The document discusses the potential for added value biomass chains for energy and biobased products. It describes Wageningen UR, a university and research center in the Netherlands with a focus on improving quality of life through exploring nature's potential. It outlines a biomass chain involving pre-treatment and separation of various biomass sources into products like materials, chemicals, energy, and fuels. Some challenges discussed include food competition, land competition, maintaining soil quality, biomass quality, cost, scale, and security of supply. Solutions proposed are more efficient use of underutilized biomass sources like waste and residues, and using surplus or marginal lands for perennial biomass crops.
Added value biomass chains for energy and biobased products
1. Added value biomass chains for energy and
biobased products
Let’s work towards commodities
Kiev 19 September 2017
Wolter Elbersen
2. Wageningen UR (University & Research centre)
…to explore the potential of nature
to improve the quality of life…
Two pillars:
● Wageningen University
● DLO – Specialized Research Institutes
Annual budget about >650 Milj €
6500 employees
>10000 BSc/MSc; 1200 PhD (>100 countr.)
Extensive international network
In the Dutch Food Valley
8. Evolution of the biobased economy
8
Now largest new market if biomass for heat (and
electricity)
And for transport fuels (ethanol and biodiesel)
In the (near) future electricity and heat also from other
sources (windmills)
Biomass will move up the ladder towards:
● Industrial heat (high temperature)
● Long distance transport (jetfuel)
● Biobased chemicals and products
10. The biomass potential
Secondary residues +
waste
● At factory gate
Primary residues:
● In the field
Crops:
● 2 to 5 million ha
“surplus land” = 20
to 50 million tons
of biomass?
14. Crop residue removal vs soil quality ?
Too little
removal high
biomass cost
Too much Soil
quality loss less
organic matter
and nutrients
15. Themal conversion
quality
Parameter Effect
Ash
Cost of transport . Cost of ash removal. Higher dust emissions. Clogging
ash removal system
N
Easily volatile and release in gas phase during combustion at
temperatures between 800 – 1100 C
- NOx emissions – corrosion?
- Loss of nutrients
S
Easily volatile and release in gas during combustion. Produces gaseosus
compounds SO3and SO4
- SOx emissions
- Corrosive effects
Cl
Easily volatile and release in gas during combustion
- HCl formation corrosion
- Cl influences the formation of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and
furans (PCDD/F)
- Agglomeration (with K)
Ca
- - Increase the melting temperaturte of ash
- Relevant plant nutrient, ash can be recycled as a fertiliser
Mg
- - Increase the melting temperature of ash
K
Lowering ash melting point:
- Slagging and deposit formation in furnaces and boilers
Main aerosol forming during combustion
- Lowering of the efficiency, higher operating cost
KCL formation in the gaseous phase
- Raise emission of fine PM and increases fouling in the boiler.
- KCL causes corrosion of heating surfaces and it is a catalyst of NOx
Can be recycled as fertiliser
Na
Lowering ash melting point:
- Slagging and deposit formation in furnaces and boilers
Main aerosol forming during combustion
- Raise emission of fine particulate matter PM
16. Solutions for crop residues?
• Harvest 1 in 3 years?
• Strip harvesting: harvest seed
first, harvest straw after
leaching nutrients
• No-till planting: allows for more
straw removal
• Introduce models to determine
optimal straw removal rate
• Harvest and pelletizing in one
go?
www.akkerwijzer.nl
landmaschinen.krone.de
19. Growing switchgrass on marginal land
22% more expensive (Ukraine case)
€ 0
€ 10
€ 20
€ 30
€ 40
€ 50
€ 60
Low productive -
No ILUC
High productive -
ILUC
Costs(€pertonpellet)
Transport to pelletizer
Land rent
Harvest and storage
Field operations
Inputs
Ref: Lesschen et al 2012. Pellets for Power project
20. MAGIC: Marginal lands for Growing Industrial Crop
H2020 project 2017 / 2021
Partners:
-CRES (Greece)
-IBC – Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet (UKR)
- Wageningen UR (NL)
+ 23 others
23. What are the solutions?
Use land or biomass more
efficiently
● Use un and under utilised
biomass
● Waste
● Processing residues
● Crop residues
● Use surplus / marginal
land?
http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/biof/pdf/iluc_bioenergy_policies_paris/report_s3.pdf
24. Challenges
Food competition
Competition for land
Soil quality maintenance
Quality
Cost
Scale
Security of supply