WOOD 120

Bio-energy

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The “Bio-Buzzwords”

• Bio-energy

• Bio-mass

• Bio-fuels

• Bio-diesel

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Past practice in BC

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Beehive burners

Sawmill waste (hog fuel) was burned without capturing heat value.

Now sawmill waste is burned to heat the dry kilns.

Forms of Energy

• Electricity

• Transportation fuel

• Heat

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Forms of Energy

• Solid

• Liquid

• Gas

Fossil fuels (the simple slide)

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CO2

Fossil Fuels

Bioenergy (the simple slide)

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CO2

Fossil Fuels

Biomass

reduce

Bioenergy (the more complicated slide)

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Bioenergy – drivers

• Climate change

• Shortages of traditional energy sources

• Costs of traditional energy sources

• Energy security

• Landfill reduction

• Mountain Pine Beetle (BC-specific)

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Biomass – sources

• Grain

• Straw

• Grass

• Sugar cane (bagasse)

• Wood (lignocellulose)

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Wood vs. other cellulosic biomasses

• Longer storage life and lower storage costs

• Higher bulk density

• Less intensive use of water and fertilizer in its growth

• Established collection system exists

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Transportation

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Energy density of materials

13

GJ

per

unit

Bioenergy – technology platforms

• Wood pellets

• Gasification

• Bio-ethanol

• Direct combustion

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Bio-fuel status in BC

15www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca

Wood Pellets

• Sawmill waste extruded into small pellets.

• Either burned directly for heat value or for generation of electricity

• Used domestically (N.A.) and industrially (Europe)

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Wood Pellets• Waste may be ground to

consistent, fine size.• Pressed through pelletizer

to consolidate.• Pellets are held together

by natural “adhesive” in wood (lignin).

• Pellets are denser than starting material.

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Wood Pellet Stove

1 – Hopper

2 – Convection fan

3 – Auger

4 – Ash pan

5 – Igniter

6 – Heat exchange tubes

7 – Burn chamber

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www.pelprostoves.com/images/pelpro-cutaway.jpg

Pellet plants in BC (2011)

• 8 plants

• 787,000 tonnes production

• Plant capacity56-186,000 tonnes

• Used 2.2 million m3 of wood residues

• 10% of global market

Liquid biofuels

• Bio-ethanol (one example)

• Currently produced from grain (in NA)

• Blended with gasoline

• Gasoline:ethanol 90:10

• Reduces carbon monoxide emissions

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Wood Chemistry

WOOD

Holocellulose Lignin(s) Extractives Ash

Cellulose Hemicellulose(s)

Bioethanol from wood waste

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Wood Pre-treatment

Solid material

Sugars insolution

Solidresidue

AlcoholFermentation

Enzymes

Burn

Newproducts?

Comparsion of bio-fuel feedstocks

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LIGNOCELLULOSE

Pretreatment

Fractionation

Fermentation

Recovery

EnzymaticHydrolysis

PentosesHexoses

Lignin

Cellulose

Hemicellulose

Extractives

BIOFUELS BIOENERGY

BIOPRODUCTS

STARCH

Pretreatment

Fractionation

Fermentation

Recovery

EnzymaticHydrolysis

Hexoses

SUGAR

Pretreatment

Fractionation

Fermentation

Recovery

Hexoses

Conversion of biomass sources

Bio-ethanol from wood

• Wood is hard to break downinto chemical components

• High cost of enzymes

• Products need to bedeveloped utilizing solid residue (lignin)

• Rate of development of technology is influenced by price of oil

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Gasification

• Burns biomass with controlled amount of oxygen

• Converts biomass into carbon monoxide and hydrogen

• Results in “syngas” which is itself a fuel

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www.nexterra.ca/i_mages2/Gasifier.jpg

Gasification

• Cleaner and more efficient technology than direct conversion of biomass

• Syngas can be burned on site (for production of electricity) or transported (increase in energy density)

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http://www.sc.edu/usctimes/articles/2005-02/images/gasification.jpg

Gasification plant at UBC

• Opened in September 2012• 25,000 tonnes of urban wood waste per year from

Metro Vancouver• Generation of steam and electricity• Low pressure steam (15% reduction of natural gas

used for heating on UBC campus)• Electricity generation (2MW, demonstration scale)• GHG reduction of 5,000 tonnes/year*

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Gasification plant at UBC

Photo credits: Don Erhardt

Gasification plant at UBC

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(Nexterra)

Electricity generation

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Raw material ?

Cogeneration plant

• William’s Lake, BC• Established in 1993• 60 MW capacity• Electricity feeds into

BC Hydro grid• Burns wood waste

(600,000 tonnes/year)• 4-5 local sawmills provide wood waste

(combined capacity of 1 billion fbm)• High efficiency combustion

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Looking back and forward…??1700

1740

1780

1820

1860

1900

1920

1940

1960

1980

2000

2020

2040

2060

2080

2100

Hydrocarboneconomy1800-2050

Industrial

revolution

Carbohydrateeconomy1990-21??

Biomass & renewables

Oil & GasCoal

Carbohydrateeconomy

??-1800

Agricultural-based

log (primary energy use) by category

Current Status of Bio-Energy Technologies

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Gasification

Bio-energy - issues• Government policies (e.g., tax

credits? R&D incentives?)• Competing green technologies

(e.g., wind, wave, geothermal)• Competing bio-energy

technology platforms still being developed

• Competing new fosil fuel capcaity in North America

• Food vs. Fuel vs. Fibre