BIO-ENERGY ENGG.

Department of Chemical Engineering

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad
Allahabad – 211 004, U.P (India)
 Definitions
• Bioenergy is energy contained in living or recently living biological organisms/ Energy derived
from biomass

• Biomass: Organic material containing bioenergy is known as biomass / Mass of plant material
formed from solar energy, water, and air; any organic material that is renewable

• Biopower refers to the use of biomass to produce electricity. Biomass can be used alone or cofired
with another fuel, typically coal, within the same combustion chamber.

• Bioheat refers to the use of biomass to produce heat.

• Biomass combined heat and power (CHP) refers to the cogeneration of electric energy for
power and thermal energy for industrial, commercial, or domestic heating

• Bioproducts are commercial or industrial products (other than food or feed) that are composed in
whole or in significant part of biomass. Examples of bioproducts include soy ink, cellophane, food
utensils, and paints made from biomass-based materials.

• Biofuels are fuels (often for transportation) made from biomass or its derivatives after processing.
Biofuels are renewable transport fuels including:
❖ Bioethanol
❖ Biodiesel
❖ Biogas
❖ Biobutanol
 SCENARIO OF ENERGY
Global Energy Sources 2002 Renewable Energy Use – 2001
Greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and
ozone. Carbon credits and carbon markets are a component of national and international attempts to
mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs)

◆ Carbon credit: is a generic term for any tradable

certificate or permit representing the right to emit one
tonne of carbon dioxide or the mass of another
greenhouse gas with a carbon dioxide equivalent to one
tonne of carbon dioxide.

◆ Carbon Trade: An exchange of credits between nations

designed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
The carbon trade allows countries that have
higher carbon emissions to purchase the right to release
more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from countries
that have lower carbon emissions

◆ Carbon Market: This form of permit trading is a

common method countries utilize in order to meet their
obligations specified by the Kyoto Protocol; namely the
reduction of carbon emissions in an attempt to reduce
(mitigate) future climate change.
Biomass: A renewable energy source
• Any organic material derived from plants (botanical) or
animals(biological)

• A non-fossilized fuel source that is biodegradable

• Excludes materials normally used as foods

• When biomass dies it is naturally broken down and releases H2O,

CO2, and energy

• The same change happens when used for chemical or energy

purposes

• Net pollution contribution is zero !!

Biomass is the largest renewable energy source in use today
There are two main forms of biomass:

• Raw biomass consists of forestry products, grasses, crops, animal

manure, and aquatic products, such as kelp and seaweed.

• Secondary biomass is material that comes from raw biomass, but

has undergone significant changes. These would include items
such as paper, cardboard, cotton, natural rubber products and used
cooking oils.
 Contd.
• Worldwide, biomass is the fourth largest energy resource after coal,
oil, and natural gas - estimated at about 14% of global primary energy
(and much higher in many developing countries).
• In the U.S., biomass today provides about 3-4% of primary energy
• Biomass is used for heating (such as wood stoves in homes and for
process heat in bioprocessing industries), cooking (especially in many
parts of the developing world), transportation (fuels such as ethanol)
and, increasingly, for electric power production.
• Installed capacity of biomass power generation worldwide is about
35,000 MW, with about 7,000 MW in the United States derived from
forest-product-industry and agricultural residues
• Much of this 7,000 MW capacity is presently found in the pulp and
paper industry, in combined heat and power (cogeneration) systems
BIOENERGY CYCLE / CARBON CYCLE
BIOMASS ENERGY RESOURCE HIERARCHY
 BIOMASS CLASSIFICATION

Virgin Biomass Waste Biomass

1. Terrestrial 1. Municipal waste
• Forest • Municipal solid waste
• Bio-solids, sewage
• Grasses
• Landfill gas
• Energy crops
2. Agricultural solid waste
• Cultivated crops • Livestock and manures
2. Aquatic • Agricultural crop residues
• Algae 3. Forestry residues
• Water plants • Bark, leaves, floor residues
4. Industrial wastes
• Demolition wood, sawdust
• Waste oil, fat
 Types of Biomass:
1. Wet Biomass 3. Gaseous Biomass

▪ Wet biomass tends to be in water or ▪ Methane is the primary biogas

to stay moist
▪ Examples are water plants, animal
wastes, and biodiesel oil
▪ Many countries have lots of weeds
that came from dumped aquariums
▪ Treated with hydrogasification at
high pressure and low temperatures
to produce a gas or biofuel oil
▪ Aside from sewage, there’s termites,
livestock flatulence, swamps, etc.
▪ Landfill gas is primarily methane but
contains CO2 and other gases from
plastics, etc.

2. Dry Biomass

▪ Dry biomass consists of tree chips,

paper, various other plant matter
such as corn, soybean, sorghum,
sunflower, oats, barley, wheat and
hay
▪ Biomass may be dried either
passively (without the use of
external energy source) or actively
(using external heat and/or fans).
 CHARACTERISTICS OF BIOMASS

Fuel characteristics important to the design and analysis of biomass

conversion processes. These properties are useful in biomass conversion
processes. These properties are:-
1. Physical Properties:- Density, angle of repose and moisture content
2. Chemical Properties:- Calorific value and proximate analysis
3. Thermal Properties:- Elemental analysis and chemical properties
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BIOMASS
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BIOMASS

1. Biomass density: One of the most important characteristic of biomass usually

classified as bulk density and true density.

• True density: True density is the weight per unit volume of a single biomass piece. It is
also referred as specific density. It depends upon biomass moisture and a constant value on
dry basis. True density of wood vary from 600-820 kg/m3

• Bulk density: The bulk density is the weight of bulk biomass material divided by the
volume occupied. The weight of the biomass depends on the size, shape and densification.
It is useful in the evaluation of transportation cost and storage space for biomass fuel.
Density of wood is 250-330 kg/m3
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BIOMASS

2. Angle of repose: The angle of repose is the angle made by the biomass from the horizontal to the sides of
pile under free falling condition.

• It is useful in the determination of the angle of fuel hopper, fuel transportation lines to the furnaces or
gasifier. It is a flow property of the material.

• The value of angle of repose depend on the size and moisture content of the biomass

• During the thermochemical conversion process the angle of repose change due to change in shape and
size of the fuel particle.

• The angle of repose for over dry paddy husk 58 Degree.

3. Moisture content: Biomass are hygroscopic in nature and absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Moisture
in biomass is fundamentally subdivided into inherent, surface and decomposition moisture.
• Inherent moisture is the moisture a fuel can hold in the capillary openings of the biomass in equilibrium
with atmosphere. surface moisture occurs on the surface of the biomass
• The percent moisture content of the biomass can be determined by drying the sample110 degC in hot air
oven. Formula of percent moisture is
 THERMAL PROPERTIES OF BIOMASS

1. Heating value:- Heating value or calorific value is the heat released by the fuel under idea
combustion condition. It is classify into higher heating value and lower heating value.

HHV = higher heating value

LHV = lower heating value
H_v = heat of vaporization of water
nH2O, out = moles of water vaporized
nfuel,in = number of moles of fuel combusted

2. Proximate analysis:- it is measure the fixed carbon, volatile matter, ash and moisture in
biomass. No standard technique for proximate analysis of biomass. The moisture and Volatile
matter are derived off and residue is left after 7 mint. Is fixed carbon and ash.

Ash= (weight of ash/weight of wet biomass)*100

Proximate analysis (FC+VM+Ash+MC=100)

3. Thermo gravimetric analysis:- in this the biomass is heated under controlled conditions of
temperature and environment. It provides information on weight change as the function of
temperature and time.
It is carried under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions.
 THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF BIOMASS
• Thermal conductivity: The ability of the biomass to conduct heat

• Specific heat: The amount of heat required to raise a unit mass of biomass by
one unit of a specified temperature

• Heat of formation: Energy to form the biomass from its constituent elements

• Heat of combustion: Heat released/absorbed in a chemical reaction without a

change in temperature

• Ignition temperature: The temperature of the biomass at which the combustion

reaction becomes self sustaining
 BIOMASS ENERGY PRODUCTION
Sector/Source (in ktoe) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004P
Total 2,907 2,640 2,648 2,740 2,845
Wood Energy Total 2,257 1,980 1,899 1,929 1,989
Residential 433 370 313 359 332
Commercial 53 40 39 40 41
Industrial 1,636 1,443 1,396 1,363 1,448
Electric Powera 134 126 150 167 168
Waste Energy Total 511 514 576 571 560
MSW/Landfill Gas 400 419 467 440 443
Commercial 41 35 37 42 43
Industrial 64 74 87 85 88
Electric Powera 295 310 343 314 312

Other Biomassb 111 95 108 131 117

Commercial 6 4 5 6 5
Industrial 81 76 81 85 84
Electric Powera 23 14 22 41 28
Alcohol Fuelsc 139 147 174 239 296
Transportation 139 147 174 239 296
 Energy Crops/ Plantations
Energy crops are low-cost and low-maintenance crops grown solely
for energy production by combustion (not for food). The crops are processed into solid,
liquid or gaseous fuels, such as pellets, bioethanol or biogas. The fuels are burned to
generate electrical power or heat.
• Energy crops can provide a biomass plant with an assured
supply of feedstock over its lifetime and as such it is getting
much attention as a commercial source of energy.
• Its use is similar to a dedicated coalmine feeding coal to a
specific pithead power plant. Instead of using naturally grown
trees or plants in the forest, chosen fast-growing plants are
cultivated exclusively for the supply of energy. Such plants have
good energy density, grow fast, and have a low maintenance
cost for cultivation.
• It takes little water or fertilizer to grow energy crop. In many
cases, they can be grown in abandoned fields. Growing these
plants does not affect the cultivation of food grain.
The attractive features of energy plantations
• Heat content of wood is similar to that of Indian coal

• Wood is low in sulphur and not likely to pollute the atmosphere

• Ash from burnt wood is a valuable fertiliser

• Utilization of erosion prone land for raising these plantations helps to

reduce wind and water erosion, thereby minimizing hazards from
floods, siltation, and loss of nitrogen and minerals from soil

• Help in rural employment generation – it is estimated that an hectare

of energy plantation is estimated to provide employment for atleast
seven persons regularly.
 Energy content of wood based substrates
average data
Biomass water content calorific value oil equivalent
(%) (kWh/kg) (L oil/m3)
Pieces 20 4 165
Pellets 10 5 325
Chops 20 4 100
Saw dust 40 2.6 70
Wheat 15 4 400 L/1000 kg
Why do we make biomass into solid fuels?

• Previously people use raw biomass like wood chips for heating and burning.

• But other biomass like sawdust, straw, stalk, rice husk, palm fibre, etc. are not
suitable for direct use, and they often have large size that makes storage or
transportation cost must higher.

• Besides, the direct use of wood chips sometimes can not combust fully.

• In consequence, Biomass Pellet Mill and Biomass Briquette Machine are

invented to make the biomass into regular shape solid fuels which are easy to
use, convenient to transport and store, and have higher calorific value (heat
value)
 Densification/ Granulation
Biomass Densification is the process of compacting low a bulk density
material into a product of high density. Densification has stimulate a great
deal of interest worldwide in recent years as a technique of beneficiation of
residues for utilization as energy source. Densified biomass is mostly in the
form of briquettes in developing counties and in the form of pellets in
developed countries.

Briquettes
Briquetting is the process of densification of
biomass to produce homogeneous, uniformly sized
solid pieces of high bulk density which can be
conveniently used as a fuel.

Pellets
Pelletizing is closely related to briquetting except
that it uses smaller dies (approximately 30 mm) so
that the smaller products are called pellets.
Piston Press
Briquettes
In the die and punch technology, which is also
known as ram and die technology, biomass is
punched into a die by a reciprocating ram with a
very high pressure thereby compressing the mass to
obtain a compacted product. The standard size of
the briquette produced using this machine is 60
mm, diameter. The power required by a machine of
capacity 700 kg/hr is 25 kW. The ram moves
approximately 270 times per minute in this process.

Screw Press
In this process, the biomass is extruded continuously
by one or more screws through a taper die which is
heated externally to reduce the friction. Here also,
due to the application of high pressures, the
temperature rises fluidizing the lignin present in the
biomass which acts as a binder. The outer surface of
the briquettes obtained through this process is
carbonized and has a hole in the center which
promotes better combustion. Standard size of the
briquette is 60 mm diameter.
 Pellets
Flat/disk Type
The flat die type features a circular perforated disk on which two or more rollers rotate. The
ring die press features a rotating perforated ring on which rollers press onto the inner
perimeter. Large capacity pelletizers are available in the range of 200 kg/h to 30000 kg/h
thus pellets press capacity is not restricted by density of the raw material as in the case of
piston or screw presses. Power consumption falls within the range of 15 – 40 kWh/ton.
 Wood Palletization Plant Concepts
Woody biomass Dryer
Pulveriser

Extruder
Cooler
Fuel storage

Transportation
 Assignment - 1
1. What are the main sources of biomass?

2. Explain in detail biomass characteristics.

3. Describe the significant of energy farming/ plantations.

Give its advantages?

4. Explain the purpose of biomass into solid fuels.

5. Write a note on biomass logistics, storage and handling.

 Assignment - 2
1. What is Biogas? What are the advantages and disadvantages of biogas plant?

2. Describe in detail the classification of biogas digester along with a schematic

diagram.

3. Write a note on the following popular design of biogas plant in India:

a) KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission) design

b) Janata design

c) Deenbandhu design