The research team led by Professor Gang Wang from China Agricultural University systematically summarized the synergistic effects of bio-based material amendments such as microbial inoculants, nanomaterials, and biochar in improving soil health and crop productivity through a review article. The relevant research has been published in the journal Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2024586).

Unprocessed rice kernels that are encased in an inedible hull must undergo milling to reveal the white rice grain. Proper milling can increase the amount of rice that makes it from the farm to the kitchen by decreasing the number of broken kernels, along with impacting nutritional and functional qualities, sensory attributes and cooking performance. Griffiths Atungulu, a professor and agricultural engineer with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, recently published a study with members of his rice processing research team that offers information to help optimize lab methods for rice milling.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced today that a research team from its School of Engineering has developed a groundbreaking computational model to study the movement of granular materials such as soils, sands and powders. By integrating the dynamic interactions among particles, air and water phases, this state-of-the-art system can accurately predict landslides, improve irrigation and oil extraction systems, and enhance food and drug production processes.  

The pyrolysis technologies of lignocellulose include traditional methods and emerging methods. The traditional slow, fast, and flash pyrolysis each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Slow pyrolysis has a slow heating rate and takes a long time, but it can produce biochar with high yield and good quality.

In an article has published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2024592), Gasim Hayder, Associate Professor at the University of Nizwa in Oman, and Dr. Rosli Muhammad Naim from the National Energy University of Malaysia propose that biochar-based nanocomposites (BNCs)—created by integrating nanotechnology with biomass pyrolysis—offer an innovative solution to this challenge.

A new open-source tool, greenfeedr—outlined in a new technical note in JDS Communications—is simplifying processing and data reporting from GreenFeed systems, making it easier to get flexible, useful, and impactful data and accelerate the work toward a sustainable future for dairy and livestock production. GreenFeed is a popular tool helping researchers and producers measure emissions in real time.