Biogas manufacture from co-digestion of untreated primary sludge with raw chicken manure under anaerobic mesophilic environmental conditions

This work aimed to co-digest various wastes to assess the best combination of all mixing ratio, also at choosing the best ratio between untreated primary sludge (UPS) singly from two sources, (South valley University (SUPS) and Abu tesht wastewater station (AUPS) and raw chicken manure (RCM) and comparing the results in either case. The co-digestions of untreated primary sludge from Abu tesht wastewater treatment stations with different levels of raw chicken manure (0:100, 10:90, 30:70, 50:50, 90:10, and 100:0) to obtain the best mixtures. Also, co-digestion of untreated primary sludge from south valley university with different levels of raw chicken manure at the same ratios, to obtain the best mixtures. Batch digestion tests were applied in 2.5 L digester with a working volume of 2.0 L. The samples in triplicates were separately loaded into the digesters locally fabricated and kept for 20 days as a retention period and diluted with the same amount of water. Mesophilic under 35 °C was adopted for untreated primary sludge as well as mixtures with raw chicken manure based on total solids (TS) and volatile solid (VS) proportions. The average biogas yields from AUPS/RCM mixture obtained ranged from 8570 to 5600 ml, by the following descending order, 10: 90 > 90:10 and so on >100:0, and the average biogas yields from SUPS/RCM obtained ranged from 6330 to 5635 ml, in the order of 90: 10 > 10:90 and so on >100:0. The results showed highest biogas yield from AUPS/RCM and SUPS/RCM mixtures with mixing ratio of 10:90 and 90:10, respectively, however, the lowest biogas production detected in separate digestion of AUPS and SUPS. The results indicated that co-digestion between the sludge and raw chicken manure could increase total biogas production volume, enhance sludge treatment process, and produce eco-friendly sludge because of co-digestion process than separate processing of each feedstock.     

Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production

Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most abundant yet underutilized renewable energy resources. Both anaerobic digestion (AD) and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) are promising technologies for bioenergy production from biomass in terms of biogas and HTC biochar, respectively. In this study, the combination of AD and HTC is proposed to increase overall bioenergy production. Wheat straw was anaerobically digested in a novel upflow anaerobic solid state reactor (UASS) in both mesophilic (37 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) conditions. Wet digested from thermophilic AD was hydrothermally carbonized at 230 °C for 6 hr for HTC biochar production. At thermophilic temperature, the UASS system yields an average of 165 L_CH4/kg_VS (VS: volatile solids) and 121 L _CH4/kg_VS at mesophilic AD over the continuous operation of 200 days. Meanwhile, 43.4 g of HTC biochar with 29.6 MJ/kg_{dry_biochar} was obtained from HTC of 1 kg digestate (dry basis) from mesophilic AD. The combination of AD and HTC, in this particular set of experiment yield 13.2 MJ of energy per 1 kg of dry wheat straw, which is at least 20% higher than HTC alone and 60.2% higher than AD only.     

Water use by perennial plants in the transition zone between river oasis and desert in NW China

The study aimed at establishing the role of two possible water sources (inundation, ground water) for the water supply to the perennial plant species Alhagi sparsifolia, Calligonum caput-medusae, Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima growing in the transition zone between a river oasis and the open desert at the southern fringe of the Taklamakan desert (Xinjiang province, NW China). The basic hypothesis was that inundations, which normally occur in summer when rivers from a nearby mountain range carry high water, contribute significantly to the plants’ water supply. When, in the first summer, inundations did not occur, four sites, each of which covered by a relatively dense stand of one species, were artificially flooded. Soil and plant water relations as well as meteorological variables were measured during two growing seasons. Water use efficiency of production (WUE_P) was calculated by relating biomass production, which was determined using allometric regressions, to water use.The effects of artificial flooding on the plant water relations were negligible. Water use was relatively high, especially in the A. sparsifolia and the P. euphratica stands and in a dense stand of T. ramosissima (up to approx. 500 kgH₂O m⁻² year⁻¹). Using the total above-ground biomass in the calculation, WUE_P was highest in C. caput-medusae and P. euphratica, and lowest, in A. sparsifolia. From soil and plant water relations, and against the background of the climate and the productivity of the vegetation, it is concluded that all perennial plants in the transition zone between oases and desert in that region must have sufficient access to ground water to ensure long-term survival. Management of ground water such that it remains continuously accessible to the perennial plants is a prerequisite for the conservation and sustainable use of the vegetation in the transition zone.     

崇明东滩围垦堤内植被快速次生演替特征

崇明东滩湿地98大堤内的生态示范区由于人工排水而干涸,芦苇塘成为次生裸地,土壤条件发生变化,呈明显的旱化和盐渍化,植被群落结构呈典型的次生演替,适宜旱地的耐盐植物獐茅和碱蓬等先锋植物出现.文中分别于2003年秋季、冬季和2004年春季沿植被带对塘内各种植物的生物量、高度、密度等指标进行取样分析.结果表明,堤内植被群落已形成明显的带状獐茅草-獐茅草/碱蓬-碱蓬/芦苇-芦苇旱生植被群落.碱蓬在裸地中2003年秋季平均生物量达到415.4 g·m^-2、2004年春季为391.53 g·m^-2,成为裸地的优势种,并向芦苇中扩散,生物量和高度逐渐增加,密度逐渐稳定,表现出良好的生长趋势.     

CO2浓度倍增和土壤干旱对两种幼龄沙生灌木碳分配的影响

利用大型环境生长箱研究了两种幼龄沙地优势灌木柠条 (Caraganaintermedia) 和羊柴 (Hedysarummon golicum) 对CO2 浓度倍增和土壤干旱交互作用的响应。CO2 浓度倍增并没有改善两种沙生灌木叶片的水分状况, 而土壤干旱使叶片的相对含水量 (RWC) 显著降低。在土壤水分充足条件下, CO2 浓度倍增促进两种沙生灌木植株生长, 在干旱条件下则主要促进根的生长, 提高根冠比。土壤干旱显著减少了植株生物量, 但相对促进了根的生长, 特别是显著提高了羊柴的根冠比。CO2 倍增使稳定性碳同位素组分 (δ13 C) 降低, 但土壤干旱使之增加。两种沙生灌木叶片与根部的δ13 C值呈极显著线性关系, 羊柴的斜率大于柠条的, 表明前者叶片与根部在光合产物分配上具有较高的生态可塑性, 这和干旱条件下羊柴的根冠比增加相关联。羊柴的“源库”调节特性反映了对土壤水分胁迫具有较高的耐性。     

生物强化技术在生物质沼气制备过程中的应用及研究进展

生物强化技术通过为特定的生物过程"设计"微生物,进而作为一种提升反应系统活力和性能的手段被应用于生物质沼气制备过程,以便加快发酵系统启动时间、增加原料利用率、缩短酸败系统的恢复时间、降低高有机负荷的抑制作用等。本文针对以木质纤维素为原料的沼气制备中的生物强化技术,从生物强化菌剂的构建及标准、生物强化作用的影响因素、生物强化作用机制的探究等几个方面来阐述目前国内外生物强化技术在生物质沼气制备过程中的应用与研究进展,以及存在的问题和解决方案。     

The fraction of expanding to expanded leaves determines the biomass response of Populus to elevated CO2

We examined whether the effects of elevated CO₂ on growth of 1-year old Populus deltoides saplings was a function of the assimilation responses of particular leaf developmental stages. Saplings were grown for 100 days at ambient (approximately 350 ppm) and elevated (ambient + 200 ppm) CO₂ in forced-air greenhouses. Biomass, biomass distribution, growth rates, and leaf initiation and expansion rates were unaffected by elevated CO₂. Leaf nitrogen (N), the leaf C:N ratio, and leaf lignin concentrations were also unaffected. Carbon gain was significantly greater in expanding leaves of saplings grown at elevated compared to ambient CO₂. The Rubisco content in expanding leaves was not affected by CO₂ concentration. Carbon gain and Rubisco content were significantly lower in fully expanded leaves of saplings grown at elevated compared to ambient CO₂, indicating CO₂-induced down-regulation in fully expanded leaves. Elevated CO₂ likely had no overall effect on biomass accumulation due to the more rapid decline in carbon gain as leaves matured in saplings grown at elevated compared to ambient CO₂. This decline in carbon gain has been documented in other species and shown to be related to a balance between sink/source balance and acclimation. Our data suggest that variation in growth responses to elevated CO₂ can result from differences in leaf assimilation responses in expanding versus expanded leaves as they develop under elevated CO₂. Received: 28 September 1998 / Accepted: 23 June 1999     

Ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) assemblages inhabiting Scots pine stands of Puszcza Piska Forest: six-year responses to a tornado impact

Ground beetle assemblages were studied during 2003-08 in the Pisz Forest by comparing stands disturbed by a tornado to undisturbed control stands. The following exploratory questions were put forward. (1) How do the carabid assemblages change during six years following the tornado impact? (2) Does the carabid assemblage recovery begin during the six first post-tornado years? To assess the state of carabid assemblages we used two indices: the MIB (Mean Individual Biomass) and the SPC (Sum of Progressive Characteristics). Carabid assemblages in the disturbed and in the control stands, as expressed by these two indices, were compared using the length of a regression distance (sample distance in a MIB:SPC coordinate system). A cluster analysis revealed that the assemblages of the disturbed and the control stands were different. The tornado-impacted stands produced lower carabid catch rates, but species richness was significantly higher there than in the control stands. They hosted lower proportions of individuals of European species, of large zoophages, and of forest and brachypterous species, than the control stands. The observed reduction in SPC and MIB, and an increase in the regression distances may indicate that the carabid assemblages had not started to recover from the tornado-caused disturbance. Carabid assemblages apparently responded to the tornado in two steps. Firstly, the first three years were characterized by moderate decreases of index values. Secondly, from the fourth to the sixth year after the tornado, many observed changes became magnified. We did not observe clear signals of the recovery of forest carabid assemblages during the six follow-up years.     

Microbial fuel cells meet with external resistance

The influence of external load on the composition of the anodic biofilm microbial community and biomass yield was investigated in a microbial fuel cell fed with glucose and domestic wastewater was used as source of electrogens. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments revealed distinct differences in anodic bacterial communities formed at the anode of each MFC operated under a different external load. These results implied that in an MFC, electrogenic bacteria were enriched under higher current densities, i.e., low external load, and were able to sustain better current and effluent quality. The influence of the external resistance applied to the MFCs during formation of the bacterial communities from sewage wastewater was shown to have no significant effect on power performance of the MFCs nor to have a significant influence on their anodic activity with both glucose and brewery wastewater as fuel. As expected, current generation, COD removal and the biomass yield were all directly influenced by the external load. Significantly, when operated under lower external load, the biomass yield in the MFC was less than that in conventional anaerobic digestion (i.e., control).     

a-NAA及UV-B辐射对栝楼幼苗生长及蒸腾作用的影响

 研究了温室条件下紫外线-B（UV-B）辐射（0.029 J·m-2·s-1）和外施α-萘乙酸（α-NAA）（2 mg·L-1）相互作用对栝楼（Trichosanthes kirilowii）幼苗生长及蒸腾速率的影响。本实验设一个对照（T0）和3个处理：外施α-NAA（T1）,增加UV-B辐射（T2）,增加UV-B辐射并外施α-NAA（T3）。实验结果：增强UV-B辐射明显降低栝楼的株高及叶面积,根、茎、叶重均较对照低,因而总生物量也较对照低,干物质积累量减少。UV-B辐射增强,对栝楼植株含水量几乎无影响,但却明显增加叶气孔阻力,降低蒸腾速率。与对照（T0）相比,外施α-NAA（T1）明显增加株高及叶面积,根、茎、叶重均增加,因而单株总生物量较对照增加,但干物质积累量增幅不大,植株水分含量较对照略高;叶气孔阻力呈降低趋势,蒸腾速率呈增大趋势。在有UV-B辐射下外施α-NAA（T3）,与T2相比,植株高度、叶重及叶面积降低趋势明显减轻,但根、茎生物量,单株总生物量及干物质积累量并无明显增加;叶气孔阻力降低,蒸腾速率增大。分析认为,栝楼幼苗根系发达,根冠比接近1,而UV-B辐射下补充α-NAA对根、茎影响小,同时本试验处理时间短（5周）,表现为对生物量增加及干物质积累量的影响效果不明显,但株高、叶面积明显增加,且在一定程度上减小了叶的气孔阻力,增大了蒸腾速率。结果表明：UV-B辐射能对栝楼的根、茎、叶生物量及干物质积累量产生影响,同时也能引起栝楼叶气孔阻力增加及蒸腾速率降低,但若同时外施α-NAA,则这种影响有减轻的趋势。该结果暗示,α-NAA能增强栝楼幼苗对UV-B辐射的耐受能力,可能是弥补了UV-B辐射引起的IAA含量的降低,减少了内源ABA的积累,减轻叶片气孔阻力,增大蒸腾速率,促进了植株生长。