Developing Sustainability Indicators for Woody Biomass Harvesting in the United States

Bioenergy production has increased significantly in the last decade, and recent legislative efforts such as the discussion draft for the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 and the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. (2007). H. R. 6: 110th United States Congress. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h6enr.txt.pdf (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h6enr.txt.pdf)  [Google Scholar] are expected to encourage even more growth. The growing demand for bioenergy will necessitate production of large quantities of woody biomass and plant residues if it is to be met. However, concerns are being raised as to how increased pressures will affect the sustainability of woody biomass. In order to avoid potential pitfalls and ensure the sustainability of wood-based bioenergy systems, a set of sustainability indicators needs to be developed. Some of these indicators can be based on standards similar to those developed for sustainable forest management, energy balances, greenhouse gas emission reductions, and existing codes and guidelines for biomass harvesting. This article discusses a potential set of sustainability indicators encompassing ecological, economic, and social principles for harvesting woody biomass for bioenergy. The extent to which existing standards and certification systems reflect these indicators is elaborated upon. Methods for making these standards operational are also suggested.     

Evolution of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil Polluted with Crude Oil Treated with a Natural Product

Bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated/polluted soils has been recognized as an efficient, economic, versatile and environmentally good treatment. This method is limited by the microorganisms activity in degrading the spills hydrocarbons. Low solubility of the hydrocarbons involves low bioavailability to microorganisms. The main objective of this research is to increase biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons by treating the crude oil polluted soil with the natural biodegradable product and bacterial inoculum. Biodegradation was quantified by total petroleum hydrocarbons （TPH） analyses. The paper presents data obtained in biodegradation process of an artificial polluted soil with 5% and 10% crude oil, treated with a natural biodegradable product and bacterial inoculum during two years of experiment. Biodegradation process takes time to rehabilitate and reuse of the soil in agricultural scopes.     

Assessing forest understory biomass in northwest Florida (USA) and its potential to meet the state energy needs

A stratified random sampling approach was employed to quantify total biomass across prevalent non-commercial forest understory species found in six counties of northwest Florida, USA. The moisture content (wet basis) and calorific values of these species were also measured. Total green biomass from forest understory species was estimated to be around 12 million metric tons, mostly comprised of Cliftonia monophylla (titi, buckwheat tree) and Cyrilla racemiflora (white titi, swamp titi). This understory forest biomass would be sufficient to generate about 28.8 million GJ of electricity or 1589.25 million liters of ethanol. A need was identified to determine the inventory of forest understory biomass at the state level and assess the overall sustainability of utilizing forest understory biomass for bioenergy.