The widespread use of petroleum-based products has led to increasing environmental and ecological problems, while the extraction and application of various natural cellulose fibers have received increasing attention. This research focuses on the extraction of cellulose fibers from cow dung using different treatments: hot water, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) boilings, as well as a selection of the best quality cow dung fibers for papermaking with quality control. The study’s objective is to find a sustainable method to extract as much material as possible from renewable biomass feedstock. The results show that the best extraction rate is obtained by KOH boiling with 42% cellulose fibers extracted. Corresponding handmade paper has a burst index of 2.48 KPam²/g, a tear index of 4.83 mNm²/g and a tensile index of 26.72 Nm/g. This project expands the sources of natural cellulose fibers to an eco-friendly and sustainable one and opens up new applications for cow dung.

Biodegradable paper mulch has the advantages of being easily degradable and environmentally benign, but its own performance and adaptability to harsh environments have not been tested. This paper uses scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional morphometry to microscopically characterize biodegradable paper mulch and white plastic mulch. To analyze and compare their mechanical and hydrophobic properties, and weather resistance, the two mulches were measured through tensile tear load and static contact angle. A comparative analysis of the effect of mulching in the dry crop area of the Hexi Corridor was conducted by comparing the growth index, farm water heat, soil oxygen content, and yield using maize and flax. The test results show that biodegradable paper mulch films were slightly inferior to traditional white mulch films in terms of mechanical and hydrophobic properties, with inadequate insulation and moisture retention, but better in terms of aging resistance, soil oxygen content, and crop insulation and water storage capacity in the middle and growth stages. White mulch film had a better yield enhancement effect on maize, while with biodegradable paper mulch film, this was more significant with flax.

Composite insulators are widely used in power systems because of their advantages of light weight, good pollution resistance, and high mechanical strength. With the increasingly serious environmental pollution problem, especially in winter at high latitudes, composite insulators are easily affected by fog, bird droppings, algae, and icing. Long-term exposure to the outdoor insulator surface will cause aging, which will then pose ae potential safety hazard to the stable operation of insulators. Therefore, the self-cleaning, anti-icing, and aging test technologies of composite insulators are particularly important. This paper introduces the research progress and current situation of self-cleaning, anti-icing surface preparation, and aging test technology of composite insulators, and looks forward to the future development of composite insulators.

To prevent soil pollution caused by polyethylene (PE) films in the central region of Gansu, China, liquid mulching made from cow dung (CDLM) was trailed in silage maize fields. The degradation of CDLM and PE films, soil temperature, soil organic matter content, silage maize yield and water use efficiency (WUE) were evaluated for three years (2018–2020). The degradability of CDLM has been found to be much stronger than the one of PE films, with CDLM degrading 40–60 days after sowing and finishing around 100 days. CDLM had a lower insulating impact than PE films but a higher insulating effect than non-mulching films as the control (CK); CDLM could successfully increase soil organic matter, with a total increase of 1.01% over three years. CDLM increased silage maize yield by 6.2% compared to PE films and 17.2% compared to CK. Consequently, CDLM may be an interesting alternative to PE films for enhancing silage maize yield while decreasing soil contamination.