To improve the surface wetting properties of rice straw, effects of distilled water and four alkali pretreatment on the straw surface wettability were analyzed. The straw surface contact angle at different time points was measured by JC2000A contact angle measuring apparatus, optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with a linear regression technique for parameter...

Wheat straw is a suitable raw material for ethanol production since it has high cellulose content. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of cellobiase and surfactant on the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. For this purpose, wheat straw was first pretreated by organosolv digestion. The chemical compositions of raw and pretreated wheat straw were analyzed. Much o...

The decision on the location of a straw-based power generation plant has a great influence on the plant’s operation and performance. This study explores traditional theories for site selection. Using integer programming, the study optimizes the economic and carbon emission outcomes of straw-based power generation as two objectives, with the supply and demand of straw as constraints. It provides...

Pleurotus ostreatus (MTCC142) was cultivated on three different agro wastes viz: Wheat straw, Soybean straw and Chick pea straw. Total antioxidant, reducing power and total phenolic content effect of the extracts was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and Folin-Ciocalteu method. The aqueous extract of P.ostreatus cultivated on soybean straw exhibited good antioxidant acti...

BACKGROUND Tail biting is a common problem in intensive pig farming, affecting both welfare and production. Although routine tail docking is banned within the EU, it remains a common practice to prevent tail biting. Straw as environmental enrichment has been proposed as an alternative to tail docking, but its effectiveness against tail biting and function in manure handling systems have to be c...

batch adsorption experiments were performed to study adsorption potential of agricultural residues viz. rice straw, wheat straw and salvinia plant biomass for removal of heavy metals such as cr, ni, and cd. plant materials were used in different combinations. heavy metal removal efficiency was more at low metal concentration (35 mg/l). salvinia biomass possessed higher efficiency for removing h...

Decomposers provide an essential ecosystem service that contributes to sustainable production in rice ecosystems by driving the release of nutrients from organic crop residues. During a single rice crop cycle we examined the effects of four different crop residue management practices (rice straw or ash of burned straw scattered on the soil surface or incorporated into the soil) on rice straw de...

This experiment was carried out to compare the effects of treated and untreated wheat straw with Pleurotus florida on ewe feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and ewe body condition score (BCS) after parturition. Thirty Kermani ewes with an average weight of 48 ± 3.05 kg and about four years old were used in this experiment. Synchronization of estrus in sheep has been achieved with the use of i...

The in situ application of rice straw enhances CH4 emissions by a large margin. The ex situ application of rice straw in uplands, however, may mitigate total global warming potential (GWP) of CH4 and N2O emissions from paddy-upland coexisting systems. To evaluate the efficiency of this practice, two field trials were conducted in rice-rice-fallow and maize-rape cropping systems, respectively. Y...

Soil infertility is the main barrier to dryland agricultural production in China. To provide a basis for the establishment of a soil amelioration technical system for rainfed fields in the semiarid area of northwest China, we conducted a four-year (2007-2011) field experiment to determine the effects of wheat straw incorporation on the arid soil nutrient levels of cropland cultivated with winte...