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Harvesting system established for the utilisation of Miscanthus sinensis ‘tatai’ “energy cane” in biomass power plants
143-150Views:232The increasing demand for energy worldwide and the resulting environmental impacts of fossil fuels forced many countries to turn to renewable energy resources as a clean and sustainable alternative. More than a third of Europe’s binding renewable energy source target of 20% by 2020 will come from solid biomass for electricity and heating according to the National Renewable Energy Action Plans submitted by member states of the European Union (EU) to the European Commission. To achieve this goal long-term yield studies in renewable energy plants are important to determine mean annual biomass and energy yield, and CO2 emission. Field experiments worldwide and also in Europe have demonstrated that Miscanthus, a fast-growing C4 rhizomatous grass can produce some of the highest biomass and energy yield per hectare of all potential energy plants. Miscanthus is a plant that originates from the southern slopes of the Himalayas. It was bred for the Hungarian climatic conditions in 2006 under the name of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Tatai’ (MsT). The species has high frost and drought tolerance and high energy value. This is why there is growing demand for the biomass (lignocellulose) produced by growing this plant. The biomass, produced from the high yield energy reed, can be transported to power plants in large quantities, in forms of bales. Its household consumption is not yet significant. This study presents the external features, characteristics, propagation and plantation process of MsT energy reed. The study also demonstrates the harvest technology of the species worked out between 2009–2012 in Tata, Hungary and the options of supplying to biomass
power stations.
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Desert greens: Unveiling the antioxidant power and health benefits of Qatar's locally grown leafy vegetables
11-17Views:524The long-term consumption of diets rich in plant polyphenols has a high potential to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. This study focuses on the phenolic and antioxidant properties of eight green leafy vegetables, red spinach, green spinach, water spinach, chives, rocca, Swiss chard, jute mallow, and purslane, commonly cultivated in Qatar. Antioxidant capacity (AC) was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method. The total phenolic content (TPC) of the samples was quantified using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Among all the vegetables, results indicated significant differences among all examined values at level of 5% Jute Mallow exhibited the highest phenolic content at 205.39±11.50 mg GA/100g, followed by Green Spinach at 189.58±10.56 mg GA/100g and Red Spinach at 185.15±2.93 mg GA/100g. Swiss chard exhibited the highest antioxidant activity of 89.26%. This study provides valuable data on these vegetables to positively affect the health and well-being of the population. Intensifying further future investigation to embrace a wider phytochemical profile (e.g., flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C), varied antioxidant assays (e.g., FRAP, ABTS), and bioavailability tests would expand the understanding of the studied leafy vegetables health benefits.