Bioenergy to mitigate for climate change and meet the needs of society,the economy and the environment

Changes towards environmental improvementsare becoming more politically acceptableglobally, especially in developedcountries. Society is slowly moving towardsseeking more sustainable productionmethods, waste minimisation, reduced airpollution from vehicles, distributed energygeneration, conservation of native forests,and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions. Modern biomass, when used tosupply useful bioenergy services, has arole to play in each one of theseenvironmental drivers at both the large andsmall scales.This paper describes recent developments inbiomass supply and the technologies for itsconversion to bioenergy including biofuelsfor transport. It examines the economic,environmental and social benefits andidentifies barriers to bioenergy projectimplementation. Future opportunities forbiomass as a carbon (C) sink, a C offsetand a potential source of renewablehydrogen are discussed.Whether or not a bioenergy project iseconomically viable, as well as being trulyrenewable, sustainable and environmentallysound, is determined mainly by the sourceof biomass. The social benefits from usingbiomass are also valuable, though they areoften not clearly presented when proposingnew bioenergy projects or conductinganalyses of existing plants. Employmentrates per MWh or per GJ exceed those whenusing fossil fuel supplies to provide thesame energy service. `Ownership' bystakeholders and local communities at anearly stage in the development process isthe key to successful project developmentin order to share the benefits. Bioenergyhas a significant global role to play inthe mitigation of atmospheric GHG concentrations.     

汞对蔬菜幼苗生长及氧化酶同工酶的影响

汞是城市污水中的一种主要有毒物,郊区农民常用这种污水灌溉农作物,造成减产。含汞工业污水对水稻、小麦种子萌发、幼苗及胚根生长的毒性影响及体内某些酶的变化已有一些报道,但对蔬菜幼苗期形态变化与体内某些酶变化的关系则很少有人探讨。我们用不同浓度汞溶液处理番茄等6种作物种子,探讨其对幼苗生长的影响及体内氧化酶同工酶变化的关系,为生产上早期检测作物受汞害的程度、选择抗汞害的作物品种提供依据。     

太湖流域农田生产-畜禽养殖系统氮素流动特征

为应对太湖严峻的水体富营养化现状,从源头上降低面源污染负荷,基于物质流分析法与质量守恒原理,研究了常熟市辛庄镇农田生产-畜禽养殖系统的氮素流动通量、流动效率及环境负荷,并用实测值进行了参数校正. 结果表明:2000—2012年,辛庄镇农田生产子系统的单位面积氮素流动通量呈下降趋势,而畜禽养殖子系统的单位面积氮素流动通量则在42.5~50.9 kg/hm2范围内持续波动. 氮素利用率与氮素循环利用率均较低,氮素环境损失率较高,系统损失的氮素中有54.5%进入周围水体. 2000年以来,作物种植与畜禽养殖对辛庄镇环境氮负荷的贡献率分别在38.8%~50.2%与25.4%~35.8%之间波动. 辛庄镇农田施氮量为310.8 kg/hm2,人畜排泄氮量为61.1 kg/hm2,分别远高于全国平均值(197.2和18.6 kg/hm2). 过量施用化学氮肥与畜禽粪便的大量排放是辛庄镇环境氮负荷加重的主要原因. 辛庄镇高投入高产出的农业生产方式加大了太湖水环境修复的难度. 建议调整作物种植与畜禽养殖结构,推广科学施肥与生态养殖,将农田生产与畜禽养殖结合形成产业链,以此减轻氮素环境负荷.      

Present Development Situation of Transgenic Crops and Effect on Ecological Environment

In recent years, genetic engineering technology has been playing a great role in improving crops. As far as property is concerned, transgenic crops are mainly classified into three types. One is anti-herbicide crops; next is anti-disease and anti-insect pest transgenic crops. The third is high added-value transgenic crops, such as insulin tomatoes China has cultivated. We have successfully expressed hepatitis B virus surface antigen genes in tomatoes and potatoes. Besides, scientists have al…     

高温厌氧细菌混合培养对纤维素酒精生产的提高作用

以高温厌氧细菌热纤维梭菌(Clostridium thermocellum LQRI)和嗜热厌氧乙醇菌(Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus X514和Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus39E)为对象,以纤维素为微生物利用的底物,分析了LQRI纯培养和LQRI+Thermoanaerobacter混合培养对纤维素降解、酒精生产及终产物分布的影响.结果表明,LQRI+Thermoanaerobacter混合培养的酒精生产能力和纤维素降解率明显高于LQRI纯培养.在混合培养体系中,LQRI+X514的酒精生产能力明显高于LQRI+39E.培养基中无外源酵母粉条件下,LQRI纯培养酒精最高浓度约为11.5mmol/L,LQRI+X514和LQRI+39E混合培养最高酒精浓度分别约为71mmol/L和36.5mmol/L,相同的底物纤维素浓度条件LQRI+X514和LQRI+39E混合培养酒精浓度分别约为LQRI纯培养的5～11倍和3～5倍,纤维素降解率分别都约为LQRI纯培养的1.5～5.0倍;培养基中0.6%外源酵母粉存在条件下,LQRI纯培养酒精最高浓度约为12.9mmol/L,LQRI+X514和LQRI+39E混合培养最高酒精浓度分别约为263.5mmol/L和143.5mmol/L,相同的底物纤维素浓度条件LQRI+X514和LQRI+39E混合培养酒精浓度分别约为LQRI纯培养的8～22倍和8～12倍,纤维素降解率均约为LQRI纯培养的1.1倍.在5%Solka Floc为底物和0.6%外源酵母粉的条件下,LQRI+X514混合培养酒精浓度最高可达到263.5mmol/L,相当于1.2%(质量浓度)的酒精,LQRI+39E约为143mmol/L.     

近20a三峡库区农林地利用变化图谱特征分析

土地利用变化图谱单元能够把表示"空间单元特征的图"与表示"时间发展之起点与过程的谱"合为一体,并建立起空间—属性—过程一体化数据信息。论文以TM/ETM影像为空间数据源,构建三峡库区1990—2000年和2000—2010年两个阶段农林地利用变化信息图谱,以及融合1990、2000、2010年这三个时期土地利用现状的变化模式图谱,以探讨库区近20 a来的农林用地变化轨迹和特征规律。结果表明:1 1990—2000年阶段的农林地利用变化图谱主要以农林地间及其和草地互换、建设用地占用农林地的图谱单元类型为主。空间差异上最为显著的是"耕地→建设用地(编码15)"、"草地→林地(编码32)"和"林地→草地(编码23)",空间分离度较低。2 2000—2010年阶段的农林地利用变化图谱单元分离度增大,农林地利用发生转换空间进一步扩张。最显著变化的是"耕地→林地(编码12)"和"耕地→建设用地(编码15)"图谱单元类型,其次是农林地转换为水域图谱类型(编码14和24)的面积增大。3库区农林地利用变化模式以前期变化型和后期变化型为主,反复变化型和持续变化型发生概率较小,库区农林地利用的转换具有明显的时间阶段性特征。     

SOIL MOISTURE SENSING WITH AIRCRAFT OBSERVATIONS OF THE DIURNAL RANGE OF SURFACE TEMPERATURE1

ABSTRACT: Aircraft Observations of the surface temperature were made by measurements of the thermal emission in the 8-14 μm band over agricultural fields around Phoenix, Arizona. The diuranal range of these surface temperature measurnments were well correlated with the ground measurment of soil moisture in the 0-2 cm layer. The surface temperature indicating no moisture stress. These results indicate that for clear atmospheric conditions remoteley sensed sufrace temperatures can be a reliable indicator of soil moisture conditions and crop status.     

Herbaceous Covers to Control Tree Invasion in Rights-of-Way: Ecological Concepts and Applications

In northeastern America, thousands of kilometers of utility rights-of-way (ROWs) have to be managed to prevent the establishment of a tall vegetation cover that does not comply with safety and maintenance regulations. Recent decades have seen the emergence of ecologically based vegetation control strategies to reduce environmental impacts as well as maintenance costs. One such strategy is to take advantage of competitive herbaceous covers to limit tree invasion. This approach, however, as well as its fundamental underlying principles, has been little scrutinized. In this article, (1) we present the main ecological concepts supporting the use of a herbaceous cover to limit tree invasion, emphasizing naturally forested ecosystems of northeastern America. They include reported evidence of stable plant communities and an overview of potential underlying mechanisms of inhibition. (2) We then review field applications, specifically testing the ability of seeded herbaceous covers to control tree invasion in ROWs. (3) We discuss unresolved issues relevant to management and research. The available evidence suggests that seeding herbaceous covers in ROWs can help control tree invasion, but many issues still limit broad-scale applications. The various interactions that govern plant community dynamics are far from being fully understood, so selecting species still largely depends on an empirical approach. Patterns of resistance to tree invasion must be investigated over a wide range of spatial, historical, and environmental contexts to determine effective management and seeding practices that will lead to broad-scale applications. We suggest establishing communities rather than single dominant species and using as much as possible native species to limit risks of invasion.Published online     

资源工程体系建设探讨——以三峡库区坡地资源开发保护体系建设为例

资源工程是实现社会经济发展的基本途径。资源开发体系和保护体系建设是构成资源工程体系的主要内容。文章阐述了如何设计一个资源开发和保护体系的总体思路（包括原则、目标、内容、行动、效益评估）,并以长江三峡库区坡地资源利用保护为例,通过植物篱农林复合技术,使水土流失和环境退化基本得到了控制,经济产出比纯柑桔系统和纯粮食作物系统分别高出１／５和１／４,成为开发与保护融为一体、经济和生态相互促进的技术。这一技术值得在中国东部湿润半湿润区域推广。     

global climate change: processes and products – an overview

Our knowledge of global climate change has many uncertainties.Whether global air temperature will increase, by how much, and when,are subject to debate, but there is little doubt that troposphericconcentrations of several trace gases are increasing. While possibleincreases in the average air temperature is a product of these changes,the increases in the trace gases alone will have an effect on agriculture.Increases in the ambient concentrations of carbon dioxide are expectedto have a positive net effect on crop production. In contrast, anyincreases in the penetration of surface-level ultraviolet-B (280–320 nm)radiation, and known increases in surface ozone concentrations, areconsidered to have adverse effects on certain crops. Our presentknowledge of the joint effects on crops of elevated levels of carbondioxide, ultraviolet-B radiation and ozone, and possible alterations in airtemperature and precipitation patterns, is virtually zero. Therefore, anypredictions of the effects of global climate change on agriculture aresubject to significant uncertainties. In contrast, coupling of climatechange (only temperature and precipitation) models to crop productionhas led to a number of future scenarios. In spite of theirpresent limitations, results from these efforts can be useful in planningfor future agriculture.