Consumption Of Plants Research Articles

Pengaruh Dosis Pupuk Kandang Ayam terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Hasil Tiga Macam Varietas Selada (Lactuca sativa L.)

The study aims to determine the influence of chicken manure dose on growth and yield on three kinds of lettuce (Lactuca sativa, L.) planted in a polybag. This research was conducted from November 2019 until January 2020, in Gerdu Village, Karangpandan District, Karanganyar Regency, between 450 - 650 m above sea level. The research used a factorial method with a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consist of two treatment factors. The first factor is dose of chicken manure consisting of 3 levels (D1 = 62.5 g/ polybag, D2 = 125 g / polybag, D3 = 187.5 g/ polybag). The second factor was varieties of lettuce (V) consist of 3 types (V1 = Grand Rapids Variety, V2 = Kriebo Variety, V3 = Bisi SL 02 Variety). Analysis of variance was used to analyzed the data, with the F test at 5% and 1% levels and then followed by Duncan's multiple range test at 5% level. The results showed that chicken manure dosage significantly affects fresh weight and consumption weight per plant. The best dose of chicken manure for the treatment is 125 g / polybag. The varieties significantly affected plant height, fresh weight, and consumption weight and significantly affected leaf width per plant. The interaction between the dose of chicken manure and varieties of lettuce (DxV) showed the best results on the combination 125 g / polybag chicken manure dose with the Kriebo variety (D2V2). This treatment combination gives the highest consumption weight, which is 76.52 g. While the treatment combination of 62.5 g / polybag chicken manure dose and Bisi SL 02 variety (D1V3) had the lowest consumption weight (39.68 g).

Coconut products alleviate hyperglycaemic, hyperlipidimic and nephropathy indices in streptozotocin-induced diabetic wistar rats.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic and one of the most common metabolic diseases affecting large proportion of world population. Diabetes-induced changes in lipid and renal parameters are major risk factors contributing to diabetic complications such as diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases. Due to adverse effects associated with pharmacological intervention in the T2DM treatment, there is an increased interest in the research focussing on identifying novel plant based therapeutic agents. Here we report the effects of various coconut products on diabetic, lipid and renal parameters in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model. Diabetic rats demonstrated a significant increase in serum glucose, and glycated haemoglobin levels (HbA1c). Lipid parameters including triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-cholesterol) were found to be significantly increased, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) was significantly declined in diabetic rats. Diabetic rats also displayed increased serum and kidney creatinine, urea, and total protein levels and increased urine glucose, urea, albumin and creatinine levels. Contrastingly, treatment with virgin and filtered coconut oils, coconut water and coconut milk resulted in a significant reversal in the levels of above studied parameters in diabetic rats. Further, these coconut products markedly prevented diabetes induced histopathological changes in kidney tissue. Collectively, the data demonstrate the antidiabetic, hypolipidemic and renal protective properties of various coconut products and underscore the importance of regular consumption of plant based medicinal products in the treatment of T2DM and its complications.

The place of millet in food globalization during Late Prehistory as evidenced by new bioarchaeological data from the Caucasus

Two millets, Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica, were domesticated in northern China, around 6000 BC. Although its oldest evidence is in Asia, possible independent domestication of these species in the Caucasus has often been proposed. To verify this hypothesis, a multiproxy research program (Orimil) was designed to detect the first evidence of millet in this region. It included a critical review of the occurrence of archaeological millet in the Caucasus, up to Antiquity; isotopic analyses of human and animal bones and charred grains; and radiocarbon dating of millet grains from archaeological contexts dated from the Early Bronze Age (3500–2500 BC) to the 1st Century BC. The results show that these two cereals were cultivated during the Middle Bronze Age (MBA), around 2000–1800 BC, especially Setaria italica which is the most ancient millet found in Georgia. Isotopic analyses also show a significant enrichment in 13C in human and animal tissues, indicating an increasing C4 plants consumption at the same period. More broadly, our results assert that millet was not present in the Caucasus in the Neolithic period. Its arrival in the region, based on existing data in Eurasia, was from the south, without excluding a possible local domestication of Setaria italica.

Annual isotopic diet (δ13C, δ18O) of Notiomastodon platensis (Ameghino, 1888) from Brazilian Intertropical Region

Notiomastodon platensis was an endemic South American proboscidean, which could reach about six tons and had a mixed feeder diet with predominance of C4 grasses in Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR). In the last decades, its feeding behavior has been rebuilt mainly through dental calculus, enamel microwear and stable isotope analyses. However, all these techniques allow us to know only punctual information about its diet. In the present study we used stable isotopes (carbon and oxygen) in tusk fragments, allowing us to retrieve information about the six years of life for two individual specimens from Bahia state. The tusk fragment LGUESB 0002 was from an individual from Vitória da Conquista county, which lived at 17 ka BP and had a constant grazer diet in a stable climate environment. The other individual was from Coronel João Sá county that lived in the beginning of the Holocene at 9 ka BP, and presented a mixed feeder diet with consumption of C4 grass and C3 plants (pi = 40%), in an environment with high precipitation variation. This research presents the first annual series of isotopic composition for proboscidean tusks from BIR and the first evidence that the species lived in this region during the Holocene.

Usage of Waste Water Treatment Plants Hydroelectric Energy for Urban Lighting Energy: The Case of Turkey

In this study, primarily from wastewater treatment plants in seven geographical regions in Turkey value of electrical power that can be generated were calculated. Then, a study was carried out to determine the ratio of the electrical power generated to meet the lighting energy requirement in the relevant geographical region. For this purpose, a method for evaluating the hydroelectric potential of wastewater treatment plant was presented. For seven geographical regions, population prediction in 2018-2025, predicted flow rate of wastewater to be treated from wastewater treatment plant and lighting consumption for each region were predicted. Predictions for the future years were made by using the equations obtained through the curve fitting algorithm written in Matlab environment. Using these values, the predicted electrical power values were calculated in case the distance between the treated wastewater falls and the turbine where electricity generation took place was 3 meters. According to study total predicted wastewater would be 4.16 (2018) and 5.89 (2025) billion m3. Total cities’ predicted lighting energy consumption in Turkey would be 4429.2 GWh (2018) and 4941.5 GWh (2025). And yearly predicted electricity generation from wastewater treatment plant hydroelectric would be 28.51 GWh (2018) and 38.53 GWh (2025).

Overcoming Tribal Boundaries: The Biocultural Heritage of Foraging and Cooking Wild Vegetables among Four Pathan Groups in the Gadoon Valley, NW Pakistan.

Simple SummaryTo understand how traditional/folk biological knowledge changes across territories, cultures/languages, religions, and generations is crucial if we want to generate robust tools for preserving it. In this study we assessed the effect on foraging (gathering wild vegetables) of the affiliation to four different tribes within the same culture/language/religion in NW Pakistan. Through more than 100 interviews with local peoples conducted over a span of two years information about local wild vegetable names, growth habit, used plant parts, food/cooking details, medicinal perceptions, availability season, and market prices was collected. The survey recorded 51 non-cultivated vegetables while the dominant botanical families were Asteraceae and Fabaceae. Seven species were found to be sold at local and regional markets. Cross-cultural analysis among the wild plants foraged by the four considered tribes showed that the largest number of species was reported by members of the Hadarzai and Umarzai tribes, although most of the quoted wild vegetables were homogeneously gathered among all considered communities, with some more idiosyncratic plant uses among the Umarzai group, who have likely been less affected by the erosion of traditional knowledge or possibly have had less access to traded cultivated vegetables. This shows that food ethnobotanical knowledge exchanges overcome families and tribal boundaries, possibly through continuous social exchanges. The recorded food heritage will be essential for future projects aimed at fostering bio conservation, environmental sustainability, and food security.The foraging and consumption of wild food plants is a long-standing tradition in many parts of the world and their importance in promoting food security has become more widely debated in recent years. The current study aimed to document, analyze, and interpret the traditional knowledge of non-cultivated vegetables among four Pathan tribes (Alisher Khel, Hadarzai, Haji Khel, and Umarzai) living in the Gadoon Valley, Swabi District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NW Pakistan, and to evaluate how these practices vary among the considered tribal communities. A total of 104 informants were interviewed via a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire and group discussions. The field survey was conducted from October 2018 to November 2020. Information about local names, growth habit, used plant parts, food/cooking details, medicinal perceptions, availability season, and market prices were collected. The field survey recorded 51 non-cultivated vegetables belonging to 24 botanical families, for which the frequently used plant parts included young leaves, stems, and flowers. The greatest number of use reports was recorded for Colocasia and the highest cultural index value was recorded for Rumex dentatus; the dominant botanical families were Asteraceae and Fabaceae (six species each). Seven species were found to be sold at local and regional markets. Cross-cultural analysis among the four considered tribes showed that the largest number of species was reported by members of the Hadarzai and Umarzai tribes, although most of the quoted wild vegetables were homogenously gathered among all considered communities, with some more idiosyncratic plant uses among the Umarzai group, who have likely been less affected by the erosion of traditional knowledge or possibly have had less access to traded cultivated vegetables. The novelty of the data was assessed by comparing it with the previously published wild food ethnobotanical literature of Pakistan, which showed fifteen new wild vegetables not yet reported in the NW of the country. The recorded food biocultural heritage should be seriously considered in future local development projects aimed at fostering environmental sustainability and food security.

Remote Renewable Hubs for Carbon-Neutral Synthetic Fuel Production

This paper studies the economics of carbon-neutral synthetic fuel production from renewable electricity in remote areas where high-quality renewable resources are abundant. To this end, a graph-based optimisation modelling framework directly applicable to the strategic planning of remote renewable energy supply chains is proposed. More precisely, a hypergraph abstraction of planning problems is introduced, wherein nodes can be viewed as optimisation subproblems with their own parameters, variables, constraints and local objective. Nodes typically represent a subsystem such as a technology, a plant or a process. Hyperedges, on the other hand, express the connectivity between subsystems. The framework is leveraged to study the economics of carbon-neutral synthetic methane production from solar and wind energy in North Africa and its delivery to Northwestern European markets. The full supply chain is modelled in an integrated fashion, which makes it possible to accurately capture the interaction between various technologies on an hourly time scale. Results suggest that the cost of synthetic methane production and delivery would be slightly under 150 €/MWh (higher heating value) by 2030 for a system supplying 10 TWh annually and relying on a combination of solar photovoltaic and wind power plants, assuming a uniform weighted average cost of capital of 7%. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis is also carried out in order to assess the impact of various techno-economic parameters and assumptions on synthetic methane cost, including the availability of wind power plants, the investment costs of electrolysis, methanation and direct air capture plants, their operational flexibility, the energy consumption of direct air capture plants, and financing costs. The most expensive configuration (around 200 €/MWh) relies on solar photovoltaic power plants alone, while the cheapest configuration (around 88 €/MWh) makes use of a combination of solar PV and wind power plants and is obtained when financing costs are set to zero.

Water yield and consumption of cauliflower plants grown in a hydroponic system using brackish waters and different flow rates

HIGHLIGHTS Raising the flow rate of the nutrient solution with brackish water results in less water consumption in cauliflower. The water yield in cultivation of cauliflower depends on the chemical composition of the water used in the nutrient solution. The cauliflower production is viable in hydroponics using waters with electrical conductivities of up to 5.88 dS m-1.

Oxalate-rich foods

The intake of large amounts of the antinutrient oxalate can induce hyperoxaluria, an important risk factor for the development of calcium oxalate stones. The soluble and total oxalate concentrations of plants of the Fabaceae, Convolvulaceae, and Malvaceae families were determined using an HPLC-enzyme-reactor method. Sweet potato is a species of the Convolvulaceae, Fabaceae includes beans, lentils, peas, licorice and blue fenugreek, whereas okra and cocoa are species of the Malvaceae family. Total oxalate content was highest in licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra; 3569 mg/100 g), an important medicinal herb and sweetener in candies, blue fenugreek (Trigonella coerulea; 1246 mg/100 g) and white beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.; 548 mg/100 g), plants of the Fabaceae family. Total oxalate content amounted to 496 mg/100 g in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), 619 mg/100 g in cocoa powder (Theobroma cacao) and 317 mg/100 g in okra (Abdelmoschus esculentus), the most important agricultural crops of the Convolvulaceae and Malvaceae, respectively. The findings suggested that most foods of these plant families contain high to excessively high oxalate concentrations. The consumption of these oxalate-rich plants can negatively impact calcium oxalate stone formation.

Attitude and awareness of medicinal plants in treatment of kidney lithiasis in eastern Morocco: a retrospective study

Summary Introduction: Kidney stone is a major public health problem. Over 5% of the population is affected by kidney stones, with causes a lifetime risk of transmitting renal lithiasis of about 8 to 10%. Objective: The goal of our study is the attitude and awareness of lithiasis patients regarding the use of medicinal plants in eastern Morocco. Methods: We carried out a study on lithiasis patients to retrospectively identify medicinal plants used in this disease, using a pre-established questionnaire. The study was carried out from 10 December 2017 to 28 February 2018. Results: Our survey describes several medicinal plants used to treat renal lithiasis in eastern Morocco. Most patients used Herniaria hirsuta L., Zea mays L., Urtica dioica L., and Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss. This preliminary study showed that the first reason to use medicinal plants in half of lithiasis patients is to calm the pain and expel the stones. The primary source of plant use information is oral tradition. However 67% of lithiasis patients are unaware of the harmful and toxic effects that can appear. Conclusion: Medicinal plants must, like medicines, comply with strict requirements and standard rules of use to which only the specialist in herbal medicine can respond and sensitize people to the dangers of irrational consumption of medicinal plants.

The representativeness of the dental calculus dietary record: insights from Ta\xef chimpanzee faecal phytoliths

In recent years, new applications of microremain dietary analysis using dental calculus as a source of dietary data on ancient human subsistence and behaviours have accelerated. The dental calculus of contemporary human and non-human populations with known diets have been used as reference datasets, including the chimpanzees of Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire), but explaining the preservation mechanism involved is challenged by our incomplete knowledge of the microremain content within the diets of these reference populations and our rudimentary information on microremain incorporation into dental calculus. Here, we analyse phytoliths in faecal samples to assess to what extent plant phytoliths of a diet are reflected in the dental calculus as well as in the egested faeces. In this study, we identify and document the faecal phytolith assemblages as an indicator of plant consumption in two Western chimpanzees of the Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire) before (wet season), during (dry season) and after (dry season) a dust-rich period. Moreover, observational dietary records of these two individuals were compiled to improve the interpretability of this dental calculus phytolith dataset. The faecal phytolith assemblages vary significantly across samples in terms of abundance and diversity. The most common phytolith morphotypes were eudicot plates, single-cell and multi-cell tracheids, monocot rugulose and echinate spheroids and, to a lesser extent, unspecified thick and thin elongates. High loads of grit and other micro-remains (e.g. diatoms) are found during the dry period. Using observational dietary records as a starting point and our faecal results as a terminus, we consider how dental calculus can accumulate phytoliths. Our findings enable identification of the phytolith morphotypes that are under-represented in dental calculus, which is highly informative for future dental calculus research strategies.

Numerical study on the cooling characteristics of hybrid thermosyphons: Case study of the Giant Mine, Canada

Hybrid thermosyphons have been installed in several permafrost protection applications due to their ability to operate continuously irrespective of seasonal temperature variations. In winter seasons, the thermosyphon operates passively by transferring energy between the ground and cold ambient air; while in warmer/summer seasons, an active refrigeration plant is used as a substitute for colder climate to extract the heat and freeze the ground. This study presents a novel conjugate mathematical model of hybrid thermosyphons based on thermal resistance networks, coupled with transient two-phase artificial ground freezing heat flow based on the enthalpy method. The model is validated against laboratory experimental data from literature and field test data from the Giant Mine in Yellowknife, Canada. Various design and operating parameters are investigated with the aim to maximizing ground heat extraction while minimizing energy consumption. The results indicate that active refrigeration substantially accelerates the formation of the desired frozen ground volume. After a certain time, passive cooling mode can be continuously adopted to reduce the energy consumption of refrigeration plants while maintaining the desired frozen ground thickness. Finally, the model can be used to assist engineers and practitioners to optimize the design of hybrid thermosyphon for permafrost protection or other ground freezing applications.

Paleoenvironmental and Paleoecological Inferences of the Quaternary Megafauna of Lajedão do Patrício, Bahia, Brazil

During the Pleistocene, a diverse fauna composed of large and mega mammals lived in the Northeastern of Brazil, and is generally associated with open environments. We present in this study carbon and oxygen isotopic data of Notiomastodon platensis and Toxodontinae from the fossiliferous deposit of Lajedão do Patrício, João Dourado, Bahia, Brazil. The analyzes of δ13C and δ18O were carried out to better understand the paleoecology of these taxa and, consequently, make it possible to obtain paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental inferences about the region of Lajedão do Patrício fossiliferous deposit. The δ13C values identified for Notiomastodon platensis (−5.67‰ and −6.95‰) and Toxodontinae (−5.62‰ and −7.03‰) indicate a mixed diet for these taxa due to the consumption of C3 and C4 plants, indicating an environmental scenario of vegetation mosaic of dry forest (caatinga) and cerrado during the Pleistocene/Holocene. The comparison between the δ13C data from the megafauna in Northeast Brazil allowed the identification of opportunistic behaviors for Notiomastodon platensis and Toxodontinae, varying between the browser, mixed and grazing habits, according to the characteristics of the habitat in which they lived. The δ18O data and its variations suggest changes in the precipitation regime during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition in the region of the analyzed fossiliferous deposit.

Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy Analysis to Predict Diet Composition of a Mountain Ungulate Species.

Simple SummaryUngulates are characterized by their ability to modify or maintain habitats through their impact on plant species composition and the structure of vegetation. Assessing the diet composition of ungulates is therefore important to understand their role in the ecosystem integrity and to develop monitoring and population management plans. The diet composition of free-ranging ungulates has most often been assessed by time-consuming and cost-intensive approaches such as the direct observation of animals, chemical analysis, molecular approaches or microhistological analysis of fecal samples. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy analysis would be a quick, economic and non-destructive alternative to assess diet composition using fecal samples. In this work, we evaluated the use of this spectroscopy method to assess the diet composition of the Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica), a medium-size subalpine ungulate with a broad dietary niche. Our results support the reliability of the fecal spectroscopy analysis to monitor diet composition of free-ranging ungulates.The diet composition of ungulates is important to understand not only their impact on vegetation, but also to understand the consequences of natural and human-driven environmental changes on the foraging behavior of these mammals. In this work, we evaluated the use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy analysis (NIRS), a quick, economic and non-destructive method, to assess the diet composition of the Pyrenean chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica. Fecal samples (n = 192) were collected from two chamois populations in the French and Spanish Pyrenees. Diet composition was initially assessed by fecal cuticle microhistological analysis (CMA) and categorized into four functional groups, namely: woody, herbaceous, graminoid and Fabaceae plants. Regressions of modified partial least squares and several combinations of scattering correction and derivative treatments were tested. The results showed that models based on the second derivative processing obtained the higher determination coefficient for woody, herbaceous and graminoid plants (R2CAL, coefficient of determination in calibration, ranged from 0.86 to 0.91). The Fabaceae group, however, was predicted with lower accuracy (R2CAL = 0.71). Even though an agreement between NIRS and CMA methods was confirmed by a Bland–Altman analysis, confidence limits of agreement differed by up to 25%. Our results support the viability of fecal NIRS analysis to study spatial and temporal variations of the Pyrenean chamois’ diets in summer and winter when differences in the consumption of woody and annual plants are the greatest. This new use for the NIRS technique would be useful to assess the consequences of global change on the feeding behavior of this mountain ungulate and also in other ungulate counterparts.

Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health

Global plastic pollution has been a serious problem since many years and micro (nano) plastics (MNPs) have gained attention from researchers around the world. This is because MNPs able to exhibit toxicology and interact with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the environment, causing soil toxicity. The influences of MNPs on the soil systems and plant crops have been overlooked despite that MNPs can accumulate in the plant root system and generate detrimental impacts to the terrestrial environments. The consumption of these MNPs-contaminated plants or fruits by humans and animals will eventually lead to health deterioration. The identification and measurement of MNPs in various soil samples is challenging, making the understanding of the fate, environmental and ecological of MNPs in terrestrial ecosystem is limited. Prior to sample assessment, it is necessary to isolate the plastic particles from the environment samples, concentrate the plastic particles for analysis purpose to meet detection limit for analytical instrument. The isolation and pre-concentrated steps are challenging and may cause sample loss. Herein, this article reviews MNPs, including their fate in the environment and toxic effects exhibited towards soil microorganisms, plants and humans along with the interaction of MNPs with PTEs. In addition, various analysis methods of MNPs and management of MNPs as well as the crucial challenges and future research studies in combating MNPs in soil system are also discussed.

Seasonal diet composition of Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) in Kajinag National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract In temperate environments, forage availability and quality are known to influence life history traits of wild ungulates. However, variations in foraging strategies of these mountain dwellers with changing plant availability have received little attention. The seasonal vegetation availability in temperate climatic conditions of Kajinag National Park (KNP) was assessed by plot method at different altitudes (1900–3600 m a.s.l.) from 2018 to 2020 on seasonal basis. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of availability of vegetation on seasonal diet composition of Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) inhabiting the National Park. We recorded 61 plant species whose availability differed significantly across seasons (F 3,240 = 20.14, p < 0.05). We found seasonal variation in the diet composition of Himalayan goral depicting a strong relationship between plant consumption and dynamic availability in the study area. Himalayan goral consumed herbs in spring (dominated by Dioscorea deltoidea relative importance value (RIV) = 27.20, Poa pratensis RIV = 14.99 and Themeda spp. RIV = 12.87), grasses in summer (dominated by Themeda spp. RIV = 34.12, P. pratensis RIV = 30.14, Bothriochloa ischaemum RIV = 22.72) and autumn (dominated by Themeda spp. RIV = 34.64, P. pratensis RIV = 30.14, Stipa spp. RIV = 29.73) and shrubs in winter (dominated by Indigofera heterantha RIV = 47.05, Prunus tomentosa RIV = 17.51 and Lonicera spp. RIV = 16.98). The annual diet of Himalayan goral was dominated by graze species (72.66%). The proportion of graze items in the diet showed a sharp decline from spring (90.67%) to winter (19.23%) whereas that of browse showed a huge increment from spring (4.67%) to winter (74.43%). This shift shows a survival or foraging strategy of a temperate ungulate in harsh winters with limited forage availability.

Determinants of Household Income and Willingness to Pay for Indigenous Plants in North West Province, South Africa: A Two-Stage Heckman Approach

Using a cross-sectional dataset, this study examines the factors influencing the income and willingness to pay for indigenous plants by rural households in the North West Province of South Africa. The method of data analysis was based on a two-stage Heckman model. Based on empirical data, the majority (93%) of the households are willing to pay for the indigenous plants. Furthermore, factors such as the age of the household’s head, marital status, size of households, financial returns and economic benefit of indigenous plants significantly influenced income and willingness to pay for indigenous plants by the households. Thus, indigenous plants have the potential to penetrate local and international markets and can be used to improve the economies, livelihood, and food security status of rural households in South Africa. Indigenous plant cultivation can increase agro-food system species diversity while conserving plant species indigenous to this area of South Africa. Encouraging both consumption and production of indigenous plants can also help diversify local economies and communities.

Forecasting Energy Consumption of Wastewater Treatment Plants with a Transfer Learning Approach for Sustainable Cities

A major challenge of today’s society is to make large urban centres more sustainable. Improving the energy efficiency of the various infrastructures that make up cities is one aspect being considered when improving their sustainability, with Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) being one of them. Consequently, this study aims to conceive, tune, and evaluate a set of candidate deep learning models with the goal being to forecast the energy consumption of a WWTP, following a recursive multi-step approach. Three distinct types of models were experimented, in particular, Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTMs), Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs), and uni-dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Uni- and multi-variate settings were evaluated, as well as different methods for handling outliers. Promising forecasting results were obtained by CNN-based models, being this difference statistically significant when compared to LSTMs and GRUs, with the best model presenting an approximate overall error of 630 kWh when on a multi-variate setting. Finally, to overcome the problem of data scarcity in WWTPs, transfer learning processes were implemented, with promising results being achieved when using a pre-trained uni-variate CNN model, with the overall error reducing to 325 kWh.

Heat-Integrated Distillation Columns as a Retrofit Cannot Bring Energy Savings to the Ethylene Plant

Separation by distillation is an energy-intensive process. Approximately 40% of energy use in the petrochemical industry is associated with separation by distillation. The heat-integrated distillation column (HIDiC) is a process intensification technology, which aims to reduce the energy required by the distillation process. A study was performed to determine the energy savings that could be achieved by using HIDiC as a retrofit of two critical distillation columns in the ethylene process (ethylene fractionator and deethanizer). The aim was to assess the energy savings of an individual HIDiC and relate it to the energy consumption of the plant as a whole. The outcome of this study is that HIDiC could lower the energy demand, but this itself did not translate into energy savings for the overall plant in either case. The HIDiC ethylene fractionator increased the energy consumption of the overall plant by 16% and the HIDiC deethanizer by 50%. The reasons for this are discussed thoroughly in this article.

An environmental risk assessment for a DDX-contaminated agricultural area in Turkey: soil vs. plant or human vs. animal.

This study is the first research attempt to assess the environmental risks of an agricultural area contaminated with the p,p'-DDT and its metabolites (DDX) on human and terrestrial species through exposure to soil and agricultural products, simultaneously. The study was carried out for a DDX-contaminated agricultural area in Turkey. Soil samples obtained in two different harvest applications were analyzed in terms of DDX levels. Similarly, stem, leaf, and fruit samples of an agricultural product grown on the same soils were analyzed. Using the results of these analyses, DDX intake values were calculated for 5 different human receptor groups, 4 different bird species, and 4 different mammal species, and the risk values were calculated by using a stochastic approach based on a Monte Carlo simulation. Findings indicated a substantial level of carcinogenic risk in the human receptor groups. Furthermore, a significant risk of reproductive toxicity was determined for the birds and mammals. The findings prominently showed that these risks can develop not only through exposure to DDX-contaminated soils but also through the consumption of plants grown on these soils.