Assessment of biochar and hydrochar as minor to major constituents of growing media for containerized tomato production

"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Fornes, Fernando, Rosa M Belda, Pascual Fernández de Córdova, and Jaime Cebolla-Cornejo. 2017. Assessment of Biochar and Hydrochar as Minor to Major Constituents of Growing Media for Containerized Tomato Production. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 97 (11). Wiley: 3675 84. doi:10.1002/jsfa.8227, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.8227. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."[EN] BACKGROUND: Chars are emerging materials as constituents of growth media. However, chars of different origin differ in their characteristics and more studies are needed to ratify them for such a role. The characteristics of coir mixed with 0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% (v/v) of two biochars, from forest waste (BCH-FW) and from olive mill waste (BCH-OMW), and one hydrochar, from forest waste (HYD-FW), and their effects on growth, yield and fruit quality of two tomato cultivars (Gransol RZ and Cuarenteno) were assessed. RESULTS: Chars negatively affected plant growth and yield but not fruit quality. The effect was related to the char dose and was larger in HYD-FW and BCH-FW than in BCH-OMW, despite the high salinity of the latter, and more acute in Cuarenteno than in Gransol RZ. The results were discussed on the basis of the large particle size of BCH-FW, which could have caused low nutrient solution retention and, hence, reduced plant nutrient uptake, and the highwater-holding capacity, poor aeration and large CO2 emission of HYD-FW, which could lead to root anoxia. CONCLUSION: BCH-OMW can be used at high proportion in media for tomato cultivation. The use of BCH-FW at a high proportion might be taken into consideration after adjusting particle size, yet this needs additional assays. HYD-FW is inadequate for soilless containerized tomato cultivation. (C) 2017 Society of Chemical IndustryThis study was funded by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Proyectos de nuevas Lineas de Investigacion Multidisciplinares; PAID-05-12).Fornes Sebastiá, F.; Belda Navarro, RM.; Fernández De Córdova Martínez, PJ.; Cebolla Cornejo, J. (2017). Assessment of biochar and hydrochar as minor to major constituents of growing media for containerized tomato production. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 97(11):3675-3684. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.8227S367536849711Martí, R., Roselló, S., & Cebolla-Cornejo, J. (2016). Tomato as a Source of Carotenoids and Polyphenols Targeted to Cancer Prevention. Cancers, 8(6), 58. doi:10.3390/cancers8060058Dorais, M., Ehret, D. L., & Papadopoulos, A. P. (2008). Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) health components: from the seed to the consumer. Phytochemistry Reviews, 7(2), 231-250. doi:10.1007/s11101-007-9085-xSchmilewski, G. (2009). GROWING MEDIUM CONSTITUENTS USED IN THE EU. Acta Horticulturae, (819), 33-46. doi:10.17660/actahortic.2009.819.3Graber, E. R., Meller Harel, Y., Kolton, M., Cytryn, E., Silber, A., Rav David, D., … Elad, Y. (2010). Biochar impact on development and productivity of pepper and tomato grown in fertigated soilless media. Plant and Soil, 337(1-2), 481-496. doi:10.1007/s11104-010-0544-6Dumroese, R. K., Heiskanen, J., Englund, K., & Tervahauta, A. (2011). Pelleted biochar: Chemical and physical properties show potential use as a substrate in container nurseries. Biomass and Bioenergy, 35(5), 2018-2027. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.01.053Vaughn, S. F., Kenar, J. A., Thompson, A. R., & Peterson, S. C. (2013). Comparison of biochars derived from wood pellets and pelletized wheat straw as replacements for peat in potting substrates. Industrial Crops and Products, 51, 437-443. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.10.010Steiner, C., & Harttung, T. (2014). Biochar as a growing media additive and peat substitute. Solid Earth, 5(2), 995-999. doi:10.5194/se-5-995-2014Petruccelli, R., Bonetti, A., Traversi, M. L., Faraloni, C., Valagussa, M., & Pozzi, A. (2015). Influence of biochar application on nutritional quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Crop and Pasture Science, 66(7), 747. doi:10.1071/cp14247Libra, J. A., Ro, K. S., Kammann, C., Funke, A., Berge, N. D., Neubauer, Y., … Emmerich, K.-H. (2011). Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass residuals: a comparative review of the chemistry, processes and applications of wet and dry pyrolysis. Biofuels, 2(1), 71-106. doi:10.4155/bfs.10.81Fornes, F., Belda, R. M., & Lidón, A. (2015). Analysis of two biochars and one hydrochar from different feedstock: focus set on environmental, nutritional and horticultural considerations. Journal of Cleaner Production, 86, 40-48. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.057Kuzyakov, Y., Subbotina, I., Chen, H., Bogomolova, I., & Xu, X. (2009). Black carbon decomposition and incorporation into soil microbial biomass estimated by 14C labeling. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41(2), 210-219. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.10.016Bargmann, I., Martens, R., Rillig, M. C., Kruse, A., & Kücke, M. (2013). Hydrochar amendment promotes microbial immobilization of mineral nitrogen. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 177(1), 59-67. doi:10.1002/jpln.201300154Bargmann, I., Rillig, M. C., Buss, W., Kruse, A., & Kuecke, M. (2013). Hydrochar and Biochar Effects on Germination of Spring Barley. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 199(5), 360-373. doi:10.1111/jac.12024Akhtar, S. S., Li, G., Andersen, M. N., & Liu, F. (2014). Biochar enhances yield and quality of tomato under reduced irrigation. Agricultural Water Management, 138, 37-44. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2014.02.016Vaccari, F. ., Maienza, A., Miglietta, F., Baronti, S., Di Lonardo, S., Giagnoni, L., … Genesio, L. (2015). Biochar stimulates plant growth but not fruit yield of processing tomato in a fertile soil. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 207, 163-170. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.04.015Cortés-Olmos, C., Valcárcel, J. V., Roselló, J., Díez, M. J., & Cebolla-Cornejo, J. (2015). Traditional Eastern Spanish varieties of tomato. Scientia Agricola, 72(5), 420-431. doi:10.1590/0103-9016-2014-0322Fornes, F., Belda, R. M., Carrión, C., Noguera, V., García-Agustín, P., & Abad, M. (2007). Pre-conditioning ornamental plants to drought by means of saline water irrigation as related to salinity tolerance. Scientia Horticulturae, 113(1), 52-59. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2007.01.008Cebolla-Cornejo, J., Valcárcel, M., Herrero-Martínez, J. M., Roselló, S., & Nuez, F. (2012). High efficiency joint CZE determination of sugars and acids in vegetables and fruits. ELECTROPHORESIS, 33(15), 2416-2423. doi:10.1002/elps.201100640Cebolla-Cornejo, J., Roselló, S., Valcárcel, M., Serrano, E., Beltrán, J., & Nuez, F. (2011). Evaluation of Genotype and Environment Effects on Taste and Aroma Flavor Components of Spanish Fresh Tomato Varieties. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(6), 2440-2450. doi:10.1021/jf1045427Dunlop, S. J., Arbestain, M. C., Bishop, P. A., & Wargent, J. J. (2015). Closing the Loop: Use of Biochar Produced from Tomato Crop Green waste as a Substrate for Soilless, Hydroponic Tomato Production. HortScience, 50(10), 1572-1581. doi:10.21273/hortsci.50.10.1572Bunt, A. C. (1988). Media and Mixes for Container-Grown Plants. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-7904-1Mukherjee, A., & Zimmerman, A. R. (2013). Organic carbon and nutrient release from a range of laboratory-produced biochars and biochar–soil mixtures. Geoderma, 193-194, 122-130. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.10.002Schulz, H., & Glaser, B. (2012). Effects of biochar compared to organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil quality and plant growth in a greenhouse experiment. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 175(3), 410-422. doi:10.1002/jpln.201100143Fornes, F., Carrión, C., García-de-la-Fuente, R., Puchades, R., & Abad, M. (2010). Leaching composted lignocellulosic wastes to prepare container media: Feasibility and environmental concerns. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(8), 1747-1755. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.03.01

Experimental behaviour of RC beams shear strengthened with NSM CFRP laminates

The near-surface mounted (NSM) is one of the most recent techniques applied for the increase of the shear resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. This technique involves the installation of carbon fibre reinforcement polymers (CFRP) laminates into thin slits open on the concrete cover of the elements to strengthen. The effectiveness of this technique for the shear strengthening of T crosssection RC beams was assessed by experimental research. For this purpose, three inclinations of laminates were tested (45º, 60º and 90º) and, for each inclination, three percentages of CFRP were applied in RC beams with a percentage of steel stirrups of 0.10% (qsw). The highest percentage of laminates was designed to provide a maximum load similar to the reference RC beam, which was reinforced with a reinforcement ratio of steel stirrups of 0.28% (qsw = 0.28%). For each percentage of laminates, a homologous RC beam strengthened with unidirectional U-shaped CFRP wet lay-up sheets (discrete strips) applied according to the externally bonded reinforcement technique was also tested, with the purpose of comparing the effectiveness of these two CFRP-strengthening techniques. To evaluate the influence of the percentage of steel stirrups in the effectiveness of the NSM technique, some of the abovementioned CFRP configurations were also applied in beams with qsw = 0.17%The authors wish to acknowledge the support provided by the 'Empreiteiros Casais', Degussa, S&P (R) and Secil (Unibetao, Braga). The study reported in this paper forms a part of the research program supported by FCT, PTDC/ECM/73099/2006

Environmental noise control during its transmission phase to protect buildings. Design model for acoustic barriers based on arrays of isolated scatterers

A new generation of acoustic barriers is being introduced into the noise control market. These barriers, based on arrays of isolated scatterers, present interesting properties to be used in cities to reduce the transmitted transport noise affecting buildings. Among them, both aesthetic and continuity factors of the urban landscape may be mentioned. This new kind of barrier is technologically advanced and acoustically competitive with respect to the current ones formed by continuous rigid materials. To design these barriers whilst taking into account their inherent acoustic complexity, we present an overlapping numerical model here that enables us to split the real three-dimensional problem into two twodimensional ones, allowing both the reduction of the computational cost and the separate analysis of each one of the noise control mechanisms involved. We analyse different cases, checking the numerical simulations with accurate experimental results.This work is supported by MEC (Spanish Government) under grant No. MTM2012-36740-C02-02.Castiñeira Ibáñez, S.; Rubio Michavila, C.; Sánchez Pérez, JV. (2015). Environmental noise control during its transmission phase to protect buildings. Design model for acoustic barriers based on arrays of isolated scatterers. Building and Environment. 93:179-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.07.002S1791859

Feasibility of the quantification of respirable crystalline silica by mass on aerosol sampling filters using Raman microscopy

Airborne respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is a hazard that can affect the health of workers and more sensitive measurements are needed for the assessment of worker exposure. To investigate the use of Raman microscopy for the analysis of RCS particulate collected on filters, aliquots of quartz or cristobalite suspended in isopropanol were pipetted onto silver filters. Samples were measured by arbitrarily selecting positions along the filter and collecting spectra at 50 discrete points. The calculated limits of quantification on test samples were between ~0.066 – 0.161 µg and 0.106 – 0.218 µg for quartz and cristobalite respectively. Three respirable quartz calibration dusts (A9950, NIST 1878 and Quin B) with different mass median aerodynamic particle sizes obtained similar Raman response relationships per unit mass. The difference between NIST 1878 and Quin B was not significant (p=0.22). The intermediate measurement precision of replicate samples was 10 - 25% over the measured range for quartz (0.25 – 10 µg) and could potentially be improved. Results from mixtures of quartz and cristobalite were within 10 % of their theoretical values. Results from samples of 5 % quartz in calcite were close to the theoretical quartz mass. The upper measurement limit for a mixture of 20 % RCS in the light absorbing mineral hematite (Fe2O3) was 5 µg. These data show that Raman spectroscopy is a viable option for the quantification of the mass of respirable crystalline silica on filters with a limit of detection approaching 1/10th of that obtained with other techniques. The improvement in sensitivity may enable the measurement of particulate in samples from low concentration environments (e.g. inside a mask) or from miniature samplers operating at low flow rates

Effect of Fe:ligand ratios on hydroponic conditions and calcareous soil in Solanum lycopersicum L. and Glycine max L. fertilized with heptagluconate and gluconate

BACKGROUND: The environmental risk from the application of synthetic chelates has led to the use of biodegradable complexes to correct Fe deficiency in plants. In this article, the Fe oxidation state, the Fe:ligand ratio, and the molecular weight distribution for heptagluconate (G7) and gluconate (G6) are considered as key factors for the efficacy of complexes as fertilizers. Complexes with different Fe:ligand ratios were prepared and analyzed by gel filtration chromatography (GFC). The ability of Fe:ligand ratios to provide Fe to tomato in hydroponics and soybean in calcareous soil was tested and compared with synthetic chelates (Fe3+:HBED and Fe3+:EDTA). RESULTS: G7 presented greater capacity to complex both Fe(II) and Fe(III) than G6, but the Fe(II) complexes exhibited poor stability at pH 9 and oxidation in solution. Gel filtration chromatography demonstrated the polynuclear nature of the Fe3+:G7 at various ratios. The effectiveness of the Fe fertilizers depend on the Fe3+:ligand ratio and the ligand type, the Fe3+:G7 (1:1 and 1:2) being the most effective. Fe3+:G7 (1:1) also presented a better response for the uptake of other micronutrients. CONCLUSION: Fe3+:G7 molar ratios have been shown to be critical for plant Fe uptake under hydroponic conditions and with calcareous soil. Thus, the Fe3+:G7 at equimolar ratio and 1:2 molar ratio can be an environmentally friendly alternative to less degradable synthetic chelates to correct Fe chlorosis in strategy I plantsThis work was supported by the State Research Agency, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (projects AGL2013-44474-R and RTI2018-096268-B-I00) and the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) and Structural Funds 2014-2020 (ERDF and ESF) (project AGRISOST-CM S2018/BAA-4330). SIV would like to thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT, Mexico) for supporting her grant through PhD studentship number 278934, and the Consejo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Hidalgo (CITNOVA, Mexico

Effect of temperature on RC elements strengthened with CFRP

The strengthening of RC elements with CFRP is a technique that has been acquiring more and more potential. The bond between the CFRP reinforcement and the concrete support is usually made with epoxy adhesives. However, it is here that the integrity of the system can be affected, namely by exposure to high temperatures. In order to study the effect of an increase of air temperature on the behaviour of the epoxy adhesive, CFRP strengthened RC and reference RC specimens were tested. After cyclical thermal exposures, with temperatures rising between 20ºC and 80ºC, specimens were subjected either to compressive shear tests or bending tests. The results demonstrated that epoxy adhesive exhibits poor behaviour when subjected to increased temperatures, causing important bond deterioration. The improvement achieved with the CFRP reinforcement tends to disappear with an increase of the environment temperature. So, the thermal resistance of this strengthened system can not be considered very high. However, the inclusion of insulating materials can be a good solution to protect the strengthened RC elements. Among tested materials, the foamed polyurethane showed the best behaviour

Flexural capacity of bi-directional GFRP strengthened RC beams with end anchorages: experimental and theoretical studies

This paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical studies on the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened using externally bonded bi-directional glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites and different end anchorage systems. A series of nine RC beams with a length of 1600mm and a cross-section of 200mm depth and 100mm width were prepared and externally strengthened in flexure with bi-directional GFRP composites. These strengthened beams were anchored with three different end anchorage systems namely closed GFRP wraps, GFRP U-wraps, and mechanical anchors. All these beams were tested with four-point bending system up to failure. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical results obtained using the relevant design guidelines. The experimental results demonstrate a significant increase in the flexural performance of the GFRP strengthened beams with regard to the ultimate load carrying capacity and stiffness. The results also show that GFRP strengthened beams without end anchorages experienced intermediate concrete (IC) debonding failure at the GFRP plate end, whereas, all the GFRP Strengthened beams with different end anchorage systems failed in rupture of GFRP with concrete crushing. The theoretical results revealed no significant difference among the relevant design guidelines with regard to the predicted ultimate moment capacities of the bi-directional GFRP strengthened RC beams. However, the results show that ACI Committee 440 (2008) design recommendation provides reasonably acceptable predictions for the ultimate moment capacities of the tested beams strengthened externally with bi-directional GFRP reinforcement followed by FIB Bulletin 14 (2001) and eventually JSCE (1997). The research work presented in this manuscript is authentic and could contribute to the understanding of the overall behaviour of RC beams strengthened with FRP and different end anchorage systems under flexural loading

Mind the implementation gap?:Police reform and local policing in the Netherlands and Scotland

In 2013 the governments of the Netherlands and Scotland established national police forces, replacing a tradition of largely autonomous regional police organizations. In both jurisdictions, these radical reforms have raised concerns about the consequences of these national police structures for local policing and for relationships with local communities and local government. Drawing on documentary sources and interview material from each jurisdiction and informed by insights from the policy implementation literature, the key question addressed in this article is how has the legislation that created the new national police forces been put into effect at a local level? Focusing on the impact on the governance, organization and delivery of local policing, the article reveals how the implementation in both jurisdictions involves interpretation and discretion by multiple actors so that gaps are emerging between the national ‘policy promises’ set out in the legislation and the ‘policy products’ experienced in local contexts

Flexural strengthening of RC continuous slab strips using NSM CFRP laminates

To assess the effectiveness of the near surface mounted (NSM) technique, in terms of load carrying and moment redistribution capacities, for the flexural strengthening of continuous reinforced concrete (RC) slabs, an experimental program was carried out. The experimental program is composed of three series of three slab strips of two equal span length, in order to verify the possibility of increasing the negative (at the intermediate support region) resisting bending moment in 25% and 50% and maintaining moment redistribution levels of 15%, 30% and 45%. Though the flexural resistance of the NSM strengthened sections has exceeded the target values, the moment redistribution was relatively low, and the increase of the load carrying capacity of the strengthened slabs did not exceed 25%. This experimental program is analyzed to highlight the possibilities of NSM technique for statically indeterminate RC slabs in terms of flexural strengthening effectiveness, moment redistribution and ductility performance. Using a FEM-based computer program, which predictive performance was appraised using the obtained experimental results, a high effective NSM flexural strengthening strategy is proposed, capable of enhancing the slab’s load carrying capacity and maintaining high levels of ductility.The study reported in this paper forms a part of the research program "CUTINEMO - Carbon fiber laminates applied according to the near surface mounted technique to increase the flexural resistance to negative moments of continuous reinforced concrete structures" supported by FCT, PTDC/ECM/73099/2006. The authors wish to acknowledge the support also provided by the S&P, Casais and Artecanter Companies. The first Author acknowledges the financial support of National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) - Brazil, Ph.D. Grant no. 200953/2007-9. The second Author wishes to acknowledge the support provided by FCT, by means of the SFRH/BSAB/818/2008 and SFRH/BSAB/913/2009 sabbatical grants

Time-dependent fibre pull-out behaviour in self-compacting concrete

In the present study, the effectiveness of a fibre as an element for transferring stresses across cracks under a sustained load was assessed. Single fibre pull-out creep tests were performed, in which fibre slip was monitored as a function of the time. The influence of the fibre orientation angle (0, 30 and 60 degrees), as well as pre-imposed fibre slip levels, spr, 0.3 and 0.5 mm on the creep response was investigated. Additionally, instantaneous fibre pull-out tests were carried out on undamaged-bond specimens in order to quantify the effects of the pull-out creep behaviour. The damage introduced by the pre-slip levels in the bond of the fibre/matrix interface influenced the long-term fibre pull-out behaviour and, consequently, accelerated the creep rate. However, the assembled pull-out creep behaviour did not differ considerably from the instantaneous pull-out behaviour for the adopted pre-imposed fibre slip levels.This work is supported by the FEDER funds through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors - COMPETE and National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project 18 SlabSys-HFRC-PTDC/ECM/120394/2010. The authors would like to acknowledge the materials supplied by Radmix and Maccaferri (fibres), SECIL (cement), SIKA and BASF (superplasticizers), Omya Comital (limestone filler), and Pegop (Fly ash).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio