BTE 4216 BIOMASS ENERGY FAST PYROLYSIS OF COW DUNG FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

MUHAMMAD AIMAN BIN MOHD ZIN MOHD RAZI BIN KODIN ISMAIL TOPA MOHAMMAD ZAID BIN MOHAMMAD ZAINI MAHER MOHAMMED ALI

(0721471) (0714313) (0713105) (0637425) (0612081)

PYROLYSIS OF COW FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

Contents
Contents Introduction Electricity generationBiomass: New alternative source of energy Case study: Electricity from cow dunk Cost estimation Conclusion 1 2 4 11 17 19

PYROLYSIS OF COW FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

As biomass is a natural material, many highly efficient biochemical processes have developed in nature to break down the molecules of which biomass is composed, and many of these biochemical conversion processes can be harnessed.

Pyrolysis is the process of heating biomass in low-oxygen, which does not burn the biomass in a combustion reaction, but instead causes the biomass to release energy-rich gases, and leave a remainder of "biochar". The gas released in the pyrolysis process is called "producer gas". It is a mixture of combustible gases that can be used (via combustion) to drive the continued heating of the pyrolysis process, and can be used to generate electricity. Current technology uses combustion of producer gas in turbines to generate electricity. Emerging

technologies can feed producer gas into fuel cells, thus generating electricity without combustion.

Pyrolysis also produces pyrolysis oil, or "pyroil", which condenses out and separates from the producer gas, which remains in gaseous form. Pyroil is an energy rich biofuel which can be burned as heating oil, and can potentially be refined to higher-grade biofuel forms.

Biochar is the carbon-rich remainder of the biomass. It has some energy value, and could be used for energy production in, for example, co-firing with coal. Biochar also has value as a soil amendment, and it does not tend to break down and release CO2 over time, so it serves the function of carbon sequestration.

Agricultural activities produce large quantities of animal wastes in the form of manures. While some of the manure can be used as fertilizer, not all of it can be consumed in this way and

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the excess is an environmental liability. Another possibility is to use the manure as a direct or indirect source of fuel for remote power generation. The use of animal manure for fuel has several benefits.

1.1 Fast Pyrolysis

Fast pyrolysis for liquids production is of particular interest currently. Fast pyrolysis occurs in a time of few seconds or less. Therefore, not only chemical re action kinetics but also heat and mass transfer processes, as well as phase transition phenomena, play important roles. The critical is sure is to bring the reacting biomass particle to the optimum process temperature and minimize its exposure to the intermediate (lower) temperatures that favour formation of char coal. One way this objective can be achieved is by using small particles, for example in the fluidised bed processes that are described later. Another possibility is to transfer heat very fast only to the particle surface that contacts the heat source. This second method is applied in ablative processes that are described later.

In order to illustrate the science and technology of thermal conversion in sufficient detail to appreciate the potential, fast pyrolysis is described at length. The use of pyrolysis process to produce medium Btu fuel gases (350 550 Btu/ft3) for remote biomass power generation was investigated. This approach has several advantages when compared to more conventional processes.

Hence, our mini project will concentrate on how to generate electricity using cow dung as source of biomass by fast pyrolysis means. Throughout this project we will design and estimate the amount of source needed to generate 5000 MWh electricity using pyrolysis technique.

PYROLYSIS OF COW FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

2.0 Electricity generation

Electricity generation is the process of generating electricity from other forms of energy. The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday. His basic method is still used today: electricity is generated by the movement of a loop of wire, or disc of copper between the poles of a magnet.For electric utilities, it is the first process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. The other processes, electricity transmission, distribution, and electrical power storage and recovery using pumped storage methods are normally carried out by the electrical power industry.

Electricity is most often generated at a power station by electromechanical generators, primarily driven by heat engines fueled by chemical combustion or nuclear fission but also by other means such as the kinetic energy of flowing water and wind. There are many other technologies that can be and are used to generate electricity such as solar photovoltaic and geothermal power.

2.1 Methods of generating electricity There are seven fundamental methods of directly transforming other forms of energy into electrical energy:

1) Static electricity, from the physical separation and transport of charge (examples: turboelectric effect and lightning) 2) Electromagnetic induction, where an electrical generator, dynamo or alternator transforms kinetic energy (energy of motion) into electricity

PYROLYSIS OF COW FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

3) Electrochemistry, the direct transformation of chemical energy into electricity, as in a battery, fuel cell or nerve impulse 4) Photoelectric effect, the transformation of light into electrical energy, as in solar cells 5) Thermoelectric effect, direct conversion of temperature differences to electricity, as in thermocouples, thermopiles, and Thermionic converters. 6) Piezoelectric effect, from the mechanical strain of electrically anisotropic molecules or crystals 7) Nuclear transformation, the creation and acceleration of charged particles (examples: betavoltaic or alpha particle emission)

Static electricity was the first form discovered and investigated, and the electrostatic generator is still used even in modern devices such as the Van de Graaff generator and MHD generators. Electrons are mechanically separated and transported to increase their electric potential. Almost all commercial electrical generation is done using electromagnetic induction, in which mechanical energy forces an electrical generator to rotate. There are many different methods of developing the mechanical energy, including heat engines, hydro, wind and tidal power.

The direct conversion of nuclear energy to electricity by beta decay is used only on a small scale. In a full-size nuclear power plant, the heat of a nuclear reaction is used to run a heat engine. This drives a generator, which converts mechanical energy into electricity by magnetic induction.

PYROLYSIS OF COW FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

Most electric generation is driven by heat engines. The combustion of fossil fuels supplies most of the heat to these engines, with a significant fraction from nuclear fission and some from renewable sources.

3.0 Biomass: New alternative source of energy Biomass, a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms, such as wood, waste, (hydrogen) gas, and alcohol fuels. Biomass is commonly plant matter grown to generate electricity or produce heat. In this sense, living biomass can also be included, as plants can also generate electricity while still alive. The most conventional way in which biomass is used however still relies on direct incineration. Forest residues for example (such as dead trees, branches and tree stumps), yard clippings, wood chips and garbage are often used for this. However, biomass also includes plant or animal matter used for production of fibers or chemicals. Biomass may also include biodegradable wastes that can be burnt as fuel. It excludes such organic materials as fossil fuels, which have been transformed by geological processes into substances such as coal or petroleum.

Industrial biomass can be grown from numerous types of plants, including miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane, and a variety of tree species, ranging from eucalyptus to oil palm (palm oil). The particular plant used is usually not important to the end products, but it does affect the processing of the raw material.

3.1 Chemical composition

Biomass is carbon, hydrogen and oxygen based. Nitrogen and small quantities of other atoms, including alkali, alkaline earth and heavy metals can be found as well. Metals are often

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found in functional molecules such as the porphyrins which include chlorophyll which contains magnesium.

Plants in particular combine water and carbon dioxide to sugar building blocks. The required energy is produced from light via photosynthesis based on chlorophyll. On average, between 0.1 and 1 % of the available light is stored as chemical energy in plants. The sugar building blocks are the starting point for the major fractions found in all terrestrial plants, lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose

3.2 Biomass sources

Biomass energy is derived from five distinct energy sources: garbage, wood, waste, landfill gases, and alcohol fuels. Wood energy is derived both from direct use of harvested wood as a fuel and from wood waste streams. The largest source of energy from wood is pulping liquor or black liquor, a waste product from processes of the pulp, paper and paperboard industry. Waste energy is the second-largest source of biomass energy. The main contributors of waste energy are municipal solid waste (MSW), manufacturing waste, and landfill gas. Biomass alcohol fuel, or ethanol, is derived primarily from sugarcane and corn. It can be used directly as a fuel or as an additive to gasoline.

Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Rotting garbage, and agricultural and human waste, release methane gas - also called "landfill gas" or "biogas." Crops like corn and sugar cane can be fermented to produce the transportation fuel, ethanol. Biodiesel, another

PYROLYSIS OF COW FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

transportation fuel, can be produced from left-over food products like vegetable oils and animal fats. Also, Biomass to liquids (BTLs) and cellulosic ethanol are still under research.

4.0 Case study: Electricity from cow dunk In 2001, Malaysia has about 723 400 cows in various farm across country. The use of cow dung as a source of electricity is still rare. Most of the application of cow dung is as a fertilizer. 4.1 Reactor design

4.1.1 Process from cow dung to methane gas

dehyratione

anhydrocellulose

Char, tar, CO, CO2, H2O

COW DUNG COLLECTION POND

Pyrolysis

-glocusan Char depolymerization

Combustible volatiles

PYROLYSIS OF COW FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION

4.1.2 Products of pyrolysis from cow dung The pyrolysis process of cow dong is possible due to the nature of it. It has very high composition of carbon source. The following table shows the analysis of the elements present in cow dung. Basis Ash free Dry Dry Ash Free Moisture 24.5 Ash 74.0 C 13.2 50.5 H 1.8 7.1 O 8.5 32.8 S 0.6 2.3 N 1.9 7.3

The dung goes under flash pyrolysis producing up to 90% combustible gases. When the process is finish, other form of solid would be found in small amount about 10%.The emission of the gases in the primary pyrolysis is collected; the contents are summarized as the following tables. The first table shows the categories of the gas compositions.The second table shows the composition in more details.

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Component Moisture Ash VolatileMatter FixedCarbon

Freewt.% 26 52.7 17.2 4

Component Tars CH4 H2O CO2 CO C2H4 SO2 COS NH3 HCN Formic Acid Acetic Acid CH3OH Formaldehyde Acetaldehyde Acetone HNCO NO

Freewt.% 9.06 0.74 19.93 24.87 15.64 0.13 0.49 0.58 0.93 1.46 0 0.5 0.47 0.54 2.57 0.72 0.86 1.42

The flash pyrolysis uses a very rapid residence time (fraction of a second) and very high temperature (1000-3000C). Thus resulting in gases as the primary products. The data shows the contents of solid is only 9.06% represents as tar. For the purposes of generating energy, we conseider only two of the produced gases; CH4 and C2H5. The reason is that they are combusted into CO2 andH2O and not leaving harmful emotions as Acetaldehyde or Acetone. CH4 produced per 1 kg dung = 0.74% 100 = 0.0074kg C2H5 produced per 1 kg dung = 0.13% 100 = 0.0013kg

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4.1.3 Energy from the gases The two main gases in our pyrolysis would be used to produce electricity. We are here to find the energy given by combustion of these two gases. The energy is the heat of reaction. For Methane: CH4(g) + 2 O2(g) CO2(g) + 2 H2O(l) G = -891 kJ/mol

The energy released = 891kJ/mol 1mol/12g = 74.25 kJ/g 1000g/kg = 74,250 kJ/kg The energy released per 1 kg dung = 74,250 kJ/kg 0.0074 kg = 519.75 kJ 519.75 kJ / 3600 kWh/kJ = 0.144375kWh per 1 kg dung For Ethylene: C2H4(g) + 3O2(g) 2 CO2 (g) + 2 H2O(l) G = -1409.5kJ/mol

The energy released = 1409.5kJ/mol 1mol/12g =117.458333kJ/g1000g/kg = 117,458.33kJ/kg The energy released per 1 kg dung = 117,458.33kJ/kg 0.0013 = 152.7 kJ 152.7 kJ / 3600 kWh/kJ = 0.0424166667kWh per 1 kg dung The total sum of energy produced by 1 kg of cow dung is = 0.144 + 0.042 = 0.186kWh

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4.2 Energy production After the pyrolysis processes, the product are collected. In our case the products are methane and ethy1ene. The heat released by combustion of those gases in 1kg of dung produces 0.186kWh. These gases have very high combustion value with an efficiency of 78% of the heat converted to electricity in the plant generator. To produce 5000MWh of electricity; 5000MWh = 5 000 000 kWh The energy of heat of reaction has to be = 5,000,000 kWh/0.78 = 6,410,256.41 kWh The amount of dung needed for 5000MWh electricity = 6,410,256.41/0.186 = 34,463,744.1kg of dung = 34,463.74tons of cow dung 1 cow produces 0.065 tons of dung per day, in a year = 0.065 365 = 23.72 tons Total cow for the dung required per day to give 5000MWh electricity = (34,463.74)* (0.065)= 224,014.31head of cows In 2001, Malaysia has 723,400 cows across country. Assuming a proper collection of cow dung is performed and only a single power plant is use. The amount required for 5000MWh electricity is34,463.74 tons. It is reasonable to be collected and sent one plant since we need only 224,015 cows from 723,400 across the country.

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5.0 Economic analysis A. Raw materials 34,463.74 tons of cow dung RM 20 per ton = RM 20 34,463.74 = RM 689,274.8 = RM 689,274.8

B. Chemicals The fuel for the combustion process = RM10,000 = RM10,000

C. Facility construction Assuming in Pahang I. Land: RM 16,550 per acre (10) = RM 165,500 = RM 165,500

II.

Pyrolysis facility: Bubbling Fluid Bed Reactor @ Dyna Motive (Vancouver,Canada) for 1000t/d ( 34) = RM 10m 34 = RM 340,000,000 Hot Vapour Filtration @ NREL & VTT =RM 20k 17 = RM 340,000 Operating cost of the pyrolysis process = RM 1,000,000 annually =RM 341,340,000

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III.

Electricity plant: Generator RM 1 million (4) = RM 4,000,000 = RM 4,000,000

IV.

Storages and utilities: Tanks (for dungs) RM 100,000 Tanks (Gas) RM 465,000 Separation Station RM 50,000,000 Pumping Station RM 85,000 Buildings and warehouse RM 5,600,000 Pipings RM 1 ,000,000 Water and Electricity RM 670,000 Maintainace RM 2,500,000 = RM 60,420,000

D. Transportation: 25 Lorries RM 3,500,000 Fuels and tolls RM 70,000 = RM 3,570,000

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E. Labors: 250 workers RM 2000 per Month 12 Month = RM 6,000,000 = RM 6,000,000 F. Emergency & other costs: RM 50,000 per month x12 month = RM 600,000 Total cost 1st year= RM 416,194,774.80 2nd year= 1st year Fixed cost = RM 416,194,774.80 RM 405,225,500 = RM 10,969,274.8 Revenue = 5,000,000 KWh RM 0.23 per KWh = RM 1,150,000 per day Revenue per year = 1,150,000 365 = RM 419,750,000

Profit 1st year = RM 419,750,000 - RM 416,194,774.80 = RM 3,555,225.20 Profit 2nd year = RM 419,750,000 - RM 10,969,274.8 = RM 408,780,725.20

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6.0 Conclusion As discussed in this project, we could conclude that biomass energy is a better alternative to generate energy and income. Specifically, cow dung that can really build a more feasible economical project and it keep a clean environment.

Hence, our mini project studied the ways and methods of generating electricity using cow dung as source of biomass. In the project we have designed and estimated the amount of source needed to generate 5000 MWh electricity using biochemical conversion. Besides, we also propose a power plant suitable to generate electricity using cow dung. The economical studies in terms of costs and profits were also discussed.

To sum up with, We could propose using cow dung as source of energy that can be a very feasible and viable economical project as well.

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7.0 Reference

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/1604

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/

http://helenchangwriter.com/2010/11/14/creating-electricity-from-cow-dung-and-oldfrying-oil/