Repurposing of spent lithium-ion battery separator as a green reductant for efficiently refining the cathode metals.

Developing green and high-efficient pyrometallurgy processes to recycle precious metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is of great importance for resource sustainability and environmental protection. Herein, a novel reduction roasting approach relying on spent LIB separator to refine the spent cathode is proposed. The efficiency of repurposing separator as a reductant for roasting the spent LiCoO2 cathode and the underlying mechanisms were investigated. After the separator-mediated roasting at 500 °C for 2 h, Li+ leaching efficiency of the cathode reached 93.2 %, >2.6 times higher than those after roasting without reductant (25.2 %) or with benchmark reductant graphite (26.1 %). Under the separator-added roasting condition, the cathode was converted to the desired products, CoO and Li2CO3. Based on the analysis of in-situ reaction using thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry and pyrolysis gas species identification, the separator-mediated reduction roasting of cathode was composed of two stages, i.e., reducing gas generation due to separator pyrolysis, followed by the reducing gas mediated LiCoO2 reduction. During the process, the generated C2H4 and CO dominated the reduction. The use of co-existing separator to recover precious metals from spent LIBs is an effective and sustainable strategy to maximize the utilization of spent LIBs.

Incorporating stand density effects and regression techniques for stem taper modeling of a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation.

Stem form is the shape of the trunk, differs among tree species and mainly affected by stand density factor. Accurate taper equations are crucial for estimating the stem diameter, form and tree volume, which is conducive to timber utilization and sustainable forest management and planning. Larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr.) is a valuable afforestation species under large-scale development in North China, but no study on the effect of density on its stem taper has been reported yet. The dataset included 396 analytical trees from 132 standard plots of larch plantation in Saihanba, Hebei Province. Based on 12 different forms of models, we explored the optimal basic equation for plantations and the effects of the stand density, basal area, canopy density and different forms of stand density on the prediction accuracy of the variable-exponent models. The variable-exponent taper equation that includes Sd (stand density) was constructed by using nonlinear regression, a nonlinear mixed effect model and the nonlinear quantile regression method. The results indicate that the Kozak's 2004 variable-exponent taper equation was the best basic model for describing changes in the stem form of larch plantations, and the density factor in the form of S d improved the prediction accuracy of the basic model. Among the three regression methods, the quantile regression method had the highest fitting accuracy, followed by the nonlinear mixed effect model. When the quantile was 0.5, the nonlinear quantile regression model exhibited the best performance which provides a scientific basis for the rational management of larch plantations.

Reduced diurnal temperature range mitigates drought impacts on larch tree growth in North China.

Forests are facing climate changes such as warmer temperatures, accelerated snowmelt, increased drought, as well as changing diurnal temperature ranges (DTR) and cloud cover regimes. How tree growth is influenced by the changes in daily to monthly temperatures and its associations with droughts has been extensively investigated, however, few studies have focused on how changes in sub-daily temperatures i.e., DTR, influence tree growth during drought events. Here, we used a network of Larix principis-rupprechtii tree-ring data from 1989 to 2018, covering most of the distribution of planted larch across North China, to investigate how DTR, cloud cover and their interactions influence the relationship between drought stress and tree growth. DTR showed a negative correlation with larch growth in 95 % of sites (rmean = -0.30, significant in 42 % of sites). Cloud cover was positively correlated with growth in 87 % of sites (rmean = 0.13, significant in 5 % of sites). Enhanced tree growth was found at lower DTR in the absence of severe drought. Our findings highlight that in the absence of severe droughts, reduced DTR benefits tree growth, while increased cloud cover tended to benefit tree growth only during severe drought periods. Given how DTR influences drought impacts on tree growth, net tree growth was found to be larger in regions with smaller DTR.

[Cell characteristics of Larix principis-rupprechtii on the edge of different stand types]. / 不同林分类型林缘华北落叶松细胞特征.

To analyze the effects of forest edge on radial growth and cell characteristics in different stand types of Larix principis-rupprechtii, we investigated the differences on radial growth, cell size and numbers between edge trees and inner trees of L. principis-rupprechtii in pure L. principis-rupprechtii forests and mixed forests of L. principis-rupprechtii and Betula platyphylla in Saihanba mechanical forest farm, China. The results showed that radial growth of the edge trees was significantly faster than that of the inner trees in pure forests, with the total ring width, earlywood width and latewood width of edge trees being 48.9%, 58.9% and 29.6% higher than those of inner trees, respectively. However, there was no difference in radial growth between edge trees and inner trees in mixed forest. The total number of earlywood cells, the number of large cells and small cells in earlywood of edge trees were increased by 63.3%, 55.6% and 70.0%, while the total number of latewood cells, the number of large cells and small cells in latewood of edge trees were increased by 35.4%, 37.5% and 28.5% compared with those of inner trees. There was no significant difference in the cell sizes between edge trees and inner trees. The cell numbers of earlywood and latewood of edge trees were not significantly different from those of inner trees in mixed forest, but the cell size in the earlywood of edge trees was 50.0% larger than those of inner trees in mixed forest. The sizes of the largest cells, the smallest cells, the large cells and the small cells in the earlywood of edge trees were increased by 28.6%, 33.3%, 16.6% and 25.0% compared with those of inner trees, respectively. The fast growth of edge trees and slow growth of inner trees in the pure forests could be effectively alleviated by cultivating mixed forests.

Biomass allometric models for Larix rupprechtii based on Kosak's taper curve equations and nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression.

The diameter at breast height (DBH) is the most important independent variable in biomass allometry models based on metabolic scaling theory (MST) or geometric theory. However, the fixed position DBH can be misleading in its use of universal scaling laws and lead to some deviation for the biomass model. Therefore, it is still an urgent scientific problem to build a high-precision biomass model system. A dataset of 114 trees was destructively sampled to obtain dry biomass components, including stems, branches, and foliage, and taper measurements to explore the applicability of biomass components to allometric scaling laws and develop a new system of additive models with the diameter in relative height (DRH) for each component of a Larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr) plantation in northern China. The variable exponential taper equations were modelled using nonlinear regression. In addition, applying nonlinear regression and nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (NSUR) enabled the development of biomass allometric models and the system of additive models with DRH for each component. The results showed that the Kozak's (II) 2004 variable exponential taper equation could accurately describe the stem shape and diameter in any height of stem. When the diameters in relative height were D0.2, D0.5, and D0.5 for branches, stems, and foliage, respectively, the allometric exponent of the stems and branches was the closest to the scaling relations predicted by the MST, and the allometric exponent of foliage was the most closely related to the scaling relations predicted by geometry theory. Compared with the nonlinear regression, the parameters of biomass components estimated by NSUR were lower, and it was close to the theoretical value and the most precise at forecasting. In the study of biomass process modelling, utilizing the DRH by a variable exponential taper equation can confirm the general biological significance more than the DBH of a fixed position.

Effects of photosynthetic models on the calculation results of photosynthetic response parameters in young Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. plantation.

Accurately predicting the crown photosynthesis of trees is necessary for better understanding the C circle in terrestrial ecosystem. However, modeling crown for individual tree is still challenging with the complex crown structure and changeable environmental conditions. This study was conducted to explore model in modeling the photosynthesis light response curve of the tree crown of young Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. Plantation. The rectangular hyperbolic model (RHM), non-rectangular hyperbolic model (NRHM), exponential model (EM) and modified rectangular hyperbolic model (MRHM) were used to model the photosynthetic light response curves. The fitting accuracy of these models was tested by comparing determinants coefficients (R2), mean square errors (MSE) and Akaike information criterion (AIC). The results showed that the mean value of R2 of MRHM (R2 = 0.9687) was the highest, whereas MSE value (MSE = 0.0748) and AIC value (AIC = -39.21) were the lowest. The order of fitting accuracy of the four models for Pn-PAR response curve was as follows: MRHM > EM > NRHM > RHM. In addition, the light saturation point (LSP) obtained by MRHM was slightly lower than the observed values, whereas the maximum net photosynthetic rates (Pmax) modeled by the four models were close to the measured values. Therefore, MRHM was superior to other three models in describing the photosynthetic response curve, the accurate values were that the quantum efficiency (α), maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax), light saturation point (LSP), light compensation point (LCP) and respiration rate (Rd) were 0.06, 6.06 µmol·m-2s-1, 802.68 µmol·m-2s-1, 10.76 µmol·m-2s-1 and 0.60 µmol·m-2s-1. Moreover, the photosynthetic response parameters values among different layers were also significant. Our findings have critical implications for parameter calibration of photosynthetic models and thus robust prediction of photosynthetic response in forests.

[Effects of tree species interaction, stand density, and tree size on the productivity of Larix principis-rupprechtii]. / æ ‘ç§ç›¸äº’ä½œç”¨ã€æž—åˆ†å¯†åº¦å’Œæ ‘æœ¨å¤§å°å¯¹åŽåŒ—è½å¶æ¾ç”Ÿäº§åŠ›çš„å½±å“.

Pure and mixed larch (Larix pricipis-rupprechtii) and birch (Betula platyphylla) plantations in Saihanba area were selected as test objects, with two stand density (200-340 and 880-1100 trees·hm-2) of each stand type. Based on tree size-stratified sampling approach, a total of 668 tree core samples were collected. A linear mixed model was used to analyze the effects of tree species interaction, stand density, and tree size on larch productivity. Results showed that basal area increment of larch was affected by competition, diameter at breast height, tree age, and neighborhood density to different degrees. Overyielding of larch was mainly due to the positive effect of birch on larch growth in the mixed plantation with higher stand density. For mixed plantation with lower stand density, the productivity of those two species was lower than that pure plantation because of a lack of species interaction. Intraspecific competition was the main factor influencing larch productivity. Larch productivity was positively affected by tree size, with the magnitude of tree size effect varying with stand density and species composition. Suitable enhancement of stand density and selection of birch as the mixing tree species could improve productivity of larch.

[Changes of nutrient release and enzyme activity during the decomposition of mixed leaf litter of Larix principis-rupprechtii and broadleaved tree species.] / åŽåŒ—è½å¶æ¾ä¸Žé˜”å¶æ ‘ç§æ··åˆå‡‹è½å¶åˆ†è§£è¿‡ç¨‹ä¸­å »åˆ†é‡Šæ”¾å’Œé ¶æ´»æ€§å˜åŒ–.

Litter is an important contribution to forest soil. Litter decomposition plays an important role in nutrient cycling of forest ecosystem. A field litterbag experiment was conducted to examine the dynamics of decomposition rate, nutrient release and enzyme activity during litter decomposition in the pure forests of Larix principis-rupprechtii (L) and mixed forests, including L and Betula platyphylla (B), L and Quercus mongolica (Q), as well as LBQ, in Saihanba area, Hebei Pro-vince, China. The results showed that the decomposition rate of leaf litter in L forest was significantly lower than that in mixed forests during the 720 d decomposition. The LB had the highest decomposition rate of L leaf litter. All treatments had the same change trend of nutrient contents, with the contents of N and P being increased and that of C, K and C/N being decreased. Contrast to pure leaf litter of L, leaf litter in mixed forests could promote the release of C and K, and inhibit litter N and P release. During the litter decomposition, the activities of catalase, urease and acid phosphatase increased, while that of sucrase decreased in all leaf litter of forests. The decomposition rate of leaf litter was positively correlated with the activities of catalase, urease and acid phosphatase, negatively correlated with that of sucrase. Our results showed that leaf litter mixture of L. principis-rupprechtii, B. platyphylla and Q. mongolica could enhance the litter decomposition of L. principis-rupprechtii, and that enzyme activities were closely related to litter decomposition.

Human disturbance caused stronger influences on global vegetation change than climate change.

Global vegetation distribution has been influenced by human disturbance and climate change. The past vegetation changes were studied in numerous studies while few studies had addressed the relative contributions of human disturbance and climate change on vegetation change. To separate the influences of human disturbance and climate change on the vegetation changes, we compared the existing vegetation which indicates the vegetation distribution under human influences with the potential vegetation which reflects the vegetation distribution without human influences. The results showed that climate-induced vegetation changes only occurred in a few grid cells from the period 1982-1996 to the period 1997-2013. Human-induced vegetation changes occurred worldwide, except in the polar and desert regions. About 3% of total vegetation distribution was transformed by human activities from the period 1982-1996 to the period 1997-2013. Human disturbances caused stronger damage to global vegetation change than climate change. Our results indicated that the regions where vegetation experienced both human disturbance and climate change are eco-fragile regions.

[A site index model for Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in Saihanba, north China].

It is often difficult to estimate site indices for different types of plantation by using an ordinary site index model. The objective of this paper was to establish a site index model for plantations in varied site conditions, and assess the site qualities. In this study, a nonlinear mixed site index model was constructed based on data from the second class forest resources inventory and 173 temporary sample plots. The results showed that the main limiting factors for height growth of Larix principis-rupprechtii were elevation, slope, soil thickness and soil type. A linear regression model was constructed for the main constraining site factors and dominant tree height, with the coefficient of determination being 0.912, and the baseline age of Larix principis-rupprechtii determined as 20 years. The nonlinear mixed site index model parameters for the main site types were estimated (R2 > 0.85, the error between the predicted value and the actual value was in the range of -0.43 to 0.45, with an average root mean squared error (RMSE) in the range of 0.907 to 1.148). The estimation error between the predicted value and the actual value of dominant tree height for the main site types was in the confidence interval of [-0.95, 0.95]. The site quality of the high altitude-shady-sandy loam-medium soil layer was the highest and that of low altitude-sunny-sandy loam-medium soil layer was the lowest, while the other two sites were moderate.