Reducing the Effects of Drought and Degradation of Agricultural Soils, in the Context of Climate Change, through the Application of Regenerative Ecological Technologies

The agricultural sector has a limited capacity for expansion, consequently, deficient technologies based on the widespread use of synthetic chemicals have been implemented in the last decades, having a major negative impact on natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and environmental services. Desertification, land degradation, and drought, combined with human activity and environmental changes, cause important soil losses and a reduction in natural defenses against droughts and floods. The combined impact of climate change, land mismanagement and unsustainable freshwater use has long been affecting agricultural productivity, the most common cause being unsustainable land management practices. This chapter aims to briefly assess the most effective strategies for reducing the impact of climate change on agricultural crops, as well as to prevent or reverse the process of desertification and systematic loss in food quality and quantity. Regenerative management practices such as minimum tillage technologies, cover crops and mulching, inoculation with microorganisms, nutrients cycling, the balance of the organic fertilizers or foliar application help farmers in managing healthy soils, capable of growing rich and ecological crops without the use of chemical hazardous substances

“Zero-Waste” Food Production System Supporting the Synergic Interaction between Aquaculture and Horticulture

Inadequate production practices are widely used in aquaculture management, causing excessive water and energy usage, as well as ecological damage. New approaches to sustainable aquaculture attempt to increase production efficiency, while reducing the quantities generated of wastewater and sludge. The sustainable operating techniques are often ineffective, expensive, and difficult to implement. The present article proposes a zero-waste production system, designed for growing fish and vegetables, using a new circular operational concept that creates synergies between fish farming and horticulture. In order to optimize the operational flows with resources, products, and wastes in an integrated zero-waste food production cluster, a business model was designed associating three ecological production practices: a closed fishing pond, a technology for growing vegetables in straw bales, and a composting system. The design had the role to assist the transition toward multiple circular material flows, where the waste can be fully reintegrated into the production processes. A comparative evaluation was conducted in three alternative growing environments, namely, a soilless culture established in straw bales, a culture grown in soil that had received compost fertilizer, and the conventional farming technique. When compared to conventional methods, experiments showed a significant increase in the cluster’s cumulative productivity, resulting in a 12% improvement in energy efficiency, 18% increase in food production, and 25% decrease in operating expenses

High-Grade Chemicals and Biofuels Produced from Marginal Lands Using an Integrated Approach of Alcoholic Fermentation and Pyrolysis of Sweet Sorghum Biomass Residues

New global directions align agricultural land resources towards food production; therefore, marginal lands could provide opportunities for second-generation energy crops, assuming that in the difficult conditions of plant development, productivity can be maintained at relatively high levels. Sustainable bioenergy production on marginal lands represents an ambitious objective, offering high-quality biofuels without competing with the agri-food industry, since it allows successful feedstock production to be performed on unmanaged areas. However, marginal land feedstock production generally shows several agronomic, techno-economic, and methodological challenges, leading to decreases in the obtained quantities of biomass and profitability. Sweet Sorghum is a technical plant that has the needed qualities to produce large amounts of biofuels on marginal lands. It is a high biomass- and sugar-yielding crop, characterized by a high photosynthetic efficiency and low fertilizer requirement, is resistant to drought, and adapts well to different climate areas. Marginal lands and contaminated soils provide a favorable development environment for plants such as sweet sorghum; however, in-depth research studies on biomass productivity must be carried out, as well as advanced quality evaluation of the products, in order to develop combined technologies that use resources efficiently. The present study starts with a comparative evaluation of two sweet sorghum crops established on both marginal and regular lands, assessing plant development characteristics and juice production, and an evaluation of bioethanol generation potential. The vegetal wastes resulting from the processing were treated by pyrolysis, with the aim of maximizing the productivity of high-quality liquid biofuels and chemicals. The charcoal obtained in the thermal processes was considered as an amendment of the soil so that marginal land quality could be improved over time

High-Grade Chemicals and Biofuels Produced from Marginal Lands Using an Integrated Approach of Alcoholic Fermentation and Pyrolysis of Sweet Sorghum Biomass Residues

New global directions align agricultural land resources towards food production; therefore, marginal lands could provide opportunities for second-generation energy crops, assuming that in the difficult conditions of plant development, productivity can be maintained at relatively high levels. Sustainable bioenergy production on marginal lands represents an ambitious objective, offering high-quality biofuels without competing with the agri-food industry, since it allows successful feedstock production to be performed on unmanaged areas. However, marginal land feedstock production generally shows several agronomic, techno-economic, and methodological challenges, leading to decreases in the obtained quantities of biomass and profitability. Sweet Sorghum is a technical plant that has the needed qualities to produce large amounts of biofuels on marginal lands. It is a high biomass- and sugar-yielding crop, characterized by a high photosynthetic efficiency and low fertilizer requirement, is resistant to drought, and adapts well to different climate areas. Marginal lands and contaminated soils provide a favorable development environment for plants such as sweet sorghum; however, in-depth research studies on biomass productivity must be carried out, as well as advanced quality evaluation of the products, in order to develop combined technologies that use resources efficiently. The present study starts with a comparative evaluation of two sweet sorghum crops established on both marginal and regular lands, assessing plant development characteristics and juice production, and an evaluation of bioethanol generation potential. The vegetal wastes resulting from the processing were treated by pyrolysis, with the aim of maximizing the productivity of high-quality liquid biofuels and chemicals. The charcoal obtained in the thermal processes was considered as an amendment of the soil so that marginal land quality could be improved over time

Removal of heavy metals from a contaminated soil using phytoremediation

Environment pollution with heavy metals, can be a cause of the industrialization activities and technological processes, and has become an important issue. Soil contamination due to natural or anthropogenic causes (such as mining, smelting, warfare and military training, electronic industries, fossil fuel consumption, waste disposal, agrochemical use and irrigation) is a major environmental hazard. Various remediation techniques have been highlighted to clean or restore soils contaminated with heavy metals such physical, chemical or biological. Phytoremediation is a relatively new approach to removing contaminants from the environmental. It may be defined as the use of plants to remove, destroy or sequester hazardous substances from environmental. This paper is a review of removal of heavy metals from a contaminated soil using phytoremediation

Removal of heavy metals from a contaminated soil using phytoremediation

Environment pollution with heavy metals, can be a cause of the industrialization activities and technological processes, and has become an important issue. Soil contamination due to natural or anthropogenic causes (such as mining, smelting, warfare and military training, electronic industries, fossil fuel consumption, waste disposal, agrochemical use and irrigation) is a major environmental hazard. Various remediation techniques have been highlighted to clean or restore soils contaminated with heavy metals such physical, chemical or biological. Phytoremediation is a relatively new approach to removing contaminants from the environmental. It may be defined as the use of plants to remove, destroy or sequester hazardous substances from environmental. This paper is a review of removal of heavy metals from a contaminated soil using phytoremediation

MATHEMATICAL AND CHEMOMETRICAL MODELS – TOOLS TO EVALUATE HEAVY METALS CONTAMINATION

The aim of the this study is to present a combined view of bio – geo - chemistry, soil – plant interactions, mathematic models and statistic analysis, based on the correlation between the levels of soil contamination, and the remanence of polluting substances in soil and respectively in harvested fruits and vegetables. Most of the mathematical models which describe plant - soil interactions are integrated in plant growth models or climate change models. The models presented by this paper are Soil – Plant Interaction Models, Pollution Indices, The Indices for Evaluating the Adaptative Strategies of Plants and Chemo-metrical Methods, and they have the role to synthesize and evaluate the information regarding heavy metals contamination

Decentralized Processing Performance of Fruit and Vegetable Waste Discarded from Retail, Using an Automated Thermophilic Composting Technology

Food waste generation is increasing at an exponential rate, affecting the environment, food security, and causing major economic issues worldwide. The main aim of the current research is to investigate a novel composting technology that is still in its early stages of development. The proposed composting technology combining thermophilic composting with the use of advanced automated processing reactors. Starting from a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the waste generated at retail-stores, the most significant difficulties associated to waste management as well as the main characteristics of the discarded waste were identified. The findings allowed to design and evaluate the real operating performance of an automated thermophilic composting prototype (working in a decentralized regime), with the goal of delivering a faster processing system, improving operational efficiency, reducing expenses, and lowering environmental impacts. The proposed operating technique showed a high capacity for pathogens and seeds removal, the waste input mass reduction of 88%, and efficiency in food processing (2235 kg of fruits and vegetables in a 14-days timeframe)

Bioactive Compounds Extraction Using a Hybrid Ultrasound and High-Pressure Technology for Sustainable Farming Systems

In the context of agricultural soil degradation caused by the extensive use of chemical amendments, ecological alternatives with minimal detrimental impact on ecosystems are gaining popularity. Recent advancements in processing technologies have improved the quality and extraction efficiency of bioactive compounds, particularly when multiple conventional or innovative techniques are being used to potentially overcome the most common limitations. This paper proposes the development and testing of a hybrid technology design that employs two extraction techniques, namely ultrasound and high pressure, that can be used either separately or in tandem. An initial assessment of the prototype potential for isolating the desired compounds was made, by testing three various working regimens for the processing of a mixture of onion, pea, and soybean. By incorporating the bioactive compounds produced during the experimental phase in the seedling transplantation holes, we were able to test the potential of stimulating the development rate of vegetables and reducing the attack of pests. The extracts obtained using the hybrid technology showed positive results when used to reduce pest attacks (decreasing average attack frequency by 7%), however had negative effects when used to promote biostimulation, when acted as an inhibitor. The hybrid extraction approach improved the mass transfer into solvent by 14% when compared to high-pressure processing and by 7% when compared to sonication