Bioenergy

Utsho A. Arefin
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Northern University Bangladesh
Sustainability and Green Chemistry

 “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs

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of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs”.

o Environmentally Sustainable

o Economically Sustainable

o Socially Sustainable
Biomass Energy

o You can grind up corn and separate it into sugars which are
then distilled to make ethanol. Ethanol can be used to power

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cars.

o You can also burn garbage and collect the methane given off
that can be used as energy.

o Another way is to burn plants and use the steam to generate

electricity, but there are still a lot more ways to generate
energy from biomass.
Methane & Ethanol
 Methane is a natural gas made by animals.

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 Ethanol fuel is a fuel that comes from alcohol called ethanol
or ethyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol can be made from biomass or
fossil fuels. Cars can run on gasohol, 90% ethanol and 10%
fossil fuels, but can’t run on pure ethanol.

C6H12O6 = 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2

Glucose Ethanol Carbon dioxide

1.0 kg 0.51 kg 0.49 kg
17 MJ 15.8 MJ 0 MJ
 Biofuel from Plant Oil
R
OH O
O O OH- or H+
R'' O + 3 OH HO + 3

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O O O R
O OH
R'
Plant oil methanol glycerol acid methyl ester
(triglyceride) (biodiesel)

 Waste cooking oils are minor potential source, are inexpensive.

 But contain water and free fatty acids that must be cleaned up.
 Reversible reaction system.
 Biofuel from Plant Oil
Biodiesel
Purification Product

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(100 kg)
Plant oil (100 kg) (30 gal)
(30 gal)

Methanol (22 kg)

(6:1 ratio) Neutralize
60oC, 2 hr Glycerol
purify
by product
Glycerol (10.4 kg)
NaOCH3 (0.5 kg)
+
Sodium Methoxide
NaOCH3
 Chemical from Carbohydrates
BIOMASS STARCH Industrial starches,
(CORN, WOOD..) CORN
CELLULOSE cellulose derivatives

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GLUCOSE Syrups, sweeteners
Fermentation Chemical conversion
O2 H2
Organic acids Ethanol Others Polymers Gluconic acid Sorbitol
Lactic acid
Succinic acid 1,3-propanediol Starch copolymers
Citric acid 2,3-butanediol Xanthan gum
ABE Alginates PG, EG
Acetic acid
Glycerol
Propionic acid Hydroxyalkanoate
Sorbitan
Itaconic acid
Ascorbic acid
Lysine
D,L-Methionine
Other amino acids
Aromatics
Lactic Acid
OH O
CH3 CH C
OH

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 Fermentation: C6H12O6  2 C3H6O3
glucose lactic acid

 Yields exceed 0.95 lb/lb glucose

 Product concentrations > 90 g/L

 Production cost: < $0.25 / lb

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Waste to Energy Plant
Biomass Facts
o Biomass includes varied organic matter like grass, leaves, wood, wood
chips, rice husk, peanut shells, sugarcane fiber, sewage etc.

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o Biomass energy is renewable form energy because plants can be grown in
a short time. So it is considered one of the key renewable resources of the
future. It already meets 14% of the world’s total energy requirements.

o Scientists are trying to find more efficient ways of using biomass energy
so it has greater benefits for the environment than fossilized fuels.
Biomass energy will help the world cut down on waste production and
emission of greenhouse gasses.

o Biomass is made of complex polymers of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It

also contains small amounts of nitrogen and inorganic materials.
Biomass Facts
o Although fossil fuels also are formed from ancient biomass, they are not
included in biomass as the carbon atoms that they are made of, because it
have been out of the carbon cycle for long.

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o One of the biomass energy pros is that it is not considered to contribute
to carbon dioxide content of the environment. It is so because biomass is
formed from carbon dioxide that is absorbed by plants though the process
of photosynthesis which is released back into the air once it is burnt. But
then why are fossil fuels considered to add to carbon dioxide content of
the atmosphere? It is because while fossil fuels are releasing carbon-
dioxide into the atmosphere that was removed thousands of years ago, the
removal and addition of carbon dioxide though biomass takes place within
a shorter period of time. Due to this the carbon dioxide content of the
environment is less disturbed when biomass is used than when burning
fossil fuels.
Biomass Facts
o One of the oldest ways of extracting biomass energy is by burning the
sources to get heat. The other non combustible methods are through
thermal, chemical and biochemical methods.

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o Biomass can be used to make energy-rich gas called biogas. Biogas is
like the gas that we use in most kitchens.

o There is another form of fuel that biomass can be transformed into.

Corn and wheat can be transformed into ethanol that is similar to
gasoline. Other than this, biodiesel and methanol are other liquid forms
of biomass energy.

o The sources of biomass energy is mainly found in rural areas. Biomass

energy production is a labor intensive activity and hence, can be a good
source of employment for rural population.
Biomass Facts
o One of the important sources of biomass energy are forests. However,
transferring wood from forests to the area of biomass production is
expensive. From the financial aspect this transfer is possible if only the

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biomass energy production plant is less than 50 miles away from the
forest.

o Biomass energy can be used to produce electricity.

THE END