Low Water Demand Research Articles

CkREV Enhances the Drought Resistance of Caragana korshinskii through Regulating the Expression of Auxin Synthetase Gene CkYUC5.

As a common abiotic stress, drought severely impairs the growth, development, and even survival of plants. Here we report a transcription factor, Caragana korshinskii REVOLUTA(CkREV), which can bidirectionally regulate the expression of the critical enzyme gene CkYUC5 in auxin synthesis according to external environment changes, so as to control the biosynthesis of auxin and further enhance the drought resistance of plants. Quantitative analysis reveals that the expression level of both CkYUC5 and AtYUC5 is down-regulated after C. korshinskii and Arabidopsis thaliana are exposed to drought. Functional verification of CkREV reveals that CkREV up-regulates the expression of AtYUC5 in transgenic A. thaliana under common conditions, while down-regulating it under drought conditions. Meanwhile, the expression of CkYUC5 is also down-regulated in C. korshinskii leaves instantaneously overexpressing CkREV. We apply a dual-luciferase reporter system to discover that CkREV can bind to the promoter of CkYUC5 to regulate its expression, which is further proved by EMSA and Y1H esxperiments. Functional verification of CkREV in C. korshinskii and transgenic A. thaliana shows that CkREV can regulate the expression of CkYUC5 and AtYUC5 in a contrary way, maintaining the equilibrium of plants between growth and drought resisting. CkREV can positively regulate the expression of CkYUC5 to promote auxin synthesis in favor of growth under normal development. However, CkREV can also respond to external signals and negatively regulate the expression of CkYUC5, which inhibits auxin synthesis in order to reduce growth rate, lower water demands, and eventually improve the drought resistance of plants.

Fresh and mechanical properties of low-cement mortars for 3D printing

The trend of concrete science is aimed at reducing the consumption of cement and the use of 3D printing technologies. Based on non-traditional technical silica, 3D printed mortars were designed with a saving of 70% of cement. The binder components were studied by X-ray spectral microanalysis, diffraction granulometric analysis, while the finished mixtures were tested for freshness and mechanical properties. It was established that the PFM-NLK additive at a concentration of 0.7% is characterized by the greatest plasticizing effect; in this case, the maximum slump flow is reached 179 mm. The presence of a larger number of particles with a size of 3 to 12 µm in the developed binders of low water demand provides a more complete interaction of cement particles with water during hydration, significantly reducing the number of non-hydrated grains in the binder. The setting time and rheological parameters of the developed cement pastes make them suitable for 3D printed mortars. The mechanical properties of low-cement mortars indicate their high strength in bending and compression. The compressive and flexural strength of the developed mortars at the age of 28 days reached 62.9 MPa and 7.9 MPa, which is better than the control cement CEM I 42.5 N by 23% and 52%, respectively.

How temperature shocks impact energy poverty in Vietnam: mediating role of financial development and environmental consideration.

This paper evaluates the energy poverty of Vietnam by mediating the role of financial development and environmental considerations. Across the globe, billions of individuals live in fuel poverty, failing to access inexpensive and sustainable energy, which is necessary for long-term development. An elevation in power consumption due to an overall increase in heat and short periods of extreme heat exacerbates global warming. The goal of this research is to look at how climate change is affecting energy poverty in Vietnam. This finding (1) demonstrates that temperature shocks have a positive and quantitative impact. (2) The same may be said for "poor income/high cost" figures, which include information on power rates. Similarly, if households use the same amount of power but spend less on other items, the influence will not raise their electricity use. (3) Thermal shocks have been shown to reduce agricultural output in studies. During seasons of low rainfall, for example, higher evaporation and plant water demand can worsen drought and raise total irrigation expenses. Labor productivity is also affected by rising temperatures, particularly in weather-sensitive industries like agriculture. As a result, heat shocks will lower agricultural revenues, worsening energy poverty. Surprisingly, overall income appears to be a little mitigating influence. This might be owing to widespread underreporting of stated income, particularly among persons who rely on agriculture for their livelihood.

Variable Legionella Response to Building Occupancy Patterns and Precautionary Flushing.

When stay-at-home orders were issued to slow the spread of COVID-19, building occupancy (and water demand) was drastically decreased in many buildings. There was concern that widespread low water demand may cause unprecedented Legionella occurrence and Legionnaires’ disease incidence. In lieu of evidenced-based guidance, many people flushed their water systems as a preventative measure, using highly variable practices. Here, we present field-scale research from a building before, during, and after periods of low occupancy, and controlled stagnation experiments. We document no change, a > 4-log increase, and a > 1.5-log decrease of L. pneumophila during 3- to 7-week periods of low water demand. L. pneumophila increased by > 1-log after precautionary flushing prior to reoccupancy, which was repeated in controlled boiler flushing experiments. These results demonstrate that the impact of low water demand (colloquially called stagnation) is not as straight forward as is generally assumed, and that some flushing practices have potential unintended consequences. In particular, stagnation must be considered in context with other Legionella growth factors like temperature and flow profiles. Boiler flushing practices that dramatically increase the flow rate and rapidly deplete boiler temperature may mobilize Legionella present in biofilms and sediment.

Evaluating the Degradation of Natural Resources in the Mediterranean Environment Using the Water and Land Resources Degradation Index, the Case of Crete Island

Natural resources degradation poses multiple challenges particularly to environmental and economic processes. It is usually difficult to identify the degree of degradation and the critical vulnerability values in the affected systems. Thus, among other tools, indices (composite indicators) may also describe these complex systems or phenomena. In this approach, the Water and Land Resources Degradation Index was applied to the fifth largest Mediterranean island, Crete, for the 1999–2014 period. The Water and Land Resources Degradation Index uses 11 water and soil resources related indicators: Aridity Index, Water Demand, Drought Impacts, Drought Resistance Water Resources Infrastructure, Land Use Intensity, Soil Parent Material, Plant Cover, Rainfall, Slope, and Soil Texture. The aim is to identify the sensitive areas to degradation due to anthropogenic interventions and natural processes, as well as their vulnerability status. The results for Crete Island indicate that prolonged water resources shortages due to low average precipitation values or high water demand (especially in the agricultural sector), may significantly affect Water and Land degradation processes. Hence, Water and Land Resources Degradation Index could serve as an extra tool to assist policymakers to improve their decisions to combat Natural Resources degradation.

Monitoring irrigation dynamics in paddy fields using spatiotemporal fusion of Sentinel-2 and MODIS

Rapid and accurate monitoring of irrigation dynamics in paddy fields (the start, end, duration and irrigation peak, etc.) at field scales is crucial to the fine management of agricultural water resources, especially in typical areas with water shortages. However, there is still a lack of sufficient research to depict irrigation dynamics in paddy fields at high temporal and spatial levels. To this end, this study fused Sentinel-2 and MODIS images to map the spatio-temporal dynamics of irrigation events in paddy fields. A popular spatiotemporal fusion algorithm (enhanced spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model, ESTARFM) was used to generate 25 high-spatial resolution (10 m) remote sensing images based on 9 Sentinel-2 images and 24 MODIS images. Random forest algorithm was used to extract the spatial distribution of irrigated paddy fields. Water body index and vegetation index were employed to identify the start, end and duration of irrigation in paddy fields. Penman-Monteith model was used to estimate water surplus and deficit of irrigation during the critical irrigation period with daily observation data from meteorological stations. This study was carried out in rice-growing areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in China. The results indicated that the spatial distribution difference of irrigation events in paddy fields with the shortest 3-day interval could be monitored in collaboration with Sentinel-2 and MODIS images. The start, end, and duration of irrigation in paddy fields presented significant spatial differences at field scales. A large amount of water from groundwater and Yellow River was needed, because the total water shortage of irrigation in paddy fields in the study area was about 80.79% of the total water demand. In addition, paddy fields with higher water demand were more concentrated spatially, as were paddy fields with lower water demand. The feasibility of spatiotemporal fusion of multi-source remote sensing data makes it possible to continuously monitor irrigation dynamics in paddy fields on high spatial resolution scales, which is conducive to the construction of spatiotemporal database and big data platform of agricultural irrigation information. This would not only help in promoting the high-quality development of agricultural water resources management but also alleviating the contradiction of regional water resources.

Determination of Biodiesel Production Volume of Sunflower as the Major Oilseed Crop in Turkey

Our agricultural system is struggling to respond to increasing demands for food and renewable energy. We need to prioritize our production of local biofuel feedstocks by going through energy diversification, whose raw material is based on agriculture. The need for biofuels, which are among the renewable energy sources in our country, is increasing day by day, especially in terms of energy security and sustainability. Sunflower, cotton, safflower, and rapeseed are among the vegetable oil feedstock sources of biodiesel production, an important place among biofuels in our country. The most abundant source of oil raw material belongs to sunflower. Is this year 2019 sowing season in our country, 2 100 000 tons of sunflower were harvested with a yield of 27 937 kg per hectare during the planting works carried out on 751 693 hectares of land. This study aimed to determine the potential biodiesel volume of the sunflower plant according to the data of 2019. As a result of the calculations, this oilseed plant's potential biodiesel production volume in our country has been determined as 582 643 166 liters. For the biodiesel sector to produce uninterruptedly, the production studies of second-generation biodiesel raw materials, which are not used in the food sector, are compatible with the conditions of our country, especially in low water demand, and can be grown quickly in marginal areas.

Composite Cements of Low Water Demand. Possibilities and Prospects of Application in Building Materials

Composite Cements of Low Water Demand. Possibilities and Prospects of Application in Building Materials

Water, Energy and Nutrient Losses from Food Wastage of Selected Crops in Three Agro-Climatic Zones in British Columbia, Canada

Food waste is a growing global concern. Data on the factors and magnitude are largely global estimates, thus local studies aid in providing information on the impacts of food waste. Three important agro-climatic zones in British Columbia and nine common crops, both annual and perennial, were selected to evaluate the environmental and nutritional implications of local food waste. Using Canadian estimates of total food waste, the constituent water, caloric content, protein, vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium wasted by each crop were estimated. Regionally, the total production and losses were the highest in the Lower Fraser Valley which had high production of potatoes and blueberries, followed by the Okanagan, with grapes and apples, and Vancouver Island, with potatoes. Virtual water was estimated by the BC Agriculture Water Calculator and used to assess the soil and climatic factors impacting the local water demand. Although soil texture seemed to influence water demand, the agro-climatic zone was the main factor controlling the water demand and the corresponding amount of water wasted. Dry agro-climatic zones had annual virtual water up to two times higher for the same crop and soil texture. Lower water demand crops, finer soils and more efficient irrigation systems were more congruent with water stress scenarios. Total losses for each region were based on conservative estimates and would have supplied the caloric energy and protein for over 40,000 adults, and vitamin C for over 300,000 adults for one year. Additionally, the total N, P and K wasted accounted for up to 32, 2 and 13 kg/ha respectively for common fertilizers used in British Columbia. This study confirmed the significance of food waste impacts on local water demand, human nutrition and soil management based on regional data for representative crops.

Physico-chemical Properties and Possible Applications of Sewage Sludge Combustion Ash

The main problems and prospects of water disposal systems of such a megalopolis as Saint Petersburg are considered. Methods for processing sewage sludge to an ecologically safe state, as well as the use of sludge combustion ash at the Central Aeration Station (CAS) in Saint Petersburg are proposed. Special attention was paid to the issues of sludge management in the sewage system of domestic wastewater. The possibility of using ash for extinguishing and eliminating oil spills at the CAS was confirmed experimentally in comparison with similar capabilities of marshalite and fine-grained construction sand. A method for preparing dry building mixes based on Portland cement for obtaining low-water demand construction binders was proposed.

A Parametric Analysis for Short-Term Residential Electrification with Electric Water Tanks. The Case of Spain

Buildings are great contributors to global GHG emissions, because they are responsible for direct and indirect emissions. In light of increased renewable energy share in the electricity mix, it is crucial to boost residential electrification for building decarbonization. Consequently, building regulation ought to send the proper signals to the market to encourage electrification and avoid establishing new fossil fuel-based infrastructure, which may lock in future interventions and seriously compromise climate change mitigation. This paper studies short-term residential electrification with electric water tanks in Spain using a parametric analysis considering several water heater configurations with various sizes and management strategies, using different draw-off profiles, actual time-dependent electricity prices, and CO2 factors. The results demonstrate significant GHG savings when substituting fossil fuel boilers for any water heater configuration. However, current electricity prices are such that technology change is only cost effective for low hot water demands (1–2 people) and the provided fossil fuel supply is completely removed from dwellings. The exploitation of implicit demand response increases cost-effectiveness. The analysis of Spanish regulation shows that some elements of current policies on energy efficiency in buildings hamper residential electrification, consequently policy changes are proposed.

Expanded Potential Growing Region and Yield Increase for Agave americana with Future Climate

Rising crop risk for farmers and greater subsidy costs for governments are both associated with changing climatic conditions, including increased water scarcity. The resilience of Agave spp. in both hot and dry conditions, combined with their wide range of uses, position these plants as novel high-yielding crops suitable for both (i) a warming climate and (ii) agricultural regions with finite water resources. A simple model of the physiological response of Agave americana to variations in solar radiation, temperature, and precipitation was used to predict A. americana yields globally at a 4 km spatial resolution for both contemporary climate and high-end warming scenarios. The potential growing region for A. americana expanded by 3–5% (up to 3 million ha) and potential biomass production increased by 4–5% (up to 4 Gt of additional biomass) with climate warming scenarios. There were some declines in biomass with the climate warming projected in smaller dispersed locations of tropical South America, Africa, and Australia. The amount of water required for optimal A. americana yield is less than half of the current water required for other crops grown in semi-arid agricultural regions of the southwestern US, and a similar low water demand can be expected in other semi-arid regions of the world. Rock mulching can further reduce the need for irrigation and increase suitable cropland area for A. americana by 26–30%. We show that >10 Mg ha−1 y−1 of A. americana biomass could be produced on 27 million ha of cropland without requiring irrigation. Our results suggest that cultivation of A. americana can support resilient agriculture in a future with rising temperatures and water scarcity.

Landscape intervention in the Hospital for Covid-19 pandemic in Madrid

From Design with Nature of Ian L. McHarg to The Origin of Eukaryotic Cells of Lynn Margulis, the role of the microorganisms in the cycle of life, health, and disease, and in climate change constitutes the life support system of the biosphere. The micro-parklands of the Emergency Hospital in Madrid create a natural system of prefabricated elements following the aim of rapid implementation, isolation, and protection taking as reference the simple integrated system of living microorganisms. These micro-enclosures provide circular areas where patients, visitors, or healthcare professionals can meet in secret places surrounded by trees and shrubs or long green islands where they can walk around. The landscape architecture project has a surface of 7,434 sqm and occupies a plot of 69,791 sqm located in the Hortaleza district of Madrid. Belonging to the previous City of Justice project on the north side of the Institute of Legal Medicine, the plot, which is trapezoidal with a drop of 4,5 meters, is destined for a public hospital constructed in four months during the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to dry climatic conditions, adapted species with low water demand have been selected reducing the risk of allergies or respiratory problems. The topography has been modified to conserve rainwater and direct it to green areas that act as sponges that reduce runoff, store water, remove sediment and pollutants and release it into other ecosystems. There is no separation between soft scape (planting) and hard scape (soil) in the intervention, both are soft and porous and have macro and micro living beings. Following the references of these books, creativity and destruction as real phenomena both have attributes such as fitness and unfitness in the evolutionary way or health and disease. The vital system of living organisms (creativity) and viruses (destruction) has guided the design and distribution of these external areas that intend to prevent infections in the open air, as part of the mutation and adaptation process.

Implications of changing cropping pattern to low water demand plants due to climate change: evidence from Iran

Implications of changing cropping pattern to low water demand plants due to climate change: evidence from Iran

Stochastic Rainwater Harvesting System Modeling Under Random Rainfall Features and Variable Water Demands

AbstractA stochastic rainwater harvesting system modeling (StRaHaS) method is developed to enhance both accurateness and applicability of hydrologic modeling in guiding extensive applications of individual rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems (especially over large data‐scarce regions). The reliability of a RWH system is characterized as the fraction of time water demands being satisfied by a rainwater storage unit (RWSU). The variations of water balances, the post‐rainfall RWSU full‐storage probability, and the system reliability with random rainfall features, variable water demands, and the other RWH system characteristics are derived as analytical, accurate, and easily applied models through stochastic integration. StRaHaS is applied to three domestic RWH systems in Toronto, Canada. Due to high accurateness and low complexity in modeling, designing, assessing, and analyzing the RWH systems, StRaHaS outperforms existing methods (e.g., inaccurate water‐balance estimation, complicated continuous simulation, and simplified stochastic simulation). Based on StRaHaS, we quantitatively expound the increases in the reliability of the systems with higher rainwater supplies (corresponding to higher rainfall depths, and lower rainfall losses and first‐flush depths), lower water demands (in shorter wet and dry periods), and higher RWSU capacities. Long dry periods are lengthened by climate change and play dominant roles in low, spatially heterogeneous reliability of the systems. Synchronic changes and extremely high values of rainfall features do not significantly affect the reliability. Overall, StRaHaS is a promising method in modeling RWH systems, revealing RWH mechanisms, scientizing RWH applications, and facilitating the Sustainable Development Goals for addressing global water issues.

An Innovative Solid-State Micro-Anaerobic Digestion Process to Valorize Food Waste: Technical Development Constraints and Consequences on Biological Performances

To face the increase of waste production and meet the energy demand of urban areas, municipal waste management systems should be rethought. Innovative solutions such as decentralised small-scale anaerobic digestion could be developed. This work presents the design, operation and performances of a new micro-scale anaerobic digester (AD) developed to degrade food waste (FW) in urban areas i.e. highly compact and with low water and energy demand. To meet these objectives, the new micro-scale AD is a semi-continuous and two-stage process built vertically to take advantage of the gravity to mix and move the digested matter instead of using mechanical devices. The first stage consists in a tubular reactor fed weekly with FW and periodically watered with leachate from the second stage reactor located below the tubular reactor. Results show that AD performances were highly correlated to the efficiency of hydric transfer between the tubular reactor and the leachate tank. Indeed, pH, volatile fatty acids and microbial community analysis showed that the hydrolysis occurred in the tubular reactor, while the methanogenesis step occurred in the leachate tank. Overall, the average methane production was 143 ± 87 NL/kgvs with an average methane content of 44 ± 10% and the operation mode of the process has still to be improved.Graphic

Influence of PCE-type GA on cement hydration performances

Modified polycarboxylate-type (PCE-type) grinding aid (GA) by grafting acylamino group and hydroxyl group into the backbone of PCE polymer was synthesized, and its possibility to be adopted as cement GA was estimated in this research. The grindability of PCE-type GA was measured in terms of grinding duration as well as particle size distribution, and the grindability of PCE-type GA was systematically compared with that of triethanolamine (TEA) and ordinary PCE-type superplasticizer. The cement hydration kinetics, the microstructure, and the physical–mechanical properties of ground cement samples in the function of PCE-based GA were analyzed. The results indicated that PCE-type GA was more effective in cement grinding process than TEA as well as PCE-type superplasticizer, exhibiting shortened grinding duration, optimized particle size distribution, and homogenized particle morphology. And cement ground by PCE-type GA was characterized with lower water demand, higher fluidity property, and increased mechanical strength, ascribed to the dispersion capability of PCE polymer as well as the unified cement particle size distribution. The application of PCE-type GA could slightly prolong the induction period of the ground cement, but gently enhance the hydration degree. Lower porosity and denser microstructure with higher density of cement hydration products uniformly distributing in the hardened matrix could be achieved with PCE-type GA adopted in the ground cement.

Characterization of a microbial consortium with potential for biological degradation of cactus pear biomass for biofuel production

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species that serves as a food, feed, and bioenergy crop. O. ficus-indica is an attractive alternative biofuel feedstock due to its low water demand and high biomass productivity. Current ethanol yields from O. ficus-indica are not commercially viable due to low concentrations of released fermentable carbohydrates. Axenic strains of bacteria and fungi were isolated and characterized from a soil microbial community consortium that effectively degrades cladodes into soluble components. The consortium consisted of species representing 14 genera of eubacteria and four genera of fungi. The digestion efficiency of each axenic isolate was evaluated by measuring the release of soluble material after aerobic digestion of cladodes and direct measurement of cellulase and pectinase activities in the culture supernatants. Pectobacterium cacticida was the most effective eubacterial species identified for degrading cladodes among all isolates evaluated. Thus, P. cacticida holds great promise for increasing the release of fermentable sugars and improving overall ethanol yields.

Constitutive Model of Uniaxial Compressive Behavior for Roller-Compacted Concrete Using Coal Bottom Ash Entirely as Fine Aggregate

Coal bottom ash (CBA) is one of the by-products that can be employed as fine aggregate to replace natural sand in concrete. Owing to the very low water demand, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) has the potential to use CBA as fine aggregate at a high proportion. However, little research about RCC using CBA entirely as fine aggregate has been conducted. In this study, the uniaxial compressive strength, deformation, stress–strain curves, and splitting tensile strength of CBA-containing RCC (CBA RCC) were studied to bridge this gap. The compressive strength, elasticity modulus, and splitting tensile strength of all mixtures decreased with increasing CBA content. The relationship between compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of CBA RCC was proposed, which is very close to that recommended by the CEB-FIP code. The uniaxial compressive constitutive model based on the continuum damage theory can well illustrate the stress–strain relationship of CBA RCC. The growth process of damage variable demonstrates the hybrid effect of coarse aggregate, cement, and compacting load on delaying damage under uniaxial compression. The theoretical formula can also accurately illustrate the stress–strain curves of RCC presented in the literature studies.

Stratification as a way to increase germination of switchgrass seeds (Panicum virgatum L.)

Introduction. There is a practical interest in biofuels production from bioomass of perennial cereal grasses such as switchgrass, which is characterized by relatively high yields, low water and fertilization demand, reliable productivity in a wide geographical area, reduced soil erosion, carbon sequestration and improved wildlife habitat. The crop is propagated mainly by seeds, which is characterized by a long dormancy period, which leads to low field germination and uneven germination.
 Methods. Laboratory, visual, measuring and weighing, mathematical and statistical.
 Results. The main restraining factor in switchgrass widespread introduction into production and one of the ways to reduce the biological state of rest is stratification. Therefore, the aim of the research was to investigate the influence of seed stratification on the seed vigour and germination depending on the switchgrass varietal characteristics. The article presents the results of research on the seed stratification influence on its vigor and germination depending on varietal characteristics in order to reduce the biological dormancy of seeds and significantly increase germination. Determination of the response of different genotypes to stratification, the effect of low temperature on seed germination was carried out using seeds of four varieties of different groups of maturity: American origin varieties Foresburg — early, Cavein-rock — mid-late, Alamo — late and Ukrainian origin Morozko — midlate. Stratification, i. e. cooling seeds for 7 days at a temperature of 10◦C and germination at a temperature of 20◦C provided a significant increase in seed vigour and seed germination of all studied varieties. On average, the germination energy increased by 5% and germination by 4%. Seeds stratification differently affected seeds quality depending on varietal characteristics, while no natural changes in the seed quality by maturity groups were observed. It was found that stratification had a greater impact on germination energy, with the share of impact being 20%.
 Conclusions. Stratification provided a significant increase in seed vigour and germination in all studied varieties. On average, seed vigour increased by 5% and germination by 4%. But this measure does not provide a complete solution to reduce the biological state of seed dormancy.