Agro-waste Materials Research Articles

Combustion Performance of Biomass Composite Briquette from Rice Husk and Banana Residue

Utilization of agro-waste material in producing biomass briquette has been actively explored due to its huge potential as an alternative option to current energy resources. Also, the development of biomass briquette also solved agricultural waste disposal issues. Biomass briquette is widely utilized for domestic and industrial purposes such as cooking, heating, and electricity generation. This study was conducted to assess the combustion performance of the biomass composite briquette, which was produced by combining two agro-waste materials, which are rice husk and banana residue. The composite briquette was densified at a constant and controlled temperature as well as pressure by varying the particle size and ratio of the raw materials. The particle size used were 300 μm, 150 μm and 75 μm and then these particles were blended in the various components of rice husk and banana residue in percentage composition of 100:0, 80:20 and 60:40, respectively. The combustion performances of composite briquette ware assessed by evaluating their burning rate, calorific value, volatile matter, ash content and fixed carbon content. Results showed the composition of rice husk and banana residue of 60:40 with the particle size of 150 μm were found as the optimal combination since it owned moderate density, ash and fixed carbon content, and volatile matter. Furthermore, the combustion performance results of these briquette mixtures generate the calorific value up to 16396 J/g and could retain for at least 14 minutes after the flame was gradually put out by itself that indicated it has potential to be applied as solid fuel.

Removal of Acidic Dyes from Aqueous Media Using Citrullus Lanatus Peels: An Agrowaste-Based Adsorbent for Environmental Safety

In this work, removal of fluorescein and eosin dyes using common agrowaste, i.e., peels of water melon (Citrullus lanatus) (WMP), has been studied in the batch mode. The sorbent material (WMP) was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis. The sorbent was chemically modified by subjecting it to 0.1 N HNO3 and 0.1 N NaOH solutions. Different parameters such as sorbent dose, pH, temperature, and agitation speed were optimized to investigate the sorbent efficiency for fluorescein and eosin dyes. Among three forms (raw, base-treated, and acid-treated), the base-treated form exhibited higher removal efficiency, followed by acid-treated and then the raw form. Generally, range for the removal of fluorescein and eosin was found to be 48.06–88.08% and 48.47–79.31%, respectively. Mathematical modeling of sorption data by Langmuir and Freundlich sorption isotherms and thermodynamic investigations were carried out to check the suitability of these agrowaste materials on bulk scale. The promising results concluded that peel of water melon (common agrowaste) can be potentially utilized for the removal of toxins.

Characterization of pine needle ash particulates reinforced surface composite fabricated by friction stir process

The topology of surface is essential for enhancing the tribological performance of material. In the present experimental investigation, the hybrid surface composite was fabricated by incorporating titanium diboride (TiB2) and pine needle ash (PNA) as reinforcement on the surface of aluminum alloy Al 1120 through friction stir process (FSP). The dry pine needle is an agro waste material, and contains the hard compounds like SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, and Fe2O3 as main constituents. The effect of doping of pine needle ash and TiB2 into fabricated aluminum alloy metal matrix surface composites reported in this paper. The FSP setup was developed on a vertical milling machine and process parameters were selected as tool rotational speed of 1400 rpm and tool feed rate of 56 mm min−1. The microstructures of surface composites were examined through optical microscope. The mechanical properties and tribological behavior were evaluated by using microhardness tester, universal testing machine and pin on disk wear testing tribometer. It was observed that mechanical properties (micro hardness, tensile strength and impact strength) and wear resistance of surface composites improved as compared to matrix material (Al 1120).

Development of a Novel Spawn (Block Spawn) of an Edible Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, in Liquid Culture and its Cultivation Evaluation

Mushroom cultivation has gained increased attention in recent years. Currently, only four types of spawn, including sawdust spawn, grain spawn, liquid spawn, and stick spawn, are commonly available for mushroom cultivation. This limited spawn diversity has led to difficulty in selecting suitable inoculum materials in some cultivation. In this study, three small blocks of lignocellulosic agro-wastes and one block of a synthetic matrix were prepared as support for growing Pleurotus ostreatus in liquid medium. Mycelium-adsorbed blocks were then evaluated for their potential as block spawn for fructification. Our results indicated that the edible fungus was adsorbed and abundantly grew internally and externally on loofah sponge and synthetic polyurethane foam (PUF) supports and also has the ability to attach and grow on the surface of sugarcane bagasse and corncob supports. The mycelia of P. ostreatus adhered on corncob exhibited the highest metabolic activity, while those on the PUF showed the least activity. Mycelial extension rates of block spawns made of agro-waste materials were comparable to that of sawdust spawn, but the block spawn of PUF showed a significantly lower rate. No significant differences in cropping time and yield were observed among cultivations between experimental block spawns and sawdust spawns. Moreover, the corncob block spawn maintained its fruiting potential during an examined period of 6-month storage. The developed block spawn could be practically applied in mushroom cultivation.

Agro waste material as ecofriendly adsorbent for the removal of Zn(II): isotherm, kinetic, thermodynamic and optimization studies

Agro waste material as ecofriendly adsorbent for the removal of Zn(II): isotherm, kinetic, thermodynamic and optimization studies

Cellulose Nanocrystals from lignocellulosic agro-waste: A comparative study on Conventional and Ultrasonic Assisted Preparation Methods

Cellulose nano crystals (CNC) are smart organic rod-shaped nano material which can be derived from one of the most abundant biopolymer obtained from agro-waste materials; cellulose via acid hydrolysis. In this work CNCs have been prepared from sugarcane bagasse via acid hydrolysis at elevated temperature using mechanical stirring and ultrasonication and their efficiencies have been compared depending on the crystallinity, size and stability.

Green synthesis of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and their biological activity

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has broad applications in various areas. Green synthesis is an alternative to conventional physical and chemical methods. Green synthesis of nanoparticles is gaining importance due to its cost-effectiveness, reduction of toxic chemicals and extensive antimicrobial activity. Herein, we have discovered synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using agro waste materials like sheep and goat faecal matter as a reducing agent. Synthesized ZnONPs were evaluated for their purity, particle size, morphological structure, using UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analysis. However, nanoparticles gain low crystallite size, they seemed to be uneven structures like spongy like and flower shaped particles. Obtained nanoparticles exhibit good antimicrobial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration against Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus subtilis. Agro-waste based green synthesized ZnONPs possess small sized particles, enhances the good antimicrobial effect. This research leads to develop a new way of cost-effective synthesis and reducing usage of chemicals in further studies.

Experimental correlation between the production parameter and mechanical properties of functional epoxy-cow bone particulate composites

A polymer matrix (epoxy) composite was produced using cow bone particles as reinforcement, and different mechanical tests were performed to evaluate the composite workability. The cow bone (CB) was washed, air dried, and carbonized at a temperature of 750 °C after which they were milled into powder and screened to particle sizes of 150 μm, 300 μm, and 600 μm. The milled cow bone particles were varied from 10 to 60 wt%, and composite materials were produced from them. The mechanical properties of the composites examined include tensile strength, impact strength, and hardness. The effect of carbonization on the mechanical properties of the developed composites was studied in this research. The results show that smaller particles have the best properties. Optimum results were also obtained as the filler loading increased to a value of 40 wt% before decreasing. Better enhancement of property was obtained for the carbonized composites for tensile strength and hardness values, but uncarbonized composites gave better impact strength. The various results obtained are equivalent to those of other agro-waste materials generally used in polymer composite production. Thus, this work shows that cow bone particles can be a useful material for polymer composites production for various mechanical applications.

The Evaluation of Engineering Properties of Low Cost Concrete Blocks by Partial Doping of Sand with Sawdust

The main objective of the article is to reduce the quantity of sand with the natural agro waste materials and the performance of sawdust-sand-cement stabilized using sawdust (SD) and cement which investigates the water retention (WR), compressive quality (CQ) and flexural quality (FQ) of the sawdust-sand-cement blocks to find out the conceivable utilization of sawdust as an incomplete substitution of sawdust in blocks creation. For this purpose, various combinations of sawdust, sand, cement, water-content and drying time to create testing blocks. The compressive and flexural qualities of the sawdust-sand-cement blocks were determined using a universal testing machine, as they just cracked due to compression. The greatest compressive and flexural strength of 193 kg.cm-2 and 2.34 kg.cm-2 were recorded at 0% doping at 28th day. However, the most extreme estimation of 106 kg.cm-2 and 1.29 kg.cm-2 for 15% doping is discovered reasonable and prescribed for building development having been achieved at a 28th days compressive and flexural quality which is less than the Sri Lankan Standards (SLS). However, the 15% doping blocks have water retention of 12.4% at 28th days that is the minimum requirement for the block according to the Sri Lankan Standards (SLS). Therefore, these sawdust-sand-cement blocks were found to be weak for medium and heavy building constructions, because of its low density, light weight, low strength. Thus, these sawdust-sand-cement blocks can be used for interior wall partition and decorations. The sawdust-sand-cement block manufacturing procedure being simple can be undertaken as rural entrepreneurship by unskilled labors of developing countries.

A Review of Agro-waste Materials as Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregate in Concrete.

An immense amount of agricultural waste is produced while growing, harvesting and processing goods; which should be treated as a resource for its prevalence and renewability. While developed countries are concerned with utilization and environmental issues, developing countries are focusing on the economic factors of social housing, especially in rural areas. Fortunately, environmental awareness has been raised in the construction industry by using agricultural waste as partial replacement for fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, reinforcing materials, cement and binders. This review is an attempt to collect world-wide data with references for future estimation possibilities of agro waste application focused on fine aggregate replacement in concrete.

Performance evaluation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rice Husk Ash (RHA) in improving mechanical behavior of cement

The rice husk (RH) as an agro-waste materials having low nutritional properties as a provender, when burnt under controlled temperature produce great quantity of Rice Husk Ash (RHA). The use of RHA as a supplementary cementitious materials have much importance in construction industry especially in the countries of high rice production. This paper discus the collection of rice husk (RH) from different regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), the properties of Rice Husk Ash produced from these RH by different combustion methods of high temperature and their effect on mechanical behavior of cement. To evaluate the chemical composition and quantification of crystalline silica in RHA of various regions of KP, EDX and XRD tests were performed. Consistency, setting time, compressive, flexural strength and Alkali silica reaction tests were also performed for various replacement level of RHA i.e. 5%, 15% and 25% in cement paste and in mortar. Results show an obvious variation in the silica content with variation in sources. A partial transformation of amorphous silica to crystalline silica was observed at 800 °C (method A) and mostly at a temperature of 1000 °C (method B). RHA by method A and B, as a partial replacement of cement increase linearly the consistency and setting time but decrease the alkali silica reaction. Also the RHA by method A increased the compressive and flexural strength up-to 15% at later ages but a slight increase was observed up-to 5% replacement of RHA by method B.

Properties and characterization of wood plastic composites made from agro-waste materials and post-used expanded polyester foam

Recently, many agricultural waste were left for open burning or as landfill in many agricultural land, for example, coconut shells. Besides, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is one of the most used plastic products which mostly ends up in landfilling as many of its products were made for one-time use only. In order to reduce these wastes, this project focuses on the preparation of a new material that is coconut shell powder (CSP)-filled EPS wood plastic composite (WPC). This research investigates the effects of CSP content and alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on mechanical and water absorption properties of EPS/CSP WPCs. The mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, Young’s modulus and flexural modulus, increased as the CSP content increased. However, elongation at break and flexural strength decreased with CSP content. Moreover, water absorption of EPS/CSP WPCs showed an increasing trend with CSP content. After alkali treatment, the mechanical properties of EPS/CSP WPCs were enhanced, but the water absorption properties of treated EPS/CSP WPCs were reduced due to the reduction of the –OH groups of CSP. Fourier transform infrared analysis was carried out to measure the functional groups of untreated and treated CSP. The fracture surface of CSP, untreated and treated EPS/CSP WPCs were examined by scanning electron microscopy.

Gold-copper bimetallic nanoparticles supported on nano P zeolite modified carbon paste electrode as an efficient electrocatalyst and sensitive sensor for determination of hydrazine

In this report, a facile, efficient and low cost electrochemical sensor based on bimetallic Au-Cu nanoparticles supported on P nanozeolite modified carbon paste electrode (Au-Cu/NPZ/CPE) was constructed and its efficiency for determination of hydrazine in trace level was studied. For this purpose, agro waste material, stem sweep ash (SSA) was employed as the starting material (silica source) for the synthesis of nano P zeolite (NPZ). After characterization of the synthesized NPZ by analytical instruments (scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy), construction of Au-Cu/NPZ/CPE was performed by three steps procedure involving preparation of nano P zeolite modified carbon paste electrode (NPZ/CPE), introducing Cu+2 ions into nano zeolite structure by ion exchange and electrochemical reduction of Cu+2 ions upon applying constant potential. This procedure is followed by partial replacement of Cu by Au due to galvanic replacement reaction (GRR). The electrochemical properties of hydrazine at the surface of Au-Cu/NPZ/CPE was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), amperometry, and chronoamperometry methods in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS). It was found that the prepared sensor has higher electrocatalytic activity at a relatively lower potential compared to other modified electrodes including Au/NPZ/CPE, Cu/NPZ/CPE, Au-Cu/CPE and etc. Moreover, the proposed electrochemical sensor presented the favorable analytical properties for determination of hydrazine such as low detection limit (0.04 µM), rapid response time (3 s), wide linear range (0.01–150 mM), and high sensitivity (99.53 µA mM−1) that are related to the synergic effect of bimetallic of Au-Cu, porous structure and enough surface area of NPZ. In addition, capability of Au-Cu/NPZ/CPE sensor was successfully tested in real samples with good accuracy and precision.

Significant effect of rice husk and sugarcane bagasse pore formers on the microstructure and mechanical properties of porous Al2O3/Ni composites

Porous alumina systems are suitable for application in wide-ranging industrial processes that require extreme service conditions such as high temperatures and corrosive mediums due to their remarkable thermal and chemical stability. Given the inherent brittleness of ceramics and their high sensitivity to thermo-mechanical loading, large-scale production of porous alumina components is constrained. In this study, the reinforcement of porous alumina ceramics with nickel (Ni) particles has been reported. Plain and Ni-reinforced porous alumina ceramics were developed through the powder metallurgy method with agro-waste materials from rice husk (RH) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as the pore-forming agents (PFAs). Experimental results showed that the formation of a stable Ni3Al2SiO8 spinelloid phase in the RH-graded composites actuated the emergence of a relatively refined microstructure while on the other hand, microstructural defects such as dislocated grains and localized voids were observed for the SCB-graded counterparts due to the presence of poorly crystallized NiAl2O4 spinel phase. Generally from the mechanical strength characterization, an inverse relationship was established between the mechanical properties and Ni reinforcement which agrees well with the Griffith's model. Moreover, the strengthening effect of the Ni3Al2SiO8 spinelloid phase was well marked in the RH-graded composites as maximum hardness, tensile and compressive strengths of 167.3HV, 12.6 MPa and 55.3 MPa respectively were achieved for the composite reinforced with 2 wt% Ni.

New highly hydrated cellulose microfibrils with a tendril helical morphology extracted from agro-waste material: application to removal of dyes from waste water.

Cocoa bean shells (CBS) are a by-product of the cocoa bean processing industry. They represent 12–20 wt% of dry cocoa beans, after having been separated from these by a roasting process. CBS often end up as a waste product which contains around 34 wt% of cellulose. The transformation of this waste into valuable and marketable products would help to improve waste disposal. Indeed, the large annual production of this waste makes it a sustainable and renewable bio-source for the production of chemicals and fibers for advanced applications. In this work, new cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) with a tendril helical morphology and highly hydrated gel-like behavior were successfully extracted from CBS waste using a controlled chemical extraction process. During this study, several physico-chemical characterizations were carried out in order to identify the properties of each of the products at different stages of treatment. Microscopic observations show that the extracted CMFs have a tendril helical shape like climbing plant tendrils. Due to this special morphology, the extracted CMFs show a highly hydrated state forming a gel network without additional modifications. The as-extracted CMFs were used as adsorbent material for the removal of methylene blue from concentrated aqueous solution, as an application to wastewater treatment for the removal of basic dyes. Swelling properties, adsorption kinetics and isotherms were carried out in batch experiments. The results indicated that the CMFs have a high swelling capacity (190%). The pseudo second order model can be effectively used to evaluate the adsorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherms can also be described well by the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 381.68 mg g−1. Thus, the as-extracted CMFs with unique characteristics have the potential to be used as efficient adsorbent material for the removal of different cationic dyes from industrial wastewater.

Development of Moulded Composite Textile Textures from Plant and Agro-Waste Materials

Development of Moulded Composite Textile Textures from Plant and Agro-Waste Materials

Traditional handicrafts of Punjab developed from plant and agro-waste materials

Traditional handicrafts of Punjab developed from plant and agro-waste materials

Production of paper from pineapple leaves

Wood is used as the major raw material in paper production around the world and this has resulted in severe deforestations having direct negative impact on our environment. This has led to the need of finding alternative raw materials for paper production. Mauritius has around 300ha of land under pineapple cultivation resulting in agro-waste materials of the leaves. This paper aims at determining the feasibility of using pineapple leaf fibres for paper production. Samples of pineapple leaf fibre were mixed with cane-bagasse in different ratios namely, 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, 80:20,100:0. Pineapple leaf fibres were also mixed with wastepaper in the same ratios. Pulping of pineapple leaf was achieved through soda pulping at a concentration of 15%w/v for 90min at 90°C. The papers obtained were tested for their physical and mechanical properties. The average thickness of all the papers produced, ranged from 0.232mm to 0.304mm showing an increase in paper thickness with increasing grammage from 58.19g/m2 to 63.3g/m2. The most absorbent paper(1.19s) was found to be the 100% pineapple which also demonstrated the highest Tensile Index and Burst Index (6.5Nm/g and 0.84kPam2/g respectively). The bagasse and pineapple composite of ratio 40:60 was found to be the most abrasion resistant paper with 21 turns and a weight loss of 0.86% with the use of emery paper of grade zero as abradant and 200g load cells. The most crease resistant paper was the wastepaper and pineapple composite of ratio 80:20 with a crease recovery angle of 59.8°.

Characterization of the Thermo-Physical Performance of Bone Particles Proposed for Polymer Composites Production

Bone is a composite of strong but soft collagen (a protein) and hard but brittle apatite (a mineral). Cow bones are in abundance nationwide. They are usually waste materials at the abattoir and cause a great environmental degradation. The characterization of cow bone particles was investigated through x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA). The physical properties of the bone particles were also evaluated. The various results obtained are equivalent to those of other agro-waste materials generally used in polymer composites production. Thus, this work shows that bone particles can be a useful material for polymer composites production which can be used for production of various light weight components.

Immobilized fungi on Luffa cylindrica : An effective biosorbent for the removal of lead

Abstract Heavy metals are of major concern as they are non-biodegradable and therefore causes health problem to living organisms. In recent days, biosorption by microbes and agro-waste materials have gained increased attention over the conventional methods. Out of twenty six fungi isolated, two species of Aspergillus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus exhibited resistance to 1500 mM of Lead on agar medium. A biosorbent was designed by growing these fungal isolates on luffa sponge under shaken condition for 72 h at 30 °C. The percentage of lead adsorption by the designed biosorbent was determined initially by Atomic Adsorption Spectrophotometry and further confirmed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry. Batch methods showed 56–63% of adsorption with A. niger, and 44–59% with A. terreus. Biosorbent pretreated with NaOH showed significant increase in adsorption of lead within 3 min of contact time exhibiting 51% and 46% by A. niger and A. terreus, respectively. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis revealed that the functional groups –OH, –NH, and –CH3 present on our designed biosorbents are facilitating the biosorption. The textural properties of the designed biosorbent were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy.