Papers by Abdul Mouneimne
Bioresource Technology, Oct 1, 2003
In France, fatty residues considered as ''non-ultimate'' waste will not be accepted in landfill f... more In France, fatty residues considered as ''non-ultimate'' waste will not be accepted in landfill from 2002, in accordance with French legislation. Anaerobic digestion appears as an alternative process to mobilize and profitably use such fermentable waste. In this work, the effect of an alkaline pretreatment on the degradation of hexane extractible matter (HEM) and the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was compared in reactors working at pH 6.5 and 8.5. The results obtained showed that 40% (AE0.1) of HEM were degraded at pH 8.5 versus 10% (AE0.3) at pH 6.5, regardless of the alkali agent used to saponify the greasy wastes. The highest performances of VFA production (8.45% AE 0.3) were obtained at pH 8.5 with greases saponified by potassium hydroxide, compared to results (4.25% AE 0.1) with greasy waste saponified by sodium hydroxide. This difference in VFA production might be attributable to biotoxic molecules generated during the saponification of greases by soda, limiting consequently the VFA production process.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2003
Journal of Food Agriculture & Environment, 2010
Résumé/Abstract Leaf area estimation is an important biometrical observation one has to do for co... more Résumé/Abstract Leaf area estimation is an important biometrical observation one has to do for comparing plant growth in field and greenhouse experiments. Determining the individual leaf area (LA) of watermelon (Citrillus lanatus Thunb.) involves measurements of leaf ...
Photosynthetica, 2010
Accurate and nondestructive methods to determine individual leaf areas of plants are a useful too... more Accurate and nondestructive methods to determine individual leaf areas of plants are a useful tool in physiological and agronomic research. Determining the individual leaf area (LA) of rose (Rosa hybrida L.) involves measurements of leaf parameters such as length (L) and width (W), or some combinations of these parameters. Two-year investigation was carried out during 2007 (on thirteen cultivars) and 2008 (on one cultivar) under greenhouse conditions, respectively, to test whether a model could be developed to estimate LA of rose across cultivars. Regression analysis of LA vs. L and W revealed several models that could be used for estimating the area of individual rose leaves. A linear model having L×W as the independent variable provided the most accurate estimate (highest r 2 , smallest MSE, and the smallest PRESS) of LA in rose. Validation of the model having L×W of leaves measured in the 2008 experiment coming from other cultivars of rose showed that the correlation between calculated and measured rose LA was very high. Therefore, this model can estimate accurately and in large quantities the LA of rose plants in many experimental comparisons without the use of any expensive instruments.
Environmental Technology, Apr 1, 2004
The biological degradation of solid fatty residues is limited by their low bioavailability. In th... more The biological degradation of solid fatty residues is limited by their low bioavailability. In this work, the effect of the day mineral bentonite on the degradation of hexane extractable matter and its conversion to volatile fatty acids was investigated. Our results showed that the best performance in the elimination of hexane extractable matter (73% +/- 2.5) and the production of volatile fatty acids (39% +/- 1.5) were observed in continuous experimental assays with a bentonite/greases ratio of 0.9. Isotherm studies showed that the sorption equilibria of oleate on bentonite and sludge could be described by the LANGMUIR model.
Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration
Mixture of â-cyclodextrine and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used to enhance the desorption of... more Mixture of â-cyclodextrine and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used to enhance the desorption of atrazine from the soil. The effectiveness of atra-zine transfer from the soils to the solution reaches 98% with the combination of â-cyclodextrin with SDS. The mineralization of atrazine was carried out by its reaction with hydroxyl free radicals generated from zero valent iron powder by oxidative reaction. The complexation of atrazine with â-cyclodextrin indicates a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio for the binary inclusion complex between atrazine and ß-cyclodextrin with a formation constant K = 285 ± 15 M-1. Batch and columns studies were conducted for the remediation of soil polluted by atrazine. These studies allowed the development of a delivery vehicle for iron particles using aqueous ß-cyclodextrin/SDS solutions. The oxidation reaction of atrazine was carried out by iron particles under appropriate conditions with a nearly 99% removal at pH 6. More than 97 % of atrazine disappeared durin...
The aim of this study is to evaluate the maturity of the compost product. This was performed by m... more The aim of this study is to evaluate the maturity of the compost product. This was performed by measuring some of the main physico-chemical parameters of the mixture of olive pomace and cattle manure that were composted in different proportions. It must be noted that the composting was conducted at a medium experimental scale. The proportions of olive pomace to cattle manure were as the following: 1/1, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1, with a control for each of the used raw materials. Several parameters of the piles such as temperature, density, pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, organic matter, ammonium/nitrate ratio, available phosphorus and extractable potassium were periodically monitored. It was noticed a difference in the temperature for the treatments that were rich in carbon compared to the manure control. In addition, the results showed significant differences (P<0.05) between the different applied treatments during the composting process as follows: the pH tends, in all treatme...
The aroma of wine determines its acceptability by consumers. Thus, it is important to know the na... more The aroma of wine determines its acceptability by consumers. Thus, it is important to know the nature and quantities of the compounds present in the wine mixtures. Analysis of aromatic compounds highly depends on the extraction methods. The extraction method adopted for this study is the Micro Extraction in Solid Phase (SPME), using a Divinylbenzene/Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) fiber type. This task requires first the optimization of the SPME extraction through a central composite design. The factors considered are extraction time, extraction temperature and amount of NaCl added. After optimization, 5 vintages of wine Syrah-Adyar were analyzed using gaz chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry in order to study vintage effect. Digital chromatogram simulator has been used and treated by chemometrics. Results showed that three flavors seem to differ from vintage to another: ethyl acetate, 3-methyl-1-butanol and ethyl octanoate.
This study aims to determine the quality of compost produced by monitoring the evolution of diffe... more This study aims to determine the quality of compost produced by monitoring the evolution of different humic fractions (humin, total humic substances, humic and fulvic acids) generated during the composting. This is achieved by determining the organic carbon content, humic spectroscopic UV-visible ratio (E4/E6), humification parameter estimation and the number of humic fraction. The compost used is produced from a mixture of olive pomace and cattle manure composted for a 5 months at different proportions 50:50, 66:33, 75:25, 80:20.During composting, different fractions of humic substances undergo a decrease in carbon and E4/E6 ratio is the lowest in humic acids and the highest in fulvic acids. The results confirm the relative maturity of the final product after 150 days of composting but do not reach the expected humic quality. The fulvic acids predominate on the olive pomace control, while humic acids are dominant on composted mixtures. The estimated number of humic fraction can pro...
Environmental Science: an Indian journal, 2011
Mixture of â- cyclodextrine and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used to enhance the desorption o... more Mixture of â- cyclodextrine and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used to enhance the desorption of atrazine from the soil. The effectiveness of atrazine transfer from the soils to the solution reaches 98% with the combination of â-cyclodextrinwith SDS. The mineralization of atrazine was carried out by its reaction with hydroxyl free radicals generated from zero valent iron powder by oxidative reaction. The complexation of atrazine with â- cyclodextrin indicates a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio for the binary inclusion complex between atrazine and s-cyclodextrin with a formation constant K = 285 ± 15 M-1. Batch and columns studieswere conducted for the remediation of soils polluted by atrazine. These studies allowed the development of a delivery vehicle for iron particles using aqueous s-cyclodextrin/SDS solutions. The oxidation reaction of atrazine was carried out by iron particles under appropriate conditions with a nearly 99%removal at pH6.More than 97%of atrazine disappeared during 30 ...
This study attempts to address the environmental problems posed by olive mill wastewater (OMW). H... more This study attempts to address the environmental problems posed by olive mill wastewater (OMW). However, the spreading of OMW seems to be an efficient and economical technique to enhance bio-agroindustrial wastes. This work aims to evaluate the effects of the spreading of OMW on some physico-chemical properties of soil and the development of two cultures that are considered as susceptible as barley (Hordeum vulgare) and tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum). The experimentation was conducted in a greenhouse under controlled conditions on a sandy loam soil. The doses used of OMW are respectively 0 (as control), 1, 5, 10 and 15 L.m -2 . The evolution of physicochemical parameters of the soil was monitored after 1, 15, 30, 50 and 90 days of application. Plantings are made after 1, 15, 50, and 90 days of the application of OMW. The effects of olive mill wastewater on the development of the plants were determined. Phytotoxicity of OMW was determined by the germination test. The results of exp...
Mixture of β- cyclodextrine and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used to enhance the desorption o... more Mixture of β- cyclodextrine and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used to enhance the desorption of atrazine from the soil. The effectiveness of atrazine transfer from the soils to the solution reaches 98% with the combination of β-cyclodextrin with SDS. The mineralization of atrazine was carried out by its reaction with hydroxyl free radicals generated from zero valent iron powder by oxidative reaction. The complexation of atrazine with β- cyclodextrin indicates a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio for the binary inclusion complex between atrazine and ß-cyclodextrin with a formation constant K = 285 ± 15 M-1. Batch and columns studies were conducted for the remediation of soil polluted by atrazine. These studies allowed the development of a delivery vehicle for iron particles using aqueous ß-cyclodextrin/SDS solutions. The oxidation reaction of atrazine was carried out by iron particles under appropriate conditions with a nearly 99% removal at pH 6. More than 97 % of atrazine disappeared duri...
A new process of carbonization was used to carbonize different waste such as expired drugs, wood,... more A new process of carbonization was used to carbonize different waste such as expired drugs, wood, fruits, and polymer of β-cyclodextrin. The carbonization process was performed at 400 0 C and under pressure of 10 bars. The chars obtained were characterized and compared to the commercial activated charcoal. Mercury porosimetry and nitrogen adsorption were used to characterize the specific surface and porosities of the chars obtained by the carbonization of the four products. The surface area is lower for the fruit (S BET = 13 m 2 /g) than for the drugs, wood and polymer samples (S BET = 285,150, 40 m 2 /g respectively). The char obtained from expired drugs represent a relatively large surface area without any treatment, traditionally followed to prepare activated charcoal. The different samples have similar macropore diameters with mean values between 30 and 40 µm. The specific surface of the expired drug coal was relatively important and triggered a curiosity to develop the characte...
Journal of Applied Sciences Research
This study covers Ibrahim and El Kalb Rivers, located in Mount Lebanon, at central Lebanon. These... more This study covers Ibrahim and El Kalb Rivers, located in Mount Lebanon, at central Lebanon. These two rivers are emerging as part of our national heritage. They represent a very important key in our socio-economic and socio-geographic confrontations. Thus, due to the climate change and the stress that Lebanon embrace with the demographic and pollution extension, this present work emphasizes the importance of elaborating an inventory of water quality of these two rivers. The assessment was conducted from 2007 to 2008, covering almost all seasons, and located in the lower part of these two rivers. Physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics were considered. First, spatial and temporal variations showed that the study of each parameter separately is not interesting enough regarding the comprehension of the whole aquatic ecosystem. However, a multivariate analysis using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) shows a great interest in exploring and monitoring water quality of th...
Chromatographia, 2011
Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) at infinite dilution is a powerful technique to characterize the... more Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) at infinite dilution is a powerful technique to characterize the superficial and interfacial properties of solid substrates as oxides, polymers or polymers adsorbed on oxides. It can also be used to determine the physicochemical properties and the transition phenomena of polymers. In this paper, IGC was used to determine the changes, as a function of temperature,
Annals of Applied Biology, 2008
We aimed to evaluate the currently used allometric models, as well as to propose a reliable and a... more We aimed to evaluate the currently used allometric models, as well as to propose a reliable and accurate model using non-destructive measurements of leaf length (L) and/or width (W), for estimating the area of leaves of eight field-grown coffee cultivars. For model construction, a total of 1563 leaves were randomly selected from different levels of the tree canopies and encompassed the full spectrum of measurable leaf sizes (0.3-263 cm 2) for each genotype. Power models better fit coffee leaf area (LA) than linear models. To validate the model, an independent data set of 388 leaves was used. We demonstrated that the currently used allometric models are biased, underestimating the area of a coffee leaf. We developed a single power model À Y ¼ b 0 x b 1 Á based on two leaf dimensions [LA = 0.6626 (LW) 1.0116 ; standard errors: b 0 = 0.0064, b 1 = 0.0019; R 2 = 0.996] with high precision and accuracy, random dispersion pattern of residuals and also unbiased, irrespective of cultivar and leaf size and shape. Even when the L (but not width) alone was used as the single leaf dimension, the power model developed still predicted with good accuracy the LA but at the expense of some loss of precision, as particularly found for 8% of the leaves sampled with length-to-width ratios below 2.0 or above 3.0.
Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 2013
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Papers by Abdul Mouneimne