In two field experiments, the effect of some weed control treatments (citric acid at the rate of 10, 15 and 20%, acetic acid at the rate of 20, 30 and 40%, oxadiargyl, oxyflurfen, rice straw mulch, hand hoeing and an unweeded check control treatment) on weed growth and onion productivity in sandy soils at the Agricultural Experimental Station of the National Research Centre, Egypt was studied. The results indicated that all weeded treatments reduced the dry weight of broadleaf, grassy and total weeds as compared with the weedy check. Oxadiargyl, followed by two hand hoeing, rice straw mulch and acetic acid 40% recorded the greatest weed control efficiency. Insignificant differences were noticed between these treatments. Applying rice straw mulch increased bulb length, bulb diameter, bulb weight and onion yield by 67.52, 57.55, 45.74 and 66.22% over the weedy check, respectively. The highest values of N, P and K were obtained from rice straw mulch treatment followed by hand hoeing, oxadiargyl and acetic acid 40% treatments. It may be concluded that farmers can certainly depend on mulching or acetic acid at 40% instead of using chemical herbicides especially in organic farm systems for controlling onion weeds.

The report presents the results of selected heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb) removal from industrial wastewater sludge collected from metallurgy industry. As washing solutions two chelating agents were used: EDTA and citric acid. The study was focused on 0.000 (deionized water), 0.010, 0.050, 0.075, 0.100 M and 0.000, 0.050, 0.100, 0.500, 1.000 M, EDTA and citric acid solutions, respectively.

Efficiency of EDTA and citric acid solutions for metal removal was studied by extraction of sludge samples with chelators. Chemical extraction of selected metals was effective for both types of solution. Optimal concentration of EDTA was 0.100M for Zn, Ni and Cd, 0.075 M for Cu and Pb. Optimal concentration of citric acid was 0.500 M for all analyzed metals

In the present research, an experimental investigation was conducted to assess the heat transfer coefficient of aqueous citric acid mixtures. The experimental facility provides conditions to assess the influence of various operating conditions such as the heat flux (0–190 kW/m2), mass flux (353–1059 kg/m2s) and the concentration of citric acid in water (10%– 50% by volume) with a view to measure the subcooled flow boiling heat transfer coefficient of the mixture. The results showed that two main heat transfer mechanisms can be identified including the forced convective and nucleate boiling heat transfer. The onset point of nucleate boiling was also identified, which separates the forced convective heat transfer domain from the nucleate boiling region. The heat transfer coefficient was found to be higher in the nucleate boiling regime due to the presence of bubbles and their interaction. Also, the influence of heat flux on the heat transfer coefficient was more pronounced in the nucleate boiling heat transfer domain, which was also attributed to the increase in bubble size and rate of bubble formation. The obtained results were also compared with those theoretically obtained using the Chen type model and with some experimental data reported in the literature. Results were within a fair agreement of 22% against the Chen model and within 15% against the experimental data.