Tag: Environmental Impacts
Proximity to natural habitat enhances flower visitor diversity and pollination services in avocado orchards
Insect pollination is known to increase avocado yields, with wild pollinators likely playing an important role. In central Chile, the rapid expansion of avocado orchards has resulted in highly diverse natural habitats being replaced by plantations, potentially negatively impacting wild pollinators and thus avocado production. This study aimed to understand the role of natural habitats and wild pollinators in avocado production by (1) exploring the relationship between flower visitor abundance and
Long-Term Trajectory Analysis of Avocado Orchards in the Avocado Belt, Mexico
Avocado orchards are among the most profitable and fastest-growing commodity crops in Mexico, especially in the area known as the “Avocado Belt”. Several efforts have been made to monitor their expansion; however, there is currently no method that can be easily updated to track this expansion. The main objective of this study was to monitor the expansion of avocado orchards from 1993 to 2024, using the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) algorithm and Landsat 5, 7, 8, and 9
Valorization of waste biomass via an integrated gasification system for the co-production of dimethyl ether and urea
Energy and chemicals such as urea have a large carbon footprint associated to greenhouse gas emissions and must be developed sustainably for the sake of society. This work presents the simulations of a system to produce Dimethyl Ether (DME) and urea from the air gasification of waste biomass coupled with carbon capture technology. The potential of different waste biomasses (avocado stone, palm tree husk and sugar cane bagasse) in the co-production of DME and urea was assessed in terms of reaction,
Renewable Energies and Biochar: A Green Alternative for Reducing Carbon Footprints Using Tree Species from the Southern Andean Region of Ecuador
The urgent need for sustainable strategies to mitigate climate change has spurred the development of efficient carbon sequestration methods with minimal greenhouse gas emissions, presenting promising opportunities to produce biochar and, with this bioproduct, enhance crop productivity. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the carbon footprint produced by the low-temperature slow pyrolysis of biomass obtained from the pruning residues of four tree species present in parks and gardens of the
Biorefinery of avocado seed waste for sustainable production of bioplastics and functionalized silver nanocomposites
This study examines the potential of utilizing avocado seeds (AS) waste for sustainable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production and green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in an integrated biorefinery approach. Initially, phytochemical compounds were extracted from AS biomass using solvent extraction. The residual AS biomass underwent hydrolysis through acid pretreatment and was subsequently utilized as a sustainable carbon source for PHA synthesis by Lysinibacillus sp. RGS. Various operational
Optimization of water resource management in crops using satellite technology and artificial intelligence techniques
This study aims to optimize water consumption in avocado crops through the application of satellite technology, machine learning algorithms, and precise climate data from the climate hazards group infrared precipitation with stations (CHIRPS) system. Crop classification in satellite images is conducted using the random forest algorithm, enabling detailed categorization of cultivated areas, urban land, soil, and vegetation, with a specific focus on avocados due to their high-water demand. Given its