A new European plant-specific emission inventory of biogenic volatile organic compounds for use in atmospheric transport models

We present a new European plant-specific emission inventory for isoprene, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and oxygenated VOC (OVOC), on a spatial resolution of 0.089×0.089 degrees, for implementation in atmospheric transport models. The inventory incorporates more accurate data on foliar biomass densities from several litterfall databases that became available in the last years for the main tree species in Europe. A bioclimatic correction factor was introduced to correct the foliar biomass densities of trees and crops for the different plant growth conditions that can be found in Pan-Europe. Long-term seasonal variability of agriculture and forest emissions was taken into account by implementing a new growing season concept. The 2004–2005 averaged annual total biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions for the Pan-European domain are estimated to be about 12 Tg with a large contribution from the OVOC class of about 4.5 Tg and from monoterpenes of about 4 Tg. Annual isoprene emissions are found to be about 3.5 Tg, insensitive to the chosen emission algorithm. Emissions of OVOC were found to originate to a large extent from agriculture. Further experiments on crop emissions should be carried out to check the validity of the applied standard emission factors. The new inventory aims at a fully transparent and verifiable aggregation of detailed land use information and at the inclusion of plant-specific emission data. Though plant-specific land use data is available with relatively high accuracy, a lack of experimental biomass densities and emission data on terpenes, sesquiterpenes and oxygenated VOC, in particular for agricultural plants, currently limits the setup of a highly accurate plant-specific emission inventory

Multimodal characterization of carbon electrodes\u27 thermal activation for vanadium redox flow batteries

Thermal activation has proven to be a valuable procedure to improve the performance of carbon electrodes in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). This work investigates how different activation temperatures impact the rayon-based carbon felt\u27s structure, surface composition, wettability, and electrochemical activity. A unique combination of non-standard techniques, including atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) combined with the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis, was used for the first time in the context of VRFB electrodes. The wettability of the carbon felts improved, and the process impedances decreased with higher activation temperatures. However, severe carbon decomposition occurs at high activation temperatures. The optimum electrochemical performance of the carbon felts in the vanadium(IV)/vanadium(V) redox reaction was observed after activation at 400 °C. Thus, we conclude that the optimum activation temperature for this type of carbon felt concerning the investigated properties is around 400 °C. Furthermore, we want to highlight the successful approach of using AFM, DVS, and EIS combined with DRT analysis for an integral investigation of key properties such as structure, wettability, and performance of VRFB electrodes

Emission of monoterpenes from European beech (<i>Fagus</i><i> sylvatica</i> L.) as a function of light and temperature

International audienceUsing a dynamic branch enclosure technique European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was characterised as a strong emitter of monoterpenes, with sabinene being the predominant compound released. Since monoterpene emission was demonstrated to be a function of light and temperature, application of light and temperature dependent algorithms resulted in reasonable agreement with the measured data. Furthermore, during high temperature periods the depression of net CO2 exchange during midday (midday depression) was accompanied by a depression of monoterpene emission on one occasion. The species dependent standard emission factor and the light and temperature regulated release of monoterpenes is of crucial importance for European VOC emissions. All measurements were performed within the framework of the ECHO project (Emission and CHemical transformation of biogenic volatile Organic compounds) during two intensive field campaigns in the summers of 2002 and 2003

Synchrotron X-ray Radiography and Tomography of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries—Cell Design, Electrolyte Flow Geometry, and Gas Bubble Formation

The wetting behavior and affinity to side reactions of carbon‐based electrodes in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are highly dependent on the physical and chemical surface structures of the material, as well as on the cell design itself. To investigate these properties, a new cell design was proposed to facilitate synchrotron X‐ray imaging. Three different flow geometries were studied to understand the impact on the flow dynamics, and the formation of hydrogen bubbles. By electrolyte injection experiments, it was shown that the maximum saturation of carbon felt was achieved by a flat flow field after the first injection and by a serpentine flow field after continuous flow. Furthermore, the average saturation of the carbon felt was correlated to the cyclic voltammetry current response, and the hydrogen gas evolution was visualized in 3D by X‐ray tomography. The capabilities of this cell design and experiments were outlined, which are essential for the evaluation and optimization of cell components of VRFBs

Significant light and temperature dependent monoterpene emissions from European beech (fagus sylvatiga L.) and their potential impact on the European VOC budget

By using a dynamic branch enclosure system the emission of monoterpenes from European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was investigated during two consecutive summer vegetation periods in the years of 2002 and 2003 in Germany. All measurements were performed under field conditions within the framework of the ECHO project (Emission and Chemical Transformation of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds, AFO 2000). European beech was characterized as a substantial emitter of monoterpenes, with sabinene being the predominant compound released. The monoterpene emission from European beech was shown to be a function of light and temperature and agreed well to emission algorithms that consider a light and temperature dependent release of volatile organics. Standard emission factors that were measured from these sunlit leaves of European beech ranged up to 4–13 µg g-1 h-1 (normalized to 1000 µmol m-2 s-1, 30°C) in the years of 2003 and 2002, respectively. The nighttime emission of monoterpene compounds was negligible. Also the artificial darkening of the sunlit branch during daylight conditions led to an immediate cessation of monoterpene emission. European beech is the dominating deciduous tree species in Europe. To demonstrate the effect of an updated monoterpene emission factor for European beech in combination with the consideration of a light and temperature dependent monoterpene emission, we applied a species based model simulation on a European scale. With respect to conventional estimates of the European volatile organic compound budget, the latter simulation resulted in relative increases of 16% by taking solely this tree species into account. On local scales these increases exceeded even more than 100% depending on the respective vegetation area coverage of European beec

Stress behaviour of CuInS2 thin film PV modules studied by a specific test structure

CuInS2 CIS thin film photovoltaic devices have been exposed to damp heat stress 85 relative humidity at 85 C in order to test long term stability. Degradation of the series resistance Rs has been found the major reason for module degradation. Specially designed transmission line test structures were used to get access to the ZnO sheet resistance Rsq and the Mo ZnO contact resistance Rc, the most important contributions to Rs. The degradation of Rc is strongly dependent on the point of time when P2 is made. Additionally solar cells were exposed to the same damp heat stress. These cells have no metal grid and their front contact is achieved by contacting the ZnO to a molybdenum pad in the same way as it is found for the single cells of modules. After 540 hours of unprotected exposure to damp heat these solar cells still show about half of their initial efficienc