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The project between tthe Deutsche Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) focuses on the pr rovision of alternative fuels by thermochemical conversion. Biogenic residues and wastes which are not used yet or which could be utilised more efficiently are studied. The selection of possible feedstock was supported by a techhnical potential analysis including the competition to th he food industry. The technical suitability of raw materials for the fast pyrolysis (FP) process was of special in nterest. As a possible feedstock following types of biomass were studied: corn stover, corn cobs, biogenic floating re efuse (river Rhine and Baltic Sea), scrap wood, bark, rape s straw, sunflower straw, draff, diverse residues of flour production and hay. A process development unit (PDU) with a biomass feeding rate of 10 kg/h and a twin screw m mixer reactor was used for all experiments. It was found that different types of biomass form different char, condensate e and gas yields due to varying ash levels and lignocellulosic composition. Elemental formulas for feedstock, char, organic condensate and gas were estimated independent on t the feedstock due to similar elemental compositions. Pyrolysis gas analysis during the experiments gave information on the mass yields. A CO/CO2-ratio of 1 (i.e. wood) corresponds to organic condensate yields of about 50 wt.-%%, whereas a ratio of 0.3-0.7 (straw) corresponds to 18-32 wt. .-% respectively. Proceedings of the 20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 18-22 June 2012, Milan, Italy, pp. 973-977

The need to understand how past societies dealt with major climate events has been acknowledged by scholarship, however the existing archaeological record in most upland areas of Northern Britain and Ireland is not granular enough to avoid false ‘cause and effect’ conclusions and requires refinement to generational levels where possible. This project is an effort to generate a more granular and refined chronology through expanding existing chronologies of selected archaeological zones using radiocarbon dating of untested archived samples, new samples and re-evaluation of finds by typologies.

It is widely known that fossil fuels are limited; consequently, the generation of new sources of energy in a clean and environmentally friendly manner is a research priority. Bioethanol appears to be one potential solution, especially second-generation production from renewable biomass.In order to use lignocellulosic feedstock to produce bioethanol, its polysaccharide components, cellulose and hemicellulose, must be hydrolysed into soluble sugars, which can then be converted into ethanol by fermentative microorganisms such as Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius TM242 used by the company ReBio Technologies Ltd.To date, the cost of commercial enzymes used during the hydrolysis process remains a major economic consideration in the production of second-generation bioethanol as an alternative fuel. The research project presented in this thesis aims to improve this rate-limiting step of microbial bioethanol production through an investigation of the different enzymes associated with hemicellulose hydrolysis. Firstly, the TM242 genome sequence revealed a number of genes encoding glycoside-hydrolases. Six of these genes were cloned and expressed in E. coli and the recombinant enzymes characterised; three of them, two β-xylosidases and an α arabinofuranosidase, are relevant to xylan hydrolysis, and were found to be highly active and thermostable. Crystallisation of one of the β-xylosidases permitted the determination of a high-resolution (1.7 Å) structure of the apo-enzyme along with a lower resolution (2.6 Å) structure of the enzyme-substrate complex, resulting in the first reported structure of a GH52 family member (Espina et al., 2014).Secondly, as the TM242 microorganism lacks xylanase enzymes, four genes encoding xylanases from closely-related Geobacillus strains were cloned and expressed in E. coli, with one of them being also successfully cloned and expressed in G. thermoglucosidasius TM242. This heterologous xylanase was secreted in active form representing an enhanced biomass utilisation by TM242.In conclusion, it is felt that the findings presented here have the potential to make a valuable contribution towards second-generation bioethanol production.

This report has been commissioned by Friends of the Earth England Wales and Northern Ireland (FoE) to independently review evidence on key issues relating to the potential new fleet of nuclear power stations that may be built in the UK over the period 2017 to 2030. The report draws primarily on peer-reviewed academic literature although this is supplemented with “grey” literature from credible government, consultancy and policy sources. It is not an exhaustive review of all the issues and writing concerning civil nuclear power but has a specific scope outlined below (see Annex 1 for full Terms of Reference). Nuclear power is quite unlike both fossil fuels and renewable sources of electricity generation with a particular set of characteristics that may be beneficial or problematic. The main purpose of this report is to provide a succinct appraisal of key issues relevant to the plans for a new generation of reactors in the UK, namely:• safety• radioactive waste disposal• proliferation of nuclear weapons• economics of nuclear power• siting and planning of low carbon generation• employment • issues in managing a low carbon grid• interactions between nuclear power and other low carbon technologiesThese issues are presented in separate sections as reviews of existing primary research and not as new research findings. The penultimate section, Chapter 11, presents new work by Tyndall Manchester on the carbon dioxide emissions implications of using gas rather than building a new series of nuclear power stations. We calculate the emissions output if the shortfall in electricity generation were to be met by the use of combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT). Alternative renewable energy sources are not considered as their direct emissions are negligible and similar to those from nuclear stations. A range of scenarios is presented for different combinations of rates and extent of nuclear construction and the availability and performance of carbon capture and storage technology. This report is intended for detailed consideration by the staff and members of Friends of the Earth and does not include an executive summary. Direct recommendations as to the appropriateness of a new fleet of nuclear stations in the UK have not been made by the authors. It is also important to note that some key aspects are highly contextual and contingent upon future circumstance.

China joined the ICOM in 1983. Joining such an international community of museological experts and scholars implied sharing the standards and founding principles, however if we consider the development and the status quo of the art museum system in China, it is possible to point out some contradictions and peculiarities. Since the early 1980s, following a renovation process of the entirety of Chinese national institutions, the museum system has been enjoying an unprecedented development. As well, a more general discourse on the cultural heritage of the country has increasingly gained a prominent position in the cultural policy agenda. As far as art museums are concerned, since the end of the 1990s, the country has been experiencing a rapid and unprecedented development as well, encompassing both the state-owned and private sector. However, today the proliferation of art museums appears to be more driven by the compulsion for a status symbol rather than pursuing a cultural mission. Therefore, a key question arises concerning the quality of these art institutions, their effective role in the promotion of art, and their cultural impact. This study aims to enrich the debate on museums of contemporary art, and intends to offer a parameter of sustainability in order to evaluate the Chinese art museum system.

Many studies have shown that the effectiveness of radiations of varying LET is similar when yields of dsb have been measured, despite large differences in biological response. Recent evidence has suggested however, that current techniques underestimate the yields of dsb. By monitoring the fragmentation of DNA over a wide range of fragment sizes ( 6 Mbp) by pulsed field electrophoresis, RBE values greater than 1.0 for radiations of around 100 keV/mm have been determined. The data provide evidence for the production of correlated breaks produced within cells as particle tracks traverse the nucleus. The highly ordered structure of DNA within mammalian cells may lead to clustering of breaks over distances related to the repeating unit structures of the chromatin. As well as these regionally damaged sites, a major contributor to radiation effectiveness will be the localised clustering of damage in the 1-20 bp region. A major effort is required to elucidate the relative importance of these levels of clustering and their importance in biological response.

Bio-oil composition can differ depending on the biomass feedstock. Such information is essential if upgrading to a liquid fuel or to platform chemicals is intended. Furthermore, water and inorganic elements have to be taken into account for the catalyst selection. In this work, two bio-oils from wheat straw and beech wood were characterized by different techniques. Both were composed by a light and a heavy phase separately analyzed. The water content of the fractions differed over a wide range between 14.4 and 56.7 wt.% and therefore also the HHV (between 28.5 and 9.2 MJ/Kg). Both phases showed very low content of sulfur (<0.4 wt.%), which can have influence the lifetime of the catalyst. The 1H-NMR integration showed higher values in the regions of alkanes, carboxylic acid or keto-groups, and hetero-(aromatics) for both heavy phases, while light phases showed higher values in the water, O-H exchanging and carbohydrates region. So the heavy phases seem to be a good basis if phenols and its derivatives are expected and the light phases if alcohols are of interest. These results show that the bio-oils composition is essential for upgrading reactions, impacting on the products as well as on the choice of the catalyst. Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 1143-1147