Utilization of agricultural wastes to generate cheap and efficient sorbents to remove contaminants from wastewaters is an up-to-date environmental challenge. In Egypt, sugarcane bagasse is yearly generated as a waste material in huge amounts. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of chemical modification on the properties of bagasse biochar generated from local sugarcane bagasse feedstock (SCBF) and assess its efficiency for removal of both ammonium and phosphate ions from artificial aqueous solutions. SCBB and Mg-SCBB biochars were produced through pyrolysis of raw SCBF and MgSO 4 impregnated SCBF, respectively at 500 C and under oxygen-limited condition. FTIR peaks analysis, DEM examination, and some physical and chemical properties revealed that new surface functional groups, meso-and micropores, larger surface area and higher CEC were developed in SCBB and Mg-SCBB compared to SCBF. SCBB and Mg-SCBB showed high affinity to ammonium adsorption from aqueous solutions comparable to Charcoal and Zeolite. Mg-SCBB was the only sorbent capable of removing phosphate from the aqueous. Ammonium and phosphate removal at 1:200 sorbent to solution ratio were higher than those at 1:500 for all sorbents. A slight ammonium volatilization occurred during the adsorption process due to high solution pH. Adsorption kinetics data were best fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation suggesting intraparticle diffusion controlled adsorption process. Ammonium adsorption isotherms were best fitted to Freundlich model. The calculated Freundlich intensity parameter (n) ranged from 0.478 to 0.894 indicating favorable adsorption of ammonium and phosphate by all sorbents. Mg-SCBB had an adsorption capacity of 2573.9 and 4002.2 mg kg-1 for ammonium and phosphate, respectively. The produced Mg-modified sugarcane bagasse biochar may represent a promising efficient and cheap sorbent for dual remediation of wastewaters contaminated with ammonium and phosphate ions.

In the light of continued population growth and increased congestion in the old Nile Valley and Delta, the need for land reclamation of the desert areas in Egypt appears inevitable. This study attempted to investigate the best agricultural land use for a new land area in the Southeastern sector of Siwa oasis based on its soil characteristics and irrigation water quality. The fieldwork was carried out during the year 2013 where soil and groundwater samples were collected for different analyses. The agricultural land use suitability was assessed using ALESarid-GIS. The main soil characteristics showed high variability where soil salinity, soil alkalinity (ESP, %), total carbonate content, and soil depth ranged from 0.52 to 208 dS m -1 , from 8.04 to 91.54%, from 14.33 to 70.1 %, and from 20 to 200 cm, respectively. The study area was represented by seven soil mapping units according to soil depth, salinity and sodicity criteria. Groundwater analysis showed high salinity hazards with low sodium hazards (C3S1). Results of ALESarid-GIS analysis showed that most of the studied area is highly to moderately suitable (S1 to S2) for alfalfa, wheat, barley, sugar beet, and onion, while most of the area is marginally to conditionally suitable (S3 to S4) for pear, date palm, sunflower, cotton, fig, olive, sorghum, and grape in the order indicated. The dominant limiting parameters affecting land suitability for different crops are coarse soil texture, soil salinity, soil permeability, and exchangeable sodium percent. The outcomes of this research represent a valuable resource for governmental agencies concerned about land reclamation projects along with sustainable agricultural development in Siwa oasis.

Reuse of agricultural waste materials is a smart solution for reducing their environmental impacts and increase economic value. Spent coffee grounds (SCG) is worldwide generated in tremendous amounts. The objectives of this study were to optimize a method to extract humic-like substances (HLS) from SCG using KOH extractant, prepare a liquid organic-mineral fertilizer enriched with N and P in addition to K, and to evaluate this fertilizer on growing maize (Zea mays L.). HLS extracted from SCG increased with KOH concentration up to 3 N and with extraction ratio up to 1:10 at room temperature. Increasing the temperature to 50 and 80 °C and contact time up to 3 h, significantly enhanced HLS recovery. Therefore, the optimum conditions for maximum HLS extraction were; 2 N KOH, SCG-to-extractant ratio of 1:10, 3 h of contact time, and 80 °C. Adjusting the pH of the alkaline K-HLS supernatant to pH 6 was achieved using a mixture of HNO 3 and H 3 PO 4. The prepared NPK mineral-organic fertilizer (NPK-HLS) was dark brown containing 2.0/5.8/8.6 as N/P 2 O 5 /K 2 O and 5.1 %w/v HLS. The produced fertilizer was evaluated for its effect on maize plants grown in a calcareous soil low in available nutrient using a CRBD pot experiment. Two application rates of NPK-HLS (NPK-HLS1 and NPK-HLS2) based on P rates, 125 and 250 mg P pot-1 , with and without a basic fertilizer (BF) were applied. Both NPK-HLS1 and NPK-HLS2 rates significantly increased shoot dry matter, NPK uptake and availability in soil compared to the control, but did not significantly affect root dry matter. Increasing the application rate to NPK-HLS2 did not further increase dry matter or NPK uptake. No significant effect was found for BF for all measured variables. Results of this study showed that the extraction of HLS from SCG and its incorporation into a liquid fertilizer could be an alternative solution to the reuse of SCG.

The objectives of this study were to prepare and characterize nano-clay particles from an alluvial Nile Delta Egyptian soil and to understand and evaluate its efficacy for removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. Nano-clay particles were prepared by ball milling of the clay soil fraction and their nano scale was confirmed by SEM image analysis. The XRD peaks revealed the dominance of montmorillonite clay minerals in soil clay and nano-clay adsorbents. FTIR features indicated the characteristic surface functional groups of smectite clays for both adsorbents. Cu(II) adsorption by the two adsorbents tended to increase with increasing initial Cu(II) concentration (10 to 150 mg L -1 ), adsorbent dosage (0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 g/100 ml) and pH (4, 7 and 9). The two adsorbents showed high buffering capacity of the solution pH. Nano-clay adsorbent could remove higher amounts of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions (62%) than soil clay (45%) at initial Cu(II) concentration of 50 mg L -1 in the aqueous solution. Equilibrium time of 30 min. was achieved under the various experimental conditions which suggests ion exchange mechanism. Data of adsorption isotherms and kinetics were statistically best fitted to pseudo-second order and Langmuir models, respectively.

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Proline content, chlorophyll pigment and potassium/sodium ratio (Na + /K +) of five different genotypes, Edkawy, Castle Rock and Budai Torpe and their hybrids EХC and EХB were significantly increased in proline content and Na + /K + , and significantly lowered in chlorophyll content by the rise of salinization levels 1.2, 2, 5, 10, 15 dS/m. The two hybrids gave a higher response to salinity; this is observed in the increase in Na and proline in the same time K concentration decreased. Edkawy showed mid values between the other parents and the hybrids.