Year: 2022

https://www.cas.cn/cm/202212/t20221215_4858125.shtml Camel thorn is a deep-rooted desert plant that grows in arid and semi-arid areas, and is highly effective in preventing wind and fixing sand. In order to master its adaptability to survive in harsh environments and expand artificial cultivation, researchers at Cele station cultivated it in giant “pots” of nearly 2 meters high through seed planting. Cele Desert Ecological Experiment Station was established nearly 40 years ago and created a comprehensive protection system of dry zone quicksand management, so that the quicksand front back 6-8 kilometers, basically lifting the threat of quicksand to the county, so that the wind and sand front 38 natural villages of agricultural production is effectively protected. On this basis, the researchers further enriched and improved the sand control system of the desert front into a comprehensive protection system of the desert-oasis transition zone, and established a three-dimensional agricultural system of “grain, cotton, fruit, mulberry and grass” in the transition zone. In nearly 10,000 mu of experimental demonstration area, wheat yields increased by 65% and cotton yields increased by 48.4%. Photos: Excavation of camel thorn root system (left) and root system reaching deep into the groundwater (right) (Photo credit: Xinjiang Institute of Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) https://www.cas.cn/zt/kjzt/ywtz/tzyl/201301/t20130109_3748506.html

http://en.people.cn/n3/2022/1210/c90000-10182409.html The digital twin system of the Shule River is a national pilot project launched by China’s Ministry of Water Resources in February this year. The project has created a virtual version of the Shule River in the digital world, which simulates all factors of the physical river and the whole process of water management based on the physical river basin, spatial-temporal data, mathematical models and water conservancy knowledge. The Shule River is a typical inland river in the arid region of northwest China. The Shule River irrigation district is the largest surface irrigation area in Gansu province, which covers 89,333 hectares of farmland. It includes 698 monitoring sites of end-canal metering, 106 sets of controlling and surveying gates and 28 radar monitors for water level measurement. The platform is able to track real-time water information from the source of the reservoir to end-canals.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2022/1202/c94476-10179337.html Both Beijing and Shanghai announced plans to have each over 10,000 hydrogen-driven FCVs in their urban fleets by 2025. Tianjin, Guangdong and Hebei are expected to follow quickly. Beijing plans for 37 hydrogen gas stations by 2023 and 74 by 2025. For an initial phase, grey or blue hydrogen will be provided, to be substituted by green hydrogen as production facilities grow and economics improve. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, production of hydrogen FCVs reached 2700 and sales 2400 from January to October, 2022. According to a Chinese research company, “”Hydrogen fuel cells have advantages such as high energy density, fast hydrogen filling speed, and environmental friendliness, but compared to the lithium battery industry, the industry chain is still in the early development stage and constrained by factors such as the cost of producing FC stacks and the number of hydrogen stations. However, as the industry grows in size and technology advances, hydrogen fuel cells are expected to have a greater future than lithium batteries, and will enter the commercial sector on a large scale in the not-too-distant future” Photo by Geng Shunyu