Biomass pyrolysis: A review of the process development and challenges from initial researches up to the commercialisation stage

Lignocellulosic biomass can be convert to a condensable liquid named bio-oil,a solid product named as char and a mixture of gaseous products comprising CO2,CO,H2,CH4,etc.In recent years,much effort has been made on the investigation of conversion of biomass through pyrolysis.However,commercialisation of the biomass pyrolysis technology is still challenging due to various issues such as the deleterious properties of bio-oil including the low heating value and the high instability at elevated temperatures.To overcome such issues,many processes,reactors and catalysts have been developed for pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of biomass.A state to the art of pyrolysis or catalytic pyrolysis of biomass need to be summarised to have an overall evaluation of the technologies,in order to provide a useful reference for the further development of pyrolysis technology.This study reviews the various pyrolysis process,especially focus on the effects of essential parameters,the process design,the reactors and the catalysts on the pyrolysis process.In addition,progress in commercialisation of pyrolysis technology was also reviewed and the remaining issues in the process of commercialisation were discussed.

“Commercial Revolution” in the Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty has been known in history for its great commercial success due to a series of events in the dynasty.In order to explain the reasons for economic success,this paper attempts to use factors such as political stability,discovery of new rice species in the South,the introduction of paper money by merchants from Sichuan in the South of China,and the increase in iron production especially in the North.Specialisation of products is also discussed separately but into details.A further mention of characteristics of the internal and international trade is also highlighted in this paper.An introduction of how the Song dynasty was founded and its distinct political,social and cultural characteristics,are delved into.Also the separation of northern Song Dynasty from the southern Song dynasty will be discussed.The paper concludes with combined interpretations from the famous“Qing Ming Shag He Tu”painting.This painting gives a somewhat illustrated evidence of the vibrancy of the Song Dynasty’s commercialisation recorded in history.

Transitioning from paternalism to empowerment of farmers in lowincome countries: Farming components to systems

Reasons for the initiation of farming systems/participatory approaches in non-Green Revolution（i.e., in more heterogeneous and less favourable production environments） areas in low-income countries is followed by a discussion of their evolution.Four phases are described along, with a brief description of some of the significant methods in which farmer participation has been sought, accessed and evaluated.They enabled/facilitated the evolutionary process.Although, over the last 40 years there has been a progress in making small-scale farmers much more visible in driving the agricultural research/development agenda through using the four basic stages embodied in the farming systems approach（i.e., descriptive, diagnosis, testing/evaluation and finally dissemination）, much still needs to be done.This leads on to a discussion as to some of the barriers still inhibiting true farmer empowerment and why further, such empowerment is imperative, if the agricultural challenges of this century are to be addressed successfully, namely substantially increasing agricultural productivity in an ecologically sustainable manner.Given the heterogeneity of the production environments and that many identified improvements are likely to be incremental rather than revolutionary in nature, this will require farmers＇ intimate involvement in their identification, evaluation and dissemination.Discussion in the paper recognizes that there is increasing globalization/commercialization of agriculture and is predicated on the need to consider the whole farmer-research-development continuum involving multiple stakeholders（i.e., farmers, scientists, extension workers, input/output service providers and policymakers）.Such a continuum has been explicitly recognized in the operational plans for the recently reformed international agricultural research（i.e., CGIAR） system.The paper concludes with a short discussion on the potential role of formal modelling.

P recision L ivestock F arming: A n international review of scientific and commercial aspects

Precision Livestock Farming(PLF)is potentially one of the most powerful developments amongst a number of interesting new and upcoming technologies that have the potential to revolutionise the livestock farming industries.If properly implemented,PLF or Smart Farming could(1)improve or at least objectively document animal welfare on farms;(2)reduce greenhouse gas(GHG)emission and improve environmental performance of farms;(3)facilitate product segmentation and better marketing of livestock products;(4)reduce illegal trading of livestock products;and(5)improve the economic stability of rural areas.However,there are only a few examples of successful commercialisation of PLF technologies introduced by a small number of commercial companies which are actively involved in the PLF commercialisation process.To ensure that the potential of PLF is taken to the industry,it is recommended to:(1)establish a new service industry;(2)verify,demonstrate and publicise the benefits of PLF;(3)better coordinate the efforts of different industry and academic organisations interested in the development and implementation of PLF technologies on farms;and(4)encourage the commercial sectors to assist with professionally managed product development.

Heritage tourism evolution in Guangfu Ancient City,Hebei Province,China:an analysis with the improved creative destruction model

Ancient cities and towns are popular tourism destinations worldwide.In this paper,Guangfu Ancient City in Yongnian County,Hebei Province,China,is taken as the case study and the modifed creative destruction model is applied as the analytical framework to evaluate the multiactor dynamics of heritage tourism development.A mixed method approach is adopted,including a local resident survey,in-depth interviews with staf of the Guangfu Ancient City tourism site and government ofcials responsible for the heritage conservation and tourism development of the site,and a review of online tourist reviews,relevant government documents and reports.Based on the modifed creative destruction model,local residents’attitudes towards tourism development,changes in tourist numbers,the level of business and government investments,and the motivations of diferent stakeholders in tourism development are assessed by synthesising on-site research,historical data and other materials.Then,the tourism development stages for Guangfu Ancient City are identifed as the precommodifcation stage before 2006,the early commodifcation stage from 2006 to 2011 and the advanced commodifcation stage from 2012 to 2017.The fndings indicate that with rapid increases in investments from both corporate and government sources and in the number of tourists,the attitude of local residents towards tourism development remained positive.The results show that instead of entering the initial destruction stage,Guangfu Ancient City is in the transition stage from advanced commodifcation to creative enhancement given the government’s dominant role in tourism development,the heritage conservation motives of tourism entrepreneurs,the benefts to residents from tourism development ensured by government policies,and the shift in tourist type to postmodern tourists with double demands.The applicability of the modifed creative destruction model is further discussed,and policy and management recommendations are generated to support the sustainable development of Guangfu Ancient City after the COVID-19 pandemic.