Globalization and industrialization involve a number of reactions, products, extractions, and separations that require the use of organic solvents. These solvents are responsible for a number of ecological concerns, including atmospheric and land toxicity. Conventional organic solvents are regarded as volatile organic compounds; some are even limited due to their potential for ozone layer depletion. While supercritical liquids exhibit physical properties that could make them ideal substitutes for these volatile compounds, there is particular interest in the use of carbon dioxide as a solvent of crude material. In particular, carbon dioxide has apparent 'green' properties, like its noncombustible nature, the fact that it is generally nonpoisonous, and its relative inertness. Thus, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide can provide practical improvements to the sustainability of industrial products and processes. This book provides in-depth literature in the area of industrial green processes, focusing on the separation, purification, and extraction of compounds utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide as a green solvent.

In a world where food security is key and the effects of climate change, labour shortages and rising costs are a daily reality for farmers across the globe, the quest for a satisfactory and viable policy for agriculture has a continuing interest as relevant today as when these 26 books were first published between 1928 and 1994. Trading relations and trade deals in the sphere of agribusiness are also once again under the spotlight following the UK’s departure from Europe. Challenges for the 21st century are balancing the needs of agronomics – the production of food under the most economic, competitive yet sustainable conditions, alongside the effective use of land to satisfy the multiple demands upon it. The volumes in this set address these complex issues from a variety of global viewpoints encompassing economic, political, geographic and environmental perspectives.

This volume presents new methods and applications in longitudinal data estimation methodology in applied economic. Featuring selected papers from the 2020 the International Conference on Applied Economics (ICOAE 2020) held virtually due to the corona virus pandemic, this book examines interdisciplinary topics such as financial economics, international economics, agricultural economics, marketing and management. Country specific case studies are also featured.

This book is the first in a two-volume set devoted to bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) and the opportunities that they may offer in providing a green solution to growing energy demands worldwide. In this first volume, established research professionals explain the underlying principles and processes of BESs, providing a thorough introduction to these systems before proceeding to address the roles of cathode catalysts and biocatalysts, biofilms, heterotrophic denitrification, and nanotechnology approaches. This volume forms a sound foundation for understanding the potential industrial applications of this technology, which include in particular the generation of high-value chemicals and energy using organic wastes. These applications are the focus of the second volume, where readers will find up-to-date information on microbial fuel cells and the use of microbial biofilm- and algae-based bioelectrochemical systems for bioremediation and co-generation of valuable chemicals. The book is designed for a broad audience, including undergraduates, postgraduates, energy researchers/scientists, policymakers, and anyone else interested in the latest developments in this field.

This book presents an introduction to the concept and need of sustainable agriculture, the mechanisms of conventional and controlled release of pesticides, herbicides and plant hormones. It also contains the carriers which supply controlled release including polymers and nanoparticles. A full chapter is devoted to the theory and simulation aspects.

Sugarcane exhibits all the major characteristics of a promising bioenergy crop including high biomass yield, C4 photosynthetic system, perennial nature, and ratooning ability. Being the largest agricultural commodity of the world with respect to total production, sugarcane biomass is abundantly available. Brazil has already become a sugarcane biofuels centered economy while Thailand, Colombia, and South Africa are also significantly exploiting this energy source. Other major cane producers include India, China, Pakistan, Mexico, Australia, Indonesia, and the United States. It has been projected that sugarcane biofuels will be playing extremely important role in world's energy matrix in recent future. This book analyzes the significance, applications, achievements, and future avenues of biofuels and bioenergy production from sugarcane, in top cane growing countries around the globe. Moreover, we also evaluate the barriers and areas of improvement for targeting efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective biofuels from sugarcane to meet the world's energy needs and combat the climate change.

Authored by world-class scientists and scholars, the Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, is an excellent reference for understanding the consequences of changing natural resources to the degradation of ecological integrity and the sustainability of life. Based on the content of the bestselling and CHOICE awarded Encyclopedia of Natural Resources, this new edition demonstrates the major challenges that the society is facing for the sustainability of all wellbeing on planet Earth. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying natural resources are presented in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the main systems: land, water, and air. It reviews state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of remote sensing data in the study of natural resources on a global scale. The six volumes in this set cover: Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biodiversity; Landscape and Land Capacity; Wetlands and Habitats; Fresh Water and Watersheds; Coastal and Marine Environments; and finally Atmosphere and Climate. Written in an easy-to-reference manner, the Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, as a complete set, is essential for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the science and management of natural resources. Public and private libraries, educational and research institutions, scientists, scholars, and resource managers will benefit enormously from this set. Individual volumes and chapters can also be used in a wide variety of both graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental science and natural science courses at different levels and disciplines, such as biology, geography, Earth system science, ecology, etc.

Urbanization, industrialization, and unethical agricultural practices have considerably negative effects on the environment, flora, fauna, and the health and safety of humanity. Over the last decade, green chemistry research has focused on discovering and utilizing safer, more environmentally friendly processes to synthesize products like organic compounds, inorganic compounds, medicines, proteins, enzymes, and food supplements. These green processes exist in other interdisciplinary fields of science and technology, like chemistry, physics, biology, and biotechnology, Still the majority of processes in these fields use and generate toxic raw materials, resulting in techniques and byproducts which damage the environment. Green chemistry principles, alternatively, consider preventing waste generation altogether, the atom economy, using less toxic raw materials and solvents, and opting for reducing environmentally damaging byproducts through energy efficiency. Green chemistry is, therefore, the most important field relating to the sustainable development of resources without harmfully impacting the environment. This book provides in-depth research on the use of green chemistry principles for a number of applications.

Free trade promotes economic growth through international competition and the efficient allocation of resources while also helping to stabilize food supplies between countries that have an overabundance of product and countries that have a shortage. However, sudden price surges can threaten the social cohesion of developing countries and may lead to malnutrition and stunted growth. Balancing trade liberalization and protectionism is imperative for the provision of food security for all. The Handbook of Research on Globalized Agricultural Trade and New Challenges for Food Security is an essential publication that seeks to improve food security, food independence, and food sovereignty in the conditions of globalized agricultural trade and addresses the contemporary issues of agricultural trade including major commodities and food products traded between major countries, directions of trade, and trends. The book also examines the effects of tariff escalations, administrative restrictions, other forms of trade protectionism on food security, and the emerging trade tensions between major actors such as the US, China, the EU, and Russia. Featuring research on topics including plant fertility, dietary diversity, and protectionism, this book is ideally designed for government officials, policymakers, agribusiness managers, stakeholders, international tradesmen, researchers, industry professionals, academicians, and students.

After the 1998 flood of the Yangtze River, one of the world s most important rivers, environmental experts realized that, to control flooding, much more attention must be paid to vegetation cover on bare lands, thin forest land, and shrub-covered land in mountain areas. In 1999, an environmental monitoring project of the forests in 11 provinces of the Yangtze River basin was undertaken. This book reports on soil loss prediction and the successful practices of soil loss control in eastern China in recent years.

This book is jointly compiled by Chinese Academy of Sciences, Cyberspace Administration of China, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Over the past several years, Chinese scholars have contributed numerous research works on the development of Chinese scientific information and technology, and produced a range of outstanding achievements. Focusing on the main topic of e-Science, this book explores the forefront of science and technology around the globe, the major demands in China and the main fields in China's economic development. Furthermore, it reviews the major achievements and the typical cases in China's e-Science research. It provides a valuable reference source for future technological innovations and will introduce researchers and students in the area of e-Science to the latest results in China.

Several nano-scale devices have emerged that are capable of analysing plant diseases, nutrient deficiencies and any other ailments that may affect food security in agro-ecosystems. It has been envisioned that smart delivery systems can be developed and utilised for better management of agricultural ecosystems. These systems could exhibit beneficial, multi-functional characteristics, which could be used to assess and also control habitat-imposed stresses to crops. Nanoparticle-mediated smart delivery systems can control the delivery of nutrients or bioactive and/or pesticide molecules in plants. It has been suggested that nano-particles in plants might help determine their nutrient status and could also be used as cures in agro-ecosystems. Further, to enhance soil and crop productivity, nanotechnology has been used to create and deliver nano fertilizers, which can be defined as nano-particles that directly help supply nutrients for plant growth and soil productivity. Nano-particles can be absorbed onto clay networks, leading to improved soil health and more efficient nutrient use by crops. Additionally, fertilizer particles can be coated with nano-particles that facilitate slow and steady release of nutrients, reducing loss of nutrients and enhancing their efficiency in agri-crops. Although the use of nanotechnology in agro-ecosystems is still in its early stages and needs to be developed further, nano-particle-mediated delivery systems are promising solutions for the successful management of agri-ecosystems. In this context, the book offers insights into nanotechnology in agro-ecosystems with reference to biogenic nanoparticles. It highlights the: * occurrence and diversity of Biogenic Nanoparticles * mechanistic approach involved in the synthesis of biogenic nanoparticles * synthesis of nanoparticles using photo-activation, and their fate in the soil ecosystem * potential applications of nanoparticles in agricultural systems * application and biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their characterization * impact of biogenic nanoparticles on biotic stress to plants * mechanistic approaches involved in the antimicrobial effects and cytotoxicity of biogenic nanoparticles * role of biogenic nanoparticles in plant diseases management * relevance of biological synthesized nanoparticles in the longevity of agricultural crops * design and synthesis of nano-biosensors for monitoring pollutants in water, soil and plant systems * applications of nanotechnology in agriculture with special refer to soil, water and plant sciences A useful resource for postgraduate and research students in the field of plant and agricultural sciences, it is also of interest to researchers working in nano and biotechnology.

The book seeks to address the intersection of food organics and the emergence of a new contractualism between producers, distributors and consumers, and between nation states. Additionally, it seeks to cater to the needs of a discerning public concerned about how its own country aims to meet their demands for organic food quality and safety, as well as how they will benefit from integration in the standard-setting processes increasingly occurring regionally and internationally. This edited volume brings together expert scholars and practitioners and draws on their respective insights and experiences in the field of organics, food and health safety. The book is organized in three parts. Part I outlines certain international perspectives; Part II reflects upon relevant histories and influences and finally, Part III examines the organic food regulatory regime of various jurisdictions in the Asia Pacific.

This book provides a blueprint for the allocation of public expenditures "in" and "for" agriculture at the dis-aggregated state level and suggests a reorientation in favour of disadvantaged regions where the marginal returns on additional investments would be higher. It provides insights into the inter-linkages between public expenditures, private investment, rural poverty, and agriculture productivity from a regional perspective to reflect upon spatial differences in the welfare effects of various investments, subsidies, and policies. The book focuses on agricultural growth and rural poverty reduction through public and private investments, non-farm employment, and other pathways to the formulation of appropriate policies at the dis-aggregated state level. It presents new evidence based on advanced econometric tools for analysing and understanding the relationship between public and private investments in agriculture and input subsidies (fertilizer, power, irrigation, and credit) together with their impacts at the dis-aggregated state level. The book also deliberates on an income based direct support system for farmers as an alternative to the existing input price subsidy regime. Accordingly, the book offers valuable insights not only for researchers working on poverty alleviation, rural economy, and agricultural growth, but also for policymakers.

This book introduces the engineering application of the discrete element method (DEM), especially the simulation analysis of the typical equipment (scraper conveyor, coal silos, subsoiler) in the coal and agricultural machinery. In this book, the DEM is applied to build rigid and loose coupling model, and the kinematic effect of the bulk materials, the mechanical effect of the interaction between the bulk materials, and the mechanical equipment in the operation process of the relevant equipment are studied. On this basis, the optimization design strategy of the relevant structure is proposed. This book effectively promotes the application of DEM in engineering, analyzes the operation state, failure mechanism, and operation effect of related equipment in operation, and provides theoretical basis for the optimal design of equipment. The book is intended for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in mechanical engineering, researchers investigating coal and agricultural machinery, and engineers working on designing related equipments.

This book reviews recent research advances in sustainable agriculture, with focus on crop production, biodiversity and biofuels in Africa and Asia.

An increasing population has put tremendous pressure on agricultural productivity to fulfill the demands of human consumption. Numerous agricultural activities and techniques have been developed to raise annual crop production globally. While agriculture has succeeded in enhancing the yearly crop productivity, this achievement is at the cost of environmental degradation by applying synthetic persistent substances, such as industrial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. Chemical fertilizers are nearly as destructive as they are productive, causing monocultures and consequences associated with elimination of diversity, nutrient pollution as evidenced by algae blooms, eutrophication, water quality issues, lower oxygen levels and dangers to fish stocks. Therefore, the scientific approach to maintain sustainable fertility in soil and plants is to switch over to biofertilisers.Biofertilisers are compounds of organic matter that are applied to crops for growth and health. Their constituent micro-organisms interact in an ecofriendly manner with the soil, root and seeds of plants, promoting the growth of micro-flora that enhances soil fertility. They are known to play a number of vital roles in soil fertility, crop productivity and production in agriculture. Application of biofertilisers results in increased mineral and water uptake, root development, vegetative growth and nitrogen fixation. They liberate growth promoting substances and vitamins and help to maintain soil fertility. They act as antagonists and play a pivotal role in neutralising the soil borne plant pathogens, thereby assisting in the bio-control of diseases. Application of biofertilisers in lieu of synthetic fertilizers could be the promising technique to raise agricultural productivity without degrading the environmental quality. The present book focuses on the latest research approaches and updates from the microbiota ecosystem and their applications in agriculture industry. It also highlights the great potential and possible future of action of microbiota in the development of sustainable agricultural systems.