En el campo de la cinética de la pirólisis de biomasa se han desarrollado numerosos trabajos de investigación que no acaban de resolver aspectos básicos del proceso. El análisis de resultados termogravimétricos aún requiere el establecimiento de modelos y estrategias de evaluación más apropiadas para los diferentes tipos de biomasa. Esta tesis trata todos estos aspectos desde el punto de vista de la investigación fundamental. Se estudia el comportamiento térmico de biomasas representativas de los residuos de carpintería (madera de pino y haya) y de un cultivo energético (cardo borriquero) por medio de diferentes técnicas termoanalíticas, en el régimen de pirólisis lenta (slow pyrolysis), incluyendo varios pretratamientos de la biomasa para eliminar materia inorgánica y componente extractivo. La primera contribución de esta tesis corresponde a un estudio exhaustivo del efecto de los errores sistemáticos asociados a la experimentación en termogravimetría. El comportamiento térmico de un mismo material es observado en diferentes termobalanzas, bajo condiciones que se consideran equivalentes entre diferentes equipos, y los resultados son analizados estadísticamente. Consecutivamente, para la descripción de la pérdida global de masa, se estudian diferentes aproximaciones cinéticas basadas en reacciones parciales de primer y otros órdenes, por el modelo de pseudocomponentes. Se trata de determinar un conjunto común de parámetros cinéticos que describan satisfactoriamente experimentos provenientes de diversas termobalanzas y bajo diferentes regímenes de calentamiento: lineal y en escalera (aplicación sucesiva de rampas y periodos isotérmicos de calentamiento). Un conjunto común de energías de activación, resultado de la evaluación cinética de muestras pretratadas (lavadas con agua a 80 ºC), es aplicado en la descripción cinética de todos los tipos de experimentos llevados a cabo a lo largo de la tesis.Espectrometría de masas, acoplada simultáneamente a la termogravimetría, es la técnica empleada para el análisis de los productos volátiles. Se aplica una herramienta estadística para analizar la influencia de la composición de las muestras en la descomposición térmica global y en la distribución de productos. Por medio de datos de calibración se estima la producción individual de los principales productos volátiles de la pirólisis. Consecutivamente, se incluye una aproximación de la evolución de dichos productos en el modelo cinético global.El estudio de las reacciones secundarias de pirólisis ha sido también parte importante en esta tesis. A través de la calorimetría diferencial se estudia el calor de reacción de la descomposición primaria y secundaria. Adicionalmente, se analizan los resultados provenientes de un estudio de espectroscopía infrarroja acoplada a termogravimetría, con el objeto de investigar la descomposición secundaria mediante la observación de los perfiles de evolución de los productos volátiles. Finalmente, se prueba y optimiza el desempeño del modelo cinético global para describir la descomposición térmica de muestras bajo condiciones que claramente favorecen la descomposición secundaria.En conjunto, este trabajo de investigación representa un estudio termocinético exhaustivo y profundo de la pirólisis de biomasa. La descomposición térmica se aborda a través de la observación de la interconexión entre los diferentes fenómenos químicos que conforman el proceso. La propuesta de aproximación cinética, que se constituye a lo largo de la tesis, contribuye al entendimiento del proceso como un todo. Puede ser también considerada como un primer paso hacia la aplicación de los modelos cinéticos de pirólisis a otros estudios, requiriéndose la incorporación adicional de fenómenos de transporte y otras consideraciones para su posterior aplicación. / The abundant research literature on the field of biomass pyrolysis kinetics still leaves key issues unsolved. The exploitation of the information provided by thermogravimetry requires the establishing of appropriate models and evaluation strategies for the various biomass materials. The kinetic description of experiments measured at different conditions by exactly the same reaction kinetics is criticized due to some small, but inevitable systematic errors that depend on the experimental conditions. Practical models that predict the evolution of specific products of interest are still expected in the literature. Part of the chemical phenomena referred to the secondary interactions between the primary pyrolysis products has been traditionally avoided when modeling the pyrolytic process. The increased exploitation of herbaceous crops, in addition to the large quantity of woody residues that still remains largely unused, currently ask for a better description of the influence of the heterogeneities on biomass thermolysis.This thesis addresses all these issues in the context of fundamental research. The thermal behavior of biomass materials representative of carpentry residues (pine and beech), and an energy plantation (thistle) is studied by different thermoanalytical techniques, within the range of slow pyrolysis, including various pretreatments to eliminate inorganic matter and extractives. The first contribution aims at deeply observing the extent of systematic errors associated to the experimental part of the thermogravimetric studies. The thermal behavior of the same feedstock in different original equipments, under roughly equivalent experimental conditions, is statistically studied. Then, various approaches based on first and nth-order partial reactions in the summative model of pseudocomponents are employed in order to determine the best kinetic parameters that describe the experiments both at linear and stepwise heating programs and for experiments coming from different sources. A common set of activation energies, coming from the evaluation of water-washed samples, is applied for the kinetic description of all the types of experiments performed along this thesis.Mass spectrometry, simultaneously coupled to thermogravimetry, is used as the volatile product analysis technique. A chemometric tool is applied to help in elucidating the specific influence of the macromolecular composition of the samples on the thermal decomposition and on the product distribution. Making use of calibration data, we estimate the individual production of the major volatile species from slow pyrolysis. Then, an approximation of the vapor-phase product distribution is added to the kinetic mechanism.We are also interested in the study of the secondary biomass pyrolysis. Differential scanning calorimetry is the technique used to observe the information traced by the heat of pyrolysis on the primary and secondary decomposition. Additionally, we analyze results from a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy device coupled with thermogravimetry, in order to assess the secondary phenomena by considering the evolution profiles of the volatile products, as well. Finally, we test the ability of the best kinetic approach, from the previous kinetic analysis, to describe the global mass loss under conditions that clearly favor secondary vapor-solid interactions.Overall, this research work represents a comprehensive and thorough thermokinetic study of biomass pyrolysis that approaches the thermal behavior by recognizing the connections between different chemical phenomena making up the pyrolytic process. The kinetic proposal, finally built up in this thesis, is a contribution for understanding the process as a whole. Additionally, it can be considered as a first step toward its extension to practical applications, where additional chemical and transport phenomena need to be incorporated.

Current methods of ranking and selecting biomass fuels are based on short lists of factors. The objective of this thesis is to develop and demonstrate a fuel ranking tool. Existing fuel decision methods and bioenergy technology are reviewed. A fuel ranking tool is then developed and demonstrated. Finally, a procedure for evaluating the thermal efficiency of a pellet stove bioenergy system is developed and implemented. The tool is designed to be applied by an engineer working in cooperation with the actual fuel user. The user identifies a list of all available fuels which are compatible with their specific energy system. The ranking tool is suitable for users of any sized bioenergy system used for space heating, processing heating, or electricity generation. Through effective communication the engineer lists the user’s performance requirements. Requirements considered in this thesis are economic cost of fuels, required storage space, combustion equipment cleaning, and air pollutants emitted during biofuel combustion. Performance indicators corresponding to the user’s requirements are then selected or developed by the engineer. Data is then collected by the engineer to be used for the evaluation of these indicators. The indicators are then combined using weighting factors by the engineer to assign a single numerical score to each fuel. These scores allow the fuels to quickly and easily be ranked by the user according to how well they satisfy the user’s requirements. The ranking tool is demonstrated by applying it to a situation of a pellet stove user with 3 available fuel types. The three fuels are ranked in terms of their ability to satisfy the user’s requirements with respect to economic cost, storage space, equipment cleaning, certain air pollutant emissions, and supporting the local economy. A pellet stove thermal efficiency evaluation method is used to determine the percentage of fuel heating value delivered as space heat to the room housing the stove. Natural and forced convection as well as radiation heat transfers are modeled. The procedure results in a thermal efficiency measurement of 62% +/- 1% and 58% +/- 1% for premium wood and wheat straw pellets, respectively.

Current methods of ranking and selecting biomass fuels are based on short lists of factors. The objective of this thesis is to develop and demonstrate a fuel ranking tool. Existing fuel decision methods and bioenergy technology are reviewed. A fuel ranking tool is then developed and demonstrated. Finally, a procedure for evaluating the thermal efficiency of a pellet stove bioenergy system is developed and implemented. The tool is designed to be applied by an engineer working in cooperation with the actual fuel user. The user identifies a list of all available fuels which are compatible with their specific energy system. The ranking tool is suitable for users of any sized bioenergy system used for space heating, processing heating, or electricity generation. Through effective communication the engineer lists the user’s performance requirements. Requirements considered in this thesis are economic cost of fuels, required storage space, combustion equipment cleaning, and air pollutants emitted during biofuel combustion. Performance indicators corresponding to the user’s requirements are then selected or developed by the engineer. Data is then collected by the engineer to be used for the evaluation of these indicators. The indicators are then combined using weighting factors by the engineer to assign a single numerical score to each fuel. These scores allow the fuels to quickly and easily be ranked by the user according to how well they satisfy the user’s requirements. The ranking tool is demonstrated by applying it to a situation of a pellet stove user with 3 available fuel types. The three fuels are ranked in terms of their ability to satisfy the user’s requirements with respect to economic cost, storage space, equipment cleaning, certain air pollutant emissions, and supporting the local economy. A pellet stove thermal efficiency evaluation method is used to determine the percentage of fuel heating value delivered as space heat to the room housing the stove. Natural and forced convection as well as radiation heat transfers are modeled. The procedure results in a thermal efficiency measurement of 62% +/- 1% and 58% +/- 1% for premium wood and wheat straw pellets, respectively.

An extensive study of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on biomass pyrolysis reactions is needed if valuable hydrocarbon gases are to be produced from pyrolysis of biomass. In the first phase of this study a spent coffee waste material was pyrolysed in a stainless steel batch reactor at 500 to 900°C with both N₂ and H₂ carrier gases. The use of H₂ gas did not affect the product distribution. Yields of pyrolysis gas products reached 61 and 74 wt% of the feed at 900°C for N₂ and H₂ carrier gases. Corresponding mass balance closures were obtained at 86 and 98 wt% of the feed. Catalytic effect of the stainless steel wall was confirmed. Maximum conversion of CO was found at pyrolysis zone temperature of 700°C. Pyrolysis experiments with spent coffee performed in a quartz (inert) batch reactor proved that the carrier gas had negligible influence on the primary pyrolysis product distribution. Pyrolysis with K₂CO₃ at 650, 700, and 800°C, showed catalysis of cracking reactions of pyrolysis tars and the water-gas shift reaction. Copyrolysis of biomass materials and coals were performed in the quartz reactor with the objective of producing a higher hydrocarbon content gas product. Copyrolysis of spent coffee and lignite coal at 800°C in a hydrogen atmosphere resulted in gas production of more than 45 wt% of the feed, compared with only 27 wt% for pure coal sample. Increases in production of CH₄ and C₂H₄ were 15.9 wt% and 21.3 Wt%. For copyrolysis with sub-bituminous coal, these synergistic increases were 36.5 wt% and 23.9 wt%. In the final phase of this research, a fluidized bed reactor was used to study hydropyrolysis of cellulose, spent coffee, aspen-poplar, bagasse and lignite coal in presence of sand (inert medium), ã-alumina catalyst, Engelhard US-260 (a silica alumina catalyst), 10 wt% nickel-ã-alumina, 10 wt% cobalt-ã-alumina and a 40 wt% nickel-refractory support catalyst. Over the temperature range of 500 to 600°C, the 10 wt% nickel catalyst was most effective in conversion of biomass. Overall it was found that the combination of cellulose with 10 wt% Ni catalyst at 550°C was the optimum catalyst-feed system for conversion of carbon content of biomass to methane. In this case the yield of CH₄ was 46.7 wt% of cellulose. Rate constants for (primary) pyrolysis, (secondary) tar-cracking and (tertiary) hydrogenation reactions at 550°C were determined. Rate constants for the above mentioned reactions were estimated to be k₁=2.88 s^-1 (pyrolysis model), k₁=2.88 and k₂=1.31 s^-1 (pyrolysis-cracking model), and k₁=2.88, k₂=13.1 and k₃=12.96 s^-1 (pyrolysis-cracking-hydrogenation model).

Densification of biomass is often necessary to combat the negative storage and handling characteristics of these low bulk density materials. A consistent, high-quality densified product is strongly desired, but not always delivered. Within the context of pelleting and briquetting, binding agents are commonly added to comminuted biomass feedstocks to improve the quality of the resulting pellets or briquettes. Many feedstocks naturally possess such binding agents; however, they may not be abundant enough or available in a form or state to significantly contribute to product binding. Also, process parameters (pressure and temperature) and material variables (particle size and moisture content) can be adjusted to improve the quality of the final densified product.<p>Densification of ground biomass materials is still not a science, as much work is still required to fully understand how the chemical composition and physical properties, along with the process variables, impact product quality. Generating densification and compression data, along with physical and mechanical properties of a variety of biomass materials will allow for a deeper understanding of the densification process. This in turn will result in the design of more efficient densification equipment, thus improving the feasibility of using biomass for chemical and energy production.<p>Experiments were carried out wherein process (pressure and temperature) and material (particle size and moisture content) variables were studied for their effect on the densification process (compression and relaxation characteristics) and the physical quality of the resulting products (pellets). Two feedstocks were selected for the investigation; namely, poplar wood and wheat straw, two prominent Canadian biomass resources. Steam explosion pretreatment was also investigated as a potential method of improving the densification characteristics and binding capacity of the two biomass feedstocks.<p> Compression/densification and relaxation testing was conducted in a closed-end cylindrical die at loads of 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 N (31.6, 63.2, 94.7, and 126.3 MPa) and die temperatures of 70 and 100°C. The raw poplar and wheat straw were first ground through a hammer mill fitted with 0.8 and 3.2 mm screens, while the particle size of the pretreated poplar and wheat straw was not adjusted. The four feedstocks (2 raw and 2 pretreated) were also conditioned to moisture contents of 9 and 15% wb prior to densification. <p> Previously developed empirical compression models fitted to the data elucidated that along with particle rearrangement and deformation, additional compression mechanisms were present during compression. Also, the compressibility and asymptotic modulus of the biomass grinds were increased by increasing the die temperature and decreasing product moisture content. While particle size did not have a significant effect on the compressibility, reducing it increased the resultant asymptotic modulus value. Steam explosion pretreatment served to decrease the compressibility and asymptotic modulus of the grinds.<p>In terms of physical quality of the resulting product, increasing the applied load naturally increased the initial density of the pellets (immediately after removal from the die). Increasing the die temperature served to increase the initial pellet density, decrease the dimensional (diametral and longitudinal) expansion (after 14 days), and increase the tensile strength of the pellets. Decreasing the raw feedstock particle size allowed for the increase in initial pellet density, decrease in diametral expansion (no effect on longitudinal expansion), and increase in tensile strength of the pellets. Decreasing the moisture content of the feedstocks allowed for higher initial pellet densities, but also an increased dimensional expansion. The pretreated feedstocks generally had higher initial pellet densities than the raw grinds. Also, the pretreated feedstocks shrank in diameter and length, and had higher tensile strengths than the raw feedstocks. The high performance of the pretreated poplar and wheat straw (as compared to their raw counterparts) was attributed to the disruption of the lignocellulosic structure, and removal/hydrolysis of hemicellulose, during the steam pretreatment process which was verified by chemical and Fourier transform infrared analysis. As a result, a higher relative amount of lignin was present. Also, the removal/hydrolysis of hemicellulose would indicate that this lignin was more readily available for binding, thus producing superior pellets.

Pulse crops have been long associated with biological dinitrogen fixation and therefore improve the sustainability of cropping systems when included in rotation. However, studies indicate there may be additional benefits of including pulse crops in rotation. To quantify these potential benefits, soil processes and properties related to nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) cycling were examined in five crop rotations with and without field pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) in Scott, Saskatchewan. Gross mineralization and nitrification rates were determined using the 15N isotope dilution technique in intact soil cores. To estimate the proportion of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions derived from nitrification related processes rather than denitrification processes tracer techniques using 15N were used. Field incubations were performed in 2008 at seeding (May 13), anthesis (July 8) and just after harvest (October 8). Mean mineralization and nitrification rates were not significantly different among rotations on any date and there was no significant difference in mean N2O emissions among rotations. From labeled 15NO3- cores, it was determined that nitrification-related processes were the major contributors to N2O emissions. There was no difference among the rotations in microbial biomass carbon (MB-C) or microbial biomass N (MB-N) with the exception of MB-C in the continuous field pea (FP) and the canola (<i>Brassica napus</i> L.)-wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.)-field pea (CNL-W-FP) rotation at anthesis. There was no effect of rotation on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and only seasonal differences were observed with DOC levels being lower before seeding than at anthesis and post-harvest. Based on the results obtained from a single growing season, our results show that N benefits of including field pea in rotation, beyond dinitrigen fixation, were not detectable and that the immediate N benefit of including field pea in rotation may be due simply to the direct effects of biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation. However, there have been reports of pulse crop benefits to succeeding crops in rotation. As a result, we investigated both the quantity and quality of crop residues, which can have an impact on soil properties and processes. Plants enriched with isotopic tracers can be used to trace crop residue decomposition to various C pools but only if the tracer is homogeneously distributed throughout the plant. In order to determine if repeat-pulse labeling could be used to trace crop residue decomposition, this method was followed using 13CO2 to enrich plant material of field pea and canola plants in a controlled environment. The distribution of 13C throughout the plant parts (roots, stem, leaves, and pod) and biochemical fractions [acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL)] were determined. It was found that 13C was not homogeneously distributed throughout the plant parts or biochemical fractions. The pod fraction in particular was much less enriched in comparison to the other fractions. The ADL fraction was less enriched than the ADF fraction. Because of the heterogeneity of the label throughout the plant, modifications of the method are needed and 13C distribution through out the plant needs to be assessed before the repeat-pulse method can be used to trace C residue through various C pools. Nevertheless, root contributions to below-ground C were successfully determined from the enriched root material and the resulting enriched soil. It was found that canola contributed more above- and below-ground residues than field pea, however canola was also higher in ADF and ADL fractions indicating a more recalcitrant residue. Research should continue to better define the impact of pulse crop residues on C and N cycling and subsequent crops in rotation.

It is well known that photosynthetic health impacts the overall fitness of the mature plant. This study aims to determine photosynthetic vigour of spring wheat cultivars during field development as well as their biomass composition at maturity to determine which cultivars/varieties would be optimum for cellulosic ethanol production. Additionally, specimens were grown at non-acclimating (20˚C), cold acclimating (5˚C), non-acclimating high CO2 (20˚C/750 µmol mol-1 CO2) and cold-acclimating high CO2 (5˚C/750 µmol mol-1 CO2) to resolve photosynthetic responses to different environments. Plants were photoinhibited under high irradiance (5 fold growth irradiance) and low temperature (5˚C) while photochemical efficiency of PSII was monitored throughout using chlorophyll fluorescence imaging. Vegetative production was monitored using normalised difference vegetation index. De-epoxidation of xanthophyll photoprotective pigments were also recorded using HPLC and photochemical reflectance index. Additionally, carbon assimilation rate was recorded with infra-red gas analysis methods. It was discovered that no one wheat cultivar demonstrated any photosynthetic advantage in the field or under photoinhibitory conditions. However, photosynthetic differences were observed between wheat grown in different environments. Plants that were cold-acclimated or grown under high CO2 were more resilient to photoinhibitory stress. This was also reflected by most cold-acclimated cultivars having increased triose phosphate utilization, electron transport and zeaxanthin induction. Plants acclimated to high CO2 at room temperature also displayed increased electron transport and triose phosphate utilization but had decreased zeaxanthin induction. It is hypothesized increased excitation pressure in cold acclimated and high CO2 cultivars allowed for their increase in the development of photoinhibitory tolerance.

The pursuit of agricultural sustainability is necessary to ensure global food security into the future. To achieve sustainability, production systems around the world use different approaches. Utilizing several biological and physical indicators, this study investigates two agricultural production systems and assesses how management has affected the long-term health and sustainability of the soils. The first study assessed the effect of variable intensities of tillage on three Saskatchewan soils under low-disturbance (LD) management for the ten years prior to tillage. The soils represented were in the Grey, Black and Brown soils zones at sites located near Tisdale, Rosthern and Central Butte, Saskatchewan, respectively. A completely randomized block design utilized four treatments of varying tillage intensity. Samples were taken in spring before planting and after harvest at all sites. The soils were analyzed for microbial indicators of health by assessing dehydrogenase, urease, protease, and alkaline phosphatase activities. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and microbial quotient nitrogen (MQN) also were analyzed. Traditional soil nutrient and physical parameters were measured. The tillage intensities affected each parameter differently likely due to the differences in litter quality at each site. The high intensity tillage treatment decreased dehydrogenase activity at Tisdale at May, while in Rosthern dehydrogenase activity was increased in the moderate intensity tillage treatment and decreased by the high intensity tillage treatment. At Central Butte no effect was detected until October when dehydrogenase activity was increased by the low and moderate tillage intensity treatments. Protease and urease activities were affected at Rosthern only where the moderate intensity tillage treatment decreased activity relative to the control treatment. Soil physical parameters were not affected by tillage intensity; however nutrient levels were impacted by the increasing tillage intensity. Specifically, NO3- was reduced at Tisdale and was increased at Rosthern. Phosphate levels were reduced by the high tillage intensity in Rosthern whereas, with increasing tillage, the opposite occurred at Tisdale and Central Butte. The responses were strongly influenced by site characteristics, especially soil zone, organic matter content and surface litter abundance and quality. These effects were short-term, having no long-term impact on the agricultural sustainability or health of the soil, although knowledge of litter condition and quality is agronomically beneficial in order to predict soil responses to intense tillage events. iii The second part of the study was to assess the success of grass terraces on preserving the soil health of hillslope farm plots with Oxisolic soils in southern Ethiopia. Soil erosion has a devastating impact on hillslope agriculture in Ethiopia causing severe land degradation. An adjacent terraced and unterraced hillslope was chosen and sampled, along with a second unterraced slope for comparison. These soils were analyzed for dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, and urease activities, as well as total C and total N. The plots above the terraces [terraced upper and unterraced upper] had higher urease activities than the plots below [terraced lower and unterrraced lower]. The impact of a vegetative strip that had formed a terrace 20 years ago was still evident in consistently higher alkaline phosphatase, urease, and dehydrogenase activities than the other plots. Simple methods of erosion prevention on erosion prone hill-slopes indicated that vegetative strips leading to terracing have a positive effect on soil health and functionality, promoting the long-term agricultural productivity and sustainability of these landscapes.

This thesis characterizes the mass and chemical composition of the fine particle air pollution over several cities in South Asia and quantifies how major sources impact the observed levels by using Chemical Mass Balance modeling with organic compounds as tracers. During February 1999, as part of the INDOEX program, a study was conducted to measure the size distribution and chemical composition of the fine particles in a remote island in Maldives off the coast of India. We found that the fine particle concentrations were comparable to those found in major cities in the United States, and were surprisingly high for a background site. 10-day backwind trajectories pointed the source region towards the Indian subcontinent; other INDOEX studies confirmed the presence of a thick haze layer over the Indian Ocean and the subcontinent during the time of the experiment. Motivated by these findings, a detailed analysis of ambient PM2.5 was carried out in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chandigarhfour cities located upwind of the island in Maldives. Seasonality of the fine particle concentrations was observed in each of these cities with the highest concentrations occurring during the wintertime and the lowest concentrations during the summer. Size distribution and chemical composition of the fine particle emissions from five Bangladeshi biomass (rice straw, coconut leaves, dried cow dung, synthetic biomass log, and jackfruit wood) and three Asian coals (Bangladeshi, Indian, and Chinese) were characterized and important source signatures were identified. Finally, recently developed chemical tracer techniques were applied to the ambient samples from North India to differentiate between the contributions from the many different source types. The emission profiles and source signatures from the source tests conducted previously along with the ones conducted using the Indian Subcontinent fuels were used as inputs to the model. These results serve several purposes. First, they provide a description of the mass and detailed inorganic and organic chemical characteristics of fine particulate matter conducted for the first time ever in this region. Second, the source apportionment study will help to define the relative importance of those sources that should be included within an air quality control program. Chemical tracer techniques are particularly attractive for application in regions that have not been studied previously because they are able to yield rapid insights into the causes of a local air pollution problem before the completion of an accurate emissions inventory. Third, the source tests results will prove useful in constructing and evaluating regional emission inventory and assessing source impacts on air quality. Fourth, this work has been carried out with collaborations from Georgia Tech and several other Indian research institutions where pollution control personnel in India was trained in the operation of air sampling equipments that were left for continued monitoring, thus contributing to technology transfer and knowledge transfer from the US.

With the global campaign of carbon reduction and sustainable development continue to expand, green environmental conservation has become a vital concern in our modern age. The green energy industry is now very important. The recycling and reuse of fermented organic waste contribute to biomass energy that constitutes a basis for strategies by the green energy industry. In ¡¥Challenge 2008 Six-Year National Development Plan¡XGreen Industry¡XResource Recycle and Reuse Project¡¦, approved by the Executive Yuan and implemented by the Environmental Protection Administration in related policies, a recycle and transport system of household organic waste was established and supported by the efforts of all village and township offices across Taiwan. Diverse developments for the use of biomass energy derived from plants, marsh gas, and organic waste have been achieved through innovative approaches and research among industries, government, and academia. The reuse of organic waste, development of organic fertilizer and livestock fodder, and power generation by marsh gas, and bio-fuels are derivative products of biomass energy. Currently, products made from organic waste have been developed and manufactured in counties and cities all over Taiwan, and related products, such as soil conditioners, organic fertilizers and organic fodder, have been promoted in villages and local communities, forming an excellent green energy cycle and fulfilling the public policy of resource recycle and reuse. Inline with the Green Supply Chain, this study aimed to better understand the measures adopted in the promotion of organic waste in local areas from the perspectives of the concepts regarding the recycling of organic waste and public policy. Through qualitative data collection, including in-depth interviews, focus group and participant observation, this research investigated how the recycling of organic waste can be applied in daily life to reach the target of fully recycling garbage and other waste to improve execution efficiency and how the benefits to the general public who join the efforts can be increased in a relatively simple way.