The role of seagrasses in regulating epiphytes is a question of central importance for understanding structuring processes in seagrass communities. This study tests the hypothesis that seagrasses are not simply bare substrata for microalgal attachment, but rather influence community composition by altering competitive interactions between different microalgal groups. The effects of wave exposur...

Converting biomass to biofuels is a key strategy in substituting fossil fuels to mitigate climate change. Conventional strategies to convert lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol address the fermentation of cellulose-derived glucose. Here we used super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to uncover the nanoscale structure of cell walls in the energy crops maize and Miscanthus where the typical poly...

Bioenergy will be one component of a suite of alternatives to fossil fuels. Effective conversion of biomass to energy will require the careful pairing of advanced conversion technologies with biomass feedstocks optimized for the purpose. Lignocellulosic biomass can be converted to useful energy products via two distinct pathways: enzymatic or thermochemical conversion. The thermochemical pathwa...

The inclusion of cellulosic ethanol in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 and the revised Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) has spurred development of the first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol biorefineries. These efforts have also revived interest in the development of dedicated energy crops selected for biomass productivity and for properties that facilitate conversion o...

In relation to future energy demand and fossil fuel crisis particularly in India, biomass is gaining its importance for possible utilization as co-fuel. This study focuses the use of „low temperature biomass char‟ instead of raw biomass in the blends to extract some specific advantages like lowering of grinding energy, intensification of heat energy, proper adjustment of „VM and fuel ratio‟ etc...

In recent years, growing attention has been devoted to the use of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock to produce renewable carbohydrates as a source of energy products, including liquid alternatives to fossil fuels. The benefits of developing woody biomass to ethanol technology are to increase the long-term national energy security, reduce fossil energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emis...

The world’s energy markets rely heavily on the fossil fuels coal, petroleum crude oil, and natural gas as sources of thermal energy; gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels; and chemicals. Since millions of years are required to form fossil fuels in the earth, their reserves are finite and subject to depletion as they are consumed. The only natural, renewable carbon resource known that is large enough...

.soil microorganisms are important agents in nutrient cycling and energy flow. they are extremely sensitive to environmental changes. soil microbial biomass has been proposed as an index of soil stress and disturbance. the objective of this study was to determine the effects of barley (hordeum vulgare l.) residue amounts, burning, nitrogen fertilizer levels and tillage management on organic car...

The use of biomass to provide energy has been fundamental to the development of civilisation. In recent times pressures on the global environment have led to calls for an increased use of renewable energy sources, in lieu of fossil fuels. Biomass is one potential source of renewable energy and the conversion of plant material into a suitable form of energy, usually electricity or as a fuel for ...

Renewable electricity generation systems are increasingly used as a means of reducing harmful emissions and also reducing operational costs, by comparison with the use of fossil fuels. However, renewable energy sources such as solar energy are characterised by a high degree of intermittence, sometimes unpredictable. This constraint leads to inability to meet the demand of a power system. Hybrid...