Climate change poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity, particularly in regions vulnerable to extreme temperatures and water scarcity, such as Irbid, Jordan. This study assesses the future impacts of projected shifts in precipitation and temperature on wheat yields, using the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model for calibrating and validating under local agro-environmental conditions. Two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5), representing high-emission and fossil-fuel-intensive futures, were evaluated across mid- and late-century periods (2030–2060 and 2070–2100). The DSSAT model was calibrated using local field data to simulate crop phenology, biomass accumulation, and nitrogen dynamics, showing strong agreement with observed grain yield and harvest index, thereby confirming its reliability for climate impact assessments. Yield projections under each scenario were further analyzed using machine learning algorithms—random forest and gradient boosting regression—to quantify the influence of individual climate variables. The results showed that under SSP5-8.5 (2030–2060), precipitation was the dominant factor influencing yield variability, underscoring the critical role of water availability. In contrast, under SSP3-7.0 (2070–2100), rising maximum temperatures became the primary constraint, highlighting the growing risk of heat stress. Predictive accuracy was higher in precipitation-dominated scenarios (R2 = 0.81) than in temperature-dominated cases (R2 = 0.65–0.73), reflecting greater complexity under extreme warming. These findings emphasize the value of integrating well-calibrated crop models with climate projections and machine learning tools to support climate-resilient agricultural planning. Moreover, practical adaptation strategies, such as adjusting planting dates, using heat-tolerant varieties, and optimizing irrigation, are recommended to enhance resilience. Emerging techniques such as seed priming show promise and merit integration into future crop models. The findings support SDG 2 and SDG 13 by informing climate-resilient food production strategies.
31 January 2023 in Annals of Advances in Chemistry
A growing number of synthetic plastics derived from fossil fuels are produced, and improper plastic waste management has caused a lot of pollution problems. There are many microplastics in the environment, and they disintegrate slowly in soil and water. The properties of microplastics (MPs) include long residence times, high stability, high fragmentation potential, and the ability to adsorb other contaminants. Invertebrates and planktonic organisms are easily able to accumulate microplastics in aquatic species. Therefore, microplastics (MPs) must be removed from the water and other media. This paper aims to review the occurrence, raw polymers and additives, and remediation methods for removing microplastics from the environment. Several methods are available for removing contaminants, including sorption, filtration and chemical treatments. Various removal methods are discussed along with their methods, efficiency and advantages.
The complex interplay between the drivers of dam failure and climate change factors constitutes a central focus of this study. Variations in temperature and precipitation patterns have profound effects on dam storage volume, quality, and structural stability. This research serves two purposes. First, it employs the Wroclaw Taxonomic Method (WTM) to construct a comprehensive indicator called the Index of Sustainable Dams (ISD). The King Talal Dam (KTD) was chosen as a case study using data spanning from 2011 to 2022, encompassing 14 variables. Second, the Granger Causality Test (GCT) is applied to examine the causal connections between the ISD, climate change, and dam failure. The research provides an in-depth evaluation of the KTD in terms of the ISD and its three critical dimensions: environmental, economic, and social. It also reveals substantial bidirectional causality relationships between the ISD, climate change (as measured by mean maximum and minimum temperature and mean annual precipitation), and dam failure (as measured by dam age, sediment yield, and storage). The analysis confirms a strong interdependence among the drivers of climate change, dam failure, and dam sustainability. Moreover, combining the WTM and the GCT is efficient for assessing the sustainability of various dam types.
In this study, a novel slow-release fertilizer (SRF) consisting of kaolinite and K2SO4 was prepared, employing the process of mechanochemical milling in a planetary ball mill. To obtain the optimum milling time and speed, several samples were made at fixed mass ratios of kaolinite: K2SO4 (3:1). The milling rotational speed ranged from 200 to 700 rpm for 120 min. Different milling times ranging from 60 to 180 min at fixed 600 rpm milling speed were also investigated to evaluate the incorporation of K2SO4 and to measure the liberation of K+ and SO42− ions into solution. The properties of the studied samples were analyzed by Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and ion chromatography (IC). The mechanochemical process is a green chemistry procedure that is successfully applied to incorporate K2SO4 into the amorphous kaolinite structure. The slow-release performance was evaluated by determining the K+ and SO42− content in the aqueous solution upon leaching. The optimum released amount of K+ after 24 h was 32 mg L−1 for the milling conditions of 180 min and 700 rpm, indicating that K2SO4-kaolinite has good slow-release properties. The novel SRF is cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and improves the fertilizer’s efficiency in many agricultural applications.
Galena is a natural mineral enriched with lead sulfide (PbS). It typically forms in hydrothermal veins associated with igneous rocks and can also occur as a gangue mineral in other ore deposits. PbS is of special importance for scientific research applications due to the possibility of tuning its semiconductor energy gap using nanotechnology in conjunction with powder metallurgy as an easy, controllable production route. In this paper, almost pure PbS was successfully produced starting from a high ratio of PbS phase galena ore. As-received galena lumps were roughly pulverized and milled to produce four particle size ranges of 38, 63, 125, and 250 µm prior to compaction and sintering in a vacuum (pre-flushed with argon gas). SEM coupled with the EDAX analysis unit was employed to investigate the microstructure and chemical composition of the as-received galena and the subsequent products after sintering. The chemical analysis confirmed the high ratio of PbS compound in the as-received galena and sintered products with approximately 85% Pb and 13% S mass ratio. The sintering process of the galena powder was carried out at different values of temperature, time, and compaction pressure. Additionally, the effect of length to diameter ratio of compacted and sintered samples was investigated. XRD analysis confirmed the existence of the PbS phase in the as-received and sintered samples at 700 °C with approximately 98 wt.%, as well as a new phase that is formed at 800 °C with a lower percentage. The micro-hardness of the as-received and sintered samples was measured and compared with the as-received galena ore. The results showed a significant reduction in the hardness of sintered galena powder compared with the bulk as-received galena by 52%. Furthermore, a relative sintered density of 99.3% for the as-received galena density signifies a novel result using powder metallurgy techniques.