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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.

The study of cotton stalk extraction resistance provides important parameters for the design of cotton stalk harvesting machinery. To investigate the effects of soil moisture content, cotton stalk diameter, and extraction angle on the extraction force of densely planted cotton stalks, this paper designs a real-time measurement system based on virtual instrument technology and conducts field tests. The tests were carried out in cotton fields at the First Farm in Aral City, Xinjiang, using the cotton variety “Xiulu Zhong 70”. Single-factor experiments were conducted with extraction angle and stalk diameter as influencing factors. A combined three-factor experiment was performed under the following conditions: soil moisture contents of 21.87% and 26.32%; extraction angles of 25°, 30°, and 35°; and cotton stalk diameters of 8.50–9.00 mm, 10.00–10.50 mm, and 11.50–12.00 mm. The results show that the minimum extraction force is required when the extraction angle is 30°. Soil moisture content significantly affects the extraction force, which increases with stalk diameter. The combined test results indicate that the order of significance of the three factors is as follows: cotton stalk diameter (A), extraction angle (B), and soil moisture content (C). The optimal combination is A1B1C2, corresponding to a diameter of 8.50–9.00 mm, an extraction angle of 35°, and a soil moisture content of 26.32%. Based on comprehensive analysis, the recommended extraction angle range is 30–35°. The proposed system can efficiently complete cotton stalk extraction force tests, and the collected data provide valuable references for the design of cotton stalk harvesting machinery. By appropriately selecting the extraction angle and conducting harvesting under suitable soil moisture conditions, it is possible to reduce power consumption and improve production efficiency.

The present study is the first attempt to evaluate the potential of acid and base activated biochar derived from cotton stalks (CSB) for the removal of As from contaminated water. The CSB was treated with 0.5 M KOH (BCSB) and H3PO4 (ACSB) separately to change its surface properties. The CSB, ACSB and BSCB were characterized using BET, FTIR, and SEM analysis to check the effectiveness and insight of the main mechanisms involved in the removal of As. A series of batch experiments was performed using As-contaminated synthetic water and groundwater samples. The effects of initial concentration of As, contact time, dose of the biochars, solution pH, type of the biochar and coexisting ions on the removal of As were investigated. Results revealed that BCSB efficiently removed As (90–99.5%) from contaminated water as compared with ACSB (84–98%) and CSB (81–98%) due to improved surface properties when As concentration was varied from 0.1 to 4.0 mg/L. The experimental data were best fitted with Freundlich adsorption isotherm as compared with Langmuir, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich models. However, kinetic data were well explained with pseudo-second-order kinetic model rather than pseudo-first-order, intra-particle diffusion and Elovich models. The sorption energy indicated that physical adsorption was involved in the removal of As. The comparison of adsorption results with other biochars and their modified forms suggests that activation of CSB with base can be used effectively (4.48 mg/g) as a low-cost adsorbent for maximum removal of As from contaminated aqueous systems.

The purification of REEs from leaching liquor of monazite ore; which contains contaminated iron and manganese, are significant important for REEs applications. Herein, this work investigated the sorption and separation of Fe 3+ and Mn 2+ from both aquatic solution and REEs of monazite liquor using carbon-based on lignocellulosic cotton stalk material (CCS) as a green biosorbent at optimum conditions. The prepared CCS was characterized by different physicochemical and morphological techniques as FTIR, SEM, TEM, and specific surface area measurement, which was 831 m 2 g − 1 with total pore volume; 0.431 m 3 g − 1 , micro-pores percentage; 93.27%, and meso-pores percentage; 6.73%. The sorption investigations like pH, stirring time, initial metal-ions concentration, temperature, and adsorbent weight were carried out to identify the best reaction parameters. The obtained results were analyzed using different kinetic and isotherm patterns. The pseudo-second order kinetic model surpasses on the other kinetic models in the sorption process, indicating the chemisorption reaction. The sorption isotherm matched with Langmuir model, depending on the highest R 2 and lowest of error functions. The maximum monolayer sorption capacities of Fe 3+ and Mn 2+ ions onto CCS are 531.9 and 680.27 mg/g, respectively at optimum sorption conditions (pH 2.6 for Fe 3+ and pH 5.5 for Mn 2+ , stirring time 30 min. at 25 °C). The sorption approach was exothermic, randomness and spontaneous in nature. Lastly, CCS can be highly separated Fe 3+ and Mn 2+ from REEs of monazite leachate with separation factors reached 228.947 and 2.5735, respectively. Consequently, the low-cost CCS sorbent was utilized for purification of REEs from Fe 3+ and Mn 2+ pollutants of monazite ore liquor.

The field harvesting process of harvesting machinery is often affected by high workload and environmental factors that can impede/delay manual rowing, thereby leading to lower efficiency and quality in the residual film collector. To address this challenge, an automatic rowing control system using the 4mz-220d self-propelled residual film collector as the experimental carrier was proposed in this study. Cotton stalks in the ridges were chosen as the research object, and a comprehensive application of key technologies, machinery, and electronic control was used, thereby incorporating a pure tracking model as the path-tracking control method. To achieve the automatic rowing function during the field traveling process, the fuzzy control principle was implemented to adjust the forward distance within the pure tracking model dynamically, and the expected steering angle of the steering wheel was determined based on the kinematic model of the recovery machine. The MATLAB/Simulink software was utilized to simulate and analyze the proposed model, thus achieving significant improvements in the automation level of the residual film collector. The field harvesting tests showed that the average deviation of the manual rowing was 0.144 m, while the average deviation of the automatic rowing was 0.066 m. Moreover, the average lateral deviation of the automatic rowing was reduced by 0.078 m with a probability of deviation within 0.1 m of 95.71%. The research study demonstrated that the designed automatic rowing system exhibited high stability and robustness, thereby meeting the requirements of the autonomous rowing operations of residual film collectors. The results of this study can serve as a reference for future research on autonomous navigation technology in agriculture.

This study designs and develops an energy-efficient pelleting machine for crop residues, integrating the Finite Element Method ( FEM ) and experimental evaluations. Key performance parameters including machine productivity ( M p ), pellet length ( Pl ), particle density ( ρ p ), bulk density ( ρ b ), hardness resistance ( Hr ), shear stress ( τ ), and pellet durability ( Dp ) were analyzed under varying conditions of moisture content ( MC ), molasses content ( MLC ), particle size ( PS ), and main shaft rotating speed ( RS ). Results showed that increasing MC , MLC , PS , and RS significantly improved pellet quality and efficiency. Peak Mp (99.4 kg h −1 ) was achieved at 20% MC , 0.7 mm PS , and 100 rpm, while 15% MLC yielded the highest ρ p (1147 kg m −3 ), ρ b (610 kg m −3 ), Hr (447 N), and τ (3.6 MPa). Pellet durability reached 94%, highlighting the molasses’ superior binding properties. Heatmap analysis confirmed strong correlations between MLC and critical pellet properties. The energy-efficient process consumed 128.45 kW h ton −1 , only 2.8% of the energy potential of cotton stalks, ensuring sustainability. This study introduces a novel approach to enhancing pellet quality while minimizing synthetic additives, demonstrating advancements in process efficiency. Future research should investigate advanced binder formulations, process automation, and the long-term stability of biomass pellets under various storage conditions.

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.

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.

Dissolving-grade wood pulp is one of the crucial raw materials to produce lyocell fiber. Benefit from the environmentally friendly production process of lyocell spinning and excellent comprehensive performance of lyocell fiber, the lyocell fiber’s industrialization has been rapidly developed in recent years. Limited to the shortage of wood resources, the development and expansion of alternative non-wood pulp raw materials are quite important and valuable. Herein, newly dissolving-grade pulp was developed from cotton stalks (CSs) by alkali pretreatment, kraft cooking and following post processing procedures. From orthogonal experiments, it was found that the factors affecting Kappa number and degree of polymerization (DP), from strongest to weakest, were cooking temperature, alkali dosage, cooking time, and sulfidity. Three preferred cooking schemes (A 3 B 3 C 3 D 3 , A 3 B 3 C 3 D 1 and A 2 B 3 C 3 D 3 ) were developed to prepare the final dissolving-grade CS pulp (CSP) with DP of 466, 522, and 568. FT-IR spectroscopy and the related component analyses showed that hemicellulose was substantially removed during the pretreatment process, and lignin was substantially removed during the cooking process. The corresponding dissolution and spinning experiments further illustrated that all the three kinds of dissolving-grade CSPs had good dissolution ability and spinning stability. The mechanical performance of the corresponding lyocell fibers was improved as the rising of pulp DP. Also, the CSP568 induced by a more appropriate cooking scheme showed quite similar dissolving properties, lyocell spinnability and lyocell fiber performance to that of the commercial wood pulp. Related explorations are expected to expand the high value and green utilization of crop residues and the material sources for dissolving-grade pulp, thus promoting the development of lyocell fiber industrialization. Graphical abstract

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.