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During the harvesting process, rigid materials are prone to causing damage to the cotton stalks, which will increase the risk of stalk breakage. A cotton stalk pulling component that blends stiff and flexible materials was devised to lower the breaking rate. The cotton stalk pulling component was made up of rollers and flexible belts that pull the stalks using clamping force and the forward speed of the tractor. The influence of various factors in the equipment on the harvesting effect of cotton stalks were analyzed through response surface experiments, and a multiple quadratic regression response surface model with missing pulling rate and breakage rate as response values was established. The significant of influencing factors on the breaking rate of cotton stalks are in a descending order as: the angle of cotton stalk pulling, tractor's forward speed, and the clamping speed of the cotton stalk component. The working parameters of the wheel-belt type cotton stalk pulling machine have been optimized using the response surface combination experimental method, and the optimal parameter combination was obtained as: tractor forward speed of 4.5 km/h, cotton stalk pulling angle of 60°, and clamping speed of the cotton stalk pulling component of 349 r/min. The results of validation experiments showed that the missing pulling rate of cotton stalks was 5.06% and the breakage rate was 13.12%, indicating a good harvesting effect of the cotton stalks. The model was reasonable and the performance parameters could meet the relevant inspection requirements. The results can provide a reference for further research on the technology of flexible cotton stalk pulling.

In this work, Qiqunahu (QQH) coal, cotton stalk, cellulose and lignin extracted from cotton stalk were selected as raw materials to study the effects of the co-pyrolysis of coal and cotton stalk. Online thermogravimetric mass spectrometry (TG-MS) was used to analyse mass loss and gas release characteristics during co-pyrolysis. The results reveal that the mixture of cotton stalk and coal can significantly enhance the reactivity of the blends and promote the formation of effective gas. The cellulose in the cotton stalk promotes the generation of H2 and CO2 during the co-pyrolysis of coal and cotton stalks. Lignin promotes the production of CH4 and CO2. Cellulose and lignin show an inhibitory effect on the precipitation of small molecular weight hydrocarbon gases during co-pyrolysis. This study provides a better understanding for the co-pyrolysis of biomass and coal.

Scientists and engineers encounter considerable environmental and economic obstacles stemming from the depletion of crude oil or petroleum fossil fuel reservoirs. To mitigate this challenge, alternative solutions like bio-oil-modified binder derived from biomass have been innovated. This research aims to examine the feasibility of using bio-oil-modified binder obtained from cotton stalk waste as a modifier. Various mechanical and physical tests, including penetration, softening point, ductility, and dynamic shear rheometer tests, were conducted on asphalt binder incorporating 5% and 10% bio-oil-modified binder. Wheel tracker, four-point beam fatigue, and dynamic modulus tests were used to evaluate asphalt mixture performance, including rutting, fatigue, and dynamic stiffness. A rolling bottle test (RBT) and asphalt binder bond strength (BBS) were used to assess moisture susceptibility. A bio-oil-modified binder enhanced ductility and penetration characteristics while reducing the softening point. With the addition of a bio-oil-modified binder, stiffness was reduced in parameters such as complex shear modulus and phase angle. In fact, for both specimens containing 5% and 10% bio-oil-modified binder, statistically significant differences were observed among the measured samples. As a result of this reduced stiffness, the modified asphalt binder is more suitable for low-temperature applications. Additionally, 5.8% increased at 10% and 3.1% at 5% CS. Bio-oil-modified binder, compared to virgin mixtures, supports equal rut resistance. However, the RBT and BBS tests revealed that the addition of bio-oil-modified binder increased the susceptibility of conventional asphalt binder to moisture. The findings suggest that bio-oil-modified binder can enhance asphalt binder properties in low-temperature regions, but further research is needed to improve moisture resistance.

Soil salinity and sodicity is a potential soil risk and a major reason for reduced soil productivity in many areas of the world. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different biochar raw materials and the effects of acid-modified biochar on alleviating abiotic stresses from saline-sodic soil and its effect on biochemical properties of maize and wheat productivity. A field experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design during the seasons of 2019/2020, with five treatments and three replicates: untreated soil (CK), rice straw biochar (RSB), cotton stalk biochar (CSB), rice straw-modified biochar (RSMB), and cotton stalk-modified biochar (CSMB). FTIR and X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that acid modification of biochar has potential effects for improving its properties via porous functions, surface functional groups and mineral compositions. The CSMB treatment enhanced the soil’s physical and chemical properties and porosity via EC, ESP, CEC, SOC and BD by 28.79%, 20.95%, 11.49%, 9.09%, 11.51% and 12.68% in the upper 0–20 cm, respectively, compared to the initial properties after the second season. Soil-available N, P and K increased with modified biochar treatments compared to original biochar types. Data showed increases in grain/straw yield with CSMB amendments by 34.15% and 29.82% for maize and 25.11% and 15.03% for wheat plants, respectively, compared to the control. Total N, P and K contents in both maize and wheat plants increased significantly with biochar application. CSMB recorded the highest accumulations of proline contents and SOD, POD and CAT antioxidant enzyme activity. These results suggest that the acid-modified biochar can be considered an eco-friendly, cheaper and effective choice in alleviating abiotic stresses from saline-sodic soil and positively effects maize and wheat productivity.

Cellulose aerogel, a sustainable material characterized by low density and high porosity, demonstrates promising potential for addressing oil spill incidents. In this study, waste cotton stalk biomass was processed using formic acid and hydrogen peroxide to extract cellulose, resulting in the successful creation of a cost-effective aerogel. This material exhibits notable attributes: low density (21.1 mg cm−3), high porosity (91.5%), significant hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 147°), exceptional adsorption capacity (47.61 g g−1), and robust cycling performance (maintaining 94% adsorption capacity after 15 cycles). Moreover, the CNF/CS biomass aerogel boasts high mechanical strength and exceptional oil–water and emulsion separation properties. These characteristics position this aerogel as a promising solution for mitigating various sudden oil spill incidents, indicating its potential for widespread application.

It is inevitable that reclaimed cotton stalks will contain a certain amount of plastic film due to the wide application of plastic mulching during the process of cotton cultivation, and this makes it inappropriate to return it to the field or for it to be processed into silage. In this study, biochars were prepared by the co-pyrolysis of cotton stalk with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in the proportions of 1:0, 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1 (w/w) at 400 °C, 450 °C, and 500 °C and maintaining them for 1 h. The effects of the co-pyrolysis of cotton stalk with LDPE on the properties of biochars (e.g., pH, yield, elemental analysis, specific surface area, etc.) and the Pb(II) removal capacity were analyzed. Co-pyrolysis cotton stalks with LDPE could delay the decomposition of LDPE but could promote the decomposition of cotton stalk. At 400 °C and 450 °C, the addition of LDPE decreased the H/C ratio, while no significant difference was found between the pristine biochar and the blended biochar pyrolyzed at 500 °C. An FTIR analysis indicated that the surface functional groups of biochar were not affected by the addition of LDPE, except for CH3 and CH2. The results of the SEM showed that LDPE could cover the surface of biochar when pyrolyzed at 400 °C, while many macropores were found in the blended biochar that was pyrolyzed at 450 °C and 500 °C, thus increasing its surface area. The blended biochar that was pyrolyzed at 500 °C was more effective in the removal of Pb(II) than the cotton-stalk-derived biochar, which was dominated by monolayer adsorption with a maximum adsorption capacity of approximately 200 mg·g−1. These results suggested that the co-pyrolysis of cotton stalks and LDPE may be used to produce biochar, which is a cost-effective adsorbent for heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions.

In present study, the development, production, characterization and economic analysis of pellets made from cotton stalk in a tractor PTO-based pelleting machine are investigated. The cotton stalk is widely available in the southern part of India and has a huge potential in bioenergy generation due to its salient physicochemical composition. Many regions of Southern India are suffering from an electricity shortage, and therefore to overcome on this issue, an energy-efficient, portable, tractor PTO-operated pelleting machine was developed that can be operated directly on the field to reduce the transportation cost of agro-residues. The Box-Behnken design using response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to evaluate the performance of the pelleting machine. Based on the ANOVA results, the pelleting efficiency, pelleting capacity, bulk density of pellet and fuel consumption were obtained to be 87.06%, 42.65 kg/h, 614.09 kg/m and 1.12 lit/h, respectively. In order to examine the physicochemical properties of cotton stalk pellets, the proximate, ultimate, physical, TG-DTG, FTIR and SEM analysis have been carried out. As a result, the ash content, calorific value, shattered index and durability of cotton stalk pellets were found to be around 2.73%, 18.92 MJ/kg, 92.80% and 93.75%, respectively. A combustion characteristic of pellets using TGA analysis exhibited a maximum mass loss (43.5%) observed in between 180 and 350 °C due to the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, whereas a SEM analysis of cotton pellets justified its homogeneous morphology along with rich concentration of minerals. The benefit-cost ratio and payback period of developed tractor PTO-operated pelleting machine for cotton stalk were found to be 1.11 and 33.1 months, respectively. The internal return of rate was observed to be 74%.

Converting agricultural and forestry waste into high-value-added bio-oil via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) reduces incineration pollution and alleviates fuel oil shortages. Current research focuses on adjusting HTL parameters like temperature, time, catalyst, and pretreatment. Few studies explore raw material composition and its interactions with bio-oil properties, limiting guidance for future multi-material hydrothermal co-liquefaction. In view of the above problems, the lignocellulosic model in this paper used cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and protein as raw materials. At a low hydrothermal temperature (220 °C), the yield and properties of hydrothermal bio-oil were used as indicators to explore the influence of the proportional content of different model components on the interaction in the hydrothermal process through its simple binary blending and multivariate blending. Then, compared with the hydrothermal liquefaction process of cotton stalk, the interaction between components in the hydrothermal process of real lignocellulose was explored. The results demonstrated significant interactions among cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose in cotton stalks. The relative strength of component interactions was ranked by yield (wt.%) and property modulation as follows: cellulose–lignin (C-L, 6.82%, synergistic enhancement) > cellulose–hemicellulose (C-X, 1.83%, inhibitory effect) > hemicellulose–lignin (X-L, 1.32%, non-significant interaction). Glycine supplementation enhanced bio-oil yields, with the most pronounced effect observed in cellulose–glycine (C-G) systems, where hydrothermal bio-oil yield increased from 2.29% to 4.59%. Aqueous-phase bio-oil exhibited superior high heating values (HHVs), particularly in hemicellulose–glycine (X-G) blends, which achieved the maximum HHV of 29.364 MJ/kg among all groups. Meanwhile, the characterization results of hydrothermal bio-oil under different mixing conditions showed that the proportion of model components largely determined the composition and properties of hydrothermal bio-oil, which can be used as a regulation method for the synthesis of directional chemicals. Cellulose–lignin (C-L) interactions demonstrated the strongest synergistic enhancement, reaching maximum efficacy at a 3:1 mass ratio. This study will deepen the understanding of the composition of lignocellulose raw materials in the hydrothermal process, promote the establishment of a hydrothermal product model of lignocellulose, and improve the yield of bio-oil.

The sustainable development of waste-recycled polymer matrix composites found a wide range of applications due to their superior specific properties, reliability, and economics. The prime aim of this research is to enhance the structural stability of Kevlar fiber–reinforced polypropylene composite by the additions (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12wt%) of cotton stalk powder and (0, 1, 3, 5, and 7wt%) granite particles through injection mould technique. The interface quality of synthesized composites is analyzed via an FTIR and scanning electron microscope. It reveals good particle distribution with a strong interface. Based on ASTM D790, D256-04, and D5023 standards, the flexural strength, impact strength, and dynamic mechanical analysis behavior of the composite studied and found that sample 4 is maximum flexural strength (158.29 ± 1.09 MPa), impact strength (29.87 ± 0.75 J), and sample 5 found stable on high dynamic load without failure (42.06 ± 0.43GPa). The thermal decompose performance of the composite is analyzed by 27° to 700° through thermogravimetric analysis, and sample 5 offered good thermal stability at 278°C.

To improve the accuracy of the discrete element research, physical and simulation experiments were used to calibrate the cotton stalk contact parameters. Based on the stalk-stalk and stalk-steel contact mechanics, the parameters were measured in physical experiments, and the discrete element simulation software was used to build the stalk model. In the simulation process, the Plackett-Burman experiment was used to screen three significant factors from six initial factors. The steepest Plackett-Burman experiment was used to determine the optimal interval of the significant factors. A second-order regression model of the significant factors and the angle of repose was established according to the Central Composite design experiment. The best parameter combination of the significant factors was then obtained: the coefficient of static friction on stalk-steel contact was 0.31, the coefficient of static friction on stalk-stalk contact was 0.62, and the coefficient of rolling friction on stalk-stalk contact was 0.02. The relative error between the physical angle of repose and the simulated angle was 3.27%, indicating that it is feasible to apply the simulation experiment instead of the physical one. It offers insights into cotton stalk contact parameter settings and film-stalk separation in the simulation.