Community Structure, Diversity, Biomass and Net Production in a Rehabilitated Subtropical Forest in North India

Gangetic alluvial plain in north India constitutes significant proportions of barren sodic lands. A representative site, where afforestation was carried out during 1960s to rehabilitate the site under forest ecosystem, was selected to assess the restoration success. Three stands (S1, S2, and S3) were selected in a semi-natural subtropical forest at Banthra, Lucknow (26°45’ N, 80°53’ E) on the basis of different vegetation morphology and basal area gradient. Species composition and their growth forms were studied in overstory, understory and ground layer vegetation, in which dominants were assorted. Among the dominants few species were common in the three stands as also in different strata, which perhaps indicate their natural regeneration. Classification of individuals among the different size classes indicated ‘L’ shape distribution in which most of the individuals remained confined in younger groups. Biomass increased from the stand S1 to S3 stand in overstory, and vise versa for understory. Stand S2 consisted of predominance of ground layer biomass over the other stands. Biomass allocation in different plant components differed significantly between the overstory and understory for aerial woody components (stem and branch). Annual litter fall did not differ significantly among the stands, where as fine root biomass (up to 45 cm soil depth) decreased from S1 to S3 stands. Rainy and summer seasons contributed to two-third proportion of total annual fine root production. The state of this rehabilitated forest when compared with the degraded and reference forest of the region indicated that structural complexity, biomass and production levels have been achieved to 70% of the reference forest site even after having a different species composition.

Advanced Functional Electromagnetic Shielding Materials:A Review Based on Micro‑Nano Structure Interface Control of Biomass Cell Walls

Research efforts on electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials have begun to converge on green and sustainable biomass materials.These materials offer numerous advantages such as being lightweight,porous,and hierarchical.Due to their porous nature,interfacial compatibility,and electrical conductivity,biomass materials hold significant potential as EMI shielding materials.Despite concerted efforts on the EMI shielding of biomass materials have been reported,this research area is still relatively new compared to traditional EMI shielding materials.In particular,a more comprehensive study and summary of the factors influencing biomass EMI shielding materials including the pore structure adjustment,preparation process,and micro-control would be valuable.The preparation methods and characteristics of wood,bamboo,cellulose and lignin in EMI shielding field are critically discussed in this paper,and similar biomass EMI materials are summarized and analyzed.The composite methods and fillers of various biomass materials were reviewed.this paper also highlights the mechanism of EMI shielding as well as existing prospects and challenges for development trends in this field.

Cross-upgrading of biomass hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis for high quality blast furnace injection fuel production:Physicochemical characteristics and gasification kinetics analysis

The paper proposes a biomass cross-upgrading process that combines hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis to produce high-quality blast furnace injection fuel.The results showed that after upgrading,the volatile content of biochar ranged from 16.19%to 45.35%,and the alkali metal content,ash content,and specific surface area were significantly reduced.The optimal route for biochar pro-duction is hydrothermal carbonization-pyrolysis(P-HC),resulting in biochar with a higher calorific value,C=C structure,and increased graphitization degree.The apparent activation energy(E)of the sample ranges from 199.1 to 324.8 kJ/mol,with P-HC having an E of 277.8 kJ/mol,lower than that of raw biomass,primary biochar,and anthracite.This makes P-HC more suitable for blast furnace injection fuel.Additionally,the paper proposes a path for P-HC injection in blast furnaces and calculates potential environmental benefits.P-HC of-fers the highest potential for carbon emission reduction,capable of reducing emissions by 96.04 kg/t when replacing 40wt%coal injec-tion.

Towards carbon neutrality of calcium carbide-based acetylene production with sustainable biomass resources

Acetylene is produced from the reaction between calcium carbide(CaC_(2))and water,while the production of CaC_(2) generates significant amount of carbon dioxide not only because it is an energy-intensive process but also the raw material for CaC_(2) synthesis is from coal.Here,a comprehensive biomass-to-acetylene process was constructed that integrated several units including biomass pyrolysis,oxygen-thermal CaC_(2) fabrication and calcium looping.For comparison,a coal-to-acetylene process was also established by using coal as feedstock.The carbon efficiency,energy efficiency and environmental impacts of the bio-based calcium carbide acetylene(BCCA)and coal-based calcium carbide acetylene(CCCA)processes were systematically analyzed.Moreover,the environmental impacts were further evaluated by applying thermal integration at system level and energy substitution in CaC_(2) furnace.Even though the BCCA process showed lower carbon efficiency and energy efficiency than that of the CCCA process,life cycle assessment demonstrated the BCCA(1.873 kgCO_(2eq) kg-prod^(-1))a lower carbon footprint process which is 0.366 kgCO_(2eq) kg-prod^(-1) lower compared to the CCCA process.With sustainable energy(biomass power)substitution in CaC_(2) furnace,an even lower GWP value of 1.377 kgCO_(2eq) kg-prod^(-1) can be achieved in BCCA process.This work performed a systematic analysis on integrating biomass into industrial acetylene production,and revealed the positive role of biomass as raw material(carbon)and energy supplier.

Aboveground biomass and net primary production of semi-evergreen tropical forest of Manipur,north-eastern India

The aboveground biomass dynamics and net primary productivity were investigated to assess the productive potential of Dipterocarpus forest in Manipur, Northeast India.Two forest stands(stand I and II) were earmarked randomly in the study site for the evaluation of biomass in the different girth classes of tree species by harvest method.The total biomass was 22.50 t·ha-1 and 18.27 t·ha-1 in forest stand I and II respectively.Annual aboveground net primary production varied from 8.86 to 10.43 t·ha-1 respectively in two forest stands(stand I and II).In the present study, the values of production efficiency and the biomass accumulation ratio indicate that the forest is at succession stage with high productive potential.

Linkages between the biomass of Scomber japonicus and net primary production in the southern East China Sea

Fish biomass is a critical component of fishery stock assessment and management and it is often estimated from ocean primary production（OPP）. However, the relationship between the biomass of a fish stock and OPP is always complicated due to a variety of trophic controls in the ecosystem. In this paper, we examine the quantitative relationship between the biomass of chub mackerel（Scomber japonicus） and net primary production（NPP） in the southern East China Sea（SECS）, using catch and effort data from the Chinese mainland large light-purse seine fishery logbook and NPP derived from remote sensing. We further discuss the mechanisms of trophic control in regulating this relationship. The results show a significant non-linear relationship exists between standardized CPUE（Catch-Per-Unit-Effort） and NPP（P〈0.05）. This relationship can be described by a convex parabolic curve, where the biomass of chub mackerel increases with NPP to a maximum and then decreases when the NPP exceeds this point. The results imply that the ecosystem in the SECS is subject to complex trophic controls. We speculate that the change in abundance of key species at intermediate trophic levels and/or interspecific competition might contribute to this complex relationship.

Regulation of different light conditions for efficient biomass production and protein accumulation of Spirulina platensis

Light plays an important role in the photosynthesis and metabolic process of microalgae.However,how different light conditions regulate the biomass production and protein accumulation of microalgae is mostly unknown.In this study,the influence of different light conditions,including light colors,densities,and light:dark cycles on the cell growth and biochemical composition of Spirulina platensis was symmetrically characterized.Under different colored lights,S.platensis all shows an increase trend within the increased light intensity ranges;however,each showing different optimal light intensities.At the same light intensity,different colored lights show different growth rate of S.platensis following the sequence of red>white>green>yellow>blue.The maximum growth rate and protein accumulation were determined as 21.88 and 5.10 mg/(L·d)when illuminated under red LED.The energy efficiency of different light sources was calculated and ranked as red>white>blue≈green>yellow.Transcriptomic analysis suggests that red light can promote cell growth and protein accumulation by upregulating genes related to photosynthesis,carbon fixation,and C-N metabolism pathways.This study provides a conducive and efficient way to promote biomass production and protein accumulation of S.platensis by regulating light conditions.

Kinetics study on biomass pyrolysis for fuel gas production

Kinetic knowledge is of great importance in achieving good control of the pyrolysis and gasification process and optimising system design. An overall kinetic pyrolysis scheme is therefore addressed here. The ki-netic modelling incorporates the following basic steps: the degradation of the virgin biomass materials into pri-mary products ( tar, gas and semi-char), the decomposition of primary tar into secondary products and the continuous interaction between primary gas and char. The last step is disregarded completely by models in the literature. Analysis and comparison of predicted results from different kinetic schemes and experimental data on our fixed bed pyrolyser yielded very positive evidence to support our kinetic scheme.

Sustainable Furfural Biomass Feedstocks Electrooxidation toward Value-Added Furoic Acid with Energy-Saving H_(2) Fuel Production Using Pt-Decorated Co_(3)O_(4) Nanospheres

Here,furfural oxidation was performed to replace the kinetically sluggish O_(2)evolution reaction(OER).Pt-Co_(3)O_(4)nanospheres were developed via pulsed laser ablation in liquid(PLAL)in a single step for the paired electrocatalysis of an H_(2)evolution reaction(HER)and furfural oxidation reaction(FOR).The FOR afforded a high furfural conversion(44.2%)with a major product of 2-furoic acid after a 2-h electrolysis at 1.55 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in a 1.0-M KOH/50-mM furfural electrolyte.The Pt-Co_(3)O_(4)electrode exhibited a small overpotential of 290 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2).As an anode and cathode in an electrolyzer system,the Pt-Co_(3)O_(4)electrocatalyst required only a small applied cell voltage of~1.83 V to deliver 10 mA cm^(-2),compared with that of the pure water electrolyzer(OER||HER,~1.99 V).This study simultaneously realized the integrated production of energy-saving H_(2)fuel at the cathode and 2-furoic acid at the anode.

Aboveground biomass and net primary production of semi-evergreen tropical forest of Manipur, north-eastern India

The aboveground biomass dynamics and net primary productivity were investigated to assess the productive potential of Diptero- carpus forest in Manipur, Northeast India. Two forest stands （stand Ⅰ and Ⅱ） were earmarked randomly in the study site for the evaluation of biomass in the different girth classes of tree species by harvest method. The total biomass was 22.50 t.ha^-1 and 18.27 t.ha^-1 in forest stand I and II respectively. Annual aboveground net primary production varied from 8.86 to 10.43 t.ha^-1 respectively in two forest stands （stand Ⅰ and Ⅱ）. In the present study, the values of production efficiency and the biomass accumulation ratio indicate that the forest is at succession stage with high productive potential.

Effect of temperature on suspension magnetization roasting of hematite using biomass waste as reductant:A perspective of gas evolution

The magnetization reduction of hematite using biomass waste can effectively utilize waste and reduce CO_(2) emission to achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.The effects of temperatures on suspension magnetization roasting of hematite using biomass waste for evolved gases have been investigated using TG-FTIR,Py-GC/MS and gas composition analyzer.The mixture reduction process is divided into four stages.In the temperature range of 200-450℃ for mixture,the release of CO_(2),acids,and ketones is dominated in gases products.The yield and concentration of small molecules reducing gases increase when the temperature increases from 450 to 900℃.At 700℃,the volume concentrations of CO,H_(2) and CH_(4) peak at 8.91%,8.90% and 4.91%,respectively.During the suspension magnetization roasting process,an optimal iron concentrate with an iron grade of 70.86%,a recovery of 98.66% and a magnetic conversion of 45.70% is obtained at 700℃.Therefore,the magnetization reduction could react greatly in the temperature range of 600 to 700℃ owing to the suitable reducing gases.This study shows a detail gaseous evolution of roasting temperature and provides a new insight for studying the reduction process of hematite using biomass waste.

Biomass-based production of trimellitic and trimesic acids

The production of industrial chemicals with renewable biomass feedstock holds potential to aid the world in pursuing a carbon-neutral society.Trimellitic and trimesic acids are important commodity chemicals in industry that are prepared by the oxidation of petroleum-derived trimethylbenzene.To reduce the dependence on the limited oil source,we develop a potential sustainable alternative towards trimellitic and trimesic acids using biomass-based 2-methyl-2,4-pentandiol(MPD),acrylate and crotonaldehyde as starting materials.The process for trimellitic acid includes dehydration/D-A reaction of MPD and acrylate,flow aromatization over Pd/C catalyst,hydrolysis and catalytic aerobic oxidation(60%overall yield).The challenging regioselectivity issue of D-A reaction is tackled by a matched combination of temperature and deep eutectic solvent ChCl/HCO_(2)H.Crotonaldehyde can also participate in the reaction,followed by Pd/C-catalyzed decarbonylation/dehydrogenation and oxidation to provide trimesic acid in 54%overall yield.Life cycle assessment implies that compared to conventional fossil process,our biomass-based routes present a potential in reducing carbon emissions.

Legume Green Manure and Intercropping for High Biomass Sorghum Production

Before the advent of cheap, synthetic fertilizers, legumes were commonly used as green manure crops for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N). A three-year study at Overton, TX examined legume integration into high-biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) production systems on a Lilbert loamy fine sand recently cultivated after a fertilized bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] pasture. In this split-split plot design, ‘Dixie’ crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) and ‘Iron and Clay’ cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) were integrated into a high-biomass sorghum production system to evaluate impacts on N concentration, C concentration, and yield of high-biomass sorghum and their impacts on soil total N and soil organic carbon (SOC). Main plots were split into crimson clover green manure (CLGM) and winter fallow (FALL) followed by three sub-plots split into warm-season crop rotations: cowpea green manure (CPGM), cowpea-sorghum intercrop (CPSR), and sorghum monocrop (SORG). Three N fertilizer treatments (0, 45, 90 kg N∙ha−1) were randomized and applied as sub-sub plots. The CLGM increased (P sorghum biomass yield (16.5 t DM∙ha−1) 28% in year three but had no effect in the first two years. The CPSR treatment reduced sorghum yield up to 62% compared to SORG;whereas CPGM increased sorghum yield 56% and 18% the two years following cowpea incorporation. Rate of N fertilizer had no effect on sorghum biomass yield. Decrease in SOC and soil N over time indicated mineralization of organic N and may explain why no N fertilizer response was observed in sorghum biomass yield. Cowpea showed strong potential as a green manure crop but proved to be too competitive for successful intercropping in high-biomass sorghum production systems.

Storage of biomass and net primary productivity in desert shrubland of Artemisia ordosica on Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia, China

Biomass and net primary productivity （NPP） are two important parameters in determining ecosystem carbon pool and carbon sequestration. The biomass storage and NPP in desert shrubland of Artemisia ordosica on Ordos Plateau were investigated with method of harvesting standard size shrub in the growing season （June-October） of 2006. Results indicated that above- and belowground biomass of the same size shrubs showed no significant variation in the growing season （p〉0.1）, but annual biomass varied significantly （p〈 0.01）. In the A. ordosica community, shrub biomass storage was 699.76-1246.40 g.m^-2 and annual aboveground NPP was 224.09 g-m^-2·a^-1. Moreover, shrub biomass and NPP were closely related with shrub dimensions （cover and height） and could be well predicted by shrub volume using power regression.

Genetic Analysis of a Biomass Mutant in Oryza sativa

[ Objective ] The study aimed to reveal the genetic model of a biomass mutant in Oryza sativa. [ Method ] In the process of screening and identification of Bar-transgenic rice, a biomass mutant was found in 10 lines of T1 progenies. The mutant was investigated for genetic analysis and agronomic traits by herbicide spraying and PCR amplification. [ Result] The segregation ratio is consistent with mendelian law（3：1）. The mutant assumed not only higher plant height, wider straw and earlier florescence, but also more tillers, bigger spikes and resultantly higher biomass. PCR detections indicated that no co-segregation was observed between mutant traits and target gene（Bar） in the T-DNA inserted, proving that the mutant is not caused by the insertion of T-DNA containing target gene （Bar）. [ Conclusion] Our study may avail to understand the cloning of mutant gene and the mechanism of the mutant gene on biomass.

Application of BP neural network model with fuzzy optimization in retrieval of biomass parameters

The retrieval of the biomass parameters from active/passive microwave remote sensing data （10.2 GHz） is performed based on an iterative inversion of BP neural network model with fuzzy optimization. The BP neural network is trained by a set of the measurements of active and passive remote sensing and the ground truth data versus Day of Year during growth. Once the network training is complete, the model can be used to retrieve the temporal variations of the biomass parameters from another set of observation data. The model was used in weights and microware observation data of wheat growth in 1989 to retrieve biomass parameters change of wheat growth this year. The retrieved biomass parameters correspond well with the real data of the growth, which shows that the BP model is scientific and sound.

Effects of Fertility and Density on Biomass Production,Translocation and Lodging Resistance of Millet(Setaria italica L.)in North China

In this study, the plant biomass production, biomass translocation rates across tissues and the lodging resistant-associated traits of millet （ Setaria italica L.） in North China were investigated. Among the four summer millet cultivars, Baogu 19 exhibited improved plant biomass （PB） production at flowering and maturity stages, biomass translocation amount （BTA） from vegetative tissues to seeds during filling period, and lodging resistant-associated （LRA） traits compared with other cultivars, including enhanced stem lignin contents, increased anti-broken resistance （ABR）, anti-puncturing resistance （APR）, and stem diameter （SD） of plants. Compared with treatment regular cultivation （RC）, high fertility treatment （HF） increased the plant BP, BTA from vegetative tissue to seed at filling stage, and the plant LRA traits; whereas high density treatment （HD） decreased the plant BP at plant level, plant BTA from vegetative tissues to seeds at filling stage, and the plant LRA traits. Correlation analysis revealed that stem ABR is significantly correlated with the plant lodging resistant-associated traits including APR and SD in the summer millet cultivars examined under various cultivation treatments. Our investigation indicates that cultivar Baogu 19 together with suitable fertilization and density can promote the plant biomass production, enhance vegetative tissue biomass translocation to seeds, and improve the lodging resistance of summer millet plants in North China.

Hydrogen Production From Crude Bio-oil and Biomass Char by Electrochemical Catalytic Reforming

We reports an efficient approach for production of hydrogen from crude bio-oil and biomass char in the dual fixed-bed system by using the electrochemical catalytic reforming method. The maximal absolute hydrogen yield reached 110.9 g H2/kg dry biomass. The product gas was a mixed gas containing 72%H2, 26%CO2, 1.9%CO, and a trace amount of CH4. It was observed that adding biomass char （a by-product of pyrolysis of biomass） could remarkably increase the absolute H2 yield （about 20%-50%）. The higher reforming temperature could enhance the steam reforming reaction of organic compounds in crude bio-oil and the reaction of CO and H20. In addition, the CuZn-Al2O3 catalyst in the water-gas shift bed could also increase the absolute H2 yield via shifting CO to CO2.

Variation patterns of fine root biomass, production and turnover in Chinese forests

China's forests cover 208.3 million ha and span a wide range of climates and a large variety of forest types, including tropical, temperate, and boreal forests. However, the variation patterns of fine root (< 2 mm in diameter) biomass, production, and turnover from the south to the north are unclear. This study summarizes fine root biomass (FRB), production (FRP) and turnover rate (FRT) in China's forests as reported by 140 case studies published from 1983 to 2014. The results showed that the mean values of FRB, FRP and FRT in China's forests were 278 g m(-2), 366 g m(-2) a(-1), and 1.19 a(-1), respectively. Compared with other studies at the regional or global scales, FRB in China's forests was lower, FRP was similar to estimates at the global scale, but FRT was much higher. FRB, FRP, and FRT in China's forests increased with increasing mean annual precipitation (MAP), indicating that fine root variables were likely related to MAP, rather than mean annual temperature or latitude. This is possibly due to the small variation in temperature but greater variation in precipitation during the growing season. These findings suggest that spatiotemporal variation in precipitation has a more profound impact on fine root dynamics in China's forests, and this will impact carbon and nutrient cycles driven by root turnover in the future.

Study on biomass catalytic pyrolysis for production of bio-gasoline by on-line FTIR

The pyrolysis of biomass is a promising way for production of bio-gasoline if the stability and quality problems of the bio-crudeoil can be solved by catalytic cracking and reforming. In this paper, an on-line infrared spectrum was used to study the characteristics of catalytic pyrolysis with the following preliminary results. The removal of C=O of organic acid is more difficult than that of aldehydes and ketones. HUSY/γ-Al2O3 and REY/γ-Al2O3 catalysts exhibited better deoxygenating activities while HZSM-5/γ-Al2O3 catalyst exhibited preferred selectivities for production of iso-alkanes and aromatics. Finally, possible mechanisms of biomass catalytic pyrolysis are discussed as well.