Renewable Energy Workshop

Biomass From Forest, Farm & City

Forest

Biomass
Farm

City

Forest Biomass

Whats out there ??

Slash Non-Merchantable

Log Merchandizing

Defect

More !!
Windrows

Windrows represent about 15% of the total stand area

And More !!
Logging Debris Chips

Chipper Frass

And More !!
Disease Fire

Insects

Blowdown

And More !!

Low Quality Stands

And More !!

Plantation Thinnings

Plus Heritage Piles

Lots of Stuff

40 feet

Up Close

Whats Available ? Whats the Benefit ?

Source Low Quality Stands (Allocated - Not Harvested) Slash/Cull from Allocated but Not Harvested Slash/Cull from Harvest Million M
(wet tons)

Number of Households

5.1 1.8 3.1 4.5 9.8 13.3 7.1

310,503 108,676 188,737 273,973 596,651 797,565 432,268

Harvest Residual (High Grading and By-Pass) Fire (5 year average) Disease (5 year average) Insects (5 year average)

Whats the Outlook ? Annual Forest Depletion

All Working Groups mid-90s Millions of Cubic Metres
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
CAI Harvest Pests Fire H+P+F

Climate Change Stress Mortality

Can We Expect Increased Mortality?

Yes !!

Climate Change Induced Stress Mortality

BC Stress & Mortality

Over 600 MM killed by Mountain Pine Beetle Area nearly equal to the size of Wisconsin 60,000 sq. mi. Mortality directly linked to climate change. No -40C Larva survive Beetle is in Alberta! Risk of migration to Jack Pine is real. Stress induced by global warming followed insect and disease infestations, coupled with persistent fires, have shifted forests from CO2 sinks to CO2 sources. Expected to last until 2022 perhaps much longer Further, the risk of permafrost melting and peat warming in the Boreal due to climate change and increased exposure threaten a carbon bomb. Recall, this is already occurring in Alaska we are not immune.

Stressed Forests

Farm Biomass

Switch Grass - a Weed ?

Willow: Growin Like a Weed !

Pasture & Abandon Land Available for Planting In Ontario 1.2 Million ha !!!
At 3 Months After Coppicing

At 3 Years !!

Municipal Solid Waste MSW

Petroleum Just Old Biomass

Heat

+
Old, Old Biomass

Pressure

A Long Time

Different Types of Old Biomass

C&D Wood Waste

Tires

Mixed Plastics

Medical Waste

E - Waste

Biomass Processing & Densification

Processing and Densification of biomass, with the exception of fire wood, is necessary to eliminate debris (rock, metal, plastics, etc.), improve handling, reduce transportation costs and meet specifications and/or standards of the converting technology employed.

Processing Requirements
Type Waste Shavings Sawdust Hog or Heritage Cleaning & Sorting Drying Sizing Processing Cost

L L H

L M H

L L M-H

1 2 5

Chips
Farm Plant Waste MSW
TIPPING FEE

M
M H

M
L L

H
M M-H

4
3 4

Densification
Fire Wood Grains Liquids
Natural
Wood or Grass Pellets or Brickets

Chips

Energy Density Comparisons

Energy Option Grass bales Grass brickets/pellets Poultry litter Wood green chips (40-50 % moisture) Wood dry chips (20 % moisture) Wood pellets Bio-liquid traditional pyrolysis wood Bio-liquid advanced pyrolysis wood Coal Number 2 Fuel Oil BTU/pound 7,100 7,600 6,000 4,500 Moisture 6,900 Densification 7,500 8,000 Innovation 17,000 Replace Fossil Fuels 15,200 19,200

Energy Use
BTU: British Thermal Unit = heat required to Raise Temperature of 1 pound of water 1F

4000

Size of Your Home Square Feet

3000 2000 1000

1kWh = 3,400 BTUs. A 2,000 sq.ft. home using 60,000 BTU is equivalent 17.6 kWh/day
30 60 90 120

Thousand BTUs/Day

Relative Comparison of Alternative Energy Sources 40

Ontario Source

Cost per Million BTUs

30

Oregon Source

20

10

0
Propane Heating Oil Electricity Grain (Corn) Wood Pellets Natural Gas Fire Wood

Comparative Heating Costs for A 2000 Sq Ft Home for 2008

3000

Heat Cost 2000 sq ft Home

Source: Grain Store Supplier

2000

1000

Electricity

Heating Oil

Propane

Wood Pellets

Natural Gas

Grain (Corn)

Fire Wood

Efficiency Comparisons
The amount of energy harvested from 1 hectare of land minus all energy inputs to produce a fuel shows wide variation

Efficiency Comparisons
Bio-Gas Electricity (corn)

Ethanol From Grain

Bio-diesel (rapseed) 2nd Generation Bio-fuels (FT) Bio-Gas as Traffic Fuel (corn) Bio-Gas CHP (corn) Short Rotation Forestry
(Direct Combustion)

0 1GJ = 950,000 BTU = 278 kWh

50

100

150

200

Net Energy Yield (GJ/ha)

Efficiency + Cost Comparisons

Why not use biomass options for electricity production, car fuels and heating?

First, there is not sufficient quantity to serve all 3 markets. Second, the current subsidy make up does not favor biomass. Third, some uses, depending on scale, are more efficient and effective than others.

Efficiency Comparisons: Biomass to Heat

% Energy Loss In Converting Biomass
80 Minimum Maximum

40

Pellets

Electricity

Biofuels (FT)

Subsidy/MW In Canada Dollars

75 Minimum Maximum

150

What do you See ?

Energy loss and subsidy distribution are closely linked. Why do the most inefficient energy systems get the highest subsidy??

Who foots the bill ?

US!

Efficiency Comparisons

Note:

A 10 kW electric heating system can be replaced by a simple pellet stove (efficiency >90%) for $3,000 Client cost = $105/MW versus $242/MW for direct heating with electricity

Producing electricity from biomass without using the heat is the most inefficient use of primary energy

We Need to Change Our Energy Use Patterns

Oil Transport

Natural Gas Hydro Wind Solar-E Solar-H Biomass Electricity

Heating Cooling

Light Information Power

Inefficient

Efficient

Technology
Smaller Scale Use + Home & Farm

Fire Wood

Insert

Free Standing

Outdoor Space & Water Heat

Wood Pellets

Pellets

Free Standing

Furnace/Boiler with Auto-Feed

Biomass Heat Only

How it Works

Downdraft Gasifier

Bio-Trend Systems Inc.

Natural Gas Furnace

Anaerobic Digestion Cow Power

Technology
Larger Scale Use + Institutional, Industrial, Cooperatives

Co-Generation Heat and Power

Boiler Steam Steam Turbine Generator Process Heat

Green Certificates

Heating Blowers Cooling

$$$ from Fly Ash Waste

Gasification
Hot Air
Tars & Other Particulates

Gas Clean-up #1

Gas Clean-up #2

Catalyst Treatment

Alcohols

Combustion & Gasification

Gas Separation

GasTurbine

Waste Heat Boiler

Ash Waste

Steam Turbine
Biomass MSW
Note: Gasifiers that use the gas internally (close-coupled) are,technically, combustion units.

Biomass

Pyrolosis Bio-Crude
Process Energy

Gas 13%

Cleaning

Co-Gen for Heat & Power Industrial Chemicals Feedstock For Gasification

Sizing
Drying

Pyrolysis

Bio-Oil 75%

Process Energy

Char 12%

The term bio-oil is a misnomer. The liquid is not miscible in oil, it has 25% water, its acidic, it separates and requires heated storage

Pyrolysis: Hi Value Hi Return Waste Remediation + Energy Production

Carbon Black

Oil from Tires

Miscible in oil
Less than .05% Water Minimal Odor 18.0 K BTU/lb pH neutral Stores well

Steel Belts

Comparable to #2 Fuel Oil

Realistic Burning Options for Today

Market Ready Options

Firewood

Wood Stove/Boiler:

In home space heat. Basic combustion unit In yard space and/or water heat. Combustion or Close-Coupled Gasifer) Lower cost, particularly using family labor

Suited for folks with time they can dedicate to bucking, splitting, stacking and lugging, lugging and stacking, cleaning house, etc.

Pellets (Wood or Grain)

Pellet Stove: Space Heat

Cleaner, less ash/particulates, pellet supply, pellet quality (white vs. brown) Buildings between 2,500 to 50,000 sq ft Heating capacity less than 800 kW (Chips best for 800kW, or larger)

Pellet Furnace: Space and/or Water Heat

Examples

Home: 2,000 sq. ft. 60,000 BTU (17.6 kWh/day) (Pellet Stove) Small: 12,000 sq. ft. 420,000 BTU (123 kWh/day) (Pellet Furnace) Medium: 105, 000 sq. ft. 2,500,000 BTU (Chip Boiler)

Close-up Living with Wood

Northern Ontario Home 3,000 sq. ft. Two wood stoves Tandum Load = 22 face cords = $700 (annual) Saw = $600 (10 year life) Bucking and Stacking = 10 days, 1 person = $1,000, or in-kind Chains, Chain oil, Gas, Maintenance, etc. = $250 (annual) Splitter + 2 people for 2 days = $340, or in-kind Hauling and Stacking 2 people = $200, or in-kind Daily hauling from wood pile to house = In-kind Ash removal 1 person once a week = In-kind Chimney cleaning 1 person twice a year = $200, or in-kind Comfort - Priceless

Note: Assumes neighborhood labor..kids at 10 bucks an hour

Household Consumption
Month August September October November kWh/Month 950 970 770 830 kWh/Day 33 30 27 28 Cumulative kWh 950 1920 2690 3520

December
January February March April

1470
1480 2150 1670 1680

46
51 74 60 51

4990
6470 8620 10290 11970

May
June July Average/Total kWh Average/Total BTU

970
1150 940 1211 4.13 Mill

31
36 31 40 136,520

12940
14090 15030 15030 53.7 Million

Total kWh All Electric

24000 - 36000

We Have Choices -- Questions

UNCONTROLLED CONTROLLED AND RECOVERED

Wood

Pellets Liquid

X-TRA

Biomass Use Maintaining Long-term Site Productivity

Retention of Nutrients By Component (Nutrients/Gram Tissue)

Plant Components

% of Total Biomass Retained, or consumed on the Site, Based on a 60 Year Rotation!!

Very High High Moderate Low Slash

Leaves Small Branches (Twigs) Large Branches Stem (Large Woody Debris Policy) Stump

Greater than 99% Greater than 90% Greater than 35% 20% to 40%

Low
Medium

Stump
Large Roots

100%
100%

High
High

Small Roots - Stump Taken

Fine Roots - Stump Taken

100%
100%

Issues: Nutrient Cycling Moisture Retention Microbial Activity - Diversity

Close-up Small Business/Institution

Forest Education Interpretive Center 12,000 sq. ft. 2005 Furnace System Cost = $45,000 US Technology: 140,000 BTU/hr wood pellet fired hot water boilers, or about a 25 kW system Fuel Source: Local sawmill waste Pellets fed by augers into 3 boilers (2 in operation, 1 stand-by) with average 300,000 BTU/hr peak heating load Annual Heat Expense: $6,360 ($265/ton at 24 tons/year, or an
average of 132 pounds/day)

1MW = 3.4 million BTU service 750 to 1000 homes 1kW = 3,400 BTU 25 kW = 140,000 BTU service 18 to 25 homes 100 kW = 340,000 BTU service 75 to 100 homes