Solid Biomass Climate Change Interventions Examined in a Context of Inherent Safety,Media Shifting,and Emerging Risks

ABSTRACT

This article examines recent evidence from Denmark and abroad regarding climate change projects that aim to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by converting coal-fired thermal power plants to solid biomass fuel. The article argues that projects appear to be pursued narrow-mindedly with insufficient attention paid to safety and points to evidence of media shifting—that the “resolution” of a problem within the environmental domain creates a new problem in the workplace safety domain. From the perspective of inherent safety the article argues that the conversion is a step in the wrong direction as a low risk fuel is substituted for a less safe one. Because of rapid scale-up and handling of unprecedented quantities, solid biomass qualify as an emerging risk for which proper control strategies have yet to be developed. The article finally argues that the tendency to prioritize environmental benefits over safety concerns seems to run deep and not confined to the realm of only solid biomass. Danish environmental ambitions are very high and the costs to society of introducing solid biomass fuels are breathtaking. In this setting, the general failure to address safety risks appears particularly disheartening.     

Comparison of the carbon-sequestering abilities of pineapple leaf residue chars produced by controlled combustion and by field burning

This study was undertaken to compare the chemical properties and yields of pineapple leaf residue (PLR) char produced by field burning (CF) with that produced by a partial combustion of air-dried PLR at 340 °C for 3 h in a furnace (CL). Higher total C, lignin content, and yield from CL as well as the presence of aromatic compounds in the Fourier Transform Infrared spectra of the char produced from CL suggest that the CL process was better in sequestering C than was the CF process. Although the C/N ratio of char produced from CL was low indicating a high N content of the char, the C in the char produced from CL was dominated by lignin suggesting that the decomposition of char produced from CL would be slow. To sequester C by char application, the PLR should be combusted in a controlled process rather than by burning in the field.     

A detailed one-dimensional model of combustion of a woody biomass particle

A detailed one-dimensional model for combustion of a single biomass particle is presented. It accounts for particle heating up, pyrolysis, char gasification and oxidation and gas phase reactions within and in the vicinity of the particle. The biomass pyrolysis is assumed to take place through three competing reactions yielding char, light gas and tar. The model is validated using different sets of experiments reported in the literature. Special emphasis is placed on examination of the effects of pyrolysis kinetic constants and gas phase reactions on the combustion process which have not been thoroughly discussed in previous works. It is shown that depending on the process condition and reactor temperature, correct selection of the pyrolysis kinetic data is a necessary step for simulation of biomass particle conversion. The computer program developed for the purpose of this study enables one to get a deeper insight into the biomass particle combustion process.     

Atmospheric Phosphorus Deposition in Ashiu, Central Japan – Source Apportionment for the Estimation of True Input to a Terrestrial Ecosystem

Atmospheric bulk depositions of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), soluble unreactive phosphorus (SUP), particulate inorganic phosphorus (PIP), particulate organic phosphorus (POP), total phosphorus (TP) and some other dissolved and particulate components were monitored for 3 years in Ashiu, Central Japan. The mean bulk depositions of SRP, SUP, PIP, POP, TP, dissolved components (Na, Mg, nss-Ca, K, V, Mo, nss-SO₄) and particulate components (Al, Fe, Ti, Ca, Mg, Mn, Ba, Sr, Zn) were 175, 76, 136, 397, 783, 156,000, 10,900, 7450, 5470, 10.3, 1.52, 40,100, 13,200, 3590, 2630, 576, 624, 42.3, 30.2, 17.4, 8.2 μmol m⁻² year⁻¹, respectively. The value for TP deposition was in the lower range of previous literature. The low P deposition probably reflected the method applied to reduce the contribution of local particles, including (1) placement of samplers off the ground surface, (2) installation of multiple samplers, and (3) rejection of contaminated samples. Al data suggested that 15 ± 5% of TP was brought by lithogenic dust from East Eurasia. Nss-SO₄ and Mo data and air-mass backward trajectories suggested that 39 ± 4% of TP was derived from coal combustion in China. It was speculated that the rest (47 ± 6%) of the TP deposition might be predominantly attributed to the contribution of local biogenic particles. Net atmospheric TP input (lithogenic dust and fossil fuel combustion) was almost equal to the TP outflow from Japanese forests on granitic soils.     

Photoluminescence in rare earth‐doped complex hexafluoride phosphors

In this study, using a simple combustion process and a wet chemical process, fluorides showing intense photoluminescence were prepared and developed as low‐cost phosphors. The prepared phosphors were characterized by photoluminescence (PL) techniques. PL emission spectra of the phosphor suggest the presence of Eu³⁺ as well as Eu²⁺ ions in LiMgBF₆:Eu and Li₂NaBF₆:Eu lattice sites. This article summarizes the fundamentals and possible applications of optically useful inorganic fluoride with visible photoluminescence of doped Eu³⁺ and Eu²⁺ ions. Our results on LiMgBF₆:Ce and Li₂NaBF₆:Ce are also reported. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

昆明地区15种常见木本植物活枝的燃烧性

为分析比较不同植物活枝的燃烧性,在森林防火戒严期内,对昆明地区15种常见木本植物中小径级的活枝进行了热辐射引燃试验,对小径级的活枝进行了氧指数试验。在测定样品直径、含水率、引燃时间、有焰燃烧时间、试验过程中烟气温度和质量损失变化过程等基础上,提出并计算了表征活枝燃烧性能的综合燃烧特性参数S,根据该参数对15种植物中小径级活枝的燃烧性能进行了排序。结果表明,15种植物小径级的活枝均具有较强的阻燃性,燃烧性能顺序为:云南松<野八角<华山松<滇青冈<地盘松<云南樟<厚皮香<大白花杜鹃<炮状花杜鹃<云南含笑<小白花杜鹃<南烛<光叶石栎<元江栲<云南野山茶。根据氧指数及试验现象将15种植物的小径级活枝分为3类,其中难燃类4种(大白花杜鹃、野八角、厚皮香、南烛)、可燃类7种(云南含笑、云南松、地盘松、华山松、滇青冈、云南樟、云南野山茶)、较易燃类4种(小白花杜鹃、炮状花杜鹃、光叶石栎、元江栲)。分析了造成2种试验结果差异的主要原因。     

Restoring Fire to Long-Unburned Pinus palustris Ecosystems: Novel Fire Effects and Consequences for Long-Unburned Ecosystems

Biologically rich savannas and woodlands dominated by Pinus palustris once dominated the southeastern U.S. landscape. With European settlement, fire suppression, and landscape fragmentation, this ecosystem has been reduced in area by 97%. Half of remnant forests are not burned with sufficient frequency, leading to declines in plant and animal species richness. For these fire‐suppressed ecosystems a major regional conservation goal has been ecological restoration, primarily through the reinitiation of historic fire regimes. Unfortunately, fire reintroduction in long‐unburned Longleaf pine stands can have novel, undesirable effects. We review case studies of Longleaf pine ecosystem restoration, highlighting novel fire behavior, patterns of tree mortality, and unintended outcomes resulting from reintroduction of fire. Many of these pineland restoration efforts have resulted in excessive overstory pine mortality (often >50%) and produced substantial quantities of noxious smoke. The most compelling mechanisms of high tree mortality after reintroduction of fire are related to smoldering combustion of surface layers of organic matter (duff) around the bases of old pines. Development of effective methods to reduce fuels and competing vegetation while encouraging native vegetation is a restoration challenge common to fire‐prone ecosystems worldwide that will require understanding of the responses of altered ecosystems to the resumption of historically natural disturbances.     

Nitrogen Cycles: Past, Present, and Future

This paper contrasts the natural and anthropogenic controls on the conversion of unreactive N₂ to more reactive forms of nitrogen (Nr). A variety of data sets are used to construct global N budgets for 1860 and the early 1990s and to make projections for the global N budget in 2050. Regional N budgets for Asia, North America, and other major regions for the early 1990s, as well as the marine N budget, are presented to Highlight the dominant fluxes of nitrogen in each region. Important findings are that human activities increasingly dominate the N budget at the global and at most regional scales, the terrestrial and open ocean N budgets are essentially disconnected, and the fixed forms of N are accumulating in most environmental reservoirs. The largest uncertainties in our understanding of the N budget at most scales are the rates of natural biological nitrogen fixation, the amount of Nr storage in most environmental reservoirs, and the production rates of N₂ by denitrification.     

Leaf Longevity,Construction, and Maintenance Costs of Three Mangrove Species Under Field Conditions

This study assessed the effect of leaf age on construction cost (CC) in the mangrove species Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa, and Rhizophora mangle growing in their natural habitat. Leaf osmolality values were species-specific, the highest in A. germinans (1 693 mmol kg^–1) and the lowest in L. racemosa (1 270 mmol kg^–1). In the three species, contents of chlorophyll (a+b) (Chl_a+b) and nitrogen (N) per unit of leaf area were maximal in adult leaves and tended to decline with age. Leaf mass to leaf area ratio (LMA) and ash content increased during leaf ageing. Similarly, as leaves aged, a significant increase in leaf construction cost per leaf area (CC_a) was observed, while per leaf mass (CC_m) it remained almost constant, suggesting a sustained production of leaf compounds as leaves became older. CC was positively correlated with LMA and heat of combustion (Hc) per leaf area, suggesting differences among species in the quantity and composition of expensive compounds. Leaf half lifetime (t_0.5) showed contrasting values in the three mangrove species (60, 111, and 160 d in L. racemosa, R. mangle, and A. germinans, respectively). Overall, L. racemosa was the species with less expensive leaves to construct while leaves of A. germinans and R. mangle had the highest CC_m and CC_a, respectively. Leaf longevity was positively correlated with the ratio between CC and maximum photosynthetic rate (P _max), clearly showing the existence of a balance between leaf costs and benefits.     

Effect of coal combustion wastes used as lime substitutes in nutrition of apples in three soils

Summary Fluidized bed combustion represents a feasible technology for energy production utilizing high S fossil fuels. The process generates not only bed waste (FBM) (coal ash plus CaSO₄ and unreacted CaO) but also flyash (FA). The later waste has not been evaluated for its effects on plants and soils. A greenhouse experiment, using apple seedlings, was carried out using FBM, FA and calcitic limestone applied at or up to twice the lime requirement on three soil materials. Seedling growth varied dependent upon the treatment-soil combination. Growth was reduced by 60% on the Manor soil from FA applied at twice the lime requirement and was attributed to the higher initial reactiveness of the FA compared to FBM or limestone. Leaf P, K, N, Cu and Al were not significantly affected by treatments over all soils while Ca, and N decreased and Mg varied depedent upon treatment. Soil pH was increased by all treatments. DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) extractable Mn and Zn were good estimators of leaf Mn and Zn while DTPA Cu and Fe were not.