Sustainable global energy supply based on lignocellulosic biomass from afforestation of degraded areas

An important aspect of present global energy scenarios is the assumption that the amount of biomass that can be grown on the available area is so limited that a scenario based on biomass as the major source of energy should be unrealistic. We have been investigating the question whether a Biomass Scenario may be realistic. We found that the global energy demand projected by the International Energy Agency in the Reference Scenario for the year 2030 could be provided sustainably and economically primarily from lignocellulosic biomass grown on areas which have been degraded by human activities in historical times. Moreover, other renewable energies will contribute to the energy mix. There would be no competition with increasing food demand for existing arable land. Afforestation of degraded areas and investment for energy and fuel usage of the biomass are not more expensive than investment in energy infrastructure necessary up to 2030 assumed in the fossil energy based Reference Scenario, probably much cheaper considering the additional advantages such as stopping the increase of and even slowly reducing the CO₂ content of the atmosphere, soil, and water conservation and desertification control. Most importantly, investment for a Biomass Scenario would be actually sustainable, in contrast to investment in energy-supply infrastructure of the Reference Scenario. Methods of afforestation of degraded areas, cultivation, and energetic usage of lignocellulosic biomass are available but have to be further improved. Afforestation can be started immediately, has an impact in some few years, and may be realized in some decades. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Experimental investigation of open core downdraft biomass gasifier for food processing industry

This paper deals with field related experience of a low temperature industrial heat application through biomass gasification. The gasification system is essentially consists of an open top down draft reactor lined with ceramic. The experiment reveals that 6.5 kg of liquefy petroleum gas (LPG) is fully replaced by 38 kg of sized wood on hourly basis. The maximum temperature attained was 367°C in 130 min at 100.7 Nm³ h⁻¹ gas flow rate. This system has resulted a saving of about 19.5 tons of LPG over 3,000 h of operation, implying a saving of about 33 tons of CO₂ emission, thus a promising candidate for clean development mechanism. Fuel economic analysis of gasifier system showed that the saving was about 13,850 US$ for 3,000 h of baking operation.     

侧流化学磷回收强化生物除磷的模拟预测与试验验证

为了强化污水中生物除磷作用,本研究通过模拟预测与实验室试验验证了厌氧上清液侧流化学磷沉淀与回收对强化生物除磷的促进作用.模拟预测与试验结果表明,在进水COD/P=37.5工况下,当侧流比增加至30%时,通过化学磷沉淀（调节pH＞9.0）可使出水中TP浓度从碳源抑制时的＜6.0 mg·L-1（以P计）下降至≤1.0 mg·L-1（以P计）,同时可回收进水中P负荷的64%.经验证与校正后的TUD数学模型模拟预测有着与试验结果近乎一致的效果.因此,数学模拟技术完全有可能取代中间试验过程而直接将小试结果放大至工程应用.     

Self-ignition tendency of solid fuels: A gas emissions approach for early detection

Self-ignition of solid fuels storage is one of the main causes of human and economic losses. Additionally, each fire caused by this phenomenon emits an amount of toxic gases that contributes on the development of climate change. Nowadays, several methodologies are used in order to detect the self-ignition tendency of solid fuels, but they have as main disadvantages the amount of money and time that they require. The aim of this study is to propose a methodology of detection of incipient self-ignition of solid fuels through the measurement of gas emissions. This study compares existing methodologies to detect self-ignition tendency, such as TG, DSC or susceptibility, and to combustion related gas emission results. Different methods have been used to evaluate the results from the gas emission test, showing that interval and inflexion methods provide early detection of the self-heating process. With this methodology, it is possible to determine this process in advance with the equipment currently available in every industrial facility, reducing costs and improving efficiency.     

Modeling and simulation of biogas-fueled power system

The main objective of this paper is to develop a complete model that fully simulate a biogas-fueled power plant which can be used to supply a rural farm with sufficient electricity. The reactor is fed with animal manure of the farm. The proposed model consists of three main parts; a biogas reactor, a microturbine (MT) coupled to a permanent magnet synchronous generator, and a storage system. The model describes the dynamics of an MT and it is suitable for both steady state and transient simulation and analysis. The volume of biogas output delivered from the Anaerobic Digester depends on the reactor volume, reactor temperature, and animal manure type. The storage system is used to store the excess value of biogas if any. It is composed of two parts: a comparator and a storage tank. The comparator compares the volume of biogas produced by the reactor with that needed to supply the load. An adaptive controller is developed to withstand the system against any transient condition such as suddenly load increase/decrease. The proposed model is implemented for chemical and physical behaviors of the biogas production process, as well as for different variables of MT-generator operations. The model is implemented in Matlab/Simulink environment and tested under different operating conditions in both steady state and transient status to study the impacts of different variables on the system output. The output results prove its applicability and effectiveness under different operating conditions.     

水生植物生物能在苏州市CO2减排中的作用

苏州市的CO2排放量在逐年上升,CO2减排工作任务艰巨。开发无污染的新能源替代化石燃料是CO2减排的一种思路。苏州作为一个江南水乡城市,水资源丰富,水生植物生长旺盛。主要探讨了水生植物(包括藻类和水葫芦)生物能在苏州市CO2减排中的作用。通过粗略估算,藻类和水葫芦产生的年生物能(折算为标准煤)1 200.35万t,大约占苏州年总能耗的四分之一,即可以减少大约四分之一的CO2排放。因此,水生植物生物能在苏州市CO2减排中具有重要的作用。     

Production of boundary layer ozone from tropical American Savannah biomass burning emissions

Boundary layer ozone and carbon monoxide were measured at a savannah site in the Orinoco river basin, during the dry and wet seasons. CO and O₃ concentrations recorded around noontime show a good linear correlation, suggesting that the higher ozone levels observed during the dry season are photochemically produced during the oxidation of reactive hydrocarbons in the presence of NO_x both emitted by biomass burning. The rate of photochemical ozone production in the boundary layer ozone by biomass burning calculated from the production ratio ΔO₃/ΔCO (0.17±0.01 v : v) and the amount of CO produced by fires (0.26–1.3 mole m⁻² dry season⁻¹), ranges from 0.6 to 2.6 ppbv h⁻¹ for 8 h of daylight. This O₃ production rate is in fairly good agreement with the value derived from RO₂ radical measurements made in the Venezuelan savannah during the dry season. The net boundary layer production of O₃ from all tropical America savannah fires is estimated to range between 0.28 and 0.36 Tmol O₃ per year, which is about 3 times higher than the O₃ produced from pollution sources in the eastern United States during the summer. An extrapolation to all of the world's savannah would indicate a net boundary layer ozone production of about 1.2 Tmol yr⁻¹. This is discussed in the context of the overall global budget of tropospheric ozone.     

Interannual fluctuations in acoustic biomass estimates and in landings of small pelagic fish populations in relation to hydrology in the Strait of Sicily

The main results of research work carried out since 1998 with regard to the application of hydro-acoustic technologies for the evaluation of biomass and distribution of small pelagic fish species off the southern coast of Sicily are presented, taking into account information from hydrology and from ecology of the fish populations targeted. The biomass estimates and the population‐density charts presented concern the two main species, i.e. sardine Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) and anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758). Both the sardine and anchovy populations experienced large inter-annual fluctuations, with biomass estimates ranging from 6000 to over 36,000 tonnes (t) (sardine) and from about 7000 to 23,000 t (anchovy). Acoustic estimates are largely consistent with landings recorded in Sciacca (the main fishing port for small pelagic species in the study area) during the year following the evaluation surveys. In addition, trends in sardine and anchovy biomass estimates appears to be negatively correlated with the mean sea surface temperature calculated over the time intervals January–September (sardine) and June–November (anchovy) of the preceding year, which correspond to larval and juvenile growth periods of target species. Observed patterns would suggest the importance of enrichment processes relevant to the survival of early stages, so determining recruitment success and finally higher population sizes.     

提高碳汇潜力：量化树种和造林模式对碳储量的影响

全球气候变化背景下,造林再造林固定的碳可以抵消温室气体减限排量。通过造林再造林增加森林面积可以增加林业碳汇,在土地面积有限的情况下,提高造林质量——在有限的造林面积上固定更多的碳是十分必要的。树种和造林模式的选择是增加森林生态系统碳汇的重要管理决策。文章综述了树种和造林模式对生态系统的碳储量的影响。树种从生物量的积累,凋落物和土壤碳储存,以及木材密度、碳贮存量等几个方面探讨其对生态系统碳库的影响。混交林能充分利用立地条件、改善树木营养状况,并且可以减少病虫害和森林火灾。同时分析了我国在森林经营方面存在的问题和改善途径,以期为该领域的研究提供参考。     

Biorefinery study of availability of agriculture residues and wastes for integrated biorefineries in Brazil

Brazil has a great potential for use renewable raw materials in biorefineries. It is one of the largest producers of agricultural and animal commodities, which produce large amounts of residues and wastes. These agricultural residues and animal waste can be effectively transformed to energy and other products in systems similar to a ethanol refinery where an integrated process involves conversion for biomass into fuel, energy and chemicals, integrated in the context of a biorefinery. The objective of this work is the determination of the actual availability of main agricultural residues and animal wastes generated in Brazil and of their generation potential index and their prospects for 2020. The results indicate that the sugarcane has the highest agronomic availability, reaching 157 million tons of fresh material and an estimated reuse potential of 19.6 million tons (dry basis), followed by soybeans, rice, maize, orange, wheat, cotton, cassava and tobacco.