woody biomass as a system part i: the woody biomass to ethanol system

Woody Biomass as a SystemPart I: The Woody Biomass to Ethanol System

What Is Systems Thinking?

• A strategy to help us think about– The whole picture (the system)– All of the parts of the system and how

they interrelate– How changes to one part of the

system can impact other parts of the system

• A good strategy for thinking about complex issues and scenarios

What Is a System?

• Systems have inputs and outputs– Input = something that enters the system;

required for the processes of the system to occur – Output = something produced by the processes

that occur within the system

• A group of individual parts interacting to form a whole

System Example• Buses bringing students to school

– What are the parts of the system?– What are the inputs?– What are the outputs?

• What happens when a bus is one hour late?– How does this impact different parts

of the system?

Brainstorm

Can you think of additional examples of systems?

What are the inputs and outputs of these systems?

Woody Biomass to Ethanol System

• Using woody biomass to make ethanol (a liquid fuel) – Ethanol is mixed with gasoline to make E10 or

E85 for vehicles• This system has 3 main components:

• Each component has inputs and outputs

TREE FARMETHANOL

PLANTGAS

STATION

ActivityPart I: The Woody Biomass to Ethanol System

Working with a partner, use the system cards to make a diagram of the woody

biomass to ethanol system

TREE FARM

ForestryEquipment

(skidder & chipper)

ForesterFertilizersHerbicides

Seedlings

Fuel

Sun Rain

ETHANOLPLANT

GASSTATION

Trucks

CO2

Land

Wood Chips

Steam

Chemicals(sulfuric acid & gypsum)

Steam

Electricity

Electricity

WaterFuel Trucks

Clean Water

CO2

CO2

CO2

Recreational Opportunities MoneyMoneyMoney

Money

Ethanol E10/E85

Clean Air

StationAttendants

Engineers &Employees

INPU

TSO

UTP

UTS

SYST

EMC

OM

PON

ENTS

Timber

Landowner

Wildlife Habitat

Industrial Land

GasolineBusy

Intersection

Wastewater AirEmissions

VehicleEmissions

TREE FARM

ForesterFertilizersHerbicides

Seedlings

Fuel

Sun Rain

ETHANOLPLANT

GASSTATION

Trucks

CO2

Land

Steam

Chemicals(sulfuric acid & gypsum)

Steam

Electricity

Electricity

WaterFuel Trucks

Electricity

Clean Water

CO2

CO2

CO2

RecreationalOpportunities MoneyMoney

MoneyMoneyMoney

E10/E85

Clean Air

StationAttendants

Engineers & Employees

Timber

Ethanol

Wood Chips

LandownerBusy

IntersectionIndustrial

LandGasoline

Wildlife Habitat

WastewaterVehicle

EmissionsAir

Emissions

Money

ForestryEquipment

(skidder & chipper)

TREE FARM

ForestryEquipment

(skidder & chipper)

ForesterFertilizersHerbicides

Seedlings

Sun

Rain

ETHANOLPLANT

GASSTATION

CO2

Land

Wood Chips

Steam

Chemicals (sulfuric acid& gypsum)

Steam

Electricity

Electricity

Water

Electricity

Clean Water

CO2

CO2

CO2

Recreational Opportunities

Money

Money

Money

Money

Money

Money

Ethanol

E10/E85

Clean Air

StationAttendants

Engineers &Employees

FuelIN

PUTS

OU

TPU

TS

Timber

Busy Intersection

Gasoline

Landowner

Industrial Land

VehicleEmissions

AirEmissions

Wildlife Habitat Wastewater

Trucks Fuel Trucks

Woody Biomass as a SystemPart II: The Impact of a Policy

What Is a Policy?

• A deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes

• Developed in several stages– Issue identification – Policy formation– Policy implementation– Policy analysis and evaluation

Why Are Policies Important?• To address an identified issue by either

reducing negative impacts or producing positive impacts

Impacts of a Policy

• Impacts can be both intended and unintended

• Impacts are difficult to predict–Issues are complex with many related factors (a system)

• Unintended impacts may be caused by–Lack of knowledge–Imperfect implementation of the policy

Brainstorm

Can you think of examples of recent local, state, national, or international policies?

What are some impacts of these policies (intended and unintended)?

Recent Bioenergy Policies• International

– Kyoto Protocol• National

– Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007– United States Farm Bill of 2008

• State– Florida Farm to Fuel Grants Program of 2007

ActivityPart Two: The Impact of a Policy

Working in groups, predict the impacts of a specific policy on the woody

biomass to ethanol system

TREE FARM

ForestryEquipment

(skidder & chipper)

ForesterFertilizersHerbicides

Seedlings

Sun

Rain

ETHANOLPLANT

GASSTATION

CO2

Land

Wood Chips

Steam

Chemicals (sulfuric acid& gypsum)

Steam

Electricity

Electricity

Water

Electricity

Clean Water

CO2

CO2

CO2

Recreational Opportunities

Money

Money

Money

Money

Money

Money

Ethanol

E10/E85

Clean Air

StationAttendants

Engineers &Employees

FuelIN

PUTS

OU

TPU

TS

Timber

Busy Intersection

Gasoline

Landowner

Industrial Land

VehicleEmissions

AirEmissions

Wildlife Habitat Wastewater

Trucks Fuel Trucks