The present decade has witnessed numerous investigations focussed on the determination of the mechanical properties of Fly ash composites. These composites have attracted attention, especially in the form of reinforcements owing to their excellent tensile and compressive properties coupled with impact and hardness response. A number of techniques viz. in-situ deposition, hand-up lay and compo-casting techniques have been reported to fabricate these composites. However, in the context of these composites, a systematic structure-property correlation has not been established till date. The present review is aimed at highlighting the current state of research in the avenue of Fly ash composites from two different viewpoints, viz. (i) fabrication technique and (ii) mechanical properties of the fabricated composites. Moreover, the necessity of establishing systematic structure-property correlation in these materials has also been briefly discussed from the author’s viewpoint.

This paper deals with investigation of changes in geopolymer wettability with increasing mass fraction of high-carbon fly ash and surface treatment by cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). In this study, multiple samples of geopolymers were prepared, including those with 5% and 10% of high-carbon fly ash from coal-fired power station. Wettability of samples was then measured before and after plasma treatment, both on surface and cut surface. While addition of fly ash only had low effect on the wettability, as in most cases, it only lowered the initial contact angle without speeding up the speed of soaking for compact geopolymer and actually slowed the soaking for foamed geopolymer, plasma treatment had significant impact and made the geopolymer hydrophobic.

This paper discusses the use of fly ash in concrete construction industry. Fly ash is incorporated as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete in partial replacement of cement, and is recently used as a geopolymer cement in the development of geopolymer concrete (GPC) mixes. Class C and Class F fly ash high aluminosilicate content, and fine granular size contributes to concrete improved workability, lower permeability, and reduced heat of cement hydration. Due to its chemical properties, the use of fly ash in producing OPC and GPC results in increased compressive strength, higher tensile strength evaluated by measuring hardened concrete modulus of rupture (MOR), and higher modulus of elasticity (MOE). The fine size of fly ash particles increases the concrete mix packing order, and reduce the ingress of moisture, and mitigates the impact of aggressive environmental attacks through the reduction of sulfates and chlorides rate of concrete penetration. Thus, fly ash improves concrete resistivity to alkali-aggregate reactions (AAR), and reduces the corrosion of reinforcing steel, and prestressing strands. Fly ash as an economic byproduct of coal industry results in reduced material cost, increased durability, and a higher sustainability of concrete construction projects.

Cenospheres are hollow particles in fly-ash, a by-product of coal burning, and are widely used as reinforcement for developing low density composites called syntactic foams. This study investigates the physical, chemical, and thermal properties of cenospheres obtained from 3 different sources, CS1, CS2, and CS3, for the development of syntactic foams. Description of floatation method to separate broken particles is given, and it was seen that up to 11 % of the particles were damaged. Post heat treatment samples show development of SiO2 phase in the cenosphere, which is not present in the as received product. CS3 had the highest quantity of Si element, compared to the other two, showing the difference in the source quality. The particle size distribution for CS2 is very narrow while for the others is much broader. All censopheres have porous walls but the morphology of CS2 is the most uniform and smooth. For the application of metallic layer and subsequent consolidation via spark plasma sintering, CS2 was deemed the most physically, thermally, and chemically suitable.

Fly ash cement has rarely been used in Japan, mainly because its strength development is slower than ordinary Portland cement. In this research, the effect of the new fly ash cement with both high alite (C3S) cement and fly ash modified by electrostatic belt separation method on cracking resistance of precast concrete prepared by steam curing was studied. The mechanical and shrinkage properties of the proposed fly ash concrete were compared with those of concrete made using OPC cement without fly ash. In order to study the cracking tendency of precast concrete with the proposed fly ash cement, thermal stress analysis was conducted taking into consideration of the experimental data of concrete properties with the different concrete mix proportions. A standard precast concrete box culvert model was used in this 3D FEM analysis and the distribution of temperature and relative humidity in cross section and induced restraint stress during and after steam curing were discussed. Steam-cured concrete with fly ash and high alite cement developed higher compressive strength on the first day of age than concrete with OPC. The proposed fly ash concrete developed high cracking resistance in the early days. On the other hand, the results showed that the drying shrinkage at later ages was the main cause of cracking.

An attempt to investigate the effect of binary composite activators on the microstructure of fly ash-based geopolymers is conducted through the comparison of 24 experiments, which consisted of Na2SiO3•9H2O, Na2CO3, K2CO3, NaOH, and KOH through a facile preparation technique. The results show that the activator of Na2SiO3•9H2O+KOH presents the highest mechanical strength, due to the synergy activation between the inherent ≡Si-O-Si≡ chains derived from Na2SiO3 and K+’s catalysis. It reveals that the K+ plays a crucial role in Na2SiO3-activated fly ash geopolymer, which is the rate-determining step of the enhanced crosslinking and propagation of N-(C)-A-S-H chains, leading to an increase in weight loss temperatures of specimens from TG/DTG results. Furthermore, the adding silica fume facilitates as-formed amorphous silicates, which also could fill into the pores of N-(C)-A-S-H amorphous gels and present a uniform and compact morphology, leading to an increase in the pore volume of the pore diameter less than 100 nm. It explores an efficient and cost-effective preparation of fly ash-based geopolymer for developing solid-waste recycling techniques.

This article deals with the possibility of partial replacement of blast furnace slag with fly ash after denitrification by the Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) method in alkali-activated materials. In the experiment, the basic physical-mechanical properties and durability properties were tested, the hydration reaction was monitored in a calorimeter and infrared spectroscopy was performed. Results were compared between mixtures prepared with fly ash without denitrification and also with reference mixture based only on alkali-activated blast furnace slag. The basic result is the finding, that hybrid alkali-systems with fly ash after denitrification show similar trends as hybrid alkali-systems with fly ash without denitrification. The significant effect of fly ash is manifested especially in terms of resistance to freeze-thaw. The reactions in the calorimeter show a slower development of reactions with increasing replacement of slag by fly ash. In the case of testing resistance to leaching in demineralised water, a decrease of flexural strength was found, which corresponds to the conclusions of strength testing, that long-term deposition of bodies in water causes deterioration of mechanical properties.

New materials are obtained by transforming fly ash wastes into a valuable composite, with tandem adsorption and photodegradation properties. Mild hydrothermal synthesis, from titanium dioxide, Platinum nanoparticles and zeolite materials obtained from a waste, fly ash, as support, was involved in the composite preparation. The Platinum nanoparticles extended the photocatalytic activity of the composite in Visible range (Eg = 2.1 eV). The efficiency of tandem adsorption and photocatalytic activity of the new composite were evaluated to 80.70% for Bemacid Blau and 93.89% for Bemacid Rot, after 360 min, the irradiation time, with H2O2 addition.

The separation and enrichment can be targeted to enrich the rare and precious metals in fly ash and reduce the cost of leaching and recovering of fly ash. Regarding their different properties, the single-component separation was used to obtain uncompleted burned carbon, glass microbeads, minerals, and other characteristic components from the ash. Also, the mineral composition of each component was analyzed by electron microscopy. The metal minerals were mainly concentrated in the mineral components. Besides, the electron probe micro-analysis shows that the Pt content in the minerals of fly ash was significantly correlated with the metal contents of Ni and Cu. After the obtainment of the characteristics of fly ash metal enrichment, the heavy minerals with Cu, Ni, Pt, Pd, and other target metal elements were enriched by gravity separation and flotation. The enrichment coefficients of Cu, Ni, Pt, and Pd were 1.45, 1.33, 1.90 and 1.60, respectively, and the recovery rates were 77%, 81%, 97% and 88% respectively. Since the yield of heavy minerals obtained by separation was 62.24%, it indicated the physical separation method could significantly reduce the cost of leaching and recovering of fly ash metal resources.

It is necessary to address the scarcity of crushed stones for pavement structural layers. So fly ash can be proved to be promising solution as more than 270 tonnes of fly ash is generated in India. Though, numerous research has been conducted for the use of fly ash intreated and untreated form, high volume of fine particles and brittleness of the stabilized fly ash pose a great problem for its use in subbase and base. Moreover, stiffness or modulus of stabilized fly ash is vital elastic parameter which is used for mechanistic pavement design. Hence, in this study an extensive experimental investigation is carried out to study its strength and stiffness properties such as compressive strength, indirect tensile strength and flexural strength, cyclic indirect tensile modulus and flexural modulus of fiber reinforced cement stabilized fly ash, stone dust, aggregate mixtures. The stone dust and aggregates have been added to enhance the gradation of the composite’s mixture. The study presents the effect of fiber on strength and stiffness properties. The experimental result reveals that addition of polypropylene (PP) fibers up to 0.25 wt.% enhances the compressive strength and any further addition of fiber results in decrease of the strength. However, indirect tensile strength and flexural strength increases with increase in fiber percentage up to 0.5 wt.%. Cement content is observed to be the dominant parameter for stabilized materials. Suitable relationships have been developed between strength and modulus parameters for stabilized mixtures. Based on the strength and stiffness study, 70% fly ash and 30% stone dust-aggregate and 60% fly ash and 40% stone dust-aggregate with 6% cement can be considered for the base layer. Based on the indirect tensile strength and flexural strength behavior, 0.35% is considered as the optimum fiber percentage.

This study aimed at characterizing the composition and performing chemical speciation modelling to determine species that are abundant in the coal fly ash (CFA) and soil samples sourced from Hendrina Power station located in Mpumalanga Province. All CFA samples were alkaline in nature with pH values ranging between 8.11 ± 0.07 and 8.60 ± 0.03 with an electrical conductivity (EC) ranging between 301.70 and 1515.00 µS/cm while EC of control soil was 103.10 µS/cm. The control soil pH was found to be 6.24 ± 0.13 and total organic carbon values ranged between 2.68 and 85.82 mg/kg and some percentage organic carbon values of CFAs were found to be greater than 8%, which is above the permissible limits of hazardous waste dumping. Oxidation-reduction potential values were negative in all CFA samples and positive in soil. The speciation modelling showed that the potential for a trace metal to have hazardous effects in soil systems depends on its concentration, specific form and interactions with other constituents in CFA. The slow release of metals from CFA to soil was assessed by looking at how a given metal is distributed throughout its several possible chemical forms. The presence of divalent cations (Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, etc.) in CFAs might pose a threat to soil quality. In the competition for binding sites on ferric hydroxides, dissolved metal ions faced off against other metals. Protons (H+) were seen to be in competition with Pb, Cu and Zn for the ability to bind to hydroxyl (OH-) groups and this is due to chemical precipitation and surface complexation.

Generating electricity from coal combustion is highly associated with ongoing pollution problems that negatively impact the environment. Coal fly ash (CFA) is a predominant waste by-product of coal combustion which is disposed of in exposed ash dams constructed in the vicinity of power stations. Its disposal requires a large piece of land and therefore more land is converted to unproductive disposal sites, degrading the ecosystem. This waste material is classified as a hazardous substance in South Africa due to unacceptable levels of inorganic and persistent organic pollutants and its potential for dust creation. CFA is recycled and sold to the building and construction sectors, but the rate of its utilization is far less than the production rate resulting to high volumes that is stockpiled in disposal sites. More than 500 million tons CFA is produced yearly and over 200 million tons yearly remain unused globally and more CFA will continue to be produced due to high consumer energy demands, especially in countries with heavy reliance on coal for power generation. In this context, the paper discusses production of CFA, pollution problems due to its disposal, examines existing gaps within the scope of ash dam restoration processes and presents opportunities offered by phytoremediation (a low-cost and environmentally friendly technology that utilizes plants to restore the degraded environments). Ecological restoration through the use of socio-economically valuable plants (aromatic plants, legumes and grasses) has potential in addressing societal challenges and consequently impacting positively the livelihood of communities.

Benign design of alkali-activated slag/FA geopolymer paste has intriguing increasing attention for optimizing its service performance. Therefore, the replacement of fly ash (FA) with 10 wt% silica fume (SF) is investigated by mechanical strength after freeze-thawing cycles and microstructure characterization. The results show that an appropriate dosage (30 wt%) of slag is necessary to attain alkali-activated slag/FA geopolymer paste with excellent mechanical performance, and the SF/slag/FA (SF: slag: FA= 10:30:60, wt%) geopolymer paste exerts the compressive and flexural strength of 95.2 and 3.2 MPa, respectively. Meanwhile, the doped 10 wt% SF facilitates the propagation of (N, C)-A–S–H chains, rather than the formation of C-S-H gels, evidenced by the absent exothermic peak at about 861oC from the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves, leading to the increases in the pores volume with a pore diameter<20 nm and tortuosity by mercury intrusion porosimeter (MIP) results, corresponding to an improved freezing-thawing resistance with the residual compressive strength of 52.8 MPa and the weight loss of 10.5% after 300 freeze-thawing cycles. It explores a cost-effective and benign facile approach to designing heating curing-free alkali-activated slag/FA geopolymer paste with good freezing-thawing resistance.

Several types of hematite nanoparticles (α-Fe2O3) have been investigated for their effects on the structure and properties of fly ash (FA) blended cement. All synthesized nanoparticles were found to be spherical shape, but of different particle sizes from 10 to 195 nm depending on the surfactant used in their preparation. The cement hydration with time showed 1.0% α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles was an effective accelerator for FA blended cement. Moreover, adding α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in FA blended cement enhanced the compressive strength and workability of cement. Nanoparticle size and size distribution were important for optimal filling of various size of pores within the cement structure.

Air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), as well as water pollutants including heavy metal, are harmful to human and environment. Effective control and reduction of their pollution is therefore an important topic for today’s scientists. Fly ash (FA) is a type of industrial waste that can cause multiple environmental problems if discharged into the air. On the other hand, because of its high porosity, large specific surface area, and other unique characteristics, the FA can also be used as a low-cost and high efficient adsorbent with some simple modifications. This paper reviews the effects of FA on treatment of the above air and water pollution based on our research experience over many years, including to the current status of global FA utilization, physicochemical properties, principle of adsorption, and the application direction of FA in the future. It focuses on the use of nanocomposite technology to fabricate functional FA fibrous membranes to adsorb VOCs from air, and treat heavy metal wastewater. This present review first describes the fabrication technology of FA nanocomposites and their mechanism of adsorption VOCs from air. Utilization of nanofiber technology to fabricate multi-functional FA emerging composite materials to mitigate air and water pollution has great potential in the future, especially use of pollutant material to control other pollutants.

Geopolymer cement has been popularly studied nowadays compared to ordinary Portland cement because it demonstrated superior environmental advantages due to its lower carbon emissions and waste material utilization. This paper focuses on the formulation of geopolymer cement from nickel-laterite mine waste (NMW) and coal fly ash (CFA) as geopolymer precursors, and sodium hydroxide (SH) and sodium silicate (SS) as alkali activators. Different mix formulations of raw materials are synthesized to produce a geopolymer based from an I-optimal design and obtained different compressive strengths. A mixed formulation of 50% NMW and 50% CFA, SH-to-SS ratio of 0.5, and an activator-to-precursor ratio of 0.429 yielded the highest 28-day unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of 22.10 ± 5.40 MPa. Furthermore, using an optimized formulation of 50.12% NMW, SH-to-SS ratio of 0.516, and an activator-to-precursor ratio of 0.428, a UCS value of 36.30 ± 3.60 MPa was obtained. The result implies that the synthesized geopolymer material can be potentially used for concrete structures and pavers, pedestrian pavers, light traffic pavers, and plain concrete.

Municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI FA) predominantly consists of compounds comprising elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, sodium, and others. Additionally, it encompasses a complex mixture of heavy metals, chlorides, sulfates, organic pollutants, and other constituents. The effective and economically viable treatment of MSWI FA poses a formidable challenge for the current stage of resource cycling. In this research report, we will adopt a novel low-temperature sintering method called "Cold Sintering Process" (CSP) as a means to immobilize heavy metals within the fly ash. By utilizing a Taguchi orthogonal array, we will adjust five control factors in the CSP, including sintering temperature, uniaxial pressure, sintering time, initial water addition, and sodium carbonate dosage. The leaching of cadmium element from the fly ash, as measured by TCLP, will serve as the quality indicator. Through the application of CSP, the MSWI FA will be transformed into structurally stable ceramic blocks, effectively immobilizing the heavy metals within the blocks. The results of the experiments showed that MSWI FA under the conditions of a temperature of 300℃, uniaxial pressure of 312 MPa, sintering time in 60 minutes, 25 wt% water addition, and 9 wt% Na2CO3 addition could effectively reduce the leaching of cadmium by 77.71%, lead by 21.14%, zinc by 42.37%, and chromium by 99.99%, as compared to the original MSWI FA TCLP results.

This study aims to investigate the hydration and strength characteristics of green cementitious mortars with ultrahigh-volume limestone-calcined clay as well as two kinds of Class F fly ash. Using the ASTM C311 strength activity index test method, the effect of different pozzolan replacement levels of cement (0%, 20%, 50%, and 80%, by weight) were investigated. Compressive strength at 3, 7, 14, 28 and 90 days under standard curing was recorded, and hydration heat of the 20% and 80% replacement mixes was studied using iso-thermal calorimetry. It was observed that the effectiveness of the pozzolan in mortars depends on particle size distribution, glassy or amorphous nature, surface area and replacement level. The sum of all these effects can be captured by the strength activity test only if the standard recommended 20% pozzolan mix is substituted with the actual mix composition. The results in this study provide insights into the mix design and applications of ultrahigh-volume pozzolanic cementitious materials specifically made with limestone-calcined clay, and promote greener cement and concrete in construction industry.

Geopolymer, as a new type of solid waste-based inorganic cementitious material, exhibits outstanding Behavior in terms of physical and chemical performance, macro-mechanical properties and long-lasting stability, and features potential application development tendency in the field of repair and reinforcement of existing concrete structures. This paper investigates the interfacial Behavior of geopolymer mortar with OPC concrete substrate under different slag, fly ash and red mud mixing proportions, while cement mortar was used as a control group for the research. The interfacial bonding properties of the geopolymer mortar to the OPC concrete substrate were elaborated by carrying out split tensile test, two-sided shear test and three-point bending test. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to further analyse the microstructural characteristics and physical phase components of the interfacial transition zone between the geopolymer mortar and the OPC concrete substrate. The results indicated that the compressive strength of slag-fly ash-red mud-based geopolymer mortar under different mixing ratio conditions was consistently superior to that of cement mortar. Overall, the interfacial bonding properties of the geopolymer mortar to the OPC concrete substrate gradually increased with the increment of the slag content, however, an evolutionary trend of minor enhancement followed by a gradual reduction was observed with the growth of the fly ash and red mud content.

Monometallic (Ni, Co, Cu) and bimetallic (Ni-Co, Ni-Cu) 10-20 wt. % metal containing catalysts supported on fly ash zeolite were prepared by post-synthesis impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, N2 physisorption, XPS and H2-TPR methods. Finely dispersed metal oxides and mixed oxides were detected after the decomposition of impregnating salt on the relevant zeolite support. By reduction intermetallic, NiCo and NiCu phases were identified in the bimetallic catalysts. Hydrogeoxygenation of lignocellulosic biomass-derived levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone (GVL) was studied. Bimetallic, 10 wt. % Ni, 10 wt. % Cu or Co containing fly ash zeolite catalyst showed higher catalytic activity than monometallic ones. Their selectivity to GVL reached 70-85 % at 100 % conversion. The reaction proceeds through formation of 4-hydroxy pentanoic acid, as the only intermediate compound.

The feasibility of using zeolites, synthesized from components found in municipal solid waste fly ash (MSW-FA), as sorbents for the recovery of nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) and heavy metals is critically assessed in this review. The inherent drawbacks of utilising a highly contaminated, variable, and relatively Al- and Si-dilute source such as MSW-FA to synthesize zeolites are discussed, and different methods to extract and decontaminate zeolite precursor materials from MSW-FA are considered. Ways to synthesize tailored zeolites and how their properties as well as the operational conditions impact the adsorption of cations such as ammonium and heavy metals are summarized. The use of surface-modified zeolites to adsorb nitrate and phosphate is also reviewed. And subsequently, approaches to utilise directly or recover for reuse the adsorbed compounds are considered, discussing potential challenges and mitigating measures related to leaching of unwanted compounds from the zeolites. Moreover, the possibility to regenerate the adsorption capacity of the zeolites for multiple adsorption cycles is considered. In the final chapter of the review a more general discussion of the main challenges and existing research gaps is provided, giving directions for recommended studies.

The fireproof design of geopolymer has intriguing increasing attention by adjusting multi-component metallurgical solid wastes, due to its low-carbon emission, cost-effectiveness, and environmental conservation. Herein, the effects of silica fume (SF) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of alkali-activated slag/FA (fly ash) pastes subjected to elevated temperatures (150, 500, 850, and 1200℃) are investigated, to clarify the fact that whether or not the SF generates positive roles in mechanical strength of slag/FA (slag: FA=30:70, wt.%) geopolymers during building fires. The results show that the replacement of FA with 10 wt% SF (silica fume) promotes the increasing pore volume with a diameter of 0.2~3 μm, leading to an increase in the compressive or flexural strength below 850℃, “right shifts” of the endothermic peak, appearing uniform and compact fracture surfaces. Meanwhile, the gehlenite and labradorite generate after exposure above 850℃. While the bloating effect of the SF-containing sample occurs at 1200℃, leading to a greater deformation, due to the further restructuring of the amorphous geopolymer chain N-A-S-H or N-(Ca)-A-S-H composed from the [SiO4]4− and [AlO4]5−. It explores an effective approach for improving geopolymer’s fireproof performance by adjusting the solid-waste formulation.

Recycling of metallurgical solid waste has intriguing increasing attention for fabricating cementitious materials, due to its low-carbon emission, cost-effectiveness, and environmental conservation. Herein, the effects of silica fume (SF) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of alkali-activated slag/FA (fly ash) pastes subjected to elevated temperatures (150, 500, 850, and 1200℃) are investigated, to clarify the fact that whether or not the SF generates positive roles in mechanical properties of slag/FA geopolymers. The results show that the replacement with 10 wt% SF (silica fume) promotes the increasing pore volume with a diameter of 0.2~3 μm at room temperature, leading to an increase in the compressive or flexural strength, “right shifts” of endothermic peak and the initial-final temperature of mass loss, presenting a denser and compact fracture surface. Meanwhile, the mineral phase of gehlenite and labradorite emerges after exposure above 850℃ from the XRD results. Furthermore, the bloating effect of the incorporated SF occurs due to the formation of a liquid phase altogether with the amorphous silicates after exposure to 1200℃, leading to a greater deformation and enhancement of restructuring involved in the [SiO4]4− and [AlO4]5−. It explores an effective recycling approach for fabricating paste binders using metallurgical solid wastes.

Both sand and fly ash were found to be promising for phosphorus removal in bioretention systems. However, nutrient removal in bioretention systems with sand, soil and fly ash was still uncertain due to a lack of data about the influence of layer structure and submerged zone. In this study, a mixture with sand, soil and fly ash (1:1:1) was selected as the base in bioretention systems with different packed layer structures and heights of submerged zone. The comparison of multi-layered structure with mixed structure implied that the used bioretention system with multi-layered structure was superior to that with mixed structure for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The investigation of the influence of submerged zones on nutrient removal indicated that the submerged zone could significantly improve nitrate removal efficiency with 67.52%-86.32%, while sharply reduce the removal of ammonia nitrogen (from 95.15% to 51.81%) and TP (from 88.66% to 44.50%). Overall evaluation of the effect of packed layer structures and submerged zones suggested that the bioretention system with multi-layered structure at the height of submerged zone at 20-40cm was the most satisfactory, due to its microbial environment.

Butadiene-Styrene copolymer (SBS) to improve the mechanical and deformation properties of the binder used in its manufacture. However, the high cost and variability of processing limit its performance. A secondary modifier to solve these problems is nano and micro materials that allow the generation of unique properties in polymeric systems. Based on this, this study experimented with fly ash micro filler ((FA) in low proportions as a binder modifier with SBS for use in PA mixes. The FA residue is considered in 3% and 5% dosages on a base binder with 5% SBS. Rheological results show that FA improves classical, linear viscoelastic (LVE), and progressive damage properties compared to the modified binder. The PA blends with FA reduced binder runout, resulting in a thicker film, showing better abrasion resistance in dry and wet conditions. Samples with FA increase the post-cracking energy in indirect tension due to higher ductility. However, they decrease the fracture energy due to higher cracking before failure. In addition, the FA manages to decrease the difference between dry and wet ITS.

The present study drops the line for the flow characteristics of fly ash-based (FA) geopolymers reinforced with polypropylene (PP) fibers undergoing the extrusion process during three-dimensional printing. Applying to the Herschel-Bulkley rheological model the research is ready with the sound theoretical basis which is used to understand the flow behavior of these materials under various conditions. A combination of experimental and numerical techniques that are based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) in COMSOL has been used in this study. The results of both the experimental and simulation approaches are then compared and the behavior of the material during extrusion is then examined. The experimental results proved PP fiber content has significant effects on rheological properties. The experiments on mixes which are either devoid of fibers or possess a high content of fiber, encountered problems like a high static yield stress and material segregation. Mixes with fibers of moderate content showed smoother extrusion processes, which means that a suitable range of fiber addition exists for the fibers that optimally balance the mechanical properties and extrudability. Numerical simulations typically agreed with experimental data for fiber contents up until it reached a certain level but not above, suggesting the existence of more complex interactions inside the fibers and the necessity for the subsequent model refinements. The investigation outlines a 0.25% and 0.5% fiber content range that leads to enhanced performance without bringing the extrusion process to greater complications and further making the production of proper, architecturally printed structures possible.

The use of cemented aeolian sand-fly ash backfill (CAFB) material to fill the mining area to improve the surface subsidence damage caused by underground coal mining is in the development stage. Their performance with large overflow water and strength loss is not well understood. Few research has been conducted to understand the effects of aeolian sand and coal gangue on the rheological properties of CAFB with plasticizers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a plasticizer on the rheological properties, specifically yield stress and viscosity, of CAFB prepared with aeolian sand and coal gangue. CAFB mixes containing 0%, 0.05%, and 0.1% plasticizer were prepared, and yield stress and viscosity were determined at different time intervals over the period. Additional tests, such as thermal analysis and zeta potential analysis were also conducted. It was found that the rheological properties of CAFB is the comprehensive manifestation of the composite characteristics of various models. Reasonable particle size distribution and less amount of plasticizer can ensure the stability of slurry structure, reduce the slurry settlement and the risk of pipe blocking. The findings of this study will be beneficial in the design and production of CAFB material.

Increasing utilization of secondary raw materials and alternative fuels results in increasing contents of metals in cements. One of elements, the content of which keeps rising in cement is zinc. It comes to cement with secondary raw materials such as slag or fly ash or by the utilization of used tires as an alternative fuel. Zinc ions significantly prolong the hydration process in cement. This work deals with the influence of zinc ions in the form of very poorly soluble ZnO salt and easily soluble ZnCl2 and Zn(NO)3 on the hydration of cement blended with fly ash. Zinc was dosed in the range of 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 a 1% of cement weight. Final products were next analyzed using X-Ray Diffraction.

In recent years, the dominant cementitious materials have been industrial by products such as fly ash. This present paper describes some of the cementitious products that are attracting attention in the global research community and the properties and characteristics of these materials that affect their performance such durability, mechanically properties and reduction of carbon dioxid (CO2). The present investigation deals with the chemical synthesis of cementitious material using fly ash of eggs shell rich in calcium(Ca) and sand dune(southern of Algeria) rich in silica(SiO2).The composition is the most compressive resistant with a maximum stress of 49.71 MPa, the most flexible (E = 2.63 GPa) and the most ductile (εr = 65.42 %).The characteristic properties of the chemically synthesized cementitious materials were analyzed by the chemical composition analysis XRF, XRD and SEM analyses.

Samples of mortar mixtures were prepared substituting the cement Portland (CPC-30R) by 0 (standard), 10 and 15% of fly ash and the structural evolution and compressive strength at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days were determined. The results for standard mortar samples showed the mineralogi-cal species portlandite, calcite, ettringite, iron oxide, silicon oxide and sillimanite. Magnetite was identified in the mixtures of mortars with portland cement substitution by 10% and 15% fly ash. The peaks corresponding to the portlandite, and ettringite showed an increase in their intensities with increasing curing time attributed to the consolidation of mineral species. The SEM tech-nique results showed that the mortar samples without fly ash addition contained mainly port-landite and ettringite while the samples with cement substitution by 10 and 15% of fly ash at 28 days further contained particles of fly ash coated with portlandite and ettringite, particles with a smooth surface and particles of fly ash with signs of attack on its surface. An increase inc was observed when the age of the mortar and the substitution of Portland cement by fly ash were increased from 3 to 28 days and from 0 to 15% respectively. The maximum value of c was reg-istered for the mortar sample with Portland cement substitution by 15% fly ash at 28 days of curing with 17.38 Mpa.

In this study, the influence of the environment on soil conditions, e.g. heavy metals and soil magnetic susceptibility, on the total number of bacteria and the species of Bradyrhizobium in the field cultivation of the soybean variety Lissabon, the seeds of which had been inoculated with HiStick®Soy, were evaluated. Field experiments were carried out with the random plot method on the Cambisol with a texture of silt loam. The experiment consisted of 24 objects in six combinations and four replications using sewage sludge and fly ash. In the soil samples, the total number of bacteria and the number of the species of Bradyrhizobium were determined using the culture-plate method. The total content of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb, Cr, Hg, Fe) in the analyzed objects, compared to the limit values, allowed them to be classified as uncontaminated soils despite the application of sewage sludge and fly ash according to the experimental scheme, showed a significant difference between them. The study of the magnetic parameter χ indicated a significant differentiation between objects from 34.0 to 65.8 × 10-8m3kg-1. High correlation coefficients between χ and Fe (r = 0.789), Zn (r = 0.653), Cr (r = 0.617) and TOC (r = 0.949) indicated that the source of these elements was external organic matter. Biological tests (total content of bacteria and species of Bradyrhizobium) in different experimental variants indicated significant relationships between them and showed the resistance of the microbial community in the field cultivation of Lissabon soybean to heavy metal contamination from sewage sludge and fly ash.

This study evaluated the physicochemical, mineralogical properties, mobile chemical species’ bioavailability and translocation in Brassica juncea and Spinacea oleracea L plants of a South African coal fired power utility. Coal fly ash (CFA) disposal is associated with various environmental and health risks including air, soil, surface and ground water pollution due to the leaching of toxic chemical species; these ends up in food webs affecting human health, while repeated inhalation causes bronchitis, silicosis, hair loss and lung cancer. The morphology, chemical, and mineralogical composition of CFA were determined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray Diffraction, respectively. In pot culture experiments, S. oleracea L and B. juncea plants were grown in three sets of pots containing CFA (set 1), soil (set 2) and a mixture of CFA plus soil at ratio 1:1 (50% CFA: 50% soil) (set 3), while no plants were grown in set 4 as a control for the leachate samples. SEM showed that surface morphology of CFA has a lower degree of sphericity with irregular agglomerations of many particles. The XRF results revealed that CFA contains 43.65%, 22.68% and 10.89% of SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ respectively which indicate that the CFA is an alumino-silicate material. While XRD showed that the coal CFA contains mullite as a major phase followed by quartz mineral phases. Chemical species such as Fe, Mn, B, Ba and Zn were accumulated highly in most parts of the plant species. However, B. juncea showed higher potential to accumulate chemical species as compared to S. oleracea L. The bioconcentration and translocation factors (BF and TF) showed that B. juncea was the most effective in terms of bioconcentration and translocation of most of the chemical species. This indicates that B. juncea has potential in application for phytoremediation of CFA dumps and could contribute to remediation of CFA dumps and reduction of potential health and environmental impacts associated with CFA.

The ability to detect the presence as well as classify the activities of individuals behind visually obscuring structures is of significant benefit to police, security and emergency services in many situations. This paper presents the analysis from a series of experimental results generated using a through-the-wall (TTW) Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) C-Band radar system named Soprano. The objective of this analysis was to classify whether an individual was carrying an item in both hands or not using micro-Doppler information from a FMCW sensor. The radar was deployed at a standoff distance, of approximately 0.5 m, outside a residential building and used to detect multiple people walking within a room. Through the application of digital filtering, it was shown that significant suppression of the primary wall reflection is possible, significantly enhancing the target signal to clutter ratio. Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) signal processing techniques were then applied to the micro-Doppler signatures from different individuals. Features from the SVD information have been used to classify whether the person was carrying an item or walking free handed. Excellent performance of the classifier was achieved in this challenging scenario with accuracies up to 94%, suggesting that future through wall radar sensors may have the ability to reliably recognize many different types of activities in TTW scenarios using these techniques.

Hybrid reinforcement in a composite material (CM), in many situations, allows better govern material mechanical properties. Polymer matrix CM plate is reinforced with small particles and macro-fibers. Particles are oil shale ash (OSA) powder, macro-fibers – basalt fiber threads im-pregnated by matrix material. With the goal to find out elastic properties of the matrix- polymer with OSA, samples with its different concentrations were experimentally fabricated and their elastic properties were experimentally measured. Obtained data were used in numerical model-ling. Was observed polymer matrix composite slab, reinforced with OSA and three-dimensional (3D) basalt fiber fabric. Fabric are forming threads impregnated by matrix (polymer resin mixed with OSA particles). Damage accumulation in the stretched slab was modelled. Impregnated thread, in the modelling, is observed as a macro-fiber (MF) with averaged elastic properties. With the load increase MF in the material began to break. At first, appeared isolated single breaks. A probabilistic sequential MF rupture accumulation model was accepted and numerical-ly realized. The geometry of the reinforcing knitted fabric was modeled using the Leaf and Glaskin approach. In the knitted fabric highly, stressed MF cross-sections are observed as po-tential location where thread breakage can occur. If one thread breaks, the cross-sections of the adjacent threads experience the overload caused by this rupture. More overloaded crossection in the adjacent overloaded thread breaks and we obtain two adjacent broken MF designated as a defect with the size j=2. The probabilities of obtaining defect consisting of at least 2, 3, … j adjacent broken MF in the plate were calculated. The calculations continued until the rupture process becomes unstable (j→∞). The overstresses on adjacent threads in the CM were calculat-ed using the FEM three-dimensional numerical approach. Analytical and stochastic methods were used for the load-carrying capacity determination and different size defects accumulation in the hybrid composite material (HCM) plate. Also, was calculated the probability of the plate rupture.

Two secondary waste materials, municipal incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) and sewage sludge ash (SSA), were mixed with clay for ceramic manufacturing in this study. Specimens with 5 different MIBA replacement amount of 0%, 5%,10%, 15%, and 20%(wt) and 3 different SSA replacement amount of 0%, 10%, and 20%(wt) were prepared and then a series of tests and analysis were conducted to investigate how the two materials affect the quality of the final product and to what extent. It concludes that a mix with up to 20% of SSA and 5% of MIBA could result in quality tiles complying with specifications for interior or exterior flooring applications at certain kiln temperatures.

Background: Wheat root rot disease due to soil-borne fungal pathogens leads to tremendous yield losses worth billions of dollars worldwide every year. It is very important to study the relationship between rhizosphere fungal diversity and wheat roots to understand the occurrence and development of wheat root rot disease. Results: A significant difference in fungal diversity was observed between the diseased and healthy groups in the heading stage, but the trend was the opposite in the filling stage. The abundance of most genera with high richness decreased significantly from the heading to the filling stage in the diseased groups; the richness of approximately one-third of all genera remained unchanged, and only a few low-richness genera, such as Fusarium and Ceratobasidium, had a very significant increase from the heading to the filling stage. In the healthy groups, the abundance of most genera increased significantly from the heading to the filling stage; the abundance of some genera did not change markedly, or the abundance of very few genera increased significantly. Physical and chemical soil indicators showed that low soil pH and density, increases in ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and total nitrogen contributed to the occurrence of wheat root rot disease. Conclusions: Our results revealed that in the early stages of disease, highly diverse rhizosphere fungi and a complex community structure can easily cause wheat root rot disease. The existence of pathogenic fungi is a necessary condition for wheat root rot disease, but the richness of pathogenic fungi is not necessarily important. The increases in ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and total nitrogen contributed to the occurrence of wheat root rot disease. Low soil pH and soil density are beneficial to the occurrence of wheat root rot disease.

The hydrodynamics of plasma formed in the interaction of 100-ns UV KrF laser pulses with foam targets with volume densities from 5 to 500 mg/cm3 was studied. Initial and dynamic transmittance at 248-nm wavelength have been measured. At intensities about 1012 W/cm2, the propagation rates of radiation through foam targets reached 80 km/s, while plasma stream velocities from both front and rear sides of targets were approximately the same ~ 75 km/s, which confirms a volumetric absorption of radiation within the target thickness and the explosive nature of the plasma formation and expansion.

In recent years the number of available chemical pesticides has been significantly reduced and there have been an urgent need for discovery of alternative to chemical pesticides products, as among others the natural zeolites (zeolitic rocks). We determined the mineralogical and chemical composition of a specific and continuous layers of zeolitic rock sample (ZeotP) from Petrota, Ev-ros, Greece and evaluated its oviposition deterrent effect for the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Terphritidae). The tested natural zeolite contained 70 wt. % Clinoptilolite, 18 wt. % Amorphous material, 7 wt. % Feldspars, 4 wt. % Cristobalite and 1 wt. % Quartz. We tested the oviposition deterrent effect of ZeotP mixed or not with an emulsifier adjuvant NU-FILM-P® in water and applied on the surface of olive fruits. The ZeotP oviposition deterrent effect for the ol-ive fly was very high under a series of tested temperatures (17°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C) and RHs (23%, 33%, 55%, 75%, 94%). In addition, the ZeotP residual deterrent effect after equable water spraying was high and similar to the respective effect of a pyrethroid insecticide (Decis®). Our results may contribute to an effective control of the olive fruit fly using an alternative to chemical pesticides natural zeolite (zeolitic rocks) product.

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) can use food by-products or residues as a growth substrate, and their use is considered a strategic solution to improve the sustainability and efficiency of animal production. BSFL need to be reared under controlled environmental conditions, as temperature can affect the welfare of the larvae and the efficiency of their bioconversion. The goal of this experiment was to test different diets: control, vegetable, carnivorous, omnivorous and to assess their effect on larval growth performance, chemical composition, and substrate temperature. BSFL (6-days-old) were randomly selected and allocated to one of the four diets for the entire experiment (8 days). The temperature in each container was measured twice daily using a thermal imaging camera. The vegetable diet led to significantly lower growth performance (p

Nonlinear compression of narrow-band (Δ ≈ 0.2 cm-1) 20 ns KrF laser pulses in SF6 at 10 atm and CH4 at 50 atm pressure was studied. Both SBS and SRS optically phase conjugated backward reflected radiation was registered with energy reflectivity 10−14% in SF6 and CH4. In SF6 SBS pulses gradually shortened from 10 ns to 2−3 ns with pumping decrease to the SBS threshold ~ 10 mJ, while the SRS pulse had the shortest length of 30−60 ps for the maximal pumping of 120 mJ and broadened near the SRS threshold of ~30 mJ. For the SRS pulse energy ~ 2 mJ peak power 5×107 W was tenfold higher than the pump power. The theoretical model predicted a soliton-like SRS pulse compression to a temporal length of the order of vibrational relaxation time. There was no pulse compression of backward SBS and SRS radiation in CH4, while in the forward direction SRS pulses shortened to 3−4 ns at reduced pumping.

The production of biomass fly ash has been increasing every year in Europe, reaching 5.5 million tons in 2020. Biomass fly ash is not yet accepted in the standards as a substitute material for cement in mortar and concrete. In a first approach, the substitution limit of biomass fly ash is determined by comparing the mechanical strengths, fresh state properties and hardened properties of mortars produced with biomass fly ash to those of mortars produced with classical coal fly ash. Then, masonry and rendering mortars have been designed with different substitution rates of biomass fly ashes from wood combustion in thermal power plant. Although there is an overall decrease in performance, mortars made with biomass ash retain properties that make them suitable for use in masonry or rendering.

The world’s population is growing at a rapid pace, thus increasing the need for shelter, which, because of increased carbon emissions, is making our planet less inhabitable. Thus, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are used to reduce the embodied carbon emissions in the building sector. Wood ash, as a replacement for cement in soil treatment, seems to be a promising material. In this study, we considered the strength, stiffness, and microstructural behavior of marine clay treated with cement and wood ash as a cement replacement. Since clay is abundant in nature, it could help stabilize waste to improve the mechanical behavior of produced composites. Portland cement (7%, 10%, and 13%) was replaced with various amount of wood ash (5% and 10%) with two different dry densities (1400 and 1600 kg/m3) and three distinct curing periods (7, 28, and 60 days). Unconfined compressive strength, direct shear, porosity, pulse velocity, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy tests were performed on selected specimens to evaluate the structural and microstructural effect of clay–wood ash–cement interaction. The results revealed that the replacement of cement with 5% of wood ash yielded superior performance. The microstructure investigation of wood ash–cement–clay blends further showed the formation of a densified matrix with stable bonds. Furthermore, the porosity and strength properties of blends developed unique relationships, which were further confirmed by other supplementary materials and soils.

Volcanic ash deposited on paved surfaces during volcanic eruptions often compromises skid resistance, which is a major component of safety. We adopt the British pendulum test method in laboratory conditions to investigate the skid resistance of road asphalt and airfield concrete surfaces covered by volcanic ash sourced from various locations in New Zealand. Controlled variations in ash characteristics include type, depth, wetness, particle size and soluble components. We use Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) for most road surface experiments but also test porous asphalt, line-painted road surfaces, and a roller screed concrete mix used for airfields. Due to their importance for skid resistance, SMA surface macrotexture and microtexture are analysed with semi-quantitative image analysis, microscopy and a standardised sand patch volumetric test, which enables determination of the relative effectiveness of different cleaning techniques. We find that SMA surfaces covered by thin deposits (~1 mm) of ash result in skid resistance values slightly lower than those observed on wet uncontaminated surfaces. At these depths, a higher relative soluble content for low-crystalline ash and a coarser particle size results in lower skid resistance. Skid resistance results for relatively thicker deposits (3-5 mm) of non-vesiculated basaltic ash are similar to those for thin deposits. There are similarities between road asphalt and airfield concrete, although there is little difference in skid resistance between bare airfield surfaces and airfield surfaces covered by 1 mm of ash. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations for maintaining road safety and effective cleaning techniques in volcanic ash environments.

The main goal of this study was to evaluate sugarcane bagasse ash as a partial cement replacement material. Sugarcane bagasse ash is a by-product of fuel blending in the sugar industry. Yet all economic sugar is obtained after extraction from the cane. The disposal of the discharged waste in agriculture causes environmental problems in the sugar industry. The cement industry also creates environmental problems due to carbon dioxide emissions during cement manufacturing. Initially, bagasse ash samples were collected from the rubble of the Arjo Didessa sugar factory. The crude bagasse ash was sieved with a sieve size of 250µm. The strength of grade C-25 concrete was designed using five different concrete mixture proportions ranging from 5 to 20% cement by weight, including a water-cement ratio of 0.45. Impact strength tests were conducted at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of age for each replacement ratio. For the experimental work, a total of 60 cubic concrete specimens were cast for compressive strength tests, and 15 cylindrical concrete specimens were cast for water absorption tests. Working compressive strength results indicated that bagasse ash could replace up to 5% of ordinary Portland cement concrete.

Capabilities of hovering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in low-altitude sensing of atmospheric turbulence with high spatial resolution are studied experimentally. The experiment was carried out at the Basic Experimental Observatory of the V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics SB RAS. UAV findings are compared with objective data on the state of the atmosphere that were measured by acoustic anemometers installed at weather towers at altitudes of 4, 10, and 27 m. Profiles of atmospheric turbulence were recorded with three UAVs hovering at the same heights at a distance of 5 m from the anemometers. The behavior of the longitudinal and lateral wind velocity components is studied in the frequency band 0-10 Hz before and after one-minute smoothing, which reveals long turbulent wind gusts. The discrepancy between the UAV and anemometer data is analyzed. It is found that after smoothing, the discrepancy does not exceed 0.5 m/s in 95% cases. This value meets the requirements of the World Meteorological Organization for some applications in wind velocity measurements. The spectral and correlation analysis of the UAV and anemometer measurements is carried out. The profiles of the longitudinal and lateral scales of turbulence are examined based on the UAV data and are found to be in agreement with the anemometer data to a good accuracy.

The capabilities of a quadcopter in the hover mode for low-altitude sensing of atmospheric turbulence with high spatial resolution in urban areas characterized by complex orography are investigated. The studies were carried out in different seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall), and the quadcopter hovered in the immediate vicinity of ultrasonic weather stations. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter and AMK-03 ultrasonic weather stations installed in different places of the studied territory were used in the experiment. The smoothing procedure was used to main regularities in the behavior of the longitudinal and lateral spectra of turbulence in the inertial and energy production ranges. The longitudinal and lateral turbulence scales were estimated by the least-square fit method with the von Karman model as a regression curve. It is shown that the turbulence spectra obtained with DJI Phantom 4 Pro and AMK-03 generally coincide with minor differences observed in the high-frequency region of the spectrum. In the inertial range, the behavior of the turbulence spectra shows that they obey the Kolmogorov-Obukhov “5/3” law. In the energy production range, the longitudinal and lateral turbulence scales and their ratio measured by DJI Phantom 4 Pro and AMK-03 agree to a good accuracy. Discrepancies in the data obtained with the quadcopter and the ultrasonic weather stations at the territory with complex orography are explained by the partial correlation of the wind velocity series at different measurement points and the influence of the inhomogeneous surface.

Based on the theory of turbulence, equations are derived for estimations of turbulent fluctuations of the longitudinal and transverse components of the wind velocity during ideal hovering of a quadcopter in a turbulent atmosphere. We present the results of experiments which were carried out on the territory of the Geophysical Observatory of Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, located in Tomsk Akademgorodok on the territory with complex orography, in a parkland zone with buildings of research institutes and motorways. Time series of turbulent fluctuations of the longitudinal and transverse components of wind velocity fluctuations were received with the use of an automated weather station, and time series of estimates of these components, from data of a DJI Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter during hovering. According to the automated weather station data, anisotropy was observed in one experiment during measurements in the atmosphere, but this phenomenon was not observed in the other experiment: the fluctuation spectra of all components of wind speed fluctuations coincide. The spectra of fluctuations of the longitudinal and transverse wind velocity components based on the automated weather station data and UAV telemetry are presented. The fluctuation spectra of these components for the automated weather station data and quadcopter generally coincide. The behavior of the spectra coincides with the spectrum which corresponds to Kolmogorov–Obukhov “–5/3” law within the inertial range. The turbulent spectra of the wind velocity fluctuations obtained with the use of the automatic weather station and with the unmanned aerial vehicle differ in the high-frequency spectral region.

Culex quinquefasciatus is an important target for vector control because of its ability to transmit pathogens that cause disease. Most populations are resistant to pyrethroids and often to organophosphates, the two most common classes of active ingredients used by public health agencies. A knockdown resistance (kdr) mutation, resulting in a change from a leucine to phenylalanine in the voltage gated sodium channel, is one mechanism contributing to the pyrethroid resistant phenotype. Enzymatic resistance has also been shown to play a very important role. Recent studies have shown strong resistance in populations even when kdr is relatively low which indicates factors other than kdr may be larger contributors to resistance. In this study, we examined on a statewide scale (over 70 populations), the strength of the correlation between resistance in the CDC bottle bioassay and the kdr genotypes and allele frequencies. Spearman correlation analysis showed only moderate (-0.51) and weak (-0.29) correlation between the kdr genotype and permethrin and deltamethrin respectively. The frequency of the kdr allele was an even weaker correlate. These results indicate, in contrast to Aedes aegypti, assessing kdr in populations of Culex quinquefasciatus is not a good surrogate for phenotypic resistance testing.

The research employs both literature and experimental data to develop reasonable strategies for melon fly control. The objects of research were sierozem soils of the Zhanakorgan region (Kyzylorda region), bentonite clays of the Sauran region (Turkestan region), vermicompost obtained at the production site of the Research Institute "Ecology" at the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. The competitive agent 'Vermiserbent' was developed by combining sulphur-perlite-containing waste (SPCW), vermicompost (VC), and natural bentonite clay. When incorporated into the soil, it serves as both an insecticide and a fertiliser recovery agent. Disinfection and enrichment of barren Sierozem soils in southern Kazakhstan could provide an eco-friendly approach to protect cucurbits (melon, watermelon, and pumpkin) against the melon fly. The average yield of watermelon treated with vermiserbent increased by 2.3 t/ha compared to the control, melon by 4.6 t/ha, pumpkin by 5.6 t/ha. The marketability of gourds as watermelons and melon after treatment with fertilizer increased by 1.2 times, and pumpkin by 1.1 times. The findings of studies conducted in agricultural fields in the Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions have shown that it is possible to produce environmentally sound gourds using a mixture of vermicompost, bentonite, and SPCW.

Mushroom cultivation vastly improves the yield of mushrooms under optimized, controlled conditions, but may be susceptible to opportunistic colonization by pest species that can establish themselves, as well as the pathogens and pests they may transmit. Here we describe our investigation into the bacterial communities of adult Lycoriella ingenua (Diptera: Sciaridae) and Megaselia halterata (Diptera: Phoridae) collected from button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) production houses in Pennsylvania. We collected adult flies and sequenced the hypervariable v4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA using the Illumina MiSeq. The most abundant bacterial genus detected in both species was Wolbachia, but phylogenetic analysis revealed that the infections are from different clades. Future studies include the characterization of Wolbachia infections on fly behavior and biology, comparison of microbial diversity of fly species colonizing wild mushrooms, and other microbiota that may contribute to the success of certain pest fly species.

One of the most important pieces of equipment used in labs in culturing populations of fruit flies (Drosophila sp.) is that of the “CO₂ gas plate”, which is used to anesthesize individuals during “fly-pushing”. This piece of equipment consists of a box with a porous top into which carbon-dioxide is pumped. Flies placed on its surface are left immobilized, permitting the sorting, categorizing and/or counting of flies during population culturing and experimental assays. Unfortunately, commercially available gas plates are typically expensive. Here, we describe a new design for a gas plate that can be easily produced using a 3D printer and a laser cutter, which we are making freely available to the fly community.

Rice husk ash (RHA) is agricultural waste with high silica content that has had proven technical feasibility as a pozzolanic material since the 1970s. Notwithstanding, its use in mortars and concrete is limited by the standards currently utilized in some countries where RHA production is high and the aforementioned pozzolanic material is not standardized. This is the case of Spain, one of the main rice producers in Europe. Nowadays, the high pressure placed on the Portland cement production sector to reduce energy use and CO2 emissions has given rise to a keen interest shown in mineral admixtures for cement manufacturing. In this research, we intend to establish the contribution of different RHA types to final blended Portland cement properties (symbol “H” was used to identify RHA in standardized cements). The experimental results demonstrated that RHA with good pozzolanic properties (large specific surface and high amorphous silica content) had to be limited to 10% cement replacement because of the severe reduction in workability at higher replacement percentages. RHA with lower reactivity, such as crystalline RHA, or fly ash (FA), can be used to prepare binary and ternary blended cements with reactive RHA. It is possible to design the following cements: CEM II/A-H and CEM II/A-(H-V) It would also be possible to design cement (CEM II/B-(H-V) with replacement values up to 30% and the same 28-day mechanical performance observed for the Portland cement without mineral addition.

Coal bottom ash (CBA) is a byproduct of coal-burning power plants. This material can be used as a fine aggregate replacement in concrete to reduce global natural material depletion. Concrete usage is increasing rapidly; subsequently, the industry’s carbon footprint is increasing. Using CBA in the construction industry will reduce the technical and economic problems associated with power plants by reducing solid waste. This project aimed to determine if adding new sustainable materials, such as CBA, to concrete will reduce natural raw material usage, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions while improving performance. This study included two projects: comparing increased CBA content to the two-control project and determining the optimum content based on the compressive strength. The optimum CBA content is 50%, which reduces fine aggregate usage in a concrete mix by 50% while maintaining equivalent or better concrete strength than a pure Portland concrete mix without CBA. The air content of the concrete mix containing % CBA decreased with increased CBA content and compressive strength, possibly due to the spacing factor of the voids in the mix and CBA’s porous and fineness behavior. The CBA optimum content had a unit weight lower than the controls for both projects, which makes the CBA mix a lightweight concrete. Using this material can significantly reduce natural material usage and environmental harm by reducing CBA waste disposal and improving concrete performance.

Wild Chinese prickly ash with elevated antioxidants is a valuable genetic resource for Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim improvement. There are rich wild germplasm resources in the Qinling Mountains. In a study with wild germplasm resources from different altitudes and six cultivated varieties, the phenolic and flavonoid compounds were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The chromatograms of them were basically the same, although their chemical composition content was greatly different. The thirty samples were divided into three categories through the hierarchical clustering analysis. And catechin, hyperoside and quercitrin were considered to be key compound for the quality evaluation, by contrast, the wild samples with an altitude of 2300±50 m (Ⅳ group) had the highest content of key compounds, and showed stronger antioxidant activity and antibacterial ability, indicating that these wild samples could be used as an excellent breeding resource. This is the first time to evaluate the quality of wild Chinese prickly ash in different altitude areas of Qinling Mountains. These excellent wild germplasm resources provided substantial potential accessions for use directly in Chinese prickly ash breeding programs.

Aerated concrete, which is manufactured from binding material, sand, foaming agent and water, is currently being utilized in the construction industry because of its lightweight and durability. The binding material, cement, along with other materials used in the concrete produces huge carbon footprints during its fabrication. The utilization of natural aggregates name as coarse aggregates depletes the natural resources of the country. Therefore, huge amounts of agricultural wastes have led scholars to investigate the effectiveness of replacing conventional materials used in concrete with agricultural wastes. In the current study, rice husk ash (RHA) was used as supplementary cementing material, thereby reducing the amount of cement used in aerated concrete (AC) mixture will reduce carbon footprints. The experimental and numerical analysis were conducted to investigate structural behavior of reinforced RAC- B beams subjected to flexural load. Parametric study on structural performance of RAC- B beam under flexure were conducted using finite element analysis (FEA). From the experiment and FEA. Results from the parametric study showed that RAC-10%RHA-B with higher depth structurally performed better compared to RAC-B under flexure with greater load carrying capacity, lesser maximum deflection, and less cracks developing in the tension area.

Although Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) has good cementitious property, previous researchers have primarily aimed to improve the mechanical performance of conventional concrete or cement-based composites. Research is lacking on ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), especially regarding tensile self-sensing properties. This paper aimed to comprehensively evaluate the SCBA effect on the UHPC’s mechanical, electrical, and tensile self-sensing properties. The results showed that SCBA below the critical incorporation concentration (CIC) improved the UHPC’s mechanical properties compared to steel fibers alone. Furthermore, adding 3.0wt% SCBA remarkably enhanced the UHPC mechanical properties where the compressive, flexural, and tensile strengths increased by 13.1%, 17.4%, and 20.6%, respectively. The SCBA content of 0.3wt% achieved the maximum UHPC electrical resistivity since values smaller or greater than this content decreased the resistivity. The SCBA-enhanced UHPC showed better tensile stress-sensing performance than UHPC without SCBA due to improved linearity and reversibility, lower hysteresis, higher sensitivity, and superior repeatability. UHPC with 0.3wt% SCBA achieved the best linearity, while UHPC with 0.9wt% SCBA showed the highest sensitivity, lowest hysteresis, and best repeatability. Overall, the content of 0.9wt% SCBA is the best in improving the overall mechanical, electrical, and tensile self-sensing performance.

In recent years, the potential of insects has been explored as a sustainable protein alternative to sustain the growing world population. Differences in the way insects are processed can affect their proximate composition and digestibility. This work studies the effects of the combination of different types of slaughter methods and drying temperatures on the proximate composition, organic matter digestibility (OMd), hydrolysis degree (DH/NH2 and DH/100 g DM), total hydrolysis (TH) and hygienic sanitary study of BSFL (black soldier fly larvae). Four types of slaughter methods were used: frozen (F), blanched + frozen (B), Melacide® + frozen (M) and liquid nitrogen (N), each with three drying temperatures (50, 70 and 90 °C). A negative correlation between acid detergent fibre (ADF) and protein digestibility parameters was obtained. 70 °C was the most suitable drying temperature, as it reported higher values of protein digestibility (DH, TH), resulting in hygienic and sanitary conditions suitable for food use. Slaughtering with liquid nitrogen and blanching were more convenient than traditional freezing or the use of Melacide® to achieve higher protein digestibility results.

Mast cells (MCs) play a crucial role during infections with Leishmania, that is transmitted through the bite of an infected sand fly that injects saliva together with the parasite. Sand fly saliva is a complex fluid that modulates the host immune response. In addition, hormonal factors modulate the host immune response, impacting the susceptibility to infections. Thus, to assess the impact of androgens and salivary proteins of sand fly vectors on the mast cell (MC) response to Leishmania infections, we infected orchiectomized male mice with the parasite in the presence or absence of sand fly salivary proteins and analyzed the inflammatory response of MCs. Our results showed a differential MC response to the parasite and to vector salivary proteins in mice deprived of gonadal hormones, as compared to sham-operated mice. Orchidectomy induced a different pattern of activation in MC of animals infected with Leishmania and vector-salivary proteins. Our results show that during Leishmania infection, androgens modulate the innate immunity response against the parasite and salivary proteins of the sand fly vector.

It is postulated in this research that the paradox of “advances in technology and management not keeping pace with the ever-increasing urban problems” is due to the poor understanding of person-focused governance of societal, environmental and economic entities. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present an adaptive institutional model of person-driven effectiveness and ineffectiveness. The model proposes that human, ecologic and economic outcomes are heavily influenced by a complex system of systems, spanning from individually unique “non-physical influencers” to a broader set of social and environmental influencers that have a common impact on the larger society-environment-economy (SEE) system. At the heart of the model is an analytic formulation that explains the phenomena of non-physical blocker, enhancer and indifferent that are responsible for the adaptation and maladaptation of social agents, and accordingly for the sustainability and unsustainability of SEE systems. Examples are provided to illustrate the model applications: (a) the non-physical and maladaptive syndromes as antecedents of multi-morbidity and (b) the broadened and narrowed minds as sources of sustainability and unsustainability at the SEE system level within the context of emerging technologies such as engineered nanomaterials.

Abstract: The present work evaluates the feasibility of using volcanic fly ash (VFA), generated by the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano on the island of La Palma (Spain) in 2021, as a precursor in the preparation of cementitious materials with different Portland cement (PC) replacement levels (0%, 30%, 70% and 100%), in the absence (Blended Cement, BC) and presence of an alkaline ac-tivator (Hybrid Alkaline Cement, HAC, and Alkaline Cements, AC). Hydration kinetics (isother-mal conduction calorimetry), paste mechanical strengths and reaction products were character-ised by XRD, FTIR, TG/DTG and BSEM/EDX. The results obtained indicate that the strengths de-veloped by the hybrid alkaline cements (HAC) are higher than those of the blended cements (BC), especially at the age of 2 days, where 25 MPa was obtained with the replacement of 70% PC by VFA. Alkaline cements (AC, 100% VFA) prepared with 8M NaOH solution as activator reached 40 MPa after 2 days. It was observed that in all the binders, depending on the initial composition of the binder mixture and the percentage of replacement and/or activator, VFA reacts to form cementitious gels, C-A-S-H and N-A-S-H type, which supports its use as a mineral addition to blended cement or as a precursor in the preparation of alkaline and hybrid alkaline cements.

This work describes the preparation of mesoporous silica by the green reaction of rice husk ash (RHA) with glycerol, followed by the modification and the potential use as a drug carrier. The reaction was carried out at 215 °C for 2 h. The solution was further hydrolyzed with deionized water and aged for various times (24, 48, 120, 360, 528 and 672 h) before calcinations at 500 oC for 24 h. Further treatment of prepared mesoporous silica was performed using trimethylmethoxysilane (TMMS) to obtain hydrophobic Mesoporous silica. For all synthesized silica, silica contents were as high as 95%wt, whereas organic residues were less than 3%wt. RHA-glycerol showed the highest specific surface area with smallest pore diameter (205.70 m2/g, 7.46 nm) when aged for 48 h. The optimal hydrolysis-ageing period of 120 h resulted in 500.7 m2/g BET surface area, 0.655 cm3/g pore volume and 5.23 nm pore diameter. The surface modification of RHA-glycerol was succeeded through the reaction with TMMS as confirmed by FTIR. Ibuprofen was selected as a model drug for the adsorption experiments. The adsorption under supercritical CO2 was carried out at isothermal temperature of 40 ˚C and 100 bar, % ibuprofen loading of TMMS modified mesoporous silica (TMMS-g-MS) was 6 times less than mesoporous silica aged for 24 h (MS-24h) due to the hydrophobic nature of modified mesoporous silica, not surface and pore characteristics. The release kinetics of ibuprofen-loaded mesoporous silicas were also investigated in vitro. The release rate of ibuprofen-loaded MS-24h was much faster than that of ibuprofen-loaded TMMS-g-MS, but comparable to the crystalline ibuprofen. The slower release rate was attributed to the diffusion control and the stability of hydrophobic nature of modified silica. This would allow the design for the controlled release drug delivery system.

Genetic adaptation of Hermetia illucens (BSF) to suboptimal single sourced wastes can open new perspectives for insect production. Here, four replicate BSF lines were maintained on a single sourced, low-quality wheat bran diet (WB) or on a high-quality chicken feed diet (CF) for 13 generations. We continuously evaluated evolutionary responses in several performance traits to rearing at the two diets. Subsequently, we tested responses to interchanged diets, i.e. of larvae that had been adapted to low-quality feed and to high quality feed and vice versa to evaluate costs associated with diet adaptation. BSF were found to experience rapid adaptation to the diet composition. While performances on WB diet were always inferior to CF diet, the adaptive re-sponses were stronger to the former diet. This stronger response was likely due to stronger se-lection pressure experienced by BSF fed on the low-quality single sourced diet. The interchanged diet experiment found no costs associated with diet adaptation but confirmed diet adaptation for the larval biomass and insect frass traits for the WB diet treatment. Our results revealed that BSF can rapidly adapt to diet through evolutionary responses, which has potential to be utilized to produce lines tailored to specific diets.

Agrilus planipennis is a devastating invasive pest of ash trees. This wood-boring insect native to Asia and established in European Russia about 20 years ago poses a serious threat to ash trees all over Europe. In 2019 we first detected Agrilus planipennis in Ukraine. More than 20 larvae have been collected from under the bark of Fraxinus pennsylvanica trees on 5 September 2019 in Markivka District of Luhansk Region. Coordinates of the localities of collection: 49.614991 N, 39.559743 E; 49.614160 N, 39.572402 E and 49.597043 N, 39.561811 E. The photos of damaged trees with larval galleries, exit holes and larvae are presented. There is no doubt that the pest is established in Ukraine. This fact is important for development of quarantine protocols to prevent or at least slow the further spread of this invasive pest in Europe.

In this research, the feasibility of using bottom ashes generated by the combustion of biomass (olive pruning and pine pruning) as a source of aluminosilicates (OPBA) has been studied, replacing the metakaolin precursor (MK) in different proportions (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 wt. % substitution) for the synthesis of geopolymers. As alkaline activator an 8 M NaOH solution and a Na2SiO3 have been used. The geopolymers were cured 24 hours in a climatic chamber at 60 ° C in a water-saturated atmosphere, subsequently demoulded and cured at room temperature for 28 days. The results indicated that the incorporation of OPBA waste, which have 19.7 wt. % of Ca, modifies the characteristics of the products formed after alkaline activation. In general terms, the incorporation of increasing amounts of calcium-rich ashes results in geopolymers with higher bulk density. The compressive strength increases with the addition of up to 50 wt. % of OPBA with respect to the control geopolymers, contributing the composition of the residue to the acquisition of a better behaviour mechanical. The results indicate the potential use of these OPBA waste as raw material to produce unconventional cements with 28-day curing strengths greater than 10 MPa, and thermal conductivities less than 0.35 W/mK.

Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel is a highly invasive horticultural pest of major economic importance worldwide. In Burkina Faso, it is one of the main insect pests constraining the mango production and export. Understanding the biology and the genetic dynamics of this insect pest provide cru-cial information for the development of effective control measures. The aim of this study was to understand the distribution, diversity and genetic structure of B. dorsalis in Burkina Faso. Male flies were collected transversally in Burkina Faso and analyzed by PCR using 10 microsatellite markers. The results showed an abundance of B. dorsalis varying from 87 to 2986 flies per trap per day in the different sampling sites. Genetic diversity was high in all sites with an average Shan-non's Information Index (I) of 0.72 per site. Gene flow was high between study populations and ranged from 10.62 to 27.53 number of migrants. Bayesian admixture analysis showed no evi-dence of structure while Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components identified three weakly separated clusters in the population of B. dorsalis in Burkina Faso. The results of this study could be used to optimize the effectiveness of current control interventions and to guide the imple-mentation of new, innovative and sustainable strategies.

Part 1 of this 2-paper series identified a wide and deep network of context, generative mechanisms and outcomes responsible for psychosocial development in a performance basketball club. In this – part 2 – study, the stakeholder’s programme theories were tested during a full-season ethnography of the same club. The findings confirm the highly individualised nature of each young person’s journey. Methodologically, immersion in the day-to-day environment generated a fine-grain analysis of the processes involved, including: i) sustained attentional focus; ii) structured and unstructured skill building activities; iii) deliberate and incidental support; and iv) feelings indicating personal growth. Personal development in and through sport is thus shown to be conditional, multi-faceted, time-sensitive and idiosyncratic. The findings of this two-part study are considered to propose a model of psychosocial development in and through sport. This heuristic tool is presented to support sport psychologists, coaches, club administrators and parents to deliberately create and optimise developmental environments.

To reduce environmental impacts from sodium silicate synthesis it was suggested the use of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) as a source of silicon dioxide and sodium carbonate using the ceramic method. Although the production of sodium silicate is carried out on a large scale, it should be noted that its process requires temperatures above 1000 °C or the use of highly corrosive agents such as sodium hydroxide and chlorine gas used to neutralize the remaining sodium hydroxide. In the present work, the synthesis temperatures were reduced to 800 °C with a reaction time of 3 hours by pressing equimolar mixtures of previously purified SCBA and sodium carbonate, then heat treatment was carried out under the indicated conditions. The resulting materials were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Among the crystalline phases, calcium disodium silicate was identified, in addition to sodium silicate, so it was inferred that the other components of the ash can interfere with the synthesis of silicate. Therefore, to obtain the highest composition of sodium silicate, a leaching treatment of the SCBA is required.

The production of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWIBA) is very massive and has the potential to replace cement despite the problems of complex composition, uneven particle size distribution, and low reactivity. This paper adopts sodium silicate activation of MSWIBA-slag to improve the reactivity to prepare composite cementitious materials. It explores the hydration performance study of the composite cementitious materials by isothermal calorimetric analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, XRD physical diffraction analysis, and SEM/EDS tests. SEM/EDS tests will be used to explore the hydration properties of the composite gelling. The results showed that with the increase of MSWIBA doping, the porosity between the materials increased, the degree of Hydration decreased, and the compressive strength decreased with the rise of MSWIBA. When sodium silicate increased from 25% to 35%, too much alkaline material occurred over the alkaline effect, which inhibited the Hydration of the particles, and the degree of hydration reaction decreased, and the compressive strength decreased accordingly; the exothermic process of Hydration can be mainly divided into five stages, quartz and calcite did not participate in the hydration reaction completely, and sexual aluminum participated in the hydration reaction. The vibrational peaks of Si-O-Ti (T = Si and Al) were present in the material. The vibrational peaks of XRD, FTIR, and SEM-EDS all indicate the presence of silica-aluminate network structures in the hydration products, mainly N-A-S-H and C-A-S-H gels.

The oviparous blow fly Calliphora vicina has shown potential as a managed pollination species to support honeybee (Apis mellifera) usage in Australian horticulture. This blow fly species lays eggs onto carrion soon after death and the resultant larvae that hatch are necrophagous and feed on the decomposing tissues of the dead animal. Newly hatched larvae of this fly were provided with plant-based meals (soya bean and canola) and compared with animal-derived meatmeal to determine if plant-based meal could be used to mass rear this blow fly species. Both soyabean and canola meal media did not support the survival of any larvae through to adult eclosion. The addition of only 10% whole egg powder to the plant-based meals enabled survival to eclosion of 39% and 13% on soyabean and canola based medias respectively compared with 76% on animal-based meatmeal with 10% whole egg powder. Larvae fed livestock meatmeal with 10% whole dried egg powder had the fastest development to the pupal stage, the highest pupation rate, the heaviest pupae and the highest subsequent adult eclosion. This study concluded that the use of plant-based meals in the mass rearing of the blow fly C. vicina was neither viable, nor economically viable.

Carotenoids are common and diverse organic compounds with various functional roles in ani-mals. Except for certain aphids, mites, and gall midges, all animals acquire necessary carotenoids only through their diet. The House fly (Musca domestica) is a cosmopolitan pest insect that populates diverse habitats. Its larvae feed on organic substrates that may vary in carotenoid composition according to their specific content. We hypothesized that the carotenoid composition in the adult House fly’s body would reflect its composition in the larval feed. We reared house fly larvae on substrates that differed in carotenoid composition and characterized the carotenoid composition of the emerging adults. Our results indicate that the carotenoid composition of adult House flies is related to the carotenoid composition in its natal substrate, but does not directly reflect it. We suggest that these findings may be developed to identify sources of House fly in-festations. We also recommend that care should be taken when considering the rearing substrates of House fly larvae used for animal feed.

Since late December, the underwater Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano has been erupting for weeks and has seen sporadic activities in a series of pretty big eruptions. On Friday 15th January 2022, an explosion shot a massive cloud of ash high into the atmosphere and generated a tsunami that impacted much of the Pacific Rim, which makes it one of the most energetic explosions of the entire 21st century so far. Thus, the need to determine the significant impact of these generated volcanic aerosols on the environment is a prominent task. This study depicts the modeling of the volcanic ash dispersion from the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption while investigating the effects of incorporating radiative feedback effects within the inline Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem). Results for 4-day averaged values have proven that the basic run (No Feedback) produced higher ash concentrations than the one with aerosol radiative feedback effects (Feedback). The simulations highlighted also the significant volcanic ash biases concentrated around the ash cloud. Additionally, our data analysis from meteorological stations and Copernicus TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument Sentinel-5 Precursor (TROPOMI-S5P) mission indicates that total sulfur dioxide () emissions traveled west. We show also that the huge plume of on January 18 reached Australia, more than 7000 km west of the eruption. With the enormous ash cloud produced, its impact on the environment and global climate change would be considered an excellent exercise for atmospheric dispersion modelers, volcanologists, and the environmental scientists' community.

In the present work, we provide an electronic structure based method for the “on-the-fly” deter- mination of vibrational sum frequency generation (v-SFG) spectra. The predictive power of this scheme is demonstrated at the air-water interface. While the instantaneous fluctuations in dipole moment are obtained using the maximally localized Wannier functions, the fluctuations in polar- izability are approximated to be proportional to the second moment of Wannier functions. The spectrum henceforth obtained captures the signatures of hydrogen bond stretching, bending, as well as low-frequency librational modes.

Cement production requires a significant amount of energy and natural resources, severely impacting the environment due to harmful gas emissions. Coal Bottom Ash (CBA) and Coal Boiler Slag (CBS), byproducts of coal-fired power plants, have pozzolanic properties. CBA and CBS can be mechanically ground to obtain Ground Coal Bottom Ash (GCBA) or Ground Coal Bottom Slag (GCBS), which can potentially replace cement in concrete, reducing waste in landfills, benefit the economy, preserving natural resources, and reducing health hazards. This study was performed to determine the optimum amount of GCBA and GCBS that can replace cement in concrete. The fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of the concrete containing GCBA were compared to a control mix consisting of 100% Portland cement. The optimum amount of cement replaced with GCBA and GCBS was 10% and 5%, respectively, based on compressive strength. The GCBA-based concrete's tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and durability properties were better than the control. The compressive strength of the GCBA and GCBS-based mortars increased with an increase in fineness. GCBA and GCBS fineness should be within the limit recommended in the ASTM C618 standard to enhance concrete or mortar properties.

Field observations of external wounds associated with two common tree injection methods compared open (plug-less) and sealed (plug) systems in green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall) trees . A wound from any cause within 1.37 meters above the ground was common with 28.8% of all trees. The open system had statistically fewer (p&lt;0.001) trees with at least one wound (11.6% of trees) than the sealed system (47.4% of trees). The open system had fewer (P&lt;0.001) wounds (0.17, 0.04 SE) per tree and a smaller (P&lt;0.001) total wound area (25.5 cm2, 8.7 SE) per tree, compared to the sealed system wounds (1.14, 0.13 SE) per tree and the total wound area (99.7 cm2, 16.2 SE) per tree. The incidence of a tree with a wound(s) within 1.37 m above the ground was 7.2 times more likely with trees treated though the sealed system. Wounds in the sealed system were observed to appear to have a high rate of improper application of plugs, which was associated in 77% of the cases to explain the wounds. Implications of study results are further provided to best protect ash trees, while at the same time reducing the incidence external wounding on ash trees.

The flour milling industry, a vital component of global food production, is undergoing a transformative phase driven by the integration of smart devices and advanced technologies. This transition promises improved efficiency, quality, and sustainability in flour production. Accurate estimation of protein, moisture and ash content in wheat grains and flour is of paramount importance due to their direct impact on product quality and compliance with industry standards. This paper explores the application of Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a non-destructive, efficient, and cost-effective method for measuring the aforementioned essential parameters in wheat and flour, by investigating the effectiveness of a low-cost handle NIR spectrometer. Furthermore, a novel approach using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) is proposed to estimate protein, moisture and ash content in grain seeds and flour, marking the first known application of FCMs in this context. Our study includes an experimental setup that assesses different types of wheat seeds and flour samples and evaluates three NIR pre-processing techniques to enhance parameter estimation accuracy. The results indicate that low-cost NIR equipment can contribute to the estimation of the under-study parameters.

Recently on the December 4, 2021 at 03:00 PM, 3676 m high Mount Semeru located in the East parts of Java Island has erupted. To our best knowledge, an immediate and rapid systematic analysis of the volcanic ash plume courses, PM_2.5 emissions, and environmental impacts based on Mount Semeru eruption has not been implemented so far. Then, this research aims to provide and fill the research gap on the rapid assessment of recent Mount Semeru eruption. From the result, it is clearly visible that for 12 hours the volcanic ash plume course was eastward. The volcanic ash plume can travel a distance of 0–10 km to the North and South directions, and more than 10 km to the East direction. The size of the volcanic ash plume was large at 02:00 AM on December 5, 2021. The smallest size of a volcanic ash plume was recorded at 09:00 PM on December 4, 2021. Most parts of the ash plume (55.98%) or equals 39.01 km² contain fallen volcanic material amounts ranged from 1 kg/m² to 10 kg/m². The fallen volcanic material amount peaked between 08:00 PM and 11:00 PM. Based on the estimation, the PM_2.5 content in the atmosphere increased after the eruption. The mean of PM_2.5 before the eruption was 48.5 ± 19.3(95%CI: 29.2 to 67.8 ug/m³). While after eruption the mean of PM_2.5 was 79.4 ± 32.2(95%CI: 47.2 to112 ug/m³). It indicated that the Mount Semeru eruption has increased the PM_2.5 equals 63.65%.

Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) is associated with mastitis in dairy cows, this study investigates the therapeutic effect of maggot antimicrobial peptides on S. aureus induced mastitis in mice. The maggot AMP was isolated and purified, tested for antimicrobial activity, and used to treat a pathological model of rat mastitis. The concentration of 1.5mg/（Kg. BW）AMP was selected as intramammary treatment in S. aureus-induced mastitis in mice. The mice were divided into four groups of 30 mice each: group I (healthy control), group II (disease control), group III (AMP), and group IV (ciprofloxacin). To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of maggot AMP in mastitis induced by S. aureus based on clinical presentation, mammary gland structure, bacterial load, histopathology, and cure. During the 7-day treatment period, all the mice in Group II died in the afternoon of the fifth day, and the clinical signs of the mice in Group III began to improve on the third day, as evidenced by the gradual recovery of the mice's mental status, dietary intake, and water intake. During the treatment period, the bacterial load count of Group III was significantly lower than that of Group II but higher than that of Group IV, while the bacterial load count of Group III gradually decreased and approached that of Group IV from the fifth to the seventh day. The levels of TNF-α in groups III and IV were significantly lower than those in group II, suggesting that maggot AMP has a certain inhibitory effect on TNF-α. Treatment with AMP@ 1.5 mg/(Kg. BW) showed restoration of clinical signs, reduced bacterial load, and lower TNF-α levels in mice, leading to significant improvement in histopathological changes as compared to disease controls. The final cure rate was 40% for mice in Group III compared to 70% for mice in Group IV, compared to all mice in Group II that died. From this study, it can be concluded that maggot AMP can be used as a potential alternative treatment option to antibiotics for the treatment of bovine mastitis.

Adequate knowledge about the development and operation of the components of water systems is of high importance in order to optimize them. For this reason, forecasting of future events becomes greatly significant due to making the appropriate decision. Moreover, operational river management severely depends on accurate and reliable flow forecasts. In this regard, current study inspects the accuracy of support vector regression (SVR), and SVR regulated with fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOASVR) and M5 model tree (M5), in river flow forecasting. Monthly data of river flow in two stations of the Lake Urmia Basin (Vaniar and Babarud stations on the Aji Chay and the Barandouz Rivers) were utilized in the current research. Additionally, the influence of periodicity (π) on the forecasting enactment was examined. To assess the performance of mentioned models, different statistical meters were implemented, including root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), correlation coefficient (R), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Results showed that the FOASVR with RMSE (4.36 and 6.33 m3/s), MAE (2.40 and 3.71 m3/s) and R (0.82 and 0.81) values had the best performances in forecasting river flows in Babarud and Vaniar stations, respectively. Also, regarding BIC parameters, Q_t-1 and π were selected as parsimonious inputs for predicting river flow one month ahead. Overall findings indicated that, although both FOASVR and M5 predicted the river flows in suitable accordance with observed river flows, the performance of FOASVR was moderately better than the M5 and periodicity noticeably increased the performances of the models; consequently, FOASVR can be suggested as the accurate method for forecasting river flows.

Adequate knowledge about the development and operation of the components of water systems is of high importance in order to optimize them. For this reason, forecasting of future events becomes greatly significant due to making the appropriate decision. Moreover, operational river management severely depends on accurate and reliable flow forecasts. In this regard, current study inspects the accuracy of support vector regression (SVR), and SVR regulated with fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOASVR) and M5 model tree (M5), in river flow forecasting. Monthly data of river flow in two stations of the Lake Urmia Basin (Vaniar and Babarud stations on the Aji Chay and the Barandouz Rivers) were utilized in the current research. Additionally, the influence of periodicity (π) on the forecasting enactment was examined. To assess the performance of mentioned models, different statistical meters were implemented, including root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), correlation coefficient (R), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Results showed that the FOASVR with RMSE (4.36 and 6.33 m3/s), MAE (2.40 and 3.71 m3/s) and R (0.82 and 0.81) values had the best performances in forecasting river flows in Babarud and Vaniar stations, respectively. Also, regarding BIC parameters, Qt-1 and π were selected as parsimonious inputs for predicting river flow one month ahead. Overall findings indicated that, although both FOASVR and M5 predicted the river flows in suitable accordance with observed river flows, the performance of FOASVR was moderately better than the M5 and periodicity noticeably increased the performances of the models; consequently, FOASVR can be suggested as the accurate method for forecasting river flows.

With widespread resistance to a limited number of insecticides available for medical and veterinary pests, new insecticides and insecticide synergists are desperately needed in this market space. We assessed the topical toxicity of carvone, menthone, and fenchone compared to permethrin and methomyl against the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and the house fly, Musca domestica. We also evaluated the synergistic potential of the monoterpenoids with permethrin and methomyl. Additionally, we assessed the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential of each monoterpenoid compared to methomyl. While all three monoterpenoids performed relatively poorly as topical insecticides (LD50 > 4000 ng/mg on M. domestica; > 6000 ng/mg on Ae. aegypti), they synergized both permethrin and methomyl as well as or better than piperonyl butoxide (PBO). Carvone and menthone yielded synergistic co-toxicity factors (23 and 29, respectively), which were each higher than PBO at 24 h. Acetylcholinesterase inhibition did not appear to explain the toxic or synergistic effects of the three monoterpenoids with IC50 values greater than 1 mM for all, compared to the 2.5 and 1.7 µM for methomyl on Aedes aegypti and Musca domestica, respectively. This study provides valuable monoterpenoid toxicity and synergism data on two pestiferous insects and highlights potential for these chemistries in future pest control formulations.

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, an invasive phloem-boring beetle, was detected in the Luhansk Region of Ukraine in 2019. In the following years, it expanded to a large part of the Kharkiv region and the parks of Kyiv. Previous research proved that the climate in Luhansk and neighboring regions is favorable for EAB, and the lack of a host plant (Fraxinus sp.) cannot prevent pest expansion in Ukraine. Considering the necessity to detect inhabited trees in time, our current research aimed to identify the most attractive EAB forest subcompartments considering forest site conditions and stand structure. MaxEnt model predicted the potential distribution of EAB with high accuracy (AUC = 0.842). The most significant five variables provided 82.9% to the model, particularly «Age of trees, years», «Area of forest subcompartment, ha», «Mean height of trees, m», «The proportion of Fraxinus excelsior in the stand composition, %», and «Hygrotope index (humidity level), point». A very high probability of EAB expansion in the Luhansk region (&gt;90 %) is predicted at 20 % of the forest area with Fraxinus sp. in the stand composition. The probability of EAB spread above 30% is predicted for 75 % of such area. To improve the forecasting accuracy, it could be necessary to consider the data on road localization along which the pest can spread passively, as well as dominate wind speed.

Aflatoxins in feeds cause great health hazards to animals and in advance, to human. Potential of crude clays designated AC, KC, CC and MC and ashes VA and RA were evaluated for their capacity to adsorb aflatoxins B₁ (AFB₁), B₂ (AFB₂), G₁ (AFG₁) and G₂ (AFG₂) relative to a commercial binder Mycobinder^R (Evonik Industries AG) using in-vitro technique. On average, CC, VA, KC, MC, AC, RA and Mycobind^R adsorbed 39.9%, 51.3%, 61.5%, 62.0%, 72.6%, 84.7% and 98.1% of the total aflatoxins in buffered solution, respectively. The capacity of AC and RA was statistically (p<0.05) better in binding aflatoxins next to Mycobind^R. Capacity of the TBM and Mycobind^R to bind aflatoxins, seemed to follow the trend of their cation exchange capacity (CEC). The CEC (meq/100g) of CC, MC, KC, VA, AC, RA and Mycobind^R were 7.0, 15.4, 18.8, 25.4, 27.2, 27.2 and 38.9, respectively. On average 96.3%, 42.7%, 80.8% and 32.1% of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 were adsorbed, respectively. Binding capacity of the clays and ashes relative to Mycobind^R was about 100% for AC and RA, 50% for KC, MC and VA and 33.3% for CC. The AC and RA seem to be promising resources in binding aflatoxins in solution.

The orbital elactronic structure of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) contains many unpaired electrons which render them capable of storing large amount of magnetic energy in addition to being critical for hitech applications. Geological deposits are their conventional sources, and the current supply chain relies on production from these deposits. However, given their critical roles in the anticipated global energy transition, there is the need to explore other viable sources to supplement current and future supplies chains. REEs occur in coal as accessory minerals and their concentration in coal ash to levels that rival those of geological deposits has been estab;ished by sophisticated analytical chemical methods. Conmventional hydrometallurgical processes rely on acid leaching, using tioxic mineral acids. Meanwhile, organosulfonic acids have pKa values that rival those of conventional minerals acid and can, therefore, be used in hydrometallurgy but their uses in this regard are not well documented in the literature. In this extensive review, we have covered geological sources of REEs exaustively in addition to showing the potential of organosulfonic acids as environmentally benign lixiviants for REEs extraction from coal ash. We have also shown how process optimization can be achieved using advance technologies while using organisulfonic acids. Moreover, we have shown current and future global market trends regarding the production of select organosulfonic acids, and the anticipated global increase in their production motivates the use of organosulfonic acids as viable lixiviants for REEs extraction from caol ash deposits.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is caused by the full mutation in the FMR1 gene on the Xq27.3 chromosome region. It is the most common monogenic cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and inherited intellectual disability (ID). Besides ASD, ID and other issues, individuals with FXS may exhibit sleep problems and impairment of circadian rhythm (CR). The Drosophila melanogaster models of FXS, such as dFMR1B55, present excellent model for research in the FXS field. During this study, sleep pattern and CR in dFMR1B55 mutants were analyzed, using a new platform based on continuous high-resolution videography in integration with a highly-customized version of software. This methodology provides more sensitive results, which could be crucial for all further research in this model of fruit flies. The study revealed that dFMR1 B55 male mutants can be considered weak rhythmic flies rather than totally arrhythmic, and present a good alternative animal model of genetic disorder, which includes impairment of CR and sleep behavior. The combination of videography and software used in the current study should be recommended as a gold-standard methodology for such further research.

Remaining service life (RSL) of pavement, as a sign of future pavement performance, has always received growing attention from pavement engineers. The RSL describes the time from the moment of pavement inspection until such a time when a major repair or reconstruction is required. The conventional approach to determining RSL involves using non-destructive tests. These tests, in addition to being costly, interfere with traffic flow and compromise users' safety. In this paper, surface distresses of pavement have been used to estimate the pavement’s RSL in order to eliminate the aforementioned problems and challenges. To implement the proposed theory, 105 flexible pavement segments were taken from Shahrood-Damghan Highway (Highway 44) in Iran. For each pavement segment, the type, severity, and extent of surface damage and pavement condition index (PCI) were determined. The pavement RSL was then estimated using non-destructive tests include Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). After completing the dataset, the modeling was conducted to predict RSL using three techniques include Support Vector Regression (SVR), Support Vector Regression Optimized by Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm (SVR-FOA), and Gene Expression Programming (GEP). All three techniques estimated the RSL of the pavement by selecting the PCI as input. The Correlation Coefficient (CC), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), Scattered Index (SI), and Willmott’s Index of agreement (WI) criteria were used to examine the performance of the three techniques adopted in this study. In the end, it was found that GEP with values of 0.874, 0.598, 0.601, and 0.807 for CC, SI, NSE, and WI criteria, respectively, had the highest accuracy in predicting the RSL of pavement.

A swarm based nature-inspired optimization algorithm namely fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOA) has simple structure and ease of implementation. However, FOA has a low success rate and a slow convergence because FOA generates new positions around the best location using fixed search radius. Several improved FOAs have been proposed. But their exploration ability is questionable. To make the search process to transit from the exploration phase to the exploitation phase smoothly, this paper proposes a new FOA constructed from a cooperation of the multileader and the probabilistic random walk strategies (CPFOA). It has two population types working together. CPFOA's performance is evaluated by 18 well-known standard benchmark, and 30 CEC’2017 functions. The results showed that CPFOA outperforms both the original FOA and its variants in terms of convergence speed and performance accuracy. The results base on CEC’2017 show that CPFOA can achieve a very promising accuracy when compared with the well-known competitive algorithms. CPFOA is applied to optimize two applications; the MLPs classifying real datasets and extracting parameters of T-S fuzzy system for modelling Box and Jenkins gas furnace data set. CPFOA can find parameters having a very high quality compared with the best known competitive algorithms.

This study was conducted to search for green technology that can extract metabolites from neem leaves for use in the development of botanical pesticide against Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera:Tephritidae). Rice wine, rice wash, vinegar and distilled water were used as solvents and hot infusion, maceration, hot continuous reflux (Soxhlet), and fermentation were the methods employed. The different leaf extracts prepared by green technology were evaluated for their potentials as pesticide against B. dorsalis. Vinegar extract via Soxhlet extraction (V-S) for eight (8) h registered to have the highest mortality but not significantly different from vinegar - fermentation (V-F), rice wash - Soxhlet (RWa-S), vinegar - maceration (V-M), distilled water - fermentation (DW-F), and rice wash - fermentation (RWa-F) extracts. Phythochemicals present in the extracts are affected by the solvent-extraction interaction. Among the sixteen solvent-extraction interactions, the use of rice wash and fermentation is the most economical method in extracting the extracting the active components of neem leaves against B. dorsalis. Rice wash is a waste that can be utilized in the development of a biopesticide from neem leaves for pest management of B. dorsalis. This is the first report that rice wash is used as extracting solvent in green synthesis.

Background: The study describes the comparison of different microbial load results of natural falling and dipping of the house fly (Musca domestica) in water and milk to investigate the possibilities of preventing the effect of the transferred pathogens from the house fly to our sources by pointing out the existence of antimicrobial factors within the house fly. Methods: Samples of house fly were collected from Jeddah and Makkah (Makkah region) and were directly transferred to the laboratory. Each house fly was packed in sterile test tubes. Each tube was opened oppositely to a larger test tube containing 10 ml of sterile tap water, and sterile water at pH 4.0 in other similar series of treatments to represent the reactions of stomach fluids. Later, the house flies were left for 20 seconds after reaching the water surface, and then cultured on different microbial media to evaluate the microbial load of the natural falling of the house fly. To evaluate the complete dipping of house flies in the water, two methods were tested by one complete dip for the flies for 20 seconds, and three times complete dipping for 20 seconds in water before evaluating the microbial load. The same methods were achieved on milk in a series of experiments and the microbial load was evaluated after the incubation at room temperature for three hours. Results: It was found that dipping treatments of house flies gave lower microbial contamination in water at pH 4.0 than neutral pH. The lower microbial load was also observed when dipping the house flies three times in water as compared to once dipping and natural falling treatments. It was also found that the complete dipping of house flies’ treatments in milk will reduce the microbial contamination as compared to natural falling treatments. Conclusion: The observed results support the presence of antimicrobial factors on the house fly.

The research aims to improve some of the physical and hydro-physical properties of some Vertisols in the southern region (part of the eastern Houran Plateau) in Sweda Governorate at the south of Syria. Using different quantities of volcanic ash, soil samples were collected from the Al-Thahallah village from a depth of (0-30) cm, The experiment was designed according to the complete random design with one factor that represents the ash quantity (1.25, 2.5, 5) %, with three replicates for each treatment in addition to the control treatment a0. The experiment was carried out within the plastic pots during agricultural season 2018/2019, in which the wheat of the Sham variety 3 were cultivated as a cover plant. The results showed that the addition of volcanic ash at the quantity of 5% led to a significant increase in the infiltration rate by (328.60) %,%, where the filtration rate increased from 0.42 cm/hr -1 to 1.80 cm.h-1, as well as for each of the air porosity by (89) % and the volume of infiltrate water by (40) %, compared with the control. The above-mentioned addition also resulted in a decrease in both dry bulk density, total soil porosity and volumetric swelling coefficient by (18.60, 5.80, 314) % Respectively, compared to the control. The addition also contributed to the reduce in the weighted moisture content when saturation and the field capacity, at the level of significance of 5%. The research recommends adding volcanic ash to the soil at a quantity of 5%, and adding enhancements with volcanic ash at various levels such as organic waste.

Durability of concrete requires a dense microstructure which can be achieved by using self-compacting concrete (SCC). Both calcined clay (CC) and rice husk ash (RHA) are promising supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that can partially replace cement, but their use in SCC is critical due to their higher water demand and specific surface area (SSA) compared to cement. Empirical method of SCC design was adopted considering the physical properties of both CC and RHA. The influence of partially substituting cement at 20 vol-% with binary and ternary blends of CC and RHA were investigated. The fresh properties of SCC were investigated using a variety of tests. The time dependent workability was monitored by plunger method and flow resistance determined based on the rheological measurements of SCC. The evolution of the hydrate phases of the binder in SCC was determined by thermogravimetric analysis, while the durability was evaluated by rapid chloride migration test. Cement partial replacement with 20 vol-% CC has no significant effect on SCC fresh, time dependent, compressive strength and durability properties. 20 vol-% RHA on the other hand requires higher dosage of SP to achieve self-compactability and increased the viscosity of SCC. Its workability retention is only up to 30 min after mixing and exhibited higher flow resistance. It consumes more CH and improves compressive strength and chloride resistance of SCC. The ternary blending with CC and RHA yielded better fresh SCC properties compared to the binary blend with RHA, while an improved chloride penetration resistance could be achieved compared to binary CC blend.

Ash trees have considerable economic, cultural and environmental value on the island of Ireland. However, European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) is currently under threat from the invasive ascomycete pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. This pathogen is the causal agent of ash dieback disease, which was initially reported in Poland in 1992. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus has since spread across Europe and the first recorded case of the disease on the island of Ireland was in 2012 at a forestry plantation in Co. Leitrim. The pathogen is now present in all 26 counties in Ireland and 6 counties in Northern Ireland, and it is considered unfeasible to eradicate. The spread of ash dieback disease is reflected in recent policy changes, which focus on management rather than eradication strategies. Since the first formal description of H. fraxineus in 2006, considerable research efforts have been made by the international scientific community to understand the biology of the pathogen and to develop management strategies against it. This review provides an update of current knowledge of H. fraxineus biology and infection. We then explore examples of mitigation techniques that have been trialled in Europe, in order to identify strategies that are feasible for disease management at a local level on the island of Ireland. Finally, we outline five key avenues of research that have the potential to provide breakthroughs in methods to protect valuable F. excelsior resources.

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an invasive beetle of East Asian origin that in North America and Russia killed millions of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). In September 2020, EAB was de-tected in Saint Petersburg, becoming resonant event for the metropolitan city. The aim of the present study was to investigate occurrence and ecology of EAB in Saint Petersburg. The presence of two distinct enclave populations of EAB was revealed, each of which has (very likely) been established by separate events of “hitchhiking” transport vehicles. Following the invasion, further spread of EAB in Saint Petersburg was slow and locally restricted, main explanation for which is climatic factor. Due to spread by “hitchhiking”, the possibility of EAB further long-distance ge-ographic spread of EAB in the Baltic Sea region (EU) is high, and not only by ground transport (120–130 km distance from EU borders), but also by ferries transporting cars (traditional means of transportation across the Baltic Sea). In certain cases, development of EAB on F. excelsior was more successful (stem portion colonized, larval densities, number of galleries, exit holes, viable larvae, emerged beetles) than in (adjacent) F. pennsylvanica trees. Observed relatively high EAB-sensitivity of F. excelsior therefore questions the efficacy and benefits of the currently ongoing selection and breeding projects against ash dieback (ADB), caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Inventory, mapping, and monitoring of surviving F. excelsior trees in areas infested by both ADB and EAB are necessary to acquire genetic resource for work on strategic long-term restoration of F. excelsior, tackling (inevitable) invasion of EAB to the EU.

This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of applying a two-step biological treatment process, solid-state anaerobic digestion (SSAD) and black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) composting, for treating dairy cattle manure. Biogas from SSAD of dairy cattle manure, and the digestate of SSAD was fed to BSFL. In turn, BSFL can be fed to animals as a protein supplement. Adjustment of pH and 30% inoculation ratio (IR₃₀) during SSAD produced the highest theoretical methane yield, 626.1±28.7 L CH₄/kg VS_des, with an ultimate methane yield of 96.81±2.0 L CH₄/kg VS_load. For BSFL composting, the groups with a feeding rate of 75 and 100 mg/day/larvae had the highest body weight change, which was 969.6±28.4 and 984.1±177.6%, respectively. The combination process of SSAD and BSFL composting increases the incentive for dairy cattle manure treatment enabled higher waste removal efficiency, and produced more valuable products.

The use of the commercial simulator Aspen Plus® could bring an amelioration in the accuracy of the predictions of the chemical species composition in the output streams of the anaerobic digestion process, due to availability of a broad library of thermodynamic and phenomena transport properties in this commercial package. In the present investigation, the process simulation model for anaerobic digestion, which was originally developed by Rajendran et al. [1], has been modified by including a stoichiometric-equilibria reactor to calculate the extent of the ionization of the molecules present in the anaerobic digestate. The refined model offers a more accurate prediction of the composition of the biogas because it delves on the chemical equilibrium of the gaseous stream and the anaerobic digestate. Additionally, the refined model allows to assess the possibility of upgrading the gaseous stream to biomethane degree via manufacturing of ammonium bicarbonate. This processing pathway relies on the stabilization of the anaerobic digestate by means of biomass ash-based treatment. First of all, the titration of the manure digestate with the hydrochloric acid showed that a dose of 3.18 mEq/g would be required to attain the targeted pH of zero-point charge, upon addition of the sewage sludge ash in a ratio to the manure digestate of 0.6 ± 0.2 %. Secondly, the profiles of ammonia, carbon dioxide, and methane found in the biogas agree with both the pH of the treated digestate and the processes described in for the simultaneously upgrading the biogas and the production of ammonium bicarbonate. The refined Aspen Plus® model presented in this article needs to be further developed to ensure the standards are attained in all output streams of stabilized anaerobic digestate, biomethane, and isolated added-value chemical fertilizers.

Conventional hydrogen production, as an alternative energy resource, has relied on fossil fuels to produce hydrogen, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. Hydrogen production via the dry forming of methane (DRM) process is a lucrative solution to utilize greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, by using them as raw materials in the DRM process. However, there are a few DRM processing issues, with one being the need to operate at a high temperature to gain high conversion of hydrogen, which is energy intensive. In this study, bagasse ash, which contains a high percentage of silicon dioxide, was designed and modified for catalytic support. Modification of silicon dioxide from bagasse ash was utilized as a waste material and the performance was explored of bagasse ash-derived catalysts interacting with light irradiation and reducing the amount of energy used in the DRM process. The results showed that the performance of 3%Ni/SiO2 bagasse ash WI was higher than that of 3%Ni/SiO2 commercial SiO2 in terms of the hydrogen product yield, with hydrogen generation initiated in the reaction at 300 °C. Using the same synthesis method, the current results suggested that bagasse ash-derived catalysts had better performance than commercial SiO2-derived catalysts when exposed to an Hg-Xe lamp. This indicated that silicon dioxide from bagasse ash as a catalyst support could help improve the hydrogen yield while lowering the temperature in the DRM reaction, resulting in less energy consumption in hydrogen production.

Frass generated during the production of black soldier fly larvae is taking the interest of scientists and horticultural producers because it is a material from the biotransformation of organic waste, it has several nutrients that can be used by plants, and its recent focus on its biostimulant capacity. The thermal-composting process is a stabilization that improves physical and chemical properties of treated wastes, allowing better performance in plants compared to its fresh state. In this research, thermocomposted frass was evaluated as a germination substrate for kale seeds (Brassica olerasea). To achieve this, it was evaluated the phytotoxicity in different concentrations on the seeds, and seedlings were grown in a germination substrates mixed with 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of frass. The treatment with 20% frass showed the highest values of seedling height, stem diameter, number of leaves, length, and width of first true leaf and length and width of cotyledons, reduced the content of phenols and tannins antioxidants but the content of flavonoids increased compared to the control and the rest of mixtures.

This study introduces a multilayer perceptron (MLP) error compensation method for real-time camera orientation estimation, leveraging a single vanishing point and road lane lines within a steady-state framework. The research emphasizes cameras with a roll angle of 0°, predominant in autonomous vehicle contexts. The methodology estimates pitch and yaw angles using a single image and integrates two Kalman filter models with inputs from image points (u, v) and derived angles (pitch, yaw). Performance metrics, including AE, MINE, MAXE, SSE, and STDEV, were utilized, testing the system in both simulator and real-vehicle environments. The outcomes indicate that our method notably enhances the accuracy of camera orientation estimations, consistently outpacing competing techniques across varied scenarios. This method’s potency is evident in its adaptability and precision, holding promise for advanced vehicle systems and real-world applications.

Mount Semeru is one of the most active volcanoes in the Java Island. This article presents the results of observations and detections of volcanic ash cloud after Mt Semeru eruptions on 1 December 2020 at 01:23 AM. Volcanic ash cloud detection was conducted by analyzing thermal infrared (TIR) satellite images acquired by the NOAA-20 and SNPP with MODIS and VIIRS instruments. The TIR instruments have detected the presence of volcanic ash cloud. The results show increasing ash cloud brightness temperature (BT) from 240 to 270 Kelvin (K) several hours after eruptions. Increasing BT indicated the development of volcanic Cumulonimbus (Cb) at lower altitude. Northeast movements of 270 K BT clouds were observed at 06:12 AM. Presences of volcanic Cb and SO₂ were confirmed using IR bands of 12.0-10.8 µm, 11.0-8.5µm and 11.0 µm. This Cb cloud was observed moving northeast directions. The data acquired from the TIR imagery resulted from this study is thought be used in future to support and complement ground-based observations and detections of active volcanoes mainly in Java Island.

Volcanic emissions (ash, gas, aerosols) dispersed in the atmosphere during explosive eruptions generate hazards affecting aviation, human health, air quality and the environment. We document for the first time the contamination of airspace by very fine volcanic ash due to sequences of tran-sient ash plumes from Mount Etna. The atmospheric dispersal of sub-10 μm (PM10) ash is mod-elled using the WRF-Chem model coupled online with meteorology and aerosols and offline with Mass Eruption Rates (MER) derived from near-vent Doppler radar measurements and inferred plume altitudes. We analyse two sequences of paroxysms with widely varied volcanological conditions and contrasted meteorological synoptic patterns in October–December 2013 and on 3-5 December 2015. We analyse the PM10 ash dispersal simulation maps in terms of time-averaged columnar ash density, concentration at specified flight levels averaged over the entire sequence interval, and daily average concentration during selected paroxysm days at these flight levels. The very fine ash from such eruption sequences is shown to easily contaminate the airspace around the volcano within a radius of about 1000 km in a matter of a few days. Synoptic patterns with relatively weak tropospheric currents lead to the accumulation of PM10 ash at a re-gional scale all around Etna. In this context, closely interspersed paroxysms tend to accumulate very fine ash more diffusively in the lower troposphere and in stretched ash clouds higher up in the troposphere. Low-pressure, high-winds weather systems tend to stretch ash clouds into ~100 km-wide clouds forming large-scale vortices 800-1600 km in diameter. Daily average PM10 ash concentrations commonly exceed the aviation hazard threshold up to 1000 km downwind from the volcano and up to the upper troposphere for intense paroxysms. Vertical distributions show ash cloud thicknesses in the range 0.7–3 km, and PM10 sometimes stagnating at ground level, represent a potential health hazard.

The paper focuses on the application of a multilevel, integrative and territorial approach to the protection of cultural heritage through planning instruments in Serbia. It points out the problems of the sectoral approach and discusses international recommendations that can be integrated into the planning methodology. The case study is the area of Djerdap National Park, which has an already established international and national importance. The research suggests that the cultural heritage in the area, with the exception of the Roman limes, is still recognized at the level of individual localities. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning all levels of governance to safeguard the whole spatial entity rather than focusing solely on its particular areas. The interna-tional and national importance of the planning area contributes to the strengthening of awareness of heritage and its institutional protection. However, the vitality of the area, which is key to its sustainable development, comes from the local level. Planning documents contribute to the inte-gration of local values and local communities into development programs and projects.