Behaviours and attitudes in the management of nonpoint source pollution: Ping River Basin, Thailand

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution is recognised as a major cause of water pollution. The characteristics of nonpoint source pollution suggest that an efficient approach should focus on a source control and hence land-use management. Recently, the concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) has been advanced as an efficient market-based approach to protect in-stream water quality, while simultaneously supporting agriculture. Farmers can be rewarded for the adoption of certain ‘Best Management Practices’ (BMPs) in farming systems. But little is known about the adoption of BMPs in the context of Thai agriculture. This thesis examines the adoption of twelve BMPs on citrus farms in the Ping river basin in northern Thailand. In the context of potential PES development, three studies were undertaken using frameworks from economics and psychology. The first study used a bottom-up engineering approach to estimate economic costs of twelve BMPs at the farm-scale. The total annualised costs, including installation, maintenance, and land opportunity costs of each BMP were compared. The results indicated that land opportunity cost was the largest proportion of total costs. These estimates provided a basis for discussion on how the farmers’ perception of cost may influence their stated adoption intention. The second study used the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), to investigate farmers’ intentions on adoption of twelve BMPs. A survey of 218 citrus farmers was undertaken in the application. Descriptive statistics and frequency of BMP selection were presented. The results showed that soil analysis was the most preferred BMP. A graphical analysis of other preferred measures suggested that these were not always consistent with the known cost information derived (above) and thus farmers’ perceived costs might not be the most important factor influencing adoption decisions. Further analysis based on TPB investigated other factors thought to be significant in farmers’ decision-making. Other potential external and psychological factors influencing adoption were investigated using a multinomial logistic model. The results indicated that the probability of adopting BMPs was associated with other psychological factors and external factors, rather than perceived costs. The significant psychological factors were farmers’ attitudes towards consumers and perception about farm returns, while the significant external factors were, for example, access to information and contribution of family labour to farm workload. The third study was based on the application of Q-Methodology, and aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of farmers’ perception towards BMPs. Seventy two participants were purposively selected from the 218 TPB observations. The results revealed four distinctive farmer groups holding different perceptions towards BMPs. The four groups were conservationist, traditionalist, disinterested, and risk-averse. These provided a specific segmentation to guide policy towards influencing attitudes and behaviours. The results suggested that farmers were not motivated solely by a profit maximisation goal. Overall, key findings from these three studies revealed some fundamental requirements for developing a water-related PES programme. These were: i) factors affecting eligibility to participate; ii) factors affecting desire to participate; and iii) factors affecting ability to participate. This information provided the basis for a set of recommendations addressing the development of the water-related PES programme in the Ping river basin

In-situ Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles using Unbleached Kraft Pulp

Facile green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on cellulose fiber was successfully achieved by reducing chloroauric acid (HAuCl4·3H2O) by means of unbleached kraft pulp. A significant color change in pulp fiber indicating the in-situ formation of gold was observed with one-step synthesis in an autoclave. As-prepared AuNP-cellulose fiber nanocomposites were thoroughly characterized by UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Gold nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of the fiber by the bio-reduction of Au3+ from metal salt to Au0 with the α-carbonyl group and conjugated carbonyl of phenolic groups of lignin. The AuNPs formed on cellulose fibers were estimated to have average sizes of approximately 12.5, 12.4, 16.4, and 21.0 nm, depending on the concentration of Au3+ involved in the synthesis

Nanoclays in Food and Beverage Packaging

In this study, we present and discuss the technical benefits of using nanoclays as a promising property enhancer in organic polymers for food and beverage packaging. The incorporation of nanoclays can improve the thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of a host polymer. Both natural hydrophilic and modified organophilic nanoclays provide unique characteristics to the host polymer depending on the selected applications. Besides the advantage of polymer reinforcement, various novel applications of nanoclays in food packaging have been suggested recently, such as control and release for active ingredients, antimicrobial agent, and carrier for the colorimetric indicator system. The existing migration studies discussing the transition from plastic to nanoclay packaging revealed that the diffused level of aluminum and silicon in the nanoclay packaging are within the limitation proposed in Council Directive 90/128/EEC (1990). Therefore, until now, there is no safety restriction in the use of clay nanocomposite films in food packaging applications

Behaviours and attitudes in the management of nonpoint source pollution : Ping River Basin, Thailand

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution is recognised as a major cause of water pollution. The characteristics of nonpoint source pollution suggest that an efficient approach should focus on a source control and hence land-use management. Recently, the concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) has been advanced as an efficient market-based approach to protect in-stream water quality, while simultaneously supporting agriculture. Farmers can be rewarded for the adoption of certain ‘Best Management Practices’ (BMPs) in farming systems. But little is known about the adoption of BMPs in the context of Thai agriculture. This thesis examines the adoption of twelve BMPs on citrus farms in the Ping river basin in northern Thailand. In the context of potential PES development, three studies were undertaken using frameworks from economics and psychology. The first study used a bottom-up engineering approach to estimate economic costs of twelve BMPs at the farm-scale. The total annualised costs, including installation, maintenance, and land opportunity costs of each BMP were compared. The results indicated that land opportunity cost was the largest proportion of total costs. These estimates provided a basis for discussion on how the farmers’ perception of cost may influence their stated adoption intention. The second study used the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), to investigate farmers’ intentions on adoption of twelve BMPs. A survey of 218 citrus farmers was undertaken in the application. Descriptive statistics and frequency of BMP selection were presented. The results showed that soil analysis was the most preferred BMP. A graphical analysis of other preferred measures suggested that these were not always consistent with the known cost information derived (above) and thus farmers’ perceived costs might not be the most important factor influencing adoption decisions. Further analysis based on TPB investigated other factors thought to be significant in farmers’ decision-making. Other potential external and psychological factors influencing adoption were investigated using a multinomial logistic model. The results indicated that the probability of adopting BMPs was associated with other psychological factors and external factors, rather than perceived costs. The significant psychological factors were farmers’ attitudes towards consumers and perception about farm returns, while the significant external factors were, for example, access to information and contribution of family labour to farm workload. The third study was based on the application of Q-Methodology, and aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of farmers’ perception towards BMPs. Seventy two participants were purposively selected from the 218 TPB observations. The results revealed four distinctive farmer groups holding different perceptions towards BMPs. The four groups were conservationist, traditionalist, disinterested, and risk-averse. These provided a specific segmentation to guide policy towards influencing attitudes and behaviours. The results suggested that farmers were not motivated solely by a profit maximisation goal. Overall, key findings from these three studies revealed some fundamental requirements for developing a water-related PES programme. These were: i) factors affecting eligibility to participate; ii) factors affecting desire to participate; and iii) factors affecting ability to participate. This information provided the basis for a set of recommendations addressing the development of the water-related PES programme in the Ping river basin.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Facile Biosynthesis and Antioxidant Property of Nanogold-Cellulose Fiber Composite

Direct synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on cellulose fiber has been successfully performed via facile green approach using lignin-containing unbleached kraft softwood pulp. The resulting AuNPs composited fibers showed apparent color change from pale yellow to purplish-dark brown by varying the amount of gold ions (Au3+) due to the surface plasmon resonance of nanogold. Further confirmation of AuNP formation on the fiber surface was conducted by UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that gold nanoparticles formed on the fiber are well-defined pure metallic gold, indicating that Au3+ ions are efficiently bioreduced into Au0 and bind to the fiber surface. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by decomposition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) in dark and light condition. As-prepared unbleached kraft fiber-AuNP composite showed significantly enhanced antioxidant activity and its DPPH scavenging rate reached about 86.05%

Maltol-Incorporated Acetylated Cassava Starch Films for Shelf-Life-Extension Packaging of Bakery Products

Maltol is widely used as a flavor enhancer in baked goods and has an antimicrobial function. Maltol can also be incorporated into biopolymer films to produce active biodegradable packaging for bakery products. This research investigated the incorporation of 1–10% maltol into acetylated cassava starch films as functional packaging for shelf-life extension of butter cake. Films were determined for morphology, chemical interaction and packaging properties. Infrared absorption indicated H-bonding between starch and maltol, while plasticization effects decreased mechanical relaxation temperature. Microstructures showed enhanced smoothness at up to 3% maltol, while maltol crystallization occurred at higher concentrations, giving non-homogeneous matrices. Tensile strength and elongation at break reduced by 37% and 34%, respectively, with the addition of maltol up to 10%. Maltol concentration modified the hydrophilicity and molecular mobility of the matrices, impacting water vapor and oxygen permeability. Films incorporated with maltol were used as packaging for preservative-free butter cake and delayed visible mold growth at room temperature. Starch films with maltol at 1–5% delayed fungal growth by up to 2.7–times, while films containing 10% maltol inhibited mold growth by 6–times (up to 19 days of storage). Incorporating maltol into starch films produced bioactive materials, extending shelf-life while maintaining the aroma of bakery products