Biomass

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Biomass
Composition of Municipal Solid Waste Energy
Retrieval from Recycling Incineration and
Incinerator Ash Secure Landfills Efficiency of
Conversion of Sunlight into Biomass Methane
Digesters Alternative Biomass Fuels for
Vehicles Wood Combustion Energy Plantations
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Energy in the News
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Composition of Urban Garbage
William Rathje Garbologist When did
Arizona Residents throw out the most meat?
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Composition of Solid Waste 23 Cities
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Waste Generation Rates over Time
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Changes in Disposal Methods
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Energetics of Recycling and Substitution
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Biodegradability
Biodegradability in garbage dumps an non-issue.
Rapid biodegradation requires oxygen and/or
water. Rathjeperfectly preserved years old
meat and vegetables!
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Waste to Energy Plant
Locked into long term contract may discourage
recycling Fly ash Bottom ash Where collected
and transported?
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Metal in Incinerator Ash
Fly ash from electrostatic precipitators.
Bottom ash bottom of boiler Which is most
dangerous??
Additional concerns dioxin from burning of
chlorine containing compounds (plastics,etc.).
Dioxin carcinogen, endocrine disrupter
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Recycling Trivia
Americans consume 2.5 million plastic bottles
every hour If you drink 2 cans ofsoft drink per
day in aluminum cans and cans are not
recycled,you waste more energy than is used daily
by one human in the lesser developed
countries Recycling one aluminum can saves
enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours Recycling
of all paper used in the Sunday edition of the
New York Times would save 75,000 trees per year
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Fly Ash Dump in Korba India(from power plant)
No vegetation.
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Fly Ash Dump in Badarpur, India
Reclaimed using mycorrihizal fungi
(bioremediation) Also small amounts of compost.
Reduces air pollution from fly ash dump.
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Secure Landfill
Black layers on top and bottom liner Liner
thickness about 1/3 inch Circles on bottom
leachate pipes Note Gas vent, low permeability
soil, filter layer, barrier layer, drainage layer
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Percent Trash Disposal in Landfills
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Biomass Production vs Energy Use
Uses of biomass Aside from energy?
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Biomass to Fuel Conversions
Results Alcohol (Ethanol) Biogas
(Methane) Syngas Gasoline (Biocrude) Diesel Fuel
(Plant Oil)
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Methods of Biomass to Energy Conversion
Direct combustion Pyrolysis thermal
decomposition into gas or liquid Involves high
temperatures (500-900C), low oxygen
Biochemical processes Anaerobic digestion by
methanogens Controlled fermentation produces
alcohols Ethanol (grain alcohol) Methanol (wood
alcohol)
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Anaerobic Digester
Converts animal or plant waste Into
methane Typical wastes Manure (feed lots,pig
farms, poultry) Olive oil mill waste Potato
processing waste Big deal Agricultural Science
Depts
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Optimum Operating Temperature
35C, maximum liters of methane per day, best
retention time?
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Cellulose High Solids Fermenter
Adjusting agitator shaft of high solids
fermenter. Produces methane gas, high quality
compost from sewage sludge, use 1/20th the water
Compared to conventional digesters. Downside
agitator needed.
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Energy Used to Grow vs Food Energy
Ethanol from corn 1.74 per gallon to produce vs
95 cents per gallon Of gasoline. 70 more
energy to make ethanol from US corn than energy
in ethanol Good use of ethanol oxidizer to
replace MTBE in gasoline 10 ethanol boosts
octane rating of gasoline, replaces lead.
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Energy Contributions to Bread Loaf
Grain production, Baking, Transport, Milling,
Shops, Packaging
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Energy in Biomass
Only a small amount energy in sunlight converted
into biomass by plants. Conversion efficiency
varies Sugar cane 2 Corn 1 Typical forest
0.8 Most food plants lt0.8 Maximum theoretical
efficiency 10
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Sugar Cane
Sugar cane very high productivity per acre. Use
bagasse (sugar cane waste) to run boilers to boil
sap for sugar. Bagasse to energy plants 7 of
Hawaiian energy (Mauritius)
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Bagasse to Methane Plant Hilo, HI
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Hemp Plants
Advantages 4 times as much pulp per acre as
wood, no pesticides needed Can make cloth,rope
paper. Does need nitrogen fertilizer. Not good
to smoke. 1763-1767-Virginia farmers jailed if no
hemp grown.
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Four Year Old Eucalyptus Hawaii
Eucalyptus produce high amounts Of biomass under
drier conditions Than hemp. Very hardy species.
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Plants as Sources of Petroleum Like Substances
Gopher plant grows wild in California 25
barrels of crude oil per hectare Copaifera
multijuga found in Brazil produces almost pure
diesel fuel Bladderpod can be used to make
plastic Jojoba 50 oil by weigh resembles
sperm oil doesnt go rancid
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Plastics Made from Pyrolysis Oil(Wood Chip Waste)
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Low Cost, Efficient Woodstoves
A India, B. Nepal C. Guatemala, Most of the
world cooks with wood. Typical wood stove Only
10 efficient. Time to collect wood 2 to 5
hours per day. 80 of fuel use in developing
world wood for cooking. Major cause of
deforestation, soil erosion.
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Comparable Efficiency Values
Efficiency multiply by 100.
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Rocket Stove vs Three Stone Fire
Rocket Stove insulated fire box, short chimney,
cooks on top of Chimney, skirt surrounds pot.
Built in Guatemala.
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Rocket Stove
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Addition of Haybox
Haybox insulated box. Food placed in box and
left once water heated to boiling point. Food
continues to cook without fire. (Why?)
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Air Tight Stove
Stove has lower chamber With burning wood, Upper
chamber with Secondary combustion Long path for
exhaust gas more complete burning Note high
surface area of Stove. About 50 efficient