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Bhaskar Deol
deol.bhaskar@gmail.com
+44 (0) 753 667 0734
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Agenda
1. Biomass as a source of energy
2. Sources of biomass
3. Major conversion technologies
o Direct combustion
o Gasification
o Pyrolysis
o Anaerobic digestion
o Co-firing
o Major technologies overview
4. Bioelectricity in Europe
5. Economics of biomass
6. SWOT
7. Summary
What is biomass
Biomass is a renewable organic biological material and
includes materials like wood, grasses, energy crops,
residues from agriculture and forestry, organic
components of municipal and industrial wastes, and
fumes from landfills
What is biomass energy
Biomass energy is energy produced from the direct
burning of biomass, or converting it into gaseous or
liquid fuels that burn more efficiently, to generate
electricity or heat for industrial purposes
Source: EIA
Solid biomass 1
-Forestry residue
Incineration Heat
-Short rotational forestry
-Agricultural residue
-Energy crops
2
Gasification Fuel gas
Waste Heat / CHP
-Municipal
-Industrial Electricity
3 Bio oil /
Pyrolysis
biofuels
Wet biomass 4
Anaerobic Biogas /
-Organic waste
-Manure
Digestion Landfill gas
-Sewage, sludge
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Cofiring
Gasification schematic
1. Biomass feedstock is converted into gaseous fuel by partial oxidation under
insufficient supply of air and high temperature (~900 oC)
2. Products are H2, CO2, CH4, H20 inorganic residues & oil-tar, with calorific
value ~ 10% to 50% of that of natural gas
3. This gas is burned in boilers; or after cleanup to remove tars in engines or
gas turbines; or reformed to produce methanol or Hydrogen
Fixed bed gasifier
• In an updraft gasifier, air and biomass flow in counterflow, resulting in a high
tar content along with the gaseous product
Updraft Downdraft • In a downdraft gasifier, temperature of 1000 oC results in cracking of some
fixed bed Fixed bed of the tars and results in gas with lower tar content
(countercurrent) (cocurrent)
Fluidized bed gasifier
• In an FB gasifier, drying, pyrolysis and gasification occurs in a fluidized
mixture of inert bed material
• Various types of fluidized beds have been tested (bubbling, circulating, etc)
• These have a wide range of fuel types and can handle wet biomass but fuel
needs to be treated to roughly 50mm size or smaller
• Recent developments couple fluidized beds with a combined cycle steam
turbine (IGCC), which can achieve high efficiencies (~50%)
Bubbling Circulating
fluidized bed fluidized bed
Pyrolysis schematic
• Pyrolysis is very similar to gasification,
but takes place at a lower temperature
• Any biomass can be considered for
pyrolysis, but most work has been done
on wood due to its consistency
• Biomass breaks down at 500 – 700 oC to
yield partial products of char, a mixture
of gases and the majority product bio-oil
• Bio-oil produced is upgraded and used
in boilers, engines or gas turbines for
Pyrolysis modes and products
electricity / CHP
Co-firing Co-firing
Indirect co-firing
Indirect co-firing • Biomass is gasified (or pyrolyzed) separately to produce
a fuel gas, which is burned in the coal fired furnace
• More expensive than direct co-firing and can currently
only use wood fuel
Parallel co-firing
• Biomass is combusted in a separate boiler and the
steam is fed into the coal fired station
Parallel co-firing
• Higher temperate / pressure conditions result in
increased efficiency
• Need for a parallel biomass combustion leads to higher
costs
1 Hydrothermal upgrading; 2 Organic rankine cycle; 3,4,5 Integrated gasification fuel cell (FC) / combined cycle (CC) / gas turbine (GT)
Estimate
US, 0.6%
5
Municipal Solid Waste
Wood/Wood Waste
4 Biogas
2007 Installed capacity, GW
0
Belgium Denmark Spain Netherlands France Czech UK Finland Austria Sweden Italy Germany
Republic
Source: Eurostat
Comments
• Direct combustion is cost
competitive and dispatchable, hence
can act as a base load source of
power
• Co-firing, gasification and pyrolysis
are broadly competitive to other
renewable technologies and become
attractive when incentivized
• Most technological developments
likely on gasification + combined
cycle. This would also achieve
highest overall efficiency
Covant a Holding Co. 1,272 MW Total -35 Plants Waste to Energy U.S./Europe In operation
76MW Total -4 Plants Wood waste/ Ag. Residues U.S. In operation
15MW Total -4 Plants Landfill Gas US In operation
Canadian Hydro Developers 25MW Wood waste Alberta In operation
Boralex Power Income Fund 63MW Wood waste Quebec Temporarily shut down
Macquarie Power & Infrastructure I.F. 28MW Wood waste Alberta In operation
31MW Wood waste Quebec In operation
Pristine Power 65MW Wood waste B.C. In development
West Fraser Timber 30MW (50% of 60MW) Wood waste B.C. In development
Run of River Power Inc. 24MW (80% of 30MW) Wood waste B.C. In development
30MW (50% of 60MW) Wood waste B.C. In development
Western Log Group / Western Bio Energy Ltd 10MW Wood Longlands Lane, Wales In operation Eco2 Wood
Animal waste England Aalborg Boilers
Fibropower Ltd 12.7MW In operation
(Poultry/horse/feathers) (Eye Airfield) A/S
SembCorp 30MW Wood England (Wilton 10) In operation SembCorp
England Foster Wheeler Direct combustion,
United Kingdom
Siemens
EGI
Del-Nyirsegi (DBM Zrt) 20MW Wood Hungary In operation
Engineering
Mortagua (Enenova) 9MW Wood Portugal In operation
Pecs (Pannon Power) 65MW Wood, Natural gas Hungary In operation
Rodao (Altri SGPS SA) 11MW Wood, agricultural waste Portugal In operation
Sanguesa (EHN Group) 30MW Straw Spain In operation
Source: DOEACC
• Share of biomass as an energy source is going to increase over the next several years
• Multiple conversion technologies exist or are being developed efficiently utilize or to
increase the viability of this abundant resource
• Biomass is one of the few renewable sources that can provide base load power and can
be used on small to large scale installations
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Appendix 1:
Energy value / Dispatchability
Average heat energy content of fuels Capacity factors for renewables