Reduction Of Environmental Burden Research Articles

Enhancing road performance and sustainability: A study on recycled porous warm mix asphalt.

The growing demand for sustainable infrastructure has increased interest in eco-friendly design solutions such as porous asphalt (PA) pavements, which manage stormwater runoff and mitigate urban heat islands, and warm mix asphalt (WMA), which reduces energy consumption and emissions during production. This study evaluates the mechanical and environmental performance of four warm mix porous asphalt (WPA) mixtures incorporating recycled materials and by-products: reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), aramid pulp fibres, and electric arc furnace (EAF) steel slag. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with a cradle-to-cradle approach was conducted to comprehensively assess environmental impacts. The inclusion of recycled materials improved mechanical performance, with aramid fibres enhancing cohesion without compromising air voids. LCA results showed a significant reduction in environmental burden, with a nearly 40% decrease in the Global Warming Potential (GWP) indicator. These findings highlight the potential of sustainable WPA mixtures to contribute to greener road infrastructure.

Data Center Environmental Burden Reduction Through On-Site Renewable Power Generation

Abstract The energy demands from data centers contribute greatly to water scarcity footprint and carbon emissions. Understanding the use of on-site renewable power generation is an important step to gain insight into making data centers more sustainable. This novel study examines the impact of on-site solar or wind energy on data center water scarcity usage effectiveness (WSUE) and carbon usage effectiveness (CUE) at a U.S. county scale for a given data center size, water consumption level, and energy efficiency. The analysis uncovers combinations of specific metrics associated with grid-based carbon emissions and water scarcity footprint that enable predictions of the improvements anticipated when implementing on-site solar or wind energy. The implementation of on-site renewables has the most benefit in reducing carbon footprint in areas with high existing grid-based emissions such as the western side of the Appalachian Mountains (e.g., central and eastern Kentucky). The largest benefit in reducing water scarcity footprint is generally seen in counties with low water scarcity compared to adjacent areas (e.g., northern California).

An Overview of Micro- and Nano-Dispersion Additives for Asphalt and Bitumen for Road Construction

The main motivations for the development of research in the area of appropriate additives for asphalt and bitumen are the enhancement of their properties and improvement of their production process, including the reduction in environmental burden. Many additives improve the properties of mineral–asphalt mixtures. Traditionally, additives such as the following are applied: elastomers, plastomers, latexes, rubber powder, resins, and others. Currently, the modification of asphalt and bitumen materials by traditional additives can be replaced by nanomaterials that better fit the requirements of modern industry. New solutions are required, which has led to years of studies researching micro- and nano-additives. The main aim of the article is to analyze contemporary research where micro- and nano-additives were applied to asphalt and bitumen and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of these additives for road construction. The article studied the state of the art in this area based on the literature research. It presents the possible materials’ solutions, including their properties, used technology, and featured trends for road construction. The challenges for further projects are discussed, especially environmental issues.

Fingerprinting of chlorinated paraffins and their transformation products in plastic consumer products

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) can be classified according to their length as short-chain (SC, C10–C13), medium-chain (MC, C14–C17) and long-chain (LC, C ≥ 18) CPs. Technical CP-mixtures can contain a wide range of carbon- (C-, nC = 10–30) and chlorine- (Cl-, nCl = 3–19) homologues. CPs are high-production volume chemicals (>106 t/y). They are used as flame-retardants, plasticizers and coolant fluids. Due to the persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range environmental transport potential and adverse effects, SCCPs are regulated as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention. Transformation of CPs can lead to the formation of unsaturated compounds such as chlorinated mono- (CO), di- (CdiO) and tri-olefins (CtriO). Such transformation reactions can occur at different stages of CP manipulation providing characteristic C-/Cl-homologue distributions. All this results in unique patterns that collectively create a fingerprint, which can be distinguished from CP-containing samples. Therefore, CP-fingerprinting can develop into a promising tool for future source apportionment studies and with it, the reduction of environmental burden of CPs and hazards to humans. Herein, CP-containing plastics were studied to establish fingerprints and develop this method. We analyzed four household items by reverse-phase liquid-chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source and an Orbitrap mass analyzer (RP-LC-APCI-Orbitrap-MS) operated at a resolution of 120000 (FWHM at m/z 200). MS-data of different CP-, CO-, CdiO- and CtriO-homologues were efficiently processed with an R-based automatic mass spectra evaluation routine (RASER). From the 16720 ions searched for, up to 4300 ions per sample were assigned to 340 C-/Cl-homologues of CPs and their transformation products. Specific fingerprints were deduced from the C-/Cl-homologues distributions, the carbon- (nC) and chlorine- (nCl) numbers and saturation degree. These fingerprints were compared with the ones obtained by a GC-ECNI-Orbitrap-MS method.

Comparative environmental assessment of low and high CaO fly ash in mass concrete mixtures for enhanced sustainability: Impact of fly ash type and transportation

The effect of fly ash type on the sustainability of concrete mixtures has yet to be quantified. This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of low calcium oxide (CaO) and high CaO fly ash in mass concrete mixtures from Thailand. The study analyzed 27 concrete mixtures with varying percentages of fly ash as a cement replacement (0%, 25%, and 50%) for 30 MPa, 35 MPa, and 40 MPa compressive strengths at specified design ages of 28 and 56 days. Sources of fly ash have been located between 190 km and 600 km away from batching plants. The environmental impacts were assessed using SimaPro 9.3 software. The global warming potential of concrete is reduced by 22–30.6% and 44–51.4% when fly ash, regardless of type, is used at 25% and 50%, respectively, in comparison with pure cement concrete. High CaO fly ash has more environmental benefits than low CaO fly ash when utilized as a cement substitute. The reduction in environmental burden was most significant for the midpoint categories of mineral resource scarcity (10.2%), global warming potential (8.8%), and water consumption (8.2%) for the 40 MPa, 56-day design with 50% fly ash replacement. The longer design age (56 days) for fly ash concrete showed better environmental performance. However, long-distance transport significantly affects ionizing radiation and ecotoxicity indicators for terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments. Furthermore, the results show that a high cement replacement level (50%) may not always have a reduced environmental impact on mass concrete when considering long-distance transportation. The critical distance calculated based on ecotoxicity indicators was shorter than those calculated using global warming potential. The results of this study can provide insights for developing policies to increase concrete sustainability using different types of fly ash.

Investigating the Impact of Shifting the Brick Kiln Industry from Conventional to Zigzag Technology for a Sustainable Environment

The brick kiln industry is one of the largest and most highly unregulated industrial sectors in developing countries. Most of the kilns use low-quality coal as primary fuel along with small quantities of bagasse, rice husk, and wooden chips. As a result of inefficient methods of combustion in conventional brick kilns, such as fixed chimney Bull’s trench kilns (FCBTKs), harmful pollutants are emitted in high quantities, which ultimately deteriorate the environment and are widely in operation in Pakistan. The most prominent harmful pollutants include carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), black carbon (BC), and particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). Over the years, new technologies have been adopted by developed countries for the reduction of environmental burdens. One of these technologies is induced draught zigzag kilns (IDZKs), or zigzag kilns (ZZKs), technology, which effectively improves the combustion across the path of bricks stacked in a zigzag pattern. For the mass adoption of this technology, environmental assessment and comparison of both technologies is a crucial step. Both types of kiln sites are investigated for the analysis of their emissions and their environmental impact in this work. Carbon mass balance equations are used for the calculation of emission factors. Collected inventory data is then used for the life cycle assessment of both types of kilns using open LCA (version 1.10.3) and the Eco-invent database. According to the study, ZZK technology outperforms FCBTK in all aspects. The analysis of the specific energy consumption (SEC) of fired bricks for each kiln type reveals that ZZKs require 30% less energy than the conventional FCBTK. This implies that ZZKs demand lesser fuel than FCBTKs. The zigzag technology adoption scenario, in particular, can lead to approximately 30% lower CO2 emissions, which can be further reduced by up to 80% when taking into account black carbon (BC) emissions. Additionally, the adoption of zigzag technology can result in a 35% decrease in PM2.5 emissions. The study shows that adopting ZZK technology significantly reduces impact categories, such as particulate matter formation (PMF), photochemical oxidant formation (POF), and terrestrial acidification (TA) by 63%, 93%, and 95%, respectively.

Redispensing of expensive oral anticancer medicines: A practical application.

Increasing use of expensive oral anticancer medicines comes with the downside of a financial and environmental burden, partially caused by unused medication. Returned oral anticancer medicine to the pharmacy could be considered for redispensing providing guaranteed quality. This study aimed to identify and implement quality aspects and criteria for redispensing oral anticancer medicine in daily pharmacy practice. A systematic analysis was conducted to determine the eligibility of oral anticancer medicine for redispensing. Over a one-year period, the number of returned oral anticancer medicine accepted for redispensing was quantified, and the reduction in financial waste and environmental burden calculated based on this assessment. Four categories of quality aspects were identified for determining the eligibility of oral anticancer medicine for redispensing: Product presentation suitability (stability characteristics, storage requirements), physical condition (unopened or opened secondary or primary packaging, visual appearance), authentication (Falsified Medicines Directive, confirmation of initial dispense, recall), and additional aspects (remaining shelf life, period of storage in uncontrolled conditions). A standardized procedure for redispensing was implemented in daily pharmacy practice. During the study period, 10,415 oral anticancer medicine dose units out of 13,210 returns (79%) were accepted for redispensing. The total value of oral anticancer medicine accepted for redispensing was €483,301, accounting for 0.9% of the total value dispensed during this period. Furthermore, the potential reduction in environmental burden was estimated at 1132.1 g of potent active pharmaceutical ingredient. By implementing strict procedures considering all relevant quality aspects, redispensing of oral anticancer medicine can be successfully implemented into daily pharmacy practice, resulting in a significant reduction in financial waste and environmental burden.

Cultured meat in cellular agriculture: Advantages, applications and challenges

The concept behind cellular agriculture is to produce new meat and plant product with almost little or zero meat or plant input by using their tissue or cell. It is a new approach that allows meat to be produced in a bioreactor rather than from farm animals. This concept also can be used by biotechnologists to make meat or skeletal tissue outside of an organism. The purpose of this paper is to review the types of production of cultured meat, potential benefits, and potential challenges in producing cultured meat. Two types of cultured meat production are highlighted in this review, as well as the reduction of environmental burden in food production, nutritional value, and animal welfare, as well as technical and ethical limitations in cultured meat production, public perception, and consumer acceptance of cultured meat. As a result, the concerns regarding the food supply in the face of expanding population and climate change have prompted more research on the importance of cultured meat. Cultured meat can be produced in several ways, and each has the potential to contribute to agricultural technology in ensuring food security, nutritional and hygienic requirements, and reduction of carbon. Cultured meat is a vital source of nutrition, particularly in developing nations where hunger is an issue. This review paper will assist researchers in identifying relevant information about cultured meat and the various perspective including religious perception in consuming and accepting this cultured meat.

Study on Actinide Burning Core Concepts for the Future Phaseout of a Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle

This paper deals with a conceptual study on a plutonium (Pu) and minor actinide (MA) burning fast reactor core for the distant future phaseout of a fast reactor fuel cycle after it is commercialized and used for a long time. This burning core aims to reduce the Pu and MA inventories contained in the fuel cycle through multiple recycling. A key point for the core design is the degradation of Pu and MAs during multiple recycling. This degradation affects the feasibility of the nuclear design by increasing the sodium void reactivity and decreasing the absolute value of the Doppler constant. A feasible core concept was found by incorporating the following three factors to improve the reactivity coefficients: core geometry flattening, fuel burnup reduction, and use of silicon carbide (SiC) in the cladding and wrapper tubes. Notably, softening the neutron spectrum using the SiC structural material not only improved the reactivity coefficients but also indirectly mitigated the degradation of Pu and MAs. Consequently, the designed core allowed for multiple recycling to continue until the Pu and MAs reduced significantly, particularly by about 99% in a phaseout scenario starting from a fast reactor fleet of 30-GWe nuclear power capacity. Fast reactors were found to have the potential to become self-contained energy systems that can minimize the inventories of Pu they produced themselves, as well as long-lived MAs. Fast reactors can be among the important options for environmental burden reduction in the future.

Potential of industrial waste as alternative alkaline activator for development of eco-efficient mortars

The alkali-activated materials (AAMs) design can be viewed as one of the most investigated fields in building materials engineering. However, despite numerous studies aimed at the utilization of various precursors, very limited attention is paid to the utilization of waste alkali sources as an alternative to commercial activators. In this regard, this study provides a novel approach to the utilization of industrial waste alkalis as a replacement for commercial alkali activators to reduce costs and reduce the environmental burden. The main innovation consists in the utilization of a waste-cleaning solution (SWCA) as an alternative alkaline activator for blast furnace slag to improve the environmental and economic efficiency and preserve functional properties. The functional properties of designed alkali-activated mortars are described by the setting time, pore size distribution, and mechanical strength. To comply with sustainable measures, the carbon dioxide emissions and costs analysis associated with the material production are carried out. The obtained results reveal the great potential of waste alkaline sources as a replacement for commercial activators. The increase in the applied SWCA concentration induced a shortening in the initial setting time from 240 to 120 min and the final setting time from 480 to 245 min. The designed mixtures reached a satisfactory level of mechanical strength (25 MPa) in comparison to low-grade cement mortars together with a substantial reduction in environmental burden excluding the avoided production. Specifically, a carbon footprint of 75 kg/m3 CO2 equivalent was achieved which represents 5 times lower values compared to low-grade concrete and even better value than AAMs based on a commercially-produced activator. Significant improvements were achieved also in cost efficiency per cubic meter as it was dropped to approx 40 €/m3, thus designed alkali-activated mortars provide better cost efficiency per cubic meter over traditional binders. The findings show that AAMs based on waste alkaline activator should of particular attention to materials science as lowers the consumption of energy-intensive sources and represent a valuable step toward a circular economy.

A Microsimulation Modelling Approach to Quantify Environmental Footprint of Autonomous Buses

In this study a novel microsimulation-based methodology for environmental assessment of urban systems is developed to address the performance of autonomous mass-mobility against conventional approaches. Traffic growth and microsimulation models, calibrated using real data, are utilised to assess four traffic management scenarios: business-as-usual; public bus transport case; public-bus rapid transit (BRT) case; and, a traffic-demand-responsive-autonomous-BRT case, focusing on fuel energy efficiency, headways, fleet control and platooning for lifecycle analysis (2015–2045) of a case study 3.5 km long 5-lane dual-carriageway section. Results showed that both energy consumption and exhaust emission rates depend upon traffic volume and flow rate factors of vehicle speed-time curves; acceleration-deceleration; and braking rate. The results measured over-reliance of private cars utilising fossil fuel that cause congestions and high environmental footprint on urban roads worsen causing excessive travel times. Public transport promotion was found to be an effective and easy-to-implement environmental burden reduction strategy. Results showed significant potential of autonomous mass-mobility systems to reduce environmental footprint of urban traffic, provided adequate mode-shift can be achieved. The study showed utility of microsimulations for energy and emissions assessment, it linked bus network performance assessment with environmental policies and provided empirical models for headway and service frequency comparisons at vehicle levels. The developed traffic fleet operation prediction methodology for long-term policy implications and tracking models for accurate yearly simulation of real-world vehicle operation profiles are applicable for other sustainability-oriented urban traffic management studies.

The use of a feed additive from the larvae of Lucilia Caesar flies in feeding of young turkeys

The use of flour from fly larvae in the feeding of farm animals is a new direction that is becoming increasingly widespread among the world’s leading producers. The technology of obtaining flour from fly larvae solves several critical problems of agricultural development: production of cheap and high-quality animal protein; replacement of imported components in animal feed; involvement of biological waste in secondary processing; reduction of environmental burden. The purpose of the work was to study the effectiveness of using innovative protein-lipid concentrate from fly larvae of the Lucilia Caesar population in feeding of young turkeys of the BIG-6 cross. In order to conduct the research 3 groups of young turkeys were formed with 20 heads in each (10 females and 10 males), which were housed separately. The control group has been received a general economic ration. The experimental groups have been fed protein-lipid concentrate: the 1st experimental group – 5,0 %, the 2nd experimental group – 7,5 % by weight of compound feed. The duration of fattening was 17 weeks. The positive effect of protein-lipid concentrate on the bioconversion of feed nutrients, the balance and use of nitrogen by the body of young turkeys, productivity and quality of meat was revealed. The physiological regularities of the effect of the studied feed on the intensity of metabolic processes in the body of females and males have been established. Optimal norms for the introduction of protein-lipid concentrate into the diets of young turkeys have been proposed. As a result of the experiment, the level of profitability from rearing experimental groups of young female turkeys increased by 1,49 and 2,21 abs.%, young male turkeys – 2,88 and 4,04 abs.% compared to the control groups.

Eco-Innovation and Innovation Level of the Economy as a Basis for the Typology of the EU Countries.

The study addresses the issue of eco-innovation and innovation in the European Union countries, which is important from the perspective of the sustainable development paradigm. Innovation constitutes a significant factor related to socio-economic development, and it is crucial in constructing the competitive advantage of enterprises, regions, and countries. Nowadays, an increasing importance is attached to eco-innovations, which takes into account the ecological perspective ensuring the reduction of environmental burdens. The purpose of the conducted research was to assess the diversity among the European Union countries regarding the situation related to eco-innovation and innovation, which is focused on the typology of the EU Member States taking a holistic approach to innovation, i.e., considering not only economic but also environmental and social performance. The methods of multivariate statistical analysis, with a particular emphasis on classification methods, were used in the research. A holistic overview of innovation results from the combination of findings based on the research was carried out within the framework of the Eco-Innovation Observatory and the European Innovation Scoreboard. The study covered 28 European Union countries in the period 2013–2019. As a result of the conducted analyses, four classes of the EU Member States were identified (Leaders of Eco-Innovation and Innovation, Moderate Eco-Innovators and Catching-Up Leaders of Innovation, Poor Innovators, The Poorest Eco-Innovators and Innovators).

Environmental Efficiency Aspects of Basalt Fibers Reinforcement in Concrete Mixtures

Modern building materials must fulfill not only functional performance criteria but also reduce the environmental impact accompanied by their production. Within the past decades, fiber-reinforced materials have been found to be promising and durable materials that can be utilized in various fields. Among a wide range of reinforcement types, basalt fibers have been introduced as an alternative to broadly used steel fibers. As informed by the available literature, benefits linked with less energy-intensive production indicate a very good potential application of this material in terms of functional properties and, at the same time, a reduction in environmental burden. However, only a very limited amount of information is available on the actual impact of using basalt fibers in terms of environmental impact. In order to fill this gap, the present study describes, using Life Cycle Assessment, the environmental impacts associated with the production of basalt fibers. In order provide a more reliable and coherent overview, an analysis combining functional and environmental indicators was performed. The presented results reveal that the use of basalt reinforcement provides a significantly lower environmental intensity per strength unit, especially in the case of compressive and flexural strength.

Green library: Reducing carbon footprints towards Sustainable Development in libraries: A Case Study of Federal College of Education Library, Zaria, Nigeria

Carbon footprint has become a popular way of communicating climate change issues and the need to change behaviour. Reduction of environmental burden or everyday environmental actions played an important role in the day-to-day activities of libraries. Libraries are in an excellent position to be both an ecological operator and promoter of environmental awareness. The methodology employed is survey. data collected was analyzed using decision mean of 3.00. findings from the study revealed that, libraries in Nigeria are not well ground on green library requirements, due to insufficient manpower, and tools. As a result of this, this study recommends that librarians must faces the challenge of finding solutions that adequately address these issues without compromising its economic development goals and the living standards of its people through environment awareness, communication strategies and reduction on environmental burden.

Recirculating treated sewage sludge for agricultural use: Life cycle assessment for a circular economy

The objective of this study is to assess the environmental value of recirculating nutrients from treated sewage sludge by application to agricultural soils to grow forage as opposed to landfilling and incineration. The methodological choices are aligned to the circular economy framework using life cycle assessment. Consequential modeling and open loop modeling were adopted and adhere to ISO 14044 and International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) standards. The functional unit is defined in terms of the amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) recirculated from the treated sewage sludge produced annually in Kuwait. The results indicate a reduction in environmental burden with respect to fossil fuel depletion, metal depletion and climate change. A total of 95% of the reduction is realized by avoiding virgin nitrogen production and instead using its recirculated counterpart. Considerable amounts of natural gas, coal, dinitrogen monoxide (nitrous oxide, N2O) and copper are consumed during virgin N fertilizer production.

Life cycle assessment during packaging of market-sized seabass and meagre: necessary adaptations toward GHG neutrality.

PurposeFish is a delicate and valuable source of protein, and aquaculture is expected to provide the required amount of fish needed at reasonable prices. Packaging is a vital stage to preserve hygiene, quality and freshness of aquaculture products. The purpose of this study was to identify environmental hotspots in farmed seabass and meagre during the packaging stage and to examine scenarios for reducing environmental impacts, aiming at greenhouse gas neutrality.MethodsThe life cycle assessment method was applied for the first time at three packaging plants of farmed seabass and meagre in western Greece, in order to assess their environmental impacts, taking into account the amount of electricity, expanded polystyrene, and other plastic and packaging materials needed. Moreover, different scenarios were designed involving the energy mix/alternative sources, recycling and reuse of packaging materials, and the replacement of standard polystyrene boxes and wooden pallets, in order to suggest environmentally friendly improvements in the packaging process.Results and discussionConventional operation of seabass and meagre packaging plants requires significant amounts of energy and packaging materials. In fact, electricity, boxes and pallets were documented as the main contributors to most of the environmental impact indicators. Seabass packaging had a slightly lower overall environmental impact compared to meagre, due to its smaller market size. Impact minimization scenarios resulted in various degrees of reduction of environmental burdens in both species; however, near-zero GHG emissions were achieved when energy from photovoltaic panels and recycling/reuse of packaging materials were combined with the use of non-fossil-based boxes and recyclable pallets. Such readily applicable adjustments to the conventional operation of packaging plants would contribute to overall environmental sustainability and to better consumer acceptability of the final product.ConclusionsIn a nutshell, the life cycle assessment method proved to be a valuable tool for assessing the environmental performance of Mediterranean aquaculture packaging processes. Moreover, it served to identify critical factors directly related to the EU GHG neutrality target. Accordingly, environmentally friendly decision-making/strategic management in the farmed fish packaging sector will inevitably rely on alternative energy sources, recycling of packaging materials, and use of recyclable corrugated board boxes or similar non-fossil-based materials.

Task Scheduling of Material-Handling Manipulator for Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Flow-Type FMS

Energy savings and reduction in environmental burdens are necessitated to enhance sustainable manufacturing performances. Not only should energy consumption in the factory be visualized, but also a mechanism, by which in-process production and energy-related information measured in the shop floor are fed back into planning/scheduling decision-making, must be established to improve the energy efficiency during manufacturing execution. This study addresses the effect of scheduling on the improvement of energy efficiency in manufacturing by connecting a developed measurement and control platform with a real manufacturing system. The manufacturing system testbed utilized in this study forms a simple flow-type flexible manufacturing system composed of automated manufacturing cell with a CNC lathe, material-handling manipulator, and vertical machining center. We focus on the task scheduling of the material-handling manipulator, which yields a job sequence, and the effect of task scheduling of the manipulator on the energy efficiency and productivity of the entire manufacturing system.

Kaempferol separated from Camellia oleifera meal by high-speed countercurrent chromatography for antibacterial application.

Natural biologically active substances have received continuous attention for the potentially beneficial health properties against chronic diseases. In this study, bacteriostatic active substance from Camellia oleifera meal, which is a major by-product of the Camellia oil processing industry, were extracted with continuous phase change extraction (CPCE) method and separated by HSCCC. Compared with traditional extraction methods, CPCE possessed higher extraction efficiency. Two main substances were separated and purified (above 90.0%). The structure of them were further identified by UV, LC–ESI–MS–MS, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR as flavonoids F2 kaempferol 3-O-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-β-d-glucopyranoside and J2 kaempferol 3-O-[β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-β-d-glucopyranoside for the first time in C. Oleifera meal. The results of antibacterial activity measurement showed that both compounds have excellent antibacterial activity. And the antibacterial stability of F2 were finally confirmed: F2 showed broad spectrum antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteriditis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus nigricans. Besides, F2 exhibited relatively high stable property even at high temperature, acid and metal ion solutions. The findings of this work suggest the possibility of employing C. oleifera meal as an attractive source of health-promoting compounds, and at the same time facilitate its high-value reuse and reduction of environmental burden.

Comparative environmental life cycle and agronomic performance assessments of nitrogen fixing rhizobia and mineral nitrogen fertiliser applications for pulses in the Caribbean region

Replacing legume fertilisation using mineral nitrogen (N) (conventional technology, CT) with rhizobial/bradyrhizobial inoculation (inoculation technology, IT) is currently encouraged worldwide due to environmental concerns. However, the environmental effect of such inoculants has scarcely been addressed using a systematic methodology like life cycle analysis (LCA). The objective of this work was to assess, in tropical developing countries, the agronomic and environmental performance of rhizobial inoculants. We worked with two contrasting pulses, common bean, which is conventionally grown using an intensive mineral fertilisation strategy, and Pigeon pea, which is subject to a deficit fertilisation strategy. From the agronomic point of view, the replacement of CT by IT improved Pigeon pea yield by 30%, while increasing common bean yield by a not significant 2%. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) of inoculant production for 1 ha is less than 1% of the GWP and CED corresponding to the production of the mineral N fertiliser used in CT. The high input-high output crop (common bean) caused less environmental damage than the less productive and low input crop (Pigeon pea), indicating that an improvement in the yield would reduce agriculture’s overall environmental impact. Considering the five most impacted categories (CML-IA methodology), the substitution of CT by IT in the common bean resulted in an average reduction of environmental burdens by 19% per ha and 21% per t; in Pigeon pea, the average reduction was 12% per ha and 32% per t. However, phytosanitary treatments and irrigation accounted for higher impacts than N. Thus, improvement in environmental performance must include other technologies to optimise plant protection and irrigation and other strategies to increase yield, such as the optimisation of P, K fertilisation.