Biomass Of Different Components Research Articles

Assessing Biomass Expansion Factor of Birch Tree <i>Betula utilis</i> D. DON

Biomass is the component of living organism and mostly obtained from plants, animals, insects and the residue of all the mentioned organisms. Biomass is the key source of energy present in the form of organic matter. The study aimed to find out biomass and its variation in each component of Betula utilis D. Don (Birch Tree) with varying diameter at Kalam forest division Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, Pakistan. The biomass of different components was determined by non-destructive methods. Overall, 30 trees were selected from different diameter classes viz a viz up to 10, 11 - 20 and greater than 20 cm. Ten trees were selected from each class. The diameter of stem and large branches and their length were measured in the field. Later, the volumes of stem and branches were calculated and converted into biomass. The study revealed that stem contributes 42.65% biomass followed by large and sub branches as 39.22% and 13.54% respectively. Leaves contribute 4.59% only. The above tree biomass contribution by different components was arranged as stem was greater than large branches; these were greater than sub branches and the lowest was in leaves. The total above ground biomass of single tree was 20.59, 58.041 and 197.214 kg·tree-1 respectively for diameter up to 10, 11 - 20 and greater than 20 cm. The averaged biomass in all diameter classes was 91.95 ± 93.064 kg·tree-1. The total biomass of single tree of diameter class up to 10, 11 - 20 and greater than 20 cm was 24.71, 69.649 and 236 kg respectively. The below ground biomass of single tree of diameter class up to 10, 11 - 20 and greater than 20 cm was 4.11 ± 1.24 kg, 11.61 ± 3.56 kg and 39.44 ± 8.9 kg respectively. The biomass expansion factor was 1.34, 1.47, and 1.5 t·m-3 respectively for diameter classes up to 10 cm, 11 - 20 cm and greater than 20 cm respectively. The mean biomass expansion factor for all diameter classes was 1.44 t·m-3.

Thermogravimetric Analysis and Kinetics on Reducing Low-Grade Manganese Dioxide Ore by Biomass

Nonisothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was applied to evaluate rice straw, sawdust, wheat stalk, maize straw, and bamboo to explore their potential for reduction of manganese dioxide ore. Results from the biomass pyrolysis experiments showed that wood-based biomass materials, such as sawdust and bamboo, could produce more reductive agents, while herb-based biomass materials, such as rice straw, wheat stalk, and maize straw, had lower reaction temperatures. The peak temperatures for biomass reduction tests were 20 K to 50 K (20 °C to 50 °C) higher compared with the pyrolysis tests, and a clear shoulder at around 523 K (250 °C) could be observed. The effects of heating rate, biomass/manganese dioxide ore ratio, and different components of biomass were also investigated. An independent parallel first-order reaction kinetic model was used to calculate the values of activation energy and frequency factor for biomass pyrolysis and reduction of manganese dioxide ore. For better understanding the reduction process, kinetic parameters of independent behavior of manganese dioxide ore were also calculated by simple mathematical treatment. Finally, the isokinetic temperature Ti and the rate constant k0 for reduction of manganese oxide ore by reductive volatiles of biomass were derived according to the Arrhenius equation, which were determined to be 603 K (330 °C) and 108.99 min−1, respectively.

Planktonic biomass variability during a late winter bloom in the subtropical waters off the Canary Islands

Planktonic biomass from heterotrophic prokaryotes to mesozooplankton was assessed in the Canary Island waters in order to study the characteristic late winter bloom of subtropical waters. Weekly sampling was performed between January and August 2005 at 6 stations around the island of Gran Canaria. The bloom observed in this study showed the common increase in chlorophyll in February–March. However, the study of the biomass of different components of the planktonic community unveils a succession of peaks of monthly periodicity. The bloom started with an increase in large primary producers and was followed by several alternating peaks of heterotrophic nanoflagellates, microplankton and mesozooplankton. During the period studied, mesozooplankton, autotrophic picoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryotes showed similar trends, whereas nano- and microplankton depicted an inverse pattern. Our results show that the late winter bloom in subtropical waters is much more complex than that inferred from the simple increase in chlorophyll associated with the drop of temperature during winter.

Effects of forest canopy gap on biomass of Abies faxoniana seedlings and its allocation in subalpine coniferous forests of western Sichuan

Using a strip transect sampling method, the density, height (≤ 100 cm), basal diameter and components of biomass of Abies faxoniana seedlings, living in a forest gap (FG) and under the forest canopy (FC) of subalpine natural coniferous forests in western Sichuan, were investigated and the relationships among different components of biomass analyzed. The results indicated that the density and average height (H) of A. faxoniana seedlings were significantly different in the FG and under the FC, with the values being 12903 and 2017 per hm2, and 26.6 and 24.3 cm. No significant differences were found in the average basal diameter (D) and biomass. The biomass allocation in seedling components was significantly affected by forest gap. In the FG, the biomass ratio of branch to stem reached a maximum of 1.54 at age 12 and then declined and fluctuated around 0.69. Under the FC, the biomass ratio of branch to stem increased with seedling growth and exceeded 1.0 at about age 15. The total biomass and the biomass of leaves, stems, shoots and roots grown in the FG and under the FC were significantly correlated with D 2 H. There were significant and positive correlations among the biomass of different components.

Biomass Burning Emission Inventory from Remote Sensing, GIS and Ground Based Measurements ‐ A Case Study from Secondary Mixed Deciduous Forests, India

Biomass burning is one of the important sources of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. In India, major sources of biomass burning is from deforestation, shifting cultivation, accidental fires, controlled burning, fire wood burning, burning from agricultural residues, burning due to fire lines, etc. Present study attempts to quantify the GHG emissions from slash and burn agriculture practices over Secondary mixed deciduous forests from Eastern Ghats of India. IRS‐P4 OCM satellite data pertaining to study area has been used to study location, areal extent and intensity of fires. Three ground based experiments have been conducted to quantify CO, CO2, O3 and other trace gases using online analyzers and grab sampling. Fuel characteristics have been analyzed prior to burning and combustion factors for the sites have been calculated using the pre and post‐fire biomass values. Analysis of the results with respect to fuel loads suggested that nearly 80% of the stems occurred in the girth class between 10‐40 girth, indicating very poor and secondary nature of the forest. The fire intensity is found to be in the range of 31086 Kjs−1m−1 to 60847 Kjs−1m−1. The individual combustion completeness suggested that among the different components of biomass, branch material with less than 10 cm and upto 5 cm dbh contributed more than 60% of combustion. Mixed leaf litter contributed to more than about 50% of individual combustion completeness at all sites, with third site having the highest (84%). The contribution of dry biomass material that are having more than 70 cm diameter is found very low. With respect to trace gas emissions, emission ratios have been determined with reference to CO2. Using the GIS, by integrating satellite derived areal estimates from IRS‐P4 OCM data and ground based studies, trace gas emissions released from biomass burning suggested emissions of 3.0 × 105 gms of CO2, 9.0 × 103 gms of CO, 3.0 × 102 gms of N2O, 1.5 × 103 gms of NOx and 6.4 × 103 gms of CH4 for the study area.

Biomass and combustion characteristics of secondary mixed deciduous forests in Eastern Ghats of India

Biomass quantities at three different sites in tropical moist mixed secondary deciduous forests before and after burning have been quantified in the forest patches cleared for shifting cultivation purposes. The main objective of the experiments was to study the spatial variability in the amount of biomass burnt and the contribution of different components viz., bole, branch, and mixed leaf litter in the burning process affecting the combustion factors. Species composition at the three sites varied with respect to each other. The total density of species before burning at the three sites for more than 10 cm diameter were found to be 3192 (site 1), 1194 (site 2) and 1444 (site 3) stems/area, respectively. Analysis of the results from girth-class and density relationships suggests that nearly 80% of the stems occurred in the range from 10–40 cm girth for site one, 64.2% in 10–55 cm girth class for the site two and more than 80% of stems in 10–40 cm girth class for the site three, indicating very poor and secondary nature of the forest. The fire intensity is found to be high for site one with 60 847 kJ s −1 m −1, when compared to 31 086 and 42 789 kJ s −1 m −1 for second and third sites, respectively. The values are comparatively higher than the mean value of 2566 kJ s −1 m −1 reported for savanna fires. The individual combustion completeness suggested that among the different components of biomass, branch material with less than 10 cm and upto 5 cm dbh contributed to more than 60% of combustion. Mixed leaf litter contributed to about more than 50% of individual combustion completeness at all the sites, with third site having the highest (84%). The contribution of dry biomass material having more than 70 cm diameter is found to be very low indicating that most of the trunks were burnt superficially. The overall combustion completeness suggested that mixed leaf litter and branch material contributed to most of the combustion. Of all the three sites, site three had been found to be having highest combustion completeness of about 30.04% when compared to 20.18% and 16.1% for first and second sites, respectively. In the study, comparison of combustion factors for different vegetation types has also been made.

The presence of some artificial and natural radionuclides in a Eucalyptus forest in the south of Spain

Long-lived artificial radionuclides ( 137Cs, 90Sr) were studied in a Eucalyptus plantation located in the south-west of Spain. Radionuclide concentrations were determined in different types of samples corresponding to specific forest components (soil, trees, herbs and litter). Depth profile distributions were obtained in two selected core soils. Two layers were separately measured in three other cores. The concentration factor, defined as the ratio between the mean activity concentration in a component and the mean activity concentration in the soil, was calculated for each component. The biomass of different components was estimated in order to evaluate the total density concentration (Bq/ha) of the artificial radionuclides ( 137Cs, 90Sr) in the Eucalyptus plantation. The transfer of the radionuclides between the different forest components can be inferred from the results. Additionally, other naturally occurring radionuclides ( 40K, 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Ac) were determined for comparison. Transport of radionuclides from forest to a nearby pulp mill is also discussed.

The Structure and Function of Pine Forest in Central Himalaya. I. Dry Matter Dynamics

The present study deals with structure and function of four areas of Himalayan chir pine forest. Tree layer was monospecific on all sites with varied density and basal cover in the range of 540–1630 individuals per ha and 25·0–47·2 m2ha−1, respectively. Shrubs having low density were sparsely distributed. All allometric equations relating to biomass of different components, to circumference at breast height (cbh) were significant, with the exception of that for cone biomass. Total vegetation biomass (115–236 t ha−1) was distributed as 113–283 t ha−1 in trees. 0·56–0·82 t ha−1 in shrubs and 1·63–2·57 t ha−1 in herbs. Total forest floor biomass including herbaceous litter ranged between 9·6 and 13·6 t ha−1. Of the total annual litter fall (4·26–7·38 t ha−1), 60·3–75·1 per cent was distributed in leaf litter and 24·9–39·7 per cent in wood litter. Turnover rate of tree litter varied from 0·45 to 0·53, whereas rates for shrubs and herbs were assumed to 1. Net primary production of total vegetation ranged between 9·91 and 21·2 t ha−1 year−1, of which the contribution of trees, shrubs and herbs was 76·5– 88·1 per cent 0·6–1·8 per cent and 11·3–21·5 per cent, respectively. A compartment model of dry matter on the basis of mean data across sites was developed to show dry matter storage and flow of dry matter within the ecosystem.

Total biomass and biomass production of Pinusroxburghii trees growing in all-aged natural forests

Detailed morphometric measurements for individual trees in an age series (16–128 years) of P. roxburghii Sarg were carried out. The dry weight of each component of the tree increased with age and total aboveground biomass in a 128-year-old tree was 1939 kg. Satisfactory allometric equations relating biomass of different components with circumference at breast height (cbh) and square diameter × height (d2h) were developed. The error in estimates was lower when the independent variable included tree height. Within an individual tree the biomass of bole increased downwards and the canopy of the tree was concentrated towards the upper part of the tree. The intercomponent biomass relationships were also significant, and the resulting allometric equations carried less error than the equations using cbh as the independent variable. The cumulative dry matter produced by a sample tree within its lifetime was much greater than the respective current biomass. The largest proportion of the production was accounted for by the tree crown and fine roots, while the largest biomass resided in the bole. The maximum current biomass increment was attained at the age of 39 years. The mean annual production increased with age except for bole and root system where it first increased and then attained a constant value after 61 years. The relationships of bole and shoot production per annum to total leaf area and fine roots for different age periods indicated a significant spurt of activity during 36–39 years and a secondary limited spurt during 97–103 years in the life history. The production of nonphotosynthetic components was significantly related with the leaf area and with foliage production.