CHAPTER THREE

3. PROJECT TITLE (CASE STUDY)

Assessing the advantage of using biomass as fuel over furnace oil to produce steam
in boiler

3.1. Short summery of the project

Currently, fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas represent the prime energy sources in the
world. However, it is anticipated that these sources of energy will be depleted from year to year.
Moreover, the expected environmental damages such as the global warming, acid rain and urban
smog due to the production of emissions from these sources have tempted the world to try to
reduce carbon emissions by 80% and shift towards utilizing a variety of renewable energy
resources (RES) which are less environmentally harmful such as solar, wind, biomass . . . etc. in
a sustainable way.

The major source of GHG emissions from a boiler system is carbon dioxide (CO2) from the
combustion of fossil fuels in the boiler. Other minor sources of GHGs can include methane
(CH4) from leaks in the natural gas distribution system and CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) as
byproducts of combustion processes.so using biomass as asource of fuel for boiler deacreases the
emissions of GHGs.

Use of biomass as a fuel is considered to be carbon neutral because plants and trees remove
carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it while they grow. Burning biomass in
homes, industrial processes, energy generation, or for transport activities returns this sequestered
CO2 to the atmosphere. At the same time, new plant or tree growth keeps the atmosphere’s
carbon cycle in balance by recapturing CO2. In contrast to biomass, furnace oil and is not
regarded as carbon neutral because it release CO2 which has been stored for millions of years,
and do not have any storage or sequestration capacity.

The benefits of biomass use as a source of fuel, besides energy security & independence of the
industries, include several environmental benefits, mainly interms of GHG reduction. It would
reduce the equivalent furnace oil import bill of the government & there by improve the balance
of payment position. As the debate on food versus fuel intensifies, biomass can provide added
income to farmers without compromising the production of main food and even non-food crops.
Biomass is a renewable resource that causes problems when not used

Biomass mostly consists of agricultural farm residues (e.g. paddy straw, sugar cane trash etc),
agro-industrial residues (e.g. paddy husk, coffee husk etc), forests & social forests residues.

There are a variety of biomass residues available around the world. The most important of these
are crop residues but there are significant quantities of forestry residues and livestock residues as
well, which can also be used for energy production.
Wood in the form of saw dust is the best option because the amount of sawdust available is much
higher today as a result of the homebuilding and other construction is increased.

3.2. INTRODUCTION

3.2.1. WHAT IS BIOMASS

Biomass is a term used to describe all organic matter produced by photosynthesis, existing on the
earth’s surface. They include all water- and land-based vegetation and trees, and all waste
biomass such as municipal solid waste (MSW), municipal bio solids (sewage), and animal
wastes (manures), forestry and agricultural residues, and certain types of industrial wastes. The
world's energy markets have relied heavily on the fossil fuels. Biomass is the only other naturally
occurring energy-containing carbon resource that is large enough in quantity to be used as a
substitute for fossil fuels.

Combusting biomass fuels (such as wood, straw or energy crops to produce heat or hot water and
to raise steam for space or process heating applications) is currently recognized as being one of
the most cost effective ways of using biomass for energy conversion purposes, in terms of the
cost per ton of carbon emissions avoided.

Biomass is a renewable resource that has a steady and abundant supply, especially those biomass
resources that are by-products of agricultural activity. Biomass is available in many areas
throughout the world and can be cultivated or produced domestically-locally or regionally. In
contrast, furnace oil is located in limited areas throughout the world and it is a depleting
resource. The use of biomass for energy reduces dependency on the consumption oil; hence,
contributing to energy security and climate change mitigation.

Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is renewable in the sense that only a short period of time is needed to
replace what is used as an energy resource. Biomass also is the only renewable energy source
that releases carbon dioxide in use. However the release is compensated by the fact that the
biomass grown uses the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to store energy during
photosynthesis. If the biomass resource is being used sustainably, there are no net carbon
emissions over the time frame of a cycle of biomass production.
Table.1. life cycle of co2 emissions comparison

3.2.2 Why is biomass a renewable and low carbon source of fuel?

The sun is the primary source of energy contained within all biomass fuels – its energy is
captured and stored via the process of photosynthesis. This energy can be released and used (e.g.
by combustion). When this occurs, CO2 and other by-products of combustion are also released.
However, the CO2 released is largely offset by that which was absorbed in the original growth of
the biomass, or which will be captured in the growth of new biomass to replace the biomass
being used(as illustrated in Figure 1).

Consequently biomass is considered to be a low carbon technology if the material is derived

from sustainable sources In contrast, when fossil fuels are combusted, they release CO2 that was
captured by photosynthesis millions of years ago, and it is the release of this ‘fossil’ CO2, as
opposed to contemporary ‘biogenic’ CO2, that is the major contributor to global climate change.

Fig.1. typical biomass carbon cycle

3.3. Problem statement

The growing increase of the international oil price alerted the Ethiopia government to consider
shifting to use biomass as fuel. Using biomass as fuel is option for those countries that import
petroleum products.

Desta alcohol and liquors factory on average spends 2.6 million birr annually on importing
furnace oil. Making use of biomass as fuel in the production of steam is the most important issue,
it reduces dependency on the consumption of fossil fuel; hence, contributing to energy security
and climate change mitigation, mainly in terms of GHG reduction. Not only this but also due to
the global intense pressure towards green environmental technology, both academic and
industrial researchers are putting more efforts to promote the use of biomass.

3.4 Objectives of the project

3.4.1 General objective

The main objective of this project is to assess the advantage of using biomass as fuel over
furnace oil to produce steam in ethanol production.

3.4.2 Specific objective

 To describe environmentally sound technologies for converting biomass into energy

 To identify the use of biomass
 To describe sources of biomass

3.6. Literature review

Biomass is one of the earliest sources of energy especially in rural areas where it is often the
only accessible and affordable source of energy. Biomass is made up of carbohydrates. Biomass
is a renewable energy source with very specific properties. Moreover, biomass is a versatile fuel
that can produce biogas, liquid fuels and electricity. Sometimes biomass is classified as
combustible materials that can be used as an energy source. Biomass is a renewable energy
source because its supplies are not limited. We can always grow tress and crops, and waste will
always exist.

The energy contained in biomass originally comes from the sun. Through photosynthesis carbon
dioxide in the air is transformed into other carbon containing molecules (e.g. sugars . . . etc.) in
plants. These sugars are called carbohydrates and stored in plants and animals or in their waste
are called bio-energy.
Biomass is the main source of energy for many developing countries and most of it is
noncommercial

Fig.1. Source of energy in biomass

3.6.1. Biomass as a boiler fuel

3.6.1.1. Characteristics of common industrial fuels

A comparison of industrial fuels must examine the following characteristics of each fuel:

 cost per BTU as a raw material

 availability in any kind of weather and any international political climate;
 complexity of the on-site equipment need to transport and burn the fuel;
 problems associated with the storage of the fuel;
 emissions caused by combustion; and
 Historical success of the technology for boilers using this fuel.

3.6.1.2. Non-conventional fuels

Companies are continually searching for fuels less expensive than coal, fuel oil, and gas. Natural
sources such as manufacturing and agricultural waste are inexpensive. Waste materials currently
being used as fuels include pulp mill liquor, sawdust, food processing waste, municipal garbage,
coal wash water coffee grounds, cardboard, hog fuel (wet bark from plywood operations), and
bagasse (sugar cane after the liquid has been extracted). Using industrial wastes as fuels can
simplify the disposal process as well as providing an inexpensive source of heat.

3.6.2. Why use a biomass heating system?

Using biomass is one of the only cost effective and practical ways to provide space heating, hot
water and process heating/steam from a low carbon source.

While organizations may choose to implement a biomass heating system for a number of
different reasons, the major drivers are as follows:

1) Significant carbon savings. Biomass heating systems can play a major role in reducing
an organization’s carbon footprint. Many organizations now have commitments or
requirements to reduce their overall emissions and improve their environmental
performance – implementing a biomass heating system could help to do this.
2) Operational cost savings. The costs of biomass fuels are typically lower than the fossil
fuel being displaced and biomass heating systems can therefore provide attractive
operational cost savings. The scale of savings depends on the price of the fossil fuel being
replaced and the cost of the biomass fuel used. On a unit cost-basis, biomass fuels can be
cheaper than many fossil fuels commonly used for heating.
3) Wider sustainable development benefits. Fuels used typically with biomass heating
systems tend to have diverse and localized fuel supply chains. Using biomass fuels for
heating can have positive side-benefits along this supply chain such as improving the
biodiversity of existing woodlands9 and providing opportunities for rural employment
and economic diversification.
4) Resources diverted from landfill. Using certain biomass resources as fuels can divert
them from becoming wastes and being sent to landfill. Some organizations produce co-
products such as wood off-cuts, sawdust and tree-surgery residues (arboricultural
raisings) that can be used as a biomass fuel. Disposing of such wastes normally has a
 considerable associated cost and using wastes as fuels can therefore also bring significant
financial benefits.

3.6.3. Sources of biomass fuels

The two main sources of biomass are the purpose-grown energy crops and wastes. Energy crops
include woody crops and agricultural crops. Wastes include wood residues, forestry residues;
temperate crop wastes, tropical crop wastes, sewage, municipal solid wastes and animal wastes.

There is a wide range of original sources of biomass fuels which can be broadly defined in terms
of ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ sources. Under these two broad headings, the sources can be grouped into five
categories:

1. Virgin wood; Dry – includes round wood, harvesting residues (brash), bark, sawdust,
crowns, and residues of tree surgery.
2. Energy crops; Dry – includes woody energy crops (short rotation forestry, willow,
eucalyptus, poplar), grassy energy crops (miscanthus and hemp); sugar crops (sugar
beet); starch crops (wheat, barley, maize/corn); oil crops (rape, linseed, sunflower); and
even hydroponics (lake weed, kelp, algae).
3. Agricultural residues; Wet – includes pig and cattle slurry, sheep manure, grass silage. ;
Dry – includes poultry litter, wheat or barley straw, corn stover.
4. Food residues; Wet – includes wastes from various processes in the distillery, dairy,
meat, fish, oils, fruit and vegetables sectors.
5. Industrial residues; Wet – includes sewage sludge. Dry includes residues from sawmills,
construction, furniture manufacturing, chipboard industries, pallets.

The typical sources of fuel for such biomass plant are: virgin wood, woody and grassy energy
crops, certain agricultural residues, products such as wheat or barley straw and in some
circumstances pressed oil cakes and certain industrial wood residues