Biomass Energy ?

What is biomass?

All organic matter is

known as biomass, and
the energy released
from biomass when it
is eaten, burnt or
converted into fuels is
called biomass energy.
 Why use biomass?

Fossil fuels are finite

Biomass is renewable
Global warming reduction

What is biomass?
Wood, …
 Advantages of biomass:
 Can be stored
 Provides rural income & employment
 Potentially cleaner than coal for most pollutants
 Can be irrigated and fertilized with sewage water
 Can be cultivated in such a way as to improve
the landscape and remediate soils
 Can make use of animal wastes and agricultural
residues while providing an effective fertilizer
byproduct
Disadvantages of biomass energy

 Land intensive (efficiency of photosynthesis is

~ 1%, with further losses when biomass is
converted to secondary forms of energy)
 Can compete with land for food
 Complex to initiate and manage
 Must be tailored to the biophysical and socio-
economic circumstances of each region
Why is biomass?

 Biomass provides a clean,

renewable energy source.
Biomass energy generates
far less air emissions than
fossil fuels.

 Unlike combustion of fossil

fuels,, carbon dioxide
released by biomass is
balanced by carbon dioxide
captured in the recent
growth of the biomass, so
there is far less net impact
on greenhouse gas levels.
 Where does biomass come from

Biomass is obtained from any

plant, human or animal
derived organic matter.
 Wood from trees, agricultural
crops, wood factory waste,
and the construction industry
 Burnt wood from forest fires

 Animals and animal

droppings
 Biomass Resources
 Energy Crops
 Woody crops
 Agricultural crops
 Waste Products
 Wood residues
 Temperate crop wastes
 Tropical crop wastes
 Animal wastes
 Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
 Commercial and industrial wastes 8
http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/bio_resources.html
 Corn

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http://www.geo.msu.edu/geo333/corn.html
 Soybeans

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http://agproducts.unl.edu/
 Sorghum

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http://www.okfarmbureau.org/press_pass/galleries/grainSorghum/
 Sugar Cane Bagasse

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http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/photos.html
 Switchgrass

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http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/photos.html
 Hybrid Poplar

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http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/photos.html
 Corn Stover

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 Wood Chips & Sawdust

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http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/photos.html http://www.energytrust.org/RR/bio/
 Tracy Biomass Plant

Truck unloading wood chips that will fuel

the Tracy Biomass Plant, Tracy, California. 17
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/biomass/biomass.html
 Municipal Solid Waste

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http://www.eeingeorgia.org/eic/images/landfill.jpg
How was biomass used in the past?

 Biomass was the first fuel

mankind learned to use for
energy. Burning wood for
warmth and cooking and
keeping wild animals away
 Some of the earliest power
plants in America were fueled
by wood material
 Many cultures used animal
dung to burn, and some are still
doing this today
Global Energy Sources

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Renewable Energy Use

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Bioenergy Technologies

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Processes of extracting energy
from biomass
 Direct combustion
 Thermo-chemical gasification (heat to 800ºC under
pressure)
 Pyrolysis (heat to 300-500ºC in near absence of air)
 Anaerobic digestion
 Fermentation of non-woody biomass
 Hydrolysis & fermentation of woody biomass
 Transesterification of vegetable oils
 Gasification and catalytic production of Fischer-Tropsch
liquids
 Gasification to produce hydrogen
Conversion of Biomass Waste into
Useable Fuel

 Gasification: Exposing a solid fuel to high

temperatures and limited oxygen
produces biogas.
 Pyrolysis: Heating the biomass can
produce pyrolysis oil and phenol oil
leaving charcoal.
 Digestion: Bacteria, in an oxygen-starved
environment can produce methane.
 Fermentation: Bio-material that is used to
manufacture Ethanol and Bio-diesel by an
anaerobic biological process in which
sugars are converted to alcohol by the
action of micro-organisms, usually yeast.
 Solid Fuel Combustion: Direct
combustion of solid matter.
 Direct combustion
 Cooking with firewood in developing countries,
typical cook-stove efficiency is 10-20%, 30%
with improved stoves (vs. 45-60% with gaseous
fuels)
 Pellet heating, central Europe in particular
 District heating in Sweden, Atlantic Canada
 Issues include ash content (which is related to
the non-combustible silica in the biomass,
which can be high) and K and Ca in the fuel,
which can cause agglomeration in boilers
Solid Fuel Combustion
Direct combustion of solid matter
where the biomass is fed into a furnace Wood
where it is burned. The heat is used to
boil water and the energy in the steam
is used to turn turbines and generators.

Animal Dung

Peat is an accumulation of partially

decayed vegetable matter. Peat forms in
wetlands, bogs, moors,mires and fens
 Biomass Direct Combustion

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 Heat Energy Content

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Boyle, Renewable Energy, Oxford University Press (2004)
 MSW Power Plant

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Boyle, Renewable Energy, Oxford University Press (2004)
 Composition of MSW

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Boyle, Renewable Energy, Oxford University Press (2004)
 Integrated Waste Plant

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Boyle, Renewable Energy, Oxford University Press (2004)
Gasification
Biogas is produced by exposing
biomass to high temperatures
and limited oxygen.
Biogas energy can serve as a
feedstock for electricity
generation or a building block
for chemicals.
 Thermo-chemical gasification
 Step one: Heat biomass to a temperature of 300-500°C in the
near absence of air to drive off the easily vaporized or volatile
materials - a process called pyrolysis
 Step two: heat the remaining residue (char) to 850-900°C in the
presence of steam
 Step one produces a mixture of CO, H2, CH4, and CO2 (the first 3
of which have energy value)
 The gases contain about 2/3 of the energy content of the fuel,
which is lost if they are not captured (as is the case in the
production of charcoal). If captured, the gases can be used for
heating, cooking, generation of electricity, or for cogeneration of
useful heat and electricity.
 Conversely, the gases can be shifted to consist almost entirely of
H2, or can be used to synthesize methanol, dimethyl ether, or
Fischer-Tropsch liquids (all of which are potential transportation
fuels)
 There were no large-scale commercial thermo-chemical
gasification- of-biomass facilities anywhere as of early 2006
 Gasification
 Biomass heated with no oxygen
 Gasifies to mixture of CO and H2
 Called “Syngas” for synthetic gas
 Mixes easily with oxygen
 Burned in turbines to generate electricity
 Like natural gas
 Can easily be converted to other fuels,
chemicals, and valuable materials
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 Gasification
What is gasification? Clean
Producer Gas

Partial oxidation
Fluidized
Bed
Bed additives Gasifier
(Catalyst)
Biomass

Air/O2/Steam

Project approach to biomass gasification

Applications of biomass gasification?

Energy, Fuels, Chemicals
 Biomass Gasifier
 200 tons of wood
chips daily
 Forest thinnings;
wood pallets
 Converted to gas at
~1850 ºF
 Combined cycle gas
turbine
McNeil Generating Station
 8MW power output biomass gasifier – 8MW

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http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/photos.html
 Pyrolysis
Heat is used to chemically convert
biomass to bio-oil.

 Pyrolysis Oil, is easier to store and

transport than solid biomass
material and can be burned like
petroleum to generate electricity.
 Phenol Oil, a chemical used to
make wood adhesives, molded
plastics and foam insulation. Wood
adhesives are used to glue together
plywood and other composite wood
products.
 Pyrolysis
 Heat bio-material under pressure
 500-1300 ºC (900-2400 ºF)
 50-150 atmospheres
 Carefully controlled air supply
 Up to 75% of biomass converted to liquid
 Tested for use in engines, turbines, boilers

 Currently experimental

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http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pyrolysis.html
 Pyrolysis Schmatic

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http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pyrolysis.html
 Pyrolysis
Heating in the absence of air.
Pyrolysis of biomass generates three different energy
products in different quantities: coke, gas and oils.
Conversion of solid fuels into combustible gas mixture
(CO + H2 + CH4)
TYPES
 Fluidized-bed fast pyrolysis

 Microwave-assisted pyrolysis

 Slow pyrolysis

 Intermediate pyrolysis
 Pyrolysis: Advantages
It can achieve significantly higher electrical efficiencies (22 % to
37 %) compared to biomass combustion technologies with steam
generation and standard turbine technology (15 % to 18 %).
The improved electrical efficiency of the energy conversion via
pyrolysis naturally means that the potential reduction in CO2 is
greater than with combustion. The formation of NOx compounds
can also be greatly reduced and the removal of pollutants is
generally in most cases.
For power plants with integrated biomass gasification in the range
3 to 20 MW electricity, fluidized bed gasification of biomass under
atmospheric pressure, coupled with gas turbines using the Cheng
cycle or gas and steam turbines appear to be the most promising
technology at present in technical and economic terms. For
combined heat and power stations with capacities up to about 2
MW electricity, gas use in gas-fired engines is, at the moment,
more attractive than gas turbines.
 Digestion
Decomposition of organic matter by anaerobic bacteria in an
oxygen-starved environment.

Anaerobic digesters compost (or “digest”)

organic waste in a machine that limits
access to oxygen encouraging the
generation of methane and carbon
dioxide by microbes in the waste. This
digester gas is then burned as fuel to
make electricity.
 Anaerobic Digestion
 Decompose biomass with
microorganisms
 Closed tanks known as anaerobic digesters
 Produces methane (natural gas) and CO2
 Methane-rich biogas can be used as fuel
or as a base chemical for biobased
products.
 Used in animal feedlots, and elsewhere

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http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/other_platforms.html
 What is a Biogas Plant
 Basically Methane & CO2 Gas Producer.
 Methane – Odorless, Colorless, Good Calorific
Value, Green House Gas
 Sources : Animal Manures, excreta, kitchen
waste, Industrial Chemical Processes, Sea
Water Bed, etc.
 Animal Manure & Excreta contributes around 16
% of the total global methane emission.
Schematic of a typical Biogas
Plant
Anaerobic Digestion: Biogas Production process

MAIN STEPS
 Collection and (pre)treatment
 Producing a slurry with balanced composition (e.g.
water-content, total organic solids. C/N ratio)
 Feeding of reactor with constant rate
 Keeping fermenter at nearly constant temperature of
about 33o Centigrade
 Mixing of substrate during fermentation
 Gas collection, purification, utilization (heat and
electricity)
 Collection and utilization of fermented slurry e.g as high
value organic fertilizerer
 Applications
Power Generation Thermal Applications

o Irrigation Pumping o Hot Air Generators

o Village Electrification o Dryers

o Captive Power (Industries) o Boilers
o Grid-fed Power from Energy o Thermic Fluid Heaters
Plantations on Wastelands o Ovens
o Simultaneous Charcoal and o Furnaces & Kilns
Power Production
 Biological gasification
(anaerobic digestion)
 Occurs in sanitary landfills (in which waste
including organic matter alternates with clay
layers, creating anaerobic conditions and
temporarily trapping any methane produced
from anaerobic decomposition)
 The methane is extracted with perforated pipes
 The efficiency (heating value of extracted
methane over heating value of the organic
waste is only ~ 20%)
 Can be done with greater efficiency (50-55%) in
dedicated digesters
 Fermentation
Unlike other renewable energy sources,
biomass can be converted directly into liquid
fuels— bio-fuels— for our transportation
needs (cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, and
trains).

 The two most common types of bio-fuels are

ethanol and bio-diesel.

 Ethanol is an alcohol, created by fermenting

biomass high in carbohydrates. It is used as a
fuel additive to cut down carbon monoxide and
other emissions.

 Bio-diesel is made by combining alcohol with

vegetable oil, animal fat or other recycled
cooking grease and is also an additive to
reduce emissions. When pure, bio-diesel is a
renewable alternative fuel for diesel engines.
 Carbon Rich Platform
 Natural plant oils such as soybean, corn, palm,
and canola oils
 In wide use today for food and chemical applications
 Transesterification of vegetable oil or animal fat
produces fatty acid methyl ester
 Commonly known as biodiesel.
 Biodiesel an important commercial air-emission
reducing additive / substitute for diesel fuel
 could be platform chemical for biorefineries.

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http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/other_platforms.html
 BioFuels
 Ethanol
 Created by fermentation of starches/sugars
 Active research on cellulosic fermentation
 Biodiesel
 Organic oils combined with alcohols
 Creates ethyl or methyl esters
 SynGas Biofuels
 Syngas (H2 & CO) converted to methanol, or
liquid fuel similar to diesel

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http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/bio_fuels.html
 Biodiesel Bus

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http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/photos.html
 Economic Issues
 Sustainable Development
 Move toward sustainable energy production
 Energy Security
 Reduce dependence on imported oil
 Rural Economic Growth
 Provide new crops/markets for rural business
 Land Use
 Better balance of land use
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http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/bio_integrated.html
 Environmental Issues
 Air Quality
 Reduce NOx and SO2 emissions
 Global Climate Change
 Low/no net increase in CO2
 Soil Conservation
 Soil erosion control, nutrient retention, carbon
sequestration, and stabilization of riverbanks.
 Water Conservation
 Better retention of water in watersheds
 Biodiversity and Habitat
 Positive and negative changes 54
http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/bio_integrated.html
 Heat and CO2 Content

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 Net Life Cycle Emissions

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Boyle, Renewable Energy, Oxford University Press (2004)