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The biochars were produced from wheat straw (WSBC) at different pyrolytic temperatures. Biochars were characterized by multiple instrumental techniques and were applied to remove Cd from aqueous solution. The removal mechanism was explored, and the quantitative information regarding the relative contribution of related mechanisms to Cd sorption on biochars was provided. The results showed that pseudo-second-order kinetic model, TC (two-compartment) model, and Freundlich isotherm could well fit the process of Cd sorption on biochars. The sorption could be divided into fast and slow adsorption stages. The order of the Cd removal capacity by biochar was WSBC700 > WSBC500 > WSBC300. Adsorption amount of Cd by biochar reduced when the biochar was rinsed with 1.0 M HCl, which indicated that acid-soluble minerals in biochar played an important role during the Cd removal process, especially for the biochar obtained at high pyrolytic temperature. Various equipments were used to investigate the interaction mechanism between biochar and Cd. Mineral precipitation, surface complexation, and cation-π interaction were the main mechanisms of Cd sorption on the biochars. The contribution of cation-π mechanism was in the range of 25.42–48.58%, 2.18–19.30% for surface complexation and 32.12–72.41% for mineral precipitation, respectively. The pyrolytic temperature significantly influenced the removal capacity and mechanism of Cd on biochars. The cation-π mechanism was predominant for biochar obtained at lower pyrolytic temperature. However, mineral precipitation mechanism played a crucial role for biochar obtained at high pyrolytic temperature. These results are helpful for the design or screening of “engineered biochar” to act as sorbents to remove or immobilized Cd in polluted soil or water. Graphical abstract ᅟ

The present work studies the feasibility of wheat soda pulp as a raw material for the fabrication of cellulose nanofibres and their application as an additive in papermaking. Wheat straws were cooked under alkaline conditions and the resulting pulp was used as a raw material for the production of lignocellulosic nanofibres (LCNF). Nanofibres were fabricated by intense mechanical beating followed by high-pressure homogenization. The produced LCNF were characterized and applied to papermaking slurry based also on wheat straw soda pulp. Paper sheets made thereof were analysed for their physical and mechanical properties. The results indicated that paper strength was improved after addition of LCNF, whereas density increased and porosity was reduced. These improvements in properties (except the Tear Index) are significant because they were achieved using LCNF with lower fibrillation degree compared to previous works where chemically pre-treated LCNF were used as reinforcement.

Improving the yield of carbohydrate to lipid conversion and lipid productivity are two critical goals to develop an economically feasible process to commercialize microbial oils. Lignocellulosic sugars are potential low-cost carbon sources for this process but their use is limited by the toxic compounds produced during biomass pretreatment at high solids loading, and by the pentose sugars (mainly xylose) which are not efficiently metabolized by many microorganisms. Adaptive laboratory evolution was used to select a Rhodosporidium toruloides strain with robust growth in non-detoxified wheat straw hydrolysates, produced at 20% solids loading, and better xylose consumption rate. An arabinose-inducible cre-lox recombination system was developed in this evolved strain that was further engineered to express a second copy of the native DGAT1 and SCD1 genes under control of the native xylose reductase (XYL1) promoter. Fed-batch cultivation of the engineered strain in 7-L bioreactors produced 39.5 g lipid/L at a rate of 0.334 g/Lh−1 and 0.179 g/g yield, the best results reported in R. toruloides with non-detoxified lignocellulosic hydrolysates to date.

As concrete production accounts for a large percentage of worldwide CO 2 emissions, there is a need for alternative sustainable construction materials. Simultaneously, the increasing generation of construction and demolition waste has led to the growing interest in using recycled aggregates (RA) in concrete. However, recycling aggregate (RAC) tends to demonstrate poor mechanical and durability performance because of relatively high porosity and weak interfacial transition zone existing in RA. This study explores the synergistic effects of coconut fiber (CF), wheat straw ash (WSA) and silica fume (SF) in its enhancement of RAC performance. Mechanical (compressive and tensile strengths) and durability (water absorption and acid resistance) characteristics of RA (50%, 75%, and 100%) incorporated with various proportions of WSA (5%, 10%, and 15%) have been studied. Additionally, CF (1.5%) and SF (7%) were also added in all mixtures. The findings show that the optimum mix (10% WSA and 50% RA) achieves a compressive strength of 30.7 MPa at 90 days. The tensile strength was also improved, with the 10% WSA mix offering the highest tensile strength of 3.89 MPa at 90 days. Durability tests showed that water absorption decreased, and acid resistance improved with the addition of WSA, especially with 10% WSA, which had the lowest water absorption of 4.8%. Microstructural Analysis of the concrete matrix showed, particularly for mixes with increased WSA content, indicate lower porosity and better bonding. The present work establishes base evidence for the use of CF, WSA and SF in improving the performance and sustainability of RAC and is a viable option for construction applications, particularly in the presence of the high construction and demolition waste regions.

Straw returning plays an essential role in crop yields and the sustainable development of agriculture. However, the effects and mechanisms of nitrogen (N) fertilizer management on grain yield, quality and aroma substance 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) content under wheat straw returning are still unclear. In this field experiment, two japonica rice cultivars were used as materials, wheat straw non-returning (NS) and wheat straw full returning (WS) were designed coupled with two N application ratios, namely basal fertilizer: tiller fertilizer: panicle fertilizer =5:1:4 (local farmers’ fertilizer practice, LFP) and 7:1:2 (increasing basal fertilizer rate, IBF) under the total N application rate of 270 kg ha -1 . The effects of the four treatment combinations (NS-LFP, NS-IBF, WS-LFP, WS-IBF) on yield, cooking and eating quality, and 2-AP content in rice were investigated. The two-year (2020, 2021) results showed that: 1) WS-IBF significantly increased the number of panicles and grains per panicle, leading to the increase in grain yield by 6.67%–12.21%, when compared with NS-LFP, NS-IBF and WS-LFP. 2) WS-IBF enhanced the taste value, peak viscosity, breakdown value, the ratio of amylopectin to amylose, and the ratio of glutelin to prolamin while reducing the setback value and amylose content of rice flour. 3) Compared with NS, WS increased the activities of proline dehydrogenase and ornithine transaminase, the synthetic precursors of 2-AP, and finally increased 2-AP content in rice grains. WS-IBF slightly decreased 2-AP content, but there was no significant difference with WS-LFP. The above results indicated that adjusting the N regime and increasing basal N fertilizer rate under wheat straw returning is conducive to improving grain yield, cooking and eating quality, and 2-AP content in rice.

Surplus plant fibers, particularly wheat straw, are abundant in sub-tropical climates. A multitude of researchers has investigated these fibers for non-structural uses. Nevertheless, the depth characteristics of wheat straw reinforced concrete (WSRC) with steel reinforcement in civil engineering structural applications remain unidentified. Consequently, WSRC requires a thorough examination of load-bearing structures. This research discusses the use of plant fibers, specifically wheat straw, in enhancing the performance and capacity of reinforced concrete for structural purposes. Experimental investigations are conducted on reinforced concrete beam-lets with variable flexural and shear reinforcement, both with and without the inclusion of wheat straw, to examine the modified behavior resulting from the fibers. Furthermore, concrete pavements are initially examined for their practical consequences. The research examines the influence of pre-treatment and wheat straw content on the energy absorption and capacity of concrete by assessing its static properties during the post-curing period. The characteristics of plain cement concrete (PC) serve as a benchmark. Straws around 25 mm long, containing 0.5% and 1% by volume of wet concrete, are considered. Wheat straw that has been soaked and chemically processed is utilized for production. The study concludes that there is a reduction in the compressive, flexural, and splitting-tensile toughness indices of Soaked Wheat Straw Reinforced Concrete (SWSRC) in comparison to PC. The study concludes that the use of wheat straw in reinforced concrete enhances the energy absorption index and improves the fracture-arresting mechanism. The wheat straw fibers significantly enhanced the energy absorption of the fiber-reinforced beams.

Cement production is a major contributor to global CO 2 emissions, necessitating the development of sustainable alternatives such as fiber-reinforced concrete incorporating supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) and agricultural waste. This approach keeps the environment safe by reducing the consumption of conventional raw materials for concrete production. Incorporating the SCMs in concrete can potentially improve the mechanical and durability properties. This research evaluated the behavior of concrete mixtures using different proportions of natural wheat straw fiber, bentonite, and silica fume (SF). The fresh property was investigated by using a workability test, and mechanical properties were investigated by using compressive strength and split tensile strength. Bulk density, water absorption, and sorptivity tests were also performed to investigate the durability of concrete. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was conducted to evaluate the microstructure and morphology of the developed concrete mixtures. The results revealed that the slump value decreased with incorporating SCMs and fibers (83–42 mm). The compressive strength ranged from 11 MPa to 23 MPa, increasing with the increased Bentonite and SF dosages. Splitting tensile strength ranged from 2.2 MPa to 2.7 MPa, showing an increase with increased dosages of SCMs and fibers. The addition of WSFR compromised the compressive strengths of the developed mixtures, however, the ductility of the mixtures was improved with the incorporation of the WSFR. The SEM confirmed the CSH gel formation in the mixtures containing bentonite and SF. This gel formation improved the mechanical properties of the concrete, reduced water absorption, and increased its resistance to acid. The resulting concrete mixtures can address the carbon emissions associated with cement production and provide a sustainable construction material.

The increasing demand for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products has prompted research into the valorization of agricultural residues. This study investigated the production of high-quality dissolving pulp from wheat straw using an organosolv process. The primary objectives were to evaluate the feasibility of using organic acids for pulping, optimize the process conditions, and assess the quality of the resulting dissolving pulp. Wheat straw was treated using mixtures of formic acid (FA) and acetic acid (AA) at various ratios (35:65 and 65:35 FA:AA), employing both steaming and immersion methods. The pulp underwent alkaline extraction, followed by a two-stage bleaching process consisting of chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 ) treatment and catalytic hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) bleaching with CuSO 4 as an activator. The resulting alpha-cellulose samples were characterized using various analytical techniques, including viscosity measurement, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results demonstrated that high-quality dissolving pulp could be successfully produced from wheat straw using the organosolv process. The highest alpha-cellulose content (92%) and yield (58.16%) were achieved using a formic acid to acetic acid ratio of 35:65 v/v. The steaming method generally produced pulp with superior properties compared to the immersion method. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed the high purity of the obtained dissolving pulp, while FESEM revealed well-defined, individual cellulose fibers with a high degree of defibrillation. Thermal analysis showed good thermal stability of the produced dissolving pulp. This study highlights the potential of wheat straw as a viable raw material for producing high-quality dissolving pulp using an organosolv process.

A novel approach has been undertaken wherein chemically modified wheat straw activated carbon (WSAC) as adsorbent is developed, characterized, and examined for the removal of COD and color from the cotton dyeing industry effluent. Thirty experimental runs are designed for batch reactor study using the central composite method (CCM) for optimizing process parameters, namely biochar dose, time of contact, pH, and temperature, for examining the effect on COD and color-removing efficiency of WSAC. The experimental data have been modeled using the machine learning approaches such as polynomial quadratic regression and artificial neural networks (ANN). The determined optimum conditions are pH: 7.18, time of contact: 85.229 min, adsorbent dose: 2.045 g/l, and temperature: 40.885 °C, at which the COD and color removal efficiency is 90.92 and 94.48%, respectively. The nonlinear pseudo-second order (PSO) kinetic model shows good coefficient of determination ( R 2  ~ 1) values. The maximum adsorption capacity for COD and color by WSAC is at the pH of 7, the temperature of 40 °C, adsorbent dose of 2 g/l is obtained at the contact time of 80 min is 434.78 mg/g and 331.55 PCU/g, respectively. The COD removal and decolorization is more than 70% in the first 20 min of the experiment. The primary adsorption mechanism involves hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, n -π interactions, and cation exchange. Finally, the adsorbent is environmentally benign and cost-effective, costing 16.66% less than commercially available carbon. The result of the study indicates that WSAC is a prominent solution for treating textile effluent. The study is beneficial in reducing the pollutants from textile effluents and increasing the reuse of treated effluent in the textile industries.

This research investigated enhancing the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw via freeze–thaw pretreatment and assessed the physicochemical structural changes after this pretreatment. The enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of cellulose and hemicellulose was enhanced, and hemicellulose was more susceptible to pretreatment. The highest enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of cellulose and hemicellulose was 57.06 and 70.66%, respectively, at − 80 ℃ for 24 h and − 10 ℃ for 24 h, respectively, which were 2.23 and 3.13-fold higher than the control levels, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy images indicated that transverse cracks appeared before longitudinal cracks with stronger pretreatment conditions, and holes were found in every sample after this pretreatment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that freeze–thaw pretreatment affected both the crystalline and amorphous regions and disrupted the hydrogen bonds within them. This study provides a physical pretreatment method to improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw.