The Biomass Energy Opportunity for Forest Counties

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The Biomass Energy Opportunity for Forest
Counties Rural America
Presented to 12th Annual National Forest
Counties Schools Coalition Conference John
Ashworth April 24, 2009

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U.S. National Commitment to Ambitious Biofuels
Goals

• Cost-competitive cellulosic ethanol
• Cost-competitive in the blend market by 2012
• 20 in 10 (from the 2007 State of the Union
  address)
• Reduce U.S. gasoline use by 20 by 2017 through
• 5 reduction from enhanced efficiency standards
  (CAFÉ)
• 15 reduction from new Alternative Fuels Standard
  at 35 billion gallons/year (consistent with the
  current RFS)
• EISA (Energy Independence Security Act)
• 36 billion gallons renewable fuel by 2022
• 21 billion gallons advanced biofuels
• 30 x 30 (followed from the 2006 SOU)
• Longer-term biofuels goal
• Ramp up the production of biofuels to 60 billion
  gallons
• Displace 30 of U.S. gasoline consumption (based
  on 2004 use) by 2030

light-duty vehicles only
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Major DOE Biofuels Project Locations
Key Company Process Feedstock (Location)
Cargill Inc Biochemical Various (Minneapolis, MN)
Pacific Ethanol Biochemical Wheat
Straw/Corn Stover (Boardman, OR)
Mascoma Biochemical Various (Lebanon, NH)
Flambeau River Thermochemical Wood Chips (Park
Falls, WI)
RSE Biochemical Pulp extract (Old Town, ME)
NewPage Thermochemical Wood Chips (Wisconsin
Rapids, WI)
DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research
Center (Madison, WI)
NREL
DOE Joint Bioenergy Institute (Berkeley, CA)
Purdue University Biochemical (West Lafayette,
IN)
Poet Biochemical Corn Stover (Emmetsburg, IA)
DuPont Biochemical Various (Wilmingt
on, DE)
Iowa State Thermochemical Switchgrass (Ames, IA)
Emery Energy Thermochemical Corn Stover (Salt
Lake City, UT)
Lignol Biochemical Wood Residues ( CO)
Alltech/Envirofine Biochemical Corn Cob (KY)
ICM Biochemical Switchgrass, Corn Stover (St.
Joseph, MO)
Mascoma Biochemical Switchgrass (TN)
Genencor Biochemical Various (Palo Alto, CA)
Abengoa Biochemical/ Thermo Ag Waste,
Switchgrass (Hugoton, KS)
Blue Fire Biochemical Municipal Solid
Waste (Corona, CA)
DOE Bioenergy Science Center (Oak Ridge, TN)
Southern Research Institute Thermochemical Various
(Birmingham, AL)
Range Fuels Thermochemical Wood Chips (Soperton,
GA)
Verenium Corp Biochemical (2) Various (San
Diego, CA)
Verenium Biochemical Bagasse, Energy
Cane (Jennings, LA)
Four Commercial-Scale Biorefinergy Projects up
to 305 million Nine Small-Scale (10)
Biorefinery Projects up to 240 million (first
round) Three Bioenergy Centers up to 405
million Four Thermochemical Biofuels Projects up
to 7.7 million Four Improved Enzyme Projects
up to 33.8 million Five Projects for Advanced
Ethanol Conversion Organisms up to 23 million
Regional Partnerships South Dakota State Univ.,
Brookings, SD Cornell University, Ithaca,
NY Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN Oklahoma
State Univ., Stillwater, OK Oregon State Univ.,
Corvallis, OR
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Ethanol is the Most Mature Biofuel Technology
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U.S. Biomass Resource Assessment

• Updated resource assessment - April 2005
• Jointly developed by U.S. DOE and USDA
• Referred to as the Billion Ton Study

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Significance of the Billion Ton Scenario

• Billion Barrel of Oil Equivalents

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US DOE says Rural Biomass Energy Potential is
Extremely Large in California 12.3 million dry
tons/year
Forestry Resources
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Existing forests are a major bioenergy resource
in CA

• CEC estimates 31 of 34 BDT/year is mill wastes,
  slash, or thinnings approximately 10 million
  tons
• Assume 50 of forest biomass can be collected
• 5,000,000 tons can be used for power production
  or fuel production at a sales price of 30
  50/ton delivered netting 150-250million to
  loggers
• Assume 90 gallons of ethanol per ton of biomass
• 5,000,000 ton/day biorefinery would produce
  450,000 gallons per day or 150 million gallons of
  ethanol/year
• Sales at even 2.50/gallon would be 375
  million/yr.

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Rural Forestry Biomass Potential is Very Large
case of Colorado
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CO Forest Biomass Potential for Fuels

• CO Forest residue biomass approximately 720,000
  tons/year
• CO Mill residues biomass approximately 180,000
  tons/year
• Assume 50 of forest biomass can be collected
• 450,000 tons can be used for power production or
  fuel production at a sales price of 30 50/ton
  delivered
• Assume 90 gallons of ethanol per ton of biomass
• 1,500 ton/day biorefinery would produce 120,000
  gallons per day or 36 million gallons/year X
  2.50/gallon
• CO foresters mill operators would earn 14 22
  million/year for forest residue feedstock sales
• Taxes and jobs would flow to forestry counties
• High yielding forestry energy crops or
  inter-cropped energy crops would expand resource
  base.

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Integrated Cellulosic Ethanol Biorefinery
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Primary Conversion Routes
Transformation through Intermediates (sugars)
Biochemical conversion
Thermochemical conversion
Gasification (reduction to CO, H2) and Pyrolysis
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Near-Term Focus on Ethanol

• Ethanol as a blending agent from either grain
  or cellulosic material from Agriculture and/or
  Forestry industry
• Biodiesel Transesterified vegetable oils
  blended with diesel
• Green Diesel/Gasoline fats, waste oils, or
  virgin oils blended with crude oil as a feedstock
  for making low-sulfur diesel/gasoline in
  petroleum refinery
• Pyrolysis Liquids as a boiler fuel or an
  alternative feedstock to petroleum refinery or
  gasification facility also a future source of
  aromatics and/or phenols
• Synthesis Gas for conversion to Fischer Tropsch
  liquids, MeOH/DME, or mixed alcohols
• Algae as alternative source of triglycerides
  for biodiesel or green diesel
• Hydrocarbons from hydrogenation of
  carbohydrates or lignin

Near Term
Long Term
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Current Biofuels Status

• Biodiesel 165 Companies 1.85 billion
  gallons/yr capacity1
• Corn ethanol
• 134 commercial plants2
• 7.2 billion gal/yr. capacity2
• Additional 6.2 billion gal/yr planned or under
  construction
• Cellulosic ethanol (current technology)
• Projected commercial cost 3.50/gge

• Key DOE Goals
• 2012 goal cellulosic ethanol 1.31/ETOH gallon
  or 1.96/gge
• 2022 goal 36B gal Renewable Fuel 21B gal
  Advanced Renewable Fuel 2007 Energy
  Independence and Security Act
• 2030 goal 60 billion gal ethanol (30 of 2004
  gasoline)

• NREL Research Thrusts
• The biorefinery and cellulosic ethanol
• Solutions to under-utilized waste residues
• Energy crops

Updated January 2008 Sources 1- National
Biodiesel Board, 2 - Renewable Fuels Association,
all other information based on DOE and USDA
sources
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The Problem
Corn Prices and Ethanol Prices are Decoupled
the Example of 2006
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We Must Transition to Cellulosic Biomass
Biochemical Conversion
Corn Ethanol
Existing Distribution Infrastructure
Today Near Term
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(No Transcript)
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Status of Research Development

• Biochemical Route to Lignocellulosic Ethanol and
  Other Transportation Fuels

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Over 25 Years of Process Development Activities
at NREL on Various Feedstocks for Biomass Ethanol
Basic process development on various hardwoods
Amoco CRADAPaper fraction of MSW
Integrated process dev./scale-up on hardwood
sawdust
Collaborative process development on softwood
thinnings and residues (Quincy, CA and Sealaska)
Advanced pretreatment RD on hardwoods
WOODY BIOMASS AND RESIDUES
CAFI pretreatment collaboration on poplar
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES
Bioenergy CRADAscorn fiber and corn stover
Integrated process dev./scale-up on corn stover
Collaborative process dev./scale-up on rice straw
(Gridley, CA)
Amoco CRADA (corn fiber from wet mill)
New Energy CRADA (corn fiber from dry mill)
Basic process development on various residues
(straws, stover)
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Potential Forest Rural Ag Feedstocks

• Cellulosic Ethanol
• Beetle kill pine or forest thinnings
• Slash from logging
• Energy Crops (hybrid poplar, switch grass, etc)
• Wheat straw
• Corn stover
• Forage sorghum, sorghum stalks
• Biodiesel and Green Diesel
• Sunflower oil
• Soy Oil
• Canola Oil

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Biomass Fractionation in Pretreatment
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Pretreatment

• Converts hemicellulose to fermentable sugars
• Makes cellulose susceptible to enzymatic
  hydrolysis

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Reactivity of Various Feedstocks

• Various types of biomass respond to pretreatment
  approaches differently
• It is likely that no single pretreatment will be
  best suited to all feedstock types
• No systematic study of differential reactivity to
  pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification
  across feedstock categories is available
• Herbaceous/ag. residue feedstocks switchgrass,
  corn stover, wheat straw
• Woody feedstocks forest residues, poplar
• Provides guidance to stakeholders for
  optimization of specific process opportunities

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Conversion of Biomass
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Enzymatic Hydrolysis Research
E1 from A. cellulotiticus
CBH1 from T. reesei

• NREL worked with
• Genencor and Novozymes
• for 4 years
• Focusing on enzyme biochemistry, cost, and
  specific activity
• Investigating the interaction of biomass
  pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis
• Result
• 20-fold reduction in cost contributions of
  enzymes (/gal ethanol)

2004 RD 100 Award
40 million RD effort cost-shared by the Office
of the Biomass Program and the enzyme
manufacturers
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Fermentation
Introduced xylose utilization - 1994
Introduced arabinose utilization - 1995
Combined pentose utilization - 1997
Stabilization by integration - 1999
Development of Zymomonas
Further Development in CRADA with DuPont 2002-2007
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Tracking Research Progress
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Other Near-Term Biofuel Technologies

• Ethanol as a blending agent from either grain
  or cellulosic material from Agriculture and/or
  Forestry industry
• Biodiesel Transesterified vegetable oils
  blended with diesel
• Green Diesel/Gasoline fats, waste oils, or
  virgin oils blended with crude oil as a feedstock
  for making low-sulfur diesel/gasoline in
  petroleum refinery

Near Term
Long Term
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Oils, Fats Greases as Bio-Renewable Petroleum
Refinery Feedstocks

• Co-processing of oils and greases with petroleum
  fractions
• Utilize existing process capacity
• Potential for lower conversion costs (than FAME)
• Higher quality diesel blending component
• G/D flexibility

ISBL Petroleum Refinery
Catalytic Cracker
Green Gasoline Olefins
Oils and Greases
Distillate Hydrotreater
Green Diesel
Based on Presentations at 1st International
Biorefinery Workshop, Washington DC, July 20-21,
2005 - Future Energy for Mobility, James
Simnick, BP - From Bioblending to Biorefining,
Veronique Hervouet, Total - Opportunities for
Biorenewables in Petroleum Refineries, Jennifer
Holmgren, UOP
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Mid-Term Biofuel Technologies

• Ethanol as a blending agent from either grain
  or cellulosic material from Agriculture and/or
  Forestry industry
• Biodiesel Transesterified vegetable oils
  blended with diesel
• Green Diesel/Gasoline fats, waste oils, or
  virgin oils blended with crude oil as a feedstock
  for making low-sulfur diesel/gasoline in
  petroleum refinery
• Pyrolysis Liquids as a boiler fuel or an
  alternative feedstock to petroleum refinery or
  gasification facility also a future source of
  aromatics and/or phenols

Near Term
Long Term
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Fast Pyrolysis and Bio-Oil as Feed to Power Plant
or Petroleum Refinery
Bio-oil is comprised of many oxygenated organic
chemicals, with water-miscible and oil-miscible
fractions

• Dark brown mobile liquid
• Combustible
• Not 100 miscible with hydrocarbons
• Modest heating value 17 MJ/kg
• High density 1.2 kg/l
• Acidic, pH 2.5
• Pungent odor
• Ages viscosity increases with time

Based on research at NREL (1990 - 2006)
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Mid-Term Biofuel Technologies
Near Term

• Ethanol as a blending agent from either grain
  or cellulosic material from Agriculture and/or
  Forestry industry
• Biodiesel Transesterified vegetable oils
  blended with diesel
• Green Diesel/Gasoline fats, waste oils, or
  virgin oils blended with crude oil as a feedstock
  for making low-sulfur diesel/gasoline in
  petroleum refinery
• Pyrolysis Liquids as a boiler fuel or an
  alternative feedstock to petroleum refinery or
  gasification facility, also a future source of
  aromatics and/or phenols
• Synthesis Gas for conversion to mixed alcohols,
  Fischer Tropsch liquids, MeOH, or DME

Long Term
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Gasification Offers Many Feed Product Options
Slide courtesy of BP Corporation
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Mid-Term Biofuel Technologies

• Ethanol as a blending agent from either grain
  or cellulosic material from Agriculture and/or
  Forestry industry
• Biodiesel Transesterified vegetable oils
  blended with diesel
• Green Diesel/Gasoline fats, waste oils, or
  virgin oils blended with crude oil as a feedstock
  for making low-sulfur diesel/gasoline in
  petroleum refinery
• Pyrolysis Liquids as a boiler fuel or an
  alternative feedstock to petroleum refinery or
  gasification facility, also a future source of
  aromatics and/or phenols
• Synthesis Gas for conversion to mixed alcohols,
  Fischer Tropsch liquids, methanol, or dimethyl
  ether
• Algae to Fuels either to biodiesel or as a
  lipid source for green diesel or synthetic
  gasoline
• Hydrocarbons from hydrogenation of
  carbohydrates or lignin

Near Term
Long Term
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A Novel Approach for Making Jet Fuel from Biomass
Combine two technologies Algae Green Diesel
Microalgae
Jet Fuel (JP-8)
Cultivation Ponds
Green Diesel
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Thank you for the opportunity.
Are there any questions?