Climate change and negative environmental effects are results of a simplified understanding of management processes, i.e., assuming economic effects as the basis for development, without taking into account external costs. Economically efficient facilities are not always environmentally efficient. Due to the existing conflict of economic and environmental goals, it seems necessary to look for measures that would include both economic and environmental elements in their structure. The above doubts were the main reasons for undertaking this research. One of the important sectors of the economy accepted for research, where energy is an essential factor of production, is agriculture. Agricultural production is very diversified both in terms of inputs and final products. Depending on the production direction, the processes of conversion of energy accumulated in inputs into energy accumulated in commodity products have different natures and relationships. Taking into account the importance o... [more]

The main objective of this study was to determine the behavior of the Polish consumer of organic products during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify preferred channels of distribution of organic products in the situation of restricted freedom of movement as well as to assess what information displayed on the labels of organic food was most important to the customer. The research was conducted on a sample of 1108 respondents with the use of CAWI technique collected in an online survey carried out in February−August 2020. To analyze the obtained results, cluster analysis, linear regression model and duplication method were used to verify the substitute channels for purchasing organic goods. The pandemic has intensified the health value of consumers when making decisions about choosing food products. Consumers are sensitive shoppers who read the content of the labels and pay attention to the ingredients of the products they buy. The price is also of significant importance for consumers;... [more]

Post-production waste generated in the brewing industry was used to analyze the possibility of Cd(II) ion recovery in biosorption processes. Brewer’s grains (BG), which are waste products from beer manufacturing processes, are a promising material that can be reused for biosorption. The biomass contains appropriate functional groups from fats, proteins, raw fibers, amino acids, carbohydrates and starch, showing a strong affinity for binding metal ions and their removal from wastewater. The biosorbent material was characterized by several research methods, such as particle size distribution, elemental composition and mapping using SEM-EDX analysis, specific surface area and pore volume (BET, BJH), thermogravimetry, electrokinetic zeta potential, SEM morphology and FT-IR spectrometry. Initial and equilibrium pH, adsorbent dosage, initial metal concentration and contact time were parameters examined in the research. The highest biosorption efficiency was obtained at a level of 93.9%. Kine... [more]

This study aims at introducing a modeling and simulation approach for a green roof system which can reduce energy cost of a building exposed to high temperatures throughout the summer season. First, to understand thermal impact of a green roof system on a building surface, a field-based study has been conducted in Commerce, Texas, U.S., where the average maximum temperature in summer is 104 °F (40 °C). Two types of analyses were conducted: (1) comparison of temperature between different plant type via Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and (2) polynomial regression analysis to develop thermal impact estimation model based on air temperature and presence of a green roof. In addition, an agent-based simulation (ABS) model was developed via AnyLogic® University 8.6.0 simulation software, Chicago, IL, U.S., in order to accurately estimate energy cost and benefits of a building with a photovoltaic-green roof system. The proposed approach was applied to estimate energy reduction cost of the Keith... [more]

Inductive power links are most viable for the long-term powering of cardiac pacemakers. Designing an inductive power link without surpassing the specific absorption rate (SAR) for modern leadless cardiac pacemakers (LCPs) remains a challenging task because of its size and implantation depth. The inductive power link employed in the conventional works is either designed at a high frequency or based on the size, shape, weight, and implantation depth of conventional cardiac pacemakers. Here, a 3-coil inductive power transfer link with a circular transmitter coil and solenoidal receiver coil is designed at 13.56 MHz to provide uninterrupted power to the modern LCPs. Considering the food and drug administration approved term for implant size of modern LCP, the receiver coil is designed with 6 mm diameter and 6.5 mm length. The performance of the link has been verified through simulations and measurements under perfect alignment, lateral and/or angular misalignments, and distance variation b... [more]

Due to the tendency for excessive moisture adsorption by raw, unprocessed biomass, various methods of biomass valorization are in use, allowing for the improvement of physical−chemical biomass properties, including hydrophobicity. One of the methods is torrefaction, which changes the hydrophilic properties of the biomass to hydrophobic. Therefore, in this study, the influence of the torrefaction temperature and the exposure time to moisture adsorption conditions on the hydrophobic properties of waste biomass from the agri-food industry (lemon peel, mandarin peel, grapefruit peel, and butternut-squash peel) were analyzed. The torrefaction was carried out at the following temperatures: 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, and 320 °C. The hydrophobic properties were determined by using the EMC (Equilibrium Moisture Content) method, conducting an experiment in the climatic chamber at atmospheric pressure, a temperature of 25 °C, and relative humidity of 80%. The total residence time of the materi... [more]

National economic development largely depends on the development of the energy sector. Its condition is most commonly assessed based on the situation over the last year. An alternative approach, however, is to evaluate fluctuations in development that have occurred over a longer period. In this paper, both methodologies have been applied, in order to assess, based on the results, which of them is more accurate. The article hypothesizes that the second method is more accurate. To prove this empirically, values representing the energy development in various sectors (industrial, agricultural, transport, service and the other (miscellaneous) sectors) in various European countries over the 2009−2018 period were estimated. The development fluctuations that occurred during the period under consideration were evaluated according to two parameters—intensity and stability. The first parameter was taken to be the difference between the values representing energy development in a given sectors at... [more]

Sustainability is increasingly a priority in the policies of the European Union, especially in the Common Agricultural Policy. This paper focuses on Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, and the Farm to Fork Strategy in an attempt to establish a relationship with the European Union’s trade policy. Three selected components of the agri-food sector—the food supply chain, agri-food quality standards, and global trade—are examined in relation to defined sustainability aspects. The aim is to understand the interrelationship between the three components with specific regard to sustainability, to highlight their high complexity and current relevance, to contribute to systematic analysis in this area, and to present current progress. This qualitative−explorative study is empirically supported by a survey of market experts, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the United States is used as an example. The results show the complex... [more]

This paper presents an analysis of selected parameters of biogas, formed as a result of methane fermentation, during the start-up of a biogas installation, using water, liquid manure, corn silage and inoculated sludge as substrates. Moreover, the dependencies between the type and amount of the supplied substrate and the obtained parameters of biogas and fermentation mass are presented and explained. During 59 days after the start of the biogas plant operation, the methane content increased to a maximum of about 62%. Finally, after about 80 days, the methane content stabilized at a constant level of about 55%. CO2 content increased from about 6% (day 32) to about 46% (day 84), with a clear linear correlation between carbon dioxide and methane content. Oxygen content decreased from about 18% (day 32) to about 0.3% (day 84) as the resulting gases displaced air from the reactor, and there was also a linear correlation between oxygen and methane content. The hydrogen sulfide content decreas... [more]

The article reviews selected methods and techniques of agricultural biogas desulphurization. Presented is the current state of technological and measurement systems as well as raw biogas purification methods in terms of control and measurement-socio-economic aspects were also pointed out. On the example of a pilot agricultural biogas with the use of pig slurry, the required technical and technological criteria for the production and processing of agricultural biogas were indicated. The article presents the preliminary results of experimental studies on the course of changes in the volumetric composition of biogas on the basis of the average daily production of agricultural biogas.The amount of H2S in raw and purified biogas was analyzed with the proprietary biogas desulphurization method in terms of the process parameters. A novelty is the use of a developed carbon mixture (activated carbon) with turf ore (iron compounds), which allows for 100% desulfurization of raw agricultural bioga... [more]

The public’s awareness of threats to the natural environment, as well as the hazard to human lives and health posed by the use of fossil fuels to generate energy has resulted in the growing interest in renewable energy sources, thus promoting attempts to reduce the dependency on conventional energy sources. Among the former, solar energy is one of the most promising. The aim of this study is to assess the macroeconomic efficiency of investments in photovoltaic installations to meet the demand for electricity of farms and agricultural production. Calculations were prepared for 48 variants comprising three farm types (dairy farms, field cropping farms, and mixed production farms), as well as 16 locations throughout Poland. The obtained results indicate high efficiency of electricity production using photovoltaic installations to cover the needs of farms in Poland. In macroeconomic accounting, NPV ranges from EUR 8200 to almost EUR 23,000, with the payback period depending on the farm typ... [more]

Food stores and supermarkets are buildings, often with rather similar structures characterized by large surfaces and a single floor, that are particularly energy intensive. The energy uses associated with them are mainly electrical, in connection with air conditioning and food refrigeration. These buildings are particularly interesting for a systematic application of photovoltaic (PV) generation technology. After an analysis of the main energy consumption parameters and of the most common benchmarking approaches, standard solutions for the sizing of photovoltaic systems are proposed based on different design objectives, highlighting the potential of each solution proposed. Two specific indicators are defined for the sizing processes. The methodology is tested with reference to two different stores under the zero grid-injection restriction. The results showed how the degree of self-sufficiency for a supermarket obtained with a PV plant can be of the order of 20% in cases without storage... [more]

Understanding the mechanisms involved in the formation and growth of methane hydrate in marine sandy sediments is crucial for investigating the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of gas hydrate marine sediments. In this study, high-resolution optical microscopy and synchrotron X-ray computed tomography were used together to observe methane hydrate growing under excess gas conditions in a coarse sandy sediment. The high spatial and complementary temporal resolutions of these techniques allow growth processes and accompanying redistribution of water or brine to be observed over spatial scales down to the micrometre—i.e., well below pore size—and temporal scales below 1 s. Gas hydrate morphological and growth features that cannot be identified by X-ray computed tomography alone, such as hollow filaments, were revealed. These filaments sprouted from hydrate crusts at water−gas interfaces as water was being transported from their interior to their tips in the gas (methane), which extend in th... [more]

Although the pandemic phenomenon is not the first of its kind in human history, the common feature of COVID-19 is its rapid impact on the global economy. The challenge for the national economy on the world stage is to maintain a continuous food supply. The scientific purpose of the study is to report, analyze and evaluate backgrounds, causes of instabilities and their effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply and demand side of the meat market in the United States of America, China and Russia. The practical purpose of the study is to present implemented measures and recommendations on how to return to meat market equilibrium. In the theoretical part of the study, the revised public source of information coming from well-known organizations such as: EC, FAO, OECD, and WB, are used. In the practical part of the manuscript, qualitative research on the People’s Republic of China, Russian Federation, and the United States of America, along with semi-structured in-depth interviews with expe... [more]

The emission characteristics of pollution gases produced via the combustion of food waste were studied through a laboratory-scale electrically heated tube furnace. The results showed that the pollution gases generated from the combustion of food waste were CO, H2 and NO. Each emission curve of CO had a peak. When the combustion temperature rose from 400 °C to 1000 °C, the peak first increased (from 400 °C to 700 °C) and then decreased (from 800 °C to 1000 °C). However, the burnout time shortened with the increase in temperature. Therefore, food waste should be combusted at a higher temperature than 700 °C from the perspective of reducing CO emissions. The emissions of H2 were similar to those of CO. In other words, if CO emissions increased, H2 emissions also increased in the same temperature range. Some NO emission curves had two peaks (the combustion of cooked rice at 1000 °C; the combustion of vegetable leaves in the temperature range of 600 °C to 1000 °C). The higher the combustion... [more]

Decoupling energy, water, and food (EWF) consumption and production from GHG emissions could be an important strategy for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 7 (Clean and Affordable Energy) in Africa. This study applies Tapio’s decoupling method to analyze the relationship between GHG emissions and EWF resources use in 15 African countries over the period 1990−2017. The results show a remarkable relationship, which includes the contamination of EWF by GHG emissions, that mostly exhibits unsatisfactory decoupling state to satisfactory decoupling over a period of several years. The decoupling of water and energy resources from GHG emissions in most countries of Africa has not been able to reach an excellent decoupling state or a strong positive decoupling state. This requires countries in Africa to support environmentally friendly water and energy infrastructures and to promote an integrated, m... [more]

To fulfill the consumption demand of low-cost fuel ethanol, an advanced process for feedstock fermentation and bioethanol extraction was required. This study proposed a process of combined continuous solid-state distillation and vapor permeation to extract ethanol from fermented sweet sorghum bagasse on the basis of advanced solid-state fermentation technology. Ethanol undergoes only one phase transition separation in the whole process, which drastically reduces energy consumption compared to the repeating phase transitions that occur in conventional bioethanol production. The mass balance and energy consumption of combining processes were simulated overall. A techno-economic evaluation was conducted on the flowsheet. Costs and profit of fuel ethanol produced by one phase transition separation bioethanol-producing technology were comprehensively calculated. The results of the present study show that the proposed process is an energy efficient and cost-effective alternative to conventio... [more]

With the global warming of the planet, new forms of energy are being sought as an alternative to fossil fuels. Currently, hydrogen (H2) is seen as a strong alternative for fueling vehicles. However, the major challenge in the use of H2 arises from its physical properties. An earlier study was conducted on the storage of H2, used as fuel in road vehicles powered by spark ignition engines or stacks of fuel cells stored under high pressure inside small spheres randomly packed in an envelope tank. Additionally, the study evaluated the performance of this new storage system and compared it with other storage systems already applied by automakers in their vehicles. The current study aims to evaluate the H2 leaks from the same storage system, when inserted in any road vehicle parked in conventional garages, and to show the compliance of these leaks with European Standards, provided that an appropriate choice of materials is made. The system’s compliance with safety standards was proved. Regar... [more]

Plants need a specific environment to grow and reproduce in fine fettle. Nevertheless, climatic conditions are not stable and can impact their well-being and, consequently, harvest quality. Thus, greenhouse cultivation is one of the suitable agricultural techniques for creating and controlling the inside microclimate to be adequate for plant growth. The relevance of greenhouse control is widely recognized. The prediction of greenhouse variables using artificial intelligence methods is of great interest for intelligent control and the potential reduction in energetic and financial losses. However, the studies carried out in this context are still more or less limited and several machine learning methods have not been sufficiently exploited. The aim of this study is to predict the air conditioning electrical consumption and photovoltaic module electrical production at the smart Agro-Manufacturing Laboratory (SamLab) greenhouse, located in Albenga, north-western Italy. Different supervise... [more]

This paper aims to identify which Schwartz values and regulatory focus orientations influence consumer behavior on the food market in the domain of preference for domestic products, which is closely related to consumer ethnocentrism. The CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviews) method was applied. The sample consisting of 1000 respondents was representative for the Polish adult population in terms of sex, age, education, place of living (rural vs. urban), and region. The willingness to pay (WTP) a higher price for domestic products was affected by the tradition and universalism values. Consumer value orientations and regulatory focus were more powerful in explaining the WTP than demographic or socio-economic variables. The theories of value orientations and regulatory focus were found to be more relevant for men than for women, as reflected in adjusted regression determination coefficients. Finally, the promotion regulatory focus was a significant predictor of the WTP among men, but not... [more]

Biochar is being considered a climate change mitigation tool by increasing soil organic carbon contents (SOC), however, questions remain concerning its longevity in soil. We applied 30,000 kg ha−1 of biochars to plots containing a Goldsboro sandy loam (Fine-loamy, siliceous, sub-active, thermic Aquic Paleudults) and then physically disked all plots. Thereafter, the plots were agronomically managed under 4 years (Y) of continuous corn (Zea Mays, L.) planting. Annually, incremental soil along with corresponding bulk density samples were collected and SOC concentrations were measured in topsoil (down to 23-cm). The biochars were produced from Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) chip (PC) and Poultry litter (PL) feedstocks. An untreated Goldsboro soil (0 biochar) served as a control. After four years, SOC contents in the biochar treated plots were highest in the top 0−5 and 5−10 cm depth suggesting minimal deeper movement. Declines in SOC contents varied with depth and biochar type. After corr... [more]

Most studies on honeycomb catalysts have been conducted using simulation models and exhaust experiments from automobiles. Very few monolithic catalyst studies have been applied to the agricultural sector, especially the catalyst exhaust system for flue purification from the biomass industry. The importance of exhaust gas purification and particulate removal from biomass power plants has become critical for evaluating the performance and environmental sustainability of biomass combustion. This is one of the first studies to investigate the performance of honeycomb catalysts for the oxidation of flue (PM2.5), (CO), and (SO2) from a rice husk briquette combustion system. The experimental setup comprised a fixed-bed electric furnace, the catalyst, an aerosol sampler, and a flue gas analyzer. Rice husk (0.1 g/mL density) and rice husk briquettes (0.8 g/mL density), were burned at 600−1000 °C for 3 min. From the results, the catalyst CO conversion rate was 100% at the optimum heated temperat... [more]

Meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets will require a significant increase in electricity production from sustainable and renewable sources such as solar energy. Farmers have recognized this need as a chance to increase the profitability of their farms by allocating farmland to solar power production. However, the shift from agriculture to power production has many tradeoffs, arising primarily from alternative land uses and other means of production. This paper models the farmers’ decision as a constrained profit maximization problem, subject to the amount of land owned by the farmers, who have to allocate it between agriculture and solar power fields, while considering factors affecting production costs. The farmers’ problem is nested in the social welfare maximization problem, which includes additional factors such as ecological and aesthetical values of the competing land uses. Empirical analysis using data from a solar field operating in Israel shows that landowners will ch... [more]

The last ten years have witnessed an increase in publications focusing on bioeconomy as a proposal to confront the global challenges of climate change, depletion of non-renewable resources and ecosystem degradation. This paper investigates the scientific literature on issues related agricultural bioeconomy by applying a bibliometric network analysis. Bibliometric analysis is applied to the publications of the Scopus database during the period 2010−2020 in order to provide an overview of the main aspects that characterize agricultural bioeconomy. The results showed that out of a total of 1100 scientific papers, only 2.45% were published in 2010, while the corresponding share in 2020 was 20.81%. In the five years of 2016−2020, cumulatively, 70.63% of the publications were made, showing the dynamic evolution of bioeconomy. In addition, out of 85 countries in total, Germany and Italy are the two countries with most publications, while the fragmentation of research is evident with the creat... [more]

Electrification is an efficient way to decarbonize by replacing fossil fuels with low-emission power. In addition, energy efficiency measures can reduce consumption, making it easier to shift to a zero-carbon society. In Québec, upgrades to aging buildings that employ electric resistance heating offer a unique opportunity to free up large amounts of hydroelectricity that can serve to decarbonize heating in other buildings. However, another source of energy would be needed to electrify mobility because efficiency measures free up small amounts of electricity in summer compared to winter. This study reveals how building efficiency measures combined with solar electricity generation provide an energy profile that matches the requirements for decarbonizing both mobility and heating. The TRNSYS software was used to simulate the annual energy performance of an existing house and retrofitted/rebuilt low-energy houses equipped with a photovoltaic (PV) roof in Montreal, Québec, Canada (45.5° N)... [more]