exposure of consumers to As. ITF samples were purchased at supermarkets and were divided as follows: i) ITF containing cereal mixture (ITF-mix); ii) ITF containing wheat (ITF-wheat); and iii) ITF containing rice (ITF-rice). The total concentration of As was detected after wet digestion using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest mean concentration of As was detected for ITF-rice in comparison to other ITF samples. Sources of As in food are both, natural and human-induced; the main source of ITF contamination with As could be industrial food processing, manufacturing and storage, as well as cultivation specifics of crops. The study revealed the significance of monitoring or supervision over food safety, especially regarding ITF as these products are intended for the most vulnerable groups of consumers.

This paper is to study the drying method to reduce the moisture content (MC) of the woodchip. The methods used are to utilize the heat from solar and waste heat from the Biomass Power Plant (BioPP). By using a 250 °C heat waste from the BioPP, and stirring on the woodchip inside the drying equipment, the results obtained to reduce the MC from more than 40 % to MC around 20 % will take 2 h and 4 h faster than that which was not done on woodchips. Reducing MC from 40 % to 20 % will save 25.44 % on the woodchip consumption for combustion in the boiler of the BioPP. An analysis related to MC, CV, and woodchip consumption in generating electricity is also carried out. When MC is 26.70 %, the CV is 13.5 GJ T-1, and the woodchip consumption becomes 4.62 T h-1 and 1.31 T MWh-1, the energy produced is 764.7 kWh T-1. When the MC is higher, 47.68 %, causing the CV to become 9.8 GJ T-1, it is found that the consumption of the woodchips becomes 6.41 T h-1 and 1.81 T MWh-1, the energy produced is 551.3 kWh T-1.

The maintaining solution for keeping and storing waste over the last century has been landfilling as its costs are the lowest. A sustainable approach such as Landfill Mining (LFM) can be applied to recover Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and other valuable metals from waste that make fundamental assets in terms of economy and essential for developing industrial technologies. This study investigated concentrations of REEs and other metals in waste material. Samples from Ida-Virumaa (Estonia) landfilled waste fine fraction was taken to see the element concentration proceeded through sequential extraction. Additionally, the method of clay modification was developed that may serve as a sorbent to extract the REEs from the inert landfill fine fraction waste using hydroxyapatite modified clay. The amount of REEs might become of industrial interest if a feasible landfill mining approach for remediation of landfills and degraded industrial soils would be applied together with innovative recovery methods, e.g., sorption by modified clays.

Dried rice, an organic waste recycling product, is made from dried rice leftovers. With a carbohydrate content nearly equivalent to corn but at a lower price, it has potential as an energy-generating feed, especially in poultry farming. The nutrient content and price of dried rice were evaluated to assess its efficiency for animal feed use. Dried rice samples from three areas in East Java, Indonesia, were analyzed for moisture, ash, crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber content. Additionally, this research assesses the effectiveness of dried rice as a corn substitute in broiler feed by observing its impact on feed intake, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, and broiler performance index. Proximate analysis showed insignificant differences among treatments, with moisture content ranging 12.45–12.71%, ash content 0.55–1.31%, crude protein 10.34–10.64%, crude fat 0.12–2.48%, and crude fiber from 0.81 to 1.55%. Although all samples were assessed as efficient, products from Lumajang and Pasuruan were preferred for feed production due to their similarity to corn nutrient content. Dried rice costs approximately USD 213–228 per ton, significantly lower than corn. Dried rice production reduces both organic waste and poultry production costs concurrently, serving as a sustainable waste management model in Indonesia and other rice-producing countries, shifting towards a bioeconomy from a linear economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental studies of the CPO (Crude Palm Oil) fuel pre-treatment system for diesel power plants with a capacity of 2 544 kW were carried out to determine the fuel heating temperature requirements and to evaluate the reliability of the pre-treatment system. The fuel pre-treatment consists of the heating process, mechanical separation process and filtering process. The CPO at the booster module was heated from 64 °C to 81 °C by set the thermal oil temperature. The result shows that a minimum CPO heating of 78 °C is required in the booster module to produced kinematic viscosity CPO less than 13 cSt at the engine inlet. When there is a disturbance in the thermal boiler system, CPO deposits are found in the booster module strainer, which clogs the fuel supply to the engine, causing hunting loads. Redundancy equipment is needed to increase the reliability of the pre-treatment system. In addition, it is also necessary to add a heating process through the CPO fuel line starting from the storage tank to the engine inlet so that the thermal loss that occurs can be minimized and the work of the thermal boiler is reduced.

The purpose of this research is to design a solar panel cleaning tool that is easy to operate and can adjust the size of the installed solar panels. There are several factors that can affect the performance of solar panels, namely the placement of solar panels that cause accumulation of dust, bird droppings and water (salt) stains. The traditional cleaning system is still done manually. Manual cleaning has several disadvantages such as panel damage, risk of worker accidents, movement difficulties, poor maintenance, and others. Therefore, a solar panel cleaning tool is needed on the market that can help optimize solar panel performance and is easy to operate. The method used in this research is to design a prototype solar panel cleaner that can be operated easily and can be adjusted according to the size of the installed solar panel. The result of this research is a prototype of a solar panel cleaning tool with a total mass of 6 kg and easy to operate with a microcontroller system. Effectively this equipment shows the function of the cleaning tool to do its job, namely cleaning dust. Furthermore, this research needs to analyze the techno-economics of addition batteries to facilitate operation.

Vegetables can be extended their shelf life by processing them into vegetable flour. Flour processing technology is inseparable from the drying process which means removing water from a material until it reaches a certain moisture content. This study aims to determine the effect of various temperatures at various stages of drying on the characteristics of the material to become mustard green flour. Drying it using a cabinet dryer at temperatures of 45 oC, 55 oC, and 65 oC. Observations were made at 0 h of drying (analysis of raw materials), 2 h, 4 h, and after turning into mustard green flour. The results showed that the drying temperature had an effect on the changes in the characteristics of the material during the drying process until it turned into mustard green flour. During the drying process, there was a decrease in moisture content, ash content, total chlorophyll, and physical color of the mustard green flour. Drying temperature has an effect on decreasing moisture content, ash content, total chlorophyll and physical color of mustard green flour, while drying time affects total chlorophyll and physical color of mustard green flour.

This study aims to assess the factors influential towards decision made by consumers to purchase hydroponic products. A quantitative research employing factor analysis, 100 samples were established as per accidental random sampling. The observed 11 variables – classified in four groups – were of hydroponic product feature (packing, size, freshness, and crunchiness), hydroponic product value (competitiveness and price), customer’s background (income, education, association, and family size), and place (service). The result shows that those who chose the products were mostly female (98) – 73 of them are housewives – aged between 37 and 42 (42) with at least senior high school educational background (69).

This study aims to obtain the incentives strategy that can increase the participation of energy users greater than or equal to 6000-TOE in fulfilling their obligations on energy conservation through energy management with Sustainable Energy Performance (SEP). Several steps need to be carried out. First, data collection on industries that must carry out energy management, and will be analyzed to determine the level of compliance of energy users. Second, ensure that already have carried out an energy-saving program with the SEP. Third, formulating incentive schemes for energy users. Fourth, the interest deduction for the company when they implement the SEP. The results show that only 10.25 % fully comply with the regulation, 36.89 % are partially compliant and 52.87 % are not compliant with energy management activities at all. For industries that have implemented energy conservation and SEP, several benefits are obtained, including capital expenditure (capex) savings when purchasing new imported equipment for creating another energy efficiency, by up to 30 % and incentives in the form of lowering interest rates by up to 4 %.

Copyright of Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences is the property of Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences is the property of Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aims to analyze the chemical composition of Lioua's groundwater in order to determine the geological processes influencing the composition and origin of its chemical elements. Therefore, chemometrics techniques, such as multivariate statistical analysis (MSA) and time series methods (TSM) are used. Indeed, MSA includes a component analysis (PCA) and a cluster analysis (CA), while autocorrelation analysis (AA), supplemented by a simple spectral density analysis (SDA), is used for the TMS. PCA displays three main factors explaining a total variance (TV) of 85.01 %. Factors 1, 2, and 3 are 68.72%, 11.96%, and 8.89 % of TV, respectively. In the CA, total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) controlled three groups. The elements SO42−, K+, and Ca2+ are closely related to TDS, the elements Na+, Cl−, and Mg2+ are closely related to CE, while HCO3− and NO3− indicate the dissociation of other chemical elements. AA shows a linear interrelationship of EC, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, and SO42−. However, NO3− and HCO3− indicate uncorrelated characteristics with other parameters. For SDA, the correlograms of Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, and SO42− have a similar trend with EC. Nonetheless, pH, Ca2+, HCO3− and NO3− exhibit multiple peaks related to the presence of several distinct cyclic mechanisms. Using these techniques, the authors were able to draw the following conclusion: the geochemical processes impacting the chemical composition are (i) dissolution of evaporated mineral deposits, (ii) water–rock interaction, and (iii) evaporation process. In addition, the groundwater exhibits two bipolar characteristics, one recorded with negative and positive charges on pH and Ca+ and another recorded only with negative charges on HCO3− and NO3−. On the other hand, SO42−, K+, Ca2+, and TDS are the major predominant elements in the groundwater's chemical composition. Chloride presence mainly increases the electrical conductivity of water. The lithological factor is dominant in the overall mineralization of the Plio Quaternary surface aquifer waters. The origins of HCO3− and NO3− are as follows: HCO3− has a carbonate origin, whereas NO3– has an anthropogenic origin. The salinity was affected by Mg2+, SO42−, Cl−, Na+, K+, and EC. Ca2+, HCO3−, and NO3− result from human activity such as the usage of fertilizers, the carbonate facies outcrops, and domestic sewage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia produced 30 × 106 t of waste in 2021; 40 % was organic and 276 × 10³ t leftover rice. Meanwhile, broiler chicken farmers have been struggling with high feed costs to continue their production. Processing leftover rice into "aking-rice" is environmentally friendly, and it also provides alternative feed for chickens. "Aking-rice" is a type of resistant starch because it has undergone a gelatinization process that works as a synthesis of short-chain fatty acids that positively improve the function of the digestive tract because it increases the villi in the small intestine. This study analyzed the potential of “akingrice” in broiler chicken productivity. The experimental method was a completely randomized design with three treatments, five replications and 12 chickens in each unit. The treatments are T0 (100 % basal feed), T1 (80 % basal feed + 20 % “akingrice” spread on top of the basal feed), and T2 (80 % basal feed + 20 % "aking-rice" mix). Statistical analysis used ANOVA, and continued with LSD with observed variables, i.e. Feed Intake (FI), Average Daily Gain (ADG), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), and Performance Index (PI). The results showed that the highest FI values were T0 (99.02), T1 (97.45), and T2 (96.58). The highest ADG was T1 (40.40) then T0 (37.07) and the lowest was T2 (36.40). T1 has the lowest FCR (2.42) compared to T0 (2.68), T2 (2.66). The lowest FCR is T1 (2.42), then T2 (2.66) and the highest is T0 (2.68). The third variable was not significantly different, but the PI results showed a significant difference with the highest PI value T1 (433.84), while T0 (374.81) and T2 (372.67) were not different. Economic analysis also shows that the highest cost T0 (118 475) is significantly different from T1 (110 541) and T2 (109 558). The highest profit is shown by T1 (2 102) then T2 (1 063) and T0 (507). In conclusion, the use of "aking-rice" can increase the performance index with a higher ADG value and a lower FCR so that the costs are smaller and the profit is greater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most widely used pesticides for residential areas and agriculture purposes, which belong to the organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids, were evaluated in this study for their LC0 toxicity. In an aquatic environment, these pesticides are highly toxic to nontargeted organisms. Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) was selected for the bioassay tests due to its presence in the trophic levels and high bioaccumulation of the toxicants. This study evaluated the impact of pesticides on the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes in the brain, gills, and muscles of O. niloticus. The fish were exposed to the LC0 concentrations of malathion (1.425 ppm), chlorpyrifos (0.125 ppm), and λ-cyhalothrin (0.0039 ppm) for 24 and 48 h. For biochemical assays, malathion, chlorpyrifos, and λ-cyhalothrin measurements were carried out using spectrophotometry. ALP activity in the brain and gills was elevated and showed significant inhibition (p < 0.05) at 24- and 48-h exposure, respectively. For the muscle tissues, a statistically important (p < 0.05) inhibition was recorded for the activity of ALP after 24- and 48-h treatments. The highest (+138%) and the lowest (+28%) enhancement in ALP activity were reported in the gills and brain tissues, which were treated with chlorpyrifos and malathion, respectively. The minimum and maximum reduction in ALP levels were noted in the 48- and 24-h malathion-treated muscle tissues, respectively. The data for the muscle tissue sample showed good consistency, because inhibition in ALP activity was noted. Therefore, the assessment of ALP activity in different organs and tissues in fish for the detection of chemical hazards in the environment is recommended. These findings confirmed that pesticides should be consistently monitored in the environment, to lower the pollutant stress on nontargeted organisms, especially fish, because the pesticides have a toxic effect on the health of aquatic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat cultivation under a dual-purpose (DP) system holds great potential to provide additional fodder for livestock with marginal grain reduction. This study explores the potential of wheat as a DP crop for improving both, forage and grain cropping system by finding out optimal sowing dates and cultivars suitable for DP cropping. Field experiments with four cultivars (Saleem-2000, Bathoor-2007, Fakhre Sarhad-99 (FS-99) and Siran-2008), three sowing dates (October 15, October 30 and November 15) and two cutting treatments (cut and no-cut) determines the effects on yield and physiology of wheat. Wheat sown either in mid or end of October resulted in 11 and 8% increase in grain yield while 13 and 9% in biological yield over mid November sowing, respectively. This increase in yield was due to higher grain spike−1, chlorophyll content, transpiration rate and relative water content. The cultivars Siran-2008 and Saleem-2000 had higher biological and grain yields than other cultivars across cutting and sowing dates treatments. Biological and grain yields were reduced by 4% and 3%, respectively under the DP wheat compared with no-cut treatment, but grains N content was unaffected. Conclusively, DP wheat system (cut treatment) had higher profitability (11.2%) than wheat crop sown only for grain purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]