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Production Potential (production + potential)
Selected AbstractsPotential of biomass-fired combined heat and power plants considering the spatial distribution of biomass supply and heat demandINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 11 2010Johannes Schmidt Abstract Combined heat and power (CHP) plants fired by forest wood can significantly contribute to attaining the target of increasing the share of renewable energy production. However, the spatial distribution of biomass supply and of heat demand limits the potentials of CHP production. This article assesses CHP potentials using a mixed integer programming model that optimizes locations of bioenergy plants. Investment costs of district heating infrastructure are modeled as a function of heat demand densities, which can differ substantially. Gasification of biomass in a combined cycle process is assumed as production technology. Some model parameters have a broad range according to a literature review. Monte-Carlo simulations have therefore been performed to account for model parameter uncertainty in our analysis. The model is applied to assess CHP potentials in Austria. Optimal locations of plants are clustered around big cities in the east of the country. At current power prices, biomass-based CHP production allows producing around 3% of the total energy demand in Austria. Yet, the heat utilization decreases when CHP production increases due to limited heat demand that is suitable for district heating. Production potentials are most sensitive to biomass costs and power prices. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A semimechanistic model predicting the growth and production of the bioenergy crop Miscanthus×giganteus: description, parameterization and validationGCB BIOENERGY, Issue 4 2009FERNANDO E. MIGUEZ Abstract Biomass based bioenergy is promoted as a major sustainable energy source which can simultaneously decrease net greenhouse gas emissions. Miscanthus×giganteus (M.×giganteus), a C4 perennial grass with high nitrogen, water, and light use efficiencies, is regarded as a promising energy crop for biomass production. Mathematical models which can accurately predict M.×giganteus biomass production potential under different conditions are critical to evaluate the feasibility of its production in different environments. Although previous models based on light-conversion efficiency have been shown to provide good predictions of yield, they cannot easily be used in assessing the value of physiological trait improvement or ecosystem processes. Here, we described in detail the physical and physiological processes of a previously published generic mechanistic eco-physiological model, WIMOVAC, adapted and parameterized for M.×giganteus. Parameterized for one location in England, the model was able to realistically predict daily field diurnal photosynthesis and seasonal biomass at a range of other sites from European studies. The model provides a framework that will allow incorporation of further mechanistic information as it is developed for this new crop. [source] Will photosynthesis of maize (Zea mays) in the US Corn Belt increase in future [CO2] rich atmospheres?GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2004An analysis of diurnal courses of CO2 uptake under free-air concentration enrichment (FACE) Abstract The C4 grass Zea mays (maize or corn) is the third most important food crop globally in terms of production and demand is predicted to increase 45% from 1997 to 2020. However, the effects of rising [CO2] upon C4 plants, and Z. mays specifically, are not sufficiently understood to allow accurate predictions of future crop production. A rainfed, field experiment utilizing free-air concentration enrichment (FACE) technology in the primary area of global corn production (US Corn Belt) was undertaken to determine the effects of elevated [CO2] on corn. FACE technology allows experimental treatments to be imposed upon a complete soil,plant,atmosphere continuum with none of the effects of experimental enclosures on plant microclimate. Crop performance was compared at ambient [CO2] (354 , mol mol,1) and the elevated [CO2] (549 ,mol mol,1) predicted for 2050. Previous laboratory studies suggest that under favorable growing conditions C4 photosynthesis is not typically enhanced by elevated [CO2]. However, stomatal conductance and transpiration are decreased, which can indirectly increase photosynthesis in dry climates. Given the deep soils and relatively high rainfall of the US Corn Belt, it was predicted that photosynthesis would not be enhanced by elevated [CO2]. The diurnal course of gas exchange of upper canopy leaves was measured in situ across the growing season of 2002. Contrary to the prediction, growth at elevated [CO2] significantly increased leaf photosynthetic CO2 uptake rate (A) by up to 41%, and 10% on average. Greater A was associated with greater intercellular [CO2], lower stomatal conductance and lower transpiration. Summer rainfall during 2002 was very close to the 50-year average for this site, indicating that the year was not atypical or a drought year. The results call for a reassessment of the established view that C4 photosynthesis is insensitive to elevated [CO2] under favorable growing conditions and that the production potential of corn in the US Corn Belt will not be affected by the global rise in [CO2]. [source] Thermodynamic analysis of two-step solar water splitting with mixed iron oxidesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 10 2009Martin Roeb Abstract A two-step thermochemical cycle for solar production of hydrogen from water has been developed and investigated. It is based on metal oxide redox pair systems, which can split water molecules by abstracting oxygen atoms and reversibly incorporating them into their lattice. After successful experimental demonstration of several cycles of alternating hydrogen and oxygen production, the present work describes a thermodynamic study aiming at the improvement of process conditions and at the evaluation of the theoretical potential of the process. In order to evaluate the maximum hydrogen production potential of a coating material, theoretical considerations based on thermodynamic laws and properties are useful and faster than actual tests. Through thermodynamic calculations it is possible to predict the theoretical maximum output of H2 from a specific redox-material under certain conditions. Calculations were focussed on the two mixed iron oxides nickel,iron-oxide and zinc,iron-oxide. In the simulation the amount of oxygen in the redox-material is calculated before and after the water-splitting step on the basis of laws of thermodynamics and available material properties for the chosen mixed iron oxides. For the simulation the commercial Software FactSage and available databases for the required material properties were used. The analysis showed that a maximum hydrogen yield is achieved if the reduction temperature is raised to the limits of the operation range, if the temperature for the water splitting is lowered below 800°C and if the partial pressure of oxygen during reduction is decreased to the lower limits of the operational range. The predicted effects of reduction temperature and partial pressure of oxygen could be confirmed in experimental studies. The increased hydrogen yield at lower splitting temperatures of about 800°C could not be confirmed in experimental results, where a higher splitting temperature led to a higher hydrogen yield. As a consequence it can be stated that kinetics must play an important role especially in the splitting step. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Testing liana cutting and controlled burning as silvicultural treatments for a logged forest in the eastern AmazonJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2001Jeffrey J. Gerwing Summary 1In the eastern Brazilian Amazon, logged forests frequently include patches where liana density is particularly high. In these so-called liana tangles, competition from lianas is predicted to reduce tree growth significantly, thus effectively impeding future timber production. To begin to develop a silvicultural strategy for these patches, the impact of liana cutting and controlled burning on liana density, tree growth and tree regeneration in liana-dominated patches was investigated in a logged forest in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. 2The two treatments (liana cutting and controlled burning) and a control were installed in 40 × 40-m plots in a randomized complete block design of six blocks. Treatments were conducted during October 1997, and tree diameter growth and mortality, canopy cover, regeneration and liana density were monitored over 2 years. 3Mean mortality following burning was significantly higher for lianas (79%) than for trees (48%), as was the mean coppicing rate of top-killed stems (42% for lianas vs. 20% for trees). Coppicing combined with some recruitment from seed resulted in liana densities in the burned plots returning to 70% of the values in the control plots only 2 years post-treatment. 4Canopy light transmittance, estimated from hemispherical canopy photographs taken at 1 m above the ground, increased significantly from c. 4% in controls to 8% in cut and 12% in burned treatments, and these differences persisted over the 2-year study period. 5In the absence of silvicultural intervention, mean tree diameter increments were low (1·3 mm year,1), suggesting that the successional transition to higher stature forest was occurring very slowly. Each of the treatments resulted in a more than doubling of mean annual tree growth (3 and 2·8 mm year,1 for liana-cut and burned treatments, respectively). The treatments also significantly reduced the occurrence of trees that showed no growth over the study period, from 56% in controls to 30% in cut and 32% in burned treatments. 6The results of this study suggest that although burning resulted in increased tree growth, rapid recolonization of surviving trees by lianas and the high vulnerability of burned stands to unwanted repeat burns are likely to cancel out any of the possible benefits of controlled burning as a silvicultural treatment for liana-dominated patches. Liana cutting, on the other hand, showed promise and its adoption as part of a larger strategy for the recuperation of the timber production potential of logged tropical forests seems warranted. [source] Orthologous comparison in a gene-rich region among grasses reveals stability in the sugarcane polyploid genomeTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Nazeema Jannoo Summary Modern sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important grass that contributes 60% of the raw sugar produced worldwide and has a high biofuel production potential. It was created about a century ago through hybridization of two highly polyploid species, namely S. officinarum and S. spontaneum. We investigated genome dynamics in this highly polyploid context by analyzing two homoeologous sequences (97 and 126 kb) in a region that has already been studied in several cereals. Our findings indicate that the two Saccharum species diverged 1.5,2 million years ago from one another and 8,9 million years ago from sorghum. The two sugarcane homoeologous haplotypes show perfect colinearity as well as high gene structure conservation. Apart from the insertion of a few retrotransposable elements, high homology was also observed for the non-transcribed regions. Relative to sorghum, the sugarcane sequences displayed colinearity, with the exception of two genes present only in sorghum, and striking homology in most non-coding parts of the genome. The gene distribution highlighted high synteny and colinearity with rice, and partial colinearity with each homoeologous maize region, which became perfect when the sequences were combined. The haplotypes observed in sugarcane may thus closely represent the ancestral Andropogoneae haplotype. This analysis of sugarcane haplotype organization at the sequence level suggests that the high ploidy in sugarcane did not induce generalized reshaping of its genome, thus challenging the idea that polyploidy quickly induces generalized rearrangement of genomes. These results also confirm the view that sorghum is the model of choice for sugarcane. [source] Potential of Pakistani camel for dairy and other usesANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2007Muhammad YAQOOB ABSTRACT Camels have the potential for milk, meat and draught power and can contribute a handsome share of the production of these commodities. The potential of this wonderful animal has never been realized and it could be harnessed as a prospective milk producing animal. The future of animals that can thrive under harsh environmental conditions, the camel being at the top of the list, is bright. The camel is still a neglected species in Pakistan and has not received the proper attention of researchers and scientists. The population explosion, urbanization and industrialization have expanded agricultural activities to produce more food for the rapid growing human population of the country. Cultivated areas are shrinking, thus reducing the fodder production area for buffalo and cattle. Under these circumstances we have to search for other available sources to enhance milk production. The environmental changes occurring on the earth and the water shortage in the region have also adversely affected the production potential of buffalo, cattle, goats and sheep. Under these changing ecological circumstances, rearing camel is the best option for more milk production and the proper utilization of the vast unused lands of this country. Most studies also have named the camel as an animal of great socioeconomic importance in large tracts of the industrializing world. The camel serves as a cheaper source of power for drawing water from wells, plowing and leveling land, working mini extraction mills (extracting from oil seeds), grinding wheat, corn and other grains and crushing sugarcane and pulling carts for the transportation of goods as well as people. [source] Presence of CD4+CD8+ double-positive T cells with very high interleukin-4 production potential in lesional skin of patients with systemic sclerosisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2007Yann Parel Objective Fibrotic skin changes in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are preceded by the appearance of an inflammatory infiltrate rich in T cells. Since no direct comparison with T cells in normal skin has been performed previously, this study was undertaken to functionally characterize T cells in the skin of patients with early active SSc and in normal skin. Methods We characterized coreceptor expression, T cell receptor (TCR) usage, cytokine production, and helper and cytolytic activity of T cell lines and clones established from skin biopsy specimens from 6 SSc patients and 4 healthy individuals. Immunofluorescence analysis of skin biopsy and peripheral blood samples was performed to confirm the presence of specific subsets in vivo. Results A distinct subset expressing both CD4 and CD8,/, coreceptors at high levels (double-positive [DP]) was present in T cell lines from SSc and normal skin. DP T cells actively transcribed both accessory molecules, exerted clonally distributed cytolytic and helper activity, and expressed TCR clonotypes distinct from those in CD4+ or CD8+ single-positive (SP) T cells. In SSc skin, DP T cells produced very high levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) compared with CD4+ SP T cells. Furthermore, DP T cells were directly identified in SSc skin, thus providing evidence that they are a distinct subset in vivo. Conclusion The present findings show that T cells with the unusual CD4+CD8+ DP phenotype are present in the skin. Their very high level of IL-4 production in early active SSc may contribute to enhanced extracellular matrix deposition by fibroblasts. [source] Microalgae for oil: Strain selection, induction of lipid synthesis and outdoor mass cultivation in a low-cost photobioreactorBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2009Liliana Rodolfi Abstract Thirty microalgal strains were screened in the laboratory for their biomass productivity and lipid content. Four strains (two marine and two freshwater), selected because robust, highly productive and with a relatively high lipid content, were cultivated under nitrogen deprivation in 0.6-L bubbled tubes. Only the two marine microalgae accumulated lipid under such conditions. One of them, the eustigmatophyte Nannochloropsis sp. F&M-M24, which attained 60% lipid content after nitrogen starvation, was grown in a 20-L Flat Alveolar Panel photobioreactor to study the influence of irradiance and nutrient (nitrogen or phosphorus) deprivation on fatty acid accumulation. Fatty acid content increased with high irradiances (up to 32.5% of dry biomass) and following both nitrogen and phosphorus deprivation (up to about 50%). To evaluate its lipid production potential under natural sunlight, the strain was grown outdoors in 110-L Green Wall Panel photobioreactors under nutrient sufficient and deficient conditions. Lipid productivity increased from 117 mg/L/day in nutrient sufficient media (with an average biomass productivity of 0.36 g/L/day and 32% lipid content) to 204 mg/L/day (with an average biomass productivity of 0.30 g/L/day and more than 60% final lipid content) in nitrogen deprived media. In a two-phase cultivation process (a nutrient sufficient phase to produce the inoculum followed by a nitrogen deprived phase to boost lipid synthesis) the oil production potential could be projected to be more than 90 kg per hectare per day. This is the first report of an increase of both lipid content and areal lipid productivity attained through nutrient deprivation in an outdoor algal culture. The experiments showed that this marine eustigmatophyte has the potential for an annual production of 20 tons of lipid per hectare in the Mediterranean climate and of more than 30 tons of lipid per hectare in sunny tropical areas. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 100,112. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Designing an Inducer-Feeding Schedule To Enhance Production of Recombinant Protein in Escherichia coli by Microbial Reaction EngineeringBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2008Jesus M. Gonzalez Metabolic constraints during the production of recombinant protein in Escherichia coli impede the efficient utilization of resources by the cells, thus reducing their production potential. In order to minimize these adverse effects, we have proposed to segregate the cell population into two groups: the first one formed by non-induced cells, growing at a high specific growth rate and rapidly contributing cells to the system, and the second one formed by fully induced cells, growing slowly but using the cell machinery to express the target protein. An adequate balance between these two populations should maximize the protein expression in a given system. This segregation is accomplished experimentally by taking advantage of the "all or none" phenomenon, in which at subsaturated inducer conditions the cells are either fully induced or fully uninduced. Based on this two-population theory, a mathematical model was developed in which a parameter , was defined as the fraction of the fully induced cells in the total population. In this study three different induction strategies were investigated and their effect on the protein production was established. It was found that the linear increase of this fraction, achieving maximum induction (, = 1) only at the end of the fermentation and with a slope m = 0.15 gave the best results. Finally these results were validated experimentally with the finding that they closely match the mathematical simulation with a 26% increase in protein production with respect to the conventional induction approach described. [source] Continuous Cultivation of the Diatom Nitzschia laevis for Eicosapentaenoic Acid Production: Physiological Study and Process OptimizationBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 1 2002Zhi-You Wen The continuous cultures of the diatom Nitzschia laevis were performed at different dilution rates ( D) and feed glucose concentrations ( S0) to investigate cellular physiological responses and its production potential of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Steady-state cell dry weight, residual glucose concentration, cell growth yield, specific glucose consumption rate, and fatty acid profiles were investigated within the range of D from 0.1 to 1.0 day,1 ( S0 fixed at 20 g/L) and the range of S0 from 5 to 35 g/L ( D fixed at 0.3 day,1), respectively. The highest EPA productivity of 73 mg L -1 day -1 was obtained at D = 0.5 day,1 and S0 = 20 g/L. However, when the continuous culture achieved high productivities of EPA at certain dilution rates and feed glucose concentrations, glucose in the feed could not be consumed completely. Accordingly, the continuous culture was evaluated in terms of both EPA productivity ( P) and glucose assimilation efficiency ( E). The parameter ,, defined as the product of P and E, was used as an overall performance index. Since , is a function of the two independent variables Dand S0, we employed a central composite design to optimize D and S0 for the highest , value. Based on the experimental results of the design, a second-order polynomial equation was established to represent the relationship between , and D and S0. The optimal values of D and S0 were subsequently determined as 0.481 day,1 and 15.56 g/L, respectively by the empirical model. The verification experiment confirmed the validity of the model. Under the optimal conditions, , value reached 46.5 mg L -1 day -1, suggesting a considerably high efficiency of the continuous culture of N. laevis in terms of EPA production and glucose utilization. [source] | ||||||||||