Agricultural Crop Residues Research Articles

Tailored Bioactive Compost from Agri-Waste Improves the Growth and Yield of Chili Pepper and Tomato.

An extensive use of chemical fertilizers has posed a serious impact on food and environmental quality and sustainability. As the organic and biofertilizers can satisfactorily fulfill the crop’s nutritional requirement, the plants require less chemical fertilizer application; hence, the food is low in chemical residues and environment is less polluted. The agriculture crop residues, being a rich source of nutrients, can be used to feed the soil and crops after composting and is a practicable approach to sustainable waste management and organic agriculture instead of open-field burning of crop residues. This study demonstrates a feasible strategy to convert the wheat and rice plant residues into composted organic fertilizer and subsequent enrichment with plant-beneficial bacteria. The bioactive compost was then tested in a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments for validating its role in growing organic vegetables. The compost was enriched with a blend of micronutrients, such as zinc, magnesium, and iron, and a multi-trait bacterial consortium AAP (Azospirillum, Arthrobacter, and Pseudomonas spp.). The bacterial consortium AAP showed survival up to 180 days post-inoculation while maintaining their PGP traits. Field emission scanning electron microscopic analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of bioactive compost further elaborated the morphology and confirmed the PGPR survival and distribution. Plant inoculation of this bioactive compost showed significant improvement in the growth and yield of chilies and tomato without any additional chemical fertilizer yielding a high value to cost ratio. An increase of ≈35% in chlorophyll contents, ≈25% in biomass, and ≈75% in yield was observed in chilies and tomatoes. The increase in N was 18.7 and 25%, while in P contents were 18.5 and 19% in chilies and tomatoes, respectively. The application of bioactive compost significantly stimulated the bacterial population as well as the phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil. These results suggest that bioactive compost can serve as a source of bioorganic fertilizer to get maximum benefits regarding vegetable yield, soil quality, and fertilizer saving with the anticipated application for other food crops. It is a possible win-win situation for environmental sustainability and food security.

Feasibility analysis of small-scale biogas plants usage in the Syrian coast through agricultural crop residues and co-digestion of manure

Feasibility analysis of small-scale biogas plants usage in the Syrian coast through agricultural crop residues and co-digestion of manure

Assessment of the energy potential of agricultural crop residues in rural areas of Côte d’Ivoire

Assessment of the energy potential of agricultural crop residues in rural areas of Côte d’Ivoire

Briquettes Production as an Alternative Fuel

Bioenergy, which originated from agricultural crop residue and industrial waste, has been studied for sustainable energy generation. As a raw material for briquettes production, agricultural-crop residue, industrial waste, sewage, sludge, or other plants can be used. Briquettes have numerous advantages as they directly help to reduce waste generation and handling. The possibilities of the briquetting, qualities, and other essential factors for briquette production have been discussed. The alternative methods of Briquetting have been addressed with the comparison. The characteristics of the raw materials for briquettes production have been discussed to identify the best agricultural crop residue for briquettes. The properties of binding agents for the briquetting process have been discussed to identify the most practically available binding agent.

Synthesis of nanosilica from agricultural wastes and its multifaceted applications: A review

Agricultural wastes management is one of the biggest burdens in the 21st century. To reduce pollution from agricultural waste, different types of research have been conducted to convert agricultural wastes into value-added products. In recent decades, agricultural wastes are utilized as source material for nanoparticle synthesis. Nanoparticles with large surface area, small size, biocompatibility, and adjustable functionalization are now booming in different areas of science and technology. Among different types of nanoparticles, the silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) were favored to synthesize from agro-wastes as the major agricultural crop residues are silica enriched, especially the cereal crops. Moreover, the bound silica in the agricultural wastes is conventionally extracted by thermal, chemical, and biological treatment. Owing to the structural flexibility, tuneable pore size, and less toxicity made the SiNPs are more attractive to use in various fields than other metallic nanoparticles. SiNPs are now extensively used in biomedical, agricultural, and environmental remediation purposes. This review paper is an assemblage of different approaches aimed to synthesize nanosilica from agro-wastes along with its potential application areas. • The potential agrowastes for synthesis of silica nanoparticles have been evaluated. • Detailed methodology for extracting silica nanoparticles from agricultural wastes has been presented. • The use of silica nanoparticles in a variety of applications was also investigated.

Thermal Properties and Combustion-Related Problems Prediction of Agricultural Crop Residues

The prediction and pre-evaluation of the thermal properties and combustion-related problems (e.g., emissions and ash-related problems) are critical to reducing emissions and improving combustion efficiency during the agricultural crop residues combustion process. This study integrated the higher heating value (HHV) model, specific heat model, and fuel indices as a new systematic approach to characterize the agricultural crop residues. Sixteen linear and non-linear regression models were developed from three main compositions of the ultimate analysis (e.g., C, H, and O) to predict the HHV of the agricultural crop residues. Newly developed HHV models have been validated with lower estimation errors and a higher degree of accuracy than the existing models. The specific heat of flue gas during the combustion process was estimated from the concentrations of C, H, O, S, and ash content under various excess air (EA) ratios and flue gas temperatures. The specific heat of agricultural crop residues was between 1.033 to 1.327 kJ/kg·K, while it was increased by decreasing the EA ratios and elevating the temperature of the flue gas. Combustion-related problems, namely corrosions, PM1.0 emissions, SOx, HCl, and ash-related problems were predicted using the fuel indices along with S and Cl concentrations, and ash compositions. Results showed that agricultural crop residues pose a severe corrosion risk and lower ash sintering temperature. This integrated approach can be applied to a wide range of biomass before the actual combustion process which may predict thermal-chemical properties and reduce the potential combustion-related emissions.

Taguchi-based process optimization for activation of agro-food waste biochar and performance test for dye adsorption

The optimization of process parameters for biochar activation is crucial for enhancing its surface area and adsorptive potentials. This work attempts to investigate the influence of activating agent (e.g., steam and KOH), temperature (700–900 °C) and activation time (60–120 min) using Taguchi L18 (21 × 32) experimental design for the activation of biochar derived from food waste and agricultural crop residues such as canola hull and oat hull. Among all the factors, activating agent and temperature influenced surface area considerably. KOH-assisted chemical activation of biochar at 800 °C for 90 min was found to be optimal with higher specific surface areas of 1760, 1718 and 1334 m2/g for food waste, canola hull and oat hull derived biochar, respectively. Finally, the comparative evaluation of the performances of biochar and activated carbon samples was achieved through the adsorption of common dyes such as methylene blue, methyl violet and rhodamine B. Activated carbon samples derived from food waste biochar and canola hull biochar exhibited a complete removal of methylene blue and methyl violet from model aqueous solution within 1–2 h of contact time at room temperature, whereas in case of rhodamine B only 91–94% removal was achieved.

Slow pyrolysis of agro-food wastes and physicochemical characterization of biofuel products

Effective management and utilization of food waste and agricultural crop residues are highly crucial to mitigate the challenges of greenhouse gas generation upon natural decomposition and waste accumulation. Conversion of biogenic wastes to biofuels and bioproducts can address the energy crisis and promote environmental remediation. This study was focused on exploring the characteristics of food waste and agricultural crop residues (e.g., canola hull and oar hull) to determine their candidacy for slow pyrolysis to produce biochar and bio-oil. Process parameters of slow pyrolysis such as temperature, reaction time and heating rate were optimized to obtain maximum biochar yields. Maximum biochar yield of 28.4 wt% was recorded at optimized temperature, heating rate and reaction time of 600 °C, 5 °C/min and 60 min, respectively. Furthermore, the physicochemical, spectroscopic and microscopic characterization of biochar, bio-oil and gases were performed. The carbon content and thermal stability of biochar were found to increase at higher temperatures. Moreover, bio-oil generated at higher temperatures showed the presence of phenolics and aromatic compounds.

Pyrolysis of agricultural crop residues: An overview of researches by Indian scientific community

India generates about 657 million tonnes of agro-residues each year, which has been identified as a potential bioenergy resource, and a long-term answer to the country's energy challenges, in tandem with other forms of renewable energy. Among various agro-residue conversion techniques, pyrolysis has emerged as one of the most promising options. The present communication presents an overview of reported investigations by Indian researchers pertaining to pyrolysis of agro-residues along with issues and possible solutions. Characterization of reported agro-residues in terms of proximate, ultimate, biochemical composition, and higher heating values have been analyzed. Kinetics of pyrolysis and significant thermodynamics studies have also been taken into account. Study revealed that heterogeneity of agro-residues, in terms of varying physico-chemical and bio-chemical characteristics, in view of diverse climatic conditions and cultivation patterns in different parts of India, have a bearing on their thermal degradation behavior and in turn dictate their prospective energy potential.

Potential of Mushroom technology as a social enterprise – The way forward

Mushroom cultivation began in India in 1952. Since then this industry has been oscillating between the myths of earning millions overnight and the ground realities of growing a non-conventional crop. The concept, which branched off as a lesser-known shoot of mycology, has taken unusually long to establish itself in India. Although mushroom science has the inherent subjective capability of a great impact on nutrition, agricultural waste management and environment cleansing; yet has been immensely underexploited in India. Social entrepreneurship is a novel movement gaining momentum around the world. It is a novel concept of modern business model which can find sustainable solutions to social, economic and environmental issues. It is a concept which believes in engaging in profitable commercial activities for mutual social and community gain. It works on the principle “Together wewin”, hence community takes precedence over individuals. Social enterprises have a strong character of creating jobs and making a socially just and inclusive business model. This is the ultimate objectiveof any scientific organization or scientific technology more so of public institutions like ICAR. Mushroom technology can be a very successful social enterprise in the Indian context where agricultural crop residues to the tune of 98 million tons/annum is burnt, where millions of youth are unemployed, where there is rampant undernourishment and ever increasing threat of climate change. A majority (53%) of social enterprises in India are focussed on skill development, followed by 30% on education, 28% in agriculture-related activities, 26% in financial and clean energy,22% in healthcare, 17% on farm livelihood, 16% food & nutrition and 14% sanitation & water.There is a need to initiate mushroom technology based social enterprise which can reduce air pollution by using crop residues to grow mushrooms rather than burn, can create employment in rural unskilled sector, can help in enhancing nutrition, bring diversity to food plate and empower women. Although sporadic examples are available in India, there is a need to increase the number of such enterprises, integrate it with government programs and develop a model in partnership with public institutions who are the technology generators.

Determinants of crop residue burning practice in the Terai region of Nepal.

The open burning of agricultural crop residue is a key environmental issue facing the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, the Indo-Gangetic plain in particular. There is a varying intensity in the incidence of open agricultural burning in this region, and multiple drivers that determine why farmers in this region decide to burn their crop residues. While there have been research studies conducted for other countries in the region, research into the determinants of crop-burning in the Nepalese context is missing. Using primary data from a survey of 388 farming households across three districts of the Nepal Terai―Nawalparasi, Rupandehi and Kapilvastu―applying a recursive bivariate probit model, this study seeks to find out what drives the Nepalese farmers to burn their crop residue instead of using them in a sustainable manner and suggest policy recommendations for mitigation. Our findings show that the major determining factors that influence the farmers’ behavior in Nepal are livestock ownership, combine harvester use and awareness level of the farmers. While the effects of crop residue burning is transboundary in nature, the mitigation measures require to be region specific. Based on the findings, the study proposes raising livestock, using technology like Happy Seeders or upgrade the combine harvesters, raising awareness and changing perception of farmers, and promoting alternative uses of crop residue as viable mitigation measures.

Environmental impact assessment of bioplastics production from agricultural crop residues

Environmental impact assessment of bioplastics production from agricultural crop residues

Heterogeneous Catalysis of Second Generation Oil for Biodiesel Production: A Review

AbstractThe demand for cleaner fuels has been on the rise lately, prompting researchers to explore alternative cleaner technologies to meet the growing demand. This has led to the introduction of renewable fuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel. Depending on the feedstock employed for production, renewable fuels can be divided into first, second, and third generation. Reliance on first generation biofuel feedstocks has led to inherent competition between foods versus fuels in the society in the last decade. Further technological prospects in research and development have provided insight into the use of second generation biofuel feed‐stocks from non‐edible agricultural waste products, energy crops, and crop residues. Zeolites and modified zeolites as heterogeneous catalysts have been highly prospective for the transesterification process of these oils. Modified zeolite can act as a bi‐functional catalyst because of its acidic and basic sites. Here, a review of transesterification reaction technology, zeolite and modified zeolite as a heterogeneous catalyst to generate biodiesel was discussed. Current status, challenges and future prospects are also discussed.

Starch-based biocomposite membrane reinforced by orange bagasse cellulose nanofibers extracted from ionic liquid treatment

Agricultural crop residues are known to be a renewable source of value-added products, and their application as a bio-based production chain type in the circular bioeconomy system is considered efficient in minimizing environmental problems. Value-added products, such as cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from lignocellulose in agriculture residues, have been widely applied in the production of membranes that have desirable physicochemical characteristics. In this work, orange bagasse residue was used to obtain cellulose nanofiber and then applied to starch membranes as a mechanical reinforcement. The 1-methylimidazolium ionic liquid was used as biomass treatment for cellulose nanofiber isolation, and then two starch membranes were prepared with 5% (v/v) of cellulose nanofiber solution at 70 °C and 90 °C by the casting method. The cellulose nanofibers and membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction. Thickness and tensile tests were applied to the membranes. Cellulose nanofibers less than 100 nm in diameter were obtained by the 1-methylimidazolium treatment, and the characterization analyses showed that the CNFs were incorporated into the membranes, which improved their mechanical resistance and thermal degradation capacity. However, membrane 1, which was prepared at 70 °C, showed a particularly significant gain in tensile strength.

Year-Round Storage Operation of Three Major Agricultural Crop Residue Biomasses by Performing Dry Acid Pretreatment at Regional Collection Depots

Commercial cellulosic biofuel operation requires a reliable, low-cost, and stable feedstock logistic system. One great challenge is its long-term storage at least for one harvest cycle (1 year for ...

Status of energy utilization and factors affecting rural households' adoption of biogas technology in north-western Ethiopia

The National Biogas Policy of Ethiopia introduces plans for the implementation of biogas technologies in rural areas. However, rural households' decision to adopt biogas energy technology has been influenced by different socio-economic and institutional factors. This research was therefore undertaken to determine the actual energy consumption status and factors impacting the adoption of biogas technology by rural households in northwestern Ethiopia. Primary data from 182 randomly chosen households and 15 key informants were obtained. Different databases, such as journal articles, annual accounts, and unpublished papers, were used to gather secondary data. The data were analyzed using social science statistical package (SPSS 21st edition) tools using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent-sample t-test. The results indicated that about 84.2% of the households have been using traditional biomass fuels (fuelwood, agricultural crop residue, dung cake, and charcoal) for baking Enjera and heating while the remaining 17.6% of the households have been using biogas energy. The kerosene lamp, battery cell, small size solar panel, and biogas were energy sources for lighting. The higher installation costs, inadequate water availability, shortage of cow dung, and lack of awareness were the main factors that hinder biogas installation in the study site. An independent sample t-test result revealed a statistically significant mean difference of the average time spent (in hours) to collect fuelwood per week between biogas technology adopters (M = 9.563, SD = 4.697) and non-adopters (M = 11.887, SD = 4.703; t (180) = 2.539, p = 0.012). In addition, findings of the binary logistic regression showed that education, access to markets, heads of cattle, and electronic media were the principal factors affecting biogas technology adoption significantly in the study area.

A cascade hybrid PSO feed-forward neural network model of a biomass gasification plant for covering the energy demand in an AC microgrid

Agriculture and forestry crop residues represent more than half of the world's residual biomass; these residues turn into synthesis gas (syngas) and are used for power generation. Including Syngas Gensets into hybrid renewable microgrids for electricity generation is an interesting alternative, especially for rural communities where forest and agricultural waste are abundant. However, energy demand is not constant throughout the day. The variations in the energy demand provoke changes in both gasification plant efficiency and biomass consumption. This paper presents an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based model hybridized with a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm for a Biomass Gasification Plant (BGP) that allows estimating the amount of biomass needed to produce the required syngas to meet the energy demand. The proposed model is compared with two traditional models of ANNs: Feed Forward Back Propagation (FF-BP) and Cascade Forward Propagation (CF-P). ANNs are trained in MATLAB software using a set of historical real data from a BGP located in the Distributed Energy Resources Laboratory of the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain. The model performance is validated using the Mean Squared Error (MSE) and linear regression analysis. The results show that the proposed model performs 23.2% better in terms of MSE than de other models. The tunning parameters of the optimal PSO algorithm for this application were found. Finally, the model was validated to predict the necessary biomass and syngas to cover the energy demand.

Influence of lignin level of raw material on anaerobic digestion process in reorganization and performance of microbial community

Huge quantum of agricultural crop residue from agrarian economies like India is disposed of improperly by open land burning contributing to particulate and gaseous pollutants thereby severely impacting the environment and human health. There is an overwhelming need for sustainable utilization of this misplaced resource as feedstock in biofuel production through anaerobic digestion. Substrate composition influences the digestibility of the substrate and underlying microbial plasticity involved in anaerobic digestion. In this study, anaerobic inoculum was subjected to enrichment in the presence of agricultural residues with different lignin content whose influence on biogas production, and differential modulation/ reorganization of microbial communities was explored. BMP assay emphasized the inverse proportionality between lignin content and biogas yield, with highest biogas yield of 622 mL/g VS added in case of rice straw (lowest lignin, 16.9%), followed by wheat straw—556 mL/g VS (18.12% lignin), sugar cane leaves—451 mL/g VS (21.87% lignin), and lowest biogas yield of 411 mL/g VS added in case of cotton crop waste (highest lignin, 23.97%). Biogas production efficiency was correlated with the selection and shift of microbial communities to key hemicellulolytic (Bacteroides, Clostridium, Prevotella, Thermotoga, Cytophaga) and lignocellulolytic (Bacillus, Geobacter, Flavobacterium, Spirochaeta, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia) genotypes in comparison to initial anaerobic inoculum. Study highlighted that the variable lignin content resulted in genomic reorganization and created a scenario for high biogas production by selectively enriching different methanogenic pathways such as hydrogenotrophic pathways in rice straw metagenome (lowest lignin) and acetoclastic pathways in cotton crop waste metagenome (highest lignin).

Potential for the production of biofuels from agricultural waste, livestock, and slaughterhouse waste in Golestan province, Iran

The causes of global warming and the opposite solutions are among the issues discussed in scientific societies around the world. Also, one of the best options to take advantage of the huge potential of biomass is to use energy from biomass sources such as biogas. Biogas can be produced from anaerobic fermentation of organic waste, agricultural waste, and animal waste. The aim of this study was to investigate the production capacity of biofuels in Golestan province from agricultural crop residues as well as animal wastes including animal and poultry manures and slaughterhouse wastes. The results of research in Golestan province showed that 339.63 million m3 can be produced annually from agricultural crop residues, 103.13–353.16 million m3 from animal manure and poultry manure, and 362.61 million m3 of slaughterhouse waste, respectively. Finally, a total of 2085.35 million kWh of electricity can be generated per year. The results of this study could be the beginning of further research and help to take a proper approach to government policies in the field of renewable energy.

Potential of Bioenergy in Rural Ghana

Crop residues are common in rural Ghana due to the predominant role agriculture plays in livelihood activities in these communities. In this paper we investigate the prospects of exploiting agricultural crop residues for rural development in Ghana through bioenergy schemes. A theoretical energy potential of 623.84 PJ per year, which is equivalent to 19,781 MW was estimated using crop production data from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and residue-to-product ratios. Ghana has a total installed generation capacity of 4577 MW which is four times less the energy potential of crop residues in the country. Cocoa pod husks were identified as important biomass resources for energy generation as they are currently wasted. To further assess the energy potential of cocoa pod husks, different cocoa pod husks samples were collected across the six cocoa growing regions in Ghana and thermo-chemically characterised using proximate and ultimate analysis. The low levels of nitrogen and sulphur observed, together with the high heating value, suggest that cocoa pod husks and for that matter crop residues are eco-friendly feedstock that can be used to power rural communities in Ghana.