Biomass Energy

Biomass Conversion
Technologies
Four Basic Types
• Physical method

• Incineration

• Thermochemical method

• Biochemical Method
Physical Method
• Compression of combustible materials

1. Pelletization

2. Briquetting

3. Expelling Agro products

4. Fuel Extraction
1. Pelletization

• Waste wood pulverization, drying,

pressurization

• Formation of pellets
• 5 to 10-mm dia and 12-mm long

• Reduces moisture

• Increases heat value

Biomass pellets
2. Briquetting

• Woody matter (agricultural waste and

saw dust)

• Efficient than burning firewood

• Moisture content (4% to 65%)

• Breaking down of elasticity of wood

• Sawdust briquettes:

• Solid and with holes

Oak briquettes
3. Expelling agro products
• Vegetable oils obtained

• Transesterification

• Examples:

• Seeds: sunflower, rapeseeds,

soyabeans
• Nuts: Oil palm, coconut copra, jojoba
nuts
Cold oil press
• Fruits: olive

• Leaves: Eucalyptus
4. Fuel Extraction

• Occasionally, milky latex is obtained from freshly cut plants.

• The material is called exudates and is obtained by cutting

(tapping) the stems or trunks of the living plants (a

technique similar to that, used in rubber production).

• Some plants are not amenable to tapping and in such cases

the whole plant is crushed to obtain the product.

• For example, Euphorbia lathyris plant is crushed to extract

Plant resin
hydrocarbons of less molecular weight than rubber.
Incineration

• Incineration means direct combustion of biomass

for immediate useful heat.

• The heat (usually in the form of steam) produced

are either used to generate electricity or provide the
heat for industrial process, space heating, cooking
or district heating.

• Furnaces and boilers have been developed for large

scale burning of various types of biomass such as
wood, waste wood, black liquid from pulp industry,
food industry waste, and MSW.
Thermochemical methods
• Pyrolysis
• Absence/limited oxygen supply

• All forms of organic matter including rubber &

plastics

• High temperature pyrolysis (~1000`C)

• Gasification (H2, CO2, CO, CH4 & N2)

• Low temp pyrolysis (up to 600`C)

• Carbonization (charcoal)

• Liquification (Catalytic) (Acetone, Methanol,

Acetic Acid)
Biochemical Methods
• Action of microbial organism

1. Ethanol Fermentation
• Sugars into ethanol
• Action of enzymes

2. Anaerobic Fermentation
• Decaying wet biomass into biogas
• Action of anaerobic bacteria
Energy available from various biomass
resources
Urban Waste to Energy
Conversion
MSW Incineration Plant
• Municipal solid waste is the solid waste generated by households, commercial and institutional
operations and some industries.
• Disposal of MSW is a major problem in big cities where large quantities of waste is to be disposed of,
far away from the city centers.
• The emerging solution is to use this waste biomass as an energy resource in a waste-to-energy
conversion plant near city center.
• The energy thus generated is used within city itself and only a relatively small residue of used biomass
(ash etc.) is disposed away in landfills.
• Through incineration or gasification, electrical energy may be generated along with thermal energy for
process heat.
• The energy content of domestic refuse differs significantly from area to area. Generally it lies in range
4.2 to 14 MJ/kg.
A typical composition of urban waste in
USA
MSW to energy incineration plant
MSW to energy incineration plant

• A block diagram of MSW-to-energy incineration plant showing the sequence of various steps is shown
in the Figure

• The dry biomass is shredded to pieces of about 2.5 cm diameter.

• An air stream segregates refuse derived fuel (RDF), which is lighter from heavier metal and glass pieces.

• The heavier part is reclaimed and recycled. About 30 per cent of US waste stream is recycled.

• The RDF thus obtained is burnt in the furnace at about 1000 °C to produce steam in the boiler.

• Combustion process may be assisted by required amount of auxiliary fuel when RDF does not burn
properly by itself.
MSW to energy incineration plant

• The superheated steam obtained from boiler is used in a steam turbine coupled with an
alternator to produce electrical output in the same way as in a conventional thermal plant.

• The flue gases are discharged to atmosphere through stack after removal of pollutants such as
particulate matter, SOx and NOx, etc. Heat recovery steam generator extracts maximum possible
heat from flue gases to form thermal output. The ash is removed and disposed of to landfills

• Strong concerns exist about the pollutants emitted during combustion.

• Because of various materials contained in the waste stream, pollutants in the flue gases include
derivatives of sulphur, chlorine, fluorine, nitrogen, chlorinated hydrocarbons and heavy metals.
MSW to energy incineration plant

• One particular important group of pollutants, polychlorinated dibenzo-p dioxins (PCDD) and the
dibenzofurans (PCDF) are possibly among the most acutely carcinogenic compounds known so far.

• It has been proven to cause cancer in animals and is linked with a variety of other health
problems, including genetic defects.

• PCDD/PCDF are formed either in the combustion chamber or after combustion when the gases
cool in the exhaust stack.

• Disagreement continues over establishing safe levels of dioxins emission from any incinerator. It
has been discovered at various levels at every incinerator tested so far.
MSW to energy incineration plant

• The residual ash, which has high metal concentration, is also of concern.

• The ash is usually disposed of in landfills; the leachate (garbage juice; liquid that results when
water percolates through the landfill) must be well contained to prevent groundwater
contamination.

Table: Typical metal concentrations in fly ash and bottom ash of an incinerator
Sewage to energy conversion
• Sewage produced by human settlements also has
some energy potential.

• It can also be anaerobically digested (after some

processing) to produce methane in the same way
as with animal manure.

• The gas produced can be used to heat the

digester.

• Though the gas production is not much and may Waste water treatment plant
not be sufficient for heating, but it can reduce the
conventional fuel requirement.