Search Results (20)

Tha Maka is the district with the highest incidence of cancer patients in Kanchanaburi province and is classified as a high-risk area for PM_2.5 exposure due to the presence of many sugar factories. Most of the population is in agricultural occupation, leading to the annual burning of sugarcane and rice stubble to start new plantings, which is another cause of air pollution. This study aimed to investigate the correlation among radon, thoron, and airborne particles potentially implicated in lung cancer etiology, which focused on monitoring the concentrations of radon, thoron, and their progeny, as well as analyzing the distribution of particle sizes categorized into 10, 2.5, 1, 0.5, and less than 0.5 μm to assess possible health impacts or lung cancer risk factors. The findings indicated that indoor radon concentrations ranged from 13 to 81 Bq m⁻³, with a mean of 26.1 ± 11.9 Bq m⁻³, while indoor thoron concentrations varied from 2 to 52 Bq m⁻³, averaging 15.7 ± 10.8 Bq m⁻³. These levels are below the radiation dose limit recommended by the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The total annual inhalation dose ranged from 0.44 to 2.02 mSv y⁻¹, which is within the usual limits. The average annual effective doses from attached progeny were 0.83 mSv y⁻¹ for radon and 0.57 mSv y⁻¹ for thoron, both of which are regarded to be low. Consequently, based on all the findings, it may be assumed that radon, thoron, and their progeny may not be the primary contributors to lung cancer in the region. Nonetheless, while the mean value falls below the recommended thresholds established by the ICRP or WHO, it is indisputable that in certain regions, representing roughly 6.6% of the total area, the value surpasses the global average documented by the UNSCEAR. Furthermore, the aerosol particle size predominantly observed was less than 1 μm for radon and 0.5 μm for thoron, which is a significant factor that may influence the incidence of respiratory disorders. Nevertheless, as this study was conducted during the non-burning period, future research must be conducted during the burning season, using supplementary factors to acquire more thorough data. Full article

Agriculture crop residue burning has become a major environmental problem facing the Indo-Gangetic plain, as well as contributing to global warming. This paper reports the results of a comprehensive study, examining the variations in aerosol optical, microphysical, and radiative properties that occur during biomass-burning events at Amity University Haryana (AUH), at a rural station in Gurugram (Latitude: 28.31° N, Longitude: 76.90° E, 285 m AMSL), employing ground-based observations of AERONET and Aethalometer, as well as satellite and model simulations during 7–16 November 2021. The smoke emissions during the burning events enhanced the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and increased the Angstrom exponent (AE), suggesting the dominance of fine-mode aerosols. A smoke event that affected the study region on 11 November 2021 is simulated using the regional NAAPS model to assess the role of smoke in regional aerosol loading that caused an atmospheric forcing of 230.4 W/m². The higher values of BC (black carbon) and BB (biomass burning), and lower values of AAE (absorption Angstrom exponent) are also observed during the peak intensity of the smoke-event period. A notable layer of smoke has been observed, extending from the surface up to an altitude of approximately 3 km. In addition, the observations gathered from CALIPSO regarding the vertical profiles of aerosols show a qualitative agreement with the values obtained from AERONET observations. Further, the smoke plumes that arose due to transport of a wide-spread agricultural crop residue burning are observed nationwide, as shown by MODIS imagery, and HYSPLIT back trajectories. Thus, the present study highlights that the smoke aerosol emissions during crop residue burning occasions play a critical role in the local/regional aerosol microphysical and radiation properties, and hence in the climate variability. Full article

Arable soils irrigated with wastewater (SIWs) cause ecological and human health issues due to the presence of heavy metals (HMs). Burning rice stubble (RS) poses severe environmental and human health hazards. Converting RS into rice stubble compost (RSC) and rice stubble biochar (RSB) can overcome these issues. Here, we considered the role of RS, RSC, and RSB as individual soil amendments and combined each of them with arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) to observe their effectiveness for HM immobilization in SIW, their uptake in pea plants, and improvements in the physicochemical properties of soil. The results revealed that adding RSB and AMF reduced the bioavailable concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Co, and Zn in SIW by 35%, 50%, 43%, 43%, 52%, and 22%, respectively. Moreover, RSB+AMF treatment also reduced Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Co, and Zn concentrations in grain by 93%, 76%, 83%, 72%, 71%, and 57%, respectively, compared to the control. Improvements in shoot dry weight (DW) (66%), root DW (48%), and grain yield (56%) per pot were also the highest with RSB+AMF. RSB+AMF treatment enhanced soil health and other soil attributes by improving the activity of urease, catalase, peroxidase, phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and fluorescein diacetate by 78%, 156%, 62%, 123%, 235%, and 96%, respectively. Interestingly, RSB+AMF also led to the strongest AMF–plant symbiosis, as assessed by improved AMF root colonization (162%), mycorrhizal intensity (100%), mycorrhizal frequency (104%), and arbuscular abundance (143%). To conclude, converting RS into RSB can control air pollution caused by RS burning. Moreover, adding RSB with AMF to SIW can reduce HM uptake in plants, improve soil health, and thus minimize ecological and human health issues. Full article

Microbial degradation is an effective, eco-friendly and sustainable approach for management of the rice residue. After harvesting a rice crop, removal of stubble from the ground is a challenging task, that forces the farmers to burn the residue in-situ. Therefore, accelerated degradation using an eco-friendly alternative is a necessity. White rot fungi are the most explored group of microbes for accelerated degradation of lignin but they are very slow in growth. The present investigation focuses on degradation of rice stubble using a fungal consortium constructed with highly sporulating ascomycetes fungi, namely, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria spp. All three species were successful at colonizing the rice stubble. Periodical HPLC analysis of rice stubble alkali extracts revealed that incubation with ligninolytic consortium released various lignin degradation products such as vanillin, vanillic acid, coniferyl alcohol, syringic acid and ferulic acid. The efficiency of the consortium was further studied at different dosages on paddy straw. Maximum lignin degradation was observed when the consortium was applied at 15% volume by weight of rice stubble. Maximum activity of different lignolytic enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, laccase and total phenols was also found with the same treatment. FTIR analysis also supported the observed results. Hence, the presently developed consortium for degrading rice stubble was found to be effective in both laboratory and field conditions. The developed consortium or its oxidative enzymes can be used alone or combined with other commercial cellulolytic consortia to manage the accumulating rice stubble effectively. Full article

Rice straw and stubble burning is widely practiced to clear fields for new crops. However, questions remain about the effects of fire on soil bacterial communities and soil properties in paddy fields. Here, five adjacent farmed fields were investigated in central Thailand to assess changes in soil bacterial communities and soil properties after burning. Samples of soil prior to burning, immediately after burning, and 1 year after burning were obtained from depths of 0 to 5 cm. The results showed that the pH, electrical conductivity, NH₄-N, total nitrogen, and soil nutrients (available P, K, Ca, and Mg) significantly increased immediately after burning due to an increased ash content in the soil, whereas NO₃-N decreased significantly. However, these values returned to the initial values. Chloroflexi were the dominant bacteria, followed by Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. At 1 year after burning, Chloroflexi abundance decreased remarkably, whereas Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Gemmatimonadetes abundances significantly increased. Bacillus, HSB OF53-F07, Conexibacter, and Acidothermus abundances increased immediately after burning, but were lower 1 year after burning. These bacteria may be highly resistant to heat, but grow slowly. Anaeromyxobacter and Candidatus Udaeobacter dominated 1 year after burning, most likely because of their rapid growth and the fact that they occupy areas with increased soil nutrient levels after fires. Amidase, cellulase, and chitinase levels increased with increased organic matter levels, whereas β-glucosidase, chitinase, and urease levels positively correlated with the soil total nitrogen level. Although clay and soil moisture strongly correlated with the soil bacterial community’s composition, negative correlations were found for β-glucosidase, chitinase, and urease. In this study, rice straw and standing stubble were burnt under high soil moisture and within a very short time, suggesting that the fire was not severe enough to raise the soil temperature and change the soil microbial community immediately after burning. However, changes in soil properties due to ash significantly increased the diversity indices, which was noticeable 1 year after burning. Full article

Agricultural stubble burning is the third largest source of air pollution after vehicular and industrial emissions. Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and black carbon (BC) are some of the pollutants emitted during such burning events. The Lower Rio Grande Valley (RGV) region of South Texas is a major hub of agricultural activity, and sugarcane farming is one of them. Unfortunately, this activity results in episodic events of high air pollution in this low-resourced, Hispanic/Latino majority region of the U.S.–Mexico border. This study presents results from a sugarcane site in La Feria, South Texas, where the air quality was monitored before, during, and after the sugarcane stubble burning. Various parameters were monitored on an hourly basis from 24 February 2022 to 4 April 2022. Our results demonstrate high levels of all the monitored pollutants during the burning phase in contrast to the pre- and post-burning period. The black carbon levels went up to 6.43 µg m⁻³ on the day of burning activity. An increase of 10%, 11.6%, 25.29%, 55%, and 67.57% was recorded in the PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, Black Carbon, and CO levels, respectively, during the burning period in comparison with the total study period. The absorption Ångström exponent value reached a maximum value of 2.03 during the burning activity. ThePM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratio was 0.87 during the burning activity. This study also highlights the importance for continuous monitoring of air quality levels due to stubble burning in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Region of South Texas. Full article

Combustion is an essential process for humanity, but it has created turbulence in society due to the pollutant emissions from the partial completion of its process and its byproducts. The regular population is unaware of the repercussions being faced in terms of health deterioration, product quality degradation, biodiversity loss, and environmental harm. Although strategic planning against the effects is being applied sideways by the authorities to the local population and industrial facilities, the awareness in the local population is still minimal. The indicators for bioremediation being required, observed through increased sales of pharmaceutical medicines and supplements, air filters, and new techniques, include smog, elevation in respiratory disease, health immune system deterioration, decreasing life span, increasing mortality rate, and degradation in the food and water quality. This article gives a brief overview of the problems being faced due to uncontrolled combustion activities, the sources of pollutants, their creation, emission, and dispersal process, along with the mitigation techniques developed to overcome the after-effects on human health and environment. Full article

Member States of the European Union must ban burning arable stubble by 2023 and improve the recycling of organic waste into fertilizers and organic farming practices by 2030. The current lack of nutrients from soils and crops leads to food insecurity, human malnutrition and diseases. Consequently, innovative solutions are required, as technosols are constructed by waste. The objective of this paper is to educate on the nutrients that some pruning residues can provide. This work characterizes elemental composition, nutrients soluble fraction and physical and chemical properties of the following organic wastes: almond tree pruning, commercial peat substrate, olive tree pruning, pine needle, date palm leaf pruning, sewage sludge compost and vine pruning. The results show significant differences between macro (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and micronutrient (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn) content and their solubility. Sewage sludge compost, olive pruning and pine needle are the three residues with the highest presence of nutrients in their elemental composition. Nevertheless, if a farmer applies pruning residues as a nutritional supplement for crops, it will be key to finding the short-term soluble nutrient rate and synchronizing the nutritional requirement curve of a plant’s life cycle with its nutrient release. Consequently, organic waste (without composting treatment) obtains higher solubility rates, being date palm leaf residue the one with the greatest value. The solubility index of organic wastes can be significant in providing short-term nutrients to crops. Hence, our results can help in choosing the proper waste to enhance plant nutrient supply, mainly K, Ca, Mg and Na for crop nutrition, to ensure efficient biofertilization. Full article

Crop residue burning (CRB) poses a serious threat to the climate, soil fertility, human health and wellbeing, and air quality, which increases mortality rates and slumps agricultural productivity. This study conducts a pan-India analysis of CRB burning based on the spatial characteristic of crop residue management practices and analyzes the linkage among health, agriculture value addition, and regional finance using the simultaneous equation to find the causality and panel quantile regression for direct effect and intergroup difference. We discuss some of the alternative crop residue management practices and policy interventions. Along with in situ management, this paper discusses ex situ crop residue management (CRM) solutions. The ex situ effort to manage crop residue failed due to the scarcity of the supply chain ecosystem. Force of habit and time constrain coupled with risk aversion have made farmers reluctant to adopt these solutions. Our results show that financial viability and crop residue have bidirectional causality; therefore, both the central and state governments must provide a financial solution to lure farmers into adopting residue management practices. Our analysis shows that framers are likely to adopt the management solution (farmers have some economic benefits) and are reluctant to adopt the scientific solution because the scientific solution, such as “pusa decomposer”, is constrained by the weather, temperature, and humidity, and these parameters vary throughout India. Full article

The effects of conservation strategies on soil organic carbon (SOC) and phosphorus (P) dynamics in dryland wheat under semi-arid temperate conditions are not well understood. This study quantified the effects of tillage and straw management on SOC concentrations and stocks and P fractions after 40 years of dryland wheat under a semi-arid temperate climate. The treatments were straw management (burned and not burned) combined with tillage methods (conventional tillage (CT), stubble mulch (SM), and no-tillage (NT)). Fertilizer nitrogen (N) and P were applied annually at 60 and 12.5 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. The soils were sampled from 0–50, 50–200, 200–400, 400–600, 600–800, and 800–1000 mm depths, and analyzed using standard methods. The concentration of SOC was not affected by tillage and straw management, except in 200–400 mm where it was higher where the straw was burned rather than retained. The total C stock (0–1000 mm) was higher under NT with straw burning, CT with no burning, and SM, than NT with straw retention and CT with burning. In the topsoil, NT had significantly (p < 0.05) higher Bray 1 P, NaOH II Pi, and residual P than SM and CT, while burning straw increased Bray 1 P and NaHCO₃ Pi concentrations. The findings imply that while the SOC concentration is not significantly affected by tillage, but is increased by burning in the subsoil only, the total C stock is improved by NT with burned straw, CT with straw retention, and SM, while the labile P fractions are increased by NT with burned straw, relative to CT with burned straw, in the semi-arid dryland wheat region. Full article

Conservation tillage technology can reduce wind erosion and soil erosion, improve soil fertility, avoid straw burning and relieve ecological pressure. It is an important measure to achieve sustainable agricultural development. In northeast China, there is a large amount of straw covering the ground after the corn machine harvest, which can easily lead to the blockage of the soil-touching parts during no-tillage seeding, affecting sowing quality and crop yield. In order to solve the above problems, the clearing and covering of a minimum-tillage planter for corn stubble was developed. The machine can complete multiple processes, such as seedbed preparation, seeding, fertilization, covering and suppression, straw covering, etc., in a single entity. This paper focuses on the design of the straw cleaning device and uses discrete element method software (EDEM 2018, Altair Engineering, Troy, MI, USA) to establish the straw cleaning device–straw–soil discrete element simulation model. The quadratic-regression orthogonal center-of-rotation combination test method is used to optimize the parameter combination of the machine, using the operating speed, the speed of the knife roller and the penetration depth of the knife as the test factors and using the rate of cleaning straw and the equivalent power consumption as the evaluation index. The results show that each factor has a significant influence on the performance evaluation indices, and the order of influence of each factor on the rate of cleaning straw is operation speed > penetration depth of knife > speed of knife roller, and the order of influence of each factor on the equivalent power consumption is penetration depth of knife > speed of knife roller > operation speed. The optimal combination of parameters is a 5.5–6.2 km/h operation speed, a 500 rpm speed of the knife roller, a 40 mm penetration depth of the knife, a straw-cleaning rate of more than 90% and an equivalent power consumption of less than 8 kW. This study provides technical and equipment support for the promotion of conservation tillage technology in Northeast China. Full article

Stubble burning in India continues despite the severe consequences on the environment and the massive health crisis in the country. Farmers resort to such practices as a cheap and hasty solution post-harvest, which helps them prepare for their next crops. This study employs a mathematical model, the ADM1 (Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1), to design a virtual biogas plant in the SIMBA simulation platform. The plant was designed keeping the small-scale farmers in mind, hence, cost-effectiveness, simplicity in design and operation remained a priority. Simulations were performed with different crop leftovers that are widely subjected to on-farm burning in the country such as from rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton and maize. Simulation trials were performed for each crop residue for nearly two years, to observe the digester performance and possible disruptions over prolonged periods. The optimal feeding ratio and operating conditions for process stability were determined. Simulations revealed generation of nearly 9–10 m³ methane per day, equivalent to 90–100 kWh electricity. Co-fermentation with animal manures was strongly recommended by the model for process stability and to avoid pH disruptions due to organic acid accumulations. Policy makers and farmers are, thus, encouraged to explore a sustainable alternative to generate energy from stubble. Full article

The problems of atmospheric pollutants are causing significant concern across the globe and in India. The aggravated level of atmospheric pollutants in the surrounding environment poses serious threats to normal living conditions by deteriorating air quality and causing adverse health impacts. Pollutant concentration increases during harvesting seasons of Kharif/Rabi due to stubble burning and is aggravated by other points or mobile sources. The present study is intended to monitor the spatio-temporal variation of the major atmospheric pollutants using Sentinel-5P TROPOMI data through cloud computing. Land Use/Land Cover (LULC-categorization or classification of human activities and natural coverage on the landscape) was utilised to extract the agricultural area in the study site. It involves the cloud computing of MOD64A1 (MODIS Burned monthly gridded data) and Sentinel-5P TROPOMI (S5P Tropomi) data for major atmospheric pollutants, such as CH₄, NO₂, SO_X, CO, aerosol, and HCHO. The burned area output provided information regarding the stubble burning period, which has seen post-harvesting agricultural residue burning after Kharif crop harvesting (i.e., rice from April to June) and Rabi crop harvesting (i.e., wheat from September to November). The long duration of stubble burning is due to variation in farmers’ harvesting and burning stubble/biomass remains in the field for successive crops. This period was used as criteria for considering the cloud computing of the Sentinel-5P TROPOMI data for atmospheric pollutants concentration in the study site. The results showed a significant increase in CH₄, SO₂, SO_X, CO, and aerosol concentration during the AMJ months (stubble burning of Rabi crops) and OND months (stubble burning of Kharif crops) of each year. The results are validated with the ground control station data for PM_2.5/PM₁₀. and patterns of precipitation and temperature-gridded datasets. The trajectory frequency for air mass movement using the HYSPLIT model showed that the highest frequency and concentration were observed during OND months, followed by the AMJ months of each year (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021). This study supports the role and robustness of Earth observation Sentinel-5P TROPOMI to monitor and evaluate air quality and pollutants distribution. Full article

The adoption of rice straw and stubble management approaches can be affected by various factors. To understand the psychological factors influencing Thai farmers’ adoption of rice straw and stubble management approaches, three integrated behavioral theories were employed: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) and the Health Belief Model (HBM). Then, a practical communication framework was synthesized and proposed to promote rice straw utilization for social-ecological benefits to achieve more sustainable agricultural production. Through a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews with 240 local farmers, a statistical analysis was performed employing cross-tab, stepwise multiple linear regression, one-way ANOVA and descriptive content analysis using QDA lite miner software. The key results clearly showed that perceived pro-environmental personal norms, perceived cues to rice straw utilization, perceived behavioral control, perceived severity of rice straw burning, perceived ascription of responsibility, and the perceived benefits of rice straw utilization were significantly negatively influenced by burning, and that there was a significantly negative difference to non-burning approaches. Meanwhile, cost savings as perceived benefits of the current option of burning showed a significantly positive difference when compared with incorporation and free-duck grazing options. In communication strategies to promote rice straw utilization for achieving sustainable agriculture, key messages should highlight the clear steps of rice straw utilization, as well as the costs and benefits of each option in terms of economic, health, environmental and social perspectives. Moreover, messages designed to promote action knowledge and self-efficacy at the group level, to promote perceived responsibility via self-awareness and self-commitment, and convenient channels of communication to the farmers can help to achieve more effective non-burning rice straw and stubble management. Full article

In subtropical regions, we have an incomplete understanding of how long-term tillage, stubble, and nitrogen (N) fertilizer management affects soil biological functioning. We examined a subtropical site managed for 50 years using varying tillage (conventional till (CT) and no-till (NT)), stubble management (stubble burning (SB) and stubble retention (SR)), and N fertilization (0 (N0), 30 (N30), and 90 (N90) kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) to assess their impact on soil microbial respiration, easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EEGRSP), and N mineralization. A significant three-way tillage × stubble × N fertilizer interaction was observed for soil respiration, with NT+SB+N0 treatments generally releasing the highest amounts of CO₂ over the incubation period (1135 mg/kg), and NT+SR+N0 treatments releasing the lowest (528 mg/kg). In contrast, a significant stubble × N interaction was observed for both EEGRSP and N mineralization, with the highest concentrations of both EEGRSP (2.66 ± 0.86 g kg⁻¹) and N mineralization (30.7 mg/kg) observed in SR+N90 treatments. Furthermore, N mineralization was also positively correlated with EEGRSP (R² = 0.76, p < 0.001), indicating that EEGRSP can potentially be used as an index of soil N availability. Overall, this study has shown that SR and N fertilization have a positive impact on soil biological functioning. Full article