Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of loblolly pine using a continuous, reactive twin-screw extruder
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The impact of surface-selective coatings on water permeation through a membrane when exposed to catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) vapor products was studied by tailoring the surface properties of the membrane coating from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic. Our approach used high-performance architectured surface-selective (HiPAS) membranes that were inserted after a CFP reactor. At this insertion point, the inner wall surface of a tubular membrane was exposed to a mixture of water and upgraded product vapors, including light gases and deoxygenated hydrocarbons. Under proper membrane operating conditions, a high selectivity for water over one-ring upgraded biomass pyrolysis hydrocarbons was observed as a result of a surface-enhanced capillary condensation process. Owing to this surface-enhanced effect, HiPAS membranes have the potential to enable high flux separations, suggesting that water can be selectively removed from the CFP product vapors.
Increasing dryness challenges trees’ ability to maintain water transport to the leaves. Most plant hydraulics models use a static xylem response to water stress. Yet, in reality, lower soil moisture and warmer temperatures during growing seasons feed back onto xylem development. In turn, adjustments to water stress in the newly built xylem influence future physiological responses to droughts. In this study, we investigate the annual variation of anatomical traits in branch xylem in response to different soil and atmospheric moisture conditions and tree stress levels, as indicated by seasonal predawn leaf water potential (??L,pd). We used a 6-year field experiment in southwestern USA with three soil water treatments applied to Pinus edulis Engelm trees—ambient, drought (45% rain reduction) and irrigation (15–35% annual water addition). All trees were also subject to a natural 1-year acute drought (soil and atmospheric) that occurred during the experiment. The irrigated trees showed only moderate changes in anatomy-derived hydraulic traits compared with the ambient trees, suggesting a generally stable, well-balanced xylem structure under unstressed conditions. The artificial prolonged soil drought increased hydraulic efficiency but lowered xylem construction costs and decreased tracheid implosion safety ((t/b)2), suggesting that annual adjustments of xylem structure follow a safety–efficiency trade-off. The acute drought plunged hydraulic efficiency across all treatments. The combination of acute and prolonged drought resulted in vulnerable and inefficient new xylem, disrupting the stability of the anatomical trade-off observed in the rest of the years. The xylem hydraulic traits showed no consistent direct link to ??L,pd. In the future, changes in seasonality of soil and atmospheric moisture are likely to have a critical impact on the ability of P. edulis to acclimate its xylem to warmer climate. Furthermore, the increasing frequency of acute droughts might reduce hydraulic resilience of P. edulis by repeatedly creating vulnerable and less efficient anatomical structure.
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Summary Pine‐fungal co‐invasions into native ecosystems are increasingly prevalent across the southern hemisphere. In Australia, invasive pines slowly spread into native eucalypt forests, creating novel mixed forests. We sought to understand how pine‐fungal co‐invasions impact interconnected above‐ and belowground ecosystem characteristics. We sampled beneath maturePinus radiataandEucalyptus racemosain a pine‐invaded eucalypt forest in New South Wales, Australia. We measured microbial community composition via amplicon sequencing of 16S, ITS2, and 18S rDNA regions, microbial metabolic activity via Biolog plate substrate utilization, and soil, leaf litter, and understory plant characteristics. Pines were associated with decreased topsoil moisture, increased pine litter, and decreased eucalypt litter total phosphorus content. Soils and roots beneath pines had distinct microbial community composition and activity relative to eucalypts, including decreased bacterial diversity, decreased microbial utilization of several C‐ and N‐rich substrates, and enrichment of pine‐associated ectomycorrhizae. Introduced suilloid fungi were abundant across both pine and eucalypt soils and roots. Many ecosystem impacts increased with pine size. Invasive pines and their ectomycorrhizae have significant impacts on eucalypt forest properties as they grow. Interconnected impacts at the scale of individual trees should be considered when managing invaded forests and predicting effects of pine invasions.
Recent interest in restoring longleaf pine ecosystems highlights the need for an improved understanding, appreciation, and consideration of longleaf pine’s unique life history compared to other southern pines. Longleaf pine ecosystems are considered more resilient than other southern pine ecosystems and the attributes that confer this resilience may be related to belowground carbon allocation patterns that occur during the seedling stage of its life history where it exists for years in a grass stage. The long residence time spent in the grass stage has impeded adoption of longleaf pine by landowners for decades, which has resulted in efforts to expedite emergence from the grass stage through silviculture, nursery production, and selection breeding techniques; however, expedited emergence may come at the expense of root and belowground carbohydrate storage reserve development —traits that purportedly enhance longleaf pine tree and ecosystem resilience relative to other southern pine species. Furthermore, I caution that efforts to expedite longleaf pine emergence from the grass stage also consider the potential implications on belowground carbon allocation and identify research priorities to help facilitate the improvement of longleaf pine seedling silviculture, nursery production, and breeding in a way that ensures the maintenance of attributes linked to resilience.
Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) is utilized for direct comparison of the chemical composition of biocrudes generated from the hydrothermal liquefaction of 100% pine, 100% algae, 75:25 pine:algae, and 50:50 pine:algae feedstocks. This analysis reveals that the of the 72:25 and 50:50 pine:algal HTL biocrudes is essentially a composite of the two parent feeds (i.e., pine and algae) with a lower relative abundance of Ox species and a higher relative abundance of nitrogen-containing species than the pine HTL biocrude. Alternatively, the biocrude blends have a lower relative abundance of nitrogen-containing species where N>2 than the algal HTL biocrude. The 75:25 pine:algal HTL biocrude has more elemental formulae in common with the pine HTL biocrude than the 50:50 blend; however, both blends have more elemental formulae in common with the algal HTL biocrude. Interestingly, >20% of the elemental formulae assigned to monoisotopic peaks within the 75:25 and 50:50 biocrude blends are species not present in either the pine or algal HTL biocrudes. The highest relative abundance of these new species belong to the N2O4-6 classes, which correspond to heteroatom classes with a moderate number of nitrogen atoms and higher number of oxygen atoms per molecules than the species within the pure algal HTL biocrude. Compositionally, the novel species have the same structural motif but are of higher DBE and carbon numbers than the species within the algal HTL biocrude. These original species are most likely generated from reactions between molecules from both feeds, which results in compounds wotj higher oxygen content than typically seen in the algal HTL biocrude but also higher nitrogen contents than observed in the pine HTL biocrude.
Abstract Measuring water use in co‐occurring loblolly pine (Pinus taedaL.) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinataMill.) enhances our understanding of their competitive water use and aids in refining watershed water budget model parameters. This study was conducted in a 12‐ha forested headwater catchment in the Piedmont of North Carolina, southeastern U.S., from 2018 to 2019 (pre‐thinning) to 2020 (post‐thinning). Sap flux density (J s ), species‐level transpiration (T s ), and watershed‐level transpiration (T w ) were quantified. Water use efficiency (WUE) in loblolly and shortleaf pines was compared, alongside an investigation into how both species'J s andT s responded to atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Loblolly pine had 19%–36% higherJ s than shortleaf pine. DailyT s for loblolly pine ranged from 15.0 to 29.0 L/day whileT s in shortleaf pine ranged from 3.0 to 6.8 L/day. TheT s was significantly higher in loblolly pine when compared to shortleaf pine likely due to higher canopy position and higher growth rates of the former. WUE, defined by annual tree biomass growth per tree water use, was not significantly different between the two. DailyJ s andT s in both species responded nonlinearly to VPD, with loblolly pine being more sensitive and variable. Species‐specific water use should be considered when quantifyingT w and developing reliable models to predict the effects of forest management practices on water resources.
In this study, a high-tonnage harvesting system designed specifically to operate efficiently in the expected stand types of a bioenergy scenario was built, deployed, and evaluated in a production setting. Stands on which the system was evaluated exhibited the heavy stocking levels (> 600 stems per acre) and tree size distributions with significant volume in small stems (down to 2” DBH) that were expected in the modified energy plantation silvicultural approach. The harvest system also was designed to be functional in the traditional plantation stands dominating the commercial forestry landscape in the region. The Tigercat 845D feller buncher, which was a prototype machine designed for the high tonnage harvest system, used a boom-mounted prototype DT1802 shear felling head and incorporated a number of options intended to maximize its small-stem productivity, including: a high-speed shear severing system that was cheaper to operate than a saw; a large-pocket felling head that allowed larger accumulations of small stems to be built before expending the time to drop them for the skidder; efficient, low ground pressure, tracked carrier system to decrease the amount of maneuvering, saving time and minimizing soil disturbance; and various energy-saving devices to lower fuel costs and minimize air quality impacts. Overall, the feller buncher represented a quantum advance in small-stem harvesting technology. Extensive testing showed the machine’s production rate to be relatively insensitive to piece size, much less so than comparable traditional equipment. In plantation stands, the feller buncher was able to produce approximately 100 green tons of biomass per productive machine hour (PMH), and in natural stands, it produced nearly 120 green tons per PMH. The ability of the high tonnage feller buncher to maintain high productivity in stands with smaller diameter stems is something that has not been achieved in previous feller buncher designs. The Tigercat 845D feller buncher is now a production machine for Tigercat and is being sold in their current product line. The high-speed felling system was paired with a Tigercat 630D skidder and high-capacity grapple; one that could match the felling productivity when pulling small stems. The harvesting system minimized hourly costs using a single, high-capacity skidder (with a single operator), rather than two smaller ones, which is the traditional practice. The skidder itself can be considered a mid-range size and had an engine no larger than other machines in its class, but it incorporated a very large capacity 25 ft2 grapple. The large grapple is well suited to grabbing and hauling a large bunch of small-diameter trees, as produced by the high tonnage feller buncher. The grapple worked effectively in larger stems as well, but its ability to carry large numbers of small stems meant the average payload did not drop as stand DBH decreased. Tests with the machine indicated its travel speeds were nearly the same as, or perhaps slightly better than, conventionally equipped skidders, but grapple capacity was 75% larger. Productivity and cost per ton of the new skidder were better than conventional skidders for average skid distances of any length greater than 100 feet. Measured skidder productivity was as high as 143 gt/PMH. Its productivity exceeded that of the high-capacity feller buncher for skid distances out to nearly 700 feet, so system productivity could be expected to remain high for stands of a size typical in the southern U.S. The Tigercat 630D skidder is a production machine for Tigercat and the large grapple can now be ordered by customers using it for small diameter trees. When the feller buncher and skidder are analyzed as a two-machine system, overall productivity is fixed at the level of the least productive machine. Results from a set of side-by-side tests in the same density stand with conventional feller bunchers and skidders showed that the high tonnage system produced 97 gt/PMH versus 68 gt/PMH for a comparable conventional system. Machine rate costs for felling and skidding were $2.31/gt and $3.72/gt for the high tonnage, and conventional systems, respectively. However, the most significant result of the project is that the high tonnage system was shown to be relatively insensitive to tree size. This ability to maintain felling and skidding productivity and cost as tree size decreases is a breakthrough in harvesting systems for southern pine plantations. The concept of transpirational drying of woody biomass was tested at an industrial scale at multiple locations during this project. Felled trees were allowed to dry in two scenarios: 1) in bunches where they were felled, and 2) in roadside piles. Although the wood piled in large piles at roadside did experience drying, the wood left in bunches experienced a greater moisture reduction. Drying times of 72 days in the late summer resulted in mean wood moisture content of 26% for skidder bunches and 39% for the large pile at roadside as compared to moisture contents of 55% to 58% for freshly cut trees. An existing whole-tree chipper, Precision 2675, was modified to allow production of chips smaller than the traditional pulp size chip (i.e. “microchips”). Feed rates and knife placements were retained in the new design, while additional pockets were incorporated in the chipper disk to allow the attachment of either four knives for pulp chips or eight knives for microchips. This design facilitated switching between the energy and pulp chip product options at relatively low expense (about ½ day downtime). Chipping of whole-trees into pulp chips and microchips with the Precision 2675 disk chipper resulted in average productivities of 79.5 gt/PMH and 70.7 gt/PMH, respectively. Production rates of the chipper were lower when producing microchips by about 10% relative to producing pulp chips, but rates were similar to those achievable when making clean pulp chips. Particle size analysis for clean pine microchips revealed 26.6% retention on a 13 mm (slightly less than 3/8-inch) round hole screen and 25.9% retention for whole-tree pine microchips. For comparison, clean pine pulp chips had 52.2% retained. Ash content (% dry basis) was 0.54% for clean pine microchips and 0.62% for whole-tree pine microchips. Ash content for clean pine pulp chips was 0.39%. For transpirationally-dried material there was 38.1% retention for whole-tree microchips on a 13mm screen compared to 70.1% for dried clean pulp chips. Ash content was 0.78% and 0.44% respectively for these two chip types. Clean pine microchips stored at roadside had 25.2% retention on a 13 mm screen and 0.50% ash content. For mixed species (pine and hardwood), whole-tree microchips had 25.1% retention on a 13 mm screen compared to 50.6% for whole-tree pulp chips. Ash content was 2.12% and 2.74% respectively for these two chip types. Clean hardwood microchips stored at roadside had 35.0% retention on a 13 mm screen and an ash content of 1.24%. There are two significant advantages to using transpirational drying: reduced transportation costs, and reduced drying costs (capital and operating costs) for the biorefinery. This project evaluated the potential to reduce transportation costs through transpirational drying, and it included a component that tested higher capacity chip trailers (23% larger volume) to be able to transport dry wood with a lower bulk density. For transpirationally-dried chips at 35% MC, the high-capacity trailers achieved loads with a mean payload of 24 tons with maximum payloads of 29 tons. The typical legal payload on this trailer is 28.5 tons. Therefore, the project demonstrated that it is possible to achieve maximum legal payloads on chip trailers with transpirationally dried wood. Assuming that the truck is loaded to the legal payload limit, the transportation costs of chips can be reduced from $15.91/dry ton (dt) for 56% MC wood to $10.77/dt for transpirationally dried wood at 35% MC (for an example 50-mile haul distance at $0.14 per one-way ton-mile). For longer haul distances, these savings in trucking costs become even more significant. These results have demonstrated how significant savings in transportation costs can be achieved through transpirational drying. Also, these results show that it may be possible to increase the procurement radius for a biorefinery by using transpirational drying. Further cost reductions can be realized by the biorefinery when drying costs are reduced. The goal of this study was development of a timber harvesting system as productive in stands optimized for biomass production as it was in stands grown for roundwood markets. If that goal is achieved, a logger can invest in a single suite of equipment and operate efficiently in any future silvicultural regime that might include energy feedstocks as an output. It was the premise of the study that a future biomass market would shift the age distribution and stem size in stands grown for energy downward, and the key strategy in developing a harvest system for that scenario would be creating one with logging costs relatively insensitive to tree size. Our vision for such a system included a felling machine with a large capacity head to minimize time spent building bunches, plus a skidder capable of moving large volumes of small trees. The study proposed building the system and testing it against existing equipment in stands similar to those envisioned as resulting from biomass-optimized silviculture. As stated previously, the new feller buncher and skidder evaluated on their own merits showed their designs were clearly a step in the right direction - their productivity was indeed high and less sensitive to reductions in stem size. Cost projections based on extensive time and production studies of the high tonnage and benchmark operations showed modest advantages in FOB costs of the new system in both ‘average’ and simulated ‘energy’ stands (7.7% and 9.5%, respectively). But it was clear, when coupled into a traditional logging system, the in-woods productivity advantage of the modified equipment was easily overwhelmed by inefficiencies in chipping or trucking. Some additional savings can be achieved by spreading the cost of the feller buncher over multiple chipping operations (another 7.5%), but generally, in stands with average DBH above 6 inches, the in-woods equipment was not limiting productivity, and costs were driven by chipping and transport. Our results were a positive step in lowering delivered cost of trees grown for energy purposes, but they also argue strongly for a more comprehensive approach in solving this issue. The procurement system in its entirety has to be optimized to take full advantage of the productivity gains achieved with the machines and transpirational drying techniques developed in this project. We have to understand the true costs of all logistical options, particularly those of the choice in chipping strategy and in truck allocation, both of which seemed, in this study, to be the greatest source of variability in cost, and often the most expensive operations as well.
Pine-oak ecosystems are globally distributed even though differences in anatomy and leaf habit between many co-occurring oaks and pines suggest different strategies for resource use, efficiency and stomatal behavior. The New Jersey Pinelands contain sandy soils with low water- and nutrient-holding capacity providing an opportunity to examine trade-offs in resource uptake and efficiency. Therefore, we compared resource use in terms of transpiration rates and leaf nitrogen content and resource-use efficiency including water-use efficiency (WUE) via gas exchange and leaf carbon isotopes and photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE) between oaks ( Quercus alba , Q. prinus , Q. velutina ) and pines ( Pinus rigida , P. echinata ). We also determined environmental drivers [vapor pressure deficit (VPD), soil moisture, solar radiation] of canopy stomatal conductance (G S ) estimated via sap flow and stomatal sensitivity to light and soil moisture. Net assimilation rates were similar between genera, but oak leaves used about 10% more water and pine foliage contained about 20% more N per unit leaf area. Therefore, oaks exhibited greater PNUE while pines had higher WUE based on gas exchange, although WUE from carbon isotopes was not significantly different. For the environmental drivers of G S , oaks had about 10% lower stomatal sensitivity to VPD normalized by reference stomatal conductance compared with pines. Pines exhibited a significant positive relationship between shallow soil moisture and G S , but only G S in Q. velutina was positively related to soil moisture. In contrast, stomatal sensitivity to VPD was significantly related to solar radiation in all oak species but only pines at one site. Therefore, oaks rely more heavily on groundwater resources but have lower WUE, while pines have larger leaf areas and nitrogen acquisition but lower PNUE demonstrating a trade-off between using water and nitrogen efficiently in a resource-limited ecosystem.
Atmospheric ice-nucleating particles (INPs) play an important role in determining the phase of clouds, which affects their albedo and lifetime. A lack of data on the spatial and temporal variation of INPs around the globe limits our predictive capacity and understanding of clouds containing ice. Automated instrumentation that can robustly measure INP concentrations across the full range of tropospheric temperatures is needed in order to address this knowledge gap. In this study, we demonstrate the functionality and capacity of the new Portable Ice Nucleation Experiment (PINE) to study ice nucleation processes and to measure INP concentrations under conditions pertinent for mixed-phase clouds, with temperatures from about -10 to about -40°C. PINE is a cloud expansion chamber which avoids frost formation on the cold walls and thereby omits frost fragmentation and related background ice signals during the operation. The development, working principle and treatment of data for the PINE instrument is discussed in detail. We present laboratory-based tests where PINE measurements were compared with those from the established AIDA (Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere) cloud chamber. Within experimental uncertainties, PINE agreed with AIDA for homogeneous freezing of pure water droplets and the immersion freezing activity of mineral aerosols. Results from a first field campaign conducted at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory in Oklahoma, USA, from 1 October to 14 November 2019 with the latest PINE design (a commercially available PINE chamber) are also shown, demonstrating PINE's ability to make automated field measurements of INP concentrations at a time resolution of about 8 min with continuous temperature scans for INP measurements between -10 and -30°C. During this field campaign, PINE was continuously operated for 45 d in a fully automated and semi-autonomous way, demonstrating the capability of this new instrument to also be used for longer-term field measurements and INP monitoring activities in observatories.
The blending of woody and herbaceous biomass can influence pellet quality and the energy consumption of the process. This work aims to understand the pelleting characteristics of 2-inch top-pine residue blended with switchgrass at high moisture content. The process variables tested are blend moisture content, length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio in the pellet die, and the blend ratio. A flat die pellet mill was also used in this study. The pine and switchgrass blend ratios that were tested include: (1) 25% 2-inch top pine residue with 75% switchgrass; (2) 50% 2-inch top pine residue with 50% switchgrass; and (3) 75% 2-inch top pine residue with 25% switchgrass. The pelleting process conditions tested included the L/D ratio in the pellet die (i.e., 1.5 to 2.6) and the blend moisture content (20 to 30%, w.b.). Analysis of experimental data indicated that blending 25% switchgrass with 75% 2-inch top pine residue and 50% switchgrass with 50% 2-inch top pine residue resulted in pellets with a bulk density of > 550 kg/m3 and durability of > 95%. Optimization of the response surface models developed for process conditions in terms of product properties indicated that a higher L/D ratio of 2.6 and a lower blend-moisture content of 20% (w.b.) maximized bulk density and durability. Higher pine in the blends improved the pellet durability and reduced energy consumption.
Optimizing loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) productivity using fertilizers and various site management practices has been a goal of foresters for decades. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are the three most operationally applied fertilizers to loblolly pine silviculture and are of primary importance to their total productivity. Fertilizer recommendations for N, P, and K in loblolly pine are primarily made on abiotic factors such as site and soil characteristics, while the biological factors controlling nutrient uptake are typically overlooked in the production and optimization of these stands. Arguably the most important of these biological factors are the diverse ectomycorrhizal fungal (ECM) communities that colonize the fine roots of almost all loblolly pine trees. The mantle formed by ECM fungi on short-root tips presents a barrier for direct apoplastic uptake of N, P, and K from soil solution by pine roots. In well-colonized roots, the tree is dependent on symplastic fungal transport of N, P, and K foraged from the soil by the extraradical hyphal network. This raises the question: Who are we really feeding if the ECM fungi are the ones assimilating most of the tree's total nutritional requirements? Considering multiple species of ECM fungi can inhabit a single root system, many questions remain regarding the drivers of colonization, why some species are more efficient at taking up and exchanging nutrients with their hosts than others, and why certain fertilizers directly affect the morphology of ECM growth. The purposes of this review here are (1) to explore how the most commonly commercially applied macronutrients, N, P, and K, affect the relationship between loblolly pine and ECM communities, and (2) to propose future directions to investigate, preserve, and manipulate these interactions in pine plantations to optimize productivity.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi6 Pine barrens #1 (PB1). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi6 Pine barrens #1 (PB1) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Wisconsin Pine Barrens site is located in the Washburn Ranger District of the northeastern section of Chequamegon National Forest. A member of the northern coniferous-deciduous biome, surveys from the mid-19th century indicate the region consisted of a mixed stand of red, white, and jack pines. After extensive timber harvesting, wildfires, and farming activity, the region turned into a fragmented mosaic of stands of various ages and composition. As an assemblage, the ten Wisconsin sites are indicative of the successional stages of development in the predominant stand types of a physically homogeneous landscape. In order to establish and maintain both natural and plantation jack pine stands, pine barrens undergo prescribed burns and harvesting rotations. Pine Barrens occupy 17% of the region in 2001.