The broader application of the activated sludge process in pulp and paper mills, together with increased production, have amplified sludge management problems. With sludge management costs as high as ...60% of the total wastewater treatment plant operating costs, and increasingly stringent environmental regulations, it is economically advantageous for pulp and paper mills to reduce their biosolids production. In order to provide a state-of-the-art review of secondary sludge reduction technologies, we have considered the scenarios of lower sludge production through process modifications, and waste-activated sludge reduction through post-treatment. A critical evaluation of all candidate reduction technologies indicates that sludge reduction through treatment process changes appears more appealing than post-treatment alternatives. The former approach offers a clear advantage over the latter in that the treatment process changes reduce sludge production in the first place, thus decreasing sludge management cost. Although it is technically feasible to eliminate the need for sludge disposal, it is unlikely to be economically feasible at this time.
This review investigates peripheral dose levels in electron beam treatments, comparing different manufacturers including Varian, Elekta, and Siemens. Accurate measurement of peripheral dose is vital ...for patient safety and precise radiation delivery in radiation therapy.
This review followed PRISMA standards, conducting a comprehensive literature search from 1978 to July 2023. Emphasis was on identifying studies analyzing peripheral doses related to various electron beam energies, beam angle, field sizes, cutouts, and applicator combinations. Three major databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched.
A total of 7 articles were included in this review. Strategies such as bolus materials, personalized cutouts, and optimal treatment procedures have all been developed to reduce peripheral radiation exposure and enhance patient safety. Ongoing research in this field is focused on further minimizing the risks associated with out-of-field radiation by improving dose delivery systems.
The literature emphasizes importance of precision in electron beam radiation therapy, highlighting the critical need for managing peripheral doses and optimizing hardware to ensure patient safety. It advocates for the use of advanced tools and protocols to maintain a balance between effective treatment while protecting healthy tissues. Continuous research, careful treatment planning, and effective management of peripheral doses are essential.
The influence of carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) and guargum-based coatings containing silver nanoparticles was studied on the postharvest storage stability of the kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata ...cv. Blanco) for a period of 120 days (85%-90% relative humidity) at 4 °C and 10 °C. Physicochemical and microbiological qualities were monitored after every 15 days of storage. Overall results revealed an increase in total soluble solid (TSS), total sugars, reducing sugars and weight loss but this increase was comparatively less significant in coated fruits stored at 4 °C. Ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and antioxidant activity was significantly enhanced in coated fruits stored at 4 °C. Titratable acidity significantly decreased during storage except for coated kinnow stored at 4 °C. In control samples stored at 10 °C, high intensity of fruit rotting and no chilling injury was observed. Total aerobic psychrotrophic bacteria and yeast and molds were noticed in all treatments during storage but the growth was not significant in coated fruits at 4 °C. Kinnow fruit can be kept in good quality after coating for four months at 4 °C and for 2 months at 10 °C.
Cultivated sunflower holds a very narrow genetic base and the efficient utilization of available genetic diversity is very important for a successful breeding program. In the present study, 109 ...sunflower genotypes were assessed for diversity paneling through a combined approach of morphological and molecular markers analysis. Morphological parameters including days to flower initiation, days to flower completion, plant height, stem curvature, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, head diameter, hundred seed weight, and seed yield per plant were studied. Simple sequence repeats (40 DNA markers) were deployed for diversity profiling. Data were analyzed by both univariate and multivariate statistics. SD and coefficient of variation confirm the presence of significant amounts of genetic variation for all the morphological parameters. Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis further confirm the presence of distinct grouping patterns in the studied material. Cluster analysis of both morphological and molecular analysis revealed that restorer lines tend to group separately from A, B, and open-pollinated lines. Further grouping, at the sub-cluster level, revealed six distinct sub-clusters in each of the two major clusters. In total, 12 genotypes, 6 CMS lines (CMS-HAP-12, CMS-HAP-54, CMS-HAP-56, CMS-HAP-99, CMS-HAP-111, and CMS-HAP-112) and 6 restorer lines (RHP-38, RHP-41, RHP-53, RHP-68, RHP-69, and RHP-71) could be used as potential parents for hybrid development. As genotypes of similar genetic backgrounds tend to group closer, it is deduced that one genotype with the highest seed yield per plant could be used for further hybrid breeding programs in sunflowers.
•Quality variation of wood ash in pulp paper mills impedes uses.•Ash qualities vary from mill to mill even in the same mill from one ash to another.•Some wood ash properties are interrelated and can ...be estimated from each other.•Segregation of wood ash at the source can reduce ash quality variations.•Segregated wood ash has potential uses in soil amendment, construction, etc.
Despite being a wood-derived biomaterial, wood ash generated by Canadian pulp paper mills (PPM) is generally landfilled. This is mainly because of the heterogeneous nature of ash, variations in ash quality and differences in the requirement of ash applications. Unlike limited past work on ash analysis for environmental compliance purposes for specific mills, a comprehensive database of ash quality for the PPM has been developed. Samples of three ash streams, bottom ash (BA), multiclone ash and electrostatic precipitator (ESP) ash, were collected. They were analyzed for physical, chemical and engineering properties of relevance to potential ash uses in areas such as the construction industry, compost production, soil amendment and waste stabilization/ solidification. Results show that the ash quality varied widely from one mill to another. Even within a mill individual ash streams varied substantially in properties. For example, the unburned carbon, a unique parameter for wood ash, in multiclone ash could be over twice the amount in the ESP ash. It is suggested that the traditional definition of fly ash (FA) could be refined to multiclone ash and ESP (or baghouse) ash thereby promoting the source segregation concept for the various ash streams produced at a mill. It is believed that the ash segregation approach, whereby ash sub-streams are kept separate to preserve their quality for specific uses, will minimize heterogeneity and quality variations of ash. This study will not only help divert wood ash away from landfills in favour of beneficial applications but also reduce carbon footprint of a mill.
The current investigation was performed to explore the nutritional and functional composition of four landlines of barley denoted as LB1 (Gilgit), LB2 (Nagar), LB3 (Skardu), and LB4 (Shigar) from ...different regions of Gilgit‐Baltistan. The samples were examined for nutritional profile and antioxidant attributes. Total phenolic values and total flavonoid results were in the range of 1.2 to 3.1 mg/g and 0.41 to 0.55 mg/g, respectively. Nutritional profile as crude starch, fiber, protein, ash, and fat ranged from 56.3%–50.80%, 16.50%–11.73%, 16.20%–11.53%, 2.8%–2.1%, and 2.63%–1.63%, respectively. The mineral composition in terms of Mg (527–616 mg/kg) was higher in the landlines followed by Ca (312–368 mg/kg), Na (122.6–146.6 mg/kg), Fe (43.3–65.6 mg/kg), and Zn (22.5–26.6 mg/kg). It was concluded that the indigenous barley landlines had immense nutritional potential and functional attributes. Thus, it can be used for value‐added food products and the development of cottage industry in the region.
The current study demonstrated that the local barley landline is a good source of nutrition as well as functional properties with good antioxidant activity. Thus, it is suggested that the crop should be an essential part of our diet and also used for making value‐added products. The current study further provides baseline data for future research in the food and pharmaceutical aspects of barley landlines.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of terrorism-induced fear on employee job attitudes and absenteeism in the weeks following the Army Public School attack in Peshawar, Pakistan. The ...paper is based on questionnaire data collected from 204 faculty members of public sector universities in Peshawar using snowball sampling technique. We applied partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the entire impact path and found substantial support for our hypotheses. The results suggest that fear of terrorism affects absenteeism directly, as well as indirectly via job attitudes. Further, perceived organizational support is found to attenuate the negative relationship between fear of terrorism and job attitudes. Very few studies have examined the impact of societal variables such as national traumatic events on jobrelated outcomes.
The conventional anaerobic digestion process, requiring long solids retention times (SRTs) to digest solids, is currently viewed as impractical for the pulp and paper industry because of high capital ...costs associated with the construction of new digesters. Recent developments in sludge solubilization technology could be promising in reducing digester size, which also allows for the potential use of decommissioned tanks, both of which can reduce the capital cost. Three pretreatment technologies for use with anaerobic digestion were tested on laboratoryscale to investigate their feasibility. The SRTs in all three digesters systematically decreased from 20 to 3 days. The reference digester was fed waste activated sludge (WAS) to serve as the control at the same SRTs. The other digesters were fed WAS that had been preconditioned using mechanical shearing, sonication, or high-pressure homogenization technology. Anaerobic digestion with high-pressure homogenization produced as much methane at 3-day mean SRT as that from the reference digester operated at 20-day SRT. Therefore, a new digester can theoretically be 85% smaller than a conventional digester. An added benefit of WAS to methane conversion is the recovery of nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus.
Pulp and paper mill biomass boilers generate large quantities of ash in Canada with British Columbia (BC) being the highest ash generating province followed closely by Quebec. Generally, the ...generated ash is landfilled, particularly in BC, with only a small amount being used beneficially. It is anticipated that the difficulty associated with the management of ash will worsen over time as the industry increases its reliance on green fuel. Thus, there is a strong need to identify beneficial uses of pulp and paper boiler ash for the sake of environmental and economic sustainability. The purpose of this report is to provide the first step in this direction, a review of proposed or implemented uses for coal and hog (or wood) ash around the world. Considering both the properties of the ash and local opportunities, this could be the first step toward screening the applications that may apply to individual mills. Several large-scale practices use ash, such as land application (as a nutrient source or as a liming agent), use in the construction industry (as a replacement for cement or as a fill material), and reclamation of mine sites and stabilization of unpaved forest roads. In some cases, relatively small-scale applications have been used which included uses such as a compost component, agent for pH adjustment of liquid streams and slurries, blasting abrasive, and source of quartz for glass manufacturing to name a few. It is important to note that the chemical nature of both fly and bottom ashes can be quite variable due to the type of wood residues combusted as well as combustion equipment used and must be considered in identifying beneficial applications.
•General ash characterization is not enough to find useful applications of ash.•Ash use in the liming agent requires different properties than ash use in concrete.•Ash must be characterized according to its application requirements.•PPM ash can mainly be used for concrete, ag lands, liming agent, and forest roads.
Anthropogenic activities, urbanization and industrialization cause an increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide. Current focus of the soil scientists and the environmentalists is to quantify the ...carbon stocks and its flow in the agroecological system which is one of the main causes of global warming and climate change. The information on the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in the soil profiles in relation with changing climate is barely sufficient. Objective of this study was to quantify the effect of climate and land on the equilibrium of SOC stocks in soil profiles with development. Murree soil series (Typic Hapludolls) in humid climate and under coniferous forest, and Tirnul soil series (Typic Haplustepts) in semiarid climate under cultivation, were selected. Triplicate soil profiles were selected for each of the soils and sampled at genetic horizons level. Cumulative SOC stocks in Typic Hapludolls soil profiles (95 Mg ha-1) were significantly greater than Typic Haplustepts (30 Mg ha-1). The Typic Hapludolls had significantly greater SOC stock at each horizon level under humid climate. This research concludes that soils under forest and humid climate had higher SOC stocks as compared to the soils under semiarid climate and cultivation.
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