Soil and transport factors in potential distribution systems for biofertilisers derived from palm oil mill residues in Malaysia

Oil palm provides an important source of edible oils and fats, accounting for >30% of total global production and >55% of the international trade in these foodstuffs. The palms produce fresh fruit bunches, comprising several hundreds of small fruitlets, which are compressed and steamed to extract the oil. Soil nutrients in oil palm estates become depleted after decades of heavy harvesting and require fertilisers. Liquid palm oil mill effluent, solid empty fruit bunches and other residues can have deleterious environmental impacts and require careful management. The problems of residue disposal and soil nutrient impoverishment can be linked and managed by composting the oil palm mill residues and distributing the biofertiliser produced back to the plantation. Using case studies from West Malaysia we present an early stage practical tool for the planning of the distribution component of such a cycle. The computer-based tool uses multiple field-based and remote sensing data sources to integrate the effects of local soil conditions, transport distances, environmental protection and management priorities and then models customised distribution plans. The tool operates at plantation level and can be augmented with detailed local data, but the approach is extensible and potentially applicable to regional or national planning

Soil and climatic causes of water mains infrastructure bursts

Anglian Water plc. have recorded a recent rise in the number of bursts to water mains, impacting on the reportable serviceability of the network to the regulator. Cranfield University National Soil Resources Institute were asked to investigate and advise on potential environmental causes for this. This report Soil and Climatic causes of water mains infrastructure bursts forms a part of the contractual obligations entered into by Cranfield University with Anglian Water plc. and is provided for Anglian Water plc., submitted as a deliverable for Cranfield University project WU33701V as part of the wider Anglian Water plc.  Burst mains and climate factors project

The use and applications of the Soilscapes datasets

A Technical Manual to guide users through the uses and applications of the soilscapes datasets.Soilscapes is one of the most popular datasets available from NSRI. It strips away confusing terminology and enables informed decision making by non-soil scientists who require an understanding of soil and how it affects the landscape. With Soilscapes, decision makers will gain a working knowledge of many fundamental soil-landscape processes for any region across England and Wales

Analysis of cold weather patterns over the period 1991-2012

Within the context of an observed increase in the numbers of burst pipes associated with colder winters in the Anglian water region, we have analysed temperature data for England and Wales from the period 1991-2012 to identify cold winter periods. To do so, we have calculated the annual accumulated temperature below 1 °C for each MORECS square over the winter period. The resulting data has been mapped for both the whole of England and Wales as well as just for the Anglian Water region. The data shows that the four winters between 2008-2012 were considerably colder than the preceding eleven winters. Additionally, for the winter of 2011-2012, the average temperature for all England of Wales was warmer than the 1991-2011 period average. However locally, in the Anglian Water region, the average temperatures were colder than the 1991-2011 average. The available MORECS data shows that while there are some periods of time with warmer winters (e.g. 1997-2008) and periods with colder winters (1990-1994, 1995-1997 and 2008- 2012), the lengths of these periods are considerably variable. From the MORECS data for the period 1991-2012, there does not appear to be a cyclical or predictable pattern in determining the harshness of the winter period