Renewable Energy

Biomass
Geothermal

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 Biomass energy

Biomass energy is produced from a variety of organic materials, such as

wood, charcoal, dung and other manures for heat and power production,
and agricultural crops for liquid biofuels.
Most biomass is used in rural areas for cooking, lighting and space
heating, generally by poorer populations in developing countries.
Modern biomass systems include dedicated crops or trees, residues from
agriculture and forestry, and various organic waste streams.
Energy created by burning biomass creates greenhouse gas emissions, but
at lower levels than burning fossil fuels like coal, oil or gas.
However, bioenergy should only be used in limited applications, given
potential negative environmental impacts related to large-scale increases
in forest and bioenergy plantations, and resulting deforestation and land-
use change.

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Conversion Processes
• Biological conversion
– Fermentation (methanol,
ethanol, butanol)
– Anaerobic digestion (methane)
– Anaerobic respiration (bio-
battery)
• Chemical conversion
– Transesterification (biodiesel)
• Thermal conversion
– Combustion
– Gasification
– Pyrolysis
 Biomass-to-Bioenergy Routes
Conversion
Photosynthesis Biomass processes Biofuels and Bioenergy Application

Heating
Heat
Wet biomass Anaerobic Biogas
(organic waste, manure) fermentation H2, CH4

Electricity

Electrical devices
C6H12O6 + 6O2

Gasification
Fuel gas
Solid biomass Combustion
(wood, straw)
Pyrolysis
Pyrolytic oil
Hydrolysis

co2
Sugar and starch plants Hydrolysis Ethanol
Sugar Butanol
(sugar-cane, cereals)

Liquid biofuels
Extraction
6CO2 + 6H2O

fermentation

Transport
Oil crops and algae Crushing Methyl ester
(sunflower, soybean) Pure Oil
Refining (biodiesel)
Transesterification
Direct combustion is the most common method for converting biomass to
useful energy. All biomass can be burned directly for heating buildings and
water, for industrial process heat, and for generating electricity in steam
turbines.
Rankine cycle 1-2 Isentropic compression in a pump
2-3 Constant pressure heat addition in a boiler
3-4 Isentropic expansion in a turbine
4-1 Constant pressure heat rejection in a condenser

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Rankine cycle equations

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 Converting biomass to energy
Thermochemical conversion of biomass includes pyrolysis and gasification.
Both are thermal decomposition processes in which biomass feedstock
materials are heated in closed, pressurized vessels called gassifiers at high
temperatures. They mainly differ in the process temperatures and amount of
oxygen present during the conversion process.

Pyrolysis entails heating organic materials to 400–500 oC in the near

complete absence of free oxygen. Biomass pyrolysis produces fuels such as
charcoal, bio-oil, renewable diesel, methane, and hydrogen.

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Gasification entails heating organic materials to 800–900oC with injections of
controlled amounts of free oxygen and/or steam into the vessel to produce a
carbon monoxide and hydrogen rich gas called synthesis gas or syngas.

Syngas can be used as a fuel for diesel engines, for heating, and for generating
electricity in gas turbines. It can also be treated to separate the hydrogen from the
gas, and the hydrogen can be burned or used in fuel cells. The syngas can be
further processed to produce liquid fuels using the Fischer–Tropsch process.

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Biological conversion includes fermentation to convert biomass into ethanol and
anaerobic digestion to produce renewable natural gas. Ethanol is used as a
vehicle fuel. Renewable natural gas—also called biogas or biomethane—is
produced in anaerobic digesters at sewage treatment plants and at dairy and
livestock operations. It also forms in and may be captured from solid waste
landfills

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Wastewater generation in Lebanon
Year Populatio Wastewat BOD COD
n (*103) er Mm3 (*103 (*103
The quantity of wastewater tons) tons)
generated is increasing over 1994 3725 163 20.9 16.3

2005 4390 226 29.0 22.6

time due to the increase in
2015 5092 305 39.0 30.5
population
2040 7388 642 82.1 64.2

Treatment plants will either

produce digested sludge at a rate
of 35-49 g/person/day or
undigested sludge at a rate of 63
g/person/day 13
 Wastewater
treatment plants
in Lebanon

Only El Ghadir and Saida are

active at the moment, and both
WWTPs are only capable of
preliminary treatment

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 Methods used for sludge disposal

Composting

Anaerobic digestion is
the only technology that
Incineration
can deal with organic
waste in a sustainable Pyrolysis and
manner. gasification

Anaerobic digestion

1
5
 Anaerobic Digestion

The gas produced

Anaerobic
contains 60 - 65
digestion is a
percent methane,
process in which
30 - 35 percent
microbes break
carbon dioxide, as
down organic
well as minor
materials in the
amounts of H2, N2,
absence of oxygen
H2S, and H2O.

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 Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is heat within the earth. The word geothermal comes from the
Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). Geothermal energy is a renewable
energy source because heat is continuously produced inside the earth. People use
geothermal heat for bathing, to heat buildings, and to generate electricity.. The
technology for electricity generation from hydrothermal reservoirs is mature and
reliable, and has been operating for more than 100 years

The slow decay of radioactive particles in the earth's core, a process that happens
in all rocks, produces geothermal energy.

Geothermal heat pumps use the earth's constant temperatures for heating and cooling

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Geothermal reservoirs are naturally occurring areas of hydrothermal resources.
These reservoirs are deep underground and are largely undetectable above ground.
Geothermal energy finds its way to the earth's surface in three ways:

Volcanoes and fumaroles (holes in the earth where volcanic gases are released)
Hot springs ( T = 120 C, 50 L/s))
Geysers

Note that the normal temperature gradient of the Earth’s crust—about 30 °C

per kilometer in the first 10 km
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There are three basic types of geothermal power plants:
Dry steam plants use steam directly from a geothermal reservoir to turn generator
turbines. The first geothermal power plant was built in 1904 in Tuscany, Italy, where
natural steam erupted from the earth.
Flash steam plants take high-pressure hot water from deep inside the earth and convert
it to steam to drive generator turbines. When the steam cools, it condenses to water and
is injected back into the ground to be used again. Most geothermal power plants are flash
steam plants.
Binary cycle power plants transfer the heat from geothermal hot water to another liquid
( isopentane / methylbutane C5H12 – Tboil = 27.8 C), or a refrigerant). The heat causes
the second liquid to turn to steam, which is used to drive a generator turbine.

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Geothermal Power Plant (binary type)

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 Energy storage
Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time to
reduce imbalances between energy demand and energy production

Types of energy storage systems

Hydraulic storage – pumped storage

Pneumatic storage – compressed gas
Mechanical storage – fly wheel
Chemical storage – phase change materials
Physical storage – large heat conductive materials
Electro – chemical storage : Fuel cells and batteries

https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/energy-storage-2019

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