Energy and Products from Energy and Products from Agricultural Biomass: Agricultural Biomass: Prospects and IssuesProspects and Issues

F. Larry LeistritzDonald M. Senechal

Nancy M. Hodur

Presented at: IAIA 2007 Conference, Seoul, KoreaJune, 2007

Department of Agribusiness and Applied EconomicsNorth Dakota State University

Renewable Fuels and Products – Renewable Fuels and Products – Reasons for Current InterestReasons for Current Interest

• High oil prices• Questions re. petroleum supply dependability• Environmental concerns re. carbon emissions• Present renewable fuel sources (grains and

oilseeds) insufficient to meet future demands

Hence, there are major incentives to develop a broader resource base and processing technologies to support a broader role for bioenergy

Short-Term Energy Outlook, February 2007

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OPEC Oil Embargo

Potential Sources of BiomassPotential Sources of Biomass

• Agricultural residues (wheat straw, corn stover)

• Energy crops (switchgrass, poplar)

• Wood and wood waste

• Municipal solid waste

Agricultural residues are the lowest cost agricultural source of biomass

Biomass Conversion TechnologiesBiomass Conversion Technologies

• Combustion (to produce heat and/or electricity)• Gasification with conversion of syngas to liquid

fuels• Fermentation (hydrolysis of biomass to produce

sugars, followed by fermentation to ethanol and possibly other products)

Gasification and fermentation technologies have yet to be implemented commercially

The Biorefinery ConceptThe Biorefinery Concept

• Multi-product facilities processing cellulosic biomass into a variety of products

• Fuels (e.g., ethanol) will likely be the major product (based on market size)

• Production of co-products could improve the economics of biorefinery operation

• Biorefineries may be large-scale operations (biorefinery producing 50 MGY of ethanol would require 600 to 900 thousand tons of feedstock annually)

Cellulose Nanofibers Biorefinery Process Flow Diagram

Wheat Straw

Milling AFEXEnzyme

Treatment

EthanolFermentation

Cellulose Nanofibers

SizingChemical

Treatment(s)

Hemicellulose,Lignin By-Products

Ethanol Biorefinery

Integrated Cellulose Nanofibers Production Plant with an Ethanol Biorefinery Plant

Implications of an Emerging Implications of an Emerging Bio-based EconomyBio-based Economy

• Rural economic development

• Environmental Issues