Studies on Bio-Pretreatment of Pine Needles for Sustainable Energy thereby Preventing Wild Forest Fires

Abstract

Deforestation, forest fire hazard and exploitation of forest have been warning threats to our environment and ecosystem globally. In the present study an attempt has been made to enhance the biodegradability and biomethanation potential of treated pine needles, the leaves of a coniferous tree (Pinus roxburghii) by using Trichoderma spp. and Pseudomonas spp. thereby, utilizing the pine needles for green energy. Studies were carried out in four litre capacity polymer reagent bottles as anaerobic bioreactor at mesophilic conditions (35  1C) for 80 days. The experiments were replicated thrice and the results compared with untreated ground pine needles substrate (control). The results showed a specific biomethane production of 0.269 l/g VS destroyed from bio-pretreated substrates whereas it was 0.133 l/g VS destroyed for untreated substrate with a biodegradability of 10.41% and 4.78% respectively. Results indicate that bio-pretreated substrate produced a cumulative biomethane yield of 21.3 l/kg pine needles which was 285% higher as compared to the untreated pine needles substrate (5.53 l/kg). The present study may promote utilization of forest litter as natural resource, thereby preventing the wild forest fires which destruct local ecology.

Pine Needles as a Biomass Resource for Phenolic Compounds: Trade-Off between Efficiency and Sustainability of the Extraction Methods by Life Cycle Assessment

“…Million tons of fallen dry PN accumulate yearly on forest floors. Their excessive pileup is of great concern, as it limits other flora’s growth and, even worse, can result in uncontrollable forest fires. , As a consequence, valorization and upcycling of pine needles could be highly desirable. To this aim, we combined chemical analyses and life cycle assessment to compare the efficiency and environmental sustainability of three extraction techniques at the laboratory scale, namely, conventional maceration (CM), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE).…”

Characterization of pine needle and pine needle biochar: a potential soil amendment for sustainable forest waste management

“…However, the natural decomposition process of pine needles is slow (Kainulainen et al, 2002), leading to their accumulation on the forest floor. This thick layer of dry needles poses two significant issues: it acts as a fire hazard and inhibits the growth of grass, which is a food source for cattle (Dwivedi et al, 2016). The occurrence of large-scale forest fires, often caused by the presence of this dense layer of pine needles, contributes to severe air pollution and has devastating environmental consequences (Tzamtzis et al, 2006).…”

Batch and Continuous Fixed-Bed Lead Removal Using Himalayan Pine Needle Biochar: Isotherm and Kinetic Studies

“…Pine needle litter is one of the largest forest wastes reported in Himalayan forests, with a productivity of 6.3 t ha –1 year –1 in India. , Pine needle decaying is a very slow process. Hence, thick layers of accumulated pine needles lead to forest fires, ground water recharge inhibition, soil acidification and contamination, and stop the growth of grass and plants. − Large-scale forest fires due to thick pine needle layers contributes significantly toward air pollution and environmental degradations such as soil moisture, soil fertility, and seedling loss. , Therefore, benefits of using pine needle litter for biochar preparation include forest fire mitigation and enhanced ground clearance, resulting in enhanced groundwater recharge. Pine needle litter abundance in mountainous regions and its negative environmental and economic implications make it an excellent feedstock for biochar production.…”