Abel Rodrigues

Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV) | INRB · DTQ

Pinewood biomass in Portugal can be considered a major source of biochar for soil physical, chemical, and biological edaphic amendment. This work intended to evaluate the aptitude of lab produced biochar for upgrading soil moisture dynamics’ relationships considering mixtures of biochar with silica-based sand. The methodology used focused on the ca...

Forest fires in Portugal give rise to a large amount of burnt wood, a waste, and as such with few applications. Its energy recovery can be seen to manage these residues with advantages for the environment and as a source of income for the populations that depend on the primary sector of the economy. Burnt pine wood was evaluated as raw material for...

Intensive dairy cattle breeding have a relevant social and economic impact in Portugal, particularly in the northern region. This activity generates a high flow of livestock effluents (slurry), rich in important nutrients for plant growth, which can be introduced into forest production systems. These effluents can provide a good alternative to mine...

Fire regimes are changing in several regions of the world. In those regions, some exotic species may be better adapted to new regimes than the native species. This study focused on identifying the microsite characteristics associated with the occurrence of post-fire Eucalyptus globulus regeneration from seeds, outside the species native-range. This...

Liquefaction of biomass delivers a liquid bio-oil with relevant chemical and energetic applications. In this study we coupled it with short rotation coppice (SRC) intensively managed poplar cultivations aimed at biomass production while safeguarding environmental principles of soil quality and biodiversity. We carried out acid-catalyzed liquefactio...

Sweet chestnut is a relevant species in Europe for the production of timber and fruit, alongside environmental effects such as biodiversity of protection against soil erosion. In Portugal, chestnut is cultivated mainly for fruit production, in two areas, in the North and the South of the country, with moderate water deficit and low slope and at alt...

Biomass thermochemical liquefaction is a chemical process with multifunctional bio-oil as its main product. Under this process, the complex structure of lignocellulosic components can be hydrolysed into smaller molecules at atmospheric pressure. This work demonstrates that the liquefaction of burned pinewood from forest fires delivers similar conve...

The production of residual biomass, such as vine pruning, presents environmental problems since its elimination is usually carried out through the uncontrolled burning of the remaining materials and with the emission of greenhouse gases without any counterpart. The use of these residues to produce biochar presents several advantages. In addition to...

This chapter includes a general characterization of the atmospheric boundary layer with an analysis of micro, macro, and synoptic atmospheric scales in the troposphere. The dimensional scales and frequencies of average flow, turbulence, and atmospheric waves are discussed in relation to the transport of scalar and vector variables. The conditions o...

This chapter presents 13 exercises solved on the topics of Chaps. 1– 6, aiming at consolidating the physical principles to solve applied problems. Exercises 1 and 2 provide the calculation of the energy of one mole of photons and the modeling of continuous solar radiation in the eventual absence of measured data. Exercise 3 shows the calculation of...

This chapter aimed to characterize the aerodynamic mass and energy fluxes over forest canopies. These canopies are rough surfaces wherein flow-gradient assumptions may not be valid, leading to exponential wind profiles in trunk spaces and understory, superimposed by logarithmic profiles above the top of canopies. This leads to airflow regimes where...

In this chapter, an assessment of airflow over modified surfaces was made, mainly corresponding to urban areas, hills, or of transition between surfaces with different roughness, different land uses, and ambient temperatures. This surface heterogeneity that leads to a development of an internal boundary layer, including sublayers, with a determined...

In this chapter, an assessment was carried out on aerodynamic boundary surface layer characterization, where vertical vector fluxes of scalar quantities, e.g., momentum or sensible heat, are considered constant. This approach is grounded on the Prandtl mixed layer empirical theory based on the analogy between eddies in turbulent flow and molecules...

This chapter aimed to make a characterization of turbulent airflow in the surface boundary layer, following qualitative and quantitative approaches. The former is based on a generalization of Navier–Stokes equations, applied to flow mean and fluctuation components, for obtaining budgets of vectorial and scalar quantities. The latter is based on sim...

Global climate grid.9983.b change and GHG emissions are essential topics for understanding physical processes ongoing in the atmospheric boundary layer, within a control volume extending from the top ground to the troposphere. This chapter aimed therefore to deliver a qualitative and quantitative approach to climate change processes and carbon bala...

Heat and mass transfer principles, coupled with the modulation of energy and mass budgets, were covered in this chapter. Transfer processes regulate a spectrum of phenomena, such as variations of carbon and water exchanges or sediment transport. The main topics related to heat conduction were Fourier’s law and the thermal exchanges in the upper lay...

The use of biomass as an energy source presents itself as a viable alternative, especially at a time when the mitigation of climate change requires that all possibilities of replacing fossil fuels be used and implemented. The use of residual biomass also appears as a way to include in the renewable energy production system products that came out of...

Purpose of Review Short rotation woody coppice (SRWC) cultivations of species like poplar, eucalyptus, or willow are promising options for biomass production, insofar that high biomass productivities, averaging 12–14 Mg ha⁻1 year⁻¹ are possible, with heating values varying from 16 to 19 MJ kg⁻¹, along with environmental positive effects such as inc...

This book is an interdisciplinary and accessible guide to environmental physics. It allows readers to gain a more complete understanding of physical process and their interaction with ecological ones underpin important environmental issues. The book covers a wide range of topics within environmental physics, including: • natural and anthropogenic...

Phytophthora cinnamomi is an important soil borne plant pathogen, associated to decline of cork and holm oak stands in Iberian Peninsula. This decline results from a complex of biotic and abiotic interactions culminating in root infection. Field observations in cork and holm oak sites suggested an enhancement of soil moisture and texture in decline...

The use of residual forms of biomass, resulting from processes of transformation of the agri-food and/or forest industries, presents itself as an alternative with high potential for energy recovery, given the existing availability, both from the perspective of quantities, but also from the perspective of geographic distribution. In this work, sampl...

This work intended to compare ash composition and deposition tendencies biomasses and of torrefied products of SRC poplar clones and common broom. These biomasses were assessed in a previous study as these delivering torrefied products with better fuel quality. Ash analysis for quantification of inorganic major and minor ash elements of biomasses a...

The implementation of woody short rotation coppice in Portugal has a high potential, due to abundant solar radiation and to an availability of about 2.8 Mha of uncultivated derelict marginal areas. In this work, a GIS-based proposal is made to evaluate such potential, considering spatial data for soil use, soil type, site micrometeorology and slope...

Woody biomass can be converted into green fuels by advanced conversion technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis. Due to the complexity of woody biomass, the thermochemical decomposition mechanisms are complex and the knowledge of pyrolysis kinetics is mandatory to optimization of the process and reactor design of commercial scale biorefineri...

Nowadays, biomass presents itself as a very viable alternative for the production of energy, both electrical and thermal, quickly recovering its role, both in the universe of domestic and industrial use. With growing concerns about climate change, it is becoming increasingly urgent to use environmentally harmful forms of energy production that cont...

Poplar biomass of nine different genotypes, from short rotation coppice, was pyrolyzed in a fixed bed reactor using several solid catalysts. Pine bark was used as reference for uncatalyzed pyrolysis. Pyrolysis tests were performed for temperatures in the range 425–500 °C, selected from the thermal degradation profiles obtained by thermogravimetry u...

The evaluation of the amount of lignocellulosic polymeric components of woody biomass is fundamental to assess its adequacy to produce energy or chemicals. Classic techniques for quantification of these components are slow and laborious, and modern expeditious techniques such as thermogravimetry (TG) have allowed for new and accurate measurement me...

Cultivations of poplar short rotation coppices (SRC) over five/six 3-year rotation cycles of three clones of Populus nigra and one interspecific commercial hybrid clone were studied in the Czech Republic at three sites with different environmental conditions. Two sites were planted in 1998 and the other was planted in 2002. This study focused on th...

Cork oak decline has been a serious problem in Portuguese central and southern areas in the last 30 years. This decline is associated with Phytophthora cinnamomi, a pathogen with a major impact on cork oak decline. A programme aiming the plant selection on resistance, to address the infection of soilborne P. cinnamomi in cork oak woodlands, should...

A characterisation of Pinus pinaster Aiton. (Maritime Pine) woody biomass and ashes is presented in this study. Physical, thermal and chemical analysis, including density, moisture content, calorific value, proximate and ultimate analysis, were carried out. The fuel Energy Density (E d) and the Fuelwood Value Index (FVI) were assessed by ranking th...

An integrated fuel and ash characterization of Pinus Pinaster Aiton. (maritime pine) and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (blue gum eucalyptus) species is presented in this study. Physical, thermal and chemical analysis, including density, moisture content, calorific value, proximate and ultimate analysis, were carried out. The fuel energy density (Ear)...

Biomass torrefaction is attracting a great attention in the last years. This process can be defined as a thermochemical conversion technology, that occurs in an oxygen free atmosphere, at a temperature average of 300°C, and producing materials with low O/C and H/C ratios. The process of torrefaction can improve the properties of the biomass for ene...

Torrefaction is an option for improving biomass properties for fuel application. Biomass undergoes chemical changes reflected on the upgrading of its properties as a biofuel, such as higher calorific power, lower O/C and H/C ratios, lower higroscopicity or better grindability. Objectives of this experimental study were to analyze the effects of tor...

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel obtained from biomass, accounting for 10% of the biodiesel production. In the context of a green economy, aiming for a reduction of the emission of atmospheric greenhouse gases emissions, the demand of biodiesel is expected to increase vastly, in parallel with a side glut supply of glycerol. Given the high cost...

Coppice is a traditional form of forest management widely practiced in Europe since ancient times. This COST Action FP1301 EuroCoppice report gives an overview about the most important coopice products in Europe.

Soil-woody biomass interactions are relevant for the productivity of bioenergy plantations and biomass quality. In this context, the main objective of this study was to evaluate and to quantify possible relationships between chemical variables of the soil and the produced biomass through a multivariate approach. This latter approach allows to overc...

Short-rotation coppices (SRC) are intensive cultivation systems aiming for biomass production for energy. About 32% of Portugal area (Figure 1) corresponds to uncultivated lands (shrublands and pastures) where these cultivations could be installed. We estimated the available area in eight counties from the Centre and South of the country (Chamusca,...

Although the studies on the germination of Quercus suber (cork-oak) acorns are not new and there is a great deal of knowledge about their germination behaviour, this study has a particular interest due to the provenance of the seeds and the interaction of three factors: the size of the seed, the cutting of the scar and the substrate of growth. The...

Global renewable energy supply is expected to grow in the next three decades to address the issues related to mitigation of atmospheric carbon emissions. Within this scenario, biomass is a renewable resource that, due to its local availability is expected to play a prominent role. Cultivations specifically aimed to biomass production, such as woody...

This work presents the results of a study on the variation of the chemical composition of Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) heartwood among different sites and its relationship with the soil chemical characteristics. The chemical characteristics of the heartwood are quantified in terms of proximate and ultimate analysis, calorific value and a...

Coppice management is extremely efficient, because it offers the benefits of easy management, prompt regeneration and short waiting time. Efficiency is also achieved during harvesting, because coppice is often clearcut, which allows concentrated harvest and simple felling arrangements. On the other hand, coppice management has some important limita...

Abstract Accurate predictions of net ecosystem productivity (NEPc) of forest ecosystems are essential for climate change decisions and requirements in the context of national forest growth and greenhouse gas inventories. However, drivers and underlying mechanisms determining NEPc (e.g. climate, nutrients) are not entirely understood yet, particula...

In this study an evaluation of the potential economic feasibility of woody poplar short rotation coppices (SRCs) in Southern Portugal was done on a hectare unit area basis. The assessment was based on the financial analysis of an investment on a poplar SRC production system, with a spreadsheet model (POPFINUA) adapted to water and nutrient needs by...

Portugal is a country with a high forest aptitude, inasmuch that about 35% of its territory is allocated to forest stands. Three dominant species covering 72% of forest area are: Eucalyptus globulus (812 thousand ha; 26%), Quercus suber (737 thousand ha; 23%) and Pinus pinaster (714 thousand ha; 23%). Eucalypt and pine high forests are growing main...

This manuscript examines the potential of poplar short rotation coppice cultivation for bioenergy in the Alentejo region, Southern Portugal. The biomass is intended to fulfil, at least, 10% (energy basis) of the fuel needs of two Portuguese coal-fired power plants (Sines and Pego), using co-firing technology. The study considers the overall product...

• Coppice is a silvicultural system commonly used in Portugal for decades. The production of several types of small and medium sized materials, on short cutting cycles (10 to 30 year), such as firewood, poles, charcoal, raw material for basketry and cooperage, among others, is one of the oldest forms of management in semi-natural forests. Different...

The world energy consumption is predicted to grow by 56% between 2010 and 2040. In this period, although fossil fuels will continue to supply 80% of global energy, renewable energy is estimated to increase by 2.5% per year. In order to reduce the increasingly expensive dependency of fossil fuels and mitigate climate change, the European Union has d...

This study aimed to model the cone production weight of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) trees using two approaches: classic linear mixed modelling and Bayesian mixed modelling. The field data were collected in the Setúbal Peninsula, the main production area in Portugal, where 51 plots for monitoring cone production per tree during three production peri...

The inter- and seasonal patterns of water vapor and canopy carbon fluxes were compared for four forest ecosystems in two contrasting climatic zones in Europe. The eddy covariance and ancillary data were taken from the Carboeurope and FLUXNET databases and a linear modeling statistical analysis was made. The four sites were a high-density poplar (Po...

The increase in global average temperature, linked to climate change, at the surface of the globe in the twentieth century was 0.4 to 0.8 °C (IPCC, 2001). Particularly in Mediterranean regions the frequency and severity of droughts, worsened since the 70s due to the increase in atmospheric temperature and decreased precipitation. The drought of 200...

In Portugal, eucalypt (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) stands aimed mainly for pulp production, occupy an area of 739,515ha, corresponding to 23% of total forest area. The main objective of this work was to report the recovery of seasonal pattern of GPP in a eucalypt site in Pegões (Southern Portugal) after a felling carried out in October - November...

This paper summarizes results between 2002 and 2010 from eddy covariance measurements of carbon uptake in the 12 month annual growing period eucalypt site of Espirra in Southern Portugal (38 degrees 38' N, 8 degrees 36' W). This site, aimed for pulp production is part of an intensively 300 ha eucalypt coppice, with about 1100 trees ha. The climate...

Basal ecosystem respiration rate (BR), the ecosystem respiration rate at a given temperature, is a common and important parameter in empirical models for quantifying ecosystem respiration (ER) globally. Numerous studies have indicated that BR varies in space. However, many empirical ER models still use a global constant BR largely due to the lack o...

The Pine Wood Nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and Buhrer) Nickle is the causal agent of the pine wilt disease, and a quarantine organism within the European Union. This pathogenic organism was detected in Portugal in 1999 associated to dead maritime pines (Pinus pinaster), with its vector among trees being the native insect Monoc...

This paper reports on results from eddy covariance measurements of carbon uptake and evapotranspiration in the eucalypt site of Espirra in Southern Portugal (38 degrees 38'N, 8 degrees 36'W). This site was included in the "Carboeurope" European network and is part of a 300 ha eucalypt forest, with about 1100 trees ha(-1), intensively managed as a c...

The main objective of this work was to report the recovery of seasonal pattern of GPP obtained by eddy covariance measurements in a eucalypt (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) site in Pegões (Southern Portugal) after a felling processed in October and November of 2006. This was made in a wider context of a general description of the evolution of carbon...

• Multivariate statistical analysis was used to define different developmental stages for stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) considering tree size and cone production, without site-specific information. • This was achieved in two steps. First, trees from permanent plots were classified using cluster analysis in five different stages. Second, discriminant...

Espirra site (38°38'N,8°36'W) is located in a 300ha Eucalyptus globulus plantation, with a Mediterranean type climate with a mean annual precipitation of 709mm and a mean annual air temperature of 15.9°C. The plantation was established in 1986 with about 1100 trees ha-1. A 33m observation tower was installed in 2002, with an eddy covariance system....

An appraisal was made about the impact of pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, Nickle) attack symptomatology on the mechanical behaviour of wood from Pinus Pinaster Ait. Two sets of 200 wood specimens were obtained for the study of both mechanical and other physical properties. The specimens, about half of which presented symptoms of nema...

Espirra site (38°38'N,8°36'W) is located in a 300ha Eucalyptus globulus plantation, with a Mediterranean type climate with a mean annual precipitation of 709mm and a mean annual air temperature of 15.9°C. The plantation was established in 1986 with about 1100 trees ha-1. A 33m observation tower was installed in 2002, with an ultrasonic Gill anemome...

This work intends to assess the influence of the attack by the pine wood nematode (PWN) on its technological aptitude as wood, through mechanical characterization of specimens, obtained from lots of kiln dried commercial wood, with and without attack symptomatology. The usefulness of this study is due to the economical importance of maritime pine i...

We applied a site evaluation approach combining Lagrangian Stochastic footprint modeling with a quality assessment approach for eddy-covariance data to 25 forested sites of the CarboEurope-IP network. The analysis addresses the spatial representativeness of the flux measurements, instrumental effects on data quality, spatial patterns in the data qu...

We applied a site evaluation approach combining Lagrangian Stochastic footprint modeling with a quality assessment approach for eddy-covariance data to 25 forested sites of the CarboEurope-IP network. The analysis addresses the spatial representativeness of the flux measurements, instrumental effects on data quality, spatial patterns in the data qu...

We applied a site evaluation approach combining Lagrangian Stochastic footprint modelling with a quality assessment approach for eddy-covariance data to 25 forested sites of the CarboEurope-IP network. The analysis addresses the spatial representativeness of the flux measurements, instrumental effects on data quality, spatial patterns in the data q...

Droughts reduce gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Reco), contributing to most of the inter-annual variability in terrestrial carbon sequestration. In seasonally dry climates (Mediterranean), droughts result from reductions in annual rainfall and changes in rain seasonality. We compared carbon fluxes measured by the eddy cova...

Droughts cause reductions in gross primary production (GPP) and also in net ecosystem exchange (NEE), contributing to most of the inter-annual variability in terrestrial carbon sequestration. In seasonally dry climates (Mediterranean) droughts result from reductions in annual rainfall and from changes in rain seasonality. In western Iberia, the hyd...