Ammar A Albalasmeh | Jordan University of Science and Technology (original) (raw)

Papers by Ammar A Albalasmeh

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution

Journal of Cleaner Production

SSRN Electronic Journal

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat), one of the critical soil hydraulic properties, is used ... more Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat), one of the critical soil hydraulic properties, is used to model many soil hydrological processes. Measurement of K sat on a routine basis is a laborintensive, time-consuming, and expensive process. Alternatively, prediction of K sat values from easy to obtain soil features is more economical and saves time. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be used to model and describe the most influential features affecting K sat. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the potential use of generalized regression neural network (GRNN) to identify the optimal set of soil features to predict K sat under arid and semi-arid environments. A total of 165 soil samples were collected from three depths (0-15, 15-30, and 30-60 cm) and analyzed for K sat , texture, organic matter (OM), pH, bulk density (BD), and electrical conductivity (EC). Fourteen GRNN models were built with different feature combinations to identify the optimal set to predict K sat. The results showed that soil texture explained 78% of the variability in soil K sat while introducing EC improved model's ability to estimate soil K sat (R = 0.93, MSE = 2.89×10-12 m 2 S-2). The optimum set of soil properties that should be included in the model were sand and clay percentages and EC values as evidenced from the cross-validation results. The GRNN model (using small dataset and set of features) provided reliable predictions of K sat on bar with more complex models that included extensive set of features and used more extensive dataset. This work has implications for soil scients as provides an economical method to estimate K sat values.

Biomass and Bioenergy, 2021

Abstract The effect of pyrolysis temperature (T) and biomass particle size (z) on the biocoal&#39... more Abstract The effect of pyrolysis temperature (T) and biomass particle size (z) on the biocoal's heating value of Oak acorn shell (OA), deseeded carob pods (CP) and olive mill solid waste (OMSW) were investigated. The higher heating value (HHV) increased with T. The effect of the particle size differed according to the biomass. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimise the biocoal production system from technical, end-user and socio-environmental perspectives. The maximum HHV, representing the technical objective, is achieved at maximum T and minimum z for OA biocoal; at maximum T and minimum z for OMSW and at maximum T and maximum z for CP. The highest lower heating value (LHV), corresponding to end-user, for OA biocoal is achieved when T is greater than 450 °C and z 1750 μm. The maximum net energy return per kg of biomass processed and maximum GHG offset (socio-economic) is realised at the lowest T for all biomass and particle sizes. This study is relevant to policy makers as it highlights potential conflict between the optimal conditions to produce high quality biocoal characterised by its high LHV and the optimal conditions to achieve the maximum utility from the resource and in turn potentially higher socio-environmental return.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

An alternative strategy for saving limited water resources is using treated wastewater (TWW) orig... more An alternative strategy for saving limited water resources is using treated wastewater (TWW) originating from wastewater treatment plants. However, using TWW can influence soil properties owing to its characteristics compared to conventional water resources. Therefore, assessing the effect of TWW on soil properties and soil water infiltration is crucial to maintain sustainable use of TWW and to increase the water use efficiency of the precious irrigation water. Moreover, several studies were carried out to assess the performance of infiltration models. However, few studies evaluate infiltration models under the use of treated wastewater. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of TWW irrigation on soil properties after 2 and 5 years and to evaluate five classical infiltration models with field data collected from soil irrigated by treated wastewater for their capability in predicting soil water infiltration. This study revealed that using TWW for irrigation affects significantly on soil properties after 2 and 5 years. The soil irrigated with TWW had significantly higher electrical conductivity, organic matter, sodium adsorption ratio, cation exchange capacity, and lower soil bulk density compared to control. The basic infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration decreased significantly compared to control (60.84, 14.04, and 8.42 mm hr−1 and 140 mm, 72 mm, and 62 mm for control, 2, and 5 years’ treatments, respectively). The performance of the infiltration models proposed by Philip, Horton, Kostiakov, Modified Kostiakov, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service was evaluated with consideration of mean error, root mean square error, model efficiency, and Willmott’s index. Horton model had the lowest mean error (0.0008) and Philip model had the lowest root mean square error (0.1700) while Natural Resources Conservation Service had the highest values (0.0433 and 0.5898) for both mean error and root mean square error, respectively. Moreover, Philip model had the highest values of model efficiency and Willmott’s index, 0.9994 and 0.9998, respectively, whereas Horton model had the lowest values for the same indices, 0.9869 and 0.9967, respectively. Philip model followed by Modified Kostiakov model were the most efficient models in predicting cumulative infiltration, while Natural Resources Conservation Service model was the least predictable model.

Separation Science and Technology, 2020

Six biochars derived from olive mill solid waste were prepared by varying the temperature and tre... more Six biochars derived from olive mill solid waste were prepared by varying the temperature and treatment with FeCl 3. The adsorption capacity of the biochar increased with the pyrolysis temperature and was in the order pre-treated>post-treated>untreated. The Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic models best fit the experimental results. The 550°C pre-treated biochar had the highest adsorption capacity from aqueous solutions (103.9 and 73.9 mg.g −1 at pH = 2 and 5, respectively). Chemisorption was the dominating mechanism. The adsorption capacity using olive mill wastewater was 51.3 mg.g −1. This work demonstrates that waste can be reused within the process to achieve cleaner production.

International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2017

Treated wastewater is a valuable resource, particularly in countries facing water shortage such a... more Treated wastewater is a valuable resource, particularly in countries facing water shortage such as Jordan. Nevertheless, excess nutrients, especially phosphorus, may have detrimental impacts on receiving waterbodies. Treated wastewater in Jordan often exceeds the recommended levels set by the Jordanian Standards for wastewater reuse and discharge. Therefore, it is important to reduce phosphorus loads to acceptable levels before discharge. Biofiltration is a low-cost technology that has shown good potential for wastewater treatment. The performance of biofilters largely depends on the media used. In this study, local sand and sand augmented with biochar prepared from the olive oil processing waste (SBC) were used as filter media for phosphorus removal from clarified secondary treated wastewater. The two media types were tested under different hydraulic and phosphorus loading conditions to simulate shock, flooding, and inundation conditions. The results showed that sand media was more effective in removing phosphorus (90.8 ± 2.6%) than sand amended with biochar (83.3 ± 3.2%). Both media showed resilience under extreme loading conditions. Although phosphorus removal efficiency was negatively affected following the extreme loading events, the observed effects were temporary. The simulated inundation event further showed that the media was able to retain the adsorbed phosphorus. Furthermore, the phosphorus concentration in the effluent remained within the prescribed discharge guidelines at all times.

Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, 2022

BackgroundTomatoes (Solanum lycopersiconL.) are one of the main daily consumed vegetables in the ... more BackgroundTomatoes (Solanum lycopersiconL.) are one of the main daily consumed vegetables in the human diet. Tomato has been classified as moderately sensitive to salinity at most stages of plant development, including seed germination, seedling (vegetative), and reproduction phases. In this study, we evaluated the performance and response of 39 tomato landraces from Jordan under salt stress conditions. Furthermore, the landraces were also genetically characterized using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers.ResultsThe studied morphological-related traits at the seedling stage were highly varied among landraces of which the landrace number 24 (Jo970) showed the best performance with the highest salt tolerance. The total number of amplification products produced by five primers (LEaat002, LEaat006, LEaat008, LEga003, LEta019) was 346 alleles. Primer LEta 019 produced the highest number of alleles (134) and generated the highest degree of polymorphism (100%) among landraces in addition...

Water

Soil and Tillage Research

Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition , 2021

The aim of this study was to assess the potential use of biochar derived from olive pruning to en... more The aim of this study was to assess the potential use of biochar derived from olive pruning to enhance soil properties and tomato and bell pepper plant growth and yield performance in arid environments. Biochar was prepared from olive tree–pruning residues. The biochar was applied to field experiments of tomato and bell pepper plants at five application rates (0, 8, 16, 30, and 40 t ha−1). Relative water content (RWC), leaf chlorophyll, and leaf nutrient (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)) contents were measured. The total yield was determined for each treatment. Fruit nutrient contents were determined in selected fruit samples. Soil samples were collected from each treatment at the middle and end of the experiment for physical and chemical analysis. All experiments were conducted in triplicate. The application of biochar at rates of 8 and 16 t ha−1 enhanced tomato and bell pepper growth; however, application of 30 and 40 t ha−1 adversely affected tomato and bell pepper growth. Nutrient analysis showed that N, P, and K concentrations in leaves and fruits were higher in plants treated with 8 and 16 t ha−1 of biochar than in biochar treatments of 30 and 40 t ha−1. Higher biochar application rates increased soil pH and EC by 1.4% and 12.3% (8 t ha−1) to 7.3% and 107.8% (40 t ha−1), respectively. A biochar application rate of 8 t ha−1 is recommended as an optimal rate to enhance soil fertility for tomato and bell pepper production systems in arid environments.

Catena, 2021

Soil salinity is best estimated by saturated paste extract (ECe), the most reliable monitoring me... more Soil salinity is best estimated by saturated paste extract (ECe), the most reliable monitoring method to assess plant growth that is directly related to the field water content. However, this procedure is laborious and time-consuming, therefore, more convenient methods such as 1:5 soil: water extract is commonly used to estimate the ECe. Traditionally, a conversion factor (CF) based on a linear correlation between the diluted extract and ECe is employed for the estimation purposes. However, CF is affected by site-specific conditions. The objective of this research is to demonstrate a novel modelling approach that allows incorporating site-specific soil and irrigation water parameters to improve the accuracy of the ECe estimation. A total of 177 soil samples were collected from agricultural soils in the Jordan Valley representing different soil textures, crops and water qualities. ECe, EC 1:5 , clay and sand content, soil texture and saturation percentage (θ SP) were determined. The collected data were used to construct models using three distinct approaches: traditional CF; incorporating θ SP as a surrogate of soil texture to cater the CF to the site-conditions, and Artificial Neural Networks to incorporate site-specific parameters. The neural network model gave the most accurate estimates (R 2 = 0.987, MSE = 2.39) and was able to handle the heteroscedasticity of the data. Meanwhile, the incorporation of θ SP to estimate the CF that best represent the site has shown improved prediction quality over the traditional CF approach as it was more capable of handling the heteroscedasticity of the data. The neural network model allows for the incorporation of location-specific parameters and therefore offers a flexible tool for better management of agricultural soils. Although, this work used a case study location to demonstrate the concepts discussed, the approach is generalizable and can be easily adapted to other locations.

WATER, 2020

Soil water infiltration is a critical process in the soil water cycle and agricultural practices,... more Soil water infiltration is a critical process in the soil water cycle and agricultural practices, especially when wastewater is used for irrigation. Although research has been conducted to evaluate the changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of soils irrigated by treated wastewater, a quantitative analysis of the effects produced on the infiltration process is still lacking. The objective of this study is to address this issue. Field experiments previously conducted on three adjacent field plots characterized by the same clayey soil but subjected to three different irrigation treatments have been used. The three irrigation conditions were: non-irrigated (natural conditions) plot, irrigated plot with treated wastewater for two years, and irrigated plot with treated wastewater for five years. Infiltration measurements performed by the Hood infiltrometer have been used to estimate soil hydraulic properties useful to calibrate a simplified infiltration model widely used under ponding conditions, that were existing during the irrigation stage. Our simulations highlight the relevant effect of wastewater usage as an irrigation source in reducing cumulative infiltration and increasing overland flow as a result of modified hydraulic properties of soils characterized by a lower capacity of water drainage. These outcomes can provide important insights for the optimization of irrigation techniques in arid areas where the use of wastewater is often required due to the chronic shortage of freshwater.

Soil and Tillage Research, 2021

Improving soil properties, especially in arid and semiarid regions, is an urgent need for sustain... more Improving soil properties, especially in arid and semiarid regions, is an urgent need for sustainable food production. This study aims to evaluate the effect of applying two types of anionic polyacrylamide polymers (PAMs) with different molecular weights on: (1) soil aggregate stability, (2) infiltration rate and (3) saturated hydraulic conductivity of sandy loam soil and introduce a novel modelling approach to predict the effect of PAM addition on the mentioned soil properties. Polymers were applied at five different concentrations; 0, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 mg L − 1. Direct positive relations between the concentrations of PAM (low and high molecular weight) and saturated hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate were observed. Nevertheless, the relations were more pronounced in case of low molecular weight PAM. The difference between the effect of the two PAMs on infiltration rate was statistically significant at α = 0.05. On the other hand, the differences were not significant except for the 1000 mg L − 1 concentration in case of saturated hydraulic conductivity. Meanwhile, concentration has an effect on increasing soil aggregate stability only in case of low molecular weight PAM. At the concentration 1000 mg L-1 of low molecular weight PAM, aggregate stability and saturated hydraulic conductivity increased 3-fold while infiltration rate increased by more than 7-fold compared to the control. It is hypothesized that the change in the mentioned properties is correlated to the amount of PAM adsorbed by the soil and hence they can be used as surrogate parameters of adsorption. Modified versions of the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations were used to model the change in aggregate stability and saturated hydraulic conductivity in response to the PAM concentration. The pseudo-first and second kinetics models were applied to predict the change in infiltration rate. The models showed excellent fit to the experimental data, thus supporting our hypothesis. The results suggest that low molecular weight PAM is more efficient in improving the physical properties of sandy loam soil. The modelling approach presented in this work may be extended to other types of soil. Other isotherm models may be used to predict the response of soil to PAM concentration where the Langmuir or Freundlich isotherms do not apply. This modelling approach provides land managers with a decision support tool to optimize PAM application.

Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 2020

Biochar has been explored as a sorbent for contaminants, soil amendment and climate change mitiga... more Biochar has been explored as a sorbent for contaminants, soil amendment and climate change mitigation tool through carbon sequestration. Through the optimization of the pyrolysis process, biochar can be designed with qualities to suit the intended uses. Biochar samples were prepared from four particle sizes (100-2000 µm) of three different feedstocks (oak acorn shells, jift and deseeded carob pods) at different pyrolysis temperatures (300-600 °C). The effect of these combinations on the properties of the produced biochar was studied. Biochar yield decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature for all particle sizes of the three feedstocks. Ash content, fixed carbon, thermal stability, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), specific surface area (SSA) of biochar increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Volatile matter and pH value at the point of zero charge (pHpzc) of biochar decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicated that the surface of the biochar was rich with hydroxyl, phenolic, carbonyl and aliphatic groups. Methylene blue (MB) adsorption capacity was used as an indicator of the quality of the biochar. Artificial neural networks (ANN) model was developed to predict the quality of the biochar based on operational conditions of biochar production (parent biomass type, particle size, pyrolysis temperature). The model successfully predicted the MB adsorption capacity of the biochar. The model is a very useful tool to predict the performance of biochar for water treatment purposes or assessing the general quality of a design biochar for specific application.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2020

Olive oil industry generates a considerable amount of olive mill wastewater (OMW) each year, whic... more Olive oil industry generates a considerable amount of olive mill wastewater (OMW) each year, which increases the difficulties for successful processing and disposing. A possible and potential alternative is controlled application of OMW into the land. In these two fields' experiments, we investigated a sustainable controlled land application of OMW to enhance soil properties and improve barley production under rainfed conditions. OMW was spread at five application rates (20, 40, 60, 80, and 120 m 3 ha −1) in addition to the control at two sites, Rabba and Ghweer. The physico-chemical characterizations of OMW were determined throughout the season. Physicochemical properties of soil were measured after 2 weeks of OMW spreading after planting and after barley harvest. Leaf nutrient content as well as other growth performance has been measured. The results of this study showed no harmful effect of OMW application for all application rates on growth parameters of barley as well as soil properties at both locations. Under all application rates, OMW has increased soil organic matter and nutrient contents, which could reduce the use of chemical fertilizer. There was a significant increase in barley growth in OMW treatments for dry weight (DM) (14 and 22%), biological yield (BYLD) (49 and 34%), grain yield (GYLD) (41 and 47%), and straw yield (SYLD) (55 and 31%) at Rabba and Ghweer sites, respectively. The results exhibited the benefit of controlled application of OMW. However, long-term effect of OMW application needs more study, and local legislative is necessary.

Water Air Soil Pollution, 2019

In this study, we investigated the effect of olive mill wastewater on selected soil physical and ... more In this study, we investigated the effect of olive mill wastewater on selected soil physical and hydraulic properties. Olive mill wastewater was added to each column every week at different loading rates (0, 50, 100, and 200 m 3 ha −1 ). Physicochemical and hydraulic properties were determined for surface (0-8 cm) and subsurface layers (8-16 and 16-24 cm). The highest loading rate (200 m 3 ha −1 ) showed an increase in aggregate stability from 18% (control) to 31 and to 38%, penetration resistance from 1.8 kg cm −2 (control) to 3.5 and to 4.5 kg cm −2 , hydraulic conductivity from 43 cm day −1 (control) to 15.3 and 3.3 cm day −1 , and water repellency from < 5 s (control) to 120 and 261 s in the first and second months for the surface layer, respectively. The opposite was observed for the infiltration rate, where it decreased from 39.01 mm h −1 (control) to 1.26 and 0.42 mm h −1 for the first and second months, respectively. This study showed that application of olive mill wastewater deteriorated the physical and hydraulic properties of soil proportional to loading rates and more specifically at the surface layer.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2019

The olive mill wastewater (OMW) properties impose substantial practical and fiscal difficulties f... more The olive mill wastewater (OMW) properties impose substantial practical and fiscal difficulties for effective management and dumping. A feasible and practical option is a regulated spreading of OMW into the soil. This study aimed to investigate the sustainable reuse of OMW through land application to enhance soil quality and wheat growth performance under rain-fed conditions. OMW was spread at 20, 40, 60, 80, and 120 m 3 ha −1 at two sites. Soil physical and chemical properties were measured after OMW application and after harvest. Wheat growth performance and leaf nutrient content were determined. This study revealed no deleterious influence of OMW application on soil properties and wheat growth at the two locations for all OMW application doses. The OMW land spreading improved significantly wheat growth by increasing the biological yield (BYLD) (8.4 to 36.5%), grain yield (GYLD) (20.1 to 79.4%), and harvest index (HI) (4.2 to 60.2%). Based on the measured soil chemical parameters and wheat grain yield, we can suggest that OMW application rate at 60 m 3 ha −1 could improve significantly wheat growth without significant negative impact on soil properties. In conclusion, we recommend using OMW as suggested in this study for wheat. However, still the long-term application of OMW assessment and local legislative adaptation of saving use are necessary.

The effect of irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) on soil physico-chemical and hydraulic pro... more The effect of irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) on soil physico-chemical and hydraulic properties was evaluated in this study. Field treatments were: non-irrigated (rain-fed) plot (control), rain-fed plot for the first three years and irrigated with TWW for the last two years (2 yr) and plot irrigated with TWW for five years (5 yr). Soil samples were collected from two depth intervals (0–15 and 15–30 cm) in five replicates. Irrigation with TWW significantly increased aggregate stability (AS), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), organic matter (OM), and electrical conductivity (EC). Both hydraulic conductivity (HC) and cumulative infiltration (F(t)) were decreased significantly with TWW use and period of application. Moreover, reduction of HC at different tension revealed that pore clogging occurred at both, macro and micro scale. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that soil pores were clogged partially and/or fully as a result of suspended particulates and organic matter. Enhanced AS of treated areas indicated that infiltration was more affected by pore clogging than soil dispersion and swelling.

Soil structure directly determines important soil physical properties including porosity, hydraul... more Soil structure directly determines important soil physical properties including porosity, hydraulic conductivity, water retention, and mechanical strength and indirectly influences most biological and chemical processes that occur in and around soil. The interaction of environmental and biotic agents influences the physical condition of the soil, particularly through soil structural evolution. Wetting and drying cycles are important environmental processes known to enhance aggregation, while clay minerals, sesquioxides and soil organic matter (SOM) are the soil solids most involved in soil structural development. We hypothesize that drying of capillary water transports suspended and/or dissolved cementing agents toward inter-particle contacts and eventually deposits part of the colloidal mass forming inter-particle bonds. Here, we will show the role of wetting and drying cycles on soil aggregation and stabilization and how these cycles transport and deposit organic cementing agents ...