How hot is Antarctica? Constraining crustal heat production

This item is only available electronically.Antarctica is more influential in relation to sea level rise and has a lower level of outcrop than any other continent on the planet. The main factor in Antarctica’s influence on sea level is its reaction to the warming oceans surrounding it, and this is influenced by basement heat flux and crustal heat production. In this study, a new Gamma Ray Spectrometry method was developed and calibrated to allow the fast, accurate calculation of a rock’s heat production through analysis of the smallest of hand samples without destroying the samples themselves. The method is applied to a large collection of hand samples collected throughout Antarctica. The resulting data are compiled into a dataset of Antarctic bedrock geochemistry and compared to ice flow velocity of similar areas in an attempt to give insight into the influence of crustal heat production on ice flow velocity and Antarctica’s reaction to global warming. Although the dataset is subject to bias based on a lack of objectivity during collection, it can be argued that a basic correlation can be seen between heat production and ice flow velocity. Comparing heat production values to geological ages also shows that younger rock types generally have higher heat production values than those of the Proterozoic or Archaean eras.Thesis (B.Sc.(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Physical Sciences, 201

Start-up of a laboratory-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor treating glucose

grantor: University of TorontoA laboratory-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ANSBR) treating glucose at 21°C was started-up and loaded to an organic loading rate (OLR) of 3 kg·m-3·d-1. Higher loadings were not achieved due to acid accumulation and pH inhibition. Operational parameters such as influent concentration, total cycle time, and fill-to-cycle time (F/C) ratios were identified that could be modified to improve the reactor's performance without the need for external pH control. In addition, a straightforward experimental method was described that could determine substrate-specific kinetic parameters and active biomass fractions necessary for use in mathematical models of the ANSBR process. Low levels of aceticlastic methanogens (0.48%) and total active biomass (17.4%) were measured in the microcosm studies likely due to solids washout and temperature "shock". Model predictions of the five sets of ANSBR operational conditions studied in the laboratory generally agreed with experimental results for 6000 mg/L glucose influent, but differed for 3000 mg/L.M.A.Sc

Photosynthetic biomass and H2 production by green algae: From bioengineering to bioreactor scale-up

The development of clean borderless fuels is of vital importance to human and environmental health and global prosperity. Currently, fuels make up approximately 67% of the global energy market (total market = 15 TW year) (Hoffert et al. 1998). In contrast, global electricity demand accounts for only 33% (Hoffert et al. 1998). Yet, despite the importance of fuels, almost all CO2 free energy production systems under development are designed to drive electricity generation (e.g. clean-coal technology, nuclear, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal, wave and hydroelectric). In contrast, and indeed almost uniquely, biofuels also target the much larger fuel market and so in the future will play an increasingly important role in maintaining energy security (Lal 2005). Currently, the main biofuels that are at varying stages of development include bio-ethanol, liquid carbohydrates [e.g. biodiesel or biomass to liquid (BTL) products], biomethane and bio-H-2. This review is focused on placing bio-H-2 production processes into the context of the current biofuels market and summarizing advances made both at the level of bioengineering and bioreactor design