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Abstract
In this paper, thermal degradation (TGA) and pyrolysis studies of sunflower shell biomass (SSB), eucalyptus biomass (EB), wheat straw biomass (WSB), and peanut shell biomass (PSB) were carried out using the thermogravimetric analysis and stainless steel tubular reactor. Thermal degradation of all biomass wastes was examined at a heating rate of 10 °C/min in nitrogen atmosphere between 20 and 800 °C. Experiments of pyrolysis were carried out in a tubular reactor from 300 to 700 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C/min, a particle size of 0.1–0.3 mm and nitrogen flow rate of 100 mL.min−1, which the aim to study how temperature affects liquid, solid, and gas products. The results of this work showed that three stages have been identified in the thermal decomposition of SSB, EB, WSB, and PSB wastes. The first stage occurred at 120–158 °C, the second stage, which corresponds to hemicellulose and cellulose's degradation, occurred in temperatures range from 139 to 480 °C for hemicellulose, and from 233 to 412 °C for cellulose, while the third stage occurred at 534–720 °C. It was concluded that temperature has a significant effect on product yields. The maximum of bio-oil yields of 37.55, 30.5, 46.96, and 50.05 wt% for WSB, PSB, SSB, and EB, were obtained at pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C (SSB, PSB, and WSB) and 550 °C (EB). Raw biomass, solid and liquid products obtained were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The analysis of solid and liquid products showed that bio-oils and bio-chars from agricultural biomass wastes could be prospective sources of renewable fuels production and value added chemical products.
Abstract
The local food concept is analysed from a supply chain perspective and its positive environmental effects. Revitalised local economies, reduced greenhouse emissions, preservation of farmland and rural lifestyles associated with local products impacts consumer preferences by reflecting a positive attitude toward locally grown products. In addition, the health benefits of local products are more frequently evoked by consumers than those of organic-local products. However, the labelling of such products is used despite consumers and/or producers not being clear about the attributes conferred by the product locality. In this context, this paper aims to clarify the perception of Albanian consumers regarding local fruit and vegetables. The results show that the positive WTP for local food relies on the consumer concern about health and environmental issues. In the case of Albanian consumers, this is driven more by health, taste and environment. Surprisingly, environmental concern exceeds other attributes like price and origin. In this case, environmental issue overlaps health, and it is used as a surrogate indicator for the latter. This is due to the lack of trust in public authorities that fail to assure an efficient quality control process in the agriculture and food sector.
Abstract
In the last decade, bread consumption was decreasing in Hungary (from 44.5 kg to 34.4 kg/capita). Our aim is to identify the factors influencing the consumption of different bread and bakery products, using the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ).
FCQ is frequently used to explore factors (e.g., price, packaging, etc.) influencing the purchase of different food products. The adapted version of the FCQ for breads and bakery products is not yet available in Hungarian language. Word association (WA) and triangulation methods are usually used in the adaptation process.
Due to COVID-19, WA method was performed with a newly developed application presenting six photos of breads. This was completed by 193 participants. Responses were analysed using a categorizing triangulation technique, based on which the FCQ was modified.
In this study, we present the implementation and the results of the digitalized WA method and its use in the adaptation process of the FCQ.
Abstract
Freezing can enhance the storage time of liquid egg products, but egg yolk undergoes an irreversible textural and structural change when it is cooled to –6 °C. In this study, the effects of different salt concentrations on the physical properties of frozen-thawed egg yolk were investigated.
The pasteurised liquid egg yolk (LEY) was treated with 4, 5, and 6% of NaCl before freezing and it was stored at –18 °C for 4 weeks. The colour, pH, and rheological characteristics (firmness, consistency, cohesiveness, and index of viscosity) of yolk samples were evaluated before and after freezing.
Salt treatment resulted in preventing gelation, with decreasing firmness, consistency and viscosity compared to control samples. The pH of all yolk samples increased during frozen storage. The lightness value decreased in treated samples and increased in the control sample after freezing.
The results indicated that the applied salt concentrations could inhibit protein aggregation of LEY induced by freezing during the storage period. At least 5% salt concentration could reduce effectively the changes in rheological properties.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ultrasound treatment on foaming properties of egg white. The samples were sonicated at 20/40 kHz and 180/300 W equipment power (3.7/6.9 W absorbed power) for 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Foam capacity had been increased by 25% due to sonication at 40 kHz and 6.9 W absorbed power for 60 minutes. This phenomenon may be caused by the homogenization effect of ultrasound and protein exposure of hydrophobic groups that improve the adsorption of protein onto the air/water interfacial molecules. It is found that frequency and duration of the treatment have no significant impact on the changes in foam capacity, only the absorbed power. On the other hand, foam stability had been decreased during the ultrasonic treatment. We can assume that sonication decreases the potential difference between the dispersed particles and the dispersion medium and this may be the cause of the collapse of the foam structure due to ultrasound treatment. In this case frequency, treatment time, and the absorbed power had a significant effect on the stability.
Néhány potenciálisan mérgező fém frakcióinak meghatározására alkalmazott analitikai módszer értékelése eltérő fizikai talajféleségű mintákon
Evaluation of analytical methods for the determination of different potentially toxic metal fractions in soils with different physical properties
Munkánk során potenciálisan toxikus fémek frakcióinak meghatározására alkalmazott analitikai módszereket kívántunk értékelni, azok talajféleségtől való függése alapján.
A talajféleségtől való függés mértéke döntően megszabja a módszer használhatóságát. Jelen dolgozat célja, hogy a Cu, a Zn, a Fe és a Ni környezeti mobilitása szempontjából értékelje a vizsgálatba vont egy- és többlépéses kioldásos módszereket.
Vizsgálatainkhoz a TIM adatbázisból származó négy, eltérő fizikai talajféleségű mintát választottunk (homok-, homokos vályog-, vályog- és agyag-talaj sorrendjében növekvő agyag- és humusztartalommal és pH-val).
Öt különböző kivonószerrel végzett egylépéses extrakciót és kétféle szekvens, azaz 3+1 lépéses egymás utáni extrakciós vizsgálatot végeztünk (BCR és McGrath módszerekkel).
Elvégeztük a minták Magyar Szabvány (MSZ 21470-50) szerinti, mikrohullámú kezeléssel egybekötött, H2O2+HNO3 eleggyel való roncsolását is. Az így megállapított elemtartalom környezetvédelmi szempontból teljes („összes”) elemtartalomnak tekinthető.
A mérési eredmények alapján megkíséreltük kiválasztani a vizsgálatba vont módszerek közül azokat, amelyek a talajból már biztonsággal meghatározható mennyiségű elemet vonnak ki, de a kivont mennyiség még nem a teljes elemtartalommal arányos.
A mikrohullámú feltárással kapott Zn-, Cu-, Fe- és Ni-tartalmak, a homok-, homokos vályog-, vályog- és agyag-talaj sorrendben, vagyis az agyag- és humusztartalmukkal, valamint pH-jukkal párhuzamosan nő. Egy olyan összetett rendszerben, mint a talaj, az egyes talajtulajdonságok, így az agyag- és humusztartalom, valamint a pH hatása vizsgálataink alapján nem különíthető el, de mint várható volt, a nagyobb agyag- és humusztartalmú és magasabb pH-jú talajok ezekből az elemekből többet halmoztak fel.
Mivel a kelátképzőket tartalmazó kivonószerek az összes réztartalomnak mintegy harmadát kivonták, a kivont mennyiség a réztartalommal volt arányos, vagyis a réztartalom növekedésével párhuzamosan nőtt.
Ezek a kivonószerek tehát Cu esetében kevésbé alkalmasak az egyes talajféleségek toxicitása közti különbségek kimutatására.
A rézzel ellentétben, a másik három elemnél az egyes talajféleségeknél kivont kis elemmennyiségek esetenként nagyságrendileg is különböztek, így az elméleti meggondolásunknak megfelelően feltételezhető, hogy az egyes talajféleségek toxicitása közti különbséget mutatják.
A két szekvens módszernél a vasnál kapott mérési eredményeket azok szórása miatt nem lehetett értékelni.
Megállapítható, hogy a BCR agresszívebb kivonószereket használ, mint a McGrath módszer, ennek megfelelően a BCR módszerrel a talajok átlagában az elemek 36, a McGrath módszerrel pedig csak 9%-át vontuk ki.
A BCR módszernél nincs vízszerű gyenge kivonószer, amiből a különböző talajok összes elemtartalmából felszabaduló ionok mennyiségére lehetne következtetni. Az ecetsav, a leggyengébb kivonószer, de a kicserélhető elemtartalom mellett kivonja a karbonátokhoz kötött, vagyis biztosan nem szabad ionos elemtartalmat is.
Mivel a BCR módszer minden kivonószerével sok elemet vonunk ki, nincs érdemi különbség az elemek egyes talajoknál mért kivonási százaléka között, ami figyelembe véve, hogy a talajok elemtartalma a homoktól az agyagtalajig nő, azt jelenti, hogy a kivont mennyiség az összes elemtartalommal arányos.
Lényegében ugyanezt mondhatjuk a McGrath módszer két agresszívebb kivonószeréről is, annak ellenére, hogy lényegesen kevesebb elemet vonnak ki. Ezzel szemben a módszer leírása szerint, a 0,1 mólos kalcium-kloridos kivonatból a vízoldható és kicserélhető elemtartalomra lehet következtetni, így minden bizonnyal a talajok toxicitását mutatja.
In this study, we aimed to evaluate some analytical methods used to determine the fractions of potentially toxic metals, based on their dependence on soil type.
The degree of dependence on soil type determines the applicability of the method. The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the single- and multi-step extraction methods included in the study in terms of the environmental mobility of Cu, Zn, Fe and Ni.
For the studies, we selected four samples with different physical soil types from the Soil Information and Monitoring System database.
In order to establish trends, soil samples were selected so that their clay and humus content, i.e., their adsorption capacity as well as their pH increased in the order of sand, sandy loam, loam and clay soils.
One-step extractions with five different extractants and two sequential extraction analyses including 3+1 steps were performed (BCR and McGrath methods).
We also performed the digestion of the samples with H2O2 + HNO3 solvent combined with microwave treatment according to the Hungarian Standard (MSZ 21470-50). The element content determined in this way can be considered as the "total" element content from the environmental point of view.
Based on the results of the analyses, we tried to select from the methods included in the study those that already extract a safe amount of elements from the soil, but the extracted amount is not yet proportional to the total element content.
The Zn, Cu, Fe and Ni contents resulting from microwave digestion increased in the order of sand, sandy loam, loam and clay soils, i.e. in parallel with the clay and humus content and pH of the soils.
As the extractants containing chelating agents extracted about one-third of the total copper content, the amount extracted was proportional to the copper content, i.e. it increased in parallel with the increase in copper content. Thus, in the case of copper, these extractants are less suitable for detecting differences in the toxicity of different soil types.
In contrast to copper, in the case of the other three elements, the small amounts extracted from each soil type also differed in order of magnitude, so according to our theoretical consideration, it can be assumed that they show a difference between the toxicity of each soil type.
The results obtained with iron using the two sequential methods could not be evaluated due to their standard deviation.
It can be stated that BCR uses more aggressive extractants than the McGrath method, accordingly, the BCR method extracted 36%, whereas the McGrath method only 9% of the elements on average of the soils.
The BCR method does not have an aqueous weak extractant, which would indicate the amount of ions released from the total element content of the different soils. Acetic acid is the weakest extractant, but in addition to the exchangeable element content, it also extracts the ionic element content bound to carbonates, which is certainly not free.
Because a large amount of elements is extracted with each extractant in the BCR method, there is no significant difference in the percentage of elements extracted for each soil, which, given that soil element content increases from sand to clay soil, means that the extracted amount is proportional to total element content.
Basically, the same can be said for the two more aggressive extractants of the McGrath method, despite the fact that they extract significantly less amount of elements. In contrast, as described in the method, the water-soluble and exchangeable element content can be inferred from the 0.1 M calcium chloride extract, thus it certainly indicates soil toxicity.
Abstract
The objective of this research is to develop a dehusked coconut grading machine for coconut cultivators and entrepreneurs. The basis of design is characterized by a tapered belt conveyor and sizing board with openings of increasing aperture which run along the edge of the belt conveyor. Dehusked coconuts are fed onto the tapered belt conveyor where the gravitational force pushes the nut towards the edge until it comes in contact with sizing board. Due to the tangential force, the nut reels along the sizing board, where dehusked coconuts are graded and allowed to fall through aperture according to their sizes. Performance tests indicated that the inclination angle and velocity of the belt significantly affected contamination ratio, grading efficiency and capacity at 5% significance level. The most efficient configuration for fully husked coconut and semi husked was a belt speed of 1.3 m/s with the inclination angle of 15° and belt speed of 1.5 m/s with the inclination angle of 15° respectively. The machine is acceptable by coconut growers and entrepreneurs.
