Potential Westward Spread of Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from Eastern Ukraine

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is a phloem-boring beetle, native to East Asia that has become a serious invasive pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in North America and European Russia since the early 2000s. In 2019, EAB was detected in Ukraine. It had spread over 300 km from the entry point over two years and killed hundreds of Fraxinus excelsior and F. pennsylvanica trees. EAB poses a threat to the ash forests of neighboring European countries, which have already been damaged by the invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The purpose of this research was (i) to reveal the traits of EAB and the climatic variables that affect its survival; (ii) to predict the EAB expansion range in Ukraine and westward; and (iii) to compare the most significant bioclimatic variables in the native, invasive ranges of EAB, as well as outside these ranges. The results demonstrated the following: (i) in all ranges, EAB has adapted to the seasonal temperature variations; (ii) the MaxEnt model predicted the potential distribution of EAB with high accuracy (AUC = 0.988); the predicted area of EAB invasion covered 87%, 48%, and 32% in Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions, respectively; and (iii) the ranges of climatic variables in EAB-inhabited regions demonstrated the high ecological plasticity of this pest. However, the predictions could be improved by considering forest structure, as well as the localization of roads

Combined Solar Thermochemical Solid/Gas Energy Storage Process for Domestic Thermal Applications: Analysis of Global Performance

Thermal energy used below 100 °C for space heating/cooling and hot water preparation is responsible for a big amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the residential sector. The conjecture of thermal solar and thermochemical solid/gas energy storage processes renders the heat generation to become ecologically clean technology. However, until present, few pilot scale installations were developed and tested. The present work is devoted to the experimental study of global performance of a pilot scale thermochemical energy storage prototype. Two working modes, namely fixed packed bed and moving bed, were tested using 2.2 kg and 5.5 kg of composite material (silica gel impregnated with calcium chloride) under indoor atmospheric conditions. The global experimental efficiency of a 49l water tank charging process during 75 min was found as high as 0.8–0.85. The energy storage density reached in the fixed bed mode by the material was 158 kWh/m3, while in the moving bed mode it was 2.5 times lower. The reasons for such a difference are discussed in depth in the text

Hygroscopic composite material (soumis)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

A new composite sorbent based on SrBr2 and silica gel for solar energy storage application with high energy storage density and stability

The excellent matching between the sorption and desorption temperatures of hexahydrated SrBr2and those required for solar heat storage for building applications, the high heat of reaction (67.5 kJ/mol of water) coupled with the gain/loss of 5 mol of water per mole of salt make this salt an appealing sorbent for solar thermal energy storage applications coupled to space heating. Due to the morphological instability of this salt, it is necessary to incorporate it in a porous matrix as a composite sorbent. A new composite material for thermochemical energy storage applications was developed. It consists of a mesoporous silica gel impregnated by strontium bromide with salt content equal to 58 wt.%. The structure and the sorption properties of the composite were characterized by SEM-EDX, temperature dependent XRD, XRF, and N2sorption measurements. The salt is homogeneously distributed inside the pores of the silica gel. Water sorption isotherms were measured between 20 °C and 80 °C, which enabled us to understand the sorption mechanism. A mathematical model was developed and used to fit the experimental data in order to predict the sorption behavior of the composite at different conditions (influence of temperature and pressure conditions on the cycle loading lift and energy storage density). The interest of using such a composite for thermal energy storage application is then discussed (thermal energy produced by solar collector and used for space heating). A high cycle loading lift of 0.22 g/g is obtained corresponding to an energy storage capacity of 230 W h/kg and an energy storage density of 203 kW h/m3of packed bed composite (between 30 °C and 80 °C at 12.5 mbar) is reported, with an excellent stability over 14 sorption/desorption cycles. The sorption kinetics of this composite is enhanced compared to pure salt. Test on a laboratory scale open type reactor gives a maximum specific thermal power of 200 W/kg and a mean specific thermal power of 92 W/kg at 30 °C and 12.5 mbar for an extent of reaction of 0.68.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Further improvement of the synthesis of silica gel and CaCl2 composites: Enhancement of energy storage density and stability over cycles for solar heat storage coupled with space heating applications

Composite materials based on a silica gel loaded with CaCl2 are of great interest for seasonal thermochemical heat storage. In order to improve the performance of these materials for this application, and to evaluate their multi-cycle stability, a new synthesis protocol is proposed, based on successive impregnation/drying steps by using a matrix with a broad pore size distribution. Through this method, a CaCl2 content of 43 wt%, a high cycle loading lift of 0.40 g/g and an unprecedented energy storage density for this type of material of 211 kW h/m3 of packed bed composite, in conditions of a solar heat storage system (adsorption at 30 °C, desorption at 80 °C, and water vapor pressure of 12.5 mbar) can be reached. Moreover, the distribution of the salt inside the pores and the absence of any salt crust outside the matrix prevent salt leakage, leading to an outstanding preservation of the cycle loading lift after 10 cycles. Based on Polanyi theory, it can be assumed that the energy storage density can exceed 350 kW h/m3 for water sorption at 20 °C, desorption at 80 °C, with both steps at a water vapor pressure of 12.5 mbar.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Invasion of Emerald Ash Borer Agrilus planipennis and Ash Dieback Pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus in Ukraine-A Concerted Action

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is a beetle that originates from East Asia. Upon invasion to North America in the early 2000s, it killed untold millions of ash trees. In European Russia, EAB was first detected in Moscow in 2003 and proved to have the potential to also kill native European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). The beetle has since spread in all geographic directions, establishing itself in eastern Ukraine by 2019 and possessing potential for further westward spread towards the EU. Apart from the approaching EAB, F. excelsior is currently threatened by the dieback disease (ADB) caused by the invasive ascomycete fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The infestation by EAB combined with ADB infection is expected to be more lethal than either of them alone, yet the potential consequences are unknown. To date, eastern Ukraine represents the geographic area in which both invasions overlap, thus providing the opportunity for related investigations. The aims of the study were to investigate: (i) the EAB expansion range in Ukraine, (ii) the relative susceptibility of F. excelsior and American ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) to EAB and ADB, and (iii) the combined effect/impact on ash condition imposed by both the pest and disease in the area subjected to the invasion. The results have demonstrated that (i) the invasion of EAB is currently expanding both in terms of newly infested trees and invaded geographic area; (ii) F. excelsior is more resistant to EAB than F. pennsylvanica, while F. excelsior is more susceptible to ADB than F. pennsylvanica; and (iii) the infection by ADB is likely to predispose F. excelsior to the infestation by EAB. It was concluded that inventory and mapping of surviving F. excelsior, affected by both ADB and EAB, is necessary to acquire genetic resources for the work on strategic, long-term restoration of F. excelsior in devastated areas, thereby tackling a possible invasion of EAB to the EU