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"Raw materials Egypt."
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Ancient Egyptian materials and technology
This is a study of the procurement and processing of raw materials employed by the ancient Egyptians over the five millennia of the Predynastic and Pharaonic periods (c. 5500-332 BC).
Book
Influences of Green Human Resources Management on Environmental Performance in Small Lodging Enterprises: The Role of Green Innovation
Small lodging enterprises encompass a major proportion of the lodging industry worldwide. Nonetheless, limited research has addressed the HRM-innovation-performance link on these enterprises. This research draws on ability, motivation, opportunity (AMO) theory and resource-based view (RBV) theory to examine the influences of green human resources management (GHRM) practices by owner-managers of small lodging enterprises on their enterprises’ green innovation and environmental performance. More specifically, the research examines the direct influence of GHRM on the environmental performance of small lodging enterprises and the indirect influence through green innovation. A self-administered questionnaire was given to owner-managers of small lodging enterprises in Greater Cairo, Egypt. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed direct, positive and significant influences of owner-managers’ green ability, motivation and opportunity on both enterprise green innovation and environmental performance. The ability of owner-managers was the most influential GHRM practices on both green innovation and environmental performance. Moreover, the results showed that the influence of GHRM on environmental performance was doubled with green innovation, reflecting the value and vital role of green innovation in small lodging enterprises’ environmental performance. Several policy-level, theoretical and practical implications are identified and discussed.
Journal Article
Circular economy transition barriers in the construction and demolition sector
This study evaluates the readiness of Egypt's construction sector to integrate Circular Economy (CE) principles by identifying and analyzing the main barriers to effective Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) management. A comprehensive survey-based methodology (n = 384) was employed to gather data from industry stakeholders, demonstrating excellent sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.961). Initially, 41 potential barriers were identified via literature review and expert consultation. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) subsequently refined these to 10 critical barriers, whose interrelationships were validated using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), exhibiting a strong model fit (RMSEA = 0.065; CFI = 0.974). The analysis revealed persistent economic, technological, and social barriers impeding CE adoption. Notable challenges include high implementation costs, inadequate technical expertise, low stakeholder awareness, and weak policy enforcement. Based on these findings, prioritized, time-phased recommendations are proposed to provide an evidence-based framework for policy and practice. This research contributes an early empirical assessment of CE adoption in Egypt's construction sector, offering a robust roadmap for a more sustainable, resource-efficient industry aligned with national environmental and economic objectives.
Journal Article
Decision Analysis for the Influence of Incorporating Waste Materials on Green Concrete Properties
Concrete industry is challenged by sustainability and technical concerns. Sustainability includes minimization of raw material usage, energy consumption, and emission of greenhouse gases, while technical concerns comprise the enhancement of mechanical properties and durability such as compressive strength, resistance to chloride, acids, and elevated temperatures. Therefore, recycling of industrial waste in manufacturing of green concrete has become a robust viable alternative to disposal, due to the limited natural resources and raw materials which contribute to sustainable construction. Consequently, this research aims to develop an approach using a multicriteria decision-making algorithm based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), to select the most suitable industrial waste to achieve the desired green concrete properties. The research starts by determining the alternatives including 18 industrial wastes, and the criteria including 14 properties of concrete. After that, an experimental database for the influence of the alternatives on the criteria is established based on the literature. Then, an algorithm is developed using a python script to analyze the influence of incorporating each of the industrial waste alternative on both the mechanical and sustainable properties of concrete. Subsequently, the efficiency of the proposed algorithm is validated using three case studies that present different circumstances of concrete specifications. Based on the proposed approach, the decision-maker can assign the appropriate residual waste to be incorporated into the concrete mix according to its application in a user-friendly manner. Such approach can support both sustainable use of waste materials and enhancement of concrete properties.
Journal Article
Optimizing Pozzolanic Concrete Mixtures Using Machine Learning and Global Sensitivity Analysis Techniques
The cement industry is a significant contributor to CO
2
emissions worldwide, which demands new measures to reduce its environmental impacts. Therefore, finding solutions to reduce the CO
2
emissions in cement production became necessary. Pozzolanic materials offer an optimum solution approach with both environmental and functional advantages. For the investigation of pozzolan effects on the concrete mixture, the modeling part becomes a challenging task. This study models and predicts the compressive strength of pozzolanic cement-based concrete using deep residual neural networks (DRNNs) and variance-based sensitivity analysis (VBSA). The designed DRNNs architecture uses shortcuts (i.e., residual connections) that bypass some layers in the deep network structure in order to alleviate the problem of training with high accuracy. The research also examines crucial aspects such as pozzolan type, substitution ratio, component proportions, and grinding processes, using data developed by the authors and from different pozzolanic concrete compositions from various studies. The proposed model showed a high accuracy of
R
2
= 0.94 for testing data that outperformed traditional literature models, enabling the generation of a large sample of synthetic experimental data for further analysis. The VBSA improves knowledge by prioritizing the importance of input factors, resulting in a complete method for designing concrete mixes. The analysis revealed that silica fume and volcanic ash were the most effective pozzolans in enhancing compressive strength, followed by scoria and metakaolin, with optimal substitution ratios ranging from 10 to 15% for most natural pozzolans and up to 20–30% for metakaolin and pumicite. Hence, this newly presented analysis framework offers an optimizing tool for pozzolanic concrete mix design that could investigate several pozzolana types/proportions, their efficiency, and the structural performance of the final concrete mixture.
Journal Article
Chemical, rheological, and sensorial properties of Baladi bread supplemented with buckwheat flour produced in Egypt
This research aimed to enhance the nutritional and sensory qualities of Balady bread by adding locally Egyptian buckwheat flours,
Fagopyrum esculentum
(FE) and
Fagopyrum tataricum
(FT), to Hard Wheat Flour (HWF) 82% extraction at three levels (10%, 20%, and 30%). The chemical composition, rheological properties, color, sensory evaluation and stalling of the balady bread were determined. The chemical composition of raw materials revealed that FE was significantly (
P
≤ 0.05) higher in protein and fat contents compared to HWF and FT. While FT was higher in fiber and ash contents. The findings show that a 30% replacement with FE or FT significantly enhances the bread's nutritional profile, notably increasing protein, fiber, ash, and moisture content. Rheological analysis revealed that FE and FT alter dough handling, with a notable improvement in dough stability and mixing tolerance at 30% FT. Sensory evaluation indicated acceptable qualities even at higher substitution levels, although 30% FE showed slight declines in certain attributes. Furthermore, bread supplemented with 30% FT demonstrated slower staling and potentially extended shelf life. These results highlight the potential of FE and FT as nutritional enhancers in bread formulations, with 30% FT emerging as the optimal replacement level for balancing nutritional benefits and sensory acceptance.
Journal Article
Bibliometric analysis and visualisation of research on life cycle assessment in Africa (1992–2022)
Purpose
Life cycle assessment (LCA) has found wide applicability as a tool for assessing the environmental impacts of human activities in different fields such as manufacturing, mining, transportation, oil and gas, construction, and medicine. Despite the wide applicability of LCA globally, the uptake and use of the tool in Africa remains limited. This research is motivated by the need to explore the continental structure of life cycle assessment to ascertain the level of knowledge and research; collaboration amongst institutions, countries, and authors; keyword co-occurrence; thematic evolution; and bibliographic coupling.
Methods
Publications related to life cycle assessment were retrieved and cleaned from the Scopus database with the language restricted to English and only countries recognised by the African Union. VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) visualisation tool was used to construct and visualise the network maps of researchers, co-occurrence, co-authorships, and keywords. On the other hand, Bibliometrix was employed to carryout descriptive analysis and thematic evolution and to extract bibliographic information.
Results and discussion
In total, 616 research publications between 1992 and 2022 were retrieved. The results show that research on the subject matter picked up from 2004 and has been on the upward trend. South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria are the top countries carrying out LCA research on the continent. In addition, the top authors, affiliations, and funders also come from these countries. It was also noted that there were low levels of cooperation between authors on the African continent; rather, they collaborate more with researchers in Europe, America, and other parts of the world. The
built environment
,
construction industry
,
alternative energy
,
agriculture
, and
waste management and recycling
are the major themes of research on the continent.
Conclusion
Life cycle assessment is gaining traction amongst researchers in Africa, albeit slowly. Considering the continents’ role in the future especially in providing critical raw materials needed for the transition to a carbon-neutral society in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), rapid uptake and embedding life cycle thinking in every sector of the African economy are needed. However, there is an urgent need to equip researchers with the skills to facilitate the development of a life cycle inventory (LCI) database at countries or continental level.
Journal Article
The High Potential of Micro-Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Identification of Archaeological Reeds: The Case Study of Tutankhamun
This study explores the potential of micro-magnetic resonance imaging (μ-MRI) for identifying archaeological reeds found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Reed plants had various historical uses in the past, with ancient Egyptians extensively employing them for crafting a wide range of items. The distinct cross-sectional characteristics of Arundo donax (giant reed) and Phragmites australis (common reed) are observed and described via optical microscopy and μ-MRI in this study. While optical microscopy offers higher resolution, μ-MRI provides advantages for studying archaeobotanical specimens, as it eliminates the need for mechanical sectioning and potentially damaging fragile samples. The application of μ-MRI on a selected archaeological reed allowed us to identify it as Phragmites australis, showing that μ-MRI can yield clear images, maintaining the integrity of the sample. In contrast, diagnostic features appeared greatly deformed on the thin section observed via optical microscopy. Despite the limitations related to the sample size and the need for sample soaking, μ-MRI presents a valuable tool for analyzing archaeological remains in the field of cultural heritage, with the potential for broader applications. Overall, this study contributes to expanding the toolkit available to researchers studying plant remains, providing insights into reed identification and preservation in archaeological contexts.
Journal Article
Geotechnical study on the utilization of Pleistocene Sands in Sohag Basin (Upper Egypt) as a construction raw material
The Pleistocene Sands (Armant and Qena formations, Sohag Basin, Upper Egypt) had been evaluated texturally, minerologically and geotechnically as a construction raw material throughout intensive laboratory examinations. These Sands (fine aggregates) are classified into well-graded sands (SW). Texturally, the Pleistocene Sands are consisting mainly of equi-dimensional angular quartz grains. Rock fragments and feldspars are present with minor amounts. Few mineral grains (dolomite and gypsum) were recorded within the sands of Armant Formation. Whereas, few grains of basement rock fragments were identified in Qena Formation. Armant Formation has a higher content of TDS (total dissolved salts), sulfates, calcium carbonates and chlorides than Qena Formation. Additionally, Armant Formation has active chemically mineral grains (dolomite and gypsum). So, Armant Formation sand samples will be reacted harmfully when used as concrete, mortar and sandy bricks due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and alkali-carbonate reaction (ACR) that will be happened on long run of time. The absence of shrinkage in length and collapse failure modes indicates the absence of bleeding and segregation with the fresh mixtures (concrete, mortar and sandy bricks) before stiffness state.
Journal Article
Using Deficit Irrigation Strategies and Adding Sugarcane Waste Biochar as a Sustainable Material to Sandy Soils for Improving Yield and Water Productivity of Cucumber
This study investigates the potential of biochar to mitigate drought stress in crops. Biochar amendments are increasingly recognized for their ability to enhance soil properties that promote water retention and plant resilience during dry periods. In a study conducted in Egypt, impacts of the application of sugarcane biochar on cucumber production, water productivity, and quality characteristics under deficient irrigation conditions were evaluated. Increasing the biochar application rate under arid region conditions resulted in significant improvements in cucumber yield, water productivity, vitamin C, soluble sugar content, and total soluble solids. The activated sugarcane biochar exhibited desirable properties, including a large surface area (250 m2g−1) and pore size (0.28 cm3g−1), with a microporous nature. The positive effects observed can be attributed to reduced water volume leaving the root zone, enhanced nutrient absorption, increased water holding capacity, and augmented nutrient availability. Based on the results, it is recommended to implement under-irrigation at 75% of full irrigation and apply a biochar rate of 10 tons per hectare to mitigate the environmental impacts of water scarcity and support the development of sustainable agricultural systems. In conclusion, biochar emerges as a valuable soil amendment for bolstering cucumber production and water use efficiency (WUE) under limited irrigation scenarios. Its potential lies in promoting improved soil moisture retention, enhancing nutrient availability for cucumber plants, and potentially mitigating plant stress.
Journal Article