The needles of the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) (PA) are very abundant in the forest of the National Park of Tazekka (Ta-za-Morocco) and are unexploitable. Moreover, they constitute a potential danger because they facilitate the outbreak of wildfires. To solve this problem, we have considered turning these needles into a biomaterial that could be used as raw material for different uses, such as wastewater treatment. The biomaterial of the Aleppo pine is obtained from its needles which are harvested in spring, dried, cut, crushed, and sieved. The powder obtained is analyzed before and after the extraction of essential oil. The physicochemical and spectroscopic analyses show that this biomaterial is porous, hygroscopic, slightly acidic, moderately moist, and not very conducive. Its average density in the anhydrous state is 0.6. It is rich in carbon (79.91%) and oxygen (18.91%) in the form of aromatic compounds and ketone imprints; thus, relating the presence of cellulose, pectin, lignin, and hemicellulose. Its composition in mineral elements (Na, Mg, Ca, K, Cl, S) is deficient. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the oils extracted from the needle powder relates that it is a complex mixture of bioactive compounds such as mono-terpenoid α and β-pinene hydrocarbons. These results show that our biomaterial can be used as an adsorbent in wastewater treatment and the extracted essential oils can be used in the pharmacological, agro-food field.
The objective of this study is to valorize two waste products which, until now, caused major problems concerning their management and impacts on the environment and health. This study concerns the sludge of the wastewater treatment station of the city of Fez-Morocco and the olive mill wastewater, which are produced, respectively, in quantities of around 51,100 t/year and 514,350 m3/year, by pyrolysis for the production of biochar. The obtained biochar was characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic analyses. The results show that the biochar is close to neutrality and is characterized by an important organic and mineral load; further, it is endowed with a porous surface, which could facilitate the adsorption of different polluting substances, composed mainly by micropores. It is mainly composed of alcohol, phenol, carboxyl and phenyl groups, as well as other mineral elements including silica and calcite. The composition, structure and morphology of the biochar thus prepared recommend its use in various fields, such as the treatment of pollutants, organic amendment, the reinforcement of polymers and as a secondary building material.
The olive mill wastewater, effluents from the trituration of olives, are treated in most Mediterranean countries by natural evaporation. However, this method of treatment is a source of air and soil pollution by the generation of solid waste, called olive mill waste cake. This work focused on extracting of vegetable oil from this by-product for biodiesel production by transesterification. The extraction took place with a Soxhlet extractor, using hexane as solvent. The vegetable oil and biodiesel were characterized by measuring the physicochemical parameters that identify them according to AFNOR standards. The extraction results show that the oil yield is 21.28%. The oil obtained is characterized by density, water and ash content, acidity, saponification, peroxide and ester. The yield of the oil esterification reaction is 86.41% or about 185 Kg of biodiesel/ton of olive mill waste cake, and in terms of energy 2783.7 MJ or 2 GW.t -1 . The biodiesel produced is comparable to petroleum diesel according to EN 14214, 2013.
In the present review article, a soil from the region of Fez-Sefrou Morocco was screened for some physicochemical characteristics using the Plackett-Burman model in order to determine the most important factors that promote its fertility. Five independent variables were selected: pH, electrical conductivity, humidity, organic matter, and C/N ratio. These variables were evaluated by statistical analysis, based on their significance, the value of the coefficient of determination and the Pareto chart. The results suggest that humidity and C/N ratio have an influence with a high level of confidence, while the other three show no significant effect on the content of nutrients in the soil. The analysis of the R 2 variance value also showed that the models used for prediction were large and significant factors (p less than 0.05). Pareto chart plots for each response and its characteristics provided accurate data to select well-fitting variables for further optimization.
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