Biomass and Bioenergy

Biomass and Bioenergy

Author: Michael D. Brenes

Publisher: Nova Publishers

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9781594548659

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Biomass and bioenergy are essential components of the energy mix in most countries. Biomass is organic matter available on a renewable basis. Biomass includes forest and mill residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, fast-growing trees and plants, and municipal and industrial wastes. Bioenergy is useful, renewable energy produced from organic matter. The conversion of the complex carbohydrates in organic matter to energy. Organic matter may either be used directly as a fuel or processed into liquids and gases. This book presents up-to-date research in this field.


The Biomass Assessment Handbook

The Biomass Assessment Handbook

Author: Frank Rosillo-Calle

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-04-27

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1136554904

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The increasing importance of biomass as a renewable energy source has lead to an acute need for reliable and detailed information on its assessment, consumption and supply. Responding to this need, and overcoming the lack of standardized measurement and accounting procedures, this handbook provides the reader with the skills to understand the biomass resource base, the tools to assess the resource, and explores the pros and cons of exploitation. Topics covered include assessment methods for woody and herbaceous biomass, biomass supply and consumption, remote sensing techniques as well as vital policy issues. International case studies, ranging from techniques for measuring tree volume to transporting biomass, help to illustrate step-by-step methods and are based on field work experience. Technical appendices offer a glossary of terms, energy units and other valuable resource data.


Agroforestry Parklands in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agroforestry Parklands in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Jean-Marc Boffa

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9789251043769

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This document attempts to present the current state of knowledge on agroforestry parkland systems. These systems, which for many local populations are very important for food security, income generation and environmental protection, are found primarily in the semi-arid and sub-humid zones of West Africa. The document first provides a thorough description of their distribution and diversity and discusses different ways of classifying them. It also presents data on current trends in parkland development and assesses determining factors. The document then provides an in-depth analysis of biophysical tree-soil-crop interactions and the factors regulating them, and describes various improved parkland management techniques. It goes on to examine the strength and limitations of institutional arrangements as well as the constraints imposed by Sahelian forest policies on the sustainable management of parklands. The production, use and marketing of parkland products is reviewed with an emphasis on their contribution to food security, local and national income as well as social values. Overall costs and benefits of the practice of parkland agroforestry are evaluated. In conclusion, the document identifies crucial research needs and promising avenues for promoting sustainable management of parkland systems.


Methods for Measuring Greenhouse Gas Balances and Evaluating Mitigation Options in Smallholder Agriculture

Methods for Measuring Greenhouse Gas Balances and Evaluating Mitigation Options in Smallholder Agriculture

Author: Todd S. Rosenstock

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-08-23

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 3319297945

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​​This book provides standards and guidelines for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions and removals in smallholder agricultural systems and comparing options for climate change mitigation based on emission reductions and livelihood trade-offs. Globally, agriculture is directly responsible for about 11% of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and induces an additional 17% through land use change, mostly in developing countries. Farms in the developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are predominately managed by smallholders, with 80% of land holdings smaller than ten hectares. However, little to no information exists on greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation potentials in smallholder agriculture. Greenhouse gas measurements in agriculture are expensive, time consuming, and error prone, challenges only exacerbated by the heterogeneity of smallholder systems and landscapes. Concerns over methodological rigor, measurement costs, and the diversity of approaches, coupled with the demand for robust information suggest it is germane for the scientific community to establish standards of measurements for quantifying GHG emissions from smallholder agriculture. Standard guidelines for use by scientists, development organizations will help generate reliable data on emissions baselines and allow rigorous comparisons of mitigation options. The guidelines described in this book, developed by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS) and partners, are intended to inform anyone conducting field measurements of agricultural greenhouse gas sources and sinks, especially to develop IPCC Tier 2 emission factors or to compare mitigation options in smallholder systems.


Wildland Fuel Fundamentals and Applications

Wildland Fuel Fundamentals and Applications

Author: Robert E. Keane

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-11-04

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 3319090151

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A new era in wildland fuel sciences is now evolving in such a way that fire scientists and managers need a comprehensive understanding of fuels ecology and science to fully understand fire effects and behavior on diverse ecosystem and landscape characteristics. This is a reference book on wildland fuel science; a book that describes fuels and their application in land management. There has never been a comprehensive book on wildland fuels; most wildland fuel information was put into wildland fire science and management books as separate chapters and sections. This book is the first to highlight wildland fuels and treat them as a natural resource rather than a fire behavior input. Moreover, there has never been a comprehensive description of fuels and their ecology, measurement, and description under one reference; most wildland fuel information is scattered across diverse and unrelated venues from combustion science to fire ecology to carbon dynamics. The literature and data for wildland fuel science has never been synthesized into one reference; most studies were done for diverse and unique objectives. This book is the first to link the disparate fields of ecology, wildland fire, and carbon to describe fuel science. This just deals with the science and ecology of wildland fuels, not fuels management. However, since expensive fuel treatments are being planned in fire dominated landscapes across the world to minimize fire damage to people, property and ecosystems, it is incredibly important that people understand wildland fuels to develop more effective fuel management activities.


The Dry Forests and Woodlands of Africa

The Dry Forests and Woodlands of Africa

Author: Emmanuel N. Chidumayo

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-09-23

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1136531378

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The dry forests and woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa are major ecosystems, with a broad range of strong economic and cultural incentives for keeping them intact. However, few people are aware of their importance, compared to tropical rainforests, despite them being home to more than half of the continent's population. This unique book brings together scientific knowledge on this topic from East, West, and Southern Africa and describes the relationships between forests, woodlands, people and their livelihoods. Dry forest is defined as vegetation dominated by woody plants, primarily trees, the canopy of which covers more than 10 per cent of the ground surface, occurring in climates with a dry season of three months or more. This broad definition - wider than those used by many authors - incorporates vegetation types commonly termed woodland, shrubland, thicket, savanna, wooded grassland, as well as dry forest in its strict sense. The book provides a comparative analysis of management experiences from the different geographic regions, emphasizing the need to balance the utilization of dry forests and woodland products between current and future human needs. Further, the book explores the techniques and strategies that can be deployed to improve the management of African dry forests and woodlands for the benefit of all, but more importantly, the communities that live off these vegetation formations. Thus, the book lays a foundation for improving the management of dry forests and woodlands for the wide range of products and services they provide.


Forest Bioenergy

Forest Bioenergy

Author: Ana Cristina Gonçalves

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2024-01-02

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 3031482247

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This book is a comprehensive overview of the forest bioenergy, from feedstock production to end products. The book presents the state of the art of forest biomass production, assessment, characterization, and conversion into heat and power. It starts with forest sources of biomass and potential availability. Continues with the characterization of the forest stands and the availability of biomass for energy per stand structure, including stands managed for timber, non-wood products, and energy plantations. It follows with biomass evaluation and monitoring considering data sources, modeling methods, and existing models. are also addressed. After the initial focus on forest biomass production and estimation, this resource is assessed as a feedstock for energy conversion. Not only current, but also emerging biofuels obtained from forest biomass are considered. Established and emerging conversion technologies for the production of bio-heat and bio-power are examined and the impacts of the conversion systems presented.