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Purpose. To develop a complex system for technical diagnostics of soil hydrotechnical structures of irrigation systems for operative identification of damaged sites, reduction of nonproduction water losses, and maintaining ecological and economic efficiency of the hydroeconomic national complex in the context of water and food security. Methodology. The result of the represented scientific study is reached by complex application of geophysical methods of the Earth’s natural pulse electromagnetic field (NPEMFE) and vertical electrical sounding (VES). That allows determining qualitative indices and parameters of the damaged sites of hydrotechnical structures and water filtration paths. Mathematical methods for determining quantitative parameters of filtration losses are applied. Analytical and technoeconomic comparison of some most widely used methods with the complex of techniques proposed in the study are performed. Findings. Field studies and analytical calculations helped determine that, depending on the design parameters of retention basins and modes of their operations, water losses are from 50 to 60 m3/month per 1 m of the structure length. In some cases total filtration losses per month can reach up to 100 m3 per 1 m of the length. As for the monetary equivalent, in terms of average water cost being 0.12 EUR/m3, water loss in one standard retention basin with the conventional dimensions of 100 × 100 m is EUR 2.5 thousand per month (EUR 12.5 thousand per season). Originality. The possibility of using a complex of geophysical methods for diagnosing technical conditions of soil dams of retention agricultural basins has been substantiated scientifically. The complex is of high informativity making it possible to determine rapidly the sites with increased filtration in the hydrotechnical objects. According to the comparison of the available models for evaluating possible filtration losses from the retention basins of irrigation systems, the parameters of estimate indicators, ensuring high reliability of the results, have been substantiated. Practical value. Point determination of the sites with filtration water losses makes it possible to focus the repair and renewal operations on the most damaged sites that reduce considerably the time and costs along with the increase in general efficiency of the irrigation system operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of biochar produced from tropical biomass resources at different processing temperatures on methane production and rumen fermentation in vitro. Two available tropical biomass resources of rice husk and peanut shell were used for pyrolysis at three temperature levels of 300, 500 and 700oC. Biochar was supplemented at 3% in diets of dry matter basis. In vitro fermentation characteristics and methane production were measured at 4, 24 and 48h after incubation. Results showed that there were no significant differences in terms of (i) gas and methane production, (ii) dry matter and organic matter digestibility (iii) pH and NH3-N concentration between diets supplemented either rice husk or peanut shell drived biochar in an in vitro system (P>0.05). Whereas, different processing temperatures affected on total gas, production of methane and NH3-N concentration (P≤0.05), increasing processing temperature decreased methane production. There were no interactions between biomass resources and processing temperature on in vitro rumen fermentation and methane production. These results implicate that rice husk and peanut shell derived biochar produced at 700oC can be used to mitigate methane emission from cattle production, further in vivo studies are required to confirm practical parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantification of biogas potential in Vietnam is highly needed to provide sufficient information for authorities properly support their future policy decisions. To achieve the aim of this investigation, two methods were applied: (i) the method for calculation of the amount of manure and its biogas potential from chosen livestock obtained from statistical data and (ii) the method for future forecast using middle scenario applications based on previous development of specific category, presuming homogenous continuation of growth. The total biogas energy potential in Vietnam was quantified to approximate 120,000 T Jy-1 in 2015 and has the potential of increasing to 127,000 TJ y-1 by 2020. However, when considering current manure management practices (including accessibility factor and collection efficiency) biogas potential was quantified to the values of almost 67,000 T Jy-1 in 2015 and over 71,000 T Jy-1 by 2020 if the current manure management practices remain unchanged. Biogas has the potential of generating renewable energy, while meeting requirements related to waste treatment and minimizing environmental impacts. This study shows that animal waste is a promising sustainable energy source in Vietnam which can be efficiently utilized for the generation of biogas energy as well as electricity. Furthermore, anaerobic digestion of livestock waste has the potential to play a vital role in farming systems by adding value to agricultural waste and livestock excreta, and reducing their presence in the environment therefore enhancing public health. There is a high development potential for the decentralized energy generation due to the exploitation of small-scale biogas plants in Vietnam. However, it is essential to realize that competition to other energy generating technologies is present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsequent utilization of waste biomass in developing countries occurs at poor level, despite the fact, that it has great potential in solid biofuel production. Densified waste biomass is utilized for direct combustion, therefore, its suitability (energy potential, chemical composition) must be determined in attempt to protect environment and reduce air pollution. Main aim of present research was to determine suitability of waste biomass originating from production of rice (Oryza sativa), Date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and Jatropha fruit (Jatropha curcas) for solid biofuel production. Within a moisture, ash and volatile matter contents, major chemical elements (C, H, N, O) and net calorific value (NCV) were determined. Rice waste analysis proved low NCV (14.33 MJ kg-1) and high ash content (20.74%), which presented problems during combustion. Jatropha fruit waste (cake) analyses exhibited outstanding NCV (24.44 MJ kg-1) caused by residual oil content. Within major elements analysis a low content of oxygen (26.61%) was proved (recommended). Date fruit waste exhibited average NCV (16.40 MJ kg-1). However, high oxygen content (44.01%) was defined as limiting factor. Overall evaluation proved greatest suitability for Jatropha fruit waste (cake), followed by Date fruit waste and lowest potential was determined for Rice waste. However, investigated plants are not cultivated for energy production purposes, thus, observed results achieved satisfactory level of their suitability for solid biofuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These days' consumers can express their concern about ethical behaviour of companies by means of ethical buying and consumer behaviour. The purpose of this study was to investigate how DEAR (Development Education Awareness Rising) and GDI (Global Development Issues) knowledge affects consumers preferences among higher education students in the Czech Republic. The pilot survey covered 136 students out of total 488 from Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (CULS Prague) and was conducted from February to March 2014. Data collection was done through online survey. Collected data were categorized, coded and analysed in a statistical programme Statistica 10. In the study we examined DEAR impacts on buying preferences and therefore revealed current preferences, intentions connected with knowledge background and practices among selected university students regarding ethical and local consumption. Our results show a positive correlation (ρ = 0.664, α = 0.005) between examined factors - knowledge of specific terms (effects of GDI and DEAR) with socially responsible consumers' behaviour. If consumers are well informed, positively influenced and have access to ethical products, they act as socially responsible consumers. Therefore, there is proven importance of education and access to information as a key component for conscious behaviour. These days Global Development Education and Development Education Awareness Rising should be considered not only alternatively in education, but become more common parts of educational process. This paper is a pilot study to be followed by in-depth research covering representative samples of students at Czech HEIs which have incorporated DEAR in their study curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas technology has received attention in Sri Lanka already from the initial days of the energy crisis in 1973. Biogas production by anaerobic fermentation is a promising method of producing energy while achieving multiple environmental benefits. The study was carried out in the different areas of Sri Lanka at the level of biogas plants owners (n = 51) and local consultants (n = 4) in August 2014. Methods of data collection included semi-structured personal interviews and questionnaire survey. Further, at 51 biogas plants flue gas analysis was done through the portable device TESTO 330-2, which is capable of capturing the gas concentration of CO and NO; consequently by recalculating the concentration of CO2 and NO2. Surprisingly, the quite high concentration of CO was detected c(CO) = 1,008.92 mg m-3, which might be caused by one and/or various combinations of the following factors such as insufficient burning, inappropriate biogas cookers and inappropriate maintenance. The concentration of NO is under the value of 0.046 mg m-3, which is under the permissible exposure limit of nitric oxide. Average temperature of flue gas is within the typical flue gas exit temperature for burning in biogas cookers (TS = 449.16 °C) and flue gas excess air (4.0%), however the air/gas efficiency (54.0%) was recognized at lower value than the optimal one for small- and medium-scale biogas plants. Easy energy access is a trigger for development, especially in terms of human, social and economic development and biogas plants represents a boon for farmers and rural people to meet their energy needs. However, further factors must be also examined and evaluated, such as exploration of gas composition and its microbiological content, emission analysis exploring particle size distribution, emission rates and potential harmful exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yeasts are the usual contaminants in fruit juices and other beverages, responsible for the decrease in the quality and shelf-life of such products. Preservatives are principally added to these beverages to enhance their shelf-life. With the increasing consumer concern towards chemical food additives, plant-derived antimicrobials have attracted the attention of researchers as efficient and safer anti-yeast agents. However, the methods currently used for determining their anti-yeast activity are time- and material-consuming. In this study, the anti-yeast effect of plant phenolic compounds in apple and orange juice food models using microtiter plates has been evaluated in order to validate the modified broth microdilution method for screening the antimicrobial activity of juice preservative agents. Among the twelve compounds tested, four showed a significant in vitro growth-inhibitory effect against all tested yeasts ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Zygosaccharomyces bailii , and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii ) in both orange and apple juices. The best results were obtained for pterostilbene in both juices with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 32 to 128 μg/mL. Other compounds, namely oxyresveratrol, piceatannol, and ferulic acid, exhibited moderate inhibitory effects with MICs of 256-512 μg/mL. Furthermore, the results indicated that differences in the chemical structures of the compounds tested significantly affected the level of yeast inhibition, whereas stilbenes with methoxy and hydroxy groups produced the strongest effect. Furthermore, the innovative assay developed in this study can be used for screening the anti-yeast activity of juice preservative agents because it saves preparatory and analysis time, laboratory supplies, and manpower in comparison to the methods commonly used.

Waste management has been a chronic environmental challenge in Nigeria, coupled with declining economic performance due to energy crises. This study was designed to estimate electricity potential of sewage sludge to meet the 2030 Renewable Energy target. However, there was a need to fill the gap in data related to wastewater management in Nigeria. The wastewater and sludge generated from households were evaluated based on data on population, access to water, and coverage of sewer networks. Consequently, the technical and economic feasibility of electricity generation was assessed using Anaerobic Digestion (AD) 1 and Incineration (INC) 2 scenarios. The core results found that North Central had the highest potential for wastewater generation (142.8-403.6 billion litres/yr) and collection (8.3-37.5 billion litres/yr) over 20 years. However, the South East had the highest average sewer collection rate of 9.08 %. The AD technology was the most technically viable, with a maximum generation of 6.8 GWh/yr in the North Central. In comparison, the INC outperformed AD in most of the financial viability indicators considered viz-a-viz: Life Cycle Cost (LCC), 3 Net Present Value (NPV), 4 Pay Back Period (PBP), 5 Internal Rate of Return (IRR), 6 Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). 7 The AD had a higher NPV of 16.3-69.58 million USD and a shorter PBP of about 4 years. The INC had a lower LCC of 0.1-0.34 million USD, LCOE of 0.046-0.094 USD/kWh, and a higher IRR of 19.3-25 %. Additionally, the sensitivity of NPV and INC to changes in economic factors would be noteworthy for investors and policymakers. Ultimately, the choice of technology should reflect the fiscal goal and priorities of a project., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pandemics as health and humanitarian crises have exerted traceable impacts on food security. Almost all past and current pandemics have created a food crisis that affects a share of the global population and threaten global food security. With the more frequent outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging diseases or pandemics, this paper looks at the various types of impacts from the current coronavirus crisis and past pandemics to identify their major impact on food security., Scope: To this effect, key strategies that could be put in place to ensure the efficient resilience of food systems before, during, and after the pandemics to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemics on global food security are recommended. The most recent effects of the current coronavirus crisis have been disruptions in the flow of farm labourers and inefficient farm operations leading to postharvest food losses., Key Findings and Conclusions: Modification of diets between social groups has also been observed. Future response orientations to prevent and mitigate the effects of pandemics on food security will consider pro-active and adapted policy, program, and institutional actions towards the systemic development of global food systems as an interconnected network., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Important in the cultivation of corn for biogas production is the selection of appropriate hybrids, macro- and micronutrient dozing and the evaluation of energy and economic efficiency of their use. Therefore, this article presents the results of 3-year field research (2019-2021) on the yield of maize hybrids of different maturity groups grown for silage. The influence of the application of macronutrients and micronutrients on fresh and dry mass yield, chemical composition, methane yield, energy, and economic efficiency was analysed. It was established that depending on the maize hybrid, the application of macro- and micro-fertilizers increased the yield of the fresh mass of maize by 1.4-24.0% compared to options without their use. The evaluation of the theoretical yield of CH 4 based on the content of fats, protein, cellulose, and hemicellulose is also presented in different samples of maize. The findings show that the application of macro-and micro-fertilizers is suitable from the energy and economic points of view - profitability begins to appear at the price of biomethane of 0.3-0.4 euros per 1 m 3 ., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In light of the massive energy supply shortage due to the Syrian war since 2011, renewable energy adoption has a high potential to cover the actual energy demand. Hence, this study aims to shed light on the factors that affect investment in biogas technology. With the scarcity of research on alternative energies in Syria, this paper focused on the characteristics of the Syrian environment toward biogas technology adoption. The results show that Syrian society accepts and desires to adopt new technologies, representing an optimal strategy to stimulate biogas technology use and the need to spread awareness about its benefits. The SWOT model was applied to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing biogas technology adoption. The analytical hierarchy process model was applied to set priorities and make better decisions related to the knowledge of biogas, acceptance of biogas technology, desire for and common approach for its use, the resulting organic fertilizer, and administrative and financial aspects. The work concludes that the southern region was at the forefront in the areas studied in terms of weights of biogas technology investment criteria, subsequently, the central and later the coastal regions. By presenting a systematic and comprehensive approach, this study represents a roadmap to assist decision-makers in inking decisions related to adopting and deploying biogas technology on a larger scale and contributes to developing a criterion for selecting biogas sites in Syria., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Biogas production at a small-scale level through anaerobic digestion has been promoted in Vietnam as an appropriate technology for cooking and animal waste management within rural households. Despite the large number of small-scale biogas plants being built, there is an increase in the reported cases of their dis-adoption. This study attempts to present the state of the art of biogas plants' abandonment issue and reveal the fate of biogas plants. The primary data were collected in Thua Thien Hue province in central Vietnam among owners of small-scale biogas plants selected with the purposive sampling technique. Methods included semi-structured interviews with respondents who abandoned their biogas technology (at least 6 months before the primary data collection) (n = 37) and with respondents who continually use it (n = 62). SPSS 25 IBM was used for the binary logit model with 6 independent variables. Using a logistic regression analysis of various cross-sectional data, key forces were uncovered to determine the factors that can influence the abandonment of biogas technology. Results showed that households with more members working on the farm and those more satisfied with the biogas plant maintenance are less likely to abandon it. Respondents provided the information that their biogas plants mainly were not used for any other purpose after dis-adoption (excepting biogas plants used for further storage of human excreta because they were connected to toilets)., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The sustainable production and use of small-scale biogas energy are required to ensure clean household energy access in developing countries, including the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. This is influenced by market risks, which can be identified as political, economic, social, technical, legal, and environmental (PESTLE). This study examines peer-reviewed and grey literature for the period from 2000 to 2020 to identify the PESTLE constraints and assess their impact on the sustainable development of the technology in the SSA region. The production of biogas with small-scale plants is commonly done by rural and peri-urban households. Results show that economic constraints are the most dominant and reducing at a slow pace. This is followed by political constraints, which have received much attention in the last two decades. Despite the policy improvements, broader national bioenergy policies and interventions are still to make significant gains, especially in the Central African region. In order of significance, the Southern, East, and West Africa regions have made greater progress in reducing the constraints. To achieve the sustainable development of the technology, there is a need to further address the PESTLE constraints at national and regional levels. This study partly deduces that the unsustainable production, use, and inadequate regulation of the small-scale biogas sector are delaying its transition in the SSA region., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Due to current water stress, there is a problem with hygiene and sanitation in many parts of the world. According to predictions from the United Nations, more than 2.7 billion people will be challenged by water scarcity by the middle of the century. The water industry is increasingly interested in desalination of the sea, ocean, and brackish water. Desalination processes are widely classified as thermal or membrane technologies. In the Middle East, thermal desalination remains the primary technology of choice, but membrane processes, for example reverse osmosis (RO), have evolved rapidly and in many other parts of the world are currently even surpassing thermal processes. The purpose of this paper is to review the renewable energy source, the technology, desalination systems, and their possible integration with renewable energy resources and their cost. This article suggests that the most practical renewable desalination techniques to be used are the solar photovoltaic integrated RO desalination process, the hybrid solar photovoltaic-wind integrated RO desalination process, the hybrid solar photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) integrated RO desalination process, and the hybrid solar photovoltaic-thermal effect distillation (PVT-MED) desalination process. However, intensive research is still required to minimize the cost, reduce the heat loss, enhance the performance, and increase the productivity., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Currently, there is an alarming increase in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries throughout the world. This will be seen particularly in the countries of the Global South (developing countries). Many countries are trying to show efforts to keep agriculture, food industry and markets running, the supply chains and access to the markets and affordable food is still not secured. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are going to/or already have affected the poor and other marginalised groups, mainly those with less purchasing power. It is necessary to mitigate the pandemic's impacts across the food system, enhance the resilience of food systems and avoid any potential food shortages. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of past pandemics and tries to synthesise the main lessons learned from these while also outlining visions of post-COVID-19 agriculture and the effects on food security., Competing Interests: The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2022 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, 15 selected bottled mineral waters from chosen European countries were tested for their mineral nutrient contents. In particular, six important nutrients (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + , HCO3-, Cl - ) were measured using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The content of mineral nutrients in all sampled mineral waters were compared to their expected content based on the label. Consequently, their taste was evaluated by 60 trained panelists who participated in the sensory analysis. The results from both the atomic absorption spectroscopy and sensory analysis were analyzed using the regression framework. On the basis of the results from the regression analysis, we determined to what extent the individual mineral nutrients determined the taste of the mineral water. According to the regression results, four out of six analyzed nutrients had a measurable impact on taste. These findings can help producers to provide ideal, health-improving nutrients for mineral water buyers.

The present research describes an application of high-pressure briquetting technology to the waste management of sugarcane processing in Vietnam. The amount of generated sugarcane bagasse was monitored during sugarcane processing within the street juice production in Hue city, Vietnam. Generated sugarcane bagasse was subjected to fuel parameters analysis within its suitability for direct combustion. The obtained sugarcane bagasse was converted into bio-briquette fuel by a high-pressure briquetting press and its mechanical quality was determined. Results proved that the proportion of generated sugarcane bagasse from whole sugarcane stem mass was equal to 35.45%. This indicated generation of an abundant amount of sugarcane bagasse worldwide in general. Fuel parameters analysis proved high quality level of low ash content = 0.97% and high calorific values (gross calorific value = 18.35 MJ·kg -1 , net calorific value = 17.06 MJ·kg -1 ), which indicated good suitability for direct combustion processes. Indicators of mechanical quality proved the following observations: mechanical durability = 99.29%, compressive strength = 150.82 N∙mm -1 and bulk density = 1022.44 kg·m -3 , with all these indicators representing positive results. In general, the observed results indicated suitability of sugarcane bagasse valorization within the production of bio-briquette fuel by using high-pressure briquetting technology. Finally, analysis of such waste biomass proved its great potential for energy recovery, thus, the advantage of its valorization within the sustainable technologies.