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Monday 16 January 2017

Philippines Targets 8 Million Hectares For Palm Oil Production

The Philippines is proposing to convert 8 million hectares (20 million acres) of ‘idle, denuded and unproductive lands’ for oil palm plantations, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
According to the newspaper, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje announced the target two weeks ago, arguing that the country could make $50 billion or more from the crop.
But environmentalists expressed concern over the idea, suggesting that idle lands should instead be reforested to reduce the incidence of disasters like landslides and floods or used for food crops to better enable the Philippines to feed its population.
The Philippines is presently a very minor producer of palm oil, which is primarily an export-oriented cash crop. Palm oil production represents one of the most profitable forms of agricultural land use in the tropics, but it has been linked to large-scale environmental damage where natural forests have been converted for plantations.
For further information log on website :
http://investvine.com/philippines-targets-8-million-hectares-for-palm-oil-production/

Potential For Biofuel In Vietnam Growing

J1W53PRJOFSales of biofuel have gone smoothly in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Ngai, the first locality in the country to fully phase out the most common fuel type with E5.
The bio-fuel consists of 5 per cent ethanol, made from cassava, and has been sold, since August 2010, at a small number of filling stations in 34 cities and provinces, including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.
On September 1, the central province of Quang Ngai became the first in the country to fully replace the popular 92-octane gasoline (A92) with E5.
The province, which is home to the country’s sole petroleum refinery and one of the three ethanol production plants, has been praised by energy officials for initiating the widespread sale of E5 three months before a national deadline.
A government plan requires major cities like Hanoi, Hai Phong, Danang, Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Quang Ngai to completely switch from A92-RON to E5 starting this December. A nationwide deadline for the E5 switch is set for December of next year.
All 150 filling stations in Quang Ngai (mostly PV Oil or Petrolimex) now exclusively sell E5.
Reporters found that many stations in the province said 60 per cent of their customers buy E5 and the rest chose 95-octane (A95) petrol.
Nguyen Thanh Tung, a local, said he’s used the bio-fuel for a week and his motorbike has run just like it did on 92 or 95-octane gasoline. Another local, Ho Nguyen Thuy, said she felt safe so far.
Nguyen Huu Ho, director of Petrolimex Quang Ngai, confirmed that E5 has accounted for more than 60 per cent of sales at his stations, which he said is “rather surprising” given the early stage of its introduction. Retailers reported their top customers are taxi drivers and people familiar with E5.
Quang Ngai is one of the three places, besides Phu Tho Province in the north and Binh Phuoc in the south where the state fuel giant PetroVietnam has invested in biofuel refineries. Combined, they now have a capacity of 300,000 cubic meters a year.
Le Xuan Trinh, deputy director of PV Oil, PetroVietnam’s oil marketing company, said the ethanol plants could produce six million cubic meters of E5 a year – equivalent to 94 per cent of Vietnam’s gasoline demand in 2014.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung suggested gasoline retailers create a pricing gap to boost consumption by discounting E5 prices and charging extra for A92 and A95.
For further information log on website :
http://investvine.com/potential-for-biofuel-in-vietnam-growing/

Sarawak Taps Into Vast Power Potential To Fuel Socio-Economic Growth

Only 20 years ago, a small percentage of Sarawak’s population had access to electricity. Now, with the state on the verge of an economic surge, Sarawak’s massive potential for power generation could not only satisfy the demands of its people but also reach beyond its borders.
Sarawak, with a land area of more than 124,000 square kilometres, has the potential to generate vast amounts of power for an array of industries, commercial properties and residential households.
Oil, natural gas, coal and hydro-electric power are the major natural power sources for the state, which needs to serve a population of more than 2.5 million in addition to an increasing number of heavy industries that are setting up factories as part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) initiative.
More recently, the government has been promoting the use of biofuels as a viable and sustainable energy source. There are various organisations and government-linked companies responsible for the delivery of power to the state’s various sectors. The Ministry of Public Utilities Sarawak is the state government body responsible for regulating the power industry in the region and its policy.
However, the actual physical supply of power is performed by private-public companies tasked with delivering electricity to the different sectors of society.
Privatised Syarikat SESCO Berhad (formerly Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation, SESCO) has the task of generating, transmitting and distributing electricity for individual consumers in Sarawak, delivering power to almost 400,000 customers in the state. Its customer base is growing at an average of 8 per cent per annum as Sarawak attempts to meet its goal of 95 per cent consumer power penetration by 2012.
SESCO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), the state’s leading power company with strong links to the government.
The organisation has 36 power stations with a total capacity of 1,315MW fuelled mainly by coal-fired thermal plants, gas turbines, combined cycle stations, hydro turbines and a small percentage of diesel turbines, which are located mostly in remote areas. The major towns are connected via a 275/132kV state transmission grid.
With the advent of SCORE, Sarawak’s energy landscape has changed dramatically, with more emphasis placed on catering to the power-intensive industries sprouting at the Samalaju Industrial Park. As SCORE’s monument to heavy industries, Samalaju houses manufacturers that need massive amounts of energy, almost all of it provided by hydro-electric power.
The first phase of the massive RM7- billion Bakun Dam project in Kapit has already been completed. When the Dam is fully functional, it is expected to generate 2,400MW of power, providing cheap and plentiful energy for the Samalaju manufacturers.
There is also the RM600-million Batang Ai Dam in Sri Aman while construction is on-going on the RM3-billion Murum Dam in Belaga. Sarawak has planned at least 12 hydro-electricity dam projects under SCORE in order to serve the needs of heavy industries, tourism and consumers. Five of these dams are planned for Pelagus, Balleh, Baram, Limbang and Lawas.
The hydro projects are expected to generate at least 7,000MW of energy in total. However, by making use of Sarawak’s diversity in energy resources, there is potential for several more thousands of MW that can be harnessed for domestic needs as well as exported.
SEB, which is increasingly becoming the most influential power entity in Sarawak, has bought up all of Bakun’s power and has a target of exporting up to 10,000MW of hydropower to peninsula Malaysia by 2030 via 500kV High Voltage Direct Current undersea cables.
In its “Master Plan for Power System Development in Sarawak”, SEB has identified 20,000MW of hydro potential in 52 sites throughout the state.
Coal is another energy resource available in bulk in Sarawak with the government planning to include 1.156 billion tonnes of coal reserves in its power-generating plan.
SEB, through its subsidiaries, operates several coal-fired power plants. Sejingkat Power Corporation Sdn Bhd operates a total capacity of 210MW via a coal-fired steam-turbine power plant at Kampung Geobilt, Kuching.
And through its wholly-owned subsidiary Mukah Power Generation Sdn Bhd (MPG), SEB has developed a coal-fired power station in Matadeng, Mukah with a total capacity of 270MW.
Other power stations exist using combined cycle, oil and gas.
SEB is targeting a generation mix of 70 per cent hydro, 20 per cent coal, 15 per cent gas and 5 per cent other renewable sources, such as biomass and solar energy, often referred to as the “Fifth Fuel”. Such alternative fuel sources are expected to provide 100MW of power by 2019.
At the 2009 Copenhagen meeting of the Conference of Parties on climate change, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak said the country was committed to reducing greenhouse gas emission intensity by 40 per cent by 2020, and biomass is one way of achieving this target.
Sarawak has plenty of biomass resources such as wood and palm oil residues. Ta Ann Holdings Berhad, a timber company that has built a RM26 million biomass power plant at its plywood complex at Sungai Bidut, is already producing this type of energy.
In Tanjung Manis, Homet Raya Sdn Bhd has built a 1.65MW wood waste-fired power plant, with the energy sent to a mill while part of the steam is used for kiln drying.

For further information log on website :
http://investvine.com/sarawak-taps-into-vast-power-potential-to-fuel-socio-economic-growth/

Above Ground Biomass-carbon Partitioning, Storage and Sequestration in a Rehabilitated Forest, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia


Sains Malaysiana 42(8)(2013): 1041–1050

Above Ground Biomass-carbon Partitioning, Storage and Sequestration in a
Rehabilitated Forest, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia (Pembahagian, Takungan, Sekuestrasi Biojisim-karbon Atas Tanah di Hutan Terpulih, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia)

Author 

J.H.R. KUEH*, N.M. AB. MAJID, G. SECA & O.H. AHMED ABSTRACT

Forest degradation and deforestation are some of the major global concerns as it can reduce forest carbon storage and sequestration capacity. Forest rehabilitation on degraded forest areas has the potential to improve carbon stock, hence mitigate greenhouse gases emission. However, the carbon storage and sequestration potential in a rehabilitated tropical forest remains unclear due to the lack of information. This paper reports an initiative to estimate biomass- carbon partitioning, storage and sequestration in a rehabilitated forest. The study site was at the UPM-Mitsubishi Corporation Forest Rehabilitation Project, UPM Bintulu Sarawak Campus, Bintulu, Sarawak. A plot of 20 × 20 m2 was established each in site 1991 (Plot 1991), 1999 (Plot 1999) and 2008 (Plot 2008). An adjacent natural regenerating secondary forest plot (Plot NF) was also established for comparison purposes. The results showed that the contribution of tree component biomass/carbon to total biomass/carbon was in the order of main stem > branch > leaf. As most of the trees were concentrated in diameter size class ≤ 10 cm for younger rehabilitated forests, the total above ground biomass/carbon was from this class. These observations suggest that the forests are in the early successional stage. The total above ground biomass obtained for the rehabilitated forest ranged from 4.3 to 4,192.3 kg compared to natural regenerating secondary forest of 3,942.3 kg while total above ground carbon ranged from 1.9 to 1,927.9 kg and 1,820.4 kg, respectively. The mean total above ground biomass accumulated ranged from 1.3 × 10-2 to 20.5 kg/0.04 ha and mean total carbon storage ranged from 5.9 × 10-3 to 9.4 kg/0.04 ha. The total CO2 sequestrated in rehabilitated forest ranged from 6.9 to 7,069.1 kg CO2/0.04 ha. After 19 years, the rehabilitated forest had total above ground biomass and carbon storage comparable to the natural regeneration secondary forest. The rehabilitated forest activities have the potential to increase carbon stock through tree planting. Therefore, forest rehabilitation has shown the potential role as a carbon sink that helps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change.

Keywords: Biomass partitioning; carbon sequestration; forest biomass; forest carbon; natural regenerating secondary forest; rehabilitated forest

ABSTRAK
Degradasi dan kehilangan hutan adalah antara keprihatian global yang utama kerana ia boleh mengurangkan takungan dan kapasiti sekuestrasi karbon hutan. Pemulihan hutan di kawasan hutan yang telah terdegradasi mempunyai potensi untuk meningkatkan stok karbon, maka ia boleh mengurangkan pelepasan gas rumah hijau. Walau bagaimanapun, takungan dan potensi sekuestrasi karbon di hutan tropika terpulih adalah kurang jelas kerana kekurangan maklumat. Kertas ini melaporkan satu inisiatif untuk membuat anggaran pembahagian, takungan dan sekuestrasi biojisim-karbon di hutan terpulih. Tapak kajian adalah di Projek Pemulihan Hutan UPM-Mitsubishi Corporation, UPM Kampus Bintulu Sarawak, Bintulu, Sarawak. Plot bersaiz 20 × 20 m2 telah ditubuhkan setiap satu di tapak 1991 (Plot 1991), 1999 (Plot 1999) dan 2008 (Plot 2008). Satu plot di hutan sekunder beregenerasi secara semula jadi yang bersebelahan (Plot NF) ditubuhkan untuk tujuan perbandingan. Keputusan menunjukkan sumbangan biojisim/karbon di komponen pokok kepada jumlah biojisim/ karbon dalam susunan batang utama > dahan > daun. Kebanyakan pokok tertumpu di saiz kelas diameter ≤ 10 cm untuk hutan terpulih yang muda, maka jumlah biojisim/karbon atas tanah adalah daripada kelas tersebut. Pemerhatian tersebut mencadangkan hutan tersebut adalah pada peringkat awal sesaran. Jumlah biojisim atas tanah untuk hutan terpulih berjulat daripada 4.3 ke 4,192.3 kg berbanding dengan hutan sekunder beregenerasi secara semula jadi dengan 3,942.3 kg manakala jumlah karbon atas tanah, masing-masing berjulat daripada 1.9 ke 1,927.9 kg dan 1,820.4 kg. Min jumlah pengumpulan biojisim atas tanah berjulat daripada 1.3 × 10-2 ke 20.5 kg/0.04 ha dan jumlah takungan karbon berjulat daripada 5.9 × 10-3 ke 9.4 kg/0.04 ha. Jumlah sekuestrasi CO2 di hutan terpulih berjulat daripada 6.9 ke 7,069.1 kg CO2/0.04 ha. Selepas 19 tahun, hutan terpulih mempunyai jumlah takungan biojisim dan karbon atas tanah yang setara dengan hutan sekunder beregenerasi secara semula jadi. Aktiviti pemulihan hutan menunjukkan potensi untuk meningkatkan stok karbon melalui penamanan pokok. Oleh yang demikian, hutan terpulih menunjukkan potensi dalam berperanan sebagai kawasan tadahan karbon yang boleh membantu dalam mengurangkan pelepasan gas rumah hijau dan mengurangkan perubahan iklim.

Kata kunci: Biojisim hutan; hutan sekunder beregenerasi secara semula jadi; hutan terpulih; karbon hutan; pembahagian biojisim; sekuestrasi karbon 

For further details log on website :
http://www.ukm.my/jsm/pdf_files/SM-PDF-42-8-2013/02.%20J.H.R%20Kueh.pdf

Sarawak Energy adds biomass to its generation mix

Author
Robin Whitlock

Sarawak Energy
Borneo’s state energy provider, has announced the signing of the Sarawak’s first Renewable Energy Power Purchase Agreement (REPPA) on 4 March 2014 between Sarawak Energy and Olive Energy Sdn Bhd


Sarawak Energy adds biomass to its generation mix
Sarawak Energy is attempting to switch to clean renewable power by diversifying its energy mix which currently consists of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and diesel alongside some hydropower. The agreement will see Sarawak Energy purchasing power from a biomass energy source.
The agreement is the first of its kind in Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on Borneo situated to the northwest of the island. A new 10MW biomass power plant will be developed on a site lying about 12 kilometers from Mukah Town in the heartland of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). The plant will be fed from palm oil biomass from the Rinwood Pelita Plantation including empty fruit bunch, palm kernel shell, mesocarp fiber and biogas from palm oil mill effluent.

“The agreement paves the way for Sarawak Energy to tap into the abundant and sustainable biomass energy resources available in Sarawak, further strengthening the SCORE agenda in promoting renewable energy” said Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit, CEO of Sarawak Energy.”

Dr Chen Shiun, General Manager, Research & Development, Sarawak Energy, added that energy from the new plant will be integrated with other sources of energy in the state grid system and that biomass power has significant potential to contribute to the renewable energy shares of the state.

For further information log on website :
http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/biomass/new-bill-reboots-the-greek-solar-pv-20140313-1

Carbodiimide stabilizes the ultrasound-pretreated camelina protein structure with improved water resistance

Published Date
Industrial Crops and Products
March 2017, Vol.97:196200, doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.11.001
Short communication

Author 
  • Xiangwei Zhu a
  • Donghai Wang b
  • Xiuzhi Susan Sun a,,
  • aBio-Materials and Technology Laboratory, Department of Grain Science and Industry Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, United States
  • bDepartment of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, United States

Highlights
  • EDC-induced crosslink reaction stabilized camelina protein’s structures.
  • The newly-formed amide bond stimulated protein’s intermolecular interaction.
  • The stabilized camelina protein structure became more rigid and water resistant.
  • Ultrasound unfolding pretreatment increased protein’s crosslink degree.
  • Molecular characteristics of cross-linked camelina protein were discussed.
Abstract

Camelina protein showed poor water resistance, which restrained its industrial application, such as for adhesives or coatings. In this research, the effect of ultrasound pretreatment and carbodiimide coupling on water resistance of camelina protein isolate (CPI) was discussed. Camelina protein was extracted from defatted camelina meal by alkali solubilization and acid precipitation and treated by high intensity ultrasound. Both CPI and ultrasound-modified CPI (UCPI) were cross-linked by Ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl-aminopropyl-1-carbodiimide) (EDC). The cross-linked CPI exhibited increased molecular weight and particle size due to the amide bond formation between free amino groups and carboxyl groups. Accordingly, microstructures of the coupled protein became rigid and condensed with increased aqueous stability. The crosslink degree of UCPI was higher than CPI, leading to UCPI’s better water resistance, more compact microstructures and larger particle size.

Graphical abstract

 Table 1
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  • ⁎ 
    Corresponding author.

For further details log on website :
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926669016307452

Response of microbial community structure and function to short-term biochar amendment in an intensively managed bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantation soil: Effect of particle size and addition rate

Published Date
Science of The Total Environment
1 January 2017, Vol.574:2433, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.190

Author 
  • Junhui Chen a
  • Songhao Li b
  • Chenfei Liang a
  • Qiufang Xu a,,
  • Yongchun Li a
  • Hua Qin a
  • Jeffry J. Fuhrmann c
  • aZhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, School of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, Hangzhou 311300, China
  • bAgricultural Technology Extension Centre, Lin'an Municipal Bureau of Agriculture, Lin'an, Hangzhou 311300, China
  • cDepartment of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Delaware 19716, USA

Highlights

  • The fine biochar increased microbial abundances and altered community structure.
  • The fine biochar resulted in higher CO2 emission than the other fractions.
  • Higher addition rate generally reduced soil enzyme activities involving in C cycling.
  • Biochar effects on soil microbial community are particle size and rate dependent.
Abstract

Biochar incorporated into soil has been known to affect soil nutrient availability and act as a habitat for microorganisms, both of which could be related to its particle size. However, little is known about the effect of particle size on soil microbial community structure and function. To investigate short-term soil microbial responses to biochar addition having varying particle sizes and addition rates, we established a laboratory incubation study. Biochar produced via pyrolysis of bamboo was ground into three particle sizes (diameter size < 0.05 mm (fine), 0.05–1.0 mm (medium) and 1.0–2.0 mm (coarse)) and amended at rates of 0% (control), 3% and 9% (w/w) in an intensively managed bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantation soil. The results showed that the fine particle biochar resulted in significantly higher soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), available potassium (K) concentrations than the medium and coarse particle sizes. The fine-sized biochar also induced significantly higher total microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) concentrations by 60.28% and 88.94% than the medium and coarse particles regardless of addition rate, respectively. Redundancy analysis suggested that the microbial community structures were largely dependent of particle size, and that improved soil properties were key factors shaping them. The cumulative CO2 emissions from biochar-amended soils were 2–56% lower than the control and sharply decreased with increasing addition rates and particle sizes. Activities of α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, peroxidase and dehydrogenase decreased by ranging from 7% to 47% in biochar-amended soils over the control, indicating that biochar addition reduced enzyme activities involved carbon cycling capacity. Our results suggest that biochar addition can affect microbial population abundances, community structure and enzyme activities, that these effects are particle size and rate dependent. The fine particle biochar may additionally produce a better habitat for microorganisms compared to the other particle sizes.

Graphical abstract

 Table 1
Table 1.
 Table 2
Table 2.
 Table 3
Table 3.
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
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 Table 4
Table 4.
Fig. 4.
  • ⁎ 
    Corresponding author.


For further details log on website :
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969716318915

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fasting for Runners

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