TY - JOUR A1 - Amponsem, Bright A1 - Bensah, Edem Cudjoe A1 - Ahiekpor, Julius Cudjoe A1 - Cremer, Tobias A1 - Herold, Nadine A1 - Antwi, Edward A1 - Mensah, Isaac A1 - Narra, Satyanarayana A1 - Boahen, Benjamin T1 - Cleaner energy potential analysis for composite biomass residues from decentralized sawmills in Ghana- A case study for Oforikrom Municipality JF - Cleaner Engineering and Technology N2 - The variation of wood species processed in sawmills in developing countries generates composite waste which presents treatment challenges due to a lack of understanding of their physicochemical characteristics for proper planning for clean energy generation. Most of the waste is discarded or burnt openly which releases harmful gases into the environment. This study investigated the physicochemical characteristics of mixed sawdust generated from five wood species generated at a Ghanaian sawmill in Oforikrom Municipality for improving waste treatment. The particle size distribution (PSD), bulk density, proximate and ultimate values, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and structural analysis were used to characterize the composite sawdust for briquetting and gasification purposes. It was found that the net heating value (17.46 MJ/kg), some proximate and ultimate values meet briquette standard but high percentages of ash (2.95%), moisture (41.48%) and the possibility of nitrogen oxides emissions were notable challenges. PSD resulted in different high fine fractions which are unsuitable for densification. The increase of sieving amplitudes at 30, 50 and 80 rpm generated an average increase in sieve efficiency of fines by 4.22%. Mixing of fines (42.38–46.6%) and optimum particle size (53.40–57.62%) fractions was suggested as the best approach to enhance briquette density and durability. The FTIR spectra showed a range of peaks such as 1734.46 cm−1, 1620.48 cm−1, 1506.50 cm−1, 1462.02 cm−1, 1420.32 cm−1 etc. for functional groups identification. Composite sawdust spectra showed high absorbance with no shift of wavenumbers compared with temperate woods, however, it deviated massively when compared with industrial cellulose and organosolv lignin. TGA indicated that exact mixed wood pyrolysis temperatures, volatile and biochar fractions will always depend on sample compositions. The increase in heating rates yielded little significance to volatiles and char increments. Collection of clean sawdust and rooftop drying were recommended as a way of enhancing sawdust properties. Composite sawdust has a promising potential to support Ghana's activities for meeting the renewable energy generation targets. The understanding of these potential assessments is significant to boost the local municipality energy supply. KW - Composite sawdust; Heating value; Structural compositions; Particle size distribution; Thermogravimetric analysis; Bioenergy Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6154 SN - 2666-7908 IS - 11 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zuberi, Mehwish T1 - Between Disconnects and Flows: Reflections on Doing Fieldwork in Rural South Punjab during the Covid-19 Pandemic JF - Südasien-Chronik - South Asia Chronicle KW - Qualitative Fieldwork; Rural; Covid-19; Insider-Outsider; Positionality; Geography; Pakistan Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6186 SN - 978-3-86004-348-6 VL - 11 SP - 521 EP - 540 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ortiz, Andrea Monica D. A1 - Jamero, Ma. Laurice A1 - Crespin, Silvio Javier A1 - Smith Ramirez, Cecilia A1 - Matias, Denise Margaret A1 - Reyes, Jameela Joy A1 - Pauchard, Aníbal A1 - La Viña, Antonia G. M. T1 - The land and sea routes to 2030: a call for greater attention on all small islands in global environmental policy JF - npj Biodiversity N2 - Islands have unique vulnerabilities to biodiversity loss and climate change. Current Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement are insufficient to avoid the irreversible loss of critical island ecosystems. Existing research, policies, and finance also do not sufficiently address small islands’ social-environmental challenges. For instance, the new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) mentions islands in the invasive species management target. This focus is important, as islands are at high risk to biological invasions; however, this is the only GBF target that mentions islands. There are threats of equal or greater urgency to small islands, including coastal hazards and overexploitation. Ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves are crucial for biodiversity, coastal protection, and human livelihoods, yet are unaddressed in the GBF. While research and global policy, including targeted financial flows, have a strong focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the situation of other small islands has been largely overlooked. Here, through a review of policy developments and examples from islands in the Philippines and Chile, we urge that conservation and climate change policies place greater emphasis on acknowledging the diversity of small islands and their unique governance challenges, extending the focus beyond SIDS. Moving forward, global policy and research should include the recognition of small islands as metacommunities linked by interacting species and social-ecological systems to emphasize their connectivity rather than their isolation. Coalition-building and knowledge-sharing, particularly with local, Indigenous and traditional knowledge-holders from small islands, is needed to meet global goals on biodiversity and sustainable development by 2030. KW - Biodiversity; Climate change; Climate-change ecology; Conservation biology; Ecology; Ecosystem services; Invasive species; Policy Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6780 SN - 2731-4243 IS - 2 PB - Nature Publishing Group UK ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zeller, Ulrich A1 - Göttert, Thomas T1 - Humans, megafauna and landscape structure – Rock engravings from Namibia encourage a comparative approach to central Europe and southern Africa JF - Vertebrate Zoology N2 - This paper deals with reflections that arose after observing prehistoric rock engravings at different locations in Namibia. These observations stimulated comparative considerations with focus on southern Africa and central Europe. Similar to the Aurignacian rock art of European origin, the most common motifs in the Namibian rock engravings are large animals. While in Europe, the species that served as a blueprint for the illustration of Aurignacian rock art have mostly disappeared, the megafauna illustrated on the rock engravings in Namibia can still be found in the immediate vicinity of the rock art. Against this background, we discuss and further develop a comparative regional approach. We reconstruct and evaluate the suitability of African savannas and still-existing megafauna communities as an appropriate reference-frame for natural European grassland systems and extinct associated warm-adapted megafauna (Eemian Interglacial megafauna). Special attention is laid on the unique situation in Africa in the light of a global extinction wave of megafauna following increasing human activity in the Late Quaternary. This leads us to discuss the use of domesticated ungulates as surrogate taxa to fulfill ecosystem functions in Europe as part of concepts termed “rewilding” or “naturalistic grazing”. After critically examining these concepts, we conclude that using domesticated forms as representatives of extinct or locally disappeared species in Europe has its justification to some extent. If, however, the naturally occurring megaherbivore community still exists (Africa), these naturally occurring species should be given priority due to their organismic abilities and limitations adapted to the harsh conditions in their specific environment. Finally, we discuss the application of (transboundary) protected areas as effective instruments to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. A holistic approach, including nature conservation and preservation of cultural achievements (domesticated forms, grazing systems), appears promising for the effective protection of the natural African savanna ecosystems with their unique fauna elements, as illustrated in rock engravings that inspired us to write this paper. KW - domesticated forms; megaherbivores; prehistoric rock art; surrogate taxa; transboundary protected areas Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5538 SN - 1864-5755 SN - 2625-8498 VL - 71 SP - 631 EP - 643 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schröder, Jens A1 - Guericke, Martin A1 - Körner, Michael T1 - Fingerprints of biotic agents in tree-ring and NDVI time series of forest stands T2 - TRACE - Tree Rings in Archeology, Climatology and Ecology - Virtual Conference 2021 Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5559 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Welle, Tobias A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. A1 - Blumröder, Jeanette Silvin A1 - Bohr, Yvonne E.-M. B. A1 - Leinen, Loretta A1 - Wohlleben, Tobias A1 - Sturm, Knut T1 - Accurate use of forest inventories shows that unmanaged forests have a higher climate protection effect than managed forests: A response to the letter by Bolte et al. T2 - GCB Bioenergy Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6079 SN - 1757-1707 N1 - Response to: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12769 VL - 13 IS - 3 SP - 367 EP - 368 PB - Wiley ER - TY - GEN A1 - Bolte, Andreas A1 - Rock, Joachim A1 - Wolff, Barbara T1 - Setting aside forests or harvesting them for bioenergy: Short-term benefits for climate protection are still unknown T2 - GCB Bioenergy Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6081 SN - 1757-1707 N1 - This article is letter to the Editor on Schulze et al. (https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12672) and Welle et al. (https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12738) VL - 13 IS - 3 SP - 364 EP - 366 PB - Wiley ER - TY - GEN A1 - Welle, Torsten A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. A1 - Blumröder, Jeanette Silvin A1 - Bohr, Yvonne E.-M. B. A1 - Leinen, Loretta A1 - Wohlleben, Tobias A1 - Sturm, Knut T1 - Incorrect data sustain the claim of forest-based bioenergy being more effective in climate change mitigation than forest conservation T2 - GCB Bioenergy Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6092 SN - 1757-1707 VL - 13 IS - 2 SP - 286 EP - 287 PB - Wiley ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wenig, Charlett A1 - Reppe, Friedrich A1 - Horbelt, Nils A1 - Spener, Jaromir A1 - Berendt, Ferréol A1 - Cremer, Tobias A1 - Frey, Marion A1 - Burgert, Ingo A1 - Eder, Michaela T1 - Adhesives free bark panels: An alternative application for a waste material JF - PloS one N2 - The proportion of bark in tree trunks is in the range of ~ 10–20%. This large amount of material is currently mainly considered as a by- or even waste-product by the timber processing industry. Recently, efforts towards the use of bark have been made, e.g. as a raw material to harvest different chemical compounds or as an additive for wood particle boards. Our motivation for this work was to keep the bark in an almost natural state and explore alternative processes and applications for use. The traditional method of de-barking tree trunks by peeling was used to harvest large bark pieces. Two pieces of peeled bark were placed crosswise, with the rhytidom side (outer bark) facing each other. After different conditioning steps, bark pieces were hot pressed to panels without adding adhesives. These experiments on bark samples of different Central European tree species suggest that production of panels with species dependent properties is possible and feasible. This is a step towards producing sustainable panels by using a natural waste material, while retaining its beneficial structure and its natural chemical composition. Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6104 VL - 18 IS - 1 PB - Public Library of Science (PLoS) ER -