Bioenergy Engineering
Tentative Contents:
• Module 1: Introduction to Bioenergy
• Module 2: Biomass Materials and Sources
• Module 3: Characterization and Chemical Composition
• Module 4: Conversion Pathways
• Module 5: Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts
• Module 6: Bioenergy Supply Chain and Entrepreneurship
RECOMMENDED SOURCES
Module 2: Biomass Materials and Sources
What items can we consider under,
Biomass resources
Widely used Bioenergy items
Wood
Coconut husks
Palm Oil Biodiesel
Soybean Biodiesel
Algae Biodiesel
Sugar Cane Ethanol
Corn Ethanol
Cellulosic Ethanol
Manure
Waste Paper [Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
Forms of Bioenergy
Source: [Link]
Types of Biomass/Bioenergy
Source: [Link]
Types of Biomass
Source: Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels and Waste to Energy
2nd Edition, Edited by Anju Dahiya, Academic Press
Sources of Biomass
Source: Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels and Waste to Energy
2nd Edition, Edited by Anju Dahiya, Academic Press
Multiple sources of biomass
Source: IEA ETP 2017
9 [Link]
Sustainable biomass potentials
Potential 2060
Bioenergy Resource Conditions for Sustainability (EJ)
Municipal wastes Taking account of the waste management hierarchy, which 10-15
favours waste prevention and minimisation and recycling and
evolution of waste management systems in economies as
they develop.
Agricultural wastes and Respecting the need to reserve some of the available 46-95
residues and processing resource for animal feed and to leave sufficient residues in
the field for soil protection, and consistent with other uses
residues from wood and agro-
industry
Wood harvesting residues and Used within the context of a sustainable forestry plan which 15-30
by-products takes carbon aspects fully into account, along with measures
to maintain other forest characteristics including biodiversity
Agriculture Produced on land in ways which do not threaten food 60-100
availability and whose use leads to low land use change
emissions, and subject to a positive assessment on other
sustainability indicators such as biodiversity and water
availability and quality.
Crop or forestry production on degraded and derelict land
linked to attempts to afforest, reforest or otherwise improve
the quality of these areas.
Source: IEA Bio energy Roadmap, 2017
1 EJ = 24 Million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe)
10 [Link]
Type of Energy
Types:
BIOFUELS AND BIOENERGY
A Techno-Economic Approach
Edited by
BASKAR GURUNATHAN
RENGANATHAN SAHADEVAN
Bioenergy Source and Products
Source: BIOFUELS AND BIOENERGY
A Techno-Economic Approach,
Publisher: Elsevier; Edited by
BASKAR GURUNATHAN
RENGANATHAN SAHADEVAN
Bioenergy Products
Source: BIOFUELS AND BIOENERGY
A Techno-Economic Approach,
Publisher: Elsevier; Edited by
BASKAR GURUNATHAN
RENGANATHAN SAHADEVAN
Biomass as energy source
• Globally the official figures for the use of biomass as an energy resource is
approximately 13% of all primary energy used.
• This is according to the World Bank figures.
• If we go back 30 years, the official figure was almost 0%.
• The reason for the difference is that in 1980 only material that was traded was
registered and accounted for.
• Bioenergy was very important in many countries although not being traded the
new calculation was made.
• The figure of 13% has principally been maintained for 20 years, although the
total energy usage has increased a lot, around 30–40%.
• The real production of biomass still is significantly larger as a lot of it is just
decomposing in the fields or in the forests.
• Some estimates gives a biomass production around 300,000–600,000 TWh/y,
which is 2–4 times the total energy utilization today.
Source:
Source:
Source:
• Generally we get same amount of biomass from waste from the
food crops as we get grains used for food.
• As we increase the yield for these crops, we simultaneously also
increase the production of hydrocarbons that can be used for
energy purpose.
Source:
CROPS USED PRIMARILY FOR FOOD:
Rice
• The global production of rice was 678 million tonnes 2009.
• In China, with a total production of 197 million tonnes in 2009 the average yield
was 6.6tonne/ha/y.
• China is the biggest producer also one of the countries with highest average yield.
• India comes as number two with 131 million tonnes 2009, but with only 45% of
the production per ha compared to China.
• Indonesia has productivity in between China and India and produced 64 million
tonnes in the same year.
• Other major producers of rice are Bangladesh producing 45, Vietnam 39, Thailand
and Myanmar both 31, Philippines 16, Brazil 13, Japan11 and Pakistan 10
million tonnes in 2007.
• Rice straw gives approximately the same amount of biomass as grain. If we could
reach 8 tonnes/ha per y of grain, 8 tonnes/ha per y of straw would also be
produced (NationMaster, 2012)
CROPS USED PRIMARILY FOR FOOD:
Wheat
• The world production of wheat is 690 million tonnes per year.
• The biggest producer is China with 112–114.5 million tonnes produced 2008 and
114.5 million tonnes 2009.
• India with 79 million tonnes in 2008 and 80.6 million tonnes in 2009 is number
two from a production perspective,
• USA third with 68 million tonne/y 2008 (59.4 million tonnes 2009) and
• Russia number four with 64 million tonne/y 2008 (56.5 million tonnes 2009).
• Production varies from one year to the other. Wheat is considered to be the most
important crop from a food perspective globally.
• The straw production will be around 700 million tonnes/y, corresponding to
approximately 3500TWh/y if used as a fuel. Straw is generally not used very
efficiently from an energy point of view, and here we have a huge potential.
• Of the top ten wheat producers in 2008, next after the four mentioned above are
France with 39, Canada with 29, Germany and Ukraine both with 26, Australia and
Pakistan both with 21 million tonnes produced in 2008.
CROPS USED PRIMARILY FOR FOOD:
Corn and cassava
• Cassava is the third largest carbohydrate source for humans with 136 million
tonnes 1985.
• More than 1/3 is grown in Africa, where it is very important as food crop.
• It is good as feedstock to ethanol production as well.
• Corn or maize is also one of the major crops from a food production perspective.
• The total annual production was 817 million tonnes globally grown on 159 million
ha in 2009.
• The major producer of corn is the US with a production of 333 million tonnes/year
(2009).
• Number two comes China with 163 million tonnes/year. Brazil produces 51 and
Mexico 20 million tonnes per year. Thereafter we have Indonesia with 17.6, India
with 17.3, France with 15.3, Argentina with 13.1, South Africa with 12 and Ukraine
with 10.5 million tonne produced in 2009.
• The biomass is approximately the same amount as the grains.
CROPS USED PRIMARILY FOR FOOD:
Soyabean
• Soybean is a very popular crop for production of very good protein.
• The beans contain 40% with a very good distribution between amino acids
making it good as a replacement for animal protein.
• In 2009 the world production was 222 million tonne (FAO statistical database
2009).
• If we would distribute to all the population in the world it would be 13 kg per
capita or almost 100 g protein per day. This could replace all animal and fish
protein we eat today.
• Still, only a little more than 10% is used as direct human food
([Link]/soy_facts.htm, 2010).
• The rest is used to feed 18.6 billion chicken and hen, 1.4 billion cows and bulls
and 940 million pigs worldwide annually.
CROPS USED PRIMARILY FOR FOOD:
Sugar cane
• Sugar cane is an important crop for production of sugar, but also for ethanol in
countries such as Brazil.
• Sugarcane is the world’s largest crop in 2010 with respect to production, about
23.8 million hectares were cultivated with sugar cane in more than 90 countries,
with a worldwide harvest of 1.69 billion tonnes.
• Brazil was the largest producer of sugar cane in the world. The next five major
producers, in decreasing amounts of production, were India, China, Thailand,
Pakistan and Mexico.
• The world demand for sugar is the primary driver of sugarcane agriculture.
• Cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced; most of the rest is produced from
sugar beets.
CROPS USED PRIMARILY FOR FOOD:
Oil crops
ENERGYCROPS:
Switch grass
• Switch grass (Fig. 1.3) is seen as a potential important energy crop.
• Yield has been 5.2-11.1 tonnes/ha/y in test fields in the US.
• The net energy yield (NEY) has been 60GJ/ha/y.
• Switch grass has been used as a feedstock for bio-ethanol production and then
has gained 5–40 times more renewable energy as ethanol than fossil energy
consumed for the production. This means a reduction of green- house gases
(GHG) by 94% compared to gasoline when used as a fuel.
• It can also be pelletized or bricquetized as seen in Figure 1.2.
Harvest of Grassland Biomass
Source: Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels and Waste to Energy
2nd Edition, Edited by Anju Dahiya, Academic Press
Biomass feedstocks
Source: Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels and Waste to Energy
2nd Edition, Edited by Anju Dahiya, Academic Press
ENERGY CROPS
ENERGY CROPS
ENERGY CROPS
Quorn
• A plant started in Billingham, and is still producing the fungus and actually also
expanding from the 17,000 tonne produced in 2011. This product is called Quorn.
• The feedstock is primarily starch. To the starch solution nitrogen, phosphate, trace
elements and air is added. A draw back in the production is that large amounts of
RNA is produced, but by heat treatment at 70◦C the content is reduced to level
accepted to use the product as fodder for animals and food for humans as this
meat replacement. Unfortunately, 30% of the product is lost during this treatment.
• Significant advantages with a production like this are that protein fodder with a
quality like meat can be produced but without having to breed animals.
• CO2 emissions are in the same range as for chicken meat, which is significantly
below the levels for beef and pig meat (Snaprud, 2012).
• The growth rate of the fungus is compared to breeding cows with production of
50 adult cows in only one day!
ANIMALIAN BIOMASS
• When we think of biomass, we normally think of crops.
• Cow, pig, sheep and hen are the most common, but at least 1400 types of insects
are also used as food, especially in tropical countries in Africa, Asia and South
America (Nyström, 2012).
• To produce 1 kg of beef 10 kg fodder is needed, while 10 kg fodder may produce
9 kg of insects.
• In Thailand, grasshoppers are common as food. In Cambodia tarantel spider are
fried and eaten.
• In China, many different types are eaten as seen in Figure 1.4.
• At the Wageningen University in Holland, a study over greenhouse gas emissions
from cows versus insects was done recently. It concluded that the greenhouse gas
emission is much less, because insects are cold blooded and thus do not waste
energy on heating, which also avoids production of methane and other
greenhouse gases.
ANIMALIAN BIOMASS
ANIMALIAN BIOMASS
ALGAE
• Algae are a resource that is not used so much directly, but indirectly as food for
many animals, which are later eaten by humans.
• These are primarily micro-algae and macro-algae.
• Micro-algae like green algae produce large amounts of fatty acids and fatty oil,
which from a human perspective is interesting as a bio-fuel.
• Macro-algae are among others brown algae like kelp, which can grow by 0.5
meter per day under favorable conditions, and exist in large quantities in many
regions.
• One example is along the Californian coast. Another example is at the Faeroe
Islands, where it is estimated to grow some 15TWh of kelp.
• The growth rate of micro-algae measured as number of divisions per day can be
seen for a number of species in Table 1.10.
ALGAE
Algae cultivation systems
Source: Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels and Waste to Energy
2nd Edition, Edited by Anju Dahiya, Academic Press
ALGAE
REGIONAL OVERVIEWS
EU27 – an overall energy balance
• Bioenergy for EU27 (EU with 27 member countries) around 8500TWh/y, which can
be compared to the 16,000TWh/y primary energy used today
• With reasonable improvements, the production should at least be possible to
reach 12,500TWh/y of biomass in the EU region.
• By implementing energy efficiency improvements in transportation, buildings and
industry it should be possible to reduce the need for primary energy to around
12,500TWh/y.
• Together with hydro power, solar power and wind power the balance between
available renewable resources and consumption should then be possible to reach
without the need for fossil fuels.
REGIONAL OVERVIEWS
USA
• The forestland area is 304,022,000 ha. If we assume an average of 3 tonne/ha/per y
or 16 MWh/ha, we should produce some 4900TWh/y from this as well. A total
production then would be approximately 37,350TWh/y in the US.
• If we assume 30% of the US forestland area is planted with this itwould mean
304,022,000 ha×0.3×5.4 MWh/tonne×11 tonne/ha/y=5420TWh/y and a total of
5420+4900×0.7=8850TWh/y.
• If we compare this to the total use of energy in the US, this is 4160TWh/y electricity
and 2,172,107 ktonne of oil equivalents/y or with 10 MWh/tonne o.e. 21,720TWh/y
totally (from which fossil fuels 84% today). These figures show that the available
biomass resources should be enough to cover all energy needs if used efficiently.
• US government has stated that by 2030 bio-fuel will have replaced 30% of fossil
fuels.
• The conditions in Canada are even better than in the US, while Mexico has more
limitations for biomass production due to drier climate.
REGIONAL OVERVIEWS
Brazil
Ethanol production is 0.25 US$/liter compared to 0.4–0.7 $/liter for fossil gasoline in
Brazil (Brito Cruz, 2008).
World
• agriculture including straw 187,000TWh/y;
• forests 65,000TWh/y;
• arable 19,000TWh/y.
• In total this adds up to 270,000TWh/y as higher heating value of all the biomass
produced on land.
• This can be compared to the total energy use of approximately 150,000TWh/y
globally.