Biomass Energy

Specialization: Renewable
Course: Renewable Energy Science and Technologies
Module: Other Renewable Energy Technologies
Instructor: Stephen Lawrence

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Other Renewable Energy Technologies

Biomass Energy
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Biomass Energy – Topics
Organic matter used as a fuel for heat, light, electricity
Traditional biomass energy
• Wood and charcoal
• Dried animal waste
• Peat

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Biomass Energy – Topics
Organic matter used as a fuel for heat, light, electricity
Traditional biomass energy
• Wood and charcoal
• Dried animal waste
• Peat

Contemporary biomass energy

• Agricultural & forest waste
• Wood pellets
• Municipal solid waste
• Landfill gas
• Anaerobic digesters
• Biofuels from biomass Image: VectorStock

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Forest and Agricultural Waste
Collect forest and agricultural waste to burn in power plants
Sources
• Forestry trimmings, sawdust, crop
waste, sugarcane bagasse …

Challenges Lumbering waste Sugar cane bagasse

• Need a steady supply
• Supply often seasonal
• Bulky - low energy density
• Resource gathering
• Transportation and storage
• Carbon neutral at best
Sawdust fueled power plant

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Wood Pellets
Trees processed into wood pellets to burn in power plants

Trees harvested in commercial forests

• Transported to pellet plants
Processed into wood pellets
Shipped to power plants
• Combined with or replace coal
• Burned to power steam generators

Challenges
• Energy intensive to create pellets
• Transportation expenses
• Carbon neutral at best – long term
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Municipal Solid Waste
Burn municipal solid waste (MSW) as fuel for steam generator

Municipal solid waste

• Paper, garbage, trash, agricultural &
clean industrial waste
• May be supplemented with natural
gas burners
Must be sorted
• No metals, glass, non-combustibles
• Must be non-toxic – no heavy metals
MSW burned to create steam
• Steam drives turbine generators
• Steam piped into town for heat and air
conditioning Image: EIA

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 Anaerobic Landfill Gas
Cap landfill to capture anaerobic methane to generate electricity

Collect naturally occurring methane

Burn methane to generate electricity
Widely used in many countries
Reduces green-house gas effects
• Converts methane to CO2
Challenges
• Limited number of landfill sites
• Requires large landfills
• More expensive that traditional landfills
• Low natural gas market prices
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Anaerobic Digesters
Anaerobic digestion of manure to produce methane gas
Methane
Tank filled with manure digester
• Sealed from oxygen in air schematic
• Anaerobic bacteria “digest” waste
• Produce methane gas + solids
• Solid waste used as fertilizer
Large
Methane gas dairy farm
• Lighting, heating
• Power electric generator
Benefits
• Practical for both large and small Rural
applications application
• Environmentally beneficial
• Reduces green-house gasses

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Biomass Costs and Performance

Source: IRENA

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Bioenergy Adoption Trends

Source: IRENA

Biomass

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Summary – Pros & Cons of Biomass Energy
Advantages
Renewable resource(s)

Directly replace fossil fuels

Waste, pollution reduction

Carbon reducing, or neutral

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Summary – Pros & Cons of Biomass Energy
Challenges
Emissions
• CO2, NOx, VOCs
Deforestation
Transportation, storage,
processing
• Cost, CO2 emissions
Seasonal, variable supply
Low energy efficiency
Image: Post and Courier

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Other Renewable Energy Technologies

Biomass Energy
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