• A pre-combustion process based on [P 2228 ][CNPyr] was modelled and optimized. 80 operating configurations were techno-economic evaluated. Suitable pressures temperatures allowed minimizing capital operational costs. Direct costs lower than U.S. Department of Energy’s 40$/t CO2 goal achieved. H 2 production processes from steam methane reforming combined cycle power plants require carbon diox...

Development and change in forest communities are strongly influenced by plant-soil interactions. The primary objective of this paper was to identify how forest soil characteristics vary along gradients of forest community composition in aspen-conifer forests to better understand the relationship between forest vegetation characteristics and soil processes. The study was conducted on the Fishlak...

This work describes two different configurations of syngas production processes using a combination of steam methane reforming (SMR) and dry reforming of methane (DRM). The ideal SMR+DRM process ensures the maximum product yield, the heat-integrated SMR+DRM process fulfills the maximum heat recovery, and the stand-alone SMR+DRM process effectively suppress net CO2 emissions. Through kinetic mod...

A process model for pressurised fluidized-bed gasification of biomass was developed using Aspen Plus simulation software. Eight main blocks were used to model the fluidized-bed gasifier, complemented with FORTRAN subroutines nested in the programme to simulate hydrocarbon and NH(3) formation as well as carbon conversion. The model was validated with experimental data derived from a PDU-scale te...

Current understanding of aspen fire ecology in western North America includes the paradoxical characterization that aspen-dominated stands, although often regenerated following fire, are “fire-proof”. We tested this idea by predicting potential fire behavior across a gradient of aspen dominance in northern Utah using the Forest Vegetation Simulator and the Fire and Fuels Extension. The wind spe...

Understanding the responses of species and ecosystems to human-induced global environmental change has become a high research priority. The main aim of this thesis was to investigate how certain environmental factors that relate to global change affect European aspen (Populus tremula), a keystone species in boreal forests, and hybrid aspen (P. tremula × P. tremuloides), cultivated in commercial...