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The pandemic crisis has created significant challenges for small farms, leading to increased energy costs, higher prices for feed and nutrients, unreliable supplies of chemical fertilizers, and disruptions in product sales markets. These factors have collectively compromised the operational viability and economic sustainability of small-scale agricultural enterprises. To address these challenges, this paper explores the concept of a self-sufficient farming system, focusing on locally producing most of the resources needed to sustain operations and reduce dependence on external sources. A self-sufficient integrated pisciculture farming system is proposed and evaluated, promoting an autonomous circular model that prioritizes environmental sustainability. This system incorporates the integration of local livestock into fish diets, production of renewable energy sources, and efficient water and sludge management to reduce reliance on external resources. The detailed methodology used to evaluate sustainability indicators objectively demonstrates that the proposed system can be self-sustainable and autonomous; however, it requires considerable initial investments that can be recovered within at least six years. Optimizing the energy management plan can reduce daily power consumption by up to 25%. However, local conditions may challenge the efficiency of photovoltaic–hybrid energy production, requiring slight oversizing of the system. The research indicated that rearing carp with cereal-based feed mixtures produces growth results comparable to those achieved with commercially purchased feed. The indicators of resource efficiency, reliability, flexibility, productivity, environmental impact, and social impact were met as expected. The weakest indicator was the technology's potential for scalability, due to its strong dependence on various regional factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of INMATEH - Agricultural Engineering is the property of INMATEH - Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Of late years, aquatic plants have received increased attention due to their energy potential in sustainable agriculture. Pistia stratiotes also belongs to this category. A vital aspect in sustainable agriculture, to which there is a growing tendency, is the use of environmentally friendly methods. Aquatic plants are used as raw materials for various applications, such as food industry, health, agriculture and aquaculture, ecosystem management, being an essential renewable resource. Due to population growth, both developed and developing countries are mainly facing problems related to future energy security and the proper use of natural resources. As the search for renewable energy resource intensifies, there is a growing drive to identify and develop promising, environmentally friendly, low-carbon and low-carbon bioenergy raw materials. Fuel demand is rising, while food costs and waste are gradually rising. It is therefore necessary to address waste management and reduce pollution caused by excessive energy use and industrialization. The current study focuses on the potential for harnessing renewable energy in the Nile lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), namely, highlighting the process of residual biomass, biofuel and compost.

Romanian aquaculture can be economically sustainable and viable if the farm is profitable, the farm's income is secure, and the products are accepted by customers. In many cases, improving environmental sustainability can lead to optimizing economic sustainability. For example, a more efficient use of food and nutrients or reduced water and energy consumption are not only beneficial for the environment, but can also reduce costs. Growth in polyculture system, which represents the growth of several species of fish in the same space (pond, pool, basin, etc.), and diversification of supply can increase consumer confidence and thus economic sustainability. The diet must provide the fish with the nutrients necessary for growth (proteins with a plastic role) and provide the energy necessary for physiological processes. Quality food ensures good development, facilitates reproduction and prevents extremely harmful diseases in an aquaculture system. The paper presents a series of experimental recipes for pelletized feed made using an experimental model of small capacity. Nutrient pellets made for feeding fish from the Cyprinid family were analyzed in terms of gross energy value, ash content, moisture, mechanical durability over time, bulk density etc.

Agricultural vehicles, such as tractors, combines, and harvesters, are following the trend of commercial vehicles with a transition from diesel to electric propulsion. Seen as an integrated system, a full-electric tractor is a complex machine with many systems that have to be interconnected for efficient functionality; thus, the need for a central control unit arises. The purpose of this article is to present an electronic control unit that interconnects the powertrain, the hydraulic systems, and the auxiliary systems of a full-electric tractor, with an emphasis on optimization through software design. The article describes the hardware of the electronic control unit and the software state diagrams necessary to implement the functions required by the electric tractor. The results of this article show how, through software optimization, the performances of the tractor can be improved, with parameters such as the response time of the various equipment being a useful indicator of such an improvement. Furthermore, the implementation of trip memory and an easy-to-use human–machine interface allows for easy diagnostic of the electric tractor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of INMATEH - Agricultural Engineering is the property of INMATEH - Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents theoretical and experimental research on the process of calibrating corn seeds using a specialized equipment with cylindrical sieves, studying the influence of process parameters and corn seed particularities on the quality of the calibration work. The research took into consideration corn seed characteristics, namely, their dimensions (length, width, and thickness) and weight, determining the influence of process parameters—the contact point between the seed and the cylindrical sieve, the influence of the length of the sieve, and the sieve's revolution speed on the separation process. The experiments for determining the influence of these parameters on the calibration process were conducted on a calibrating equipment with cylindrical sieves using three different corn hybrids. It was noticed from the experiments that, overall, the revolution speed had the most important effect on the calibration process, with sieve length also affecting the process, but to a lesser degree. Seed calibration efficiency was best at the smallest revolution speed (33 rot/min) and decreased when the revolution speed increased up to 49 rot/min for all corn hybrids tested. The number of calibrated seeds decreased in the second part of the cylindrical sieve. Seed thickness influenced the process, in the respect that seeds smaller than 4.8 mm passed through the first third of the sieve and those with a thickness between 4.8 and 5 mm passed through the other two thirds of the sieve length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forestry workers are exposed to vibrations from chainsaws which usually are not taken into consideration from the negative impact point of view on their health. However, in time, these vibrations could cause trepidation disease which will affect the worker neuro-muscular and locomotory apparatus. One mean to mitigate the vibrations impact is to measure and determine the worker’s exposure level to vibrations during worktime and to dispose the proper measures to reduce their negative impact. Within this paper will be presented experimental results obtained for vibration data recorded on a chainsaw during wood cutting in real life conditions. The equivalent vibration was measured at both front and end handles level and the biggest value was used for calculation of the human exposure level.

The aquatic harvester electric vehicle for vegetation is a technical challenge for researchers due to specific requirements: high-torque operation at low travel speeds, high maneuverability, high load capacity, low draught, and affordable price. The collective of authors proposed an electro-hydraulic architecture based on paddles driven by hydraulic motors for propulsion and auxiliary services also driven by motors and hydraulic actuators. The energy source requested is the electric batteries such as a system of Li-Ion batteries connected in parallel. An electronic converter is also used to supply an electric motor that drives a hydraulic double-circuit pump. The vehicle can be controlled remotely. The work presents the prototype made and the results of laboratory tests with it. This article’s main objective is to describe the electric drive of an electric-powered aquatic harvester, underlining key features, technical solutions, novelty, and benefits of the proposed architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep soil loosening machine MAS 65 is destined to work soil at depths exceeding 45 cm, thus the machine’s frame is subjected to loads which could affect its structural integrity. Within this paper a static structural analysis was performed on the machine’s 3D model using finite element method and strain and stress distribution maps were created. Using the Von Mises stress map there were identified several critical points which could fail during normal exploitation conditions and which should be monitored by strain gages during field tests in order to prevent structural failure.

The utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for chemical application has become a topic of great interest to both researchers and the market in recent times. Producers have proposed the use of drones for joint spraying as a means of enhancing precision agriculture and productivity. However, chemical spraying is a highly specialized field where the quality of the spray is critical so the used UAV have to be precise and reliable. Within this paper will be presented the process of developing a tricopter-hexarotor chassis type UAV, electrically driven, fitted with a 66 litres tank and 6 anti-drift nozzles which will be used for precision spraying of agricultural crops based on preprogrammed flying missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for renewable energy sources has become more and more pronounced in recent years, both because of the high level of pollution and because of the limited resource of fossil fuels. Dwindling oil resources combined with environmental concerns have led to a focus on renewable energy, which should be inexhaustible and pollutant-free. Wind energy has proven to be a viable solution for the energy independence of EU member states. However, the problem related to the noise pollution, that a wind turbine can have in operation, persists. The present work is based on the numerical analysis of the aerodynamic noise produced in operation by a vertical axis wind turbine, Lenz type. The turbine was tested at a wind speed of 12m/s using the commercial CFD software Ansys Fluent. To determine the noise level, the turbine blades were set as noise sources and the receivers were placed 6m respectively 12m from the center of the wind turbine which is installed in a 6m high. The results include the noise distribution for the two receivers, but also the distribution of pressures, streamlines and vorticity magnitude contours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of agricultural soil degradation caused by the extensive use of chemical amendments, ecological alternatives with minimal detrimental impact on ecosystems are gaining popularity. Recent advancements in processing technologies have improved the quality and extraction efficiency of bioactive compounds, particularly when multiple conventional or innovative techniques are being used to potentially overcome the most common limitations. This paper proposes the development and testing of a hybrid technology design that employs two extraction techniques, namely ultrasound and high pressure, that can be used either separately or in tandem. An initial assessment of the prototype potential for isolating the desired compounds was made, by testing three various working regimens for the processing of a mixture of onion, pea, and soybean. By incorporating the bioactive compounds produced during the experimental phase in the seedling transplantation holes, we were able to test the potential of stimulating the development rate of vegetables and reducing the attack of pests. The extracts obtained using the hybrid technology showed positive results when used to reduce pest attacks (decreasing average attack frequency by 7%), however had negative effects when used to promote biostimulation, when acted as an inhibitor. The hybrid extraction approach improved the mass transfer into solvent by 14% when compared to high-pressure processing and by 7% when compared to sonication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to optimize and assess the quality of the sorting process into homogeneous size classes of dried and chopped medicinal plants, by obtaining multivariate regression functions of polytropic and polynomial forms. Assessment of sorting quality was carried out by calculating the average coefficient of separation. The influence of several important factors (material feed rate on the sieve, sieve dimensions, sieve inclination angle, sieve oscillation frequencies) on the sorting process was followed. Research was carried out on dried nettle herb (Urtica dioica) using a plant sorter with plane sieves, which allowed for modifying some constructive and functional parameters, making it possible to obtain optimal values. The results showed that the dry nettle herb chopped in bulk at 4 mm, with a moisture of 11.45%, was optimally sorted (index of average separation coefficient, 0.922) if the following parameters were met: drive mechanism speed n = 1000 rpm; sieve inclination angle α = 12.08°; material-specific flow q = 4 kg/dm·h; recommended sieve length L = 1.4 m. It was observed that at high rates, the average coefficient of separation decreased with the decrease in the sieve drive mechanism speed, and when the inclination angle of the sieve decreased, the average coefficient of separation increased. The maximum average deviation of the average separation coefficient was 5.5% for the polytropic function. The new advanced processing technologies of medicinal plants involve the short-term production of quality-finished products, thus supporting the processors of medicinal plants and the consumers of phytotherapeutic products with beneficial effects for health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of an electric vehicle harvester for aquatic vegetation is a technical challenge for researchers due to specific requirements: high-torque operation at low travel speeds, high maneuverability, high load capacity, low draught, and affordable price. The collective of authors proposed an electro-hydraulic architecture based on paddles driven by hydraulic motors for propulsion and auxiliary services also driven by motors and hydraulic actuators. The proposed energy source for the aquatic harvester is electric batteries, it was developed a system of 33 kWh Li-Ion batteries connected in parallel, which power an electronic converter and a 14.5 kW rated power electric motor that drives a hydraulic double-circuit pump. The vehicle can be controlled remotely. The paper presents the prototype made and the results obtained during laboratory tests performed for the electric powering system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of the interaction forces between wheel and rail of railway vehicles is essential for assessment of the vehicle dynamic characteristics from point of view of running safety and rail loading as well as for approval the vehicle and alignment them to the Technical Specification for Interoperability. The direct measurement of transverse and vertical interaction forces using the existing full-disk wheel is practical impossible due to the impossibility of separating the two types of forces. To avoid this impediment it was realized a measuring wheelset fitted with 12 spokes achieved as force transducers for measurement of the vertical forces and 12 spokes achieved as force transducers for measurement of the transverse forces. The measuring wheelset was calibrated as a force transducer and was used to determine the wheel and rail interaction forces for LE-MA 6000kW electric locomotive made by Softronic Craiova. The article presents the measuring wheelset, the calibration principle and the calibration characteristics as well as some time history of the main parameters which characterize the running safety and rail loading, determined in the on-track tests.

Inadequate production practices are widely used in aquaculture management, causing excessive water and energy usage, as well as ecological damage. New approaches to sustainable aquaculture attempt to increase production efficiency, while reducing the quantities generated of wastewater and sludge. The sustainable operating techniques are often ineffective, expensive, and difficult to implement. The present article proposes a zero-waste production system, designed for growing fish and vegetables, using a new circular operational concept that creates synergies between fish farming and horticulture. In order to optimize the operational flows with resources, products, and wastes in an integrated zero-waste food production cluster, a business model was designed associating three ecological production practices: a closed fishing pond, a technology for growing vegetables in straw bales, and a composting system. The design had the role to assist the transition toward multiple circular material flows, where the waste can be fully reintegrated into the production processes. A comparative evaluation was conducted in three alternative growing environments, namely, a soilless culture established in straw bales, a culture grown in soil that had received compost fertilizer, and the conventional farming technique. When compared to conventional methods, experiments showed a significant increase in the cluster's cumulative productivity, resulting in a 12% improvement in energy efficiency, 18% increase in food production, and 25% decrease in operating expenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial monitoring of agricultural crops involves the creation of reliable measurements for which specialized equipment onboard UAVs are needed. This equipment consists of data acquisition systems from mono, multi or hyperspectral sensors, modularly integrated systems in the agridrone that move, position and orient them above the surface of agricultural crops in the monitored area. The components of the abiotic environment (air, water, soil) are vital for sustainable agriculture. The current trend is to make an intelligent and precision agriculture. All these operations become possible real if and only if we look at the agridrone as a unitary system, a mechatronic system formed by the meeting of several subsystems: mechanical, electronic, IT, communication, hardware and software. This involves the introduction of high-performance technologies, machines and equipment to make the agricultural process more efficient and ensure production control in ecological conditions. Thus, farmers try to get as much agricultural production as possible with the lowest costs. Drones used in agriculture as operational tools (agridrones) are UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) air platforms equipped for monitoring the health of crops, for spraying phytosanitary substances or carrying out logistical operations in areas difficult to access or dangerous for the human operator. The paper presents a concept of a multi-functional agridrone type 4.0-MHRT, which is in the category of high-capacity professional drones (heavy lift drones). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For negative effects minimization generated by agriculture on the environment, there were established a series of measures regarding the reduction of the amount of fertilizers and phytosanitary substances used. Thus, one of the innovative technologies appeared on the market is represented by the usage of some automated equipment for selective spraying of targeted plants, this way significantly reducing the amount of active substances used. The paper presents the usage of a technique specific to artificial intelligence for identification of target crops and their proper treatment. Thus, was developed a convolutional neural network formed of six neuron layers, which was used for analysis of crop field images recorded with a LOGITECH HD Pro C92.0 video camera. The network was developed in C++ programming language, using function libraries from OpenCV, and has run on a Dell laptop, with Intel i8 processor. Following images analysis and targeted plants identification, from laptop there are sent ON/OFF commands through an Arduino microcontroller toward the electrical microvalves mounted on the nozzles of a self-propelled electric spraying machine having a working width of 8 m, with the purpose of spot-spraying the crop plants and reducing the amount of used substances. In this paper are presented the experiments done for testing the neural network efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present an algorithm based on deep learning. The program allows the user to select in a graphical interface the type of plant for which it is desired to insert images for disease identification. To train and test models, we used our own data set with a relatively small number of images, and all images were captured in culture, and not in laboratory conditions. The algorithm is based on deep learning approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric boats are evolving, following the trend of imposing electric powered vehicles in all transportation solutions. For a research project, a reed and aquatic weed harvester, the author's goal is to develop an experimental electrical vehicle aimed at solving several particular problems such as: small speed, big throttle, high maneuverability, big load capacity, small draught and affordable cost. The solution comprises of one electric motor powered by a converter supplied from Li-Ion batteries, which drives a hydraulic pump for simultaneous operation of two lateral-placed paddle wheels and one complex mechanism of cutter and conveyor. The control system of this vehicle consists of one remote controller, with bidirectional radio communication to three on-board controllers used for the management of the electro-hydraulic actuators, the electric motor and the battery storage system. The hardware and the software architectures are presented, underlining the automated operations designed to increase the safety, the maneuverability and the predictability of the vehicle. The advantages of the use of control electronics is the increasing operability of the vehicle by supervising the available stored energy and the predicted consumption of energy, the fast and remote assistance in case of operational failure using online diagnose and the operation optimization by selecting the best load profile for the cutter and for the paddles. The results of this research are the validation of the proposed hardware and software architectures used for the control of an electro-hydraulic vehicle and the feasibility of using radio communication and remote diagnose for vehicle control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research carried out in this paper aimed to create a communication network for a fleet of agricultural vehicles by means of which to transmit and receive information on the status of work, working time, processed areas, number of machines used and much more necessary information. Communication is based on GSM and WiFi standards, which bring the most secure security standards in data protection to this network. The major advantage of the solution presented is that all the important information is concentrated in one place. The proposed communication system consists of a mobile device that routes the WiFi network on a GSM network that has a minimum 3G standard but also works with 5G, depending on the GSM operator and the devices that are mounted on vehicles, which communicate over the WiFi network. The communication device was mounted on an electric tractor, where it was powered by the tractor's power source. In this communication architecture, the vehicle transmitted information to a control centre and also to other vehicles in the vicinity. The system was able to receive data from other devices, authorized in the system, which could be fixed in the field. The collected data were transmitted to a server in a remote location. The obtained results showed a decrease of signal strength while getting further away from the tractor, with good results up to 100 m radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of INMATEH - Agricultural Engineering is the property of INMATEH - Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent technological development aimed on increasing performances of electrochemical energy storage systems and the new advances of electric motors have created new opportunities for electrical equipment manufacturers in terms of autonomy, performance and stability over time. The development of electric vehicles reported a strong expansion lately, however, electric farm tractors operating in off-road environment are not yet considered interesting for the large equipment manufacturers, due to their high-power operation needs and the small capacity that energy storage systems may offer. One interesting research direction is assessing the opportunity of charging batteries directly in the field, using photovoltaic sources, located close to the land to be processed. In order to address to this important electric vehicle limitation, new technology is needed which will allow the batteries to be charged during the operation of the vehicle, or to recharge near the area to be tilled. Some models are equipped with replaceable battery pack, which can be easily sent on charging and replaced with a new fully charged pack. The present paper examines the ground area requirements for the installation of a photovoltaic station, designed to charge a prototype tractor model, produced by INMA Bucharest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand operated equipment usually generates vibrations which in time could endanger the operator's health. In order to assure operator's safety, the vibration level which is generated has to be under the safety limits. Thus, the vibrations usually are measured according to applicable standards, and if they exceed the limits, there has to be adopted measures in order to mitigate the negative effects by vibrations absorption or insulation. Within this paper are presented the vibration measured results for a 6 kW sickle bar mower during mowing works. The researches were done in order to assess the vibration level and to identify a way to reduce those vibrations. The experiments were performed on the experimental plots from INMA Bucharest. The raw accelerations data were recorded and processed in order to obtained the vibrations RMS values. Furthermore, there were made changes on the structural design of the mower in order to reduce de vibration level and the measurements were repeated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrations usually aren't wanted in any technical system. This rule applies also to agricultural tractors, since their apparition could affect the normal functioning of the machine. One new type of agricultural tractors are the electrical ones, which have appeared in nowadays agriculture because of the need to protect the environment and to mitigate the technology's negative impact on the environment. Because of the electrical engine construction, this will generate less vibration during normal functioning, fact which will attenuate also the tractor's total vibration level. Because transportation is one very important work for which the electrical tractor could be used, its vibration comportment during this type of work is of particular interest for engineers. This paper presents researches done in order to assess the vibration level of an experimental model electric tractor during transportation work. The experiments were performed on the experimental plots from INMA Bucharest on a total distance of 3 km. The raw data for longitudinal, transversal and vertical directions were recorded and processed in order to obtain the RMS values for vibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A four-section miscanthus rhizome planter machine was equipped with a ploughshare and cover discs at the outer units and with ploughshare and compaction wheels arranged in V at the central units of the machine. Under these conditions, experimental determinations were made regarding the tensile strength (kN), the power required for towing (kW) and fuel consumption (l/ha), for three working depths (6, 9 and 12 cm) and different working speeds (between 1.27 and 2.65 m/s). Field results showed traction force values between 4.90-8.51 kN for planting depths of 6 cm, respectively between 6.90- 8.35 kN for depths of 9 cm and between 8.38-8.52 kN for 12 cm depths. Fuel consumption showed values between 2.96- 5.18 l/ha at planting depths of 6 cm, between 3.30-4.07 l/ha for depths of 9 cm, respectively between 4.4-5.2 l/ha for planting depths of 12 cm. It was found that there is no well-defined rule regarding variation of traction parameters with planting depth, especially since the average travel speed could not be maintained at the same value for each sample, and the soil probably had wetter areas or with different resistance to the opening of the trench. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Industria Textila is the property of Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Textile si Pielarie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper aims at presenting key aspects of the use of duckweed in the industry applications and a concept for using duckweed bio filters in aquaculture systems. Duckweed is a plant adapted to aquatic systems and considered to be one of the smallest plants in the world, with a diameter of 1-15mm. Although it is a small plant, its properties make it suitable for industrial use (production of bio fuel, aquaponic, food source, waste water treatment). Several aspects of the duckweed crop management are mentioned in the paper. It has been shown that certain duckweed species can successfully lower the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and orthophosphate (OP). The authors propose a new waste water treatment technology with duckweed tanks for recirculated aquaculture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of computers and software made possible CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modeling of heat transfer phenomena in drying process of agricultural seeds. Validation of the mathematical model of the heat transfer process in a porous medium was achieved by measuring the seed temperature at several points of the seed layer in a dryer. The CFD simulation obtained the temperature profile in the seed layer on the three thicknesses studied. Simulation and experiment allow optimization of the drying process by increasing the quality of dried seeds with low energy consumption. The results of the simulation and experimental data give a dry layer optimum thickness of the 100 mm for all tested seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]