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Topic Review
Coal Assay
Coal analysis techniques are specific analytical methods designed to measure the particular physical and chemical properties of coals. These methods are used primarily to determine the suitability of coal for coking, power generation or for iron ore smelting in the manufacture of steel.
  • 429
  • 24 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Burgess Shale Type Preservation
The Burgess Shale of British Columbia is famous for its exceptional preservation of mid-Cambrian organisms. Around 40 other sites have been discovered of a similar age, with soft tissues preserved in a similar, though not identical, fashion. Additional sites with a similar form of preservation are known from the Ediacaran and Ordovician periods. These various shales are of great importance in the reconstruction of the ecosystems immediately after the Cambrian explosion. The taphonomic regime results in soft tissue being preserved, which means that organisms without hard parts that could be conventionally fossilised can be seen; also, we gain an insight into the organs of more familiar organisms such as the trilobites. The most famous localities preserving organisms in this fashion are the Canadian Burgess Shale, the Chinese Chengjiang fauna, and the more remote Sirius Passet in north Greenland. However, a number of other localities also exist.
  • 429
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Conservation Agriculture and Soil Organic Carbon
Intensive agriculture causes land degradation and other environmental problems, such as pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, biodiversity decline, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which exacerbate climate change. Sustainable agricultural practices, such as reduced tillage, growing cover crops, and implementing crop residue retention measures, have been proposed as cost-effective solutions that can address land degradation, food security, and climate change mitigation and adaptation by enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in soils and its associated co-benefits. In this regard, extensive research has demonstrated that conservation agriculture (CA) improves soil physical, chemical, and biological properties that are crucial for maintaining soil health and increasing agroecosystem resilience to global change.
  • 429
  • 06 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Best Management Practices and Water Use Efficiency
Rice is a water-guzzling crop cultivated mostly through inefficient irrigation methods which leads to low water use efficiency and many environmental problems. Additionally, the export of virtual water through rice trading and the looming water crisis poses significant threats to the sustainability of rice production and food security. There are several alternative rice production methods to improve water use efficiency. These include aerobic rice, direct-seeded rice (DSR), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), saturated soil culture (SSC), drip-irrigated rice, a system of rice intensification (SRI), and smart irrigation with sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, drip-irrigated rice and IoT-based automated irrigation are not feasible for poor farmers due to the high production costs associated with specialized machinery and tools. Similarly, aerobic rice, drip-irrigated rice, and the SRI are labor-intensive, making them unsuitable for areas with a shortage of labor. On the other hand, DSR is suitable for labor-scarce areas, provided herbicides are used to control weeds.
  • 429
  • 05 Jun 2023
Topic Review
India Biomethanation of Crop Residues for Stubble Burning
Stubble burning in India continues despite the severe consequences on the environment and the massive health crisis in the country. Farmers resort to such practices as a cheap and hasty solution post-harvest, which helps them prepare for their next crops. Converting the agricultural leftovers to biomethane energy is recommended as an effective mitigation method, which handles the large volumes of stubble and protects the environment from further air and soil pollution, generating a green biofuel that could be converted to heat and electricity.
  • 428
  • 20 Jun 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Can Bioenergy Once again Become a Major Global Energy Source?
For all of human history except the past two centuries or so, bioenergy provided nearly all the world’s primary energy. Then, fossil fuels largely replaced bioenergy, but concern about climate change and fossil fuel depletion will force a move back to renewable energy, including bioenergy. The main method used here to study the future of global bioenergy was a literature surview of relevant published papers, with emphasis both on those published after 2020, and those having a global focus. The key finding is that bioenergy is unlikely to greatly increase its share of global energy consumption, for several reasons. Liquid biofuel production for transport is likely to almost disappear as countries progressively phase out internal combustion engine vehicles. Traditional firewood use is also projected to fall. There are also doubts about the technical potential of bioenergy, not only because it must compete with the other uses for biomass—food, fodder, fibre and timber—but also because in many cases its climate change mitigation impact is less than for other approaches, including alternative renewable energy sources. The overall conclusion is that bioenergy will have a minor but still useful role in the future global energy system, but global energy reductions are likely to be more important for climate stability than bioenergy.
  • 428
  • 23 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Musaceae Wastes
The Musaceae family has significant potential as a source of lignocellulosic fibres and starch from the plant’s bunches and pseudostems. These materials, which have traditionally been considered waste, can be used to produce fully bio-based composites to replace petroleum-derived synthetic plastics in some sectors such as packaging, the automotive industry, and implants. The fibres extracted from Musaceae have mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties that allow them to compete with other natural fibres such as sisal, henequen, fique, and jute, among others, which are currently used in the preparation of bio-based composites.
  • 427
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles and Hazardous Wastes
The combination of two sciences, i.e., nanotechnology and biotechnology, is gradually expanding its roots in almost all the sectors involving biology, engineering, cosmetics, remediation, biomedical, agriculture, food and so on. Numerous nanoscale (below 100 nm) materials show remarkable features in contrast to their bulk elements and components. With progressive studies, researchers have developed nano-based composites and materials, and found their effective applicatin in almost every field including waste remediation, solar applications, and nano-sensors.
  • 427
  • 19 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Sustainable Coastal Design
Mediterranean coastal cities are mostly urban environments with a long history, hence the idea that the different aspects that form the identity and perception of the cities can be interconnected in a framework that can be useful for further understanding and improvement. There is a need to consider multiple scales, national boundaries, the intersection of land and water and different stakeholders, policies and sectors. The coastal zone is an interface between land and sea, composed of a continuum of coastal land, intertidal areas, aquatic systems including the network of rivers and estuaries, islands, transitional and intertidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands and beaches. Natural coastal systems and areas where human activities involve the use of coastal resources may, therefore, extend well beyond the limit of territorial waters, and several kilometers inland.
  • 427
  • 29 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Groundwater Numerical Models
Physically-based models are the most commonly used tools in quantitative groundwater flow and solute transport analysis and management. Traditionally, the conceptual or numerical models are applied to hydrological modelling in order to understand the physical processes characterising a particular system, or to develop predictive tools for detecting proper solutions to water distribution, landscape management, surface water–groundwater interaction, or impact of new groundwater withdrawals.  The need to address groundwater problems through alternative, relatively simpler modelling techniques pushed authors in different parts of the world to explore machine learning models.
  • 426
  • 15 Aug 2022
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