FOR425H/410H/1294H

Bioenergy and Biorefinery Technology

Sally Krigstin
Faculty of Forestry
sally.krigstin@utoronto.ca

International Year of Forests - 2011

As declared by The United Nations General
Assembly
to raise awareness of sustainable forest
management, conservation and sustainable
development of all types of forests.
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Housekeeping...
1. Course Information
Syllabus
Evaluation for Undergraduate FOR425/410
Evaluation for FOR1294
Field trip
Assignments/student presentations
Graduate students extra assignment
Exam
Open Book
Graduate students extra question/problems on exam
2. Introductions

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Helpful resources
1. Energy conversion factors:
http://www.forestencyclopedia.net/p/p2/p1138/p1188
Klass, Donald L. 1998. Biomass for renewable energy, fuels, and
chemicals. (Electronic resource) Appendix A. Available in U of T
electronic library .
2. Biomass feedstocks
http://www.ornl.gov/ornlhome/energy.shtml - Bioenergy
feedstock information network
3. Bioenergy conversion processes
Biorefineries [electronic resource]: for biomass upgrading facilities. A.
Dembirbas (2009) Springer. Available as Electronic book in
University of Toronto Library.
Biomass for renewable energy, fuels, and chemicals[electronic
resource]. D.L. Klass, Donald (1998).
Renewable Energy Systems [electronic resource edited by Martin
Kaltschmitt, Nickolas J. Themelis, Lucien Y. Bronicki, Lennart Sder,
Luis A. Vega. New York, NY : Springer New York : Imprint: Springer,
3
2013
Helpful resources
4. International Energy Agency (IEA) www.ieabioenergy.com
Vision: to achieve a substantial bioenergy contribution to
future global energy demands by accelerating production and
use of environmentally sound, socially acceptable and
cost-competitive bioenergy on a sustainable basis, thus
providing increased security of supply whilst reducing green
house gas emissions from energy use.

Task 33 Thermal Gasification of Biomass

Task 34 - Pyrolysis of Biomass
Task 39 Commercializing liquid biofuels from biomass
Task 38 Greenhouse gas balances of biomass and bioenergy systems
Task 40 International bioenergy trade
Task 42 Biorefineries
Task 43 Biomass feedstocks for energy markets
http://www.ieabionergytask43.org
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 Course Objectives
1. To provide information on advances and approaches to obtaining
energy and value-added materials, from the forest resource and other
renewable (sustainable) biomass resources.

2. Familiarize students with terminology and methodologies for

evaluating Biorefinery and/or Bioenergy opportunities and resolving
energy/material based problems based on 3 pillars of
sustainability (economics, environmental, social).

Context: Sustainable development:

is development that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own
needs. (Brundtland Commission,
1983

Technical
Introduction to Bioenergy/Biorefinery
Exploring Concepts and
Terminology
Learning Objectives:
-Renewable/sustainable Energy
-Bioenergy
-Forms of Bioenergy
-Biomass
-Biorefinery
-Energy resource trends

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Renewability
What is definition of a non-renewable energy
resource?
an economic resource that can not be replaced once it is
used up.
Examples?
Coal, crude Oil, natural gas, uranium.
What is the definition of a renewable energy resource?
A type of natural resource that can be replenished or
takes a rather short period of time for nature to produce
in order to sustain the rate of consumption.
Examples?
corn or wheat based bioethanol
biodiesel from palm oil
biodiesel from waste oil
heat/power generated from forest harvest residues 8
Sustainability
What is definition of a sustainable energy
resource?
1. Balances three sustainability pillars
Example: Oil Palm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BRGj0DwYwA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzXAIb6xQSk
Questions: Why is oil palm production not sustainable?
What are solutions to make its production sustainable?

2. Other things to think about .. if the energy required to

produce a certain biofuel is more than the energy required
to generate the biomass, the biofuel will not be a sustainable
energy resource
EG. Energy to Produce bioethanol from corn grain is 25 MJ/l.
The energy content of 1 liter of bioethanol is 21.2 MJ/l

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 Terms Energy Resources
1. Primary Energy Resource:
Is one that occurs naturally!
can be used directly or converted to usable energy. (only extracted or captured or
separated, to make energy available)
1. Renewable: an energy resource that does not deplete resource or resource is replenished in
a reasonable timeframe. (normally domestic, clean and inexhaustible)
1. Solar radiation
2. Wind
3. Hydropower
4. Geothermal
5. Tidal/Wave power
6. Biomass
2. Non-renewable: an energy resource that is not replaced or replaced very slowly by natural
processes (not available in our lifetime)
1. Fossil Fuel (Coal, bitumen, petroleum/oil, natural gas, tar sands)R/P oil 54 yr, NG 64 yr,
coal 112yr)
2. Uranium

2. Secondary Energy Resources:

created from a primary energy resource
Energy form that is created through transformation technology (cleaner, easier to
transport), some loss of energy.
1. Electricity (can be made from renewable or non-renewable)
2. Heat 10

3. Refined fuels
Primary energy converts to secondary energy
resources

Efficiency =
output energy/input energy 11

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/londongroup/meeting13/LG13_12a.pdf
Renewable Energy Drivers
1. Limited fossil fuel resources supply
Increasing cost??
2. Growing global energy demand
Population growth
Higher standard of living
Industrialization of developing countries
3. Global climate change
maximum of 20C raise in temperature by 2050
There is medium confidence that approximately 20 to 30% of plant
and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased
risk of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed
1.5 to 2.5C [over 1980-1999 levels [IPCC]

4. North American/European energy security

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 Test your global energy knowledge.....
-Reserves:Production Proven reserves in Billion
ratio barrels (2015)
Total world: 1,652.6 BB 1.Venezuela 298
R/P 54.2 yrs R/P >100 yrs
2.Saudia Arabia 268
Who do you think are R/P 65 yrs
the top five counties? 3.Canada 171
R/P >100 yrs
1991 40 Million barrels
4.Iran 158
R/P 96 yrs
5.Iraq 144 13
http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-s-largest-
oil-reserves-by-country.html 1. R/P >100 yrs
R/P Ratio by region
Where is the Oil? and who is Producing IT?
US has only 4% of global proven reserves
Who are top producers of Oil?

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BP statistical Review of World Energy 2012

R/P historical trend by region
Middle East has
seen increase in
reserves but has
increased
production, hence
decrease in R/P
North American
and S & Central
America both have
increased R/P

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BP statistical Review of World Energy 2012

 2. Growing global energy demand

Before industrial revolution

Biomass accounts for wood accounted for 70% of
only 7%
global energy demand.

By 1940s fossil fuel use

exponential growth
Biomass meets
majority of energy Total consumption saw
demand (almost 100%) exponential rise
87% of global energy (2011)
demand now met by non-
renewable fossil fuels (Coal
(30%), Oil (33%)and NG (24%),
Nuclear (5%), hydro (6%)
renewables (1.5%))

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Klass
Energy and standard of living (per capita)

Developing
Nations

2050 9
billion

Estimated Daily Consumption of Energy per Capita at Different Historical Points

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Adapted from: E. Cook, "The Flow of Energy in an Industrial Society" Scientific
American, 1971 p. 135.
3. Global Warming Trend
Raise in global temperature is believed to be highly
correlated to anthropogenic effects of using
hydrocarbons.
Dates align with Global energy consumption trends
390 ppm CO2

315 ppm CO2

285 ppm CO2

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http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html
4. North America & European Energy Security
Crude oil prices 1861-2015
US dollars per barrel, world events

BP Statistical Review of World Energy

2016
BP p.l.c. 2016
Trade flow of Oil (millions tonnes) 2015

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BP statistical Review of World Energy 2016

Summary...Renewable Energy Drivers
1. Limited fossil fuel resources supply
Increasing cost
2. Growing global energy demand
Population growth
Higher standard of living
Industrialization of developing countries
3. Global climate change
maximum of 20C raise in temperature by 2050
There is medium confidence that approximately 20 to 30% of plant
and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased
risk of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed
1.5 to 2.5C [over 1980-1999 levels [IPCC]

4. North American/European energy security

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The Renewable/Sustainable alternative!
A Bioeconomy (bio-based economy)
An economy that relies on biological processes and
use natural inputs, expend minimum amounts of
energy and do not produce waste, as all materials
discarded by one process are inputs for another
process and are reused in the ecosystem
Goals Include:
1. reduction of CO2 emissions through use of renewable
natural resource and land-use efficiency
2. new business opportunities for biomass valuation through
bio-industries
3. food security practices that avoid competition between
food and non-food uses of biomass.
4. innovation leading to rural and regional development!
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 Opportunity for Bioeconomy?
Other factors which influence receptor capacity
of bioeconomy.
Proximity to related industries for uptake of
substitution
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
$160 160
Value of Production ($ billion)

Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing

Feedstock (million acres)

$140 C hemical Manufacturing 140

$120 Petroleum and C oal Products Manufacturing 120

Productive Forest Area
$100 100
C ropland and Pasture Area
$80 80

$60 60

$40 40
$20 20

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Terms Bioenergy
Definition of Bioenergy:
Energy derived from biomass resources
A type of renewable energy produced from organic
matter.
Conversion of solar energy that is captured in plant materials to
produce heat, power or fuel.
This includes i)biopower, ii)biofuels used for transportation, and
iii) space heat/industrial heat
Examples:
1. Firewood direct combustion
2. Bioethanol liquid fuel
3. Co-generation
production of electricity & heat (CHP)

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Forms of Bioenergy
Bioenergy is unique among renewable energy
1. Solid fuels
Firewood, pellets, forest / agricultural waste
2. Liquid fuels
Bio-alcohol - uses hydrolysis and fermentation
(carbohydrates) or thermal processing. Iogen
Biodiesel - uses refining of oil (lipids,triglycerides, eg seeds/
algae) Biox corp. and thermal conversion
Bio-oil, Pyrolysis oil uses thermal degradation
Dynamotive, Ensyn, Haliburton Forest
3. Gas Fuels
Biogas- uses anaerobic digestion (60% CH4 & 40% CO2)
New Forest
Methane, synthetic NG [ syngas, SNG] uses thermal
degradation (gasification) and catalytic conversion technologies
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Nexterra
Term - Biorefinery

can be a
facility
a process
a plant
or a
cluster of
facilities

de Jong, 2015 31
Term - Biorefinery
Objectives:
1. To extract all the added value from the biomass
feedstock, leaving little or no waste
2. Have a number of co-product revenue streams
3. Use bioenergy for GHG saving by replacement of
fossil-based energy.

Sustainability Aspect must consider

competition for food and biomass resources
impact on water use and quality
changes in land-use
soil carbon stock balance and fertility
net GHG balance
biodiversity
toxicological risks
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energy efficiency
Classification systems of Biorefineries
1. Platforms
eg. C-5 or C-6 sugars, biogas
2. Products
eg. bioethanol, syngas, polylactic acid
3. Feedstocks
eg. switch grass, short rotation hardwood plantations,
baggase
4. Conversion Processes
biochemical (fermentation), thermochemical
(pyrolysis), chemical (acid hydrolysis), mechanical
(fractionation, pressing).
5. Generation
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1st,2nd,3rd
Housekeeping
Assignment Country Assignment
Group sign-up in class next week
No tutorial next week
Read World Energy Outlook 2016 Executive Summary
http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/en/corporate/pdf/bp-energy-outlook-2016.pdf

Browse the BP Statistical Review of World Energy June

2016.
http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/energy-
economics/statistical-review-2016/bp-statistical-review-
of-world-energy-2016-full-report.pdf

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First day on the job!

http://www.history.com/shows/ax-men/videos/playlists/season-3-
exclusives#ax-men-felling-a-tree
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd4uB0U_qBw