UV reflectance in crop remote sensing: Assessing the current state of knowledge and extending research with strawberry cultivars.

Remote sensing of spectral reflectance is a crucial parameter in precision agriculture. In particular, the visual color produced from reflected light can be used to determine plant health (VIS-IR) or attract pollinators (Near-UV). However, the UV spectral reflectance studies largely focus on non-crop plants, even though they provide essential information for plant-pollinator interactions. This literature review presents an overview of UV-reflectance in crops, identifies gaps in the literature, and contributes new data based on strawberry cultivars. The study found that most crop spectral reflectance studies relied on lab-based methodologies and examined a wide spectral range (Near UV to IR). Moreover, the plant family distribution largely mirrored global food market trends. Through a spectral comparison of white flowering strawberry cultivars, this study discovered visual differences for pollinators in the Near UV and Blue ranges. The variation in pollinator visibility within strawberry cultivars underscores the importance of considering UV spectral reflectance when developing new crop breeding lines and managing pollinator preferences in agricultural fields.

Service area size assessment for evaluating the spatial scale of solid waste recovery chains: A territorial perspective.

Waste recovery is an integrated part of municipal solid waste management systems but its strategic planning is still challenging. In particular, the service area size of facilities is a sensitive issue since its calculation depends on various factors related to treatment technologies (output products) and territorial features (sources waste production and location). This work presents a systemic approach for the estimation of a chain's service area size, based on a balance between costs and recovery profits. The model assigns a recovery performance value to each source, which can be positive, neutral or negative. If it is positive, the source should be included in the facility's service area. Applied to the case of Montreal for food waste recovery by anaerobic digestion, the approach showed that at most 23 out of the 30 districts should be included in the service area, depending on the indicator, which represents around 127,000 t of waste recovered/year. Due to the systemic approach, these districts were not necessarily the closest to the facility. Moreover, for the Montreal case, changing the facility's location did not have a great influence on the optimal service area size, showing that the distance to the facility was not a decisive factor at this scale. However, replacing anaerobic digestion by a composting plant reduced the break-even transport distances and, thus, the number of sources worth collecting (around 68,500 t/year). In this way, the methodology, applied to different management strategies, gave a sense of the spatial dynamics involved in the recovery chain's design. The map of optimal supply obtained could be used to further analyse the feasibility of multi-site and/or multi-technology systems for the territory considered.

A spatial analysis of hierarchical waste transport structures under growing demand.

The design of waste management systems rarely accounts for the spatio-temporal evolution of the demand. However, recent studies suggest that this evolution affects the planning of waste management activities like the choice and location of treatment facilities. As a result, the transport structure could also be affected by these changes. The objective of this paper is to study the influence of the spatio-temporal evolution of the demand on the strategic planning of a waste transport structure. More particularly this study aims at evaluating the effect of varying spatial parameters on the economic performance of hierarchical structures (with one transfer station). To this end, three consecutive generations of three different spatial distributions were tested for hierarchical and non-hierarchical transport structures based on costs minimization. Results showed that a hierarchical structure is economically viable for large and clustered spatial distributions. The distance parameter was decisive but the loading ratio of trucks and the formation of clusters of sources also impacted the attractiveness of the transfer station. Thus the territories' morphology should influence strategies as regards to the installation of transfer stations. The use of spatial-explicit tools such as the transport model presented in this work that take into account the territory's evolution are needed to help waste managers in the strategic planning of waste transport structures.

Anaerobic digestion and gasification coupling for wastewater sludge treatment and recovery.

Sewage sludge management is an energy intensive process. Anaerobic digestion contributes to energy efficiency improvement but is limited by the biological process. A review has been conducted prior to experimentation in order to evaluate the mass and energy balances on anaerobic digestion followed by gasification of digested sludge. The purpose was to improve energy recovery and reuse. Calculations were based on design parameters and tests that are conducted with the anaerobic digester of a local wastewater treatment plant and a small commercial gasification system. Results showed a very significant potential of energy recovery. More than 90% of the energy content from sludge was extracted. Also, approximately the same amount of energy would be transferred in both directions between the digester (biogas) and the gasifier (thermal energy). This extraction resulted in the same use of biogas as the reference scenario but final product was a totally dry biochar, which represented a fraction of the initial mass. Phosphorus was concentrated and significantly preserved. This analysis suggests that anaerobic digestion followed by dehydration, drying and gasification could be a promising and viable option for energy and nutrient recovery from municipal sludge in replacement of conventional paths.

Dynamic waste management (DWM): towards an evolutionary decision-making approach.

To guarantee sustainable and dynamic waste management, the dynamic waste management approach (DWM) suggests an evolutionary new approach that maintains a constant flow towards the most favourable waste treatment processes (facilities) within a system. To that end, DWM is based on the law of conservation of energy, which allows the balancing of a network, while considering the constraints of incoming (h1 ) and outgoing (h2 ) loads, as well as the distribution network (ΔH) characteristics. The developed approach lies on the identification of the prioritization index (PI) for waste generators (analogy to h1 ), a global allocation index for each of the treatment processes (analogy to h2 ) and the linear index load loss (ΔH) associated with waste transport. To demonstrate the scope of DWM, we outline this approach, and then present an example of its application. The case study shows that the variable monthly waste from the three considered sources is dynamically distributed in priority to the more favourable processes. Moreover, the reserve (stock) helps temporarily store waste in order to ease the global load of the network and favour a constant feeding of the treatment processes. The DWM approach serves as a decision-making tool by evaluating new waste treatment processes, as well as their location and new means of transport for waste.

Adsorption study of a commonly used antidepressant drug, fluoxetine hydrochloride, onto a crosslinked ß-cyclodextrin-carboxymethylcellulose polymer.

A study was carried out by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies to establish the efficiency of adsorption of fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLU), onto a crosslinked ß-cyclodextrin-carboxymethylcellulose (ß-CD-CMC) polymer. The adsorption was performed in mixtures containing aqueous FLU solution at 20 mg/L and 0.01-0.30 g of the ß-CD-CMC polymer, at 25 °C, and atmospheric pressure under stirring. The results have revealed that the adsorption is a rapid process and the polymer possesses a high affinity for FLU with an adsorption capacity of 5.076 mg of FLU/g of polymer. This adsorption may involve the formation of a stable inclusion compound ß-CD-CMC/FLU through the penetration of the FLU aromatic ring (A and/or B) into the ß-CD cavity, and a physical adsorption with the polymer network. The inclusion compound can be stabilized by the formation of H-bonds between the -CF(3) group of FLU and the 6'-OH group of ß-CD, and van der Waals interactions between the FLU aromatic ring and ß-CD cavity. The data from a kinetic study have also indicated that the adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, in which the initial adsorption rate and constant were estimated at 1.938 mg/g min and 0.075 g/mg min, respectively. Moreover, the results of adsorption equilibrium fitted the Freundlich isotherm, indicating a multilayer coverage and heterogeneous surface. Together, these results suggest that the adsorption of FLU onto the crosslinked ß-CD-CMC polymer could constitute an advantageous technology for removing this commonly used antidepressant drug from wastewater due to the high adsorption capacity of the polymer and non-toxic character of ß-CD to humans and environment.

Synthesis and structure-activity study of quaternary ammonium functionalized beta-cyclodextrin-carboxymethylcellulose polymers.

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD)-based polymers functionalized with two types of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), the alkaquat DMB-451 (N-alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C10) dimethylbenzylammonium chloride) (DMD-451) named polymer DMB-451, and FMB 1210-8 (a blend of 32 w% N-alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C10) dimethylbenzylammonium chloride and 48 w% of didecyldimethylammonium chloride) named polymer FMB 1210-8, were synthethized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activities of these polymers against Eschericia coli were also evaluated at 25 degrees C in wastewater. The results have indicated that the polymer FMB 1210-8 possesses a high-affinity binding with bacterial cells that induces a rapid disinfection process. Moreover, in the same experimental conditions of disinfection (mixture of 1.0 g of polymer and 100 mL of wastewater), the polymer FMB 1210-8 has a higher antimicrobial efficiency (99.90%) than polymer DMB-451 (92.8%). This phenomenon might be associated to a stronger interaction with bacterial cells due to stronger binding affinity for E. coli cells and greater killing efficiency of the C10 alkyl chains QAC of polymer FMB 1210-8 to disrupt the bacterial cell membrane as compared to N-alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C10) dimethylbenzylammonium chloride. Together, these results suggest that the polymer FMB 1210-8 could constitute a good disinfectant against Escherichia coli, which could be advantageously used in wastewater treatments due to the low toxicity of beta-CD and CMC, and moderated toxicity of FMB 1210-8 to human and environment.

Adsorption and recovery of nonylphenol ethoxylate on a crosslinked beta-cyclodextrin-carboxymethylcellulose polymer.

A study of adsorption/recovery of nonylphenol 9 mole ethoxylate (NP9EO) on a crosslinked beta-cyclodextrin-carboxymethylcellulose (beta-CD-CMC) polymer was carried out by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. The adsorption was performed in mixtures containing 500 mg of the beta-CD-CMC polymer and aqueous NP9EO solutions at concentrations 12-82 mg/L, whereas the recovery of NP9EO was effectuated by shaking the beta-CD-CMC polymer loaded with methanol. The assays were made at 25 degrees C and atmospheric pressure under agitation. The results have shown that the adsorption is a rapid process and the beta-CD-CMC polymer exhibits a high NP9EO adsorption capacity of 83-92 w% (1.1-6.8 mg NP9EO/g beta-CD-CMC polymer) dependent of the initial NP9EO concentration in liquid phase. This adsorption may involve the formation of an inclusion complex beta-CD-NP9EO and a physical adsorption in the polymer network. The adsorption equilibrium measurements, which were analyzed using the Langmuir isotherm, have indicated a monolayer coverage and the homogeneous distribution of active sites at the surface of the beta-CD-CMC polymer. Moreover, the negative value obtained for the free energy change (-13.2 kJ/mol) has indicated that the adsorption process is spontaneous. In parallel, the beta-CD-CMC polymer exhibited a high NP9EO recovery efficiency of 97 w% that may occur through a decrease of binding strength between beta-CD-CMC polymer and NP9EO. Together, these results suggest that the beta-CD-CMC polymer could constitute a good adsorbent for removing nonylphenol ethoxylates from wastewater due to its high adsorption capacity and non-toxic character of beta-CD and CMC to environment.

UV-VIS and FTIR spectroscopic analyses of inclusion complexes of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylate with beta-cyclodextrin.

A study of inclusion complexation of liquid non-ionic surfactants, nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol 9 mole ethoxylate (NP9EO), with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), was carried out by mass spectrometry, surface tension, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. The inclusion complexation was effectuated by heating at 80 degrees C and filtration of aqueous NP+beta-CD and NP9EO+beta-CD suspensions. The mass spectrometry and surface tension measurements revealed that NP and NP9EO form inclusion complexes with beta-CD and beta-CD possesses a higher affinity for NP. These results are supported by the data from UV-VIS spectroscopic analyses that have indicated that a three times greater amount of NP is entrapped into beta-CD than NP9EO. This phenomenon has been associated with the smaller size and a higher degree of hydrophobicity of NP that favours its entrapment into beta-CD as compared to that of NP9EO. At the structural level, the data from FTIR spectroscopic study have indicated that alkyl chains of NP and NP9EO can form van der Waals interactions with the cavity of beta-CD. Moreover, NP and NP9EO seem to cause a reorganization of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds and change of the hydration of beta-CD, but did not appear to strongly interact with C-C, C-O-C, and OH groups of beta-CD. Together these results suggest that the formation of inclusion complexes by NP and NP9EO with beta-CD molecules could constitute an effective and advantageous technique to remove liquid non-ionic surfactants from wastewater due to the non-toxic character of beta-CD to humans and the environment.

Effectiveness of soil washing, nanofiltration and electrochemical treatment for the recovery of metal ions coming from a contaminated soil.

This research was conducted to integrate soil washing, nanofiltration (NF) membranes and electrochemical treatment as feasible methods for the remediation of contaminated soils. For this investigation, two acidic leachates (pH=2) were prepared using HCl and H(2)SO(4)-NaCl as soil-washing agents. The results of the soil washing indicated that HCl and the combined H(2)SO(4)-NaCl were effective for the extraction of ions resulting from a contaminated soil. It was observed that both leachates presented similar chemical compositions. Following this procedure, the leachate solutions were pre-filtered by microfiltration, followed by NF using the Desal-5 (DK) membrane. The experiment results showed that NF membranes presented a high ion-retention rate for the two leachates. In general, better retentions were observed with the leachate prepared with HCl than H(2)SO(4)-NaCl. In order to treat the concentrate resulting from the NF treatment, it underwent an electrochemical procedure (electrochemical deposition) as an alternative method for safe disposal. The results showed a high reduction of toxic ions, such as Pb and Cu, from the solution. These three processes applied in conjunction not only indicated that the treatment of solutions heavily contaminated with inorganic pollutants resulting from contaminated soils were feasible but also suggested the possibility of treating different types of heavy industrial effluents.

Advances in principal factors influencing carbon dioxide adsorption on zeolites.

We report the advances in the principal structural and experimental factors that might influence the carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption on natural and synthetic zeolites. The CO2 adsorption is principally govern by the inclusion of exchangeable cations (countercations) within the cavities of zeolites, which induce basicity and an electric field, two key parameters for CO2 adsorption. More specifically, these two parameters vary with diverse factors including the nature, distribution and number of exchangeable cations. The structure of framework also determines CO2 adsorption on zeolites by influencing the basicity and electric field in their cavities. In fact, the basicity and electric field usually vary inversely with the Si/Al ratio. Furthermore, the CO2 adsorption might be limited by the size of pores within zeolites and by the carbonates formation during the CO2 chemisorption. The polarity of molecules adsorbed on zeolites represents a very important factor that influences their interaction with the electric field. The adsorbates that have the most great quadrupole moment such as the CO2, might interact strongly with the electric field of zeolites and this favors their adsorption. The pressure, temperature and presence of water seem to be the most important experimental conditions that influence the adsorption of CO2. The CO2 adsorption increases with the gas phase pressure and decreases with the rise of temperature. The presence of water significantly decreases adsorption capacity of cationic zeolites by decreasing strength and heterogeneity of the electric field and by favoring the formation of bicarbonates. The optimization of the zeolites structural characteristics and the experimental conditions might enhance substantially their CO2 adsorption capacity and thereby might give rise to the excellent adsorbents that may be used to capturing the industrial emissions of CO2.

Removal of pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene from contaminated water by sequential and simultaneous ozonation and biotreatment.

The removal of pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene from contaminated water by sequential and simultaneous ozonation-bioremediation techniques was investigated. During the sequential treatment, ozonation using 0.5 or 2.5 mg/L ozone was used as a pretreatment process, whereas, during the simultaneous treatment process, ozonation of hydrocarbon-contaminated water at a predetermined duration using 0.5 mg/L ozone was made in the presence of microbial biomass. Ozonation was not beneficial for the removal of pyrene. However, despite a decreased specific biodegradation rate, ozonation improved the overall elimination of benzo(a)pyrene during both treatment processes. The overall removal of benzo(a)pyrene increased from 23 to 91% after exposure of the water to 0.5 mg/L ozone for 30 minutes during the simultaneous treatment process and further to 100% following exposure to 2.5 mg/L ozone for 60 minutes during the sequential treatment mode, demonstrating the benefits of combined ozonation-biological treatment for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Comparison between electrocoagulation and chemical precipitation for metals removal from acidic soil leachate.

This paper provides a quantitative comparison between electrocoagulation and chemical precipitation based on heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) removal from acidic soil leachate (ASL) at the laboratory pilot scale. Chemical precipitation was evaluated using either calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, whereas electrocoagulation was evaluated via an electrolytic cell using mild steel electrodes. Chemical precipitation was as effective as electrocoagulation in removing metals from ASL having low contamination levels (30 mg Pbl(-1) and 18 mg Znl(-1)). For ASL enriched with different metals (each concentration of metals was initially adjusted to 100 mg l(-1)), the residual Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations at the end of the experiments were below the acceptable level recommended for discharge in sewage urban works (more than 99.8% of metal was removed) using either electrocoagulation or chemical precipitation. Cd was more effectively removed by electrochemical treatment, whereas Ni was easily removed by chemical treatment. The cost for energy, chemicals and disposal of metallic residue of electrocoagulation process ranged from USD 8.83 to 13.95 tds(-1), which was up to five times lower than that recorded using chemical precipitation. Highly effective electrocoagulation was observed as the ASL was specifically enriched with high concentration of Pb (250-2000 mg Pbl(-1)). More than 99.5% of Pb was removed regardless of the initial Pb concentration imposed in ASL and, in all cases, the residual Pb concentrations (0.0-1.44 mg l(-1)) were below the limiting value (2.0 mg l(-1)) for effluent discharge in sewage works.

Electrolytic recovery of lead in used lime leachate from municipal waste incinerator.

The purification of municipal incinerator gases generates huge quantities of both fly ashes and used lime, containing high amount of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn and Hg). The used lime is mainly contaminated by Pb and often considered as hazardous waste. This paper is related to a laboratory study on the performance of electrochemical techniques used to recover Pb from leachate produced during used lime decontamination. Two types of electrolytic units (monopolar and bipolar electrode cells) using different electrode materials were studied. Effectiveness was measured in terms of energy consumed, weight of residue sludge produced and reduction in Pb concentration. Results showed that the best performances for Pb removal (in terms of effectiveness and cost) were obtained by initially adjusting the pH of UL leachate to pH 7.5-8.5 with sulphuric acid followed by electrochemical treatment using bipolar electrode (mild steel) system operated at current intensity of 1.5A through only 5 min. The yield of Pb removal was 98.8+/-1.3% and an amount of 4.9+/-1.3 kg trt-1 of metallic sludge was produced. The optimal conditions determined for Pb recovery involved a total cost of CAN$ 1.66 t-1 of dry residue treated, including acid consumption, energy consumption and metallic sludge disposal.