Estimate the Efficiency of Agricultural Investment in Egypt

The research aims to estimate the Efficiency of investments directed to the agricultural sector by analyzing the current situation of national and agricultural investment in Egypt (2006/2005 - 2020/2021) and measuring the investments made in Egypt over the study period. In order To achieve the objectives of the research, the most important criteria that reflect the efficiency of agricultural investment were estimated, as well as the use of descriptive and quantitative analysis methods to estimate simple and multiple regression relationships in the double logarithmic form of the research data issued various institutions and government agencies. The study's findings revealed that, on average, the public sector's return on investment was higher than 1, reached about 61,116 million UDS, whereas the private sector's was lower, at about 0.032 million USD, demonstrating the inefficiency of public sector investments in comparison to investments. In the agriculture sector, the private sector has grown along with the investment multiplier in both the public and private sectors .As for the coefficient of settlement, it was shown that the efficiency of agricultural investment directed to the public and private sector was weak, as it was shown by estimating the agricultural capital intensification coefficient, the intensity of the use of the human factor in the agricultural sector by a percentage greater than The percentage increase in investments directed to this sector

Adsorption of organic water pollutants by clays and clay minerals composites: A comprehensive review

Clays and clay minerals are inexpensive, non-toxic, and naturally occurring minerals that have been utilized in water remediation as adsorbents. However, clays and clay minerals and those modified with heat, surfactants, acids, or organic-inorganic modifiers exhibit low adsorption capacity and re-generation ability towards organic water pollutants. The development of clays and clay minerals composites has gained considerable attention in recent years due to their enhanced adsorption capacity, ease of recovery from aqueous solution and improved physiochemical properties relative to raw and modified clays and clay minerals. This review aims to assess recent literature on clays and clay minerals composites including bentonite, montmorillonite and kaolinite intercalated with carbonaceous, metals, metal oxides, chitosan and polymeric materials and appraise their adsorption performance towards organic water pollutants. The review examines the effect of the composites' physicochemical properties on the adsorption performance and evaluates the adsorption mechanism as well as regeneration methods. The review also attempts to highlight the current progress in this area by assessing the outcomes of recently published articles and outline the research gaps for future research.This publication was made possible by an Award [GSRA6-2-0516-19029] from Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The contents herein are solely the responsibility of the author[s]. Open access funding is provided by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into formate/formic acid: A review of cell design and operation

The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is threatening the environment and ecosystems, resulting in major challenges to sustainable development for modern industry. In this context, CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2 ECR) is one of the most promising technologies to mitigate the effects of high CO2 content in the atmosphere. Electrochemical technology can convert CO2 into value-added chemicals including methanol, ethanol and formate. In this review, different mechanisms of CO2 electrochemical reduction into formate/formic acid are reviewed, highlighting the different cell designs. Also, the effect of cell design and operating parameters on the electrochemical reduction process are discussed. The review aims to highlight recent developments in the CO2 electrochemical cell design for formate production and provide guidelines for future advancements. Challenges of large-scale production and research gaps are also provided. 2023 The AuthorsThe authors would like to acknowledge the support of Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation) through Grant # NPRP 12 C-33923-SP-102 (NPRP12 C-0821-190017). The findings achieved herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

Adsorption of 4-Nitrophenol onto Iron Oxide Bentonite Nanocomposite: Process Optimization, Kinetics, Isotherms and Mechanism

Despite its importance in chemical industry, 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is a persistent organic pollutant that has serious effects on the ecosystem. In the present study, Box–Behnken design in response surface methodology was used to optimize the adsorption process parameters for the maximum 4-NP removal at 30 ℃ using Fe3O4/Bt NC. The regression model results suggested that the optimum adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, pH and contact time were 0.3182 g, 85 mg/L, 11 and 137.2 min, respectively. The regression model showed an optimum removal of 100%, while 99.5% removal was obtained from batch experiments at the optimum conditions suggested by the regression model, which confirm the model validity. The adsorption data best fitted to Freundlich isotherm model and Pseudo second-order kinetic model suggesting the existence of physical and chemical interaction between the fabricated composite and 4-NP. FTIR analysis suggested that the adsorption mechanism included an electrostatic attraction and the formation of new chemical bonds. Obtained results suggest that Fe3O4/Bt NC can be an effective adsorbent for complete 4-NP removal at the indicated optimum conditions.This research was made possible by an NPRP Grant # 10-0127-170270 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The author Dina Ewis acknowledged the financial support of QNRF through the Graduate Sponsorship Research Award (GSRA) number GSRA#6-2-0516-19029.Scopu

A review on microwave-assisted synthesis of adsorbents and its application in the removal of water pollutants

The use of conventional heating techniques in adsorbents preparation involves long synthesis time, high energy consumption, high cost and material fast firing. Recently, Microwave heating technique has been used to replace or complement the conventional heating in adsorbents preparation as it provides rapid, selective, and uniform heating. Consequently, the adsorbent microscopic structure and adsorption performance are affected significantly. The current review critically investigates the effect of using microwave heating technique on Carbon based, minerals and polymeric adsorbents morphology, surface chemistry, and pore structure. In addition, the adsorption performance of water pollutants using microwave synthesized adsorbents, adsorption kinetics and isotherms were included. A competitive comparison in terms of adsorbent morphology, pore structure and adsorptive behavior between adsorbent prepared by microwave and convention heating technique were discussed. Finally, challenging, and promising routes are suggested for future development of microwave prepared adsorbents for water pollutants removal. On the basis of this review, using microwave technology in adsorbents preparation is promising, however, further development and investigation are substantially still required.This publication was made possible by an Award (GSRA6-2-0516-19029) from Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The contents herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library .Scopu

Development of novel magnetic bentonite based adsorbents combined with different carbon sources for removal of oil content from produced water

Water scarcity is a challenge faced worldwide due to depleting sustainable good quality water resources. Produced water, associated with the production of gas and oil, usually comes as oil contaminated water, creating real problems in water resources' management. Therefore, removing oil content from produced water is crucial to meet the discharge limits set by governmental legislation. Compared to the current state of produced water treatment technologies, adsorption is envisaged as a promising technique due its simplicity, and ease of operation. For that, the development of adsorbents with high removal capability, good stability, high recoverability, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly nature is the most important step in adsorption process. Bentonite is a type of clay minerals that is inexpensive, non-toxic, and naturally occurring that have been utilized in water remediation applications. Thus, the aim of this work is to develop novel magnetic bentonite-based adsorbents combined with different carbon sources (reduced graphene oxide, and multiwall carbon nanotubes) for oil content removal. The developed adsorption composites were characterized using XRD, TGA, SEM, EDX, TEM, and BET analysis techniques. Furthermore, the adsorptive behavior of the developed composites was compared to magnetic bentonite under the same experimental conditions examining the effect of various parameters on the adsorption capability. The experimental data were analyzed using three isotherm models including Langmuir, Freundlich and Sips models using non-linear regression fitting and were compared using Akaike Information Criterion statistical model. The results showed that developed composites attained enhanced adsorption capacity and had shorter equilibrium times compared to magnetic bentonite. Furthermore, the oil content removal performances of all synthesized composites reported in this study were investigated in a fluidized bed reactor and a possible adsorption mechanism was proposed. Overall, this work confirms the feasibility of the proposed adsorbents for oil removal in industrial adsorption process

Nanoparticles functionalized ceramic membranes: fabrication, surface modification, and performance

Membrane technologies are used intensively for desalination and wastewater treatment. Water filtration using ceramic membranes exhibited high performance compared with polymeric membranes due to various properties such as high resistance to fouling, permeability, rejection rate, and chemical stability. Recently, the performance of nanocomposite ceramic membranes was improved due to the development in nanotechnology. This article focusses on the development of porous ceramic membranes and nanomaterial functionalized ceramic membranes for water filtration applications. At the beginning, various fabrication methods of ceramic membranes were described, and the effect of surface modification techniques on the membrane intrinsic properties was reviewed. Then, the performance of nanoparticles functionalized ceramic membranes was evaluated in terms of physicochemical properties, rejection rate, and water permeability. This work can help new entrants and established researchers to become familiar with the current challenges and developments of nanoparticle-incorporated ceramic membranes for water filtration applications. 2021, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.This publication was made possible by an Award (GSRA6-2-0516-19029) from Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The contents herein are solely the responsibility of the author[s]. In addition, the authors wish to thank Qatar Foundation for the financial support provided to one of the co-authors through a graduate sponsorship research award (GSRA6-1-0509-19021). The authors wish to thank Qatar National Library (QNL) for the publication financial support.Scopu

Formic acid production through electrochemical reduction of CO2: A life cycle assessment

CO2 electrochemical reduction can provide a sustainable pathway for fuel production. In this study, a life cycle assessment is performed on the electrochemical reduction process of CO2 to produce 1 kg of formic acid using experimentally obtained inventory data. A lab-scale conventional H-type electrochemical cell, consisting of Nafion 117 membrane and Sodium bicarbonate electrolyte, was used for the study. The working electrode consisted of a Lead-based electrocatalyst deposited on acid-treated tin foil. The life cycle assessment boundaries are defined, and the data is entered into the software. The environmental impacts are found to be 3.27 kg CO2 eq, 4.28 x10-3 kg SO2 eq, 2.12 x10-2 kg P eq, 3.85 × 10-11 kg CFC-11 eq and 8.35 m3 for climate change, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, ozone depletion and water depletion for 1 kg formic acid produced, respectively. Overall, the required electricity for the operation of the electrochemical cell has the highest impact on climate change category accounting for 96% of the overall impact. The membrane and electrodes in the cell have a very low impact on the categories studied except ozone depletion. The membrane production accounts for 88% of the impact on ozone depletion. A sensitivity analysis is conducted on the lifetime of the electrodes, electricity source and water type. The findings from this study can help researchers, policymakers, and industrial stakeholders make critical decisions regarding material selection and optimization to increase the sustainability of the electrochemical reduction process for formic acid synthesis

Removal of Oil Content from Oil-Water Emulsions Using Iron Oxide/Bentonite Nano Adsorbents

Water scarcity is a challenge that is faced worldwide to secure sustainable good quality water resources. Produced water, associated with the production of gas and oil, usually comes as oil contaminated water, creating real problems in water resources' management. Removing oil content from produced water is crucial to meet the discharge limits set by governmental legislation. Nanocomposites have attracted attention as potential adsorbents due to their high ability to remove oil content from produced water. In this work, Iron oxide/Bentonite nanocomposites (Fe3O4/Bent NC) were synthesized using ultrasound-assisted co-precipitation methods and evaluated them for oil removal from emulsified oil solutions. SEM, EDS, TEM, XRD, FTIR and VSM were used to characterize the synthesized nanocomposites, confirming the successful formation of superparamagnetic Fe3O4/Bent NC. In addition, the characterization analysis showed that iron oxide nanoparticles were uniformly distributed over bentonite surface with a particle size of 13.55 nm. Performance analysis of oil removal using synthesized Fe3O4/Bent NC was carried out by assessing the effect of Nano-adsorbent dosage, oil initial concentration, adsorption time, and solution pH using batch experiments. A removal percentage of 67% after 90 minutes using only 0.1 grams at 100 ppm oil concentration was obtained. The experimental data were described by Langmuir isotherm model, which suggests a monolayer adsorption of oil onto synthesized Fe3O4/Bent NC. The kinetics data were best described using pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Overall, this study confirms the applicability of Fe3O4/Bent NC as a feasible adsorbent for oil removal from produced water.This publication was made possible by an Award [GSRA6-2-0516-19029] from Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The contents herein are solely the responsibility of the author[s].Scopu

Enhanced Removal of Diesel Oil Using New Magnetic Bentonite-Based Adsorbents Combined with Different Carbon Sources

In this work, new magnetic bentonite-based adsorbents combined with different carbon sources, namely, reduced graphene oxide and multiwall carbon nanotubes, were synthesized via co-precipitation method. The synthesized adsorbents were characterized using XRD, TGA, SEM, EDX, TEM, and BET analysis techniques. The adsorbents were then used to remove oil from aqueous solutions of water-in-oil emulsion by performing batch adsorption experiments. The experimental data were fitted to three isotherm models including Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips models using non-linear regression and were compared using Akaike Information Criterion statistical model. The data analysis showed that Sips model best fits the experimental data for the adsorption of oil onto both adsorbents. The maximum adsorption capacity of oil from sips model were 81.65�mg/g and 77.12�mg/g for Fe3O4/Bent/rGO and Fe3O4//Bent/MWCNTs, respectively. The obtained kinetics data were fitted to pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models. Pseudo-second order kinetic model best fitted the kinetic data of both adsorbents. Overall, both adsorbents showed high removal efficiency reaching equilibrium in less than 50�min indicating that both adsorbents can be successfully utilized in industrial adsorption process. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]This publication was made possible by an Award [GSRA6-2-0516-19029] from Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). Open Access funding provided by Qatar National Library. The contents herein are solely the responsibility of the author[s]. The authors would like to acknowledge the technical support of CLU at Qatar University in performing SEM and TEM analysis.Scopu