Characterization of a novel natural cellulosic fiber from Prosopis juliflora bark

This study assesses the extent and location of salt-affected soils worldwide and their current land use and cover as well as the current technical and economic potential of biomass production from forestry plantations on these soils (biosaline forestry). The global extent of salt-affected land amounts to approximately 1.1 Gha, of which 14% is classified as forest, wetlands or (inter)nationally protected areas and is considered unavailable for biomass production because of sustainability concerns. For the remaining salt-affected area, this study finds an average biomass yield of 3.1 oven dry ton ha−1 y−1 and a global technical potential of 56 EJ y−1 (equivalent to 11% of current global primary energy consumption). If agricultural land is also considered unavailable because of sustainability concerns, the technical potential decreases to 42 EJ y−1. The global economic potential of biosaline forestry at production costs of 2€ GJ−1 or less is calculated to be 21 EJ y−1 when including agricultural land and 12 EJ y−1 when excluding agricultural land. At production costs of up to 5€ GJ−1, the global economic potential increases to 53 EJ y−1 when including agricultural land and to 39 EJ y−1 when excluding agricultural land. Biosaline forestry may contribute significantly to energy supply in certain regions, e.g., Africa. Biosaline forestry has numerous additional benefits such as the potential to improve soil, generate income from previously low-productive or unproductive land, and soil carbon sequestration. These are important additional reasons for investigating and investing in biosaline forestry.

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The global technical and economic potential of bioenergy from salt-affected soils

Fuels from bio-oils: Bio-oil production from different residual sources, characterization and thermal conditioning

Invasive species cause ecological, economic and social impacts and are key drivers of global change. This is the case for the genus Prosopis (mesquite; Fabaceae) where several taxa are among the world's most damaging invasive species. Many contentious issues ('conflicts of interest') surround these taxa, and management interventions have not yet sustainably reduced the negative impacts. There is an urgent need to better understand the factors that drive invasions and shape management actions, and to compare the effectiveness of different management approaches. This paper presents a global review of Prosopis, focusing on its distribution, impacts, benefits and approaches to management. Prosopis was found to occur in a 129 countries globally and many more countries are climatically suitable. All areas with naturalized or invasive Prosopis species at present are suitable for more taxa and many Asian and Mediterranean countries with no records of Prosopis are bioclimatically suitable. Several Prosopis species have substantial impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and local and regional economies in their native and even more so in their invasive ranges; others provide multiple benefits to local communities. Management efforts are underway in only a small part of the invaded range. Countries where more research has been done are more likely to implement formal management than those where little published research is available. Management strategies differ among countries; developed nations use mainly mechanical and chemical control whereas developing nations tend to apply control through utilization approaches. A range of countries are also using biological control. Key gaps in knowledge and promising options for management are highlighted.

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Prosopis: a global assessment of the biogeography, benefits, impacts and management of one of the world's worst woody invasive plant taxa.

This paper presents an assessment of the livelihood effects, costs of control, and local perceptions of the invasive tree, Prosopis juliflora, on rural residents in the Lake Baringo area of Kenya. Global concern about deforestation caused by fuelwood shortages, prompted introduction of Prosopis juliflora to the Lake Baringo area in the early 1980s. Prosopis juliflora is in IUCN’s new list of 100 world’s worst invasive alien species. The Prosopis juliflora invasion in the study area has recently attracted national attention and contradictory responses from responsible agencies. Unlike some other parts of the world where it has been introduced, Prosopis juliflora potential benefits have not been captured and few people in the Lake Baringo area realize net benefits from the widespread presence of the tree. Strong local support for eradication and replacement appears to be well justified. Sustainable utilization may require considerable investment in the development of new commercial

Invasion of prosopis juliflora and local livelihoods: case study from the Lake Baringo area of Kenya

The Prosopis juliflora - Prosopis pallida complex: a monograph

The nitrogen fixing trees of the Prosopis juliflora/P. pallida complex are among the most adaptable and fastest growing trees in the truly tropical arid regions and have become naturalized in semi-arid tropics in Latin America, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Sahelian Africa, the Indian subcontinent and northern Australia. The trees have been regarded both as a serious weed and as a valuable resource for firewood and dune stabilization. Unfortunately the introductions into Sahelian Africa and the Indian subcontinent were from trees that had non-palatable pods. Despite their widespread occurrence, seed from a genetic improvement program is not available. Peruvian Prosopis has rapid growth, erect form and high survival of in Haiti, Cape Verde and India. An evaluation of form, diameter at breast height, pod production and pod palatability was conducted in a 10 year old plantation of 1,800 trees in Piura, Peru and seven were selected that had: more than 20 cm DBH; an erect form; 100% of branches with pods; and pods with a very sweet flavor. Scions and budwood were taken from these trees and successively grafted onto greenhouse grown stock plants to be used for clonal multiplication. For the first time we report successful chip budding grafting of Prosopis. This is the first report of Peruvian clones that have been selected for high production of highly palatable sweet pods.

Cloning of elite, multipurpose trees of the Prosopis juliflora/pallida complex in Piura, Peru

Economic assessment of production of flour from Prosopis alba and P. pallida pods for human food applications

Banana cultivation is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions where many rural agricultural communities exist. The banana plant bears fruit once in its life cycle, leaving behind a significant amount of usable agricultural residue. Current practice leaves this residue to decompose in the field spreading diseases and polluting water supplies. We evaluated the technological feasibility of converting lignocellulosic banana residue to ethanol as a localized biofuel production strategy to improve the livelihoods of rural agricultural communities in Peru and Colombia. Liquid hot water (LHW) and steam explosion pretreatment followed by saccharification and fermentation using commercial cellulolytic enzymes and yeast strain were evaluated for three different lignocellulosic residues independently (pseudostems, leaves, and rachis). Stems and rachis, with higher glucan conversion, appeared more promising for biofuel production than leaves (up to 93 and 77 % glucose yields for rachis and pseudostems, respectively). Steam explosion pretreatment allowed higher glucan conversion for stems and leaves, while LHW was better suited for rachis. Pseudostem is the most abundant residue generated with 306,000 tons/year in Uraba Province (Colombia) and 15,000 tons/year in the Chira Valley (Peru) on a dry weight basis. Potential ethanol production in the Chira Valley was estimated in 4.8 and 76.8 ML year−1 in Colombia, processing stems and rachis combined. This study indicated that there is potential for biofuel production using the lignocellulosic banana residue, which could be expanded to other banana growing communities around the world. Process improvements such as increasing solids loading, water recycling, and optimizing fermentation are still required.

Assessing the Feasibility of Biofuel Production from Lignocellulosic Banana Waste in Rural Agricultural Communities in Peru and Colombia

https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/188158/1/ACRILAMIDAPANELA.pdf

Gastón Cruz

Papers

The Prosopis juliflora - Prosopis pallida complex: a monograph

Cloning of elite, multipurpose trees of the Prosopis juliflora/pallida complex in Piura, Peru

Economic assessment of production of flour from Prosopis alba and P. pallida pods for human food applications

Assessing the Feasibility of Biofuel Production from Lignocellulosic Banana Waste in Rural Agricultural Communities in Peru and Colombia

Occurrence of acrylamide and other heat-induced compounds in panela: Relationship with physicochemical and antioxidant parameters.