BIOMASS

ENERGY
Lecture 5
INTRODUCTION
 Biomass is organic, meaning it is made of material that comes from living organisms, such as

plants and animals.

The most common biomass materials used for energy are plants, wood, and waste. These are

called biomass feedstock.

 Biomass contains energy first derived from the sun. Plants absorb the sun‘s energy through

photosynthesis, and convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates.

INTRODUCTION
 The energy from these organisms can be transformed into usable energy through direct and

indirect means.

 Biomass can be burned to create heat (direct), converted into electricity (direct), or processed

into biofuel (indirect).

INTRODUCTION
Biomass is renewable and does not generate additional CO2 emissions when burned.

This makes it a viable source of sustainable energy in rural areas and can serve to strengthen
farming activities in the respective region.

The world is in the process of making organic matter useful for supplying energy – be it for heat
or electricity.
CLASSIFICATIONS
 The biomass resources are classified upon the source of generation
CLASSIFICATIONS
 Forestry crops & residue
 Agricultural crops
 Residue
 Animal residues
 Industrial residues
 Municipal solid waste
 Sewage
HOW BIOMASS IS A
RENEWABLE RESOURCE OF
ENERGY?
 Waste residues will always exist – in terms of scrap wood, mill residuals and forest resources

 Properly managed forests will always have more trees, and we will always have crops and the

residual biological matter from those crops

BIOMASS ENERGY
RESOURCES
Chemical composition of biomass

 Biomass is carbon based and is composed of a mixture of organic molecules containing

hydrogen, usually including atoms of oxygen, often nitrogen and also small quantities of other
atoms, including alkali, alkaline earth and heavy metals. The chlorophyll which contains
magnesium.

 Carbon – 45 % Hydrogen – 6 % Nitrogen - 0.2 to 1% Sulphur - less than 0.2 %

TYPES OF BIOMASS
MATERIALS
 Biomass is existing in different types of energy source. Although there are many pattern of

classifications, the most appropriate one is biomass into four types:

 Natural biomass

 Dry residual biomass

 Wet residual biomass

 Energy crops
TYPES OF BIOMASS
MATERIALS
 Natural biomass: It is occurring in nature without any human intervention. The problem with

this type of biomass is the necessary management of the resource acquisition and transport to
the place of use. This result in exploitation of this biomass is economically unviable.

 Dry residual biomass: Waste are generated in agriculture activities (woody and herbaceous)

and livestock in the forest, the timber industry and agribusiness, among others and can still be
used and considered by-products. As an example we consider the sawdust, almond shell, the
pomade, pruning fruit trees, etc.
TYPES OF BIOMASS
MATERIALS
 Wet residual biomass: Residual biomass which are found in wet spills are bio-degradable.

 Energy crops: These crops are produced for the sole purpose of producing biomass fuel

transformable. Existing crops such as cereals, oil seeds, sugar beet, etc...
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
BIOMASS AND FOSSIL FUELS
 The major difference between biomass and fossil fuels is the time scale required for its

generation.

 Biomass takes carbon out of the atmosphere while it is growing, and returns it as it is burned. If

it is managed on a sustainable basis, biomass is harvested as part of a constantly replenished

crop. This is either during woodland or arboricultural management or coppicing or as part of a
continuous program of replanting with the new growth taking up CO2 from the atmosphere at
the same time as it is released by combustion of the previous harvest.

 This maintains a closed carbon cycle with no net increase in atmospheric CO2 levels
ADVANTAGES OF BIOMASS
 Biomass used as a fuel reduces need for fossil fuels for the production of heat, steam, and

electricity for residential, industrial and agricultural use.

 Biomass is always available and can be produced as a renewable resource.

 Biomass fuel from agriculture wastes maybe a secondary product that adds value to

agricultural crop.

 Growing biomass crops produce oxygen and use up carbon dioxide.

 The use of waste materials reduces landfill disposal and makes more space for everything else.
DISADVANTAGES OF
BIOMASS
 Agricultural wastes will not be available if the basic crop is no longer grown.

 Additional work is needed in areas such as harvesting methods.

 Land used for energy crops maybe in demand for other purposes, such as faming,

conservation, housing, resort or agricultural use.

 Some biomass conversion projects are from animal wastes and are relatively small and

therefore are limited.

 Research is needed to reduce the costs of production of Biomass based fuels.

BIOFUEL
 Biofuels are fuels produced directly or indirectly from organic material including plant

materials and animal waste.

 More advanced and efficient conversion technologies now allow the extraction of biofuels

from materials such as wood, crops and waste material.

 Biofuels can be of solid, liquid or gaseous forms.

SOLID BIOFUEL
 Wood briquettes are environmentally friendly sources of heating. The briquettes are produced

from pure sawmill chips and are residue from production plant.

 Wood pellets are available in 6 mm and 8 mm which are ideal for both private use and heavy

industrial burners.

 Fire wood from carefully selected logs from pine and spruce can be delivered in boxes or in

bags according to customers‘ demand. Woodchips are small to medium sized pieces of wood
formed by cutting or chipping larger pieces of wood such as trees, branches, logging residues,
stumps, roots, and wood waste
LIQUID BIOFUEL
 Biodiesel can be produced from straight vegetable oil, animal oil/fats, tallow and waste

cooking oil.

 The process used to convert these oils to Biodiesel is called transesterification.

 Bio-ethanol is produced through fermentation of sugars derived from crops containing starch,

such as corn, wheat, sugar cane, sorghum plants.

 It is the largest contributor of total biofuel production.

 It can be blended with petrol to produce more efficient fuel.

LIQUID BIOFUEL
 Bio-alcohol are always produced by the action of micro-organisms and enzymes through the

fermentation of sugars or starches (easiest), or cellulose (which is more difficult).

 Bio-alcohol is the combined name for bio-methanol, bio-ethanol, bio-propanol, and bio-butanol.

 They are classified into two forms 1st generation and 2nd generation bio-alcohols.

 1 st generation bio-alcohols are produced from crops which can be used by human for eating like

sugarcane, sugar beets and potatoes.

 2nd generation bio-alcohols are produced from woody stems, branches which are not used by

human for eating

GASEOUS BIOFUEL
 Biogas is a type of biofuel that is naturally produced from the decomposition of organic waste.

 When organic matter, such as food scraps and animal waste, break down in an anaerobic

environment (in the absent of oxygen) they release a blend of gases, primarily methane and
carbon dioxide.

 Because this decomposition happens in an anaerobic environment, the process of producing

biogas is also known as anaerobic digestion.

GASEOUS BIOFUEL
 Syngas is an abbreviation for synthesis gas, which is a mixture comprising of carbon

monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen.

 The syngas is produced by gasification of a carbon containing fuel to a gaseous product that

has a heating value.

 Some of the examples of syngas production include gasification of coal emissions, waste

emissions to energy gasification, and steam reforming of coke

ENERGY CONVERSION FROM
BIOMASS
 There are different methods that convert biomass into usable energy.

 The mostly used two methods are thermal-chemical method and biological method.

 Thermal – Chemical method This method is based on the use of heat as a source of biomass

conversion. They highly developed for dry biomass, especially for straw and wood. The steps
involved are, combustion and pyrolysis.

 Natural biomass: The combustion of biomass by oxygen from the air, this reaction releases

water and carbon dioxide, and can be used for domestic heat and industrial heat production
ENERGY CONVERSION FROM
BIOMASS
 Pyrolysis: It is the chemical decomposition of organic (carbon-based) materials through the

application of heat.

 Pyrolysis, which is also the first step in gasification and combustion, occurs in the absence or near

absence of oxygen, and it is thus distinct from combustion (burning), which can take place only if
sufficient oxygen is present.

 The rate of pyrolysis increases with temperature. In industrial applications the temperatures used are

often 430°C or higher, whereas in smaller-scale operations the temperature may be much lower. It has
been used for long time to produce charcoal from wood and coke from coal.
 This method also releases a lean gas mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide

(CO2), hydrogen (H2) and light hydrocarbons.

 This gas, low calorific value, can be used to power diesel engines to produce electricity, or

move vehicles.

 The facility in which you make the pyrolysis and gasification of biomass is called gasifiers.

The poor gas produced can be used directly or can serve as a basis for the synthesis of
methanol, which could replace gasoline to power internal combustion engines.
 The gas produced is more versatile and can be used for the same purposes as natural gas.

 It can be burned to produce heat and steam power in the internal combustion engines and gas

turbines to generate electricity. It is a fuel of relatively free from impurities and causes less
pollution problems when burned.
BIOLOGICAL METHOD
 Fermentation is a metabolic process in which an organism converts a carbohydrate, such as

starch or a sugar, into an alcohol or an acid.

 For example, yeast performs fermentation to obtain energy by converting sugar into alcohol.

 Bacteria perform fermentation, converting carbohydrates into lactic acid. Methane

fermentation is a versatile biotechnology capable of converting almost all types of polymeric
materials to methane and carbon dioxide under anaerobic conditions.
 It is typically used for processing wet biomass. In the fermenters or digesters, cellulose is the

substance that breaks down into a gas, which contains about 60% methane and 40% carbon
dioxide. This process requires a temperature of 30-35°C.
TYPES OF BIOGAS PLANTS
 Biogas is a fuel which is produced from the breakdown of organic matter. This is produced

when bacteria decompose organic material such as garbage and sewage, especially in the
absence of oxygen.

 Biogas is a mixture of about 60 percent methane and 40 percent Carbon dioxide. Methane is

the main component of natural gas. It is relatively clean burning, colorless, and odorless.
Biogas can be captured and burned for cooking and heating. This is already being done on a
large scale in some countries around the world.
 Farms that produce a lot of manure, such as hog and dairy farms, can use biogas generators to

produce methane. Biogas production has been practiced for more than 30 years. However,
widespread adoption has been hampered by inadequacy of information on its production, and
potential benefits, and the prohibitively high costs of earlier designs.
TYPES OF BIOGAS PLANTS BASED
ON THE TYPE OF DIGESTERS USED
 Floating Drum Biogas Plants

 Fixed Dome Biogas Plants

 Low-Cost Polyethylene Tube Digester Biogas plants

 Balloon Plants

 Earth-pit Plants

 Fibrocement Plants
 Initially, two types of biogas systems were promoted.

 They are float-drum type (Indian digester) and fixed dome type (Chinese digester) The main features of these

systems are:

 an under-ground digester may be made of masonry stones, concrete or a strong gauge metal sheet

 an inlet pipe with a substrate receptacle

 an outlet pipe for exhausted slurry

 a floating fixed dome for gas collection

 a gas outlet pipe

FLOATING DRUM BIOGAS
PLANT
COMPONENTS OF FLOATING
CHAMBER BIOGAS PLANT
 The basic are as follows.

 MIXING TANK - present above the ground level, used to feed the well mixed stock into the

digester tank.

 DIGESTER TANK – The entire tank is below the ground level. It is a well like structure. It is

divided into two chambers by a partition wall.

 INLET AND OUTLET PIPE - Inlet pipe is to introduce slurry into the chamber.

Outlet pipe into the overflow tank for removal of spent slurry
COMPONENTS OF FLOATING
CHAMBER BIOGAS PLANT
 GAS HOLDER - It is an inverted steel drum resting above the digester. The drum can move

up and down i.e., float over the digester. The gas holder has an outlet at the top which could be
connected to gas stoves.

 OVER FLOW TANK - present above the ground level, used for the removal of spent slurry.
WORKING DETAILS
 A mixture with equal quantities of biomass and water is prepared in the mixing pit or tank. It

is commonly known slurry.

 The prepared slurry is fed into the inlet chamber of the digester through the inlet pipe.

 The plant is left unused for about two months and adding more slurry will be stopped.

 During this period, anaerobic fermentation of biomass takes place in the presence of water and

produces biogas in the digester.

WORKING DETAILS
 Biogas being lighter rise up and being collected in the gas holder. The gas holder now starts

moving up.

 The gas holder cannot rise up beyond a certain level. As more and more gas starts collecting,

more pressure begins to be exerted on the slurry.

 The spent slurry is now forced into the outlet chamber from the top of the inlet chamber
WORKING DETAILS
 When the outlet chamber gets filled with the spent slurry, the excess is forced out through the

outlet pipe into the overflow tank. This is later used as manure for plants. I

 The gas valve of the gas outlet is opened to get a supply of biogas.

 Once the production of biogas begins, a continuous supply of gas can be ensured by regular

removal of spent slurry and introduction of fresh slurry.

FIXED DRUM BIOGAS PLANT
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
 The basic components of floating chamber biogas plant are as follows.
 MIXING TANK - present above the ground level, used to feed the well mixed stock into the
digester tank.
 INLET CHAMBER - The mixing tank opens at the bottom into a sloping inlet chamber.
 DIGESTER TANK – The inlet chamber has an opening at the bottom into the digester which
is a huge tank with a dome like ceiling. The ceiling of the digester has an outlet with a valve
for the supply of biogas.
 OUTLET CHAMBER – The digester has an opening at the bottom into an outlet chamber.
 OVERFLOW TANK - The outlet chamber opens from the top into a small over flow tank.
WORKING DETAILS
 The various forms of biomass are mixed with an equal quantity of water in the mixing tank.

This forms the slurry.

 The slurry is fed into the digester through the inlet chamber.

 When the digester is partially filled with the slurry, the introduction of slurry is stopped and

the plant is left unused for about two months.

 During these two months, anaerobic bacteria present in the slurry decomposes or ferments the

biomass in the presence of water.

WORKING DETAILS
 As a result of anaerobic decomposition, biogas is formed, which starts collecting in the dome

of the digester.

 As more and more biogas starts collecting, the pressure exerted by the biogas forces the spent

slurry into the outlet chamber.

 From the outlet chamber, the spent slurry overflows into the overflow tank.
WORKING DETAILS
 The spent slurry is manually removed from the overflow tank and used as manure for plants.

 The gas valve connected to a system of pipelines is opened when a supply of biogas is

required.

 To obtain a continuous supply of biogas, a functioning plant can be fed continuously with the

prepared slurry.
COMPARISON BETWEEN
FLOATING AND FIXED DRUM
BIOGAS PLANTS