Amount Of Biomass Research Articles

Grime’s ecological strategies reveal contrasting patterns in alkaline and loess grasslands

Studying the relationship between biodiversity patterns and processes in vegetation has been at the centre of interest in vegetation ecology for several decades. By studying the biomass of loess and alkaline grasslands along a water and salinity gradient, we aimed to analyse species diversity and Grime’s competitor-stress tolerator-ruderal (CSR) functional strategy patterns. We aimed to test the following hypotheses: i) The biomass and species richness scores and the species composition are significantly different between the sampled grassland community types. ii) The sampled communities are well separated based on the CSR strategy spectrum. iii) The amount of green biomass and litter are positively correlated with competitiveness and negatively with stress tolerance. The biomass and species richness scores and the species composition of the sampled communities along the sampled gradients were significantly different; the highest species richness, evenness and Shannon diversity values were found in loess grasslands. The highest level of litter accumulation was found in alkaline meadows. The communities were well separated in the ordinations but surprisingly, calculation of coordinates for CSR strategy types have not shown clear separation of the grassland community types. All the communities were proven to be characterised by a high level of stress (located in the right corner of the CSR ternary diagram), but they markedly differed in the magnitude of competition and levels of disturbance expressed in the differences of ruderality. These results might suggest that even in highly stressed communities the community composition is strongly dependent on the differences in disturbance intensity (e.g., intensity and duration of grazing) and it is also strongly influenced by the competitive ability of constituting species.

Pathways for the US food processing sector under economy-wide net zero in a multisector dynamic framework

The food processing sector is a large, energy-consuming and CO2-emitting industrial sector. The sector was estimated to account for 6 % of US industrial CO2 emissions in 2020. The sector uses significant amounts of fossil fuels, biomass, and electricity to perform a range of operations such as baking, drying, and refrigeration. Additionally, the sector is tightly linked to the agriculture and land use sectors. In this analysis, we use the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), a coupled, energy-economy-agriculture-land-use-water-climate systems model, to examine the role of the food processing sector in the EMF37 2050 US net-zero CO2 scenario. We explore the implications for technology and fuel choice and go beyond to examine US food consumption, food prices, and land-use change. To better understand the sensitivity of our results to alternative developments, we assess multiple sensitivity scenarios for the US and other world regions, with a focus on varied food processing energy intensity pathways.We find that along the EMF37 US net-zero path, the food processing sector electrifies the majority of its process heat. We also find that the industry phases-down natural gas use and completely phases-out coal. Additionally, we observe a marginal decrease in US food consumption per capita relative to our reference scenario. This primarily occurs due to the increase in consumer food prices resulting from increased demand for purpose-grown biomass crops, which compete with food crops for land resources. Finally, cumulative energy savings of 4.2 EJ are achieved from 2020 to 2050 in a scenario in which the US reduces its food processing intensity to EU-15 levels.

Operation parameters and temperature affected sludge microbial metabolisms: An integrated perspective considering extracellular polymeric substances, soluble microbial products, biomass quantities, and community shifts

Effluent soluble microbial products (SMP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are significant organics that pose challenges to advanced treatment processes. However, their production, transformation, and decomposition remain unclear due to their heterogeneity and the combined effects of environmental and operational factors. In this work, we investigated the impact of solids retention time (SRT), hydraulic retention time (HRT), and temperature on the changes in effluent SMP, with the consideration of the co-variation of EPS, sludge biomass, and community structures. Results show that longer SRT increased the biomass and relative abundance of functional microorganisms such as Myxococcota, Actinobacteria, and Terrimonas, which hindered EPS-to-SMP turnover and/or facilitated SMP consumption. This resulted in the accumulation of EPS and lower SMP concentrations at the beginning of the SRT adjustment. Both longer and shorter HRT (12 h and 8 h) led to increased SMP concentration, with the shorter HRT nearly doubling it (from approximately 6 to 12 mg/L), especially in terms of its protein and polysaccharide contents. Lower temperatures increased the SMP concentration and the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (including Zoogloea, the most dominant phylum and genus, relative abundance from 15.7 % to 61.1 %) while decreasing fluorescent EPS components, indicating the key role of Proteobacteria in SMP production and fluorescent EPS-to-SMP transformation. The results provided key insights into how changes in operational/environmental parameters impact sludge-EPS-SMP interactions, which could benefit the model development and operational optimization of activated sludge systems. This study also highlighted the important role of the sludge community in the EPS/SMP dynamics.

Bamboo’s Role in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: An Analysis of Biomass, Carbon Stock, and Economic Potential in Tanzania

Bamboo, a rapidly growing member of the grass family, thrives across diverse climates worldwide and offers vital ecosystem services essential for human well-being and economic development. Notably, bamboo releases 35% more oxygen than other trees and sequesters an average of 12 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare, highlighting its significant ecological benefits. This study analyses the contribution of bamboo to climate change adaptation and mitigation, focusing on Tanzania as a case study. Specifically, the study aims to determine the amount of biomass and carbon stock of bamboo in Tanzania, and estimate the financial benefits from including bamboo in carbon payment projects like REDD+. Utilizing adapted allometric models and data from the National Forest Resources Monitoring and Assessment (NAFORMA) of 2015, the study reveals that Tanzania possesses 4.04 billion tons of stored bamboo biomass and 1.9 billion tons of stored bamboo carbon, translating to an estimated 7.6 billion US dollars in unutilized conservation profit from carbon trading. The findings indicate that 51.4% of the stored bamboo biomass, carbon, and potential conservation profit are concentrated in the genus Bambusa, with nearly half of these resources located in the southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara. These results underscore the substantial ecological and economic benefits of bamboo ecosystem services, emphasizing the need for stakeholders to formulate strategies for the sustainable production, conservation, and management of bamboo in Tanzania. The study provides a benchmark for developing policies and plans that leverage bamboo's potential in climate change adaptation and mitigation, promoting environmental sustainability and economic growth.

Wood ash-based binders for lightweight building materials: Evaluating the influence of hydraulic lime and cement on the setting and mechanical properties of wood ash pastes

The shift from fossil fuels to bioenergy has led to increased wood ash output. Since a large proportion of this waste ends up in landfills, recycling wood ash in construction materials is one of sustainable approaches of managing this by-product. However, the amount of biomass ashes currently recycled in building materials is still limited. This study therefore explored the feasibility of valorising four different types of wood ashes in large quantities in the production of lightweight building materials. Thirty pastes with different levels (80, 90, 95 and 100 wt%) of wood ash and (0, 5, 10 and 20 wt%) of natural hydraulic lime (NHL) or ordinary Portland cement (PC) were developed. Partial replacement of wood ash (WA) by NHL or PC accelerated the setting and improved the mechanical properties of blended pastes. The initial and final setting times decreased with increasing NHL or PC content in the mixes. The strength of the pastes increased with increasing NHL or PC levels and curing time. However, wood bottom ash (WBA) mixes were controversial because their mechanical properties gradually weakened over time. For WA-NHL blends, the 28-day flexural and compressive strength ranged from 0.02 to 1.12 MPa and from 0.05 to 2.59 MPa, respectively. On the other hand, for WA-PC pastes, the flexural and compressive strengths at 28 days varied from 0.07 to 2.72 MPa and from 0.13 to 5.49 MPa, simultaneously. These results prove that wood ash can be used effectively as a main component of binding matrices for lightweight building materials.

Marine algae biomass: A viable and renewable resource for biofuel production: A review

Global energy shortages, as well as rising greenhouse gas emissions, have fueled the search for sustainable renewable energy sources. Recent research has identified microalgae and macroalgae biofuel as one of the major renewable energy sources for environmentally friendly growth, with the potential to replace fossil-based energy sources. The primary disadvantages associated with oil crops and lignocellulose-based biofuels were absent in marine microalgae and macroalgae biofuel. Algae-based renewable energy sources are technically and economically viable, as well as cost competitive; they require no additional land, use little water, and help to reduce atmospheric CO2. Commercial extraction of macroalgae and microalgae biofuel, however, remains impossible due to a small biomass amount and costly downstream procedures. Marine algae-based biofuel production can be made viable by installing sophisticated photobioreactors and developing low-cost biomass collection, drying, and oil recovery technologies. Commercial manufacturing is also achieved through improved genetically modified approaches to stress management, as well as technological metabolic processes to increase lipid production. Furthermore, emerging technologies such as algal-bacterial interactions for improving marine algae growth and lipid production are being investigated. This review focuses on marine algae-based biofuel production and sustainability, economic values, challenges encountered during the commercialization of marine algae biofuels, potential solutions to these challenges, and practicality.

Evaluation of Two Ecosystem Services Provided by a Pistia stratiotes Population on the Pacific Coast of South America.

One of the most fascinating wetlands on Peru's central coast is the Santa Rosa wetland (Chancay, Lima), an ecosystem threatened by anthropogenic activities. Some of these impacts have led to the uncontrolled growth of Pistia stratiotes, an invasive aquatic plant. This study sought to quantify the regulation and provisioning of ecosystem services provided by P. stratiotes using carbon storage and the provision of biomass as indicators. To this end, the biomasses of 50 plots measuring 0.0625 m2 were weighed and georeferenced and the percentages of dry biomass (%DB) and total organic carbon in the biomass (%C) were quantified. The biomass and its coordinates were entered into ArcGIS and a Kriging interpolation technique was applied to determine the total amount of biomass (B). It was found that P. stratiotes stored 3942.57 tCO2 and that 2132.41 tons of biomass could be obtained for fodder. The total carbon stored by this aquatic plant represented 28.46% of the total carbon sequestered in the wetland ecosystem by vascular plants, suggesting that its contribution to the carbon cycle is significant. This is the first study to estimate the biomass of a floating aquatic plant population in a coastal Peruvian wetland and is a pioneering study addressing the in situ carbon estimation of Peruvian floating aquatic plants. The results and methods proposed in this research will serve in the evaluation of the potential of ecosystem services among similar populations of floating aquatic species. In addition, the data presented can be used to establish plans for the management and use of this biomass in the production of soil fertilizers and cattle forage.

Influence of varying aluminum-based combustion compartment sizes on groundnut shell biochar properties

The process variables during biochar production play a crucial role in determining its properties. Factors like temperature, heating rate, reactor configuration, and residence time can significantly impact biochar quality. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of reactor configuration on the yield and properties of groundnut shell biochar. For this investigation, the volumes of aluminum-based combustion compartments in a biomass-fueled TLUD biomass gasifier were varied, and the resulting biochar was analyzed using SEM, EDX, and FTIR. It was observed that the increase in the combustion chamber of the gasifier led to an increase in the amount of biomass fuel utilized in the system, which led to an increased reactor’s temperature and varied carbonization duration and yield. Elemental composition showed that an increase in reactor volume led to an increase in biochar carbon content and reduced silica content. The SEM analysis confirmed that decreasing the combustion compartment sizes increased porosity and roughness, as well as visible fissures and crevices on the biochar surface. FTIR analysis revealed similarities in functional groups, with many peaks appearing at higher wavenumbers as the combustion compartment sizes decreased. This study innovatively examines how varying aluminum-based combustion compartment sizes and biofuel mass affect groundnut shell biochar properties using a TLUD gasifier, emphasizing its significance for optimizing biochar production and advancing sustainable practices.

Conversion of pure Chinese fir plantation to multi-layered mixed plantation increases organic phosphorus accumulation and transformation within soil aggregates

Evaluation of the impacts of environmental factors and microbial communities on soil organic phosphorus (Po) availability is needed to clarify P cycling and regulate plantations productivity. However, the effects on Po accumulation and transformation of converting pure Chinese fir plantation to multi-layered mixed plantation and their regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of the transformation of pure stand of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata; PP) to mixed plantation with multiple tree species (C. lanceolata, Castanopsis hystrix, and Michelia hedyosperma; MP) on Po accumulation and transformation within topsoil (0–10 cm) aggregates in subtropical China. Our results showed that the soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and available phosphorus (AP), as well as the carbon‑nitrogen ratio of soil (C/Nsoil) and carbon‑phosphorus ratio of soil (C/Psoil) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) of all aggregates in MP than those in PP. The quantities of soil microbial biomass C, N, P (MBC, MBN, and MBP) in all different aggregates were significantly greater (P < 0.05) in MP than in PP. The phospholipid fatty acid contents related to bacteria, fungi, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and actinomycetes were significantly greater in all aggregate classes (P < 0.05) in MP relative to PP. The activities of all tested C, N, and P hydrolytic enzymes, as well as labile organic P, moderately labile organic P, moderately resistant organic P, and highly resistant organic P contents, were significantly higher of most aggregate size classes in MP. Finally, redundancy analysis (RDA) suggested that Po fractions were primarily affected by the NH4+-N, litterfall biomass (LF), carbon‑nitrogen ratio of litter (C/Nlitter), SOC and fine root biomass (FR). Our findings suggest that converting pure Chinese fir plantations into multi-layered mixed plantations may represent an effective management strategy for promoting organic P accumulation and transformation by regulating soil and microbial properties in degraded soils of Chinese fir plantations.

Effect of pruning intensity on biomass and essential oil yield in wild paramela (Adesmia boronioides Hook f.)

Adesmia boronioides Hook. f. (known as paramela), a member of the Fabaceae family, is native to Argentinean and Chilean Patagonia. Its leaves and young stems are used in the traditional health care system of these countries to treat rheumatic pains, colds, digestive disorders, and respiratory congestion. Paramela presents excellent organoleptic qualities and is attracting growing commercial interest. In recent years the gathering of plant material from natural populations for the extraction and export of essential oils has increased; however, no studies exist on harvest management for this species. In this study plants from a natural A. boronioides population underwent three different pruning treatments (light, medium and heavy) and their response in biomass production and the yield and quality of their essential oils was evaluated over four consecutive years. Of the different pruning intensities, the medium level generated the greatest amount of biomass for all years (p< 0.001) even though the increase seen in production up to the third harvest was followed by a marked decrease. By applying a medium pruning level for two consecutive years on the same plants, we achieved up to 112 % more biomass and 116 % higher essential oil yield compared to the initial pruning. Under the heavy pruning treatment 10 % of the plants died after the second consecutive pruning. Furthermore, we compared the yield and qualitative characteristics of essential oils (EO) over the first three years under the medium pruning level. We observed that EO yields increased after successive pruning, but the chemical compositions (GC-FID-MS) were not significantly affected in the years evaluated. These results provide valuable information for the design of sustainable harvesting protocols for A. boronioides and indicate ways to improve the yield in biomass and essential oils from wild populations.

Harvesting insect pests for animal feed: potential to capture an unexploited resource.

The demand for animal protein grows as the human population increases. Technological and genetic advances in traditional animal agriculture will not produce enough protein to meet future needs without significant innovations such as the use of insects as protein sources. Insect farming is growing insects, whereas insect harvesting is collecting insects from their natural habitats to produce high-quality protein for animal feed or human food. Intensive agricultural environments produce tremendous quantities of pestiferous insects and with the right harvest technologies these insects can be used as a protein supplement in traditional animal daily rations. An avenue to exploit these insects is to use traps such as the United States Department of Agriculture-Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT) to efficiently attract, harvest, and store insects from naturally abundant agricultural settings. The modular design allows for a low cost, easy to build and fix device that is user friendly and has customizable attractants to target various pest species. Although insect harvesting faces substantial challenges, including insect biomass quantity, seasonal abundance and preservation, food safety, and economic and nutritional evaluation, the potential for utilizing these pests for protein shows tremendous promise. In this forum, insect harvesting is discussed, including its potential, limitations, challenges, and research needs. In addition, the use of a mass trapping device is discussed as a tool to increase the biomass of insects collected from the environment.

Optimizing seaweed biomass production - a two kelp solution

Interest in farming kelps has grown beyond using kelp for food, feed or biofuels. There is considerable interest in generating biomass from seaweed for use in bioplastics and other products that would substitute for petroleum-derived products. For these uses to be viable, large amounts of biomass are needed. Very large kelp farms can be expensive to build and maintain, leading to the need to optimize the biomass per unit area. Although close spacing of growlines can lead to poor growth, a viable approach may be to grow two species of kelps together: one that hangs down and one that is buoyant, growing up. This system would increase the spacing in three dimensions. In Alaska, Saccharina latissima is commonly grown hanging down from longlines. One of the buoyant Alaskan kelps is Nereocystis luetkeana. Because there are commercial uses for wild-harvested Nereocystis in Alaska, we undertook a preliminary trial in Kodiak, Alaska, that grew both Saccharina and Nereocystis in the same longline array. Closely spaced lines were seeded the first week of February 2023 and set at 3 m below the surface. The arrays were harvested in late June 2023. Total yields were greatest on the combined arrays, followed by the Nereocystis only and Saccharina only arrays. Despite having 45% fewer grow-lines, the total yield of the Nereocystis on the combined arrays was statistically similar to the Nereocystis only arrays. These results may have significance for large scale macroalgal production.

Exploring biomass addition in methanol production: A life cycle analysis of efficiency and environmental impacts

The coal-to-methanol process consumes non-renewable resources, causing significant negative environmental impacts. Introducing renewable biomass to replace or partially substitute coal is a highly feasible way to improve the process. This research not only delves into biomass utilization but also undertakes a comprehensive analysis of elemental and energy utilization efficiency, alongside a "cradle to gate" life cycle assessment for the methanol production process via coal and biomass co-gasification. CML and ReCiPe methods are applied to investigate the damages of the processes with different raw material compositions to source efficiency, environment, and human health, meanwhile exploring insights for process enhancement. Findings reveal that adding biomass positively influences, while, the amount of biomass added should be optimized to achieve the best performance. The energy efficiency and O utilization efficiency peak at 50% biomass ratio, whereas C and H utilization efficiency improve as the biomass content increases. Biomass addition notably mitigates the ecological, human health, and resource depletion impacts of the production process. Significantly, a biomass ratio of 30%-50% is recommended for the most substantial improvement in methanol production compared to the coal-only route. Within the lifecycle's various stages, biomass growth exerts the most substantial impact on the assessment indices, indicating the pivotal role of biomass as both a challenge and an opportunity in optimizing the environmental footprint of methanol production processes.

SOLIDWORKS™ Design, fabrication and performance analysis of a banana fiber extraction machine and its components

Banana cultivation is a prominent agricultural activity in Pakistan, particularly in the lower Sindh districts such as Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Sanghar, and Mirpur Khas. Each banana plant bears fruit only once in its lifetime, resulting in a significant amount of waste biomass from the pseudo stems after harvest. Utilizing these waste stems can enhance environmental sustainability and increase economic benefits for farmers. Traditional methods of extracting banana Fiber are plagued by inefficiencies, including lengthy processing times and subpar Fiber quality. This study possesses the design and development of a mechanized solution to extract high quality banana Fiber efficiently. The process encompasses the selection of suitable material, detailed design, mathematical analysis, and the assembly of machine components, aiming to address the shortcomings of conventional extraction methods. The performance analysis was conducted for the machine successfully handled banana stems up to 155mm in width and 22mm in thickness, demonstrating its robust capacity and versatility in processing various sizes. The positive simulation results provide a theoretical validation of the design before physical testing, suggesting the machine components are well designed and capable of enduring typical operational stresses. This study addressed Sustainable development goal 8 Decent work and economic growth, 9 industry innovation and infrastructure, 12 Responsible consumption and production and 13 climate action.

Lignin-incorporated Co-MOFs-derived catalysts for selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenols into cyclohexanols

Lignin accounted for the second largest amount in biomass, and was regarded as an important carbon source and important renewable source for value-added chemicals. Herein, a series of lignin-derived carbon-based heterogeneous catalyst was synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method, using Co-MOFs as template. Lignin was introduced as a carbon material into MOF catalysts. Through some characterizations, it has been proven that lignin has been successfully introduced into MOF materials and significantly improved the catalyst performance. Then, lignin-MOF derived catalysts (Co/C-EL-X) were successfully introduced into the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenols. The addition of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EL) in catalysts, calcination temperature and some other factors were investigated in detail, considering the catalytic performance during the HDO of vanillin and other typical lignin-derived phenols. Co/C-EL-0.5(500) exhibited the best catalytic performance for the conversion of different kinds of lignin-derived phenols to either 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (MMP) or cyclohexanol. Under the optimal conditions of 240 °C, 0 MPa N2, and 2 h, the conversion rate of vanillin reached 100 %, and the yield of 4-methyl-2-methoxyphenol (MMP) was up to 92 %. Furthermore, vanillin could also be converted into 4-methylcyclohexanol (MCYL) by changing the initial nitrogen pressure. Also, Co/C-EL-0.5 (500) exhibited high activity for the conversion of other lignin-derived phenols into cyclohexanol (COL). This work provided a novel strategy for the catalytic valorization of lignin sources.

Microbial Biomass in Mesophilic and Thermophilic High-Rate Biodigestion of Sugarcane Vinasse: Similar in Quantity, Different in Composition

This study compared the behavior of the biomass in two fixed-film anaerobic reactors operated under equivalent organic loading rates but at different temperatures, i.e., 30 °C (RMM) and 55 °C (RMT). The reactors were fed with sugarcane vinasse and molasses (both fermented) in a simulation of sequential periods of season and off-season. The dynamics of biomass growth and retention, as well as the microbial composition, were assessed throughout 171 days of continuous operation, coupled with an additional 10-day test assessing the microbial activity in the bed region. Despite the different inoculum sources used (mesophilic granular vs. thermophilic flocculent sludge types), the biomass growth yield was identical (0.036–0.038 g VSS g−1COD) in both systems. The retention rates (higher in RMT) were regulated according to the initial amount of biomass provided in the inoculation, resulting in similar amounts of total retained biomass (46.8 vs. 43.3 g VSS in RMT and RMM) and biomass distribution patterns (30–35% in the feeding zone) at the end of the operation. Meanwhile, hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis mediated by Methanothermobacter coupled to syntrophic acetate oxidation prevailed in RMT, while the Methanosaeta-mediated acetoclastic pathway occurred in RMM. The results show that different anaerobic consortia can behave similarly in quantitative terms when subjected to equivalent organic loads, regardless of the prevailing methane-producing pathway. The community grows and reaches a balance (or a given cell activity level) defined by the amount of substrate available for conversion. In other words, while the metabolic pathway may differ, the endpoint (the amount of biomass) remains the same if operational stability is maintained.

Categorical data analysis using discretization of continuous variables to investigate associations in marine ecosystems

AbstractUnderstanding and predicting interactions between predators and prey and their environment are fundamental for understanding food web structure, dynamics, and ecosystem function in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Thus, estimating the conditional associations between species and their environments is important for exploring connections or cooperative links in the ecosystem, which in turn can help to clarify such directional relationships. For this purpose, a relevant and practical statistical method is required to link presence/absence observations with biomass, abundance, and physical quantities obtained as continuous real values. These data are sometimes sparse in oceanic space and too short as time series data. To meet this challenge, we provide an approach based on applying categorical data analysis to present/absent observations and real‐number data. The real‐number data used as explanatory variables for the present/absent response variable are discretized based on the optimal detection of thresholds without any prior biological/ecological information. These discretized data express two different levels, such as large/small or high/low, which give experts a simple interpretation for investigating complicated associations in marine ecosystems. This approach is implemented in the previous statistical method called CATDAP developed by Sakamoto and Akaike in 1979. Our proposed approach consists of a two‐step procedure for categorical data analysis: (1) finding the appropriate threshold to discretize the real‐number data for applying an independent test; and (2) identifying the best conditional probability model to investigate the possible associations among the data based on a statistical information criterion. We perform a simulation study to validate our proposed approach and investigate whether the method's observation includes many zeros (zero‐inflated data), which can often occur in practical situations. Furthermore, the approach is applied to two datasets: (1) one collected during an international synoptic krill survey in the Scotia Sea west of the Antarctic Peninsula to investigate associations among krill, fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), surface temperature, depth, slope in depth (flatter or steeper terrain), and temperature gradient (slope in temperature); (2) the other collected by ecosystem surveys conducted during August–September in 2014–2017 to investigate associations among common minke whales, the predatory fish Atlantic cod, and their main prey groups (zooplankton, 0‐group fish) in Arctic Ocean waters to the west and north of Svalbard, Norway. The R code summarizing our proposed numerical procedure is presented in S4S1.

Congo red removal from aqueous solution via biosorption onto Trametes trogii‐loaded poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogel

AbstractIn this study, Trametes trogii‐loaded poly(2‐ hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogel (Tt‐PHEMA) was prepared and used as a biosorbent to remove Congo Red (CR), from aqueous solutions. The biomass and Tt‐PHEMA cryogel were characterized with scanning electron microscopy and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy. Macroporosity degree (%) and swelling ratio (%) of the Tt‐PHEMA cryogel were determined as 78.3% and 61.04%, respectively. The effect of loaded biomass amount, pH, initial CR concentration, temperature, and contact time were investigated detailedly. The maximum biosorption capacity of Tt‐PHEMA cryogel was 156.71 ± 1.22 mg g−1 at pH 6.0 at 45°C. Biosorption capacity was increased from 125.92 ± 1.524 mg g−1 to 156.71 ± 1.22 mg g−1 with increasing temperature from 25 to 45°C, demonstrating that the biosorption process was endothermic. The biosorption data were well fitted to the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic models. The negative Gibbs free energy change values showed favorable biosorption. The Tt‐PHEMA cryogel was easily regenerated with ethanol and used repeatedly five times without a significant change in the biosorption capacity. As a result, Trametes trogii‐loaded PHEMA cryogel has an application potential for CR removal from wastewater, taking advantage of interconnected macroporous structure cryogels.

РОСТОВЫЕ ПРОЦЕССЫ КУКУРУЗЫ В ЗАВИСИМОСТИ ОТ УДОБРЕНИЙ НА ЧЕРНОЗЕМАХ ВЫЩЕЛОЧЕННЫХ РСО-АЛАНИЯ

In a long-term stationary field experiment that was established in 1971 on leached chernozem underlain by pebbles under conditions of field crop rotation the effect of systematic application of fertilizers for hybrid corn on plant growth processes was studied. It was found that the fertilized variants increased relative to the control: the growth of plants in height, the increase in leaf surface area, the accumulation of raw and dry biomass, increased photosynthetic potential. From the fertilized options, the calculated option N310P324K139 stood out for the better for the planned yield of 8.0 t/ha. In this variant at the end of the growing season the average height of the plant was 256 cm versus 247 cm in the control; the leaf surface area was 60056 versus 49392 m2/ha in the control; the photosynthetic potential was 3.08 million m2/ha.day versus 2.53 at the control; the amount of dry biomass is 22.5 versus 15.0 t/ha at the control. According to all indicators the double dose of N140P80K180 was in second place: respectively accordingly 255 cm, 56,808 m2/ha, 2.87 million m2/ha.day, 20.4 t/ha. Of the equivalent options a double dose of NPK had some advantage over manure+NPK (trend).

A decision support model for planning of spatial large extent biomass to bioenergy procurement network

This study presents a strategic-tactical decision model with two main objectives: (i) identifying the spatial distribution and estimating the harvestable biomass potential of agricultural farms within a complex landscape; and (ii) optimizing the placement of bioenergy facilities to minimize total transportation costs. Remote sensing techniques combined with spatial analyses were utilized to discriminate agricultural lands from other land-cover types. Field-data measurements were then employed to estimate the quantity of available biomass. Subsequently, a bi-level optimization model was developed to determine optimal bioenergy facility locations and calculate transportation costs. The model was applied to a 20000 km2 region in northeastern Iran. The results revealed an average annual biomass density of 4.20 Mg ha−1 from agricultural lands, corresponding to 1867 Gg of biomass across the region. The optimal solution involved placing two bioenergy facilities within a 75 km radius to collect residues biomass, resulting in a delivery cost of $16 kWh−1.