The Contributions of Biomass Supply for Bioenergy in the Post-COVID-19 Recovery

This research investigates how biomass supply chains (BSChs) for bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy could contribute to the post-COVID-19 recovery in three dimensions: boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient and cleaner energy systems in four future scenarios, in the short term (by 2023) and long term (by 2030). A SWOT analysis on BSChs was used for generating a questionnaire for foresight by a two-round Delphi study. To interpret the results properly, a short survey and literature review is executed to record BSChs behavior during the pandemic. In total, 23 (55% response rate) and 28 (46% response rate) biomass experts from three continents participated in the Delphi and the short survey, respectively. The strongest impact from investment in BSChs would be on economic growth, followed by a contribution to the resilient and cleaner energy systems and job creation. The effects would be more visible in the long- than in the short-term period. Investments with the most impact on recovery are those that improve biomass material efficiency and circularity. Refurbishment of current policies to enhance the supply of biomass as a renewable resource to the future economy is a must

A Two-Stage DSS to Evaluate Optimal Locations for Bioenergy Facilities

Research Highlights: A set of 128 potential bioenergy facility locations is established and evaluated based on the transport cost to select optimal locations. Background and Objectives: The identification of optimal facility locations to process recovered forest biomass is an important decision in designing a bioenergy supply chain at the strategic planning level. The result of this analysis can affect supply chain costs and the overall efficiency of the network, due to the low density and dispersed nature of forest biomass and the high costs associated with its logistics operations. In this study, we develop a two-stage decision support system to identify the optimal site locations for forest biomass conversion based on biomass availability, transport distance and cost. Materials and Methods: In the first stage, a GIS-based analysis is designed to identify strategic locations of potential bioenergy sites. The second stage evaluates the most cost-effective locations individually using a transportation cost model, based on the results from stage one. The sensitivity of inputs, such as maximum allowable transport cost, the distance of transport and their relations to the profit balance, and changes in fuel price are tested. The method is applied to a real case study in the state of Queensland, Australia. Results and Conclusions: The GIS analysis resulted in 128 strategic candidate locations being suggested for bioenergy conversion sites. The logistics analysis estimated the optimal cost and transportation distance of each one of the locations and ranked them according to the overall performance between capacities of 5 and 100 MW.Forestry, Faculty ofNon UBCForest Resources Management, Department ofReviewedFacult

A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia

The use of forest biomass for bioenergy in Australia represents only 1% of total energy production but is being recognized for having the potential to deliver low-cost and low-emission, renewable energy solutions. This review addresses the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production in Australia relative to the amount of biomass energy measures available for production, harvest and transport, conversion, distribution and emission. Thirty-Five Australian studies on forest biomass for bioenergy are reviewed and categorized under five hierarchical terms delimiting the level of assessment on the biomass potential. Most of these studies assess the amount of biomass at a production level using measures such as the allometric volume equation and form factor assumptions linked to forest inventory data or applied in-field weighing of samples to predict the theoretical potential of forest biomass across an area or region. However, when estimating the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production, it is essential to consider the entire supply chain that includes many limitations and reductions on the recovery of the forest biomass from production in the field to distribution to the network. This review reiterated definitions for theoretical, available, technological, economic and environmental biomass potential and identified missing links between them in the Australian literature. There is a need for further research on the forest biomass potential to explore lower cost and lowest net emission solutions as a replacement to fossil resources for energy production in Australia but methods the could provide promising solutions are available and can be applied to address this gap

Jaarlijkse groei van Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) en andere boomsoorten in Kavango, Namibië

De meest geprefereerde houtsoort voor zagerij in Namibië en het grootste deel van zuidelijk Afrika, is Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat). Er is echter niet genoeg informatie over de jaarlijkse groei van de soort om te bepalen of de oogst duurzaam is. De soort bereikt in Namibië de zuidelijke grens van zijn verspreidingsgebied en men zou kunnen verwachten dat de jaarlijkse groei lager is dan in andere landen waarvoor meer gegevens beschikbaar zijn binnen de literatuur. Deze studie wil bijdragen aan de bepaling van de jaarlijkse diametergroei van Kiaat in Namibië door het meten van de jaarlijkse groei in de regio Kavango. De diametergroei van Kiaat zal worden vergeleken met een paar andere soorten waarvoor boorkernen werden verzameld. Hierbij maakt men gebruik een presslerboor voor het winnen van boorspanen die worden geëgaliseerd met de Core-microtome om ze daaropvolgend met LintabTM software te analyseren. Er werd ook informatie gewonnen uit stamschijven die gedurende het onderzoek te beschikking werden gesteld voor manuele tellingen. Naast Kiaat werd een soortgelijke analyse uitgevoerd op Burkea africana, Baikiaea plurijuga, Terminalia sericea en Schinziophyton rautanenii om na te gaan of ook deze soorten geschikt zijn voor jaarringanalyse op basis van boorspanen. Het onderzoek centraliseert zich binnen de regio Kavango maar beoogt tevens vergelijkingen met naburige regionen binnen en buiten Namibië. Gekeken naar de kwaliteit van boorspanen en de vraag of andere houtsoorten bruikbaar zijn voor jaarringanalyse, merkt men vooral technische problemen door intern rot of holle stammen bij Baikiaea plurijuga en Burkea africana. Voor Terminalia sericea zijn goede boorspanen verzameld maar is het vooral moeilijk om daadwerkelijk tot de kern van de stam te geraken vanwege excentriciteit. Voor Schinziophyton rautanenii vermoedt men geen jaarringen te zien, aangezien het gaat om een stamsucculent. Uit de jaarringanalyse haalt men groeicurven die de relatie tussen diameter en leeftijd weergeven voor stamschijven. Voor boorspanen wordt met LintabTM software de effectieve ringbreedte bepaald en de daaruit volgende groeicurve. Uit een eerste reeks resultaten blijkt de groei in Kavango sneller te verlopen dan drogere gebieden maar trager dan in gebieden met meer neerslag. Terminalia sericea heeft als pioniersoort een snellere groei dan Pterocarpus angolensis, Baikiaea plurijuga en Burkea africana. Analyse toont aan dat de groei van bomen in Kavango onder andere wordt beïnvloed door neerslag en dat de groeipatronen per soort sterkt verschillen

Annual diameter growth of Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and other woodland species in Namibia

Objective: To examine the association between aortic arch calcification (AAC) and vascular disease in an older Chinese sample. Methods: For this study, 30,203 Chinese aged 50-85 years were recruited with baseline information on socioeconomic position, lifestyle and vascular risk factors. The presence and severity of AAC were diagnosed independently from chest X-ray by two radiologists. Results: The age-adjusted prevalence of AAC was significantly higher in women than men [34.6% (95% CI 33.9-35.3) vs. 27.9% (95% CI 26.8-28.8), p < 0.001]. Severity of AAC was significantly associated with physician-diagnosed ischemic heart disease (adjusted OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.35-1.79) and combined vascular disease (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.30-1.69) after adjusting for multiple potential confounders. Increasing severity of AAC was associated with increased risk for ischemic heart disease and vascular disease (p for trend = 0.02 to <0.001). No association between AAC and stroke was found. Conclusions: AAC was strongly and independently associated with vascular disease, suggesting that assessment of AAC from chest X-ray, which is noninvasive and relatively inexpensive, can provide useful information for risk stratification of vascular disease, and should be routinely incorporated in chest X-ray examination. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Predicting site productivity of the timber tree Pterocarpus angolensis

Pterocarpus angolensis is an important timber tree of the miombo woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. The species only grows in natural mixed forests and little is known about is productivity potential. This study aimed at investigating productivity of P. angolensis on a local scale in Namibia and Angola and on a regional scale in southern Africa. The most commonly accepted productivity indicator is stem diameter increment and this was used to study productivity at a regional scale. Indicators of productivity used at the local scale were basal area, proportional basal area and site form, which were derived from 217 forest inventory plots in Namibia and Angola. The productivity measures were modelled with abiotic site factors; biotic factors were added for the local scale. Results indicated that the most consistent site factors at local and regional scale were not related to climate but to forest cover, with the species having a competitive advantage in more open forests. Mean annual diameter increment in the open forests of Namibia was 0.51 cm after 50 years. Boosted regression tree models at a local scale showed that species presence can be modelled more successfully than species basal area, proportional basal area (correlation of 0.72 vs 0.56 and 0.45, respectively) and site form. The sites with the highest productivity of P. angolensis at the local scale had a temperature seasonality below 34.5 °C, a slope of less than 1.5°, tree cover less than 20% and stand basal area higher than 9 m2 ha−1. The results can assist in establishing a site-dependent growth model for the species and direct forest and fire management towards the most productive areas. © 2017 NISC (Pty) Ltd

The Contributions of Biomass Supply for Bioenergy in the Post-COVID-19 Recovery

This research investigates how biomass supply chains (BSChs) for bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy could contribute to the post-COVID-19 recovery in three dimensions: boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient and cleaner energy systems in four future scenarios, in the short term (by 2023) and long term (by 2030). A SWOT analysis on BSChs was used for generating a questionnaire for foresight by a two-round Delphi study. To interpret the results properly, a short survey and literature review is executed to record BSChs behavior during the pandemic. In total, 23 (55% response rate) and 28 (46% response rate) biomass experts from three continents participated in the Delphi and the short survey, respectively. The strongest impact from investment in BSChs would be on economic growth, followed by a contribution to the resilient and cleaner energy systems and job creation. The effects would be more visible in the long- than in the short-term period. Investments with the most impact on recovery are those that improve biomass material efficiency and circularity. Refurbishment of current policies to enhance the supply of biomass as a renewable resource to the future economy is a must