Elevated CO2 enhances growth of energy trees
Quicknote energy crops and CO2 mitigation
Scientists in Italy working on an EU project called the 'European Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment experiment on Poplar plantations' ('POPFACE', now 'EUROFACE' > new website) grew three well-watered and adequately fertilized poplar species for energy - Populus alba L. clone 2AS-11 (white poplar), Populus nigra L. clone Jean Pourtet (black poplar), Populus x euramericana clone I-214 (robusta poplar) - for three years at the POPFACE facility in Central Italy near Viterbo, where the air's CO2 concentration was increased by approximately 180 ppm in half of the experimental plots, after which the trees were coppiced (cut to the bases of their stems some 5-8 cm above the ground) and allowed to sprout and grow again for another three years under the same, but even better fertilized, conditions. The results of the first 3-year growth period and of the second 3-year period are as follows:
The scientists conclude that "poplar trees are able to optimally profit from future high CO2 concentrations, provided that they are intensively managed, planted in regions with high incident radiation and supplied with sufficient nutrients and water." Such "high-density poplar coppice cultures," in their opinion, "offer possibilities to mitigate the rise of atmospheric CO2 by producing renewable bioenergy in an economically feasible way, whereby the elevated CO2 stimulation might sustain over several rotation cycles.
The EUROFACE project aims at carrying out the following tasks:
Sources:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: CO2 :: climate change :: poplar ::
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Scientists in Italy working on an EU project called the 'European Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment experiment on Poplar plantations' ('POPFACE', now 'EUROFACE' > new website) grew three well-watered and adequately fertilized poplar species for energy - Populus alba L. clone 2AS-11 (white poplar), Populus nigra L. clone Jean Pourtet (black poplar), Populus x euramericana clone I-214 (robusta poplar) - for three years at the POPFACE facility in Central Italy near Viterbo, where the air's CO2 concentration was increased by approximately 180 ppm in half of the experimental plots, after which the trees were coppiced (cut to the bases of their stems some 5-8 cm above the ground) and allowed to sprout and grow again for another three years under the same, but even better fertilized, conditions. The results of the first 3-year growth period and of the second 3-year period are as follows:
- fertilization did not affect the growth of the second-rotation trees, "likely because of the high rates of fertilization during the previous agricultural land use," according to the 14 researchers involved with the experiment.
- "In contrast," in their words, "elevated CO2 enhanced biomass production by up to 29%, and this stimulation did not differ between above- and below-ground parts." the net rate of carbon assimilation was "on average for all species stimulated up to 30% during the third year of the second rotation"
- "after 6 years of fumigation, measurements of photosynthetic parameters along the canopy profile could not detect any clear sign of acclimation to elevated CO2" for the three species.
The scientists conclude that "poplar trees are able to optimally profit from future high CO2 concentrations, provided that they are intensively managed, planted in regions with high incident radiation and supplied with sufficient nutrients and water." Such "high-density poplar coppice cultures," in their opinion, "offer possibilities to mitigate the rise of atmospheric CO2 by producing renewable bioenergy in an economically feasible way, whereby the elevated CO2 stimulation might sustain over several rotation cycles.
The EUROFACE project aims at carrying out the following tasks:
- Coordination of a trans-European research effort in the field of global change interactions with a forest plantation ecosystem.
- Improvement of existing Free Air CO2 Enrichment facility and granting access to a wider scientific community.
- Development of remote sensing technology to assess water consumption and energy balance of plantation forestry systems under present and future climatic conditions.
- Evaluation the amount of carbon being sequestered in the biomass and in the soil of intensive bio-energy forest plantation in relation to various management regimes (coppice vs. single stem, fertilisation, species choice)
- Assessment of relative contribution of increasing atmospheric levels of CO2 and N fertilisation on increased C sequestration in surplus arable land planted with woody crops.
Sources:
- Euroface website
- CO2Science.org: Elevated CO2 Enhances the Effectiveness of a Bio-Energy Tree Plantation - August 23, 2006
- Liberloo, M., Dillen, S.Y., Calfapietra, C., Marinari, S., Luo, Z.B., De Angelis, P. and Ceulemans, R. 2005. Elevated CO2 concentration, fertilization and their interaction: growth stimulation in a short-rotation poplar coppice (EUROFACE). Tree Physiology 25: 179-189 [full-text, *.pdf]
- Gail Taylor, Nathaniel R. Street, Penny J. Tricker, Andreas Sjödin, Laura Graham, Oskar Skogström, Carlo Calfapietra, Giuseppe Scarascia-Mugnozza and Stefan Jansson, July 2005. The transcriptome of Populus in elevated CO2, New Phytologist, Volume 167, p. 143 [abstract]
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: CO2 :: climate change :: poplar ::
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Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Generating drinking water from the atmosphere using biogas
More than a billion people living in rural areas in the developing world do not have access either to electricity or to clean drinking water. The results are well known: epidemics, high child mortality and general under-development. According to the UN's Millennium Statement this number of people will only increase. That is why access to clean water is one of the Millennium Development Goals.
Until now, providing clean water and electricity to areas like the African Sahel, the jungles of Laos or the steppes of Turkmenistan has been both technically difficult and economically unrealistic. German engineer Ingo Herr has been working on the problem for many years. Together with Austrian engineer Leopold Ritter they created a compact container unit that produces clean drinking water extracted from the atmosphere.
The patented system, named AguaSolara, operates as a portable biogas or photovoltaic power station and efficiently extracts water from the atmosphere simply by tapping into nature's continuous cycle of evaporation and condensation. At any given moment, the earth's atmosphere contains 4,000 cubic miles of water, which is just .000012% of the 344 million cubic miles of water on earth. Nature maintains this ratio via evaporation and condensation, irrespective of the activities of man. Humidity and temperature drive the machine.
As it extracts water, it sterilises each drop within a few seconds of its formation by exposure to ultra-violet light. UV light waves fracture the DNA strands within bacteria, virii, and other micro-organisms which kills them instantly. This sterilised water is then passed through a unique patented 1-micron activated carbon water filter. (The average size of bacteria is 5 microns). This filter removes any possible solid particles, toxic chemicals, volatile organics, and other contaminates as well as any odors, taste, or discoloration. This filtration is followed by a 2nd UV exposure and sterilization. The system maintains an enclosed sterile environment throughout its water treatment, from the first drop in to the last drop out - into a water tank or removable container. Besides delivering electricity and clean water, the system also functions as a cold storage room (8C°).
The system is particularly effective in areas often regarded as arid, but where there is actually a lot of moisture in the air. In those climates the machine can charge all day in the sun, and produce water all night when the air is moist.
Since the units are small, not too expensive and can operate on easily produceable biogas, they are ideal for use in remote rural sites and could bring two essential goods to millions: water and electricity.
[Entry ends here].
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: water :: electricity :: biogas :: Africa ::
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posted by Biopact team at 6:28 PM 0 comments links to this post