Irrigation and Fertilization Control Trial Using Two Different Drip Irrigation Systems (AutoAgronom and Conventional Drip) in Greenhouse Cucumber Production in Israel

Since agriculture is the highest consumer of water, there are many trials to improve water use efficiency especially in arid countries. Thus, in the world are developed many irrigation techniques that could decrease water use. In this paper is analyzed new irrigation technique (AutoAgronom) used in greenhouse cucumber (two varieties Rocky and Champion) production in order to improve water use in Israel. AutoAgronom is tested against conventional system where drip irrigation was used. AutoAgronom (AA) system follows pH, Electrical conductivity, oxygen level and nitrates on which basis irrigation was done. Obtained results strongly recommend use of AA system in vegetable production. In variety Champion irrigated by AA system (9.167 kg/m2) obtained yield was 20% higher in comparison with the same variety under conventional drip irrigation. Quantity of irrigation water, as well as fertilizers using AutoAgronom system are saved up to 9.7%, while phosphoric acid is saved up to 8.3%

Hierarchical Nanostructured 3D Flowerlike BiOCl_<i>x</i>Br_1–<i>x</i> Semiconductors with Exceptional Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

With careful rational optimization and substantial simplification of the syntheses of the recently reported alloys BiO­(Cl_<i>x</i>Br_1–<i>x</i>), we fabricated, via a very simple procedure and at room temperature, a unique visible-light-driven photocatalyst with excellent activity. The alloy BiOCl_0.875Br_0.125 totally decomposed 15 mg/L aqueous Rhodamine B solution within 120 s upon irradiation with visible light (λ > 422 nm). The transparent substrate acetophenone was also swiftly destroyed under the above conditions. The catalyst maintained partial activity even after switching off the light source. Initial mechanistic studies clearly suggest that the mode of action of these materials is fundamentally different from previously reported photocatalytic mechanisms. Evidently, the putative molecular mechanism does not engage dye photosensitization or oxygen radicals

Nanostructured 3D Sunflower-like Bismuth Doped BiOCl_<i>x</i>Br_1–<i>x</i> Solid Solutions with Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity as a Remarkably Efficient Technology for Water Purification

Following our report on the fabrication of BiOCl_<i>x</i>Br_1–<i>x</i> (0 ≤ <i>x</i> ≤ 1) alloys, and via careful rational optimization and substantial tuning, we upgraded the previous photocatalytic system by means of a controlled doping with elemental bismuth particles. The latter leads to the formation of well-defined structures characterized by effective separation of electron–hole pairs and more reductive photoexcited electrons. These advanced semiconductors, specifically heterojunctioned doped alloys, were synthesized via a simple soft chemical route at room temperature and used for demonstrating the enhanced and complete mineralization of recalcitrant organic contaminants in water such as toluene, benzene, chlorobenzene, xylene, terephthalic acid, and benzoquinone. The molecular photocatalytic mechanism of the above degradation processes was thoroughly elucidated

Bismuth Oxyhalide Induced Growth of Pt Nanoparticles within Mesoporous Alumina Films and their Use as Reusable Catalyst for Chromium(VI) Reduction

Green and efficient immobilization of catalytically active metal nanoparticles into porous supporting materials and their successful application in environmental remediation is of important scientific interest in practice. Herein, we established a new role of bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX) to produce Pt NPs inside mesoporous alumina to develop the nanocomposite film (Pt- BiOCl0.8Br0.2/Al2O3) using ethanol as reducing agent. Those films were applied as reusable catalysts for the reduction of highly toxic Cr-VI ions into Cr-III by formic acid at room temperature. Different amounts of bismuth oxyhalides were loaded with alumina to generate Pt NPs and found 2mol% BiOCl0.8Br0.2 loaded film showed optimum activity towards Pt generation and highest catalytic conversion of Cr-VI with the rate constant 0.177min(-1) which is very high considering any thin film as catalyst