Hydrologic and water quality impacts and biomass production potential on marginal land

Synthetic materials in contact with drinking water may affect microbial water quality by releasing growth-promoting substances. Various tests are being used for assessing the microbial growth-supporting potential of such materials. The biofilm formation potential (BFP) method is based on determining the concentration of active biomass (as adenosine triphosphate (ATP)) on the surface of a material incubated in slow sand filtrate (surface to volume ratio 0.15/cm) at 25°C during a period of 16 weeks. In addition to attached biomass (biofilm), suspended biomass is also produced. The amount of suspended biomass is a significant fraction (20-70%) of the total biomass production, depending of the type of material. Therefore, it is concluded that the production of suspended biomass should be included in evaluating the growth-promoting properties of materials in contact with drinking water. Consequently, the BFP test has been adapted to the biomass production potential (BPP) test, with BPP including BFP and suspended biomass production (SBP), as pg ATP/cm2. The defining criteria for BPP values for materials require further investigation into the effects of water quality on biofilm formation and the relationship between BPP values and regrowth problems.

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Regional Diversification of Potential, Production and Efficiency of Use of Biogas and Biomass in Poland

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14030742 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 742

Author(s):

Grzegorz Ślusarz ◽

Barbara Gołębiewska ◽

Marek Cierpiał-Wolan ◽

Jarosław Gołębiewski ◽

Dariusz Twaróg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Biogas Production ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Energy Sources ◽

Efficiency Frontier ◽

The European Union ◽

Production Potential ◽

Solid Biomass ◽

High Share

Energy obtained from renewable sources is an important element of the sustainable development strategy of the European Union and its member states. The aim of this research is, therefore, to assess the potential and use of renewable energy sources and their effectiveness from the regional perspective in Poland. The research covered the years 2012 and 2018. The diversification of production and potential of renewable energy sources was defined on the basis of biogas and biomass. Calculations made using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method showed that, in 2012, only three voivodeships achieved the highest efficiency in terms of the use of biogas and biomass resources; in 2018, this number increased to four. Comparing the effective units in 2012 and 2018, it can be seen that their efficiency frontier moved upwards by 56% in terms of biogas and 21% in terms of to biomass. Despite a large relative increase in the production of heat from biogas by 99% compared to the production of heat from biomass by 38%, the efficiency frontier for biogas did not change considerably. It was found that the resources of solid biomass are used far more intensively than the resources of biogas. However, in the case of biogas, a significant increase in the utilization of the production potential was observed: from 3.3% in 2012 to 6.4% in 2018, whereas in the same years, the utilization of solid biomass production potential remained at the same level (15.3% in 2012, 15.4% in 2018). It was also observed that, at the level of voivodeships, the utilization of biogas and biomass production potential is negatively correlated with the size of this potential. The combined potential of solid biomass and biogas can cover the demand of each of the studied regions in Poland in terms of thermal energy. The coverage ranges from 104% to 1402%. The results show that when comparing biomass and biogas, the production of both electricity and heat was dominated by solid biomass. Its high share occurred especially in voivodeships characterized by a high share of forest area and a low potential for biogas production (Lubuskie Voivodeship, Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship).

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Comparative Analysis of Bioenergy Crop Impacts on Water Quality Using Static and Dynamic Land Use Change Modeling Approach

Water ◽

10.3390/w12020410 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 410 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eeshan Kumar ◽

Dharmendra Saraswat ◽

Gurdeep Singh

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

State Agency ◽

Bioenergy Crops ◽

Marginal Land ◽

Cache River ◽

Land Area

Researchers and federal and state agency officials have long been interested in evaluating location-specific impact of bioenergy energy crops on water quality for developing policy interventions. This modeling study examines long-term impact of giant miscanthus and switchgrass on water quality in the Cache River Watershed (CRW) in Arkansas, United States. The bioenergy crops were simulated on marginal lands using two variants of a Soil and Watershed Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The first SWAT variant was developed using a static (single) land-use layer (regular-SWAT) and for the second, a dynamic land-use change feature was used with multiple land use layers (location-SWAT). Results indicated that the regular-SWAT predicted larger losses for sediment, total phosphorus and total nitrogen when compared to location-SWAT at the watershed outlet. The lower predicted losses from location-SWAT were attributed to its ability to vary marginal land area between 3% and 11% during the 20-year modeling period as opposed to the regular-SWAT that used a fixed percentage of marginal land area (8%) throughout the same period. Overall, this study demonstrates that environmental impacts of bioenergy crops were better assessed using the dynamic land-use representation approach, which would eliminate any unintended prediction bias in the model due to the use of a single land use layer.

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The effect of the surface-to-volume contact ratio on the biomass production potential of the pipe products in contact with drinking water

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2010.734 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 105-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Z. G. Tsvetanova ◽

E. J. Hoekstra

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Microbial Growth ◽

Biomass Concentration ◽

Point Of View ◽

Contact Ratio ◽

Production Potential ◽

Static Test ◽

Growth Promoting ◽

Construction Product

The biomass production potential (BPP) test is a semi-static test for assessment of microbial growth promoting properties of construction products in contact with drinking water (CPDW). In 2003 the test was selected for incorporation into a scheme for acceptance of CPDW in the framework of implementation of the European Construction Product Directive and Drinking Water Directive. The pass/fail criterion for the BPP test is based on the sum of microbial growth in water and in biofilm caused by substances released from CPDW. The test is performed at a surface-to-volume contact ratio (S/V) of 0.17 cm−1, that is quite different from the practice in buildings and domestic installations, where the usual ratios are 2.1 cm−1 for 3/4 inches pipe, 1.6 cm−1 for 1 inches pipe or 1.0 cm−1 for 1.5 inches pipe. The goal of the study was to evaluate the importance of S/V ratio for performance of the BPP test and for correct assessment of the growth promoting properties of CPDW. The BPP of 10 pipe products were compared under the S/V ratios of 0.17 cm−1 and 1.7 cm−1. The BPP of most polymer products were higher under the S/V ratio of 1.7 cm−1 in individual trials, but the differences were insignificant. However, the planktonic biomass concentrations were 4–14 fold higher at larger S/V ratio and this can be important from hygienic point of view. For acceptance of CPDW, besides a pass/fail criterion for the BPP, the planktonic biomass concentration could be taken as a second criterion for evaluation.

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