Emissions from burning biofuels in metal cookstoves

Promoting stoves that burn wood and other biofuels more efficiently is one of the means to reduce fuel consumption, but such efficient stoves may also emit more carbon monoxide and total suspended particulates. In an earlier study, a standard chamber method was proposed to estimate emission factors from burning fuelwood (Acacia nilotica). Here that methodology is extended to measure emission factors from burning of dungcakes and crop residues (Brassica or mustard stalks)—common fuels in many developing countries. The amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) and total suspended particulates (TSP) emitted by four different models of stoves, when using each of the three biofuels, are measured.The CO emission factors range from 13–68 (g/kg) for fuelwood to 26–67 g/kg for dungcakes and 20–114 g/kg for crop residues, for particulates they range from 1.1–3.8 to 4.1–7.8 and 2.1–12.0 g/kg for the three fuels, respectively. On a per unit heat delivered basis, the emissions of CO and TSP from both dungcakes and crop residues are two to three times higher compared to those from fuelwood. While for some improved stove-fuel combinations, the increase in emission factors was offset by the increase in thermal efficiency, this was not always so and causes a dilemma. The more efficient stoves are found to have higher emission factors of both CO and TSP for all three fuels. Emissions per standard task (i.e, on a unit heat delivered basis) is proposed as a criterion to evaluate cookstoves.     

青山水库底栖动物群落初步研究

1996年10月－1997年7月对青山水库底栖大型无脊椎动物群落进行了4次采样调查,共发现大型底栖无脊椎动物16种,其中寡毛类5种,水生昆虫7种,软件动物2种,蛭类和线虫各1种。青山水库底栖动物群落密度和生物量的水平变化为库出口＞库中心＞进口。湖区底栖动物群落占优势的各类为：刺夹长足摇蚊（Tanypus punctipennis）、花翅前突摇蚊（Procladius choreus)和霍甫水丝蚓（Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri)。调查结果表明,目前青山水库底栖动物群落的种类组成指示该水体已属富营养型,但从生物量上分析,目前青山水库应属中营养。     

2014年春季上海典型生物质燃烧污染过程分析

针对2014年5月末华东地区出现的大范围秸秆焚烧污染事件(BB),利用上海浦东超级站多种在线监测数据,并结合卫星遥感、数值模拟等方法,对污染期间前(BB-前)、中(BB-中)、后(BB-后)的时空演化进程进行了分析。结果表明,期间平均ρ(PM2.5)和ρ(BC)分别由BB-前的24.3和1.24μg/m3攀升至BB-中的111.90和5.38μg/m3,小时峰值出现在5月27日,达到238.0和15.1μg/m3,BB-后虽有显著好转,但"翘尾"现象明显,ρ(PM2.5)和ρ(BC)为34.6和1.49μg/m3;在空气污染扩散不利条件下,生物质燃烧污染会加重其他多种污染物的污染水平;农田秸秆燃烧烟羽的传输受气象条件所限,使得上海外围火点的多寡与城市污染的水平无必然联系。     

Emission factors for PCDD/PCDF and dl-PCB from open burning of biomass

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants includes in its aims the minimisation of unintentional releases of polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) and dioxin like PCB (dl-PCB) to the environment. Development and implementation of policies to achieve this aim require accurate national inventories of releases of PCDD/PCDF/dl-PCB. To support this objective, the Conference of Parties established a process to review and update the UNEP Standardized Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Dioxin and Furan Releases. An assessment of all emission inventories was that for many countries open burning of biomass and waste was identified as the major source of PCDD/PCDF releases. However, the experimental data underpinning the release estimates used were limited in number and, consequently, confidence in the accuracy of the emissions predictions was low. There has been significant progress in measurement technology since the last edition of the Toolkit in 2005. In this paper we reassess published emission factors for release of PCDD/PCDF and dl-PCB to land and air.In total, four types of biomass and 111 emission factors were assessed. It was found that there are no systematic differences in emission factors apparent between biomass types or fire classes. The data set is best described by a lognormal distribution. The geometric mean emission factors (EFs) for releases of PCDD/PCDF to air for the four biomass classes used in the Toolkit (sugarcane, cereal crops, forest and savannah/grass) are 1.6 μg TEQ (t fuel)⁻¹, 0.49 μg TEQ (t fuel)⁻¹, 1.0 μg TEQ (t fuel)⁻¹ and 0.4 μg TEQ (t fuel)⁻¹, respectively. Corresponding EFs for release of PCDD/PCDF to land are 3.0 ng TEQ (kg ash)⁻¹, 1.1 ng TEQ (kg ash)⁻¹, 1.1 ng TEQ (kg ash)⁻¹ and 0.67 ng TEQ (kg ash)⁻¹. There are now also sufficient published data available to evaluate EFs for dl-PCB release to air for sugarcane, forest and grass/savannah; these are 0.03 μg TEQ (t fuel)⁻¹, 0.09 μg TEQ (t fuel)⁻¹ and 0.01 μg TEQ (t fuel)⁻¹, respectively. The average EF for dl-PCB release to land is 0.19 ng TEQ (kg ash)⁻¹. Application of these EFs to national emissions of PCDD/PCDF for global estimates from open burning will lower previous estimates of PCDD/PCDF releases to air and to land by 85% and 90%, respectively. For some countries, the ranking of their major sources will be changed and open burning of biomass will become less significant than previously concluded.     

Efficient nitrogen doped porous carbonaceous CO2 adsorbents based on lotus leaf

In this work, the waste biomass lotus leaf was converted into N-doped porous carbonaceous CO₂ adsorbents. The synthesis process includes carbonization of lotus leaf, melamine post-treatment and KOH activation. For the resultant sorbents, high nitrogen content can be contained due to the melamine modification and advanced porous structure were formed by KOH etching. These samples were carefully characterized by different techniques and their CO₂ adsorption properties were investigated in detail. These sorbents hold good CO₂ adsorption abilities, up to 3.87 and 5.89 mmol/g at 25 and 0°C under 1 bar, respectively. By thorough investigation, the combined interplay of N content and narrow microporous volume was found to be responsible for the CO₂ uptake for this series of sorbents. Together with the high CO₂ adsorption abilities, these carbons also display excellent reversibility, high CO₂/N₂ selectivity, applicable heat of adsorption, fast CO₂ adsorption kinetics and good dynamic CO₂ adsorption capacity. This study reveals a universal method of obtaining N-doped porous carbonaceous sorbents from leaves. The low cost of raw materials accompanied by easy synthesis procedure disclose the enormous potential of leaves-based carbons in CO₂ capture as well as many other applications.     

Chemical characterization and source apportionment of PM1 and PM2.5 in Tianjin, China: Impacts of biomass burning and primary biogenic sources

The submicron particulate matter (PM₁) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) are very important due to their greater adverse impacts on the natural environment and human health. In this study, the daily PM₁ and PM_2.5 samples were collected during early summer 2018 at a sub-urban site in the urban-industrial port city of Tianjin, China. The collected samples were analyzed for the carbonaceous fractions, inorganic ions, elemental species, and specific marker sugar species. The chemical characterization of PM₁ and PM_2.5 was based on their concentrations, compositions, and characteristic ratios (PM₁/PM_2.5, AE/CE, NO₃^?/SO₄^2?, OC/EC, SOC/OC, OM/TCA, K+/EC, levoglucosan/K⁺, V/Cu, and V/Ni). The average concentrations of PM₁ and PM_2.5 were 32.4 µg/m³ and 53.3 µg/m³, and PM₁ constituted 63% of PM_2.5 on average. The source apportionment of PM₁ and PM_2.5 by positive matrix factorization (PMF) model indicated the main sources of secondary aerosols (25% and 34%), biomass burning (17% and 20%), traffic emission (20% and 14%), and coal combustion (17% and 14%). The biomass burning factor involved agricultural fertilization and waste incineration. The biomass burning and primary biogenic contributions were determined by specific marker sugar species. The anthropogenic sources (combustion, secondary particle formation, etc) contributed significantly to PM₁ and PM_2.5, and the natural sources were more evident in PM_2.5. This work significantly contributes to the chemical characterization and source apportionment of PM₁ and PM_2.5 in near-port cities influenced by the diverse sources.     

Characteristics of biomass ashes from different materials and their ameliorative effects on acid soils

The chemical characteristics, element contents, mineral compositions, and the ameliorative effects on acid soils of five biomass ashes from different materials were analyzed. The chemical properties of the ashes varied depending on the source biomass material. An increase in the concrete shuttering contents in the biomass materials led to higher alkalinity, and higher Ca and Mg levels in biomass ashes, which made them particularly good at ameliorating effects on soil acidity. However, heavy metal contents, such as Cr, Cu, and Zn in the ashes, were relatively high. The incorporation of all ashes increased soil pH, exchangeable base cations, and available phosphorus, but decreased soil exchangeable acidity. The application of the ashes from biomass materials with a high concrete shuttering content increased the soil available heavy metal contents. Therefore, the biomass ashes from wood and crop residues with low concrete contents were the better acid soil amendments.     

Environmental and socio-economic assessment of co-combustion of coal, biomass and non-hazardous wastes in a Power Plant

Under the framework of the European project named COPOWER, the possibility to partially substitute coal used in a 243 MW_th Power Plant by biomass and non-hazardous wastes for the production of electricity and steam was assessed. Three combustion scenarios were studied, based on the combustion tests performed in a Power Plant located in Duisburg (Germany): Scenario 0 (Sc0) - combustion of coal; Scenario 1 (Sc1) - combustion of coal + sewage sludge (SS) + meat and bone meal (MBM); Scenario 2 (Sc2) - coal + SS + wood pellets (WP). An environmental and socio-economic assessment of these three scenarios was performed. In the environmental point of view, Sc0 was the worst scenario, mainly due to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). Sc1 was the best scenario, mainly due to the reduction of GHG emission, eutrophication chemical species and ozone depletion gases. In the socio-economic point of view, Sc0 was the worst scenario, mainly due to the absence of GHG abatement, and Sc1 was the best scenario due to the best cost of electricity production and negative cost of avoided emissions.     

Development of TRIPLEX-Management model for simulating the response of forest growth to pre-commercial thinning

In order to simulate forest growth response to pre-commercial thinning (PCT), TRIPLEX1.0 - a process-based model designed to predict forest growth as well as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics - was modified and improved to also simulate managed forest ecosystem thinning practices. A three-parameter Weibull distribution model was integrated to simulate thinning treatments within the newly developed TRIPLEX-Management model. The thinning intensity component within the model allows users to simulate thinning treatments by applying basal area, stand density and volume to quantify thinning intensity. Natural mortality decreased following thinning due to an increase in growing space for residual stems. Predicted litterfall pools also increased after thinning events took place. The TRIPLEX-Management model was tested against published observational data for Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) stands subjected to PCT in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The coefficients of determination (R²) between the predicted and observed variables including stand density, mean DBH (diameter at breast height), the quadratic mean DBH, total volume and merchantable volume as well as belowground, aboveground, and total biomass ranged from 0.50 to 0.88 (n = 20, P < 0.001) with the exception of mean tree height (R² = 0.25, n = 20, P < 0.05). Overall, the Willmott index of agreement between predicted and observed variables ranged from 0.97 to 1.00. Results show that the TRIPLEX-Management model is generally capable of simulating growth response to PCT for Jack Pine stands.     

Solar Assisted Small-Scale Biomass District Heating System in the Northern Part of Sweden

Abstract

This article presents a case study of a projected solar assisted biomass district heating system in the north of Sweden. It is generally known that a biomass district heating system combined with solar heat brings many important benefits. The most common system solution is to install a heat store and a large solar collector field near the heating central. No plant of this type is however in operation in the northern part of Sweden. The main reason for this is that the solar irradiation at these latitudes is very low when the demand for heat is high. Solar heat could however be useful during summer in order to generate hot tap water. One problem is that the heat losses, calculated as percentage of the delivered heat, become very large during these months. This article presents the idea of allowing the connected households to generate their own hot tap water using solar collectors and heat stores installed in each house. The district heating network can therefore be closed in summer, which eliminates the heat losses outside the heating period. A case study of a projected plant has been carried out and it is shown that it is possible to reduce the heat losses by 20% compared to a conventional system. This idea also provides many other important technical and economic benefits.