Browsing by Author "Jaufer, L"

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Open Access
COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE STORMWATER RETENTION OF ORGANIC WASTE SUBSTRATES BIOCHAR, SAWDUST AND WOOD BARK RETRIEVED FROM PSIDIUM GUAJAVA L. SPECIES
(University of Montenegro, 2023) Kader, S.A; Jaufer, L; Bashir, O; Raimi, M. O
This research compares the stormwater retention performances of an organic waste growing medium extracted from the widely available Psidium guajavala L species in Sri Lanka. Rainfall gauges were manually constructed to outsource accurate precipitation data, and the study was conducted throughout the entire month of January 2023. A stormwater retention curve was constructed for the Biochar, Sawdust and Wood bark substrates and the hotspots were compared. Furthermore, the results were validated using a volumetric comparison of water retention. The experimental outcomes have shown that Biochar exhibits strong water retention ability and enables the overlaying vegetation to acquire nutrients without external obstacles. The main reason for this exceptional performance was biochar's low evaporation levels and high porosity. In contrast, Sawdust was found to be the worst performer in terms of water retention due to its high thermal conductivity. These experimental studies were rationalised by outsourcing the specimen from the same tree. Our recommendations suggest that the biochar manufacturing industry needs to be improved in the future since it provides a sustainable and effective alternative in terms of eco-friendly substrates.
Open Access
Green roof substrates—A literature review
(frontiersin, 2022-10-03) Kader, S; Chadalavada, S; Jaufer, L; Spalevic, V; Dudic, B
Green roofs are becoming increasingly popular in urban construction due to their wide array of benefits for creating a sustainable ecosystem. Many stakeholders invest in green roofs in the 21st century to enhance the environmental quality and mitigate urban ecological pollution. The substrate layer is the most important and critical component of green roof systems. The objective of the review study is to present the important information regarding the required elements that need to be considered for substrate selection of green roofs by critically reviewing the scientifically published articles. Research findings from past studies relevant to green roofs, vegetation and selective substrate parameters were extensively discussed under different topics related to water retention, drought resistance and related physico-chemical parameters. The generalities in past research articles were presented and special focus was provided on specific research articles those presented novelty regarding green roof substrates. Furthermore, the hotspots in all the considered research articles were commentatively identified and the appropriate solutions were evaluated. The critical review of published research articles indicates that most of the research on green roof substrates was conducted in either controlled laboratories or greenhouses and did not provide much importance to actual field tests. Therefore, these research findings are not sufficient to obtain the realistic field outcomes of the research. Future studies on green roof substrates should need to incorporate field experiments along with classical controlled tests by adhering to standard guidelines for assimilating climatic influences in substrates. Few studies have focused on dry climates, and further research needs to be conducted on dry climates due to their high susceptibility to drought and evapotranspiration. This manuscript would be the first review article that mainly focuses on substrates for green roofs, which is a novel aspect.
Open Access
A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR DETERMINING THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF THE SOIL SUBSTRATES FOR SELECTING SUSTAINABLE GROWING MEDIUMS IN TERMS OF THERMAL RESISTANCE
(University of Montenegro, 2022-09-30) Kader, S; Jaufer, L
The Thermal conductivity of the soil is important to determine the horticultural performance of growing medium. Microclimatic features influence the viability of soil mixtures for vegetation. The goal of this study is to assess the heat conductivity of soil mixture samples comprising Coir, Biochar, Sawdust, Wood bark, and Compost in order to discover the best growth medium in terms of thermal resistance. Specimens were prepared by mixing 60% of raw materials with 40% topsoil and moulded into cylinders. Each sample were converted into semi solids and undergone for thermal conductivity apparatus measurements. Thermal conductivity of each specimen was determined using mathematical analysis based on experimental readings. The calculated results were used to deduce thermal resistance. Thermal conductivity values of all specimens were observed in the range from 0.64 W/mK to 0.91 W/mK. The maximum and minimum thermal conductivity magnitudes were exhibited by Sawdust (60:40) and Wood bark (60:40) respectively. In terms of suitability as a growing medium, Wood bark (60:40) contains highest thermal resistance while the lease thermal resistance was determined in Sawdust (60:40) due to its high thermal conduction. This research concludes that Wood bark (60:40) is the most convincing substrate in terms of thermal sustainability. © 2022, University of Montenegro. All rights reserved.
Open Access
SOIL MANAGEMENT IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: ANALYTICAL APPROACH FOR THE AMMONIA REMOVAL FROM THE DIARY MANURE
(University of Montenegro, 2022-12-15) Shuraik, K; Novicevic, R; Jaufer, L
This study analyses the viability of converting the organic nitrogen possessed by dairy manure from Sri Lankan cows into ammonia using hydrolysis. Furthermore, ammonia removal from anaerobically digested dairy manure was evaluated with the experimental analysis. Hydrolysis was conducted to determine the impact of total solids, retention time, and temperature on the ammonia recovery. Experimental studies have shown that 85% of organic nitrogen in dairy manure was recovered into ammonia at 35O C within 7 days a 12.1 – 13.8 Total Solid (TS) content. Furthermore, it was also inferred that acidification occurs along with ammonium in the diary manure. Ammonia removal from anaerobically digested manure was investigated using Head Space Flushing (HSF), where it was identified that 73% of influent ammonia was removed at 35O C after 7 days. This result can be effectively used as an appropriate method for converting and removing ammonia from dairy manure in countries with large cattle herds. © 2022, University of Montenegro. All rights reserved.