USE OF BIOMASS IN THE LIGHT OF CO2 EMISSION AND

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Tamas DienesCentral European University

Budapest, Hungary

The 23rd International Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Management

Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. March 31 2008

Contents

• 1. Introduction to the topic • 2. Theoretical framework • 3. Research questions• 4. Conclusions

1. Introduction to the topic• Biomass:

– Definition: All organic matter that derives from the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy.(http://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/library/glossarylist_en.cfm?Init=B)

– Used to produce energy (bioenergy) • reduce greenhouse gas emissions and • meet the European renewable energy targets.

– Biomass (principally wood and wood waste, but also straw, crop harvest residues, vegetal and animal waste) energy instead of fossil fuel (petrol, gas and coal).

– Biomass is grown from several plants, including hemp, corn, wheat, sugar beet, poplar, willow, sugarcane and oil palm (palm oil).

Bio-energy in general (2005)• Biomass – to produce electricity, heat and transport fuels

– total of 58,753 Mtoe in EU (5.7% growth with respect to 2004)

• Logs Pellet

• Biofuels– Biodiesel - originated from rapeseed

• (leading biofuel in the EU, representing 81.5% of production- 3.184.000 tons)– Bioethanol - originated from sugar cane

• (18.5% of biofuel production- 720.927 tons)

2. Theoretical framework (Hungary)

• National Climate Change Strategy for Hungary –

The Parliament approved it unanimously on 19.03.2008 – the greens also welcome this document (The EU set 18 % emission reduction to Hungary by 2020. Base year: 1990).

• Sustainable Development Strategy for Hungary

• Energy Efficiency Strategy for Hungary –Hungary plans to finance HUF 110 billion (650 million USD) for RES and energy efficiency investments (mainly from the EU) between 2008 and 2013

Legislational background (EU)

• 2001/77/EC: Directive on Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources

• Directive 2003/30 on bio-fuels• GREEN PAPER - Towards a new culture for

urban mobility• EU Strategy for Biofuels (COM(2006) 34) • Biomass Action Plan - Brussels, 7.12.2005

Targets

• Share of renewable energy sources (RES) 6% to 12 % in total energy consumption in Europe by 2010.

• Biofuels should be increased up to 5.75% in 2010 and 10% by 2020.

Energy sources in Hungary, 2006

28,7 23,7

31,0 44,8

15,8

14,4

19,913,1

2,1 0,42,6 3,7

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

1990 2004

MegújulóEgyébSzén AtomGázOlaj

RES

Other

Coal

Nuclear

Gas

Oil

Import dependency (67,3%) 78,5 % Source: Energy Centre Hungary

Planned RES mix in 2020 (PJ)Planned RES mix in 2020 (PJ)

79.0%

1.7%1.9%

10.3%

7.0%

Solar (thermal)

Geothermal

Biogas

Biomass, wood

Waste

Source: Energy Centre Hungary

Potential of RES, Hungary, 2006, PJ

63.5

1838

328

14.4

532.8

3.6 0.1 49.2 0.7 0.160

200400600800

100012001400160018002000

Geoth

ermal

Solar

Biomas

s

Hydro

Wind

Potential Used

Estimation from the Hungarian Academy of ScienecesTotal: used: 53.8 potential: 2700

Primary energy production* of solid biomass in the European Union in 2004 and 2005**(in Mtoe)The EU currently meets 4% of its energy needs from biomass. If it made full use of its potential, it would more than double biomass use by 2010 (to about 185 Mtoe)

Amount of the biomass

Renewable energy in Europe

• Share of each resource in the renewable primary energy production (in %) Source:Eurobserver

3. Research questions

• 1, Does the use of biomass really mean CO2 saving?

• 2. What are the con`s and pro`s of the biomass use?

• 3, How can the biomass use take place incompliance with the sustainable development?

Pro`s for the use of biomassThis increase in biomass use could bring the following

benefits in 2010:• replacing fossil fuels;• reducing reliance on imported energy from 48 to 42%;• a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 209 million

tonnes CO2eq a year; • direct employment for up to 250-300 000 people;• pressure on the oil price as a result of lower demand for

oil. (Biomass Action Plan)• surplus in the agricultural production;• it is easy for the agriculture to switch for this technology

with low effort.

Con`s for the use of biomass -1 • Area demand

If we want to reach the 5.75% market share of the biofuels by 2010 we need 25,9 million hectars of agricultural land, however the area of the agricultural land in the UK is 5,7 million hectars.

George Monbiot, (Guardian, 22.11.2004 and in 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/mar/27/comment.food

– “Fuel vs. Food” • Energy balance – positive or negative? • Ecological as well as social aspects

– Forests are replaced by palm oil in Indonesia or in Malaysia between 1985 and 2000 the palm oil plants was responsible for the 87% of the forest cuts (Gyulai)

– Threat to Biodiversity

Con`s for the use of biomass - 2• Certainly leads to an increase of food prices and shortages

is expected in some countries. A recent OECD-FAO report (2007): food prices expected to rise by between 20% and 50% by 2016. Cereals, sugar, oilseeds and vegetable oils to satisfy the needs of an increasing bio fuels industry.

• GHG saving is not obvious. In Indonesia 15,6 million ha forests were cut between 1995 and 2003 to replace by palm oil plantations. From these new areas 70-100 tons of CO2/ha is released. Indonesia became the third CO2 emitter in the world. (Gyulai)

Liquid Bio-fuel Life Cycle(source: Yulia Voytenko)

CROPCULTIVATION

(growing)

TRANSPORTATION FUELPRODUCTION

(refining)

FUEL USE(burning)

DISTRIBUTION(transportation)COCO2 2

emittedemitted

COCO2 2 savedsavedNET NET

ENERGY ENERGY BALANCEBALANCE (Courtesy of Yulia Voytenko CEU)

2nd generation biofuels• cellulosic ethanol (lignocellulosic ethanol or ceetoh). • all plants contain cellulose and lignin. • freeing the sugar molecules from cellulose using enzymes. • sugar can be fermented to produce ethanol. Lignin can be

burned as carbon neutral fuel. • ligno-cellulosic sources

do not compete with food production. • crops:

– coppice crops (willow, poplar)– perennial grasses (switchgrass, miscanthus)

Types of 2nd gen. ethanol• The fuel comes from the

fiber in the plant, rather than starches in the grain

• Non-edible cellulose materials • Agricultural residues:

• Straw• Corn stalks• Stems• Sunflower husk etc.

– Wood residues– Animal manure– Leaves, tree bark, straw or woodchips,

(Courtesy of Yulia Voytenko CEU)

Advantages of 2nd gen. biofuels

– have a more favourable GHG balance;– high energy density and yield per hectare; – are able to use a wider range of biomass

feedstocks;– can be grown on lands less suitable for crop

production; – better quality of fuel than first-generation

biofuels.

GHG Emissions of Biofuels & Fossil Fuels

Sampo Soimakallio et al, VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND

Courtesy of Dr. Philip Peck, IIIEE, Lund University

11stst GenerationGeneration

22ndnd GenerationGeneration

Fossil FuelsFossil Fuels

Challenges for 2nd gen. biofuels

• Cost: – high production costs - cannot yet be produced

economically on a large scale.• Technological:

– developments are needed on to break plant fibers into sugarsefficient.

• Infrastructure: – logistics.

1st vs. 2nd generation biofuels

Courtesy of Dr. Philip Peck, IIIEE, Lund University

Current developments for 2nd gen. bioethanol

• Choren Case (www.choren.com):– World’s 1st commercial BtL Plant in Freiberg

(Germany)• Japan: wood-to-ethanol plant was planned for 1.4 million

liters/year • Demonstration plant in Canada (http://www.iogen.ca/) • Abengoa Bioenergy – Spain, USA

(http://www.abengoabioenergy.com/)• Verenium, (USA) formed in June 2007 from

– Diversa Corporation, a global leader in enzyme technology, and– Celunol Corporation, a leading developer of cellulosic ethanol

process technologies and projects. (http://www.verenium.com/)

Feed materials to Carbo-V ® Process

WIREC 2008 - 1

• Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, 4-6 March 20– http://www.wirec2008.gov/wps/portal/wirec2008– http://www.iisd.ca/ymb/wirec2008/html/ymbvol95num8e.html– More than 3000 participants from 118 countries– four themes:

• market adoption and finance;• agriculture, forestry and rural development; • state and local authorities; • and research and development (R&D).

WIREC 2008 - 2

• George W. Bush, President of the United States of America – a goal to reduce gasoline consumption by 20%

over 10 years – Clean Technology Fund is needed. Called on

Congress to commit USD 2 billion for this purpose

WIREC 2008 - Conclusions• links between energy, climate and security issues were

emphasized• renewable energy sources –

– not exhaustible – decentralized power source

• investing in biomass generation only at a local scale (Poland)

• investment into the most promising cellulosic biomass technologies

• the importance of cooperative efforts with other countries, (US, EU and Brazil on biofuels), and US and EU to work together on renewable energy

Biomass-to-Liquids - 1• Biomass to liquids -

– Biomass gasification followed by liquid bio-fuel synthesis– Compatible with ligno-cellulosic biomass– Full use of input biomass– Strong technical background

Oil seeds Vegetable oil Hydro

processing Green Diesel

Biomass GasificationFischer-Tropsch

Synthesis BTL

• Conventional esterification process: by-product – glycerol (source: ENI)

3rd generation bio-fuels

• Growing biomass by means of micro-organisms (such as phytoplankton, micro-algae, bacteria, yeasts) to produce lipids suitable for conversion

into diesel fuel Sun + CO2

algae Biomass collection

Lipid extraction

Conversion to green diesel

• CO2 produced from power station and industrial plants can be used to feed the process (source: ENI)

Conclusion

• Second generation biofuels turned out – more favorable in reduction of GHG emissions, but

highly dependent on emissions from electricity consumed within fuel processing

– environmentally safe and biodiversity friendly • Besides using the bio-fuels we should focus on: energy

saving and energy efficiency investments and attitude. • A complete portfolio of green energy strategies:

Biofuels + RES + E ef-cy + E saving• The most environmental-friendly and the cheapest

energy is the energy which is not used up.