Herein, we report a facile preparation of super-hydrophilic sand by coating the sand particles with cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels for enhanced water absorption and controlled water release aimed at desert agriculture. To prepare the sample, 4 wt% of aqueous PAM solution is mixed with organic cross-linkers of hydroquinone (HQ) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) in a 1:1 weight ratio and aqueous potassium chloride (KCl) solution. A specific amount of the above solution is added to the sand, well mixed, and subsequently cured at 150 °C for 8 h. The prepared super-hydrophilic sands were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) for chemical composition and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for successful polymer coating onto the sand. The water storage for the samples was studied by absorption kinetics at various temperature conditions, and extended water release was studied by water desorption kinetics. The water swelling ratio for the super-hydrophilic sand has reached a maximum of 900% (9 times its weight) at 80 °C within 1 h. The desorption kinetics of the samples showed that the water can be stored for up to a maximum of 3 days. Therefore, super-hydrophilic sand particles were successfully prepared by coating them with PAM hydrogels, which have great potential to be used in sustainable desert agriculture.

The article considers an actual problem of organizing a safe and sustainable urban transport system. We have examined the existing positive global experience in both infrastructural and managerial decisions. Then to assess possible solutions at the stage of infrastructure design, we have developed the simulation micromodels of transport network sections of the medium-sized city (Naberezhnye Chelny) with a rectangular building type. The models make it possible to determine the optimal parameters of the traffic flow, under which pollutant emissions from cars would not lead to high concentrations of pollutants. Also, the model allows to obtain the calculated values of the volume of emissions of pollutants and the parameters of the traffic flow (speed, time of passage of the section, etc.). On specific examples, the proposed method’s effectiveness is shown. Case studies of cities of different sizes and layouts are implementation examples and possible uses proposed by the models. This study has shown the rationality of the suggested solution at the stage of assessing infrastructure projects and choosing the best option for sustainable transport development. The proposed research method is universal and can be applied in any city.

After the pandemic (COVID-19), there is a dire need to gain a competitive advantage for tourism organizations which can be accomplished by implementing new technologies to facilitate sustainable healthier services. Given that, the study aims to shed light on the importance of digital leadership to improve sustainable business performance considering the parallel mediation of digital technology and digital technology support in the tourism sector of Pakistan. The sample population consists of technology-based tourism organizations in Pakistan. Cochran’s formula was chosen for sampling, in which 37 organizations with 792 employees were selected for data through a random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed through structural equation modeling, and findings reveal that digital leadership positively influences sustainable business performance. Furthermore, the mediating role of technological leadership support and digital technologies partially mediates the association between digital leadership and sustainable performance.

[Objective]In order to explore the sustainable food security level in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, ensure food security and sustainable development of agricultural modernization, it is necessary to establish a scientific food security evaluation system to safeguard local food security.[Methods]This paper takes the food system of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China as the research object, based on the food security research results at home and abroad, based on sustainable development thinking, combined with a new perspective of dynamic equilibrium research: Beginning with food normalcy, a comprehensive analysis of food production, food economy, social development, ecological security, and technical support for sustainable development is presented using the entropy-weighted TOPSIS model to build a food security evaluation system for sustainable development. [Conclusion]After systematic analysis, it is concluded that (1) the average value of food security score of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2008 to 2021 is 0.429, and the overall food in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is in general security level (0.400 ≤ Q1 ≤ 0.600), and the overall situation of food security is not optimistic, (2) from the segmentation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the high and low level of food security are divided into sections: midstream > downstream > upstream, and each province and city is slowly rising to different degrees. In this way, we propose general countermeasures to ensure local food security from the perspective of sustainable development.

The purpose of this study is to look at the negative environmental impacts and social problems, which require a government response to maintain the sustainability of the palm oil industry. This research uses Online Research Methods (ORMs) to collect data and information through the internet and other digital technologies. The collected data was then coded using Nvivo 12 Plus. The purpose of this study is to fill the research void left by previous researchers by analyzing investment strategies and services in supporting the sustainability of the palm oil industry in Riau Province. This study shows that to support the potential of the palm oil industry to remain optimal, the central and local governments coordinate to provide investment services and pay attention to the sustainability issues of the palm oil industry. Some important aspects to consider are strengthening regulations, an integrated plantation licensing system, improving access to markets, RSPO certification, realization of foreign investment, downstream industry, replanting programme, plantation revitalisation programme, and sustainable plantation partnerships. However, there are still some crucial challenges, particularly land conflicts, climate change, environmental issues, limited technology and innovation, and export market dependence. These challenges may hamper future investment opportunities.