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Woody biomass is most widely used for energy production. In the United States, roughly 2% of the energy consumed annually is generated from wood and wood-derived fuels. Woody biomass needs to be preprocessed and pretreated before it is used for energy production. Preprocessing and pretreatments improve the physical, chemical, and rheological properties, making them more suitable for feeding, handling, storage transportation, and conversion. Mechanical preprocessing technologies such as size reduction and densification, help improve particle size distribution and density. Thermal pretreatment can reduce grinding energy and torrefied ground biomass has improved sphericity, particle surface area, and particle size distribution. This book focuses on several specific topics, such as understanding how forest biomass for biofuels impacts greenhouse gas emissions; mechanical preprocessing, such as densification of forest residue biomass, to improve physical properties such as size, shape, and density; the impact of thermal pretreatment temperatures on woody biomass chemical composition, physical properties, and microstructure for thermochemical conversions such as pyrolysis and gasification; the grindability of torrefied pellets; use of wood for gasification and as a filter for tar removal; and understanding the pyrolysis kinetics of biomass using thermogravimetric analyzers.

History of engineering & technology --- grindability --- torrefied biomass --- pellet --- energy consumption --- co-firing --- biomass --- gasification --- tar --- syngas cleaning --- dry filter --- pyrolysis --- chemical composition --- micro-structure --- physical properties --- scanning electron microscopy --- wood --- thermal pretreatment --- torrefaction --- timber --- harvest residues --- ethanol --- GHG savings --- Michigan --- variety and rootstock selection --- almond tree --- agricultural practices --- halophytes --- Phoenix dactylifera --- Salicornia bigelovii --- thermogravimetric analysis --- torrefied biomass --- correlation --- ultimate analysis --- solid yield --- heating value --- OLS --- 2-inch top pine residue + switchgrass blends --- pelleting process variables --- pellet quality --- specific energy consumption --- response surface models --- hybrid genetic algorithm --- pelleting --- functional groups --- pellet strength --- combustion efficiency --- forest biomass --- Australia --- biomass energy potential --- emission --- bioenergy

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Soil fauna plays a key role in many soil functions, such as organic matter decomposition, humus formation, and nutrient release, modifying soil structure, and improving its fertility. Soil invertebrates play key roles in determining soil suitability for agricultural production and realizing sustainable farming systems. They include an enormous diversity of arthropods, nematodes, and earthworms. However, this fauna suffers from the impact of agricultural activities with implications for the capacity of soil to maintain its fertility and provide ecosystem services. Some agricultural practices may create crucial soil habitat changes, with consequences for invertebrate biodiversity. In the few last decades, especially under intensive and specialized farming systems, a loss in soil ecosystem services has been observed, as a result of the reduction in both the abundance and taxonomic diversity of soil faunal communities. On the other hand, agricultural practices, based on sustainable soil management, can promote useful soil fauna. Therefore, the concerns about the sensibility of soil biota to the agricultural practices make it urgent to develop sustainable management strategies, able to realize favorable microclimate and habitats, and reduce the soil disturbance.

soil biota --- invertebrates --- farming systems --- bioenergy --- biodiversity --- wheat --- ecosystem --- axonchium --- helicotylenchus --- tylenchorhynchus --- pratylenchus --- reniform --- vertosol --- gossypium --- Gossypium --- Zea mays --- vertisol --- Lumbricidae --- Aporrectodea caliginosa --- Aporrectodea rosea --- phosphorus fertilizers --- phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms --- renewable resources --- heavy metals --- Luvisols --- ground-dwelling arthropods --- pitfall traps --- cover crops --- ecosystem services --- natural enemies --- pear pests --- biological control --- soil organic matter --- soil pH --- post-harvest residues --- crop rotation --- Hordeum vulgare L. --- Vicia faba L. ssp. minor --- soil biodiversity --- vineyard --- co-occurrence patterns --- soil moisture --- soil temperature --- vineyard management --- traditional management --- sustainable agriculture --- management intensity --- South Tyrol --- mountain agriculture --- soil --- soil properties --- macrofauna --- earthworms --- sustainability --- soil invertebrates --- bioindicators --- soil quality --- mesofauna --- soil degradation --- land management

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• Reference Manager
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Woody biomass is most widely used for energy production. In the United States, roughly 2% of the energy consumed annually is generated from wood and wood-derived fuels. Woody biomass needs to be preprocessed and pretreated before it is used for energy production. Preprocessing and pretreatments improve the physical, chemical, and rheological properties, making them more suitable for feeding, handling, storage transportation, and conversion. Mechanical preprocessing technologies such as size reduction and densification, help improve particle size distribution and density. Thermal pretreatment can reduce grinding energy and torrefied ground biomass has improved sphericity, particle surface area, and particle size distribution. This book focuses on several specific topics, such as understanding how forest biomass for biofuels impacts greenhouse gas emissions; mechanical preprocessing, such as densification of forest residue biomass, to improve physical properties such as size, shape, and density; the impact of thermal pretreatment temperatures on woody biomass chemical composition, physical properties, and microstructure for thermochemical conversions such as pyrolysis and gasification; the grindability of torrefied pellets; use of wood for gasification and as a filter for tar removal; and understanding the pyrolysis kinetics of biomass using thermogravimetric analyzers.

History of engineering & technology --- grindability --- torrefied biomass --- pellet --- energy consumption --- co-firing --- biomass --- gasification --- tar --- syngas cleaning --- dry filter --- pyrolysis --- chemical composition --- micro-structure --- physical properties --- scanning electron microscopy --- wood --- thermal pretreatment --- torrefaction --- timber --- harvest residues --- ethanol --- GHG savings --- Michigan --- variety and rootstock selection --- almond tree --- agricultural practices --- halophytes --- Phoenix dactylifera --- Salicornia bigelovii --- thermogravimetric analysis --- torrefied biomass --- correlation --- ultimate analysis --- solid yield --- heating value --- OLS --- 2-inch top pine residue + switchgrass blends --- pelleting process variables --- pellet quality --- specific energy consumption --- response surface models --- hybrid genetic algorithm --- pelleting --- functional groups --- pellet strength --- combustion efficiency --- forest biomass --- Australia --- biomass energy potential --- emission --- bioenergy