Analisis Keberkelanjutan USAhatani Tanaman Karet Di Lahan Gambut Terdegradasi: Studi Kasus Di Kalimantan Tengah / Analysis of the Sustainablility of Rubber Plantations Farming System in Degraded Peatland: a Case Study in Central Kalimantan

Analisis keberlanjutan USAhatani tanaman karet bertujuan untuk menilai tingkat keberlanjutan dari aplikasi model USAhatani yang dikembangkan dalam suatu demplot pola tanam (intercropping) di lahan gambut terdegradasi, dengan tanaman pokok tanaman karet dengan tanaman sela nenas di antara tanaman pokok karet dan aplikasi amelioran, yang berlokasi di Desa/Kecamatan Jabiren, Pulangpisau (Kalimantan Tengah). Penelitian dilakukan dengan metode survei terstruktur dengan memilih 30 responden petani di sekitar demplot. Analisis dilakukan dengan pendekatan multidimensi (multidimentional scaling/MDS), meliputi dimensi sosial, ekonomi dan dimensi lingkungan. Tingkat keberlanjutan (Ikb) USAhatani tanaman karet di lahan gambut terdegradasi yang didasarkan pada nilai indeks keberlanjutan multidimensi di lokasi penelitian menunjukkan skala cukup berkelanjutan dengan nilai indeks 66,69, artinya model USAhatani yang dikembangkan cukup berkelanjutan. Dengan kata lain bahwa model USAhatani tersebut memberi manfaat secara ekonomi, secara sosial dapat diterima masyarakat, dan secara ekologis tidak merusak lingkungan. Dimensi sosial lebih dominan menentukan keberlanjutan USAhatani yaitu kontribusi terhadap Ikb sebesar 72,65 dibanding dengan dimensi ekonomi dan lingkungan dengan kontribusi nilai masing-masing 68,11 dan 57,25. Faktor yang peka mempengaruhi keberlanjutan, meliputi: intensitas penyuluhan (dimensi sosial), kestabilan harga hasil petani pada saat panen (dimensi ekonomi), pH air di lahan USAhatani dan fluktuasi debit air di lahan petani (dimensi lingkungan/ekologi)

Analisis Mutu, Produktivitas, Keberlanjutan Dan Arahan Pengembangan USAhatani Tembakau Di Kabupaten Temanggung, Jawa Tengah

Analysis of quality, productivity and sustainability anddevelopment direction of tobacco farming in TemanggungDistrict, Central JavaTemanggung tobacco is an important commodity for cigaretteindustry, farmers' income and product domestic regional brutto (PDRB)of Temanggung District. Tobacco stimulates economy activities, so that itcan grow other bussiness activities, such as transportation, agroproductand employment availability. Uncontrolled cultivation intensity andmarket structure monopsonistic resulted in weak bargaining position offarmer in marketing tobacco. Tobacco is a fancy product, it means that itsmarketing and transaction are very determined by quality. Theseconditions affected the sustainability of tobacco farm. This research wascarried out from January 2004 to March 2005 in the center of Temanggungtobacco production, which varies in terms of elevation, slope aspect andtopography. Temanggung tobacco varies in terms of quality andproductivity. Elevation and slope aspect were the primary factorsinfluencing tobacco productivity and quality. The quality of tobaccoplanted at farmer location at the elevation more than 1.000 m above sealevel (asl) with slope facing east, was significantly better than the qualityof tobacco planted at the elevation less than 1.000 m asl with slope facingnorth-east and north. The tobacco productivity planted on the slope facingeast differed significantly with the tobacco productivity planted on north-east and north slope facing. The slope did not significantly influencetobacco quality and productivity. Sustainability index of tobacco farmbelongs to enough category (IKb = 55.53 at scale of sustainability 0 –100)

Reduced graphene oxide-multiwalled carbon nanotubes hybrid film with low Pt loading as counter electrode for improved photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitised solar cells

In this work, the role of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with hyperbranched surfactant and its hybridisation with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs) as counter electrode (CE) were investigated to determine the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs). Sodium 1,4-is(neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentyloxycarbonyl)- 1,4-dioxobutane-2-sulphonate (TC14) surfactant was utilised as dispersing and stabilising agent in electrochemical exfoliation to synthesise graphene oxide (GO) as initial solution for rGO production prior to its further hybridisation and fabrication as thin film. A chemical reduction process utilising hydrazine hydrate was conducted to produce rGO due to the low temperature process and water-based GO solution. Subsequently, hybrid solution was prepared by mixing 1 wt% MWCNTs into the produced rGO solution. TC14-rGO and TC14-rGO_MWCNTs hybrid solution were transferred into fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate to fabricate thin film by spraying deposition method. Finally, the CE films were prepared by coating with thin Pt NPs. Photoanode film was prepared by a two-step process: hydrothermal growth method to synthesise titanium dioxide nanowires (TiO2 NWs) and subsequent squeegee method to apply TiO2 NPs. According to solar simulator measurement, the highest energy conversion efficiency (η) was achieved by using CE-based TC14-rGO_MWCNTs/Pt (1.553%), with the highest short current density of 4.424 mA/cm2. The highest η was due to the high conductivity of CE hybrid film and the morphology of fabricated TiO2 NWs/TiO2 NPs. Consequently, the dye adsorption was high, and the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs was increased. This result also showed that rGO and rGO_MWCNTs hybrid can be used as considerable potential candidate materials to replace Pt gradually

Effect of Lithium Chloride (Licl) Dopant on The Performance of Catalysts for the Oxidative Coupling of Methane

The present study reports effects of lithium chloride (LiCl) doping on MgO, La2O3, SnO2, CaO and ZnO catalysts. All the catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method. The catalysts were tested at reaction temperature of 775oC. The feed flow rate of methane, oxygen and nitrogen was carried out in the ratio of 3:1:2 giving a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 0.375 g.s/cm3. La2O3 showed the highest C2+ selectivity among the undoped catalysts. All the catalysts were doped with LiCl to compare their methane conversion, selectivity and product yield. The 2.0 mol% LiCl doped into La2O3 was the best catalyst formulation having achieved 46.7% of C2+ selectivity with CH4 conversion of 29.0% and the increase in selectivity was attributed to the presence of chlorine. Hydrogen production was more pronounced for MgO based catalysts and believed to be generated by surfacecatalyzed reactions

Effect of substrate placement in schott vial to hematite properties

In the present study, hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanostructures were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate using sonicated immersion synthesis method. The effect of FTO glass substrate placement in Schott vial during immersion process was studied on the growth of the hematite nanostructure and its properties. XRD pattern has revealed seven diffraction peaks of α-Fe2O3 for both hematite nanostructures samples attributed to polycrystalline with rhombohedral lattice structure. The surface morphologies from FESEM have shown that the hematite nanostructures were grown uniformly in both samples with FTO conductive layer facing up and down. Hematite sample with FTO facing down exhibits a smaller size of nanorod, 26.7 nm average diameter, compared to the hematite sample that FTO face up with 53.8nm average diameter. Optical properties revealed higher transmittance in the sample with FTO facing down, probably due to smaller size of nanostructure. The optical band gap energy plotted and extrapolated at 2.50eV and 2.55eV for FTO face up and FTO face down hematite samples respectively, presenting the sample with FTO face up has a lower optical bandgap energy

Role of promoters in hoisting the catalytic performance for enhanced CO methanation

The increasing demand of natural gas and its rising cost have urged some countries to take initiatives to fulfil their energy needs. The production of substituted natural gas (SNG) by syngas (CO + H2) from coal or biomass is one of the most effective methods. As a promising source of energy, SNG has attracted much attention on research and applications due to the high demand for environmental protection. It is regarded as a clean energy source and an effective method for the application of coal resources, particularly in the regions with abundant coal resources but scarce natural gas such as in China [1-3]. SNG has attracted increasing attention due to its lower emission of sulphur and particulate matter. SNG is expected to be one of the main energy sources of the 21st century. It is environmentally friendly and less costly, has high calorific value, complete combustion, and smoke free compared to other energy sources. It has significant importance for the industrial level and transportation sectors

Modulation of Sn concentration in ZnO nanorod array: intensification on the conductivity and humidity sensing properties

Tin (Sn)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays (TZO) were synthesized onto aluminum-doped ZnO-coated glass substrate via a facile sonicated sol–gel immersion method for humidity sensor applications. These nanorod arrays were grown at different Sn concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 3 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the deposited TZO arrays exhibited a wurtzite structure. The stress/strain condition of the ZnO film metamorphosed from tensile strain/compressive stress to compressive strain/tensile stress when the Sn concentrations increased. Results indicated that 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO, which has the lowest tensile stress of 0.14 GPa, generated the highest conductivity of 1.31 S cm− 1. In addition, 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO possessed superior sensitivity to a humidity of 3.36. These results revealed that the optimum performance of a humidity-sensing device can be obtained mainly by controlling the amount of extrinsic element in a ZnO film

Experimental investigation on combustion behaviour, performance and emission of fusel oil-gasoline blends using turbocharged SI engine

Because of rising energy demand and pollution concerns in the transportation and industrial sectors, alternative fuel development is critical. The fusel oil, which is a by-product of ethanol distillation molasses, is receiving a lot of interest. The combustion characteristics, performance, and emissions of a 1.8L turbocharged four-cylinder, port injection, spark-ignition engine will be used to compare fusel oil blends with gasoline in this study. The experiment was carried out at a constant engine speed of 2000 rpm with a throttle load of 10-40%. Four samples with various ratios of gasoline combined with fusel oil were tested (100% gasoline, 10%, 20%, and 30% are referred to as F0, F10, F20, and F30 respectively). As a result, compared to gasoline, fusel oil blends increase Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) by 5-22%. In comparison to gasoline, the combustion behaviour of in-cylinder pressure, Rate of Heat Release (ROHR), Rate Of Pressure Rise (ROPR), and Mass Fraction Burn (MFB) shows an early 2-3 Degree Crank Angle (CAD). Due to differences in attributes and oxygen content, the Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) of combustion utilising fusel oil blends suffers a modest drop of 13-16%. When compared to gasoline, fusel oil blends emit 3-4% less hydrocarbon (HC), 7.5-24.5% less carbon monoxide (CO), and 18-36% less nitrogen oxide (NOx). To summarise, fusel oil blends without water extraction blended with gasoline have a substantial impact on turbocharger engine functioning

A contemporary assessment on composite titania onto graphitic carbon nitride-based catalyst as photocatalyst

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has drawn widespread interest by researchers as a precious semiconductor that is responsive towards photodegradation of various pollutants. This catalyst has its own limitations such as fast electron-hole recombination, wide band gap, and can only be utilised under ultraviolet (UV) region. In order to overcome these problems, the addition of a metal-free dopant is a common practice to prevent electron-hole recombination and enhance photodegradation under visible light. Among various types of metal-free catalysts, carbon nitride material has received much attention due to its numerous benefits such as good in terms of physical and chemical strength, as well as an attractive electronic band combined with a band gap (2.7 eV). This review summarised recent works in the development of titania incorporated with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) for enhanced photocatalytic activity

Decision making process model for housing developers in Malaysia

Housing development involves myriads of interrelated processes which include series of decision making functions. Decision making is a multi-level process that influences the success of a proposed housing project. A housing project may fail or suffer some of serious setback if the decision making function is flawed or has been made on an ad hoc basis or based on unreliable, imperfect or hazy information. Decisions have to be made empirically using scientific methods and tools based on accurate and reliable data and information in today’s business environment. The main aim of this study is to develop a process model for investment decision making in housing development at the strategic phase of the project that is, initiation and feasibility stages in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are three pronged – one, to identify the decision making practiced among Malaysian housing developers, two to identify the methods and tools used by them to make decisions and three to determine the types of information required for making decisions. This research involved the development of theoretical model by synthesising the models developed by a number of prominent authors and researchers on the subject of decision making. It also uses the Delphi method to collect and analyse the appropriate data and information. For a start of the study, 50 numbers of developers were selected as samples. But only 34 responded to the second stage of the information gathering process. At the final stage of the study only 12 developers or participants were left for the final process of the study. The data was analysed using the descriptive statistical techniques. This study affirms that Malaysian developers tend to make their investment decisions based on simple interpolation of historical data and using simple statistical or mathematical techniques in deciding the investment. This study suggested that the Malaysian housing developers skipped several important decision making functions. These shortcomings were mainly due to time and financial constraints and the lack of statistical or mathematical expertise among the professionals and managers in the organisations. The findings allowed a critical review of the theoretical model which followed by the development of a revised process model of decision making for housing development at strategic phase i.e. at the initial and feasibility stages