The paper has chosen it subject as a novel example: thermodynamics of an ecosystem, namely the photosynthesis.
It presents the photon-electron based approach to the photosynthesis from point of view of bioengineering. Reactions of photosynthesis occur in the chloroplast, so it is a solar cell and ‘sugar factory’, while mitochondria are a ‘powerhouse’. Clearly,despite of essentially limitless power flowing from the sun to the earth, plants can store only a small fraction (approx. 2.2 % or less) of that energy, and the fraction sets up an upper limit to the energy available to all other organisms in the ecosystem
Entropy flow and entropy production: calculation of entropy production of photosynthesis.

Twelve 0.6 m woodchip biofilters were used in a laboratory study for the treatment of the mechanically separated liquid fractions of (i) raw pig manure (SR) and (ii) pig manure after anaerobic digestion (SAD). Two loading rates were examined: 5 l/m²/day (LLR) and 10 l/m²/day (HLR). The SR and SAD biofilters operated for 390 and 350 days, respectively. Following a start-up period of 60 days the SR woodchip biofilters removed, at the LLR and HLR, respectively, an average of 59 and 43 % suspended solids (SS), 64 and 47 % unfiltered chemical oxygen demand (COD_uf), and 60 and 44 % ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N). Following a start-up period of 70 days, the SAD biofilters removed, at the LLR and HLR, respectively, an average of 56 and 50 % SS, 59 and 51 % unfiltered total nitrogen (TN_uf) and 90 and 71 % NH₄⁺-N. For both the SR and SAD woodchip biofilters, unfiltered COD, filtered COD and NH₄⁺-N removals were higher at the lower loading rate (P<0.05). More nitrification occurred at the lower loading rate as indicated by the higher nitrate production in both the SR and SAD woodchip biofilters (P<0.05).

This paper performs an environmental analysis of an integrated system that combines gasification technology with a gas turbine (Brayton cycle), steam turbine (Rankine cycle) and copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) thermochemical water splitting cycle for trigeneration of hydrogen, steam and electricity. The paper focuses on the key environmental performance aspects through an integrated process model of an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and thermochemical Cu-Cl cycle, including assessment of CO₂, CO, NO_X, SO₂ emissions and hazardous air pollutant discharge into the atmosphere, release of aqueous effluent that contains hazardous species into water bodies and handling of large quantities of solid ash residues and their potential for leaching toxic substances into the soil and groundwater. Based on the analysis in this study, it is revealed that the proposed trigeneration system is capable of providing sustainable, high-efficiency hybrid energy-hydrogen supply with reduced environmental impact, compared with other commercial technologies.