Tons Of Straw Research Articles

Humus content for different use of sod-podzolic sandy soil and the amount of CO2 emissions lost

The results of studies of changes of humus content under different soil tillage systems and fertilization of sod-podzolic sandy loam during 4 rotations of grain-sowing crop rotation are presented in the paper and the amounts of CO 2 emission losses are established. Fertilizer systems have been found to have a greater impact on humus content than soil tillage systems. During the 36-year study period, humus loss on a background without fertilizer for plowing a year was 0.13 t / ha, while for fieldless cultivation - 0.11 t / ha. At application of 1 ha of crop rotation area 7.8 t of manure and N 57 P 63 K 70 kg of mineral fertilizers and systematic tillage with rotation of the slice accumulates 0.11 t / ha of humus annually, while for fieldless cultivation - 0.31 t /Ha. It is established that in Polissya zone in sod-podzolic sandy loam soil in rotation with one field of perennial legumes without fertilizer maintenance of deficient humus balance only by reducing the load during the main cultivation is impossible. It was found that during the systematic rotation of fertilizer application during the four rotations of the organo-mineral fertilizer system, grain yields increased on average from 36 to 62%, triticale in the spring by 2.5 times. Against the background of the fertilization system with the elements of biologicalisation (3.9 tonnes of manure + N8 + 1.2 tonnes of straw + 3.3 tonnes of siderata per 1 ha of crop rotation area), on the contrary, crop rotation yields declined mainly by 8-46%. Thus, higher yields from the organo-mineral fertilizer system, as compared to the control, led to more organic feedstock entering the soil for organic matter accumulation and carbon sequestration, which resulted in better humus formation and sequestration of organic carbon. At an average CO 2 emission intensity of 6.3 kg / ha / h. from the soil, during the day the amount of emissions is about 167 kg per 1 ha, and for the whole growing season about 20.1 t / ha of carbon dioxide. Thus, on turf-podzolic sandy loam soils during crop growing, unproductive CO 2 losses range from 2.1 to 4.2 kg / ha / h. Further studies on establishing the role of soil cultivation methods with modern tools in shaping the fertility of Polissya light soils and minimizing the unproductive emission losses of organic matter are promising.

Impact of a cold-village merger plan on the Investment Cost and Energy Utilization Ratio of Biomass Combined Heat and Power Plants

China is rapidly developing in terms of urbanization; thus, to address the decline in agriculture caused by the outflow of village populations, it is imperative that a village merger plan be implemented. Such a plan would be beneficial in terms of re-evaluating the scale and quantity of biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plants and how these feature in the village merger planning process; it would also assist in researching the investment costs and energy utilization ratios of biomass CHP plants, optimizing the energy consumption structure, and promoting sustainable development processes. By undertaking a typical case study, we obtain a series of universal strategies. Predicting the extent of urbanization is useful in determining village abandonment—in which populations from relocated villages redistribute to other villages—while new towns are simultaneously built in sparsely populated north-western areas for relocated individuals. By comparing analysed data pertaining to the construction of 15 biomass CHP plants before the village merger plan and those pertaining to the centralized construction of a single biomass CHP plant after the village merger plan, we find that investing in a single, centralized biomass CHP plant saves RMB 649 million, compared to investing in 15 decentralized plants. Additionally, by building a single plant, 85,983.51 tons of straw can be saved annually, which represents a value of RMB 21.4959 million.

The influence of light-gray forest soil tillage systems on biological activity of the soil and productivity of pea in the Nizhny Novgorod region

The research was conducted in 2017-2018 in the Nizhny Novgorod region on light-gray forest soil in the link of “spring wheat-pea” crop rotation. The article presents the results of study of the influence of soil tillage systems (traditional moldboard tillage with moldboard plow; non-moldboard “deep” tillage with boardless plow; non-moldboard “shallow” tillage with chisel cultivator Pottinger Synkro 5030 K; minimum tillage with disc harrow XM 44660 NOTHAD; zero tillage (No-till) with grain drill Sunflower 9421-20, mineral fertilizers (N60P60K60 kg of active ingredient) and straw destructors (ammonium nitrate in the dose of N10 kg of active ingredient per 1 t of straw and biological preparation Stimix®Niva 2 ltr/ha) on the change in the indicator of biological activity of the soil and the yield of pea variety Krasivy. In the conditions of insufficient precipitation of the growing season of 2018, No-till technology resulted in a decrease in the average biological activity of the soil by the tillage systems under study in pea plantings of Krasivy variety: by 6.3 % (from 18.6 to 12.3 %) compared to the traditional moldboard tillage system with moldboard plow; by 4.7 % (from 17.0 to 12.3 %) compared to the non-moldboard “deep” tillage with boardless plow; by 3.5 % (from 15.8 to 12.3 %) compared to the non-moldboard "shallow" tillage with a chisel cultivator; by 4.9 % (from 17.2 to 12.3 %) compared to the minimum processing with disk harrow. The use of the biological preparation Stimix®Niva as a straw destructor in arid conditions of 2018 was more effective than the use of ammonium nitrate in field test variants without application of mineral fertilizers (N60P60K60). The biological activity of the soil increased on fall plowing with moldboard plow by 3.8 % (20.8 and 17.0% respectively); on fall plowing with boardless plow by 5.3 % (18. 8 and 13.5 %); on minimum tillage with a disc harrow by 4.8 % (18.9 and 14.1 %). Under the weather conditions of 2018, the highest yield of Krasivy pea variety was obtained in the variant of field experiment where fall plowing with soil overturning to the depth of 20-22 cm with the use of ammonium nitrate as a straw destructor in a dose of 10 kg of active ingredient per 1 ton of straw was used as basic cultivation. The use of mineral fertilizers (N60P60K60) by this system of soil tillage in dry conditions did not affect the yield of Krasivy pea variety (2.70-of 2.76 t/ha). When using the No-till technology of pea production, the obtained yield in the conditions of the Nizhny Novgorod region in 2018 ranged from 0.74 to 2.24 t/ha.

Wheat straw, corn stover, sugarcane, and Agave biomasses: chemical properties, availability, and cellulosic‐bioethanol production potential in Mexico

AbstractMexico is one of the largest agricultural producers in Latin America and generates a large amount of agricultural residue. The aim of this study was to establish the usefulness of four of the main Mexican crops (corn, wheat, sugarcane, and Agave) as feedstock for lignocellulosic bioethanol production. The lignocellulosic residue ratio (RR), defined as weight of residue (in tons) per ton of product, was measured by sampling crop fields in 11 geographic regions of Mexico. The chemical composition, assessed by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), and structural composition (extractives, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents), heating value, and metal content of these lignocellulosic residues were measured. Biorefinery locations, and their theoretical bioethanol production, were suggested using the gravity center method and techno‐economic criteria. The highest RR (1.1 ton of straw per ton of grain) was obtained for wheat straw followed by corn (0.8 ton of stover per ton of grain), sugar cane (0.15 ton of bagasse per ton of cane), and Agave (0.2 ton of bagasse per ton of stem). The composition of these biomasses varied significantly depending on the parental material in extractive compounds, lignocellulosic matter, ashes, hemicellulose, lignin, O‐alkyl C, aromatic C, and carboxyl C. The cellulose crystallinity index and the heating value exhibited small variations among biomasses. Copper, Zn, Cd, and Ni content in the biomasses generally exceeded the European Norm (EN‐Plus FprEN 1496 1‐2 B) for solid biofuels. In total, these agricultural biomasses could be used as feedstock for 34 biorefineries in Mexico with a total bioethanol production potential of approximately 1246 million L year–1. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Facile synthesis of mesoporous silica aerogels from rice straw ash-based biosilica via freeze-drying

The combustion of biomass fuels has been a significant source of global energy, and about 10 million tons of straw are used annually, yielding at least 0.5 million tons of straw ash. However, the ash from rice straw has rarely been reused, thereby contributing to environmental pollution. A new approach is reported for preparing mesoporous silica aerogels using straw ash-based biosilica via a sol-gel process and vacuum freeze-drying. The mesoporous structure, porosity, pore volume, and specific surface area of this straw ash-based aerogel had satisfactory values. Effects of pH on the synthesis of silica aerogel were investigated to better understand the most important factors influencing the gelation, final structure, physicochemical properties, morphology, and thermostability of the samples.

Изменение агрофизических свойств почвы и урожайности яровой пшеницы в зависимости от систем обработки почвы и удобрений в Волго-Вятском регионе

Studies were conducted in 2016-2017 in Nizhny Novgorod region on gray forest soil in a link of "soybeans -spring wheat" crop rotation. The scheme of field experiment included 5 soil tillage systems: 1. Traditional moldboard tilling based on autumn plowing with PN-3-35 at 20-22 cm (control); 2. Non-moldboard "deep" cultivation -autumn plowing with PN-3-35 (without moldboard) at 20-22 cm; 3. Non-moldboard "shallow" cultivation with the Pottinger stubble cultivator to a depth of 14-16 cm; 4. Minimal tillage with the disc harrow XM 44660 NOTHAD to a depth of 10-12 cm; 5. Zero tilling (No-till) with the Sunflower 9421-20 drill. For each soil tillage system, the effectiveness of the action of mineral fertilizers (N60P60K60) and straw in combination with StiMiX®Niva biological preparation (2 l/ha) and mineral nitrogen (10 kg of active matter per 1 ton of straw) was studied. Optimal density of the arable layer of gray forest soil for the growth and development of spring wheat was formed after autumn plowing for all years of the study (2014-2017). By the time of sowing, the bulk weight of the soil in all the studied cultivation technologies under spring wheat in crop rotation increased to 1.41-1.50 g/cm3 in the arable (0-20 cm) soil layer. Soil cultivation regulated the conditions for seeds germination in 0-10 cm soil layer to optimal values (1.29-1.34 g / cm3). No-till technology led to the compaction of gray forest soil both in the initial period of spring wheat vegetation (1.43 g/cm 3 ) and at the end of vegetation (1.48 g/cm 3 ). It negatively affected the growth and development of spring wheat and, as a result, its yield. A higher moisture content in the arable layer of the soil (0-20 cm) at the beginning of spring wheat sowing accumulated in the zero-tilling variant (19.9%). Variants with shallow plowing and minimum tillage with a disc harrow occupied an intermediate position between deep plowing and "direct" sowing as to the content of moisture in the soil. The highest yield of spring wheat of the Ester variety (3.99 t /ha) was obtained against the background of non-moldboard "shallow" tillage by the combined use of mineral fertilizers (N60P60K60) and ammonium nitrate (N10) applied for the decomposition of post-harvest plant residues.

Влияние обработки почвы и удобрений на изменения ее агрофизических свойств и урожайность сои в звене зернового севооборота

The research was conducted in the Nizhny Novgorod region in 2015-2016 on light gray forest soil in the link of crop rotation “winter wheat-soybean”. The scheme of field experiment included 5 soil treatment systems: 1. Traditional moldboard tilling based on autumn plowing with PN-3-35 at 20-22 cm (control); 2. Nonmoldboard “deep” cultivation - autumn plowing with PN-3-35 (without moldboard) at 20-22 cm; 3. Nonmoldboard “shallow” tilling with the stubble cultivator Pöttinger at a depth of 14-16 cm; 4. The minimum machining with the disc harrow XM 44660 NOTHAD at a depth of 10-12 cm; 5. Zero tilling (No-till) with the Sunflower 9421-20 drill. For each soil treatment system, the effectiveness of the action of mineral fertilizers (N60P60K60) and straw in combination with the bio-preparation Stimix®Niva (21/ha) and mineral nitrogen (10 kg a.i. per 1 ton of straw) was studied. By the time of soybean sowing, only mechanical treatment provided favorable conditions for germination of seeds in the 0-10 cm soil layer (volumetric soil weight 1.25-1.30 g / cm3). The technology of direct seeding led to an increased compaction of the soil already in the initial period of vegetation (1.43 g / cm3). The variants of treatment systems didn’t have a significant effect on the soil moisture. By the time of soybean sowing the moisture content in 0-20 cm soil layer was 14.7-15.5%, and in 0-50 cm layer -16.4-17%. According to the soil treatment systems studied, the highest yield of soybean Svetlaya was obtained on the background of mineral fertilizers (N60P60K60) and straw as well as in variants with bio-preparation Stimix®Niva or mineral nitrogen for plant matter decay. Soybean cultivation by mechanical treatment systems provided grain yields of 1.64-1.761 / ha, and no-till technology reduced it to 0.61 t/ha.

Modification of insoluble dietary fiber from garlic straw with ultrasonic treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate modification of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) from garlic straw with ultrasonic processing technology. The functional, physicochemical, and structural properties were evaluated. Based on the uniform design (UD) method, initial temperature of 45 °C, ultrasonic power of 535 W, and time of 41 min were considered as the optimum ultrasonic conditions for preparation of IDF with good in vitro hypolipidemic ability. Ultrasonic-treated IDF exhibited better functional and physicochemical properties than untreated IDF with significant difference (p < .05). Structural analysis from scanning electron microscope and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy indicated that ultrasonic treatment destroyed the microstructures of IDF from garlic straw, resulted in the honey-comb network structure and increased hydrophilic groups, which illustrated the good functional and physicochemical properties. Practical applications With the trend toward increased consumption of garlic bulb, millions of tons of straw are generally discarded every year. The productive use of such by-products as garlic straw could offer substantial economic benefits. In this work, ultrasonic technology was chosen for the modification of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) from garlic straw. Uniform design technique helped us to get the optimum ultrasonic conditions for preparation of IDF with good in vitro hypolipidemic ability. The functional and physicochemical properties of garlic IDF were significantly influenced by ultrasonic pretreatment. The positive effect of ultrasound and application of the statistical model may be useful for functional modification and utilization of dietary fiber from garlic straw.

Economic analysis of fuel collection, storage, and transportation in straw power generation in China

Biomass power generation projects involve green and renewable energy. This study regards Laifa Straw Recycling Company of Henan Sheqi as an example. Field survey and economic analysis are employed as the main research methods. The problems of straw collection, storage, and transportation are examined. According to the data obtained from the investigation and the mathematical model, when the straw recycling company uses the artificial model, the average price of each ton of straw is 385.4 yuan; when the straw recycling company uses the mechanical model, the average price of each ton of straw is 264.4 yuan. Comparison of the mechanical and artificial models reveals that the average price of each ton of straw differs by 121 yuan. Under the assumption that the annual purchase amount of straw is 2 × 105 tons, the cost of 2.42 × 107 yuan per year can be saved. Thus, Laifa Straw Recycling Company of Henan Sheqi should consider the mechanical model. Sensitivity analysis of the two models shows that the collection cost is the most sensitive factor when the straw recycling company utilizes the artificial model because most farmers go out to work, so a shortage in rural labor force occurs; this shortage results in increased cost of artificial collection. When the straw recycling company utilizes the mechanical model, the cost of storage is the most sensitive factor because of the large storage amount. High current land leasing and management costs lead to increased storage cost.

Energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and cost of rice straw collection in the mekong river delta of vietnam

Collection is still a major challenge in the supply chain of rice straw to prepare feedstock for further use. Straw needs to be gathered from the field and compressed into bales to make it compact and easy to transport. With the introduction of combine harvesters, the collection of rice straw has become harder and more costly. This created negative impacts on other businesses that use rice straw. Mechanization of rice straw collection was introduced in Vietnam in 2013 and it has rapidly developed since. Most of the rice straw produced in the dry season in the Mekong River Delta (MD) of Vietnam is collected for mushroom and for livestock fodder production or for use as mulching materials. In order to quantify the performance of the mechanical operation of rice straw collection, this study conducted an analysis of energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emission (GHGE), and cost of rice straw collection in the MD for five collection machines that operated on the same field, the same rice variety, and the same harvest time under a demonstration in the MD. With rice straw yield of 4.72t per ha, the collection machines operated at a capacity of 0.87–2.47t per hour. This mechanized operation can reduce labor requirement by 90%. Specific weight of baled straw was from 73 to 104kg per cubic meter, which is heavier by 50–100% than that of loose-form straw, at a moisture content of 12.4 (±1.21)% in wet basis. Total energy consumption, ranging from 351 to 588MJ per ton of straw collected, accounted for 10–17% of the total energy input using this collected straw for biogas production. Energy consumption from fossil fuels results in GHGE of 60–165kg CO2 equivalent per ton of collected straw. The cost of straw collection, which ranged from US$12 to US$18 per ton of straw in the MD, accounted for 10–20% of the total investment cost of biogas or mushroom production. This study illustrated the feasibility of the mechanization of rice straw collection for further processing. Despite the GHGE of this may cause through the consumption of fossil fuels, mechanized rice straw collection creates more benefits such as avoiding in-field burning, producing feedstock for further sustainable processing, and adding value to rice production.

Generating a positive energy balance from using rice straw for anaerobic digestion

Abstract About 150 million metric tons of rice straw is produced in Southeast Asian countries every year. Several barriers impeding the collection of rice straw from the fields as well as the lack of knowledge on alternative uses of rice straw led to the practice of burning which causes air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. To identify the benefits and uses of rice straw for energy generation is the main objective of this research. The study evaluated the energy balance of the rice straw supply chain and energy conversion through anaerobic digestion (AD). The input energy was categorized either as direct and indirect energy. Direct energy included agricultural inputs, fuel consumption and manpower. Fuel consumption was measured directly from the vehicles and equipment used in the experiment while manpower was measured using the metabolic equivalent of task (MET) based on labor time per ton of straw. Indirect energy was calculated based on the energy for the manufacture, lubrication, and maintenance of machines and equipment. The net energy of the rice straw supply chain for biogas generation through AD is 3,500 MJ per ton of straw. This rice straw management option can provide a 70% net output energy benefit. The research highlighted the potential of rice straw as a clean fuel source with a positive energy balance, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared with the existing practice of burning it in the field.

Situations and challenges of household energy consumption in Chinese small towns

A large scale survey of household energy consumption in Chinese small towns was conducted to obtain the fundamental data and analyze the key problems. Based on the survey results, the total annual household energy consumption in Chinese small towns is around 156 million tons of coal equivalence (tce) (4.6×109GJ). The breakdowns include 74 million tons of raw coal (1.5×109GJ), 11 million tons of firewood (0.2×109GJ), 38 million tons of straw (0.6×109GJ), 5.7 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (0.3×109GJ), 8478 million m3 natural gas (NG) (0.3×109GJ), 1.5 million tons of charcoal (0.5×108GJ) and 160 billion kWh electricity. Space heating accounts for the most proportion of household energy consumption in northern small towns in whole country. Coal is widely used for space heating. There will be a big challenge on energy and environment with a large number of migration from rural areas to small towns during the urbanization. To avoid significant increase of energy and pollutant emissions, making full use of biomass energy for household space heating in small towns is proposed based on the analysis of supply and demand of biomass resources. The results obtained from this study could also provide references to guide the development in small towns in other countries, particularly the developing world during the process of rapid urbanization.

Combustion of Different Type Biopellets in a Fixed – Turbulent Fluidized Bed

According to our estimations, Russia can use up to 24 million tons of straw as fuel every year without harming either crop farming or agriculture. Straw as biofuel can be used for co-combustion with coal, including low-grade coal and coal waste (slurry). Taking into account the low bulk density of straw and granulometric composition of slurry (the particles are of size up to 0.2mm) it makes sense to process this fuel into pellets, which are easy to transport and store. The feeding of pellets into a boiler furnace can be easily mechanized and automated. However, straw differs from wood and wood wastes by a high content of chlorine, silicon, phosphorus, and potassium. The presence of these compounds in straw contributes to the formation of slag agglomerates in the furnace, coherent deposits on the boiler heating surface and corrosion under these deposits.For the efficient combustion of biofuel with low-melting ash in boilers with furnaces with a small height the main combustion process should be carried out in the regime of a fixed, forced ventilated bed. Then, after a certain period of time, a bed must be transferred into a state of turbulent fluidization, and then returned to its original state. So the objective of the present work is to study the process of pellets combustion in such a bed (let's call it a pulsating bed).

Biomass pretreatment: a critical choice for biomass utilization via biotechnological routes

The necessary biomass pretreatment step, to render the material accessible to the relevant enzyme pool, has been under thorough investigation as the production of biomass syrups, via enzymatic hydrolysis, with high sugars concentrations and yields and low inhibitors concentrations requires the pretreatment to be both efficient and low cost. A good choice for biomass pretreatment should be made by considering: (i) the possibility to use high biomass concentration; (ii) a highly digestible pretreated solid by either increasing the biomass superficial area or decrease in crystallinity or both; (iii) no significant sugar degradation into toxic compounds; (iv) yeast and bacterial fermentation compatibility of the derived sugar syrups; (v) lignin recovery; (vi) operation in reasonably sized and moderately priced reactors and (vii) minimum heat and power requirements [1]. Considering the most known pretreatments, such as diluted acid, hydrothermal processes, steam explosion, milling, extrusion, and ionic liquids, different pretreatment methods produce different effects on the biomass in terms of its structure and composition [2]. For example, the hydrothermal, steam explosion and acidic pretreatments conceptually remove mainly the biomass hemicellulose fraction whereas alkaline pretreatments remove lignin. On the other hand the product of a milling-based pretreatment retains the biomass initial composition. Furthermore, cellulose crystallinity is not significantly reduced by pretreatments based on steam, or hydrothermal, or acidic procedures, whereas ionic liquid-based techniques can shift crystalline cellulose into amorphous cellulose, substantially increasing the enzymatic hydrolysis rates and yields. As such, the choice of pretreatment and its operational conditions as well as the composition of the enzyme blend used in the hydrolysis step, determines the hexose and pentose sugars composition, the concentration and toxicity of the resulting biomass syrups. The activity profile of the enzyme blend and the enzyme load for an effective saccharification may also vary according to the pretreatment. Indeed, a low hemicellulase load can be used for a xylan-free biomass and a lower cellulase load will be needed for the hydrolysis of a low crystalline and highly amorphous pretreated biomass material. As the pretreatment choice will also be affected by the type of biomass, the envisaged biorefinery model will need to consider the main types of biomass that will be used for the biorefinery operation so as to select an appropriate, and versatile pretreatment method [3]. Considering the biorrefinery concept which broadens the biomass derived products, the C6 sugars could be fermented into ethanol, while the C5 stream could be used for the production, via biotechnological routes, of a wide range of chemicals with higher added value. To date, sugarcane and woody biomass, depending on the geographic location, are strong candidates as the main renewable resources to be fed into a biorefinery. However, due to major differences regarding their physical properties and chemical composition, the relevant pretreatments to be used in each case are expected to be selective and customized. Moreover, a necessary conditioning step for wood size reduction, prior to the pretreatment, may not be necessary for sugarcane bagasse, affecting the pretreatment energy consumption and costs. Moreover, the choice of pretreatment should take into account the foreseen utilization of the main biomass molecular components (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin). It is important to point out that lignin can be used as a valuable solid fuel or as a source of aromatic structures for the chemical industry. Sugarcane is one of the major agricultural crops when considering ethanol production, especially in tropical countries. In Brazil, sugarcane occupies 8.4 million hectares, which corresponds to 2.4% of farmable lands in Brazil. The gross revenue of this sector is about US$ 20 billion (54% as ethanol, 44% as sugar, and 2% as bioelectricity) [4]. In addition, up to 50% of all vehicles in Brazil are flex fuel cars, which corresponds to approximately 15 million cars [5]. Given the above, Brazil is an important player in this scenario, and, consequently, sugarcane bagasse and straw are promising feed stocks for biomass ethanol. Brazil produced, in 2008, 415 million tons of sugar cane residues, 195 million tons of sugarcane bagasse, and 220 million tons of sugarcane straw, whereas the forecast for the 2011 sugarcane production is 590 million tons, which would correspond to 178 million tons of bagasse, and 200 million tons of straw [6]. Currently, in Brazil, R&D on the use of biomass via biotechnological routes has been focused mainly on agricultural residues such as sugarcane residual biomass.

Biomass Wastes: An Energy Option for Baja California, M&amp;#233;xico

Cotton and wheat crops are essential part of the Baja California agricultural production. Such crops generate waste biomass after each harvest cycle, which is almost fully openly burned in order to clear land for the next cycle. Thus in the agricultural 2011 cycle, 542,000 tonnes of straw were generated from wheat in the Mexicali Valley. In addition, the residue from the cotton consisting of stalks exceeded 143,000 tonnes. All these residues are a source of energy that is discarded annually equivalent to 10.19 PJ. Therefore, in addition to determining the biomass potential available in the state from such wastes, the aim of this paper is to propose options for the use of the energy contained in the waste biomass considering the characteristics of raw material available and existing technologies. The results show that there is the potential to generate electricity with a system of 105 MW of installed capacity, and also obtain annually 6.4 million liters of biodiesel. Obtaining this biofuel is by a transesterification reaction of waste vegetable oils, considering an average efficiency of 80% conversion, based on experimental results obtained with mixtures from Mexicali.

Research on Corn Stover Fermentation by Multi-Bacterium and Improvement of Fermentation Devices

t was reported that more than 1 billion tons of straw is produced in China each year. Because of difficulties in degradation, farmers usually burn the straw by themselves. In this paper, corn stover was chosen to represent straw and microorganisms were used to produce organic fertilizer in order to render the straw harmless. Also organic fertilizer can improve soil quality and reduce the dosage of chemical fertilizers. 5 Microorganisms which were Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus thermophiles, Pseudomonas stutzeri and Zymomonasmobilis were selected by high CMC enzymatic activity.Then, a multi-bacterium was designed which could improve fermentation efficiency. To save energy, water resources and improve fermentation efficiency, the fermentation device in the lab was improved.

BYPRODUCTS OF PRODUCTION OF RICE GOOD RAW MATERIAL FOR ANIMAL PRODUCTION IN MACEDONIA

Before starting with the organization of vegetable or animal production it is necessary an identification of the required conditions and raw materials to be made. The secondary products of rice used as raw materials for animal production until now have not been worked on enough in the Republic of Macedonia. In this work it will be presented and analyzed the results of the examination (twenty years long average) of the seeded areas, the production of paddy rice, straw and the secondary products with the reproduction of paddy rice (hull and bran). The yield of straw in sorts is established in field experiments, and the quantity of hull and bran are calculated according to the percentage that has been obtained with the laboratory analysis. In Macedonia the rice is maintained on 4 189 ha of area and prevailing sorts are: Monticeli (2 471ha), r-76/6 (1 381ha), San Andrea (1 301ha) and Prima riska (392ha). The results of the examinations show that yearly the average production is 19 157 tons of paddy rice, 37 411 tons of straw, 3 615 tons of hull and 2067 tons of bran. The results of this work are going to have first of all a practical use for the existing and future farmers for the superior potential of the raw materials of rice production in animal production.

Integration of Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs) in the Biorefinery for Production of Ethanol, H2 and Phenolics

In a biorefinery, biomass is converted into a variety of chemicals, materials and energy. A typical example is the lignocellulosic ethanol biorefinery process, in which substrates such as wheat straw are used as a feedstock for production of ethanol. In this work, an integrated biorefinery procedure is proposed in which the ethanol biorefinery is coupled with a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), with the aim to further process and valorize the waste stream of bioethanol production. A MEC is an electrochemical system capable of oxidizing reducing equivalents, which results in hydrogen production. The mass and energy balances as well as the economical evaluations, show that this strategy may be useful for additional generation of hydrogen and lignin, thereby increasing the final yield of this biorefinery. From one ton of straw, the yield of ethanol upon yeast fermentation is estimated at 177–190 kg, with a hydrogen yield corresponding to 19–23 kg H2. The remaining solid residue of 147–160 kg comprises primarily lignin. The estimated value of these products approximates the double of that of straw. Integrating a MEC in the biorefinery concept may also be useful for other applications such as polyphenol purification and targeted modification of fruit based phenolics. Examples of such high-value plant polyphenols include equol and resveratrol, which can be produced from soy and grape, respectively.

Eficácia do herbicida amicarbazone aplicado sobre a palha ou no solo no controle de plantas daninhas na cultura da cana-de-açúcar

A eficácia dos herbicidas no sistema de cana-crua é diretamente influenciada pela quantidade e distribuição de palha na área, bem como pela ocorrência da primeira chuva superior a 20 mm posterior à aplicação, uma vez que a palha é capaz de interceptar o herbicida antes que este atinja o solo. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar a eficácia e o comportamento do herbicida amicarbazone no controle de plantas daninhas no sistema de cana-crua. Para isso, foi realizado um experimento em condições controladas, considerando diferentes doses de amicarbazone (D1 = 1,05 kg ha-1, D2 = 0,875 kg ha-1, D3 = 0,700 kg ha-1 e D4 = 0,525 kg ha-1) e situações de aplicação desse herbicida, a saber: sobre 5 t de palha ha-1, sobre o solo e coberto com 5 t de palha ha-1, além de pulverização sobre o solo sem cobertura de palha, resultando assim em 12 tratamentos. Aos 7, 14, 21 e 28 dias após a aplicação (DAA), foi avaliada a porcentagem de controle das seguintes espécies de plantas daninhas: Ipomoea grandifolia, Brachiaria decumbens, Merremia cissoides e Euphorbia heterophylla. Pelos resultados obtidos, pode-se constatar que, independentemente da espécie de planta daninha avaliada, os maiores índices de controle foram observados quando o amicarbazone foi aplicado sobre a palha, simulando-se em seguida precipitação correspondente a 30 mm de chuva, e nos tratamentos em que o herbicida foi aplicado diretamente no solo sem palha. Dessa forma, para as espécies I. grandifolia, M. cissoides e E. heterophylla, todos os tratamentos apresentaram excelente controle (nota 6 - 100%) a partir dos 14 DAA; para B. decumbens, o controle total ocorreu aos 28 DAA. Portanto, pode-se concluir que o amicarbazone é uma excelente alternativa para o manejo dessas espécies de plantas daninhas em cana-crua.

Current status and prospects of biomass resources for energy production in Lithuania

Basic biomass sources in Lithuania are comprised of wood, straw, biofuel and biogas. The current status and the problems from using biomass for energy production in Lithuania are analyzed. The possibility of utilizing wood waste, firewood, straw and biogas for energy is evaluated. Forest comprises about 2.05 Mha or 31.3% of Lithuanian land area. About 4.3 million m 3 solid volume of wood per year can be used for fuel (843 ktoe). Wood as fuel is used directly or in processed form (briquettes, pellets and chips). Agriculture produces approximately 1.5–2.0 million tons of straw each year for animal feed, litter and olericulture. Around 30–40% (130 ktoe) could be used as fuel for energy production. Boiler houses for combusting the straw have increased and now comprise about 7 MW. Straw is also used for heating private houses. Sources for biogas production include sludge from water cleaning equipment, animal manure and organic waste in food processing companies. Total volume of operating bioreactors comprises about 24 000 m 3, and annual production of biogas is 6.3 million m 3 per year (3.4 ktoe). By year 2010 the total volume of bioreactors will increase to 35 000 m 3 and about 50 000 m 3 by 2040. In Lithuania biodiesel and bioethanol are mainly used in blending with conventional fuel. Following the requirements of the European Union (EU), 2% of total consumed fuel per year is to be produced in 2005. By 2010 biofuel should comprise not less than 5.75% of all fuel existing in the market.