The University of Western Ontario

Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

Introduction to Environmental Engineering CEE 2217A

Why Biofuels?
Andrew Harvey, Evelyn Antunes, and Trevor Nixon

Dr. Jason Gerhard

November 26, 2013

Introduction
Definition
Feed stocks

Production Routes

Lignocellulo
sic biomass

Algae

Corn Stocks
Sugar/Starc
h Crops

Gasification

Syngas

Anaerobic
Digestion

Biogas

Flash
Pyrolysis

Bio Oil

Milling and
Hydrolysis

Ethanol

Biodiesel

Municipal
Solid Waste

Sugar Cane
Bagasse

Vegetable
Oil

Esterificatio
n
Bio Oil

Fossil Fuel Issues

1. GHG emission

2. Water

~ 37 million tonnes of CO2

5.2%

of

Canadas

total

Oil sands developments

are dependent on water.
1 m3 of synthetic crude

GHG emission.

oil 3 m3 of water

3. Air Pollution
PM

Industrial
Sources
Upstream Petroleum
Industry*
Oil Sands Industry

4. Non-renewable fuel
SOX

NOx

Cd

Hg

(kg)

(kg)

760.9

136

85

(tonnes
)

VOC

CO

Pb

(tonnes)

(tonnes)

(kg)

175,205

406,96
1

379,534

446,821

118,17
8

37,317

59,435

25,763

2.5
(tonnes
)

(tonnes)

7,332
1,645

Air Pollutants Emissions for Petroleum Industry2

6 Reasons why biofuels should

be used
1) GHG Emission
Saving

2) Carbon Neutral
Fuel
.
.
.

6 Reasons why biofuels should

be used
3) Biogas Production Alternative to MSW
Management
Germany: 6,650 GWh/yr of Electricity produced.
UK: 2.5 Million tonnes of MSW 0.7% of the countrys
electricity
Brazil: Sugar cane bagasse 3 GW/yr of electricity ~ 3%
of the total energy matrix

4) Biofuel from Algae Wastewater

treatment
Study Case: Dalton Area in North Central Georgia
Carpet mills + sewage : 40-55 million m3/yr wastewater produced
15,000 tons of algal biomass 2.5-4 million L of biodiesel
Remove 1500 tons of Nitrogen and 150 tons of Phosphorus (yearly)

6 Reasons why biofuels should

be used
5) Energy Supply Safety

6) Degraded Land
Recovery
Feedstock (Biogas production): Switch grass
Grow on degraded land and help restore its productivity.
5

Rebuttal and Summary

6 Reasons why biofuels should be
used
GHG emission Saving

Degraded Land
Recovery

Carbon Neutral Fuel

Alternative to
Municipal Solid Waste

Energy Supply Safety

Alternative to Waste
water treatment

ISSUE

Food x Fuel Competition

Water Usage

Biomass Production Energy

Demand

POSSIBLE SOLUTION
Biofuel produced from Algae (3rd
generation)
Grow crops under rainfed rather than
irrigated conditions
Biomass gasification for electricity
generation

7 Production
Alternatives to Reach Sustainable Biofuel