Analysis of Biomass and Biofuels

as source of energy
Guests on todays show

With your favorite host K. Vaideesh Subbaraj

Vignesh Sridharan Shivendra Upadhyay
M. Vishwanath
 Technology
and
Environmental Impact
of
Biomass & Biofuels
Biomass
Biomass
Plants
Animals (by way of plants)
Plants
Use solar energy to convert water and CO2 to sugars through the
process of photosynthesis
Harvested portions of live plants or remains are sources of
biomass
Animals
Consume plants (or consumers of plants)
Elimination products or remains are sources of biomass
Virtually all of our current energy supply is derived from
biomass (fossil fuels are just well-aged)
 Multiple Feedstocks

trees municipal solid waste

grass sewage sludge
agricultural residues animal manure
energy crops
 U.S. Biodegradable Wastes

Amount Alcohol Potential

Waste (million tonne/year) (billion gal/year)
Municipal Solid Waste 78 10
Sewage Sludge 10.9 1.4
Industrial Biosludge 3 0.4
Recycled Paper Fines 4.3 0.5
Agricultural Residues 400 5
Forestry Residues 330 2
43
Manure 220 28
Total 1,046 135
U.S. Gasoline Consumption = 130 billion gal/year
U.S. Diesel Consumption = 40 billion gal/year
 Biofuels, in Order of Maturity, p1 of 2
FUEL SOURCE BENEFITS STATUS
Grain/Sugar Corn, sorghum, High-octane Commercially
Ethanol sugarcane Widely available sources proven

Biodiesel Vegetable and seed Increased fuel lubricity Commercially

oils; fats and greases Widely available sources proven

Gasoline and Ethanol or biodiesel Relatively straightforward for Commercial trials

diesel blends blended with refineries to process in progress
petroleum fuels Decreased sulfur emissions over
standard fuels
Cellulosic Grasses, wood chips, High-octane DOE program
Ethanol and agricultural Less demand on agricultural targeting 2012
residues lands than grain ethanol demonstration

Butanol Corn, sorghum, Low-volatility BP and DuPont in

wheat, sugarcane High energy-density progress
Water tolerant

Adopted from NREL (2006) http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/pdfs/39436.pdf

Biofuels, in Order of Maturity, p2 of 2
FUEL SOURCE BENEFITS STATUS
Pyrolysis Lignocellulosic Can utilize waste products Several commercial
Liquids biomass Potential source of aromatics facilities produce
and phenols energy and chemicals
Syngas Liquids Various Can utilize waste products Commercially
biomasses Can be integrated with fossil demonstrated a large
fuel sources (e.g., coal) scale using fossil fuels;
High quality fuel biomass projects
underway
Biodiesel or jet Microalgae High yield per acre Demonstrated at pilot
fuel Could be integrated with CO2 scale in 1990s. Many
capture and reuse start-ups currently
underway
Hydrocarbons Biomass Generate synthetic copies of Laboratory-scale
(designer fuels) carbohydrates current petroleum derived research
feedstocks

Adopted from NREL (2006) http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/pdfs/39436.pdf

Technology
Biomass technology today serves many markets
that were developed with fossil fuels and modestly
reduces their use

Uses - Industrial process heat and steam, Electrical

power generation, Transportation fuels (ethanol
and biodiesel) and other products.

Primary focus of the Biomass Program

development of advanced technologies.
Current Focus
Platform technologies

Sugar Platform Technology

Thermochemical Platform Technology

Bio-refinery
A facility that integrates biomass conversion
processes and equipment to produce fuels,
power, and chemicals from biomass.

Analogous to today's petroleum refineries

It is based on the Sugar Platform and the

Thermochemical Platform
Biomass to Liquids (BTL)
via Gasification
Solid or solid/liquid biomass is converted to gas at
high temperatures in the presence of small
amounts of oxygen
Main objective is to transfer the maximum amount
of chemical energy within the feedstock to the
gaseous fraction by producing a high yield of low
molecular weight products (high H:C)
The resulting gas is conditioned to produce
synthesis gas (syngas)
Syngas is then converted to liquid fuel via the
Fischer-Tropsch process
Biomass Energy Systems
Types:

1. Fermentation (corn grain or corn stover ethanol)

2. Gasification (Wide range of feedstocks)

3. Pyrolysis
-Liquefaction (Fast Pyrolysis)
-Thermal Depolymerization (Hydrous Pyrolysis)

4. Biodiesel (Transesterfication)

5. Anaerobic Digestion (Biogas)

6. Others / Combinations (Fermentation of Syngas)

How to Get Liquid Transportation
Fuels from Biomass
Convert sugars and starches to ethanol
fermentation
Convert plant oils to biodiesel
transesterification
Convert anything to liquid pyrolysis
Convert anything to gas (gasification) with
subsequent conversion to liquid aka
biomass to liquids (BTL)
 forest
waste Lignocellulose The Challenge
Fisher-Tropsch
Gasification to syngas (CO + H2)
Jet Fuel
methanol
corn gases
stover Pyrolysis, fast or slow

switch- bio-oil
Diesel
grass
Dissolution

Liquid Phase Processing

Sugar/starch
Gasoline
corn starch
Saccharification lignin burn
grain

sugarcane

sugar
Enzymatic Fermentation Ethanol
Can we achieve sufficiently high yields of targeted
chemical compounds from solubilized biomass fractions to
justify the cost of biomass pretreatment?
Fermentation
Starch-Based Ethanol
Food of Fuel Debate
Oxygenated gasoline
Established process and feedstock supply
Cellulosic Ethanol
SunOpta Bioprocess / Central MN Ethanol
Partnership (Little Falls)
Abengoa (Kansas)
Feedstock supply is perhaps the biggest
challenge
Ethanol (EtOH)
Chemical Composition
CH3CH2OH or (C2H6O) OH
Ethanol is ethanol source independent
Also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol
2 types:
Biologic: conversion of starches to sugar followed by
fermentation of sugar with yeast
Synthetic: acid catalyzed hydration of ethylene
Blending
Currently used as a additive (10% max) to improve
performance (octane) of gasoline
Internal combustion engines must be designed to
accommodate ethanol content >10%
Ethanol Sources
Most common sources are plants with high
sugar or starch content (e.g., corn, beets,
cane, potatoes)
Sources with more complex cellular
structures (e.g., wood, grass, stalks) require
more effort to extract available sugars
(cellulosic ethanol)
Gasification
Handful of commercial systems for ag residues
Several for wood
Fuel flexible Unlike cellulosic ethanol
More manageable feedstock supply
Shorter path to commercialization
Thermal energy district heating and cooling process
heat electrical energy generation transportation fuel
Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company / Frontline Energy
Gasifier and University of Minnesota, Morris system
 Gasification
Potential Gasification Products-

Heat (and Cooling)- Combustion of gas to make steam

Gases- Purify and store the CO and H2
Ethanol, Methanol, Butanol, DME, Fisher Tropsch Gas and Diesel-
Electricity- Using Steam to power a turbine
 UMM Biomass Gasification System
o High natural gas prices have been crippling to Universities and other
public entities
o UMM Biomass Gasification System is a model for small to moderate
scale biomass systems
o Construction began July 2007 and was dedicated October 2008
o Builds on the current UMM district heating and cooling system
across the campus (natural gas) and will provide 80% of thermal
energy needs
o Provides fuel flexibility and choices (corn stover, wood, DDGS,
straw, grass hay, etc)
o Gasification appears to be a clean and moderately priced method to
provide heating and cooling. (~$5 per MM/BTU NG = $50 per ton
biomass)
o Wired for research
UMM Biomass Gasification System
UMM Gasifier
Gasification Technology

Gobar gas Production

Biogas

Synthesis gas
Gasification
A process that uses heat, pressure, and steam to
convert materials directly into a gas composed
primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Gasification technologies rely four key engineering

factors
1. Gasification reactor atmosphere (level of oxygen
or air content).
2. Reactor design.
3. Internal and external heating.
4. Operating temperature.
Gasification
Typical raw materials - coal, petroleum-based
materials, and organic materials.

The feedstock is prepared and fed, in either dry or

slurried form, into a sealed reactor chamber called a
gasifier.

The feedstock is subjected to high heat, pressure, and

either an oxygen-rich or oxygen-starved environment
within the gasifier.
Raw Materials for Gasification
Gasification
Products of gasification :
* Hydrocarbon gases (also called syngas).
* Hydrocarbon liquids (oils).
* Char (carbon black and ash).

Syngas is primarily carbon monoxide and

hydrogen (more than 85 percent by volume)
and smaller quantities of carbon dioxide and
methane
Gasifier Plant
Gasifier Plant
Types of Gasifiers

Updraft Gasifier
Types of Gasifiers

Downdraft Gasifier
Types of Gasifiers

Twin-fire Gasifier
Types of Gasifiers

Crossdraft gas producers

Gobar gas

Gobar gas production is an anaerobic

process

Fermentation is carried out in an air tight,

closed cylindrical concrete tank called a
digester
Anaerobic Digestion - BioGas
Primarily used in engine gensets but also
can be feedstock for other biofuels

Composition:
Methane
Carbon Dioxide
Hydrogen Sulfide
Nitrogen
 Community Biogas System

Feasibility study has been completed:

-Anaerobic Digester $10.59 MM BTU
-Biomass Gasification $10.44 MM BTU
Municipal financing improves economics
Large livestock producers near Morris
Large amounts of crop biomass
Large energy users including the ethanol plant
Inconsistent natural gas prices & supply
WCROC research and demonstration platform
Next step is underway!
Wood
Domestic heating with wood is still by far
the largest market for bio-energy
Dramatic improvements of technology in
domestic heating equipment
Improved tiled stoves, advanced logwood
boilers, woodchip boilers, pellet boilers and
pellet stoves.
Pourable wood-based fuel is also available
Tiled stoves
Pellet Boilers and Stoves
Logwood boiler
Woodchip boilers
Pyrolysis
Heating of biomass in the absense of air
Anhydrous Pyrolysis
Flash pyrolysis Bio-diesel
Hydrous Pyrolysis
Thermal depolmerization -Bio-oil
Vacuum Pyrolysis
Decreases boiling point
UOP, LLC (Des Plaines, Illinois)
Honeywell and Ensyn
Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP)
Converts forest and ag residues to bio-oil for power and heat
Biodiesel
Transesterification of lipids
Triglyceride is converted to methyl ester plus
glycerol
Vegetable Oil, Methanol, and Sodium
Hydroxide
Glycerol is a by-product
B2 mandate in Minnesota
Biodiesel or
FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester)
Chemical composition
Similar to petroleum diesel fuel in structure (straight
chain) and number of carbon atoms (10 to 20)
Differs in that it is oxygenated and has a small number of
double bonds
Fuel characteristics will vary slightly depending upon
source
Blending
Completely miscible with diesel fuel
Used as an additive (5% max) to increase cetane and
improve performance of diesel
Internal combustion engines must be designed to
accommodate fuels with FAME content >5%
Biodiesel Sources
Plant oils
Soybean
Palm
Rice
Cottonseed
Rapeseed (canola)
Waste oils (plant and animal)
Algae recent interest because
High amounts of oil
Minimal competition with food crops and crop land
Can be grown on land with low potential for CO2 sequestration (e.g.
deserts)
Does not necessarily require fresh water
Algae Biodiesel
Algae grow rapidly and can have a high
percentage of lipids, or oils.
Can double their mass several times a day
Produce at least 15 times more oil per acre than
alternatives such as rapeseed, palms, and
soybean
Efforts to screen natural microalgae species to
find the strains that produce the highest yields
and the most oil.
Combine with power plants Algae uses C02
then harvested for bio-diesel production
Bio-diesel

Made by transforming animal fat or vegetable

oil with alcohol .

Fuel is made from rapeseed (canola) oil or

soybean oil or recycled restaurant grease.

Directly substituted for diesel either as neat

fuel or as an oxygenate additive
Modified Waste Vegetable Fat

Designed for general use in most compression

ignition engines .

The production of MWVF can be achieved in a

continuous flow additive process.

It can be modified in various ways to make a

'greener' form of fuel
E-Diesel

Uses additives in order to allow blending of

ethanol with diesel.

Ethanol blends of 7.7% to 15% and up to 5%

Additives that prevent the ethanol and diesel

from separating at very low temperatures or
if water contamination occurs.
 Jatropha

Biodiesel from Jatropha

Seeds of the Jatropha nut is

crushed and oil is extracted

The oil is processed and

refined to form bio-diesel.
HR BioPetroleum
DME (Dimethyl Ether)
Produced by the dehydration of methanol
BioDME European Project to Produce
Dimethyl Ether
Low emissions
Volvo Group
Diesel replacement
CH3 0CH3
Colorless gas
Fischer Tropsch Fuels
Conversion of carbon monoxide and
hydrogen to liquid hydrocarbons using
catalytic reactions (Co, Fe, Ru)
Primarily Gasoline, Diesel, and Wax
WWII
Sasol
Syntroleum and Tyson Foods Bio-diesel
and jet fuel from low grade animal fats
BioAlcohols
Ethanol (10% mandate in MN)
C2 H6 0
Methanol (wood alcohol)
CH3 OH
Butanol
C4 H10 O
Propanol
C3 H7 OH
Advanced Biomass R & D Timeline

Federal Interagency Biomass R and D Board (2008)

Environmental Concerns

Air Pollution

Soil Deterioration
Air Concerns

Biomass processing technologies and biofuels use have the

potential to increase emissions of ozone precursors
o Increase in Nox emissions
Excessive inhalation of ethanol is harmful
Combustion of ethanol would result in increased atmospheric
concentrations of carcinogens
Emission of relatively large sized particulate matter
Soil Concerns

Burning biomass deprives local eco-systems of nutrients

Production of dedicated energy crops renders land fallow
Reduced land availability for cattle grazing
Increased use of pesticides and fertilizers to produce energy
crops contaminate ground and surface water
o Affects fish and wildlife
Environmental Benefits

Reduction of waste
Extremely low emission of greenhouse gases compared to
fossil fuels
Ethanol is Carbon neutral and forms a part of the carbon cycle
Growing variety of crops increases bio-diversity
Socio-Economic Benefits

Helps developing economies by promoting agrarian

communities
Increase in jobs
Increase in trade balance (Indian perspective) due to lesser
dependence on foreign resources
 BIO FUELS

THE WORLD SCENARIO

BRAZIL

World leader in production and export of

ethanol.
Ethanol produced per day equivalent to
200,000 barrels of gasoline.
24% blend ethanol mandatory.
Competitiveness
Bio diesel initiatives underway
U.S.A.

Ethanol : a big boost to economy

E85 sells cheaper than gasoline
Currently production aimed at 4.5 Billion gallons/yr
MTBE phased out in many states
Soya bean main source of biodiesel
E.U.

Rapeseed main source of bio diesel

3-15% blended petrol
France: Bio diesel exempted from domestic tax
Germany: Sales of bio diesel 99 million US gallons
Rise of SVO as domestic fuel
The Significant Others
China: 3rd largest producer of ethanol
producing 220,000 tons of ethanol, exporting
90,000 tons in 2000.
In southeast Asia, the Jatropha tree is used
as a significant fuel source
Malaysia and Indonesia are starting pilot-
scale production from palm oil.
India

Sources of ethanol:
Sugarcane
Molasses
Agricultural waste
Low average cost of Rs.18/litre projected
Annual production capacity of 1.5 Billion
litres
India (Contd.)
Sources of biodiesel:
Honge
Jatropha
High capital, broad scale production plan initiated
Cost per liter projected at Rs. 27
 Bio Mass
Biomass already supplies 14 % of the worlds
primary energy consumption. On average, biomass
produces 38 % of the primary energy in developing
countries.

USA: 4% of total energy from bio mass, around

9000 MW

INDIA is short of 15,000 MW of energy and it costs

about 25,000 crores annually for the government to
import oil.
 Bio Mass from cattle manure, agricultural waste,
forest residue and municipal waste.
Anaerobic digestion of livestock wastes to give bio
gas
Digester consumes roughly one third the power its
capable of producing.
Fertilizers as by product.

Average electricity generation of 5.5kWh per cow

per day!!
Thank You