NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
Biomass, Biofuels, and Sustainability
International Symposiumon Renewable Energy andSustainabilityCIE-UNAM,Temixco, Morelos, Mexico
Helena ChumNREL Research Fellowhttp://www.nrel.gov/research_fellows/chum.html
August 10, 2010
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Overview
• Biomass – The System and Context
• Biomass Technologies and Systems – EconomicDevelopment, Energy Security, Climate Change Mitigation…
• Heat, Power, and Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
• Multiple Fuels
• Integrated Biorefineries
• Feedstocks
• Bioenergy systems sustainability• Life cycle Assessment (LCA) and other tools
• Need to analyze the integrated biomass system impact compared toone with less/no bioenergy/biofuels/bioproducts – use models:Agriculture, forestry, biomass for energy, fuels, and waste/residuemanagement systems and their combined impacts -- some analyzedthrough market-mediated tools. Evolving social analysis tools
2
• Small and large scale examples•Tools highlighted
Earlydays
Innovation for Our Energy Future3
Terr
estr
ial
Aq
uati
c
Chum and Overend, 25 years reviewAdvances in Solar Energy, 2003
Bioenergy is a Part of Complex System
4
After Dornburg et al., 2008, http://de.scientificcommons.org/repository/wageningen_university_and_researchcenter_publications
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Thermal
Combustion Gasification Pyrolysis
Heat Fuel Gases (producergas) (CO + H2+CH4 +
tars)
Char, gases,oil
No OxygenPartial OxygenExcess Oxygen
• Heat/power/CHP
• Boiler, steam turbine
• Co-fire with coal
• Burn gas for hot water/steam(comm.)• Use in IC engine for CHP (pre-comm.)• Catalytic or biocatalyticconversion to alcohols, chemicals,synthetic diesel, gasoline, and jetfuels (dev.)
Biomass Energy Technology Pathways
•Pyrolysis oil for boilers and power (earlycomm.); char for soil amendment/fertilizer(dev.)• Specialty chemicals (comm.)• Further upgrading to transportation fuels inpetroleum refineries (dev.)
•Biomass chips , comm.•Densified biomass as pellets/briquettes, comm. Intl. trade up• Torrefied wood - higher heat content/not hygroscopic (dev.)
Comm. = commercialDev. = developmentIntl. = international
Comm.Efficiency varies
Stoves, improved stoves (dev),small and large systems
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Biopower Summary
• 2006 Capacity – 10.5 GWe
– 5 GW Pulp and Paper
– 2 GW Dedicated Biomass
– 3 GW MSW and Landfill Gas
– 0.5 GW Cofiring
• Cost – $0.06 – $0.20 USD/kWh
• Requires tax credits to compete inwholesale markets
– Half the credit that wind gets
• High capacity factor, baseload
• Requires significant water if using steam
• CO2 neutral?
• CA PUC ruling determined biopower is carbon negative (would be given credits in capand trade system)
• MA state is requiring near term impacts thus favoring low carbon debt systems
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Biomass Power – Priority Issues for US Electric Utilities
•Supply• Long term security, multiple supply
chains
• Energy crops
• Competition for feedstock for liquidfuels
•Power Generation• Impact on emissions control
• Costs of technology
• Ash utilization
• Torrefied wood tests
• Increase co-firing percentage
•Life cycle analysis• Biomass-to-power carbon footprint
• Land and water use implications
• Environmental implications of broaddeployment of biomass power
National Renewable Energy LaboratoryInnovation for Our Energy Future
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Areas of Short Term Research Interest
•Supply chain hardening
• Fuel upgrading may expandsupply distance (torrefaction,pelletizing, drying, pyrolysis oils)
•Repowering older coal units
• Develop information ontechnology/fuel selections
• Barriers and advantages ofvarious options
•Cofiring in existing coal units
• Long term impacts: catalystdegradation, corrosion, slagging,fouling, environmental control
• Testing for co-firing torrefiedwood
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Efficient biomass gasifiers exploitthe unique characteristics of biomass
Characteristic
Fibrous material
High reactivity
– High volatiles content
– High char reactivity
Raw syngas composition
– Tars
– Sulfur
– Alkali, ammonia, others
Scale of Operation
Implications
Feeding systems:
– Particle size limitations, pressurizedoperation more difficult
Gasifier design
– Allows gasification alternativeswithout pure oxygen
Gas cleanup
– More tar, water soluble (dry ashgasifiers)
– Low sulfur (except BL)
– Must be considered
Limits economies of scale
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Examples from past DOE/NREL Small Modular Biopower Systems and Large Systems
Innovation for Our Energy Future
12
Small and medium size combined heat and power is a good opportunityfor biomass
Credit: Community Power Corp
Credit: Carbona Corp
15-100 kWe
5 MWe + District HeatSkive, Denmark
Innovation for Our Energy Future
BiomassSilo
Char/AshLoad-Out
GasifierBuilding
Gas ProductPipe Line
Phase-1 (shown): 75 TPD input (12.5 MWth)Phase-2 (future): 300 TPD input (50 MWth)
www.frontlinebioenergy.com, 515-292-1200, Ames, IAUSA
FlareTest
Boiler
Gasifier
• Bubbling Fluid Bed: air or oxy/steam
• Pressure Operation: up to 5 bar
• Gas Conditioning: high efficiency filtration; tarreforming development
• Capacity: up to 70 MWth per train
Frontline Bioenergy, LLC, Ames, Iowa
Commercial Installation in Benson, MN, Chippewa ValleyEthanol Co.
Innovation for Our Energy FutureNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryInnovation for Our Energy Future
Biomass Resource Assessment
•Previous biomass resource assessment efforts werestatic
•State and county totals, maps as pictures
•No analysis capabilities for public
Innovation for Our Energy FutureNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryInnovation for Our Energy Future
Innovation for Our Energy FutureNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryInnovation for Our Energy Future
Innovation for Our Energy FutureNational Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future
Biopower Assessment Tool
•BioPower is a web 2.0 mapping application that allows usersto explore the potential of biomass-to-power conversions atdifferent locations and scales
•Initial screening tool to identify and evaluate sites for potentialbioenergy development opportunities
Does not take the place of an on-the-ground detailedassessment and analysis
http://rpm.nrel.gov/biopower/biopower/launch
Sponsors EPA – power and DOE – fuels (ongoing)
Innovation for Our Energy FutureNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryInnovation for Our Energy Future
Technical Overview
•The Biopower tool has been developed on NREL's OpenSource Mapping platform
– This provides a flexible and dynamic environment thatallows for custom application development
– Each map layer is cached on an NREL server -resulting in a faster experience
– The more usage the tool sees, the faster it will become
– The shared mapping platform allows for multipleprojects to collaborate, share data, and contribute toeach mapping application
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Biomass Data Layers (2007 Data)
Crop residues (county level)
Livestock manure (county, USDA)
Wastewater treatment plants (points, county, EPA)
Landfills (points, EPA)
Forest residues (county, USFS)
Primary and secondary mill residues (county, NAICS code)
Urban wood waste (county, based on population)
Full methodology documented in:
A Geographic Perspective on the Current Biomass Resource
Availability in the United States, A. Milbrandt, 2005.
NationalRenewable
Energy
Laboratory
Innovation forOur
Energy
Future
Innovation for Our Energy FutureNational Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future
Other Layers
Power plants
Sawmill locations
Electric and natural gas rates (county level)
Biomass facility locations– Biomass power, ethanol, landfill gas to energy, manure to energy
Fossil fuel power plants
Wind, solar resource layers
Alternative fuels filling stations
EPA Brownfields sites
Transportation networks
Innovation for Our Energy Future
DOE/NREL – Assistance Greensburg, KS
28
• Detailed analysis of the biomass resource base in the region,including quantity, physical and chemical propertiesavailability, cost and collection potential.
• Assessment of demand for thermal energy in the region, andopportunities for biomass to be utilized to meet some of thatdemand.
• Overview of the pellet manufacturing process, includingequipment needs, capital costs and manufacturing costs.
• Overview of briquette and bripell manufacturing technologiesand costs
• Discussion of end-use conversion technologies
• Conclusions and recommendations for next steps
Large tornado that destroyed over 90% of the buildings and infrastructure of the townMay 2007
Assessment of Biomass PelletizationOptions for Greensburg, KansasTechnical Report, 2010NREL Report No.TP-7A2-48073http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/48073.pdfReference has list ofmanufacturers in variousareas
Scott Haase, [email protected]
Biomass Program• Make cellulosic ethanol cost competitive, at a modeled cost for maturetechnology of $1.76/gallon by 2017
• Help create an environment conducive to maximizing production and use ofbiofuels- 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels per year by 2022 (EISA)
FeedstocksBiofuels
InfrastructureIntegrated
BiorefineriesConversion
Develop and transform our renewable and abundant, non-food, biomass resources intosustainable, cost-competitive, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts and biopower.
Focus on targeted research, development, and demonstration
• Through public and private partnerships
• Deploy in integrated biorefineries
Biomass Program Mission and Objectives
Sustainability & Analysis
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Renewable FuelStandard (RFS) inthe EnergyIndependenceand Security Act(EISA) of 2007
EPAct2005
Production Targets (Billions of Gallons)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
2012
2012
2015
2022
Ethanol & Biodiesel Conventional (Starch) Biofuel BiodieselCellulosic Biofuel Other Advanced Biofuels
EISA defines Advanced Biofuel as “renewable fuel, other than ethanol derived from corn starch,that has lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions…that are at least 50 percent less than baselinelifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.”
Ethanol & Biodiesel Conventional (Starch) Biofuel Biodiesel
Cellulosic Biofuels Other Advanced Biofuels
Advanced Biofuels(include cellulosic biofuels otherthan starch-based ethanol)
EISA Mandated Production Targets
15 BGY [57 billion liters/yr] capon conventional (starch) biofuel
EISA defines Cellulosic Biofuel as “renewable fuel derived from any cellulose, hemicellulose, orlignin that is derived from renewable biomass and that has lifecycle greenhouse gasemissions…that are at least 60 percent less than baseline lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.”
2010 EPA biofuels proportions:8.25% renewable fuel0.61% advanced biofuel1.10% biomass-based diesel0.004% cellulosic biofuel
USDA Data: 5-fold increase since 1940Can industry reach these yields?
80 new hybrids in 2010William D. Provine, DuPont BioFuels, “Achieving Successin the Biofuels Industry,” presented atF.O. Lichts Conference on Developing & CommercialisingNext Generation Biofuels, London, England, February10th, 2010
See, for instance, Kucharik, Christopher J., NavinRamankutty, 2005: Trends and Variability in U.S. CornYields Over the Twentieth Century. Earth Interact., 9,1-29
Key Stakeholder RelationshipsRegional Biomass Energy Feedstock Partnership Bioenergy Crop Trials
In 2008, the Biomass Program, Sun Grant Initiative universities, and USDA selected, andin some cases established the first round of replicated field trials of corn stover removaland dedicated herbaceous energy crops.
This map showsthe selectedlocations andtypes of crops.
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Biomass Conversion(or Fractionation)
Approaches
– Mechanical
• e.g., milling, comminution, decompression
– Thermal• e.g., hot water, steam, heat
– Chemical
• e.g., acids, alkalis, solvents
– Biological
• e.g., cellulases, hemicellulases, ligninases
!Most processing schemes employ a
combination of methods
38
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Major DOE Biofuels Project Locations
BlueFire Ethanol(Mecca, CA)
Poet(Emmetsburg, IA)
Lignol(Grand Junction, CO)
Abengoa(Hugoton, KS)
Office of Science Bioenergy CentersDOE Great Lakes, Madison, WIDOE Joint Bioenergy Institute, Berkeley,CADOE Bioenergy Science Center, Oak
Ridge, TN
NewPage(Wisconsin Rapids, WI)
Range Fuels(Soperton, GA)
DSM Innovation Center(Parsippany, NJ)
Novozymes(Davis, CA)
Genencor(Palo Alto, CA)
Verenium Corp (2)(San Diego, CA)
Dupont(Wilmington, DE)
Mascoma(Lebanon, NH)
Purdue University (2)(West Lafayette, IN)
Cargill Inc(Minneapolis, MN)
Regional PartnershipsSouth Dakota State Univ., Brookings, SDCornell University, Ithaca, NYUniv. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TNOklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OKOregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR
Eight Small-Scale Biorefinery Projects
Four Commercial-Scale Biorefinery Projects
Four Improved Enzyme Projects
Five Projects for Fermentation Organisms
Five Thermochemical Syngas Projects
DOE Joint Solicitation Biomass Projects
Five Thermochemical Bio-Oil Projects
Six University Conversion Projects
Ceres, Inc(Thousand Oaks, CA)
University of Minnesota(Minneapolis, MN)
Cornell University(Ithaca, NY)
GE Global Research(Niskayuna, NY)
RSE Pulp &Chemical, LLC(Old Town, ME)
AlltechEnvirofine(WashingtonCounty, KY)
Mascoma(Kinross, MI)
Emery Energy(Salt Lake City, UT)
Iowa State (3) University(Ames, IA)
Southern ResearchInstitute
(Birmingham, AL)
Research Triangle Institute (2)(Research Triangle Park, NC)
Gas Technology Institute(Des Plaines, IL)
Flambeau River(Park Falls, WI)
Pacific Ethanol(Boardman, OR)
Verenium Biofuels Corp.(Jennings, LA)
Montana State University(Bozeman, MT)
UOP, LLC(Des Plaines, IL)
University of Georgia(Athens, GA)
Georgia Tech(Atlanta, GA)
Stevens Institute ofTechnology(Hoboken NJ)
University of Maine(Orono, ME)
Univeristy ofToledo(Toldeo, OH)
Virginia Tech(Blacksburg, VA)
University of Mass(Amherst, MA)
Modified 10/1/2008
U.S. DOE, Biomass Program
Key Recent Accomplishments and DeliverablesEPACT Section 932 “Commercial-Scale” Biorefineries
PerformersFeedstock
Type
Conversion
TechnologyFuel Type Status
PoetEmmetsburg, IA
Corn Cob
Corn Fiber
Biochemical Ethanol Engineering and construction inprogress. Cobs feedstockinfrastructure set up
Range FuelsSoperton, GA
WoodyWaste
Gasification + MixedAlcohol synthesis
Mixedalcohols
Engineering and construction inprogress.
AbengoaHugoton, KS
AgriculturalResidue
Biochemical Ethanol NEPA EIS process initiated. Cornstover infrastructure set up
BluefireFulton, MS
Sorted MSW Biochemical-Concentrated AcidHydrolysis
Ethanol Lease and NEPA issues beingresolved.
DOE investments in cellulosic biofuels will accelerate commercializationand help create a biofuels market based on non-food feedstocks.
U.S. DOE, Biomass Program
William D. Provine, DuPont BioFuels, “Achieving Success in the Biofuels Industry,” presented at F.O. Lichts Conference onDeveloping & Commercialising Next Generation Biofuels, London, England, February 10th, 2010
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Goal: Drive towards aneconomic integrated multistep process
DuPont DaniscoCellulose Ethanol
William D. Provine, DuPont BioFuels,“Achieving Success in the Biofuels Industry,”presented atF.O. Lichts Conference on Developing &Commercialising Next Generation Biofuels,London, England, February 10th, 2010
William D. Provine, DuPont BioFuels, “Achieving Success in theBiofuels Industry,” presented atF.O. Lichts Conference on Developing & Commercialising NextGeneration Biofuels, London, England, February 10th, 2010
• Algae may produce more lipids (plantoils) per acre than other plants --potentially 2x - 20x
– Lipids are the preferred starting point to makediesel or jet fuel from biomass
• Algae cultivation may utilize:
– marginal, non-arable land
– saline/brackish water
– large waste CO2 vent resources
• Minimizing competition with food,feed, or fiber
Why Algae? Supply
Innovation for Our Energy Future
DOE Aquatic Species Program
Excerpt from ASP Close-Out Report (1998)
1978-1996 $25M
In 1995, DOE made the difficult
decision to eliminate funding for algae
research within the Biofuels Program
… [T]his report should be seen not asan ending, but as a beginning. Whenthe time is right, we fully expect to seerenewed interest in algae as a sourceof fuels and other chemicals. Thehighlights presented here should serveas a foundation for these future efforts.
Innovation for Our Energy Future
What’s Changed Since 1996?
• Volatile Petroleum Distillate Pricing
– Crude oil prices have seen record highs ($147/barrel)
• Technology has improved dramatically
– New photobioreactor designs and advances in materialscience
– Explosion in biotechnology -- advances in metabolicengineering and systems biology
• Greater emphasis on energy security and CO2 capture,
GHG reduction, etc
DOE’s Office of Science Joint Genome Instituterecently published the genome sequence ofChlamydomonas reinhardii (Science, 318:245-50,2007) and has 4 additional algal species currentlyin its pipeline resulting from user-initiatedsubmissions to JGI’s Community SequencingProgram.
Innovation for Our Energy Future
FuelProduction
Oil (Lipid)Recovery
• Processoptimization
• Fuelcharacteristics
• Engine testing(ASTM)
• De-watering methods
• Lipid extraction
• Purification
• Bioreactor design• Temperature control• Invasion and fouling
• Starting species• Growth rate• Oil content & FA profile
• Nutrient requirements•CO2 and H2O sources
• Fundamental Algal Biology
AlgalCultivation
Algal Systems Technical Barriers
51
DOE Office of Biomass Program isestablishing an “Advanced BiofuelsInitiative”An element will be the “Algal BiofuelsPathway”Draft “National Algal Biofuels TechnologyRoadmap” released for comments in 2009
– Stakeholder workshop held Dec.2008
– Anticipate 4 major R&D and analysisareas:
• Basic algal biology• Cultivation and process research• Production/integrated scale up• Sustainability and economic
analysis
DOE Algal Biofuels Efforts
Locations of Integrated Biorefinery Projects
For more information, visit: http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/integrated_biorefineries.html
Innovation for Our Energy Future
National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts
Project Objective – Investigate and integrate multiple approaches to meet the central challengesof feedstock production, handling logistics, and conversion in order to lower costs of algal biofuels.
Funding - 3 year effort Recovery Act/DOE Funding $49MCost Share $25MTotal $74M
Office of Biomass Program, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/
EERE Info Center - www1.eere.energy.gov/informationcenter
Alternative Fuels Data Center -http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/ethanol.html
Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network - http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/
Biomass R&D Initiative – www.biomass.govtools.us
Grant Solicitations - www.grants.gov
Office of Science - http://www.er.doe.gov/
Biomass 2010 Conference Presentations-http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/biomass2010/
National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts -http://www.naabb.org
Information Resources
Innovation for Our Energy Future
57
Feed Production&Supply Logistics
Infrastructure
Potential Impacts:
- Abiotic Depletion- Potential Acidification- Eutrophication - Global WarmingPotential- Ozone Layer Depletion- Human Toxicity- Marine Toxicity- Ionizing Radiation- Land competition -Photochemical Oxidation - Biodiversity
Human DimensionLocal, Regional,Global
Sustainability
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Example of harmonization of data
60
Fuels• Ethanol: 50+ references
• Biodiesel: 30+ references
• FT-Diesel: 10+ references
• Green Gasoline and Diesel: 5+ references
• DME: 5+ references
• Methanol: 5+ references
• Other Misc. Fuels: 10+
Biopower: 40+ references• Includes biomass co-firing, combustion, pyrolysis, and
gasification; land fill gas, anaerobic digestion, and the use ofmunicipal solid waste
• Only some of these categories are included
Ethan Warner and Helena Chum
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Data Categorization Hierarchy
61
Fuel Type
Feedstock category
Location (generally based on where thefeedstock is grown)
Co-product credit calculation method
Primary energy source
E.g. Ethanol, biodiesel,methanol, FT-diesel, electricity,
heat, etc.
System Expansion, Allocation byeconomics, energy, mass,
product process
Coal, natural gas, grid average,co-gen systems
North America, European Union,Asia, Oceania, Africa, South and
Central America
E.g. Starch crops, sugar crops,plant oils, herbaceous/SRWC,
etc.
Divisions Categories
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Some recommendations
67
• GHG reductions need to be expressed as a function of avariety of factors – amount of land used, weight of biomass, typeof energy (usually a net energy ratio), biofuel energy out perfossil energy in (subtract from bioelectricity generated)…toenable choices
• Land Use Productivity should be looked at considering multipleproducts including energy and social and economic factors
• Follow ongoing Sustainability Efforts
• Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels activities forenvironmental and social impact assessment guidance,standards’ documents and certification systems (evolving).http://cgse.epfl.ch/page65660.html
•Global Bioenergy Partnership – framework for GHG andsustainability, http://www.globalbioenergy.org/
Innovation for Our Energy Future
NationalRenewable EnergyLaboratory
Visit us online at www.nrel.gov
.
For information on current DOE Biomass ProgramActivities see:http://www.obpreview2009.govtools.us/review/
Support from the DOE Office of the Biomass Program isgreatly acknowledged