Transcript Biomass Energy CDAE 006 3.22.02 Coco Joly, Alexandra Bambery, Patrick Murphey, Kacey Campell, Amy McCarthy.

Biomass Energy
CDAE 006
3.22.02
Coco Joly, Alexandra Bambery, Patrick Murphey,
Kacey Campell, Amy McCarthy
Biomass Basics
-Biomass fuels have the
potential of providing 4%25% of the United States
energy needs
-3.6% of United States
Energy Consumption
derived from Biomass
Sources
Three major forms of biomass energy
-Solid Biomass (Wood, Incineration)
-Liquid Fuel (Ethanol, Biodiesel)
-Gaseous Fuel (Landfills, Methane)
Biomass: In Context
US Energy Consumption:
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US Renewable Energy Consumption
30% Petroleum
24% Natural Gas
23% Coal
8% Nuclear
7% Renewable Sources
8% Waste (US Energy
Information Administration)
Municipal solid waste, tall oil, digester
gas, liquid waste tall oil, waste alcohol,
medical waste paper pellets, sludge
waste, tires, agricultural byproducts
sugar and corn stalks, closed loop
biomass, fish oil, straw
- 46% Conventional Hydroelectric
- 38% Wood
-8% Waste
-2% Geothermal
-1% Alcohol Fuel
-1% Solar
-1% Wind
Biomass: Municipal Solid Waste
Management
Biomass Energy: Landfill Methane
- Landfill gas results from the decomposition of cellulose contained in
municipal and industrial solid waste.
Biomass: Landfill Gas
• The efficiency of the process depends on the
waste composition and moisture content of the
landfill, cover material, temperature and other
factors.
• 50% methane, 45% carbon dioxide and 5%
other gases.
• The energy content of landfill gas is 400 to 550
Btu per cubic foot.
• Capturing landfill gas before it escapes to the
atmosphere allows for conversion to useful
energy. A landfill must be at least 40 feet deep
and have at least one million tons of waste in
place for landfill gas collection and power
production to be technically feasible.
Landfill Gas
• Generation from municipal solid waste and
landfill gas is projected to increase by nearly 9
billion kilowatthours, to about 31 billion
kilowatthours (0.5 percent of generation) in
2025. No new waste-burning capacity is
expected to be added in the forecast (US Energy
Information Administration)
Biomass: In Vermont
VT Energy Consumption
Sources
• Nuclear 36%
• System 14%
• Hydro Quebec 35%
• Oil 2%
• Gas 1%
• Other Renewable 5% Since 1984, Vermont has met all
increase in energy demands(a total of
• Small Hydro 7%
125 Mw) by renewable in-state
sources:
EPA Landfill
-40 Mw Small Hydro
Incentive Program
http://www.epa.gov/lmop/ -73 Mw McNeil/Rygate
(Biomass Plants)
-6 Mw Searsburg Wind Farm
McNeil Emissions
Environmental Advantages
• Burning municipal waste decreases the
amount of space needed for landfills
• Using a variety of crops reduces soil loss,
improves water quality, and creates better
habitat for wildlife
• Emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides are
low
Environmental Disadvantages
• Emissions of carbon monoxide and
carcinogenic particulates are higher than
those from oil and gas
• Air quality problems in New England and
Pacific N.W. (reduced visibility)
• Ash produced from biomass burning
contains concentrated amounts of pollutants
creating disposal issues
Economic Advantages
• Reduces dependence on fossil fuels, which
reduces the money spent on importing fuel
• Possible increased job growth in new
energy and environmental technologies
• Boost to rural economies – creates a varied
crop basis and reduces federal subsidies for
farming
Economic Disadvantages
• Large amount of land needed to support
crops. This will decrease the amount of
land available for:
– Raising cattle
– Further development projects
• Transporting costs for areas that cannot
produce crops year round.
Should Food Be Used For Fuel?
Energy and Food Production in
Developing Countries:
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Average dietary intake in the world is ~
2100 kcal/day with 40 g of protein
(primarily from plants such as grains
and legumes)
Use three to four times less energy for
food production per person than the
United States.
Most energy goes into harvesting and
gathering firewood (human power).
Human power is less economical - if all
operations are done by hand, one farmer
can manage about 1 hectare
Energy and Food Production in The
United States:
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In the United States the average diet is ~ 3300
kcal/day with 100 g of protein (primarily from
animal products)
Half of all feed used for livestock could be
used for human consumption: more than 90 %
of U.S corn crops are used to feed cattle. 25
million tons of plant protein per year are fed to
animals to produce 6 million tons of animal
protein.
~ One half of the food energy input goes into
tractors and other machines. Only 1% of
energy is provided by humans and animals.
Modern farms are more economical to run one farmer can manage 100 hectare for grain
production.
Decreasing Fuel and Increasing
Demand For Food
As the world’s population grows, the demand for food, and therefore
the demand for fossil fuel use increases as well.
- An easy way to increase the food supply without dramatically increasing
energy consumption is to reduce the intake of animal protein.
- The United States use about 600 kg of grain products to produce about 115
kg of animal foods per year per person.
- Developing countries use about 180 kg of grain products per year per
person are consumed.
- If the United States did not feed that 600 kg to animals, 83 million more
people in developing countries could be fed at their current consumption
rate.
- If plant products are used directly for food for humans, there will also be
more available for fuel.
Biomass in the News
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March 18, 2004: The Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp. processing factoring in Hawaii
will add a new power plant next year to burn macadamia nut shells as a means to
produce electricity. Plant will cost $12 to $15 million to build and will produce 1.2
megawatts of electricity. This is enough to power the entire nut processing and
packaging plant; will be operating by the end of 2005. (From the Honolulu Advertiser)
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March 8, 2004: The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has given and order
approving a plan to replace a coal-burning boiler with a wood-burning boiler at Public
Service of New Hampshire's Schiller Station in Portsmouth. (From SolarAccess.com)
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February 19, 2004: Biomass research is increasing; the Energy Department will spend
$110 million this year to promote bioproduct research. Plant- based materials could
potentially create less pollution and fewer toxic byproducts than petroleum substitutes.
(From The Kansas City Star)
Biomass Information Sources
• The American Bioenergy Association: www.biomass.org This group advocates
for expanded biomass research, and an expansion in the production of power,
transportation fuels and chemicals from biomass.
• The Department of Energy’s Biomass Program:
www.eere.energy.gov/biomass.html They are “bringing you a prosperous future where
energy is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable.”
• Biomass Energy Research Association: www. bera1.org This is an association
of biofuels researchers, companies and advocates that promote the education and
research on renewable biomass energy and waste-to-energy systems.
• National BioEnergy Industries Association: www.bioenergy.org This is a
technical site with the purpose of “improving the environment and offering the best
engineering solutions in the Biomass sector”, especially in the form of wood burning
boilers.