Biomass In Different Types Research Articles

Assessment of carbon emissions due to landscape fires in Ukraine during war in 2022

The russian military aggression and the related socio-economic and environmental consequences have significantly affected the climate and production of ecosystem services through damage to forests, ecosystems, landscape fires and emissions of gases into the atmosphere. The study aims to estimate carbon dioxide emissions due to landscape fires in Ukraine during the year 2022. The OroraTech wildfire monitoring technology was used to detect fires, while perimeters of burned areas were delineated with Sentinel 2 time series. The Copernicus Dynamic Land Cover map was used to extract burned land covers. Emissions were calculated based on the intensity of fires (dNBR) with the share of burned biomass in different types of land cover. Biomass models were selected considering the dominant tree species within a specific region and the species structure of the sown areas of croplands. The volume of biomass losses was estimated as a result of fires of different severities. It was estimated that during in 2022, landscape fires burned 749.5 thousand hectares thereof: croplands – 419.1 thousand hectares; other natural vegetation – 273.8 thousand hectares; conifer forests – 31.1 thousand hectares; other forests – 25.5 thousand hectares. The impact of the war on landscape fires is confirmed by the large proportion of fires in the 60-kilometre buffer zone along the frontline – 68.9% of the total area of fire. Among all fires, 42.5% of fires occurred in the occupied territory. Total CO2 emissions from all types of landscape fires reached 5.20 million tons and other greenhouse gases – 0.28 million tons. It is the first detailed mapping of landscape fires with an analysis of each polygon for the whole territory of Ukraine. The results provide important information for assessing the loss of ecosystem services and estimating carbon dioxide emissions as well as for confirming the impact of hostilities on landscape fires

Influence of the Component Composition of Coal–Water Suspensions on the Volumes of Anthropogenic Gases Produced on Their Combustion

Experimental studies were carried with coal–water suspensions (CWSs) based on brown coal (grade 2B) with the addition of woody biomass of different types (pine sawdust and pine needles) in various concentrations (2, 4, and 6 wt %) on a fuel basis with a water content of 50%. It was shown that the addition of woody biomass to the coal–water suspensions is promising. An increase in the weight concentration of biomass in the CWSs significantly decreased the volume of anthropogenic emissions generated upon fuel combustion.

Effects of Structural and Diversity Attributes on Biomass in Different Types of Urban Forests in Changchun, Northeast China, and Suggestions for Urban Forest Planning

Understanding of the relationship between structural and diversity attributes and biomass is important for plant biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service function enhancement and sustainable development of urban forest ecosystems. In this study, road forest (RF), attached forest (AF) and landscape and relaxation forest (LF) were selected as research objects. We systematically evaluated the diversity attributes and above ground biomass (AGB) at two dimensions of different diameter at breast height (DBH) grades and different tree height grades of urban forests in Changchun, Northeast China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses of the correlation between structure attributes, diversity attributes and biomass among different types of urban forests were carried out. The results showed that species richness (SR) and Shannon–Wiener index (H′) of shrubs were lower than those of trees. Under the DBH grades, H′ in each forest type was highest in the 0–10 m grades and SR was highest in the 10–20 m grades. Under tree height grades, both H′ and SR of each type were at the top of the list. AGB was highest in each forest type under 5–10 m height grades. The relationship between AGB and H′ was better in LF, but with no significant relationships in the other forest types. SEM highlighted that in the overall aspect, the effect of forest type on biomass was mediated by structure and diversity attributes. Particularly in LF, there were direct and indirect effects between structure attributes and biomass mediated by diversity attributes. The improvement of the H′, evenness index (J′) and SR could enhance urban forest services, especially for the biomass and diversity of LF.

Comparison of commonly used extraction methods for ergosterol in soil samples

1. Ananyeva N.D., Susyan E. A., Chernova O.V., Chernov I.Yu., and Makarova O.L., 2006. The ratio of fungi and bacteria in the biomass of different types of soil determined by selective inhibition. Microbiology, 75, 702-107. https://doi.org/10.1134/s00262.... CrossRef Google Scholar

Temperature measurement of stored biomass of different types and bulk densities using acoustic techniques

The internal temperature of stored biomass needs to be measured to suppress the possible self-ignition at biomass-fired power stations. Acoustic sensing has been proven to be a promising approach to measuring the temperature of stored wood pellets online and non-intrusively. In such a temperature measurement system, a characteristic factor is defined to derive the sound speed from measured time of flight of sound waves. The characteristic factor is updated based on its experimental relationship with the biomass temperature during temperature measurement. When the type, particle size, particle density and bulk density of stored biomass change, whether the relationship between the characteristic factor and biomass temperature needs to be recalibrated needs investigation. Therefore, the relationship between the characteristic factor and biomass property is modelled using the empirical equation of Miki. Then the model is used to analyse the impact of the particle size, particle density and bulk density of stored biomass on the relationship. An acoustic sensing system is constructed to investigate the influence of bulk density for different types of biomass. The system is also applied to measure the temperature of four biomass fuels, including wood blocks, wood pellets, wood chips, and wheat straws. Results show that the relative error of temperature measurements for the four types of biomass is within 3.5%, 5.7%, 6.8% and 2.5%, respectively, over the temperature range from 22.1 °C to 74.2 °C. The relationship between the characteristic factor and biomass temperature should be re-established for different types of biomass and different particle size distributions.

Functional resilience of PSII, vertical distribution and ecosystem-level estimates of subsurface microphytobenthos in estuarine tidal flats

Most studies on sediment-inhabiting microphytobenthos are based on the biomass present on the surface layers of intertidal flats. However, large amounts of microalgal biomass are known to exist below the surface. This study tested the role of subsurface microalgal biomass as a potential source of photosynthetically active cells for the biofilm on the surface. The resilience of buried cells was evaluated by exposing samples from various depths to surface conditions and investigating the recovery of photosynthetic activity. Additionally, vertical migration by subsurface epipelic diatoms was followed at sub-millimeter scales to evaluate its role for transporting cells to the vicinity of the sediment surface. Finally the relative importance of subsurface microalgal biomass was assessed by estimating the proportion of subsurface:surface biomass for different types of sediments from the Ria de Aveiro. Vertical profiles of chlorophyll a, 10 cm-deep, were measured on samples from three intertidal sites, representative of the range of sediment characteristics found in this estuary. The ratio of total biomass to surface biomass (‘subsurface biomass fraction’) based on total biomass (0–10 cm depth interval; Csub, total) and on viable biomass (between the surface and the maximum depth with significant photosynthetic recovery; Csub, viable). The experiments showed that buried cells were able to recover photosynthetic activity within 1.5–3 h of light exposure, with the rate of recovery being dependent on depth and type of sediment. Furthermore, subsurface vertical migration was found to enable motile cells to reach the surface from layers deeper than 1 mm within a low tide period. Overall, the results showed that surface biomass (0–0.5 cm) only accounted for one fifth to one third of the total biomass present between the surface and 10 cm, and that the amount of subsurface viable biomass reached 2–3 times the biomass present at the surface. Applying the estimates of Csub, total and Csub, viable to the whole intertidal area of the Ria de Aveiro, spatially-weighted averages for subsurface biomass fractions were found to reach 3.8 and 2.1 respectively.

Genetic algorithms and neural networks in optimization of sorbent enhanced H2 production in FB and CFB gasifiers

The paper introduces artificial intelligence (AI) approach for the optimization study of a hydrogen concentrations in syngas via CaO Sorption. The performed model allows estimating the hydrogen content in the syngas produced from biomass in different types of facilities. Bubbling fluidized bed (FB) and circulating fluidized bed (CFB) are taken into account in the study. Comparing with the previous FB gasification results, CFB gasification was capable of producing syngas with higher hydrogen concentration.The model considers and covers a broad range of conditions, influencing the hydrogen rich-gas production. The presented non-iterative approach gives quick and accurate results as an answer to the input data sets. The H2 concentration in the gas, estimated using the developed model, is in good agreement with the experimental data. Maximum relative error between measured and calculated data is lower than ±8%.The model allows also studying the influence of operating parameters on the hydrogen concentration in the gas. The method constitutes an easy to employ and useful complementary technique in relation to the other ways of data handling, including experimental procedures. The model can be used by scientists and engineers for optimizations purposes and can be applied as a submodel oraseparate module in engineering calculations, capable to predict the H2 concentration in the syngas from biomass via the CaO sorption both in FB and CFB gasifiers.

Isolation of a methane-oxydizing bacterium for the study on single cell protein production from methane

Single cell protein (SCP) can be produced from biomass of different types of microorganisms that have high protein content such as yeast, filamentous fungi, algae and bacteria. In comparison to animal and plant protein sources, this kind of protein has several advantages, namely high protein and nutrient contents, being produced in fermenters with the use of variety of organic wastes, independence in agriculture land or climate conditions. Methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB) are considered as good candidates for SCP production and have been intensively studied recently. In the present study, a MOB strain BG3 was isolated from wastewater of an anaerobic digester via enrichment and isolation procedures using methane as the only carbon and energy sources. Strain BG3 comprised of oval-shaped cells of 0,8-1´16 -1,8 μm in size, almost nonmotile. Based on comparative analyses of the 16S rDNA partial sequences, strain BG3 was identified as a member of the Methylomonas genus, the most closely related species was Methylomonas koyamae (97% homology). This was also confirmed by analyses of sequence of the pmoA gene, encoding for a-subunit in the methane-monooxygenase in the strain. Besides methane, strain BG3 also utilized methanol for the growth. It has been shown that methane-fed culture of strain BG3 could produce 68.69 g crude protein per 100 g CDW and the according methane to biomass conversion efficiency was 2,8 m3 methane×kg-1 dry biomassas. Owing the capability of utilization of methane, the second important greenhouse gas, for the production of protein source for animal feed, strain BG3 would have a great application potential in Vietnam. Strain BG3 was designated as Methylomonas sp. BG3 and its 16S rDNA and pmoA gene sequences were deposited at the GenBank with accession numbers of KJ081955 and KJ081956, respectively.

The role of microorganisms in the ecological functions of soils

The results of long-term investigations performed by researchers from the Department of Soil Biology at the Faculty of Soil Science of Moscow State University into one of the major functions of soil microorganisms—sustenance of the turnover of matter and energy in the biosphere—are discussed. Data on the population densities of soil microbes and on the microbial biomass in different types of soils are presented. The systemic approach has been applied to study the structural-functional organization of the soil microbial communities. The role of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms in the carbon and nitrogen cycles is elucidated. It is argued that the high population density and diversity of microorganisms are necessary to maintain the turnover of chemical elements in terrestrial ecosystems. The viability of microbes stored in the soils is important. New data on the preservation and survival of bacteria in nanoforms are presented. It is shown that peatlands and paleosols are natural banks, where microbes can be preserved in a viable state for tens of thousands years.

Biomass in different types of land use in the Brazil’s ‘arc of deforestation’

This study aims to investigate the relationship of biomass with density and richness and soil characteristics. In particular, we focus on the different types of land use found in areas of family farming in the southern and southeast regions of Pará State, Brazil. The study was conducted in three communities located in the Nova Ipixuna, Parauapebas and Pacajá municipalities, Pará State, Brazil. In each of the three areas, nine small family farms were chosen; in each lot five collection sites were established, where the structure of the vegetation cover was inventoried. Nine different types of land use were considered: conserved, exploited and burned forests; old and young secondary forests; clean and invaded pastures; crops areas (with cassava and cocoa). At each of the 135 sampling sites, vegetation cover was inventoried in upper, middle and lower strata; soil samples were also collected for physico-chemical characterization. From these data, we calculated the biomass of the different strata and individuals density, species richness and physico-chemical of soil to investigate their relationships with biomass. Total biomass varied greatly in all types of land use and in all strata studied. Conserved and exploited forests were different from those of burned forests. Burned forests were similar to old secondary forests. Young secondary forests were similar to invaded pastures and cocoa plantations. In principal component analyses (PCA) of biomass three groups of land use were distinguished: one group was explained by important biomass from the upper stratum; a second group was explained by the absence of biomass in the upper stratum; and a third group was explained by biomass found in the middle stratum. This result was compared with the results of the PCAs of density and richness matrix per stratum and physico-chemical properties of soil matrix through a co-inertia analysis. The first co-inertia analysis showed that the two data matrices (density and richness structure and biomass) share a common structure, with 77% of the variability being explained. The second co-inertia analysis also showed that the two data matrices (soil and biomass) do share a common structure. Thus, biomass was strongly correlated with density and richness and with the edaphic characteristics analyzed. The different types of land use in areas of family farms can be categorized into three simple groups according to biomass; this categorization can serve as a reasonable indicator for the rapid estimation of stored biomass.

Quantitative PCR analysis of fungal DNA in Swedish day care centers and comparison with building characteristics and allergen levels

Abstract Sweden has had allergen-avoidance day care centers (AADCs) since 1979. The aim of this study was to measure fungal DNA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), a new method, in AADCs and ordinary day care centers (ODCs) and examine associations between allergen levels and building characteristics. Dust samples were collected by swabbing doorframes, vacuum-cleaning, and using Petri dishes. In total, 11 AADCs and 11 ODCs were studied (70 rooms). Total fungal DNA, measured by qPCR in the swab dust, was detected in 89%, Aspergillus or Penicillium (Asp/Pen) DNA in 34%, and Stachybotrys chartarum DNA in 6% of the rooms. Total fungal DNA was significantly higher in rooms with linoleum floor (P = 0.02), textile carpets (P = 0.03), reported dampness/molds (P = 0.02) and reported odor (P < 0.001) in the buildings, and significantly lower in wooden facade buildings (P = 0.003). Reported odor was related to the amount of sieved fine dust, reported dampness/molds and type of building construction. Total fungal DNA was related to cat, dog, horse and total allergen levels (P = 0.003) in the day care centers. In conclusion, total fungal DNA is related to reported dampness/molds, reported odor, and type of wall construction. The association between fungal and allergen contamination indicated a general 'hygiene factor' related to biological contaminants. Practical Implications The associations between fungal DNA, reported dampness/molds, and odor support the view that buildings with odor problems should be investigated for possible hidden fungal growth. There is a need to measure fungal biomass in different types of building constructions by monitoring fungal DNA. Analysis of fungal DNA with quantitative PCR can be a fast and practical way to study indoor fungal contamination. Swabbing dust from the doorframe of the main entrance to the room can be a convenient method of sampling dust for fungal DNA analysis. The high prevalence of reported dampness/molds and the common occurrence of fungal DNA indicate the need to improve the indoor environment of Swedish day care centers.

The ratio of fungi and bacteria in the biomass of different types of soil determined by selective inhibition

Tundra, chernozem (virgin and arable), sod-podzolic (coniferous forest, meadow, and arable), and grey forest (larch forest) soils were used to separate the contributions of fungi and bacteria to substrate-induced respiration (SIR) with the help of antibiotics. For soils with a high content of organic matter (tundra and chernozem: 12 and 8%, respectively), the procedure of selective inhibition of SIR has been optimized. The optimized procedure includes the application of high concentrations of streptomycin (50-120 mg/g of soil) and cycloheximide (50-80 mg/g of soil) and decreasing the weight of the analyzed soil sample. Soils under study have shown the predominant contribution of fungi (63-82%) to the total SIR. The fungal-bacterial ratio in the soils of natural ecosystems (0-5 cm, without litter) was 4.32, 2.19, 1.5, and 1.5 for tundra soil, virgin chernozem, coniferous (sod-podzolic soil), and larch (grey forest soil) forests, respectively. The lower layers of sod-podzolic (5-10 cm) and grey forest (48-58 cm) soils showed a decrease in the fungal and increase in the bacterial component in the total SIR.

A Multiple Resource Inventory of Delaware Using Airborne Laser Data

Abstract Estimates of forest wood volume and biomass, and estimates of the surface area of asphalt, concrete, roof, and open water, were generated from a single set of airborne laser-profiling data acquired during the summer of 2000. Estimates of aboveground dry biomass for different types of land cover in each county or state were converted directly to estimates of standing carbon. A portable, inexpensive laser that measures forest canopy height and canopy cover was also used to identify and map mature forest stands that might support the Delmarva fox squirrel (Sciurus niger cinereus), an endangered species. Merchantable volume estimates were within 24 percent of US Forest Service estimates at the county level and within 15 percent statewide. Total aboveground dry biomass estimates were within 19 percent of US Forest Service estimates at the county level and within 16 percent statewide. Various types of impervious surfaces (roofs, concrete, asphalt) and open water were tallied along the flight lines to estimate areal coverage statewide, by land cover and county. Laser estimates of impervious surface area were within 28 percent of satellite-based estimates at the county level and within 3 percent at the state level. Laser estimates of open water were within 7 percent of photointerpreted geographic information system (GIS) estimates at the county level and within 3 percent of the GIS at the state level.

JERS-1/SAR backscatter and its relationship with biomass of regenerating forests

It has been hypothesized that regenerating tropical forests are large atmospheric carbon sinks. Accurate estimates of the location, extent and biomass of regenerating tropical forests are needed in order to quantify their contribution to global carbon budgets. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data are independent of near-constant tropical cloud cover and have proved useful for locating and mapping the extent of regenerating tropical forests. To estimate the biomass of regenerating tropical forests we need to determine the nature and strength of the relationship between radar backscatter and biomass for different types of regenerating forest. To further investigate this, two extreme forms of regenerating forest were considered; they were block-logged (clear-cut) forest in the Tapajós area of Pará State, Brazil and selectively-logged forest in Southern Cameroon. Biomass was estimated alometrically for 15 plots in Tapajós and 34 plots in Cameroon and was related to L-band backscatter derived from the JERS-1 SAR. The relationship between backscatter and biomass was strong for the Tapajós study area and weak for the Cameroonian study area. It was concluded that there is potential for the use of JERS-1/SAR to locate, map and estimate biomass for young regenerating forests following block-logging rather than selective-logging.

Accumulation of organic matter along a pollution gradient: Application of odum's theory of ecosystem energetics

Forest soil biology in Scots pine forests of the Empetrum-Vaccinium type was studied around the industrialized city of Oulu, northern Finland since 1987. The forest sites lie along a sulphur and nitrogen concentration gradient in the mor humus ranging from 1.6 to 3.9 mg S g(-1) organic matter (OM) and from 14 to 23 mg N g(-1) OM. A number of biological parameters have earlier been found to vary along this gradient, thus indicating that the ecosystems are subjected to a pollution stress. Total microbial biomass and various activity parameters were studied in 1991. The different methods are discussed and the results interpreted within the light of Odum's theory of the energetic stabilization of ecosystems. Microbial biomass C determined by the fumigation-extraction (FE) technique varied from 5 to 10 mg g(-)OM, N from 0.5 to 1.0 mg g(-1)OM, and basal respiration rate from 0.040 to 0.097 mg CO2 h(-1) g(-1)OM. All decreased along the pollution gradient. Substrate induced respiration values (SIR) varied from 0.025 to 0.085 mg CO2-C h(-1) g(-1)dw. SIR correlated well with the biomass values determined by the FE technique. The lag time of the microbial community after glucose addition (varying from 13 to 22 h) was shortened and the specific respiration increment of the microbial community in response to glucose addition increased along the gradient. The metabolic quotient (respiration/biomass) of the microflora strongly depended on the technique and equation used in calculating the microbial biomass. The results show a reduced biomass, but a more intensive regeneration and intensified activity per biomass unit of microorganisms in polluted forest soil. This in turn denotes an alteration in the microbial community in favor of a higher proportion of r-strategists under the disturbed conditions. In contrast, K-strategists may be more dominant under less polluted conditions. This interpretation is presented with some reservations concerning methodology. There is a need for the calibration of each method for determining microbial biomass in different types of soil.

Production of Chlorella biomass in different types of flat bioreactors in temperate zones

The influence of several variables on the growth rate of the green algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa Chick has been studied. The effects of changes in culture medium, temperature and light are reported. For the production of algae biomass, three different types of closed-cultured systems or bioreactors were used (flexible sheath, translucent tubes and rigid panels, all of them in PVC) under different environmental conditions (chamber, greenhouse and outdoor culture). The results show that the growth of Chlorella is influenced by water quality. However, the algae have a good resistance to temperature variations and they can grow even under low light intensity conditions. Comparing the performance of different bioreactors, it was shown that the outdoor rigid panel system with integrated temperature regulation resulted in a biomass production similar to that for cultures grown in outdoor open ponds in regions with better climatic conditions.