Emerging role of Geographical Information System (GIS), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and spatial LCA (GIS-LCA) in sustainable bioenergy planning.

Sustainability of a bioenergy project depends on precise assessment of biomass resource, planning of cost-effective logistics and evaluation of possible environmental implications. In this context, this paper reviews the role and applications of geo-spatial tool such as Geographical Information System (GIS) for precise agro-residue resource assessment, biomass logistic and power plant design. Further, application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in understanding the potential impact of agro-residue bioenergy generation on different ecosystem services has also been reviewed and limitations associated with LCA variability and uncertainty were discussed. Usefulness of integration of GIS into LCA (i.e. spatial LCA) to overcome the limitations of conventional LCA and to produce a holistic evaluation of the environmental benefits and concerns of bioenergy is also reviewed. Application of GIS, LCA and spatial LCA can help alleviate the challenges faced by ambitious bioenergy projects by addressing both economics and environmental goals.

Food and processing residues in California: resource assessment and potential for power generation.

The California agricultural industry produces more than 350 commodities with a combined yearly value in excess of $28 billion. The processing of many of these crops results in the production of residue streams, and the food processing industry faces increasing regulatory pressure to reduce environmental impacts and provide for sustainable management and use. Surveys of food and other processing and waste management sectors combined with published state data yield a total resource in excess of 4 million metric tons of dry matter, with nearly half of this likely to be available for utilization. About two-thirds of the available resource is produced as high-moisture residues that could support 134 MWe of power generation by anaerobic digestion and other conversion techniques. The other third is generated as low-moisture materials, many of which are already employed as fuel in direct combustion biomass power plants. The cost of energy conversion remains high for biochemical systems, with tipping or disposal fees of the order of $30-50Mg(-1) required to align power costs with current market prices. Identifying ways to reduce capital and operating costs of energy conversion, extending operating seasons to increase capacity factors through centralizing facilities, combining resource streams, and monetizing environmental benefits remain important goals for restructuring food and processing waste management in the state.

Bioconversion of mixed solids waste to ethanol.

A mixed solids waste (MSW) feedstock, comprising construction lumber waste (35% oven-dry basis), almond tree prunings (20%), wheat straw (20%), office waste paper (12.5%), and newsprint (12.5%), was converted to ethanol via dilute-acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and yeast fermentation. The MSW was pretreated with dilute sulfuric acid (0.4% w/w) at 210 degrees C for 3 min in a 4-L steam explosion reactor, then washed with water to recover the solubilized hemicellulose. The digestibility of water-washed, pretreated MSW was 90% in batch enzymatic hydrolysis at 66 FPU/g cellulose. Using an enzyme-recycle bioreactor system, greater than 90% cellulose hydrolysis was achieved at a net enzyme loading of about 10 FPU/g cellulose. Enzyme recycling using membrane filtration and a fed-batch fermentation technique is a promising option for significantly reducing the cost of enzyme in cellulose hydrolysis. The hexose sugars were readily fermentable using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain that was adapted to the hydrolysate. Solid residue after enzyme digestion was subjected to various furnace experiments designed to assess the fouling and slagging characteristics. Results of these analyses suggest the residue to be of a low to moderate slagging and fouling type if burned by itself.

An examination of blood steroid and gonadotropin concentrations in relation to fertility status and testicular function in men.

Plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL), testosterone (T), and 17 beta-estradiol (E2) have been measured in men complaining of infertility in comparison with men of proven fertility. Subgrouping of patients was achieved on the basis of the presence or absence of sperm in the ejaculate and further by the concentration of sperm or by testicular score. The levels of plasma LH, FSH, PRL, and T were found to be significantly different in the fertile men, compared with both infertile men with sperm in their ejaculates and azoospermic men. There were no significant differences between the groups for E2. There appeared to be an inverse relationship between LH concentrations and sperm count in both fertile and infertile men. FSH levels did not vary significantly in the fertile men in relation to sperm count grouping but were significantly less than those found for the infertile men with sperm. Azoospermic patients with high testicular scores had FSH levels indistinguishable from those of the fertile men. The results are discussed in terms of testicular abnormalities and on the interrelationship between the hormones examined.

PIP: Plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL), testosterone (T), and 17beta estradiol (E2) have been measured in men complaining of infertility in comparison with men with proven fertility. Subgrouping of patients was achieved on the basis of the presence or absence of sperm in the ejaculate and further by the concentration of sperm of by testicular score. The levels of plasma LH, FSH, PRL, and T were found to be significantly different in the fertile men, compared with both infertile men with sperm in their ejaculates and azoospermic men. There were no significant differences between groups for E2. There appeared to be an inverse relationship between LH concentrations and sperm count in both fertile and infertile men. FSH levels did not vary significantly in the fertile men in relation to sperm grouping count but were significantly less than those found for infertile men with sperm. Azoospermic men with high testicular scores had FSH levels indistinguishable which were from those of fertile men. The results are discussed in terms of testicular abnormalities and the interrelationship between the hormones examined.