Special Issue "Energy Systems and Applications in Agriculture"

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2022.
Submit your paper and select the Journal “Energies” and the Special Issue “Energy Systems and Applications in Agriculture” via: https://susy.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload?journal=energies. Please contact the guest editor or the journal editor ([email protected]) for any queries.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sultan
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan
Interests: developing energy efficient heat- and/or water-driven temperature and humidity control systems for agricultural storage; greenhouse; livestock; and poultry applications
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Md Shamim Ahamed
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Interests: thermal environment modeling; energy-efficient design; renewable energy-based operation of controlled environment agricultural (CEA) production facilities
Dr. Redmond R. Shamshiri
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
Interests: precision agriculture; wireless sensors; IoT; digital agriculture; system analysis and control; agricultural modeling and simulation; agricultural robotics; greenhouse automation
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Wakil Shahzad
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical and Construction Engineering Department, University of Northumbria, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Interests: hybrid desalination; solar energy storage; adsorbent materials; economic analysis
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture, as a production-oriented sector, entails energy as a substantial input by which global food security is ensured. Agricultural systems use energy either directly as fuel or electricity to operate machinery and equipment, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) of agricultural built environments, lighting, food transportation, preservation, or indirectly in the fertilizers and chemicals produced off the farm. Increasing agriculture modernization/mechanization mitigates conventional energy reserves, which also escalates greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and climate change. Therefore, it is important to develop energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for the agriculture sector to achieve the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Various energy systems and technologies are involved/needed in the agricultural practices/applications that include (but are not limited to) sowing and seedbed preparation; tillage operations and cultivations; spraying and harvesting; post-harvest processing and value addition; livestock/dairy and poultry barns; indoor farming  and aquaponics agriculture; sprinkler and drip irrigation systems. Conventionally, these agricultural systems and their operations are heavily dependent on fossil fuel-based energy sources, which are inefficient, expensive, and responsible for GHG emissions. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to showcase recent advancements and improvements of such energy systems and their technologies for various agricultural practices/applications. This Special Issue will consider cutting-edge research works and review articles focused on energy-efficient system design, integration of renewable energy, automation, and control, modeling and simulation, energy-efficient post-harvest processing, and alternate energy sources for the agricultural production systems.

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sultan
Prof. Dr. Md Shamim Ahamed
Dr. Redmond R. Shamshiri
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Wakil Shahzad
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Energy-efficient agriculture
  • Robotics and farm mechanization
  • Food processing and storage
  • Renewable energy for agriculture
  • Temperature and humidity control systems for agriculture
  • Sustainable energy and clean fuel for farmers
  • Biomass, biogas, and bioenergy
  • Next-generation greenhouses
  • Aquaponics, hydroponic and aeroponic farming
  • Sprinkler and drip irrigation systems
  • Solar dryers and solar pumping
  • Livestock and poultry barns
  • Agricultural built environment
  • Modeling and simulation
  • Modern water/wastewater treatment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
Investigation of Energy Consumption and Associated CO2 Emissions for Wheat–Rice Crop Rotation Farming
Energies 2021, 14(16), 5094; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14165094 - 18 Aug 2021
Viewed by 256
Abstract
This study investigates the input–output energy-flow patterns and CO2 emissions from the wheat–rice crop rotation system. In this regard, an arid region of Punjab, Pakistan was selected as the study area, comprising 4150 km2. Farmers were interviewed to collect data [...] Read more.
This study investigates the input–output energy-flow patterns and CO2 emissions from the wheat–rice crop rotation system. In this regard, an arid region of Punjab, Pakistan was selected as the study area, comprising 4150 km2. Farmers were interviewed to collect data and information on input/output sources during the 2020 work season. The total energy from these sources was calculated using appropriate energy equivalents. Three energy indices, including energy use efficiency (ηe), energy productivity (ηp), and net energy (ρ), were defined and calculated to investigate overall energy efficiency. Moreover, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique was used to optimize the input energy in wheat and rice production. Finally, CO2 emissions was calculated using emissions equivalents from peer-reviewed published literature. Results showed that the average total energy consumption in rice production was twice the energy consumed in wheat production. However, the values of ηe, ηp, and ρ were higher in wheat production and calculated as 5.68, 202.3 kg/GJ, and 100.12 GJ/ha, respectively. The DEA showed the highest reduction potential in machinery energy for both crops, calculated as −42.97% in rice production and −17.48% in wheat production. The highest CO2 emissions were found in rice production and calculated as 1762.5 kg-CO2/ha. Our conclusion indicates that energy consumption and CO2 emissions from wheat–rice cropping systems can be minimized using optimized energy inputs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Systems and Applications in Agriculture)
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Article
Exergy and Energy Analyses of Microwave Dryer for Cantaloupe Slice and Prediction of Thermodynamic Parameters Using ANN and ANFIS Algorithms
Energies 2021, 14(16), 4838; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14164838 - 09 Aug 2021
Viewed by 355
Abstract
The study targeted towards drying of cantaloupe slices with various thicknesses in a microwave dryer. The experiments were carried out at three microwave powers of 180, 360, and 540 W and three thicknesses of 2, 4, and 6 mm for cantaloupe drying, and [...] Read more.
The study targeted towards drying of cantaloupe slices with various thicknesses in a microwave dryer. The experiments were carried out at three microwave powers of 180, 360, and 540 W and three thicknesses of 2, 4, and 6 mm for cantaloupe drying, and the weight variations were determined. Artificial neural networks (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) were exploited to investigate energy and exergy indices of cantaloupe drying using various afore-mentioned input parameters. The results indicated that a rise in microwave power and a decline in sample thickness can significantly decrease the specific energy consumption (SEC), energy loss, exergy loss, and improvement potential (probability level of 5%). The mean SEC, energy efficiency, energy loss, thermal efficiency, dryer efficiency, exergy efficiency, exergy loss, improvement potential, and sustainability index ranged in 10.48–25.92 MJ/kg water, 16.11–47.24%, 2.65–11.24 MJ/kg water, 7.02–36.46%, 12.36–42.70%, 11.25–38.89%, 3–12.2 MJ/kg water, 1.88–10.83 MJ/kg water, and 1.12–1.63, respectively. Based on the results, the use of higher microwave powers for drying thinner samples can improve the thermodynamic performance of the process. The ANFIS model offers a more accurate forecast of energy and exergy indices of cantaloupe drying compare to ANN model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Systems and Applications in Agriculture)
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Article
Development and Validation of Air-to-Water Heat Pump Model for Greenhouse Heating
Energies 2021, 14(15), 4714; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14154714 - 03 Aug 2021
Viewed by 400
Abstract
This study proposes a building energy simulation (BES) model of an air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) system integrated with a multi-span greenhouse using the TRNSYS-18 program. The proposed BES model was validated using an experimental AWHP and a multi-span greenhouse installed in Kyungpook National [...] Read more.
This study proposes a building energy simulation (BES) model of an air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) system integrated with a multi-span greenhouse using the TRNSYS-18 program. The proposed BES model was validated using an experimental AWHP and a multi-span greenhouse installed in Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea (latitude 35.53° N, longitude 128.36° E, elevation 48 m). Three AWHPs and a water storage tank were used to fulfill the heat energy requirement of the three-span greenhouse with 391.6 m2 of floor area. The model was validated by comparing the following experimental and simulated results, namely, the internal greenhouse temperature, the heating load of the greenhouse, heat supply from the water storage tank to the greenhouse, heat pumps’ output water temperature, power used by the heat pumps, coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump, and water storage tank temperature. The BES model’s performance was evaluated by calculating the root mean square error (RMSE) and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficient of validation results. The overall results correlated well with the experimental and simulated results and encouraged adopting the BES model. The average calculated COP of the AWHP was 2.2 when the outside temperature was as low as −13 °C. The proposed model was designed simply, and detailed information of each step is provided to make it easy to use for engineers, researchers, and consultants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Systems and Applications in Agriculture)
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Article
Study on Adsorption Properties of Modified Corn Cob Activated Carbon for Mercury Ion
Energies 2021, 14(15), 4483; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14154483 - 24 Jul 2021
Viewed by 376
Abstract
In this study, corn cob was used as raw material and modified methods employing KOH and KMnO4 were used to prepare activated carbon with high adsorption capacity for mercury ions. Experiments on the effects of different influencing factors on the adsorption of [...] Read more.
In this study, corn cob was used as raw material and modified methods employing KOH and KMnO4 were used to prepare activated carbon with high adsorption capacity for mercury ions. Experiments on the effects of different influencing factors on the adsorption of mercury ions were undertaken. The results showed that when modified with KOH, the optimal adsorption time was 120 min, the optimum pH was 4; when modified with KMnO4, the optimal adsorption time was 60 min, the optimal pH was 3, and the optimal amount of adsorbent and the initial concentration were both 0.40 g/L and 100 mg/L under both modified conditions. The adsorption process conforms to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Zeta potential characterization results showed that the adsorption process is mainly physical adsorption, surface complexation and ion exchange. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Systems and Applications in Agriculture)
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